Disclaimer: I don't own Death Note, let alone the characters in this story

L's Road Trip: Chapter 11

It was a very long ride east to Omaha, taking Light, L and Misa all the way across the state of Nebraska in a single day. L did all the driving in the now battered compact while Light tried and failed to sleep the day away and Misa listened to the car's stereo system and the CDs they had gotten in Denver. They stopped only for lunch and it was just before sunset by the time they reached Omaha. L finally found a motel with an empty room and started moving himself and his companions into it for the night. L and Light hauled Misa's suitcases into the room along with their own bags and simultaneously flopped down on their beds, L sounding particularly relieved. Then Misa started sniffing the air and looking upset about something.

"Light, do you smell that?" she asked haughtily.

"Smell what? Don't tell me we've got another corpse in our bed," Light moaned weakly from his laid back position on the bed.

"No, it's not another dead body," Misa said, "I think it's Ryuzaki."

"Really now," L said, sounding disinterested before going back to laying in his bed, "Sorry about that."

"Ryuzaki, when was the last time you bathed?" Misa asked, starting to sound upset, a tone Light had learned to dread since this trip had begun.

"Back in Japan," L said, sitting up to face Misa for a moment before just as quickly laying back down.

"You mean you haven't bathed since this trip began? Light, is this true?" Misa said, definitely starting to get upset.

"Well, yes, it's true. I just figured he had a reason for it," Light said sheepishly.

"Actually I don't," L mumbled out, "I just haven't felt like it."

"Ryuzaki, that's gross! Go take a shower, now!" Misa demanded, sounding less than authoritative despite her best efforts.

"I'd rather not," L said without even bothering to face Misa, even though she was clearly bothered by this.

"Ryuzaki, I said take a shower! Or at least wash under your arms, you're starting to smell like a trash can!" Misa squealed angrily.

"I'd really rather rest," L said as unmoved as ever, "I'll do it in the morning."

"You'll do it now, or else!" Misa said, "Light, back me up on this!"

"Misa, please calm down. Ryuzaki washes his hair in the sink but most nights he's just too tired from driving to do anything more. Cut him a break, okay?" Light said, trying to keep the peace, "I'll make him shower in the morning.

"Light!" Misa snapped, "Oooh, damn it, Ryuzaki," Misa growled before storming off to the the bathroom.

"She sounded as though this really bothered her," L said absently as he lounged on his bed, not even reaching for his laptop for the moment.

"Maybe you should have just showered to make her happy," Light replied, "Would that really have been such a hassle?"

"I don't really feel like it right now. As I said, I'll do it in the morning," L said, sitting up to take notice of something.

Light turned his head in that direction to see what L was seeing, and caught sight of Misa wielding a wet washcloth and bar of soap like one might carry weapons, slowly, carefully approaching L.

"Misa, this can't be a good idea," Light said with a shudder.

"Light, he stinks!" Misa said, "Now hold his arms out so I can get the body odor scent out."

"Misa, no, I don't want to fight Ryuzaki again," Light said.

"Light, he accused you of being Kira!" Misa said, trying to invoke Light's anger.

Light was silent for a moment as he considered what Misa had said and what L had done, but ultimately, he just shook his head.

"No, Misa, this is a bad idea, let him wash up in the morning," Light finally said.

"Well if you won't do anything about the stench, I will!" Misa said before forward towards L with her soap, causing L to release a grunt of surprise.

"Misa, what are you doing?" L asked nervously.

"Cleaning!" she said with a look of determination as she began trying to force L's arm up.

"Misa, stop this foolishness," L said, seeming unmoved by the entire thing.

"No!" Misa snapped as she slid her hands under L's shirt, still trying to force his arm up.

L began thrashing against Misa, trying desperately to throw her off of him, but the blonde girl was too hellbent to be stopped. L resisted every step of the way, then he rolled and crawled across the bed trying to get away from Misa as quickly as possible, putting all his muscle into in order to avoid being pinned by Misa. With L went the handcuff chain, and when L finally tumbled off the bed trying to avoid Misa, Light was tugged away from his bed, smacking his head against the bed's frame with a yowl of pain. Misa meanwhile kept coming at L, who had to resume trying to wrestle Misa off of him. Misa's hand caught L's armpit and started scrubbing it before L threw her off, leapt to his feet and began scrambling away from Misa. Light ran trying to keep up so he wouldn't get dragged by L. It wasn't easy, and when L went past the suitcases left on the floor, where Light's feet met the bags. Light struggled to stay on his feet, but in the end he tumbled to the ground and smacked in to the floor.

"Damn it, Ryuzaki, hold still!" Misa shrieked in frustration.

"All right, Misa," L said absently as he stopped to watch Light get back to his feet without offering to help him up, "If it means that much to you, I'll wash under my arms. Come on Light, we need to go to the bathroom."

"Thanks for helping me up," Light said sarcastically as he got to his feet and started retreating to the bathroom.

"But I didn't help you up," L said as he turned the faucet of the shower on.

"Ryuzaki, I was being, oh never mind," Light said bitterly.

After the excitement, L showered off to Misa's satisfaction and the three called it a night, though, again, it could be debated either way as to whether or not L actually got any sleep as he was awake when Light and Misa fell asleep and when they woke up. They were woken by the alarm clock, again apparently set by L to get them checked out of the motel and back on the road as quick as possible. L stopped at a roadside diner for breakfast, fed himself and his companions and then set out for Chicago down Interstate 80. Once they were back on the road, Light enjoyed a calm, peaceful ride up to Davenport, Iowa, shortly after Interstate 80 becomes Interstate 88. Light finally managed to sleep part of the away, since Misa was relatively sedate and L didn't get them in any trouble out on the road. Most of the way, though Light and Misa listened to the radio and the CDs. They had gone through the first audio book the day before and they listened to the second audio book between Omaha and Davenport. Shortly after Light woke up and L had taken them east of Davenport down Interstate 88, L found that he was being slowed down, having gotten stuck in the right lane behind a late model black Cadillac with a small old woman in a humble sun dress and hat behind the wheel.

"Ryuzaki," Misa whined, "Why are we going so slow?"

"Because there's a slow moving car in front of us," Ryuzaki explained patiently.

"Well pass them! We're going way under the speed limit," Misa continued.

"Yes, I suppose it is dangerous to be going so slow on the freeway," L said as he signaled for a left turn, shifting into another lane, passing by the black Cadillac and then shifting back to right.

This proved to be a mistake. As soon as L passed the black Cadillac, the woman behind the great metal beast began speeding up and ramming their bumper as L noticed in his rear view mirror that the woman was shaking her fist at their car.

"Ryuzaki, what the hell's going on?" Light yelled angrily.

"I think she's trying to kill us!" Misa shrieked.

"Why, what for?" Light yelped.

"I think because we passed her," L said dully.

L sped up trying to get away from her, hands tightly gripping the steering wheel. In response, the woman in the Cadillac matched L's speed, and shifted to the left before pressing her car against L's. For a nanosecond, L lost control of the car, sending it sliding towards the side of the road, while the old woman flipped her middle finger in L's direction. L quickly turned the wheel and increased his speed even more trying to escape the black Cadillac. L managed to get ahead of her, but it was all he could do to stay ahead of her in the right hand lane.

"What are we gonna do, this crazy old lady is gonna kill us!" Misa wailed.

"Ryuzaki, stay ahead of her and go the left hand lane!" Light barked.

"How is that gonna help? We have to get out of here!" Misa howled.

"Actually, I think I see what Light is planning," L said as he shifted to the left lane.

The Cadillac bumped against the back of the dull green compact again, but L simply shifted into the furthest most left lane as he pressed against the accelerator pedal as harshly as he could. Once he got some speed and passed by another uninvolved car, L shifted to the right to get in front of it, putting that car between them and the old woman's nightmare car. Soon L was weaving through traffic trying to avoid the woman, wagering their lives and health, taking dangerous chances trying to get away from the crazy old woman. But in the end, L did escape her, and finally slowed down once she was far enough away, shifting back to the far right lane.

"Wow, Light!" Misa squealed as she threw her arms around Light as soon as she felt the danger had passed, "That was amazing! It was so smart the way you escaped that old lunatic!"

"Yes, it was rather clever," L said, sounding unmoved, "Thank you for helping me there Light."

"Uh, you're welcome," Light said, surprised at L's compliment.

"Isn't he great?" Misa said happily.

"Ryuzaki, can we please end this trip early? I've read there's a huge airport in Chicago, we could catch a plane to Los Angeles or Seattle, and then take a plane back to Japan," Light said diplomatically, but his desperation was quite clear.

"No, I don't think we'll be doing that," L said flatly.