Tell Me a Story

Sunako tells her child a story about the child's father

Chihiro Nakahara looked up at her mother as she came in to tuck her in. She knew her mother had just set Hikaru down.

Chihiro rarely saw her father—she understood his work was time consuming, but she wanted to know more.

"Mama," she said, sitting up. Her mother looked at her after closing the curtains.

"Yes, Princess?"

"Tell me a story."

"A story?"

"Daddy tells me stories when he's home," Chihiro said.

"He does, huh?" Mama said, sitting on edge of Chihiro's bed. "Alright, then. Let me see…Once upon a time, there was a knight. This knight was a great man and led armies against evil. One day, an evil king rose to the throne. That King was named Kira.

"The Knight was very brave and decided to catch King Kira and send him to the gallows. But Kira's real identity was never known. So to corner Kira, the knight, who rarely came into the open, risked his life to capture Kira.

"The Knight had figured out who Kira really was and Kira figured out who he was. Kira attempted to kill him, but Kira's weapon, called the Death Note, had vanished into the hands of a young girl who was the niece of a grand queen. The girl preferred the life of simplicity and dreamed of that life, though her aunt wished for her to become the true princess that she was. The Princess, instead of using the Death Note, took it to the police, for it had too much evidence—a list of all the men and women that Kira had killed.

"Kira was a very evil king, Chihiro. He killed many people without hesitation which was why the princess who did not want to be a princess gave the Death Note to the police. She was taken to give her testimony to the knight. When Kira found her out, he tried to add her to his list of victims.

"But the knight saved the princess and the Death Note was burned. Kira was sent to prison and executed for treason and senseless murder.

"But Kira had a queen, who was just as evil as she was beautiful. The queen tried to find a way to kill the girl with her own Death Note, but the girl had four handsome guards, who were bound to protect her no matter what happened."

"What happened to the queen?"

"Her Death Note was stolen and she, too, was taken to the dungeons and executed. But before that happened, the knight had found himself falling in love with the princess. When the princess came of age, the knight begged her hand from her parents and her aunt."

"Did the king and queen approve?"

"They did—so did the princess' aunt."

"What happened after the knight and the princess married?"

Mama kissed Chihiro's head. "They lived happily ever after with a beautiful daughter and a handsome son. Goodnight, my little princess."

"Night, Mama."

Mama closed the door.

Two hands snaked around her waist and she glanced behind her to who they belonged to. "Hello, my dear princess."

"My brave sir Knight," Sunako muttered.

L captured his wife's lips.

"I wasn't expecting you back until Saturday."

"The case was cracked a couple hours ago—quicker than I thought it would be. That was a good story you told her."

"You heard?"

"How could I not?"

"She'll be happy to see you in the morning."

L shrugged. He was about to answer when Hikaru began to whimper. "I'll go see to him," he volunteered.

Sunako watched him go to their baby's room.

Someday, Sunako believed that L might get bored of his work. There were less and less cases that caught his interest.

Since the Kira case, he hadn't found much to catch his interest, but he looked at cases still and helped those who needed it.

Someday, he would stay home more.


yay! yes, there are several references to other stories in this one: "I Saw Haha Kissing Santa Clause," and "When We First Met."