Disclaimer: I do not own Death Note! (…despite how much I may wish contrariwise…)
Chapter 1
The little girl looked around the barren orphanage with wide, frightened eyes. The other children scorned her, greeting the newcomer only with unfriendly glares and sneers. Why were they being like this?
Her family had been murdered, so she had no place to go—that was why she was here. Did she really deserve to be so hated? None of the other kids even knew her! The girl blinked back another wave of tears, her big midnight-blue eyes shining and wet. She was only five, and hardly a wisp of a girl. She had long, pale golden hair that was matted and tangled. Her fair skin was masked by dirt and bruises.
Clearly, she had once been very cute. But after all of the hardship that she had been through, she was left as a ghost. If only someone could show her some kindness…
"Don't cry," the girl blinked through her tears and looked up to see a thin, pale boy with unruly black hair and big, dark eyes. He appeared to be about six or seven years older than she was, probably around age twelve. It registered to her that he was speaking Russian—her native language, a language that she wouldn't have expected anyone in an American orphanage to be speaking. She didn't make a sound, just stared at him as more tears rolled down her cheeks. Gently, the boy took her hand in his own and gave it a light squeeze. "Don't cry anymore. I'll be your friend."
…The next day, the boy was gone.
"Miss Diaghilev, I need you to look at something. We received it a few weeks ago—I'll send it your way. Let me know what you make of it when you're done, will you?"
"Sure thing," Hikari Diaghilev clicked her phone down and sighed quietly to herself, swinging her feet off of her desk. She straightened up the stacks of paper—files on criminals and suspects and victims—and straightened her pens in a very OCD fashion. She tweaked the empty teacup on her desk and shoved the novel that she had been reading into a drawer. No sooner had she hidden the evidence that she was slacking off on her (admittedly sparse) detective work before someone burst through her door.
"Hikari!" The woman who had just run in cried spastically, her brown eyes wide. "You'll never guess what the Chief wants you to do now!"
"I'm sure it's not that bad, Jen," Hikari rolled her eyes at her co-worker's exaggeration.
"You might be surprised," Jen said with a grin, handing the young detective an envelope that was addressed to the LAPD and that had already been torn open. Hikari took it and looked inside with curiosity.
"A crossword puzzle?" She asked, glancing up at Jen when she had seen the contents.
"No one can solve it," Jen replied, lounging in one of the chairs in the office. Hikari usually only used those chairs for interrogation, but her friend's casualness didn't faze her.
"So he gives it to the newest detective in the unit? That makes sense," Hikari said dryly, glancing over the puzzle. As she looked at it, she was immediately filled with a strange sense of sadistic mirth. Whoever wrote this had a serious psychological problem, that much was for sure. She frowned, hardly listening to Jen's blabbing.
"Bringin' out the big guns, eh?" her American friend winked. "Why on Earth wouldn't they give the puzzle to the seventeen-year-old?"
"Oh, can it," Hikari said half-heartedly, eyes tracing the small black boxes of the crudely drawn puzzle.
"Come on!" Jen laughed as Hikari threw the paper onto her desk and stared intently at it, her eyes shadowed through their dark liner. "Don't tell me that you've already given up? The Chief'll be so disappointed!"
"Mmm," Hikari gave a non-response and Jen rolled her eyes.
"Well, I'll let you get back to your novel," Jen smirked and Hikari gasped, looking up from the puzzle with scandalized eyes. "And don't forget, we have a staff meeting in a half hour!"
"Jen, you—!" Hikari cried in a jokingly outraged tone as her friend laughed and slipped out of the office. Once Hikari was alone again, she picked the puzzle back up. For a few moments she just stared at it, perplexed. Even though there was a list of clues, they were beyond obscure. It didn't surprise her that the department had been in possession of it for two weeks and no one had been able to solve it. Perhaps it was just a joke…? After all, who would send a puzzle with no solution to the Police Department? But maybe that was the whole reason to send it, Hikari reasoned with herself as she absently stood up and drifted toward the window. She twisted her hair into a messy bun, thoughtfully gazing out at the LA skyline. Maybe someone drew up this puzzle in order to prove that the police are incompetent…
Her frown deepened as she thought about this. Hikari was letting her thoughts run away with her when the shrill ring of her phone made her jump. It took Hikari a moment to locate her cell phone, and she wondered idly why her mysterious caller wasn't using her office number. She looked at the screen and saw that the caller was 'Unknown'.
"Hikari Diaghilev," she chirped as she answered the call, straightening her black button-down shirt (the top few buttons were rebelliously undone, despite her superior's objections).
"Hello, Miss Diaghilev," a synthesized voice said on the other line, "I apologize for contacting you like this, but it seemed to be the safest way."
"May I ask with whom I'm speaking?" she frowned—what kind of person went around calling people using a voice synthesizer and then apologizing for it?
"You may," the voice said, and a beat passed before Hikari realized that her caller wasn't going to answer her until she asked again.
"Who is this?" she prompted.
"L," the voice replied, and for a moment Hikari thought that she had heard the person wrong. Had her caller really just said L?
"I believe that you are currently in possession of a certain crossword puzzle," 'L' continued on, getting straight to the point. Hikari's head was spinning and she leaned against the warm glass of the window. No one…not even the craziest villain would dare claim to be L. It would be suicide, which left only one option—she was talking to the real thing.
"If you're talking about a certain crossword puzzle that has no answer, then you're not mistaken," Hikari said, glancing down at the puzzle. It was resting there on her desk, looking entirely innocent and harmless—what on Earth could be so important that L had to see it? How had he known that it was in her possession when she only received it a few moments ago? Her eyes narrowed.
"Very well. Then it's understood that you will meet an acquaintance of mine with a copy of that puzzle in fifteen minutes at the Hyatt on Central Plaza?"
For a half of a second, Hikari wanted to refuse. How sketchy was this plan? Not to mention the fact that she was a bit peeved that he had just assumed that she would work with him. Could this guy be any more pretentious? And then she realized who she was dealing with—the greatest detective of the century, arguably of all time. There was no way that she could say no to him.
"Alright," she sighed, trying to remain as nonchalant about this whole situation as she could.
"Oh, and one more thing," L said, catching her just as she was about to hang up. "I'll need you to destroy this phone, to erase the evidence of our conversation."
There was a click and the line went dead.
Hikari stood there, rooted to the spot as she stared at her phone. Destroy the phone? Just how paranoid was this guy? Slightly annoyed, she heaved a huffy sigh and snapped the cell shut, grabbing the mysterious crossword puzzle and pulling on a jacket. She managed to make it out of the police building without anyone noticing that she was leaving and immediately set off at a brusque walk.
She didn't want to pull the crossword puzzle out while she was walking, but she was itching to get another look at it. Hikari just got a feeling that if L wanted to see it, there should definitely be an answer…and if anyone could find that answer, it would be the world's greatest detective.
She arrived at the hotel after exactly fifteen minutes. As Hikari stepped in front of the building, she realized that she had absolutely no idea whom she was supposed to be meeting.
Great.
She was just about to have to make up a story for an over-helpful concierge when an elderly man with kind eyes and a pristine suit stepped up. Upon seeing him, the concierge immediately backed off.
"Miss Diaghilev, I presume?" the man asked in a solemn voice, his accent distinctly British.
"Yes, sir," Hikari smiled. The man had a grandfatherly aura about him, despite how reserved he seemed to be. "How are you?"
The man looked a bit surprised by her question. After all, she hadn't asked whom he was, as would be the natural reaction—just how he was doing. It was a little strange, but she liked to catch people off guard to see how they reacted because those reactions could tell you a lot about a person. The old man's wrinkled face broke into a smile.
"I'm doing just fine, Miss Diaghilev. Thank you. Now, if you will please follow me…I believe that Leon wishes to speak with you," he indicated towards the building and set off. Hikari assumed that 'Leon' was L's alias and found that she had no choice but to follow the man into the hotel. Was she really going to meet L? They rode up the elevator in silence and got off on the top floor. The man pulled a room key out of his coat pocket and unlocked the door.
I wonder what he's like? Hikari wondered to herself for only a second before the elderly man had opened the door and ushered her into a large, spacious suite. There was a lean man standing next to the floor-to-ceiling windows, one hand resting on the glass as he stared out of the window. He turned as the door opened, his dark eyes brooding as he silently surveyed Hikari. For a few moments, no one said anything.
"Thank you for bringing her, Watari," the young man said emotionlessly. Hikari was unsurprised to learn that the man was Watari—even though she never would have imagined him looking like a grandfather, it was the only logical conclusion. "Would you be so kind as to bring me some tea?" Watari nodded and left, and L once again turned his gaze to Hikari. "I assume that you've brought the crossword puzzle?"
There was no question. He might as well have commanded her to give it to him, given the tone of his voice.
Is this guy really L? She thought wildly to herself. She surveyed him again—he was tall and thin, with skin that hadn't seen sunlight for years and eyes that hadn't seen sleep for even longer. His black hair was tousled and he wore a simple white t-shirt and a pair of baggy jeans. The strangest aspect of his appearance, however, was his age—the man seemed to be in his early twenties.
"I suppose it's only natural for you to wonder if I am truly L," he correctly interpreted her silence. "But you should understand that age is no indication of intelligence or aptitude, Miss Diaghilev. I believe that you're the youngest detective in the history of the Los Angeles Police Department."
"Well, at least you've done your homework," Hikari sighed to herself as she fished the crossword puzzle, envelope and all, out of her bag. She held it out and the strange man shuffled over, feet bare and posture absolutely horrendous.
"Thank you," he didn't sound overly gracious as he picked the envelope up, delicately holding it between his thumb and forefinger, letting it dangle in front of his eyes as he examined it. He seemed satisfied and shuffled over to the couch, calling over his shoulder, "Please come sit down."
Hikari followed silently, her mind working a thousand miles a minute. Though it seemed unlikely at first glance, it occurred to her that this man had to be L. No one would believe him if he claimed the title, so he couldn't be a decoy that L had sent in his stead. She was talking to the real thing. He sat down on a cushy chair and pulled his knees to his chest in a strange crouch, watching silently as she uneasily took a seat on the couch.
"If it's not too bold, may I ask why you sit like that?" She asked with a raised eyebrow. Accepting that he was L was the hard part—now that she had reasoned out that he wasn't an imposter, it was only natural for her to be curious.
"If I don't sit like this, my reasoning ability drops by forty percent," he responded in that same apathetic, unreadable tone. She tried not to make her agitation too obvious. "Have you destroyed your phone?"
"Yes," her answer was instant and bitingly sarcastic, "because in the fifteen minutes that you gave me to get here, I was able to find a suitable way to dispose of my cell phone and accomplish the task without arousing any suspicion. Duh."
The corners of his mouth didn't even lift. He blinked.
"Well, I would ask that you please dispose of it before the end of the day."
"Do you really expect me to—"
Her retort was cut off by Watari's arrival with L's tea. Watari set the tray on the coffee table and turned to L.
"Would you like me to make a photocopy of that letter, Leon?" Watari asked, and L handed it to him.
"Please. And also, fetch the replacement cell phone for Miss Hikari Diaghilev," he called as the elderly man walked off into another room of the suite. L turned his eyes back to Hikari, who was by this point blushing terribly. Although his expression remained emotionless, flicker of amusement sparkled in his eyes. "You were saying?"
"Oh, stop it," she looked away.
"Very well," L said. "Would you like a cup of tea? I find that tea always helps with reasoning, especially in the afternoon."
He didn't wait for her response and promptly set a teacup in front of her.
"Now," he said, taking a sip and then setting the cup back on the saucer. "I have some business to discuss with you."
"Then by all means, feel free to discuss," she said airily, taking a sip of the tea and almost grimacing—it was so sweet that he must have used at least a whole cup of sugar. Luckily, he didn't seem to notice.
"I would like you to solve the puzzle," he said as Watari came back into the room.
"Me?" Hikari asked in slight disbelief as Watari handed her a photocopy of the crossword and a cell phone that was identical to hers.
"Yes," L almost sounded annoyed. "You. I wouldn't have asked you to do it if I didn't want you to. Now, there is a contact on that phone saved as 'Leon'. When you solve the puzzle, even if you can solve only one of the clues, you will call me on that number. Don't worry," he said as she blinked up at him in indignation, "the number is entirely untraceable. It changes three times a day, though I would like to request that you only call me at either exactly nine o'clock in the morning or exactly three o'clock in the afternoon. Those are the only times of day that the connection will be valid. That phone already has all of your former contacts on it, so I foresee no problems. Yes?" he asked at the look of incredulity on her face.
"You're just assuming that I'm going to do this for you?" Hikari demanded, forgetting that she was talking to the world's greatest detective. L blinked.
"Are you going to refuse my offer?"
There was a moment of silence wherein Hikari struggled to fight back her pride. She was furious that L was getting the best of her, but there was nothing to be done about that. She was struck by a sudden thought.
"Leon, why do you need this puzzle solved? Couldn't you solve it yourself?"
He looked up from his copy of the puzzle, blinking twice. "A puzzle left unsolved is a terrible thing. Who likes an unsolved puzzle?"
"So you're telling me that you're only having me solve this puzzle because it's going to bother you if it's left unsolved?"
"It would indeed bother me if the puzzle was unsolved," L replied thoughtfully, and Hikari sighed. She wasn't going to be able to convince this guy to give her a straightforward answer, was she?
"Miss Diaghilev, please give me your cell phone," Watari said. "You may keep the new one instead."
"Sounds good," Hikari said, reluctantly handing her phone over to him. Oh, well…it was just a phone. She stood up, carefully folding the crossword puzzle and tucking it into her bag. She got almost all the way to the door before she bit her lip and turned around. "Hey, Leon?"
"Yes, Hikari Diaghilev?"
"I'm sorry…about earlier. I didn't mean to be disrespectful," she suddenly found her shoes very interesting.
"I didn't see it as such," L shrugged, finding the blush dusting her cheeks quite amusing. "On the contrary, it was…refreshing to meet someone who didn't just follow my orders."
She looked up very quickly, her midnight-blue eyes wide. He offered her a small smile and the grin that he received in return was absolutely radiant.
"Then I guess it's fortunate that we met," Hikari laughed, waving as she reached for the doorknob. "I hope you have a nice day, Leon!"
The look on his face became incredibly bemused, his eyes wide and naïve. She noticed that his eyes were not, as it had seemed before, black—they were a dark, stormy grey. The dark circles under his eyes and his messy hair made him look like a baby panda. She almost laughed at the sudden change in his demeanor.
There was no other way to phrase it—he was adorable.
"…Thank you, Miss Diaghilev," he said in a strange voice after a pause. "I hope that you have a nice day, as well."
It was only when she was halfway back to the LAPD that Hikari realized she had missed her staff meeting.
Oh, crap.
A/N: Well, I hope you liked it! I was cleaning up my computer the other day when I found this. I don't know how long ago I wrote it, and it was just this one chapter. I have no idea why, but the file was saved as "The End" on my computer. Um, what? I don't even know where I was planning on having this story go, but apparently it was going to have some sort of ending! Oh, wait…all stories have endings… Anyway, I've never been very good about updating, but if I get enough positive feedback I suppose I'll try harder. Don't expect anything any more frequently than once every few weeks, and I don't think that other chapters would be this long. Cheers!