It was quite strange, she thought as she stirred the cake mix together, that L had asked the very man he suspected of being Kira to become his helping hand and second opinion in the Kira investigation. In her mind the very notion of having the assumed killer in the same vicinity as the authorities hoping to bring them down, was quite absurd to say the least. Yet, Carey would never question L's methods, she would never even pretend to hold a portion of his intelligence or reasoning for he was the only man she knew to be correct one hundred percent of the time. His ability to observe and pick people apart and connect the dots when she had only had enough time to look upon the dots themselves, was uncanny.
Carey released a sigh and poured the sugary desert mix into the cake tin, it was one of L's favourites, strawberry sponge with pieces of broken chocolate spread throughout the gooey base. After she placed it in the oven, she tied her long, blonde hair up into a loose ponytail to stop it from escaping and flicking into her eyes; it was a nuisance sometimes, yet Carey did not have the heart to cut it off completely.
She had known L for years now and ever since he had requested her to be taken away from Wammy's house and join him in certain cases that required her expertise, they had become as close as two people who lived and worked together could be. Even though she had never been in line to become L's successor like A and her brother, L had taken her in after BB had ran away from Wammy's house; she was the only one left of the "first generation" of children accepted into the orphanage. Granted, she did have special talents that had allowed her to enter Wammy's house along with BB, however they lied in computers and hacking rather than detective work.
Although, L had once told her that her baking was the best he had ever had the pleasure of tasting; that thought alone was enough to bring a grin to her face, which lit up her pale blue eyes like the sun in the clear morning sky.
"Have you almost finished Miss Sora?"
A warm, deep voice brought Carey out of her reverie and she jumped and spun around, bringing a hand up to her heart in response to being startled; she had become accustomed to answering to the alias L had given to her and even though she preferred the name given to her at birth, she accepted it wholeheartedly. Carey knew that it was L's way of implying that the Kira case was one of the most dangerous investigations he had ever taken on and, as such protecting the people closest to him was a necessity. The alias was both her defence and her weapon.
"Jesus, Watari!" She exclaimed, "Maybe give some warning next time before scaring me…"
Watari chuckled in response and gave her a soft smile that made his wrinkles more prominent and pulled at the edges of his moustache; he had always been like a grandpa to Carey and she loved him and treated him as such.
"My apologies, but Ryuzaki was becoming impatient at having been denied his afternoon cake. I don't suppose it's finished yet?" Watari asked in his soft croaky tone that had become so familiar to Carey.
"Nope, it's still cooking; I'm afraid he'll just have to wait." She huffed, quite used to L's impatience when it came to sweet deserts and certain foods that he so adored. Even though it was one of his many quirks that she didn't necessarily like all that much, it did amuse her greatly whenever he pouted at being deprived of a certain sugar-filled snack.
Watari sighed. "I was afraid you might say that – he keeps reminding me of the fact that he cannot focus properly without sugar, as the brain can only use glucose as an energy source and cannot rely on any other type of food group."
Carey rolled her eyes at Watari's description of how L was coping without his cake; it was just so predictable and so undoubtedly him that, unknown to her, Carey's expression softened.
"I'll take him in some tea, Watari. The cake should be done by the time I get back – "
She proceeded to remove her white apron and placed it on the back of one of the small chairs in the corner before taking out a tray and filling a bowl full to the brim of sugar cubes. As the tea was boiling, she turned back to Watari after removing her hair tie and snapping it around her wrist.
"Could you keep an eye on the cake please? I think it only needs another fifteen minutes." Carey said.
"Of course Miss Sora, I shall call you if it's finished before you return." Watari said with a smile and walked to where she had once been situated, accepting her gratitude with a nod as they passed; she moved slowly as to not jolt the tray and spill the tea she had poured for L.
Carey knew that it would just be L sitting inside the lounge area of the hotel suit. The other members of the task force had left just over an hour ago to spend some time with their families and loved ones, Carey didn't blame them in wanting time to themselves, they put so much energy and effort and work into the investigation that if they weren't granted periods of relaxation to take their minds off of Kira, they would surely loose themselves as the weeks passed by.
After reaching the entrance to the lounge, Carey balanced the tray on one hand and slowly opened the door so as to not spill the bitter liquid or disturb the sugar cubes piled high in the small glass bowl. A small frown marred her features at how difficult it was to enter the room whilst balancing weight on one hand; however she managed it without dropping the tray.
Closing the door behind her she looked around the room and saw L crouched in his familiar position on the large sofa, situated in the middle of the suite. Moving from hotel to hotel was a rather arduous task, however having done this for the years she had known L, Carey quickly became used to the procedure and had adapted to learning her way around the different buildings.
As she made her way over to the sofa, she took her eyes away from the tea and glanced at the hunched man in front of her; he was delicately holding a piece of paper between his first fingers and thumbs and regarding the words blankly, his eyes were slowly reading each sentence and his face had a far away, vacant expression that she had become extremely used to. Even when Carey placed the tray on the small coffee table directly opposite the couch, he did not look up.
She shook her head in exasperation and sat down on the free seat next to him, shuffling for a few moments in order to get comfortable.
"Thank you Carey." L said softly without raising his eyes from the piece of paper that Light had written 'Kira's' speech on that they planned on sending to Sakura TV.
She graced him with a small grin, knowing that he could probably see it from the corner of his vision.
"No problem. The cake isn't ready yet so I thought I'd bring you some tea to keep you going."
L placed the paper gently across the arm of the sofa to his left and then reached out to the tray, Carey didn't even want to count the amount of sugar he put inside the liquid before he moved back and took a sip. She grimaced as she imagined just how sweet the tea would be; Carey had never really had the tooth for deserts and sugar, rather she preferred food of the savoury variety.
"You know Ryuzaki – you really should take a break…You've been looking over that piece of paper for hours now and you've been working constantly for longer." Carey said, frowning slightly at L's complete dedication and reluctance to even sleep when it involved the Kira investigation. The rings around his eyes had become darker in the past months, since Kira had begun killing, and that fact alone worried her more than any psychopathic killer would ever be able to.
L placed his teacup back onto his saucer and then turned his dark, empty eyes to her own vibrant blue.
"I appreciate the concern, but even so, catching Kira is one of my top priorities; resting will only allow him the opportunity to win…" L said trailing off as he reached out, grabbing more sugar cubes and then adding them to the, already sweetened tea.
Carey's frown only deepened as she watched him; she brought her hands together and began to unconsciously pick at her nails, portraying the anxiety that she felt inside her stomach.
Before Carey could respond L spoke again.
"However, what's really worrisome is how alike Light's speech sounds to the real Kira – not that I'm particularly surprised as he is my main suspect, but it's rather disconcerting."
L returned his gaze to the piece of paper placed on the left arm and took a last sip of tea before gracefully placing the empty cup and saucer back on the tray. Once again, in that delicate hold that could only belong to a detective, L picked up the piece of paper; Carey took comfort in the fact that that was probably one of the only things that was predictable about L.
"Ryuza – L…Truthfully, how much do you suspect Light to be Kira?" Carey asked firmly, leaving no room for L to lie, she knew he would never withhold information from her if she asked for the answer directly. It was one of the main advantages she possessed against him; L held Carey in much too high regards to deceive her.
Even though the paper was held in front of his face, L shifted his vision to look Carey directly in the eye; an immediate response to being called by his name rather than his alias. His face was clear of emotion and she knew he probably did not mind her dropping the fake name as there was no other individual in the room with them; even Watari was still in the kitchen.
Gently, L lowered the paper, moving it so he could bring his thumb to his lips.
"Truthfully," L began, speaking against his thumb, "I believe that the likelihood of him being Kira is just over ninety percent."
"Ninety percent…" Carey murmured, quite surprised that it was that high.
She had met Light Yagami a few weeks prior and on first inspection he seemed like an average, yet rather charming, high school student. However, living with L for five years and being with her brother, BB for the majority of her life had led Carey to look underneath the underneath; although she was hardly in L's league of deductive skills, she had an idea of how to analyse certain individuals and realize when someone's profile fit that of the murderers. To her, Light Yagami was charismatic and intellectual and handsome and…just too perfect, which was the reason he fit Kira's profile so seamlessly; she definitely agreed with L that he was one of the main suspects. The problem was that neither could prove anything.
"If it's that high then why invite him to join the task force to begin with? Don't you care about your own safety? You know he has the power to kill you!" Carey said; irritation lining her words. Besides Watari, L was the only person still present within her life who loved her and she cared for him deeply; he had saved her from a life of solitude and famine, she would not allow him to die. Even though he had arrested her brother, BB, she did not blame him, it was not L's involvement that had prompted Watari to look for successors for him.
Strands of her blonde hair fell into her face and she huffed; it only added to her agitation. Before she could outstretch her hand up and move it away from her face, long pale fingers had already reached out and gently moved it back away from her eyes. Her irritation dissipated as she looked into dark orbs that could peer into anyone's very soul, her skin tingled with the aftermath of L's fingers gently brushing her skin.
"Don't worry so much Carey…" L said softly as he withdrew his hand and placed it on one of his brought up knees. "I have no intention of losing to Kira; whether he is Light or not. Besides, in the event of my death I promise that you and Watari will both be sufficiently provided for and will never have to concern yourselves with work."
Carey frowned but before she could protest to such a statement, L held up a single finger, halting her speech.
"Having said that, I truly believe that justice will prevail and with you helping me and coming to the same conclusions as I, how could we lose?"
For a while Carey didn't respond, knowing that the question he spoke was rhetorical, however she contemplated L's words, going over and over them in her mind; eventually a small smile spread across her lips.
"You're right – Of course you're right, I'm sorry."
"No need to apologize, just have some faith in me and yourself. It will work out." L said picking up the previously forgotten piece of paper and returning to his analysing; once again he brought his thumb to his lips and moved the pad along the bottom.
Carey's smile only increased as she watched him and saved his words in the recesses' of her mind.
For once in a very long time, she had complete and utter confidence that this man, this glorious wonderful man, would beat Kira at his own game. For once in a very long time, she believed in every single word he had spoken.
This was written for my sister but I thought I'd upload it to see what you guys think. Reviews are appreciated and welcome.
I hope L's in character and I hope it was okay.
Much love.