One
L sat back in his seat in the back of Watari's car, his dark hair falling into his eyes. It had been days since he last slept, but his mind was still running over the results of his last case, tying up the loose ends and minor mistakes he had made in the two weeks it took to complete.
He had been called in to study and destroy an underground drug cartel that had been rapidly growing out of proportion. The local authorities had hit a dead end after months of putting their inferior minds to work, calling L as a last resort. What had taken a group of thirty men and women the best part of seven months to achieve, L had surpassed in only fourteen days. But he would not celebrate. Much had been sacrificed for the destruction of the Golden Bell Drug cartel, including the parents of a young girl who had been caught up in the fray. He was responsible for that.
"Watari, do you think I did the right thing? Or should I have waited for another chance later on to strike?" He asked, his tired eyes wide and sad. He wished he could save everyone, but even he knew that was impossible. That didn't mean he was confident in everything though.
Watari thought for a moment, his eyes set on the road.
"I don't think it matters. What has happened has happened, and no amount of wondering and worrying will change it." Watari said evenly, shooting the young boy behind him a significant look in the rear-view mirror.
L closed his eyes and bit his thumb. He didn't like this feeling, not at all... He felt like he was responsible.
"I want to meet the girl." He said suddenly, making Watari jump. The elder frowned, studying the teens face.
"Are you sure that's wise? You don't know what her mental state is, she did just lose her family." He reasoned, but L shook his head, determined.
"I need to see her Watari, I need to see what I've done."
With that, Watari nodded, seeing the truth in his young charges eyes. He could see the guilt and weight of the world on his shoulders. He really was too young for this, but he was brilliant, and sometimes that meant growing up fast.
They drove to the hospital where the girl was being held, both males remaining silent. He wasn't sure what L was walking into, but Watari trusted the boy to make the right decision. He could handle this.
When they pulled into the car park, L climbed out of the car alone. Watari would come if he was needed, otherwise he would wait in the car.
"I'll be back in a moment." He told the elder man, who nodded and pulled a book out of the briefcase beside him.
L strode into the hospital, his usual bad posture making it an unusual sight. He was tall for his age, but by no means passed for an adult, so he could not be given access to the girl just like that. So he did what he did best. Kicking over a tray of supplies, he watched as the staff flocked over to rescue what they could, abandoning the front desk. Quickly, he climbed over the desk and typed the girls name into the computer.
Katherine Wake: room 224, floor 3.
He shuffled past the frenzied staff and pushed past a few nosy patients, making his way to the stairs. He didn't know why he was doing this, just that he had to. He had essentially orphaned a little girl.
It took him a few minutes to climb the stairs and find room number 224. Once he did, he seemed to freeze. What would he say? What could he say? 'Hi, I'm L, I'm the reason your parents are dead!' No, definitely not. What would a normal person say in this kind of situation? Well, a normal person wouldn't be in this situation...
Finally, L took a deep breath and opened the door slowly.
The sight before him was shocking. A small girl with chocolate brown hair and a pale completion was crouching at the end of the hospital bed, a book almost as big as her resting in her lap. She had on pale pink pyjama bottoms and a white t-shirt that rode up slightly at the back from her awkward position. She was too amerced in her book to notice or care that someone was in her room, not even bothering to look up at him.
L could see the bandages that covered a large amount of her tiny body, wrapping around her waist and arms, a rather large one covering the right side of her face, concealing her eye. The eye he could see was so blue it was almost violet, rimmed by long, curling black lashes.
L bit his thumb as he watched the girl turn to a new page with delicate fingers.
"Are you here for any particular reason other than to stare at me?" Her soft, cool voice carried across the room to L, shocking him out of his stupor. He straightened slightly, feeling almost inferior to the child. She was no older than twelve, younger than himself, but he had the sudden urge to explain himself, like when he was small and Watari would catch him stealing sweets in the middle of the night.
Katherine Wake still did not look at the flustered boy who had entered her room, deciding she would wait for him to prove himself worthy of her time. She had a lot to do, and this stranger didn't appear important enough to earn her full attention.
"Um... I'm L. I'm here to talk to Katherine Wake." His voice was deeper than she expected, having seen how timidly he entered the room. He sounded as though he should be giving orders, not standing awkwardly at the door of her hospital room. And who the hell had a name like L? It wasn't a name, it was a letter!
"Well you've found her, so what do you want?" She asked tiredly, turning to another page. She had decided she wanted to leave the hospital as soon as possible, and to do so, she had to get better. That meant she had to learn what all the complicated medical words written on her personal chart meant. So she was reading a copy of Greys Anatomy she had found in the break room the night before, whilst out for a midnight stroll.
"Why are you reading such a complex book?" The boy, L, asked. Katherine rolled her eyes, growing quickly bored of the conversation.
"Because I wanted to know what was wrong with me, and I didn't want them to have to dumb it down. This is just light reading anyway, it's not that hard." She shrugged, ignoring the pain in her shoulder. The beating she had received while her parents were murdered had left her battered and bruised, her body a mess. She had to get better quickly, otherwise she would never be able to take down the men who destroyed her life, killed her family and stole her self respect. If she didn't, she could never be whole again.
"I read it last year, though I think that copy is a bit outdated. You should see if you could get an earlier model." L told her smartly, trying to hold the conversation he could tell she didn't want to have. Maybe he should stop bothering her... No, he had to talk to her, and small talk was bellow the both of them, he could see it in her atmosphere. She was intelligent, greatly so, and didn't appear to be in the dark about it. She was like him.
"That's nice, but I only really need the basics... Why are you here 'L'?" At last she looked up from her book, and seemed to be surprised by what she saw. She wasn't expecting the boy to look as he did. His black hair was a mess, sticking up in all directions. He was pale, and his dark grey eyes were accompanied by vivid purple circles underneath. He clearly didn't sleep enough. He was tall, but couldn't have been older than fourteen, and his posture was terrible. He slumped, almost like he carried a visible weight on his shoulders that was slowly pushing him down. He wore a simple white long sleeved shirt and blue jeans, completing the look with a pair of unloved black converse. Despite all this, he was quite handsome, not totally repulsive as one would imagine.
"I came to talk to you." He replied simply. Katherine shook her head, turning to face him fully. She moved carefully, clearly still in pain. The IV still attached to her arm proved she was still not well.
"Nobody just comes to talk, not to me, so what do you want? You have something to say, so say it."
L cocked an eyebrow, still chewing on his thumb. This girl just got more and more curious.
"I'm L. I was the leading detective in the case regarding the Golden Bell cartel. You are familiar with it."
Katherine's visible eye narrowed, scorching him with her gaze.
"Yes, it's the reason I'm in this hell hole and you know it! And what do you mean you're a detective, you're just a kid! And what do you mean by 'was'?" Her voice rose as the questions piled on, but her face remained relaxed all for the slight scowl in her violet eye. She was interrogating him! Ha!
"I do know that, yes. I also know every member of the Golden Bell, including your late parents. Yes, I am young, but like you, I'm smarter than I look. On regards to the 'was', yes, I am no longer the leading detective because the case is closed. I caught all of the main players and now they're awaiting their court dates." That seemed to get a reaction from her. She paled and her arms went slack. She fell back from the strange crouch she had been donning and stared at him wide eyed.
This had to be a joke, a sick, twisted joke. Nobody on the outside could take down the bosses! Not even the highest ranking members had a chance! And she was supposed to believe this... this CHILD had managed to do it? Oh no, she wasn't falling for that.
"Oh, really? So tell me this; who was leading the eastern community?" She demanded, crossing her arms. L smiled slightly, almost impressed with her disbelief.
"Carl Wovlern, forty six year old father of five. Two of his sons, Lyle and Harry, were working on the branching out into France."
Katherine stared open-mouthed. He was right. Carl had been in her house more than her father some nights, insisting he was family. She had always hated him, but his daughter Nora had been kind to her. Nora was like her, trapped by the corrupt people she loved.
"How did you know that? Let me guess, they sent you to make sure I won't talk. Look, tell Carl I promise I won't say a thing! He doesn't need to look for me!" Fear was evident in the child's eyes, and L felt his heart go out to her. She had obviously lived a hard life. He ran a hand through his messy hair and frowned.
"No, I told you, I'm L. I was the head investigator." He stepped slightly closer to her, reproachfully, but she backed away on the bed.
"Look, I won't tell. I learnt my lesson last time!"
The words struck him like a slap to the face. She had been punished. He could see it in her eyes, the obvious pain.
"Katherine, I'm really L. I'm a detective." Anger flooded her gentle features. She narrowed her eyes at him and snarled out a laugh.
"Bullshit! A little freak like you? Your probably an addict, they're promising you your next fix, huh?" The words were sharp and stung, but L didn't react visibly. He dug within himself to reach out to the girl.
"I'm not an addict, I'm an insomniac. I haven't slept in three days, yet I'm here to see you. I sat in a hotel room an did nothing but pull evidence together for three days, and put away more than three hundred people. More than half will be prosecuted. I take responsibility for your parents, and I apologise. Now, would you like to hear my offer?" L didn't know what he was doing, but he was going with it.
Katherine eyed him mistrustfully, but nodded her head stiffly. She wouldn't be able to fight him off is he decided to attack her, and help wouldn't come fast enough even if she screamed. She would have to play this carefully.
"Right. I live in an orphanage in Winchester, and it caters to especially talented children. I think it's the right place for you. You could prosper there." That wasn't what she was expecting, and it took her almost a full minute to come up with a reply.
"What makes me so special?" She mumbled, curling in on herself. L gave up on being cautious and sat on the bed in his strange little way. She didn't back up, but didn't relax.
"Because your the first person I felt I needed to see, even though my brain knew I didn't. You interest me, and your clearly intelligent." He grinned slightly, pointing to her book. "Who else do you know who read that at your age?"
Katherine bit her lip, looking into the boys eyes. He appeared to be sincere, his grey orbs wide and clear. If he was lying, he was good.
She thought. Could she go with him, to this orphanage in the middle of nowhere? She had no one left worth staying for. And the government would only put her into care anyway. With a deep breath, she nodded again briskly.
"Alright, I'll go."
He beamed, his pale face becoming boyish and young. He could actually be pretty cute if he got some sleep and maybe a few good meals. The thought made her blush and look down.
"Good, so it's settled. I'll inform Watari and have him sort out the details. We'll see you in the morning." Saying nothing else, the strange boy rose gracefully from her bed and left the room, leaving Katherine with her muddled thoughts.
"God, what have I got myself into now?" She asked, picking up her book once more.
L kept his promise. He and Watari returned for Katherine the next morning, had her discharged into their care, and left for Winchester, England. Though they spoke very little, he couldn't help warming to the girl who was so much like himself. As they neared the orphanage, L leant forward in his seat, gaining Katherine's attention. He pointed to the grand old building and smiled.
"Katherine, this is Wammy's house. Welcome home."
Katherine managed a small returning smile, the first he had seen, and nodded her head. As they car pulled up and L moved to exit the car, she stopped him, placing a small hand on his arm. Looking up at him through one vibrant eye, she pulled her lips into an awkward grin.
"Call me Kat."