Chapter 1: Change of Plans
My life was normal, if you could call it that, until the day I met Him.
It happened on just another day at Wammy's House. I was doing what I usually do, trying to teach a young Near how to read. Though this is Near we're talking about, no simple picture books for him, so we were reading sections of War and Peace. I had him read the next paragraph which he did, all the while stroking a piece of his hair between two fingers. His intelligence was phenomenal, to be casually reading a book of such difficulty. . . It still amazed me. You would think that after spending nearly two years at the orphanage I would become accustomed to the prodigy, but that was not the case.
I convinced myself that the day that I began to see their fantastic progress as mundane would be the day that I would stop caring. I could never let myself become apathetic, especially since my charge would one day change the world.
It was a job that I knew many would have turned down at the word orphanage. In my case it was in my blood. My mother worked at Wammy's through my childhood. She was a faithful employee and worked under Watari himself. At first I had not even considered following in her footsteps but that all changed on one fateful day.
My mother and father were killed by an egocentric serial killer two years ago. At the time I was in the United States working with the FBI. When I got the news I was heartbroken. I was considered one of the best detectives in the FBI at the time. Many had high hopes for me and were certain that I would quickly climb through the ranks. This, however, was why I was furious with myself. I had the investigative ability, yet I could not save those closest to me. I became angry with myself and everyone around me. I hated the world and believed there was no longer a reason for me to live.
I nearly took my own life when it was announced that L was on the case. Within two months L wrapped up the case and brought the murderer to justice. From that day on I felt personally indebted to the mysterious detective. I felt that I had to do something to thank him, so I took a job at Wammy's to continue his legacy.
I've been here ever since.
"Miss Haruka," Near said, bringing me out of my memories, "Miss Haruka, can I have my robot?"
"Of course Near." I replied as I rose. I adjusted my knee-length skirt and walked over to a shelf filled with Near's favorite toys. I picked up the red painted robot in question and walked back to my young charge. I kneeled down, handed it to him and stroked his pure white hair. He always felt like the little brother I never had.
I walked over to the window and gazed upon the well manicured lawn of Wammy's. Rain gently tapped against the glass as if saying hello. The vast grounds spread before me. Wammy's was a 20 acre estate which had its' own forest and a small lake. The forest lay to the west with sweeping fields filled with trees, gazebos and benches. It was a perfect place for an afternoon stroll. Indeed, I often took Near for walks whenever there wasn't too much work to be done.
Once again, I drew my mind back from my personal memories. My mind had been wandering a lot lately.
I turned my gaze from the window and saw that Near had constructed a two foot structure out of his wooden blocks.
"Well done Near! It looks great!" I smiled at him warmly. Some of the other caretakers saw his habit as troublesome; I however, knew it was just his way of clearing his head. Like pacing or twirling a pen is for some people.
"Do you want to put the last one on?" He asked, his eyes shinning.
"I'd love to." I replied brushing my dark brown bangs from my eyes. I sat next to him and took the final block and put it on the peak of the tower.
"Ready?" Near asked, the excitement and anticipation showing in his youthful eyes.
"Ready."
"Go!" He shouted and we simultaneously charged at the tower, which caused the blocks to cascade down onto the floor and onto us. Near didn't laugh, but instead smiled at his success. Near never laughed.
Our amusement was interrupted by a knock at the door.
"Come in." I said. I was expecting Carol, the woman who picks up the laundry, but was surprised to see a man in the doorway. In spite of his white hair, mustache, and wrinkles his eyes were full of life.
"Haruka Takahashi?"
"Yes?"
"I'll need you to come with me. Mr. Watari wants to see you." He said in a strong but polite manner.
I rose silently and gave one last glance to Near.
"I'll be back soon." I smiled and gently stroked his hair then walked out of the room. I didn't know at the time, but that was the last I saw of him for quite some time.
I followed closely behind the man who called me. Did I do something wrong? There were certain women who worked at Wammy's who disagreed with my behavior around Near. No that can't be it, I thought as I quickly gave myself one look over in a mirror we passed. Everything seemed to be in order. My straight, dark chocolate brown hair was neatly pulled back in a ponytail at the base of my neck. I had some light make-up on and my uniform seemed to be orderly as well. It consisted of a black pinstripe pencil skirt, a white button up shirt and a black vest on top. The vest had a silver trim and had a pin with the crest for Wammy's on the lapel. If I didn't do anything wrong then why are they calling me in? Mr. Watari, of all the people they had to send me to, why him? What did I do that was so bad that I have to see the founder of Wammy's? I was quickly getting nervous and could feel myself beginning to perspire. No, I need to focus. Calm down. Use your FBI training. I've been in worse situations than this. If I'm not calm I'll just end up looking like an idiot. Besides it could be worse, I mean come on, it's not like you're meeting L or anything like that. Yeah, at least I don't have to explain myself to Him.
"Here we are." The man with the white hair said, gesturing to an ornately carved door with a large handle.
"He's waiting for you. Go ahead and knock." I cautiously walked up to the door and knocked twice.
"Come in." A voice replied from inside the room. Definitely a man's voice. Well it's now or never, I swallowed hard and turned the handle.
I walked in and saw before me. . . absolutely nothing. The lights were off and it took my eyes a few seconds to adjust to the light, or the lack thereof. When I could see, there wasn't much to see. I could make out a few bookshelves on my left and right, though that wasn't what I was focused on. Before me was a large and very expensive looking antique desk with two chairs in front of it. Behind the desk there was a large black leather office chair. Unfortunately I could not see who was sitting in it. The person who was sitting in it was turned around and looking out the window behind the desk.
I started to get nervous again. No, you need to focus.
"Please have a seat." The man who I assumed was Watari said. I slowly walked over to two chairs that were in front of the desk and sat down in one of them.
"You're probably wondering what this is about, well I'll be brief," Watari started. This is weird, he doesn't sound like I thought he would. Watari established this orphanage quite a few years ago, yet this man sounds very young. His voice was smooth and dark and seemed to fill the whole room though he was speaking quietly.
"Frankly put, we would like your help on a case we're about to start in Cannes, France." There was a flash of light and a subsequent crack of thunder.
"Sir?"
"We'll be leaving soon and I'm afraid we may be short staffed."
"But sir, what about Near?"
"After having looked at your file, I think you will be the best suited to help us." Watari went on clearly disregarding my concerns.
"You history with the FBI would make you a valuable asset. After all you were the youngest person to ever be accepted into the bureau. At age 16, truly impressive."
I was shocked. What was this about? I simply stared at the back of Watari's chair, not knowing what else to do.
"I'm offering you a chance. A chance to get away from Wammy's for what may be a long time, a chance to see how your life could have been."
"But sir, I have to help Near. It's the only way. . ." I stopped, my voice trailing off.
"The only way. . . what?"
I was too embarassed to continue and looked down at my feet.
"You feel indebted to him." He stated.
"Yes." Where is this going? I looked away for a moment.
"I see. What if I offered you a way to help him directly? Would you do it?"
"Sir?"
"Would you?" He asked, his tone persistant.
"Absolutely."
"Good, because I have something to tell you. Please turn on the lights." I was a bit startled by the sudden request, scratch that, order, but I walked towards the door and flipped the switch on the wall. I was temporarily blinded by the sudden light and quickly shut my eyes. I opened my eyes and turned my head to the desk.
"I am L."
I stood speechless, mouth agape before the man who calmly claimed to be the detective I idealized. There's no way. . . I thought but the more I looked at him the more I saw the truth. The man was sitting, not in the chair, but on it, in a squatting position with his hands on his knees. His messy black hair sticking out this way and that, his clothes a simple white shirt and jeans. What really convinced me though, were his eyes. A piercing set of pools of onyx. His eyes seemed extremely sharp, very much like Near's, no, better. Nothing could be hidden from his dark circle rimmed gaze.
I froze unable to move or to say the two words I had wanted to say for two years: thank you. Damn! I probably looked like an idiot to him just now. Saying how much I admired him. I am so stupid! I blushed in embarrassment. I tried to look away, but I couldn't. My eyes were drawn to his eyes as dark as night.
"As I said before, we could really use your help on an investigation. It could take several months. During that time we will provide room and board for you and also pay you twice your regular salary. So what do you say?"
"When do we leave?" I asked. I thought I saw the faintest trace of a smile appear on L's lips but I may have been mistaken.
"Are you sure?"
"You looked over my file. There's nothing for me here. I have no family, just a friend, but I can get past that. I have to do this."
"Very good. We leave tomorrow morning. I will ask you to stay here for the night; you can stay in one of the guest bedrooms so that you can take some time to review the file for the case." L said handing me a file.
"Right."
"Also, call your friend and tell her you'll be going on a long business trip and that you're not sure how long it will take. Once we get settled in France you can call her again."
"Okay." Hmm. I don't recall saying she was a girl. He has done his homework. Why should I expect any less?
"That will be all." L finished all the while staring into my dark blue eyes. I froze and the moment seemed to go on for eternity. Finally I regained use of my legs and started for the door file in hand.
When I reached the door I turned and looked at L, my eyes filled with determination, "Thank you, L, for the opportunity. I won't let you down. I promise." With that I exited the room and the man with the white hair, who I then learned was Watari, led me to a guest bedroom. For the rest of the night I poured over the file, not letting anything slip by me. This was my chance, and I wasn't about to blow it.
L's P.O.V.
I waited in Watari's office while he went to get the woman in question, Haruka Takahashi. While I had to admit I was not thrilled about having to take someone else on the case I realized it was neccessary. I had been on the case for two months and the killer had been at large for another four. I decided the crimes had gone on for long enough and thought it might be good to get some help. I too had to admit that Miss Takahashi was the best choice. She had few distractions. She was 20 and single, without any family with only one friend, Amelia Williams, a local. Her FBI training was also a valuable asset which I could not ignore.
I turned the chair I was sitting in around to face the window. I certainly did not want her to see me as soon as she walked in the door, hence the lack of light. I was fairly sure she would leap at the offer, but decided not to turn around until I was sure. I sighed as I sat in my usual position, hunched over, with my hands on my knees. How long has it been since I had dessert last? Ten minutes? Twenty? I sighed again and decided it would be best to wrap this up quick.
There was a knock on the door right on que.
"Come in," I responded, still looking out the window onto the estate grounds and saw that it was still raining. I enjoy it when it rains like that. When the rain pours so hard it hurts, and the thunder is so forcefull you feel the earth is going to crack open and swallow you whole.
"Please have a seat." I heard Miss Takahashi sit in a chair behind me.
"You're probably wondering what this is about, well I'll be brief," I started and decided to be as blunt as possible. "Frankly put, we would like your help on a case we're about to start in Cannes, France." She sounded truly surprised. As our conversation continued her only thought was of Near.
"You history with the FBI would make you a valuable asset. After all you were the youngest person to ever be accepted into the bureau. At age 16, truly impressive. I'm offering you a chance. A chance to get away from Wammy's for what may be a long time. A chance to see how your life could have been." Why is she so passionate?
"But sir, I have to help Near. It's the only way. . ." She stopped in mid sentence, possibly out of embarassment.
"The only way. . . what?" I asked choosing to pry a bit.
"You feel indebted to him." I stated matter-of-factly.
"Yes." I gave her an offer I was sure she couldn't refuse. The chance to help L directly. As expected she said she would help.
"Good, because I have something to tell you. Please turn on the lights" Time for the moment of truth. I quickly turned the chair around as she turned on the lights and looked my way.
"I am L." I said simply. I had my first look at the former FBI agent. Her old photo served her no justice. She was of average height with an athletic build, yet managed to have curves in all the right places. My eye went up to her face, trully stunning. A spotless face with medium complextion, with skin that looked as smooth as satin. Her straight dark brown har fraiming her face beautifully. Her eyes were her dominate feature. Large pools of dark saphires which seemed to be endless. Hmm. This will be interesting. She continued to look at me. I decided to break the ice.
"As I said before, we could really use your help on an investigation. It could take several months. During that time we will provide room and board for you and also pay you twice your regular salary. So what do you say?"
"When do we leave?" Just as planned. I asked her if she was sure and she continued by saying she felt she had to do this. I agreed, told her we would be leaving the next morning and handed her the case file. All the while her eyes grew brighter and brighter with determination and hope.
"That will be all."
She silently rose out of her seat and headed for the door. When she reached it she turned around and said, "Thank you, L, for the opportunity. I won't let you down. I promise." With that she walked out. Very interesting indeed, I thought and couldn't help but smile.