A/N: I'm rewriting my first fanfic in Death Note (Under the Surface) so we can all rejoice that it WON'T be so short this time! I have some help from my friend, Sarah, so we're set! Now…COMMENCE! AT LAST I AM MAKING MY WAY UP IN THE WORLD!

Hirogaru yami no naka kawashii-

Ah hem…Please ignore my rant. Thanks for joining me in yet another fanfic!

Under the Surface
Chapter 1: A…Peculiar Meeting

Hikaru had spent her day lurking outside of the police station. Something was going on today, but she wasn't sure what. It was an odd day for her since she was tired, and that was a sure sign that her plan to meet L and talk to him would backfire…Oh well.

The task force for the Kira case – or rather, half of them – walking together to a hotel. The St. Marriot. It was a lovely hotel, to say the least. It was more like a grand resort. Hikaru looked at the elevator. Floor 13…A quick sprint up the stairs exhausted her. The second group should be meeting up here soon. She hid on the other end of the hall, and the second half came about ten minutes later. Satisfied, Hikaru walked past the door they were walking into. Room 1348…She walked into the stairwell and waited five minutes before walking to the door.

Picking the lock. Not so difficult of a task. She slipped inside and was happy to find nobody in the room. She saw their cell phones sitting on a table, off. She had been intelligent and put hers on vibrate. She walked to a door she could hear voices from and pressed her ear to it.

"These are files from the FBI. I had them tail certain suspects before they died, so Kira is one of the people in the files. The people are—"

Hikaru couldn't hear any more because her arms were suddenly behind her and someone was holding her still. To keep from crying out, she bit her tongue. Her hands were tied with rope and she sat down, unable to remain standing. The old man who had tied her arms behind her back frowned. She recognized him as her friend, Watari. The old man peered into the room. "Ryuuzaki, may I talk to you?"
"Yes, Watari. What is it?" Soft footsteps were heard when Hikaru listened closely. A man walked into the room, shutting the door behind himself. His hair was a mess and it annoyed Hikaru. She watched him slouching as he studied Hikaru, who sat cross-legged on the floor, glaring at the ground by now. Watari spoke. "I found her eavesdropping."

((Sarah: Ooo bad girl tsk tsk!))
((Ina: Uh-huh.))

L looked down at Hikaru. He was shocked, but his expression was more bored than shocked. "Who are you and how did you find this place?" He knew that he wouldn't – couldn't – suspect her as Kira until she showed more reason for him to suspect it. Hikaru glanced at him and didn't answer. Watari looked at L. "This is Hikaru Oshida. She already told me that she followed the task force." Hikaru knew his lie was to attempt keeping her out of trouble…

L got down to her level on the floor, not sitting down because it was sort of hard to sit in his position. "Oshida," He said, using her last name. "For what reason do you have to follow the task force to this place?" Hikaru glared at him. "I knew something was up and I needed to investigate," she informed, using a bitter tone. She knew he would have found out anyway. Then she shouted, rather randomly, "THIS IS CHILD ABUSE! UNTIE ME!"
"It was not your place to follow them, Oshida." L did not want to keep the task force waiting or they might be suspicious of what was happening. She was indeed tied, and it was indeed illegal. "Watari, could you please untie her? But do not let her leave or continue to eavesdrop. I do not want to keep the task force waiting any longer or they might become suspicious." L instructed as he stood up.

Watari started to untie Hikaru, who suddenly said, "I know the wolf." L was about to go when he heard what she said. He turned to look down at her again. "Is that so? You must be proud to know such an important person," he said as he turned away again. Just because she claimed this didn't mean he could trust her. She also knew that the people she was following belonged to the task force, when they could look like any old business men. And the fact she claimed that she knew the wolf could make her even more suspicious. It would be a good excuse to use when trying to get out of a situation you didn't want to be in.

Hikaru stared at him before relaying the message she would have normally sent Kaji to deliver. "The wolf wants to know if L could ally with them and they could work together." Dear lord...I'm really pressing my luck here... Watari walked over to L and said quietly, "She has heard a lot...I think maybe inviting her to join wouldn't be a bad idea...She seems well educated...And we could see exactly where she is in schooling and her age and you should be able to test her."

"Very well, but if she turns out to be someone we can't trust then what do you propose we do then? She says she knows the wolf but that doesn't mean she actually does. Saying things are easier than meaning them." L said quietly in reply.

Watari sighed. "She knows the wolf because I know the wolf and she is one of the wolf's closest friends. I believe that if the wolf can trust her, then you and I can too. Besides, wouldn't someone that was so quiet before and knowing that being tied up was illegal know that it was very likely that mentioning the wolf would be suspicious? Why would she do something as stupid as that?" Watari asked with a good knowledge on the psychological processes. He took out a laptop and quickly looked up the information on Hikaru. He then showed it to L - that Hikaru was 16 and a senior in a college. Hikaru, who had been waiting patiently, decided to take out a Rubik's cube and play with it. L sighed. "Fine," he said in defeat. He was not happy about losing. Watari put away the laptop. "She should be a good asset, but you should probably inform her."

Hikaru was muttering to herself by this time, turning the cube as she did so. "U, R, U prime, R prime, U prime, F prime, U, F...Switch to orange side..." L just stared at her as she talked to herself. "Oshida-san," He addressed her using a suffix, "You can attend the meeting. But your cell phone must be off, and you may not write anything down, so I think you get that it's supposed to be secret." Hikaru looked at him. "...Just call me Hikaru...Please." She put away the Rubik's cube and reached into her pocket, turning off her cell phone immediately. "I won't write anything other than my theories and that journal of theories will stay with you. Sound fair?" She asked.
"That's fine," Famed detective L agreed.

Hikaru got up, waiting for L to enter before entering herself. Watari smiled. Ahh, you've both gotten yourselves into a mess.

A/N: That was in the past. You like it? Well, I hope so because Sarah and I are working hard on it in between writing the stories we want published. I'll have excerpts from both stories in the next chap. Hope you all enjoyed this! R&R.

Ina Sama