Placing my character "Kare" from as-of-now hiatused "What if L Never Died?" back in time with Matt and Mello. This was initially going to be a prologue to the hiatused "What if L Never Died," but I tend to get so obsessed with one story that I forget about the others entirely and keep them going forever, and I don't want to hold up the re-writing of "What if" because I don't want to end this fic.

That said, however, I will do an introductory chapter of her and her relationship with L so she doesn't seem like a completely randomly inserted character. "What if" and this fic will have this chapter in common. After all, to understand the future, we have to go back in time~ (I don't own that song/those lyrics by the way.)

Disclaimer: Do I look rich? Does Death Note have a ton of yaoi smut? No? Then clearly, I do not own Death Note or any associated characters or products. Only character I DO own is Kare. This is a fic made by a fan, for fans.

1992; Long Beach, California, United States

A young girl with vivid green eyes and flowing blonde hair lay on her stomach on a twin-sized bed that had been dressed in a floral pattern. She was all dressed up in a red velvet v-neck dress and even makeup, a rare thing for her. She kicked her legs in the air excitedly as she flipped through a scrapbook she'd made of herself and what appeared to be her boyfriend, a tall dark and handsome type man with jet black hair and dark brown eyes one could get lost in. With a happy sigh, she set the book aside and sat up, dangling her legs daintily over the side of the bed. Though she was only sixteen, she knew she wanted to be with him forever, and that he felt the same for her. He'd told her to dress nicely tonight because he had a big surprise for her.

For appearances' sake, she was a happy child with a good life, surrounded by people who love her... But everyone has their secrets, and this girl, Kimberly (Kimi) Westford was certainly no exception. When she was only five years old, her mother was hospitalized with inoperable brain cancer and given two years to live. Kimi's father stayed by his wife's side day and night, and lost his job due to absences. The few times he did go to work, he was always drunk. Since the day Mrs. Westford was hospitalized, Kimi had never once seen her father sober. Faced with depression, alcoholism, and the knowledge that he was going to lose everything, he did the only thing he could think to do- put his daughter on the streets as a child prostitute.

As if that weren't enough, as she got older and his alcoholism worsened, he began to attack her himself. Sometimes it was just words. Other times it was sexual, or brutal beatings that left cuts and bruises for everyone to see and wonder about. On occasion, when people would come asking what happened to his daughter, he would lock her in a closet for days on end as punishment for talking about it. The stress of it all often made her want to die, but she did her best to keep her chin up, for she believed that one day, God would reward her for her forgiveness, and forgive the sins her father had forced upon her. For a while, when she entered high school, this seemed true. She met the man of her dreams and fell in love. He told her not to worry about her father and what he made her do, that one day, when they turned eighteen, they'd run away together and everything would be okay.

But then, on the night of their special date, the phone rang. Hoping that it was just her boyfriend, Jake, saying that he was running a little late (she didn't mind, she just wanted to hear his voice) she answered quickly. "Hello? Jakey?"

A man cleared his throat on the other end of the line, "Is Kimberly Westford there?" He asked, his voice cold and stern.

"This is she," Kimi replied, confused, "Who is this?"

"This is the California State Police department calling on behalf of one Jacob Knightly. He passed away this evening, and his last request was that we call you and tell you he loved you." The man stated bluntly.

Kimi blinked, "Is this some sort of joke? It's not funny!" She snapped, tears threatening to fall. This couldn't be happening. What about their perfect life together? What about the kids they were going to have? And the house on the beach?

"I'm afraid not. He was one of twenty victims of a drunk driving hit-and-run accident. We haven't caught up with the killer yet, but... One moment, it seems there's someone here that would like to speak with you." There was some shuffling, then a loud click, and at first, Kimi thought he had hung up, but suddenly, another voice, softer and far more soothing, with an English accent, began to speak.

"Is this Kimberly Westford?" Without waiting for an answer, he continued, "Jacob's parents have just identified the body as his. If you'd like to see him, his body is at the First Step emergency room, though I wouldn't suggest it..."

"You're lying," She accused, sobbing now, "You're lying, stop it! Jake's gonna be here any second now, and-"

"Jacob won't be coming to see you tonight. If you wish to come see him, or at least, what's left of his body, you can go to the First Step emergency room and-"

"Who is this?" Kimi cut in, "Who are you? Who are you to tell me Jake is dead?"

There was a pause, silence, then, "I am L."

Kimi scoffed. Because of her upbringing, she was rather interested in Law and Justice, so she often read articles about famous detectives and earth-shattering cases. "L? The new kid on the block detective? They say he's got some potential, but I mean, if you're going to pose as someone famous, pick someone who's actually famous, or non existent. Like Sherlock Holmes."

"I can assure you that I'm telling the truth, and that I will not rest until this murderer is apprehended. I happened to be in the area when I heard a broadcast about this incident, so I'll stick around and see it through to the end." L stated calmly.

There was another pause, more silence, only sobbing muffled by a pillow broke it before, "You really are L, aren't you? I don't know how, I can just... Tell..."

"I am."

"Then... Jake's really dead?"

"He is, but I will personally see to it that his killer does not go unpunished. I can contact you when it's over, if you'd like." He offered.

Kimi sniffled, "I'd like that... Thank you." They both hung up simultaneously, and it was then that the full force of the tragedy hit her. Jake was gone. She'd be stuck with her father, alone, with no one to comfort her or tell her it wasn't her fault. Why? Why had God abandoned her? Was it a game to him? Bring people happiness only to snatch it out from under them? No, she wouldn't let that happen. If she couldn't be happy with Jake, then she'd have to make her own happiness. Determined to do just that, she packed a backpack of clothes, a picture of Jake, some snacks, and what money she could scrounge up (About $80 USD) and bolted out the front door, in a hurry to get away before her father got home. She made her way to a local drug store where she bought some scissors and black hair dye. In the bathroom of the store, she cut her beautiful hair, the hair Jake had loved so much, to little more than finger-length strands and dyed it jet black. She made her way to the shipyard and looked around. Thankfully, it was after working hours, so nobody was around. After some hunting, she found a schedule board of departure and arrival times, dates, and locations. The next one leaving was going out at 5AM, to Japan. She tracked down the boat and shimmied down into the cargo hold, that was already packed and ready to go. This was the point of no return.

Several days later, she was discovered when they were unloading the cargo. Thankfully, nobody really seemed angry. If anything, they were amused and impressed that she'd managed to stay in such a cramped space for so long. She thanked them for not being upset with her and took off running down the street. So much to do and so little time. Thankfully, she had a passport from a vacation she and some friends had gone on, so that wasn't an issue... But she needed to disguise herself better. Completely change her identity so nobody could ever find her. Unfortunately, she didn't really know any Japanese other than "hello," "goodbye" and "thank you," so this was going to be rough. "Hmm... There's got to be something... She wandered the streets for a while until she came across a sign that had both English and Japanese text. "Raidon School For Boys... A boy's boarding school, huh?" She pondered this for a minute. Who would know? She could hide herself pretty well, and her breasts were unimpressive at best even when she wasn't trying to hide them. They have half the sign in English... I wonder if it's an international school... Hmm... She pondered this as she made her way to a currency exchange shop, then to a drug store where she found a tourist map and wandered around, looking at everything they had, trying to determine if anything could be used to disguise her gender. "Ah! Duct tape! The miracle material!" She beamed when she saw the ever-so-familiar silver tape and pulled four rolls off, as well as some a box full of safety pins. "This should do it." Beaming with pride, she brought everything to the counter and set it down. "Umm..." She grabbed a pocket translation book off of a shelf beside the counter and skimmed through it. "How much?" She asked finally in Japanese. The man rang her up, (she bought the translator as well) and she was on her way.

Stopping in a public restroom with a broad mirror, she took her dress off and sighed, "I said it was perfect, but... How am I gonna get this on?" She looked helplessly at the duct tape in her hands. "Maybe from behind?" She taped one end to her shoulder and began wrapping herself up (bringing the tape under her arms, of course.) With much difficulty, she managed to get herself wrapped up tightly in the stuff and used a safety pin to pin down the two ends. Pulling a t-shirt and some jean shorts out of her backpack, Kimi quickly dressed and packed her dress back into the bag. She took her time eyeing herself in the mirror, making sure her chest didn't look suspicious. Satisfied that this would work until her Japanese was good enough to ask where something better might be, she made her way to the boys' school she'd seen earlier, using the map to find her way back.

It took some convincing, but Kimi was accepted into the school, and only weeks later, the principal offered her a room of her own. She had the best grades and test scores in the entire school, excluding gym, and was working hard to succeed. She had asked for her own room when she was admitted, and naturally, she'd had some difficulty hiding herself from her roommate, but she managed to make it through those first few weeks. Giving her her own room was a reward for good behavior. As long as she kept her grades up, he saw no reason why she couldn't stay in her own room, since there was an empty one anyway.

After making it through the entire first semester and getting a pretty good grasp of the native language, Kimi, or Mizuki Kurama, her new alibi's name, without a hitch, she figured she was pretty much off the hook, and life was good. She was in a good school, top of the class, had made some decent friends, and was well on her way to a bright future. Of course, when she wasn't distracted by learning, studying, or trying to have fun, her mind wandered to L. She wondered if he had ever solved that case. If there would ever be justice for her poor Jake. But one night, there was a knock on the door of her dorm. She paused her Sega Genesis game and turned to look at the door, "Come in," She called. She didn't like to keep the door locked unless she was changing, as it might be suspicious, so of course it was unlocked now. The principal stepped in and greeted her. "Numata-sensei... What are you doing here?" She asked, getting up and turning the television off, "Can I get you anything? Some tea perhaps, or-"

The man held his hand up to stop her, "Mizuki-san, I apologize for this, but the school is completely booked for this semester, and there's a student from abroad here... He's going to be staying with you."

Her jaw dropped, "But sensei, you said that if I kept my grades up and I stayed on my best behavior, I wouldn't have to share!" She argued.

"I know, and I'm sorry, but this is out of my control. Please, be kind to him." The man said, stepping aside to let a scrawny, disheveled, hunched-over boy through. "This is Rue Ryuzaki."

"A pleasure to make your acquaintance," The man said, his dark eyes seeming to brighten when he got a better look at her face.

"Hmph, don't touch my stuff!" Kimi retorted before returning to her game. This sucked, but it could be worse. Still... He looks just like my alibi. What gives?

"So, ah... Mizuki-san was it?"

"That's Kurama to you.*"

"Ah, sorry, Kurama-san... Numata-sensei said you're from America, too?" He asked, daring to sit on the floor beside her.

"What's it to you?" She snapped back.

The man watched her, seeming to size her up. "I don't much appreciate your attitude." He said finally.

"I don't much appreciate you being here. Why don't you just go on home to your mommy and Big Macs?" She paused the game to shoot him a deadly glare, trying to get him to back off, but the man held his ground.

"I greatly dislike hamburgers, and my mother is... no longer of this world." He said softly.

Eyeing him, getting a better view now that he was closer, Kimi asked, "How old are you?"

"Sixteen," He lied, "Same as you. Why?"

"You look like a 12-year-old.*" She remarked.

"I look young for my age. Some say that's a blessing," L agreed. There was a moment of silence between them that was suddenly interrupted by the rumbling of L's stomach. Kimi burst out laughing. "I apologize, I haven't had the chance to eat since my arrival..."

"Well go make some ramen, you can pay me back for it later." She said, pointing to the microwave and stacks of ramen noodle cups beside it.

The man stared at it for a moment before asking, "Do you have anything sweet? Cookies or candy... Or cake would be great."

"Cake is not a meal." Kimi grumbled, returning her attention to her game.

"Mmm, perhaps not.. But it is delicious. Sweets help me think." He stood up and began rummaging around the room for something sweet.

Afraid that he might find her spare restraining vests, Kimi jumped to her feet and hissed, "I told you not to touch my stuff!"

Ryuzaki stared at her for a moment, then commented, "You seem rather defensive. Is there something you're hiding?"

"What? I... No! What, you think I'm on drugs or something? I'm clean! I'd never touch that shit!" Kimi replied hastily.

With a small, thoughtful smile, Ryuzaki murmured, "I'm sure you wouldn't, nor would you touch alcohol, after what happened..."

"I'd never dare do anything that stupid!" She thought for a moment, then glared at him, "What did you mean, 'after what happened?' What are you babbling about?"

"Your father was the man responsible for Jacob's death and the rest of the massacre. They're negotiating his sentence.. I promised I would tell you when I found out, but, you had gone missing." He said softly, brushing away a lock of his jet black hair.

Kimi blinked, trying to contain her tears. She couldn't give up her cover, no, they'd take her back... After all her hard work... "I... I don't know what you're talking about. Who are those people?"

"Jacob would be very hurt to hear you say that... This was found in his pocket. I thought you should have it." He withdrew a folded up note and a small, fancy box from his pocket and handed it to her. She took it and read the note in silence.

Kimi, my love

I know we're young, and I know this is going to sound crazy, but...

I want to be with you forever

All those things I said about running away together and living in a house on the beach

I really believe that, I mean it

I love you with my whole heart, and I always will

The only thing that could ever take me away from you is death...

But know that even when that day comes, I'll still be with you, always

I love you, Kimi, and I always will, so please...

When we get old enough... let's make it official

For now... Say you'll marry me?

She couldn't contain it anymore. She fell to her knees and sobbed, holding the note and box containing her ring close to her chest. It was awkward for a few minutes, Kimi crying and Ryuzaki making no effort to console her, choosing instead to watch. After a while, she began to calm down, and she asked, "You... You said you promised me you'd tell me when you caught your killer..."

"I did," Ryuzaki confirmed.

"Then... Who are you, really? Are you him?" She asked, looking up and meeting his eyes.

"Yes. I am L." The man replied, holding out his hand to help her up. She took it, though she didn't let go once she was up.

"Thank you, L... How... How did you find me?" She asked, still holding his hand tightly in her own.

"You have a distinct pattern in your grades that I attribute mostly to your menstrual cycle. In addition to that, I heard a rumor about a stowaway that went to Japan the night I called you. When I saw your face I knew instantly that it was you." L replied, rather proudly, "It's over now, so you should go home to your father before he goes to jail." He suggested, "I can pay for your flight if you-"

"NO!" She shrieked, "You can't make me! I never want to see his face again that horrible, sick man! He deserves to be locked up! I hope he drops the soap and gets raped in the shower!" She snapped, holding the items from Jake tighter.

L raised a brow at this, "I understand that you're upset about Jacob's death, but he's still your father, and I'm sure he loved you-"

"Loved me? No, he never loved me. He loved mom." She took a deep breath and lowered her voice, "I don't usually talk about this, but after all you've done for me... I guess I can at least explain. My father was abusive. He put me out on the streets every night since my mother was hospitalized when I was five, he raped and beat me when he got drunk, and if people asked questions, he'd lock me in the closet for days to starve me. He wanted me to suffer. He wanted me to pay for my mother's death, even though it wasn't my fault, it was cancer..." She sighed, biting back more tears, "I can't go back, L. I don't even want to live in that area anymore. Just... Let me stay here."

"They're going to discover your little secret at some point. You know that, right?" The man asked smoothly.

She looked away, "I know..."

"I can't stay, either. I only came to deliver that message and give those to you," he added, pointing to the paper and box in her arms, "I have a flight leaving tomorrow for England."

She blinked, "What... no... you can't leave me!" She protested, "You just got here, and.."

"Kimi... What do you want to be when you grow up?" He asked, looking to her.

Kimi raised a brow at the sudden, out-of-the-blue question, but replied, "A... detective. I've always wanted to be a detective... Because of my own injustices."

"Then... Why don't you come with me?" L offered, "Working alone is stressful, and we'll be able to solve more cases, and faster, if we worked together."

Shocked, Kimi's jaw fell, "I... What? Why me?"

"Because I'm familiar with you, after doing so much research, for one thing, and... I know that you crave justice just as much as I do. I think... We would work well together. Besides that, you'er a brilliant girl, and you have a bit more experience around other people and emotions that I do. You don't have to come, of course, but..."

"No... No! I'd love to!" She beamed and dropped the box and paper, choosing instead to wrap her arms around L in an awkward, one-sided hug, "You're my hero, L, I don't know how else I can say it... I'll do anything for you. From here on out... If you ever need me, or if you're ever in danger, I'll come to you, I'll protect you with my life, I promise."

"...Thank you, Kimi."

1. First name basis is for close friends in Japan. You usually call people by their last name rather than first unless you know them really well.

2. L would have been 13 almost 14 at that time

You may be wondering how Kimi went to the bathroom on the boat. Well... That's just one of those questions you don't ask. Like why doesn't Inuyasha freak out about smelling Kagome's blood when she's on her period. Just... Ignore it.

Now I'm trying to follow a tight timeline here, because Kimi needs to get her ass to Russia. x.x I'm trying to keep it somewhat historically accurate so people don't bitch and moan, "But that's not possible" or "Why was she there"

Anyway, this was the prologue, the fun stuff is yet to come. I won't go into too much detail about the relationship between Kimi and L in this fic because it's really not about him. This is Matt, Mello, and Kimi centric. Very much so.