Sitting alone on a wooden stool in my small kitchen, I look around and sigh wearily. I started at 2:00am, and so far I've made two Victoria sponges, two batches of vanilla macaroons, 12 cupcakes and one tiered wedding cake. The work surfaces are now strewn with dirty mixing bowls, empty cake cases and dusted with various cake ingredients. True, an ordinary person would have cleared up as they went along, but on the other hand an ordinary person probably wouldn't be attempting to single-handedly cater for an entire patisserie, and I'm working to a deadline.

There's a knock on my door and I check my watch; he's right on time. I open the door.

"Akatsuki-san! Thanks so much, I'm afraid I'm running a little behind today. Please, load up the van, I'll be out in a moment." I say quickly, smiling apologetically as I move to one side to let him in.

"That's OK, just hurry up, I don't think The Boss is in a very good mood today." He replies, and begins work on packing all the confectioneries into boxes.

Twenty minutes later, Akatsuki has left with the van and I'm finally ready. I sprint down the stairs two at a time despite my tight leather miniskirt, pausing for breath as I reach the small car park outside the back entrance to the flats. I smile gratefully as I mount my sleek, black motorbike- there's nothing I enjoy more than riding my baby. I twist the key and kick the engine into life, relishing the deep roar as I pull away from the kerb and speed into the twisting city roads, dodging past cars and pedestrians, giggling as I skip red lights and clip corners until I reach my destination: Esmerelda's Sweet Treats Patisserie.

I half-jog towards the shop, stopping at the glass door to check my reflection. I grimace. My spiky, bobbed hair is even wilder than usual, my dark eyes looking too big for my face because of the tired smudges beneath them, and there is a floury streak on my nose. I wrench open the door, flipping the sign from "closed" to "open", and flick on the light switch. The cutesy French music also starts playing from a jukebox in the corner, just as The Boss intended, and I unpack the boxes that Akatsuki delivered for me in record time as the first few customers arrive.

The day drags on without much event, and I get sleepier and sleepier. It's just before closing time now and there are no customers around, so I decide that there's not much harm in sneaking a quick ice-cream from the machine at the back. I know it's wrong, but its not technically stealing and hell, I need the sugar. I make myself a triple scoop vanilla cone, with strawberries, sprinkles and icing sugar on top. I am just about to take a lick when I hear someone clear their throat softly behind me. I whip around, my expression guilty and my tongue still half out of my mouth to see a man dressed casually in a white t-shirt and faded blue jeans, a dramatic sweep of dishevelled black hair partially obscuring his pale face. Although his eyes have tired smudges underneath them, they are dark and intense, and look directly into my own rather disconcertingly.

"Should you really be doing that?" He asks in a soft drawl, his head tilting slightly and examining the ice-cream. I frown, and proceed to take a large lick.

"Probably not, but I've been awake for 21 hours and haven't had any sugar." I say indignantly. "What can I do for you?"

The man regards me for a moment and then chuckles. "You're Tora-Tora Miubasa, aren't you? From The Strings? I've been a big fan of yours ever since your May album."

I blush; It's not often that somebody recognises me from my small-time band, especially as I'm just the drummer. Now I come to think of it, this man is actually pretty good looking.

"Ah, um... yes, that would be me, Thanks!" I beam at him and he looks at me with interest.

"I'll have two shortcakes, a strawberry cheesecake and a pavlova, please." He says after a moment, and I package it all up for him with one hand, finishing my ice-cream with the other.

"I think I recognise you from somewhere..." I say as I hand over the bags. "Do you know somebody called Light Yagami?"

He gives me the money and takes the food. "Yes, I attend university with him."

I grin- this is perfect! Light Yagami is my number one suspect in the Kira case, which I have been working on ever since the first few murders began. I'm not a professional, but I am certainly too intellectual to be simply working in a patisserie for the majority of my life and have helped the police catch criminals in the past, and the Kira case is unlike anything I've ever seen before.

"This may seem slightly presumptuous of me, but I was wondering if perhaps you could answer a few questions about him? I'm from the university newspaper, you see, and he is our highest achiever." I lie smoothly, and the man's eyes narrow slightly but he nods his head and sits down at one of the tables. I join him with a bowl of strawberries and a pot of sugar.

"So... firstly, what is your name?" I say, taking out a pen and notepad from the front of my apron pocket.

"Ryuuzaki."

"And how would you describe your relationship with Yagami?"

"Friend."

"Does he ever seem to be secretive?"

"Sometimes, I suppose."

"It is known that his father is the head of the Kira case. Does Light seem particularly fond of justice?"

"Well, I mean..."

"Has Light ever mentioned anything to do with the case? Any opinions?"

"You aren't from the University newspaper."

I stop abruptly and narrow my eyes at him. So... he's reasonably clever. Well, two can play at that game.

"You are definitely too old to be a student." I say carefully.

He looks at me with intrigue and smiles, taking a few bites of his cake. "I like you." He says quietly, tucking his knees up and sitting with his hands round them.

"Tell you what then, tell me who you really are and I'll tell you what I really want to find out about Light for." I say and eat a sugar-coated strawberry.

He considers this for a moment, his thumb pressing against his lip as he looks at me thoughtfully. He nods.

"Fine. I am currently gathering as much information as I can on this Kira case. I have many files and documents concerning it, nearly as many as the police, and even some the police have yet to discover, I understand. And Light Yagami is my prime suspect. In fact, I'd say there's a 20% chance that Light Yagami is Kira. Based on the fact that he is a student, and Kira only killed on weekends, holidays, mornings and evenings, the fact that his father is chief, and Kira seems to have access to police databases considering that about two days into the investigation, Kira changed tactic, probably due to the police figuring out what I did, and he does seem far too innocent to be true."

Ryuuzaki just looks at me the whole way through this, his eyes widening as I talk through my hypothesis and theories. After a moment or two, he speaks.

"Alright. I will now tell you who I am. This must not be shared with anyone. I am L."

I look at him, shocked. "You mean to tell me that you are the detective L who is working with the task force on the Kira case?"

"Yes. I am only telling you this because I trust you, seeing as you have managed to single handedly deduce what I also have deduced. In truth, I am investigating Light Yagami."

"Ah... but you don't really trust me, do you? If you trusted me you would not have come straight out with your identity. You only did that to test whether or not I was actually Kira. If you were L and I was Kira, I couldn't kill you now because of your name being too closely associated with a famous persons face. However, if it turned out you were not L and I tried to kill you, it would be obvious to the real L that I was in fact Kira and I would be arrested. Well, rest assured, I am not Kira. I'm guessing you did the same with Light."

"Wow, you really are intelligent. Say... How much does this job pay?"

"Minimum wage."

"I see... How would you feel about coming to join the task force, to work alongside me and the other detectives to catch Kira?"

"Are you serious? That would be amazing!"

"Of course I am serious, we need more people on this case. Know this, however- by joining us you are endangering your life. If Kira only finds out your name-" L pauses to take the last mouthful of his cake "-he will kill you."

I watch him closely as he licks the icing from his strawberry. I know the risks already of course, but somehow hearing L say it just makes seem it all the more real.

"How can I trust you? We've only just met. You could be Kira." I say, dipping my final strawberry into the pot of sugar.

"I'm returning to task force headquarters. Come with me now."

I consider this for a moment and then nod.

"Its a deal." I say and offer him my strawberry.

"Yes, a deal." he says, receiving it and giving me his own.

"It will be nice to have someone of my intellect to talk to, especially a beautiful girl." he says, looking at me and eating the strawberry. I laugh and pop mine into my mouth.