TIs Chapter 2!

Harpygirl91: Yeah, I read it on one mange to where the secretary saw the vamp chick her boss was seeing and then it became too soap opera-ish for me so I stopped reading it. If I want drama, I'll chat with my sisters.

Dark Queen Helba: Okay, read above and add "I blame AngelicFlash from Deviant Art" after that. She's the own who introduce me and Kazi-kun to it and OMFG--I HAD to put it in this story. It seemed to be the kind of thing only L would read, for various reasons.

Okay, as a warning, this is short for a reason and is kinda part 2 of chap 1.

Sailor Moon/Shaman King/Death Note

Naruto/Bleach/Karas/InuYasha

"Trials and Investigations"

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Chapter 2:

"Too Tired To Care"

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A wisened hand on her shoulder jerked Hotaru awake. She pushed back from the table and looked up at the aged aura of the man standing next to her chair, brushing her bangs away from her face. She didn't recognize the aura right away, making her go for her glasses. She took them from on top of her closed laptop and put them on to get a proper look at the man.

"Oh, Watari." Hotaru mumbled, feeling a little foolish for not recognizing the aged man sooner. "I'm-I'm sorry. I didn't mean to fall asleep. I was…I was just…"

"It's all right, my dear. You've been working in an artifical enviroment for several days straight without any sleep." Watari replied as she took off her glasses and wiped the sleep from her eyes. "While we appreciate the effort you have put forth, you're no use to us if you run yourself into the ground. We don't need you to sacrifice too much for us. We're not like them after all."

"I was just resting my eyes, honest." Hotaru informed him, putting her glasses back on.

"Did you finish the dossier for Mello and Near?" Watari inquired of the girl. Hotaru unplugged the small flash drive from her laptop and capped the sensitive end of the drive. She put it into Watari's hand and felt him put his other on her shoulder. "Now, go on home and get some sleep. I'll call you if there are any developments but you need to be on top of your game. Go get some rest and come back tomorrow."

"But Lawliet--" Hotaru looked over at L, finding him on the sofa in his bizarre sitting posture. His cheek was on his knees and his eyes were closed in a brief moment of sleep. There was an empty cake plate and a empty coffee cup on its side on the coffee table. "…has passed out from a sugar drop."

Watari chuckled fondly at the weary sigh Hotaru gave. She shook her head, muttering something about strawberry addicted detectives and sugar withdrawals.

"Go home, my dear. Get some sleep." Watari kindly instructed. "It appears we don't need you for the rest of the night."

"Just…just leave the dishes for me. I'll wash them tomorrow." Hotaru replied, pulling the power cord from her laptop, unplugging the cord and packing both the cord and laptop away in a black shoulder technology bag. She pulled it into her lap and secured all the straps. She got to her feet and shrugged on her coat before shouldering the strap. "I'll…I'll see you later then. You will call me if something comes up, even if it's just 20 minutes after I leave?"

"Yes. Yes, of course." Watari reassured. He patted her shoulder. "Don't worry. I've been handling L before you wandered through our doors, my dear. He'll survive without you long enough for you to get some much deserved sleep."

Hotaru wasn't too sure is she should leave L alone with Watari…or it would be more accurate to say she didn't want to leave Watari alone with a cranky L. When it came to managing L and his childish moods, Hotaru was the one who could get Lawliet to sit down, be quiet and focus with very little effort. Hell, she could tell when L was lying and she often gave him a scolding look or flick to the ear that, surprisingly, went unnoticed by the rest of the investigation team.

Hotaru took off her glasses and rubbed her eyes as she left the headquarters behind. She didn't have to go far for her apartment. It wasn't her real residence but it was more a secondary space if needed and it was her current home away from home. It was just a place she went to sleep. And the building was less than 3 blocks away.

Too tired to take the stairs, Hotaru stepped into the elevator and pressed her floor's button. The cage shuddered slightly as it began to move upward. Hotaru leaned against the back and rubbed her eyes again, her glasses still in her hand. She couldn't afford to skip sleeping for much longer than a few days anymore, not without being outside. As a sage, she was strongest outside where she could pull on nature's chakra. Being inside for several days on end was a good way to wear herself out.

The elevator reached her floor and she pushed the cage door aside. She took her keys from her coat pocket and selected her key as she walked to her door. Unlocking the door, Hotaru stepped into her dark apartment and pulled the door closed behind her. She locked it without looking and kicked off her shoes. She set her bag down and took off her coat, dropping it on top of her bag.

Hotaru didn't even bother going to the bedroom. She shuffled over to the couch and just dropped onto the cushions. She pulled a throw over her and dragged a pillow over to rest her head on. She didn't know where her glasses went and she didn't care. She was tired.

She was going to sleep.

Hotaru: Thank God for sugar downs. Maybe I can actually relax for 5 minutes.

Well, sleep now b/c work's coming up.