A/N; Shock, genuine shock. I never expected you all to like this story so much, so many reviews for a first chapter…. Thank you all!

I do hope Sioen that you continue to enjoy :D

Please read and review!


Chapter 2

L slouched against a wall in the darkness of the museum wondering just why he was doing something so out of character. He would never usually do something so dangerous or daring, he would never have left the safety of his own domain. He certainly would never operate outside the bounds of the law so much, but this thief intrigued him.

Oh yes, this thief intrigued him greatly. Even to him the thief seemed extremely intelligent, perhaps even as intelligent as he was. That, and the return of the pieces the next day, made L believe that this thief wasn't all he appeared, wasn't even a thief at all, just someone doing this for the challenge. In effect someone just like L himself.

This was the only explanation L had for his rash actions. He wasn't sure he entirely wanted it to be his only explanation.

What ever happened he knew it wouldn't be long until the thief arrived, the lights had gone out after all. He had only just managed to work out the virus the thief had created to do that today, picking it apart as best he could. He had been impressed at just how efficient it was, able to deactivate an entire city block's electricity twice without damaging the rest of the grid, and then to remove itself from the system. It was perfect, and despite removing the electricity twice, harmless.

L was brought out of his tangled and always twisting thoughts by the sound of a muffled footstep, followed a minute later by another, this time much closer. He had the sudden impression that he was under intense scrutiny, he didn't like it; he never let people see him face to face and this sudden feeling made him realise he had underestimated his opponent. It was likely the thief could see in the dark, he could kick himself for overlooking such a detail.

The footsteps approached once more and he went to pull the torch from his pocket.

"I really wouldn't do that if I were you," the words were whispered from quite some distance away, but he could the dangerous undertone. L put the torch back, he had just had his suspicions confirmed, the thief had night vision goggles, he was at a disadvantage. It was his own doing of course so he knew he had to live with them.

"You have seen my face now," L replied blandly, turning his head in the direction of the whispered words, "it would seem only fair for me to see yours, it would make things equal between us again Mr Thief."

"Oh I don't think things were equal to begin with," the voice commented, "you are a detective I am a thief; I would be at a disadvantage to let you see my face."

"I am the World's Greatest Detective," L replied with a small smile, "I think we can both claim to be at a disadvantage if someone were to see your face. It is interesting to meet someone with as much want to be private as myself."

"It comes with the career choice," the thief said, he even laughed slightly.

"I would hardly consider it a career choice," L said calmly, "if so then despite your abilities you would be a very poor thief. In my opinion you merely do this for the pleasure, a hobby shall we say."

The thief fell silent and L wondered if he had somehow offended him, he had very little want for social occasions and so there was a potential for his words to cause such problems. His eyebrows rose as there was the sound of something metallic skittering along the marble flooring and colliding with his trainer.

"Put them on," the thief commanded.

"How melodramatic," L said with a sigh as he reached down for what was quite obviously, a pair of handcuffs. As he pressed the cool metal to a wrist the thief spoke again.

"No, those are for your ankles."

L rolled his eyes but obeyed, sitting down to snap the cuffs into place around his ankles. He could sense no malice behind these words, so he did not believe himself to be at risk. He frowned as another pair of handcuffs slid along the floor towards him.

"These are for your wrists," the thief said then, with the barest hint of a laugh.

"Do you feel safer now Mr Thief?" L sighed as the final handcuff clicked into place and the thief finally moved closer.

"You didn't even ask about the keys," the thief murmured crouching down in front of L, his vague shape discernable in the darkness before L.

"I don't ask useless questions," L sighed, "asking for them would not have changed events."

"True enough," the thief murmured, and L saw the distinct shadow of the man reaching forward.

"I would advise against touching me. I have agreed to the handcuffs but no more," L said, as he shifted back. There was no way he was going to let this man touch him, he might have agreed to the handcuffs but he was still able to fight back.

The thief sighed and pulled something from his own belt, and as a sudden light shone L realised it was a torch. The beam illuminated a chain from which… hung two keys. It seemed the thief was only giving him the keys. L reached up and took the keys, trying to use the light to discern just what the thief looked like, it was impossible.

"It seems we are both paranoid," the thief sighed, sitting back himself.

"Too paranoid to tell me your name?" L enquired, "you already know that I am L."

"My name?" the thief said calmly, "You can call me Tsuki."

"That would explain the moon on the card," L said smiling, he had wondered about that it had borne no relation to anything, anything serious anyway. He didn't think this was the thief's real name, there was only a five percent probability of that being so. He hadn't expected it anyway, he had just wanted something better than Mr Thief. "Does that also mean you are originally Japanese I wonder…"

The thief, no Tsuki, laughed.

"No comment," Tsuki replied, "you are not going to get answers like that from me."

"Yet by saying that you answer a hidden question," L responded, "you are as intelligent and as sneaky as I presumed."

"Sneaky?" Tsuki responded, he sounded for lack of a better word annoyed.

"Tsuki, you are a thief," L retorted, "surely sneaking 'comes with the career choice' as you put it."

"Only technically speaking," Tsuki said quickly, "as you said this is just a hobby."

"A rather dangerous hobby," L said, equally as quickly.

"That's what makes it interesting," Tsuki sighed.

"Interesting?" L queried. There was a small pause as Tsuki seemed to debate how to reply. Almost as though the thief was debating how safe the question was. Surely he would know that L had already figured this all out already, else why would he have come here?

"It's the mental challenge of getting inside and removing the item," Tsuki said at last, "the item itself is just a bonus. Returning it the next night is just a greater challenge as people are more aware and alert, and if I didn't, I really would be a criminal. So yes, I do this for the challenge, and because the challenge is so interesting. I was not happy tonight, I knew you wanted to talk to me, but you sent away all the guards."

L couldn't help laughing a little, this sounded so much like himself; in reverse that was true, but still…

"I can't begin to fathom what you found so funny in my explanation," Tsuki commented.

"You remind me of myself," L said, deciding to be honest. There was no harm in telling his target this. "I sent away the guards because of my own sensibilities, not in preference to you."

"Oh," Tsuki murmured, he sounded surprised. He shifted away from L then and began rummaging around in his bag, evidently he was using his night vision goggles or something similar. "Is this why you are not helping the police?"

"Yes," L replied, "You interested me."

"Oh good," Tsuki sighed, he didn't sound that happy. Perhaps he had realised that having L interested in you in a personal way was worse than him acting for a police force. "Do I still interest you?"

"Yes," L said calmly, deciding to be frank, "I must warn you though that very soon I will be helping the police. They have already approached me in fact, they find you quite the vexing little problem."

Tsuki laughed at this as he began working on the case next to L. L debated whether to reach for his torch, but he decided not to; that would be cheating on his part, and he was currently in handcuffs. He was not about to annoy Tsuki. Suddenly Tsuki's quiet laughter ceased.

"What are you going to do?" Tsuki said, his shadowy form ceasing in its movements.

"Oh I am still going to come after you," L began, his eyebrows raising as Tsuki took a sudden step back, "Surely my attention would be an even more interesting aspect to your hobby, and I am rather interested in finding out who you are myself."

The sudden step back became a step forward once more. L decided to drop his final bombshell, he wished he could see Tsuki's face.

"I am not going to help the police," L said, a rare smile playing across his face in the dark, he knew Tsuki must be staring down at him now.

"What?" Tsuki gasped.

"I seem to have surprised you," L murmured, sighing slightly in comfort as he brought his knees up to his chest. "I would have thought the letter I sent you would have shown you that. If I was helping the police I would have put a tracking device in it, or had the police here tonight."

"I actually assumed they would be arriving after our little talk," Tsuki whispered.

"Yet you came," L said, it was his turn to be shocked.

"The box needed to be returned, and I have little faith in the police's ability to return it safely… if at all," Tsuki replied.

"Thank you," L said with a smile. He had been worried before about not working with the police on this, he knew he should. After all it had been how he had spent his life since he was a child, but something about this case had intrigued him. Tsuki's concern for what he had taken made him feel more secure, this thief was a thief in name only.

"Why did you thank me?" Tsuki whispered, crouching down next to L.

"I choose not to answer," L replied, leaning his head back on the wall. He smiled as Tsuki sighed and went back to resealing the case. He was startled as Tsuki suddenly nearly growled at him.

"How did you know I would come for this box?"

"Simple," L said smirking, "it's what I would have chosen."