Okie, so chapter two is here. I think people responded to the first chapter quite well (not so much on DeviantART, but I got a few more comments on ) so I'm updating the second chapter. It actually took longer than I would have liked because I've had exams this week, so yeah - such a headache all week through.

Anyhow, I hope this chapter works for you - L will be in this one, so no need to worry!

X x

Thoroughly disturbed by what you'd said, Watari had told you to take a seat and had promptly disappeared into another room. You caught a glimpse of chrome and blue before he closed the door, disappearing from view all together. Whilst you were seated there, you tried to get a grip; tried to understand what had happened. You had almost been in an incredibly delicate situation... Hell, even the thought of it - what had happened - was enough to send an eerie chill down your spine as you struggled to keep your composure.

You supposed it was nothing but luck that had had you saved. Not fate, not God's will, just plain and simple luck - and that was the way you preferred things. It was easier, safer, didn't get you hopeful for anything and yet kept you clinging to the ever-impending possibility that something good could come your way. In other words, it was fool-proof.

"Ryuuzaki."

"Yes?"

"She is on the database but... she was not lying. She really has nobody to turn to in particular... her parents are deceased, grandparents are also - she has no friends due to being too cautious. Surely she can't be left alone once more...?"

"That all depends, Watari... we can't be sure who she is. What her motives are. If she's dangerous."

You swore you could hear talking coming from the room Watari had slipped into. Well, he was old... you supposed it wasn't so unreasonable to assume that he was also the slightest bit senial. Sighing, you brought a hand to your forehead and rubbed it softly; anything to clear the visions from your mind, to wash away the feeling of dirt corrupting your mind and soul as you felt the ghost of unwanted hands trail over you, the memory sickening you to your core. Subconsciously, your hands shifted to your lap, fumbling with each other with the nerve of a guilty child. Afraid. And you hated that you were.

You weren't quite sure what to do with yourself. Were you supposed to wait for Watari to return? And what would happen when he did? You assumed that, since he'd used a police car when taking you back to this curious set of flats (though you were honestly beginning to doubt this fact), he had some kind of affiliation with the police. But what could they do for you? Nothing, as much as you could think of. With a somewhat heavy heart, you blocked your eyes with your hands, staring into the darkness as you considered your options. They were not plentiful.

"Miss."

Your eyes snapped up to meet the kind old man. He was looking at you worriedly, brow creased. The emotion, from the somewhat trying look in his eyes, was genuine - something you weren't yet used to. 'Genuine'wasn't something you were all too familiar with - people were never so kind. But this man was really breaking all of those premonitions of yours down, with his kind eyes and his calming tone of voice. You realised in the moment that he hadn't raised his voice to you or been pushy even once.

"I was consulting with the one who lives here-"

"One?!" you interrupted, unable to catch yourself due to surprise. The statement had hit you like a tonne of bricks. How could one person afford so much?! Your eyes spared the spacious room a glance, eyes scanning over the features and expensive, well-done patterns around the room, the tiling incredibly accurate and pristine. This building was also incredibly tall (from what you'd seen on the outside)... If all the rooms were as big as this one, that could only mean one thing: the one who owned this entire complex was filthy rich.

"Yes." A smile tugged at the others mouth; that same kind smile from before and you could feel your defenses slipping at the sight of it. This man, for some reason or other, made you think of safety - it was comforting, to say the least. "Ryuuzaki owns this building. He lives here alone."

"But... what does he need so much space for...?" Meanwhile, while Watari seemed to be particularly calm about your outburst, as if he experienced it often, you were in a state of awe. You still couldn't fathom how much space one person could need, nor could you understand what one was supposed to do with so much room to themselves. "Surely there's somebody else here from time to time...?"

"Ryuuzaki is a very sophisticated man. He likes to keep himself to himself and maintain his privacy with any means necessary," Watari replied, bowing his head. Suddenly, you felt as if you were imposing - if this man adored solitude so much, were you intruding by being here? You quickly shifted uncomfortably, struggling to your feet, only for Watari to stop you with a step forward and a shake of his head, "But he will make an allowance."

What? What was this man even suggesting? Instinctively, you slowly lowered yourself into your previous sitting position and stared up at him in a state of bafflement. How were you even supposed to respond to a comment so bold?

"I'm... I'm sorry...?"

"Ryuuzaki has suggested you remain here." That same smile was on his face. Surely he wasn't correct? Surely this Ryuuzaki had said something different? Your breathing began to quicken; how could a stranger be so conditionally kind to you? You struggled to understand it as you stood up, shaking your head and raising your hands in defensive positions.

"I assure you, Mr. Watari, that's not necessary!"

He only chuckled, "Miss _, it is indeed necessary."

Any words you'd had stored previously died in your throat, your mind refusing to conjure anything logical to respond with. Why was this man so willing to help her? And what about the other one - why was he suggesting you stay? You'd be nothing but trouble, after years of fending for yourself, after years of dealing with yourself with nothing but the company of your shadow, you weren't even sure how to function within society any more, nevermind somebody else's home.

"There is more than enough room." Watari was backing up now, as if to lead you somewhere. Stubbornly, you shook your head which in turn caused him to frown, "Ryuuzaki would appreciate it if you would through." The sentence was said with slightly more force than any others he'd previously spoken... But it was still inviting, still warm. Not quite having the nerve to argue with him, you slowly rose to stand up and hesitantly tailed after him, your heart beating quick. Who even was this mysterious Ryuuzaki he kept mentioning? The thought was only fleeting, but what if this man he kept referring to wasn't even real? He was old, it would make sense... but it didn't add up. Somebody had to own this building.

"...all right."

He lead you to the elevator once more, you standing beside him with your arms tucked behind your back. You glanced at the floor number he click - floor twenty-two - and watched as the doors slid shut, as if forbidding you to turn back forever. In that instant, you realised that this may have been your break-through. You wouldn't have to live among dangerous people any more. You wouldn't have to struggle to avoid aggressive behaviour and you wouldn't have to fight with anybody to ensure that you had somewhere safe to sleep for the night. The thought was tempting, inviting even, convincing you to drop your protests and allow them to die, much like your sense of trust had long ago.

The elevator ding! brought you out of your thoughts as a dim light filled your vision. Much akin to computer screens, you mused silently. Sure enough, all that greeted your sight when you stepped into the room, was a wall full of them, each with cameras pinned on different rooms of the building - though all of them, as Watari had suggested beforehand, were empty and unused in every essence of the word. Pristine, picturesque rooms stared back at you.

But the most curious sight in the room was not the array of computers, but the figure hunched in front of them. All you could see was his back, raven hair an utter mess as it swept to the side with the grace of a five year old who''d never yet seen a comb. You couldn't really tell much else, he wasn't speaking and he definitely wasn't moving - until his chair suddenly swiveled around to face you. You almost jumped backwards, startled by his sudden appearance.

Dark. It was the first word that came to your mind as you stared into his large black eyes with your own bright [e/c] ones, truthfully a little disturbed. Already, you considered his gaze unnerving, enough to make you uncomfortable as you shuffled on the balls of your feet, trying desperately to think of something to say. His eyes seemed to narrow at your slight movements, drinking them in with a moving sense of precision, the equivalent of a predator watching its prey.

"_"

How did he...?

"I suppose you'll be joining Watari and I here then." The sentence was so final that you almost forgot to question it, your voice refusing to work as you retained his eye contact with the diligence of a soldier. His monotone voice seemed to echo off of the walls, bouncing back to you and surrounding your head; him being the only thing you could hear in the otherwise silent room. Instantly, you began to feel incredibly small, your fists bunching by your sides as you watched him stand up slowly, back ridiculously slouched.

"...I... suppose so." Not what you meant to say. "...but why?"

"_." This apparent-Ryuuzaki character spoke your name sternly, as if he had an insight to who you were already., Little did you know that he did - of course he did. He was L. Nothing escaped him - and no person escaped the database which he had personal access to through the notoriety of the police. It really wasn't hard to get a hold of somebody looking at such files, and they were all at the tips of his brilliant fingers. "I would think that much was obvious. Because you have nowhere to go."

Immediately, your features began to sink a little, your brow furrowing in brief agitation, "Excuse me? You don't know that."

"On the contrary," he paused, thumb moving to his lip. You noticed his teeth coming to nip at the skin of it, his eyes shifting to the side before locking on you with that same indifference that had had you bolted to the spot only moments ago, your resolve suddenly an iron clamp around your ankles. "I do know. I know that your name is _ _, that you have no place to call your own. That your parents are deceased and that you do not know what to do with yourself. I also know that your situation is particularly delicate. Watari here informed me of the details." His thumb shifted from his lips, his hands moving to his pockets and bunching there with a casualness that made the hairs on your neck bristle; it wasn't appropriate for how odd you were feeling in the stranger's company, nor was such treatment expected. You had icily ignored the comments about your loved ones and their passing - if anything, you didn't want to let Ryuuzaki in at all. "Therefore it would make sense that you remain here. You know that the streets are no place for you."

A silence overtook the room, heavy and foreboding. You could tell from the way he was looking at you, there was nothing you could say or do to change his mind. He seemed to believe - truly believe - that you staying with him was only common sense; that anybody, in the same position, would immediately do the same thing. That this was the only right thing to do with such an occasion. You swallowed thickly, trying to rid yourself of nerves. Why was this man's presence so... ominous?

"How did you have that information?" you croaked, deciding to change the subject. There was no use in arguing about it. Even the look that Watari had on his face, one of pure solidity as he listened to the other's word as if it were law. You couldn't quite understand it, actually... what power did Ryuuzaki have over him in the slightest?

"I have everybody's information."

An unpleasant feeling washed over you. That comment, topped up with the incredibly amount of protection and cameras you had witnessed in the short space of a single night was beginning to get to your head. Who was he to have such authority over people's privacy? He seemed obsessed with it. Both his own, and breaching others.

"...why...?""

A pause as the room began to fill to the brim with tension, each individual crack in the wall radiating with a stifling heat that made you want to choke on it. A tension so thick and a heat so unbearably present that you wanted nothing more than to back out of the stuffy room and leave; you almost felt as if you were being forced to stay.

"I am L."

"What does that even mean?" you uttered densely, staring at him with a new-found sense of dumbfound. Surely he wasn't talking about the L. The greatest detective in the world... he didn't look right for the part. For one, he looked far too young. For a second point, he looked far too... slack. Unbeknownst to you, your face had twisted into some sort of disbelief, the lack of trust evident in the little twitch of your brow and your curled lips, oddly resembling a pout. As if you didn't want to believe that it was true. But alas, "L" only stared back at you with his owlish gaze, eyes unwavering as he waited for you to say something else. Anything to imply that you weren't as stupid as you had sounded naught but a minute ago.

"It means-"

"You're L?"

His head tilted slightly, "...yes."

Brilliant. How had you wound up with such high expectations? While this man didn't betray them (after all, you'd always imagined L would be quirky, perhaps even socially awkward - this man seemed to be the very embodiment of such descriptions), it was so odd to have your thoughts about this man confirmed. You found that you didn't really want them to be; that you preferred the great L being a heroic mystery. Someone to admire from a distance. Somebody to shadow, but never meet and greet.

"...I think I need to sleep." The sentence came out before you could stop it, your mind refusing to compute anything else. From beside you, Watari had shifted on his feet and looked to Ryuuzaki before giving you a friendly smile.

"Of course," he spoke up, same friendly tone apparent. "This way."

You hadn't been able to resist any longer. As soon as Watari left you to your own devices, you instantly flung yourself on the huge bed and sighed a huge sigh of relief. Yes, your situation was topsy-turvy right now, yes, you couldn't really understand what the Hell was even going on - honestly, you half suspected this was all some incredibly elaborate dream - but it didn't even matter as soon as your back hit that damned bed. You hadn't felt something so soft in years, the entire essence of the room hitting your nose with a new sense of belonging. You were well aware that this was far from the place for you; that you only tarnished the perfection with your otherwise grubby and worn appearance. But you cared not. You sprawled out there for what felt like hours, taking in your surroundings and allowing the occasional chuckle to escape your lips, still disbelieving all that had happened.

'Why didn't I put up more of a fight?' you muttered several times, but never made a move to get up, or explore any further. You simply laid there contently, eyes slowly slipping closed. Though one issue still remained: you couldn't trust anybody for the life of you. And it was going to be difficult to learn with somebody as imposing as L. But at least he his reputation proceeded him... an alias was something you hadn't even considered as Watari rambled on about him.

"I'll have to dig deep tomorrow," you whispered as you rolled over and clenched the soft duvets between your fingers, still not quite 'with-it'. Still muttering to yourself as if you were in a dream. Your eyes, feeling as if they hosted lead on each lash, slipped closed. "I'll have to... investigate... tomorrow..."

That was the last thing you could think of before you soundly fell asleep: L and how you were going to approach him from now on. Would he take to you, or would irritate him before you could even begin to argue about staying there in the first place? Even so, the way he had recollected so many facts about you - particularly the more sensitive ones - had both annoyed and astounded you. You knew he had access it - probably what Watari had left you in that room to look at, you realised some time later upon being left alone -