(Authors not: Sorry it took so long to post guys! Writers block sucks -.-)
After the incredible message, I didn't say a word. The message on my computer deleted itself. Kaori looked over at me and immediately started to talk.
"Oh my gosh, Mizuki!" she said, her voice up three octaves higher than usual.
"This is so amazing! I mean, we're actually gonna meet L! I knew this was gonna be a cool case but I never suspected this! This is so awesome, I'm so excited! What do you think he's like? And what about this S? Is it a boy or a girl? What are they gonna be like? Wow, I can't wait for tomorrow! Do you think they're gonna want us to help on the case? Oh that'd be so..."
I cut her off. "Kaori," I said, "Shut up."
She pouted.
"I'm sorry, but I can't think when you're rambling like that."
"Okay, sorry," she said.
I put my pen in my mouth and chewed the cap. I was nervous. Could this be a trap? It seemed legit, but how could I be sure? Everyone knew Watari was the only one on the outside in direct contact with L, so it wouldn't be that hard of a lie to create. But then again... I really couldn't know unless I took a chance and went.
"Kaori," I said, after a few minutes of silent thinking, "It's true we do have to go to this meeting, but I really want you to be cautious. We have no idea what we're walking into. You know I hate approaching anything blind, but we have no choice."
"Of course, Mizuki," she said.
I was very protective of Kaori. Her childish manner made her gullible, and her equally child-like emotions made her fragile. I was her protector. I guarded her mind, her emotions, and her life. I'd never had a sibling, so I wasn't sure what bonds like that were like, but I'd known and loved Kaori since the age of 5. She may not have been born to the same blood as me, but she was my sister. I cared for her, and I could never stand for anything or anyone harming her.
"Are we going to do any more research?" she asked.
"No, I think that'd be pointless. If we really are meeting L tomorrow morning, assuming it's really L, then anything I could find in the next twenty four hours would be information he's most likely already aware of," I said, still chewing on my pen.
"Okay then... I need to occupy myself. I'm gonna go paint," she said, slowly moving away. I was thinking very hard, and she knew that any bystanders at this point were really nothing more than an annoyance while I was in this state.
When my brain slowed down a bit, I removed myself from my unblinkingly still stature and went to get some coffee. Caffeine was my savior at times like this.
Kaori came down with one of her painted porcelain plates about an hour after she'd gone up to paint it. I was sipping my over sweetened coffee when she came to show me.
"What do you think?" she asked, holding the plate to my level sight.
"I think it's amazing, Kaori," I said.
She had a talent for painting flowers. The sakura that were on the plate looked as if they were really blooming. We had a cherry tree outside on our lawn, but since we rarely left the inside of the house albeit when we needed to, we didn't often get to experience its beauty up close.
Kaori was an amazing artist. When she wasn't cooking or investigating, sure enough she was painting.
"Do you want to paint another one with me?" she said.
"Not right now, actually, I think I'm gonna try and sleep."
"Sleep? Mizuki... Yesterday you were fighting me to stay awake because no sleep didn't bother you, now you're getting extra? Are you feeling okay? This isn't like you."
"I'm fine Kay, I just don't want to get over tired, and I doubt I'll be able to sleep tonight," I said,
"Alright," she said, her mouth lopsided, as if she wanted to say something but worried she ought not to.
"Wake me up if we're contacted again, 'kay?"
"Of course, have a nice nap."
I went upstairs. Did I really intend on sleeping? No. Conversations with Amra were hard to have since she rarely said much in front of Kaori. She preferred to speak only with me, being her host and all, and I could tell she had wanted to say something.
When we reached my bedroom, I turned around after closing my door behind me and locked it.
"Are you going to tell me what's bothering you now?" I said.
"No, but I do have something to say."
"And?"
"Tomorrow, when you meet this L person... Are you sure you ought to bring Kaori?"
My eyes widened.
"Amra, what are you saying? You know I bring Kaori everywhere... Why shouldn't I?"
"What if she interferes somehow?"
"I doubt she will... And she has every right to come. She's my investigative assistant, it's her job too!"
"No need to get so defensive, Mizuki, I was just saying that perhaps it would be in all our best interests if you..."
"Leave my best friend behind?!" I finished for her, my tone fiery, "Amra, you should know by now that that is impossible."
"Yes, I was afraid you'd say that," she said sadly.
"Are you going to tell me what's actually bothering you now?"
"No, I don't think so," she sighed.
"Ugh," I said, "That's really annoying you know."
"Is it?" she said, before she floated into the corner.
I flopped down onto my bed and put my pillow over my face. It was a good way to think. Everything seemed blocked out besides my own thoughts, which were what I wanted to see.
Amra's suggestion was weird, out of the blue, and somehow (and how I did not know), was definitely connected to how she had been acting recently. I pushed that slightly to the side. Not only did I have to worry about Amra, I had to worry about what I was to do tomorrow morning. Meet L? I'd never dreamed...
Somehow, through all my stress and anxiety, I drifted to sleep. It didn't last very long, however. You know how, when you first fall asleep, you get the feeling as though you're falling? I had that. Only instead of falling into a pit, or off the back of a bicycle, or any other normal dreams, I was falling into a dimension unknown. In my awakening fright, not only did I spasm, but I fell off of my bed.
I heard Amra snicker from her corner.
"Shut up," I muttered, lifting myself from the floor.
I unlocked the door and walked down the hall. I listened downstairs before descending. I heard Kaori humming brightly as she cooked what I was assuming was dinner; I'd obviously slept through lunch.
I smiled. All my qualms about my friend seemed unnecessary. She was obviously just fine. I walked down the stairs, careful of the trick step, and went into the kitchen.
"Evening, sleepy-head," she said when I walked into the room.
"Hi," I said, "What ethnicity of food are we experimenting with tonight?" I said.
"Hispanic!" she said enthusiastically. She stirred the Spanish rice in the pan.
"Looks good," I said, grabbing some of the rice out of the pan before it was finished. I'd always done this to playfully annoy Kay, and as I'd planned, she smirked at me before smacking my hand.
We laughed.
An hour and a half later, dinner was over and the night loomed. I wanted to bite my nails. With night came morning, and with morning came L...
Hold yourself together! I yelled at myself in my head, You are a detective, not a chicken. There is nothing to be nervous about.
"Mizuki?" Kaori suddenly said while doing the dishes as I got a juice box out of the fridge.
"Yes?" I said, stabbing the straw through the top.
"You know how when we were little I used to come to your place and we'd stack a bunch of pillows on your floor? And I'd sleep there?"
"Yeah?"
"You think we could do that tonight? Come on. Just 'cause we're 21 doesn't mean we can't have sleepovers," she said.
I thought about it.
"I don't see why not," I said finally, causing her to run over and give me a big, jumpy, soapy hug.
While she finished up, I got as many pillows as we had in the bedspread closet and spread them across my floor.
I looked behind me and Amra was looking at me funnily.
"It's called a sleepover. Someone comes over to someone else's place and sleeps there. Kaori is sleeping in my room tonight, so I'm laying out pillows for her to sleep on," I explained.
"Oh," Amra said.
"Not that interesting," I said.
I expected Kaori to want to talk all night long, but I was proved wrong when she laid down and went fast asleep. For some reason, it seemed, she only wanted to sleep near me for comfort.
Weird. But I didn't mind, I'd rather have Kay feel safe than have an empty bedroom.
I was awake. So awake that the word sleep didn't even function in my brain. I laid there, in the dark. I looked over at my alarm clock periodically. 12 o'clock. 1 o'clock. 2 o'clock....
At around four thirty I fell asleep.
This time the dream was so vivid I was almost frightened. I could make out my stranger a little bit more. No longer was he a shape of black nothingness. He was made of some sort of television static, that flickered colors on and off everywhere. I strained my eyes to make out a face behind the static, but I found it impossible.
My alarm went off at seven o'clock. I awoke from my dream, even more frustrated. I'd always felt a second closer to naming my stranger.
"Kaori," I said wearily, throwing a pillow at her, "Up."
"I'm getting up, I'm getting up," she said, throwing off her covers.
We both went to our separate bathrooms to get showered and dressed. I chose a simple black sweater and dress pants. It was a little chilly out for the middle of September.
I ate my breakfast being careful not to get any white sticky specks on my shirt. My brain was cold with anxiety, and I had goose bumps running up and down my arms.
After I finished my toast, Kaori went into her bathroom to straighten her hair. I snuck up into my bedroom, and found it. I had a perfectly sized wooden box that I had hidden in a secret compartment in my closet. It held my Death Note.
Amra's eyes grew wide as I removed the note book from the box and ripped out a page.
"And what are you planning to do with that?" she said, staring from behind my shoulder.
"It's a precaution. I need to make sure we're safe, and this," I held up the folded up piece of paper, "Is the only way to do that."
"Ah, I see. Good idea," she said.
I nodded and folded the paper and slid it into the inner lining of my pocket.
"Okay, you ready Kaori?" I said when we both reached the hallway.
"Yeah, I think," she said.
"Okay," I took a deep breath, "Lets go."
I had put my case file, plus what I had printed into a small suitcase and locked it. Nobody was getting into my files unless I allowed it.
We went outside and got into my car. It was a nice little car, and I sort of regretted that I didn't get to drive it often. But that was no matter at the moment. I started the car and we began to drive off to the building. Of course, the city was rushing, as it was every day, and it took me awhile to get through all of Tokyo's traffic.
When we finally reached the Roppangi Hills Mori Tower, I found a place to park (an agonizing task) and we entered. My heart going a hundred beats a second, Kaori and I silently searched for an elevator. When we found one, we entered it, and with a shaking hand, I pressed the button that would take us to the thirtieth floor.
I could hear Kaori's heart thunder as I stood next to her. When we hit the thirtieth floor, after a few people's stops along the way, we stepped out onto the floor.
I looked around until an older gentleman came up behind me.
"Excuse me," he said, "Are you Madge?"
I jumped around.
"Yes," I breathed, "Are you Watari?"
"Why, yes I am," he said, "And who is your friend?" he added, peering over at Kaori, "She was not requested."
"It was also not requested that she stayed behind," I replied, "She is Kym, my investigative assistant."
"Very well," he said.
He beckoned for us to follow him, and we cautiously obliged. He led us out into a car, and once we were seated, he turned around and held out strips of cloth that suspiciously looked like blindfolds. They were.
"I must ask you on L's request that you wear these, please," he said, "Until we know you better, you understand that it would be far better if you did not know our exact location."
I hesitated, but Kaori reached forward and put her's on. She unseeingly looked over at me.
"I think we can definitely trust him, Mizuki," she said.
"I suppose you're right," I said, taking mine and tying it behind my head.
I was then blinder than I had been when we entered this situation.
"Thank you for your cooperation," he said.
I nodded.
I felt the engine rumble as the car started. I put my hand that wasn't holding the suitcase on the seat. If I felt which opposite direction we swayed when we turned and memorized it, I could get a brief analysis as to wear we were going. This proved very difficult, for we encountered many twists and turns, but I kept track.
Finally the car came to a stop. My anxiety went up several notches.
"Please take eachother's hands, for I've been given orders not to take off the blindfolds until we are inside the building,"
"Of course, " I said politely. There was no reason I ought to be rude; he was very polite to us, after all.
I grabbed Kaori's hand gently and pulled her out through my way. I held out my arm, suitcase in hand.
"You're going to have to guide me, Mr. Watari," I said,
He laughed. "No problem," he said, grabbing my wrist and pulling me forward. I followed carefully, watching my steps, which Kaori was obviously not doing. She was tripping and sliding everywhere, but I kept my grip on her.
Amra was following behind us somewhere. I wasn't sure exactly where she was, but she was near us, like she always was. Kaori could see Amra, but, even after 2 years of living with her, was still somewhat frightful of her.
We went through a door, and stopped. Watari let go of my hand.
"I have to ask you to please surrender any cell phones, pagers, or anything of that sort here please," he said, taking off our blindfolds.
"Security purposes?" I said, taking my cell phone out of my pocket and handing it over. He put it in what looked like a lock box along with Kaori's.
"Yes," he said, "Now, follow me, please."
We followed him to an elevator. I didn't pay attention what floor we were going to, because it didn't matter. Whatever floor we were headed to, L was on that floor, and we were going to see him regardless.
Finally, the doors opened.
I was shaking, but I tried my best to maintain posture and stay presentable; this was professional and I intended to make it look that way. Kaori was obviously thinking the same thing, because I felt her trembling slow down considerably as she shook herself into preparation.
He led us down a hall way. He stopped in front of a door and pressed a code into the pad. His hand moved far too fast for me to keep up with what he was typing.
The door opened, and we went inside.
After entering the room, we were first greeted by a girl. She was very thin. She had long black hair that she had tied into loose pigtails down the sides, and gothic attire. She glided when she walked up to meet us.
"My name is S," she said, taking my hand.
"You are Madge?" she said, peering at Kaori just as Watari had.
"Yes, and this is Kym, my investigative assistant."
"Oh," she said, "Well, welcome. Did you bring the case info as requested?"
"Yes," I said, holding up the suitcase.
That's when a man walked into the room. That was the first time I saw him.
A man, hunched over, wearing a simple outfit, walked by me. His dark hair was a mess, pointing in all directions. He had very dark circles under his eyes and a very pointed facial structure.
I also noticed something else. He was beautiful.