Guess What? I STILL don't own anything!

Without further ado...

Chapter 2

Yagami Light studied his dark, cold surroundings with masked distaste. It was not the dark itself he minded, or even the fact that L, his nemesis, crouched on a swivel chair a few metres away, thoughtfully sucking on a strawberry, absorbed in the screens before him. The thing he really hated about the place was the sterility of it. It had the feel, though not the smell, of a hospital. No, that's not quite right, he corrected himself, sliding his gaze from his surroundings in general to L in particular. Perhaps a sanitarium, he chuckled wickedly to himself, his features briefly wreathed with almost demonic delight at the thought of L tucked safely away in an insane asylum. Where he belongs, he thought derisively. The brilliant social outcast had caused him absolutely nothing but trouble, and although he enjoyed the challenge, Light knew that it was a dangerous game he was playing. The longer L lived, the closer Kira came to discovery and death. Unbidden, the thought briefly flitted through his head that had circumstances been different, they might have been friends. But then, he mused, had circumstances been different, we never would have met.

Ryuk watched Light carefully. Part of the fun with this human was his unpredictability, but that made him a constant hazard to be around and a pain to look after. Not that Ryuk was particularly concerned with Light's welfare. He knew better than to get emotionally invested in a human. He had heard the stories. However, he held a casual interest in keeping the kid alive, to put it mildly. Besides a way to satisfy his addiction to apples, the boy showed great entertainment promise and sustenance for some years to come. Ryuk wasn't stupid. He knew that the chances of the Death Note falling into the hands of a person as smart as Light were literally one in millions. He'd probably never have this much fun ever again, and he was going to enjoy it to the fullest. For once, the future looks bright –for me, anyway, he thought wryly as he considered the others in the room, maybe not so much for them. For some reason, Ryuk felt a sudden chill run up his spine.

The others in the room were entirely absorbed in the arduous task of attempting to discover the identity of Kira. The air, for many of them, seemed thick with tension. Who knew how many lives were held in the balance? All they knew was this: Kira will not stop until he is caught; perhaps not even until he is dead. Furthermore, they knew that their own lives depended on Kira's capture. Only one of them even suspected the reality: that at this very moment, Kira was lazily studying the walls of their shared prison and planning their destruction.

Into this gloomy atmosphere, Watari arrived, accompanied by his newest orphan. As they entered the room, no one paid any particular attention except for Ryuk. The moment Watari entered, Ryuk felt an overwhelming wave of something akin to nausea. He'd occasionally felt something akin to it before from humans, including Watari, but this was the first instance he could think of that it had been so intense. However, as soon as it had come over him, it ceased. "Everyone, may I have your attention for a moment?" Watari commanded quietly. All the inhabitants of the room except for L turned their gaze to Watari with a sense of relief. L merely threw a casual glance over his shoulder at first. However, upon seeing Watari's young feminine shadow, he did a double-take. Everyone else was similarly in mild shock. Only Light had the presence of mind to note to himself, She's rather pretty… Watari continued. "This is Maria. She will be staying with us and helping me with the housekeeping," he informed the stunned denizens of L's hideout.

Maria stepped forward quietly, but confidently. In her almost-perfect Japanese, she said, "I hope to be of some help to all of you." Then she smiled. Everyone in the room, visible or otherwise, felt an immediate change in the atmosphere. Maria's smile was quite possibly the most genuine any of them had ever seen. Furthermore, the smile transformed her naturally handsome features into something truly radiant. All in all, there was something that connected with one when they encountered her smile. It was almost as if she understood one without one having to tell her anything about oneself. I was wrong, Light corrected himself. She's not pretty –she's beautiful, he finished in awe.

She went through the members of the team, relying on Watari's descriptions to correctly name each of them. When she came to Light, she held out her hand. "You are Yagami Light, then?" she stated. Let's see what I can get out of her, Light decided, and gave her a charming smile in return. "I'm glad you're staying; I'd certainly like to get to know you better," he hinted smoothly. She laughed lightly, happily responding to his attentions. "I am pleased to meet you as well," she commented, letting her eyes wander to the apparently empty space above Light, still smiling prettily. Light tracked her gaze. "You certainly have your work cut out for you," he commented as she continued to study her surroundings. "Hmm? Ah, yes," she agreed as she returned her attention to him. As she walked away, he considered that his chances with her were quite good, in his humble opinion.

L had long since returned to his thoughts –and his strawberries. He'd saved the biggest one for last, and now it beckoned him from its loneliness in the bottom of the white bowl. He picked it up and prepared to savor it as he directed his attention to yet another of the screens before him. "And you are the famous L?" He stopped in mid-strawberry. After the first few moments, L had filed Watari's newest pet into the "Things to Deal With Later" area of his scintillating intellect and returned to his work. Annoyed at the intrusion between him and his favorite fruit, he swiveled his chair to face her, strawberry still in hand. He stared at her silently from his chair, knees drawn up to his chin, right hand carelessly dangling the strawberry as it rested on the arm of the chair. She kept a faint smile on her face as she calmly returned his gaze. After several minutes of analyzing her, he finally instructed, "Call me Ryuuzaki. And if you really want to make yourself useful, take this to the kitchen and bring me back some cake." He handed her the empty bowl that had recently held his strawberries. "As you wish, Ryuuzaki," she smiled sweetly in return, accepting the proffered bowl. Then she walked out of the room.

She's perfect, Light rejoiced inwardly. She's beautiful, certainly smart: even though she's obviously not Japanese –she's even paler than L! –she's mastered our language admirably. And, most importantly, L doesn't like her; just as he doesn't like me.

And they're off! Next: Maria's fun first day!

Reviews are fun! You should try one sometime! Thanks to everyone who has already!

Humbly yours,

~Terence Waverly