Chapter Three: What is Strange?

"I like anthro." Teela announced, giggling. "I really like to watch the dimension of David Hopkins. His little window to the world amazes me."
She seemed casual now. Ryuzaki shrugged, because he didn't know what she was talking about.

"... He's a webcomic, in your world. Jack? By David Hopkins?"
"I never read webcomics. I felt they weren't providing me with any knowledge, so what's the point?"

"Not everything has to be about learning, Ryuzaki. There isn't a math equation for enjoyment."

"Not true. Because the dendrite in the brain---"

"That isn't what I meant... There isn't a math problem for why humans like what they like---"

"It's encoded in their DNA." L announced proudly, enjoying his rebuttal of Teela's phrases.

"Ryuzaki, I don't think you get it. If you were to look at my DNA, every strand would be complete opposite as the one before it. Every time you view it, it would be changed. So where is my DNA encoding for enjoyment? Not everything is a math problem. The enjoyment of something can not be explained. Do you ever enjoy something that CAN'T be explained? Must everything be logical to you? I'm guessing you've never enjoyed a fiction novel."

Ryuzaki said nothing. He was getting aggravated with Teela seeming to over come him in logic each time. Nothing she said made sense, and yet it did.

"You need to lighten up before I put you back in your world."

Again, there was silence.

"I don't like to be treated like a child."
"I knew that. I'm not treating you like a child. You can just call me a teacher, if you'd like. And you're being forced to go to school. I wish you would just consider me a friend and then we wouldn't have to go through with the arguing. I want to help you. You can call me a kidnapper, or a friend. I'll let you decide."

Ryuzaki didn't have time to respond before a flash of life erupted through the room, and a figure fell out of the air, then sloppily onto the floor. It jumped to its feet, and as the light faded, L realized he was looking at bear looking creature. It looked human, and yet very much like a thin, bipedal panda bear.

"Zephyr, how many times have I told you, don't make such an entrance?"
"This is room, mind you." The creature spoke with an almost English accent, as though he had come straight from the British academy for young boys.

"Yes, but I have a guest."

"Mmhm, Mom, I know, that dude you've been stalking, who died, and who you said you're going to bring back to life."
Teela raised an eyebrow, but only Ryuzaki took note of the use of the word 'mom', and then looked to Teela. He immediately felt sorry for the bear creature.

"Uhm... excuse me, boy, but... of what Nationality are you?" L tried to keep a straight face.

"I'm a panda bear." The bear creature replied.

Ryuzaki said nothing. The more he seemed to question, the stranger things got. He was having a hard time swallowing any of this.

"You've got a bear for a son?"

"He's a shapeshifter. An anthro panda bear. Zephyr."

"What was his Dad? A lizard?"
"Nope. A fox."

Ryuzaki blinked, then looked down to his melted ice cream. He began to take large scoops, and sank into a quiet thought.

"Don't mind Ryuzaki, Zephyr. He's already having a rough day."
"I'll bet." Zephyr shrugged. "I just came to drop of these CD's. Listen to 'em, will yah?"
"Later."
"Alright. I'm going back out into the city." Without a flash or any more of a warning, Zephyr vanished.

Teela looked back to Ryuzaki.

"Sorry for the interrruption..." She said, concern in her eyes.

"Everything I know is dying." He said with a distant, monotone voice.

"And all that you love is being carried away? Sorry... a quote from a book. But... Are you alright, L?"
"No, I wanted to stay dead. This is just... too illogical for me."

"It's a simple concept. I had a hard time understanding it, at first, too. You just have to accept the probability of everything and nothing at once. Simple. Simulatenous rule."

"The uncertainty of everything doesn't drive you insane already?... If that doesn't get you, then the uncertainty of certainty is---"

"You're confusing me and yourself. Why don't you stop thinking about it? I keep telling you to relax. Now, back to before... Are you my prisoner, or are you my friend?"

"I have a choice now?" Ryuzaki asked, looking to Teela and glaring at her.

"Don't blame me for your confusion."

"I don't know who else to blame."

"I don't want to argue."

"I do."

Teela said nothing.

"Prisoner then?"
"Yes." Ryuzaki crossed his arms and sighed. "I want some paper and a pencil. I'm going to try to work out the equations and the likelihood that I would be brought back to life, meet a shapeshifter whose son is a bear, and if the existence of everything and nothing at once."

"Suit yourself. But until then, you can stay in this room, where there are no pointy objects to kill yourself with." She reminded. "And you promised you wouldn't try."

"Perhaps you can work out the likelihood of me keeping that promise."

Teela frowned. This had gone much worse than she had planned. She only wanted to bring him back, teach him what it was to enjoy life. Or at least that was the first half of her plan. She supposed it would still work out, but it would definitely take longer.

"I'll be back... Alright? I need to go talk to Zephyr. I'll bring back some strawberry short cake for you..."

"If I'm still here." Ryuzaki sneered. Teela could tell that he seemed to be trying to get on her nerves now.

The shapeshifter said nothing, and disappeared.

Zephyr sat on a bench outside of a purple apartment complex, looking up from the street below into his own room. He never left his room, and felt too unsure to go anywhere but the bench. He wasn't surprised when his mother materialized beside him.

"This isn't going like I wanted it to."

"I told you that he wouldn't be able to handle it."

"He's handling it, but not adapting to it. I don't want to send him back..."

"Why are you doing this?"
"Because, Zerphyr! I want him to enjoy life before he dies... That's the only problem I had. He died too soon, and without ever enjoying anything. I wanted to change things... I planned on teaching him how to have fun, erasing his memories of me and ever being here, go back in time, and just... put him back. Then he'll have fun before he dies."

"You'd let him die? That wasn't the plan before, was it?"
"No... But something he said made me reconsider. In a way, I am playing God. It's not fair to those who were also killed by Kira. In the end, L has to die... but I at least want him to enjoy life. He didn't even flirt with Misa-Misa!!" She rolled her eyes. "He could have enjoyed being handcuffed to Light. I just want to see him laugh more, when I send him back. That's all. But he's just... too hard headed, it seems..."

"I don't believe that is the word for it, Mom."

"Do you think I should have done this at all?"
"I always tell you know, and you know that. I always tell you that you shouldn't interfere with what should be left in the cartoons of others. Let things play out on their own."

"It's not fair."

"Life isn't."

"Not when I don't interfere with it, it isn't."

Zephyr raised an eyebrow. Teela scowled.

"You have to finish what you started anyways. Do what you think is right. I'm not going to tell you the answers."

"You only do when I'm struggling."

"I don't think you're struggling yet, Mom."

"I'm not. But I'm having difficulty."

"You'll figure it out. I don't have any good advice right now."

"It should be the other way around. I should be giving YOU advice."

"Well usually you have your hands full, and I like to help."

They smiled at one another, and Teela embraced him. Life had never been difficult with just the two of them, but that hadn't meant that it had always been fair.

She disappeared once more, and reappeared beside him with two tubs of ice cream. She handed one to Zephyr, and vanished with the other.