Chapter 3: Lost Time
(Author's POV)
When she came to she was vaguely aware of the perpetual rocking motion. She barely registered the strong hand wrapped beneath her knees or the arm wrapped around her back cradling her to a warm wide chest. But what she did register was the one thing which made her want to open her eyes. She was met with the soft cotton texture of a black suit, her head resting on the crook of where the suit jacket formed to the arch of the sleeve. She held her breath as she waited for it.
A heartbeat.
It was the strangers but it didn't matter, a wonderful heartbeat, the thing signifying life, that wonderful glorious heartbeat. She let loose a sigh.
"So you are awake?" It was more of a statement than question.
Nolan cringed at the voice. She recognized that voice, the smooth baritone. She had heard that same voice for over fifteen years. Her warm brown eyes sought out the striking green ones which she knew rested on the face of the stranger. Not a stranger but not exactly a friend. The man had tapered brown hair and thin rimmed square glasses. He was lean with a hint of corded muscle throughout his body. She knew he was a couple years older than she, because he had been there. He had been there so long ago when they had first tested her. The memories began to rise to the surface but she clamped them down as she looked back at the face of the one carrying her.
There was a small smile on the man's face. Nolan squirmed trying to get out of the cradle hold but his hands only gripped her tighter. She let out a small cry at the grip the man now had on her.
"I wouldn't try to move. You're still weak and there might still be some pain. He glanced down at the small girl in his arms and smiled at the pout that she was giving him. He then flicked the small portion of her head that was bandaged.
"Bastard." She cried out in pain but the man only laughed. Nolan felt the rumble of his laugh as he continued on towards their destination.
"Surely you remember my name, dear Nolan?"
"Why are you here?" Nolan asked as she resigned herself to being carried. She remembered the last time she had been carried like this. The situations were both vaguely similar.
"I am here because you are here." He answered as he graced her with an even bigger smile.
"I was told I was free to do whatever it was that I wanted and I was also told that I wouldn't have tabs! Tell me what happened and why you are here, Yantz!" She sneered. He smirked even more at the venom in her voice.
"Did you really think that they wouldn't keep up with someone with your..." he paused as he stepped over a black line on the floor, a white door sliding open to his left admitting him and his package. " particular skills set. And as for what happened ..." He finished as the white door slid shut behind him, shrouding everything in black.
"Where are we?" The girl in his hands whispered, the memories crowding her of all the times the black would fall upon her, tearing her away from her reality.
"Home." He answered as Nolan's heart caught in her throat.
"No." It was the tiniest of whispers but the man still caught it and that one word brought a smile to his face.
"Chief Yagami," L paused as he slid the fork with the piece of cake into his mouth. "Where is this detective that you said we were to meet? We've been waiting to meet him for a while." He perked an eyebrow at the police chief as he patiently waited for an answer.
Chief Yagami sighed and rubbed circles round his temples. The Kira case had taken quite a toll on him. It was one thing after another with Kira. After the bus jacking and the deaths of the FBI agents, almost all of the people put on the Kira case walked out except for the few of the now small task force.
There were six of them, he included. There was Matsuda, who no matter how childish he was was loyal. Then there were Ukita, Mogi, Ide, and of course L. They had lost Aizawa after the funding got cut but he had been a good soldier. Soldier because this was now a war against the evil known as Kira.
Soichiro looked back over at the man sitting what most would deem awkwardly in a rolling chair. He was crouched with his back hunched over knees pulled to his chest. It was...different.
"Ryuuzaki." Chief Yagami called. "In answer to your question about our detective...I don't know w..." He was interrupted by his phone. He pressed the talk button and held the phone to his ear. "Hello?"
"Chief Yagami, it's a pleasure." Soichiro's eyes narrowed as he didn't recognize the voice on the other end of the line.
"I was hoping that you would recognize this number. If I mentioned a Mr. Kim that would perhaps ring a bell, Yes? Well, I've called you for a change and as for the detective L, tell him to leave the line alone." The voice instructed. Chief Yagami did as the voice instructed. L cocked another brow as Soichiro relayed to him the voices message.
"We do not want to meet." The voice who Chief Yagami could not identify spoke up. "We?" Chief Yagami questioned. "I only deal with Mr. Kim"
"Well I am sad to say that Mr. Kim is indisposed right now. You will deal with me if you want him." Before he could continue the task force heard a high pitched scream in the background. "Shit." The voice cursed. "We'll have to do this another time, gentlemen. Until it all falls down." With that the unidentified man hung up with a click.
The members of the task force all looked at one another before Matsuda spoke up. "Chief, what was that?"
(L's POV)
"That was not your detective, I presume?" I pointed my question at all the members of the task force more so towards Soichiro. He nodded at my question but spoke up before I could interject anything else.
"I….I don't..." Soichiro was at a loss for words.
"Perhaps Kira has something to do with it!" Matsuda spoke. I trained my eyes on him as he prepared for another deduction but he held his tongue at my look.
"Perhaps." I murmured as Watari brought me another piece of cake. As the spongy cake passed my lips and rested on my tongue, I nodded towards Watari. He knew what I wanted and as he walked right back out of the door, I swung or rather rolled back over towards my laptop.
"That scream." There was something peculiar about it. Torture? Pleasure? Questionable?
"Ryuuzaki." Watari paged me on my laptop.
"What is it?"
"Something interesting. I am sending you the links right now." Watari replied as video feed and pictures simultaneously popped up on my screen.
Something Interesting Indeed.
(Author's POV)
Sometime Later at Night…
The two men stood on opposite corners. The street was barely lit and empty of any life forms save the two dressed in suits, both wearing trench coats and the same make of hat.
"It is good to see you again, old man. You don't look a day over sixty." Yantz called out as he pulled a cigarette from some inner pocket and placed it in his mouth. A second later he came back with the lighter and the first puff left his mouth.
The other man smiled, although it went unseen. "Respect is still not one of your strong suits; a pleasure to see you as well, little boy." Yantz smirked at the familiar nick name. It was the name his mentor had given him, as was the name 'old man' for which he had given his mentor.
"Your charge has quite a lot on his plate." Yantz inquired. The other man just stood upon the wall saying nothing but he finally nodded.
"As does your charge, if I remember correctly." The older man finally replied. Both stood in companionable silence before Yantz spoke up again.
"I believe they will cross paths soon, after we finish with our reconnaissance that is." The other man looked up at the word.
"Reconnaissance?" He said.
"A little spell to induce hell. You know it?" Yantz smirked knowing the other man knew exactly what he was talking about. "I'm not a sadist but you know how these things go. It's all for the greater good."
This time Yantz gave a devilish grin, fire lighting in his eyes, eyes similar to…
"It's been a pleasure Watari." The older man, Watari watched the back of his wayward successor, a hand waving nonchalantly and the whisper of a whistled tune. The man named Yantz finally blended into the shadows.
"A little spell to induce hell... and the deductive reasoning of the letter L. A little spell to induce hell." The vibrations of a phone brought Watari back to the situation at hand, a voice providing him with instructions.
"Right away." He answered as he clicked the phone shut and walked the opposite direction of Yantz. It somehow felt as if the game had gotten a new player.
"A little spell to induce hell?."
