Light tried to focus on her homework. She really, really tried to focus on the work in front of her but for what felt like the hundredth time that day, she went back to Ryuzaki's words.

'Would you believe me if I said I missed you?'

When he said it over a week ago, she had been too stunned to respond, caught completely off guard by what had sounded like honest words from who she had tried to convince herself was a dishonest person. Despite the time that had passed the words still made her stomach twist and heart flutter, she had desperately tried to tear them apart so they would no longer have any effect but she had only served to think about them more. She wished she could just scrub the memory from her mind it was far too distracting.

Groaning she slammed her book shut and stood up from her desk, managing not to stomp as she headed out of her room and downstairs looking for any excuse not to be alone or use her brain.

"But Mom," whined Sayu as Light entered the living room, "I promised my friends that I'd hang out with them this afternoon."

Light always figured her mother had the patience of a saint, especially when it came to Sayu. "I'm sorry, but your father's been working over night this last week and needs new clothes for his overnight bag," said Sachiko firmly, a cloth bag in her hands that Light suspected contained a weekend's worth of clothes and toiletries. "Please Sayu."

"Why don't I go?" asked Light, her words startling both of her family members.

Sachiko gave her a tired smile. "Are you sure, Light? Don't you have studying to do?"

"I could really use a break," said Light trying to sound like her mind was not occupied with thoughts of a boy. Sayu always knew whenever she was thinking about a boy. "And I wouldn't want to deprive Sayu's friends of a chance to watch her swoon over Hideki Ryuga."

Sayu rolled her eyes. "Whatever Light, but thanks anyway. I owe you one for this."

Light nodded then took the bag from her mother, heading over to the genkan she put on her shoes and a jacket then headed out the door.


All twelve FBI agents were dead. Killed with heart attacks just a couple of days ago. L chewed mercilessly on the pad of his thumb, likely drawing blood and damaging nerves but he hardly cared at this point. The agents were dead because of him and his decisions, this only added to the blood that likely dripped rivers from his hands, and that was something he could not forgive. He had decided to shift his focus on the case to discovering who killed the agents, how they were able to do it, and if it was possible that any of them crossed paths with Kira before they and their colleagues died. Considering that the agents had been following potential suspects, it was possible they had but he wanted to see if any of the agent's interactions with the suspects had been out of the ordinary.

"Ryuzaki," said Watari as he approached, bringing L from his thoughts. "Ryuzaki, the President of the United States is on the phone for you."

Silently L motioned for the phone and held it to his ear using his index finger and thumb. "Mr. President, how may I be of service?"

"You can explain to me why twelve of my best agents are dead!" shouted the President, causing L to hold the phone a little further away from his ear. "L, you've pulled some crazy stunts in the past but this takes the cake. Not only did you convince the head of the FBI to send you agents you also managed to get them all killed by Kira!"

"They knew the risks going in," said L but now they were just rehearsed words, meaningless and hollow that were used to blamelessly explain away the fact he had made such a grave mistake.

The President sighed heavily on the other end. "I didn't want to have to tell you this, but we've decided in light of this tragedy to no longer oppose Kira. I can't in good conscience send my men to face an adversary we know nothing about, I'd rather keep them safe and alive."

L's shoulders slumped slightly more with defeat, Kira had managed to scare a nation known for having more backbone than this, he had a sinking feeling that this decision was the result of an offer presented to them by Kira. The FBI agents' deaths were just what pushed them to accept. 'Damn you, Kira,' thought L bitterly.

"I see," he said blandly. "Well Mr. President, I can't fault your decision, you must think about the welfare of your nation above all. When I bring Kira to the rest of the world in chains, I will now allow you present at his execution. Good day."

He then hung up before the President had a chance to retort.

"Was that really necessary, Ryuzaki?" asked Soichiro, obviously having overheard the conversation.

L nodded. "Yes, it was. I have a very low tolerance for hypocrites. Consequently that makes dealing with politicians particularly difficult."

Matsuda started to laugh but with one look from Soichiro he closed his mouth tightly, though he seemed to be choking on his laughter, trying to remain professional but failing quite spectacularly.

"Regardless of that, we should now look into the agents' deaths," continued L as he handed the phone back to Watari. "Mr. Yagami, could you and Matsuda please seize all footage from the places the agents were before they died? Mr. Aizawa, I would like you and Mr. Ukita to look into bringing the agents' work computers to be analyzed for anything that could lead us to Kira. Mr. Mogi, please go interview any possible witnesses to their deaths and when you're finished, I have a special assignment for you when you have a moment."

The investigators went to work and L sat at his desk, his knees tucked under his chin as he rubbed his toes against each other while he thought. Something was gnawing at his gut and it was making him uneasy, he was essentially flying blind now that Kira had put a stop to his fieldwork and he had to get a handle on this situation plus another. Without another thought he turned on a laptop that normally remained dormant and typed in a code that only he knew. An Old English MT font letter 'N' appeared on the screen seconds later.

"Near, Mello, this is L," said L and everyone in the room stopped what they were doing and turned to look at him, expressions mirroring each other's confusion and suspicion.

"L, this is Near," said a soft male voice, it could not have belonged to anyone older than twelve. "Mello is on his way, but what do you need?"

"I have an assignment for the two of you," said L, his face as hard as stone. He had hoped it would not come to this but obviously that was no longer an option. Suddenly there was a split in the image on screen and the letter 'M' in identical font to Near's letter appeared alongside it.

"Hey L," said a different voice, this was deeper than the first but hardly one that belonged to an adult, more like an older adolescent. "This is Mello, how can I be of service?"

"Excellent timing as always, Mello," came Near's soft voice. "L was just telling me that he has an assignment for us."

"Finally," drawled Mello. "It's about fucking time, L, we've been waiting for our chance to go after Kira."

L remained stoic but his voice was deadly. "Mello, you should know that I'm not alone, in fact I'm in a room full of policemen and you should watch what you say in the presence of your betters."

"Yes, L," said Mello, sounding irritated although managing to squeeze in some respect. "Hello to the policemen helping L, sorry about my language."

"That'll do," said L quickly. "To the point, I have something I need you to look into and I can't do that from my end, there's too much going on here."

"We heard about the FBI agents," said Near. "What do you need us to look into?"

L purposefully ignored Watari's distressed expression, wanting to get this over with now before he lost the nerve. "Case 18427."

There was silence on the other end and L thought the boys might have fainted. He was about to call Roger to aid them when he heard a soft string of creative curses coming from Mello's end.

"Are you sure about this, L?" asked Mello sounding concerned. "I mean, I'm sure you have your reasons but—"

"You must do this, Mello," said L sternly. "I want you and Near to work together on this one, report back to me when you've completed the task. Get Matt to assist if necessary."

"L, is there anything specific you want about the case?" asked Near, his soft voice sending a cold chill down L's spine.

"Locations," said L and he could feel Watari's eyes heavily on his person. This was going to require a great deal of explanation when they were alone. "And if there's been any recent contact. I know it's likely impossible but I want to be doubly sure."

"Of course, L," said the boys in unison.

"Alright then, L out," said L and he closed the laptop.

Silence descended upon the room, no one sure if they should even speak.

"Ryuzaki, who were those boys?" asked Soichiro, the only one brave enough to ask the question they were all thinking.

L turned his dark grey orbs to Soichiro. "They're my heirs. The ones who have been selected to take over the role of L should something happen to me."

"They're your sons?" asked Aizawa.

"No," said L with a shake of his head. "They're orphans who were brought to a special school. When they demonstrated intelligence similar to my own, they were selected to begin training to become the next L. They are not the first heirs I have had, but they are the most successful and someday will make a fine replacement, if they can get over their egos and work together."

"What is it you're having them investigate?" asked Soichiro, wondering if he had heard of the prisoner L had referred to.

L thought hard about a possible response for a moment then let out a small breath. "An old case that no longer matters. I merely have a tendency to go back to it whenever a case presents a similar aspect."

Soichiro looked grave. "So you're having these heirs of yours look into an old case just to make them cooperate?"

'It would seem a convenient explanation has fallen into my lap,' thought L as he nodded. "Yes, I test them from time to time to see if there has been any improvement. Now, let us resume our current tasks, we don't have much time and I would like to discover if Kira left us any clues as to his next move before we lose more lives."

That closed down any other possible questions or chances to break his lie, and the Task Force members resumed their various tasks, leaving L to silently burn under Watari's flaming gaze. The old man was angry that much L knew and he would probably be angry with him for a while after this, and while he was concerned he had to run down every lead he could think of even the impossible ones.

"Watari, I need you to contact A and W," said L calmly and he made sure his voice was low enough only he could hear. "I have the distinct feeling that Light is in danger."


A grey sky hung over Light as a bitter wind blew, indicating a good chance of snow either later today or sometime the next day. Her fingers were numb as she clung to the bag of her father's clothes, cursing her stupidity for not wearing gloves and being exceedingly grateful that the NPA building was not too much further. The cold at least was a distraction from her mental war.

When she entered the large building she headed for the receptionist desk in the center of the lobby where two men were sitting, one on his computer while another argued with a dark haired woman in a leather jacket. Light approached slowly, hoping not to draw too much attention to herself.

"Call them again!" demanded the woman, almost slamming her fist on the desk.

"I've already told you, no one is at headquarters!" argued the receptionist.

"I don't care, call them again!" snapped the woman and the receptionist begrudgingly picked up the phone and started dialing.

'Dad isn't here? That's strange,' Light thought curiously as she put the bag on the desk. "Hi, I'm here to drop these off for Chief Yagami."

"Light! It's great to see you again," said the unoccupied receptionist and he smiled brightly at her. "I was wondering when you'd be by."

"Thank you," she said politely as he handed her a form. "I just have to sign here, right?"

The receptionist nodded. "Yes, then I can have these sent up to your father. Hey Light, are you going to help with the Kira case too? You did a great job with that insurance scam case, I was sure you'd be asked to help out."

Light noticed that the woman was now paying much more attention to her than to the other receptionist and she wondered what she wanted with her father. "I'd like to join but I don't think my dad wants me getting involved. Not that I've seen him much lately, but I'm pretty sure he considers this case too dangerous for me. Especially after what happened to those FBI agents, it was so tragic to lose such good men." She finished signing the paper then handed the pen back to the receptionist. "Anyway, thank you for this, I'm sure my dad will appreciate it."

"Anytime, Light, have a good day and stay warm!" called the receptionist as she started walking away, headed for the door. She braced herself for the cold and pulled open the door, stepping out into the winter afternoon.

She made it down the stairs and was almost away from the property when she heard someone running up to her.

"Hey, wait!" shouted a female voice and she looked over her shoulder to see the woman from before chasing her down. "I want to talk to you."

Light stopped walking and turned to face the woman. "Is there something I could help you with?"

"Your father is Chief Yagami, right?" asked the woman, somewhat out of breath.

"Yes," replied Light with a slight nod.

The woman seemed to be relieved at her answer. "I know this is going to sound highly unorthodox but do you think you could tell him to call me when he gets a chance? I have a possible lead for the Kira case and I'd rather speak to him directly."

"My father hasn't been home much since the investigation started," said Light evenly. "And even less so now that L's involved."

"L's involved now?" asked the woman then she shook her head. "No, I should have expected that, this case would certainly pique his interest. Anyway, do you have a means of contacting your father? I think he and L need to hear my theory."

"Do you mind telling me what it is?" asked Light curiously then she stopped herself. "I'm sorry, it's none of my business. But does this have anything to do with the strange behavior of the latest criminals killed by Kira? Like the convenience store robber being stabbed to death? And the bus jacker?"

The woman seemed taken aback by Light's question. "Yes, that's exactly . . . what made you suspicious?"

"Drug users don't try to rob amusement parks for one," said Light with a small smile.

Ever since her latest encounter with Ryuzaki she had practically drowned herself in schoolwork and following the Kira case as closely as she could, just to keep herself distracted; to her chagrin, she even looked into Ryuzaki's implication that the Internet was being used as a tool for Kira's use. Of course he had been right.

The past week had been particularly interesting regarding the criminals that had died lately as they all died in unusual circumstances. She had watched every news report and read every article she could get her hands on, cataloguing every piece of information and possible clues in case she ever got the opportunity to work on the case. It would seem her opportunity had just come knocking.

"You heard about the bus jacking?" asked the woman, clearly interested now. "Oh, before I forget, my name's Shoko Maki. And I presume yours is Light Yagami? Sorry for the bluntness, but I heard the receptionist call you 'Light'."

Light waved a hand dismissively. "It's fine, he wasn't exactly being shy about who I am. And to answer your question, yes I did hear about it, it was on the news for most of that day. I was very interested in the witness interviews regarding his behavior before and after his death. Even if he were using at that time, he wouldn't be hallucinating just for a brief moment, he would have been hallucinating the entire time. I read that he was a heavy LSD user and while that might explain the hallucination he saw, it doesn't explain why he only saw it near the end of his high jacking. He should have been experiencing it the entire time."

"I see," said Shoko thoughtfully. "Did anything else stand out to you about that?"

"The fact he conveniently died without hurting anyone," replied Light and they started walking. "He unloaded his weapon, not a single bullet hit a passenger even though the bullets ricocheted, then he jumped off of the bus and just happened to get run over by a car? Too many coincidences to be merely fate, in my opinion. And since he matches the typical profile of a Kira victim, I think Kira killed him, which means Kira can kill with other ways not just heart attacks. And if that's true then he can also influence the situation so the criminal will end up dead without potentially harming anyone else."

Shoko looked impressed. "That's exactly what I've been thinking. Actually almost the same line of thought. Why haven't you tried to share this with your father or someone else? You obviously have clout if what the receptionist said was true."

Light shrugged. "The last time I worked with my father on a case, I wasn't taken as seriously as I had hoped. The detectives would come up with all sorts of theories and wild hunches based on nothing but bad speculation, while when whenever I brought up an idea I would meticulously go through my thinking process only to be brushed off. My father looked into my leads and that's how the case was solved, but without him being in charge that wouldn't have happened. With L being in charge, I'm sure he wouldn't even humor the ideas of a seventeen year old girl even with my clout."

"When I first joined the FBI, that was my problem too," said Shoko a little sadly. "I would get assigned to a case, find a lead, and be ignored. But I didn't give up, if anything it just made me work harder to get the recognition I knew I deserved." They stopped walking and she looked at Light with a fond smile. "You know, all it takes is one person giving you a chance. I was lucky and had two people give me a chance to prove my worth as an agent."

"Who were they, if you don't mind my asking?" asked Light politely.

Shoko's dark hazel eyes went darker like a shadow had extinguished the light. "My fiancé Raye. We worked at the FBI together and he saw what I wanted the others to see, he gave me the chance to show them what kind of agent I was and as a result I got the nickname 'Maki Massacre'. I solved the biggest massacre before Kira came around more or less by myself."

Light was very impressed with the woman. "And who was the second person?"

"That would be L," she said softly. "He and I worked together on the murder case in the United States, which is why I wasn't surprised when you said he was working with your father on the Kira case. I'm sure he'd more than happily give you the same chance he gave me."

"Can I ask, what happened to your fiancé?" asked Light, a sneaking suspicion creeping into her mind.

"He was murdered by Kira," said Shoko bitterly. "Raye and the other agents were here secretly, no one knew, at least not until after they died. He was involved in that bus jacking I mentioned, and I'm convinced that was when he tipped his hand to Kira. He tried to stop the man responsible."

Light thought about it for a moment. "Did he reveal his badge to anyone?"

"No one I interviewed said that he had," said Shoko and her eyes went wide. "Do you think that means Raye was just part of an experiment set up by Kira? That maybe he was meant to die then but it was unsuccessful?"

"That's always possible," said Light though she was not convinced. "Anyway, we shouldn't assume to know the inner workings of Kira's mind, after all this is a madman we're dealing with." She then reached into her pocket and pulled out her cellphone.

"What are you doing?" asked Shoko curiously.

"Getting us a chance," said Light as she dialed her father's number. She held it to her ear and was relieved when she heard her father's voice on the other end. "Dad? It's Light. Listen, I've found someone you and L might want to talk to. Here she is." She handed the phone to Shoko.

"Chief Yagami? Yes, this is Agent Naomi Misora," said Naomi, soundlessly apologizing to Light for lying. "Your daughter and I have a theory regarding Kira, when is the soonest we can meet with you and L to discuss it?"