The Whispering Voices
Chapter 4
His lips twitched upwards as he watched the camera. He switched the robot to the enhanced laser and aimed carefully.
A moment later, the camera's red light blinked out.
Very well, L.
Challenge accepted.
…
There is no trouble so great or grave that cannot be much diminished by a nice cup of tea.
~Bernard-Paul Heroux
…
The sixteen-year-old boy rewound the last few seconds of the transmission. Again. Again. Again. He watched the wide, emotionless eyes that looked so much like his own crinkle ever so slightly in amusement. He watched as his thin, pink lips twitched upwards in the first smile he'd seen on the boy's face. It was awkward, unused, as if he wasn't used to the feeling. Just like his own. He glanced around to find the mirror on the wall. His hunched figure was difficult to see, but he'd spent nearly all his days in a dark room, and so it wasn't difficult to see his large, unblinking eyes.
He tried smiling once more, forcing the ends of his lips up, before giving up, instead opting to watch himself. The smile on his lips didn't appear to be genuine. They never did. Just because it looked like he was smiling didn't mean he actually was. In order to smile, it appeared he'd have to really feel it. Anyone can fake a smile. Only real ones show in the eyes. They'd have to be happy.
The teenager scoffed after a moment. Hormones were finally getting to him, making him think of things as trivial as smiles. How ridiculous. Instead, he turned his attention back to the new boy on his computer screen and typed quickly, bringing up his personal file which was protected by his own security measures, just to make sure some of the more technologically inclined children weren't able to hack in.
Nate River (Near)
Age: 4
Birth date: August 24th, 1991
IQ: suspected above 180
Former Guardians: Elsa River and James River
Current Guardian: Mr. Wammy of Wammy's House
Showed signs of awareness at almost six months of age. Was attached to his mother, Elsa, after the death of her husband, James. James was assassinated by the Russian Mafia after making secret dealing with them. Elsa also suspected of being assassinated as a form of revenge. 72% chance that Nate was also a target. Albino. Refuses to speak upon being brought to Wammy's House. High chances of trauma after watching his mother die in front of him.
Relations: Linda – roommate and possible friend. Mello – Rival(?). Matt – Acquaintance. Roger – Toy. Wammy – Respected. L – Apparent rival.
The teenager took a bite of his cake, settling down to think. He did not think the boy would be able to beat him… but he was more intelligent, if not more coolheaded, than Mello. The older boy had no doubt the other would be a much more formidable opponent. A soft knock drew his attention as the door opened, a silhouette appearing on the wall above the computer screen.
"L?" a familiar voice called.
"Yes, Watari?" L asked, unwrapping a piece of hard caramel.
"Would you still like to continue the video conference as planned?" Watari asked.
"Yes… and please inform Roger that I'll be extending my stay here until further notice." L said, popping the caramel in his mouth.
"Of course, anything else?" Watari asked.
"Please install a bug and a camera, inside and outside of Near's room respectively." L ordered.
"I will do my best." Watari replied before turning and quietly shutting the door behind him. L blinked for a moment. He'd heard some sort of emotion… was it smugness? Perhaps he'd heard a smile in his voice.
"Thank you, Watari." L mumbled under his breath. Suddenly, he spat the cameral out of his mouth, hitting and making a large crack on the computer screen before quickly grabbing his cup of tea and chugging it down, trying to get the terrible taste out of his mouth.
"Sugar free…" the moody teenager spat angrily, scowling. No wonder Watari had sounded different. Now he'd have to pull out another computer screen… and dispose of the large tub of sugar-free caramels next to his armchair.
He groaned and shuffled towards the kitchen to check on his other sweets.
(A/N): I'm sorry, I just had to do it! I have zilch inspiration for my other story because I actually already wrote half of it, only to have it COMPLETELY DISAPPEAR. Like fucking POOF. Also, some hormone filled L for your wonderful enjoyment. 'Till next time, my wonderful readers! Also, it's my birthday soon, so hooray!
