(A/N – Guess who's in this chapter! I bet you'll never guess.
So, chapter 7 (favorite number) is the chapter where Max and Cam finally meet L. I used to love this chapter, but now I just feel "eh". A bit too unrealistic. Oh well, I suck at rewriting, so this is what you get.
You decide if it's good or not.)
Chapter 7 – L
I was pacing in the lobby when Cam ran through the door. I mean she literally ran down the street and hurled herself through the door. I slammed my palm into my forehead. This is why she isn't a field agent.
She was wearing a purple T-shirt that said "You're just jealous 'cause the voices talk to ME", boot cut jeans, and black ankle boots that reminded me of cowboy boots. She was also wearing her ever-present charm bracelet. Like my lightning bolt necklace, I doubt she ever takes it off.
For every case we solve, Cam adds a new charm to her bracelet. She also has others representing the first time Cam and I met, the first time we worked with V, and so on. Cam is very sentimental, and that bracelet is very important to her.
"I brought the files!" Cam said, raising the case. It was the briefcase that we always took on missions. Cam had decided it was her job to find different bumper stickers and other things she could stick on the thing. It was completely covered in them.
"Yea that's nice Cam, thanks for alerting everyone in this fuckin' lobby that you brought it!" I hissed.
"Sorry!" said Cam.
"Just follow me," I said. I opened the door to the stairs and started walking to the ninth floor.
"So you really found him? That's amazing! How the hell did you-"
"Cam, can you keep quiet? We don't want everyone in the building to know there are people walking up the stairs right now. Especially him," I said. It's times like this that Cam can get really annoying.
I opened the door to the ninth floor. We quietly stepped into the hallway, which was deserted.
"Where do you-"
I smacked Cam on the side of the head. She gave me a what the fuck look, and I put a finger to my lips. She rolled her eyes. As we walked, I listened for any sounds. If it really was only L on this floor, then he would only be in one room. I heard voices in the room to my right. I pushed past Cam, and put my ear to the door.
"Ryuzaki, the task force is trustworthy . . ."I heard. The voice sounded like that of an older man.
"I don't care how much you seem to trust them, I am not showing my face unless I know that they are not working with Kira," I heard someone say. He sounded much younger, and his voice was not too deep or too high. I guessed this man was "Ryuzaki" whoever that is.
"But L,"
"I told you not to use that name! This room could be bugged!" I suppressed a chuckle. Paranoid much? I don't know why, but I decided to mess with them. I knocked on the door. The room went silent.
"Told you . . ." I heard L say.
Watari looked through the peephole. I waved.
"It's . . . a young lady. Are you expecting someone, Ryuzaki?" Watari said. I imagined his face. Cam was listening too, and was rolling on the ground in silent laughter.
"No. Don't open the door," said L, or Ryuzaki. Damn him. I looked at Cam and nodded. Cam took out her lock picking kit and began to work. About three minutes later, (that lock was good), she opened the door.
I saw an old man in a suit carrying a tray with cake on it, and a man in his twenties sitting in the weirdest way I could imagine. The older man was obviously Watari. The younger one, L . . . I had never pictured him like this. I had frequently imagined L, as a man in his thirties, looking very refined, as a teenager with glasses and chronic acne, as an old man like Watari, with these cases as the last great adventure of his life. But never, never, like this.
He was wearing a white long sleeved T-shirt and jeans, both oversized. He was sitting with his legs clutched to his chest, his hands on his knees. His hair was black as night, and it looked like he didn't even know what a comb was. But surprisingly, it looked good on him. None of these things surprised me as much as his eyes. They were like two dark orbs, drawing me in, never faltering. It was like I was in a trance. Then Cam spoke.
"L's a hobo? Where the hell are your shoes!" she yelled, staring at the detective. I slammed my palm into my forehead. Cam, you idiot.
"And who exactly are you?" L asked, looking at us. I felt the same calculating stare that Light had used the first time we had met.
"I'm Max White, and this is Cam Redwood," I stated.
"Bang," L said, holding his hand up like a gun. "If I was Kira, you would have been dead."
"Well I know you're not Kira," I answered.
"Of course you do," L said. I was sure if he hadn't been staring at me he would have rolled his eyes. "Listen, I have no time for you two. Go do whatever you're doing elsewhere," he stated, sipping some tea.
"We can't say this to anyone besides you. We have a good lead on the Kira case, and we don't think that the Japanese police can be trusted. You are the only one we can tell, L," I said, looking into his eyes. It seemed to me that we were having a staring contest. "I also possess information that is so important; I could count those who know this fact on one hand."
"And what information could that be," L asked, looking bored.
"Your name," I said. He spilled a bit of his tea. Then he regained his composure. "You could never know my real name, that information has been destroyed," he said, this time looking at Watari. Watari nodded.
"Would you like me to tell you? I am a woman of my word; I wouldn't lie about something like this. And don't try to tell me the name is wrong, I know it's right," I stated. The whole time I was talking to him, I stared into his eyes. I didn't know how to look away.
"Then whisper it to me," L said. I walked to the chair he was sitting in. I looked away from his eyes, and gained a bit more confidence. I smiled as I whispered into his ear, "L Lawliet."
As I backed away, I saw L's eyes, and I could make out a few emotions that flashed through them. I saw that he was a bit afraid, and maybe, impressed? His mouth twitched in a way that suggested he was suppressing a smile.
"You two can help with the investigation. I really have no choice," he said. L looked a bit resigned, like a child that had lost a board game. "And Watari, please destroy whatever sources there are that could lead anyone else to my true name." Watari looked astonished. Cam was smiling.
"Give me any information that you have gathered. And call me Ryuzaki. If this room is bugged, I don't want anyone to find out that I am L," L said. I was in such a good mood, I said something that I probably shouldn't have.
"Can I call you R then? I think the one letter thing is . . . sexy." I said with a smirk. Ryuzaki blushed furiously.
"Hey, Watari dude, you got any chicken?" asked Cam, smiling.
"I think it's about time you two leave. You will be informed if there is to be a meeting or if Ryuzaki and I change hotels." He pushed us out the door and slammed it in our faces.
And so ended my first encounter with the world's greatest detective.
(A/N – Another thing, I have another story set in the Mello/Near arc, Yes, My Alias is a Cereal. It's not my best work, but please check it out!
Also, I have a DN/Hangover crossover called the Blackout. If you know the Hangover, read it, and even if you don't know the Hangover, you can still read it. It's more of a humor/crack story, but I tried to keep everyone in character as much as I could.)
