K here's the next chapter. Go nuts.

Disclaimer: I don't own Death Note or any songs in this chapter. Blah blah blah…..

April 9th, 2003

Not much has changed.

It's been two days. It was a Sunday. And even after my meeting with L and Shai's meeting with Light, nothing was different.

"I don't…feel any different…" Shai had said. "Of course, I now have the mental image of me working alongside Light…"

"I thought you already had that mental picture." I said.

"It became clearer." She said triumphantly. "I can see it now!" I rolled my eyes. Then, out of the blue, she had walked up to a wall and smashed her head against it. I flipped out and asked her why she did that. Her reasoning? "I can't believe I was a smart ass to my idol!" she sobbed. It was a random and stupid breakdown. I told her that it was understandable that she would be snappy. She was caught off guard and she didn't think of what she was going to say before she actually had to talk to Light. She was now sulking at the coffee shop, apparently in a bad mood because of that reason.

Right now, I was at none other than the candy shop. Doing my job. Singing at the top of my lungs. Giving little kids candy. I was wearing a short, black, frilly skirt (which Shai had given me weird looks and criticized about) with red leggings and a red and black striped T-shirt, my Ipod hanging around my neck. I had gotten a bracelet with three strawberry charms dangling on the chain the day before and I was now proudly wearing it around my right wrist. I had stolen Marichka's left leather strap fingerless glove and was now wearing it.

It was my tired point of the day, right before my lunch break, so I was singing softer than I usually was, but I was still singing loudly and dancing. A girl about the age of 16 was singing along with me as I sang the words to Evacuate the Dance Floor by Cascada.

Evacuate the dance floor

I'm infected by the sound!

Stop, this beat is killing me

Hey Mr. DJ come burn this place right down to the ground!

I heard the door open and mentally sighed. Another customer.

My body's aching system overload

Temperature's rising I'm about to explode

Watch me I'm intoxicated taking the show

It's got me hypnotized everybody step aside

I turned my head and I was completely caught off guard.

It was L.

I blinked.

Oh my God! I didn't think he'd be here so soon! I expected cameras and surveillance or something!

Another voice scolded me. Say something!

A smile spread quickly across my face and I stopped singing. "Ryuga!" My eyes went wide with excitement as I turned my Ipod down. If it wasn't for the counter between us, I would have crashed into him with one of my bear hugs. "Hi!"

A small, amused smile appeared on his face. "Hello, Masako."

"So what brings you over here?"

L looked around the shop. "Candy." He walked around the store, reaching for almost every single box and taking out a few pieces. After what seemed like forever, he arrived at the counter with an armful of sugary delights.

My smile got wider. "So you like sweets, too?" He smiled as well and nodded. I did what I usually did when I had a customer. I scanned the candy and threw them in a bag, handing it to him. I sweat dropped at the amount. "3,540 yen," I said, trying to hide my shock. The numbers popped up on the cash register.

L's face went blank and he started to stare me down. Only this time, it seemed that he had a gleam of interest in his eyes. "You beat the register."

I cocked my head to the side and my smile disappeared, leaving a confused expression. "Well, I have been working here for quite some time now."

"That was impressive."

My smile returned at the compliment. "Thanks!" I then paused and looked at the money he handed to me. "You really must've been saving up to spend a lot on candy. I wouldn't blame you. I do it all the time! Oh! But don't tell my friends that! They think I'm saving up for books." That was true. I had told my friends that I was saving my money for accounting books and they gave me funny looks. They said as long as I didn't spend it on candy, they would let me live because I told them that they couldn't spend their money on things they didn't need as well.

"Don't worry. I'll keep it a secret." L said in his monotone with a barely notable laugh in his voice.

I dramatically sighed. "That's a relief!" I beamed at him and dealt with a kid buying some chocolate. Oh how I wanted that chocolate…

Once he left, L spoke. "How old are you?"

That question was kind of random and surprised me, but I answered anyway. "Fifteen."

"Hm…I see…" He brought his thumb to his lips and he did that calculating look with his eyes again.

After a while I turned to him. He didn't look like he was about to leave anytime soon. "Hey, did you need something Ryuga?"

"Actually, I would like to get the opportunity to know you better."

You suspect me of something, don't you? That's not cool! I mentally huffed in frustration.

"Oh, sure! My lunch break is in a few minutes. We could talk then. Sound ok?" I flashed him one of my warm smiles and he nodded.

"Yes, that would be fine."

The sixteen year old girl had finally made her decision as she walked up to the counter.

"Hey, Kiyomi! Need anything?" I asked the brunette.

"Actually, I'm running low on money and I can't decide on what to pick. Any suggestions?"

I thought for a moment. "The chocolate in the back corner over there." I pointed to the back of the store. "That stuff's really good!...Not that I would know or anything…" I laughed nervously.

Kiyomi giggled at my last sentence and made her way to the back of the store. "Thanks. I'll go check it out."

"The people around here seem to know you fairly well." Ok. Now L was just stating the obvious. Or maybe just trying to make small talk? But this was L we were talking about. Everything had a reason.

"Yeah. These kids come by here almost everyday!" I replied. The song Naturally by Selena Gomez started playing and I found myself moving to the music. To be honest, I really wasn't in the mood to listen to Disney. I was more in a Rent mood, but I sang along anyway.

You have a way of moving me

A force of nature your energy

It comes naturally

It comes naturally

And it takes my breath away

What you do so naturally

You are the thunder and I am the lightning!

And I love the way you know who you

And to me it's exciting

When you know it's meant to be!

My voice progressively got louder throughout the song and I could sense that Kiyomi was singing with me from the back of the store. I grabbed some candy boxes from the back room and started walking around the store, restocking the almost depleted boxes on display.

When we collide sparks fly

When you look in my eyes

It takes my breath away

YOU ARE!

You are the thunder and I am the lightning!

I didn't know how loud I was and I didn't really care. When I was done restocking the boxes I took the hands of a child and spun around once, taking her candy bar and making my way to the register. I then got a glimpse of the clock.

I sighed and smiled an upbeat smile. "There you go, kid! Don't eat it all in one bite." I advised as the child ran out the door excitedly with her candy. I laughed at her energy and looked at L. To be honest, I completely forgot he was there. I then worried about how loud I sang.

What if he finds another reason to suspect me just by how I act here? I mentally shook the thought away as I let one of the employees take over the counter. I grabbed my backpack and dashed for the door. Don't be so paranoid, Masako…

"I'm ready to go!" I smiled cheerfully at L, who nodded and followed me out.

"So, where to?" I asked.

"Well, why don't we take a walk?"

What is it with geniuses and walks?

"Sure! Lead the way!" He did as he was told and began walking ahead of me.

I snuck a glance at L. He was staring unblinkingly ahead of him. It was impossible to read his emotions.

Is he trying to wait until there aren't many people around?

"How often do you work at the candy store?" He suddenly spoke.

What's he thinking, now? Geniuses! I'll never understand them…

"Everyday from 8 am to 5 pm. You know, normal work hours."

Oh, shit…I'm a kid! That's why he's asking that! I'M SUPPOSED TO BE IN SCHOOL!

Yeah. I knew what was coming next.

"Don't you go to school?" He was looking at me now, analyzing my every reaction. Well, too bad for him because he wasn't going to get one out of me.

"No, not here. I guess you could say that I'm on a very long vacation."

His analyzing stare seemed to get more intense with each passing second.

"Where do you go to school, then?"

"America."

"Are your parents here with you in Japan?"

"No. They're…um…no. They're not. They're still in America. I wanted to visit Tokyo, though. It's my birthplace, you know."

"Well, surely you had someone accompany you on your way here, didn't you?"

"Yes. My two best friends."

"And how old are they?"

Great. I can't lie in this situation. He's bound to meet them sometime. Then he'll know I was lying…

"Fifteen. They were born here as well, so they tagged along." I replied.

"I see..."

We continued to walk in silence. He turned to look at me.

"You are very quiet."

I gave him a confused look. "Yes. What about it?"

"You were not at the store."

"I guess I'm just thinking a lot."

"About what?"

Shit! What do I tell him?

"Well, about everything, I guess."

"Would you be more specific?"

"No. Not really…"

Good job, Masako! One more reason to raise your percentage!

I was getting irritated with myself and started arguing with the voices in my head.

I may not even have a percentage! I can't see how he could suspect me of anything!

He's a genius! You can't hide things from geniuses!

I know that! I'm trying!

L's voice snapped me out of my thoughts.

"You are different from most girls I've met."

I stared at him with shock. I never expected those words to come out of his mouth.

But really, L. How many girls have you really met?

"Is that a compliment?"

"Yes. Yes it is."

"In what way, exactly?" I was faintly curious. I really didn't think of myself as all that interesting.

"You are smart. You don't seem to be the least bit interested in love like most girls your age. You are musical-oriented and you seem to enjoy kids. You don't find them irritating as most would. But something about you just doesn't add up."

I started to get wary again. "Like?"

"You are fifteen years of age. You live in America. You are here in Japan with two friends who are the same age as you. You had no adult to accompany you on your way here and you don't go to school. You have a full time job."

"Well, I need to provide for myself in some way, right?"

"Yes, I see your point. But as I had said before-one would expect a parent or guardian with you since you have traveled overseas. Are you sure you're not lying to me?"

I looked at him, the smile and the warmness gone. It was replaced with cold seriousness. He didn't react, but I could tell that his eyes held some surprise within them.

"I am perfectly sure that I am not lying to you." I huffed and swung my head forward to find that we were walking along an almost deserted sidewalk.

"I am sorry if I offended you in any way. I was just curious."

My eyes softened as I turned to him. "No, it's ok. I'm just frustrated, that's all."

"Why would you be frustrated? I only asked you a simple question."

"I don't like it when people ask me if I'm lying to them. If they don't believe what I say earlier in the conversation, then it's just a waste of breath saying things later because they wouldn't think I was telling the truth anyway." My hardness returned, but not as much as before.

"Oh. I see…"

Well, I'm getting bored with this…Damn it! What the hell is he thinking! It would help if Death Note was from his point of view so I would know how he thinks. It was easy for Marichka because she knew Light's thinking process…

"Tell me, what do you think of Kira?"

I expected this question to pop up eventually. Is he planning on letting me help him in the case? No…L wouldn't be that careless…Would he?

"Kira, huh?" I raised an eyebrow at him but continued. "I understand what this Kira person is trying to do. They're trying to get rid of evil by getting rid of criminals. They're trying to create peace. A…new world. I admire Kira's persistence and they sure are smart." The look on L's face was something I couldn't determine.

Is that…disappointment?

"But, they're going about it the wrong way. Killing people is wrong. It's not their place to pass that kind of judgment on others."

"Is that so?"

"Yes." I nodded with determination in my eyes, sure of my answer. "It's a terrible thing to have that kind of power-whatever that power may be, it's not doing the world any good. I guess that crime rates would drop, but the world would be living in fear of Kira. Kira would think that they're creating peace and happiness, but there will always be evil lurking in the shadows. It's a part of life. And what if someone was falsely accused? Kira would be killing an innocent person." I shook my head with disgust. "If this guy is giving L a run for his money, then Kira is obviously smart. Of course, the whole Lind L. Tailor thing didn't benefit for Kira at all, either."

"How so?"

"Well, there is what L said. Kira is in Japan, Kira is murdering people with heart attacks, and Kira doesn't need to be present to kill. All that this fake L needed to tell him was that what he was doing was evil. This also demonstrates a little bit of Kira's personality as well." I paused, wondering if I should go on, but gathered up the courage to say what I needed to say.

"Kira is childish. He's trying to make peace in the world by abusing this power he has. Apparently, he must confuse himself with some sort of god-like figure. It's not a coincidence that Kira had killed him right after he said that Kira was evil. If Kira wasn't blinded by anger, he should've known that L wouldn't go out into the open like that and that Lind L. Tailor was a decoy. Even I knew that he wasn't the real L." I squinted as the sun beat down on my face.

"Of course, I'm sure L has already figured out that much. Now we can wait and see how this character trait gets in the way. All L has to do is taunt him. If he's smart enough, Kira will avoid it. He's on his guard now." I glanced back at L. I then realized I had made an incredibly long speech.

"Oh! I'm sorry! I started rambling, didn't I?"

He didn't answer. He seemed to be lost in his thoughts.

I cocked my head at him. "Ryuga?"

"You're under no obligation to do this, but would you mind submitting yourself to a test of your deductive reasoning skills?"

I stopped walking and stared blankly at him. "Huh?"

He stopped walking as well and turned to face me, one hand in his pocket and the other gripping the bag of candy. He was awaiting an answer.

"Um…sure."

A real intelligent response, Masako. Way to go!

I didn't know where we were headed. I followed Ryuga to a picnic table in a nearby park and I took the seat across from him. He was in his usual crouch on the bench and pulled out three photographs.

What if he gives me the same test as he almost did with Light? If that's the case, then I would be prepared…

"Before we begin, I would like to tell you that I am L."

I looked up from the photographs and stared at him. My face was expressionless. I then gave him a disbelieving look. I was not going to act like Light in this situation and raise my percentage, if I have one.

"Ok. Let's say for one minute that you are who you say you are. Why would you be telling me this?"

"Because I believe that you may be able to help with the Kira case."

I stared into his eyes for awhile, making it look like I was trying to decide whether he was telling the truth or not. After a few moments, I blinked and looked back down at the photographs.

"All right. I believe you. Now, what is this test?" I asked him in my monotone.

He seemed to be caught off guard by my serious tone, but it was only a flicker in his eyes. He laid out the photographs in front of me. "We can begin by taking a look at these."

I examined them as they lay on the table.

"Photographs of three notes written by prison inmates while after Kira's control just prior to their deaths. None of this information has been made public. You can take as long as you want to look them over. Please let me know what you think."

I looked at the notes, front and back. I squinted when I noticed numbers on the back of them. Or maybe it was just from the sun that got in my eyes. I made it look like I was looking at them different ways. I then put them down on the table.

I took one final look at the photographs and back at L, who was staring at me, of course. I then realized I had gone into my crouch just as L had done, but I quickly abandoned the thought. I had other things that needed to be done.

I scrunched up my nose with disgust. "Aw, man! He can control his victims, too?" I sighed and shook my head. I looked into his grey orbs and tried to arrange my thoughts.

Ok. Here goes…

I then realized that only a few seconds had passed between the time he gave me the notes and the time that I had looked up from them, not minutes as I had thought.

"The first letter of every line reveals a message. Line them up like this and it says 'L do you know Gods of Death love apples.' It's almost like he's mocking you which is very likely considering his personality. But there are print numbers on the back of these photographs. If you arrange it in that order, it reads 'L do you know love apples Gods of Death.' That doesn't make sense. So, there are three possibilities, here." I held up one finger. "One, this is just a useless message from Kira that will get you no where in your investigation." I held up another finger. "Two, this message is incomplete and Kira isn't done sending you these notes." I held up a third finger. "Three, there is a possibility that you have yet another note that you did not give me to analyze." He continued to stare at me, apparently judging.

Wait a minute; wasn't this test used on Light because L wanted to see his reaction because he thought that he was Kira? Or was this really a test for me? Oh no! He doesn't really suspect me of being Kira, does he?

He smiled a creepy smile. "Interesting…" My face remained expressionless. How it remained to do so is beyond me.

"If you were me faced with someone who might be Kira, how would you go about establishing this person's innocence or guilt? You need to be absolutely sure."

This is the same conversation he had with Light! I mentally smiled. But I sound smarter because I know the answers. Of course, this would probably hurt me in the long run. Right now, I should just answer this question…

"I would get him to say something that wasn't made public in any way. Something that only Kira could know." I paused and looked at him intently. "If I didn't know any better, I would say you were doing that just now."

He continued to stare with wide eyes. "I see…" He seemed to be lost in his thoughts. After a few moments, he spoke. "You are a very bright girl. Your deduction was perfect. As for my question, truly amazing. What's incredible is that I've asked countless detectives that same question, and it took most of them minutes to even come up with an answer. But you-you immediately thought of a scenario in which Kira is speaking directly to the investigator. I'm impressed. You would make a fine detective, Masako."

"Um…thanks, but I would like to ask you something."

He nodded as a sign for me to continue.

"Do you suspect me of being Kira?"

He thought for a moment. "At first, I was unsure. I wasn't sure if I should have even considered you as being Kira. But based on recent events, I want nothing more than for you to aid us in the Kira investigation."

"Really? So my name is cleared?"

"Yes. So, would you like to work with the task force and stop Kira?"

I smiled happily. "Yes! Definitely!" He smiled at my enthusiasm and nodded.

"Very well." He rose from his crouch and stepped onto the ground, turning to me. "Though I must warn you, you would be leaving your job behind and there is the possibility of putting your friends in danger."

"It's fine. My job isn't a problem and my friends will be alright. They can get on fine without me around as much."

He nodded. "I will give you one day to prepare. Meet me here tomorrow and we will head to Task Force Headquarters."

I nodded in response and rose from my crouch as well. "Okie dokie! I'll meet you here tomorrow then. I'll see you later Ryuga!" I waved and skipped out of the park.

L had another amused smile on his face as he walked in the other direction, candy bag at hand.

Did you like it? Did you hate it? Reviews make my world go round! Haha…not really. Chocolate does. Anyway, L was really hard to get down here. I'm hoping he'll be easier to write later on. Anyway, leave a review if you have the heart, and I'll see you guys in the next chapter! :) Sayonara!