Hey Readers! Sorry for the delay in the of the update. I had some family thing to give my attention to. I am the proud sister of a beautiful baby cousin. It's a boy and I will be having another baby cousin by my beautiful aunt by December or January. I want a girl next...There are too many boys in the family. Anyways, i know this chapter is a bit shorter than the ones before but I hope you will like it and please encourage me more by reviewing. Pretty please. Happy Reading!

Disclaimer: I do not own Death Note...

My Protector

L was studying me once again, in his usual quiet and slightly creepy manner. Okay, extremely creepy manner. I was starting to feel like a goldfish in a bowl. Well, him staring at me made me feel like that. Either that or like some sort of rare species of bacteria he was studying like some sort of scientist. But, I guess I had to get used to his eccentricities. After all we were going to be stuck together for a long time.

L was quiet for quite some time before he finally told me in a tone that was cheery but his eyes did not match his tone, "It seems that Miss Iris has changed her mind about letting L tell her about himself willingly. I wonder why, though. What could have made Miss Iris lose her composure and go against her word?"

I knew that was coming. In a way, if he didn't ask me that I would have been more offended. Him asking for an explanation for my action meant that he cared enough to understand the reasoning behind my actions. That was something that I required from someone with whom I was going to be working with in the long run.

I looked right into his eyes and told him honestly, "I am just getting the answers I need to know to the questions I know you won't answer. L, I have all the time in the world to learn about you as a person, to become your friend and for you to become my friend. But, I cannot wait for you to come around and tell me about what you were in your past life and about your death. I need to know because I cannot take the risk of something of your past to come and endanger you, me or my house. That includes this person named Light Yagami. Because believe it or not L, in a way you are under my protection as I am under yours."

He considered my rather long speech for a moment or to before he smirked at me and asked dryly, "Do tell me how is that I am supposed to trust you and become your 'friend' when you are prying into my life! When you are showing no respect to my privacy?"

I replied back without missing a beat, "Just like how you are putting your life at risk for my safety. Just like how you are going to turn my life upside down my dragging me away from my home and teaching me how to become a 'detective'. Just like how you show me no respect when you harass me."

He took a moment and then smiled widely at my retort. How I amused him when I wanted to insult him, I'll never understand. I really did want to have a long talk with him, about what exactly that I didn't know. So, I didn't say anything and he didn't like to talk, so he didn't say anything, it was soon becoming a legendary fact that L only spoke when he had to say something to harass me, other than that, he just kept quiet and watched everything else around him. We must have sat together for about an hour or so.

Eventually I got up and made myself a sandwich and quietly finished it. I did ask him if he wanted me to make him something to eat, but he refused. I could tell he was deep in thought. He wasn't brushing me off by any means; he was just too deep in thought.

It was when I was just about to get up again to wash my plate L spoke to me. His voice was once again serious but it was his eyes this time that had my attention, "Miss Iris, there maybe some people who I think maybe good for your team. We should ask Gilbert to look into them."

L rather abrupt suggestion caused all kinds of bells to ring in my head. Hell, I even saw some multi-colored signs flashing in my head too. Did his sudden input surprise me? Yes, it did. But, my curious mind was on over-ride on finding out why he would suggest that. I wanted to know who these people were whom he would want on my team. I wanted to know the background of these people and his relationship with them. But most importantly I wanted to know why he would want them on the team when he clearly knew that they knew he was dead. Why would he risk that? Was he looking for a way to get back to those people from his old life? It would be quite natural for him to do so, but would it be safe? For them, for us and for him?

So, I slid on my mask of cool indifference and made sure my tone was only that of slight interest as I asked him, "And who are these people you think maybe good for the team, L?"

I had to hand it to him, his mask of indifference was possibly better than mine. His voice was crisp as he replied, "Just some people I have worked with before and some people I knew. They might be just what we need."

I told him in a matter-of-fact tone, "I don't need to know the identities of these people. I will find that out as soon as you ask Gilbert to run a check on them. And in the end it will be my decision as to whether I want them or not. So, I won't ask you anything about them. But there is something that I will ask you, L."

He cocked an eye-brow at me and looked at me. I asked him directly, sparing no thought as to how insensitive I might sound, "Do you want to risk involving these people in this situation? Especially considering the fact that you are dead to the world and only came back as of this morning. No one knows of the supernatural world or of supernatural powers let alone of said supernatural powers bringing you back to life with powers. Do you want to include them in these 'clan wars'?"

I think the slight glare he was sending my way was him taking offense that I was questioning his suggestion. Hell, what he didn't know was that I would question his everything. That was the sort of position I was in. I would question his motives and his suggestions until the day I could firmly say that I could trust him without question. What nobody understood was that I was suddenly in a situation where I was forced to question the loyalty of everyone I knew. Didn't he see just minutes before how I didn't let my emotions and feelings for Jill get in the way of this particular job? Or did he expect some kind of special treatment for himself? Did he actually think that I would blindly follow his instructions and become a puppet for him just because he was my guardian spirit? I wasn't a child and I would not stand to be manipulated like one.

I didn't even bother to notice his glare as I continued my questions, "Are these people you are talking about supernaturals or do they have special abilities? Are they your family and friends? What makes you so sure that will be good for my team? What kind of work did you do with them that makes you so sure that they could fit in a supernatural detective team? I want all the information on them, L and it would save a lot of time if you start talking right about now."

He looked at me almost critically for about a full minute while I concentrated on taking deep breaths and on not strangling him for answers. His reply was curt and smug, "Why waste time on repeating the same thing twice? You will find all the answers that you seek from me in the files Gilbert will have for you."

And that's when it hit me. He wasn't so much as bothered by my sudden intrusion into his life; he knew that he had to hand over answers eventually. Either that or that I would find out from other sources over the period of time that we would be working together. He wasn't bothered by any of that. Hell, he wasn't even that bothered about his death or the way he died. His issue was completely different and I had figured it out.

This time I eyed him critically. He was looking right back at me with a smug expression that I was about to wipe off.

I started in a dry tone, "Yes, answers that I seek from you. Meaning I want them from you and not from Gilbert. If I had wanted them from Gilbert then I would have asked him and not you. Even if those answers turn up in those files, they will only be there to confirm your answers."

He looked almost ready to retort something witty, or confusing or insulting to me. That I knew. But I didn't give him a chance. I continued in a taunting voice, "The questions I ask, the intrusion isn't the thing that's bothering you, L. The thing that is bothering you is me taking control, isn't it?"

He looked at me sharply and huffed through those thin pale lips. I asked him smugly, "Never let anybody else lead, did you, L?"

I tauntingly whispered to him, "You always led people around and now you can't tolerate me giving you orders and you having to follow them to a T."

I took barely a second to look at his expression before I got up as quickly as I could to go and wash my plate. He looked completely furious. A little like how he looked back when he was crouching between my grandmother and me in the study. But mostly, his lips were pressed tightly together and he was glaring daggers at me. And if I would be honest, I swear I felt the rage wafting over to where I was standing from his direction.

My situation was like a naughty kid who had poked a sleeping lion through a cage with a long and pointy stick and turned about and ran like hell just when the lion was about to roar at him furiously. But you can't blame me for taunting him, he had been doing nothing but harassing me since the morning and after the bedroom incident, I'd take whatever little power I'd have over him. Yes, I was that petty. And yes, I was that childish. And yes, taunting him and saying things that I knew irked him and made me feel better was just my vindictive side standing up.

I took as much time as I possibly could by washing that single plate and the entire time I felt the blaze of L's glare on me. Just when I kept the plate back on the rack after drying it did he say something. His voice was best described as sulky, "And what makes you think that I want control, Miss Iris? That I would want to be rude to people and order them around and hurt the people who care about me in the process like you are doing right now."

I had to force myself to not snort disdainfully at his pitiful attempt at insulting me. If he thought a dig at me over how I ordered Gilbert and treated Jill was going to make me burst into tears, then he was wrong. I had thicker skin than that. I already cried in front of him enough that day to last a life time.

I smiled my prettiest smile at him and stared right at his glaring face and replied sweetly, "I noticed how you react to dominant figures. Blatantly denying their control and rebuffing their orders."

His eye-brows rose and disappeared behind the mop of dark hair on his head. I continued in the same tone, "I saw how you reacted towards my grandmother, who is your summoner. I saw how you ignored Victor, whom I know to be one of the most dominant figures ever. I was there when you took complete control over the plan to make me the proper heir. And just when my grandmother gave into you and not me. I emphasis, to your plan, you became completely comfortable in your skin."

His expression was completely blank by the time I was finished saying that. He was staring at me with dark eyes and a contemplative face. His thumb after a few seconds was back in his mouth as he almost hungrily studied me. It was then that I finally knew that he saw me as more than a little powerless girl he was bound to keep from harm's way. And what was more important was that even he accepted that fact at that moment.

I could have left him to think more on the train of thought he had, but I had a hell lot more to say to him and so I continued, "Your suggestion was again, something that you had complete control over. You want me to become a detective, which you tell me you know a lot about. You said you will make me one of the best detectives, which means you want control over me to change me. For my benefit, but you plan on changing me nonetheless. You want a say in who gets to be on my team and you won't tell me anything about yourself because every little bit of information to you is like power. Giving out information is like giving out control, which you cannot do. And moreover, you taunt me, tease me, embarrass me and harass me because you like to see me be submissive to you. In a way it gives you power over me. And your entire intention from the beginning was to make me the queen on the throne while you control me from the shadows."

If I thought he was studying me hungrily before, by the time I was finished, he was practically salivating. On the inside I was very much unnerved by his expression but on the outside I was radiating a defiant face that I knew would make Victor proud. His gaze was so predatorily intense that it sent shivers down my spine and I finished with a final taunt that was well deserved, "You say I am rude and that I hurt my loved ones, L? Don't be a hypocrite, I know for a fact you would the same were you in my position and I already know that you have done so in your past life."

He was quiet and even though it seemed that I had the last word, his ecstatic eyes and that smarmy smirk on his lips said otherwise. I was almost out the door when I told him to follow me. I walked slowly this time, taking my time to walk around the long and confounding hallways of the mansion. I had no need to hurry and no reason to run from anything or anyone. I had dealt with my issues and taken back control over my life. I had a game plan and I planned on beating whatever hurdle that would come my way.

I wasn't happy, but I wasn't sad, scared and confused like before either. I was content at that moment as I dragged my feet along the floor and made my way lazily towards my bedroom. L was walking at the same pace behind me and I could feel his eyes on my back and I wryly thought that I had to get used to that feeling after all, he wasn't going any where any time soon and I knew for a fact he wouldn't stop staring at me.

We were almost three hallways away from my room when I heard L's voice take on that dark and smooth quality again as he breathed bursts of air near my ear, "I think you will make a very fun toy for me, Miss Iris. Very fun, indeed."

The fine hairs on the back of my neck rose and my heart thudded loudly. That hypnotic voice I had heard before seemed to multiply by ten folds as he whispered directly into my ear, I could almost feel the texture of his voice hitting my ear and seeping into my body making me feel oddly warm in some places and cold in other places. But I guess, not looking directly into his eyes and being aware of his ability to use that voice on me, made me a little immune to him. I took in a deep breath; the smell of mint was thick around me. And I replied in a calm voice, "Oh, I don't think that will be much fun, L. But I know of one thing that will be indefinitely of much more fun than that."

This time I felt his lips press almost feather lightly against my hair and on the edge of my ear as he asked almost seductively, making me drown in the scent of mint, "What's that, Miss Iris?"

I forced my mind to imagine a picture of Victor and practically ordered my heart to calm down as I replied, "Carving your voice box out of your throat with a butter knife."

His chuckle was dark and just as seductive as his voice as he took a step back from me. I felt the warmth behind my body disappear and noticed just how close he was to touching me, but he didn't. I swallowed the sudden lump in my throat and heard him claim in his normal cheery voice, "Miss Iris is always threatening poor L."

God, how easily he switched his methods and used them to his full advantage. Silently I walked, resenting how easy it was for him to throw me off my game. I claimed dryly, "Give me a reason to trust you, L and I will stop questioning and threatening you."

And even though he didn't reply back and I stayed quiet, we both knew just how honest every word of that last statement was. We both knew that I wanted to trust him but I had no reason to, so I couldn't. He wouldn't trust me because I wasn't his toy. He wouldn't give in to me because I wouldn't give in to him first. I wouldn't give into him because he wouldn't give into me first.