IX. Ally

4th of January. I nervously tapped my foot against the cafe's floor, impatiently checking my watch every three seconds as my hands grasped the mug filled with green tea. It was extremely important for my appointment to come today, since I wouldn't manage to get other evening free nor would I convince L of letting me out on my own another time; the getting-a-day-off trick was growing old. "He must be busy with the Task Force..."

I released a deep breath, then checked my watch again. I had made sure I didn't have any cameras or bugs on me, but the GPS bipper had been practically impossible to avoid. I took a sip of my tea, hoping it would calm me down somehow. I was by my third cup when, finally, someone approached me hesitantly and took a seat in front of me.

"Ms. Joey?"

I took another deep breath as I studied the person in front of me; her long black hair and her bangs, her Asian features, her black leather jacket and her dark, wary, intelligent eyes. I released my breath.

"Hello, Naomi."

There was a thick, awkward silence between us. She observed me, I observed her. Those dark eyes, almost as dark as L's, traced my whole face, my middle from where it was visible —before it was shielded by the table separating us—, the half-empty mug... Everything. I could only assume she was paranoid. Not that I blamed her; after all, I was quite familiar with that. I did my best effort in keeping up with her cold glare, wondering about all of the emotions and thoughts that must be crossing Misora's mind at this very moment. Successfully enough, I kept my blank gaze on her except for the times I had to blink. I'd let her take the first step, because in all honesty, I wasn't sure myself of what had compelled me to do this.

"Why did you contact me?" She ended up asking, still a bit tense, waving dismissively the waiter that had just walked up to her, pen and notepad in his hands. He strode away without complaint. I understood the distrust and suspicion, quite well in fact. However, I did not understand where the subtle wrath in her voice was coming from.

Unconciously, I shifted my right leg over the left, changing their previous positions. "It's complicated." Was all I could come up with. I was too nervous, no matter how solid my façade could appear.

"Do explain." The ex FBI agent subtly demanded.

I took a deep breath.

"I already told you, I know who killed your fianceé." I took the blunt, potentially pisssing-off tactic.

Naomi's face twitched a little before she recompossed her mask. "How?"

I raised an eyebrow. "Not curious about who?" I ended up asking before thinking it through, not helping myself. I was curious as for why she hadn't questioned it, not to mention that was also my way of being defensive, using words instead of fists. Naomi kept her chapped lips in a thin line, refusing to grace me with an answer. I knew this tactic too well; make the suspect uncomfortable until he just can't bear the silence, the unspoken accusation, and then allow him to step into the lion's den, make him blurt something he knows he's not supposed to say. This one was a classic, every professional interrogator had used it at least once in their careers. But Misora didn't know that not only Near and the rest of the team had taught me to decoy a person's methods, but that I had also coexisted with L himself for a month now. Not to mention, my own father is a special FBI agent, who had took me under his wing to prepare me for the work-field I had chosen, ever since I turned 14. "As you wish," I murmured.

I took another deep breath, just as I prepared myself to unleash chaos. "I know because I'm working inside the Kira Task Force."

"Why would I believe you?" I raised an eyebrow again.

"I don't think you have many backups."

Misora narrowed her eyes ever so slightly. "If what you say it's true, then prove it."

It was my turn to get tense and clench my jaw in annoyance. Then again, I had been exactly the same while confronting Near. What should I do? Lie? No, that'd do me no good, especially if she caught me. While mourning, fierce and, I dare say, clouded by desperation and anger as well, this woman was no fool. Plus, I refused to forget that she also is a former, well-trained agent. If L had once asked for her cooperation, in my eyes that spoke volumes of her. So I did the only sensible thing; oblige. "Raye wasn't the only agent murdered, 11 other fellow agents that were sent to Japan as spies died along with him. Who could be a better suspect but the person Raye was following?"

She kept her mouth shut, mulling over my words. Possibly she had already deducted that much; I paused for a moment. "Tell me, you were a trained agent, weren't you?" I didn't wait for an answer. "Do you remember the LA case?" Naomi tensed up, not bothering to cover her reaction. "Don't you find some similarities in the patterns to summoun your attention?"

That got a real response, for her lips parted faintly in disbelief. Her eyes were more alert than ever, though.

"It can't be... You can't be..." She mumbled as I resisted the urge to grin, amused.

"I'm not," I confirmed her statement. "But I do work with him, against Kira." I had the upper hand now, so better make the most of it and quickly. "I want to offer you a deal, Naomi. One that may ensure Kira's one way ticket to land him in a long-life imprisionment."

Her eyes narrowed even more, suspiciously. "Why offer it behind his back? What would you gain of it?"

My own visage became stony; I had to tread with very light feet here, even more than usual. "The same as you..." Revenge. "...Justice. I'm doing this to protect as many lives as I can manage, L's included. You see, I have a Batman complex."

She looked equally unamused and unimpressed by my heroine joke. Ouch. "The conditions?"

I contained myself from sighing in exasperation. "I just need cooperation outside the headquartes, since the case is keeping my hands full. I thought about keeping in contact through texts, codified of course. I will need a person to vigilate Kira and help me gather the evidence against him."

"And L doesn't know this. Not a single time you've referred to the both of you." She smartly pointed out, making me clench my hands in fists underneath the table. This wasn't going well.

"I do work for him."

"Truly?" She asked before I could add anything in my defense. A deep breath was all I took to keep control over myself. I knew. I knew how odd I sounded, how sensible it was of her to distrust me. I realized how I only had my loquacity and wit to prove myself, how she was so distrustful, for it took two liars to recognize one another. I was aware of all of this, and it angered me to no end how powerless I felt.

"Yes!" I couldn't help but snap. "That's how I knew about the FBI agents' undercover whereas the public wasn't, and obviously enough, indulged with such information. Not even the NPA knew until... I'm sure you can deduce that, therefore, the suspect is among the Japanese police, or with close connections to it." I confessed, trying to appease the woman before me.

Nevermind, she didn't seem willing to back down. "You also affirmed to know who is Kira."

"I do, bu-"

"L doesn't, does he?" She interrupted me, leaving me speechless. She took my silence as an invitation to continue. "Why not tell him then?" All of her accusations made so much sense that I began to feel light-headed.

"I told you, I first need proof. And I can't gather it alone!" Said I, no longer keeping a composed façade.

Now it was her turn to give out a second, humorless chuckle, scrutinizing me. However, she never bothered to elaborate. Instead, she asked. "Who?"

I swallowed saliva, thickly. This was the pivotal point of our quarrel. What should I do? ...Why, continue being the fool I truly am and yield, of course. "...Light Yagami." Was my eventual answer after a good five minutes straight had passed in silence.

Naomi's eyes opened up slightly in surprise. "The son of NPA's chief...?" Slowly, I nodded. After some minutes, her pensitive glance was replaced by her familiar glare, directed again towards me. "You said, Kira is the last person Raye followed." Her narrowed eyes gave out angry sparks. "How could you know which specifical family member Raye was following that day?"

I paled a little. "I..."

"You are the girl..." She interrupted me, as if reasoning out loud something that had been obvious for the longest time. On my part, I suppressed a deep frown... What? "You borrowed Raye's phone, the day of the busjacking." She stated, much more convinced of what she was saying. Her voice was pure steel.

Nervously, I moistened my lips before replying. "Guess that answers your very first question."

As if she hadn't heard, she went on with her reasoning. "You were at the precise place and time..."

That made frown badly as I separated my back from the chair, leaning forward. "You seriously can't be suggesting-"

Naomi's voice turned into a deadly whisper as she too leant forward, mirroring me. "You knew who Raye was and had no trouble tricking him to get his phone and contact me, right at the moment I initiated my investigation. Why?" She pressed.

"It's not what you're thinking!" I half whispered, half shrieked. This was not how the meeting was supposed to go! I need her to cooperate, not accuse me!

"Isn't it? ...You had the information, and the chance. You knew Kira was there, and you knew their identities even without seeing an ID too." She said, making me question if the Japanese woman truly realized what was she implying. I had definitely understimated her.

"I'm not a complice." I firmly stated in another tensed whisper, looking directly at her eyes.

"If so, then I'm most curious to know what L thinks about all of this." She said, standing up. I hurriedly followed.

"Don't!" I raised my voice, extending my arm as if that would magically put a barrier in her body, keeping her from walking away. She froze, glaring at me. In response I meekly lowered my arm, defeated. I swallowed again. "...I just want to help... Please! Trust me."

"If you aren't Kira," I frowned upon that. She seriously had thought I was Kira? "Or a complice, then tell me the truth and stop taunting me. What are you hiding from L?" She icely demanded, not moving from her standing position.

I couldn't help but snort. "You wouldn't believe it." I murmured to myself.

Nevermind, it seemed like Naomi had heard me nonetheless. "Murders performed by heart attacks? Try me." She said, sitting down again, her glare never leaving me.

Hesitantly, I took my seat too. Some customers had turned to gaze at us, and we had already caught too much attention for my liking. I opened my mouth, only to close it again. After a last deep breath, I found enough courage to speak. "Fine... But I need you to keep an open mind in this, please. The truth, is..." I briefly closed my eyes. Months of work to end up confessing like this. Hell, this was it... I opened them. "I'm not from this time... I travelled back in time to stop Kira."

It was like watching a row of dominoes in the Japanese woman's face; first was the confusion followed by disbelief, then the 'you're-nuts' look and, finally, anger upon thinking I kept mocking her. And, that just proved my point about human skepticism.

"I'm done..." She murmured.

But, before she could stand, yell, do anything, I had already set the true catalyst that either would be my success or my failure. "Joey is just a pseudonym in honor to my paternal grandfather. I can't tell you my real name, though, for Kira." I moistened my lips before continuing. Naomi was rooted to the chair. "That's why I knew about the LABB case's truth and details. Beyond Birthday was the culprit and he tried to kill himself by setting his body on fire. You discovered him, though, before it was too late." Thank goodness for Near's reports, even if the document on this case wasn't written by him. "That's why I also knew all along who Kira is and where would he be the day of the busjacking. That's why I contacted you, I couldn't let you..." I stopped right there, realizing I got carried away.

Naomi's eyes, intently fixed on my own, betrayed nothing. She was very confused, and it was no wonder. "You couldn't let me what?" I opened my mouth before closing it.

"I don't know if-"

"Just tell me!" She snapped, her face both anxious and scared. I got the feeling she already had a suspicion of what I was about to say.

With a sigh, I gave in. "You were supposed to die on the 1st of January, 2007." It was as if Misora had been drained with cold water. I pressed my lips together before continuing my monologue. "I guess I should start from the beginning.

"Currently I'm 23, soon to turn 24 this month of January. I was born in 1995 in the United States and I was, or rather am if you prefer, 11 years old when Kira was born. For the sake of keeping myself sane, I will refer to all the present and future events in the past tense." I took a deep breath, then continued. "With that age, at first I never thought much about it; I wasn't in favor, nor was I completely against it, since I was a child only. I mean, how strong and complex can a child's beliefs be concerning criminal justice? Years passed, and as I grew up, so did Kira's influence on the world population and my family's downfall. My mother," I gulped, closing my eyes for a moment before continuing. "She was a caseworker. She loved helping others... She also believed in God." I smiled bitterly, rambling on my memories without caring whether Misora minded it or not. Besides, I wanted to tell her my story so she could see where I was coming from. "That faith wasn't necessarily bad. My father was an atheist though, so it was fun to watch their friendly quarrels on the topic." I told her softly with the ghost of a smile plastered on my mouth. Then, my facial expression became somber once more, as if I'd sucked a lemon. "Then, her support to Kira became dangerous, obsessive... and the quarrels developed into fights. My father was an FBI agent who worked against him, so, at first, she never voiced out loud her approval of the murders. But... One day she began to do so aside from... strange things. Firstly it was staying out during late hour nights, then it was an odd robe in the closet, similar to a bishop's tunic. She ended up disregarding her work, her family... Everything. Just to serve her new 'god'." I took another deep breath, proud to say my restrained tears hadn't fallen. "Have you ever experienced the feeling of helplessness? The true feeling of wanting to help a person you love, only to be casted aside?" I exhaled all the air that filled my lungs. Naomi was watching me dead silent with an inscrutable gaze; at least she didn't appear hostile anymore. "Only people who really seek help can be helped... I realized that much at quite an early age." Another deep breath, then I was speaking again. "When I turned 12 to 13 I began to side with my father. I knew murdering was wrong, so why accept Kira could do it? What made him different? My father's influence was strong in me, I must admit. I had always toyed with the idea of following his steps and becoming a detective or a policewoman. I started to pay close attention to the Kira case, and to gather all of the information I could concerning L. I wanted to be the best too, or the closest to it. Hell, I still want to."

Another deep breath. "Kira was finally killed in 2013, seven years after his birth. However, that was not the end of it. Kira's influence slowly died, and with that came chaos. Crime boosted greatly after realizing that there wasn't a punishing deity watching over anybody anymore. The governments didn't manage to gain back full control of society and internal security; it wasn't weird to hear about riots, in the cities especially, and the sentences hardened, trying uselessly to keep crime at bait. Some countries even declared the state of siege. In most cases it failed. Politics fell, and governments began to spy -more- onto their citizens and each other country in a paranoid race to achieve control once again. The sequels on society were huge. Then, in 2018, a possible solution was presented."

I looked directly into her eyes. "My mother commited suicide in 2013 after hearing about Kira's death, along with the rest of members of the sect." I blinked, quickly brushing off the first tear that had slipped from my right eyelid. "I had just turned 18. It took me a whole month and a lot of my father's determination and support, but I eventually admitted that I had fallen into a depression, and that I had to end it, before it consumed me. I went to a psychiatrich and a psychologist for a whole year, focusing solely on my recovering. After the treatment I was able to take up my studies and attend university, so I began to study what would allow me to become a detective. Criminology, or rather, criminal psychology if you may. In all of my time in university, my father began to travel worldwide due to the new FBI policy, which almost became a military, universal agency.

"Then, the 29th of May, 2018, I was summouned by L himself for this mission." I smirked wryly. "Did you know L is more of a... title of sorts? The reason as to why Kira's reign lasted so many years is because," I hesitated, surprised to find an uncomfortable knot in my throat upon saying this out loud, the image of the dark-haired detective coming to my mind. "Light killed the first L, posing as him afterwards." I told her in an even lower voice than the one I had been using. "I was told by said L's successor that my father was the first subject sent back in time to stop Kira and avoid L's death, or at least avoid the power Kira achieved. He never made it back." I bit my bottom lip, then resumed the finale explanation. "After this, I was called to take his place. I'm sorry I didn't stop Raye's death," Misora cringed, her own eyes watering. "But his death was necessary."

"You let him die... Just because it was necessary." She repeated in a resented whisper. One of her fists was tensed on the table.

"Yes, and I blame myself for it every night. You should see my damn nightmares... But I had to allow it." My voice sounded so desperate for her to understand, to forgive me, that I mentally cringed. "Raye's death led to the creation of a new Kira Task Force with just five agents, absolutely trustworthy, who have come face to face with L to hunt down Kira. From then on, the investigation will truly advance too. And L will be closer to Kira than ever. We just need the appropiate moment and the precise evidence to change the turn of events in our favor." I told her determinedly. "Please, trust me." Not helping myself and my geek nature, I half-smiled wryly as I said. "Help me Naomi Misora, you are my only hope."

I watched as Misora drank down her second shot, still a little shocked at all of the information I had told her. On my part, I felt quite relieved, as if the burden on my shoulders had been slightly lifted. There was no question, she had ended up believing me... I think. Hope. I mean, what other choices did she have? Why would anyone come up with such a tale for what? I had told her exactly this much, and she hadn't been able to deny my logic. Then, she had asked for the strongest shot on the stocks.

When she was done with the second, Misora pushed aside both, the bottle and the glass, and leaned against her chair. "This is crazy..."

"Tell me about it."

Her eyes sharply turned in my direction from the table's corner. She opened her mouth before closing it again. I didn't rush her, I knew time was needed... Ironically. "How did you manage to find L?" She asked me, beyond curious, so I decided to indulge her. Misora surely deserved it. Her lips were faintly parted after I finished my story. I did not describe L nor Mr. Wammy, though, and I also omitted to mention specific locations. Their secrecy was safe with me. "What about today? How did you manage to gain permission from L? And the text you sent me, how...?"

I smiled without showing my teeth. "The text was codified, as you already noticed after deciphering it. Plus, the cellphone model was old enough to not incorporate GPS things and that stuff that would've made it easier to hack it. Of course, as a double-edged sword, I had a harder time codifying the text." I shrugged, a lazy smirk on my lips. "Difficult but not impossible." A flashback of the message briefly crossed my mind.

28th Dec.

I know who killed your fianceé.

4th Jan, cafe "Natsuki" 19:00 if you want answers. Don't tell anyone about this, including Him and the NPA, or the deal is over.

PS. Call me Joey

"And, about getting permission today... Well," I chuckled. "You gotta blame my bakering-skills and potential addiction to gambling..."

2nd January. The Task Force had gone home after another long day of work mostly spent analyzing the victims tested by Light to see which ones had been the ones utilized for ulterior purposes. From then, L would try to link the jailbirds' murders with the ones of the FBI agents.

Finding myself in a break, I was ready to take a nap of twenty minutes or so when a shadow over my head made me open my eyes. Unsurprisingly, L was looking at me with his index on his lips. "Hi." I said, feeling tired to come up with a smart line.

"Are you feeling unwell, Ms. Milles?" I narrowed my eyes suspiciously.

"No..."

"Then, how about you make yourself productive?" I raised an eyebrow.

"You saying you're gonna let me help with the convicts' matter?" Asked I, moving my body into a sitting position.

"Better yet." Said L, making me stretch my back even more in anticipation. "You'll bake me that lemon cake you owe me." My face fell.

"Are you serious?" I asked, deadpan.

"Extremely so." Said he, his right hand inside his jeans' pocket, the other still on his mouth.

"Why not ask Watari while I rest a little? I'm tired."

"We agreed you would be the one to make it, don't you remember?"

"I was joking and PMSing!"

"Besides," He continued as if I hadn't spoken in the first place. "Watari informed me that you lost a certain bet." Groaning, I finally stood up.

"Damn chess master..." I muttered while making my way over to the kitchen, before an argument arosed between us, an idea already popping into my head as I placed bowls, kitchenware and freshly bought ingredients all over the countertop. We had gone grocery shopping this morning. Plus, I wanted to show Mr. Wammy I kept my promises... And failed bets. I was smirking as I cracked the eggs' shells when L's voice startled me.

"Whatever it is you've come up with, Ms. Milles, don't."

I threw the shells into the bin while looking sideways at the young sleuth. "What are you doing here?"

L separated one of the chairs from the table, then sat on it in his brand way as he left the paperwork on the table. "I'll supervise you follow the recipe correctly." I snorted.

"Meaning, you wanna make sure I don't put poison on it." Translated I, turning my back to him again.

"Nor salt, or any other ingredient that may ruin the taste."

I smirked to myself. "I would be more creative than that."

"You didn't bother much with the coffee. Not to mention, switching it for black pepper is the same technique. I had hoped you would've tried harder." ... "Damn telepath." I thought.

"It was cayanne pepper actually," I said to myself as I beat the eggs. "Are you aware it's gonna take me about an hour, more or less, to get the cake done? Do you intend to watch the whole process?"

"Certainly, I'm more than capable of carrying on with the investigation's work along with making sure you fail in your attempt to ruin my dish."

I looked over my shoulder. "Hey! I'm a good cook, mind you. I didn't hear you complaining about the Strawberry Martini."

I continued to follow the recipe through my phone, following each step while allowing myself to experiment a little as well, adding some more amounts of extra sugar here and there. I was sure L would appreciate it; the jerk doesn't deserve me. The mix of butter, caster sugar, grated lemon zest and eggs was ready when, suddenly, I placed the bowl down. Slowly, I turned my head to the right, almost jumping out of my skin at finding that the world's greatest detective's head was only a couple of inches away from my own. I took a deep breath as he kept looking at the sugar pack and the mix over my shoulder, like an overgrown mesmerized child. Moreover, how the heck had he come here without a sound! "L?" His right index finger, previously set on his bottom lip, began to advance towards the bowl when I literally slapped his hand away. He retreated it a little. "No! Bad detective, bad!" He looked at me with those big, dark eyes.

"I want to try it." He said flatly. I rolled my eyes, stepping towards my left and dragging the bowl and the sugar pack with me so there was some distance between us.

"Not until it's finished. And not to mention you haven't washed your hands." I declared, staring at him through the corner of my eye as I stirred the mix a while more with the spoon. When he extended his arm again, I continued moving to the left, the bowl and pack making funny noisies as they were dragged along the countertop. We kept like this, playing cat and mouse until my left side finally found the rest of the furniture where, ironically enough, the oven was still getting warm. Facing him, I pressed half of my back against the wood, my hip against the countertop's edge and my right palm on his chest, trying to push him away. "L! Don't be a baby and wait!" He didn't listen, extending his hand again and resulting in me slapping it, again. Finally, he looked at me.

"If you keep doing that I'll be forced to take drastic measures." Stated he, his tone ever impassive.

I raised an eyebrow, resisting the urge to ask if he would bind me or something. Instead, I asked. "Shouldn't you be working? Thought you were capable of multi-task." Then, I took the bowl and, using my selective ninja movements, stepped out of his way and back to the centre of the countertop, my hand holding once more the stirring spoon.

"I am, right now as I eat sugar to mantain a higher concentration on the files I am also putting up with your infantile games." My lower eyelid twitched.

"I am the child out of-" I began to say while turning around, faintly annoyed by both, how difficult he is and that he had taken a fist of sugar from the pack. But as I spun around, my brain forgot to let go of the spoon, so I couldn't help but snort in a very unladylike way when, from the force of my twist, some of the mix flew into L's shirt and right side of the face. "-us?" I finished my sentence, pressing my lips together while supressing a chuckle.

He stared at me flatly, only letting out his tongue to lick the corner of his mouth. I left the spoon inside the bowl I still was holding like a baby, putting my fist against my mouth in a poor attempt to hide my grin. "Not enough sugar..." He declared in an after thought.

"There you go, now," I placed the bowl back on the countertop, reaching for a rag and offering it to him. "Let me finish the cake. Please." I said, ending up laughing a little. Karma is fair...

"Of course." He finished wiping off the mix from his face and shirt, surprising me by using his whole palm hand. I was already giving him my shoulder when he called me. "Ms. Milles, have you ever heard of the Hammurabi code?" I frowned, already moving my face to look at him.

"Yeah, why-" The rag slapped me on the centre of my face. Literally. Slowly, it moved all the way down my nose until finally L left it on the sink.

The jerk was giving me that little half-smile. "An eye for an eye." I closed my eyes, taking a deep breath. Using my own hand, I took off the mix, afterwards washing my hand and face.

"If that's so," I thought, grabbing a fist of flour from the edge of the sink, where the opened pack was awaiting me. I turned around and, without a warning, opened my palm and firmly placed it on his cheek, not with enough force to slap him though. I blew, sending more flour powder in his deadpan face while taking my hand off him. I grinned. "Now I see how it works."

"And you fail miserably." Said he, not moving an inch while intensely gazing at me. "The purpose of the code was to repay an affront with another of equal gravity." My grin only widened, smugly.

"Then, what I just did?" I questioned him.

"Earn yourself a bath." What? He raised his arm and, before I could process it, something wet had fallen onto my head, dampening my recently washed dark locks. I paled. "You didn't..." L half-smiled again as the white and yolk slowly descended the left side of my head, letting the shell follow and, consequently, making me jump a little as it hit me. My lower eyelid twitched again. "What's your problem?!" I asked, angrily taking the shell off my head and throwing it back at him.

"You attacked me first." Said he after the shell hit him square in the forehead, then plunged to the floor. He remained impassive again.

"It was an accident!" I snapped, faintly annoyed that my hair had been ruined. "Even if it wasn't, weren't you supposed to be the genius?" I asked.

He placed his thumb on his lips as his eyes travelled to the ceiling for a moment, as if contemplating something, before they landed again on my face. "Well, I'm childish and I hate to lose." It was my turn to be deadpan for a minute before I chuckled, not helping myself.

I shook my head in disbelief, still laughing. "You overgrown baby."

A throat clearing itself cut the banter as both, L and I, looked towards the entrance of the kitchen. Mr. Wammy was there, heaving a sigh. "So this is what happens when I leave the two of you alone." The detective and I exchanged a brief glance, my cheeky grin contrasting with his serious visage before both of us turned back to Mr. Wammy. The only response the old gentleman got was a shrug of my shoulders and my grin.

Once my hair was shining again and L didn't resemple a poor cosplay of Casper, both of us went to the kitchen so I could finish the cake. I had forbidden Mr. Wammy to help me; now it was also a matter of pride. I had incorporated twice more sugar to everything and was currently pouring the final mix into the mold when I finally said. "Hey L, I have a bet for you."

"Shouldn't have you learnt by now, Ms. Milles, gambling is diagnosed as an addiction?" I smirked a little.

"C'mon, humor me!"

"What is it?" He drawled the words.

"I bet you will eat the lemon cake, whole, in a timing under 4 minutes. No matter if you've already eaten something else." I declared, watching as the final drops went into the mold.

"My appetite is strong, Ms. Milles, but even my physiology has limits." I chuckled.

"Aren't you interested in what's in for me if I win?"

"Not particularly." Jerk.

"What about what's in for you?" I placed the bowl inside the sink, turning around as I dried my hands. He was looking at me with his eyes imperceptibly narrowed. I took it as an invitation to continue. "If I win, I want a last day off, with no kind of vigilance, and I assure you it will be the last I'll ask for." I left the rag on the countertop before leaning against it, my hands easily resting on my thighs clad in skinny jeans. "Things are about to get truly serious, even more, so I'd like a last day of freedom. But!" Said I, holding out my index finger as if I was telling a child his favorite bedtime story. "If you win and my predictions concerning your appetite were wrong or my cooking aptitudes resulted overestimated, I'll tell you my real name." His face betrayed nothing, but L's dark piercing eyes adcquired a predator gleam. "How does that sound?"

Calmly, he got off the chair and walked towards me, stopping some inches away, his eyes scrutinizing my entire face. I coolly stared back. "How do I know you haven't already manipulated the bet in your favor?" I raised an eyebrow in my brand sassy way.

"You were with me the entire time I was baking." I pointed out.

"And how do I know this time you will tell me your real name?" I placed my head a little to the right.

"L, why would I risk the little trust we seem to have gained just for a day off? If I'd lie to you in that, I would gamble something else entirely in the first place." I told him truthfully. I was willing to take the risk; besides, if I ended up telling him my real name and he got my real data, maybe I'd be able to tell him I am from the near future with solid proof. Problem is, I was afraid he would use that circumstance. Not long ago I realized that was the reason why I hadn't told him the truth from the beginning; I was afraid of becoming a pawn only good for sacrifice, another disposable piece of the game like Raye and the FBI agents had been... I wanted to get out of this alive. So yeah, nevermind, it was a win-win situation for me. At least potentially. And, my bet wasn't done out of just feminine intuition...

"We have a deal." L said, our eyes colliding as I smiled.

"Conditions first, my friend." I mockingly cleared my throat, stretching my back and positioning my head back to normal. "You can't not eat the cake to win the bet, nor give it to someone else or simply throw it away; I refuse to waste food. Watari cannot do it for you either. And I must be with you when you are about to take the first slice, to check you don't cheat. Watari can play referee too if you don't trust my impartiality. No doping to close the stomach. And, just in case, throwing up is out of question too. I can choose the day off and the timing. Your conditions?"

L stared flatly at me for a moment before speaking. "You have improved." I chuckled.

"Learnt from the best." I conceded before adding. "Don't get used to compliments though. You're still a jerk... Most of the time."

L ignored my childish insult, then carried on with his conditions. "You cannot hide other food from me to get me hungry, nor ask Watari to do it for you. You can't make me sick to empty my stomach before eating the cake, and do not try to medicate me to increase my appetite. I won't be forced to make excercise prior to eat the cake and Watari must be the referee of the bet. You can choose the day and timing, but from the hour you choose you will have three hours maximum before you're back here, inside the suite. As per usual, any unforseen circumstance will be notified to either myself or Watari with solid proof."

"Done."

"4th January, 19:00." I said with a smug grin a moment later after Watari left with the empty mold, L and I sitting in front of the other.

"22:00 back here then." L conceded reluctantly, looking sulky as ever.

"C'mon L, it's been one of the seldom times you've lost against me, face it like a man!"

"Shut up, Milles." OH, it's burnt him! Was I a sadist for enjoying it? ...Meh, who cares?

After a moment, I unfolded my legs and leaned back. "I'm not surprised, of you knowing Hail Milles is an alias. Guess you deducted it quite some time ago."

"Yes. Having a false name's quite the sensible thing, especially with Kira's growing presence. You'd be surprised at the amount of people that happily give away the identities they should treasure." He told me, his arms crossed as his bony elbows rested on his knees, making me nod in agreement.

I brought up my right leg as I rested my chin on the knee. "It was relatively easy to deduct I suppose." I averted my eyes from his piercing gaze. "I would've told you my real name though, had I lost." My brown eyes stared back again to his own black. "To prove once for all in which side I'm on. So you'd see that I trust you with something of such importance as to put my life in your hands." Was that true, though? I can guarantee I'd have told him my real name had I lost, but did I really trust that he wouldn't use it as another tool in this war of minds? ...No. Deep down, I didn't. I sighed. "Nevermind, this way I'm also protected. I hope you can understand me."

L gazed at me intensely, as if analyzing me; he tends to do that. We both were riddles for the other. Maybe that's what gave us enough curiosity to try to figure each other out. Well, not that he had much of a choice in the matter, having in mind the predicament my knowledge put him into. Still...

"It's a logical decision, I understand. Just as I assume you understand the threat it presents that my name is not a secret anymore." Once more, I nodded, agreeing.

"I do. That's why I won't be able to ever demand your trust." Said I, my voice completely composed.

Another gaze contest began between us, until his softened almost impercetibly and the tension seemed to slowly vanish from the atmosphere, achieving the common ground we unspokenly learnt to have with the other.

And, as the proper fool I am, I began to feel slightly guilty for having put stimulating medication for the appetite into the cake. Not directly into it, but very subtly with a syringe into the pack of sugar, the butter, the flour and the lemons, while all of them were still unopened and fresh in the supermarket's shelves, right before tossing them into my trolley. But I had to do it, and I had made sure the dosis were not big enough as to cause L any health issue... Well, the little extra amount he had taken from the sugar pack, right before our small food fight, had been collateral damage. Moreover, the most surprising thing was that Mr. Wammy had kept his word and trusted me, seeing that he had been the one to get the medicines for me. "Watari, I need you to do me a big favor. I need you to tell L you'll be busy on the 4th January. And I need you to get me this," Then, I had passed him a note with the name and dosis of the medicine. When he had asked why, I had answered. "That day I will meet with someone who will be a crucial help for the investigation, someone whose assistance may save our lives, please. L can't know, please. I need to do this alone, please." I begged him, I even offered him to use a polygraph on me, and in the end he agreed. I had been afraid he would've fingered me to L, but he hadn't. And I surely wouldn't question why.

Misora stared at me for some minutes in silence, mulling over everything. I patiently waited.

"Unbelieveable..." She whispered, making me half-smile.

"When you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains," Said I.

"However improbable, must be the truth." Naomi finished for me, her eyes with an odd gleam on them. I blinked a couple of times before returning her gaze.

"For my family, for Raye... Can I count with your help?" Our eyes clinged to the other's, as if the gravitational atraction of a planet suddenly surrounded us, and I had the feeling their intensity became stronger than even L's in this instant.

Not breaking such an eye contact, she simply nodded determinedly.

"New year, new challenges... New beginnings, and new allies."

A.N/: There you go! My, quite the chapter is this, we discover a hell lot of stuff! Hope it serves as a good enough apology for my disappearance. Forgive me, but college life is quite demanding. Also, in my rush to update I'll surely have overlooked various grammar and spelling mistakes, so I apologize for that too. I'll fix them in some days. For now, HAPPY NEW YEAR! ^^ Well, in some hours time.

Thank you everyone who has read, followed, faved and reviewed! You made my day, as always.

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Hope you have a wonderful day and holidays! And, even though it's a bit late for it, merry Christmas too if you celebrate it! ^^

Until next time!

~Se acerca el invierno