(A/N) Hi there! Okay, so I didn't get a single review for the last chapter, and I'm worried. Did I do something horrible that made everybody hate this story? I hope this chapter fixes it.

I do not own Death Note.

A man sat, in the dark, at this desk, a pencil in his left hand. The only light came from a computer screen, glowing in the blackness. It cast a bluish light on the pale page, covered with scribbled names. After each name, there was a date. These were all the same, 23 days in the future. The times, though, were each separated by one second each. There were over a hundred and twenty names, easily, the inmates of three prisons globally. All the prisoners, wiped out within one second of each other. This would send a message.

The man started to laugh, and the being in the corner echoed him.

"23 days till emersion."

… … …

Jane glanced at the clock; Ryuzaki would have to go to work in half an hour. Figuring she better make sure he was awake, she let herself into his apartment with barely a knock. When she entered, the first thing she noticed was the smell of gasoline, a close second being Ryuzaki, currently engaged in scrubbing the carpet.

"Ry… what happened?"

He turned, and was about to answer, but didn't get the chance. Jane caught sight of the slash on his throat and half-tackled him.

"Oh god, what happened? ! Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," Ryuzaki answered, wrapping one arm awkwardly around her. His other hand went to the gash. Does it really look that bad? He voiced his concern to Jane.

"It looks terrible!" she fretted. "You still haven't told me what happened!"

"Someone knows," he said solemnly. "Someone who wants L dead." He remembered the chilling words, and the icy blade against his throat, shuttering.

"Oh… god…" Jane's eyes grew wide and a tear ran down her face. "And they attacked you?"

"Yes."

"But… you fought them… didn't you…?"

What prompted Jane's question was a foggy look in Ryuzaki's usually clear eyes. It hadn't been that clear cut, she could tell.

"Kind of…" Then he looked a bit jumpy.

"What," she said, making her voice sound low and threatening, "happened?"

"An old friend showed up," he admitted.

Why is he so loath to admit that? "Really? Does he live near here?"

Ryuzaki fidgeted. "No."

"So… why was he here?" Jane's curiosity prickled.

"I… don't rightly know."

"What was this friend's name?" Jane's annoyance started to show.

"… …" A long pause. "… Light."

"Unusual name," the girl conceded, "but that still doesn't tell me who he is or why he was here!"

"… … He… used to be… my… best friend." The raven-haired man avoided her eyes.

"Used to be? Go on," Jane commanded, her foot tapping. "Why did he show up?"

"He probably… might have… known- seen… that this was going to happen."

Jane's annoyance turned to confusion. "How would he know that?" A dark shadow invaded her thoughts. "Unless he was in on this!"

"No," L said quickly, "that's not it."

"Then what?"

"… … …" A deep breath. "… He's dead."

L winced as the truth left his mouth. His interrogator's jaw went slack. She thinks I'm insane!

"I'm not crazy!" he said quickly. "Look!" He popped open the watch, removing the largest of the feathers and holding it out to Jane. "Is there any feather on earth like this?"

Jane took the feather and examined it. A look of confusion crossed her face, and he hurriedly filled her in on what had happened, from his dream onward. Jane shook her head slowly.

"Well," she said, handing the feather back to him, "I've never been one to discount anything. You seem convinced… so am I."

Ryuzaki breathed a sigh of relief. She believed him. He snapped the broken watch shut. Jane peered at it.

"What's that?"

Ryuzaki glanced up. How much should I tell her… about Light…? "Light's watch. He always wore it."

"Why haven't I seen it before?" Jane seemed determined to press him.

"When I left my life as L behind," Ryuzaki explained, striving to be as truthful as he could, "I thought that I had to leave Light behind, too. He was a huge part of my life as L. He was…" chickening out, he added two extra words at the last minute, "killed byKira." He winced inwardly. Well, that was true…

"How sad." Jane hugged him, making his guilt worse.

"Oh no! I'm going to be late!" It was more of an excuse than anything, but it turned out to be true. He rubbed furiously at his neck, wiping away the dried blood. "Better?" he asked Jane.

"Hardly noticeable," she assured him.

"Thanks! I'll see you after work, right?"

"I'll be here!" Jane called as he rushed out the door. Yet she remained there, watching him long after he had vanished, a nagging worry in her heart.

… … …

About an hour into his shift, Ryuzaki was beginning to relax. The scents and sounds of the shop were soothing, and the babble of conversation made a nice backdrop. One or two of the regular customers noticed the cut. He told them that it had been a simple mistake involving a little renovation he had been doing around his apartment. It was an innocent enough excuse, and, of course, everyone knew him only as Ryuzaki, the pleasant, if dark young man who gave then their doughnuts, and didn't need a calculator to come up with their totals.

It was a surprise when Jane entered the store. As it was a lull in business, Ryuzaki waved her over. "Is something wrong?" he asked.

"No," she replied softly, "but I'm awfully worried about you."

Ryuzaki sighed. "There's no need to be."

"I know. But I just can't help it." She looked like she was close to tears.

"I'm okay, really," Ryuzaki assured her, laying one hand a bit awkwardly on her shoulder. "I'm perfectly capable of taking care of myself."

"I know." But Jane's concerned expression didn't lesson.

Ryuzaki sighed. "I'll be back home in less than an hour. I'll come over to your place first thing, okay?"

"Okay…" Jane still looked unsure, but, taking the hand he had put on her shoulder and squeezing it, started to walk away. Ryuzaki turned back to his work, but stopped when he saw Jane come to a sudden halt. He watched her, out of the corner of his eye, as she slipped into his manager's office. What is she doing…?

"Excuse me?"

Ryuzaki jumped. A slight woman stood in front of the counter. She had absurdly long, obscenely blond hair, like spun gold. She was unbelievably thin, but came in every three days to order half a dozen doughnuts.

"Hello, Misaki-san. Sorry about that." Ryuzaki turned quickly to get her box ready.

"That's okay," her voice was small and sweet, but clear and assured. "Your girlfriend is talking to your boss? That can't be good."

"You think?" he asked absently, but it occurred to him a moment later. "She's not my girlfriend, though. We are good friends, and she is a girl… but not like that." He didn't doubt his words in the slightest.

"Really? I wouldn't have guessed it."

The statement caught Ryuzaki by surprise. Do Jane and I… look like boyfriend and girlfriend…?

"Well," he said, closing the lid, "wish my luck with the whole 'boss' thing."

"Sure," Misaki winked at him, "Cutie!" Then she walked away, her hips swinging.

Ryuzaki stared after her, confused. What in hell just happened?

His attention was drawn by the door to his manager's office opening. Jane stepped out, smiling and nodding. Ryuzaki looked down, but kept her in the corner of his vision. He saw the two of them shake hands, and then Jane left. Not five minutes could have gone by before Ryuzaki was called into his boss's office.

Tucking his legs up to his chest, Ryuzaki perched nervously across the table from the heavy-set man.

"Hello, Ray-sama. You wanted to see me?"

"Yes, Ryuzaki," Ray's voice reminded Ryuzaki of a tiger's purr. "Say, I don't mean to pry, but how did you get that cut?"

As Ryuzaki recounted the tale about the renovations, his mind was whirling. What did Jane tell him? he had a sinking feeling that he knew.

"Yes, yes, an interesting story." Ray nodded. "But that's all it is: a story. You haven't told me the truth once since we met. Now, why don't you tell me the whole tale… L."

(A/N) Dun… dun… dun! Epic drama! Now, please review if you liked, and I'll tell you what Janereallytalked to Ray about! =^^=