This took me a while to edit. I think I missed a few grammar errors my friend made. I was kinda up late working on it so that makes sense if I did actually miss a few grammar errors.

Notes About This Chapter: Light knows that Kohaku and Sakae know L/Ryuzaki/Ryuga, but he still doesn't completely believe that he is the real L.

Sakae, Light, Kohaku, and L are at the tennis court, at the university they are attending. L was holding a tennis racket and Light was getting his. Light was also dressed in an outfit fit for tennis while L was wearing his usual clothing.

"I have to admit I was surprised, Ryuga. I never thought you'd ask me to play tennis as a way to get to know each other," Light said.

"Is it a problem for you?" L questioned him.

"Not at all, but when you first invited me to play, did you know how good I was?" Light asked.

"Yes. I'll be fine, though. It's been a while, but at one time, I was actually the British Junior Champion," L said.

"That's awesome," Kohaku said.

"If I ask him if he's British, will he think I'm trying to find out more about him because I'm Kira? Well, can't hurt to try," Light thought. "Ryuga, were you raised in the UK?"

"I lived in England for about 5 years, when I was younger, but save your breath. Nothing in that story would reveal L's true identity, I promise you," L said.

"Oh, is that so?" Light wondered.

"Well, since it's our first match, why don't we just play single set, first one to six?" L suggested.

"That's fine by me," Light replied.

The two of them walked onto the court. Kohaku looked at Sakae. "So, how are you?" she asked.

"Hmm? Oh, I'm doing fine. How are things with you?" Sakae looked at Kohaku.

"Okay, I guess," Kohaku responded.

"And how is love treating you?" Sakae asked with a small smile.

"Love?" Kohaku wondered.

"Yea, how are things going in the love department?" Sakae clarified.

"...Love?" Kohaku wondered again. "I have no idea what you are talking about."

"Sure, like I don't see the way you two look at each other," Sakae commented. "The feelings are there, just...hidden. Is that the word?"

Kohaku stared at her for a few moments. "...Maybe you are right. I might be in love with him, but I highly doubt he thinks of me as more than a friend."

Sakae sighed a little and nudged Kohaku's shoulder. "Then look. You're not very observant when it comes to these things. And from what I've seen, either he loves you very much or will friendzone you hard. To me, it's the love that wins."

"Pfft, whatever." Kohaku decided to distract Sakae. "I turned 19 about three weeks ago. Did you know that?"

"Yes, I remember. I wanted to get you something but had no idea what to get you. Plus, I haven't gotten the chance to really see you," Sakae said.

Kohaku rubbed the back of her head. "Sorry about that, by the way. Just...couldn't stay away from...you know."

"Ah, I see." Sakae smiled. "I think that is really adorable. Were you able to spend your birthday with Ryuga?"

"What kind of question is that?" Kohaku poked Sakae's cheek. "I spent 3 months with him, so duh, of course I did. We had a lot of sweets and a lot of cake...just like every other day."

"Hey!" Sakae swatted at Kohaku's hand. "No touching my cheek." A playful smile crossed her lips.

"We should probably just shut up and watch the tennis match." Kohaku looked towards where L and Light were. "I'm surprised they hadn't started while we were so busy chatting."

"That's guys for ya. No matter who they are, going to be a little slow." Sakae stared at the guys, judging what they were going to do next. She raised an eyebrow. "Hmm?"

"This is just a friendly game of tennis, nothing more. In and of itself, it won't determine if Light is Kira. But I know Kira hates to lose," L thought. He tossed the tennis ball into the air and hit it hard, causing it to fly past Light and hit the fence behind him. Ryuk had moved out of the way, like the tennis ball was gonna hurt him if it touched him.

"Damn," Kohaku stated.

Sakae blinked. "He ain't playing around."

Light was staring at L in surprise.

"Fifteen love," L stated.

Light forced a smile. "Whoa, Ryuga. You sure don't mess around."

"He who strikes first wins," L stated.

The two began to play, hitting the tennis ball back and forth. It seemed like the whole school was there to watch.

"Great… I hate crowds…" Kohaku thought.

A male student with sunglasses on spoke. "Are these two really amateurs? Who are they anyway?"

A male student standing beside him answered. "I think their names are Light Yagami and Hideki Ryuga. These are the same two guys who scored perfect on the exam."

"I wish they'd just shut up and watch," Kohaku whispered.

Sakae smiled a little. "Let them talk. It's normal for people to gossip."

"Doesn't mean it ain't annoying as hell," Kohaku mumbled.

"Relax, Light. While it's true that Kira hates losing, it's also true that most people would rather win than lose. It's human nature." L hit the ball back to Light's side.

"Is he going to think that I'm Kira if I go for the win? I suppose I could just lose on purpose, but if I'd do, it could work against me. Since he'd expect Kira to want to win, he might also expect me to throw the match to avoid suspicion." He hit the ball back to L's side and was ready to hit it again. "I don't see any way that he can profile me, based on a tennis match. So, I have to assume he has some other goal in mind. Either way, I'm not going to let him win!" He hit the ball back once again and L missed it.

"Look at that. He's going for the win," L muttered.

"That's 4 games all. Light Yagami to serve," the judge said.

One of the male students that had talked earlier had wandered off and was running back to his friends.

"Ah, you won't believe this. I thought I'd heard the name Light Yagami somewhere before, so I checked. He was the 0203 Junior High tennis champion. Apparently during the 3rd year award ceremony, he announced that he was hanging up his racket, and I guess he hasn't played competitively since," the student said.

"Hey, hey. What about my Ryuga? Don't tell me you haven't noticed him holding his own against this former junior high champ," Kyoko said.

Kohaku felt one of her veins pop. She turned to glance at the girl. "Your Ryuga, you say?" she said calmly. Kyoko and a few students looked in her direction. Kohaku turned to them fully. "What the hell makes you think he is yours, huh?! You should just shut the hell up!"

"What the hell is your problem?" Kyoko's female friend asked her, glaring.

"Kohaku...uh...please calm down…" Sakae said.

"I suppose you like Ryuga, too?" the male with the sunglasses questioned.

Kohaku ignored him and got in Kyoko's face. "I've known him longer than you have so he is mine, not yours, four-eyes." She growled at Kyoko.

Sakae pulled Kohaku away from Kyoko. "It's just a simple crush she has on him."

"I don't care," Kohaku said, glaring at Kyoko with hatred. "Any girl who likes him can drop dead."

Sakae let out a playful sigh. "Jealousy, I see. Ignore her. He wouldn't pay any attention to her; considering..." She smirked a little. "...He only has eyes for you," She whispered.

Kohaku blushed, her anger long gone. "Shut up..."

"Then are you going to leave the petty jealousy behind?" Sakae poked Kohaku's cheek, trying to get a smile out of her.

Kohaku pouted. "Whatever."

Sakae let out a small laugh. "Aww, how cute!"

Kohaku smiled a little. "Shut up."

"You smiled! I win!" Sakae clapped her hands together. "You know, you really should smile more. You look really pretty when you do."

"Eh… thanks…" Kohaku blushed a tiny bit. "So...is there anyone you love?"

"Hmm?" Sakae thought for a moment. "Someone that I truly love? No one really comes to mind. But...he could be right beside me and I'd never know."

"Pfft," Kohaku scoffed. "And you say that I'm not very observant."

The girls looked back to the tennis match.

"I can see the wheels turning, Light Yagami. I'm already in your head," L thought. He hit the ball to Light's side once again.

"There's no way this tennis match would deepen our friendship. This is a token gesture, and an elaborate act to go through so we can say we're closer," Light thought, hitting the ball back at L.

"Because I wanted to play tennis with you, you'll assume that I'm preparing to take a step closer, laying the groundwork to get to know you better," L thought, hitting the ball back.

"And then you're going to try and trap me, by getting me to say something that only Kira would know," Light thought, hitting the ball back.

"However, I'm sure you'll tell me you need to know if you can trust me first. And of course, the only way to win your trust would be to share what I know about Kira," L thought, hitting the ball back.

Light ran and hit the ball back again. "If you want me to discuss Kira with you, it only makes sense that I want to ask for proof that you ARE in charge of the investigation. And more importantly, that you are really L as you say you are."

L ran to where the ball was heading and hit it back towards Light. "So it goes without saying that the first thing you are going to want from me is…"

"Some kind of confirmation from a third party that you really are L, which means…" Light began to think.

The two thought the same thing at the same time. "We'll have to go to the task force headquarters."

"In all things, one cannot win with defense alone. To win, you must attack!" Light ran closer to the net and hit the ball rather roughly, sending it flying. L misses it, causing Light to win.

"Game and set. Won by Light Yagami. Six games to four!" the judge said.

Sakae, Light, L, and Kohaku are walking. Light is wearing a slightly different attire now, having put on a sweat jacket. The girls were walking behind the guys, listening to their conversation.

"Just as I expected, you beat me," L stated.

"It's been awhile since I had played that hard. I'm feeling kind of thirsty. Plus there's something I wanted to ask you about. You wanna go somewhere for a drink?" Light asked.

"You humored me with the tennis match. The least I can do is answer some of your questions. But before this conversation goes any further, there's something I must tell you," L said.

"What's that?" Light questioned.

Sakae and Kohaku looked at each other, having a strong feeling on what he was gonna say.

"I suspect that you, Light Yagami, are in fact Kira. Now, if you still wanna ask me something, then please go ahead," L said.

Light stopped walking and L walked a little ahead before he stopped walking, turning to face Light. The girls stopped as well. Light laughed a little. The girls could tell it was a fake laugh. "Haha, you think I'm Kira?"

"Well, when I say I suspect you, it's only a 1% possibility. That aside, I don't mind telling you that once I'm sure you aren't Kira and I can verify that your deductive skills are as strong as I think they are, I'd like nothing more than to have you work with me on this investigation," L said.

"1% huh?That was well-worded because no matter how little he says he suspects me, it means he has grounds to prevent me from meeting anyone of the task force. It was quite the preemptive move on his part. He got me," Light thought.

"This is going to get ugly." Sakae thought to herself, looking between the two guys. "Hey, Light, you mentioned earlier about getting something to drink. How about we get some lunch also?"

"Huh?" Light turned to the girls. "Yea, that sounds fine."

"You forgot we were here, didn't you?" Kohaku questioned him. "Makes sense. We were walking behind ya quietly."

"What? Of course I'd never forget the two of you were there." Light scratched the back of his head. L was quiet, silently watching and listening to them.

"Yep. He did," Sakae commented. "Too busy being all buddy, buddy." Kohaku laughed a little.

"Okay, fine. I did forget. Happy?" Light admitted. "Are they in on whatever Ryuga is planning? I mean, they know him and he doesn't seem to care that he is revealing things in front of them. Maybe he really is L."

"Got him!" Sakae smiled in triumph. "How often does he admit to stuff?" She thought out loud.

"Um..." Kohaku thinks about it. "Not often? I don't know! I don't pay attention to half the shit he does."

"Neither do I. I guess this is a first in a while," Sakae said with a playful smile.

"Will you two stop talking about me?" Light asked.

"Why? Getting uncomfortable or something?" Sakae asked him.

"No," Light replied.

L continued to remain quiet as he watched the three talk. It was interesting to say the least. As the four of them stood there, three male students walked by and started to check Sakae out. One male was blonde, the second male was rather tall, and the last male wore a hat.

"Hello, sexy~" the blonde male flirted, winking at Sakae.

"Wanna come play with us?" the male with the hat said.

Sakae turned to the direction in which the taunts were coming from. "Get the fuck out of here!"

"Ooh, feisty." One of the guys, the tall one, laughed and did a wolf whistle.

"That's it." Sakae rolled up her left sleeve, almost like she was going to go do something to them.

"Yea, come on with us. Gonna have a real good time," the tall one teased while his two friends started laughing.

"Sakae," Light called out and put his hand on her shoulder.

"They need to be taught a freaking lesson! I'm tired of this shit happening," Sakae yelled out.

"Is that your girlfriend, dude?" The tall one called out.

"Don't worry, we won't hurt her...much," the blonde said. All three of them laughed again. Light balled his fist a little bit, unbeknownst to the people around him.

"Should I do something?" L wondered as he watched the drama happen before his eyes.

"Leave, you fucking bastards." Sakae turned back to her friends.

"Not until you come with us," The blonde one said.

"She isn't going anywhere with you," Kohaku said, speaking for the first time since the guys showed up.

"Hmm…" L watched Kohaku, wanting to see what she'd do.

"Why? Are you going to come with us instead or something? Sorry but you're not our type," blondie joked, receiving laughs from his friends.

"Like hell I'd want to be anywhere with you jackasses and also, you really shouldn't have said that. Actually, you shouldn't have stopped to harass my friend." Kohaku headed towards them, glaring at them. "You should've kept walking."

"Ooh, I'm so scared. What are you going to do to us, anyway?" The one wearing a hat asked.

"Koh-" Light tried to say but was cut short by Sakae shushing him. L, Light, and Sakae watched as Kohaku grabbed the hat male's arm and broke it within seconds before kicking the asshole to the ground.

"OW!" He screamed. He held his arm as he whined about the pain he was feeling.

"Tsk tsk~ Did I break your arm~?" Kohaku said in an innocent voice, smirking at the whining male.

"This is quite entertaining," L thought as he continued to watch Kohaku with Sakae and Light.

"What the fuck?! This girl is crazy!" The blonde hair guy took off running.

"Where the hell do you think you are going?!" Kohaku yelled at the blonde who took off. Like she wouldn't fucking notice. She kicked her shoe off and it landed in her hand. She threw it and it hit the blonde, knocking him out and causing him to face plant into the ground.

Light's jaw dropped a little. "She just knocked the guy out with her shoe...and he was very far away from her." He looked at Sakae. "Remind to never make her angry again."

Sakae laughed a little. "M'kay. I'll try to remember."

The tall guy stared in fear at Kohaku. "What-?!"

Kohaku looked at the tall male. "Now it's your turn!"

"Stay the fuck away from me, you crazy bitch!" The tall guy yelled before trying to run away. Kohaku gripped his arm and flipped him over, making him land on his back on the ground. He groaned in pain.

"Assholes." Kohaku went over to the unconscious blonde and picked up her shoe, putting it back on. She walked back over to L, Light, and Sakae. "I really hate assholes. Especially perverted ones that only think about sexual things. They are lucky that I don't beat the shit out of them."

Light stared at her, awed in a way. "That...was actually really cool."

"Thanks, Kohaku. I can't count how many times you've helped me out," Sakae said.

"That was nothing and you are welcome," Kohaku said.

"That was impressive," L commented, finally saying something.

"T-Thanks!" Kohaku stuttered, blushing a tiny bit. She scratched the back of her head.

"Are we still up for lunch?" Light injected in.

"Hey, let Kohaku have her moment.," Sakae said. "But yeah...I'm getting kind of hungry." That became evident when Sakae's stomach growled.

The four are at a coffee shop. Light and Sakae are sitting next to each other normally while L and Kohaku are sitting beside each other in their oddish little ways. A cup of coffee laid in front of L, Sakae, and Light. Kohaku did not wish for one.

"This coffee shop is one of my favorites in the area, and if we sit here there's no chance of anyone overhearing us," Light said.

"Thanks for showing me this place. I can see why you like it," L said.

"Not to mention we're so out-of-the-way here, no one's gonna give you a hard time about the way you two sit," Light said.

"I don't sit like this because I want to, I have to sit like this. You see, if I were to sit normally, my deductive skills would immediately be reduced by roughly 40%," L stated.

"Oh, um, okay then." Light looked at Kohaku. "What's your reason for almost always sitting like that…" He then gestured towards L. "And like that too?"

"I only sit how L does when your little sister wanted me to watch something with her," Kohaku spoke blankly. "I sit curled up like this because it is comfortable to me."

L glanced towards Kohaku. He hadn't known that she sat like he did at times, but he knew of her reason for sitting curled up. They had spoken of it once during the three months they spent together when they were talking about different things and not about Kira.

"Is that why you lay curled up too?" Sakae questioned.

Kohaku nodded. "Mhm. I don't see why you are asking me this now. You could've asked me a few years ago, around the time we met or sometime between then and now."

"It never crossed my mind," Light commented.

"No kidding." Kohaku gave him a small smile.

Sakae took a sip of her coffee. "I guess mainly because we took you for who you are and didn't question it. Still an interesting thought though."

"Mm…" Kohaku looked at the ceiling.

"It's nice to see you two getting along again," Sakae commented, looking back and forth between Light and Kohaku. "Wait, if you love sleeping curled up, how'd you go to sleep all the time in class?"

"Despite the discomfort, I fell asleep because of two reasons: One, I was bored and I really wanted my mind off of the discomfort, and two, I just love to sleep whenever I can, no matter how uncomfortable I am." Kohaku continued staring at the ceiling.

"Interesting," L mumbled. He already knew of this information, but he felt the need to comment.

"No wonder you can stay up for days," Light commented. "You are almost always sleeping."

"She isn't sleeping almost always," Sakae defended her. "Maybe every other day she sleeps quite a lot but not almost all the time."

"And about me and Light getting along, it's probably just temporary. I'm sure something will happen and I'll be trying to break Light's neck," Kohaku stated. Her friendship with Light wasn't going to go back to how it once was with all that's going on with him being Kira.

"Let's hope that doesn't happen then…" Sakae commented nervously, remembering the time when Kohaku threw the chair at him.

"I'm sure nothing will happen," Light said then sipped some of his coffee.

There was an awkward silence.

"So, what was it you wanted to ask me?" L asked Light.

"Right. I'm sure that can wait until you're convinced that I'm not Kira. So please, let's talk about whatever you want to," Light said.

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

"Sure. Why not? Sounds like fun," Light stated.

"It sounds unfun in my opinion," Kohaku commented in her head. "Actually, it sounds like a trap...for Kira."

"All right. Then, we can begin by taking a look at these." L pulled out three photos. "Photographs of three notes written by prison inmates while under 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."

Light picked them up. "Very interesting." He stared at them.

"...Light made prison inmates write notes? I don't recall him doing that. Must've been when I wasn't around," Kohaku thought. "Or did I just forget? I've been forgetting a lot of things lately."

"Come on, this is child's play. There's a print number on the back of each these photographs. If I ignored this fact and was still able to come up the phrase, 'L, do you know gods of death love apples', what would that mean? Clearly if I read it the way Kira intended on my first attempt, I'd only look more suspicious. But the fact that I'm able to solve this silly code isn't enough on its own to prove that I am Kira," Light thought. "It would be quite amazing to learn that not only could Kira kill others but could also control his victims' actions. I think Kira wrote these and it seems he's encoded a message for you as well, almost as if he's mocking you." Light placed the photos down and arranged them. "If you align these notes up side by side and take a look at the first letter of every line, it reveals a message. Rearranging it like this gives you: 'L, do you know, Gods of Death love apples.' But there are obvious print numbers on the back of all these photographs." He rearranged the photos. "Arrange it in that order, we get 'L, do you know, love apples Gods of Death.' Haha, doesn't sound right, and based on that, it's hard to believe that Kira would have wanted you to read it this way."

"That's incorrect," L said.

"Huh?" Light stared at him confused.

"I'm gonna guess that there is another photo that he didn't show you," Kohaku commented to Light.

L nodded. "There were actually four photographs." He placed the fourth photo down. "When we add this one, it reads, 'L, do you know Gods of Death who love apples have red hands'."

"It's a fake! I never made any criminal write the letter in this fourth picture. Is he stupid?" Light thought. "But seeing as I only have three photographs to work with, my deduction was perfect."

"This isn't going to end well…" Sakae thought, staring at the photographs. "Hmm..."

"The truth is, there were four of them. If you'd figured that out, it would have been perfect. Even though you knew the message was incomplete, you decided that there were only three notes. You never even considered that there might be a fourth. What do you make of that?" L stared at Light.

Light stared back at him. "Damn him! This wasn't just about gauging my deductive reasoning skills. He wanted to see what my reaction would be. If I keep falling for his tricks, I'll be playing right into his hands." He sighed. "Well, you got me there. I didn't think of that. In any case, the likelihood this message will lead you to Kira is not very great. Besides, we all know Gods of Death don't exist."

"Just because it is unlikely that something like that could exist doesn't mean that they don't exist," Kohaku commented.

"Such as everything is possible. Anything can happen, and anything could exist," Sakae stated.

"Hush, you two," Light said. Kohaku rolled her eyes and Sakae grew quiet.

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

"I would probably try to get him to say something that was never made public in any way, something that only Kira could know. Kind of like what you are doing just now," Light said.

"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'll make a fine detective, Light," L said.

"Haha, but it's a bit of a double edged sword. The more impressive my answer is, the more of a suspect I'll become." Light sipped his coffee.

"Yes. It's about 3% now. However, it's made me that much more determined to work with you on this investigation. You see, I'm in a position where, even if you are Kira, it would still be to my benefit to have you working alongside us. Do you know why I'd say that?" L asked.

"If I cooperate with you, there's a chance I can help the investigation to move forward, and if I'm Kira, I might reveal myself. In other words, whether I'm Kira or not, you stand to gain, either way. It's a very smart move on your part, but I think you might be getting the wrong idea. It's true that I do have an interest in the Kira case, and yes, detective work is a hobby of mine, but I know that I'm not Kira, and I certainly don't want to be killed by him. Besides, what proof you have been able to give me that you yourself aren't Kira? I mean, it hardly seems fair for just one of us to be investigated, wouldn't you say? At this point, neither of us can prove that we're not Kira. However, if you are in fact L, I don't imagine it would be that hard for you to prove it to me. I think I'd be convinced if, say, my father or someone else from the task force headquarters was able to confirm your identity. If you can't do that, then I'm afraid I just won't be able to help you," Light said. He completely forgot about the girls for a moment.

"You sure talk a lot, don't you, Light? Typical for someone who hates losing. Makes it up to 7%, but could he be really him?" L thought.

"Light." Kohaku looked at him. "You talk way too much sometimes." It was like she had read L's mind somewhat.

Light stared at her for a moment and then looked at L. "Do you suspect Sakae or Kohaku of being Kira?"

"No, because they don't have the qualities I would suspect in Kira. There had been a slight chance that they could've been Kira, but I believe that they aren't him," L replied.

"Could they be hiding it?" Light asked.

"Geh, thanks Light," Sakae said sarcastically.

"You are a jackass, Light," Kohaku said. "Trying to toss the suspicion of Kira towards your BEST friends. Asshole."

"I'm just trying to get all the facts here. I do agree that neither of you would ever be able to be Kira," Light said, hoping to undo what he just did. Sakae gives him a sarcastic smile before sipping on her coffee.

"What about killing someone? Do you think that Sakae or myself could ever kill someone?" Kohaku asked Light. "As in us being just regular murderers and not Kira? You think we could be like that?"

"What? Hell no! I'd never see the two of you being like that," Light yelled slightly.

Sakae sighed as she put her cup down. "Light, it may be a good idea if you remain quiet for now."

"Sakae could never be a murderer. That much I can agree on." Kohaku stared at the table.

"And Kohaku would only kill in self defense, but even that is unlikely," Sakae added on.

"I wouldn't be so sure... I can't control my anger. I can end up killing Light outta being pissed off, like I sorta am now, and kill him, ending up regretting it a lot later..." Kohaku thought.

"Okay, okay. I'm sorry for what I said," Light said.

"Sorry that you had to witness the asshole-ness of Light," Kohaku said to L.

"It's quite alright." L looked at Light. "I don't remember saying you couldn't meet anyone from the task force headquarters to verify my identity," L said.

"Huh?" Light wondered.

"I'm currently working alongside your father, as well as several other senior detectives from the NPA, Kohaku, and...Sakae. Now if I understand you correctly and I take you to task force headquarters, you'll help us with the investigation. Am I safe in making this assumption?"

"Does this guy have a death wish? I don't understand. What is he thinking? So Sakae and Kohaku are a part of the investigation? It kinda pisses me off that they wouldn't tell me that. Maybe he is lying to make me pissed," Light thought.

L's phones started to ring.

"Excuse me." L dug his phone out of his pants pocket.

Light's phone vibrated. "Ah, there goes mine."

The boys answered their phones at the same time. Both of their eyes seemed to widen.

"What's wrong?" Kohaku questioned.

"Light, it's your…" L didn't finish.

Light's eyes were still wide. "My father...He had a heart attack!"

"What?!" the girls exclaimed.

The four were at the hospital. They were inside Mr. Yagami's hospital room. L, Light, and Sakae were sitting in chairs and Kohaku was standing. Mrs. Yagami had just left. Mr. Yagami laid on the hospital bed in the room.

"We did our best to get here as fast as we could," Sakae said, half-smiling.

"That's nice of you," Mr. Yagami said, grinning lightly. He looked over at Kohaku; she looked depressed and very uncomfortable. "Kohaku, are you alright?"

Kohaku nodded. "Yes..." She glanced at him. "I...am glad that you are okay..."

Mr. Yagami nodded. He knew why she was acting this way. She has been in this hospital a lot due to fights she tended to get into for the past few years. She didn't like stepping foot into a hospital if she could help it. The girls were silent and allowed the men to speak.

"So the doctors think stress was the only cause?" Light asked Mr. Yagami.

"Yeah. To be honest I thought it was Kira when I first collapsed, but I'll be alright. It seems I've been pushing myself a bit too hard lately," Mr. Yagami said.

"Indeed, it must have added to your stress knowing that Light is a suspect in this investigation," L said.

"You actually told my father that?" Light asked.

"Yes. In fact I've told him everything. It's true he even knows that I am L," L said.

"Hm." Light looked towards his father.

"That's correct. This man is L. To protect his identity, we on the task force refer to him as Ryuzaki, but make no mistake. It's him," Mr. Yagami said.

"This guy is the real L. My father wouldn't lie. The very same man who's been controlling the police up to this point. If I get rid of him and the rest of the investigative team...minus Dad, Kohaku, and Sakae... No, no, let's face it. It wouldn't be that simple. There's no need to rush. I have time to sit back and watch. But for now, I'm the Light Yagami, who is worried for his father," Light thought.

"So, Ryuzaki, now that you had a chance to talk to my son, is he cleared as a suspect?" Mr. Yagami asked him.

"When I say I suspect him, you should know it's very minor. We've gone over this, but I'll explain it again. Not long ago, Kira killed 12 FBI agents who'd come to Japan to assist us. They were instructed to follow people connected to the Japanese police. One of these agents, Raye Penber, exhibited unusual behavior before he died," L said.

"I understand. And I was one of the people Raye Penber was investigating before he died. It only makes sense I'd be a suspect. No. To be more precise, there's no one else you could suspect," Light said.

"I find Light's deductive powers quite impressive. He's always quick and to the point," L said.

Light looked at L. "Ryuga, I'd like to help with the investigation. My father has erased any doubts I might've had regarding your true identity. Also I'd like nothing more than to catch Kira, so I can prove once and for all that I'm not him."

"No, Light. This is the time in your life when you should be studying to become a police officer. It won't be too late to join us once you're done," Mr. Yagami said.

"C'mon, Dad, what are you talking about? Who knows how many years that'll take? Besides, don't you remember my promise... that if something ever happened to you, I would find Kira and make sure he gets executed," Light said.

"I refuse to believe that my son could turn out to be Kira," Mr. Yagami thought.

"This doesn't seem like an act to me. Or if it is, it's too cheesy," L thought.

"Light, listen to me. Kira is pure evil. We can all agree on that. But recently I've started thinking of this whole situation in a different way. What is truly evil is the power to kill people. And any person who has come to possess this kind of power is cursed. No matter how you use it, no true happiness can be obtained like that, not by killing other people," Mr. Yagami said.

"I think you're absolutely right. If Kira is just a normal person who somehow obtained this awful power, I would say that he is cursed," L said.

"Ryuzaki, I'm sorry for all this trouble, but I'll be back at work as soon as the doctor's let me out of here," Mr. Yagami said.

A nurse walked into the room. "Excuse me. Visiting hours were over ten minutes ago."

L, Light, Kohaku, and Sakae were now outside the hospital. A black car awaits in front of the hospital. Watari is in the driver's seat.

"This...has definitely been a day," Sakae commented.

"Yeah," Light agreed.

"Mmm..." Kohaku wasn't in the mood for talking still.

"You okay, Kohaku?" Sakae asked.

Kohaku spoke quietly. "It's called being depressed." She glanced back towards hospital. "This place is depressing. I hate coming anywhere near here... Hospitals are full of death, pain, and misery..."

"Yeah." Sakae looked down at the ground. "I know how you feel."

"Ryuga, what would it take to get you to believe that I'm not Kira? Please, isn't there something?" Light asked.

"If you aren't Kira, it won't be necessary. Let things run their course, and the truth will be revealed," L said.

"I can't take this any more. Put yourself in my position. How do you think it feels to be accused of being Kira," Light said.

L thought about it. "It was one of the worst feelings ever."

"What if you were to lock me up for a month in a place with no TV or any other kind of access to the outside world and keep a constant watch over me?" Light suggested.

"You are crazy," Kohaku mumbled.

"Would any normal person be willing to go to such extreme measures to clear their name?" L thought. "That's no good. I can't do anything that would deprive you of basic human rights. And furthermore, it's complete nonsense for the investigator to take suggestions from his suspect."

"I understand," Light said.

"Don't worry so much. Be patient. It'll become apparent to us if you're not Kira. And listening to that conversation between you and your father, I was almost convinced you might not be him. Light, please take good care of Mr. Yagami," L said.

"Ah, one more thing. I know I agreed to help with the investigation, but I don't think I'll be able to do much until my father is healthy again," Light said.

"Yes, of course. Well, then." L looked towards Kohaku. Sakae and Light noticed and looked towards her too. She looked anxious; she really wanted to leave that area. "Kohaku, would you like a ride home?" Kohaku nodded slowly.

Sakae gives Kohaku a small hug. "If you need anything, let me know. And be safe, okay?" Kohaku nodded again.

L and Kohaku get into the car that Watari is waiting in. Watari drove off. Soon enough, Sakae's brother picked her up and drove her home. Light decided he'd just walk home.

In the car, while they are on the road, L looked over at Kohaku. "Are you okay?" He asked.

"...Yeah." She looked at him for a moment and half smiled. "I'm okay."

"Earlier, when you said you didn't like hospitals, is there a particular reason for it?" L asked.

"I had also mentioned that hospitals are full of death, pain, and misery. That is my reason." She looked away from him.

"I meant did something ever happen at a hospital to make you feel that way?" He corrected.

She shook her head. "No." She just had spent a lot of time in a hospital due to fights and witnessed a few patients dying. Other than that, there was no other reason for her to hate hospitals.

"I see." L looked out the window then back at Kohaku. "Looks like we're almost to your house."

"Mmm… L, do you have any fears?" She looked at him.

"I fear almost nothing...except for running out of cake," L replied.

Kohaku laughed. "Well, that makes sense. You really love cake...and many sweets of all kinds."

"Do you fear anything?" L asked.

Kohaku sighed. "I fear… I fear losing a loved one...like my parents...or Light...or Sakae… I'm not afraid to die myself though. I wouldn't mind dying in the place of someone I love. I'd sacrifice myself in a heartbeat for a loved one."

"I can see that has a rational fear," L commented. He quickly looked out the window as the car came to a stop. "Looks like we are here at your house now."

"It appears so." She kissed his cheek. "Thanks for offering me a ride. You are really sweet. See you tomorrow." She looked at the front of the car. "See ya tomorrow, Watari!" She got out of the car and ran up to her porch. She headed into her home.

"See ya later," L said as the car drove off.

"Ryuzaki, do you have feelings for Ms. Kohaku?" Watari asked him as he drove to the hotel.

"...I'm still not completely sure," L answered honestly.

"I see." Watari continued to drive. The rest of the ride was completely silent.

In the next chapter, there will be a moment for Sakae and Light. Also, there will be a moment between Kohaku and her parents since her parents have only been seen once in this story so far.