Author's Note: Okay! Nevermind, Misa IS coming up sooner than I thought. I literally cannot wait to write the next chapter. I'm so excited.

Thanks to UmiNight Angel Neko, hpfan59, guest, and crawforddarius7 for the reviews! hpfan59 - I'm glad you think my writer's block writing is still good. I'm trying super hard haha.

Chapter 14

April 26, 2004

Is it lame to write his name in my notebook and cover it with hearts?

I've never felt this way before. Food tastes better, I have more energy, and I can't stop smiling. Is it him or is it the investigation? Am I happy to be with him or am I happy to finally have a purpose in life?

Liliana raised her closed fist nervously to the door. It was only the accidental, but audible, bump of her knuckles against the wood that forced her to follow through with her knock far before she had collected herself for the conversation.

"Come in." Eva's voice rang out from behind the frame. Liliana took a deep breath and opened the door, smiling as her daughter came into view. Eva sat up in her bed and rubbed her sleepy eyes.

"I'm sorry, did I wake you?"

"No, I've just been a little groggy from the medication." the young girl explained, motioning to the prescription bottle on the night stand. Liliana walked over and picked it up, reading the side effects carefully as she took a seat next to her daughter. She set the bottle down and winced at the sound of the pills clacking around inside. It was a noise that she should have been used to by now. It was everywhere in their house. She heard it as she walked by Eva's bathroom in the morning. She heard it at the kitchen table before each of their meals. She heard it at night before Eva went to bed. It was a constant reminder of the painful stall that was being forced onto her daughter prior to the inevitable. Liliana forced a smile for Eva and ran her fingers through the girl's black hair.

"Your bangs are getting long. Don't they fall into your eyes?" she asked, tucked a lock behind Eva's ear. Eva shook her head.

"I like them this length. My hair isn't falling out as much with this regimen. I want to enjoy it while it lasts." Eva reached for a lock of wavy hair that rested against her cheek and twisted it around her index finger.

"You have to understand why I worry." The abrupt change in conversation didn't seem to catch either of them off guard. Eva simply nodded in response and Liliana scooted closer to her, pulling herself under the thick teal comforter and wrapping an arm around her daughter's shoulders. Eva rested her head on her mother's chest and smelled her perfume. It was sweet like vanilla. "I'm too old to replace you with another child. I don't think my body can physically handle another pregnancy." Eva let out a small laugh at the joke, eliciting one from Liliana as well. "We're always going to worry about you because you will always be the single most important thing in our lives."

"I know." Eva squeaked out. She closed her eyes, and Liliana noticed a look of acquiescence on the young girl's face that she was deeply uncomfortable with.

"But…I know you'll always continue to hold true to your values and ideals." There was little response from Eva. "Which is why…you have our support to work on the Kira case if you would like to." A few moments of silence passed before Eva pulled her head up and stared at her mother with incredulity. A small line appeared between her slightly furrowed brows. Her green eyes squinted a bit with suspicion, and she tilted her head in a display of uncertainty. "There are a few conditions." Liliana assured her, attempting to lend credit to Eva's hesitancy. "Someone has to escort you to and from taskforce headquarters. You will be home at a reasonable hour or giving us constant updates. This can't interfere with your school work." Liliana bit her lip and glanced at Eva's smaller bedroom window. She leaned forward and whispered, "And dad's shutting that window for good because he doesn't want you spending the night with boys.

"But—" Liliana held up her hand to silence Eva.

"Those are our unyielding conditions. If Light wants to spend time with you, he's going to have to use the front door just like the rest of us." Eva thought about the offer for a moment with bated breath. A nod followed her exhale and she bit her lip to hold back a smile.

"Okay." She wrapped her arms around Liliana's stomach and laid her head against her chest. "Thanks, mom."

"For the record, he's a really sweet boy, and I can tell he cares a lot about you."

"He does." Liliana couldn't see Eva's face, but she knew her daughter, and she definitely heard a smile in her voice.

"I won't tell you who you should be with, but if you brought home a boy like Light, I definitely wouldn't be opposed."

"What about dad?" Eva questioned with a giggle.

"Your dad will be opposed to everyone with or without a functioning reproductive system. Bring home a cat. I'm sure he'll be okay with that." The girls exchanged a few laughs before Liliana stood up. "If I'm not mistaken, L asked the taskforce to gather at noon. If you're interested, I can drop you off." Eva smiled at the offer and slowly pulled the covers off herself.

"Actually…if it's okay with you, I'd like to go with Light." Liliana nodded, trying to hold back a smile, afraid it would spark a moment of teenage rebellion and push Eva away from Light.

"Of course, it is."

"So, how much trouble am I in with your dad?" Light whispered to Eva as they sorted through documents. She shook her head and laughed.

"Well, he's permanently shutting my window, so here's hoping there's no fire in my room by the balcony and the door at the same time." she explained.

"Are you serious?" Light groaned. He tossed down the stack of paperwork on the desk and leaned back in the sofa chair, locking his fingers behind his head.

"That was the exchange for letting me come back here." Eva replied, picking up the neglected stack and going over it. She raised an eyebrow and attempted to ask a question, only to be cut off by a beeping in the distance. Catching the attention of all taskforce members, they turned to L's laptop. A capital Cloister Black font 'W' appeared on the screen against a white background: Watari's symbol.

"Ryuzaki, we have a reply from the second Kira." Watari said. Murmurs filled the room.

"This soon?" Eva whispered to Light. He kept his attention laser focused on the screen, as if he hadn't even heard her.

"I'll be bringing over the envelopes and tapes that we received, but in the meantime, I'm streaming a copy of the video so you can view it on your end." Watari continued. His symbol suddenly disappeared, replaced by the crude 'Kira' lettering. The members gathered around L, who had taken a seat directly in front of the laptop.

"Kira, thank you for your reply. Please do not worry. I will follow orders and do as you say." the scrambled voice said. Eva frowned at the idea. There was something unsettling about it. She wanted to criticize it, but something kept her from it. "I really want to meet you. I don't think you have the eyes, but you don't have to worry. I would never try to kill you. That's a promise."

"Eyes?" Eva mumbled under her breath. She suddenly felt Light tense behind her and turned to look up at him. His face was pale. His eyes were twitching nervously. His jaw was tight and clenched.

"What's this having the eyes supposed to mean? Is it a code?" Aizawa asked.

"Yea…." Matsuda agreed. Eva bit her lip and held back her input for the moment. She glanced at Light again. A single drop of sweat slid down the side of his face. It must be bizarre for him—watching someone act so irrationally. Stuff like this has always confounded him. It was a flimsy rationalization, one that served no other purpose than to relieve Eva of any discomfort she felt at that moment. Would you hate me if I was Kira? Eva pushed away the intrusive thought of that day at the coffee shop. Why would he ask her that? It was just a joke... She repeated the line to herself over and over again until the words began to blend together and lose meaning.

"Please tell me how I can meet you without the police knowing. You'll think of something. And when we meet, we can confirm our identities by showing our gods of death to each other." the second Kira continued, pulling Eva from the abyss of her own mind.

"Gods of death?" Aizawa and Matsuda said in unison. A gasp left L's lips and he held up his arms, letting out a dramatic cry before toppling over and taking the sturdy sofa chair with him.

"Ryuzaki!" Eva yelled out, wincing at the sound of his body hitting the floor. She ran over and knelt down next to him. "Are you okay?" He sat up before she could do much more than place her hand on his back.

"Gods of death?!" L scoffed, still in a state of shaken distress. "Am I supposed to believe that? That gods of death actually exist?"

"I don't think that's what they mean…." Eva offered meekly.

"Of course, gods of death don't exist." Light asserted far more boldly. "Listen to yourself." L slowly turned. He moved his eyes from Eva to Light.

"You're probably right." he agreed. "But I remember Kira had those prisoners write something suggesting the existence of gods of death."

"Based on that fact, could we be dealing with the same person? That would definitely explain why we're hearing the same words." Soichiro mused.

"I don't think so." Light cut in. "If this was the same person, why would he respond to our tape? Why would he let L live after going through all that trouble to get him to appear on TV? The real Kira wants him dead." L pinched the bridge of his noise in either thought or frustration, Eva couldn't quite tell. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes.

"Horse." she whispered to herself.

"What?" L asked, turning back toward her. She opened her eyes wide and stared at him, a bit embarrassed that he had heard her. "What did you say?"

"Um…horse." Eva repeated. "Like…if you hear hoof beats, think horse, not zebra." She turned her doe eyes to Light who was watching her intently. "Eyes, gods of death…it could all just be coincidence. We think the original Kira needs a name and a face to kill, but this one seems to just need a face. Maybe the eyes refer to this differentiation in power? Maybe the copycat doesn't know that the police have already put that together. Gods of death…this could just be referring to their ability to kill. This is how they'll prove it to each other." Eva finally said. She internally cringed at the sound of her own voice. Everything she said sounded so much better in her head—so much more reasonable. As soon as it was out in the world for others to evaluate, it seemed to lose all credibility. L stared at her for a moment and hummed in response. He stood up, and she quickly hopped to her feet as well. L shoved one hand into his pant pocket and leaned down to pick up the sofa chair with the other. He easily tipped it back upright, and Eva was secretly, though most likely outwardly obviously, impressed with his strength.

"It's as Light says, if the two Kiras were really just one, or if they were even connected, I don't think the impostor would give up on his plan to kill me so easily. All of this suggests to me that the copycat has his own agenda and is independently of the original. His true motivation is to meet Kira." L bit his thumb in thought and a smirk suddenly appeared at the corners of his mouth. He turned his grey eyes to Eva. "Horse, huh? I think you're right. Based on the evidence, we can only assume that the phrase 'gods of death' has some meaning that only the first Kira and the second Kira will know."

"So, will you respond and force him to be more specific?" Light quickly inquired.

"No, for now on it's best if we leave it up to the two Kiras." L replied.

"What do you mean?" Aizawa asked.

"I imagine the second Kira is probably quite satisfied now that he's received a televised response. He sent a message to get Kira's attention, and as far as he knows, he now has it. Also, there's that phrase he used that only the two of them would understand. We'll arrange to have this reply broadcast today on Sakura's six-o'clock news. Now, naturally, this will be of interest to Kira, and he'll be following this exchange between the copycat and the one we've invented." L took in a deep breath and began mumbling in a lower tone, as if he were simply thinking out loud rather than conducting an investigation debriefing. "If I were Kira, my priority would be to prevent this importer from coming into contact with the police. This is good for us because it means the real Kira will feel pressured to respond this time."

"Okay, so let's say he doesn't respond." Aizawa rebutted. "Then what do we do?" L began to tap his index finger against his bent knee. He took another deep breath before responding, his voice still hovering barely above a whisper.

"Yes, I've been thinking about what the second Kira might do if he gets no response. For one, he may reveal more information that he knows Kira wants kept secret to pressure him into a meeting. Of course, that would make Kira nervous. It could be interesting. Though, what would be more interesting is if Kira send a message of his own to prevent this from happening. Ideally, this could provide us with the physical evidence we need to build a case against him. In the meantime, let's gather all of the information we can against this copycat." It was all the direction Eva needed. She quickly grabbed a laptop and began to work diligently. It wasn't until Light had covered her eyes that she snapped out of her trance.

"Hey, are you listening to me?" she heard him ask. She laughed and placed both of her hands on his, pulling it down from her eyes.

"Sorry, I was so focused. What's up?" She tilted her head back to look up at Light and he smiled down at her.

"Are you ready to go home?" Eva glanced at the time on the laptop. Was it really almost ten? Already? She thought for a moment before throwing her head back again to meet Light's gaze.

"I'm going to have my mom pick me up. I want to finish this last bit of research." Eva smiled and Light's worry line above his nose reappeared.

"Don't push yourself so hard." he scolded.

"I know." She took the criticism with a smile, knowing it was coming from a place of love.

"Call me if you need someone to take you home. I'll come back." Light offered. He waited for Eva to nod before finally pulling his hand away from hers and resting it on her head. "Good night."

"Night!" Eva returned to her research, periodically looking up to see L knee-deep in his own end of the investigation. She didn't mean for it to turn into a competition, but suddenly, she needed to keep up with him. He showed no signs of tiring, and though her eyelids felt heavy, Eva didn't want to show any signs of tiring either.

L stood with his hands in his pockets and stared down at the young, sleeping girl on his couch. He raised an eyebrow at the open spreadsheets and browsers on her laptop. At least she had the good sense to save and bookmark everything. He hit the save button once more, just to be safe, before pushing down the screen of the computer. He shuffled to his room and pulled the blanket off his bed, dragging it back to the couch and covering the shivering girl with it. He saw her face immediately relax and her breathing became a little less labored. L had every intention to return to his insomniac data binge when he felt the guilty poke of a cellphone against his hand as he inserted it back onto his pocket. He pulled out the device and hit the redial button, holding it up to his ear by the top.

"Hello? Liliana?" he asked the groggy voice on the other end. "Yes, Eva's here. She's asleep. I can wake her and have Watari take her home." L moved across the room and onto the couch in front of his laptop, taking his usual crouching position.

"How long has she been asleep?" Liliana asked. L glanced over his shoulder and looked at the girl again.

"A few hours."

"Can you let her sleep? She's been having a really hard time staying asleep lately. Just let me know when she's awake and I'll come get her."

"Sure."

"Thanks, L." L flipped the phone shut, immediately jumping at the loudness of it and turning back to the girl to make sure it hadn't woken her. He felt a little guilty when he noticed her shift under the sheets and push herself up onto one elbow.

"You're awake." L remarked.

"Yea…I'm sorry. I didn't mean to—I should go—my parents." Her incoherent ramblings amused L, only slightly more than her haphazard attempt to slip on her shoes in a half-awake fog.

"I spoke to your mother already. You're welcome to stay the night. But the bed is probably more comfortable than the couch. You'll ruin your neck sleeping like that, you know?" L turned back to his research, satisfied with the accommodations that he had provided, when her voice, gentle like a spring breeze through wind chimes, sent a tingle throughout his body.

"Aren't you going to sleep?"

"I have a few more things to look at." L reasoned away her concern. He didn't hear her protest, but he was surprised to hear the shuffle of her blankets come closer and closer. He peeked over his shoulder again and she joined him on the couch, blanket, laptop, and all. Her eyes could barely stay open, and L knew she wanted to go to sleep, but instead she sat next to him and began clicking through her browsers. "You don't have to stay up for my sake."

"I'm not." she protested through a heavy yawn. "I just found some things on gods of death."

"O?" L asked, smirking at how her eyes were beginning to close more and more with every word.

"According to Japanese mythology, if you see a god of death at the foot of your bed, it isn't your time to die, yet." Another yawn followed. "But if you see one at the head of your bed…." Her sentence stopped and L felt her head land softly against his shoulder. Her breathing evened out, and he dared not move in fear of waking her again. Instead, L just sat there for a moment, neglecting his work, smiling, and enjoying her warmth.