Wow, I had no idea it's been this long! I thought I had updated some time earlier last year?- but I guess I was wrong. I didn't even update on my story's anniversary :/ Sorry guys. To make it up to those who are amazingly still waiting and reading, I will have chapter 15 posted as soon as I get done editing it (so tonight or tomorrow night). Well, here's the flashback I promised.
Enjoy!

Taro stood with his hands deep in his pockets. He closed and opened his clammy hands trying to ease his nerves. He was glad he took the liberty of putting on his sunglasses this morning. It was some luck he was having this fine morning, he thought as he glanced at his black clad companion to his right. Licking his lips, he tried to get this done and over with.

"Hmm, I see." Was all he got in return from his snooping. After he had called Watari and reported his findings, L decided he wanted to have a chat with him- via video cam.

He felt a bit cheated out. L could see him, but all Taro got was an eight-hundred-point font 'eru' on his screen.

The bright white in the background blinded his sleep deprived eyes. "It's odd though," L commented aloud.

"How so?"

"Is Raito really in the possession of a notebook?" Kagami furrowed his brows at the detective's question. "Maybe he's trailing him out of some sort of attachment?"

"Ryuuk?" he questioned skeptically, raising a brow. He highly doubted it. From the short conversations he's had with the supernatural being, relationships were all but a norm for him, especially with humans. Ryuuk perceived everyone and everything as a source of entertainment, and if they weren't, they weren't worth his time.

"Ryuuk? What is that?" He refrained from biting his lip. He had let it slip.

"That's his name… the Shinigami."

"I thought you've been honest with me." The monotonous voice sounded displeased at the idea of Taro holding back information.

"I have- Yagami-san was talking with him," he smoothly lied.

"Chatting?" He wondered aloud. A pointer finger casually hung from his opened mouth. "What about?"

"I couldn't quite catch it- something about… apples?" he covered. What good would telling the detective about produce be?

"Of course," L replied wryly. What the heck was that supposed to mean? Was it some sort of clue?

"Going to elaborate?"

"It's from earlier back in the case, it doesn't mean anything of importance. If you want, I can have Watari send you all I have on the Kira case- if that would make you feel better." If that would make him feel important and up for cooperating, is what the man really meant to say. Taro couldn't help but feel slightly insulted. "But anyways, I need you to do one other thing for me to solidify Light's guilt."

He gave a nod.

"I need you to trail Amane Misa and see if you find anything out of the ordinary."

"Amane Misa? Isn't that, that model everyone's going crazy about nowadays?"

"It seems so."

"You want me to follow her? What for- see if she's got a shinigami attached to her as well?" he sarcastically voiced out, doubtful.

"Yes." Taro's face fell, "I'm not one hundred percent certain she's oblivious at the moment."

"What happens if she happens to have one?"

"Just be careful. We can't have them catching on to us. I'll have Watari contact you in three days time to check up for any progress. Oh, and one more thing Taro-kun." His ears perked. "Try not to get caught."

It had already been four days and nothing. If Kagami knew that his supposed "spying" was going to turn into full fledged stalking he would've asked L to be paid.

A sigh found its way out of his lips. He's been following her around from photoshoot, to movie shootings, to meals, to another photoshoot, to auditions, to lingerie shopping, and to God he was exhausted beyond belief.

He brought his hand towards his face to adjust his sunglasses. Pushing them up, he watched as the blond bounced out of yet another feminine shop, this time carrying two additional bags to the four in her hands. How could one woman love shopping so much in one day?- he would never know. Honestly where does she put everything, he questioned, exasperated. Taking a sip of his coffee, he stepped from behind a vendor stall and began trailing her down the street.

He picked up his pace when he noticed her take a sharp left, her pigtails swinging left and right. Taking the turn, he almost dropped his coffee cup.

There he was- Ryuuk.

He found it odd though. He had thought Ryuuk was Yagami's Shinigami… maybe L was onto something. How strange, he mused.

Feeling exposed standing in the middle of the street now, Taro maneuvered himself to blend into the crowd. Taking a hiding spot between a garbage can and a magazine stand, Taro begun to casually flip through a magazine, not really caring what it was, all while his eyes never left the odd pair.

Deep brown hues narrowed as he tried to figure out what the two were doing. Compared to her boyfriend, Misa was certainly not shy about chatting with Ryuuk in public…

She wasn't loud yet didn't care to hide it either- which weirded him out even more because no one else seemed to notice how bizarre talking to thin air really was.

Misa's petite body tilted forward as she motioned to the lingerie store behind her. Ryuuk made a series of frantic and awkward hand gestures ,and that's when the blond reached out to grab him, only to have Ryuuk phase, causing her to lose her footing and trip. Taro sucked in his lips, trying not to let a laugh escape past his lips. She got right up though and collected her bags but not without a huff and a huge pout, glossed lips puckering together in disappointment.

He watched as she spoke once more to the lengthy figure then pivoted on her foot, retreating to the store behind her.

As he stared down the store, he turned his head to the side. Maybe Ryuuk was attached to Amane and he was passing along information to Yagami? That would make more sense than it being the other way around. Amane and Ryuuk seemed more comfortable and familiar with one another- though, that may have just been the result of her, from what he's picked up, extroverted personality.

All things considered, the police chief's son didn't look like the easiest person to approach, when looked at from afar. There was just an air about him that told everyone within the vicinity to buzz off.

"I didn't know you were one for BL, kyuk kyuk." A scratchy, gruff voice spoke from behind him. He turned around only to meet face to face with the Shinigami of the hour. He felt his heart beat out of his chest as his whole body jumped, not expecting the interaction at all.

He was flustered.

"I what- wait." He glanced down and immediately blanched. Closing it, be quickly placed it back on the stand and folded his arms, trying to keep himself composed. "I wasn't- I mean- I'm not. I was just looking…" He came up with lamely.

"Right." Ryuuk grinned.

"How do you even know what that is?" he asked. It made him feel various levels of uncomfortable knowing Ryuuk knew something like that. How'd he find out?

"I've been here for a while." Kagami grimaced. That didn't really answer his question. "I know you were trailing Misa."

The man's mood sobered up a bit. "Do you now?" he replied coyly. He again was very fortunate for his shaded lenses, for they kept hidden what he didn't dare show to his old "friend".

"I sure did. Wanna tell me why?" Ryuuk prodded. He was immensely curious as to why Taro and he met like they did in the first place, seeing him out on the streets watching Misa from a distance only intensified his itch. It was such a coincidence how Taro, the only other human he's had contact with in the human realm, who he's also told various things he hadn't told the young graduate, to suddenly be thrust into Light's path of a new world.

Talk about cock-block, the Shinigami thought and laughed at his own joke.

Kagami glanced at the giggling brute. Ryuuk never ceased to creep him out… He felt forced to inquire about the terrifying cackles, so he grudgingly asked. "Gonna tell me what's so funny?"

"What about you? Gonna tell me why you're trailing Misa?" The figure grinned.

He could face palm. It was obvious he wasn't going to get anywhere with Ryuuk like this. He needed a strategic alteration to his method…

"Don't worry Ryuuk, you'll get all the apples you want soon."

He was definitely going out on a limb here. He hadn't ever heard anything like that from Ryuuk himself. Then again, the god-like creature wasn't one to delve. Although, L's reaction to his bit of information about the fruit was something to go off...

Shoving a hand in the front of his faded blue jeans, the writer turned his body and gave a small gesture down the street. "I think I have a solution that will fulfill both of our needs, Ryuuk."

"That's all I can tell you." Taro watched as the Shinigami crunched on another ruby apple.

"What about if he has a Death Note? I did see you guys together," he pried.

"I'll tell you like I told Raito, I'm not on his or L's side. I'm merely here to spectate." He teasingly held the apple cord above his head and then promptly dropped it, swallowing it whole. "Next time you should get honey crisp- it's way more juicer."

The male looked off in thought, the silent hum of his dishwasher and greedy chomps took ahold of the silence.

"What if I said there was a way to make things more interesting…?"

Ryuuk's munching ceased momentarily. "Huh?" Like he thought that was even possible. The cat and mouse game the two humans were playing was fairly entertaining and Light's deficient dose of humanity was like an extra bonus. "Is that even possible?"

"If you help me," Taro hung his words in the air. Ryuuk went to open his mouth, ready to repeat his earlier statement, when the young human cut him off. "I know. You said you're neutral, but helping me wouldn't make you biased; you're still just helping yourself. Just hear me out. If you don't like it then-" He shrugged his shoulders.

L bore his owlish stare at the brunet at the computer next to him. Raito was sitting a good seven feet away, but it was a close enough distance as to where said man could quite literally feel the stare of the self-isolated detective, and it was uncanny. It annoyed him, and L could see the ever so slight tensing of Raito's shoulders.

The striking sound of L's teeth slicing through another cookie made Raito's eyes narrow the tiniest of a fraction. It was harder than he remembered- hiding the malice in his eyes. It was easy to school his features, filter his speech, and contain self-control, but his eyes spoke other volumes. L and he were the same in that retrospect. The only aspect Raito would willingly admit- that and that fact they were both super-intelligent humans- Raito being the far more superior one, obviously.

L gave the Shinigami behind the two the side eye. Matsuda was giving a nervous laugh to Aizawa- probably because he had said something stupid if the older man's face was something to go off. Mogi was currently out, running errands for dinner, and Soichiro was quietly working, giving the supernatural creature wary glances every thirty minutes. The sugar addict thought now a good time than any other and called out to the Shinigami. He had told it to follow him, for he had some questions to ask it.

"Don't worry, we will be back soon. Although, if I'm not, Raito-kun," said male's head turned in his direction, finally. "You're in charge." He gave a tiny sardonic grin and left the room.

Asshole, Raito thought.

"Ryuuzaki's been really secretive lately," Matsuda spoke aloud. Everyone thought the same thing, but no one had previously said anything about it before- especially when the young detective was around. Aizawa, the man who usually called L out on his lack of cooperation and communication, got a certain feeling that he had to sit out on this one. It wasn't as if L was being subtle with his "sneaking around". He was as conspicuous as Misa was about hiding her affections for the chief's son.

"I'm sure he has his reasons," the older Yagami spoke up.

"Yeah…" Matsuda reluctantly returned to his work.

It hadn't escaped Raito either. L was secretive, that he knew, but not even bothering to cover up annoyed him. He didn't even bother to give plausible lies anymore, and that wounded Raito's ego. He was underestimating him- again. The sugar-freak was mocking him, and Raito accepted that challenge, indeed; he would not disappoint. He let his eyes roam back to the computer screen and he begun to absentmindedly scroll through the documents. Not like it was going to give the taskforce answers anyway. He was the only one who really knew where to look. Raito was finding everyday more and more amusing, how much they tried to gain clues as to who the real Kira was. And the only one who really knew couldn't prove it.

The prodigy wasn't all too worried about L talking with Rem away from prying eyes and ears, too. She knew what was at sake. The Shinigami wouldn't do anything reckless to endanger Misa or his life. If he died, she died; that's all there was to it. The girl couldn't survive without him by her side, that he was sure of. If it was one thing Raito had faith in- besides his own abilities- it was Misa's loyalty and devotion.

"Light's deficient dose of humanity was like an extra bonus." Ahh, I crack myself up. I always love writing in Ryuuk. He's so quirky and all about Ryuuk.

Hope you had fun reading!
And just a tiny announcement: the first few chapters of this story are going to go through major editing (the POV's are all over the place, and I got something factually wrong). I'll include a note, in a later chapter, notifying when I've uploaded them, and you can go back and read them again or not.

Thanks for sticking around!

Until next time,
~WAC