Disclaimer: I do not own Death Note nor any of the characters contained therein.
Summary: L knew there was a 2nd Death Note. Higuchi died & L set a plan in motion, watching Misa, meeting Ryuk, trying to defeat Kira. Slight AU/AR; rated T for language and nudity; peripheral pairing; spoilers through end of series.
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Turn of the 8th Day
Chapter 14: Inopportunity
Unconscious Entertainment
Humans – what won't they do to each other? Ryuk sat musing, his large frame impossibly perched like a giant crow on the windowsill. He had no idea why some blonde chick in black had decided to perform surgery on Misa in the middle of the night. He wondered who had sent the woman – Was it L? Or Light? – or if she was working alone. It was all very intriguing.
Misa had been disappointed the preceding night when Ryuk had returned to say he'd gotten no response from any shinigami, but she hadn't seemed surprised. Even more disappointing to him, she had seemed less inclined to fight. Ryuk preferred it when she was feisty and easily provoked – which she was, most of the time. Of course, Ryuk's tendency to needle her may have brought about some changes in her behavior, resulting in her being petulant more often and lapsing into sullen silences from time to time. I guess she likes a shinigami who tells her what she wants to hear, Ryuk thought, but picking on her is the only fun I get around here. Ryuk supposed that if he plucked too many apples off the tree, he'd have to wait longer for more. He just hated waiting.
"C'mon Misa, wake up! Aren't you late for something?" In truth, Ryuk had no clue what was on her schedule, and he really didn't care, but sitting sentinel over her prone form was getting old.
"Misa!" Ryuk threw a one-eyed armless doll at her, watching as it bounced off her hip. "I know you're not dead – I can see your lifeline! Get up already! I'll make you regret it if you sleep past lunch! We're almost out of apples!"
A muffled moan rose from the spot where her face was pressed into her pillow, and Misa's hand waved vaguely before flopping back onto the bed like a wilted flower thrown to ground. What the hell did that chick drug Misa with? Ryuk wondered. Looking over his shoulder into the sunlight, Ryuk considered flying out and around for awhile, catching air and people watching a bit, or possibly calling up to Midora again. Not that she was any more likely to answer now than she had been last night, but it would give something for Ryuk to do since Misa had no video games.
Sharp rapping on Misa's door jerked Ryuk out of his thoughts. "It's about time!" Ryuk flew across the room and poked his head through the door, but was disappointed to see a man he hadn't met. He waved a hand in the man's face. No reaction. The man then reached through him to use the door knocker again. Guess this loser can't see me, Ryuk thought, pulling back into the apartment.
"Hey, Misa! Misa! There's a guy at the door. C'mon – get up or I'll poke you!" Ryuk floated above her.
Misa flung an arm in Ryuk's direction as though she was swatting an enormous fly. Ryuk phased, and her arm went through him as he chortled.
"Ms. Amane! Please open the door. We've been trying to contact you all morning. You're late for your interview with 18 Magazine!"
This seemed to rouse Misa somewhat, as she pulled herself to a slumping seated position and weakly called out "Wait!" Misa touched her face and cracked open an eye. "I haven't even showered yet . . . I can't go . . ." she mumbled to herself. Slapping her own face twice, she took a deep breath and shouted "We'll have to reschedule!"
Misa rubbed her eyes and swung her legs out from under the covers to dangle off the edge of the bed, looking as though she would have been more comfortable in pink footie pajamas rather than the black lace negligee she was wearing. A strap had fallen down one shoulder, leaving the filmy material precariously clinging to her right breast. Ryuk knew that normally she'd have moved the strap back in place and yelled at him for supposedly ogling her, but she seemed not to notice.
"Ms. Amane, please let me in. Yoshida Productions sent me! I can help you get ready – there's still time if we hurry!"
"Ugh – OK, OK . . ." Misa pushed off the bed and stood, wavering for a moment before stumbling toward the door.
Ryuk looked on in amazement. This guy's about to get an eyeful, he thought. Heedless of her state of undress, Misa yanked open the door, holding onto the doorframe for support.
The man's eyes bulged as he stepped into the room. "M-Ms. Amane . . . here, let me, uh . . ." He fumbled with his words as he grabbed Misa's arm and closed the door behind him. "Here, uh . . . maybe you wanna put some different clothes on, or . . ." He didn't seem to know what to do, but managed to guide Misa to the loveseat. She sat down with a faint thump, her disheveled blonde hair forming a misshapen halo as the right side of her negligee finally gave way.
"Uh . . ." The man stared, his mouth hanging open, mustache quivering like a dying caterpillar.
"Misa is sooo tired . . ." Misa's words trailed off into a sigh as she fell to one side and curled in on herself, eyes already closing again.
The man continued to stare and Ryuk wondered what he would do, though he had a pretty good idea based on where the man's eyes were fixed. Ryuk also wondered if L was watching all of this.
"Maybe just . . . a little . . ." The man crouched slightly, reaching out toward Misa, but before he touched her, his cellphone rang. "Shit!" he yelped, looking around guiltily to Ryuk's amusement. He put his phone to his ear.
"What? Huh? No no no – she never came down, so I had to go up. No, it's fine, the ID worked. Yeah, she's here. No, she didn't recognize me, it's just . . . she's really out of it. No, I didn't even get the chance. How should I know? Heh, you wouldn't believe it, she just – what?" The man reared back, the curtains of shoulder-length hair swinging, and Ryuk could hear a voice yelling through the phone. "Hey! It's not my fault we're late! She didn't –"
The man stopped again, eyebrows clashing together like two locomotives. "Yes sir. Yes – I know we're on a schedule. Yeah. Got it. I – hey! I got it, alright? I'll be outta here soon, I just have to put some clothes on her." The man sighed and then turned red. "No I didn't! What the hell do you take me for, some kind of –" The man gritted his teeth. "You know what? Fuck you." He shoved his phone in his pocket and glared at Misa, who was somehow still asleep despite his tirade. "Great." Stomping through the apartment, the man eventually returned with a plainer-looking dress than Ryuk had ever seen Misa wear and a pair of sandals.
"Guess we're going on a little field trip," Ryuk said, knowing that the man wouldn't hear him. He watched him set the clothes down and pull a small bottle and a white cloth from his jacket pocket.
"Just to make sure . . ." the man murmured, dousing the cloth with liquid from the bottle and pressing the cloth over Misa's nose and mouth. Misa squirmed slightly and then became still again. The man pocketed the items before struggling to get Misa's wobbly form into the dress he'd picked out. As he cursed and proceed to drop her on the floor, Ryuk found himself shaking with laughter.
Ryuk turned toward where he knew the camera was. "Hey buddy, I dunno if you're behind this, but even if you're not, I gotta say thanks for the entertainment!" Turning back to watch the man struggle with Misa's limp form, Ryuk thought If this guy wasn't such an idiot, he would've kept playing his role and maybe got Misa to help get herself dressed. Ryuk chuckled. Then again, where's the fun in that?
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Cryptic Nuptial
Soft, irregular beeping joined the quiet chorus of tapping and shuffling, and the tapping suddenly stopped.
"Light, calling them now will likely not net you any new information. In fact, you may interrupt something important if they have left their phones on." L speared another slice of mango and swallowed it, slurping. "There'sss still plenty of work to do here."
Light snapped his phone shut, saying nothing. Mogi watched Light walk with a barely controlled stomp back over to his chair. He wondered what the Chief and Matsuda were up to as well, since it had been over an hour since he'd gotten a text from Matsuda. Mogi felt it paid to be patient, however, so he was willing to wait.
Progress on documenting deaths and disappearances was going much more smoothly now that both L and Light were working on it. Mogi had been surprised when L had told him that he was still in charge of this part of the investigation. "I trust you to keep all of this information in order and accurate," L had told him; "Light and I will merely be assisting you." The idea of L being anyone's assistant, let alone his, was very strange to Mogi, but it made him want to work that much harder.
"I'm still not sure how this guy connects to anything," Light piped up, staring at the photo on his monitor – a man with short brown hair and European features stared back. "He's in the US Army, but his deployment ended weeks ago. For all we know, he could be involved with drugs, or –"
"Or he could simply be taking a much-needed vacation before shipping home. Not everything has a bleak explanation, Light." L continued to slurp down his mango with sticky rice.
"Who takes a vacation in a warehouse?" Light snickered derisively. "I'm just saying we can't automatically assume he's a kidnapper just because he dropped a food wrapper there. Maybe he's just some loser . . ."
"Mm – see, this is why Watari is investigating him. Watari has connections within the military whom he can trust to give him answers, on or off the record. If this man is 'some loser' as you say, we'll find out soon enough. Though I would hardly call a kidnapper a 'winner,' for that matter, if indeed he is one of them . . ."
Mogi kept quiet, listening as always. He found himself missing Matsuda's presence, if only for the cheer he seemed to exude. Matsuda will be plenty cheerful when he gets back and we're done compiling the data already, Mogi thought. A smile brushed his lips as Mogi focused once more on his task.
"Ryuzaki. I have unfortunate news."
L blinked once. "What is it, Watari?"
"Well, a number of our supplies didn't arrive when someone else's shipment of Perrier-Jouet was re-routed, so I'm having to re-order some things."
Mogi peeked over at L and was surprised to see his eyes wider than usual, holding his fork as though he had forgotten it.
". . . Are you able to determine where the shipment is headed?" L asked, his voice even.
"Yes, but I am afraid it is out of my hands." After a pause, Watari said, "Do not worry, Ryuzaki. We will not run out of sugar."
Mogi thought L seemed to relax a bit at that, but noticed Light staring intently at L through lowered lashes. What did he see that I missed? Mogi wondered. Or was it something else . . .
"I wonder if someone is having an impromptu wedding." L placed the fork in his mouth reflexively, though there was nothing on it.
"Indeed," Watari replied, "I had that very thought."
"Perhaps our supplies should be sent by airplane instead of boat next time." L sounded resigned.
"Agreed. I'll let you get back to work."
"Thank you, Watari."
Mogi preferred silence, but this one seemed to stretch awkwardly. He tried to stay focused on his work but found his eye drawn across the room to Light, who seemed unusually still.
"Ryuzaki . . . what the hell was that all about?" If Light had intended for his words to sound light-hearted, he had not quite succeeded.
"Hm . . . ?" L absently put the last of the mango in his mouth, eyes fixed on the screen before him.
"You seemed awfully concerned about a bunch of supplies – that's not like you. Plus, what is it about you and weddings?"
L stopped chewing and swallowed, Light's eyes on him. "There were some special pastries among the supplies that I was very much looking forward to having. Watari was simply keeping me informed. And . . . weddings, Light?" L cocked an eyebrow, staring at Light.
"Yeah – you talked about wedding bells yesterday, and now you're wondering if a bunch of champagne is for a wedding?" Light's derision seemed to hold an accusation, though Mogi couldn't fathom why any more than he could remember L mentioning wedding bells, of all things.
"Ah. Yes, it is a strange thing for me to be thinking about." L looked down at his empty plate and placed his fork on it with a hollow clatter. "I suppose I have come to the realization that I will never marry. Not that that comes as a surprise – I had never really dwelled on it before. Given my line of work . . . I don't really get out much, so even meeting people is rare enough. It had never occurred to me to regret this before."
Mogi no longer attempted to disguise the fact that he was listening.
Light's eyes narrowed. "But you regret it now?"
"Hm." L moved the fork on his empty plate so that the tines were facing him. "I regret that I will never truly know if there is something to regret in all the things I am missing out on." L faced Light. "But I regret nothing else."
"Even your mistakes?"
"Especially not those."
Mogi wondered how long the staring contest would go on. There were things he wanted to ask, but he did not want to break the renewed silence, however strained it might be. He turned away and entered more of the information they'd gathered into his database, looking forward to using the sorting parameters to discern patterns in the deaths. As the shuffling and soft tapping resumed across the room, Mogi knew that moment was coming, the one where everything would fall into place. He wanted to be ready for it.
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Life of Leisure
He felt his phone buzzing in his pocket and was glad the call hadn't come a few minutes earlier – it might not have soured the deal he'd just made, but anything was possible. Also, he hated missing calls. If opportunity chopped a tree down in the forest and you weren't there to hear it, would you still make a buck? Chuckling to himself as he rode the elevator down, he flipped his phone open.
"Maxwell Smart here, at your service." After a long moment, he laughed boisterously. "Nice! Does anyone else get to see your humorous side?" He listened, donning his sunglasses with his other hand in one smooth motion. "Ha – yeah, that makes sense. So what's on the docket?"
The elevator doors slid open onto an expansive lobby with marble floors and columns, chrome and crystal glinting around him as he stepped out, cell still pressed to his ear. "Uh huh. Yeah . . ." A woman behind the crescent-shaped front desk smiled at him, and he smiled back easily, not breaking his stride. "I could be available . . . although really, how could I say no?"
The sun flashed off the glass of the revolving door as he passed through it, light strobing over him and his reflections until he emerged. "Wait – what?" He walked briskly along the sidewalk, the muted flapping of the door fading behind him as other street noises crowded in. "Can you tell me what's in it?"
He saw his ride approaching and waved him off. One circle around the block should be enough to finish this, he thought. "Right. Well, what do you need me to do?"
Stepping back out of the crowd, he leaned against a building wall, looking for all the world as if he belonged there. "Uh huh . . . yeah . . . OK, got it. I can head there now." He looked around, relaxed. "Don't worry – I'll keep a low profile, and I won't initiate anything until I hear back from you. Sure thing."
Pretending to examine his nails as he listened, he looked toward the corner, where he knew his car would appear again. "Is there anything else I need to know?" After a moment, his face fell into a knowing smirk. "Heh, yeah, that sounds like him. No problem. I'll talk to you soon."
Flipping his phone closed again, Aiber dropped it in his pocket, still smiling. He'd never have had this thought years ago, but being caught by L was one of the best things that had ever happened to him. There were things he couldn't do, certainly, but they were far outweighed by the things he could do now. It was the best steady job he'd never intentionally applied for, and he felt that his family was much safer now, despite the dangers he sometimes faced. Aiber stretched, watching people go by. It was unlikely that this next task would net him the kind of money that the previous few had, but "You never know," he said aloud as his car came around again.
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Author's Note: Hmm, I apparently have a gift for putting characters in undignified and uncomfortable situations. This might make me a terrible person . . . O_o But yay, Aiber's in the picture now – he's a cocky bastard, and therefore fun to write. I feel like he'd have an interesting rapport with Watari, like maybe he's the only guy Watari could tell dirty jokes to or something. Also, I don't think I realized how much I like Mogi until I started writing this. He's a stoic sort, but they say still waters run deep . . . not sure I can work any scenes of him dropping a strawberry into his pocket without it seeming forced, though. Love that bit from the anime!
Shout-out and thank you to Sashocirrione for the reviews and the summary revision idea! I mentioned the Namikawa/Mido thing at the top of Chapter 1, as you suggested, in case there are folks interested in that. I guess I could have put it in the story summary as well, but it isn't really prominent enough in this fic for that. Thank you to all my reviewers! And my sneaky silent readers as well. ^_^