"Here us out," I requested to Mello and Matt. Clenched fist, Mello growled, but said nothing. Hollow, Cinder, Beyond, and I were standing by the door. The two Wammy's boys were standing on the other side of the couch, by the window.
"Beyond Birthday is our friend," Hollow explained slowly. "He's L's friend too."
"L is the world's best detective," Mello's eyes swept over the four of us. "He doesn't need friends."
"Well," Cinder growled, "like it or not, he does. Now will you please explain who you are and what you're doing here?" I'd forgotten her and Beyond were making out in the hallway so neither of them knew who Matt and Mello were.
"I'm Matt," the gamer explained, puffing out cigarette smoke. He lightly nudged the blonde grump next to him. "This is Mello. He's an a** sometimes."
"Shut up," Mello snapped at Matt. Scowling at Cinder he asked, "Who are you anyway?"
"This is Cinder," explained Hollow, stepping beside her. "I'm Hollow and, well, you apparently know the other two," meaning Beyond and me.
"Yep," Mello said, finishing off the last of his chocolate bar. "Where's L? We need to speak with him."
"He's out right now," I said, moving past everyone and into the kitchen. "Won't expect him back for awhile." In the kitchen I put away the five jars of jam for Beyond and returned to the gathered.
Matt and Mello were lounging on the couch, playing video games and eating even more chocolate. Hollow, Beyond, and Cinder were perched in chairs, solemnly observing the two boys.
"This… is so boring," commented Mello, a bored expression filling his face.
"Not our fault," I muttered. Mello glared angrily at me.
"What's that suppose to mean?" he asked.
"Well," I started, shifting in the chair. "We were gonna chill out and have some drinks, but someone drank all our vodka." Folding my arms, I returned Mello's glare.
"Yeah," Cinder agreed with annoyance, narrowing her eyes at Matt. "You guys owe us $20." Kicking her legs against the bottom of the chair, she held her glare at the two boys.
L didn't return until later that night. He explained that Mr. Yagami suffered a heart attack and is currently in the hospital. "Could it have been Kira?" wondered Cinder.
L, who was perched on his chair sipping tea, shook his head slightly the same time I did. "Kira aims to kill his victims. If Mr. Yagami was a casualty of Kira then he would be dead by now." L's eyes darted to the two boys sitting on the couch. Matt gave a blissful grin while Mello displayed a cocky smirk. "And why are you two here?"
Straightening his back, Mello stared L in the eyes. "We think we could lend our services in the Kira case. If you'd be allowing, of course."
L's face was blank as he replied. "Seeing as though you are already here, I won't ask how, then I suppose it's alright." Dropping his head to the tea in his cup, his eyes had a distant look in them.
Jumping up from the couch, Matt and Mello smirked with pride. "So, where are we staying?"
"You two can stay with Hollow, Beyond, and Cinder across the hall."
(Very long time skip due to my laziness. Besides, nothing fun would've happened in that time anyway. The six Wammy kids, along with L, are still working on the Kira case. Light is in on it now too.)
"We got a message from the second Kira!" hollard Mello from the main room. Moving away from the kitchen counter, I rushed into the room and jumped into the chair beside L. Everyone else gathered beside us and stared at the screen.
"Kira, thank you for your reply," the filtered voice from the laptop said. "Please do not worry. I will follow orders and do what you say."
"This second Kira is a follower," Beyond stated. "Just a copycat obsessed with the original."
"I really want to meet you. I don't think you have the eyes, but you don't have to worry, I will never try to kill you." The eyes? Huh…? "That's a promise."
"What's this having 'the eyes' supposed to mean?" Aizawa wondered aloud. "Is it a code?" A code? How could they arrange a code? I highly doubt they've already met each other.
Beside me, I saw L tense up. No, like seriously start shaking, eyes going wide. "Please tell me how I can meet you without the police knowing. You'll think of something. When we meet, we can confirm our identities by showing our Shinigami to each other."
Most of us yelled, "Shinigami?!" the same time L gasped. Well, first he gasped. Then, he threw his arms up in the air and screamed like a banshee, falling over on the ground along with his chair.
Matsuda, Aizawa, Hollow, and Cinder ran over and knelt by him. "Sh-Shinigami?" he asked wearily, eyes wide with fear. "Am I supposed to believe that Shinigami actually exist?"
While all of this was going on, Beyond and I were motionless, staring at the laptop screen. "SHH!" I shouted. Everyone except Beyond stared wildly at me. "I'm trying to listen!"
I actually tried listening, but everyone just started whole other conversation so it was pretty hard to pay attention. In the end, I paused the video and bit my thumbnail in thought.
Could Shinigami really exist? The only thing I know about them is that they're called gods of death or whatever. Maybe I didn't believe in different gods, but I certainly believed in demons, spirits.
Supernatural things… Supernatural… Dealing with the supernatural… Those books! Jerking into reality, I whipped my head around to jump into the face of Beyond. "Those books!" we said simultaneously.
Everyone turned their heads and stared at us. "What are you two talking about?" asked Cinder, irritated.
Ignoring her question, I took off to my room and grabbed my phone off the dresser. Dialing the number, I listened to the ringing. "Hello?" asked the old man.
"Roger?!" I answered with a mix of enthusiasm and wonder.
"Y-yes? Winter? Is that you?" The old man's voice grew anxious.
"Yes!" I cheered. Growing serious I cleared my throat. "Upstairs in the attic. Those boxes of books. Do you remember them?"
"Of course, they've been up there since Wammy's first started. Why?"
"Roger," I commanded, "I need you to send me a couple. Pick the ones with the most supernatural, spiritual type genre. OK?"
I heard some shuffling before he finally answered. "Of course, I'll do it for you. I missed you running around the halls of the orphanage, plotting and hatching schemes. Haven't heard from any of you for awhile. Are you all alright?"
"We're fine Roger," I told him assuringly. "Every single one of us, including Matt and Mello."
"Wha-?" He sounded startled. "That's where they ran off to? Why I ought to-"
"Hey, go easy on them," I said softly. "They aren't horrible kids."
Sighing, Roger chuckled. "Hopefully you've been some sort of an influence on them."
"Oh, I wouldn't say that…" Laughing, I sighed. "I'd better go. Oh, and I'll send you the address to mail the boxes, but it won't be my exact location. It was nice talking to you again Roger."
"Likewise my dear Winter." I was close to ending the call when I heard him add something. "Oh, and Winter..."
"Yes Roger?"
"Please be careful. I know many people who have gone searching for things they never should find. Just... Expect the unexpected. You never know what you could be dealing with."
Clearing my throat, I forced a nervous laugh. "I will, and thanks for the advice."
"Anytime," he replied.
Then, we hung up.
2 days later
"Just stack them in my room," I ordered Hollow and Matt as they lifted the heavy boxes into the hotel room. Roger had sent three boxes of those creepy books, compacted to the point where the boxes almost popped open.
As I ripped open the cardboard flaps on the floor beside my bed, I sighed. By the count of the books, it seemed like it would take me forever to go through them all.
Beyond lingered in the doorway. "I'm bored…" he trailed off. Giving me puppy eyes, he whimpered. Earlier I'd informed everyone I'd be doing it alone.
"Fine," I huffed, sifting through the first row of books. "Hurry up." Joining me on the floor, Beyond and I searched through two boxes within an hour and a half. And found nothing.
"Gah! They're mostly about spells and rituals." Opening the final box, I squinted. It only held a single book, but don't get the wrong idea; this book was huge! It took up almost all the capacity in the box.
"Whoa," murmured Beyond, brushing his fingers over the dusty cover. The title of the book was "Ghosts, Spirits, & More". Taking it out, Beyond laid it into my lap. "You open it," he urged.
Flipping it open, I gave a hard cough. Dust particles blew in my face as I wiped the surface of the first page. The deeper I read, the more interesting it got. The book told of many different theories of ghosts and spirits, which most I didn't believe.
Beyond gave a sharp gasp. "What's this…?" He reached out and touched the top of pages, his finger landing on a page ahead of where I was at. Flipping the stack of pages over, he opened to a certain page.
"A bookmark?" I wondered aloud, picking up the plastic piece with a long thread tied at the top. There was a single letter on the bookmark. "A?" Did that mean…
"Was A reading this before he died?" Beyond wondered for me. Grabbing it, he investigated. "What was he reading?" We looked down at the page and gasped.
This was it…
"Shinigami?" The entire page, and another after it, was filled with, real or fake, information about the supernatural gods of death. "Is this real?"
Beyond shook his head and stood up fiercely. "Don't be stupid Winter," he snapped, walking towards the door. "Stupid," he muttered, exiting the room quickly. Jeesh, what's his problem?
Staring between the bookmark and page, I frowned. There was a mystery here, but I just couldn't put my finger on it yet… It's here though. Why else would A's bookmark be in the section of the Shinigami?
Reading further, I found the answer I'd been needing. Shinigami are rumored to live in places called Shinigami Realms. They had a specific power, something highly dangerous and supernatural, but it was never specified. There's a good chance this book isn't real, but then again…
What did I know? Nothing. I needed more research.
So, after a long scour on the internet, all the websites reported the same thing as the book. Coincidence or not? Usually things that are fake are told in multiple ways.
I decided to take a walk to absorb all the information. Exiting my room, I saw everyone, but Beyond, gathered in the main hotel room. "I'm going on a walk," I announced.
L shifted in his chair with an uneasy motion. "Would you like me to accompany you?"
Shaking my head, I pulled out my black overcoat from the closet and slipped it on. "Nah, I'm good." Giving him a kiss on the cheek, I opened the door. "I'll be back soon Panda," I said, giving him a wink.
Mello and Hollow gagged.
L smiled. "Alright, Wonderland."
The chilly wind blew sharply in my face for a second, then died down. Clouds covered the sky, a gloomy sense filled the streets of Tokyo. In the pit of my stomach, I felt it churn uneasily.
Why do I have such a bad feeling? Eh, maybe I'm just hungry.
I didn't see it coming. No one would! The sharp pain in my arm startled me as the cold hand clamped over my face. I blacked out before I was able to see the face of my kidnapper.
I woke to a bright light. Soon I realized it was just the sun of morning illuminating the room I was in. Tied to a chair, I struggled to look around me. A bed. A dresser. A closet… I was in a hotel room.
Was this L's hotel room? I highly doubt that, but where was I?
As the door creaked open, I thought I'd soon find my answer. As the man trudged through the room, I noticed the faint lines under his eyes. Unlike L's, they looked like they weren't there his whole life.
Something about the man's hair was familiar. His eyes… ! Holy… freaking… no, it wasn't real!
"Hello Winter… How have you been?" His voice was soft, but unwelcoming and cautious. No no no no no….
"What?" I murmured unbelievingly. "This can't be… It's impossible!" All the man did was smile. Not evilly, but warmly. Like he was waiting for me for awhile. I certainly wasn't expecting him.
"Oh, so you do recognize me?"
I nodded. "You're-"
...To be continued...