A/N: Oh em gee...I wrote this chap at the beginning of the summa and never got around to uploading it T.T I indeed am pathetic...ANYWAYYYY! I really do hope this chap will be okay with you guys. Plz dun hate me T_T
Disclaimer: I do not own the Death Note series or characters.
She Remembered
Chapter25
Jasmine woke up the next day feeling very hazy. There was like a mist floating around her head, obscuring her vision and thoughts. She yawned widely, listening to the bedsheets shuffle around her, and rubbed the sleep from her eyes. Only when she paused and combed her hair with her fingers did she remember what happened the night before. At this, she blushed.
It was strange to think L had managed to reach through to her like that. She never imagined he would have the bravery to pull it off. Even so, she knew she shouldn't underestimate him. When he wanted to do something, he would do it. Even if it did mean using drugs on Light to come and see her, even if it did mean he wanted to touch her skin and push her against a wall... What did he want to do?... He had been so reckless that night.
Oh no, thought Jasmine, her stomach filled with butterflies. She stopped herself from thinking. Quickly, she brushed her teeth, took a shower, got dressed and rushed downstairs. In the main computor room, everyone was already present. They were currently watching the Yotsuba men discuss which company to kill next in order for Yotsuba to rise in the charts. Thanks to Weddy, their meetings were no longer secret. Jasmine had to admit, she didn't like the ideas of having criminals inside the Task Force. After all, couldn't they steal valuable information from Headquarters too? Then again, L would probably arrest them immediately if they were to do anything of the sort.
So the question was: How were they going to prove that Yotsuba was behind all this?
As if hearing her thoughts, Chief Yagami spoke to L, "Ryuzaki, with this footage and Matsuda's testimony, we can use this evidence to lock these men in jail."
"I understand how you see this situation," said L. "However...we have not deducted whether Kira is controlling these men, or if Kira really is in this meeting right now. If we were to put them in jail, Kira can quickly switch to a different victim to control."
"But what if one of these men is Kira? We have a 50% chance of catching him at last!"
"But we also have a 50% chance of missing Kira," said Jasmine, supporting L. "If Kira is just controlling the Yotsuba group, and we detain these men, Kira can simply kill them off. All the work we've done in the past would be of no use."
"Exactly my point," said L, putting a full stop to the discussion.
They continued to observe the meeting. One of the men, a bald man with dark glasses, seemed to be cracking under the pressure of having Coil investigate L. The Task Force already knew L was Coil, as well as the other greatest detective in the world. The point of having Aiber pretend to be Coil is to gain their trust. That day, however, Chief Yagami seemed to be quite rebellious. "So what are we going to do, Ryuzaki?"
"We wait," he replied simply. "We wait and see what happens after they kill another victim. Maybe then I will be able to point a finger on who is Kira."
"You can't just let innocent people get killed like that!" exclaimed Matsuda, a shocked look spreading on his face.
"What other choice do we have?" asked L quietly.
Jasmine watched Light for a reaction. Light didn't seem to be affected by the night before; in fact, he was currently deep in thought, staring at the large monitor, holding his chin with a delicate hand. He shifted in his chair and caught Jasmine watching him. He nodded, as if to acknowledge her, then turned to L and said, "Ryuzaki, if I was to contact one of these men right now, it would give me a one out of eight chance of contacting Kira, right?"
"Only if Kira is part of this meeting and not controlling them," said L.
"But why would Kira control the Yotsuba company? It doesn't really fit in with what the first Kira did," argued Light.
L paused. "True," he said at last. "What are you planning to do?"
Light stood up. "I'm going to pretend to be you, Ryuzaki, and tell them that we're watching their every move."
"What do you hope to achieve by doing so?" asked Jasmine.
He faced her with a determined look, and for a second Jasmine thought L must be crazy to suspect Light as Kira. There was justice and righteousness written all over his face. "I'm going to stop them from killing any more innocent people, for the time being. I can't stand doing nothing while people plot to take away others' lives."
"Who are you going to contact?" asked L.
Light gestured at the screen. "Reiji Namikawa. He seems to have the most authority, and he definitely has that Kira quality to him."
L nodded. "Very well, you may proceed. However," he said, pointing to a complex-looking telephone. "Please use that device. It will ensure your safety and keep you anonymous."
Light phoned the man. "This is L. Do not react to this message."
Reiji Namikawa apparently was very good at hiding his emotions. Calmly, he asked politely, "How may I help you?" as if Light was just another client.
"I know you have appointed Coil to find out my name. I have already infiltrated your building. Even as we speak I am watching the meeting of eight Yotsuba members."
"Yes, go on."
"As you know, I can hand you over to the police in an instant. However, that is not my intention. Here is what I want of you. Give Coil another month to work out my name. Tell this idea to the other Yotsuba members, explaining it would give you time to see if Coil really is who he claims to be. After one month, if Coil is unsuccessful, say you may continue to proceed with your killings. Do I make myself clear?"
"Very well, I'll see you on Monday then," said Namikawa, and he hung up.
L swiveled around in his chair. "Very good, Light. That was a most brilliant performance."
Light ignored this. He turned to his fellow colleagues. "Guys, we have one month to catch Kira. This is our chance! Let's do all we can to stop this murderer."
Chief Yagami and Matsuda nodded their approval. Jasmine stayed silent, knowing secretly that L was about to object to this seemingly perfect plot. As she predicted, L made a startling announcement. "Gentlemen," he said, a term Jasmine never quite heard him use before. "I would like to thank you for your contribution to the Kira case. But from now on, seeing the circumstances, I shall continue this investigation on my own."
"What?" exclaimed Matsuda, staring at the detective.
"You heard me. I am going to continue investigating Kira on my own. Of course, you are free to use the Headquarters building as you wish to conduct your own experiments. I, however, will be working alone from now on." He stood up and made his way to the stairs, dragging Light behind him. "Oh," he turned to face the student. "I almost forgot. Perhaps I won't be alone after all; Light will still be chained to me for the time being."
With that, he dragged a begrudged Light up the glass staircases, disappearing from view. Misa's name drifted from their conversation.
Startled, Chief Yagami rubbed his temples. He looked tired. "What...what was that supposed to mean?"
Jasmine sighed. "I'll go talk to him. Maybe he'll change his mind about working alone." She walked up the stairs two at a time, hoping to catch L before he could get too far. But when she arrived at the lifts, there was no one there. Remembering hearing Misa's name being mentioned before the two men left, Jasmine entered the elevator's lift and went to Misa's floor. Stepping past the doors, she arrived at Misa's room. Indeed, she could hear L talking from within. She opened the door and stopped in her tracks. L was leaning over Misa on the couch, Light watching from behind with no choice. From her point of view, it looked as if L was pressing Misa against the soft material of the sofa. He was actually asking her who she believed more in: Light or Kira.
Please don't tell me I'm becoming a pervert, thought Jasmine, shaking her head. Silently, she closed the door behind her and walked towards the trio.
L was saying, "And what would you do if you found out Light was Kira?"
Misa's eyes blazed. "If Light was Kira, I'd do anything I possibly can to help him!" She took refuge behind Light's arm again, springing up from the couch.
"But Light is working against Kira," said L flatly. "Who do you support?"
"L, that's not fair," said Light, narrowing his eyes. Clearly, he could see L was cornering Misa with no way out.
But Misa was playing along fine. "Well, I love Kira, but I love Light even more! I'd help Light catch Kira, even if Kira was the one who punished the criminals that killed my parents! I can't imagine a world without Light!"
"Yes," mumbled L. "That would be quite dark." He turned away from the couple and spotted Jasmine. He smiled lightly at her, and Jasmine smiled back. Then L returned to his suspects and raised a finger. "So which is it? Light or Kira?"
Misa punched a confident fist into the air. "We help Light capture Kira!"
L nodded, satisfied. "Of course."
Light was now angry at L, to Jasmine's quiet amusement. He rounded on L, "You're not being fair to Misa! You're practically forcing her to work with us, then! Besides," he looked towards Misa. "It's too dangerous."
Misa's eyes were practically watering with pure joy. "Oh, Light! This means you do care for me!" She hugged him so tight Jasmine thought Light was going to suffocate.
L shook a bony finger at Light. "Light, you fail to see exactly how lucky you are to have Misa love you like this."
What's he saying this for? Gaining Misa's trust? It seemed a most likely answer.
Upon hearing L's words, she let go of Light and clasped her hands in front of her. "Wow, Ryuzaki! You actually understand how I feel for Light! You're not as weird and perverted as I thought you were!" She rushed towards L and flung her arms around his neck. Letting go, she gave him a small kiss on his cheek, then went back to Light.
L rubbed the spot on his cheek where Misa kissed him, a funny look on his face. "I could actually fall for you," he muttered.
"I already have a boyfriend, but we can still be friends!" said Misa jubilantly. She grabbed Light's hand, then L's, and started swinging them in a circle as if they were playing 'Ring Around the Roses'. Jasmine just stood from the sidelines, looking confused and...jealous? Was she jealous of Misa kissing L? Or was it what L said after Misa kissed him. After all, it was nothing but a small peck. Even so, L's eyes held a strange, dreamy look. Jasmine mentally shook her head. What the heck, he's just joking around with her, that's all. But the little voice kept nagging in the back of her head.
Suddenly, Misa stopped. She waved to Jasmine. "Hey Jas! We're friends too, right?"
"Er..." Before Jasmine could give a coherent answer, Misa had grabbed Jasmine's wrist and made her a part of the 'ring'. She held hands with L to complete the little game. He side glanced at her, and while Light and Misa weren't looking, gave her a roguish grin. She rolled her eyes at him, pretending to be annoyed, although it was hard to keep up a stern face when Misa's mood was somehow so infectious that day. Jasmine mentally shrugged and went with the flow.
A/N: Ahhhhh please forgive me! I hope I'll upload faster next time ^^'