Yo.
Dedicated to Sociially-Diisoriiented and System of a Down. Beta credit to Skylara.
Ja ne!
UK.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Tea
9 November 2004
Just like last time, Harry conjured a cool, damp cloth and wiped Ryuzaki's forehead tenderly.
As he waited for the detective to finish retching into the bin, he thought about his next move, his mind flickering between different scenarios that could and most likely would end up occurring over the next few days. The left pocket on his deep black jacket was filled with parchment and the right was heavy with Galleons, leaving Harry prepared to weasel his way around legalities and bribe anyone who stood in his way.
There was a bitter taste in his mouth at what he was about to do. It was the only inconsistency in the entire plan, because everything was all-but easy and simplistic, but this...this was almost too much, honestly. He was about to do what he swore to never do the moment Voldemort had fallen to that scarlet sunset, and it soured his blood.
"Go," he heard Ryuzaki's voice croak from beside him, and Harry sighed, grasping the periwinkle-coloured potion from the desk. He handed it to Ryuzaki, who took it with a small, almost unnoticeable groan. He didn't open it though, which didn't surprise Harry in the least, because headache potions were terribly bitter and even made Harry himself blanch.
"I'll be back," Harry whispered, kissing the heavy mass of black hair on the top of Ryuzaki's head. He stood up, gave one last fleeting glance to the love of his life, and then turned on his heel.
When the sensation of being squeezed through an unforgiving rubber tube ended, he took a deep breath and then glanced around at his surroundings. It was quite a bit different from the Ministry in London, but that was to be expected. Instead of dark colours, tapestries, stone, and golden statues composing the décor of the entire atrium, the Japanese had styled theirs rather traditionally and in good taste. There was a massive Japanese-styled garden in the centre of the main floor, with streamlined fireplaces and Apparation points in perfect symmetry. There were windows surrounding the entire ground floor of the building, showing the bustling Japanese crowds outside but not letting them see inside. In the building, it was fairly easy to see which wizards were foreign and otherwise, because every Eastern face had on Muggle attire and the Western faces had on the normal, customary robes (or so Harry had thought—Eastern wizards were so different).
Harry blinked at a Muggle family walking next to the window, laughing joyously while covering their mouths. It was actually quite surprising, to see that the Ministry was stationed in one of the purely magical high-risers in Tokyo's Shibuya district (there were more than most would expect in the more conservative England, although the number didn't even come close to New York's). The entire building was over thirty stories of pure magical government, at least five times bigger than England's complex in London, and Harry was surprised despite being mentally prepared already.
God, it was so modernised that it didn't seem real. There were even computers in a Wizarding building. Harry could hardly believe his eyes, considering that in the UK they still didn't want to acknowledge that Muggles even had televisions.
Harry sighed. Leave it to the Japanese to be technologically superior.
A few grumbles alerted Harry to the fact that he was still blocking the Apparation ward he had popped into, so he moved hastily to the front desk. Dark, slanted eyes followed him but no one called out if they recognised him, which made the entire process a bit easier to be honest—at least he didn't have to deal with a huge gaggle of people shrieking for his autograph like he did in Europe.
He reached the front desk and the Japanese wizard cocked his head. Harry took the hint and said in English, "I need to speak with your Minister immediately."
The Japanese man, probably under some sort-of language charm just like most greeters were, narrowed his eyes and said in English as well (although it was like a bad martial arts movie, with how his mouth moved with Japanese words but English came out), "The Minister is currently unavailable. You will have to make an appointment." As he spoke, he brushed out an invisible wrinkle from his Muggle slacks.
Harry sighed and said softly, "I simply have to speak to him at this very moment. What I have to say is terribly important, and please do not force me to be a pompous prick in response to your disagreement."
For a long moment, the man didn't say a word, just staring at him, but then he said, "I will phone someone to speak to you. Your name will go a long way, Potter-san, but I doubt you'll get more than the Undersecretary. Our Minister is very busy."
Harry couldn't help himself as he said, "Phones too? Why can't the rest of the Wizarding world do that? I've been trying to get them to use those. It'd be so much simpler than using paper aeroplanes and owls."
The Japanese man's eyes twitched and he replied, "It's because most of our community are still deluded by the fact that magic is superior to Muggle technology, which is a huge mistake. Muggles have nuclear bombs and super-viruses now—it would be unwise to underestimate them, and very wise to assimilate ourselves to their knowledge."
Harry grinned, and the wizard pulled out a flashy cell phone, talking in Japanese to a woman by the name of Izanami. As he listened, he felt a tug on his black jacket, and he glanced down in surprise to see a young boy with shaggy black hair and bright brown eyes smiling up at him.
"Hi!" he said in chipper Japanese, and grinned back at his mother once before continuing, "My mama said that you saved us from a bad guy."
Harry felt a small smile creep up on his lips and he crouched down to the little boy's height, ruffling his hair. In Japanese as well, he responded, "Well, I had a lot of help, young one. I'm just happy we could stop him before he could scare you over here. You're nice and safe from him now, so it's okay."
"Are you going to get rid of our bad guy?" the kid asked, his eyes as wide as they could go and his tiny teeth shining in the November light streaming through the open windows. "He's hurting lots of people, and that's not very nice."
Harry practically felt his heart break as he stared into those hopeful eyes. As he tried to conjure up a statement to say to such an innocent kid, his mind flittered between thoughts that only hurt more. As he replied to the boy, "Of course I am, because bad people need to be brought to justice," he found himself melancholic at the memory of Ginny and what she could've given him. Perhaps if she had lived, they would've had children, tiny little things that were a part of both of them running around. Perhaps they could've had two of them, maybe three, and been a happy family filled with love and stability and adorable little miracles causing chaos in their home, like all good children did.
Harry couldn't imagine what that would feel like, and it was all-but torture trying, so he forced himself to break away from that train of thought. The thought of kids would do nothing but make him morose, and so he ruffled the boy's hair once again and then stood up, gesturing towards his mother with that same small smile.
Then, he turned to the greeter, who was still on the phone, and said in English, "Tell Izanami-san that if she can get me to see the Minister in the next hour, I'll donate five thousand Galleons to this facility."
Funny how bribing the government was quicker than going through proper channels despite the country. Some things just never change, Harry thought as he was bustled almost immediately to the lifts. Now I know why Lucius Malfoy just opted to throw gold around like candy to get his way; it's easier doing that than waiting for ages for the same thing.
At least Harry didn't have an ulterior motive.
Well, for the most part, anyway.
The Invisibility Cloak was like silk through his long, thin fingers.
L Lawliet continuously ran it against his hands almost absently, his huge eyes staring endlessly at the doorway of Harry's suite. His mind was rushing-rushing-rushing now that he wasn't distracted by Harry's presence beside him, trying to find any and every fault in Harry's plan and finding so many that it made his brain hurt. The amount of things that could go wrong were so immense that even L wouldn't have attempted it on his own, but he knew that with Harry at the lead of the investigation now, the chances of success increased.
He wasn't making any sense even to himself. There was a good fourteen per-cent chance that his plan would fail, and that was just too...
L stopped stroking the fabric. The chance of his existence being proclaimed was minuscule at best. Perhaps half a per-cent at the most. He was dead to these people, even Raito, and he found it highly unlikely that that would change. The case would end, and the rest of them would continue to think that L was Harry, which was the best outcome.
He was going in circles now. He knew that, like he knew the lines in his hands, and constantly repeating it to himself was a waste of his brain capacity. But he also knew that there was a bigger chance of Harry dying. What that damnable man was planning was dangerous and foolish, and if there had been any other way that was as foolproof as this one, L would've taken it in a heartbeat.
He thought about the original plan. There was room for error in that plan as well, asking an inmate to write in the Death Note to see if he would die in thirteen days like the rule claimed. There were so many variables that could be taken advantage of in Raito's case—between the fact that inmates talked, that prison guards could be bribed or threatened, that officials might leak information, there was too much space for Raito to manoeuvre in to feel entirely comfortable. Honestly, he had originally expected to make the announcement that he was testing the rule in front of Rem because he had half-hoped that the shinigami would approach Harry. He was the Master of Death after all, so didn't it make logical sense that Rem would come to Harry in an attempt to bargain? It was so obvious that she was protecting someone, and it just made more sense that Harry could help her accomplish her goal rather than Kira, who had proven himself to be ruthless when it came to his own well-being and success with global domination.
He honestly hadn't exactly expected her to just snap and—no, don't go there, don't think about it—because what would that accomplish? How would Rem protect who she was protecting (Amane Misa, the Second Kira, who was released as soon as the killings started again?) if she was disintegrated into dust? How would she be able to keep an eye out to see if her wishes were fulfilled if she was dead for good?
Perhaps it was just a fanciful thought, but wasn't it also pretty obvious that Rem had known about the Wizarding world and Harry's status as Master of Death, and therefore it was easily deducted that Harry could possibly reverse—please don't think about that, my eyes hurt—and change the entire outcome of the case?
Perhaps it was because she had never seen a witch or wizard suffer at the effects of the Death Note, or perhaps she had just been idiotic in that aspect. L knew that if he had been a shinigami, he would've never made that choice with such disregard. Hypothetically, he would've marched up to the person who could've made a real difference, like Harry or perhaps even L himself, and threatened using the Death Note on all of his loved ones until a compromise could be achieved. He would've been proactive instead of killing himself over something that wasn't going to make a lick of difference anyway.
After all, Harry was still alive and was sitting in the seat of the greatest detective in the world. L knew that he had 'died' to the rest of the team, which would mean that everyone would know that Harry would go on a warpath. Why wouldn't he, honestly? Everyone had known about Harry and L's relationship. Even Matsuda had noticed, the idiot. That meant that in the eyes of the team, it would be logical to assume that Harry would be out for revenge instead of justice, and that was dangerous for Kira, and effectively Raito.
L blinked, unsure of how his thoughts had rushed away from him again, and forced himself to focus back on the plan.
Harry was being overdramatic on his idea, that was for sure, but L would've been lying if he said that it wasn't satisfying to think about. It would be so, so gratifying to see that murderer gaping and horrified when the truth came out.
But was it worth it? Raito was smart and clever enough to put every single one of L's heirs to shame, and he was parallel even to L in his intelligence. Raito would conclude the same thing that L himself would've in his position: Harry, despite being named as the next L and being the reason the case had gone so smoothly with his information, had not been targeted by Rem, in spite of being a large threat. Raito, naturally, would ask himself why, and would only be able to come up with a sparse few suggestions that probably wouldn't be very good. Would he go as far as to suspect that Harry was the Master of Death Rem had spoken of? There was definitely a good chance, so what if Harry proceeded with his plan and Raito found a way to get around it? Could Kira write, say, Amane's name in the Death Note with pulls out an illegal weapon and uses it to kill her best friend?
Harry had assured L that it was all-but impossible, that any way his person was affiliated with the Death Note surely would be voided out by his status, but L didn't deal with surely or all-but in his daily vocabulary.
If Harry got too overconfident in his title, he would fall and wouldn't be able to get back up.
L wished that the door to Harry's flat was open, so he could crawl under the Invisibility Cloak and follow Raito around until he slipped. He felt fine, and he was terribly anxious to get back to what he was good at. He wanted to put that murdering bastard behind bars until he got a death sentence.
He just had to wait a little bit longer. Just a little bit longer and it would all be over.
"And to what do I owe this pleasure, Potter-san?"
The Minister of Magic in Japan was a short man in his late fifties, early sixties, with remarkably smooth skin for his age. It was probably a glamour, but Harry wasn't entirely sure; all he knew was that it was entirely fake and really noticeable at that, which totally defeated the purpose of one in Harry's opinion. His thin body was clad in a classy Muggle business suit, with a tie that changed colours methodically as if it was measuring each time the man blinked. He had clasped his long hands together on his desk, looking like the perfect picture of ease, but the glint in his dark eyes spoke a different story.
Harry sat down. "Well," he started, speaking in Japanese just to put the man at ease, "I have recently become aware of a particular problem within your country and various others abroad. I'd like to proposition you into working together to solve this problem, sir."
The Minister, Ichiro Masunaga, raised an eyebrow and said, "Kira is not a problem in our world, so why should we meddle?"
Harry scoffed. "Most people would say the same thing about Muggle technology and weapons, and yet from what I've seen, you take that into account every single day." The Minister made a small sound under his breath, so Harry continued as if it was a mere afterthought, "Besides, Kira can kill in other ways than heart attacks, y'know, like forcing people to use the Killing Curse on each other."
Yes, Harry was totally embellishing on this fact, since Kira was a Muggle and had absolutely no idea what the Avada Kedavra was, but the colour draining from Ichiro's face was totally worth the exaggerated lie. Eventually, the Minister said, "What...where did you get this information?"
Harry answered simply, "I'm working directly with L to bring Kira down."
"Why hasn't he made a move on a magical community then? There are Death Eaters in prisons everywhere, criminals in our world just as thickly as the Muggle one. Why hasn't Kira killed our criminals if you say that he has that ability?" the Minister shot back, his gaze heavy with warning.
Harry, naturally, had an answer for this. "Think about it, sir," he said honestly, leaning forward in the plush chair he was sitting in. "Our prisons are guarded by Dementors regardless of country, and I've been informed that you also have other safety precautions that aren't exactly legal in the Wizarding Nations." The Minister's face didn't change, but his fingers twitched, and Harry knew that Hermione's whispered words were correct instead of speculation. Harry went on, "Why would Kira want to kill Wizarding criminals when they're much, much better off with the Dementors? I wouldn't if I was him."
"There are still criminals running the streets. You know that just as well as I do."
Harry laughed. "Yeah, and they get caught the second they perform illegal acts due to the tracing of wands being made a global law in 2001. You know that just as well as I do, Minister, because you are the one who pushed it to be passed across the entirety of the Wizarding world."
The Minister opened his mouth to retort and then shut it, not entirely because he had nothing to say but because he wasn't sure what he was arguing over. Hell, neither was Harry. "What are you asking this Ministry to do for you, Potter-san? I figure that our conversation is going to go nowhere unless we just get to the real reason that you are here."
Wow. He's been terribly cooperative. Perhaps this'll be done today, and we can have Kira behind bars tomorrow. Damn, if we are only so lucky!
Harry took a deep breath and began to speak.
L jumped when Harry cracked back into the suite.
"Is it done?" he asked the second Harry had caught his breath, automatically stepping out of his crouch and leaving the computer running. He could go back to solving that case later, because Harry was back and would have information if the meetings had gone as well as could be hoped.
"Yes," Harry said with a weak smile, and motioned vaguely to his left, where Hermione was pulling out vials of what looked like Polyjuice Potion. She looked up, gave L a wave and a smile that didn't completely reach her eyes, and then returned to pulling the potions out of her bag.
Harry chose to ignore her after that because he grasped L's hands and pulled him to the comfortable armchairs beside the massive window, threading his fingers through L's own. He cleared his throat and said, "I was given permission. I had to bribe people like nobody's business, but permission was granted. Well, mostly—they're going to be tailing us, to make sure that we don't do anything that's technically legal but also harmful to the Muggles as well. Like, I dunno, a heating charm in their eyeballs or something. Although there's not a chance in hell they'll catch Hermione, to be perfectly honest. They seem to be just as anxious to catch Kira now because of my lies, that I hated telling by the way, but they aren't taking any chances."
"So it is done, then," L said, eyes wide.
"Yep," Harry said, then added, "I figure you probably worried yourself half to death while I was gone, but it's done. We'll solve this case in a few days, maybe less depending on how they act. Now, you know the plan, so it's time to get on it. Just like we said, you'll be on her under the Invisibility Cloak, because it's pretty obvious that Kira's shinigami will recognise your name if it's floating around."
"After this is over, I'm going to beat you to death with my Healing books, Harry," Hermione said airily, and Harry groaned.
"Isn't it enough that I have to take you to dinner at the most expensive Wizarding restaurant in Europe without dying via your obsession?"
Hermione rolled her eyes. "You just spent a good fifteen thousand Galleons getting your way around legalities, Harry Potter. I think a few hundred Galleons are a small price to pay. But if you had killed him because of your foolish nature—"
Harry cringed. "He's still alive. His body filtered out the magic quite well, and there doesn't seem to be any side effects. Besides, I didn't heal him all the way, Hermione, just...er...a lot. Merlin, can you cut me some slack? We're about ready to put two Japanese Muggles into a Wizarding prison, and you both are risking your lives to do so."
"Yeah, and if he hadn't filtered out the magic like you had hoped? He'd be dead, and to spontaneously make a decision like that without first consulting a Healer was incredibly thoughtless of you, Harry," Hermione pointed out, and then sighed. "But no matter. You're correct; we should focus instead on the future instead of what a thickhead you are."
Harry looked as if he wanted to retort, but instead grumbled out, "Fine. Let's get a move on. I guarantee every single one of them is going to be on my arse about being gone for so long. Honestly I'm just surprised someone didn't come up here to make sure that I hadn't killed myself or something, since everyone sort-of knew about me and Ryuzaki..."
After putting on a jacket (it was cold outside) and grabbing his video camera (thankfully it worked beneath the cloak), L pulled the cloak around his shoulders and allowed his body to disappear from view. He watched Hermione as she placed the vials of Polyjuice in her bag and then downed the one potion she had left out. His eyes widened slightly as her entire form bubbled and changed before his eyes, leaving her with an easily forgettable Japanese appearance. She smiled, her teeth slightly oversized, and said, "I might've nicked a few hairs from a few patients of mine. I've got about six more vials with different hairs, so I'll be able to switch quite a bit. I doubt a shinigami will be paying that much attention to my name but I'll cast a few spells on myself anyway." She pulled out an iPod and a cell phone, shoving them into her pockets.
"You're very inconspicuous, Hermione. Just remember to keep yourself hidden well and to call on the Galleon if you have any problems." Harry pulled out a small bag and gave both L and the transformed Hermione one, saying, "These are the coins that we used in the DA although they have been modified over the years. They'll burn the hell out of your leg if someone calls on it, and if it does, you need to find a way to call me on your cell phone without being noticed since you can't use magic to respond. Okay?"
L reached a hand out of the cloak to grasp the gold, his arm joining his head in floating eerily in the middle of the room. He quickly pulled his arm back under the soft fabric, pocketing the coin and flexing his toes that were clad in shoes. Harry muttered a few spells under his breath, probably to muffle L's breathing and footsteps, before tapping his wand over L's head. He felt oddly peculiar at the sensation of something running down his head and neck, and he vaguely recognised it as the Disillusionment charm. L opened the cloak a bit to see that his body had become see-through, almost like a chameleon, and he quickly closed back the cloak, feeling a tad bit nauseous at the sight.
Finally, Harry seemed to be content with his preparations and said, "Alright. Let's do this. Hermione, you know what to do. See you there, alright?"
"Of course," she said, glancing at L this time with a smile that did reach her eyes, and then she Apparated outside of the compound before L could even take a breath.
Harry turned to L and said, "Are you ready?"
L breathed, and then answered, "Yes."
They strode towards each other, Harry's hands cupping L's face, and then they were together, and L vaguely wondered when it had become so natural and easy to just kiss the wizard in front of him. He couldn't even remember as he accepted the tongue that prodded for entrance and lifted his invisible hands to Harry's chest.
They broke apart, both of them gasping for air, and then Harry gave L a blinding grin. "I love you, L Lawliet," he said, brushing the hair out of L's eyes.
In response, L couldn't fight the smile that crept up onto his lips, and it didn't go away even after Harry had covered L's head with the cloak.
Then they opened the door and left the suite, hopefully for good.
"James-san!" yelped Matsuda when Harry entered the main terminal.
"Hey there, Matsuda," Harry replied. "Sorry that I haven't been down here with you guys. You'd be surprised at how much he was doing—the number of cases beside this investigation is just huge."
"I can imagine," Soichiro said. "How are you holding up? You seem better than the last time we all conversed."
Harry forced his face to adopt a stubborn but saddened expression. "I'm fine. Well no, I'm not, but I'm as good as I'll get until Kira's behind bars or worse." He watched as Aizawa opened his mouth at that and said, "And yes, I'm still testing the rule. I'm hand-delivering it to the criminal in question, actually. It's been dealt with and that's not going to change."
"When?" asked Matsuda.
Harry fought the urge to glance at Raito, who was currently sitting in one of the swivel chairs with his back to the computers. "Tonight, actually," Harry said, smiling half-heartedly. "I'm not entirely happy about it, but it's what we're doing, and you guys won't change my mind. Either way, we're going to find out something new, and that's only going to be beneficial to the case."
"But—"
Harry caressed his finger along the outside edge of the Death Note currently in their possession. The material was just as coarse and cold as before, and he felt a shiver roll down his spine. He said, "Don't start. This is my choice, and I'm L. I'm in control of this investigation, and if you don't believe in my methods you can get the hell out of my way."
There were a few moments of silence and then Harry said, "How many people have been killed today?"
"Twenty-three today, nineteen yesterday," answered Raito, his voice remarkably even. Harry wondered if Ryuzaki was in his face or not, and figured he was probably as close as he could get without tripping over Raito's chair legs. Or even his actual legs, which were stretched out in front of him.
Meanwhile, Matsuda asked hesitantly, "And what about...you know."
Harry shuddered visibly. Despite the fact that it was what he was hoping would come up, the thought of it just immediately brought up the memory of Watari dying, of Ryuzaki's reaction. He wondered how Ryuzaki was holding up, and wished nothing more than to reach out for him and pull Ryuzaki into his arms. "They're...dealt with, and that's all you need to know, okay." He hesitated and then said loudly, "I need to get out. There's nothing else we can do except test this rule, and I need to get the hell out of this compound. I need air or I'm going to lose my mind." He felt himself begin to shake, hoping that they interpreted it as anguish instead of anticipation, and said, "I'm going to have afternoon tea. Maybe..."
He pulled out his cell phone. As he searched for Misa's number, Harry said, "I'm calling your girlfriend, Raito. Since she's not filming today, let's go out for lunch, just the three of us. Everyone else...just go have dinner with your families. Go out on the town. Have some fun. Mourn Ryuzaki in the best way you know how. Just remember him by surrounding yourself with life, with family and friends. Get drunk, get stupid, and then come back here tomorrow hung-over and ready to...to move on."
"Alright," agreed Raito, getting out of his chair and walking to his father and Harry. Soichiro put a hand on Harry's shoulder, his grip hard and comforting, and Raito's eyes were caramel pools of compassion. Perhaps it was genuine; perhaps Raito did feel sorry about the entire ordeal, but that didn't change anything. If he was Kira, then he deserved what he was going to get. If he wasn't (even though both Ryuzaki and himself were convinced), then that was that.
He dialled Misa's number and she picked up rather quickly. "James-kun? Is that you?"
Harry let himself smile, and honestly he was happy to hear her chipper voice. The Second Kira or not, she was just so much fun, and a small part of Harry's heart wished that she wasn't (even though she was, and they had physical evidence to prove it). "Hey sweetie," he answered, nodding at Soichiro and waving good-bye to the exiting investigation team. "I'm taking Raito out for lunch, and I was wondering if you wanted to join us. I miss you, Misa-chan."
"Aw, Misa misses you too, James-kun! Of course I'll come to lunch with you guys. Where are we going? There's this really good café down there close to the headquarters, so we should go there. Wait, is Ryuzaki going?"
Harry fought the urge to grin rather wickedly and instead adjusted his expression and voice to appear saddened again. "No, Misa-chan. Ryuzaki...won't be there. It'll just be us three. And I know which one you're talking about. Café...er, what's the Japanese word? Apple, right?"
"Yeah, it's really weird but the food there is amazing. I'll meet you there, okay? See ya!"
"Bye Misa-chan."
He hung up and said softly, "You ready to go, kid?
Raito laughed, his face lighting up in mirth and youthful enthusiasm, and said, "Sure. I don't know about you, but I'm starving. Let's go meet up with Misa."
Harry was terribly good at this.
L followed Harry rather closely as he exited the complex with Raito by his side, and the two of them were chatting about easy topics. Raito knew that Harry didn't like him that much, but Harry was giving the impression that he still wasn't entirely trustful of him but willing to put it aside. If anyone could accomplish that, it'd probably be Harry, L thought.
He watched the disguised Hermione walk out of a building a few dozen metres behind Harry and Raito, but L didn't hold back to wait for her to catch up while dodging afternoon foot traffic. Besides, he was more focussed on his surroundings, which were exasperating beyond belief. He had always entertained the idea of being invisible in crowds, to stop people from staring at him, but now that he actually was he was finding it to be a slightly irritating. Not only could they not see his body to keep from barrelling into him, but it was growing frustrating to keep the cloak tight around his body. The Disillusionment charm wasn't invisibility, after all, so he had to be completely cautious.
When they got to the café, Harry and Raito stood in line to order while L looked around. Amane wasn't there yet, which was a good thing because it would be near impossible to get anywhere when she was surrounded by fans. L ignored the urge to go up to the front desk where Harry was ordering both of their meals after consulting with Raito and ask for some ohagi and perhaps a slice of that green tea cake...
It was terrible to stare at other people eating and not being able to join them.
Hermione walked in a few minutes later, earbuds in her ears and the classical music clearly heard through the low murmur of the café. She bypassed the line and made a beeline to the back corner of the room, dropping her shoulder bag onto a table and absently tapping the back of one of the chairs. She pulled out a small wallet and then finally trekked up to the line, looking for all the world to be just a simple Japanese student listening to music. As Harry and Raito went to go find a table, L spared Hermione one last glance before following them, Harry leading them to the back corner as well with a bento box and a coffee in his hand.
They sat a ways from Hermione's table but not too far away, just enough to where it seemed like mere coincidence. L followed them, weaving cautiously through the tables and thankful that it wasn't insanely crowded like Sato-Mari's was. He sat down warily in the empty chair farthest away from Harry and Raito, so he could keep an eye out without getting too close or standing in the middle of the aisle. He was briefly thankful for Hermione tapping the chair, mostly because he didn't want her accidently sitting on him, and then let his entire focus come down to the conversation between Raito and Harry.
"Yeah, I'm going to call your father and perhaps Aizawa right before I leave to deliver the Death Note. You're definitely the most qualified to run the team if something happens to me, and even Ryuzaki himself mentioned that he'd like you to be the next L before he told you about me."
Raito broke apart some chopsticks and said, "What was that about, anyway? I mean, you've been really beneficial to this case, and I understand why he would name you as successor, but it came out of nowhere to be entirely honest."
"Well," Harry said, scratching the back of his head and sniffling a bit before breaking open his own chopsticks and digging into his bento box. "I was named the successor a long time before you even came into the picture. He was probably just testing you, to see if he could get some sort-of confession out of you. Obviously that didn't work. But he was essentially correct—you'd be an excellent L, and if something happens to me you're more than ready to take over that role."
Raito swallowed his mouthful of ume and replied, "Do you think Misa and I are the Kiras?"
"Well, the rule says that if you don't kill someone in thirteen days, you die. But who knows—Ryuzaki wanted to test it, and he was the smartest chap I've ever had the pleasure to meet. It needs to be tested anyway, because it's common sense to test something when you aren't completely sure how it works, and I plan to make good on that idea. Do I think you're Kira? I don't know. Maybe, maybe not. I can't know for sure unless I can clear you of suspicion one hundred per-cent, and if you're innocent, Raito, then you should have no problems with me testing it on a man who's going to die in thirteen days anyway. It's either the Death Note causes the death or some chap with a syringe full of barbiturates, paralysers, and potassium solution. At least this way he's dying for something useful rather than just his criminal acts. Any information is good at this point, even if it's just putting my mind—and Ryuzaki's for that matter—to rest."
Good point; let's see Raito try to weasel out of that one, L thought with a satisfied air, feeling a surge of pride in how Harry was dealing with the situation. He really had created a monster out of the wizard, in L's opinion, and it was utterly fantastic.
"Well, that's definitely a point," Raito agreed. "Let's just hope Kira doesn't somehow get ahold of this information and use it against you. We need to avenge Ryuzaki, and we need to put Kira behind bars."
Hermione rattled the table as she sat down, the classical music still blaring out of the air vents in her earbuds. L cocked his head a bit to look around her body, since she had blocked his view of Raito's face somewhat. He ignored her as she pulled out multitudes of books on medical information, fully cementing the façade of being a student just like a few dozen other young adults within the café.
"Eh, I doubt he'll get that information. I'm fully confident that I'll be able to transport the Death Note to its location and monitor the process without any problems." Good, which means that Raito will take Harry as a fool just like I would've if I had been the one talking to Harry. What an idiotic statement to make, which is exactly what we're going for here.
"Well, I agree with that, because the only people who know are the team, so it's logical to assume that if you do die, it's because you have already been identified as the new L or that one of the members of the team is Kira." Raito took another bite of his broiled salmon with a shrug and then waved towards the front door, just as the sound level in the café doubled.
He heard Misa cry out, "Hey, Raito! James-kun! Sorry I'm late; the traffic was terrible." Harry turned around, his green eyes lighting up at the sight of Misa, but L didn't turn to look as he refused to take his eyes of Raito. He heard Misa begin laughing and asking for a Sharpie to sign autographs with as she ordered simultaneously, just as Harry turned back to Raito.
"Well, can I be honest?" Harry asked, fiddling with his chopsticks and laying his head on his fist. When Raito nodded seriously, Harry continued, "I honestly don't think anyone on the team is Kira, not even you. Don't get me wrong—I have good faith in Ryuzaki's opinion, and I'm testing the thirteen-day rule because quite frankly it needs to be done anyway, but I think Kira's still out there somewhere, separate from this case."
Raito smiled weakly and said, "Thank you. I really do appreciate that. I know we don't exactly get along and we probably never will be friends, but it's nice to hear you say that."
He was so convincing. L would've been fooled if he didn't know better.
"Yeah, I doubt we'll ever be chummy, because quite frankly you annoy me—" Raito laughed. "—but at least that's out of the way. But I'm telling you, after this case is over I am so stealing your girlfriend at least twice a week, you hear that Misa-chan?"
Misa, who was pulling out a chair with a coffee in her hands, giggled and said, "Well, we still have to go on that double-date that we promised we'd go on."
Then Harry looked towards Raito and Misa's eyes flickered to the space above Harry's head, her brown eyes narrowing.
A thousand questions spontaneously formed in L's brain as he witnessed her look. Would Misa be able to see his name at all? Would she be able to see his death-date? What if she grew suspicious and didn't write his name in the Death Note? Would she know that he was the Master of Death? He almost wanted to reach out with his chameleon-like hand and poke Harry on the shoulder, alerting him to something perhaps going wrong, but he didn't, knowing that he was probably being paranoid. There was a good chance that none of them had death-dates since they had touched the Death Note in the compound.
L wished he knew more.
"So where's Ryuzaki, James-kun? Usually we can't separate you two," Misa said, sipping from her coffee.
L figured Harry's face fell dramatically as Raito said solemnly and quietly, "He's dead, Misa. Watari too." L's chest clenched painfully at the reminder. "Kira killed them both a few days ago."
Misa gasped, one gloved hand coming to cover her lips. There wasn't a glitter of anything resembling guilt, just pure and undiluted horror and sadness. Misa was a talented actress, but L got the vibe that she was genuinely surprised and perhaps even heartbroken over that news, and L fought the urge to sigh. He blinked, shooting a glance at Hermione who was bobbing her head while drinking from her own coffee, and then turned back to the conversation.
"Oh my...I'm so sorry. That's terrible," Misa whispered from behind her dainty hand, her eyes beginning to get watery. "Ryuzaki was creepy and strange, but I am going to miss him. He was my friend. I hope he's at peace now."
L refused to focus on that, instead double-checking to see if his entire body was covered in a way to somewhat distract himself. When he was satisfied, he stared at Raito endlessly, just as Harry said in a thick voice, "Yeah, me too, Misa. He's...in a better place now. Both of them are."
There were a few minutes of silence after that. Hermione let out a sigh and began packing her books up before Raito said, "He's the new L, Misa. He's going to bring Kira to justice for what he's done."
"Good," said Misa, nodding vehemently. "Kira needs to be thrown in prison. Misa's thankful for what Kira did, killing the men who murdered her parents, but this is unforgiveable. If there's anything you need me to do, James-kun, you just say the word. Misa will do anything to bring Kira down."
"Thanks," Harry mumbled just as Hermione stood up and began walking towards the exit doors. L heard her exit the café with a small bell chime and finally pulled out his video camera. He powered it up silently. He began filming the conversation, keeping the focus on Raito while listening to Harry as he said, "We'll get past this."
After that, they made small talk, chatting about mundane things that L had absolutely no interest in. Misa's filming, how she was fairing now that she was out of the complex, how there was this guy that wouldn't leave her alone. Harry's mood seemed to lift, because he started getting very enthusiastic about "going down there and beating that loser's face in with a brick" which made Misa laugh hysterically and Raito smile.
It went on until the meal was over and Harry finally stood up, sighing. "Well, you guys, I'm going to take a walk. Don't have too much fun without me, okay? I'll see you tomorrow Raito, and Misa, we're so going to have to go out sometime, okay? Call me whenever you want, sweetie."
"You bet!" Misa said, giving a peace sign and a wide grin.
Misa stood up and gave Harry a gigantic hug and L got to his feet as well, edging as close to the table as he could without blocking the aisle. Harry and Misa kissed each other's cheeks before Harry waved and walked out of the store, leaving Raito and Misa alone.
The two of them stared at each other before Misa said quietly to keep from being overheard, "He doesn't have a death-date, Raito-kun."
Yes!
There was absolutely no way to describe the feeling of complete elation that exploded in his bloodstream, and it took a gigantic effort to keep himself from just laughing. It was over, and he had it on video tape. Harry had done it, and even though there was still a long way to go before the case was solved, it was still over. Misa had the shinigami eyes, and she spoke openly about it to Raito. It was over. The case was solved.
Raito's expression darkened. "That doesn't make sense. I'm in possession of the Death Note that is at the headquarters, so why would he not have a death-date? Does he have a Death Note himself? Did Rem do something that I don't know about?" L could practically hear his brain whirling with thoughts before Raito said, "What's his name?"
"Harry Potter," she answered.
Raito smiled, that same triumphant smile that he had had on his face when L had died on the fifth of November. "Misa," he said lowly, "I want you to write his name in your Death Note. After he's gone, I'll be the new L, and we can create a perfect world together, with no crime and goodness surrounding us."
Misa's face fell, and she said, "But he's Misa's best friend. Misa doesn't want to kill him. Is there nothing else we can do?"
Raito fitted her with an unreadable stare as he said, "No. He has to die, Misa, and I know that he's your friend but he's the one standing in the way of the perfect world we've worked so hard for. It has to be done." His expression softened slightly as he said with a small smile, "If you do this, I will love you forever. We can move in together and live in perfect harmony."
Misa's face brightened up to the point that L just wanted to look away. Such complete and utter hope and adoration on such a naïve face...it made L sick to see Raito use her in such a way. He had always known that Raito had been taking advantage of her, but to see it firsthand in such horrible definition completely destroyed L's appetite. He fought the urge to shudder so he could keep a steady hold on the camera as it filmed the entire exchange, just as Raito said, "Do you have any pages from your Death Note with you?"
"Of course, Raito-kun," she said happily. "Misa did exactly what Raito told her to do."
"Good," Raito said, reaching an arm across the table so he could cup Misa's small face in his palm. "I want you to leave here and go somewhere sparsely populated. I still don't trust him enough to say that there aren't cameras in your apartment—" Which there were, of course. "—so just go somewhere where you can write his name down. Make his time of death be in the afternoon, and make it be a car accident instead of a heart attack. We don't want to be overly suspicious, and he'll probably drive to his destination tonight anyway. Do you understand, Misa?"
"Yes, I do," she said, leaning into his touch with sparkles in her wide eyes. As L watched, nauseous at the sight, he thought, Well, it looks like we technically have no use for Hermione any more now that I've got this on video tape and Misa's the one who's going to be writing Harry's name down. Raito will probably tail Harry tonight, and I'm sure we could always stage an accident right next to a prison here in Japan or perhaps an airport. Now I just need to get Misa on video writing Harry's name in her Death Note.
They said their good-byes and so L turned off the camera, tailing Misa closely as she put her hood over her head to disguise her face. As the door was held open for her by a star struck young man, L took the time to slip out after her, glancing around at the Japanese faces surrounding them both. He wondered which one of the faces was now Hermione, but didn't dwell on it too long as Misa skipped away, thankfully not hailing a taxi and instead walking through the congested streets of Tokyo's Marunouchi district.
He followed her for ages, shivering with cold and constantly trying to keep from being run over within the foot traffic. She eventually turned into Hibiya Park thorough the Sakura Gate, passing tennis courts and thick bunches of trees on her way to the main fountain. She sat down on the edge as L pulled out the camera again, powering it up as he watched Misa pull her oversized purse from her arm. She dug around before pulling out a book and a page out with the same look and consistency as the Death Note in the complex, and L edged as close to her as he dared, focussing the lens on Misa's face as well as the pages being held upon the book.
Misa hesitated, and L blinked when a tear rolled down her pink-tinged cheek and a small, almost unnoticeable sob came from her full lips. For a full minute, as they both shivered, Misa stared off into the distance, watching bundled-up pedestrians walk through the park, her face filled with a sadness that L could hardly believe. She must really care about him, L thought with some hesitance of his own, distinctly uncomfortable from more than just the cold air.
Then, she wiped her face with the back of her gloved hand, sniffled, and then wrote on the page: Harry Potter. Killed instantly in a car accident at 19.30.
It was over.
