Disclaimer: I don't own Death Note.

Credit: Original idea by Yami Yugi Alexander the 4th.

Chapter 37

Crime

"Mr. Stalker, please stop this. This is a crime. If you let me go, I won't tell anyone." Misa'd been trying to talk her way out of confinement since she'd woken up, she obviously didn't remember the death note or Kira and because she was a celebrity she assumed that L was a stalker who'd taken her hostage or something.

Not like that opinion was far off, all he did all day was stare at her...

"Mr. Stalker!"

"After regaining consciousness, she keeps repeating that..." Aizawa stated.

"Does she really think we're going to buy this act?" Matsuda sniffed.

Yagami was ignoring the whole conversation, he'd been upset since L had confirmed how much he suspected his son.

"Okay, then how about taking off the blindfold. I'd really like to see you." She bargained, but because L knew she had my eyes, that probably only made her situation worse.

"Matsuda-san, call Mogi-san." L requested, holding out his hand for the phone.

"Huh? Oh... sure..." Matsuda seemed upset, maybe it was because he felt a bit guilty over Misa's torture, or maybe it was because he was upset about being designated as 'phone–monkey.'

"When you apprehended Misa Amane, you did tell her she was suspected as the second Kira?" L confirmed into the phone, not waiting for a greeting.

Mogi responded but I couldn't hear him.

"I'll give you an autograph and shake your hand. Oh, I'll give you a kiss on the cheek. Come on, I won't run away."

L wordlessly pressed the microphone button and addressed her, was he going to take her offer?!

"Misa Amane." He began.

"What, Mr. Stalker? You're going to let me go?" She sounded hopeful.

"Before you went to sleep, you were almost completely silent before asking us to kill you. Yet now you're playing coy?" L challenged her.

"What are you talking about? You're the stalker who knocked me out and brought me here. What...? you want to play some kind of examination game...?" now she sounds nervous.

"Why are you tied up there right now?" L asked, he seemed to have realized that she didn't remember anything.

"Huh? Why...? maybe because I'm an idol? I've never heard of a stalker going this far though." She really didn't know...

Matsuda didn't believe her though, he grabbed the microphone from L and shouted at her.

"Hey, Amane!!! stop messing around!!"

Now she was terrified.

"I... I'm scared... please stop this... let me go! Let me go..."

"Matsuda she doesn't know what's going on!" I shouted at him "Stop freaking her out!"

"Do you know something about this?" L asked before Matsuda could respond.

"No." I replied before thinking "It's just obvious that she doesn't know what's happening... that's all."

"Oh yeah... the bathroom... I need to go..."

"What makes you think she doesn't know what's happening to her?" L asked me "She was fully aware before she passed out."

"Maybe shock–induced amnesia? She was under a lot of stress..." it's possible.

"It's only been four minutes since you last went to the bathroom. Please hold it in." L ordered her, before looking back at me.

"But that's the only time you untie me! Let me go! You get to see me pee again, isn't that what you want?! You pervert!!" she shrieked at him, she was sobbing between her words.

"So what do you suggest we do?" L turned back to me "We have physical evidence against her, we can't just let her go..." He didn't seem bothered at all by her tears, but I could tell that he was guilty deep down.

"Couldn't we at least lighten up on her? She's not some genius who could escape if she's given a little freedom." I tried to sound as detached as him but it didn't quite work.

"She's the most likely suspect for the second Kira, a killer who can kill with just the face of a victim, we can't give her any chances to escape." as if I needed reminding.

"Dad, this is horrible... do you really not care about her at all?" it's not like I'd approve of a relationship between L and Misa but she was a human being and I had trouble watching him hurt her like that...

"She's, quite possibly, a murderer, if you can prove her innocence I'll release her but until then she needs to be kept under constant watch."

I can't prove her innocence...

Just then L's phone rang.

"It's from Raito-kun. Turn off the visuals and audio." He stated before answering.

"Yes." Watari cut the video and the screen went black.

"...Yes...yes...yes...yes..." Yagami looked confused, but I wasn't much better off, since when did Raito have L's number? "I understand. We're in K, room 2801."

"My son's coming?" Yagami asked.

"Yes." L answered.

It only took twenty minutes for Raito to get to the hotel.

He had barely gotten through the door when he'd started talking.

"Ryuzaki... as I said on the phone..."

"Yes..." L agreed to the comment that hadn't been made yet, Yagami looked as confused as I felt, but I was also worried about my dad.

"I might be Kira." Raito admitted.

Yagami immediately freaked out.

"It can't be!! What are you saying, Raito?! Have you lost it?!! please snap out of it, Raito!! What's going on? Answer me!" Yagami bombarded him with questions but he didn't say a word, I would have believed that he'd given up the notebook and honestly wasn't sure but I still couldn't see his life span and the look on his face was more annoyed then anything else.

He was bothered by his dad's insistence that he was innocent, which meant he had a plan.

"Dad... if Ryuzaki is L, then he's unquestionably the best detective in the world. If L has decided that I'm Kira then I probably am." Raito finally spoke.

"Wh... what are you saying, Raito?!" yeah, I agree, there's no way Raito has that much faith in L, he's just using that as an excuse.

L probably didn't believe him either, but Yagami didn't catch that and turned to L for an explanation.

"Yes, it's true... in my mind, Raito-kun is most definitely Kira. And thus I'll probably be questioning him soon. Raito-kun has extremely sharp insight and understands my way of thinking."

Yep, so he probably understands that you don't believe his act even a little.

"The people that FBI agent Raye Penber was investigating before he died... people who went to Aoyama on May 22nd... and the person that second Kira suspect Misa approached after coming to Tokyo... it all points to me. If I was in L's position, I would conclude that I'm Kira too. This means... that while I have no consciousness of it, I might be Kira..." Raito's little speech wasn't as impressive once you realized that he was lying through his teeth about his innocence.

"Raito..." Yagami still didn't see the trick... although not even L had identified it yet.

"This 'shinigami' word left by the criminal who was controlled by Kira... the same word appeared in the second Kira's message, too. I don't believe in shinigami, but thinking about that and then having the world's best detective say that I'm Kira... I'm starting to not even understand myself... I'm afraid... what if I'm losing my mind?" you'd think you'd notice. "I may not be conscious of it, but maybe when I'm asleep another version of me comes out and does the killings..."

"That did not happen." L stated.

"What do you mean, Ryuzaki?" Raito actually seemed worried about his answer.

"There was actually about five days when we had cameras installed in your room." L answered, watching his reaction from the corner of his eye.

"Cameras...?" Raito didn't seem calm about that, had he really forgotten or was he just that good of an actor?

"Yes, you were sleeping normally at night..." L ignored his shock.

"You went that far... Ryuzaki...? Then... during those five days I didn't act as a 'shinigami'...?"

"Right... there unfortunately was no activity... since criminals died even when you didn't gain any information on them... my conclusion was not that you weren't Kira, but that you made no mistakes to reveal yourself as Kira."

"No mistakes as Kira... huh? That may be correct... but how...? What should I do...? So am I not Kira then? If I look at it objectively, it seems probable." Is his plan working or not? Was he planning to pressure L into drawing a firm 'yes' or 'no' about him being Kira? The task force would support Raito over L just because Raito was more normal and they all knew him...

"It can't be, Raito... you're thinking too much..." Yagami insisted.

"I have to be honest... sometimes I think that some serious criminals should be killed... I think any person who thinks that way could become Kira..."

"Raito..."

"It's true, Dad... and not just criminals. There are many people who deep inside I think would be better off dead..."

Is L one of them?

"Raito..." Matsuda interrupted "That goes the same for me. I'm always thinking that some people should be dead. Most people are probably like that. But that doesn't mean you'd actually kill them, right? The criminals died even when you had no information on them. The cameras proved that. We watched you for five days, you couldn't be Kira..."

"N...no." Aizawa cut in "During that time we were low on members and only watched him in the house. We figured that would be enough but... it's not like we watched him 24 hours a day. He was at school and left freely whenever he wanted... if he figured out he was being watched, then there could have been a way for him to do the killings when he left the house."

Raito didn't respond and for a few seconds no one spoke, but L broke the silence.

"I don't really like where this is going but... fine... Raito Yagami will be restrained and placed under confinement for an undetermined amount of time." He decided.

"W...what...?" Yagami looked like he was about to have a second heart attack.

"But in that case... if we're doing it, we're doing it right now. You will not be allowed to leave my sight before then."

"Impossible... there's no way my son can be Kira... why should he..."

"It's okay, Dad." Raito cut him off, was his plan to get confined?

"Raito..."

"I'll do it. No, I want to. There's no way I'll be able to keep pursuing Kira if somewhere in my mind I suspect myself. I want to make this clear as soon as possible. This may take a while but it's probably the fastest way. No, this is the only way. But you have to agree to not let me out until you've determined for sure whether I'm Kira or not. No matter what I say, Ryuzaki." Does that mean he's going to give up his notebook and lose his memories? I couldn't think of another reason for him to ask for a favor like that.

"I understand... but I can't even imagine how long it would take for my suspicion of you to dissipate. So be prepared for that."

The only reason Raito would allow himself to be locked up would be that he was going to give up the notebook and prove his innocence, but Kira isn't going to go away, because if the killings stop he'll be convicted as Kira, so what's he going to do...?

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Author's Note: Yes, I still owe chapters. Thanks for reading and thanks for the reviews!