Disclaimer: Do you honestly think I'll EVER own Death Note?


CHAPTER 51 - CHANGE OF PACE


Sullenly, you went up to your room to be alone for a while. It would've been more dramatic if the springs on your mattress creaked as you flopped down on the bed, but Ryuzaki had been thorough. There were no spring mattresses here, only those foamy TempurPedic-type things. Comfy, but not dramatic.

Crap… Aizawa's gone, I'm pregnant, Ryuzaki's being stupid and stubborn again, and we still can't kiss and make up (not in that order, mind you) without SOMEONE seeing… namely, Light-o. And now, everyone knows we're engaged. Stupid Light. Why'd he have to go and be Kira in the first place!?

And dammit, Ryuzaki! Why the heck did you have to practically shove Aizawa out the door!? You freak!!

Your pent-up emotion now wanted to vent itself in the form of anger, and that was all too difficult, with absolutely nothing to do. Ryuzaki likely wouldn't let you go anywhere (and you didn't want to start a bigger fight than currently presented), you couldn't drink (pregnant), you couldn't beat someone up (which applied everyday), and you didn't feel like doing anything else.

Hm. Perhaps I could just sleep…

With that, you angrily curled up in a ball and decided to at least attempt to sink into a self-induced daze…

It sorta worked. What seemed like five minutes later, there was a knock on the door. "Keiko, may I come in?"

Ryuzaki's voice. But for him to ask permission, he must have still been chained to Light. "I thought I told you not to bother me for two hours!!" you called.

There was a pause. "It's been three hours…"

You frowned and glanced at your watch. "Oh. My bad."

Ryuzaki took that as an admission pass and opened the door. You continued to stare at the opposite wall with a stolid silence that was broken very suddenly by Ryuzaki's voice: "I came to see if you were all right."

You about jumped a mile when he spoke, but he was just there, sitting on the edge of the bed, with no announcement!! "You really need to get a spring mattress," you muttered dully at his words.

There was a moment of confused silence, and he continued. "I see… however, that does not answer my question."

"Yeah, I am, no thanks to you."

"She has a point, Ryuzaki," Light threw in.

"Shut up, Light," you and Ryuu said simultaneously.

"Why is it that whenever you and I say the same exact thing together unintentionally, I feel as if suddenly we're allies again…?" you finally wondered with a frown. "I'm supposed to be mad, here!"

"Because you can never stay mad at each other for too long," Light drawled. He rolled his eyes. "In case you haven't noticed, you guys are too freaking close for any conceivable sanity…"

"Yeah, but that's not convenient when I wanna be mad at him!" you protested, pointing at Ryuzaki. "I should be furious at him for what he just did to Aizawa! Wait… never mind; I still am." You gave something like a twisted smile. Yay, my fury's returned!

"But you can't stay like that for long because to you lovebirds, nothing else matters but each other," Light snapped back. He heaved a sigh. "Come on! It's so damn obvious!"

"Why is it that I have no say in this matter…?" Ryuzaki wondered then.

"Because you don't know the meaning of the word 'happiness,'" you replied, "let alone how to portray it… or define love, for that matter." You sighed, then, and sat up, hugging your knees. "That really wasn't fair, Ryuzaki, making Aizawa go."

"Keiko…" Ryuzaki ran his hand through your hair slowly. You looked up. That was unexpected… given the circumstance and your current mood, anyway. "You do not look far enough into the future. Having someone as dedicated as Aizawa on the outside could prove useful in the days to come."

"That's code for 'Ryuzaki has a plan,'" Light added in a loud whisper.

You narrowed your gaze at Ryuzaki. "Smart as that is…" You punched him in the arm. "Why the hell do you have to play with people's emotions like that!? That's just plain LOW!!"

"Ouch!!"

"She has a point, Ryuzaki," Light agreed with a smile. "That is very low… But I actually didn't see that possibility before, that Aizawa might be useful…"

You flopped down on your stomach and hugged a pillow tightly. "Ryuu… can I ask you to leave me alone for another couple hours…? I need to let the relative genius of your plan sink in before I come to grips with the fact that it might actually outweigh the emotional consequences on everyone's part…"

His voice sounded a little hesitant, but that was to be expected. "Of course…" He got up quietly. "I am sorry that I hurt you, Keiko… even if I don't know how…"

"Cuz you don't understand humans properly."

Ryuzaki let the matter rest and left the room.


LIGHT'S POV

The young Kira suspect shook his head. "Geez… you two are impossible," he muttered.

"I would appreciate your silence in the matter, Light-kun."

Light rolled his eyes and smirked. "I know how you two could stop being at odds…" He waited for Ryuzaki's grudging "How?" before continuing. "Just let me off this chain, and all will be well."

"While that is true, Light-kun, it is not an option."

"I'm starting to think that you're the damn yaoi in this mess."

Light ducked almost lazily as Ryuzaki's foot came flying out of nowhere. "Don't say that again, Light-kun…"

Hm… both Ryuzaki and Keiko have seemed more edgy lately, since they came to HQ. In fact, Keiko almost seems volatile… her moods shift much more easily and at the slightest provocation…

Well, that could be due to the handcuffs, Light reasoned. I mean, anyone would get grumpy from prolonged absence from their fiancé, especially after (probably) becoming extremely close during my confinement…

Or…

Keiko has been acting strangely beyond that. Her patterns of habit change frequently, and that's not like her. It's almost as if she's got a bad case of PMS…

But constantly? Sounds more like she's…

Light froze. "Almost as if she's pregnant…"

The words were spoken so softly that Ryuzaki couldn't make them out properly. "Whatever are you mumbling about, Light-kun?" he asked with a long-suffering sigh as they reached the elevator.

"Is Keiko pregnant…?" It would make sense, given their evident closeness. Of course, it would also make Keiko more angry for not being able to see him alone—this should be their time together. And what's more, it would be a very good reason to propose so soon…

Ryuzaki close his eyes and sighed again. "No, she isn't, Light-kun, and I would appreciate your not butting into our affairs, thank you."

Light stared at the slouching detective. "Hm. Congrats."

"There is nothing to be congratulated on, Light-kun, now do shut up."

"Whatever…"


AMY'S POV

Amy raised her head slowly, groggily. "Hunh…? Where the hell…?" She took in her surroundings. It all seemed very posh, like one of L's hotels. It was then that it hit her: she was in one of the HQ bedrooms.

"You're at HQ, you idiot," came a voice right beside her.

"WAAAUGH!" Amy jumped and lost her balance, falling off the bed. "Don't DO that, Juro!"

"Yeah, well, don't you get drunk like that again," he retorted a little angrily.

Amy rolled her eyes and smirked. "You're just jealous cuz I can get drunk without getting a hangover and you can't."

"Yeah, well, that's cuz all the alcohol just goes to your boobs." Juro sat up on the bed slowly, and Amy stared at him strangely.

"Why did you sleep next to me?"

"I didn't sleep, and I didn't have a choice. You were clinging to my shirt." He gave her a "look," biting the inside of his cheek. "This is one of my favorite shirts, yo!"

"Oh, right…" But Amy frowned. He's biting his cheek… what's he thinking? "Sorry about that."

"No prob." But he lacked his usual air of levity… "Hey, you hungry?"

"Yeah, kinda…"

"I'll go get us something." With that, Juro stood and left, his lanky strides taking him about half the time to get to the door as it would've for anyone else.


JURO'S POV

The door made a soft clack as he closed it behind him. Dammit… why does she have to be sweet on L?

Heh heh! Are you perhaps jealous, Perce?

Nah, just wondering…

WHY?

…shut up.

But Juro kept attempting to convince himself that the cause behind his ruminations was because he wanted his best friend happy, and currently, she was chasing after dreams. L was pretty much Keiko's property, not hers (if he was anyone's at all). Sarah would always, on some level, be attracted to L's intelligence and the idea of being his… but the fact of the matter was, L hardly thought of her as a best friend anymore.

It was maddening! Juro gave a bitter chuckle as he rounded the corner to the kitchens. Sarah was so blind to human interactions. She meant well, but was so damn oblivious! Always chasing the wind, off in her own world…

Yeah, my little dreamer… That was what he used to call her when they were out on the streets of London. He'd been fifteen and she was thirteen… heartsick over her crush/best friend's departure, and sullen from the comments on her appearance.

Only problem was, all Sarah had seen him as was an older brother figure and nothing more. She loved him to death and would do anything for him—as he would for her—but why the hell couldn't she figure out that L didn't love her!?

Oh, and I suppose you do?

He didn't answer himself—refused to answer.

"Hey, Juro-kun. Why the long face?" Matsuda's voice came from the end of the hallway, which was otherwise deserted. "How's Amy-chan doing?"

"She's awake," he said with a sigh and a shrug. "I'm going to get her something to eat."

"So, ah, what was that episode in the monitor room about?" Matsuda wanted to know.

Juro ground his teeth and tried to remain composed. Stop shoving your nose into places where it doesn't belong! "Oh… Amy just got worked up after going down memory lane, y'know? She and L kinda grew up together, and… yeah. This one time, he asked her out to appease her, and she refused him, knowing that he didn't want to, but she's always regretted it."

"Oh, I see." Matsuda grinned. "A romance, eh?"

"Shut up." Juro forced a smile, feigning nonchalance. "It's Amy's business, not mine, y'know?"

Matsuda raised an eyebrow like he knew otherwise, and nodded. "Of course… Well, later, Juro-kun."

"See you, Touta-kun."

With that, Matsuda went his separate way and Juro continued to the kitchen. "Dammit… why does she have to like him!?"


YOUR POV

Two days later…

"One less person…" Matsuda mused idly as he stared at his computer screen, breaking the peaceful—and work-filled—silence. "It's sad with such a large building."

Everyone's concentration was so focused, it hardly faltered.

Well, except for yours, that is. You sat on the couch with a stack of papers, idly going through a few of the Yotsuba employees whilst you snacked on a raspberry tart. Your head wandered, but inwardly, you had to agree with Matsuda. It was a little more lonely without Aizawa. He'd been a silent driving force, always working tirelessly, and always working hard. His sharp instinct usually helped out somehow or other.

And now, he was gone.

"Plus Mogi hardly even speaks," Matsuda added with resentment. You snorted with laughter, but said nothing. Neither did Mogi.

"I found another one, Ryuzaki," Light said in a slightly raspy tone from lack of regular speech. He rattled off the names of some famous company CEOs and presidents who had died recently… You paid no heed.

"September 10th was a Friday, correct?" Yagami wondered, peering over a paper in the middle of the room. You looked up, fork hanging out of your mouth in a mimicry of Ryuzaki. "We've overlooked a simple thing. I reexamined our data and noticed that the deaths convenient to Yotsuba are concentrated on the weekend."

Everyone turned to look at Yagami with open admiration, including you. You turned around on the couch, leaning on your knees as you peered over the tops of the cushions.

"Wow, great work, Chief!" Matsuda praised happily. "Light and Ryuzaki hadn't even noticed that!"

"How many times must I tell you that I'm no longer the chief…?" Yagami wondered in mild surprise.

"You'll always be the chief to me!" Matsuda returned lightly, smiling like it was April Fool's or something.

Ryuzaki pondered this new information softly, toying idly with his lower lip. "That's odd… If these deaths are connected to Kira, then Kira can kill by other means than heart attack. If that were the case, then he'd spread them out randomly to make them harder to detect… Is there a meaning behind this? Is this not Kira's work…?"

"Hm…" you pondered, standing and abandoning your Yotsuba employee search to pad over by Ryuzaki. "I wonder about that… It just doesn't seem like Kira at all. He's not being cautious enough."

Light grinned up at his father. "I totally missed this… it could be valuable info, Dad."

"I'm not going to take a backseat to you and Ryuzaki just yet. I need to pull my weight."

You grew very quiet after Yagami said this, realizing that you'd not really been pulling your weight at all… Not only this, but no one had said anything about it. Matsuda, you noticed, also grew silent. You both exchanged listless glances and listened to the rest of the conversation.

"…will investigate Yotsuba thoroughly." Ryuzaki finished with that note of iron-clad determination.

Mogi came stomping out of nowhere, bearing a huge stack of papers in his arms. "I've finished the Yotsuba employee list, home and abroad," he announced. Matsuda practically leapt out of the way so that Mogi could set the papers down on the counter. You glanced back to the couch and noticed that your own papers were gone—apparently, Mogi had finished them, too. Your pride felt rather battered at that…

"Thank you for doing the unglamorous work, Mogi-san," Ryuzaki said blandly as he stared at the stack of papers that was taller than his head. "Over 300,000… Amazing that Mogi could complete the task so quickly. Great work."

Light shrugged. "Mogi has always been surprisingly efficient."

You faltered a bit while Matsuda floundered aloud. "All right… then I better start… uh…" A beeping noise interrupted him and he reached for his pocket. "Oh, my manager phone…"

"Let's get going, Matsu!!" Misa's voice echoed from the speakers. You cringed.

Matsuda replaced his phone in his pocket and headed for the door, hoping that someone would notice. "I'd like to help, but I have to go…" he said suggestively.

"Bye, Matsu," you called, turning to wave at him.

He returned the gesture. "Bye, Keiko-chan…"

The others completely ignored him.

You frowned after Matsuda left. No one had even noticed the poor guy. As a matter of fact, hardly anyone was paying attention to you, either… Not that you were fishing for attention, but it was something you noticed. Have Matsuda and I become completely useless to the case in general…?

Ryuzaki barked out a name to the computer, throwing you off-guard. "Watari."

"Yes?"

"Can you call Aiber and Wedy?"

There followed a pause and you perked up silently. "Huh? I know their current locations," Watari admitted, sounding thoroughly confused; his voice practically dripped with doubt and indecision, "but do you plan to show your face to them?"

"We already have a level of trust between us," Ryuzaki explained sagely. "And with a big case like Yotsuba, it would be complicated to have to contact them through you. I wouldn't be able to explain my thoughts as well."

"Which is code for 'I don't want to put you in danger,' yes?" you wondered with a small smile.

"I understand," Watari said smoothly, and you imagined him nodding and clapping his hands together with that funny little half-bow he did. "I'll get right on it."

Your grin grew more pronounced. "Wedy's the lady we snagged from that case in LA, right?" you wanted to know. "That car-theft one… where Brad Pitt's Lamborghini was stolen, along with Johnny Depp's Lotus?"

"Yes, and Julia Roberts' Ferrari…" Ryuzaki mused with a tiny smile and a far-off look.

"I miss those days…"

"Mm, I do, also…" You both sighed at the same time, and Light rolled his eyes. "Yes, Wedy was the hand at work behind that scandal," Ryuzaki finished, seemingly more business-like. "She will be aiding us, this time."

"That should be interesting," you muttered. "What are we running, here, an independent law enforcement center or a ruddy crime ring?" You smiled, but as you returned to the couch to sit down, you wondered about how much more uselessness on your part you'd have to endure before actually 

getting some semblance of a job back. Oh, how I miss being an inspector! Doesn't he know how hard I worked for that, how long I've wanted it?

Well, it wasn't his fault you lost it, you dimwit. That WAS your own doing.

Still… he could at least pretend to care…

Your fault, again, for shoving him away.

Oh… fine. No one to blame but myself, I guess. You shut up, but still felt rather saddened. When will work come back…?


Okay, so this might not have been the best chapter, but I'm sick and freaking tired of having to go over it and improve it. It's a filler, so get over it. The next chapter will be fun, I promise. And things'll get back to insanity soon enough... so bear with me.