CHAPTER 16 - The house

"Why didn't you let me go with her? I am not defenseless you know. And your sister might be in greater danger with Matsuda behind her ass. You know what he's like!" Light was furious. He wanted a chance to get Beyond Birthday to his own hands and get rid of him.

"You are right, Matsuda is not exactly the brightest in here but from what I've heard he's quite a good shooter. And I am sending a security team after them. Don't worry I am not letting my sister into unnecessary danger. And you as well." L told him, while looking into the Osaka area map on his computer.

Light frowned and sat down into his chair, frustrated. After a moment he smirked realizing, L was trying to protect him from Beyond. Light moved on his chair, right next to L's and without any hesitation entered his personal space and kissed his cheek: "I am happy you care for me." he whispered and L slowly turned his face to him. They were so close they could feel the others breath shivering between them. L's eyes wandered to Light's lips and then to his eyes. Light was looking at him with an inviting sight. L could see little sparks dancing in his eyes and he started leaning closer.

Someone cleared his throat behind them.

It was Watari.

He was still in the room.

"Ryuzaki cares for all the members of the task force Yagami-kun." the old man told him with raised eyebrow.

L rolled his eyes and stood up abruptly: "Watari we need to talk."

Watari was amused but followed L out of the office.

Watari was really fighting laughter when they arrived at the office. His boy was furious at him and looked like a teenager again. Watari still remembered those days. It was actually not that long ago, when Beyond Birthday was sneaking into L's room at night and Watari had to step in and destroy their romantic moments. L's pregnancy was too delicate and too risky for them to have sex during the nine months. Not that any of them wanted to hear that. It was pretty similar with Light now. But the situation was much more complicated than just looking after horny teenagers.

"Watari, you really don't need to stay in the room everytime Light and I are alone." L told him and his eyes were desperate.

Watari sat down on the sofa: "Really? I beg to differ, my boy. The last time I trusted you two alone didn't end up very well."

L threw himself in the chair opposite Watari: "He won't do it again… you saw how he's been for the last few weeks. He's doing all he can to make it right."

"I noticed and I am happy for you. But he is still Kira. You need to be careful L. If he realizes he already has your heart he might start focusing on KT or more killing. Remember your plan."

L let out a sigh. Watari was right. His plan to distract Light was working pretty well. Kira killings were still happening but at very small numbers. Light really seemed occupied trying to woo L into the relationship: "I know… sorry."

There was a moment of silence when L looked like he wanted to add something but he was not sure if he should. He looked like a 10 years old again - so unsure of himself.

"You know you can tell me anything L." Watari reminded him with all the love he could add to his voice.

L bit his thumb nervously: "I know... It's just… I don't feel very well lately and I kinda… miss human contact."

Watari gave him a soft smile: "I know L. But you need to focus a little longer. Once you'll catch Beyond, KT and I will help you to end the Kira case. And I will do my best to keep Light safe even after that. I know how much he means to you."

L's eyes widen. He never thought Watari would want to help him get Light out of this. He was happy about it, but he also knew these thoughts are little too much ahead.

He let out a sigh: "I wish it was possible. I just…" There was a moment of silence before L spoke again: "I feel like we have the last opportunity to be together. Before it all ends."

Watari shook his head: "You don't know how it'll end yet."

L rested his head on his knee and closed his eyes: "No I don't. But KT is right about this. The chance of a happy ending is close to zero."

Watari was watching his boy in silence. He was strong. The strongest person he ever met. After all the bad the life had prepared for him, he was still holding on his ideals and goals. So it was quite understandable there were tears building behind L's eyes so often lately. But Watari's mind started to wonder anyway. L was getting more and more emotional in the past few days… not to mention the state of his stomach.

Oh God, please not again….

"Aren't you worried? If Beyond Birthday is really there, going there in only two might be very dangerous." Matsuda asked her. He still didn't understand how he ended up on Shinkansen, going to Osaka. He was just walking to HQs, when KT grabbed his arm and told him they were going into Birthday's hideout.

"We won't be alone Matsuda-san. We both have a security team nearby, remember? They are not allowed to get too close to us if it's not necessary, but if something happens, they wont let us die. So don't worry." KT told him with a smile and looked out the window. The train was moving fast through the country and the outlines of Tokio were disappearing already.

"I know but… it is a little unsettling. I know someone is watching over me for the past few weeks but I never really saw anyone! They are like ghosts!" Matsuda told her and laughed with his normal nervous attitude.

KT smirked: "My brother only employs the best people."

"Yeah… I wonder what I am doing in the team."

KT rolled her eyes: "Hey… don't sell yourself short. He trusts you enough to send you with me, practically alone. You are my number one bodyguard now. That means something."

Matsuda laughed and scratched the back of his head: "Yes, yes. You are right! I hope I will be able to protect you! If something happens to you, your brother will have my head!"

KT shook her head: "You worry too much Matsuda-san!"

By the time they got to Osaka, KT started to feel more and more nervous. The ruin of their old house held a little of what's left of her childhood memories. It was the only remaining connection to their original family. Matsuda saw the change in her mood but luckily, did not comment on that. When the taxi dropped them in a nearby street, KT finally spoke again:

"There is a ruin of a house at the top of the street behind the corner. Beyond is probably hiding there. You will go straight through the main entrance, it's on eyes, so if B will see you, he will try to run through the garden entrance and I will be waiting there. Is that clear?"

Matsuda nodded but wasn't very happy about it: "Do you think it's wise? We shouldn't part. Especially when he is that dangerous."

"As far as I know, he didn't kill anyone in the last year. He's only making it look like he did. I doubt he would want to dirty his hands now. He's up to something else. If he's there he will try to run."

Matsuda frowned at her: "All right, but be careful."

"I am always." She smirked and went the opposite direction.

After a few minutes Matsuda finally reached the house ruins. It looked scary from afar but now as he was closer, he was sure he was looking at the house from a horror movie. The left side of the house was just gone. Only one peripheral wall was remaining and the rest were just small hills of bricks already overgrown with tall grass and bushes. But the vegetation was dead now. It was already December.

The right side of the house was much better. Matsuda realized it had to be european style house before. It still had two floors but probably very unstable. Visible rooms were ending in the air with not much of a support. All the windows were gone so he could see inside of the ground floor. But there was nothing much to see. The rooms were empty and a little left of paint on the walls. He stood there for a while, observing and right when he wanted to go through what's left of a metal gate in front of a house, someone spoke to him: "I wouldn't go there, young man. It's a house of ghosts."

Matsuda almost jumped out of his skin with a shock. The street was empty a second ago and now the old man, white haired man was standing right next to him. He remembered his courtesy and bowed to the elder man. He returned the gesture and spoke again: "As I said, nothing worthy there. Only ghosts and moldy walls." the old man eyed Matsuda from head to toes: "Why are you here?"

Matsuda laughed nervously: "I am … I am the real estate broker. I am searching for new grounds to build houses."

The old man shook his head and looked at the house: "Then this is the wrong place."

Matsuda eyed him. The old man looked deadly serious: "Why do you think there are ghosts? Did you see someone in the house recently?"

The old man nodded: "I have been seeing ghosts there for almost 20 years already. But it's getting worse the last month. They were there only at night, but now, I am hearing voices from there even at day time."

"For 20 years? You think there are ghosts for 20 years? Why are you still living here then?" Matsuda thought the man was crazy. He looked a little like a homeless person actually.

Maybe he will just want money for the good story.

"I have lived here my whole life, I am too old to move somewhere. But the nearby houses..." he pointed to the four houses around: "...are empty. People move in, and move out again. No one stays. Everyone is talking about the ghost of the crazy chemist who lived there. I think he is still there, trapped in the ruins, grieving the death of his wife and children."

The story scared and saddened Matsuda: "What happened here? Why is the house in ruins?"

"The scientist, I don't remember his name anymore, but he was foreign, French, or something like that, he had a laboratory at home and made some experiments. I know he was working together with his wife who was a biologist and some of the experiments went wrong. The house exploded and the whole family died here. The chemist, his wife and their children."

Matsuda frowned: "That's weird, I don't remember reading about this anywhere."

The old man eyed Matsuda again and laughed: "That's because you are too young. As I said, the house is in ruins for almost 20 years."

Matsuda scratched the back of his head: "You are right… I was maybe six years old then… I can't remember."

There was a moment of silence, when both men were looking at the ruins of the house. Then the old man spoke again: "I only pity the children. The parents shouldn't have a lab in their house. And those little souls paid the price."

Matsuda nodded: "Yes, it's really sad."

The man let out a loud sigh: "I still remember them, you know. They were twins. Dark haired, pale, with big eyes. They were running around the street, playing and laughing. The boy was always coming to me for a lollipop. And the girl was scolding him about getting fat. She was always very protective of him… Poor little things. They didn't deserve to die."

Twins? Pale? Lollipops? Oh my God! Is this their house?!

Beyond was resting on his mattress, almost asleep when he heard voices from the front of the house. He frowned and got up. Slowly, he moved within the inner walls on the second floor, where his hideout was, and looked out from one of the window holes. He quickly checked the area and spotted two men talking. They were turned by his backs to him, so he looked out again to check them better. There was an old man from the other side of the street and another, much younger and taller.

Okay, guys, just finish the talking… and leave…

But the opposite happened. The men waved their goodbyes and the younger turned towards the house. BB quickly hid behind the wall. He heard the metal gate creaking.

Shiiiiit...

BB moved his position to see the man better from the place he could not be seen. He now saw his face almost from the front.

Matsuda Touta, the latters above his head said. And the numbers above his head were giving him a pretty long time ahead.

BB was observing him from above. The man was young, probably a little younger than him. Dressed in a suit.

He could be a real estate broker or… then BB spotted a gun at his waist … shit he's a cop.

BB moved faster then he ever imagined he could. This was bad. Even if he was just checking the house for whatever reasons, B couldn't be found there. And he couldn't just kill him because that would attract attention to the house and L would realize he was hiding there. His plan was perfect till now. L only mentioned the place to him once and B knew L was kind of scared of that place. So the chance of L searching for him there, was under 5 procent. But he didn't count on some random cop to appear.

BB quickly packed his things into the bag and moved to the staircase. He stopped when he heard the steps from below. The cop was already in the building. After a moment he saw him. He had a gun ready in his hand and he was slowly approaching the damaged staircase.

God dammit!

BB moved into one of the rooms again. He decided to climb down the wall of the window so he moved to the front part of the house. He looked out the window and quickly backed up. There were some strange people on the street. People he never saw there.

Agents… maybe L realized after all.

BB turned and quickly paced to the garden part of the house. He was moving silently and quickly as a small mouse. The cop was already climbing the unstable staircase to the second floor. He knew he needed to hurry. He looked out the window to the garden. It looked empty but someone could be hiding behind the trees and bushes. He had no other option; he had to risk it. He moved towards the window but a familiar voice stopped him: "I wouldn't go there if I were you. There is a woman hiding, waiting for you."

BB frowned at the Shinigami beside him and whispered: "What woman?"

The Shinigami looked out the window. Unlike a human, he could actually see through the trees and read her name: "K Lawliet."

BB's eyes shattered. L's sister. A's fiance. One of his best childhood friends. It all made sense. If she was after him, he was in much greater danger than from L. Because L could never really kill him even if he wanted to. But KT was a different story. She was very protective of her family. And he hurt L pretty bad. Not to mention that she would probably strangle the last breath out of him if she knew something ever happened between him and A.

He needed a new plan.

She's with the cop. He was supposed to drive me out of the lair. B realized.

He smirked. She gets it. She knows I won't kill him... But no one said I can't hurt him.

B moved around the walls back to the staircase. The cop was already up there, examining the front of the house. He was currently turned by his back to Beyond. B used the situation, grabbed some wooden deam piece from the floor and quickly crossed the room to the cop.

BAM!

The gun shoot echoed the place.

The cop fell down to the ground as fast as B hit his head with the beam but the cop also pulled the trigger and his gun shot the ceiling.

SHIT!

BB quickly ran to the front window and saw all the men from the street quickly moving towards the house. He ran to the garden part and saw KT running towards the house. Maybe it wasn't that bad after all. Not as he planned, but he still had a chance to escape.

The moment he heard KT's steps on the staircase he climbed down the window. When he was closer to the ground he jumped down and ran away through the garden.

KT felt the cold sweat all over her body when she heard the gunshot. She quickly forgot about her plan and her legs were carrying towards her house. She ran up the staircase and saw Matsuda lying on the floor. She quickly closed the distance between them and kneeled beside him. She checked his vital signs and searched for the wound. But there was no blood around except for a little on his head…

His head…

KT spotted the wooden beam nearby and realized it was Matsuda's own gun to shoot. She quickly stood up and ran to the back yard window. She saw a tall man's figure moving away through the garden. She immediately took out her gun and shot at him. But no matter how good she was at shooting, he was too fast and too far away already for her gun to be effective.

"Come back, you fucking coward!" she screamed while she was running down the stairs and went after him. She was running as fast as she could, through the garden, to the next street but she lost him anyway. She knew it was pointless at that point, so she stopped to catch her breath.

After a moment she took out her phone and called L.

"Yes?"

"L, I need you to mobilize the police force here in Osaka. He was here but ran away."

"WHAT?! How could you let him run?!"

"Things didn't go exactly as well as I planned." She panted and saw two agents moving towards her.

"I see. Secure the place and call me back as soon as you have something. I'll handle the rest." L told her with an ice calm voice. That meant he was furious.

KT turned towards the agents who were already standing next to her: "My colleague?"

"Just a small wound on his head. He will be alright. You?"

KT raised his eyebrow: "Good, but some help catching that bastard would be useful next time."

The agent looked indifferent: "We only have orders to look after you and your colleague. We had strict orders not to interfere with your investigation."

KT rolled her eyes and growled: "Of course you have."

When KT came back to the house, Matsuda was already conscious. He had two agents around, one of them was treating the wound on his head. KT nodded her head to show them to leave and they did, without a world. In that moment Matsuda turned to her with sad eyes: "KT-san, I am so sorry, I screwed up."

KT shook her head and kneeled next to him. She took the bandage, the tape and started to cover the wound on Matsuda's head. He jerked a little at her touch because he felt sharp pain.

"It is not your fault. It's mine. I panicked when I heard the gun and I left my position. I gave him a chance to escape. You were doing fine."

Matsuda looked shocked: "So you went to check on me before going after him?"

KT nodded, not meeting his eyes.

He smiled: "I am glad. Thank you."

She finally looked into his eyes: "You thank me? L is going to have our both heads and you thank me?"

"You went to help your colleague first. That means you value life more than just the task. That's important. If you went blindly after him, I would be afraid to work with you in the future. It is always better to have someone you can count on in the field. Not someone who only blindly follows the orders."

KT finished covering his wound and frowned at him: "What you are saying is not exactly in accordance with any police force philosophy I know. If I remember it right, following the orders is always above everything. Acting in favour of one, can lead to losing many in the future."

Matsuda gave her a soft smile: "Yes, but it's important to be human. If you forget about compassion you are no better then..."

"L?" she cut him off with a sharp look.

Matsuda shook his head: "I was going to say Kira."

There was a moment of silence before Matusuda spoke again: "I know your brother is not a bad person. He showed his good heart many times. Did you know that every member of the task force has a life insurance paid by him? He acts heartless most of the time and his harsh methods simply overshadow his good deeds, but when you look closer, you realize he actually cares. I believe it's the deed that makes a man."

KT was looking at him with wide eyes. She was shocked. This man was still surprising her. He was young, yet wise. He had high ideals and he was not corrupted by any means. He was holding on to what he believed in so tightly and yet, he didn't see the world in black and white. She was struggling to find the worlds and Matsuda spoke for the third time. His voice was much less confident this time, he almost whispered:

"I am happy to work with someone who is true, open and pure as a lily."

KT looked at him through her lashes and felt like a scared animal. She literally felt her mask shattering, like a castle of glass. She was building the walls around herself for so long. Fooling everybody with her careless behaviour. And yet, here she was, looking into dark brown eyes of a man, whose IQ was so much below her own, and felt naked. He saw right through her. He knew she was not just the woman who was sleeping around, not the detective who would only care about her task, not just polite to people because she was brought up that way, but because she was polite deep inside her heart.

KT was looking in his eyes, and felt carried away, back to the woods in Winchester, where she felt safe, protected and where she didn't have to play anything. She realized her heart was racing in her chest. Something shifted within her.

No, no, no… I can't let this happen!

KT abruptly turned her head, unable to stare into Matsuda's eyes anymore.

Then her eyes landed on something laying on the floor.

"What's that?" She asked and stood up. She picked up a piece of paper and unfolded it. She gasped when she realized what it was: a photo of L, B and the boys.