Yep, I'm back and I kind of have a plot! Let's see where this goes. Thanks for reading, kudo-ing/favoriting, subscribing and commenting/reviewing! I would write more, but I'm physically and emotionally exhausted from having to deal with an abusive, passive-aggressive superior because I'm leaving the job.

Chapter 18: Confinement?

June 1, 2004; ~14 00

The task force had been at it for close to 24 hours. Why was Ryuzaki allowing this when they both knew Amane Misa no longer had her memories? So far, they had established that she had undergone a 180 in her attitude – where previously she was so tightlipped about her potential relationship with Yagami Light, she had begun to openly claim him as her boyfriend.

Ryuzaki's phone began to beep, and he checked the screen before announcing the caller to be Yagami Light. Amidst L telling Light where they were and all, Rui could hear Matsuda wondering aloud, to Aizawa no less, what their deal was, as L had not even given his personal handphone number to the task force. Briefly, the first few notes of Careless Whisper began to play in her mind, before she quashed the impulse to hum it by reminding herself of the gravity of the situation at hand.

Rui did not understand L's approach to Misa, to this whole affair, and unease churned more intensely in her gut. Was he going to fall into the same trap of confining Light and Yagami Sr., too? But considering where they were, Rui couldn't just straight up start shaking him down for answers.

She was jolted out of her reverie by Matsuda and Light's entrance into the room. When had Matsuda left? Also, her jaw was aching. She hadn't realized she'd been clenching her jaw.

"Ryuzaki, it's as I told you on the phone," Light began, with no preamble, a rather uncharacteristic course of action for someone who talked so much. "I may be Kira."

Only Rui's knowledge and dread of what was to come next in canon stopped a sarcastic 'HA!' from escaping her lips. Yagami Sr., of course, was not nearly half as restrained, and rightfully so.

"THAT'S… RIDICULOUS!" Yagami Sr. roared, his hands on Light's shoulders to emphasise his words as his son looked unable to meet his eyes. Huh, Light did that to Misa, too. Now they knew where Light got that habit from.

"DO YOU KNOW WHAT YOU'RE SAYING, LIGHT?" As his son still remained quiet, Yagami Sr. made a visible effort to compose himself.

"Light, are you still sane?!" he continued, in a marginally less emotional voice. "Don't say such ridiculous things!"

Both Light and L were quiet. Rui thought they must have been doing that color-change-thoughts thing in the anime. What colors were they, again? L was a deep blue, Light a red, Misa a teal… what else? Rui couldn't remember. Amidst her anxiety, she found herself wondering dimly what color hers would be. It was pretty easy to detach from what was going on around her due to her lack of sleep.

Green? No, a character had that already, though she couldn't remember who. Yellow, too, was taken by a task force member, and the color didn't suit her, anyway. If memory served, Namikawa from the Yotsuba Eight had purple. Funnily enough, she couldn't quite remember whether the other Yotsuba members were color coded or not. Well, what if hers was pink? She didn't recall any characters who had been assigned the color code pink, but that didn't quite suit her, either.

No, it was more likely that hers would be white. Blank and colorless, the way she tried to be around everyone. How would that show up? It might look like a negative photo, which would then look most like a scene from a manga. That would be ironic, wouldn't it, if she resembled a manga when those around her were the ones from a manga?

Rui sighed, rubbing her forehead. This line of thought really wasn't going anywhere. After all, even if in the anime, Light and L had lit up in a very cool, dynamic manner when they were having their internal battle of wills, over here they were just very uneventfully staring – Light, at the floor; L, at Light and Yagami Sr.

"Dad, if Ryuzaki is L, he is the best detective in the whole world," Light said gravely, his eyes looking to the side meekly. He cast his eyes downward. "If L thinks that I am Kira, then I probably am."

Ryuzaki still had his intense gaze fixed on Light, and wasn't saying anything.

Light seemed a little taken aback, but soldiered on. "The person who was investigated by the FBI agent, Raye Penber, before he died… The person who went to Aoyama on the 22nd… And the person who the suspect, Amane Misa, dates… Are all me…" The last was said with a quaver in his voice, which trailed softer and softer.

Light paused, possibly for dramatic effect, and then continued in a stronger, more determined voice. "If I were L, I would also think that I am Kira!"

"I…" he looked down at his hands. "I think I may have become Kira subconsciously…"

If this were a show directed by Rui, she would choose this time to play Galactic Mermaid*, complete with foot tapping and finger snapping. But Light wasn't done.

"The prisoners who wrote down stuff about shinigami… The Second Kira also mentioned Shinigami…" Light's face was shadowed. Why did Ryuzaki always keep his place so damn dark?

"I don't believe that Shinigami exist," Light mumbled, almost to himself, Ryuk looming above him, "but the term was shown in front of me once, and again. Plus, the world's best detective thinks that I am Kira… I am less and less conscious about who I am… It's getting more and more terrifying…" What was terrifying was Rui feeling more and more drawn into Light's performance despite knowing the truth.

"My mind is also experiencing strange things… Maybe when I go unconscious, like when I am asleep, I become a Shinigami and kill those people…"

"That's not it," L cut in, turning his back to Light, though he still watched his reaction closely. "The truth is, we installed cameras in Light-kun's room and watched you for five days."

"…camera?" Light repeated, sounding genuinely horrified.

"Yes, and Light-kun slept peacefully…" L elaborated, seemingly with no shame.

"You… you went that far, Ryuzaki?" Light cried, like he didn't know. "… so then… in those five days, I didn't behave like a Shinigami…?"

"No… unfortunately, you didn't… some criminals still died even though Light-kun didn't get any information about them," L begrudgingly replied. "But the possibility cannot be dismissed that Light-kun purposefully avoided doing anything that would raise suspicions of being Kira. Light-kun is still on the suspect list."

Light looked distraught. " 'purposefully avoided doing anything that would raise suspicions of being Kira'? … Maybe that is true and I did so subconsciously… Ack… What should I do…?"

The thespian put a hand to his forehead in distress, looking faint. "Am I Kira? I think it's very likely, too, when I think about it."

"What are you talking about, Light? … you think too much!" Poor Yagami Sr. looked the most ruffled Rui had ever seen him, thus far.

"The truth is… I had hoped that some of those criminals would just die, too… I think anyone who has such thoughts are possible suspects of being Kira…"

"If wishing made it so…" L mumbled under his breath, though Matsuda looked at him funny. Rui privately agreed with L. The case would be so much simpler, then.

"No, not just criminals." What, he still wasn't done? "There are a lot of people that I wished would just die…"

L let out a breath as Matsuda burst into the conversation. "Light… I think of that sometimes, too! It's normal to think like that sometimes! But that doesn't mean we would actually kill those people!"

Matsuda continued to shout at Light's back. "Also, people still died when Light didn't get any information regarding them. The surveillance tapes are proof! We watched Light for five days straight. He can't possibly be Kira…"

Aizawa, who had been brooding very hard, finally spoke up. "No… we didn't have enough manpower at the time so we could only keep watch on the homes, and even though it was probably enough… It's still a fact that we weren't watching twenty four hours a day during those five days. You went to school and you could leave home freely… It's possible that you found out about the cameras and killed when you went outside…"

That must have been what Light was waiting for, for his gaze sharpened with a sudden, subtle gleam. A heavy silence reigned, for at least a full two minutes. Was it just her, or was it awkward as heck? She shifted her weight from foot to foot.

Light apparently thought so too. "Actually… I came here because I would like to be put in solitary confinement."

"Wh… What?" Yagami Sr. couldn't believe his ears.

"… If Ryuzaki watches my every move… This method may take a long time, but it's still the fastest solution and the only way," Light stated, his voice full of determination.

"N…no… My son can't possibly be Kira…" Rui was starting to feel bad for Yagami Sr. "You can't do that…" Rui's heart clenched as that last sentence came out sounding like a hopeless plea. How could Light so selfishly put his father through such distress?

"Dad…" Light's voice now turned pleading. "If I have to worry about being Kira, I can't give my all in capturing Kira. Please let me do this." Rui watched as Yagami Sr.'s tortured gaze came up to meet Light's earnest one.

"That is absurd," L cut in abruptly, breaking up the family bonding moment. Light's shocked gaze flitted to him for the barest hint of a second, before he replaced it with an expression of dawning hope. "We can't do something so immoral... And like I said before, arresting someone who is a mere suspect, with no evidence, is ridiculous." Wait, that wasn't part of the original script! Hope began to bloom in Rui. O-of course Ryuzaki had a plan! She should have trusted him.

But his next words made her heart sink. "I stand by my previous decision to have Light-kun help with the investigation," L continued. "But I do understand everyone's concerns. To ensure the safety of everyone present, we should take some precautions."

Light would be handcuffed to L twenty-four seven as he lent a hand to the investigation. He would also be stripped of all that he was wearing and carrying, since there could be a murder weapon on Light that he unconsciously used. That caught Light off guard, though he hastened to help iron out all the loose ends of his disappearance from civvie life, like his suggestion that he pretend to fall out with Yagami Sr. over Amane Misa being his girlfriend.

"Aihara and Matsui," L began. "Please take Light to the other room and strip him of all his belongings. For now, he can wear the spare bathrobe. I ask that you two be thorough in this."

"Yosh!" The two men responded passionately, happy to comply. And why would they not be, when Ryuzaki had suggested a more humane-seeming course of action? Plus, their Chief was less distraught than he had been, so they were content.

"Rui." It was her turn to be surprised. "Please purchase some new clothes for Yagami Light. You can check his sizes when Aihara and Matsui hand Light's belongings over to you."

"Of course, right away!" Rui responded. It was already seeming to be a good plan. Rui was just a little worried about the potential fallout from being around a hyper-intelligent, charming serial murderer who never drank his respect-women juice.

*Galactic Mermaid, an OST from the anime Carole & Tuesday, and one of my favorite songs for some people (and myself too, sometimes LOL): /S-PWTsc0lC8