Chapter Seven
The ride back to the Yagami household was silent and awkward. Upon calling ahead we'd discovered Quinn was already there and something in Soichiro's shoulders told me that we would be spending the night. L had done something to shake the man, and personally I didn't want to know what it was. I already had enough to be dealing with.
"Ryuzaki? What is Minerva doing here?"
"She's here on my request. I ask that you don't inquire further. It's between Minerva-chan and I." At the informal suffix Soichiro shot me a querying, and slightly wary look. L dismissed him, saying I would be out in a minute to be taken home. As soon as the door closed he turned around.
"We will talk later. I need information on Light Yagami. Tell no one."
"Who would believe me?" I already knew one answer to that question. From L's raised eyebrow, he knew it to. Without a word he gestured for me to leave the room and went over to the windows, still gnawing on his thumbnail. A part of me, the bit that was trained by Granny Hiro's daughter Suzi, cringed at the thought of all the bacteria and dirt he was lapping up with his tongue. Just as I was about to close the door there came a low, "Happy New Year, Valerie."
A shudder ran down my spine, and left its chill even as I followed Soichiro to the car.
How on Earth was I supposed to hide this from Light?
"Hi, Sachiko-san. Hey, Sayu-chan, Quinn. I'm going upstairs. Thanks for driving me, Yagami-san."
"Call me Soichiro, please," said Soichiro absently, running a hand over his face as he leant against the wall in the hallway. Sachiko gave me a small smile and hurried to her husband's side, hands gently pulling off his jacket. He seemed to have fallen into a state of complete unawareness. Quinn and Sayu exchanged confused glances as I passed by to walk up the stairs.
Was it just me, or was the upper floor colder than normal? Colder and darker. I almost expected snow to swirl around my feet. All of a sudden, that drawing of the hanged man reared up in my memory. Hugging myself, I quickly made my way into Light's room. Light was at his desk, Death Note in hand, Ryuk hovering in the corner with an ever-present apple.
"Minerva, where have you been?" Light pulled up short at the sight of me. "What happened?"
"Nothing." My voice was too high. Clearing my throat, I tried again. "Nothing. I'm just . . . tired. I need sleep." Light's eyes stayed trained on me as I walked to his bed and easily slipped beneath the covers. It occurred to me that Light had been perhaps waiting to tell me how he'd dealt with the the woman from the police headquarters. He said nothing, fortunately. Instead, to my surprise, he walked over, muttering to Ryuk under his breath. The Shinigami gave him was approximated an exasperated glance and phased through the wall of the room.
Then Light got into bed, slipped his arms around my waist and drew me close. I marvelled at his way of easily ignoring his culture's social standards. Then I realised I was trembling.
"What happened?" he murmured again.
"Nothing." I buried my face in his chest and willed myself to not dream. Sleep was slow in coming but I never left his arms, not even for a second. It was so much warmer with him there.
What had to be only moments later I was waking up to low laughter. The door creaked and a startled squeak was followed by the hurried footsteps of what had to be Sayu and maybe Quinn. Groaning, I snuggled deeper into Light's chest. I was so warm, so comforted. Our legs were tangled together, still wearing jeans and t-shirts. At some point in the night his hand had slipped beneath my singlet and was splayed against my back, real and reassuring. Every heartbeat echoed in time with mine. His breath ruffled my hair.
"Morning," he muttered, shifting slightly so less of my weight was on his arm.
"Morning," I replied. "Did I dream?"
"Not a sound."
"Good." A pause. Then, "How long were they out there for?"
"A few minutes, I think."
"They were talking outside the door for about twenty," Ryuk piped up from somewhere off to the left.
"Is Mum still home?"
"Yeah. She's angry."
Light sighed heavily and suddenly I was flipped on my back, staring up at him. His hair was a mess and his face looked tired but in his eyes was the fire that burned daily. Today there was something else as well; a hint of mischief.
"Time for damage control," he said lightly. Quick as a flash, he pressed a kiss to my forehead, jumped out of bed, straightened his shirt and was out the door. I sat up, baffled.
"What was that?" I asked no one in particular. Unsurprisingly, Ryuk just laughed. I threw a pillow at him. "You must be the most unhelpful Shinigami to exist."
Ryuk grinned wider. "Let's go listen to Light get scolded by his mum."
That must be the smartest thing I've ever heard him say, I though, hastily getting up and padding over to the top of the stairs.
"Morning, Mum," said Light, wandering into the kitchen. Something cracked. It sounded suspiciously like a mug.
"Morning . . . Light," said Sachiko, in a way that made the image of a very angry bear pop up in my mind. I cringed behind the wall just thinking about it.
"V?" Quinn and Sayu were peaking out from her room, their expressions firmly in 'nervous'. Thinking hurriedly, I pushed them into the room, whispering, "Later," and went back to the stairs. Sachiko was mid-sentence.
" – can't believe you would do this! You have known her only a month! Your father and I were sure you would wait until marriage; we did! What were you thinking?"
Light's response was too low to be heard. I gestured for Ryuk to go into the kitchen, with a promise from him to explain what went on later. He winked and floated down the stairs.
"We both thought you had better judgement than this!"
Well, it was a bit hard not to take that as a slur against my person, even though I was sure it wasn't meant that way. Still, not wanting to hear anymore potentially traumatising words from Sachiko, I went to Sayu and Quinn.
They were sitting on her bed, hands clasped in their laps, the pictures of innocence. At my entrance Quinn leapt to his feet.
"V?"
Sighing, I shook my head. "It's not like that. I was just tired. Long day yesterday."
"Are you and Light dating?" Ah, Sayu. Ever the interrogator. Another trait she and Light shared.
I opened my mouth to reply when, low and behold, an answer different to the one on my lips came from the doorway.
"Yes." He pulled me against his chest, fingers tapping lightly on my hips. Quinn's expression quickly went blank. Without words I tried to promise him a conversation about this tonight. He nodded shortly, went to Sayu's bookshelf and brought out the sketchbook I'd bought her.
"What drawings have you done?" he asked. Sayu gave us one last sidelong look before bounding to his side, describing her work in detail with only a little less enthusiasm than normal. Light and I made our retreat.
As soon as the door closed I whirled on him. "Since when are we dating!?" I hissed. He made a placating motion, moving over to his chair. I grabbed his arm and held on so tightly his skin turned white.
"I just . . ." he was at a loss for words. "You refuse?"
With an angry groan, I let him go and massaged my temples. With L's overhanging threat to check up on me some time I really didn't need to be embroiled into what could only be some Kira plot. "How can this possibly help you? What can I do? What do you want from me?"
Suddenly my hands were pulled from my head and I was staring into Light's brown eyes. They were alight with sincerity and it took my breath away.
"I promise you, Minerva, this has nothing to do with Kira." I could detect no lie in his face, and that scared me more than I could imagine.
"How can I believe you?" I whispered. "You've broken every promise you've ever made to me."
A light flickered out of his eyes. He gripped my hands harder. "Can you trust me now? Just for this?" I glanced sideways, looking at Ryuk, who was unusually quiet. His stare was intense, as though he could barely understand what was happening. Light touched my cheek, bringing my attention back to him. "Please?"
That plea broke something inside me. He had to be serious; I just wouldn't be able to continue being his friend if he wasn't anything but sincere right now. From memory he had never said please to me or anyone else while I was around, not even his family. That had to count for something, right?
Leaning up, I kissed his cheek.
"If you are lying to me, you will never see me again."
To my eternal pleasure, I felt him shiver beneath my lips.
Now, Light, I have to say I'm inordinately pleased that I managed to talk L into this. He was reluctant at first, of course, but with the helpful intercession of Watari he came around. So, I present to you, Light: L's perspective.
This is a courtesy to only Minerva, and to you, Light Yagami. For anyone else I would not consider placing my personal thoughts on paper. For you, however . . .
Let's just say certain circumstances necessitated this.
It was strange. Light Yagami was a rather normal, if slightly paranoid, teenage boy. From the national exams, he was extremely intelligent, but that was no indication of personal awareness; anyone could memorise answer schematics. True intellect had to be observed.
Still, his scores in school made him the most likely to be Kira out of the Yagami family. Kira had already proven himself to be clever and too arrogant to avoid expressing it. Yes, Light Yagami was at the top of the Kira suspect list, even though it was only early in terms of investigation so far.
Raye Penber had so far only brought information about Light Yagami and a girl who had been on the bus with him, who turned out to be Minerva Catearro. Or Valerie, as she was when I knew her.
This makes no sense, I thought. Valerie has good judgement. She wouldn't attach herself to a murderer, would she? Then I thought about her at the House. Her loneliness, her loyalty to Quinn, who she would die for. And how she used to follow BB around like a puppy before the incident. I revised my opinion. If she was shown a certain level of interest, she would cling to it without letting go. No doubt a result from her isolated youth.
"But why Light?" I wondered aloud, pressing my lip with my thumb.
"Huh?" said Soichiro, who was staring at his empty house on the cameras without ceasing. His shoulders were lined with tension, his face haggard. This past month had not been good to him. Most likely Watari would say I should show remorse for putting him through so much. Instead I only felt annoyance. This man had laid his life on the line. He could at least stop acting like every day was a struggle.
I did not reply. Light had returned to the house, and with him was Valerie.
"I'm home!" he called out, holding the door open for Valerie. "No one's home?"
"Sachiko is taking Sayu and Quinn to the shopping mall. Quinn needs new headphones and Sayu wanted to find another poster."
"Of Hideki Ryuga?"
"No, of Ryuk." She chuckled, but stopped when Light curled his arm around her waist, tugging her close to him. He whispered in her ear.
Who in the world is Ryuk?
"Minerva-san and Light are in a relationship?" Soichiro asked incredulously. "They've only know each other a month." I gave him a sidelong glance.
"You didn't suspect?"
"I only go home to sleep most days now."
"Teenagers nowadays are much freer with their emotions. I can't say I know what it's like, but it's normal for them to start a relationship quickly." Inwardly I cursed; too much information given freely. I was shaken by this Valerie situation. Watari had commented that it was surprise to see her in Tokyo. More like a horrific shock. I had bought the apartment for her, granted, but what was she doing here? Why now? What had Hiro told her to make her bring Quinn halfway across the world?
Too many questions, too little chance of having them answered any time soon without arousing suspicion, especially from Light. Speaking of which, he was dragging her onto his lap.
It may be because there is only one chair. She does have her study books with her and will need access to the desk. That whimsical thought went out the window when the boy began to massage her shoulders, she leaning into his touch with a sigh.
This can't be right. Something was short-circuiting in my mind. The usual screed of non-stop percentages and theories that rolled through the back of my thoughts was blank, frozen in place, as a surge of possessiveness I had never thought I'd experience again came back. And of course she was the root of it.
The last time I'd felt this was when she had been with BB, being attacked, picked apart, destroyed from the inside out with naught but words and a knife. BB hadn't even bothered to take her away from the House. It happened in his bedroom, where no one entered. It was only Quinn's investigation into the whereabouts of his adopted sister that led to finding them. What followed was Quinn and Valerie fleeing the House, running to Canada with no hint of ever coming back.
And now she was here again, in the arms of who was possibly a murderer, her neck bared to be slit. It was almost agonising to watch.
Barely suppressing my rage, I watched them 'study' together, go down to dinner and see the news report on the 1500 agents being brought to Japan. Light was quick to denounce it; I made an offhand comment to Soichiro about Light's quick thinking but it was of no surprise. Valerie, for all her faults, new how to find the smart ones.
Quinn was at the table as well. He had grown up quickly in the few years since I'd seen him last, but that was to be expected. When he and Valerie left for their home in a taxi I had to stop myself from sighing in relief. Now I could think easily, watch without emotions getting in the way.
Kira. Are you really hiding behind the guise of this teenager?
Watari came into the dark room. "Ryuzaki, two criminals whose names were just released on the news have died due to sudden heart attacks."
"Hmm, thank you, Watari." That made things difficult. All Light had done all night was eat potato chips and study. The other two had simply turned off the television once Hideki Ryuga's programme was done and talked in the living room. How could any of them done it?
"Do you still consider my family to be suspect?" Soichiro demanded.
"Yes . . . the Yagami family seems almost too innocent." It was early yet, but there was definitely something about them, about Light, that begged closer observation. Purely on a Kira-investigation level, of course. Once the family was asleep I left the room, knowing that nothing would occur that Soichiro could not update me on, unless Kira was somehow murdering in his sleep. I made my way to the spartan office, where Watari was waiting.
Watari gave me a long, searching look, one I had not been subjected to in years. He found what he was looking for. "She is an intelligent girl. She knows what she is doing."
"Intelligence didn't stop her from being attacked by Beyond," I shot back, moving to the windows. It was a cold world out there, I noted. Grey buildings, grey trees, grey streets, grey sky. Everything was leeched of colour. Like God had forgotten to flick the switch for polychrome when He designed this day in His book.
"She was young then. She has learned."
"She is still immature. If there is the slightest chance that Light Yagami is Kira, she should have left already. If he is Kira, she must know."
"And if she does know?"
"Then we must separate them."
"Ryuzaki, I believe you are speaking from jealousy."
I resisted the urge to whirl around and express my anger like a child. That was what I had done before. Now I was stronger, more disciplined. I had learned from my mistakes.
"I am speaking from pragmatism. She means nothing to me anymore. It would only be cruel to allow her to be ensnared by Kira when she has Quinn to look after."
"If you separated Light Yagami and Miss Minerva, it does not mean she will come back to you, Ryuzaki," Watari warned. Memories from before hit me in a wave; young Valerie swinging her feet as she watched me work, asking questions, knowing when to be silent. Quinn following her like a miniature sun in her orbit. Never worrying about being alone because even when Near and Mello were too awed and envious to approach, she had no qualms. She did not covet the L position. She merely wanted to watch. And so I had watched her back.
She painted a portrait of me at one time. I had given it to Watari to dispose of. Hopefully it was ashes now.
"That is the past. It does not matter now."
Watari sighed, and left. The door closed behind him with a near-inaudible click.
I pressed my thumb to my mouth, like it would make the lie any more truthful.
"Apples!" I sat up in horror as punk-rocker Shinigami flew through my wall. "Minerva, I need apples!"
"What? Why from me?" I demanded, tugging down my shirt that had ridden up while I slept.
"Because there are cameras at Light's and I can't eat apples there without them looking like they are floating. You've got to help me. I'm having withdrawals." Even as I watched his arms seemed to distort, one twisting behind his back and the other hanging limply in a way that seemed to defy conventional bone structure. Did Shinigami even had bones? Could you dissect one to look at their anatomy?
Deciding that now probably wasn't the best time to ask, I slowly got to my feet and padded into the kitchen. Quinn wasn't there; he was fiddling with his new headphones in his room. In moments I had an armful of apples and was closing my bedroom door behind me. Ryuk descended on the pile like a ravenous wolf.
"Thanks," he got out between mouthfuls. "They're my – addiction – like alcohol to – humans."
"I see." I really didn't. It was kind of hard to think when those sharp teeth were slicing through red apple skin as fast as a jackhammer. And also fascinating, in a disturbing way.
"Hey, could I draw you?" I asked suddenly. Ryuk paused, tilting his head.
"Why?"
"Because . . . no one's ever done your portrait before?" Was it possible to say 'because the way you eat apples both disgusts and fascinates me and I want to get it down on paper like a carnival sideshow poster' in a nice way?
Ryuk thought for a moment, chewing ponderously on his fruit. After a minute, he said, "Sure. Just keep the apples coming," and sat on the carpet.
Weirdly enough, I felt almost gleeful as I picked up my sketchbook. After all, who gets to draw a death god and live to tell the tale?
It was only after I'd finished his face that I realised that those eyes were very familiar.
I'd seen them on two different people before.
TOWRTA: I feel like I must add that this hasn't really been edited either. If someone who is either as good or a better writer than me wants to ever beta-read, be my guest. I just don't have the time to do it myself.
Other than that, I found it rather easy to write L's point of view. Thought it would be harder, but then again, I mess with every character in this story to my own ends. And yay! More of Quinn & Minerva/Valerie back story. At the rate we're going I may not have to do a whole chapter devoted to just her growing up. That makes life easier for me.
So? What did you think?
Next chapter: there's a fire. Oh no!
(random note: I now have a striped, feather-stuffed, wingback chair in my rather small room. The longer you sit in it, the warmer it gets. Ahhh, Heaven in a chair)