Ugh, so much for delivering the next installment on time! There's still a little way to go but I'm very nearly there and will have more for you soon. Anyway, here's the latest.
Warning for language in this one. Aaand, it's beginning to get even more Lawlight-y. If that's not your thing, feel free to skip over all the tension.
Connection
PARALYSED, MISA'S BACK was pressed against the cool tiles of the bathroom. Her wild eyes were fixed on the open door, from which a slither of office light was thrown across the shining floor. On the other side of that boundary, mere yards away, Hatori remained at the desk with the photograph still in his hand. Misa felt seized by a desperate impulse to slam the door shut, closing herself off from him entirely. If only she had slid the lock into place during those precious seconds before Hatori had arrived...
x-x-x
"I said it first!" L and Light burst out fiercely. The pair levelled their gaze at one another, eyes locked in silent fury. Then, slowly, the faces of the young men softened into mild shock. Light looked down to where L's hand covered his own.
"Wow, guys!" came the distant echo of Matsuda's voice from Soichiro's discarded headphones. "Your first time working together and you had a simultaneous epiphany!" The former police chief seized the headset from the floor of the van and roared into the mic.
"We don't have time for your commentary, Matsuda! Your orders are to get Misa and the others out of there!"
"Anyway!" L wrenched his hand away from Light's, his manner suddenly most businesslike. "Now that we know Hatori is Kira, we cannot afford to waste another second."
"Uh-" Mogi, who had been listening to the exchange patiently from the driver's seat, spoke at long last. "...is anyone else feeling a little in the dark here...? Do either of you want to catch the rest of us up?" He gestured to where Aizawa and Soichiro were muttering in sullen agreement. L and Light shared an uncertain glance.
"Actually, it's quite-"
"You might have-"
L scratched at the back of his neck; Light laughed uneasily.
"Unless - shall we explain together?"
"Yes." L resumed his characteristic crouch, reaching out his free hand for a metallic coffee flask stowed between the van's front seats. Light stared as Mogi helped to remove the lid and pour in some of its steaming contents.
"Hey, when did-?"
"Initially," L cut smoothly across Light's question, "I thought it was strange that only one of Yotsuba's named targets had been killed. You may recall from the first meeting we witnessed that, in fact, two businessmen were named. Why then would Kira wish to leave Todo Yotsuba alive? Surely it would be in his best interest to kill them both..."
"...that's when it became pretty obvious that Kira wasn't only thinking of eliminating his competition in the way someone like Higuchi might," Light chimed in. "No. They had to have a more personal agenda..."
"...for instance, if they were somehow related to Yotsuba," L extended his unshackled arm, coffee cup held aloft. "Hatori mentioned to Misa that he had a brother who was an entrepreneur. And, as we have since learned from observing their meetings, the Yotsuba Group wanted Todo Yotsuba dead to absorb his start-up company."
He paused to take a sip of coffee. The heads of the former police detectives snapped rhythmically back to Light, as though they were watching a tennis match.
"During their lunch date, Hatori also told Misa that he was promoted from the mailroom up to a Vice President position within five years," Light returned the volley. "Kind of unusual for someone that incompetent, unless he had the advantage of being, say, a senior executive's son…"
"...furthermore, there's the fact that Hatori's father is sick, or so he claimed," L continued smoothly, "I have personally verified information that President Yotsuba has been in bad health for the past year. The other Yotsuba Group members appear to be aware of this fact, if you recall Higuchi commenting that he would "kick the bucket soon enough...""
Their spectators gave a small, impressed murmur.
"...besides," Light glanced at each of the men in turn, "think about what Hatori said just now. He asked Higuchi "what did you say to Takahashi?" Not "what have you done to him?" He never once implied that Higuchi could have killed him..."
"...there's more." In the gloom of the van, L's eyes were luminous with exhilaration. "On the same day that Misa met with Hatori for their lunch date, Light took a photo of his Platinum Complex Pass. The pass carries the full name of the card bearer. Why would a person give out these details knowing it's all Kira needs to murder his victims? Either he is certain he already knows the identity of Kira, or he is Kira."
"What if he's just an idiot?" Aizawa interjected.
"Arayoshi Hatori is the outcast of his family. He probably would have been an unsuccessful businessman without his father's preferential treatment." Light gave a decisive nod. "He must have gained Kira's powers and used them to take promotions for himself and his colleagues. Once the group was formed and began meeting to decide who to kill each week, Hatori knew he had no choice but to carry out their wishes. That was, until his brother Todo was named. That's when the group divided, because Hatori was trying to see who he could convince to stop the killings."
"Wow…" Mogi gave a low whistle. "Amazing work!" Soichiro's smile smoothed the etchings of his aging face.
"Simply brilliant, Light. But, as always, I'm not surprised."
"We'll have plenty of time to allocate praise once Hatori has been apprehended," L cut in, if a little coldly. He drained the rest of his cup and set it on the floor of the van. "For now, we need to catch him in the act to prove our theory once and for all."
"Er…" Mogi interrupted once more, causing all heads to snap round in his direction. "Don't we need to rescue Misa Amane first?"
"Misa!" Light groaned in recollection, hand clenched upon his knee. "I can't believe I forgot about her."
"She's a lucky girl," Aizawa remarked sardonically as the detectives returned to their headsets and monitors.
x-x-x
Despite her rising panic, Misa leaned forwards, her feet still rooted to the large tiles below. She could see Hatori's profile, pensive, as he lowered the photo back within its frame. And there was Rem, Misa noted with momentary relief, stooped in the shadows of the bookcase. In a jarring contrast to the tense stillness of her surroundings, the drone of L and Light's competitive boasting continued through her hidden earpiece.
Ugh, I wish you would both stop showing off and help get me out of here! If Hatori comes in to use the bathroom… ohh, he'll kill me for sure…
Misa clasped a hand to her chest. Beneath, her heart thudded violently. From within there was a scrape of wood. Hatori had risen to his feet, placing the frame back upon the desk. A thrill of horror ran through Misa as he turned in her direction.
There came a knock.
It took Misa a moment to place the exact location of the sound. Hatori's head jerked to the left; she took a shaking step backwards. There she remained frozen, a suffocating tightness taking hold of her chest. Just when she thought her terror could not possibly intensify, a metallic clink sounded behind her. Turning, she saw movement behind the grate above the toilet's cistern. There was a face.
Misa had to clap a hand over her mouth to keep from screaming.
"Who could that be?" Hatori's voice travelled from the other room. "Huh… I guess our chat will have to wait, Miss Rem."
"Quickly!" the person behind the vent seemed to be urging. Misa threw a final look behind her, and then dashed over to the toilet. Between the thin metal grills she could just make out-
"Wedy!" she mouthed in surprise. The thief waved her hand peevishly at Misa, who drew back a pace. Wedy shoved at the vent's covering and the metal grill fell into Misa's outstretched hands. From the adjoining office, there came more voices.
"I'll be down in a sec," Hatori was explaining to someone unseen. "I just gotta pee!"
Hurriedly, Misa placed the vent covering on the back of the toilet. The pair worked swiftly and silently; Misa threw her clutch bag through the opening, then stepped out of her heels. Wedy caught each item as it was thrown up to her.
The sound of footsteps were audible on the other side of the door.
Misa grabbed the metal grill with one hand and, stepping onto the toilet seat, seized Wedy's outstretched arm with the other.
"Here." Within the dark, narrow passageway Wedy thrust a silenced power drill at Misa. The model's hands were shaking so badly that she could hardly match the drill bit up to the screws. Yet, somehow, Misa managed to fasten the covering back into place behind her. Through the metal grill she watched as Hatori emerged into the room, one hand tugging down the zipper of his suit trousers.
"Eugh."
"We don't have time for eugh," Wedy scolded her in the same clipped tone that L often used, "this vent leads us back to the bathroom on the ground floor. Once the coast is clear, you'll need to freshen up and then head back to the foyer. Remember to act natural, okay?"
Without any further hesitation, Wedy shoved the discarded shoes and bag in front of her before both women set off at a crawl.
"Anyway, think you've had a rough night? At least you haven't just been fired on the first day of your fake job," Wedy finished sarcastically.
x-x-x
The remainder of the evening passed without further setbacks. Misa had rejoined the guests in the hall just in time for Higuchi's presentation. A combination of the businessman's oddly sentimental talk and his hired smoke machine earned him a crescendo of applause, leaving him to swagger about the premises in an even more ridiculous fashion than usual. A humbly apologetic Hatori arrived late, granting Misa the proverbial upperhand for the rest of the night. Hunched and glowering, Rem followed, her yellow eyes narrowing distastefully as the businessman's hand slid lower and lower down Misa's back. Meanwhile, Wedy had simply melted away into the shadows. Aiber was forced to follow in similar disgrace, for it was his tray which had borne the fatal ice bucket; the watery grave of Shingo Mido's cell phone. Matsuda had tried to catch the conman's eye as he was marched from the premises. But, for Aiber, these things were easily forgotten. For him, life was too short to spend on such drab notions as responsibility...
It was nearing 2 am by the time Matsuda and Misa had disembarked from their decoy cab several blocks away from the team's headquarters. On foot, the pair doubled back on themselves. Misa shivered; the dusty hem of her dress fluttered in the cool, early morning breeze as she drew her arms about herself. Matsuda lifted off his jacket, withdrawing a handful of yen notes, and draped it about the model's shoulders. As she gratefully pulled the garment around her, Misa turned to see the former police detective sliding the notes into a rather dubious-looking ice cream vending machine.
"Wow Misa, this one does snake flavour!"
Back at headquarters, Misa and Matsuda stood in surprised silence, plastic spoons in mouths. In the central room the overhead lamps were dimmed; it was only the glow from the computer monitors which illuminated the faces of L and Light as they sat engrossed in their work. The rest of the room stood dark and empty, the other detectives having departed some hours previously. In her haste, Misa discarded Matsuda's suit jacket upon the long work desk.
"Light!" she cried, leaping forwards and flinging her arms about the student's neck. She brought her mouth down to his, but inadvertently caught Light upon the chin as he twisted around in alarm.
"Err…" Light began, his upper body tilted backwards over the armrest of his seat. "We're just following a lead right now Misa, so it's probably not the best time-"
"We got you ice cream!" the model interrupted, causing L's head to turn sharply. "I picked coffee for you Light, and cherry in case L was feeling fruity!"
L remained quiet and impassive as he received the small tub from her. With a quick glance at Light and a nod of understanding, the two men exchanged flavours.
"I suspect that, of the two of us, Light has more of a taste for that," the detective replied flatly, causing Matsuda to snort into his own ice cream. Light hesitated with his spoon half way poised to his tub, eyes narrowed.
Once Misa and Matsuda had drawn up chairs, L began to divulge the investigation team's latest intelligence. Following their theory that Hatori was personally connected to Yotsuba, the task force had instigated an examination into the businessman's family background. Watari had set about obtaining a birth certificate for Arayoshi Hatori through less-than-legal means, of which Light had thought better than to ask. The former police detectives had worked tirelessly to begin fitting together the pieces of Hatori's childhood timeline, unveiling Hatori's mother as au pair to a young Todo Yotsuba, Hatori's birth barely a year later, and the private school education with which both boys were provided.
"That's as far as we got tonight," Light commented, scraping at his cherry ice cream. "It's almost a cliché when you think about it. The man of the household and the nanny…" Misa, meanwhile, made a noise of disgust.
"So Hatori was really Kira all along?" the model asked shrilly, "ugh, I told you he was gross and sweaty!" L shifted in his chair, his gaze averted.
"Yes. I'm sorry for having placed you in such a dangerous situation," he admitted gently. "It was always a possibility. Of course, we couldn't have been certain of that fact before." Misa dropped her head to smile down at the polished tiles, secretly pleased with her performance. Matsuda waved his plastic spoon, flecking a nearby monitor with ice cream droplets.
"So, these guys are half brothers right?" he asked, his face breaking into a smile, "and they're seriously called Yoshi and Toad-oh...?" L nodded slowly.
"What are you getting at?" Light asked, arms folded over his lap. Matsuda shook his head in retraction.
"N-nothing!" the former police detective coughed nervously as he reached for the back of his head. "Wow, this is huge though! I guess it won't be too long now before we make an arrest?"
"Yes..." L acknowledged, trailing a finger around the rim of his tub. He touched his fingertip to his tongue meditatively. "Our months of hard work and preparation have led us to this moment. We are now in the optimum position to bring in Kira. Once we have confirmation from the NPA that they are willing to assist us, then we can make our final move. Of course, before that, I need to ask something very important of you both…"
Misa and Matsuda flinched as the detective turned his dark eyes upon them. Both brought their chairs closer, glancing about themselves conspiratorially. L placed his ice cream upon the desk and, with an emphatic gesture, began to outline the workings of his scheme. Misa and Matsuda gaped, amazed, their eyes widening at each successive word...
"...therefore you will be playing a primary role, Mr Matsuda,'' L finished seriously. The former detective seemed to grow smaller under his gaze. Turning, L glanced to Misa, his mouth set grimly. "As for you, Hatori will most likely attempt to call you but you should refrain from answering him. Please do this even if he calls you multiple times."
"You can count on me!" Misa gave a small hum of satisfaction. "Wow, I can't believe this is all coming to an end so soon. We need to be ready. I guess I'd better turn in for the night!"
Matsuda bade his companions good night with a small wave of his hand, disappearing swiftly up the staircase to his rooms. Misa gave a great yowl, stretching her arms above her head, before springing up and bounding over to the staircase. Hesitating with one foot upon the first step, she swung back to smile mischievously at Light.
"Just think, Light, once we've caught Kira you can go free… and we can finally have our own celebration with those handcuffs!"
Light's mouth fell open in horror.
"I know! I can't wait until then either!" Misa's face was flushed with exhilaration. "But we have to restrain ourselves, okay? I know it'll be hard-" At this, the model broke into a peal of nervous laughter. Then she turned and skipped up the stairs. Light stared after her, before suddenly jumping at the sound of his name.
"What?"
"I asked if you could refresh your emails?" L repeated, indicating Light's computer screen. "That is, if you're not too busy restraining yourself?"
"Shut up!" Light lashed at him. "Anyway, the only thing I have planned for after we catch Kira is breaking up with Misa once and for all!" L, who had paused to savour both his joke and his final bite of ice cream, waved his utensil urgently at Light.
"That would be unwise. Please reconsider, given the timing-"
"Ryuzaki, I've told you that this has nothing to do with you!" Light slammed a palm upon the desk as he stood. Matsuda, who had reappeared on the stairs to reclaim his jacket, froze at the sound of raised voices.
"It's not going to last between us, don't you see?" Light asked in exasperation. L regarded the student with a hardened expression, his dark eyes unblinking.
"And nothing I say will change your mind…?"
"No, Ryuzaki. I just... can't keep on pretending."
"Light, do you really expect me to beg-?"
Matsuda had to cram his fist into his mouth to keep from spluttering incoherently. Alerted by the noise, L and Light whirled round to face the stairs. The detective, immobilized by sheer embarrassment, smiled painfully.
"Hi guys…" he choked, "m-my cell phone… it's in my jacket… I'll just get it… heh..."
.
x-x-x
A sombre, grey sky seeped through the vertical blinds, pouring rivers of pale silver upon Light's narrow bed. The student lay with one arm folded behind his head; his other hand clasped a reading book. It was now nearing four o'clock and, with all vain hope of sleep having abandoned him, he had resigned himself to staring vacantly at the page of script. To his left, L sat in his armchair with Watari's laptop upon his knees. Through semi-darkness, Light could hardly discern the ghostly outlines of the clothes bureau, the desk - the features which, like the room itself, had come to feel like his own.
"I can't believe that it could all be over by this time tomorrow…" he spoke into the shadows. From his chair, L said nothing but continued to type.
"I've gotta say, this has been quite an experience but, honestly, I'm relieved to be going home." Light placed the open book face down upon his chest and gave a short laugh. "I can't wait to sleep in my own bed again, have dinner with my family… I can hardly remember what Sayu looks like!"
"Mmm," came L's noncommittal reply.
"Of course, we won't be joined together anymore," Light found himself continuing, almost in an attempt to ward off the intrusive silence. "Not having you around will be…" The former student rested his hand upon the spine of the book. Several adjectives had come to mind but he decided to settle for the safest choice.
"...different."
"Yes," L spoke finally. His voice seemed strangely thin; distant despite their proximity. "It will be lonely, won't it?"
"Huh…" Light picked up his book as though to feign interest in reading. Thinking better of it, he snapped the volume shut and laid it upon the side table.
"I... wouldn't say that exactly. But I guess it'll take getting used to, especially after everything we've been through together." He lifted himself into a sitting position and swivelled around so that his feet were lowered to the floor. Light's hands clenched at the bedclothes as he watched L's continued typing.
"Anyway, you still have my university email. I know we both tend to be pretty busy but... why don't we agree now to try and stay in touch? At the very least I'll promise to send you a Christmas e-card?" The staccato rhythm of L's fingers halted. Silence interposed its way between the young men, obstinate and unyielding.
"No. I don't think so."
Light recoiled, uttering a sound halfway between a hollow laugh and an exasperated gasp. "Seriously?"
"I don't keep in touch with anyone." L seemed to be affirming this more to the laptop than to the student himself. Through the shadows, Light traced the dark silhouette of the detective's squared shoulders. "I'm sure that you can appreciate why."
"Ryuzaki, this is me we're talking about," Light snarled, his tone inexplicably harsher than intended. He swallowed uncomfortably, his throat strangely tight. When he continued, a casual airiness had forced its way into his voice. "Of course I wasn't going to suggest anything that would lead a trail to you."
Slowly, L snapped the lid of the laptop shut. He stood and placed the computer upon his armchair. As he turned towards Light in the half-lit gloom, the detective's eyes seemed larger than usual, almost imploring.
"Light, do you remember when I told you that you were my first ever friend?"
"I remember thinking you were full of it," Light replied nastily. He rose to follow L as the detective padded over to his own bed.
"Before this, I had never shared a room with anyone for longer than three days," L admitted, sitting upon the edge and drawing his knees up to his chin. "And yet, we have been roommates for months now."
"What's your point?"
"I don't have siblings." L gave a half-shrug. "That being said, I do know what it's like to have a brother. We were never close though… and he fell into bad habits."
"...drugs?" Light asked hesitantly.
"Homicide."
"Ah."
"Light, you know me far better now than anyone else ever will," L continued, his hands clasping his knees. "That is precisely the reason why I need to cut ties after this case is completed."
It was as though he had struck a blow to Light's face. The student felt himself stagger under the weight of such a pronouncement. He tried to draw breath, much as though he had actually been winded by L's unprovoked attack. The horrid sensation in Light's throat worsened; an invisible hand was tightening its grasp. L gave a small, hopeless shake of his head.
"Light…"
"You really do have trust issues don't you?" Light managed finally, his eyes shut in pained frustration. "Guess I should've known…" He was about to turn away, but something compelled Light to draw closer instead. Kneeling upon the carpet, his hands found L's narrow shoulders. L did not move as Light's eyes roved his face.
"Or... is it something else? Some other reason why you're being so closed off?" At this, Light's grip tightened. Then, impatiently, he pushed the detective away.
"Don't tell me this is because you still can't let go of the idea that I'm Kira!"
L threw out a hand behind himself to regain his balance. He shifted around so that one foot remained upon the bed, whilst the other swung above the carpeted floor. Despite the sudden movement, L's voice remained calm and level.
"Okay, Light. Then I won't tell you."
"Ryuzaki, I swear I'll-!"
With an inarticulate yell, Light threw his fist at the detective's face. No sooner had he brought his hand upwards than L seized it in his own. Light felt the sting along his knuckles as they smacked into L's palm. The pain subsided quickly, leaving his hand clenched stiffly in the detective's grip. L's fingers loosened but did not release him. Instead his hand moved down, grazing Light's skin, until he had encircled his wrist. Light's own fingers curled around L's thumb and held it fast. Caught in a deadlock, neither spoke.
Light looked from their interlocked hands to L's indecipherable expression. Half of the detective's face was thrown into darkness but he could see, despite the encroaching shadows, a hardness in his eyes. Light glared back, studying the shape of L's pointed nose, before trailing down to his thin, unsmiling mouth. Stifled by warm breath, Light drew back and tore his hand free.
"Don't - fuck - with me, L!" Light's voice was ragged. L recoiled as the student broke away from him. "And as for that last comment of yours…!" Light stumbled furiously over to the door, swearing as he tripped over L's discarded sneakers. Behind him, a loud, violent jangle rippled along the handcuffs' chain.
"I- we are going to get you a jar, and then you are going to put in one hundred yen every time you make a suggestion that I could be Kira from now on! Got it?" L gaped at him, his arm now resting over one knee.
"Fine!" he growled. L reached into the pocket of his jeans for his cell phone. Flipping it open, the detective pressed a button, then brought the device up to his ear.
"Watari? Yes I know what time it is. Please withdraw ten thousand yen."