"So were you actually planning to check all of the footage we got from Aoyama on the twenty-second by yourself?" Aizawa demanded. I arrived to the hotel once it was completely dark out, and I found that the room was lit only from the TV with the remaining Task Force members surrounding L.

I wanted to get to my room without being interrupted, but I guess that wasn't in the cards for me tonight. "That's right," L replied. "Endo, would you join us, please? I think it's very likely that Kira and the second Kira made contact with each other there on that day, so I want to check all of these tapes personally. Also, Mr. Yagami?"
"Uh, yes?"

"Please ask Mr. Mogi to start following Light so we can keep tabs on what he's doing?" L requested. Ouch. Apparently I wasn't doing a good enough job for him.

"You want him followed?" Mr. Yagami questioned in disbelief.

"It's only a slim chance," L placated him, "but if Light is Kira, then there's still a possibility that the second Kira might try to contact him somehow."

"Very well," Mr. Yagami submitted.

"I'm starting to wonder if Ryuzaki is even human," Aizawa remarked, "the guy never sleeps."

"I saw him sleeping in that exact same position the other day," Matsuda gossiped, and Aizawa scoffed in response, "No, I'm serious."

"Ryuzaki's a lot of things," I said watching him stare at the TV. "Surprisingly, human's one of them." The three remaining members of the Task Force returned to their homes as the night drew on, and I was left with L.

We watched the footage play without speaking. Watari had brought out desserts, and I was enjoying a cherry pie while L worked on a strawberry cake. We ate and watched in silence until L spoke, "I'm not going to apologize."

I almost spit out my pie. "I wasn't expecting you to," I retorted, and then we relapsed into silence. I set the saucer on the coffee table when I finished and started walking to my room. All I wanted was to get some sleep. Hopefully, Beyond wouldn't invade my dreams.

"What the hell was that?" Beyond demanded. We were at Wammy's. More specifically, we were in my old bedroom. I sat on the bed while Beyond stood at the door with his arms crossed and a critical glare in place.

"Investigating," I answered simply.

"No," he drew the word out. "That was fraternizing with the enemy."

"You don't have to patronize me, Beyond," I informed him coolly. "I know what I'm doing."

"Oh, really?" he questioned skeptically. "I disagree. I think you're forgetting what you're really here to do."

"And what would that be?" I humored him.

"Avenge my death!" he exclaimed, throwing his arms into the air. The stern expression on his face morphed into a mischievous one. "Of course, I'm glad you're having fun, but at least choose the one whose heart you could break later."

"You're not suggesting I get involved with L?" I exclaimed with complete disbelief. He shrugged and let the mischief fall from his face to a cool, neutral expression. I sighed. It was impossible to talk to Beyond about involvements with other people. "Why are we even talking about this?" I demanded. "There are more important things to talk about."

"Such as?" he tilted his head to the side with a wide grin on his face.

" Kira, Shinigami, the Death Note…" I listed off. "You know how to end all of this, don't you?"

"Where's the fun in ending it now?" he asked smugly, perching in the desk chair. "Think it through, Essie. How can this play out to your advantage?"

I thought about it. He did have a point. With the chaos and all things considered, there was a way for the events to play out in my favor. I could win. "There are other people involved," I argued. "They're good people."

Beyond laughed loudly, almost manically, "You're going soft on me, Essie! What's more important? The goal or them?"

As twisted as it was, he did have a point. "I'll figure something out," I assured him. Hopefully, there was a way to end this without anyone else getting hurt. "I will accomplish this task, Beyond. Don't doubt me."

"Maybe I wouldn't doubt you if you weren't so emotional," he pouted.

"Emotions are a part of being human," I reminded him. "Can you just help me finish this?"

He sighed heavily, like a disappointed child, "Alright, fine."

"Light's ability to kill comes from that Death Note, so if I separated him from it, he'd be powerless."

"But it's never that easy," Beyond scoffed and stuck his finger into a jar of jam.

"Of course not," I agreed, "but it's a start. I can't exactly put a gun to his head in the middle of a street."

"Well, why not?"

"It's not how I do things," I snapped. "Anyway, Light isn't the problem right now. I know everything I need to know about him. It's the second one I'm worried about."

Beyond watched me with large, interested eyes, "Go on."

"A fan of Kira's. Amateur at best but not entirely stupid. They have the Eyes and utilize a Death Note to kill."

"So?"

"So we have actions but no name or face to go with them. The Second Kira will attempt to contact Light. I'd say the chances of that happening are above eighty percent. Light's going to use that person to carry out his plans. That puts two Death Notes at his disposal. He'll want to keep them close, but not close enough to draw suspicion to either of them. I'll have to keep a close eye on the company he keeps."

"You'll look like a jealous girlfriend," Beyond snickered.

"Would you cut it out?" I demanded.

"Just remember, Light Yagami is dangerous. You're involved in something much greater than anything you've ever taken on before. Try not to die."

After waking up, I shook my head and pressed my palm against my forehead. Beyond wasn't going to let this whole mess end here, but I knew he could tell me how to stop it. He was choosing not to.

I did intend to eliminate Kira once and for all, but a part of me didn't want to go through with it. It was Reika Endo. The persona I created to try for a normal life. She was the part of me that believed Light wasn't beyond saving and L couldn't be blamed for Beyond becoming a target. She cared about the Task Force and saw them as individuals and innocents.

I had to remember that I was not Reika Endo. I was E. Everest. Reika Endo was not me.

"Reika?"

I couldn't afford to be like her. I had to play by different rules. Rules that compassionate and caring people couldn't follow.

"Reika?"

Reika Endo wouldn't survive this, but I had to.

I was literally shaken from my thoughts by a Japanese girl gripping my shoulders tightly, "Reika, what's wrong with you today? You're zoning out again. Is everything okay?"

I looked at Haruka. That's right. I had to be Reika Endo at school. It was getting to be too much to keep these two aspects of myself separate. There had to be a line between work and school. I smiled at her and gently removed her hands from my sleeves, "I'm fine, honest. I just have a lot on my mind."

Ignoring her, I turned my attention to the professor who was droning on about something I had no use for. So, I surveyed the room. Ryuk's cross-legged form drew my attention almost immediately. He stood out like a sore thumb, and I was certain that if the class could see him, about ninety-six percent of them would be panicking. My attention slid from the shinigami to Light.

His desk was rows ahead of me, and I could see Takada conversing with him. At this point in the term, rumors circulated like black market intelligence. Almost everyone knew about Light Yagami and Kiyomi Takada's relationship, whether they wanted to or not. Nobody seemed to question the new couple. My guess is that they saw two attractive and intelligent young people, and that alone made sense. In reality, the relationship seemed to have started out of nowhere. It was almost suspicious.

Something must have happened in the past couple of days… something that Light hadn't told me about.

I scanned the rest of the room, finding my classmates bored, uninterested, or diligently taking notes. Of course, that didn't include the man in the back of the room. His eyes weren't trained on the professor, and he dressed too formally to be a student. If he were employed at the university, I'd wager that he wouldn't be lurking around like that.

At the end of class, I packed my unused notebook and pencil in my bag. "You know, this thing between Yagami and Takada seems really weird to me." Maybe Haruka was smarter than I gave her credit for. I had assumed she would be one of the ones to accept the attractive couple.

"Really?" I questioned with curious, large eyes, as if I hadn't suspected anything myself.

She put her hands on her hips and fixed me with a stern expression, "Don't give me that innocent look, Reika Endo. I know you must be upset. I thought you two were… you know, talking."

My eyes widened, and I didn't even attempt to conceal my surprise. Then, I started laughing. So, that was what she had been thinking about. She pouted, "Don't laugh at me! I'm just worried about you."

My laughter died away, and I smiled at the girl gratefully, "Thanks, but there's nothing to be worried about. I don't know what's going on here, myself."

She looked as if she wanted to say something, but a new presence spoke first. "Excuse me," Light Yagami's smooth voice cut in, "Reika, can we talk?" I met his gaze and held it confidently. His words were polite, but as our eyes met, I noticed that his gaze was hardened.

"Sure," I replied with a smile. Turning to Haruka, I said, "I'll catch up with you later." She nodded and watched as Light and I walked out of the lecture hall.

"You were watching me in class," he stated in a low tone, almost teasing in a way. We were strolling through the campus, and from the outside, we probably could have been talking about the weather or a party or something like that. He stood in close proximity to me, and it was as if that shortness of distance permitted him to reveal a part of the darkness lurking within him.

"Observing," I corrected. "You and Takada. What's going on there?"

Light smirked, "Jealous?"

I deflected, "Suspicious. You've never shown much interest in her before, and I know you're too smart to hang around the second Kira in public, so at least I know that's not it. Regardless, something had to spark this." I thought back to the night we had kissed as theories ran through my mind. Quickly, I dismissed the thought. That had nothing to do with this.

"You'll look like a jealous girlfriend," Beyond's words echoed in my head. I nearly scoffed at the notion.

"Is it so difficult for you to believe that I have a social life?" Light teased, but when I looked at his eyes, that look showed through.

"That's not the suspicious part," I stated smoothly. "Why now? You've made it through the term without so much as looking at most of the women here. I want to know what changed your mind."

"I am a man, after all, Reika," he responded as if it was as simple as that. Light's dancing around my questions unnerved me, and momentarily, my confidence faltered.

Did I mess up? Maybe he's trying to lock me out. Dammit, and after I had gotten so close. Maybe I had pushed too far, these thoughts swirled around my head. I regained order of my thoughts, Either way, I have to relax. I can't let him affect me.

"I'll find out, Light," I told him with a slightly veiled threat. "You don't have to tell me, but if you'd like to… you know where to find me." With that said, I walked away.

I returned to the hotel room immediately after school and found the Task Force hard at work as usual. "E, would you join me for a moment?" L called from his chair in front of a television screen. With my laptop under my arm, I moved to stand beside the older detective.

"How long ago?" I asked. How long ago did you receive the footage?

"Ten minutes," he replied promptly. "I'd like you to watch it first." He pressed the play button, and the video commenced,

"I've decided to stop searching for Kira," the distorted voice began, "and I'd like to thank the police department for their advice." Well, that's unexpected. It sounds almost as if this imposter has given up. "However, I still plan to help Kira in his mission, and I hope that, in time, he will come to see me as an ally." Nevermind. "I will start by punishing criminals that Kira has yet to judge. Also, I will share my power with others who I feel are worthy, and I will encourage them to do the same. Together, we'll make this world a better place."

L turned off the screen and turned to me, "So…"

"The tone's different," I noted, partially to myself. "This person sounds calmer, more organized. Dare I say, more intelligent? That means…" They've made contact. The two of us shared a look, and the words were practically communicated between us.

We fell silent and simply exchanged thoughts through our eyes. It was like the old days when we had A and Beyond. Theories, rebuttals, questions, and answers seemed to fly from one mind to the other. Finally, L spoke aloud, "What would you do, Ever?" If you were me.

I considered the question. I've known L for years, and for intents and purposes, I was molded to be just like him. "I wouldn't run," I stated. I wouldn't need to, I thought, glancing at the name above L's head. Gradually, I had realized how impossible it was to avoid the names and come to accept the inevitable. I could see names, but they couldn't see mine. "I'd find a way out, and then… I'd put an end to Kira."

"I see," he drawled. Taking that to mean our conversation was over, I turned to leave, but he caught me by the sleeve and stopped me in my tracks. "Stay."

The simple order confused me beyond comprehension. We hadn't been getting along lately, and I knew that if he had the chance to ship me back to Wammy's he would. Yet, he wanted me to wait with him. "Okay," I sat on the coffee table and opened my laptop.

I sat in silence as L called Mr. Yagami to review the footage with him. Almost as soon as Mr. Yagami joined us, Light entered the room, "Hello."

"Oh, come in," L greeted jovially. "Your timing couldn't be better, actually. We just received a new video message from the second Kira."

"Huh?" Light's voice took on a surprised note, "Wow. That didn't take long."

"Yes, I believe it's the last one," L remarked. "Now, take a look at this." Then, he played the tape. When it was over, he said, "After watching this, I can only think that Kira and the second Kira have managed to make contact." He was baiting the younger man, and I had a feeling that Light was about to get caught.

"What makes you say that?" Light questioned. I looked up from my computer screen and watched his face darken.

"Oh, come on. Didn't you sense it? I was sure you'd come to the same conclusion we did after watching this once through," L stated and bit off part of a donut. "First, consider how determined he was to meet Kira. So, why the sudden change of heart? Now he wants to punish criminals that Kira hasn't? And all he wants out of it is for Kira to see him as an ally? It begs the question, why didn't he do this to begin with? I'm guessing it's because he never thought that far ahead. He probably met Kira and was told which criminals he'd be allowed to judge. I suspect the purpose of this message is to hide the fact that they met."

"I see," Light responded. "What I find really strange is that it's unlike Kira to be so careless."

"That's true," L agreed, licking his fingers.

"But that's the fun of this," I spoke up.

"Are we to believe that Kira made a mistake this time?"

"Unlikely," I scoffed, looking at Light. "Is this his way of letting us know they made contact?"

"It would be an effective way of provoking us," L picked up. "The idea of their union is very threatening."

"But it's nothing we can't handle," I said confidently.

"And, this is also one less reason to suspect that Light is Kira," L stated casually.

Mr. Yagami gasped, "Ryuzaki, what do you mean by that?"

"If Light is Kira," L began, "I don't think this is the message he would've had the second Kira send us. It doesn't fit. He would've made the second Kira go through with his plan to have me appear on TV. Then, deny that they ever made contact, letting the second Kira shoulder the blame for my death. He'd make him say something like… 'Although I agreed not to go through with this, I have come to realize that it was not Kira's true intention that I stop. I am positive that the real Kira would want L to die. There's no way he'd make me stop.'" L licked a donut and added, "Which is completely different from what E would do."

"And what would I do?" I asked the senior detective.

He turned to face me and said with a flat expression, "Oh, you would've killed the second Kira as soon as they revealed themselves to you, and you'd have killed all of us ages ago before disappearing, like you're so good at doing."

My fingers hovered above the keyboard. "Well…" I mused, "you're not wrong."

"Ryuzaki," Light began hesitantly.

"Yes, Light?"

"I think you're mistaken. I would never do that, if I were Kira."

"Why not?" L prompted.

"Well, if you're L and I'm Kira, then I'd already know your personality pretty well," he said. "L would never agree to appear on TV no matter what threat he was facing, and he wouldn't allow someone to die in his place. The L I know would find some way to escape the situation."

After a brief pause, L turned to Light and said, "So, you figured it out."

"Look, Light," Mr. Yagami spoke up uneasily, "you've got to stop that. I don't like hearing you say, 'If I were Kira'. Even hypothetically."

I felt my heart break for the man. Mr. Yagami was a good officer, and he wasn't stupid. He was simply too loving of his son. "Oh, I'm sorry, Dad," Light apologized. "I just wanted to let Ryuzaki know exactly what I thought of his plan. I posed that scenario because I want to help solve this case. It's the only chance I have to clear my name. Besides, the only reason I feel comfortable saying things like that is because I'm not really Kira."

All the while, I watched L drop sugar cubes into his coffee. Pretty words, Light, I thought disdainfully. "That's a good point," L said. "You're not Kira, that is, it would be a problem if you were Kira." He sighed heavily as he stirred his drink, "Because, I feel that you're the first friend that I have ever had."

Light's eyes seemed to shimmer at that statement. He seemed surprised, and almost sympathetic. It was strange to see them like this. L had been unreachable at Wammy's, he'd almost never be home, and very few people ever saw him. Light, on the other hand, had a family, and could have had friends if he cared to really make any. Yet, they were the same. If only the shinigami hadn't gotten involved, perhaps they would have been true friends.

"Y-yeah," Light said uncertainly, "I-I know what you mean. The two of us have a lot in common."

"Thank you," L replied.

"And I have missed having you around at school," Light added. "We should play tennis again soon, oh, and maybe go to that café you like so much, Reika."

"Yes," L agreed, "we should."

I waited until Light had gone home to confront L about what had happened. Not wanting to cause a scene, I wandered to the kitchen, knowing that he would follow me.

"I suppose you're wondering about what I said to Light," he inferred.

"I'm not as foolish as you seem to think, L. I know that you're more suspicious of Light than you let on."

"Yes, I'm aware of my thoughts," he remarked snarkily.

"And yet, you can call him your friend." For some reason, a touch of bitterness seeped into my tone. Perhaps it was because I had been there the whole time. I had…

When I first laid eyes on L, I had been fifteen. Like many Wammy's kids, I had been reclusive. I had been sitting in a small clearing in the woods on Wammy's property when I met him, reading a book on the evolution of weapons since the 1800s. He had been meandering the grounds when he found me. It had been an abnormally normal introduction. After that, our encounters were frequent, and I'd like to say that we became friends.

"There are many kinds of friendship, Ever," L reminded me. I grew slightly uneasy under his unwavering stare. L's a genius. He was already suspicious of me. If he put it all together and realized what I was really doing, then I might as well pack up and disappear again.

But for all of L's intuition and intelligence, I could match it. Beyond wanted to be more than L, but I was content being an equal. As long as I wasn't inferior. I was an expert in disguise and deception.

Tell the truth. That's what I did. But there were a lot of truths, and some of them contradicted the others.

"Of course," I agreed. "Speaking of friends, I'm going to hunt down the second Kira. Good night, L."

"Yes, you too," he returned. As I turned to leave the kitchen, I thought I could still feel L's panda eyes watching my back.

I didn't have the equipment on me to gather fingerprints and physical evidence on the second Kira, but I was better at making connections anyway. With Light confirmed as Kira, my job was made several times easier. I quickly listed several people I knew from his group of friends. I immediately crossed out the names of people who wouldn't have anything to do with Kira or weren't intelligent enough to be the second Kira.

I already had my suspicions about Takada.

She was cunning, intelligent, and, of course, gorgeous. Unfortunately, she was also just a college student. That was the problem. So many of the people involved were college age, but none of the ones around Light were developed enough to fit the profile.

Than, I recalled the day that my eyesight changed. There was someone in a café or restaurant who had a shinigami hovering behind her. Shooting up from my seat, I raced to find our handler.

"Watari!" I exclaimed, panting, when I found him in a frilly pink apron cleaning the kitchen. The old man looked up from his work, unperturbed by my sudden entrance.

"Yes?"

"I need a sketch," I told him. He removed his apron and retrieved a small sketchpad from inside his jacket. The two of us sat at the kitchen island. I described the girl I had seen at Aoyama, and Watari's skillful hand reproduced an exact copy of the person I had seen. "Thanks," I said gratefully as he handed me the small portrait.

"Of course," he replied kindly. "I'm surprised you hadn't brought this up sooner," he said with a chuckle.

"It hadn't seemed of importance," I answered truthfully. I found that I couldn't determine her name with the drawing, but that was fine. With technology these days, all I had to do was run a facial recognition program and I'd have what I wanted.

And I wouldn't even need the shinigami eyes. It was that easy.

A/N... I hope you liked this one! I had to pick up writing after a while, and I'm not sure if my writing style has become noticeably different. I really hope it hasn't because I want this story to be consistent in that respect. If you noticed any changes, would you please let me know if I should keep writing this way or try to go back to the old way for narration purposes?

Hey readers of all, I'm still looking for a cover artist, and if anyone can point me in the right direction, I'd really appreciate it! ^.^

Also, I know that the development of the romance is a bit secondary to the mystery aspect, but I'm wondering if readers like L/E or Light/E more and, if possible, why. Your answer won't shape the outcome of the story, but I'm interested in the opinions. I can make a poll if everyone would prefer, or you can let me know individually ^.^

pinkdoughnuts: I'm so excited to get to that part of the plot because that's when things are really going to get going! I'm going to do more insights into E's character and how she feels about her brother and L in future chapters, but no spoilers heh heh. Thank you so much for reading and reviewing ^.^

Maiannaise: Thanks a bushel for reviewing! I hope this chapter lives up to the standard of the others. I hope you liked it ^.^

Feint Illusion: I'm so happy you gave feedback! ^.^ Thank you so so much! I hope I can keep the excitement going.

TheRavenSlayer13: May I just say, your username gives me incredibly good vibes. Thank you, thank you, thank you! I don't think everything you want to see will happen all at once, but I hope you stay in tune for all of it to come together ^.^

Once again, you guys (readers/reviewers/followers/and favers) are awesome ^.^ Thank you so much and happy fanfictioning ^.^