I would like to be the air that inhabits you for a moment only. I would like to be that unnoticed and that necessary.

-Margaret Atwood

She pulled the photos towards her again across the cold marble table top, arranging them so that they were perfectly parallel to one another. He objected to showing them to her, his expression grim.

" You don't need to see it ."

But she did. She asked him to treat her like any other client. He gave one of his heavy sighs and sat across from her, occasionally turning the screen of his laptop so that she could see it. Recorded phone calls, questionable search histories, a missing ex-girlfriend. He showed her every piece of evidence he had with clinical efficiency. Any bits of happiness that remained from the night before evaporated in the cold of his apartment.

He ended the talk by sliding the photographs towards her.

Side by side they looked strikingly similar, but that was probably just what he was after. The pale neck of the Kana and her own in the photo beside it were artfully edited to be just as ghostly white. Each with the same exact collar fastened around it. Only hers was connected to a leash held by Mello, his head out of frame. It wasn't really Mello though, was it? He was just a stand in. Her hand went to her throat, feeling it tighten involuntarily.

The same question kept leaving her throughout their conversation: how did she not see it?

He explained that she did. She just didn't realize it. How many times in her career had she chosen to overlook occasional rudeness and over-familiarity? Men who made her uncomfortable with their leering eyes, lingering touches, the crude jokes she shrugged off. It was just an unfortunate part of the modeling industry.

She just hoped someone like Light would be different. In her defense, he was different. Everyone liked him. He was friendly, popular and handsome. Not a creep in a dark alley, but the son of the head of the company.

Bright pops of red flash across her memory of their time together. The moments he lingered a second too long. When his touch felt less comforting and more restrictive. One moment in particular stood out to her then with clarity: when he leaned in to kiss her the night she was attacked, there was something sinister in his eyes. It was only there for a moment. At the time she chalked it up to the alcohol she drank clouding her thinking, but now she wondered if that was a glimpse of the part he had hidden. She still felt stupid to not have noticed while it was happening. She was too distracted with L to fit those moments into context.

She could also blame some of her ignorance on her sparse dating history. Which he apparently had a hand in creating. L informed her that the 'no dating' rule only came to be more rigidly enforced after she was hired. Out of all the models employed by Facade, no one's dating life was more strictly monitored than her own.

No one was more successful, either.

"Why me?" She asked, her voice brittle. "He could have chosen anyone. I mean, he has. The other models— why would he do all of this to me ?"

He rattled off similar reasons she'd heard before: Her lack of family made her an appealing target (easier to isolate). She was beautiful and disciplined which he valued, but none of that really mattered.

"If it wasn't you, it would be someone else." He explained, closing his laptop. "And regardless of who it was, he'd build them up so much that they'd never be able to please him. Even if he had gotten exactly what he wanted every step of the way and you joined him willingly, you would never be able to reach the impossible ideals he's set for you." He pulled the photos back, sliding them into an envelope. "Right now you're the main course and the other women he's taken, they're substitutes. Just something to tide him over until he has you."

He paused and amended quietly, "Not that he ever will."

She thought about the web she was tangled in, the hand Light had in creating her career. For the first time the helplessness she felt didn't make her feel scared, it made her angry . She rubbed her arms, trying to coax warmth into her cold limbs. She worked hard to get to where she was. He had placed himself between her and her dreams— he directed every step she took. He tried to scare her so that she'd run straight into his arms. [FIX]

To think she even felt guilty about leading him on the night before.

"Thank you for telling me." She said, "And though you really should have shown me everything sooner, I don't know what I would have done without you."

He shifted a bit, tucked in his usual curled pose on the hard chair.

"I've certainly made more than my share of messes." He murmured.

"I guess you're not invincible." She said softly, leaning closer across the table. "Everyone makes mistakes."

His eyes searched hers

"Not me. Not until now."

She wanted to argue against that, but Naomi entered carrying two steaming cups of tea. She was followed in by Mello, who looked between the two of them, he shot her one of his annoyingly smug all-knowing looks. Neither L nor Misa mentioned their relationship out loud, but considering their night at her apartment, it was probably obvious.

Naomi had arrived a few hours earlier at L's request. Probably as reinforcement in case she proved to be hard to convince. Mello wandered in at some point to listen in too and to Misa's surprise he never interrupted to tell her what an idiot she had been. Instead, he was unusually quiet.

She took the cup from Naomi with a murmured thanks, wrapping her cold fingers around it. As usual, L's apartment was freezing and she shivered, taking a small sip. The four of them sat at the dining table, each in contemplative silence. It was obvious they were all thinking the same thing: where did they go from here? If Light had connections to law enforcement, friends in high places and the ability to keep track of all of them, what options did they have?

Mello, apparently tired of the quiet, sighed loudly.

"So, Kana's body was pristine." He tore the foil from a chocolate bar. "I wouldn't be surprised if he has a professional network he works with to take care of the dirtier details, maybe even another spot where he can get new victims. He can only dip into Facade's models so often before it becomes obvious. If he's got international connections it becomes trickier. Human trafficking and all that."

"How could he?" Misa asked, frowning. "I'm not defending him, it's just—he's so young. I know you said he went to university overseas, but could he have really met people like that there?"

Mello gave a humorless laugh. "He's rich. So of course he could have. The more money, the more dirt. Combine that with his prodigious and more importantly, annoying skills in hiding that kind of information and we're stuck. Even with our connections we keep running into roadblocks."

L stirred his coffee, plunking in cube after cube of sugar, watching them sink and dissolve.

"When I was hired to investigate, his father was adamant about me finding the source of the missing models without alerting the media."

"You think he knew?" Mello asked, perking up. "Like he wanted you to catch him?"

"I'm not sure. With family it becomes complicated. He might not like the idea of exposing his own son, but someone else doing it— that might be a relief to him. He's already stepped down from the company. It's another angle we can explore at least."

"What we need to do-" Mello said standing to pace around the table. "-is switch up how we're going about this. The team you've hired have all been scared away. Present company excluded. You've lost credibility in the eyes of the Tokyo Police Department. He's good, he's better than I expected."

He paused to stare at the two of them pointedly.

"So let's start with the biggest issue." he began, and Misa readied herself for the accusation to land on her for being so dumb, that she should have a done something different, but to her surprise he pointed a finger at L.

"Agreed." he said, "What do you suggest?"

"Leave."

Misa scoffed at this, eyes sweeping between the two, waiting for one of them to say he was joking. When it became clear they were serious, she huffed.

"He's not leaving. No way. He just became my boyfriend!"

Mello seemed to take a deep, steadying breath and though the irritation in his expression was obvious, he kept his voice surprisingly patient.

"This isn't just about you anymore, remember? This is a game and the moment L got involved, it became an even more exciting one. Maybe we all assumed Light would trip up, but instead he got creative." He turned back to L, looking grim. "You're the one who started making mistakes. The best way to fix it is to get out of here. Make it look like you're leaving this investigation. It'll throw him off."

L didn't look upset by that, only thoughtful, his thumb rubbing at his lower lip.

Misa looked to Naomi for help.

"Will you tell them how stupid that sounds?"

Naomi set her cup down with a sigh. "Light will never believe he's leaving for good. It's too obvious how much he cares for her."

Despite the seriousness of the conversation, her face flushed. Mello shrugged this off.

"But he's done it before and he knows that. He dug around your past right?" With this he shot a meaningful glance with L, whose face remained impassive. "Sorry to air your dirty laundry, but this isn't the first time you've gotten involved with a client. Think about it: What makes this case any different from the rest? Nothing! Accept another job. Make it seem like you'll keep an eye on her, but not a close one. You've gotten bored with her, like you always do. Pack up. Make it look real. We know that since Light caught Naomi snooping on him, her apartment is probably being watched. Perfect."

He gestured to Misa.

"She'll stay with Naomi. He'll be watching and see she's not with you."

"And in this scenario," L said carefully, "who keeps her safe when she's not with Naomi?"

Mello spread his arms wide.

"I'm still booked for work at Facade. I'll get an apartment nearby, make it look like I'm settling in. Lidner's even got a temp office set up at Facade. That covers work. Watari will have to leave too, so call Matsuda and have him drive her around, he'd probably do it for free ."

L nodded thoughtfully.

"What will that even do?" She asked angrily. "Fine, he leaves. How does that help at all?"

"He may not feel the need to hurt anyone else to get his attention." Naomi said to her gently and then added to L. "I'm not saying it's your fault of course, but the way he displayed that woman's body for Watari to find, the collar— Mello is right; Light knows these are connections only you would make."

L bit his thumb, knees tucked so far that his chin nearly rested on them. He stared at Misa, and she could read nothing in them, even as she pleaded silently with her own. Naomi continued.

"You've only made her a more desirable target by hovering. If he thinks you've lost interest he might settle down some. It's worth a shot."

"Plus, he wants Misa-Misa alive." Mello said through a mouthful of chocolate, pointing the half eaten bar at Misa. "Right? He's out buying you engagement rings, talking about kids?"

She glared at him but muttered, "I guess."

Mello waved his hands as if to say there you have it.

"And then what?"

"Find that ex girlfriend of his, find Mikami. You're not on your game when you're so distracted by her. She's not going to get hurt."

"Remind everyone how many stitches you needed, Misa, after you were struck by Mikami."

They all turned in surprise to see Watari. She had no idea how long he'd been there listening in. His expression was unusually stern, the corners of his mouth downturned. He held a steaming silver teapot that he used to refill her now empty cup. She gave him a small nod of thanks.

"Um…Eleven." She answered with uncertainty.

"And you broke two ribs, correct?"

"Yeah." Her voice was small.

"And had L not been there in time perhaps she would have been even worse off."

"We don't know that." Mello argued, though it sounded weak. Misa thought he looked ashamed for the first time, like a kid being scolded. His bravado withered under Watari's stern gaze.

"No, you don't know."

Mello squirmed at this.

"I'm not sure he meant for it to go that far." Naomi said. "Something tells me that her getting injured was a mistake on his part. If he hired Mikami, he'd be angry that he harmed what he sees as his property."

"A mistake or not, she was harmed." He said turning to leave. "Just something to keep in mind."

Misa felt a soft tug of affection for the old man. It was nice to be worried about by a paternal figure.

"He doesn't want her dead." Mello said stubbornly once Watari left. "It's not ideal, but what other options do we have left?"

They all looked to L, waiting for his decision.

He took his time, stirring his tea for far too long, the spoon clinking softly on the rim. When at last he looked up, he nodded once at Mello.

She sat with her arms crossed on the couch, chewing at her lip. Watari spoke quietly from the kitchen on the phone, making plans for flights for both he and L that evening. Nearby ignoring her occasional sigh of annoyance, Mello sat with L's laptop propped in his lap, searching for apartments.

Misa had nothing left to do, having packed her bag the night before after her argument with L. Had that really only happened the night before? So much changed in such a short amount of time.

She wandered into L's office, sliding the door shut behind her.

"I'm mad at you." She announced and when he didn't look up, she crossed her arms over her chest. "You're being the worst boyfriend. If you even want to be one."

He didn't take her bait but instead handed her a small flip phone, outdated like his but not so old and worn down.

"Keep this on you at all times. It's too old to be hacked into. My number is there, Watari's too. If one of us doesn't answer, call the other. Don't let it out of your sight."

He continued packing.

"I can't believe you're doing this." She whispered. "Last night, you said you'd try—"

"I am trying."

"But it's so unfair ." She whined. "You were mine! I had you for one night and now it's ruined."

"This isn't how I would have chosen to begin a relationship with you." he murmured, coiling a length of cord and dropping it into a box. "but if it allows me to focus on getting this solved and keeping you safe, I'll do it."

She leaned against his desk, right in front of a stack of papers he reached for. "We had last night at least." She pouted. "Guess I should have put out after all. I bet then you wouldn't be leaving me."

He spared her a tired look at that before reaching around her. She slid in his way again.

"Is it true that I distract you?"

His eyes moved down her body and he took a tentative step closer, hands going to her hips.

"It's certainly hard to stay focused."

She pursed her lips and watched him silently. He shuffled uncomfortably under her gaze, his hands tightened on her but added:

"If you decide not to pursue a relationship after this, if you're too upset with me I'll under-"

She pulled him down to kiss her, cutting him off. She reveled in the feel of him pressed so close, the return of soft pressure that promised something more. Like most of their kisses, it went from soft to nearly bruising in an instant. His hands cupped her jaw, mouth moving against her own in an intoxicating rhythm. This one felt different from the rest though. She could taste the usual faint traces of sugar and coffee on his tongue along with something else.

It tasted like goodbye.

He pulled back to look into her eyes for an instant, mouth open as if he wanted to say something, but he pressed a kiss to her forehead instead with a quiet murmur against her skin.

"Stay safe."

The next few days felt remarkably normal for how much had changed overnight.

She sat late one afternoon staring into space at the dressing room vanity while she waited for Matsuda. She was still covered in sparkling jewelry from a magazine ad she shot for earlier. She fiddled with the pendant around her neck.

One week had passed since L left. Mello warned her to expect radio silence for a little while, but that she would be safe. She'd given him the cold shoulder since L left, the tentative friendship they'd been building put on hold. It was his fault after all, he gave him the idea. Even if a tiny part of her knew that it was unfair of her to shoulder the blame onto him. The sooner this was figured out, the sooner they could have a normal relationship. No hiding. Maybe they could even go on a date.

She was grateful to at least be doing something besides pacing L's empty apartment. She tried to appear like her normal self, though she had a hard time remembering exactly who she was before all of this. She accepted the occasional look of pity from makeup artists and models who knew that she was at the center of something terrifying. Technically they all were. She was quick to offer other models rides home when she saw them standing alone late after photoshoots. Matsuda was sweet and never complained. He became popular with the other models. She liked seeing him blush when they called him cute.

Aside from missing L, and the general sense of unease, life felt normal.

Out of nowhere she felt something intangible creep into her awareness. Like dread mixed with expectation. She knew it was him before she even turned to look. Maybe it was because she'd been looking over her shoulder all week long, expecting to see him standing there in the shadows, watching her. Even in the moments she was alone, which were far and few, she wondered if he would reach out like a monster to snatch her away.

His footsteps echoed from behind her and she stilled. A sickening thought struck her then; was this what the other girls heard before he wrapped his hands around their necks? Did he approach this quietly for them? L explained to her that strangulation as a method of murder was intimate . He probably looked them in the eyes while he did it.

She glanced up at the doorway. Halle stood right outside, going over a checklist, and she noticed with relief the covert nod of her head, her sharp eyes keeping close watch.

Misa looked up in the vanity mirror, past her own alert expression to the approaching figure behind.

He looked like he always did. His charcoal suit was crisp and clean, not a thread out of place. Her stomach tightened at the sight of his smile.

This was the man who had terrorized her for months, who'd been behind every threatening message, every phone call, every late night she spent wondering when it was her turn. The hands that now so casually adjusted the cuffs on his impeccable suit were the ones that wrapped around Kana's throat.

Before the panic threatened to show, she turned in her seat to face him, swallowing back the mingled fear and revulsion.

"I missed you!" She lied brightly. "Sorry I haven't answered your calls. I've been going through some things recently."

"There's nothing to apologize for as long as you're alright. It's not your stalker I hope?" His brows knit together in such convincing concern, that for a moment she felt crazy. Was it really him? He was so good at looking innocent. Nothing about his demeanor screamed murderous stalker.

"Nope!" She said with a somewhat breathy laugh. "I really hope he's caught soon though."

"I'm sure your detective is still on the lookout." She thought she caught a trace of sarcasm in his words.

"I wouldn't know." She replied, trying to hide the strain in her voice. "I don't think I'll be seeing him anytime soon."

Light paused at this, brows raised in surprise.

"Oh?"

She gave a small nod, turning back to take off the jewelry she wore for the shoot, anything to keep her hands busy. She let the earrings drop with a small click onto the vanity.

"I guess there was a really important case he was called on to help with."

"I see." He said and stepped behind her. She fought the urge to shiver as he swept her hair from her neck to undo the clasp of her necklace. He bent to get a better look.

"I had no idea he was so irresponsible." he murmured. His warm breath tickling the back of her neck uncomfortably. "Just leaving you alone like this."

"Thank you." She said, turning around. "To be honest I just want to forget about everything. I'll get everything figured out without him."

He nodded, holding out a hand to help her stand. She took it, giving him a small nod. When she tried to pull away he held on still.

"It's probably no secret to you that I'm not sad to see him go. You should give your time to someone who has put in time for you , not someone who wants to use you and run. Don't waste your time on guys like that."

She gave another breathy laugh, trying to hide how uncomfortable she was.

"Right-" She tried to sidestep him towards the door to signal to Halle, but he moved forward smoothly blocking her from the exit. His hand wrapped around her wrist tightened painfully as he leaned down to whisper in her ear, his voice suddenly cold.

"-because if I see you with another man, I'll kill him."

Her breath lodged painfully in her throat as his eyes locked on to hers. She didn't have to wonder if this was what the other women saw, she already knew it. It was there for only a moment before the cold expression broke and he threw his head back laughing.

"Misa! I'm just kidding! Wow, you really should have seen your face."

He let go of her wrist, seemingly unfazed by how frozen she remained. He smiled again.

"I always did have the most fun with you. It's nice to have you back to myself." He paused, pulling out a phone from his pocket and her stomach sank further. It was a flip phone, just like L's. "Oh, looks like I have a meeting. Sorry to cut this short. Have a good night Misa."

As he left, so did her strength and she sank to the floor in a daze. She looked down at her wrist, which still throbbed painfully and was surprised to see a faint, red mark already forming there. She tried rubbing it away, but it stayed encircling her wrist, embedded firmly under her skin.

"Watari already has another case for you." Mello said conversationally. "It's overseas. He's fast, but I guess a lot of people have been waiting for you to be done with this one."

L said nothing, looking around the apartment.

It lay dull and empty. For the first time he felt the chill Misa always complained about. He never bothered to turn the heating on; he spent most of his time in his office and the whirring of computer towers and monitors kept him warm enough as did the copious amounts of hot coffee. And though he never had cause to be attached to the rest of the apartment it felt more depressing than before he used it.

White sheets were thrown over most of the remaining furniture. A few cardboard boxes and plastic crates lay sitting out full of things he wouldn't need and wouldn't bother bringing anyway. Wherever he went next he would only stay as long as he needed to. A small leather duffle bag lay on the ground beside him holding a few changes of clothes and his passport, only what was absolutely necessary.

"He said he'll be here in a few minutes to take you both to the airport."

"Mm." L gave a noncommittal reply.

"Don't tell me you're angry at me?" He said, his face taking on the same sullen pout he had as a child. "I'll have to deal with an attitude from her already. She's going to be a nightmare tomorrow. I know she's going to be insufferable about this even though I'm right."

He bent to grab his bag to head to the door. He slipped into his shoes while Mello watched him carefully.

"Are you guys really, you know, a thing now?"

"Somehow, yes."

"She's alright. Sometimes. You should see her when she's working. She's actually…I don't know, different. I've learned a lot from her surprisingly."

L said nothing and Mello sighed.

"You are mad."

He suppressed a sigh and gave his brother a wary look. How could he explain that he wasn't angry— he was jealous .

He thought of the moment she said goodbye. He felt the words stick in his mouth. Everything he wanted to say but felt ridiculous saying. Not because they weren't alone, but because it wouldn't be enough.

He wondered if she would say it, half hoped she would as she gave him a quick hug. He breathed her in one last time and as he pulled back she looked up at him, hazel eyes shining expectantly.

He just nodded with uncertainty and watched her get into Naomi's car somewhat dejectedly.

It was only long after he watched her pull away that he thought that maybe she had been waiting on the same thing.