Nine Months Due

IMPORTANT UPDATE: Short version is, well as you might have guessed. I'm discontinuing this series and just releasing the last (unedited) chapters out of respect for readers. Then, I will release a new unedited version that at least has an ending for my own closure.

Long version: Here goes, I started this story more than 12 years ago, still unemployed and frustrated with the job search with all the rejections and false hopes, and I wanted a release from that along with the dissatisfaction with the ending of Death note (still couldn't accept it, but admittedly I don't think I can do a better job). It took me six months to get a job so during that time I was writing my heart out to distract myself from waiting.

Anyway, with work and life happening in my 20s, I could only do so much and do my best to update as much as possible. I developed a love-hate relationship with this story where I would sometimes forget it and come a year after I would feel guilt and write again.

It came to a point where I have to re-read everything before I can get a good grasp on what I wrote years ago. It was not fun, but I still am proud of the things that I wrote back then, and I genuinely want to finish the story. Well, there came a point where I got stuck with what I want to do plot wise, and am no longer happy with what was happening. I mean sure I can continue it and push through but it was taking a long time and I was no longer happy forcing myself to do the long process and then forgetting what I was supposed to do when I remember to continue it again.

WELL, come 2020, and I am stuck at home again with nothing to do, and I come across this unfinished work that I ignored for 3 years or something. I no longer know how to continue but the guilt of not finishing it still haunts me. So by November (Nanowrimo) I thought to just re-write the whole thing to the best of my memory and edit a few plot points here and there, actually edit a lot of plot points haha. I made it a Nanowrimo project to just sit down for 30 days and finish the whole thing, no matter how bad it turned out, no matter how many grammatical errors it has (English is my second language).

Thinking about it, ending wise, the original story would have taken that direction too, but it was the middle part that I no longer have interest in writing. I'm happy to say that I finally finished the story despite it being rewritten, and I am going to post it soon. In order to avoid it having the same fate as the original, I will post the entire thing with minimal edits, one chapter a day for the coming days, and when I feel like editing I will get back to it and update, or not.

I hope that it won't upset the readers too much. Truthfully, I am doing this more for myself than anything else. I don't regret writing any stories I have written so far, and am proud of having the effort to do so. I just want to give an ending to this so that I can find closure, for my own satisfaction, and move on. I am sorry once again for taking a very long time to this story, and I hope you understand.

Chapter 22

Art of Love and War

L was never someone to believe in miracles. That is, the past him certainly wouldn't. And even when some unhuman diety has suddenly appeared out of nowhere and made a deal with him that made something that is biologically impossible fo a human happen to actually happen, and given the odds that he would even find his very own unconventional family at this time and age, somehow, actually believing that miracles do exist is still beyond him. There is nothing that science cannot explain, he thought. There is nothing that science cannot explain. Either that or else humanity is still bound to discover far more in the future. He was not yet prepared to believe in such foolish daydreams that lazy people count on. He was more than that. But then, if there is one thing that could bring him over and rethink his philosophy, it would have to be this.

"Ryuuzaki!" said a familiar voice that he would rather not hear call. "Hey, Ryuuzaki, over here!"

The gothic-clad blonde Japanese actress turned Hollywood celebrity waved in the middle of the shoot as she noticed his personal manager shuffling through the crowd. The unruly haired manager took a couple of minutes before he reached the teen actress.

"Here you go, Misa-misa." He gave him a canned lemon tea.

"Thanks Ryuuzaki," Misa said perkily. "Ah, that was good."

"Your shoot should be over soon", the detective in disquise said in a matter of factly tone as he checked his watch. "I have arranged a taxi cab to take us to your destination. Please see me after this next shoot."

"Thanks you you're so reliable Ryuuzaki!" she flashed a smile that she was certain would melt any fan's heart by now. But then her manager maintained his same blank expression. "I'll be waiting for you then."

L prepared to leave but as he did so, he saw something that he really hoped that he would not see, ever again. It was clear to him that Misa has a crush on him. More accurately, the teen actress has an obsessive infatuation on him. It was something he did not expect nor even dream of. In fact, this was not even among the list of possibilities that the team rehearsed. He was again careless.

Misa Amane at first did not like him, and often complains about the way he dresses or the way he stands, even the way he eats up all the sweets in the set but never gains a pound. Then, something unexpected happened. The girl was in her usual talkative moods that made L annoyed and he suddenly made a movie reference. Hr opinion about him changed at that.

Next was, he was able to speak to her in Japanese, and she confided to him the things she could never tell her co-stars about in Japanese. The next thing L knew, she was already showing signs of infatuation. Knowing the girl from a past experience, she knew that this could be a deadly combination. All he wanted was for her to actually confess to being Kira, and everything will change. That is why, whether L liked it or not, he had to endure and not mention to her that he was in fact married and just humor him, if possible make her fall in love with him enough to let him do whatever he wants. Light made this so much easy. Speaking of which, he was gradually finding himself missing his appointed talks with Light.

Right after he finished talking to the star, he came to check Raito through the security cameras setup by Matt. He could not believe what he saw.

Right at that moment, he saw the said teen locking his lips with Aiber.

Note: this is the last thing I have written, and obviously not yet a complete chapter. I honestly don't know how to continue, or at least, I can if I tried really hard but I don't want to anymore. I'm sorry for the unfinished chapter, I just don't think I want to continue a story that already went on a different direction than I intended. I hope you understand. Look forward to my rewritten version, or not. I just hope you all find closure with this fic. Thank you for reading this through!