After Light had left 'L' out in the locker room, he entered the showering area. The steady stream of hot water had just begun to relax his tense, aching muscles. The water felt so good; Light found himself getting lost in the calming sensation.

'L' had taken the opportunity to catch Light by surprise as he started the shower next to his. He smirked as the teenager jumped; L had then grown concerned as an expression, that was both haunted and very scared, briefly crossed the younger boy's face. Something was very wrong here, but he didn't have the time to analyze it too thoroughly. He had to gather information that would indicate Light as a viable lead in the Kira case.

"I'm still alive," said 'L', looking over the partition at him.

Damn, thought Light. The guy kind of resembles a character from Ju-On. What with his strange posture, pale skin, and dark under-eye circles. It was actually kind of cute.

"That's always good," replied Light, deadpan as he tried focus on washing himself.

"You know?" asked 'L', smiling.

Light stared at 'L' for a few moments, frowning in confusion. Then it dawned on him that if this was the real L then he thought Light was Kira and that he'd use Hideki Ryuuga's name to somehow kill him therefore killing the real Hideki; whom Light was sure was still alive. So L thought Light, as Kira, had already seen through the ruse.

"That you're not Hideki Ryuuga," replied Light, bowing his head as he positioned it under the spray of the water, thoroughly soaking his hair. It was hard putting his guard down, but he didn't want to seem suspicious; L thought he was Kira and there was no knowing what damage he could inflict on his reputation or his relationships with his family. "I think everyone knows that."

L chuckled at Light's bluntness. The auburn-haired teenager hadn't denied being Kira and even had the gull to criticize his plan.

"Light-kun… you don't mind if I call you Light-kun?" asked L. Light tilted his head giving L a look of confusion. "It's just if I called you Yagami-san, it would be the same as what I call your father."

"Oh… my father is working with you? I didn't know that," replied Light, feigning ignorance on the off-chance that L wasn't who he seemed; there was nothing wrong with being properly paranoid. "Well, you can call me whatever you want."

"Then how about Kira?" accused L, he laughed when Light glared at him. "It's a joke."

"No," replied Light, turning off the shower and moving away from L. "It isn't."

"Yagami-san says many good things about you; I wanted to meet you to see what kind of person you were," explained L, as he followed Light uncomfortably close. "Now I know."

"Hmm," replied Light, non-committedly as he grabbed a towel to dry off with; wrapping it around his waist he walked back into the locker room.

"But the truth is," continued L, as Light changed into a clean set of clothes. "I still suspect you of being Kira."

"I already expected that," replied Light, honestly. "So what's the favour you wanted from me?"

"Be my friend," answered L, as he invaded Light's personal space again; so close, their noses were almost touching.

The close proximity along with the unexpected request caused a spike of anxiety to run through Light's bones. Light did his best to suppress those feelings that were screaming at him to fight or flee. He took in a deep, steadying breath through his nostrils. A smell then caught his attention; it was Sayu's perfume. Leaning forwards Light sniffed L's neck.

Why was the scent of Sayu's perfume on L? Light wondered, becoming increasingly worried. Was L using her as leverage on him?

"I-I need t-to go now," stammered Light, as he pushed L away with a little too much force. He then hurriedly left; L stood there momentarily perplexed by his odd behaviour. As the door was closing Light had then called back in a placating tone. "We'll see each other some other time."

The rest of the task force were at headquarters; L had apparently purchased the entire apartment complex for them to use. They had listened as L checked in with them through the radio. The entire scenario that had occurred sounded very strange and suspicious. Soichiro had grown steadily more worried about his son; something was seriously off about him. And Soichiro had an idea of what it likely was.

Flashback; Sixteen Years Ago

Soichiro was on his way home from work. He had just been promoted to detective and he could hardly wait to break the good news to his loving wife. He met her one evening on a vast moor and had married her immediately. They had been happily married for two years and had just recently started a family together.

Before arriving home Soichiro had stopped off at the pet store and purchased a young husky. His wife, Kuzunoha, had repeatedly requested that they have a pup. She hadn't mentioned it since Light's birth, but Soichiro remembered and now that he was going to be working longer hours he thought that she could use a loyal companion.

Walking through the door, Soichiro only had to wait a couple of seconds before his wife greeted him. Kuzunoha was an exceptionally dutiful wife, always managed to maintain an absolutely spotless house-hold, cooked the most delicious meals, and had a pleasantly cheerful demeanor. She was also very beautiful; with long auburn hair, a small, narrow nose, bright amber-coloured eyes, and flawless skin. These were features that she had also passed down to their son.

"I'm glad your home safe," said Kuzunoha, smiling as she rubbed her nose against Soichiro's.

"I have some great news," said Soichiro, as he led her outside. "But first I have a present for you."

Soichiro took her toward the front yard where he had tied the dog's leash to one of the fence posts. The dog, which had been calm only a few minutes ago, had gone berserk.

"Get rid of it," begged Kuzunoha, scared. "Kill it if you have to."

Before Soichiro could do anything the dog had slipped his collar and began attacking Kuzunoha furiously. Kuzunoha's hands were cut up horribly as she tried to keep the dog away from her throat. Just as Soichiro managed to pull the dog off of her that Kuzunoha' form had changed into that of a fox. She had then leaped over the fence and fled. Soichiro had stood there in shock for several minutes.

I married a kitsune; I had a fox-wife, thought Soichiro. Well, I don't care. She's mother of my child and I love her.

Soichiro had given away the dog to one of her co-workers and had filed a missing person's report. He had also gone out every night calling for her to come home.

It wasn't until several months later that Kuzunoha had reappeared. She was sitting by the bedroom window waiting for him.

"Soichiro," greeted Kuzunoha, with a sad smile. "I can't stay."

"Why?" asked Soichiro, as he wrapped his arms around his estranged wife.

"Inari wants me to come back home," replied Kuzunoha, as she curled into her husband's embrace. "It's too dangerous for me here."

"Wait. Inari?" questioned Soichiro, confused. "Isn't that the name of some sort of food goddess?"

"Inari is the Shinto goddess of agriculture and industry," elaborated Kuzunoha, quietly. "And yes, she is that goddess and I am one of her messengers."

"So kitsunes exists, Inari exists," stated Soichiro, numbly before asking. "What else is out there?"

"Everything, every creature you can think of exists," replied Kuzunoha. "Though some of them may differ significantly from their legends."

"So why is Inari taking you away from me?"

"Because Lamashtu has been alerted to my presence here. She plans on taking me to Kur, where she'll torture me," answered Kuzunoha, pulling away from her husband's embrace; Soichiro could now see the fear in her eyes. "The pain will feed her and her dying realm. She loves trickster spirits; especially the kitsune. Maybe it's because we don't break easily and she can feed them indefinitely. Most other creatures will eventually die or disintegrate; the kitsune can't," Kuzunoha paused briefly as she tried to regain her composure. "I've seen the results of the few that could escape; it isn't pretty and no one has ever truly recovered from it. I am not going to risk my safety by staying here. I can't and I'm sorry."

"Don't apologize," said Soichiro, trying to be comforting. "I understand. I don't want to lose you, but…"

Soichiro couldn't even finish that statement. He wanted to be selfish and ask her to stay, but this was his fault; he had accidentally revealed her true identity. This shouldn't have happened; she was his and he was hers, and they were supposed to live happily ever after.

"Will you spend one last night with me?" asked Soichiro, voice pleading. He just wanted to sleep next to her and hold her close while pretending this wouldn't be the last time.

"I'd like that," answered Kuzunoha, as she led him to the bed.

Soichiro and Kuzunoha laid together just curled around one another, holding each other tightly. Hours passed without either of them going to sleep or even so much as closing their eyes. Night would so be over and Kuzunoha would be gone; Soichiro didn't want miss a single moment of the time he had left with her.

"Um, Soichiro," said Kuzunoha, getting her husband's attention. "Will you continue to care for our son when I'm gone? Even if he takes after me."

Kuzunoha seemed worried. Soichiro was almost offended, but her concern was understandable. She was leaving, he wasn't home often and their son was only one year old. And if Soichiro was prejudice against kitsunes then Light would be in a very vulnerable position if he took after his mother.

"Of course, I will," promised Soichiro.

End Flashback

Soichiro had tried his best to be there for his son and would oftentimes fail. There were many times in which he just couldn't understand Light; he believed even Kuzunoha would have difficulty in that regard. Luckily, he had met Sachiko the following year and she had been so supportive. She had never once called him crazy or considered Light to be a monster. She was much more helpful than Soichiro's own family had been.

Immediately after Kuzunoha had left him, Soichiro had explained what had happened to his family. To his shock no one had been surprised, apparently this was a fairly common occurrence in their family; not marrying Kitsunes necessarily, just encounters with the supernatural in general. Most of them were brief encounters with creatures such as the bakeneko, ōmukade, jorōgumo, and kasa-obake. That last one was an isolated incident involving his aunt; it still left Soichiro wondering how a paper umbrella demon manages to kill a person. It was understandable how his family was so paranoid, but their coldness toward his son still wasn't forgivable in his eyes.

A majority of his relatives, including his mother and brother, had insisted that he give up Light for adoption; that he would bring him nothing but misery and misfortune. It was after they had tried to kill Light that he had cut ties with them permanently. Sayu was only seven months old at the time and therefore didn't remember what she saw; sadly, Light did remember.

Soichiro knew Light didn't trust him; the kid had even had an alert system set-up in his room. It took L's keen observational to not be caught setting up the cameras in the Yagami household five days ago; three forms of detection to reset. A piece of paper, the position of the door handle, and a pencil lead.

"Chief, your son is a little strange," said Aizawa, after listening to L's report. "What do you think is going on in that kid's head?"

"Well, Ryuzaki wasn't acting exactly normal," replied Matsuda, coming to the chief's defense; Soichiro was grateful, even though he didn't show it. "Light was probably on the defensive."

"He may have also been skeptical of Ryuzaki's claims of being L," speculated Soichiro, quietly; he had caught the part where Light claimed uncertainty on who was on the Kira case even though he most certainly knew of Soichiro and Matsuda. "He was playing ignorant of my involvement on the Kira investigation, incase, on the off chance, that Ryuzaki was Kira."

"That's a good counter-point, Mr. Asahi," replied L, his voice coming out over the speaker. "Given the circumstances, your son would be smart to be wary of my claims. And even though his behaviour was strange it doesn't necessarily indicate he's Kira. What's happening with the observations on Mikami, Takada, and Kagami?"

The task force had decided to follow Naomi Misora's suggestions and investigate those that were on the bus. L had decided to bring Misora onto the case as well. So while L was observing Light, Misora was doing the same with Takada, Mogi with Mikami, and Ukita with Kagami.

"Mogi reported that Mikami is a dedicated prosecutor. He seems to possess a rigid sense of justice and is not very compassionate. Outside of work he's not very social; the only exception to this would be the occasional phone call with Takada," stated Aizawa, summing up the most recent paperwork. "Misora reported that when Takada was taking her entrance exams with Kagami and Light she mentioned to being pro-Kira. She had also briefly dated Light about four months previously. Ukita reported that Kagami seemed more timid, but also favoured Kira as well."

"It appears as though there's a reasonable amount of suspicion for three of our four suspects," replied L, remembering the after a few moments deliberation. He remembered running into Yuri Kagami a few times while he was observing Light; she definitely had a crush on Light, along with a majority of the student body. He'd also learned that she was a compassionate and easily flustered person that was a very poor liar and had a tendency to give into peer pressure; he was ninety percent positive she wasn't pro-Kira and only said that because it's the popular choice. "Tell Okita to come back to headquarters. Then inform Maki, and Moji to make contact with their respective suspect; question them thoroughly and remember to use your false names. Afterwards, watch what they do and make sure not to get caught. I'm going to do the same with Light."

"Alright," agreed Soichiro, as Aizawa called in L's new instructions.

Soichiro was feeling so much fear and stress coursing through him; he could swear that his hair was getting greyer. Light was likely a kitsune, but was he monster? He couldn't recall anything in myths that would allow him to murder the way Kira does; that made Soichiro feel a bit better. Still even if Light is innocent, Soichiro doesn't know how long he could hide Light's heritage. These murders called for thorough investigation and Light was already displaying some unusual behaviors that were calling attention to his vulpine nature.

"Are we just going to ignore how a simple practice match turned into a full out tennis game complete with an empire and a line judge?" asked Ide, truly puzzled. "How does that happen?"

"SACHIKO! Where are you going?!" cried Kuzunoha, looking at her oldest and dearest friend with fear in her eyes. "You have to stay here. Where it's safe?"

"You want me to run and cower in the Spiritual Realm. You want me to abandon my children," said Sachiko, crossing arms, an angry expression darkening her features. "I'm not like you."

"Fine, go back to your family," said Kuzunoha, through clenched teeth. "Still it won't do anyone any good when you cease to exist. Lamashtu may not be a threat to you, but the shinigami are. Going back presents a very real danger to you; you know that if a bakeneko or nekomata dies outside of the spiritual realm their souls are lost forever."

"I know there's a risk, but my children still need me," replied Sachiko, more gently as she realized that she was being a little harsh on the woman that was like a sister to her. Truth be told, Sachiko was scared too, but she couldn't handle being parted from her loved ones for so long. They needed her and she needed them.

"I still need you though and so does your mother. Do you think Memine wants to see her only kitten die?" retorted Kuzunoha, angrily. "Don't you realize that our husband being a police chief puts you in danger? Kira is now targeting those on either side of the law; he could go after you due to your association with someone who opposes him. Don't you understand" Sachiko could hear the poorly concealed pain and fear that breaking her voice. "It's not like leaving was my choice, Inari made-"

"Inari didn't make you do anything; she doesn't care what happens to you to be honest. She just replaces the kitsune that go missing with the nogitsune," interrupted Sachiko, not letting Kuzunoha feed her any bullshit excuses. "You made a choice and it was to run. And it wasn't entirely about the demon chasing you, was it?"

A look of sadness and shame crossed Kuzunoha's delicate features; features that reminded her so much of her Light. As both a friend and mother Sachiko was compelled to comfort her. Hugging her sister close to her chest, Sachiko felt Kuzunoha's tears soaking her shirt. They sat like this for several minutes before Sachiko pulled away.

"You were afraid Soichiro was going hate you eventually for being what you are," said Sachiko, not allowing Kuzunoha to continue lying to herself; yes, she was afraid of Lamashtu, but that wasn't the only thing she feared. "It's not fair that the kitsune get barred from the human realm and a majority of the spiritual realm for the lifespan of the lover that rejected them. Being restricted Inari's section of the realm is a horrible fate."

"I wish that was the only problem," whispered Kuzunoha, voice choked with tears. "Inari created us and now she wants to get rid of us. Lamashtu is incapable of entering parts the spiritual realm without permission of the sector's leader. Inari gives Lamashtu permission to enter her section as long as she only hunts the kitsune. Why does she hate us, Sachiko?"

Sachiko didn't know how to answer this; she didn't know what Kuzunoha wanted to hear. Kuzunoha already knew how Inari created the kitsune during a violent, savage time, a time of war, in order to protect Japan and its warriors. Inari had initially created them very powerful beings (even more powerful than she was), but without free-will. This had proven to be a disastrous, since Inari couldn't control them all and as result had them make mistakes that had cost many people their lives. She had then made the decision to give the kitsune free-will, but before she did she weaken their abilities so that they could never surpass her; Inari had observed what happened to Cronus and the other titans when Zeus and the other first generation gods took over.

Unfortunately for Inari, the kitsune still had those powers deep down and the next generation of kitsune had been able to begin unlocking them by the time 14th century arrived. Inari had realized her mistake, but do anything about except kill off the first kitsune generation. The second generation couldn't die, but could be restrained under certain conditions; it required enchanted shackles, an afterlife realm, and severe heart-break. Kitsunes were at their weakest when their loved ones had left them and that was why they always left first or simply refused to love anyone.

The majority of kitsunes truly understood the meaning of fate worse than death due to their dealings with Inari. It was very depressing over how many of the kitsunes were totally devoted to her and she did nothing but give them away to other pantheons where they were either slaves or prisoners.

"There is no good reason for her hate and truthfully you deserve better than her," said Sachiko, trying to provide her friend as much comfort as she could before leaving. "And I'm sorry, but I do have to go back home. I came here with you, because I was frightened; but I now realized that's no excuse for abandoning my babies. Sayu may not come into her bakeneko heritage, but Light is definitely becoming a kitsune. He's going to need guidance."

"He is he going to need you," admitted Kuzunoha, though there was air of regret in voice; Sachiko could almost hear the unsaid words of 'he would have needed me if things were different'. She then looked up at her with a watery smile. "Are we still friends?"

"Of course, we are," replied Sachiko, reassuringly. "That's not ever going to change."