Last time on No Matter What...
"Sounds like your Okaa-san must be worried about you."
She turned around, heart pounding frantically. Had he heard Ryuu's voice?
If he did, he gave no signs he had. "Ah, yeah. She gets overly worried at times." Sunny looked at her watch. 'No wonder Ryuu's worried! It's been 20 minutes since I last talked to Watari!'nN
She looked back up at the boy and said, "Well, it was nice talking to you! Ah, I almost forgot! I'm Sanako Kobayashi." She bowed in greeting. "Nice to meet you..."
She looked up and watched as the student bowed and stood back up straight. "It was nice to meet you Kobayashi-san. My name is Light Yagami."
LATER
Even after the walk back home, Sunny's head was still reeling. She had met Light Yagami. Light Yagami, who was the Chief's son. Light Yagami, who was the top student in the Kanto region. And Light Yagami, who Ryuu, even though he hadn't said it yet, had at the top of his suspect list.
She quietly opened the door and blinked in surprise. The lights were on!
She stepped into the room only to find another surprise. Ryuu was on the sofa!
He looked up from his tea. "You're back."
She set her stuff down near an easy chair. "Yep."
He looked her over. "Where have you been?"
She shot him a sly smile and put a finger to her lips. "It's a secret." She started putting her coat away. "So, what did you have to tell me?"
L watched silently as she put away her coat, as if trying to decipher where she had been. Evidently, he found nothing, for he said,
"I'm bringing the FBI into the Kira case."
Sunny froze, then whirled around. "What?" she asked disbelievingly.
L took another sip from his tea. "I said I'm bringing the FBI into the Kira case, Sunny."
Sunny crossed her arms. "Why?"
L looked down at his cup. "From the fact that Kira has started killing off one criminal per hour, it was assumed that Kira had access to police information." L looked up at Sunny as if confirming what he already knew.
Sunny nodded. "Go on."
"One of the most logical points to assume is that Kira might be a part of their families. Now, this may or may not be true, but it's worth a shot assuming." L started to stack all his sugar cubes into one big tower.
Sunny put the dots together. Her eyes widened. "D-don't tell me you're going to have the families of the police force followed!"
L looked up. "Yes, that is exactly what I intend to do. And no, not all families will be under supervision. Those with a child in high school will be the only ones to have an FBI agent spying on them."
Sunny gaped. Then she shook her head. "Ryuu, this is a bad idea. The police force doesn't trust you at all already; what if you're caught?!"
L turned his gaze back to the stack of sugar cubes that were now precariously towering over him. "Yes, I suppose it is bad if they knew about it. However..." He looked up at Sunny with a slight, conspiratorial smile. "They don't have to know about it, do they?"
Sunny smiled and shook her head. "I suppose not, Ryuu. I suppose not."
1 HOUR LATER
"No Sunny."
Sunny sighed in exasperation. "Come on Ryuu, you need to eat!"
"But I'm not hungry."
"Why would you be?" Sunny muttered under her breath. "All you eat all day is sugar, sugar, and more sugar."
"Sugar gives my brain the calories it needs to think at such a high level. You should know that by now, Sunny."
Sunny hugged his waist and rested her head on his right shoulder. "Yes, I know, but Ryuu, it ruins your appetite for actual meals like breakfast, lunch, and dinner!"
"What are those."
Sunny chuckled. "You know what those are Ryuu, don't play dumb!"
"Do they relate to the Kira case?"
"Hm, let's see. I'm pretty sure he eats his eggs in the morning sunny-side up."
"Really now."
"Yes, he seems like that sort of guy. Really cheerful."
L let out a silent scoff. "Yes, because someone who has the ability to kill off criminals by the hour and does so is definitely cheerful enough to like his eggs sunny-side up."
Sunny removed her arms from him and stood up, grinning. "Yeah."
L looked up at her. "Are you going to sleep?"
"Yep. God knows what Kira's going to throw at us tomorrow!"
L regarded her carefully. "Will you be fine by yourself or..."
Sunny waved off his concern. "I'll be fine. Don't worry ok?" She leaned down and pecked him on his left cheek. "G'night Ryuu."
As she walked out of the room she heard L say something behind her.
"Good night Sunny."
AND SO SHE DREAMED...
Lights. Screams. The smell of smoke and destruction.
You open your eyes, but then you quickly shut them. It's too much. It's too dizzying.
"She's alive!"
"But only barely. She's inhaled too much smoke; we need to get her to a hospital right now!"
'What's happening? Where are Mamma and Pappa?'
You try to speak, but all that comes out is a strangled wheezing noise, followed by a hacking cough.
Someone rushes over to you and smoothes your hair back. "Shhh," they whisper, "It'll be alright. You're safe now."
'Who is she? Where am I? I want Mamma and Pappa!'
"She's flailing around too much! Someone calm her down!"
'Mamma, Pappa help!'
You continue to struggle away from the strangers' grips. Why can't they see you just want your parents?
"Here, hold her still! I've got some sedatives!"
Instantly you're trapped in an iron grip. You keep struggling and struggling... but it's no use. You try to scream again for your Mamma and Pappa, but the smoke in your throat turns your scream into a panicked wheeze.
"Hold still now, dear. It will only hurt just a little bit..."
You tense up, and as the needle pierces the overly tender skin of your fore arm, you let out a silent scream.
"There! That wasn't so bad now, was it?"
Tears fall from your closed eyes. 'It hurts so much... help, Mamma, Pappa...'
Sharp sirens screech in the night, and you can feel some one pick you up and put you on what you take to be a stretcher. 'NO! NO, LET ME GO!'
Again, your attempts at struggling are futile, and as the sedatives run their course through your veins, you find yourself fighting against the tendrils of sleep that threaten to pull you down into a dark oblivion.
In a last attempt to stay awake, you open your eyes. As you're carried away into the ambulance, you see the flames licking up at the sky. They are the color of the sun and bright autumn leaves, and the destruction around them forms a pyre for those who've been caught up inside their wrath.
That's where your parents are; you can feel it. And with that feeling comes despair. A despair as thick as the lump in your throat, as heavy as your body feels with the sedatives that have just about done their work. So you stop fighting for the first time since you woke up, and as you succumb to the darkness, the acrid smell of smoke lingers in your senses, still there long after you've fallen asleep.
Sunny shot out of bed, gasping for breath. As always after moments like this, she waits for the memory to get out of her system, waits for the safety of reality to come back to her. As her ragged, erratic breathing calms down, she turns to her right to see L entering the room with a glass of water and his trademarked impassive look, though if she looks carefully, she can see the slight hint of worry in his glazed black eyes.
He handed her the glass of water and watched intently as she gulped it all down. She finished it off with a sigh and laid the glass on the table beside her bed.
"Thanks," she croaked out.
"It's nothing."
They stared at each other in silence before he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her head against his chest. Almost immediately, she relaxed into his arms and felt her tension abate. She slowly brought up her arms to wrap around him and pulled him even closer.
L took one of his hands and smoothed down her hair. As he repeated the action, Sunny felt her remaining tension fade away, leaving a sense of calm and safety behind.
They stay like that until Sunny realized she's trembling. L pulled back and looked into her face. "What is it?"
She bit her lip and shakes her head. "I'm fine Ryuu," she looked up and put on an exhausted, close-eyed smile. "I'm just tired, that's all."
Without a word, L released her from his embrace, walks over to the other side of the bed, and climbed in.
Sunny blushed. "I-it's fine Ryuu, you can go back to work! I'm f-fine, really!" she squeaked.
L stared at her blankly. "While that may be the case, I'm tired, and I think the case can wait another day. Besides, you're the one who told me to get more sleep."
Sunny sighed in defeat. "Ok, you win."
L didn't even blink; he just pulled her closer and reached over her to turn off the light. The two held each other, each reassuring the other that they were not alone. And as the darkness enveloped them, they both drifted off into a dreamless, peaceful sleep.
IN THE MORNING
"Don't you have work today?"
Sunny looked away from the microwave. She shook her head and grinned. "Nope! At least, not until later. I have the night shift tonight, so I'll be leaving at around 10 in the evening per say and returning at around 7 am tomorrow morning." She turned back to the microwave as it started beeping. She took out her cup and put her left index finger in the milk. It was warm.
Satisfied with its temperature, she then turned to get the chocolate syrup, only to find L licking a fat glob of it off his finger.
She huffed in exasperation. "Alright Ryuu, give it back now."
L looked away from the syrup and blinked at her blankly, before deliberately pouring another generous amount of syrup on his finger and licking it yet again.
Sunny face-palmed. "Seriously Ryuu, you can have it back after I make my chocolate milk."
To this, L just held the syrup close to his chest and hunched his shoulders even more.
"...Really? You like chocolate so much you won't even share it with me?"
A stare.
A sigh. "Fine, you win then. I'll just drink my chocolate-less milk now..."
Before she'd even finished the sentence, L had handed her the bottle before shuffling out of the room listlessly. She blinked, and smiled slowly.
'Ah Ryuu, you can act so sweet at times...'
14 HOURS LATER
'Alright, let's see... bag? Check. Notepad? Check. Pens and pencils? Check. Cellphone? Check...'
"Are you getting ready to leave?"
"GAH!" Sunny jumped and spun around to see a blank-faced L. "Geez, Ryuu! You scared me quite a bit back there!"
"My sincere apologies," he said drily.
Sunny chuckled at that. "In response to your question, yes, I am getting ready to leave. In fact, I was just about to head out."
To this, L only said, "Bring me back some evidence if you can."
Sunny cocked an eyebrow. "Of course I will. Don't I always?"
L's mouth twitched, and he nodded slightly.
Sunny smiled. "Well, that's all there is to it then." Her gaze ambled to her watch. "I should be off now, Watari's probably waiting for me." She slung her bag over her shoulder and threw her arms around L in a quick hug. "I'll be back tomorrow morning at 7, 'kay Ryuu?"
L nodded once and watched as Sunny ran out the door and to the elevator, all the while waving good-bye back at him. When the elevator came, she stepped into it. Before the doors closed, she waved one last good-bye at him, and this time, he waved back.
MEANWHILE, AT NARITA AIRPORT
A young couple step off the plane at the airport. This is his first time in Japan; however, she is returning for the first time in a long time.
As they navigate through the hustle and bustle that is the Narita Airport, the man wonders how he'll be able to complete his mission here. Already he was overwhelmed by the sheer volume of people in Japan, and he was just at the airport!
Speaking of his mission, it was a rather strange one. He could still remember the phone call that led to all of this. After all, it wasn't everyday one got called by the legendary L...
APPROXIMATELY 1 DAY AGO
"Hello?"
"Is this the residence of Raye Penber?" The man in question looked at the phone in confusion before answering with,
"Yes, what do you want?
"I need your help with the Kira case. You and eleven other FBI agents will be sent to Japan this week to spy on the families of the Japanese police force. Do you accept?"
The dark-haired man gripped the phone tighter and said, "I'm in."
"Good. Now, listen carefully. Each agent will be assigned a 'family' to spy on. Your family will be Chief Soichiro Yagami's family. I want you to keep a close eye on his son, Light Yagami, especially. Have I made myself clear?"
Raye Penber pulled the phone closer to his ears. "Yes, but..."
"But what?"
He hesitated, and then asked, "Why are you having us investigate the families of the police force?"
There was silence on the other end of the line. When the other person finally spoke he (or she, Raye couldn't tell because of the strange auto tune) said, "This is top secret information. What I am about to tell you must never be revealed to anyone else. Do you understand?"
Raye's knuckles turned completely white. "Yes, I understand."
The voice on the other end of the line seemed to find this answer satisfactory, for it said, "There has been a leak in the police force. Do not gasp nor draw attention to yourself. Yes, it is true the police force has a leak in it. That is why I want you and eleven other FBI agents to go to Japan to spy on them. You will not see each other by the way I've planned it. However, if you do meet someone else, you should just act normal and not talk about the mission you are carrying."
"Ok. When do we leave?"
"Preferably today at a later time. Do not worry; all travel arrangements have been made and all expenses have been paid. All that is left for you to do is find a place for you to stay during the mission. I assume you can do that much."
"Yes..."
"Good. That will be all. It was nice talking with you, Raye Penber."
"Wait! Before you go, can you please tell me who you are?"
The line went quiet before the voice repeats, "Who I am?" in an almost disbelieving tone.
"I-I'd just like to know who I'm working for, that's all..."
The voice sighed. "Very well, I suppose I can tell you. Good day Mr. Penber. I am L."
NOW
"Are you okay dear?" A black gloved hand landed on his shoulder. He looked down to see his fiancé, Naomi Misora, looking up worriedly at him.
He smiled reassuringly back at her. "I'm fine honey! So, where do we head next?"
"Well..."
And the couple started weaving its way through the crowds of the Narita Airport once more, him now ready for the mission he faced, and her worrying about the safety of her fiancé.
It turns out she was right to worry.
A.N. If you look in the thesaurus, I'm pretty sure you'll find Life as a synonym for insanity. Life is just so insane that not even a millennium of treatment could cure it!
As you can guess, I've been really busy since I last saw you guys. There were tournaments to go to, concerts to sing at, oh yeah, and then there was that little impromptu party I had to go to too... ugh!
I wasn't the only one busy this week either; my beta reader, Codename-Jellybean (or CJ) was busy too, so this chapter is being posted without her supervision. Still, look her up guys! She's a really good author!
Again, I'm sorry it's so late. It's mainly late because A) I don't want to compromise my health while writing this story and B) I want this story, each and every chapter of it, to be the best that it can be. For you guys. And I can't do that if I'm seriously sleep deprived.
Announcements: I will not be posting after the second week of April because of final exams. I will resume the story after the 1st week of May when the exams are finally finished. Just know that I will continue this story and that I will be back after a month. This is not to say that this is the last chapter before the hiatus; I am merely announcing when the hiatus will start and end.
That should be all. As always, please remember to review. Questions, comments, criticism, and suggestions are all welcome; they can only make the quality of this story better.
Bye for now!
Rafa-chan.