L
Jack's room was rather messy.
L looked upon the unmade bed and the scattered clothes. They all appeared clean; he guessed she had trouble figuring out what to wear this morning. She'd taken her laptop with her, so he didn't have that to go through, but L was determined to find something.
He started with her suitcase. She notice if someone went through her things if he wasn't careful, so he delicately picked through the items. It was full of her clothes and some odd trinkets. He found a small cell phone charm with a green dragon on it—something from an anime, he assumed. There was a box of tea bags: black Assam leaves, the kind used for royal milk tea. There was a small five-tailed fox plushie that was incredibly soft to the touch. Then of course there was a special edition of Sir Arthur Conan O'Doyle's entire collection of Sherlock Holmes. It looked incredibly well worn, proving Jack had read it countless times.
After carefully returning everything the way he found it, L moved on to the bathroom. There was a bag full of cosmetics and hygiene supplies such as tooth paste and floss. She had a small can of hair gel, the kind that didn't make hair look crusty or greasy. There was peach shampoo and conditioner near the walk-in shower and a towel on the floor. Beneath the sink was a box of pads for her monthly cycle along with some spare toilet paper rolls.
L stepped back out into her room again with a frown. He was so certain he'd find something of use—something to tell him more about Jack and what she was hiding. He went and looked over her bedside table. There was her iPod charging—the blue one; she used a pink one during the day. He picked it up and looked through the songs.
Enya, Death Cab for Cutie, some classical pieces, an instrumental band called Two Steps From Hell... a handful of soundtracks from movies and games—nothing he was too familiar with. As he was setting it back down, something caught his eye.
There was something orange under the pillow on her bed. L reached out and gripped something cylindrical and plastic. It rattled as he moved it toward his face.
Pills.
L frowned and looked over the label. It was something for sleep. Sleep and... it was an anti-psychotic.
What was this? The name on the bottle had been blacked out by a sharpie. As well as the doctor's name who prescribed it and where it was filled. All that was visible was the name of the medication, the dosage per pill, and instructions on when to take and for what it was taken for. No wonder Jack slept so heavy.
L replaced the pills under the pillow and wondered why Jack kept this from him. Insomnia wasn't too uncommon—it could be she only took that medication for sleep and the anti-psychotic was just something else the pill could treat for. He wanted to ask her, but he knew she'd be livid if she knew he'd been in her things. Perhaps in time she would feel comfortable enough to tell him about it herself.
He left the room and went about going through some files. He'd instructed Watari to text him when they were on their way back. Once he received the message, he got to his feet and made some royal milk tea for Jack and some more coffee for himself.
When Jack came into the room, she looked furious. L stepped out from the kitchen, extending a cup out to her.
"You don't look pleased," he noted.
Jack took the cup and looked down at it. Her brow was furrowed, her jaw clenched. Watari came in behind her, holding a small box that would allow them to set up the surveillance feed to their TVs. He didn't say anything.
"I messed up," Jack finally confessed in a mumble.
L perked a brow as she turned and went over to the couch. She set her cup down a little too forcefully and some tea spilled out. She didn't seem to care. Jack sat on the couch, kicked off her shoes and tore off her wig. Her blue hair was a matted mess beneath.
"What do you mean?" L asked.
Of course he had his concerns about Jack being too brash and eager to rush in. He hoped she hadn't done anything too idiotic to the point of jeopardizing their whole case.
"It was with Light Yagami's computer. In his room," Jack said. "There was a file on the desktop that caught my attention. It was called 'DO NOT DISTURB' in all caps, mind you. Of course I was curious! I didn't think..." She shook her head. "I underestimated him."
"What happened?" L perched on the seat next to her. She only glanced at him before taking a drink from her cup. She then shook her head yet again.
"It was a home-brewed virus. When I opened the folder, it unleashed it. Wiped the hard drive. I had to use a shocker to fry the power strip it was plugged into in order to cover my tracks. With any luck, he'll see it as the power strip malfunctioning. It can happen pretty easily, to be honest."
L let out a breath. Yes, Jack had messed up, but this wasn't nearly as bad as he was expecting. Plus, she'd been thorough enough to try and make the computer's compromise seem like an accident.
"While I will urge you to exercise caution in the future, it seems you did everything you could to right this mistake," L murmured.
Jack turned her head to face him. "You're not mad?"
"I'm disappointed," L told her. "I took you to be smarter than this."
Jack looked away, glaring into her cup. "I... I'm sorry. I usually am. I just..." She closed her eyes.
L thought about the pills he found under her pillow. He chewed his tongue, wondering if now would be a good time to bring it up after all. If she got angry with him, he can use her guilt about this slip up to potentially gain some leeway.
"Is there something causing you to be more of a liability to this case than you already are?" L finally asked, electing to play it safe just in case.
Jack glanced at him. "What's that supposed to mean?"
"The heavy sleeping, this slip up. Is something distracting you?" L held her gaze evenly.
Jack leaned back. Her mouth opened, her lips pulling in to show an expression of an angry mother who caught her child in a lie.
"You were in my room." Her words were quiet and matter-of-fact. It wasn't an accusation so much as it was a simple statement.
L broke their gaze, getting to his feet and padding back over to the kitchen for his coffee.
"L!" Jack called after him.
"I wanted to know what you were hiding," L replied calmly. He poured his coffee and took the cup back toward her. The sugars were on the table.
As he sat back down and reached for some cubes, Jack's hand appeared over the bowl, blocking him from the sweet substance. He looked at her, feeling his jaw tighten.
"Jack—" he began.
"You don't trust me?" Jack demanded.
"I trust you," L said. "I just know that there is something you're keeping from me. Something that you feel is important, but not so important that I know about it. Or perhaps you feel you can't tell me."
"So what exactly did you find in my room?" Jack's hand did not move. Her green eyes were narrowed to slits.
"Not what I expected," L admitted. "And not entirely what I was looking for. How long have you been on the medication?"
Oddly enough, Jack's posture seemed to relax. Her gaze flitted with ease and she slowly moved her hand back. L snatched up six cubes before she decided to block him off again.
"Almost a year now," she replied, voice low and soft. "Unfortunately, I can't sleep without it. They had to try several different kinds before they found one strong enough to knock me out."
"I see," L said. "You could have told me."
"It's not important," Jack retorted. "It doesn't have anything to do with the case. And on the up side, I'll be able to sit through watching the cameras we set up for the whole week straight if needed."
"You shouldn't stay up for that long," L pointed out.
"Neither should you," Jack said. "I think you and I have something in common with the sleep thing. The difference is that I acknowledged the problem and got help."
She reached forward at that point, hand coming toward L's face. He nearly pulled away out of instinct, but he knew the only person he could trust more than Jack was Watari. So he remained still and she gripped his cheek, rubbing a thumb beneath his eye. Her hands were icy, but soft.
"These circles might be edgy and attractive to me, but most people would find you much more handsome without them," Jack said.
L turned his face away and Jack's hand fell. His skin felt cold where it had been. "I get the necessary amount of sleep to function as much as I need to," he said.
"It'll catch up, L," Jack said. "It's not healthy. Neither is all the sugar. And let's not get me started on the nail biting again."
"I am capable of making my own decisions about my own body," L replied coolly, sipping his coffee. "So tell me, other than falling prey to a trap of Light Yagami's, how was your hacking today?"
"Nothing of interest, unless you want to hear about a weird foot fetish," Jack said. She leaned back into the couch again, bringing her knees up to her chest. "The only odd thing was Light's virus folder. It was the first thing I clicked... so I didn't manage to look at anything else. And recovery was useless. The virus was very thorough, unfortunately for me."
"Do you feel it takes a lot of skill to make such a virus?" L queried.
Jack shook her head. "Not really. And it was sloppy. If—and I'm saying if Light was Kira—he doesn't know enough about computers to be too dangerous with them. Kira is the type to gloat and flaunt. He would have had a message or something play while the virus worked. This one just froze up the screen and kept me from doing anything. It was quick and efficient."
"Perhaps Kira prefers to be quick and efficient when it comes to this," L suggested. "It gets the job done, doesn't it?"
"That's where you and Kira differ, L," Jack said. "Yes, you are both childish and hate to lose, as you said. But Kira is the type that likes to scream to the world that he can't lose. You admit defeat in order to become better and more prepared, to pool more resources and assistance. You strive to continuously improve in order to win the war. Kira... he's just sprinting forward to win each battle. He isn't thinking about the long run, I don't think. He's... he's writing by the seat of his pants."
L raised his brows at her.
Jack shrugged. "I'll give you a truth. This is a freebie, so you better be grateful. My mother was a writer. She said that there are two ways to write: by plotting and planning and by the seat of your pants. That's when you just do things as you go. The scenes she would write out would only be known to her when she wrote them, and she had no end game. My mother always told me sometimes writing by the seat of your pants is good. Keeps the writer on their toes, and the readers too. After all, if a writer didn't see something coming, how would the reader?"
Jack took a long drink from her cup. She slowly set it on the counter and then hugged her knees.
"But it could also very easily lead a writer to a book's death. She called it writing herself into a corner. Without any planning or plotting, some things could be missed. Either she would put her characters in an impossible situation, or she would simply run out of places to go in the story." Jack met L's eyes. "You're capable of writing by the seat of your pants, L, but you're also a very effective plotter. I think Kira is only the former. And that will doom him in the end."
L nodded slowly. She had a soft expression while she was talking about her mother. L was curious to ask more, but he knew that Jack had indeed given him a free truth. He shouldn't push it.
"I suppose that's a compliment for me," L said. "So thank you."
"Yeah, sure," Jack replied. "Well then... shall we tune in to this new reality TV show I've heard a lot about? I hear there's a chance that one of the cast is a serial killer."
"Sounds riveting," L said. "Let me order some food. Any requests?"
"Shark fin soup."
"That's... a bit steep."
"Japan's one of the last places you can get it!" Jack said. "I'm curious!"
"Curiosity is what made you ruin Light Yagami's computer before you could search it for evidence," L reminded her coolly.
Jack pouted. "Fine. I'll have some ramen."
Jack
Watching the TVs was dull work. Nothing of interest was happening in either household—though I did grow curious when Light Yagami returned home before anyone else.
He was a handsome boy, I'd give him that. His hair was the shade of caramel and his physique was lean and tall. He dressed up nicely too; probably just got home from school. Light called out for his family, which received no response. He went up to his room, and only paused at his door for a heartbeat.
I silently cursed. He must know something is up. Did I replace the graphite stick in the wrong hinge?
Once in the room, Light tossed his bag on his bed and approached his computer. He attempted to turn it on and frowned when it didn't respond. He leaned down, inspecting the plug. I heard him cuss softly through the audio.
"You've got to be kidding me," he breathed. "The power strip malfunctioned...?"
"I already reimbursed Chief Yagami, for the record," I told L.
He waved me off, intent on watching Light. I was too. If Light was Kira, he might very well think the Death Note won't seem suspicious to anyone if it was laid out in his room. He'd have to keep anyone from touching it, of course, but what was the point in hiding it when he was alone? Even if he knew there were cameras, there was a chance he wouldn't think to hide it. If I caught even the smallest glimpse of it... L might not know, but I would. That would be enough.
However, to both my disappointment and L's, for the next hour we watched Light give up on his computer and go to studying on his bed. When I checked on the other household, nothing of interest was happening there either. I eventually got up and made some royal milk tea and some coffee for L—he didn't seem to like the tea as consistently as I did. I made sure to bring him plenty of sugar cubes.
The detective thanked me with a nod and went back to eyeing the screens. Eventually, the rest of the Yagami family came home. They sat down for dinner. For all intents and purposes, they seemed perfectly normal. Sachiko Yagami, his mother, was kind and caring as any mother should be. His younger sister, Sayu, was sweet and teased Light just as any sibling would be expected to.
Incidentally, she was the one to finish eating first and went into the adjoined living room to watch TV. The news was on when she powered it up. The announcer was talking about the 1500 FBI agents the US was sending after Kira.
"That's nice timing," I noted.
"Yes, isn't it?" L replied calmly.
I cast him a small smirk. Ever the clever detective, it seemed.
"Wow!" Sayu said, staring at the TV. "Dad, looks like you'll have a lot of backup!"
"It does, doesn't it?" Yagami said, looking over at the TV with raised brows. He was a decent actor, I'd give him that.
"I don't think so," Light said suddenly.
The other family members looked to him curiously.
"It's a rouse, don't you think?" Light asked. "L is trying to scare Kira. It's almost laughable, to be honest. I don't know what he's thinking. It won't trick someone like Kira. If you ask me, he needs to find other means to try and provoke Kira."
"Ouch," I muttered.
L continued to stare at the screen, his expression unreadable as stone. I frowned and leaned back. Why would Light say something like that? If he was Kira, wouldn't he realize how obvious it made him sound? But perhaps that was the point. If he was Kira, and wanted to throw us off, wouldn't he do something that we would believe Kira would never do?
Reverse psychology to the max.
"Oh, Dad, I almost forgot," Light said. "My power strip upstairs malfunctioned. It seems to have fried my computer and... everything else plugged into it."
"Oh no," Yagami frowned at him. "I'm sorry to hear that son. Listen, I'll get a replacement tomorrow. Or, if you'd like, I can leave you with some money and you can go pick one out."
"That would be great, thanks." Light smiled at his father.
If Light was Kira... the fact that he was putting his family through this shattered my heart. He had to realize- some part of him had to know what he was doing was wrong, didn't it?
Later, we watched Light go back up to his room with a bag of chips. He did school work for a few hours, then he went to bed. I let out a long sigh and glanced at the detective.
"You should sleep," I told him.
"I am quite fine, thank you," L said.
I shook my head. "I can wake you if anything weird happens."
"I'd prefer to watch myself."
"These things record, you know."
"There is a chance what you find weird and what I find weird might be different things."
"I suppose. But still. You won't be able to do much if you don't sleep."
"I will. But not now."
I stared at him for a moment. Then I got to my feet and started walking away. He turned to watch me.
"Are you going to bed?" he asked me.
"Nope, I'm making more tea and coffee. We want to be alert, don't we?" I said as I walked toward the kitchen.
"You don't have to stay up with me," L said.
"It's like you said, L." I paused by the kitchen entrance and smiled at him. "What you find weird and what I find weird might be different things."
I set to making more tea and coffee. What I said was true. I couldn't risk not seeing the Death Note. L might just think it to be another notebook. But that would be all I would need to know who Kira was.
Nox loomed in the corner of the kitchen. "I can't see how you're not bored to tears," he said to me.
I glanced at him and shrugged. To be honest, I was, but that wasn't going to stop me.
"You're not going to take your medicine?" he asked. "Doesn't that seem a touch risky?"
"I already see things other people can't anyway," I whispered back.
"What was that?" L called from the other room.
"Ah, I couldn't remember where I put the coffee grounds," I responded. "No worries, found 'em."
L went back to staring at the screens.
"Best be careful, Jack," Nox said. "Talking to me when he's so close is a pretty stupid move. I don't want him getting any ideas."
"Bite me," I mouthed to the Shinigami with my back turned to L.
Nox merely laughed.
Over the next week, L and I kept a next to constant eye on the screens. Only being human, both of us eventually slept in small shifts. Without my meds, mine were only two hours at a time at the most. L's were about the same. Watari eventually made both of us take a longer break, telling us he'd watch the screens for a while. We both slept a bit longer during that time. I didn't even get to work out as much as usual.
All in all, the footage gave us next to nothing. Light kept studying, the other members of the Yagami family did nothing of note, and the other household was even more dull; unless one counted the alone time the father sometimes took in his bedroom when his wife wasn't home. L and I both had to look away, but he was stone-faced while I laughed heartedly.
Worse of all, the deaths of criminals continued. There wasn't a single hiccup in Kira's schedule of homicide. It made no sense. Sure, Light wrote in his normal notebook each night, but that was just it- it was a normal notebook. The cameras revealed him to always be writing about schoolwork; math homework and English papers, some history even. At one point he locked himself in his room and looked at nude magazines. It almost seemed to deliberate. He also would take out the journal I'd seen and write in it occasionally.
If he was Kira, how was he getting names into his Death Note? At first, I thought perhaps he had written them down in preparation, writing out their death conditions to happen in the future. But then some criminals whose names and faces were broadcast after the cameras were set died. It was infuriating. Light was our best bet and yet...
The cameras and bugs were taken out after the weeks end. I was a little peeved considering we made no progress. Could it be Light wasn't Kira after all? Was I just so desperate to grasp at the first suspicious person? I had kept a careful eye on Nox throughout our surveillance escapade. But he didn't seem to show any sign of seeing another Shinigami. He continued to tease and berate me as usual.
We were back a square one, and I'd never been so frustrated. If I hadn't been so moronic when on Light's computer, we could possibly already have evidence. But still... how was it he kept writing down names of criminals while we watched him day and night?
When they'd met with the rest of the task force and L ordered to have the cameras and wire taps removed, he had been adamant that something had to have happened in one of the households.
"Just because we didn't see it doesn't mean something suspicious didn't occur," he had said.
Of course the officers thought his words were insane, since we hadn't found anything of use on the surveillance. But I could tell L was certain. He still had suspicions. And not of just anyone in those homes, but of one particular member: Light Yagami.
"What makes you so certain?" I asked him when the officers left. "We didn't see anything."
"Kira is intelligent and cunning, we already knew that," L said. "You told me there were measures he'd put on his door to show if someone had entered or not. How do you know that paper and the graphite stick were the only things? Not to mention the power strip..."
I rolled my eyes. "I'm already fully aware I screwed up on that, okay? But still... even if he knew we were watching... how did he keep killing people?"
"Without knowing the nature of how Kira kills in the first place, I can't answer that question," L said. "You are the one who said that it could be something supernatural."
I nodded slowly. "Yes. But still, it must cost Kira some effort to do it. Some effort we would have seen evidence of."
I racked my brain. If L was so certain, perhaps there was something. Some way I missed it. I didn't want L chasing something fruitless when the real Kira was out there. But... maybe...
Kira needed a hand to hold a pen, to write names. Sometimes, once Light's computer was replaced, he had watched the news while doing school work.
"Can I see the list of deaths again?" I asked L.
He gave it to me. We had compiled a list of those that died during the time the cameras were up. I had also taken it upon myself to write down the names of the criminals that had been shown on the news we had seen Light watch. Several names matched up. There were some names of the death list we'd compiled that weren't on the list of criminals we knew Light saw, but all the ones he did see were dead.
I set the papers down, letting the beat of my music consume me for a moment. It helped me focus, helped me ground myself down. I exhaled slowly. His hands. Was there ever a moment I didn't see both of his hands?
Chips.
The fucking potato chips.
Light had always had a bag when he went up to study. Sayu even teased him once, saying he was going to get fat. He'd waved her off. But she'd said it like Light eating so many chips wasn't an ordinary thing. Light would study with the bag on his desk, reaching in and grabbing a chip every now and then. During that time, his hand was blocked from view. And Light would glance down now and then to snag the best slice of dried potato.
It was a long shot. A huge one. Especially since some criminals died that we didn't see Light witness on the news. But who was to say he didn't see them broadcast outside his home? But it was all I needed to keep going with the theory, as small as it was, that Light could very well be Kira.
"I need to try something new," L said. It was a couple of days since we had the cameras removed. It was strange. I thought I was bored watching the screens. But now without them to monitor, I was losing my mind for lack of activity. "As of now, Light Yagami is my only likely suspect. I need to get closer to him."
"Closer?" I raised my brows at him.
We were both seated on the couch. It was a bit strange, but L seemed to have gotten used to sitting close to me while we watched the TVs. Now, even though his favored chair was available since we didn't have to hover over the same screens, he still sat by me. I didn't mind. Oddly enough, there were only certain people I would let stay so physically near without being uncomfortable, and L had somehow fallen into that category. Perhaps because I knew him from before, from the Detective Wars case. It wasn't like we were touching, but the four inches of space between us didn't fill me with anxiety like it would if L had been... anyone else, really.
"Get to know him on a personal level," L explained. "Get him to admit to me that he is Kira."
"You think just becoming 'friends' with him will make him admit he's Kira?" I laughed a little. "Come on, L. You're... you. You're the guy that swore to hunt Kira down and defeat him. Even if by some weird happenstance that he starts to believe you are his friend, he'd never admit being Kira."
"But you think he is Kira too, don't you?" L pressed. "He's the most likely one."
"Out of the people we are aware of?" I said. "Yes, he's the most likely one. But L, if you're seriously thinking about showing him your face... I'd have to advise against it."
Per my observations, I didn't think Kira had the Shinigami Eyes, but I still didn't want to risk that. All Kira would need to see is at least 60% of L's face and... done. He'd know the detective's name. He'd write it in the Death Note and L would be gone.
My chest tightened at the mere thought, more than I expected it to.
"He doesn't know my name," L said. "He needs both to be a threat. I need to be on his level. Doing all of this from afar is not working."
"Send me first," I said before even realizing the words were tumbling out of my mouth and weren't just thoughts. "L, if he kills you, this case is lost. I'm-"
"Just as valuable to the case," L pointed out. "Hacking isn't your only skill, Jack. You're the only other one who believes it still could be Light despite our fruitless venture with the cameras. You are able to keep up with me when I brainstorm with the task force."
I was touched by his words, that was for sure, but it still didn't put me at ease. Me going out after Light could prove useful. If Nox slipped up, it could be proof that there was another Shinigami following Light around. I was more willing to risk myself than L, and oddly enough, it wasn't just for the sake of the case. I found myself considering where I would be if the odd detective was dead. I didn't like the idea of a world without his quirks. He'd helped far too many people to just be offed by someone writing his name on a page.
"I have an idea already, regardless," L went on. "I want you to tell me what you think."
"Okay..." I said slowly.
L readjusted himself on the couch to better face me, though he still perched there like a bird. His dark eyes were sharp and focused.
"Light will be doing the entrance exams for To-Oh Academy soon. With his intelligence, I'm certain he will place the top of the class. I mean to take the exams with him."
"The exams?" I echoed. "That seems a bit odd, why approach him there?"
"At first, I can pose as a student," L said. "I will be competing with him in a way as well. I assume I will either win or we will tie, since there is a maximum for points that are achievable. It will showcase that I have just as much knowledge as he does."
"You mean to intimidate him?" I asked. "Won't he instantly know you're L if you just show up and wipe the floor with those tests? Especially if you're trying to be his friend at the same time. This random guy just showing up out of the blue... it seems too obvious."
He merely stared at me.
I let out a long breath. "But that's the point... you want him to know you're L. You want to shock him, get him to slip up in his surprise. He'd never expect you to just show up and confront him face to face. This is assuming he is Kira, of course."
L nodded. "I would invite you to test with me, but I believe you're still getting the hang of reading Katakana."
"Yeah, that might put a damper on it," I agreed. "Plus school is terribly dull. Too many rules."
L snorted a bit. "I suppose I shouldn't be surprised you would say that."
I grinned and then bit my lip. "Let me go with you," I said.
L frowned. "Didn't you just say-"
"I don't want to take the stupid tests," I said. "I want to just accompany you to the building, drop you off and pick you up. I think I might just learn something from meeting Light face to face."
If I could see Light up close, there was a chance Nox would give away that he was being followed by another Shinigami. Of course there was a few ups and downs to this idea. On the up side, because I had a Death Note of my own, my name and lifespan would not appear to anyone with the Shinigami Eyes. So I was free from them writing my name down and killing me. On the down side, if they did have the Shinigami Eyes, they would notice my lack of name and know I had a Death Note of my own. Not to mention, there was always the chance that Kira had a Shinigami that was a bit more forthcoming with information than Nox was. His Shinigami could tell him that Nox was with me.
I supposed that even if Kira knew I had a Death Note, it might go in my favor. It would put him on edge, like L wanted to accomplish. If I had one, I knew how they worked. I had a better chance at stopping him, and with me working alongside L, well... Kira should be as good as screwed. But given how crafty he'd been so far... and if it was Light... Light was a smart kid, to say the least.
"Don't you think it's a bit risky?" L asked.
"You're showing him you're face!" I accused. "It's not like I'm giving him my real name. He'll know me as Nina Forner. Girlfriend to the incredibly intelligent Ryuzaki."
"I'm thinking of going by Hideki Ryuga for the tests," L said.
"Isn't he someone famous around here?"
"An obviously fake alias will work toward my goal in this case. And, should Light be Kira and he attempts to use that name to kill me, there is a good chance he will accidentally picture the celebrity in his head."
I tapped my nose. "All right. Well, I'm still going with you."
L let out a small breath through his nostrils. "I don't see how it would help us. I want to eventually bring Light into the task force, have him as close as possible in order to catch him. You would meet him eventually."
L had a point, but the sooner I met Light face to face, the sooner I might be able to get Nox to slip up. I'd already tried asking the Shinigami if he saw another of his kind with Light, but per usual he refused to divulge anything.
"Here's the deal, Jack," he had said. "You can ask me about anyone, even you're best buddy L, and I will give you the same response every time." Then he gave an over exaggerated shrug and laughed heartedly.
He was a prick to the max, that was for certain.
"Two is better than one! Sherlock and Watson proved that!" I told L. "Let him panic about which of us could be L. Let him see how there's two of us and start to feel outnumbered, if just a little."
L's eyes darted over me. My entire being. It was like when we first saw each other, how he seemed to assess my all with one flicker of eye movement. I felt like that dark gaze of his held me hostage. He knew- he knew I was trying to come with for a reason I wasn't fully divulging. He couldn't figure it out, but he definitely knew.
After a moment that seemed to hang between us forever, L looked away and rubbed the back of his neck. "We will have to work on our acting."
I wanted to sigh in relief, but I resisted. I grinned at him and leaned forward. "Are you wanting permission to be close to me, oh great detective?"
L shot a hard glance my way. "What exactly are you trying to imply, Jack?"
"Teasing you is my favorite pass time, I thought you realized this by now," I pointed out.
L's mouth twitched. It wasn't a scowl, but it was pretty close. It didn't last long. "This is hardly the time for teasing. This is serious, we need to work out how to make our couple story believable."
"If the entire point is to make Light think you're L to put him on edge, then why put on such a good show?" I tilted my head to the side.
"You said it yourself. Confusing him will be a good first step," L said. "I want Light to know I'm taking the exams, I want him to notice me. Not who I am, not at first. But definitely be aware someone is watching him. But if I put up a ploy where we're a couple, and am going under this false name, it can make him think I'm still trying to be under cover. Will he think I'm L? Certainly. But he won't know for certain, and that will drive him mad. Then, with you along, he will start to wonder if perhaps you are L, if perhaps I'm just a lackey. He'll be so busy bouncing around all the possibilities, he very well could slip up."
L then smiled. It was the same smile I'd seen him give when he told the officers justice would prevail. The one full of daring and heat that threw life into his normally pale and drawn face. If he smiled like that more often, he'd be even more handsome.
"Especially when I formally introduce myself at the ceremonies," he finished.
I raised my brows. "You're going to introduce yourself? As L? Not this Hideki, not Ryuzaki?"
L nodded. "It'll rattle him for certain. And when I tell him I suspect he is Kira, that will rattle him even more."
It was insane. The strategy was basically showing Light our hand. Was this truly wise? However, when I really thought about it, I realized the detective was right. It would certainly be a shocker. Throwing such a sudden accusation out, especially after introducing himself as L, that would be like two punches to the gut. The real question was how fast Light would be able to catch his breath, assuming he was Kira.
"There's this cliche saying of that might just be crazy enough to work, and I feel it's appropriate here," I said.
L shrugged. "With Light being our only viable suspect at the moment, I feel this is important to follow. If he is Kira, we need to expose him and put and end to this. If he isn't... well, Light is intelligent. Having him on the task force would help us find the real Kira."
"It's a huge risk to take on a maybe, L," I said. "Are you really sure you want to do this?"
L leaned forward, his balance all in the balls of his feet, toes curled around the edge of the couch cushion. "This is the most complex case I've ever worked. Kira has already killed far more people than any known serial killer is all of written history. We need to put a stop to him."
I knew L wasn't going to back down. He was stubborn. And despite how much I knew he did want to do the right thing, how he wanted to stop this madness, I also knew part of it was the sheer will to win. To win this war of who had the right to call themselves Justice. Kira, who murders all these criminals and any who go to stand in his way. Or L. The upholder of the written law, the one who does things by the book, who saw this phenomenon and realized whoever was doing it wasn't going to stop at criminals. Not when someone tried to oppose him.
Masayoshi. It was the Japanese word for justice. It's what L used as his user name on the IM we communicated with during the Detective Wars case. I know L prided himself on being someone to bring justice to this world. And when someone as seemingly twisted as Kira showed up and made to claim that title, it infuriated my detective friend.
Friend? Yes, I suppose somewhere along the road, though I didn't know when, L had become my friend.
"All right, I see there's no dissuading you," I said with a sigh. "So. Let's get our act down, shall we?"
L readjusted in his seat. He was still sitting with his legs bent and balancing on his toes, but he was facing me fully now. His hands were on his knees and he looked at me from over them. "Where would you like to start?"
What kind of question was that? One I certainly didn't have an answer for. I was comfortable with L being relatively close and I had admitted to myself that he was my friend. But this kind of thing was something I hadn't done is a long, long time, and even when I did do it, I was horrible at it. Granted, my acting skills had improved, but...
"Well, let's... shit, I don't know," I admitted. "Okay, what do most couples do? They hold hands and they... sort of lean on each other."
My cheeks felt a touch warm. Damn it, why were they warm?
"Is this making you uncomfortable?" L asked.
"No way!" I declared. "I'm a pro at making up stories and acting them out, okay? I had to get around a lot of places without anyone knowing who I was."
"Usually that's alone isn't it?"
"It's always alone, but that's besides the point," I retorted.
"Perhaps we should work on walking while holding hands," L suggested. "Since we were so... average at it before."
"Average is a kind way to put it," I grunted.
L turned and got off the couch. He now loomed over me, offering out his pale hand. I stared at his long fingers for a moment. His hands were soft and delicate things. I noticed only a few callouses—ones that were on the middle finger of his right hand where a pen or pencil might rest. I slowly reached out and took it. It was warm in my consistently cold hand.
His hand wrapped around mine. While our palms were probably around the same size, L's fingers were longer. Gently, he tugged me to my feet. I stood, feeling embarrassed.
"What, are we going to take laps around the room?" I asked.
"To start, yes."
"This is silly."
"This is necessary."
L led me along. Our fingers twined together and we started walking. It was oddly stilted. L's posture made it a bit off, and he kept his other hand in his pocket. Meanwhile I was stiff as a board. My knees didn't seem to want to bend.
"Stand up a bit straighter," I told him. "And take your hand out of your pocket, you look like you're bored to be with me. I may be a lot of things, but I'm sure as hell not boring."
L snorted softly, but he listened. He straightened up a touch and removed his other hand from his jeans, letting that arm swing at his side. Meanwhile I forced my knees to bend and to act more natural.
Just walk like you're not touching anyone right now, I told myself. Like you're just pulling along a cart at my side. A very strange, oddly charming cart.
The detective started taking us between the couch and the coffee table, through the kitchen, up and down the hall. We eventually got used to moving around and between obstacles while still remaining linked. At one point we walked with the couch between us, our hands up above it, still twined, though our arms were stretched out all the way they could go and we had to lean toward one another. I nearly tripped and I swore I saw a ghost of a smirk on L's face.
Nox teased me all the while from the corner of the room.
"Good to see this is how you catch Kira," he said. "Flirting with this oddball of a detective."
"It's not flirting," I said aloud before I realized it.
L glanced at me, pausing in our walk. He raised a brow.
"Er," I stammered. "I... I mean, just making sure you know... that all this..." I raised our linked hands. "It's not flirting. Just to be clear."
"I didn't think it was," L replied.
His voice was flat and unfeeling. I felt an odd twinge in my gut as I looked the detective over.
"I think we have this hand holding thing down," I said. "So now what?"
"You said that couples lean on one another," L pointed out.
I nodded, suddenly realizing how close he was. How our hands were still attached.
"Should we practice that?" L's gaze searched my face.
I don't know what the tightness in my chest was. It was something akin to how I got when in crowded places or when I had to go those few seconds of silence while switching out my iPods. However, there was something else too it. It wasn't as... bad. Still uncomfortable, but not bad. Part of me wanted to tell L no, this was enough for now, but... we had to get this act down didn't we? It was important to the case.
"All right," I said. "Here, let's go to the wall."
I pulled him along. Our hands were now a bit sweaty from holding one another for so long. We stopped at the wall of the living room where there wasn't any furniture or wall hangings in the way. I leaned on the wall and gestured for L to do the same beside me, finally releasing his hand. The detective obliged, leaning back and putting his hands in his pockets, instantly slouching again.
"No, no pockets," I scolded. "Surely someone like you people watches. You've had to have seen couples out and about. If we're going to sell this you can't look so... broody."
"Broody?" L echoed, taking his hands out of his pockets.
"Yeah," I said. "You're acting like you couldn't give a single care about who you were standing by. Show our audience that you enjoy my company, that you love just even the slightest physical contact. That being near me is like being home."
L blinked a few times. I wondered for a moment if I went to far. Perhaps I should just take the first move to show him what I meant, not that I was certain I could act it out convincingly myself. However, L's arm reached out and wrapped around my shoulders. He pulled me into his side, making me realize I never really gathered how tall he was. I was secure and protected in his grasp.
Oddly, the image of all those internet videos of unlikely animal friends popped in my head. Like a dog and a duckling. Or a cat and a mouse. L was the predator; the bird of prey—a hawk with ever sharp vision and talons. Meanwhile, I was the rat—the rat that scurried in places it wasn't wanted, chewed on wires, and stole away all its food and necessities. A rat that had to fight just to survive.
A hawk would normally not hesitate to snatch up a rat and devour it and a rat would not hesitate to bite anything dangerous that got too close. Yet here we were, the rat huddled under the hawk's wing. It was an act—I knew that—but there was something comforting in this position. I hadn't let anyone be this close to me in years. If anyone tried I usually kneed them in the gut or junk, whichever was easiest: a rat biting those she felt might harm her.
But L was different. L was someone I actually felt... better with his touch.
"Am I doing it correctly?" L asked me, shaking me from my thoughts.
"Getting there," I admitted. L was still a bit too stiff. I wasn't sure he was as comfortable with our touching as I was. "Here." I laid my head against the side of his chest in the hollow of his shoulder. The top of my head reached his chin. "Now rest your chin on my head."
L hesitated.
"I washed my hair last night, if you're worried," I teased.
L let out a small breath. I couldn't tell if it was out of amusement or irritation. Slowly, I felt the weight of his head rest atop mine. I closed my eyes and slowly wormed my arm around his back, gripping his opposing hip to pull him into me. We still leaned against the wall, but our weight was centered on our upper backs, leaving our arms free of pressure.
"This feels awkward," L said.
"You don't have to always keep your head there," I pointed out. "Just sometimes."
L's head lifted from mine and I craned my neck to look at his face. He was staring off into the distance. His free hand went up to his mouth, ready to bite a nail. I reached up and smacked it away before his mouth could fully open. He shot a glare at me.
"Couples—and friends—care about the other's wellbeing," I said. "You're going to make your fingers bleed if you keep that up."
"Friend, hm?" L's head tilted slightly to the side. "I suppose that must make this odd for us."
I shrugged. "I used to have a friend I would say 'I love you' to. I'd kiss her cheek if I hadn't seen her in a long time."
"Should we practice that?" L suddenly said. "It slipped my mind, actually. But couples do that quite often, so I've observed."
"Uh..." My throat tightened. "Which part? The saying 'I love you' or the kissing of cheeks?"
"From what I understand, and this may come as a shocker, but most couples kiss with their lips against the other participant's lips." L's gaze flashed a little. Now he was teasing me, though he'd never admit it, I'm sure. But what sort of teasing was this? Was he just excited to berate me for using the word cheeks or... was he toying with me on a deeper level?
Nox was laughing loudly from across the room. I was tempted to shoot the Shinigami a glare and flip him off for good measure, but L's eyes were arresting. They refused to let mine go.
"Ah, I suppose you're right," I managed to say. My voice, to my surprise, actually kept even. "Unless this is just you're way of getting to kiss me."
"I assure you, Jack, I would make it quite clear if I wanted to kiss you for the more... traditional purposes," L replied coolly. "In this particular case, we need to get this act down if we want to present it."
Something deflated inside my chest. I wasn't sure what it was. Perhaps I was a touch disappointed with L's all-business response. Messing with him on this level would have proved to be quite hilarious, after all, but I suppose the detective had a point.
"Have you ever kissed anyone before?" I asked him.
L's gaze flashed. "Have you?"
"That's a truth you're requesting." I waggled a finger at him. "I already gave you one of those."
"Well, you can't expect me to pass out free truths either," L said.
"Someone as awkward as you... someone with a past such as yours..." I looked him over. "I would assume that dating wasn't a high priority. Or possibility."
The movement was so sudden that it took me a few heartbeats to register it. L's arm slipped away from me, but his hand gripped my shoulder. He moved his body around so that he was directly in front of me. He put his other forearm against the wall above my head and leaned his face down close to mine. His nose was an inch away from my own.
I had come to realize that L never wasted a movement. He carefully went about with deliberate motions and words; he wanted no lack of efficiency. I suppose I shouldn't have been surprised the detective was so capable of moving quickly, but all the same I took a sharp intake of breath and pressed my back to the wall. He had me trapped.
"I have had to be careful going about in my life, much like yourself," L said. His voice was low and soft. "Doing what I do, it is imperative no one knows who I am. I too have had to act and slip through cracks and even demolish walls to get where I am. I think a little kissing shouldn't be an issue to perfect."
Was he confirming what I said—that he hadn't had anyone before? Could someone like L even want anyone in that manner? My heart was thudding insistently against my ribs. It was so loud I felt certain the detective could hear it. He merely stared into my eyes, awaiting my response.
"Do... do you want my consent, is that it?" I said, half laughing toward the end of the sentence.
"I will not do anything to you that you're not comfortable with," L said. "When it comes to this sort of thing anyway. But I do believe it will assist our act if we practice. We need to get to the point where it doesn't look so awkward. Where it is fluid and natural."
"I don't think Kira would mind if we weren't sucking face in front of him." My voice was thin and tight. I hoped L didn't notice.
"You're not comfortable."
Well, looks like he noticed.
"It's not that," I said. "Look, you're cute. Handsome even, in an odd sort of way. Kissing you actually probably wouldn't be so bad, to be honest. But I think if we show too much attachment to one another, too much affection... if Light is Kira, he might want to take advantage of that."
L didn't move away. "You think he would use you against me? Or attempt to?"
"Or vice versa," I said. "Kira is a devious murderer—a psychopath with one hell of an agenda. He wants to play god and he's made it clear he isn't going to let anything stand in his way. But us two? We're probably the largest obstacle he'll face."
L slowly pushed away from the wall. His hand fell from my shoulder. "I suppose that is a valid point. Of course, if he is Kira, he would need our names to do any harm."
"We don't know if he'll resort to more deliberate actions if he knows he won't be able to get that information," I said. It was odd, now that he was farther away, I was hyper-aware of the space between us. "We need to find a happy medium between this dating ruse and making it seem like we're just business partners. We don't want to give Kira reason to go out of his way to get at one of us to harm the other."
L shrugged. "Very well. The leaning thing should be sufficient, I suppose."
I tried not to loose the breath of relief that was hiding in my lungs. What I had told L was the truth. Kissing him probably wouldn't be so bad, but I hadn't let myself be that close to anyone in a long time. I was already considering the detective to be my friend. It was best not to push boundaries.
"So when are the entrance exams, exactly?" I asked.
"In two days," L replied. "You can accompany me. Watari will take us. While I complete the exams, you can explore Japan a little. Perhaps find a tea house."
I grinned at him. "Sounds fun. Watari is good company too." I paused, something occurring to me. "Who are we saying Watari is?"
"By the time Light will think to ask, he will already know," L said. "Like I stated before, we will most likely both score at the top of the class. They will have us give a speech for the beginning of the semester and that is when I will tell him who I am. Until then, he will see us from afar. He will wonder. He will get himself so wound up about who we are that he might just slip up."
L then turned and began heading toward the couch. I followed after him, a frown on my lips. It meant I would be seeing Light from afar as well. Would I be able to get Nox to slip up? I racked my brain for possible ways to get an excuse to look into Light's bags. I couldn't find a Death Note in his room, but that could mean it was either well hidden in there or he kept it on his person.
"Shall I order some food?" L asked.
"Sure, I'm actually in the mood for a burger," I said, plopping down on the couch.
As L went to the phone, I glanced over at Nox. The Shinigami was leaning on the wall near the kitchen. He liked being near the apples, always waiting for an opportunity to snatch one, I wagered. He met my gaze and grinned.
"You're thinking really hard on this one," he said. "Are you sure this Light Yagami is the one you're after? What if you're just wasting your time?"
"You might just want me to think that," I murmured so low I barely heard my own words.
Nox laughed as L hung up the phone.
"What was that?" L asked, coming to sit by me.
"I was singing to a song," I pointed at my headphones.
"You're really pushing it, Jack," Nox warned me. "I know what you're planning."
I locked my gaze onto him. I hoped with all my being that my eyes said: You don't know Jack.