A/N::: Apologies for the late update, IRL stuff got in the way this weekend, but here you are! Next chapter will be up this Friday on schedule.
Jack
With my arm twined with Light's, I couldn't help but recall how reluctant I was to have physical connection with L. At that moment, I missed the oddball detective more than anything. I would have given just about anything to have his arm around my own and his awkward slouched form walking at my side.
To be honest, at first I couldn't place why my feeling of discomfort was so strong. Some might even argue Light was more attractive than L. He looked well rested and had perfect posture. He smiled quite a bit and it was a warm, welcoming smile. His hair looked soft to the touch, and he was certainly handsome. His eyes were the color of molten amber.
However, there was something about all of that collected together that made me want to pry my arm free. It was too polished. He was too polite; too damned perfect. Perhaps because I had my suspicions that he was Kira I was reading too much into it. There was a chance he truly was just a gifted student who happened to have a father in the police department.
It was a bit difficult to try and focus on both Light and Nox as we navigated through the station. My Shinigami hadn't given away anything as of yet. He looked just as indifferent, and chuckled every time I looked at him.
"Now, now, Jack," he said. "I told you. I won't help you cheat. Perhaps he does have a Shinigami with him. Or perhaps not." He shrugged. "Who's to say?"
It took a lot of self control not to flip him off.
Light had been courteous enough to purchase my subway ticket for me. We had to separate for a moment as we went through the automated gates, but he waited like a gentlemen for me on the other side, instantly taking up my arm when I reached him.
One might find it admirable, like he was some sort of protective guardian. However, I found his actions far more akin to a possessive beast harboring his kill for later. It wasn't that he gripped me too tightly or that he gave me any horrific looks. On the contrary, his grip was gentle, and he, like the majority of other human beings, ran warmer than myself. Yet once again, I was struck with an anxiousness that I couldn't track to the root.
When we finally got onto the first subway, we nearly had the entire car to ourselves. It was a blessed relief from the mess that had be the JR line. I sat down on the bench and Light sat one spot away from me. Perhaps I would have thought he was being nice, respecting the personal space I seemingly valued so much.
"So, Nina... is it okay if I call you Nina?" Light said after a moment.
"Sure," I said with a shrug. "I'm not from here, so I don't care if you forgo the formalities when addressing me." I grinned.
Light smiled back. "Where are you from?"
"Oh, I'm from Canada," I replied. I rubbed my knees in a hope the act looked like I was calming myself down.
"What brought you to Japan?" Light queried, tilting his head. "Long distance relationship?"
I laughed. "I suppose so. In a sense. Hideki is my brother's friend. He stayed with us while he was a foreign exchange student. They ended up growing close."
"And you got close with him too, it seems." An amused glint lit Light's eyes.
I shrugged. "Alex wasn't too thrilled at first. It's better now- and I mean, as you can tell, it's still a pretty new thing."
"Ah so you just start dating?" Light perked a brow.
I nodded, trying to act sheepish.
"Well that's nice," Light said, leaning back in his seat. "I just... no offense but he seems a bit eccentric. And you seem..."
I frowned at him, slowly raising a brow. "I seem what?"
Light chuckled a bit nervously. "Don't take this the wrong way. You just seem to have a louder personality than he does. He's very odd."
"Ah, well I think that's what I like about him."
I realized how true my words rang at that moment. Light's eyes met mine and I saw his brow furrow slightly. Shit. Did he notice how honest I was too? I was trying to avoid him thinking we cared for one another too deeply, after all.
"I guess I can understand that," Light said. "So... this thing with crowds... have you always had that?"
"What do you mean?" I hadn't expected him to pry about that.
"I mean, I've heard of disorders... sorry, is this too personal?" Light rubbed the back of his neck.
"It's just claustrophobia," I said with a shrug. "Plenty of people have it."
"Right. Sorry, I don't mean to stick my nose into other people's business," Light replied. "I've had friends before with similar things. Just thought I might..." He laughed again, shaking his head. "Sorry, I really don't know where I was going with it. Hey, this next stop is ours, we'll just be switching trains... we only need to take this next one two stops, and the one after that will just be one stop over to Tokyo station."
Well that was odd. I wondered why the hell he pushed that subject. Light seemed smart and polite. Not the type to just dig into personal business like that. What was he hoping to get out of that?
As we walked through the subway to the next station, I found myself lost in my thoughts. So much that I was hardly even noticing the people around us.
Nox still wasn't giving me anything. That part seemed to be a lost cause. but that wasn't going to halt my suspicions of Light Yagami. He had mechanisms set up in his room so he knew when someone had been in there besides himself- the graphite of a mechanical pencil in the door hinge- the paper in the doorway. It didn't seem typical behavior, even for an straight A student that was into porn magazines.
Besides, if his top secrecy priorities were his girly pictures, why not keep anyone from actually entering his room? If his mother went up there and found them, he would probably hear about it before he managed to go upstairs to his room to see the snapped graphite stick.
Nothing added up.
"Do you ride the subways often?" I asked, my mind suddenly snapping into full deduction mode.
Light blinked at me. We were waiting for the next train to arrive. I realized that the station that the American FBI agent was killed was going to be one of the stops we would be going by on this train. It was the Yamanote line.
"It's the easiest way to get around," Light said. "I have a license, but driving in Tokyo is a nightmare."
"I can only imagine," I said with a laugh. I let it die out and I frowned. "I suppose it's just a little scary to be around the stations nowadays. Crowds or no."
"What makes you say that?" Light asked.
"Well, I'm sure you've seen the news," I murmured. "This whole Kira thing... it's just... he killed one of the officers that was investigating him. You know, at first, I was kind of behind Kira with just murdering all those criminals but... that guy probably had a family or something... He didn't do anything wrong, he was just doing his job."
And that left his fiance alone and desperate to find who killed him. If Light was Kira, that meant I was standing next to the guy who killed Naomi. I had to force my hands not to clench into tight fists.
"Yeah, it's been awful," Light agreed, his voice somber. "What a time for you to be in Japan, huh?"
I shrugged. "Every country has it's issues. I just hope this Kira guy doesn't decide to start killing random innocents to further his goals... If he's willing to cross the line to kill cops, will he decide to cross another?" I shook my head. "I suppose it could be a woman for all we know."
The train arrived. Once again, we got a car that was next to deserted, and once again, Light sat one seat over from mine to give me space. He leaned back in his seat and cast me a smile.
"Well, I hope that this trip wasn't entirely ruined," he said. "Have you gotten a chance to see Tokyo?"
I'd actually managed to get a trip down to Akihabara with Watari for a day last weekend. It had been anime manga paradise and I'd nearly lost my mind, and also came back to L's penthouse with several new figurines for my shelf back home. Not to mention a shit ton of new CDs.
"Legend of Zelda?" the detective had asked me, a brow raised.
"It's an amazing game series!" I defended myself, clutching the little Link Between Worlds figure I was playing with.
But I felt like letting Light know my little quirks and interests probably wasn't the best idea right now.
"Hideki has shown me around a little," I said, grinning. "I really like the shrines."
Light nodded. "They are beautiful."
Nox was pacing up and down the car. He seemed to be bored. I wanted to keep glancing at him to see if he might give anything away, but if Light was Kira, I didn't want to tip him off that I had a Shinigami as well.
"So, what are you planning on going to school for, Light?" I asked, looking over at him. "To-Oh Academy is a pretty good school from what I hear. Do you think you did well on the tests?"
"Yeah, I think my parents want me to focus on school for a while before deciding on what to do with my life," Light said, propping his head in a hand, his elbow leaning on a knee. "I want to be a detective, actually. Work with the police."
"That's good," I replied. "Maybe they could use you to catch Kira." I grinned.
Light looked me over. "I'd love to help but I don't know if I'm prepared for a case like that," he said with a small smile. "I'm not L... Nina, Did you mean what you said earlier? About Kira? About being on his side when he was just killing criminals?"
I forced myself to remain indifferent as I rubbed the back of my neck. "I mean, it sounds awful, I know," I said softly. "He's a murderer, but the people he was killing were horrible people. This world is probably a much better place without them."
Half truths. Ever since the first time I heard of Kira and the people he was killing, part of me did think that some of the assholes he was killing deserved it; but no one had the right to play judge jury and executioner. Who was to say any of those people were framed? If they were let off for good reason? There were too many variables in this world for someone to have a notebook that could kill anyone. And it was only a matter of time that Kira would have to kill those who were pursuing him. It wasn't like he was just going to roll over and give up.
"He's a killer, the most dangerous one in history quite possibly," Light said. "Regardless of who he kills. No one knows how he does it, who he is, or how to begin stopping him. Someone has to do something."
The cords of his neck were standing out a bit. I raised my brows. I didn't expect Light to speak out against Kira so intensely. Perhaps he was trying to make himself appear less suspicious. I frowned.
"Of course he has to be stopped," I said.
The train arrived at that point and we boarded one of the back cars. It was only one stop way from Tokyo station; we wouldn't be on this one for more than two minutes.
"Of course, catching Kira is going to be quite the feat," Light mentioned. "Especially with such a dodgy attempt to intimidate him with those 1500 FBI agents supposedly coming to Japan."
I frowned at him. "You don't think they're sending them?"
"I think it's a bluff, and a bad one," Light said. "This detective guy, L, he can't use these childish tactics against someone like Kira."
Time to take a small risk for the sake of self satisfaction.
"Well, I wouldn't worry too much," I assured.
Light shook his head. "How can you say something like that? If Kira isn't
caught, it could lead to a whole new type of world."
His expression seemed genuine. He looked distraught, his hands gripping his knees tightly, brow furrowed. But it was too perfect. Just too damned perfect.
"I think he can be caught," I said, leaning back in my seat.
"You do?" Light seemed transfixed by me.
I nodded. "You just have to know where to look," I told him, tapping my nose. "And what to listen for. Everyone slips up. And as much as Kira is trying to play god, well..."
The train stopped, the doors sliding open. I got to my feet and smiled at Light, finishing my sentence before turning and stepping onto the station.
"He's only human."
L
L didn't know how to explain the feeling that flooded his center when he saw Jack step off the train. It had been as if his entire body was wound up, tight as a spring, the entire time he had spent sitting at the station. Yet when he spotted that familiar blue head of hair, the cerulean hoodie, the new winged headphones he'd given her, his entire body relaxed. A long breath fled his nostrils.
It was akin to when he had a particularly strong sweets craving and finally popped some candy into his mouth. Or when he'd been stuck in shoes all day and was at last able to take them off when returning to his hotel room.
It had been 47 minutes and 34 seconds since her text. All that he had been stuck with was the knowledge that somewhere on the subway lines, the same ones that Raye Penber had died in, was Jack alone with the very person L suspected was Kira.
And speaking of...
Light appeared behind Jack. For a brief moment, not even a heartbeat, the young man looked livid. Yet as soon as L registered it, Light's face relaxed and he looked around the station with a thoughtful frown. It was Jack who spotted L first.
"Hideki!" she called and headed over to him. She was smiling, but there was something a little off about her eyes. "Sorry, did you have to wait long?" She spoke in English.
"No," L lied. He stood from the bench he had been perched on, taking her hand and pulling her toward him and away from Light. "Were the subway lines less crowded?"
Jack nodded. "That was my bad. I should have known that I wouldn't have been able to handle the JR line this time of day."
L hadn't realized it was going to be an issue. And he was cursing himself for it. It should have been obvious, but he was so caught up in Light potentially being Kira that he had failed to observe anything about Jack. Or her plans to get to speak to Light alone, it seemed. He'd be interrogating her about that later.
"It's alright," L assured her. He glanced at Light. "Thank you for escorting her." He said the sentence in Japanese.
Light smiled. It was warm. It seemed genuine, even. "Oh, I speak English," he said. "And I was more than happy to help her. My father would scold me senseless if I just left a young lady stranded in Ueno station like that. I can just take the JR from here to Shinjuku. It shouldn't be as crowded now." His English was quite fluent. Not surprising considering his level of intelligence.
"I'm sure we'll see each other again," L said, fixating Light in his gaze. "I'll be sure to repay you."
Light met his glare, unflinching. "There's no need. It was my pleasure. Nina is a very special girl, you're lucky to have her." His smile widened. "I wouldn't let her out of my sight again if I were you."
L felt heat surge up his spine, but he remained still and calm. He shifted his grip on Jack's hand to twine his fingers with hers. "Of course not," he said. "Thank you again. Nina, shall we?"
He turned and began to guide her away. Jack followed after him, calling after Light over her shoulder.
"Thanks again, Light! Guess we'll see you around To-Oh!" She was beaming and waving with her free hand.
Light bowed. "Of course. I hope to see you again soon!"
They descended the stairs leading down into the main station. Jack's grip on L's hand was tight- her hand was freezing.
"Are you all right?" L asked her softly.
Jack shrugged. "As well as I can be, I suppose."
"You had been planning that."
"Well, to be fair, I don't like being a sardine."
L sighed and shook his head. "That was foolish. What did you two even talk about?"
"Oh, I told him we thought he was Kira and that we were going to expose him." Jack's grin was wide and shameless.
L squeezed her hand. "Nina."
"All right, fine." Jack looked forward again. "I gave him our little back story. We talked about what he planned to do with his life. Turns out he wants to follow Daddy's shoes; become a detective." She shook her head. "Anyway. I decided to do a little test."
"What did you do?" L demanded in a low tone.
"No need to sound like you're in despair," Jack retorted. "It wasn't anything crazy. I just said I was worried about the subways now since Kira killed a cop there. See how I used the word 'cop' just then? Not FBI? Makes me seem more like an innocent civilian just concerned about everything. Not intelligent enough to really pay attention to the media."
"You brought up Kira?" L said.
"In a natural, tactful way, yes." Jack held her chin high. "I even told him I was on Kira's side until cop killing started. He surprised me, actually. He denounced Kira, said he had to be stopped."
"Interesting..." L frowned. It was a huge risk Jack had taken with that. Jack wasn't as... gifted with words as some. "What did you tell him?"
"That Kira was only human, just like us." Jack shrugged. "And he'll get caught eventually."
Another risk. What was she thinking? But at the same time, it could serve in their interest. And it could make Light think that perhaps Jack was L.
"I suppose it will be enough. He'll stew in this for a while until I see him again at the opening ceremonies for the students that were accepted into the Academy," L said. "We'll make our next move then."
"Next move?" Jack asked, perking a brow.
"We'll talk about it when we get back to the hotel," L said. "Oh, and Nina?"
"Yes?" She blinked at him innocently.
"Next time, at least warn me before you do something stupid," L murmured.
Jack laughed. "Where's your sense of adventure, Ryu?"
When they got back to their suite, Jack stretched and headed to the kitchen, putting on some tea. L walked after her, kicking off his infernal shoes as quickly as possible.
"So, Light certainly seems a bit..." Jack frowned as she moved the saucepan over the stove. "Polished. Too polished. Too clean, too... polite. Normally I'd chalk it up to good manners drilled into him by his father, but while I was with him... I don't know."
L shook his head. "That was a dangerous move. If he is Kira... you were off and alone with him."
Jack looked over at him, blinking. "Did you fret for me, detective?" A fox's grin began to curl her lips. "No need, I'm a touch more tactful than I let on."
"That isn't the point, Jack," L said. "We are meant to be partners on this. We need to be honest with one another, at least when it comes to the case. It will avoid potential casualties."
Jack's eyes fixated on her saucepan. Steam was beginning to rise from the surface of the water as it prepared to boil. "There were just some things I needed to see for myself before you swooped in," she said, her voice soft. "I'm sorry I worried you. I wouldn't jeopardize the case, you know that. Everything I do is looking for an answer. To track down Kira and end him."
"You can't work the case if you're dead," L scolded.
Jack laughed. "He doesn't know my name, L. He can't kill me without it. And trust me, he doesn't know yours either." Her eyes darted over to his for a moment. "I wouldn't do that to you. I'd give him my name first."
L glanced away. Yes, that was the thing that made Jack such a liability on this case. Because somehow, somewhere, she had managed to track down very old and supposedly destroyed files. She had found L's true name. It was why L knew for certain she wasn't Kira. Why he trusted her. And why he couldn't ever let her out of his sight again. Because if Kira should ever find out she knew his name, he might just resort to some very nasty actions to pry it from her.
L would not have Jack hurt on his account.
"I know you wouldn't give him any sort of information," L said. "But remember how crafty he's proven himself to be. If Light is Kira..."
"All the more reason to get closer to him, right?" Jack winked and smiled. "Don't worry, L. Your hide is safe from the poacher known as Kira. He won't ever get anything from me."
L exhaled slowly. She didn't see it. She didn't get why L was so distraught. She kept going back to reassuring him she'd never betray him, that she wouldn't jeopardize the case. However, that wasn't what L was upset about. He knew she would never do those things—not on purpose at least. Jack was wild and reckless. She sprinted into things head-on and with a laugh on her lips. She was so busy worrying about defending others—defending the case—that she didn't think about herself.
Jack was something even L had not yet managed to crack. When they started their competition on who could find the most of the other back during their first case, L had been so confident he was going to win. However, Jack proved to be more resourceful than he could have ever imagined. She even told him that his name was not on the web, so there was no need to worry about that. But she did find it's location from her expertise on tech.
Meanwhile, L had found nothing. He couldn't even figure out Jack's gender or age. So if Kira could find out her true name, that would be very impressive. So impressive that L might think he was out of his league pursuing him.
However, even with that knowledge—even with almost complete confidence that Jack wouldn't get herself killed so easily... He had still heard his heart in his ears for the entire time they were separated. For the entire time he knew she was alone with Light Yagami. Perhaps it was for the best she believed L was just looking out for his own skin and for the case. Because if she knew he had such worries for her...
L began walking toward the living room as Jack steeped her tea before adding the milk. He didn't understand it. Was it due to the fact he'd lost those FBI agents? Then Naomi Misora, the third of their trio during the first case? He was responsible, after all, for their involvement with the Kira case. He brought them here to Japan where Kira was ready and waiting to take their lives.
Now for another to lose her life for him- for this case... He hated the sense of sickness it drove into his gut. True, Jack was the one who came to him and insisted on being a part of this but all the same... if she died because of him- if she was hurt because of him...
L did not need this kind of distraction right now, but he was stuck with Jack whether he liked it or not. She wasn't going to leave this case, and he didn't want her to. She knew too much, she was too valuable as an asset.
"So, what is our next move, exactly?"
Jack came to the living room with two cups of royal milk tea. She set one in front of L.
"I already added the honey," she told him as he picked up the cup.
"Thank you," L said, taking a sip. "Mm, just the right amount."
"It was nearly half the bottle."
L shrugged. "In any case, as far as our next move goes, I assume I will be asked to give a speech at the opening ceremonies, as I said. Light, should he score high enough, and I assume he did, will be giving a speech as well. When we go back to sit down, while we're still in the crowd and seated next to one another, I'm going to formally introduce myself."
Jack blinked. "You're just going to tell him you're L?"
L nodded. "And I'm going to tell him you're Jack."
He told Jack his plan between sips of his tea. By the end, she seemed eager and ready to move forward with it.
"Oh this will just be delightful." Her grin was wide and ecstatic. "It could very well make him slip up. And hoo boy, am I ready to yank that wet floor sign away before he goes down this hall..."
L was still getting used to some of Jack's metaphors, but he supposed this one worked.
"Just be careful," he told her. "We don't want to give him too much."
"Of course not," Jack said. "Just enough honey to go with that tea." And with a wink she got up to go pour herself another cup.
Nox
When she finally finished her before bed work out routine, Jack slept like the dead. Which was pretty convenient tonight.
Nox flew across Tokyo, examining the elaborate lights below him and the people coming and going. He wondered if what he was doing was wise. If it was going to end up getting someone killed or not. Of course this entire time he'd been trying to get the girl to use the damned notebook, so he supposed it couldn't hurt, one way or another.
The Yagami household was easy enough to find. He'd remembered its location from when Jack came here to hack the computers. He floated over toward Light Yagami's room, and phased through the wall like it was a sheet of water.
Inside, it appeared the young man was sleeping. There was a large shape in the darkness with spiky shoulder pads and hair. Nox landed near the desk and frowned down at it.
"Who knew she was actually on the right track," he murmured. "I'd like to talk, Ryuk. But not here, and especially not if the kid's awake."
Ryuk's wide, yellow eyes gleamed in the shadows. He gave a small nod and began to float upwards, up and through the ceiling. Since he didn't give an excuse for his departure and the boy in the bed didn't move or make a sound, Nox guessed he really was asleep. He followed Ryuk upwards and they then both sat on the roof, the moonlight's soft glow bathing them both.
"Gotta admit, I was pretty shocked to see you, Nox," Ryuk said, his voice like gravel. "So. You somehow got your hands on a second notebook as well." His yellow eyes gleamed as he stared at the red notebook on Nox's hip. "How'd you pull that off?"
"The King can actually be tricked if you're careful enough," Nox said. "'Losing' my original notebook in the human world, spinning a tale of how some idiot human destroyed it thinking it would cleanse his soul after he killed a good number of people... Well, it'll only work once, I know that." He grinned. "And you?"
"Borrowed a spare from someone who wasn't using it," Ryuk said with a low chuckle. "I figured I might as well see what a human would do with it. In case you're wondering, no, I didn't tell my human anything."
"Likewise," Nox replied. He hugged a knee to his chest. "What are you doing down here, Ryuk?"
"I could ask the same of you," Ryuk countered with a small chuckle. "I was just bored. But I know you, Nox. You've always got some agenda. How many has this one killed? She must be something special if you haven't killed her."
Nox stared up at the moon. "None."
"None?" Ryuk turned to look at him.
"None," Nox repeated. "It's a pretty long story to be honest, but I wanted to try something new." His grin was wide and feral. "I showed myself to her when I gave her the notebook. But she doesn't want anything to do with the thing. She only keeps it because she wants to retain her memories about it and destroy any others she comes across."
Ryuk laughed, long and hard. "You've got to be kidding me! That's got to be the best thing I've heard all day. She hasn't killed a single person, yet you let her keep on?"
Nox shrugged. "New tactic, like I said. I'm going to let this one run its course. It might lead to something new."
Ryuk snorted. "Nox, did you ever think that maybe Shinigami just exist to exist? This might be one long fruitless venture."
"We've been over this." Nox waved him off. "I will find answers, one way or another." He grinned over at his fellow Shinigami. "Besides. This is damned good entertainment. Can't get this back in our realm."
Ryuk laughed again. "You've got that right. So, I assume you're here to make sure I don't give away the fact that your girl has a Death Note?"
"And vice versa," Nox said. "No cheating."
"Of course not." Ryuk's smile never truly faded, but it did appear to grow in that moment. "That makes this all the more fun."
"Want to take bets on how long this plays out?" Nox asked.
"Hmm... Six dozen apples says that you'll kill your girl before I kill my boy," Ryuk said.
"What makes you say that?" Nox scoffed. "I have self control."
"She's not killin' anyone, Nox," Ryuk said. "You're a Shinigami. Death is what we do. You'll grow tired of it eventually."
"Well, I'll take that bet," Nox said. "Jack is many things, but boring isn't one of them, killing people or no." He got to his feet, stretching his long limbs. "Well, I'll see you around, Ryuk. Just make sure not to give anything away."
"Same goes to you," Ryuk replied with a low chuckle. "Humans are so interesting, won't you agree?"
Nox let out a grunt of amusement. "Your favorite thing to comment on, I see. Here."
He tossed him an apple, one he'd picked up on the way over.
"Ah, what might this be? A bribe?" Ryuk sneered.
Nox shrugged. "A peace offering. I know you wouldn't do anything to get yourself killed, Ryuk. But just leave Jack's name out of your notebook, even if she starts getting close to finding your boy out."
"Perhaps I'm not the one you should be worried about getting themselves killed," Ryuk noted. "You seem rather fond of her."
Nox flexed his wings, turning away from his fellow Shinigami. "She's taking a new tactic on the Death Note. I'm quite interested to see if it yields any of the answers I've been looking for." He grinned over his shoulder at Ryuk. "How often does a human pass up the chance to kill so easily? I'd hate to start from scratch."
Before Ryuk could respond, Nox spread his wings and drifted across the sky. He decided he'd grab some more apples before returning to Jack. He shook his head and smirked a bit. Part of him did want to tell her, just to see the look on her face. That she had been that close to Kira. That she knew his name. And if she wanted this to stop, she could just write it in her Death Note and be the victor. Would she do it? Would she sacrifice her soul and morals for such a thing?
"Humans truly are so interesting," he murmured to himself as he flew. "Ryuk has that much right."