Jack
I hated early mornings and L knew it. So part of me both hated and adored him when he knocked on my door to wake me at 7AM and had a hot cup of royal milk tea in hand for me.
"This doesn't make me a morning person, you know," I grumbled at him as I took the cup.
"I wouldn't expect it to," he responded as he headed back into the living room. "There's waffles, if you'd like."
I went over to the couch and collapsed into the cushions, though gently enough so as not to spill my precious beverage. "Why do we have to do this game so stupidly early?"
"Because this is more than just the tennis match, if you recall," L said. He was piling some waffles on his plate. "Cute pajamas, by the way."
I blinked. I hadn't expected a compliment out of L regarding anything physical, let alone for what I was currently wearing. I glanced down at my PJs. It was a one-piece flannel footsie suit, red plaid with hearts on some of the black squares. I adored them for how cozy they were, since I loved to sleep in chilly rooms but buried in blankets and other sources of warmth.
"Thanks?" It came out as a question.
"No need to sound so surprised." L began to drown his waffles in syrup. "You have a way of pulling off clothing that is too big for you."
"I suppose that makes two of us," I said as I gathered some of my own waffles.
L glanced at me. "Oh?"
"Your white shirts are all baggy, but strangely enough I couldn't see you in anything else. You own that plain look very well," I said, grabbing some butter. "It has a strange sort of broody hotness about it."
Now it was L's turn to blink. "Broody hotness?" he repeated.
"Haven't we've been over how you're handsome in that broody sort of way?" I asked him.
L let out a small grunt. "I suppose, but I thought you were joking..."
Oddly enough, the detective seemed somewhat uncomfortable. He began spooning whip cream on his plate, avoiding my gaze.
"I have a very specific tone when I compliment someone sarcastically, L," I said. "You'd know it. What's so wrong with you being attractive?"
L still wouldn't look at me. "No one has ever called me such before. It's just... different, is all."
I could have sworn there was a hint of pink to his cheeks. I felt the happy little frog give a hop in my gut again. I bit my lip and focused on pouring a modest amount of syrup on my waffles.
"Could be because you don't show your face too often," I pointed out after a small awkward moment of silence. "Or let anyone get close enough to you to feel comfortable with telling you."
"I've seen the typical male that people find attractive and suitable," L murmured. "I am not like them. But it hasn't been in my interest to change that."
"Well, maybe I just have a different type than most people."
The words were out of my mouth before I realized it. L's head snapped around to look at me and heat flared to life in my cheeks and ears. I swallowed hard and looked down at my plate, weighing what I'd just said. I'd practically told L he was my type.
Well, fuck-a-doodle-doo.
I scrambled to find a way to back pedal out of this. To play it off like I hadn't just hinted at the fact that maybe I was starting to fancy the detective—if just a small bit.
"I suppose anyone is attractive to someone," L finally said. When I glanced his way, he was cutting into his waffles. "So, you remember the plan for after the tennis match, correct?"
Never had I ever been so grateful for a subject change.
"Of course," I chimed, letting confidence flood back into my voice. I grinned. "It will be interesting to see what comes up. Still wish you guys picked a less boring sport to play, though."
The weather in Japan had gotten a touch warm with the new season. Part of me missed winter with her icy breath and fluttering snow. I liked the bite of cold. It was fresh and clean. Warmth was sticky. It brought sweat and took away my favored hoodies, but at least it wasn't too far into the year to where it was sweltering out—not that Japan got as bad as other areas when it came to heat.
When L and I arrived to the tennis court, there was an actual crowd waiting. I grinned at the sight.
"I wasn't expecting an audience," L murmured.
"Light has fans," I explained softly as we approached. "I ensured his classmates knew of this match. It will be more interesting to observe how he plays with people he regularly encounters watching, don't cha think?" It was a good variable to add, that was for sure. "I'm not sitting with them, though," I added.
L let out a small breath of amusement. "I wouldn't expect you to. Pick wherever you like, so long as you get a good view."
So behind you then.
The thought went through my head before I could stop it and my mouth was even opening for the clever remark. I managed to snap my jaw shut before my tongue could betray me. I told myself it was just a silly joke, but as we approached the court and L stepped a bit ahead of me, I couldn't help but sneak a peak.
L was in his typical white shirt and jeans. He wore runners on his feet which I knew he wasn't too comfortable with. I wouldn't put it past him to try to play barefoot if he could. His shirt was almost long enough to cover his backside completely and the jeans were a bit baggy. Impossible to really make out if there was a nice ass hiding in there.
"See something you like?" Nox teased. The Shinigami was floating along behind us and his tone carried a snicker.
I shot him a glare before focusing my attention back on the court. It would be a touch awkward if the detective looked back to catch me checking him out. It truly was odd. Like L had pointed out, he wasn't a textbook definition of handsome, and yet more and more I kept noticing things about him that I liked. That I found attractive.
This was an incredibly dangerous road for me to go down—on several accounts.
"Ah, Ryuga, Nina."
My eyes darted around to see Light approaching us. He was in far more appropriate attire for this match than L. He wore an athletic jacket and pants. His racket was already in his hand, ready to go.
"I'm glad you made it," Light said. His voice and smile seemed genuine. He was speaking English, probably under the impression it was for my benefit.
"I suppose watching tennis first thing in the morning isn't horrible," I sighed, lacing my fingers behind my head. I decided to keep to English too. "I could have been in a nice warm bed, dreaming about wrecking face in the zombie apocalypse."
"Nina is not a morning person," L explained.
"It's ten?" Light said with a laugh. It almost sounded like a question and he tilted his head at me.
"So what if I like to sleep in?" I grumbled.
Light laughed again. His eyes were lit with amusement, and he seemed tickled by our dialogue.
Too clean, I thought. Too perfect.
"Shall we get started?" L said, gesturing to the court. "A single set, I think. Whoever wins six games first."
Light nodded and the two of them headed past the gate. I remained behind, frowning as I contemplated where to sit and watch. After a quick glance around, my eyes caught sight of the tall chair the referee would sit upon. Or whatever the heck they were called for tennis.
I grinned.
L
L bounced the yellow tennis ball on the ground, catching it within his hand a few times. This test he was compiling wasn't exactly perfect. But considering both he and Light had been champions in tennis one time or another, it seemed like the best non-violent competition they could endeavor on. There was always chess too, he supposed, but that almost seemed too easy.
The thing was, whether or not Light won this match would not truly help L discover if he was Kira or not. If L was to go by his idea that Kira was a sore loser, and Light won the match out of spite for losing, it could mean he was Kira. But if he didn't win the match, it could be he intentionally lost in an effort to not appear suspicious. Again, that could mean he was Kira.
But the main point of this was to watch Light's behaviors: watch how he did under pressure, watch—
"Go on Ryu! Give'r!"
L turned his head and blinked in astonishment. Jack had climbed up on the chair that the umpire sat upon. Said umpire was indeed seated in it, but Jack was positioned behind him, her feet in the ladder like slats and her hands on the back of the seat. She was beaming down at them, and to L's surprise, the umpire didn't really seem to mind. As L watched, Jack leaned down and murmured something in his ear which resulted in him laughing. Hard.
"Your partner certainly is a handful," Light noted.
"She simultaneously loves and hates the spotlight," L replied.
Light cast L a smile. "Well, she is a charmer. I suppose with looks like hers it isn't hard."
Something twinged in L's gut. He wasn't entirely certain what it was or how to describe it accurately. It was perhaps akin to a snake bite, swift and vicious, on his intestines.
"Why does she call you Ryu?" Light inquired further. "Is it short for Ryuga? I know she called you Hideki back at the station. I figured she was comfortable enough with you to address you informally."
"Ryu is a nickname from her, yes," L replied. He didn't bother mentioning it was from another alias though.
"It's sweet how you let her call you that," Light said. "Do you have any nicknames for her?"
L had several. But none that he stuck with or any that Jack knew about. There was always the infamous name she'd received: Cyber Detective. But when L thought of her... there was Annoyance. Hack. Stubborn Brat. Intriguing. Priceless...
"Shall we?" L said, deciding not to answer Light's question and keeping a straight face as he gestured to his opponent with the ball.
"Of course." Light was still smiling. "Your serve."
Jack
The tennis match was intense, which wasn't something I had been expecting. L and Light moved like dancers on the court; their movements were fluid and calculated, and their hits were even, like one stroking a paintbrush. The crowd watched with bated breath as the two went at it, the ball going back and forth, back and forth. Even I found myself leaning forward over the ref's shoulder, eyes wide, not wanting to miss a single thing.
This wasn't just a match. It was obvious for me to see that both L and Light were sizing one another up. Testing each other's limits. Even if Light wasn't Kira, he surely would want to see what L was made of. If the detective had what it took to take Kira down. Part of me wished I could contend with Light in a similar fashion, but I was absolute shit at sports—even hockey much to my brother Austin's dismay.
I wasn't familiar with tennis or it's score keeping. But every time the ref gestured to L when the ball hit outside the lines on Light's side of the court, I could at least follow enough to know he'd gotten a point. There was a lot of "Fifteen Love" and "Fifteen Thirty." Every so often I would lean down between plays and double check with the man, (his name was Aoi and we both agreed that Ghost Hound was a terrifically terrifying anime and manga), who was in the lead. It kept switching. A very close game indeed.
When the crowd started murmuring and staring with even more excitement, I had a feeling the game was coming to a close. Currently, Light was in the lead, but when I asked Aoi, he told me there was still a chance L could pull ahead in a tie.
I had to be honest with myself. I wanted L to win. It was probably an obvious assumption considering my stake in this. If L won, and if he won without Light purposefully throwing the game, I wanted to see how Light reacted. I wanted to analyze him like I did with code—like I did any time my fingers touched a new piece of tech. If Light was Kira... if we were this close to ending this madness...
I leaned forward, narrowing my eyes, and waited for the perfect moment.
L
L's arms were beginning to get tired. But he could see Light was getting out of breath as well. They were very closely evenly matched. L wasn't going to let up. It could very well be Light was more skilled than him at tennis, but the entire point was to see how Light did under pressure.
He hit the ball back to Light's court, aiming delicately. Light darted to the side and caught the ball with ease, sending it bouncing back at him.
"Well, she is a charmer. I suppose with looks like hers, it isn't hard."
L blinked rapidly, trying to drown out Light's previous words. He hit the ball back over the net. Once again, his opponent met it with ease.
"Nina is a very special girl, you're lucky to have her. I wouldn't let her out of my sight again if I were you."
Why now? L's thought was bitter. As he stared at Light, watched the young man's movements and actions, all he could think of was his words about Jack. His comment to him back at the train station... his words from before the game... Why was it when the game's deciding point was on the line that he couldn't clear his mind of that?
"Ryu, watch out!"
L felt his heart thud in his chest, felt his attention reawaken and refocus. He looked forward and saw the ball was just about to hit the ground for a second time. He dove and—
The ball bounced off his racket. L hit the ground, but he ignored the pain in his hands and knees, scrambling to his feet to intercept the incoming ball back from Light's side of the court.
"Point!" the umpire cried out. "Thirty thirty! It's a tie!"
The ball never came back. Light was sighing as he went back for the ball that had gotten past him. L glanced over and up at the umpire's seat to see Jack beaming at him. If she hadn't spoken up and snapped him out of his daze, L would have lost the game just there.
"A tie it is then," Light said. He smiled over at L. "You're very skilled!" He spoke in Japanese. "It seems your partner looks out for you. That's a good thing to have in a relationship of any kind."
If Light was still under the impression that Jack couldn't speak Japanese very well, it seemed odd that he wanted to state this without her understanding what he said. Like it was a message to L himself.
"It was a good game," L replied. The crowd was dispersing from the stands, exchanging excited comments with one another about the match. The umpire descended from his seat and Jack with him.
"More intense than I expected it to be!" she said in English as she approached. If she heard Light's words from just a moment ago she didn't show it. "You guys somehow made the most boring sport watchable. Ah—no, I suppose the most boring sport would be golf."
"Much like golf, you're not really meant to speak out during game play," L told her.
"My bad." Jack shrugged but looked completely unashamed. "So, tea, right? You guys must be thirsty. I'm actually pretty hungry, could go for those waffle cake things. Oh, later Aoi!" she called toward the umpire in Japanese and waved at him. He grinned and waved back.
"Making friends?" L asked as the three of them headed toward the street where Watari would pick them up.
"Always." Jack's grin was wicked.
L let out a small breath and returned her with a light smile of his own before he could think about it. He redirected his eyes and attention ahead of him, wiping his face clean of emotion. Light already implied he knew they were close. Jack had told him before that in the end it didn't matter—if Light was Kira he'd be targeting both of them no matter what. But even still, the very thought of Kira targeting Jack purely to get to L... it would practically make it L's fault.
"You can speak Japanese?" Light asked.
"Is that really a surprise?" Jack responded in Japanese and wriggled her eyebrows at him. "I'm actually fluent in four languages. So, drinks?"
"I was going to suggest the same thing," Light said, switching to his native language now. "I have questions for you both."
"I would assume so," L replied. "You can ask us whatever you like. But Light, I would like to tell you something before hand."
Jack's eyes sparked a little as she looked toward him. She knew what L was going to say next, and she was just as eager as he was for the result. L set his gaze back on Light.
"We suspect that you, Light Yagami, are in fact Kira," L said, his lips curling somewhat. "Now, if you still wish to ask us knowing that... go right ahead."
Light blinked, his face slack with shock for a heartbeat. Then he let out a small laugh. "Me? Kira?"
L shrugged. "Well, when I say 'suspect' I'm talking about a factor of one percent. What we're really hoping to do is confirm 100 percent that you are; A: not Kira, and B: you have incredible skills with deduction so that we might ask you for your help with the investigation."
Light was silent as he crouched to put away his tennis racket, so L went on.
"In any case, there are too many people here to talk about it openly," he said.
"Like a tea house!" Jack suggested with a wink.
"I know of a coffee shop not too far from here, they serve tea too. I really wasn't expecting an audience at all today," Light said, glancing toward the crowd that was still cheering and babbling about the match.
"Let's get going then," Jack declared. "Which way, Light?"
"This way," Light said, and he began to lead them away from the court and toward the street.
As they walked, L glanced toward Jack. She was walking with a small skip in her step, as if she were bouncing to the beat of the song in her right ear. After their conversation the night before, he knew there was something she wasn't telling him. She confirmed it. But now that Light was going to be with them more often, L had no clue how he was going to pry that information from her.
Jack was a case in her own right. She always had been, ever since the Detective Wars. If he was ever going to solve her, he'd have to deal with Kira first. And he had to ensure both of them got out of it alive. Something tightened in his gut. Yes, he hated losing. But this... if Kira took Jack...
"Do you like royal milk tea, Light?" Jack asked.
Light blinked and looked over at her. "Uh, it's all right, I suppose."
Jack frowned at him then looked to L. "Pretty sure he's a synth."
"What?" L and Light said in unison.
Jack shook her head. "Play a video game sometime. You call yourselves nerds."
"I can't speak for Ryuga, but I've never really considered myself—" Light began.
Jack responded with making a fart noise in her hand.
L's mouth twitched with something akin to smile but he forced it away. "Jack, I think you constantly forget that you're an adult."
"Growing old isn't an option," Jack replied, placing her hands on her hips. "But growing up? Nah, screw that shit."
L shook his head, another grin trying to fight its way to his lips. Light, though he had looked completely insulted when she interrupted him earlier, let out a chuckle.
"Are you sure you shouldn't go by Joker instead of Jack?" he asked her.
Jack's face fell. "Aw heckin' heck, why didn't I think of that?"
L knew why, but he commended her acting. In fact, as he ran his gaze over her, he was aware of a warmth growing in his center. Admiration, perhaps? Jack called them friends. He supposed he could get behind that. And no matter what was to come—what Kira tried to do or accomplish—he would make sure they came out of this. Both of them.
Jack
Light chose the coffee shop we went to. We sat at a booth toward the back, L and I on one side, Light on the other. Once we received our drinks and the waitress left, Light opened the conversation.
"This is one of my favorites coffee shops," he said with a smile. "If you sit back here, no one can hear what you're talking about. And no one will scold you for sitting like that."
I chuckled a bit. L had already kicked off his shoes and he was sitting in his normal perched position.
"True..." L murmured, slowly raising his thumb to bite the nail there.
I smacked his wrist without taking my eyes off Light. "He can't sit any other way."
"Why is that?" Light seemed amused by our interaction, but it was clear he was more interested in L.
"If I sit the way other people do, my reasoning ability drops by forty percent," L answered. He only shot me one glare for smacking him. "In any case... Light, does the fact that I told you I'm L and she's Jack tell you anything?"
Light took a moment to sip his coffee. My own royal milk tea was still too hot to drink. I gently blew air on its surface hoping to drink its sweet nectar sooner rather than later. At the same time, I focused on Light in my peripheral vision. Acting calm and uninterested might put him at ease. Might make him slip up.
"Let's see," Light finally said, his voice low and calculating. "It means you have some hope that I can help you solve this case. And... that even though you've both told someone you suspect to be Kira, you won't be killed. Or you've taken some steps to ensure you won't be killed. Which means although the news states that Kira only needs to know how someone looks to be killed... it could be he needs something else."
I grinned. "Look at him go," I murmured to L.
Light seemed a bit embarrassed. "I mean... it just makes sense. And given the alias you—L—chose... Hideki Ryuga is a famous man, one whose face and name is known by practically everyone in Japan. You made it a point to use a name like that. So given that, I can only conclude that Kira needs a name as well as a face."
"Correct," L said. He was gazing at Light unblinking. I know I would be uncomfortable with that kind of stare on me. Like L was trying to pry Light apart bit by bit—dissect him.
"You're saying I'm right, just like that?" Light asked, incredulous.
"Why should we hide the fact that you're right?" I asked before attempting to take a sip of my tea. "GAH!" Still too hot. I set it down and fanned my tongue. There go a fair number of my taste buds.
"Be more patient, Nina," L scolded me softly before turning his attention back to Light.
Light let out a small breath. "Well, the possibility that you two are who you say you are is incredibly low."
"Why is that?" L asked.
"If I was L, or Jack, I would reason it would be enough to have doubles approach me and tell me they're L and Jack. The real L, and Jack too now, I suppose, needs to stay someplace safe at all times. Even when they've worked with the police, they've never revealed themselves."
"I see," L said. "You are correct that anyone calling themselves L puts them in great danger. And why would he come out into the open now when he's never done so before? It would be stupid for the real L to do such a thing. Not to mention showing you Jack—or even if this isn't the real Jack, making you aware that she is working on the case as well. This is knowledge that the media and the majority of the police aren't even aware of. So why show my trap card? Seems so foolish."
Light examined him for a long moment. He shrugged. "Well, I do believe there is a chance you could be who you say you are."
"Oh?" I blinked. "Do tell."
"Well, I would assume most people would think that L and Jack are much older than the two of you. And not to mention more... detective like or hacker like... you two are just too out of character to be a convincing fake. So you must be real."
"And what are the chances that L chose us?" L queried.
"Hm." Light sipped his coffee again. "I suppose there is a chance of that. When you start second guessing and third guessing like this, it's endless. I have to admit, I'm getting pretty confused." He laughed then—a genuine cheerful laugh.
"Since this is basically an interview to see if we can request your help on the case, I suppose it would be rude to show you nothing at all," L said. "Nina, the papers, if you would."
I gave a nod and pulled up my satchel. Opening the flap, I suddenly became hyper aware of the fact that my Death Note was right here—hidden in my bag. It was on my lap and the person who could very well be Kira was sitting across from me.
For a brief and very insane moment, I thought about pulling it out. Just slapping it on the table and seeing what Light would do. But that wouldn't end horrifically for me on several accounts. Nox would kill me—and even if he didn't, if Light was Kira and didn't give it away straight off, he would then know my trap card. The ace up my sleeve. No point in showing my hand. Not yet.
Instead, I drew from the bag a large envelope and plopped it on the table before Light.
"Take a gander," I said with a grin.
"This information has never been made public," L added as Light opened the envelope and pulled out its contents. "I'd like you to tell us what you make of them." The detective leaned forward and tapped the top page. "This is a list of the twelve FBI agents Kira killed. It's in order of when they received the file and when they died. And theses three..." L pointed at the three photographs. "These are pictures taken of notes three victims left shortly before they died. We believe their actions were being controlled by Kira."
"Make anything out of that FBI list?" I prompted.
Light looked over the paper. His expression didn't falter one bit when these were shown to him. Pity. I sipped my tea, which was finally not surface-of-the-sun hot. Too bad some of my taste buds were missing out of the delightful beverage.
"Hmm," Light murmured. "What's this file you say they received? I can't make sense of this."
"Oops, sorry," L said, scratching his head. "It's a file containing all the names and photographs of the agents so they could each know who the others were. The day they received this file, they all died."
I sipped my tea again. Trying to play dumb, huh? Well, that is, if Light was Kira... L and I were hoping to get him to slip up, but we also knew the level of intelligence Kira had shown so far. He wouldn't be likely to fall for anything juvenile. However, my theory was if we went after him in obvious ways, it might make him mad. If he was Kira and he thought we were under the impression that Kira was stupid enough to fall for simple traps, it could easily hurt his ego.
And one thing I knew for sure about Kira was that he had an ego large enough to consume the world. We just had to stop it from happening.
"Well in that case, Kira needed to know what the agents looked like, as well as potentially their names. This file contains both. They all died the same day they got the file... it's possible Kira used this to kill them," Light said.
"Makes sense to me," I said with a shrug. "What about those notes?"
Light turned his attention to the photos. "Theses are very interesting..." he said, voice low and intrigued. "If it's true that Kira can not only kill people but control their actions before they die, that's pretty amazing... It looks to me like he could have dictated these notes. Especially since they contain a hidden taunt to L."
L and I both waited, watching Light as he laid out the photos.
"If you look at the first word of each line, they form a sentence—or rather, a question," Light pointed out. "The order that makes the most sense would be... let's see... 'L do you know gods of death love apples?' The backs of the photos have print numbers, however." He pointed at the back of the photos as he flipped them over for a moment. "If you put them in that order... it reads: 'L do you know love apples? Gods of death.' I can't imagine that Kira would want L to read the message like that."
L was silent for a moment, merely holding Light's gaze. Finally, he said a single word: "Incorrect."
Light blinked. His face fell into complete surprise, jaw slack. "Huh?"
"In fact, there is a fourth note," L said, rummaging in his pocket. He then produced a fourth photo to Light.
It was hard to keep my face straight. Light was not prepared for that one. In fact, he almost looked... irritated. Betrayed. However soon his face masked over as he gripped the fourth photo L handed to him.
"If you add that to the others, it then reads: 'L do you know love apples? Gods of death have red hands." L's face was completely unreadable.
Light stared at the photos for a few heartbeats, eyes flickering back and forth between them. L and I both watched him carefully, waiting. L had thought of the plan to introduce a fourth message to change the sentence—one that Kira never made. The tactic was simple. If Light detected the initial message quickly, it could mean he was Kira or just had the high level of intelligence they knew him have. But if he questioned the fourth message... if he acted weird about it—well...
"Okay, well, if there were only three notes, my reasoning was flawless," Light finally said.
"No," I scoffed. "There were four—figuring that out would have made your reasoning flawless." I gave him a shit-eating grin. "One might even think that you decided there were only three notes—and never thought of the possibility of a fourth."
Light's eyes squinted just a touch. Was that anger? But then he was back to normal.
"I guess you're right," he said. "I didn't think of that. But either way, I don't think this note will help you find Kira. I mean, Shinigami don't even exist."
Nox let out a low laugh.
I couldn't look back at the Shinigami to see if he was acting oddly or looking at something I couldn't see. He still hadn't given any hints to whether or not Light had a Death Note and a Shinigami of his own.
"All right, suppose you're L," L said, looking Light over. "What would you do to expose Kira?"
Light grinned a bit. "I would try to make them say things that haven't been reported. Things only the real Kira would know. Just like what you're trying to do, Ryuga."
"Very good," L said. He gripped his knees, worrying the creases of the denim between his fingers. "I have asked a number of detectives the same question. They usually take a few minutes to respond. When they do, it's typically something like, they would get a well known criminal and put them in the same room with the suspect, watching from a hidden spot. But you, Light... you were able to instantly think of it from the perspective of Kira talking to an investigator."
"You are good," I said. "I'll give you that, Light."
"Brilliant, even," L added. He looked over Light with that piercing black gaze.
Light laughed nervously. "You make it sound like if I do too well, I'm under even more suspicion."
"Indeed," L said. "It' s up to three percent now. However, this also increases my desire to have you help with our investigation."
"To be honest, you did guess right, earlier," I put in. "Ryu isn't the only one around calling himself L."
"But even if you are Kira, I want your assistance with this investigation. Do you understand my logic?" L asked.
Light closed his eyes. "If I help you, it moves the case forward. If I'm Kira, I might slip up and betray myself. In other words, you're killing two birds with one stone. I think it's a brilliant idea."
"Pretty slick," I said with a nod. "You catch on quick."
Light's eyes snapped open. Now the anger on his face was showing. "I want you two to know you've got me all wrong. Yes, I have an interest in the Kira case—especially in solving it. But I'm sure as hell not Kira and I sure as hell don't want to get myself killed. I'm not going to help someone I can't trust and end up getting killed by Kira. I'd rather think about the case on my own. Besides—how do I know neither of you are Kira?"
He leaned back in his seat, folding his arms. His amber colored eyes were flared with annoyance.
"We're all in the same boat right now. Think of this from my perspective. How is it fair you get to question me, but I don't get to question you?" he demanded.
"I mean, you can ask me anything," I said. "I just gotta warn you, I'm prone to frivolous lies."
"All right, fine," Light said. "Why are you investigating Kira? And in person here in Japan? From what I know about you... you stick to North America and a few European countries. And even then, you worked with the police and other investigators electronically—never actually showing yourself. With Ryuzaki, I understand why he's here since he's worked cases all over the world. No offense, but he does have more renown than you."
"Nah, I get it," I said, looking Light over. "Well, it's honestly the biggest case there is—that ever was. I mean Kira has a hefty amount of kills on his K/D record. He has more than any other serial killer known in history. To bring him in would be bombin'! And he's not just effecting Japan. Western countries have been targeted too." I shrugged. "I love a challenge. And I feel like I can take Kira down. With Ryu's help of course."
I winked at L and put my arm around his shoulders and squeezed him a bit. He didn't seem to even notice my physical contact. He kept his eyes on Light.
"You have concerns, Light?" L asked.
Light let out a huff of breath. "Anyone looking over at us sees three college students. They would also say that you, Ryuga, would be more likely to be Kira than I would. None of us can prove we're not him. If you are really L and Jack, you should be able to prove it. I should be able to talk to someone I trust—one of the officers or even my father—and they should be able to confirm you're who you say you are. Or that you're on the task force. And if you tell me you can't do that until you prove I'm not Kira, then I guess we can't work together."
Holy crap Light talked a lot. I exchanged a small look with L. It was true—Light didn't seem to like to lose. Just like Kira.
"I never said that you couldn't meet with the task force," L finally responded.
Light looked startled. "What?"
"We're working directly with your father and other members of the task force right now," L said. "Am I correct in assuming if I take you to meet the task force, and they are able to calm your suspicions, you'll assist with the investigation?"
Before anyone else could speak, L's phone began to ring from inside his pocket. The detective frowned.
"Excuse me," he said, reaching for the small device. Even as he did so, Light's phone began to ring too.
"Huh, what are the odds?" I murmured as L flipped open his cell and answered.
"Ryuzaki speaking," he said. There was a small pause. "What's happened?" L asked, his tone now more urgent.
"Hello?" Light answered his own phone.
Both of them tensed up at the same moment. I darted my eyes back and forth between them, feeling like I was being left out on an inside joke. Then L spoke.
"Light," he breathed. "It's—"
"My father," Light finished, his eyes stretched wide. "He's had a heart attack."