A/N::: Sorry this is a tad late, darlings. I'm a bit under the weather. But here it is, and hope you enjoy the latest chapter!

Misa

Misa Amane leaned toward the screen, tilting her head to the side. Her attention had been snagged by the strange young man that arrived shortly after the first officer she'd killed. He was clever enough to wear a hood and a mask over the lower part of his face. Misa couldn't make out hardly any of his features at all.

Even after getting wounded when the armored car barreled in, he went with the other man into the station, and a few moments later, he came back into the lobby. His movements were slowed and he clutched his arm to his side.

"Who is clever enough to know to cover their face?" Misa wondered aloud, frowning. "Do you think that's Kira?"

"Why would Kira arrive on the scene and be companions with the police?" a voice queried from behind her. "It doesn't seem likely."

Misa nodded. "It might even be L. Fascinating." She narrowed her eyes. "Does he mean to stop me?"

A tall figure took a step forward to stand at her side. Misa glanced up at the strange being that was Rem, her Shinigami companion. Rem's face carried a purple hue, and lavender hair poked out from the bandages that wrapped around her head. The bandages were everywhere, which gave her the likeness of a mummy.

"Be careful, Misa," Rem urged. "This could get out of hand."

"Hardly." Misa turned her attention back to the screen, beaming. "With the Eyes, I have this completely under control."

Sure enough, another squad car arrived and two officers stepped out. Misa saw the young man seemed to get a burst of energy. He waved at them, clearly yelling something, but it was too late. Misa already caught the names of each of them hovering over their heads. She put pen to paper, and forty seconds later, the both of them collapsed.

The masked man froze as he approached them. Slowly, he turned his head around, scanning the back of the lobby. He paused, and Misa got the impression his shadowed eyes were locked with hers. He'd found the camera.

"Damn it," Misa hissed through gritted teeth. "That's not fair—if I could just see his stupid face he'd be dead!"

She kicked the leg of her desk so hard it hurt. She let out a whimper and clutched her toes. When she looked back up, she saw the young man had picked up some of the rubble the armored vehicle had knocked loose. He was throwing them at the camera with his good arm.

"No, no, no!" Misa cried. "He's going to ruin everything!"

Sure enough, on his fifth throw, the rubble struck the camera and Misa's feed went black. She let out a infuriated shriek, tempted to throw her keyboard across the room, but then she smiled.

"Not like it matters—they'll still air my tapes; they're too scared not to. And, the news can give me the visual I need." Misa turned to her TV which was already on and tuned to Sakura TV.

They had a camera aimed at the front entrance of the station from outside. It wasn't as clear of a shot as Misa would like to have, but she would probably be able to glimpse enough of people's faces as they came in to try and stop her.

And she'd find out who that young man was eventually and kill him too.

Jack

I watched as the camera fell down, shattered from being struck by the rubble I tossed. I was proud of myself for spotting it, but at the same time I was furious. Whoever killed Ukita and those other two officers was not here. They were somewhere safe and sound, murdering innocent people from afar.

Shit.

It seemed like the pain in my arm tripled. No longer driven by the notion that the killer might be close, all the energy in my body vanished. I fell to my knees, the world around me beginning to heave and sway. My sleeve was completely soaked; this hoodie was as good as ruined.

There was a buzzing in my pocket. In all honesty, I completely forgot I had my cell on me. I pulled it out, flipping it open without bothering to look who was calling.

"Yo," I said in English. My voice was thin and weak.

"Jack, are you all right?" L's voice demanded. "I just spoke with Chief Yagami—he said you ran off on your own."

"I did," I replied. "But it doesn't matter. The murderer isn't here. Camera was set up. I threw a rock at it. Broke it to shit." I grinned even though he couldn't see me. I was dazed and only able to form simple sentences.

"What happened to your arm?" L asked.

"Oh, it broke." I looked up at the ceiling, blinking blearily. "Ulna is poking out."

"How have you been functioning?" L demanded. "You need to go to a hospital. Just hold on, there is help on the way."

"You told them to cover their—?" I began to ask.

"Of course," L responded. "You'll find riot masks do quite a bit to cover one's features."

"Cool," I rasped. "Hey. Listen, Ryu. Make... make sure my iPod is charged for me. It's almost dead."

"What? What do you...?"

I didn't hear the rest of L's sentence. Just as the sound of sirens consumed the air, the darkness that was clouding the edges of my vision swooped in. I was swathed in shadow, and finally freed of the pain in my arm.

L

L was beginning to think he was spending too much time in the hospital.

When the nurses led him to where Jack was being kept, he could barely keep from urging them to run instead of walk. They opened the door to her room, and it was only then L could breathe again.

She was still unconscious—passed out from the pain and shock, the doctors told him. Going with the pretense that he was her boyfriend and living companion while she was here in Japan, they allowed him in. They'd fallen for her fake ID of Nina Forner without batting an eye. The police were the only ones who knew she was the same person who was on the TV in front of Sakura. They presented her to the hospital as someone who was found far away from the station who fell down some steps.

Idiot.

L wished she was awake just so he could tell her what a moron she was. But, at the same time, she did figure out a lot of things. The camera that had been up in the lobby of the station was key evidence, and her knocking it down might have saved more lives. From what Chief Yagami said, she managed to help scare the director at Sakura to hand over the tapes without bloodshed.

"Thank you," L said to the nurse. "I'd like some time alone with her."

"Of course," the nurse replied, bowing her head slightly. "Just hit the call button if you need anything."

Once she left and the door was closed, L perched himself in the chair next to Jack's bed. Her arm had already been set and encased in a cast. It was blue, just like her hair. L wondered if they picked that color on purpose. There was an IV in her good arm, and a few cuts that had been peppered on her face were dressed and bandaged. Her breaths were deep and even.

L knew they had to cut her hoodie off of her, since there was the concern of the protruding bone. The rest of her belongings were in a small baggy by the bedside table. Looking at it, L remembered Jack's request to charge her iPod. He didn't have the cord with him—he'd left in too much of a panic.

It wasn't entirely wise for him to be here. If there was a way that Kira tracked which ambulance Jack was hauled into and what hospital she was taken to, they could also be keeping track of people who visited her. L couldn't help but glance around the room, seeking out any cameras, but he found none.

The others of the task force were getting the tapes and the envelope they came in down to forensics. Aizawa promised they'd scan for fingerprints, any potential saliva on the stamp, where the tape came from where the envelope was purchased, everything they could possibly do. L kept the copies of the tapes in the hotel room, intent of viewing them himself, but that would wait until tomorrow.

He'd never had a moment in his life where he willingly put off case work, even for something like this. But he knew he wouldn't be able to focus until he saw for himself that Jack was okay.

An hour passed and Jack still slept. L was already growing stir crazy. He stood and went to her baggy of things; perhaps he could ask to borrow a charger. He pulled out her yellow iPod—the one she used during the day. The screen came to life when his thumb hit the wheel, but the odd thing was, it was almost fully charged.

L slowly went back to his chair and sat again. He stared at the device in his hand. Why would she tell him to charge it and claim it was nearly dead when that wasn't the case? And why were those the last words she said to him? She never wanted him to mess with her iPods before, but in this case, it was like she was trying to get him to.

Opening the menu, L looked at all the options. There was a section for music, movies, photos, notes, and settings. L went to pictures and only found three photos of different dogs. That didn't help him. However, in the notes section, there were four to read.

The oldest one stated: A's birthday is tomorrow DON'T FORGET AGAIN.

A. That must stand for Austin, her brother. It was dated nearly two years ago on March 9th. Well, now L knew when Jack's brother's birthday was.

The next one was nearly six moths after that. It read: Get extra oil paints—you won't remember why this is here in the morning, but it's important I swear!

The second to newest note, which was dated the morning after the last, said: Never drink again.

And finally, the latest note. L stared at it for a long time. His heart was beginning to pound in his ears.

There, in all capital letters, were two simple words.

SHINIGAMI EXIST!

Everything began to click into place. The way that Kira was doing this was beyond natural means. It made no sense how he could kill the way he did. Even Jack stated that it had to be supernatural. Then, there was the fact that Jack knew something—something substantial but wouldn't—or couldn't—share it. She kept dropping hints, giving clues, but she never divulged the whole truth.

Then, there was Nox. Nox who was supposedly something only she could hear and see because of her illness. Nox who she stated she knew what he was—not that he wasn't real. Nox who was angry she told L about him. The date on the note was recent. So Jack wanted L to see this; she wanted him to see it because she couldn't outright tell him. Not without consequences.

And a god of death could certainly deal consequences.

L, did you know gods of death love apples?

Kira's message suddenly made far too much sense.

But it was still absurd. To think that Shinigami existed... that this was all caused by something of legend and myth. Yet at the same time, it was the only thing that fit.

L remembered Jack quoting Sherlock Holmes to him.

"Once you eliminate the impossible, whatever remains, no matter how improbable, must be the truth."

He'd assumed that it was just Jack going on about Sherlock Holmes again. Had she actually been trying to tell him, even back then, to expect something impossible? This changed everything and he couldn't even talk to her about it. If this Nox was a Shinigami and followed her around, there was a chance he'd kill her for telling. That had to be what was keeping her from just telling L outright.

He closed the notes and slowly set the iPod next to the bedside table. The detective stared at his hands as they gripped his knees. Shinigami... Was Kira a Shinigami or was he using one? Was it the same one that followed Jack? Was Nox responsible for all of this? No—Jack wouldn't talk to him so carefree if he was. She snapped at him a lot, but it was still in an almost friendly way. L would guess if Nox was Kira and Jack knew it, she would treat him with a lot more disdain.

Another thing came to his mind. Jack had told him Nox started helping her with cases with the one with the clowns. Of course, L had seen that in the news reports. After the Detective Wars, he'd made certain to keep track of everything Jack did. She seemed intent on giving him that information, but why?

L bit down on his thumb nail. He hoped Jack didn't happen to wake up before he figured this out, his wrist stung just thinking about her smacking it. He thought about the cases after that. Between then and now, Jack worked about sixteen major cases that was featured in the media. So Nox had been with her for at least six to seven months prior to her coming to Japan.

This was interesting, but not entirely useful information. There had to be more to it. L glared at his toes, running them over one another. She wanted him to know when Nox showed up... but if how long he was with her didn't matter, what did? Perhaps... perhaps the case prior. She told L that the clown case was the first one Nox helped with—not when she initially met him.

The case before the clowns... if L's memory served him, (and it almost always flawlessly did), that would be the case involving Victor Skor and his company Century Lock. It was a Ponzi Scheme—one that involved Skor and his board of directors pulling in quite a bit of money illegally, and Skor himself killing a few people who attempted to expose him.

L remembered the case, but not all of the exact details. He got out his cell and flipped it open, dialing out with deft fingers.

"Yes, Ryuzaki?" Watari answered on the other line. He was in the waiting room, most likely. L wanted to be alone when he came in to see Jack.

"I'm in need of a laptop," L said. "Could you please bring me one?"

"I have one in my suitcase, I'll be right there," Watari replied and hung up the phone.

L snapped his cell shut and pocketed it again. He stared at Jack's peaceful face, his eyes wide and searching. What exactly did Jack do to get involved with a god of death? Then he remembered—Jack told him her father died like Kira's victims—a heart attack caused by some outside, unknown source—but it wasn't Kira. So then there were multiple Shinigami; there had to be. If Nox was responsible, Jack wouldn't talk to him so calmly.

Watari arrived, gently knocking on the door before entering.

"Here you are, sir," he said, handing the black laptop to L. "How does Miss Forner fair?"

"Well enough," L said, pulling a tray that was typically reserved for food trays over to himself. "I'm on the brink of something big, Watari. As soon as Jack wakes up, I want us to go back to the hotel. If we need to bring medical equipment and a professional with us to look after her, so be it."

"You would allow a nurse inside the hotel room?" Watari asked.

"I've little choice," L said. "I can't work out here. And one potential witness is better than the entire hospital staff. What I need to look into right now isn't terribly risky." He connected to the hotel's WiFi and opened up the internet browser. His heart was like a wild moth in his chest, beating senselessly against his ribs. "Thank you, Watari. I will call you should I need anything else."

"Of course, sir." Watari bowed. "I believe I will find something for Miss Forner in the gift shop in the mean time. Would you like any sweets?"

"Some chocolate would be appreciated," L said, too focused on the laptop screen to look at his former care taker.

"As you wish," Watari said, then he departed from the room, closing the door behind him.

It didn't take L long to find a full article about the Victor Skor Ponzi Scheme and how Cyber Detective Jack managed to make him expose himself. The first thing that caught his attention was the name of one of the men who was attempting to catch Skor.

Shaun Townsend.

He was the last to die out of the five employees investigating Skor, and it was due to a heart attack. This had to be Jack's father. Two of the other employees died by mysterious means as well: one a car accident, the other seemingly poisoned, though they never found traces of what actually killed the woman. The last two were strangles, and were two of the first to die.

It came together quickly. Skor didn't start off with having Kira's killing abilities. But then, when he obtained them, he experimented. Of course, with the last one... Shaun Townsend... it was just a mere heart attack. Perhaps Skor wanted him dead quickly—perhaps he killed him on a split second decision. Heart attacks seemed to be the default way Kira could kill. It might take effort to kill people another way.

It was also noted that Shaun Townsend used to work for the secret service, and when L attempted to find more information on him, there was nothing. No records of him or his family anywhere on the web. Not even a picture. Either the secret service deleted all of his info, or it was Jack herself; L knew she was capable. And there was a good chance it was her father who taught her how to hack so efficiently.

Going back to the article, L read how Jack managed to slowly drive Skor insane by hacking into his computers. It seemed like she had been goading him. Usually, Jack would go in and expose her targets to the police in more direct ways. However, this time... there was emotion behind it—there was someone who wanted Skor to suffer and go mad.

This was it. Skor had had the same ability as Kira and when Jack had him caught, his powers were somehow lost—otherwise what was to stop Skor from killing more people and trying to escape prison? And now... and now she had a Shinigami with her. Nox.

If there were Shinigami, and there were more than one Shinigami... perhaps Nox was the one who helped Skor. But again, Jack got annoyed with Nox, but she didn't appear to hate him. So was it that just being followed by a Shinigami caused one to have that ability? That meant that Jack could have Kira's powers as well...

L closed the laptop. His mind was sprinting—running around a track with hurtles and obstacles of nearly every kind. This was impossible. Crazy. But he knew it to be true. Shinigami existed. Jack had been trying to help him this entire time with that knowledge, but she couldn't tell him because of Nox. That was why she came to Japan. That was why she showed her face to him. Because she felt like she was the only one who could stop this—because she knew the truth.

He wanted to shake her awake and drill her for more information. How did the power work? Was it the Shinigami who went out and killed for the human it was with? Was there a way to banish it—lock it away—negate it somehow?

But even if Jack was awake, L couldn't talk openly to her about this. She had kept the information from him for a reason. L knew that she could be in terrible danger if he let Nox know she'd managed to get some sort of message across.

So then lied the question of how he was going to communicate with her about this.

After a few moments of thinking, an idea came to him. L got to his feet, taking the iPod with him. Time to kill two birds with one stone. If Nox was with Jack when she requested L charge her iPod, he'd expect it to be drained of battery like she said. If he happened to be watching, this would help keep her white lie hidden—assuming Nox didn't just read over L's shoulder... But L had to hope that the Shinigami hadn't seen anything.

Out in the hall, L tracked down one of the nurses.

"Excuse me, I know that this might seem like a strange request, but do you happen to have a charger for this version of iPod?" He held out the yellow device to her. "My girlfriend would be much more lively when she wakes up if its fully charged and ready for her to listen to her music. It helps calm her down."

"Oh!" the nurse exclaimed. "That's one of the older ones, but I think one of the other nurses uses one. I'll ask him if we can borrow it. Do you mind waiting?"

"Not at all, thank you very much," L said.

As the nurse walked away, L opened the iPod's menu again and went to the notes. This time, he added one of his own.

Would messenger be possible to talk? When I ask you if you'd like some royal milk tea, if the answer is yes, agree, but ask for whip cream. If it is no, say yes, but ask for no honey. Then, when you get the chance, leave me another note here. Hand me the iPod under the pretense that you think it's broken and want to have me look at it. We will figure this out.

It was a long note, but out here in the hall, L was betting on the fact that Nox would stay with Jack, so he could put this in her iPod without him possibly knowing. All of this hung on the hope that Nox didn't see Jack's message and that he didn't follow L.

The nurse returned holding a cord and smiling.

"If you could just bring it back to me when you're done, that would be great," she said.

"Of course," L said, bowing to her after he took the charger. "Thank you again."

Back in Jack's room, he plugged in her iPod and locked it, setting it on the bedside table. She was still asleep. L glanced out the window, his heart wild within his chest. Jack had told him she was his Christmas gift and L now realized how priceless she was.

Yet... at the same time... L felt something else whirring in the back of his mind and churning in the pit of his stomach. If he wasn't careful, there was a good chance that this Nox would kill Jack. L knew that the threat of death had to be the thing holding her back—and it was guaranteed death. Jack was far too reckless for her own good. If there was even the smallest chance she could survive something, she did it.

Trying to talk to her about this could be crucial to the case, but at the same time... it risked her life. L worried the folds of his jeans near his knees with fingertips that were on the verge of trembling. The thought of losing Jack wasn't just about the fact that he'd lose a powerful asset in this case—this war on Kira. But... he'd lose her smile. Her vivid blue hair. Her infectious laugh. Her smacking his hand when he bit his nails. Her untamed sense of being like she was something wild and unreal.

L shook his head. He'd never felt this sensation for anyone before. He'd never yearned to be around somebody. He was one who loved being alone, isolated, just him and his thoughts. But now, when he was by himself, when Jack was sleeping or away, he found wherever he was—even if it was a crowded room—to be totally empty. He found that there was a dimness within him, and only when she stepped into view, only when he heard her voice, did the light return, pulsated and warm.

For a moment, L wondered to himself if this was just what it was like to have a friend—someone he cared for. However, he was close to Watari. He even enjoyed the old man's company—though it was in spurts. With Jack... he could be with her all day and still not be sick of her. Still, he wouldn't want her to leave him to go to bed.

No, this wasn't friendship he was feeling.

"Not good," L murmured softly, closing his eyes and hoping that he was wrong.