L
The sensation slinking through L's mind was one he never encountered before.
Many times in his life he'd been praised for his intellect, thanked for his time and service, even gotten the stray compliment on his hair during his scarce time out in public. When Watari told him he'd done well, L had felt a sense of pride, he couldn't deny that. But this wasn't pride. This wasn't anything that L could put into words or make any sense of.
When Jack stood up so ferociously for his life, the first thing L had been was taken aback. Her outburst was so sudden and powerful. He'd never seen such a manic look in her eyes. Such ferocity. She even challenged the other members of the task force, claimed they didn't see him as a friend or anything more than a tool. It implied that she saw him as something more than just a coworker. A partner in this wild case they'd taken on.
L hadn't exactly had his life in immediate danger before- at least not that was foretold three days in advance. No one had ever gotten the chance to react to such a situation. But L had the feeling even if they did, no one would have reacted as strongly as Jack had just then. No one would have had such passion and fire in their eyes.
And now here L sat, bewildered and... pleased.
That was it—not entirely, but definitely a large part of it. L was pleased Jack was so adamant about him staying alive. He was pleased she wanted him around. Pleased she cared enough to do something that clearly embarrassed her, for now she sat low in the couch, her cheeks and ears flared to red.
Had it been Matsuda or Chief Yagami, L didn't think he'd feel the same. They'd expressed they sided with Jack on this one after all, and L knew they appreciated him. They were some of the best officers he'd worked with. But them professing the things Jack did would not have had the same punch.
Distractions, distractions... This was the biggest case of his life- the most dangerous one to boot. Even now, his life was being asked for by nearly all the general public. And it was now, of all times, that he finds himself... yearning for someone. This... this was not something he could afford. He needed all of his thinking power to be focused on Kira. Outsmarting him. Making certain he was captured and judged for what he'd done.
Yet here he was noticing the contours of Jack's lips. The curve of her hips. The golden ring that hugged her leaf-green irises. He wanted to hear her laugh. He wanted to see her smile. But at the same time, he was enraptured by the way her face hardened with concentration when she was working something out in that marvelous mind of hers. One that would have been welcome at Wammy House. She was almost on par with him when it came to deducting skills.
Everything about her, from her wild hair and petite stature to her ludicrous intelligence had L encased with emotions he'd never experienced. Feelings he knew had a name, but refused to think it. He didn't have time for this; thousands of lives, including his own, weighed on him solving this case.
"If there is a Second Kira, we have ways of stopping him," L said, forcing himself to tear his eyes from Jack and focus on the conversation they were having before her outburst. "At the very least, the Second Kira agrees with Kira's actions. I'm thinking he would follow orders from the real Kira." He reached down and grabbed his cup of coffee. "That means there's a high chance we can stop him from creating a fake message from the real Kira."
As he sipped his tea, Jack nodded. She seemed to be falling back into her usual self with surprising ease. Though she did keep sneaking glances across the room. L had a feeling she saw Nox standing there, and he knew she always looked at him when she was trying to watch what she was saying. Clearly, she didn't want to reveal too much in fear of a dire consequence.
"If Light is Kira, I doubt he'd mention a Second Kira until he knows for certain Ryu will die," she said. It was clear the words bugged her. She kept her eyes downcast and she gripped the edges of the couch cushions so tightly her knuckles went white.
"This is a little confusing for me," Matsuda admitted, scratching his head.
"So you're saying your suspicion of my son will grow if he doesn't mention a Second Kira?" Yagami demanded.
"Yeah, that seems kind of harsh," Aizawa pointed out.
"No, in that case, our suspicion of him will remain at five percent," L assured. "I'll just explain that we are investigating the possibility of there being a Second Kira and have him assist us."
He took a drink of his coffee and set the cup back on the table. Jack's grip on the couch had relaxed and she was looking toward the corner of the room again. L wondered what Nox was saying to her- if he was saying anything. Shinigami... that was a factor he had to take into account. But he would have to get the details from Jack first. They had to speak on their IM, and before Light came.
"Just in case, I want all of you to use your fake names, even here," L went on, focusing on the officers again. "And Watari will not be coming here anymore. He will always be on the outside, as another L who only I know." Jack elbowed him. He glanced at her out of the corner of his eye and felt a smile of amusement catch his lips. "That Nina and I know."
"He makes better royal milk tea than you and me combined," Jack said, folding her arms and sighing. "I already miss him."
"We're going that far?" Aizawa asked, his brows lowering.
Jack nodded. "I know you guys don't want to believe Light is Kira. But on the off chance he is, we can't be too careful- not to sound like a walking cliche..."
"Well then, if Light is okay with it, please have him come here in an hour if possible," L said. "Nina and I have to discuss a few things in private."
The officers exchanged looks with brows raised, but at the same time they didn't seem particularly surprised.
"Of course." Matsuda's smile was wider than usual, teeth showing. "We'll stay here."
"My room should work," Jack said. "Get your laptop, Ryu."
L gave her a small nod and gathered it up. They then left the three officers in the living room as they stepped into Jack's bedroom, closing the door behind them.
"So, you're sure you can create this server?" L asked as Jack jumped onto her bed and scooted up to one side.
"You doubt me, the great Jack?" She grabbed her own laptop from the bedside table and opened it up. "Of course I can. And there, we can store all the things we need for case notes. Watari will be able to access them. It will take some time to get it going, though... you sure we shouldn't tell the officers?"
"Yes," L said. "If Light is Kira... we can't risk there being any way that he might know about it."
Jack shrugged and began to type away on her laptop. "Go ahead and compile some notes to upload. I'll help you completely erase them once you're done." She looked up and patted the spot next to her. "Believe it not, I don't bite."
L preferred to sit in a chair, knees up in his usual posture, and work with his laptop on a desk or table in front of him. But he understood what Jack was doing. With the wall directly behind them, it wouldn't be easy for anyone to see their screens. So, he climbed onto the bed and propped up a pillow against the headrest to lean back against. He opened his laptop as he stretched out his legs before him. His arm was almost touching Jack's. He could feel the heat of her skin.
"Sorry coding is boring," Jack said. "At least for anyone watching. A lot like tennis."
L let out a small grunt of amusement. "You said you enjoyed the match."
"And I did," Jack agreed. "But all the same, you can't exactly add flare to coding. I suppose I could try to change the font color."
As her fingers flew across the keyboard, her eyes flicked momentarily toward her bathroom. That must be where Nox was right now. L began to open up the old application that was Jack's IM program. At first, all it did was give him an error message that said the server was no longer in service. It wasn't possible to read old messages or even see Jack's old online ID.
L opened a blank word document and began to type what appeared to be his notes and thoughts on the Kira case so far. He would tab between the two windows in order to keep his fingers continuously typing so it didn't seem suspicious when he only typed when Jack wasn't. Just as he did this, she hit her enter key with slight severity.
Tabbing back to the IM, L saw the server was back. But no record of their previous conversation was there. She'd made an all new one and attached it to her IM program. There was one message from the user name: CyberPsycho.
CyberPsycho: You have to read the messages fast. This is set to delete each one within ten seconds after sending. If you have questions, keep them short. But only ask one if you deem it absolutely necessary and let me do the talking.
To her word, almost as soon as L finished reading the message, it was gone. He typed in his reply.
Ryuzaki: I understand.
And so their conversation started. Jack would regularly peek up and at different points in the room. L could see she was tabbing between screens as well, the messenger and something that had several characters and numbers going across the screen. It was coding, but L could tell it was a video on repeat. But Nox surely wouldn't know that.
CyberPsycho: The reason I haven't been able to tell you anything outright is because Nox is a Shinigami. I'm sure you figured that out.
Ryuzaki: I have, yes.
CyberPsycho: He said he would kill me if I told you about this. That you had to find out on your own. But I say balls to that, we need to catch Kira.
Ryuzaki: Please explain as best you can, but be careful.
CyberPsycho: Why do you think I have these messages set to delete themselves? Plus tabbing helps. Anyway, this all started after my case with Century Lock. I bet you got that figured out too.
Ryuzaki: You left good clues.
CyberPsycho: Bitchin'. Yeah, so there is something all Shinigami carry—it's called a Death Note.
Ryuzaki: A Death Note?
CyberPsycho: It's a notebook, and if you write the name of someone down on its pages while picturing their face, that person will die.
L's blood was splintered with ice in that moment. His fingers paused in their constant dance across his keyboard. It sounded impossible; it was the stuff of myth and legend, but the way Kira killed people was impossible. This—as insane as it was—had to be the answer.
CyberPsycho: The default kill method is a heart attack. But if you specify how the victim dies, that can be changed, as well as their actions before their death, as long as they're in the realm of possibility.
CyberPsycho: There are a lot of rules for this thing, and we can't get too into it right now, there isn't time. I'm just going to focus on telling you what you need to know.
CyberPsycho: Nox originally gave a Death Note to Victor Skor. The dickbag used it to kill five of his employees when they went to expose him—including my dad.
CyberPsycho: But I caught his ass and got him arrested. I knew something wasn't right with my dad's death. After that, Victor lost his notebook and Nox came to me, impressed by how I exposed Victor.
CyberPsycho: He gave it to me and explained how it worked and how any who use it lose the right to go to heaven or hell. When they die, they're basically stuck in purgatory.
CyberPsycho: I asked him if this was the only Death Note and he told me no, he still had one on him and apparently there were multiple Shinigami, all equipped with one.
CyberPsycho: So then I knew what I had to do. I had to make sure no one used one of these like Victor had ever again. I wouldn't let innocent people die. And knowing what a Death Note was, I felt confident I could catch anyone else who had one.
CyberPsycho: Only problem was if I ditched my notebook or destroyed it, all my memories of the Death Note would vanish. Honestly, not sure how that would work for you if I lose the thing now.
CyberPsycho: Nox has given the very strong impression he could kill me whenever he wants. Shinigami can see the true name and lifespan of anyone they look into the face of.
CyberPsycho: Of course, more than half the face has to be showing. Like 65% or something like that, he said. So yeah, he could kill me, or anyone really, whenever he wants.
CyberPsycho: But he has some goal of figuring out why Shinigami exist, so he's letting me keep going because I'm the first person to keep the notebook but not use it. He finds this as a new variable he hasn't tested yet.
CyberPsycho: Only issue is, he will kill me if I tell anyone about the Death Note, like I said earlier. So that's why we have to be careful.
CyberPsycho: Always assume he's watching and listening for now, but give me a little time and I'll make it to where you can see and hear him too. It just takes you touching my notebook—or a piece of paper from it.
CyberPsycho: Make certain when you do see and hear him that you don't let him know. No direct eye contact, no comments or reactions to what he says.
CyberPsycho: Now the next bit. There is something Shinigami can grant someone holding a Death Note, provided they trade half their remaining lifespan. Shinigami eyes—it lets them see names and lifespan of those they can see the faces of.
CyberPsycho: Given the personality we've observed in the real Kira so far, I doubt he's made such a trade. That's why I wasn't worried about it at first and why I know this other Kira is a fake.
CyberPsycho: Apparently up to six Death Notes can be in the human world at once. And now there's at least three.
CyberPsycho: But even with the Shinigami eyes, the Second Kira won't see my name, not even when my face is showing. Since I own a Death Note, it will be blank.
CyberPsycho: I've thought about getting the Shinigami Eyes myself, because it means I could help find Kira faster. But I've no interest in going to purgatory. I think we can beat him without it.
CyberPsycho: Regardless of that, here's what you need to know—you have to send me up on TV instead. I can pose as L and the Second Kira won't be able to kill me. And they just might believe I'm L.
It was so much to take in. L could hardly keep his fingers busy as he tried to wrap his head around all of this. Jack said this Death Note had rules, and he desperately wanted to know them, but they didn't have long between Light being summoned here and Nox lurking. This all sounded so impossible- so insane. But at the same time, it made perfect sense.
Nothing else explained everything. Nothing else fit. This was too outlandish for Jack to just come up with. And what reason would she have for doing such a thing? He had to trust her. He did trust her.
Ryuzaki: I understand you're position now. This makes sense.
CyberPsycho: I have an idea that might help us openly talk about this. My Death Note is in my satchel, hidden inside a flap on the inside.
CyberPsycho: If you happen to "find" it on your own, Nox might let me off. But we should add more to it than just that.
CyberPsycho: Start openly suggesting the idea of Shinigami's existence. This can spawn from the notes Kira left about them loving apples. (They do, btw)
CyberPsycho: Then, you can act suspicious of me, and investigate my things to find the notebook.
Ryuzaki: Jack, this sounds risky. What if he kills you anyway?
CyberPsycho: It's a risk we have to take. This case needs us to be able to talk about this shit.
Ryuzaki: You just had an outburst about me throwing away my life. Don't you think this is a touch hypocritical?
CyberPsycho: We really and truly don't have much a choice here. Let's try to meet on IM once a day, I can give you more info each time.
CyberPsycho: I'll get you a scrap of paper from the notebook so you can see Nox. It might come at any time, so just be prepared.
Ryuzaki: Jack, you're in serious danger. Perhaps you should destroy the notebook after all. Since you told me, maybe the memories will stay with me.
CyberPsycho: That's a risk we can't take, L. Just trust me. Please.
L took a deep breath and glanced toward her. Her facial expression was schooled into one of disinterest.
"Man, sometimes coding can be so dull," she said. "Sorry if you're bored, the server is almost ready."
"Right," L murmured.
He looked at the screen, heart pulsating in his ears and neck.
Ryuzaki: Fine. But please just back off if it starts getting too dangerous.
CyberPsycho: Who do you take me for, some reckless noob? It'll be fine. For all I know Nox is bluffing. He says he likes me. And tbh he's pretty chill, for a Shinigami.
Ryuzaki: I have to admit this is a lot to take in, but let's just keep moving forward. I'm not sure how we'll convince the others that you are a good substitute to put up on TV.
CyberPsycho: I'll find a way. I always do. Time to go. I'm deleting this server. Luckily, Nox just sat over by the window complaining about the rain the whole time.
And the window suddenly closed.
L tabbed back to his word document and kept typing up all his thoughts and notes on the case so far. They weren't going to upload it to anything, but it was a good cover for Nox. Jack went back to her coding page and typed away for a moment longer before hitting the enter key with finality.
"There. Got enough to upload?" she asked, glancing over at him.
L gave her a small nod and acted as if he was saving the file and transferring it over. In reality he was just moving the file to the recycling bin and deleting it. Of course, this was the laptop that had nothing on it, the one he purely used when he was communicating with Jack. So sure enough, when an email popped up from one of her many email addresses, he went ahead and opened the link within it, allowing her virus to wipe the hard drive completely.
"All right." Jack smiled and closed her laptop. "Good to go. And Nox was only mildly irritating." She sent a smirk in the direction of the window. He must have given her a stinging reply, for she gave an over exaggerated gasp and said, "How dare you make fun of my laugh!"
L closed his laptop, realizing he was going to have to install yet another operating system on it. "He doesn't like your laugh?" he asked as he shifted to get off the bed. Sitting so splayed out for so long made him feel tired. He only ever did that when he slept.
"He's trying to get on board with the whole 'your mom' jokes, except he's trying to use a different formula each time," Jack explained. She too was getting up from the bed. "His reply was: 'Not as annoying as your laugh.'" She stuck her tongue out toward the window.
"Well, if it's any consolation, I am quite fond of your laugh," L said.
Jack paused just as she was setting her laptop on the bedside table. She looked back at him, eyes narrowed and a smile tugging her lips.
"Why thank you, detective. If only I'd heard you laugh, I could say the same," she said. But there was something tinging her cheeks.
"Are you blushing?" L asked.
"What? Psh, me? Blush? Ha." Jack pointedly turned her back at that point. "Nothing fazes the great Cyber Detective."
"You are blushing."
"Am not—okay, fine, whatever, so what if I am?" She faced him again, looking exacerbated. "Not many people pay me compliments, I suppose I'm not used to it."
L stood fully, setting his own laptop on top of her dresser. He shoved his hands in his pockets as he faced her again. "Matsuda has complimented you."
"Matsuda compliments almost everyone." Jack waved him off.
L tilted his head. He wasn't sure what he was trying to do here. They'd completed what they came in here to do. He now had a lot of things to take into account- so many that it nearly made him want to shut himself away in a room by himself so he could sort through all of it. But at the same time, he found himself searching for information. Only problem was, he wasn't sure what he was trying to find information on.
"Blushing is typically caused by psychological reasons and is involuntary," L murmured. "It is usually caused by emotional stress, which is commonly in the areas of embarrassment, anger or frustration... or..." He kept his gaze steadily on hers. She seemed to be growing even darker in shade as he went on. Finally, without looking away, he said, "...romantic tension."
Now the blush reached the tips of her ears. She immediately looked away, letting out a strained laugh. "Well, you will also find that severe blushing can be a result of social anxiety. People who suffer from it can start blushing while put on the spot in social situations." Her green eyes fleetingly darted toward him again, then toward the window, and back to her feet. "Charles Darwin called it the most peculiar of all human expressions, after all."
There was a resounding thud in L's chest. She was so wild. So brave. So intelligent. So determined. There were so many things about her, even her flaws... that L found fascinating; so much so he could scarcely think of anything else at times.
Romantic tension...
There was a question tangled up within him, it had been for about two, maybe even three months now. It didn't have anything to do with Kira. And now he knew the answer to the question was standing before him, beat-red and glaring at her socked feet.
"We should get back to the others, yeah?" Jack suddenly said. "Figure out if the Chief got a hold of Light." She swallowed. L could see the bob in her delicate throat. "And for the record, I've seen you blush too." She cast a glance toward him before abruptly walking toward her bathroom. "I need to freshen up a bit. Go on, you can get some royal milk tea on for me. Call it penance for making me feel so..."
Jack didn't finish the sentence. Instead she shut the door behind her without looking back. L let out a long exhale and glanced toward the window, wondering if Nox was still here, or if he followed her. Somehow, thinking the Shinigami, god of death or not, prying on Jack in her bathroom made his fists ball up in his pockets.
L shook his head and turned toward the door. So. This wasn't something one would feel toward a friend. He wasn't wrong after all.
It still wasn't good.
Jack
"Gah! What the hell does he think he's trying to do?" I rasped as I gripped the edges of the sink.
"If you ask me, it was a really weird attempt at flirting," Nox said. He was sitting on the toilet. With his tall stature, his knees were nearly at his chin despite his feet being on the tiled floor.
"Don't say that, you'll make it worse!" I snapped at him.
Nox chuckled softly. "You humans fascinate me," he murmured. "But do you think it's a good idea to get involved with someone who can barely even express emotion?"
"Have you met me?" I faced him and placed a hand on my hip. "Me and people just don't get along. I have come to terms that humanity and I are never going to be compatible. And yet there's that jackass! Making me red in the face and throwing words around like romantic tension—who does he think he is?"
I turned to the mirror again, glaring at my face, my still-red cheeks. At least the color left my ears.
"So what exactly are you saying, Jack?" Nox grinned at me, shark teeth gleaming in the florescent lighting. "You and humanity don't get along, and that seems to be the same with L. So you're a match made in heaven?"
"Funny for you to talk about heaven," I muttered. I pushed away from the counter, letting a long breath out through my nose. "Look. Since you're stuck with me literally everywhere I go, and there's the whole fact that you can kill by writing someone's name down..." I turned to him again, narrowing my eyes. "You have to understand what I'm trying to do here. You've known all along. If I found out someone was using a Death Note for this kind of crap, I'd stop them. You agreed at least to letting me do that, with some rules... but..."
I shook my head and glared at the ground. There was so much happening inside me at that moment. The firestorm that rose when there was the talk of L dying was starting to spit and hiss again. But there was something else. Something softer than the harsh burn of flame. Like somewhere, deep in a corner of my chest, there was a little flower starting to bud. A rose beginning to show color through the green leaves encasing it.
"I shoved my brother out of my life because I wanted to keep him safe from this," I said. "I never let anyone close since you showed up. In some weird way, you're kind of my friend in all this. And L... even if I shoved him away, this is the shit he does for a living and no one is going to stop him. That's obvious. So... he's kind of like the one other human I can actually be around while doing all this shit."
I leaned against the wall and slid down to sit. I rested my arms on my knees shaking my head again.
"I don't know how I got here. But I have a Shinigami for a friend, and I... fuck it all, I like L." I stared up at the ceiling now. "Somehow, somewhere down the road, I fell for his stupid, quirky, pale ass." I fixated my gaze onto Nox's one visible eye. It was wide, shimmering ice-blue. "And I don't think I want to... to not try. It sounds horrible, doesn't it? We have so much other shit going on. And I'm a total mess to deal with as a person—that was true even before you came along. But for the first time in... over a decade... I want to invite someone into my life."
I suddenly got to my feet. Even standing and Nox sitting, I wasn't much taller than him, but I still tried to use the height to my advantage. To seem intimidating and strong. I glared down at him, keeping my chin high.
"Nox, I know this is a dangerous and stupid game I'm playing with you. I know you're a god of death, and I can't do shit to hurt you or anything else. But I will die before I let anything happen to L. And if that happens, you have to give him my Death Note."
Nox blinked. "You're serious?"
"Nox, please," I said. "We've been through a lot haven't we? And I know you say you won't help me. But you also told me you like me." I narrowed my eyes. "And I like you too. It's like I said, you've become my friend. Whether you see it that way or not, that's how I feel. So, just do one thing for me if this shit ends up killing me, and do that. Give it to him next. If anyone can figure out why Shinigami exist—if there is a reason—it's him."
Nox gripped his chin with a long-fingered hand. He observed me, a small smirk tugging his lips. "You really mean all of this."
"I do," I said firmly.
Nox let out a small breath of amusement, shaking his head. "You know what, Jack? If you can figure out who Kira is and you keep to our rules, then I'll do it."
A smile crept across my face. "You can make yourself tangible right?"
"Huh?" Nox tilted his head.
"Like when you pick up apples—you can become solid and interact with things in the world."
"Yeah, what about it?"
"Can you do it right now for me?"
Nox's eye squinted in suspicion.
"Why?'
"Just do it!"
Nox continued to glare at me.
"Are you doing—?" I began.
"Yes, I'm doing it, now get it over with," he spat.
I beamed and wrapped my arms around his narrow shoulders tightly. For a moment he didn't move. But then his long arms twined around my torso. I was fairly certain that they could wrap around me twice. He felt bony and malnourished. But there was also doubtless strength in his limbs. I wondered if Shinigami ever killed by more physical means.
"Thank you," I whispered to him.
"Don't make this weirder than it already is," he replied curtly.
I laughed and released him. Nox leaned back and looked me over.
"Your blush is gone," he noted.
I glanced toward the mirror to see he was right.
"Huh." I gave myself a sly wink and finger guns. "Guess I'm ready to get out on stage."
"How come you don't blush for me?" Nox asked as I headed for the door.
Casting a grin over my shoulder, I replied, "Weren't you the one who just said that Shinigami don't do sex?"
"Yet you still don't let me in the bathroom or see you naked."
"That's even weird when a dog or cat sees it." I walked out of the bathroom. "Come on then, and do try not to be too terribly distracting, will you?"
"If you insist," Nox sighed, following after me.
I headed out of my room to find that L was in the kitchen making tea and the officers were sitting around the coffee table in the living room. Matsuda was still smiling and they were all talking in hushed tones.
"Ah yes, make all your speculations, dear officers," I cooed to them. "But you will find that the most scandalous thing that happened in there was L sitting normally."
Matsuda laughed and rubbed the back of his neck. "What? We weren't saying that you two were doing anything untoward in there."
"Yet you have the need to use a word like 'untoward,'" I pointed out with a sly smirk. "You're not that hard to read, Matsuda."
Matsuda's face tinged red as his laugh became more nervous. "All right, sure, I thought maybe something might have happened."
"As much as anything could happen between the two of you." Aizawa's eyes flicked between L and me. "You two don't seem great with people."
"That's why it's perfect!" Matsuda said in a loud whisper.
"Well, our dating lives aside," L sighed as he poured some royal milk tea into some cups. "Light accepted our invitation. He's on his way."
"That's good," I said. But another part of me was slightly disappointed. I felt weird enough talking to L openly with Nox around. Now that Light was going to be present too... But what was I thinking? If I really wanted to pursue this with L, I had to at least wait until after this case. I had to get us both out of it alive. Then maybe... maybe I could consider...
L gathered the cups on a tray and took it over to the coffee table. It was a bit odd seeing him act the waiter. Usually Watari did the butler-like duties. I was going to miss the old man. I think he knew about my feelings toward L even before I did. The last thing he said to us before he left was, "Be sure to take care of each other."
I went over to the couch and plopped down beside L. "This is going to be eventful," I sighed as I snatched a cup of tea. "Best hype up on caffeine now, eh? What better way than with good ol' royal milk tea. Ah—Light's a synth, that's right, should we make him coffee?"
"What's a synth?" Matsuda asked.
"Does anyone play video games around here?" I groaned.
"I have a pot going now," L assured. "It should be ready by the time he gets here."
I nodded and sipped my cup. My feelings that there was a Second Kira were doubtless. It was like L had said, this new Kira had no style. So, if the real Kira was Light, I felt confident he didn't have the Shinigami eyes. But... if he somehow teamed up with the Second Kira... he might as well have them. I would be safe. But L... He would be vulnerable.
While we waited for Light to arrive, I scoured my brain for tactics to keep the detective safe. He could cover his face like I did when I went to Sakura TV. But that would make things a bit tricky if he was trying to be inconspicuous in public. A scarf might work, but it was April. The weather hardly called for-
Ah. Duh. What did the majority of Japanese citizens wear and no one batted an eye at?
"Ryu," I said suddenly. "I think if we have to leave the hotel again or are around anyone besides the task force, we need to wear those white masks." The ones that surgeons wore. Or, in this particular culture, wore to keep others from getting sick or to keep from getting sick themselves. "So many people wear them year round, it won't seem out of place."
"That's not a bad idea," Matsuda said, perking up. "We could all do that!"
"I'll bring some packets next time we come over," Aizawa said. "Good thinking, Nina."
I beamed at his praise. But what made me even more pleased was L nodding and the impressed gleam in his eyes.
"Indeed," he said. "And since we're 'dating' it won't be a stretch for both of us to be sick at the same time."
I laughed. "Too much snogging."
"Quite." L grinned toward me lightly.
Matsuda let out a small giggle at our exchange and turned red when I shot him a sharp look.
"For the record, you guys are making it too easy to mess with you about this," Aizawa pointed out.
There was a knock on the door.
I hopped to my feet, adjusting the winged headphones on my head. "Well, it's time to get serious, won't you all agree?" I smiled wickedly at the officers.
Yagami rubbed the back of his neck. "It's a little unsettling how enthusiastic you seem about this. This is my son you're going to be investigating."
"I like picking brains," I said as I strode toward the door. "Regardless of guilt. Just call me Hannibal Lector!" I gripped the handle and swung the door wide. "About time Ligh—"
I cut off.
For the person standing in the doorway was not Light Yagami.
It was my brother, Austin.