Pushing yourself onto your elbows, you wondered why people were screaming when your legs had given out and you had fallen. Looking up, you saw everyone's fearful faces and felt surprised. 'What? Haven't these people ever seen someone trip before?'
Struggling back to your feet, you looked around in confusion at their shocked faces. "What? Give me a break, I'm exhausted! You can't expect me to indestructible," you grumbled, striding past a gaping Matsuda and Aizawa.
Reaching the van, you grinned first at stunned Light and then looked to an expressionless L. "Thanks, you know. I didn't think you'd come," you admitted, your voice showing your sincerity.
"Actually, I wasn't-" L began before being interrupted by a nervous laugh.
"Of course we came. As soon as we realised you were missing, we started searching right away," cut in Light, giving L a warning glance.
You noticed the look and pondered over it for a second, thinking back to what L had said before being interrupted. It clicked and you stared at L, anger pulsing from you. Noticing a sudden change in atmosphere, L looked back to you. "Yes, we searched through the surveillance tapes from the day you left," he explained, frowning at the look on your face, "Is something wrong?"
'So he didn't care after all, he had to be convinced to even check what had happened… it's the last time I mistake you for my friend, L.'
Your laugh sounded odd and warped to even your ears and you glared at L, "No. Everything is perfect."
Retrieving Yagami on the way, you sat in silence for the entire journey back to the hotel. Matsuda constantly chattered about how he had heroically outsmarted the strategist and escaped unharmed with his injured comrade. Aizawa had been sent to the hospital from his injury, and you were so lost in your thoughts that you didn't even mind his blatant twist in the details of the operation. 'So I'm finally free again…after a month of living in such a dark, silent room with only the occasional visits by the silver-haired man.'
You grinned suddenly, thinking back to before you had left. "No! I didn't do anything! I've been set up! You have to believe me!" he had screeched, struggling as the police shoved him into the back of the police van.
Leonard had walked behind him quietly, resigned to his fate. Montessa had acted nearly the same as her master, shrieking for her lawyer.
'Well I guess they got what they deserved…but who knows how long they'll be sentenced…they could be back into dealing within months. But…if they ever try anything again…I'll be waiting.'
"AHHIIRRUU-CCHHAANN!!" cried a voice as you stepped into the main headquarters.
You looked up in time to see a blonde ball of energy flying towards you. "Mi-sa?" you asked, before being tackled to the ground.
Gritting your teeth to withhold from crying out, you waited for her to release you. "Ahiru-chan! Misa hasn't seen you in so long! Where have you been? I've been stuck with all these grumpy old men!" she said, poking her tongue out at Yagami.
Matsuda pointed at himself, sweatdropping, "I'm not really that old, Misa-Misa."
The other investigators rolled their eyes and walked past Matsuda, into the main room. Misa eventually let go of you and ran to clutch onto Light. "Light-kun, Misa felt so alone with you gone. You shouldn't leave me all by myself," she crooned, playing with his hair.
Light glanced up from his seat in front of the computer, and said, "Please not now, Misa."
Moving into the main room, everyone turned and looked at you. You stared around nervously, wondering what they were looking at. "Ahiru-chan, it's good to have you back," nodded Yagami, his smile partly concealed by his moustache.
"Yes, it was dull without you here," Matsuda added, pulling you into a loose hug.
"I'm sure Aizawa-san feels the same way," L said, his eyes narrowed at the hug you were sharing with Matsuda.
'Oh, so Aizawa-san cares, but you don't? Way to completely hide your own feelings.'
"We're all glad you're back safely, Ahiru-chan," Light said, his eyes glued on the frowning L.
"Well, it's great to be back again. Now, if no one objects I'd like to retire to my room," you said, a massive smile brightening your face.
Everyone nodded and you turned and left the room. As soon as you passed the doorway, your smile turned into a deep frown. 'Why does Light-kun need to keep covering for him? Why does he need covering for at all? What happened to him whilst I've been away…?'
One week after you had been recovered, the investigators had retired for the night and L and Light were working on the main room. The usually comfortable silence seemed to press down upon the brown-haired genius. The normally placid Light turned to L; his face holding barely concealed irritation. "Why have you treated Ahiru-chan so poorly since she's returned?" he queried, preventing a frown from darkening his features.
"How do you mean?" L countered, not looking up at his companion.
"You've barely said a word to each other and when you need something from her, you get someone else to ask her for you. What happened that has made it this way?" Light said, disclosing his observations over the past few days.
L sighed, closing his eyes in surrender. Turning his tired blue eyes to meet the accusing brown ones to his right, he said, "I apologise but I do not feel comfortable discussing such personal information at this time."
"Will you ever feel comfortable, Ryuuzaki?" Light shot back, his eyes glinting.
Unable to take Light's intense glare, the detective looked down at his knees in contemplation. 'I wish I could tell you, Light-kun, but I don't even know myself…'
You walked into the main room, greeting everyone and nodding in L's direction. The look he gave you seemed to carry traces of sadness before he turned back to his computer. The hair at the back of your neck rose, and you looked over to see Light's contemplative eyes resting on you. Raising your eyebrows at him, you strode over to your workstation and sat down, picking up a screwdriver. You felt frustrated and it was showing through your work, nothing was cooperating with you. "Fine, dammit! Be like that! I'm going to my room!" you shouted, annoyed at everything around you.
Stalking out of the room, you left a confused silence in your wake. "What was that about?" Matsuda asked, his ignorance blatant.
Light exchanged glances with Aizawa and his father; silently asking which of them was going to go talk to you. Both Light and Aizawa nodded at Yagami seeing as he was the most logical choice with the circumstances (Well, Light's chained to L, and Aizawa got you know…shot). Yagami nodded in understanding, and quickly made his way to your room.
"What is so wrong with me? Why does it matter that I lost one of the only friends I have…no…he was never my friend from the beginning…he didn't care when I was kidnapped…so why should I care about him now?" you questioned, your thoughts running in circles.
A quick knock on your door surfaced you from your inner turmoil, and you called a soft, "Come in."
Yagami opened the door slowly, his expression betraying traces of concern. "Yes?" you asked, staring up at him from your bed.
"Are you feeling alright, Ahiru-chan?" he said, closing the door quietly behind him.
You nodded, "Not alright, but alive."
"I believe everyone's noticed," Yagami commented, smiling wryly at you from across the room.
Laughing bitterly, you looked over at him, finally letting all of your hurt show through your eyes. His mouth became a grim line and his brows furrowed. "You misunderstood," he said, looking directly at you.
"Misunderstood what?" you asked, feeling slightly apprehensive.
"Ryuuzaki…he tried harder than all of us to find you…"
Your eyes widened in confusion and you stammered, "But…he didn't say anything and then it sounded like he didn't care at all!"
Yagami frowned at this, equally confused by the situation. "I'm not sure why Ryuuzaki portrayed that as correct, but he was the one who was searching for you through the tapes, and then he was the one who organised the rescue and safely recovered you."
At this new information, you jumped to your feet. Your inner turmoil from before now nearly drowned you with its screaming. 'Why Ryu-kun! You made me hate you! Why didn't you tell me!'
"Please excuse me, Yagami-san," you said, calmly, walking slowly from the room.
He nodded at you, and as you left the room he smiled to himself.
"Ryuuzaki-san, I must speak with you," you said, your voice apathetic and dull.
He looked up from his computer, his face unreadable. Looking into his eyes, however, you saw something like confusion and possibly fearful anticipation, as though he was expecting something. "What is it, Ahiru-chan?" he asked, the tone of his voice matching yours.
"I request a session in private," you prompted, glancing pointedly at the other investigators.
He nodded slowly, almost hesitantly, and he stood up, pulling a bewildered Light by the chain connecting them. He walked past you into the hall, deciding the best place to talk away from prying eyes. Light's eyebrows rose, silently asking what the problem was. You replied by shaking your head slowly and following L down the hall. "In here," L gestured, opening a door. "Light-kun, please wait here. I shall be by the door and there is surveillance cameras operating so I can monitor your actions."
Light nodded in understanding, and you entered the room, apprehensively. L waited patiently by the door, seemingly unwilling to start the conversation. After an awkward silence, he began, "Is there something troubling you?"
Deciding that you no longer wanted to be alone with the detective with the heartbreakingly sad expression, you took it straight to the point, "You."
He looked partially surprised by your forwardness but recovered quickly. "What about me is troubling to you, Ahiru-chan?"
"Why did you make me think that you didn't care about my retrieval?" you said, barely managing to force the words out.
His gaze dropped and his body language looked ashamed. "I apologise. Emotions seemed to get the better of me and have done so since. I will try harder to cover them in future-"
"Emotions? Which?" you interrupted, feeling that he was trying to twist the issue away from what he was avoiding.
L looked up again, his eyes searching yours. "I…do not feel comfortable-"
You interrupted again, growing irritated by his manipulation of words. "If you can't tell me, you can't tell anyone."
His eyes turned cloudy, debating over whether to disclose such personal information. "Why did you greet Matsuda in such a way when we recovered you?" he finally asked, keeping his face impassive.
Confused by the question, you answered, "He was being loud and it was a dangerous position. I had to stop him from talking, and when we returned to the base, it is only natural to greet a friend in this way."
'Why did he ask me something like that…wait…is this what this is all about? Did he mistake it for something different?'
"Ryuuzaki-san! I am abhorred by your lack of expertise in handling this matter!" you burst out, causing Light to jump outside the door.
L's eyes widened before his shoulders slumped and he averted his eyes. "I…apologise again, Ahiru-chan. I have seemed to entirely misunderstand the situation. I understand if no longer wish to reside here…"
In a few quick steps, your arms were around him, holding him in a warm embrace. "Apology accepted…and I'm not planning on going anywhere just yet," you said, smiling into his shirt.
Unbeknownst to you, as L's arms reached up to pull you to himself, his expression of surprise turned into a small smile of joy.