For the next year I worked along side L as Altessa. I solved crimes in the shadows. I was never revealed to the public. Only the police knew of me and even then me and L were still considered as working alone.
One day me and L were sitting in his room discussing our last case when he brought up something I'd forgotten. "you never pull your gun on me. Looks like my deduction was right." he said. I vaguely remember the time I had the gun to his head.
"well, that's why you're one of the best detectives on the Earth." I said and smiled.
"actually, I'm the three best detectives in the world." he said from the computer chair. I smirked and walked behind him. Apparently he didn't realize that the way he sat made him susceptible to being pushed over. And so I when I got behind him I leaned over and whispered into his neck.
"cheater." was all I said and pushed him off. Surprisingly he toppled over. He rubbed his back where he had mainly fallen.
"that's not fair. Now who's the cheater?" he said. Though it was obvious he was amused. I pretended to look around the room for something. Then I gave a dramatic sigh and looked back at him.
"you still are." I said and a smirk crossed my lips.
"and how is that?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.
"because technically you only hold the number one spot. Since you're the same person. It's not fair to the rest of us who can only aspire for forth place. And no one recognizes forth place." I said and pouted. He had gotten up from his place on the floor and stood in front of me. He had his face fairly close but his eyes were still downcast. I knew he wasn't looking at anything particular. He was just thinking. About what, I had no idea. Then when I angled my head a little to try to study him more he closed the distance between our faces and kissed my lips lightly. I had been expecting something like that. I quickly deepened the kiss and he quickly parted. For some reason he thought this was wrong. For awhile it had been, I had been with matt. But matt started to ignore me as though I was one of his old video games he had beaten for the millionth time. So, without words we separated. I wanted to be with L now anyway. Out ages weren't that far apart. Of course in most places I was legal. I was 16 now. I could drive and soon I'd be kicked out of Wammy's House. Most of the kids came here early on and only a couple had left. Not many though. I was already overstaying my welcome since the rule was that you must leave at 15. But instead I had arrived. And ever since I started working with L, I didn't go to classes anymore. He taught me everything and more. The only language he didn't want to teach me was Japanese. Not that I cared only because I hated learning languages.
"we shouldn't do that. Quick kisses are fine. But nothing more." he said robotically. I didn't understand. Every language but his own he could speak fluently. Yet when he talked English it sounded like someone who had just learned the language. I let out an irritated sigh.
"why not?" I asked angrily. "you always do that! Every time I get a little closer to you I get pushed away! I'm sick and tired of it L. And you know damn well I am." I said. He tried to think of something to say, something to change the subject. I closed the space between us and kissed him hard. Though I didn't try to deepen the kiss in fear that he'd break it off again. I parted slowly when I saw that he didn't respond to my kiss. Tears slowly slid down my cheek, but I didn't cry. I don't cry. I stopped doing that along time ago. He took his thumb and wiped away the streams running down my cheeks.
"because I don't like people. And people tend to not like me. They think I'm strange. I think they're ignorant." he said and picked up a sugar cube and popped it in his mouth. It never ceased to amaze me how his room didn't attract ants. Then a picture of L being bombarded by ants formed in my mind. I giggled and he looked at me curiously. I then did something I wanted to do along time ago. I sat in his chair and lifted my legs onto the chair and put one hand on my knee and then took my other hand and put my thumb in the corner of my mouth. L looked at me even more amused then before. "may I ask what you're doing. And what it might accomplish?" he said.
"I'm copying you. And it will accomplish nothing except taking away my curiosity." I replied. The position actually felt quite comfortable. You could…almost…fall…asleep…
Then next thing I knew I was being lifted off the chair and onto the queen sized bed that was pushed in the far corner. It was quite comfortable though I knew it was never used. When he laid me down and kissed my forehead I lifted my arms and wrapped them around his waist. He froze. I could feel his entire body stiffen. I looked up at him innocently though innocence was not what was controlling my actions at the moment. "please?" I whispered. Before he could answer my lips had contacted with his. I knew he was a good kisser, he could tie a cherry stem in a knot using only his tongue. I brushed my tongue against his bottom lip. He denied me though and I forced his lips open and explored his mouth eagerly. I knew at that moment he was debating with himself, and the good part of him was losing. I slipped my hands up his old white t-shirt. He made no motion to stop me. He couldn't. the next thing I knew my own shirt was off. Then came pants and underwear. Since I'm sure you know what happens next I won't go in great detail. Some things are better left unsaid.
I woke up alone. I had fallen asleep afterward and he wasn't much of a sleeper so I was left to sleep alone. I had a pretty good idea he was freaking out right about now. We had gone all the way and usually he didn't even allow us to kiss. I got up and took a shower in the bathroom connected to his room. I was a little sore, but it wasn't that bad. I had gone through worse pain. I turned the shower on and stepped in, letting the water fall on my skin. I had a feeling the shower wasn't used a lot either. It wasn't my first time, that's all I'm saying. After my first time I felt violated, yet after what happened I didn't, I felt…whole almost. Like a part of me that was missing has been filled. I stepped out of the shower and dried off. Then I put in my color contacts, and put my clothes back on. I threw the wet towel in the laundry hamper that wasn't very full. I carefully walked out of L's room and went to the dining hall to get something to eat.
After I ate I went into my room and played some Halo. Finally when I got bored I felt like talking to L to see if there was a new case. I didn't want him to think I was clingy, but I was bored as hell. I went to his room and didn't find him. I looked everywhere he would be and couldn't find him. Finally I went to Roger's office. I slammed my hand down on the table. Roger looked up quickly and looked round nervously when he saw how pissed I was. "yes, ms. Estelle?" he said as coolly as he could.
"where is L? I wasn't informed of any new cases!" I said through bared teeth. I saw him swallow hard. "there's something you're not telling me Roger. And you might as well tell me because I WILL find out eventually. So this can either be easy and painless, or difficult and painful. You pick. It doesn't matter to me either way, I get the same result." I said smirking evilly.
"L, didn't want me to tell you, but he's gone to America. I don't know why, honest. That's all I know." I sneered and walked out. I hung onto the doorway a second longer and threw my head over my shoulder and grinned at the old man.
"thanks Roger. I'll keep Mello quiet for awhile as a reward. I could hear the man sigh in relief. I then later told Mello I'd give him a whole box of expensive German chocolate if he made sure he didn't give Roger any headaches for a few days. The boy naturally agreed. I then went back to my room and ordered a box of German chocolate imported from the heart of Germany. Of course I didn't have to pay much for it and it was of the best quality. This was because I had found one of the best chocolate makers in Germany's daughter, after she was kidnapped. I'd done it fast too, so he owed me a couple of favors. After that I hacked into L's personal database. He thought I couldn't get in it anymore because of the fact he put up more firewalls. It just took it longer. When I finally got in I found a file labeled 'America' and clicked on it. Inside I found a recent crime folder. When I read it I almost broke down crying. It was a report saying that several members within my gang turned on Boss and murdered him and Ma. They of course had become the new royals and led the gang to doing crimes that were visible. Instead of boss's way of keeping quiet and not attracting attention. Clearly these new rulers were idiots who wanted fame and attention. I cursed. The computer beeped and I quickly covered my tracks and backed out of the database before I was detected further. Even the best computer techs couldn't have traced me back. I made up my mind at that moment. I was going to L.A.
I had packed, said my goodbyes, and left for my flight. Now the only thing was to hook me up when I got to L.A. The plane I was taking was flown by an old friend of mine. An ex-gang member. Right now those were the only gang members I was seeking help from. I knew whoever was ruling the gang now had probably warned the others to not help anyone outside of your brothers or sisters. Of course everyone thought I was dead so I pretended to be a friend of Vatusia's . my hair had become medium length and auburn. I had red streaks in it and I had ice-blue contacts that looked almost white. I still had a hoodie, but it was flipped down. Then I wore some torn jeans, though I had ordered some new converse. These were lime green on the sides, with a purple tongue and black lace. I fell asleep on the plane the moment I got on. I slept for about half the flight. Then I woke up and played some PSP. I decided not to smoke, I didn't want to ruin such a nice plane with cigarette smoke.
We landed and I got all my stuff and got off, just nodding in the direction of the pilot and getting a thumbs up in return. I took out my laptop in the airport and quickly typed away. The current bosses were going to some concert type thing. L's men were likely to be there and L would be watching it go down somewhere close by. I took a deep breath and called the person, Jackie Reeves, and asked to be put on in the concert. I told her that it was a memorial to Vatusia and she quickly agreed. I'd sing one of my songs of course. I used to love singing but I haven't sung something in forever. I quickly went shopping and prepared an outfit for this night. I even hacked L's monitors so when I sang it would make sure he was watching.
Finally it was time to go on stage. I had on short black shorts with pant leggings that went down to me knee. Then I had a studded belt with a veil and a short black tang top and fishnet wrist warmers. Then of course I had my green tinted goggles around my neck. Then finally my converse and a black collar. When I stepped on stage everybody gasped. I stood there for awhile then spoke into the microphone. "this is dedicated to my friend who died last year. I'm sure you all know her, Vatusia. And this is her own song, called '1000 words'. I hope you enjoy!" I said and then the music started. I was nervous but I thought of L dropping his doughnut when he saw me on stage and instantly I felt better. I took another deep breath and started singing:
I
know that you're hiding things
Using gentle words to shelter me
Your words were like a dream
But dreams could never fool me
Not that easily
I acted so distant then
Didn't say
goodbye before you left
But I was listening
You'll fight your
battles far from me
Far too easily
"Save your tears
'cause I'll come back"
I could hear that you whispered as
you walked through that door
But still I swore to hide the pain
when I turn back the pages
Shouting might have been the answer
What if I'd cried my eyes out and begged you not to depart?
But
now I'm not afraid to say what's in my heart
Though a thousand
words
Have never been spoken
They'll fly to you
Crossing
over the time and distance holding you
Suspended on silver wings
And a thousand words
One thousand confessions
Will cradle
you
Making all of the pain you feel seem far away
They'll
hold you forever
The dream isn't over yet
Though I often say
I can't forget
I still relive that day
You've been there
with me all the way
I still hear you say
"Wait for me,
I'll write you letters"
I could see how you stammered with
your eyes to the floor
But still I swore to hide the doubt when I
turn back the pages
Anger might have been the answer
What if
I'd hung my head and said that I couldn't wait?
But now I'm
strong enough to know it's not too late
'Cause a thousand words
Call out through the ages
They'll fly to you
Even though
I can't see, I know they're reaching you
Suspended on silver
wings
Oh, a thousand words
One thousand embraces
Will
cradle you
Making all of your weary days seem far away
They'll
hold you forever
Oh, a thousand words
Have never been spoken
They'll fly to you
They'll carry you home and back into my
arms
Suspended on silver wings ohhhh
And a thousand words
Call out through the ages
They'll cradle you
Turning all
of the lonely years to only days
They'll hold you forever
Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh
A Thousand Words
After I finished there was applause and a lot of people were crying. I bowed and started walking off stage. A small price to pay for getting to see ma and boss's killers kidnapped. All of a sudden a gun was pulled and fired. I jumped when I saw it was aimed at me. I hit me in the leg and I tumbled. Blood ran down my leg and I quickly pulled out a knife and rushed at the killers. I pinned one of them and held the knife to their neck. Quickly police officers came out of the crowd and captured the other one of them men. Then one came up to me and gave me some handcuffs. I put them on the struggling man underneath me. I got up and stood on my uninjured leg. All of a sudden I heard yelling and listened. It was coming from the men. "VATUSIA IS ALIVE. ALTESSA IS ALIVE. THAT'S HER!! SHE'S NOT REALLY DEAD. OUR PRINCESS HAVE RETURNED!!" then I noticed they both had Spanish accents. I looked closely and realize who the two men were. I stumbled back and almost fell. It was Mario and his brother Jose`. I shook my head in disbelief. Then I realized that I was in danger. I quickly regained my balance and ran. I didn't know where I was running to, but it was out of this place. Instantly I regretted coming. I ran and ran and ran.
Finally I rested. There was a small park that I walked to and sat down on a bench. Blood was dried all down my leg and the throbbing pain had numbed into a slight tingle. I sighed and took out a knife. Then I limped to the middle of the park and lifted my leg on the fountain. Then I ripped my belt veil and bit down on it. After that I took the knife and sterilized it. Then I carved into my leg. I got the bullet out as quickly as I could. Then I wrapped it with another piece of the veil. The wound wasn't bleeding that bad so I tossed the bullet and limped back to the bench. I didn't want to call L. That was the last thing I wanted to do. So I looked around. My hotel wasn't but a block from here. I sighed and got up. It was too dangerous to sleep here. I limped to the hotel and went up. I felt for the hotel key in my pocket and then went in. I went into my room and noticed all my stuff was gone. I sighed once again and lied down on the bed. I couldn't sleep yet though. I went to the bathroom and got out the first aid kit. Then I properly cleaned and dressed my wound. After that I laid on the top of the bed and slept.
A man in a black suit was prodding me awake. "ms. Estelle? You need to wake up. I've checked you out of the hotel and the room service needs to clean. I found bloodied cloth in the bathroom so I assume you're wounded. Ms. Estelle ple-"
"WOULD YOU SHUT UP ALREADY!!!! I'M GETTING UP OKAY?" I yelled after I got irritated. I got up slowly and yawned. Then I walked out since nothing important was there. My knife was quietly resting in my converse. There was one thing though. I got my ipod out of my pocked and put my earphones in. I had to admit I looked badass. Especially since the dark circles under my eyes had deepened and the bags started sagging like an old women. I walked out of the hotel and into the limo outside. If it wasn't meant for me I'd just jack it. I didn't feel like getting out. Of course it was for me. The agent got in the passenger's seat up front and there was silence except for the static coming out from me blowing my ears out.
We finally arrived at a building. It was pretty big, and automatically I guessed it was police headquarters. Though I had been living in England for the past year, I hadn't obtained a British accent. I walked out defiantly. Though it was hard not to limp because getting up fast this morning had caused it to open again. The entire bandage was stained red. And me being anemic didn't help matters much. Even though I still walked in. the FBI agent had caught up with me and led me into a room with huge monitors. I recognized the familiar pointy head sticking up from the swivel chair. I looked up at what he was watching. It just so happened to be my performance from last night. I scoffed and pulled out a cigarette, from one of my handy-dandy sneakers and lit it on a candle nearby. "it's good to see you again Willow. But may I ask what you're doing in L.A.? throwing yourself in harms way, almost getting recognized in front of your entire gang, and getting shot? I fail to see the point or you escapade." I pouted. He had said it in his usual robotic voice, but it sounded even more empty. Almost like he felt he was wasting his words. Then what he said next partly shocked and hurt me, "oh well, I guess I shouldn't blame you. After all, you're just a teenager." just a teenager? Is that what he thinks of me? Young and innocent? I seethed with anger.
"you're a fine one to talk, Ryuuzaki!" I said, it was alias he was using at the moment. "you always act like a child. So I guess you're the young one. All you do is hide. If something happens that you didn't calculate, you hide. Then you pretend it never happened and hide yourself in your sweets. I hope you're happy. Because this teenager is forgetting about you forever!" I said. I should have stomped out of the room, or ran, or at least limped. But something held me back. Instead I just stood there. Looking like an idiot. Tears ran down my face, but I still wasn't crying.
"all of you are excused." L told the agents. They looked confused. Of course L didn't show his face. The FBI agents that worked for L privately would all swear they'd never seen his face. And they didn't. L didn't turn around in his chair until they left. Even when he was in the room it was equivalent to talking to a computer screen. He faced me and got up. Then he walked over and held me. It was awkward since he wasn't used to human contact. I pushed him away and shook my head violently. Then I took a few steps back. Then I collapsed onto the floor. The words, "just a teenager," hissed in my brain over and over again. He sat next to me in that weird way of his. "you remember when I told you there was a 0% chance of me falling in love with you?" he asked me. I looked at him disbelieving. Was he trying to make me feel worse?
"yeah…" I replied weakly.
"do you know why I said that?" he asked. I shook my head no, rather than answering and admitting my biggest fear: that the love was one-sided. "well, the reason for there being a 0% chance of me ever falling in love with you was because I had already fallen in love with you." I look up and gaped at him. Then I smiled and tackled him. "tomorrow we're leaving for Wammy's House, you're coming right?" he asked, studying me. I nodded yes and stole some of his sugar cubes. "hey! I was going to eat those." he said sadly. I laughed and pranced round the room. He sighed and shrugged and from out of nowhere pulled out another bowl, full with more sugar cubes.
"no fair!" I said and pouted. He gave me a smirk and I threw a sugar cube at him. Unfortunately for me, he caught it in his mouth.
"do you plan on wasting them by throwing them at me?" he asked.
"what are you getting me for Christmas?" I asked changing the subject. He looked like he was deep in thought for awhile.
"nothing." he said. I gaped at him. He looked at me confused. "what?" he asked. "you've never asked me for something for Christmas. And since technically you're not a Wammy's child anymore, I'm not required to get you anything. And it's several months away, why ask now?" he said. I didn't answer him because I was too busy sulking. I heard him sigh and go back to his work. "what would you like?" I giggled and tried to think of something. Then I went up behind him and threw my arms around him.
"you." I whispered to him.
The next day we left for England. I slept most of the way, but the dark circles under my eyes only deepened. I wondered if L had rubbed off on me, since the ones under his eyes were darker than if someone had used eyeliner and put them there purposely. I glared at him most of the way because he ignored me the whole morning. Of course he was too busy sifting through files and drinking tea to notice. I swear, if he found out the world ended he'd sit there and drink tea spiked high with sugar cubes. When we landed he immediately put away the files. Then Watari came in. "here you go, and ms. Estelle, would you like some coffee? It doesn't have as much sugar as L's, but I put some extra alcohol to make up for the lack of sugar." my eyes widened and I eagerly grabbed the cup. I thanked Watari and exited the plane. The kids were all in bed, or supposed to be anyway. So we arrived quietly and went to bed, well I did anyway.
In the morning something wet and sticky coated my legs. I lifted the sheets and cursed to myself. I had forgotten about my wound opening again and the bandage had ripped off when I was sleeping and I had bled a lot. I got up slowly, but even then I got light headed and had to keel over. When my vision finally stopped spinning I got up and pulled the sheets off before the blood could seep in any more. Unfortunately the main damage had been done and my bed ruined. I swore some more and decided to wash the blood off . So I took a shower, the water stung my leg and I knew I'd have a permanent scar. After I got dressed I rolled the legs of my pants up. Then I limped to the nurses office. Then I made the conclusion that today was not my day. When I got to the nurse, she was gone. In her place, my beloved L sat in his weird way, sucking on a lollipop. I looked away in embarrassment when he saw me with my wound. I couldn't tell if he was confused, or amused at the idea of bloodying my bed to a point of no return. "what?!" I yelled when I finally got tired of him staring at me and my leg.
"you're wounded pretty badly. It was from when you got shot on stage. I was wondering when you'd seek medical attention. If you would've done this sooner you wouldn't have had to waste a mattress." he said robotically as though he was solving a case and not pointing out the obvious and embarrassing me further.
"whatever, now can I just get this bandaged and go on with my life?" I asked annoyed.
"no. for one you need a doctor, not a nurse, and you'll need stitches. A bandage cant fix that alone." he said and took out his cell phone and made a call. I wasn't paying attention so I didn't know who he called. Several minutes passed and an old man with a thick mustache dressed in a white coat and brown pants walked in. "Willow, this is Dr. Williams." I nodded at the man and went back to trying to ignore the painful throbbing in my leg. The doctor told me to lay on the bed and I complied because I knew L would say something about me being stubborn later if I didn't. the man took out Q-tip and put some type of gel on the end. Then he put it on the wound and rubbed it in. it stung like hell, but I made no attempt to show that it hurt. In a few minutes the pain had subsided and the wound was numb. I looked at the doctor unbelieving. Then he took out a needle and thread. I grabbed L's hand and he stared at my hand holding his and gave me a look that said, "let go. You're scaring me." then the needle pierced my skin and the doctor sewed the wound. I was pretty sure he'd have to fix L's hand because I was pretty sure I had broken it from squeezing it so hard. After the whole ordeal was over I glared at L so hard that if looks could kill, he'd be dead, chopped up in tiny bits, and fed to man-eating penguins. He ignored my looks and continued sucking on his third lollipop.
A month had passed and it was finally fall. to celebrate I decided to take the other kids on a picnic. Some of them who could cook helped me prepare everything. Then me, and my favorite child, Rini, a young girl of 6 who had a bright smile and pigtails, helped me make all kinds of sweets. I didn't have the heart to tell them that he might not want to come with us. There was probably a 5% chance he'd say yes. But I tried anyhow. So the night before the picnic I went in his room. I had been sleeping there since I had yet to get a new mattress. L and I would do it sometimes, but it was the rare occasions when I would beg for days and he'd finally give in. he still wasn't keen on the idea. So tonight I went behind like I'd usually do when I wanted something and started to rub his shoulders. He still tensed up from human contact, but it wasn't as bad. "what is it? What do you want now? I'm not in the mood right now if that's what you want." he said annoyed. He was working on some murder case and was deeply into his work. I had just solved some major case in Russia and wouldn't take another case till next week.
"that's not it. Why would you think that?" I asked pouting.
"because it's always what you're looking for. My hormones have been dormant for so long that I no longer feel the need. You on the other hand are always active. And to think, you're only 16." I scoffed when he said the last part. But he was right, and it ticked me off.
"well, it's not this time." I said defiantly. He looked up from his work and raised an eyebrow at me. "I've decided to take all the kids on a picnic tomorrow. And we were hoping you'd come with us. We're just going to the top of this hill. It has an excellent view and there's the giant weeping willow for shade." I said. "so can you come?" I asked hopeful.
"no. I have much work to do as L and I can't take time off, even if it is one day. In one day innocents can be killed and mad serial killers set loose." he replied. I was seething with anger.
"how can you say that? It was you who said yourself that this was just a hobby. If that's all it is then you can take one day off. You said yourself this has nothing to do with justice. Look, these kids are aspiring to be you L. Not anyone else but you. So tomorrow they're idol is going to let them down. I guess you'll just say that it's teaching them the stresses of being L. The sacrifices, am I right?" I yelled. He wouldn't look at me. After awhile he didn't respond and I gave up and went to bed. I said nothing to him and when I got up he hadn't moved. I got a shower and got dressed. Then I went downstairs and called all the children. I saw all their faces and I couldn't stand to tell them L wasn't coming. Though I knew in my heart I didn't need to. They read it on me and I could see their faces fall. I tried to optimistic but it was harder than I thought.
"willow, is L coming?" Rini asked me. I looked at her and saw that she was close to crying.
"he might be a little late. He had a case last night and was finishing it up this morning." I said and smiled at her. I saw the older kids sneering, and then I saw Matt and Mello walk in. matt was engrossed in a video game and Mello was crunching on chocolate. I knew that they knew what L's answer was. I looked at them sadly and they sneered with the others as well. I led the kids out, and just saw, out of the corner of my eye, L sitting on the stairs. I was confused but I let it pass and led the kids to the hill. We set up the food and started to eat. Then Rini got excited and got up and ran. I looked up surprised and saw to where she was running. There was a figure approaching in the distance. I could tell by the slouched position who it was. I grinned and the other kids looked at him disbelieving as though they were looking at a mirage. Then they got up and ran to greet him. The only ones that didn't was me, Matt, and Mello. I was sure that Mello hadn't gone because he was trying to seem more mature and I knew Matt hadn't gone because of his hate of L. and I hadn't gone because I knew I would've looked like an idiot, and because I was still pissed at him. He approached with the children hanging on his clothes. It was obvious from a mile away that he was uncomfortable.
"Willow! He came! Just like you said. I knew the others said he wasn't but he did!" an excited Rini said. The older kids looked at their feet sheepishly. I saw L inspect the food and see right away that there were no sweets and frown. Then I sighed and pulled out the basket that had the L insignia on the cloth. I handed it to him and he looked surprised. He opened the basket and his face deepened in confusion. Of course, this didn't stop him from sitting in his unusual way and taking out sweet, by sweet and eating them. The other kids were nervous because he was there, but Rini was to excited to feel nervous. "Mr. L! do you like the sweets? Me and Willow made them. She said that we should make something special for you!" she said happily.
"thank you. These are very good. And please don't call me Mr. L, it makes me feel old." he said happily in paradise because of his entire basket of sweet, sugary delights. When the kids finished they went off to play. They were playing soccer, and because Mello always loved a competition he joined them. Meanwhile Matt sat with his back to the tree paying full attention to his PSP. I walked over to him and sat down.
"Matt." I said as sweetly as I could. He ignored me and went back to his game. I decided to surprise him and leaned over him and kissed him on the cheek. He turned bright red and tried to hide himself deeper into his vest.
"what was that for?" he asked.
"for keeping Mello quiet. And for some other things. Like always being there for me." I said. He blushed more and I hugged him quickly and got up. "so where's Near?" I asked looking around.
"in his room, like always." he said. I looked at him concerned. I knew Mello hated Near, but the way Matt said it, it sounded like he hated he kid too. I looked at him a little longer and then thought of an idea. Then I ran back to the orphanage. I ran up the stairs to Near's room and he looked at me fearfully when he saw the gleam in my eye. I then got him out of his normal silk pjs and into some jeans and a jacket. Then I grabbed a white hat and put it on him. Then I grabbed his hand and made him come with me out to the hill. The other kids gasped when they saw the antisocial albino child grasping on to my pant leg. L looked up and his eyes widened. Even he knew of Near's antisocial behaviors and dislike of the outside. But I knew he was #1 in line of becoming L. And I was determined to make sure he didn't end up like my own super antisocial lover. He was still small so I picked him up and sat him on my lap when I sat down next to L. I hugged him and I could see him reacting like a cat who was dropped in water. He was desperate to escape my grasp that I had on him. I was determined to make him somewhat social.
"near don't be like that. You don't want to end up like L, right?" I knew it was the wrong thing to say since every kid in the orphanage wanted to be like L. But I was merely pointing out that he shouldn't have to have the same flaws as the great detective. But I think the kid understood what I meant because he instantly went limp and looked up at me. He was so cute I was thinking of letting him go but I got rid of the thought because Rini came up to me and looked questioningly at Near. He was old enough to be able to talk, but he didn't want to.
"hello Near. It's nice to see you outside of your room or the playroom." Rini said beaming. I nudged the boy when he wouldn't say anything.
"hi…" was all I got him to say, but it was a start. Rini brought something from behind her back. It was a puzzle. It was similar to the one Near had with the L insignia, but this one was white and had an old English N in the top corner. Only it was on the opposite corner that the L was on in his other puzzle. He looked shocked when she gave it to him.
"I got Roger to order one. It's the only one in the world. And I thought you might like it. It's bigger than the L one. And I got them to make the dimensions of the N slightly smaller so there were more blank pieces." Rini said nervously.
"thank you very much. This is one of the nicest things someone has ever given me. But you act like I'm going to be the one succeeding L. How do you know you won't be the one?" he asked looking at her curiously. This had been a big jump forward compared to before. L was looking at the two children intently.
"because you're much smarter silly. And I don't want to succeed L. I want to be like Willow. She works in the shadows and doesn't need to live up to anything. Plus, I can't work in timed situations. I get nervous and my mind goes blank." Rini said nervously. I had known this about her but she never seemed to let it bother her.
"oh, well I would love to work with you. It would be interesting. You have certain characteristics such as a good deduction of things. You realized I got annoyed because of the fact that the L puzzle was small and the L was too big. That was good. None of the other kids would've noticed that." near said, he was twirling a piece of his hair between his fingers. Rini was blushing and bowed. I looked at her confused. I knew she was Japanese and was trained in Japanese etiquette, but near was American and would think nothing of the gesture. L was still watching intently. Then he spoke up.
"Near, that was bright of you to do that." he said when Rini left. "it proves you have good deduction skills yourself if you realized that the other kids wouldn't have noticed the detail that she did." he said. Near just nodded and dumped the pieces out. Then, one by one he put the pieces back in. only, unlike his L puzzle, in which he started with the L, he saved the corner with the N for last. I smiled looking at the sight before, me. It was one of the happiest things I've seen. That night L looked at me and smirked.
"what?" I asked looking confused.
"you've changed so much. It used to be, if anyone got near you, you pulled a gun on them and screamed obscenities. Now you're playing with little kids and acting like their mother." he said. I blushed and turned my head away. Then he climbed on bed and relaxed. I raised an eyebrow at him and he smirked again. Then he went up to me and stopped me from putting my usual black tang top on that I slept in. "I think I'm in the mood tonight." he whispered.
After September came October and therefore came Halloween. It wasn't really celebrated in Wammy's House, but I was determined to make it this year. I made sure each child had a costume and then I bought at least 10 tons of candy and sweets. I convinced Wammy to let me celebrate this holiday because I told him it was to test their deduction skills, yet still have them enjoy themselves. Each child woke up to list that told them to come to the dining hall. They had no clue. Everybody came dressed in their costumes. "okay, children. I have decided to make Halloween a little difficult this year. You each have your own personalized list. Now that is a list of clues. You must solve every clue and that will give you a set of coordinates in the end. Those coordinates will be shown on the map on the back. You will go to that place and therefore find your candy. Those who cheat and try to steal others lists, will have no candy this year. Do you understand?" I asked eyeing Mello especially. "this is not a competition. The only reward will be your own candy and it will be for succeeding in solving the clues. Now go and have a happy Halloween!" I said. All of the kids quickly hurried off in search of the candy. I sighed and went to find L. he insisted on working today so he was in need of dire punishment. I walked in his room and threw a wad of paper at his head. He took the paper and opened it.
"what is this?" he asked scanning over the paper.
"It's a set of clues. It leads to your Halloween candy. If you don't find it by noon it's free for all and I will split it up between the kids." I said. His eyes widened. And he got up. Then he left the room in search of his sweets. I had a big grin on my face and decided to indulge on some baked chow mien noodles that I stole from on of the kitchen cabinets. I waited and 15 minutes later a very annoyed looking L showed up with a basket of candy.
"I hate you." he said and got out some sugar cubes.
"I know." I said. I had also forced him to look for the candy by hiding all his other sugar. I got out a soda and happily drank it. I would admit that I'm not addicted to alcohol, it was true, I could just stop drinking it, but if you told me to quit soda I'd be worse than a drug addict. Caffeine drove me and my entire body. Without it, I'd be a lifeless husk of a person. I also get very irritable and will shoot anyone in my way. I downed at least 2 soda cans and was starting on my third when I heard commotion in the dining hall. I looked in and saw every single child with a bag of candy. I counted twice to see if I missed anyone but they had all found their candy in thirty minutes. Everyone was enjoying their holiday treat. I smiled and L came up behind me and saw what I was looking at.
"hmm…they are very bright. It was what, thirty minutes to solve 50 clues?" I had given L 100 clues, but I gave all the other children 50. "so what do you plan to do for Christmas?" L asked and lightly kissed me.
"I was thinking of asking Santa Claus to send evil reindeer to attack you and steal your sugar." I said and smiled as sweetly as I could. He mocked me and I lightly elbowed him.
When Christmas finally arrived the kids were more excited than they were when Halloween came. We had a giant Christmas tree and there were presents of all kind stacked under the tree. Each child would receive 4 presents. 1 from me, 1 from L, 1 from Roger, and 1 from Wammy. It was Christmas eve and I was pretty sure not one kid could go to sleep. Not even I, who was hyped up on caffeine could fall asleep. I pouted at L from the bed. He wasn't going to work on Christmas. He had promised me he wouldn't. "L!" I moaned from the bed.
"what?" he asked.
"can we do it? Please? I need something to take the edge off." I could see I used the wrong choice of words. I was beginning to think that he thought I was only using him. "come on!" I whined.
"no. I'm trying to solve this so I can be free tomorrow. Do it yourself." he said. I pouted. I wasn't doing that when I had a perfectly good man in front of me. A little lazy, but I could live with it.
"you're horrible to me. You know that? Any other guy would be on the bed already. And there you are like a workaholic. I thought you solved that case." I said.
"I thought so too. Unfortunately something was overlooked." he said.
"what, that his wife was a prostitute?" I said. He looked at me bewildered. I sighed and threw a file at him. Inside was a list of all her clients. "Jacob Mile. He was one of her best customers. Apparently he found out she was married and killed her in rage." I said and yawned. "then, he noticed he felt better when he stabbed her. He went mad and killed several other prostitutes and his boss. Ta-da." L looked at me disbelieving. I had already solved the case. I didn't want to hurt his pride and ego so I kept quiet. But when he denied sleeping with me I just told him. He called his client and told them. Then he hung up and turned around in his chair.
"I guess I owe you know." he said. I looked at him irritated.
"ya think?" I said and kissed him.
The next morning I made sure to get up and get dressed earlier than usual. I didn't want anyone busting the lock and coming upon me nude. I stretched and towel dried my hair. I had stopped changing my hair color, but I couldn't resist dying it red and green for the occasion. I went down the stairs. L accompanied me. Downstairs the children were eagerly. Waiting in the dining hall. I walked in and stood at the end of the table. They each had already had breakfast. I smiled at all of them. "MERRY CHRISTMAS!" I said and they each heard the queue and rushed to the tree. I heard the ripping of paper and the oohs and ahhs. I knew everyone would get what they wanted and everyone got a happy Christmas. Rini came up to me and gave me hug. I had given her a stuffed bunny that I could call her on and she could call me. I had given Mello a new rosary cross and Matt a new video game system that I had modified to play everything from DVD's to CD's to video games. I saw him smile at me from the room. I returned his smile. After everyone had unwrapped their presents they all became still. Rini walked up to me with a gift behind her back. I looked at her puzzled. She gave it to me sheepishly. I unwrapped it carefully and gasped. It was necklace with Wammy's House, in old English letters. It was black and the letters were carefully crafted ruby. I started to smile and I couldn't stop.
"it's from all of us kids. We each used money from our accounts. It's so you never forget us." Rini said. I motioned for them to come by me and they all ran. I hugged them all and thanked them. The kids also gave Wammy a beautiful watch and L a giant cake and a blanket that they all signed. The rest of the day we had fun and it was one of the most memorable Christmases I've had. L gave me a picture of ma and boss and me that he's found after looking along time. I gave him a pair of new sneakers that looked old since his were a bit too small. It was the best Christmas I've had, and the last happy moment I had.
The next year had started rough. A new killer was on the loose. And L was interested in the case. They called him Kira. It had been a month and Kira had killed over 1,000 people. It was the way he killed that scared me. L had discovered that all he needs is a name and a face. L told me I could participate in the case if I stayed at Wammy's. I had complied but I got more nervous each day. Finally L broke apart from me completely. He told me that he didn't want me working on it anymore. I was confused and I hacked his database several times. Then he changed everything I was unable to get in. which meant this case was serious. I was terrified. And the idea crossed my mind, I knew that L might not make it to see the end of this case. L had flown to Japan and was now working with a small police task force led by Soichiro Yagami. I had been attending collage when I decided to go to Japan as well.