Guardian

"Sekimaru Crop's vice-president of Development, Roppei Tamiya, Aoi Industries' director of integrated systems, Kouji Aoi, and former Yotsuba vice-president, Takeyoshi Amoriya. These were all the leaders of important industries in the business world, until they all coincidently died of heart attacks…Light, are you following me?"
Light opened his eyes.

"…Um…," he stalled. L grit his teeth and held back a sigh.

"Grr."

L looked over to see Mika sitting on the couch next to him, imitating him by gritting her teeth and growling.

"I think Mika's part dog," Light smiled, picking up one of Mika's limp ears, "These things are so weird…do you think they're made out of fur, or something else?"

"Light, we have no time to worry about your obsessions," L droned, turning his coal black eyes to his laptop screen, "We have to work."

"We have to work," Mika repeated.

"I know," Light said, leaning over to gather a stack of papers on the coffee table in front of him, "But ever since you mentioned what happened last night, I've been wondering about her. I mean, face it, she is strange. She won't eat, she speaks Latin, and she has fur covered ears!"

"Ears!" Mika pointed to her ears.

"I realize that, Light," L said monotonously, "But right now, I would like to concentrate on the case." L clicked on something and brought up a page full of pictures.

"Hey," Light said, looking at the screen as he leaned over on the couch, "Are those the people you were just talking about?"

"Precisely," the detective nodded towards the teen, "All of them have died of heart attacks. What do you make of that?" Light narrowed his eyes.

"I'm guessing Kira's power has been handed to someone in the business industry," Light studied the pictures thoughtfully, "And they're probably using their power to get rid of competition."

"My thoughts exactly," L nodded, "We're getting somewhere with this."

Suddenly, Mika leaned forward so that she was wedged in between L and Light. She looked at the laptop with big eyes. Then, she pointed a finger to one of the pictures, saying, "Kouji…Aoi."

L and Light looked at her; speechless.

"H…How does she…know his name?" Light asked in disbelief.

L didn't know what to say. He couldn't imagine how Mika would know the name of the man. There was no name under the profile picture. He hadn't shown a picture of him before.

Could this be linked to the fact that she knew Matsuda's, Aizawa's, and Soichiro's name?

"…Mika," L said slowly, turning to face her.

"Yes?" Mika asked. L pointed to another picture.

"Do you know this man's name?" L asked. Mika looked at the picture, responding immediately, "Roppei Tamiya. That's what it says."

L blinked. "Where does it say that?" he asked quickly. Mika looked at the detective, before pointing to the picture on the screen.

"There," she said, "Roppei Tamiya. The name is written right there, but it doesn't have…um…the numbers…Mika cannot see the numbers…"

Light looked at L in disbelief.

"What the hell is she talking about?" he asked, "What numbers? And I don't see a name there."

"Light," L said quickly, his eyes still on Mika, "Do you remember when Mika said the names of Matsuda, Soichiro, and Aizawa?" Light thought for a minuet.

"Y…yeah," he nodded, "But…are you saying…she can read minds or something?" L said nothing at first, but leaned down slightly so that he was eye level with Mika. She blinked back at him.

"Ryuzaki smells like candy," she smiled.

"Mika," L said deliberately, his eyes boring with determination, "Are you—a human?"

"What!?" Light exclaimed, standing up off the couch, "Ryuzaki, what kind of question is that!?"
L didn't respond. He only stared back at Mika, waiting for an answer. The young girl looked at L somewhat worriedly, her eyes questioning. She cocked her head slightly, looking into the detective's eyes before saying, "No. Mika is not a human."

L stared off into space. He wasn't hungry. He wasn't tired. He wasn't bored. He wasn't even working. He was thinking.

Not a human…obviously, she's a human. I mean, besides the ears, she looks just like a young girl. She talks like one, she acts like one…she feels like one, doesn't she? I mean, obviously she reacts to things a little differently, but she's just a little naïve I suppose. But still…

The detective rubbed his chin in thought.

The poor girl probably doesn't know what she's saying. Mika wouldn't make something up. She has no reason to. Unless she was told by someone else to lie about such a ludicrous thing. I wonder where her parents are…or if she has any. From the look she gave me when I mentioned the orphanage…

L let out a deep sigh and hid his head in his hands.

Even if Mika doesn't act like a normal human, and doesn't really look like one either, she still has feelings. Even I can see that. But does she even know that she has these feelings? Is she aware of what she is, and where she's from?

"Ryuzaki?"

L felt a small hand tug on his sleeve. He quickly lifted his head and looked over to see Mika looking up at him hopefully with her blue eyes.

"Ryuzaki, you look sad," she frowned, her eyes glistening again, "Does Ryuzaki have a tummy ache?"

Ryuzaki blinked at the girl before saying tiredly, "No, Mika, everything is fine." He looked at the clock by the TV that flickered in the dim room.

"It's getting late," he muttered, "Shouldn't you be getting to bed?"

"Mika wants to be here," the silver-haired girl chirped, swinging her feet happily off the edge of the couch. L sighed slightly while opening his laptop.

"So be it," he said quietly, focusing on the glowing screen. It was quiet for a while as Mika's wide eyes watched the television screen. L didn't know why she was so fascinated with the TV. Surely she had one?

I wonder if Mika's from another country…or continent…or…planet. She's certainly odd enough to be from a different universe, that's for sure. Not eating? Seeing names? Animal-like ears? Not human? Just what on earth is she?

"Ryuzaki!"

L jumped slightly, grabbing onto his laptop so it wouldn't fall off the couch. He turned to glare at Mika.

"What is it?" he asked, somewhat irritated at the sudden disturbance. Mika stared up at him, now kneeling next to him and staring up at his eyes. Suddenly, she fell onto L's chest, resting the side of her face against him.

"Mika hears a thump-thump here," she said, indicating L's chest, "What's that? Did you eat a puppy?"

L breathed a sigh, looking down at Mika awkwardly as she pressed her pointed fur ear to his chest. He shifted slightly, trying to find the right words.

"Its—my heart," he explained, "A heart is an organ in the body that pumps blood."

"…H-heart?" Mika repeated, looking up at L.

"Yes," L confirmed, "Without it, the body is lifeless," he stuck a thumb in his mouth, "But I guess that goes for the brain as well. And the lungs. And the liver."

Mika cocked her head slightly, narrowing her eyes. L looked at her; confused.

"...Mika doesn't have a thumping in her chest," she suddenly said, cradling her hands to her chest. L watched as her eyes met his. She looked surprised; almost worried.

But L was far more concerned about what she said.

"Of course you do, Mika," he said dismissively, "Everybody has one. It's right here." He put his hand on Mika's chest, hoping to convince her of this silly mistake, but to his surprise, could not feel the reassuring pulsing beat that he expected. Instead, Mika looked down at his hand on her chest and said, "Hee hee. That tickles."

L's face flushed and he quickly pulled away, clearing his throat.

"Well—you're very small," he managed to get out, "I mean—you know, you're heart—you're heart it small. Maybe it's harder to hear yours. But don't worry; it's nothing to be afraid of." L turned back to his computer, his composure regained. He played it off as if not hearing someone's heart beat to the touch happened all the time, but he too was slightly unnerved. Mika was quiet for a while, looking down at the spot where L had touched, staring at it for a while. L was clacking away innocently on his laptop. A loud snore next to him reminded him that Light was still chained to him, sleeping next to him on the couch.

I nearly forgot about Light. Must he always sleep while I'm working? I'm actually pretty tired myself. Maybe I should take a break…

"Mika heard the television say that people love with their hearts."

L turned his head to the side to meet the eyes of Mika. She was still kneeling in front of L, her big eyes staring back at his.

"…Come again?" was all L could say.

"Television," Mika pointed to the TV, which was blinking with advertisements, not unlike the city surrounding their office building, "It said that people love with their hearts…,"

Damn those TV shows.

Mika looked at the ground, shifting slightly, "Mika doesn't have a heart—Mika can't hear it. Mika doesn't know what love is, but…if I don't have a heart…does that mean I can't love?"

L was truly at a loss of words for this question. L may be the world's top detective, but he openly admitted that he knew nothing about human emotions. He rarely experienced the roller-coaster of emotions that Light went through almost every day; how could he know anything about love?

It took a while for L to clear his throat and turn his eyes back to his screen, pretending to type.

"It's—hard to explain," he managed to get out, "Some people say that we love with our hearts. Personally, I think it's just a chemical in our DNA to drive us into finding a mate and reproducing," he looked over at Mika, who blinked at him innocently, "…But, that doesn't concern you," he finished light-heartedly, "All you need to know about love is that…," How could he explain this? "…Love is…when two people find special things about each other that they like…"

L didn't know if this was what love really was, but if Mika didn't know, then he didn't really have to explain it all that well.

"…Oh," was all Mika said. She resumed her quiet state again. L was about to happily return to his work when Mika said, "Is love when someone likes the other person very much?"

Didn't I explain it well enough?

"I…would say so," L nodded, quickly turning back to his laptop. Mika was silent again.

"Does Ryuzaki love someone?" she asked, cocking her head. L coughed inadvertently, causing Mika to jump, and kept his eyes on the screen.

Must she keep peppering me with these questions?

"…N-no…," L said hesitantly, "I can't say that I do."

Silence resumed.

"…Ryuzaki?"

"What is it this time?" L turned towards the girl, trying to control his voice. Usually it was Light who made him act this way, but at the moment, he was passed out next to the detective.

Mika blinked back at L innocently before saying softly, "Does Ryuzaki think Mika can find a special person that she likes very much?"

Ryuzaki hid a sigh in his hands as he closed his eyes.

Why does she have to ask such questions with those innocent blue eyes of hers?

"I-I really don't know, Mika," L muttered, staring at his laptop. Silence resumed again. Thankful, L returned to his work, tapping away at the keyboard. He expected Mika to ask another question, but he did not receive one. Finally, somewhat curious, he turned to look at Mika.

She was still in her kneeling position, facing him, only her eyes were on the floor. They were serene and somber; glistening. It could have been the reflection of the television that was still blinking in the somewhat dimmed room, but it made L's heart throb in a way.

That mournful look.

"…Mika…," L started, looking at her deeply now. Her eyes shot up to look at his, awaiting his words. L felt a pang of empathy when she hid her sorrow from him. He hated to see her sad, but he really didn't know how to respond to such questions. No one had ever asked him questions about love before, and for the first time in a long time, he felt vulnerable and afraid.

Of a little girl. A dog girl.

"…I…I didn't mean what I said," L said slowly, watching Mika's eyes lock into his inquisitively, "What I meant to say was…" The things I do to make children happy, "…You may not have a beating heart…but…love is something different. People find love in the strangest ways, I'm told, so I suppose anyone could find love. Including you."

Mika blinked. L blinked.

Did I say something wrong?

"…But I suppose you're much too young for that," L finished, giving the girl a pat on the head. He assumed he was finished, and, relieved, gladly turned to his work. He took Mika's blank expression as one of comprehension. He was about to nudge Light off of him and tell him to get to work, when he felt something soft press against his arm. Startled, he turned to the side to see the silver-haired girl nestling her face into his arms, her small hands gripping onto the shirt sleeve.

"Thank you, Ryuzaki," she said quietly, smiling up at him. L, obviously taken aback, stared down at her smiling face. Was she…blushing? L could tell, but she had the slightest pink tint around her nose. He felt himself squirm a bit as she nestled into his sleeve, but he couldn't deny that she looked awful cute.

She looked so happy, too.

"You're…welcome," L muttered, patting her head. But instead of going back to work and waking up Light, he stayed in that position, looking out through the window at the blinking city lights, Light dozing next to him and Mika cuddling into his arm, his hand on her head. The television had been turned off, and it was quiet, except for the soft breathing of Mika and Light. L felt calm; he hadn't felt that way in a while. He could feel Mika's warmth breath on his arm, the rise and fall of her chest. This feeling was new to him, but he liked it. He wanted it to stay.

"Don't worry, Mika," Ryuzaki whispered as the silver-haired girl drifted off to sleep, "You're not going anywhere. You don't have to worry about being abandoned again. You're going to stay right here with me."

He leaned back onto the couch and closed his eyes before saying, "I'll protect you from now on. I'll be you're Guardian. You're safe here, Mika, with me."

"Has she contacted you yet?" the woman turned to the creature next to her.

"Nope," he shrugged, holding onto his scythe tighter as the wind rushed past them, "Hasn't said a word. Either she's forgotten all about me, or…," he trailed off, looking into the distant skies.

"She could be in trouble," the woman whispered, her wind swept silver hair flowing across her face. The creature looked up at her with a different look. He knew she was worried.

"You know what to do," she turned to him, her eyes bold and narrowed. The creature sighed, putting the hood of his black cloak over his hears.

"Yes," he nodded, grinning with his long, pointed fangs, "Don't worry; I'll get her back."

In the middle of the night, L had fallen asleep, Light's head resting on his shoulder slightly. The two had fallen into a deep slumber, not to awake for a long time.

On the couch next to them, Mika was sitting upright. Her hands were cradled to her chest, her eyes closed. A soft white light illuminated her slightly. A faint smile was on her face.

"…Love…," she said quietly, holding her hands to her chest tighter, her soft smile remaining, "Someone special just for me…"

She opened her eyes and looked out at the city lights through the window. The faint light around her remained as she opened her milky white eyes before whispering,

"He's coming…"