Here's chapter 4! As always, thank you those who have reviewed, and thank you any silent readers who are enjoying the story so far! Enjoy!
Several figures gathered around a small computer screen in the main room of the Task Force Headquarters. The third generation L, also known as Near, crouched in a black office chair in front of the screen. He twirled a lock of his white hair in his fingers, carefully examining the findings on the screen. The figures were the combined members of the SPK and the Task Force, who decided to join forces after Light went missing.
"What do you think, Near?" Anthony Rester, the second in command of the SPK, asked after a few moments of silence.
"Well, we haven't found a lot of evidence yet," Near started, grabbing his Kira figure and putting it in front of him. "But I think we can all come to the conclusion that Light Yagami is alive, since no body has been uncovered. Therefore, since we found that he hasn't been to a hospital, someone who has, or knows someone who has the ability to treat his wounds must have found him."
Matsuda frowned. "But that could be anyone! How do we narrow down who it could be?"
"We can't," Near replied simply, his eyes not leaving the figure in front of him. "But what we can do is label Light as a missing person."
"Report him missing…?" Matsuda asked, confused.
"Yes. We won't mention that Light Yagami is Kira, but instead offer a large sum of money for someone who can find missing Light for his concerned 'family'. We include a photo of him, his age and descriptions regarding his appearance."
"Oh, I see! And then whoever has him will turn him in for the award!" Matsuda exclaimed, his face beaming with excitement at the plan.
"Good work, Near," Anthony said, nodding his head in approval. "This just might work."
"Thank you," Near replied in his usual monotone and began to stack a pile of dice that sat by the Kira figure. "And if no one turns him in, we can either assume Light is no longer hiding, or he is with someone who knows he's Kira and is trying to protect him."
"But who would do that? We've already checked his home, Kiyomi Takada is dead, and Misa Amane was brought into custody the day after Light went missing. He doesn't have any other accomplices." Matsuda protested.
"If we don't get a reply from someone regarding Light Yagami within two weeks, we will assume he has escaped or is with someone who is trying to protect him," Near repeated. "I'm not saying we know who it is, but it narrows it down."
The white-haired boy spun his office chair around, facing the group of people surrounding him. "Aizawa, Matsuda, and Mogi. Since you three have been around Light longer than the SPK members and I, I would like you to make his profile. Please include as much detail as possible, but don't mention anything about him being Kira. Also, make the money offer something extremely high, something you wouldn't refuse."
The task force nodded in unison before stalking off together to begin working.
"Stephen, I want you to investigate the people Light Yagami is closest to," Near ordered, his gaze moving to the dark-haired man. "Come up with a list of possible suspects that Light might have turned to."
Stephen gave a curt nod, before walking over to a computer.
Near began twirling his hair again, his wide eyes falling to the floor. Light Yagami… Or Kira, considering that name fits you best. You may have thought you have won the game, but I promise with the combined members of the SPK and the task force, you don't stand a chance.
-Two days later-
"Ryuzaki, something has come up regarding Light. Turn the TV on channel 12." Watari's voice sounded somewhat urgent as it came through the laptop.
Light sat up quickly at hearing Watari's voice, reaching for the remote quickly to turn on the TV.
"Okay, Watari, we'll do so right away." L replied, focusing his gaze on the TV in front of him.
Light turned to channel 12, which was showing the evening news. The news… L thought, placing a finger in between his lips. Could this be the new Kira?
"23 year-old Light Yagami has been reported missing by the Japanese police," an anchorwoman reported. L's eyes widened slightly and he heard a noise of surprise escape from Light's lips. A picture of Light appeared on the TV screen as the anchorwoman continued. "Yagami is a young male with light brown hair and eyes. He has a tan complexion and stands around 5'8'' tall. He was last seen January 28th working alongside several detectives in the Kira investigation. Yagami's concerned family has put up a 5,000,000 dollar reward for anyone who knows of his current location. If you have any idea on the whereabouts of Light Yagami, please contact Japanese Police."
The Task Force is bribing the public for information on Light? L thought, chewing on his finger thoughtfully. This is a strange tactic. They must be desperate.
"My family doesn't have that kind of money," Light's voice pulled L from his thoughts. "This has to be the work of the Task Force. They really do think I'm Kira, don't they?"
Light had read L's mind, as always. "They don't think, they know, Light-kun," L reminded him. He keeps having to remind Light that he is Kira, since the young man is still in denial somewhat. His eyes narrowed. "This is getting dangerous, we might have to move locations soon."
"But, Ryuzaki… We haven't given the new Kira time to surface yet, it's only been a week." Light protested.
"When and if the new Kira does surface, I'm not entirely sure the Task Force will completely turn their backs away from you. If anything, the new Kira will simply be a distraction so that we can plan further. But again, I'm still unsure."
L turned back to his laptop. "Watari."
"Yes, Ryuzaki?"
"Can you please get an apartment for Light and I? The fact that the hotel staff has seen us isn't safe." He kept his voice low just in case anyone was listening outside their room.
"Of course, sir. How quickly do you want this done?"
"As soon as possible… By tonight. Have a private escort arranged as well," L glanced over at Light, noticing he was still wearing his clothes. "And please buy Light-kun a new set of wardrobe. He is uncomfortable wearing mine."
"Yes, I will do so right away."
"Thank you, Watari."
L tilted his head behind him to look at the young man. "We're leaving tonight. You won't have to pack much considering you don't really own anything anymore, but please make the preparations."
"Ryuzaki, is this really necessary?" Light argued, crossing his arms. The chains that connected their wrists jingled as he did so. "The hotel staff has seen us once- maybe twice. You've even made it a point to have Watari clean the hotel room himself instead of the maids. We probably don't have much to worry about."
"The fact that they've seen you at all is a threat, considering the award for your location is a very high one. Humans are a greedy species," L murmured darkly. "A 5,000,000 dollar reward… Even I wouldn't go this far."
Yes, he wouldn't go this far. He's very surprised the task force went so far as to put up such a high bribe for Kira's location. This only furthers their need to stay out of the public eye. L got off the bed and began walking towards the closet. "W-whoa!"
He made it halfway around the bed before L felt a tug on his wrist and was reminded that he was chained to Light. He looked over his shoulder. Light was bent over, his wrist pulled towards him. He could notice that the handcuff was leaving an imprint from pressing firmly against his friend's wrist and he immediately felt guilty. "…Sorry, Light-kun. I forgot we were handcuffed together." L murmured, waiting for Light to get off the bed.
Light crawled across the bed and got off behind the detective, rubbing his wrist. "Apology accepted." he spat sarcastically.
L didn't reply as he made his away over to the closet. He reached into the back of the small space and pulled out a navy blue duffel bag and began stuffing his clothes into it, not bothering to care about folding.
"You know, I could fold those for you…"
L heard Light's voice from behind him. He paused for a moment before continuing.
"It isn't of importance, Light-kun. The will end up wrinkled eventually."
"Yes, but it would make it look a lot neater and make it easier to unpack when we arrive at the apartment." Light argued.
L let out an inaudible sigh. Sometimes Light's OCD tendencies were the hardest things to deal with while living with him. He didn't even want to bring up the time he had accidentally got cake crumbs in the bed from a midnight snack. Or the time Light just couldn't get that one strand of hair right, even though they weren't leaving the hotel room. These tendencies weren't new to L, since the pair had shared a room before, but it was taking him time to adjust to them again.
The detective backed away from the duffel bag with a few shuffles of his feet. "If you really would like to, Light-kun. But we are short on time, so please don't take too long."
L watched as Light kneeled down in front of him and began to pull his clothes out of the bag. First, he began to sort out both the shirts, jeans, and boxers; putting them in three separate piles. Then, he began very carefully folding his shirts, putting them in the left side of the duffel bag. L looked away uninterestedly, chewing on the edge of his thumb.
"Have you ever considered wearing a different color, Ryuzaki?" Light asked conversationally, holding L's baggy white shirt in front of him as he went to fold it.
L moved his attention back on the younger man. "No, fashion has no importance to me, neither does the color of clothing."
"It's a shame, you'd probably look nice in a darker color like black or maybe navy." Light commented, tucking the now folded shirt into the bag.
"Has it ever occurred to you why exactly I dress the way I do?"
Light shrugged, now moving to fold the detective's faded jeans. "I haven't really dwelled on it, so I'd have to say no."
"Well, for one it is quite comfortable but that is only 20% of the reason why I dress like this. Tell me, when you first saw me what was your impression?"
Light paused for moment. "I assumed you were intelligent, but a little on the strange side. I couldn't see exactly how we tied on the entry exams considering you didn't look… Well, sophisticated enough to be my equal. Therefore I automatically thought I was above you."
L nodded in approval, watching Light fold his pants. "That is exactly why I dress the way I do. No one would ever deduce that the great detective L would dress as casually as I do, so no one really pays close attention to me in that sort of way," He began chewing on his finger again. "It's amazing how strongly people judge on appearance."
"Amazing as always, Ryuzaki." Light replied, now moving to L's boxers.
His alias brought up something else in L's mind. This Task Force knows me only by Ryuzaki. If I have Light calling me Ryuzaki in public, it would look suspicious... Especially if I'm calling him by his name as well. Which means we'll have to come up with new aliases.
"Light-kun, have you ever had an alias before?" Besides Kira… He mentally shook his head. He had to put that behind him.
"No, I've never had the need to. Though I've been thinking that if I go into public that I'll need an alias after that news broadcast." Light replied, putting the final pair of L's boxers into the bag before zipping it up in a single, clean ziiiip.
"Yes," L agreed. "We'll need to come up with new aliases for ourselves before we leave. Behind closed doors we can refer to each other with our normal names, but we must always be careful to use our aliases in public. As for mine, I've decided I'll be called Kioshi Mitsui."
Light nodded and stood up, L's duffel bag full of clothes in his grip. "I'll go by…" He paused to think. "…Satoshi Ohba."
The detective stood up as well, acknowledging Light's new name with a slight nod. "I'll have Watari make the new birth certificates and licenses."
After he finished his sentence, L began to walk back over to the mini refrigerator by the TV, the chain forcing Light to follow. He opened it and pulled out a container of strawberries Watari had bought him, looking at them with content. The detective opened it carefully with just his thumb and index finger, then selecting one of the red fruits at the top. He held it up in front of his face, observing it before popping it into his mouth. He noticed Light was watching him from the corner of his eye. "I'm sorry, Light-kun. Would you like one?" L asked, holding his container of strawberries to Light.
Light blinked in surprise. "No, I'm fine. Strawberries are too sweet for me."
L pulled the container back, looking at Light with black, expressionless orbs. "Really? I normally dip them in sugar because they aren't sweet enough."
"But you eat sweets all the time. It's not a part of my diet." Light replied simply.
"Ryuzaki." Watari's voice interrupted their conversation. The pair turned their gaze to the laptop on the bed. "The preparations have been made. A limo will arrive there within the hour. I'd escort you there myself, but…"
"I understand," L told him. "Thank you, Watari."
Watari's photo and death information had been published in the newspaper. It wouldn't be safe for him to appear in public. Him doing what he did the day L rescued Light was risky enough.
After about 30 minutes of waiting, a knock was heard at the hotel door. L made his way over to the door, opening it with a simple twist of the doorknob. A middle-aged man in a navy uniform stood at the doorway, bowing politely. "Hello, I'm Junichi and I'll be your driver this evening. It'll be a pleasure driving you…"
"Satoshi and Kioshi." L replied bluntly.
"Yes, Satoshi-san and Kioshi-san," the driver finished, bowing again. "Please, come this way, I'll escort you to your limo."
L noticed that the man eyed the handcuffs that linked him and Light rather uncomfortably, but didn't mention anything. I can't take the chance. There is still a possibility that Light still has his memories and there always will be until a new Kira emerges. I haven't gone through all these efforts just for him to turn into Kira again.
The hotel Light and L had been staying at was an outdoor one and they were on the third floor. L looked over the railing and eyed the black limo they would be riding in. It wasn't too fancy, only slightly bigger than a mini van. But it still got a few looks from others as the passed it, murmuring to each other about the possibility of a celebrity staying there.
They traveled down the concrete path and down two flights of stairs before reaching the bottom. L glanced around warily, hoping no one was paying close attention to them. If someone had seen the news an hour before, then they would recognize Light. He tilted his head slightly to look back at the brunette. Light was hanging his head down, glancing around suspiciously from the corners of his eyes. Good, he's trying to hide his face. And hopefully people will be giving me odd glances, not Light.
Their escort opened the back door of the limo politely and took L's bag out of Light's hand as they climbed in. The seats were a comfortable leather, L noted, as he settled himself onto the seat in his normal crouch. Light sat down normally beside him, crossing his arms and looking ahead. The driver closed the door and walked around the back of the vehicle to the driver's door. "Until a new Kira emerges, always attempt to hide your face in public," L muttered quietly. "I know you probably already thought of this, but I decided to tell you anyway. The fact the driver saw us just now-"
L stopped talking as the driver opened the door and entered the vehicle. He glanced at Light who acknowledged his words with a slight nod. The car started with a twist of the key and pulled out a of the hotel parking lot moments later. L glanced outside, observing his surroundings as they drove down a highway. I need to figure out exactly how to keep the task force from looking for Light. And the fourth Kira Light's shinigami promised is taking rather long to show up. What if Light is just acting? What if he's just waiting for a window to escape? He eyed Light from the corner of his eye, moving his gaze down to the chain that linked them. Is that all that's keeping them together right now? The detective looked down to the floorboard, shuffling his barefeet over each other. Only time will tell.
Finally! I can start taking this story somewhere. xD If you've put up with the three chapters of basically introduction, then you'll finally start seeing some sort of action from now on.
Tell me what you thought by leaving a review, as as always! ;D