A/N: Halfway mark. And one of my favourite self-quotes in here too. :) Enjoy.

Blank Note

21. Stare

Koichi was staring at him again, and while Koji was glad that his elder twin was not more forthcoming with his curiosity, it was very unnerving to be the subject of discreet scrutiny. He could tell his parents were disappointed though; Satomi got a little flustered when they were both in the same room together and doing nothing out of the ordinary. That was usually Koichi sketching some scene or character or storyboard and Koji doing his math or science homework…and occasionally their father reading the newspaper of reading notes on a case.

Satomi would sometimes fire questions at them, if only to fill up the empty space. It was quite obvious that none of them truly enjoyed the silence, and even Koji had to admit that was true. He knew his brother's reasons too, even if they were too confusing to put into words. Or any words other than Koichi's easily misunderstood ones.

'Don't you know? Everyone has a certain amount of words they can speak before they die. A certain amount of breaths they can take. A certain amount of food they can eat...'

The way Koichi said it, it was a simple fact of life. Somebody else could easily mistake it as suicidal tendencies, but there was no way their birthmother would have let Koichi out of her sight if that were the case. He was simply someone trying to listen to the world instead of talking over it, someone who chose to draw it instead of forgetting it. Somebody most people didn't seem to understand – though, given time, he was sure his friends would…

Friends…

He hadn't been a very good friend lately at all. But he was ashamed and couldn't face them. Nor could he face the curious stares of his brother or the worried ones of his father. Otherwise he would have talked to one of them and unloaded his chest already.

And gotten rid of the demon behind him.

'…a certain number of times the heart beats…'

But that one was wrong. The Death Note, locked in his top drawer, proved it.

22. Lost

Kousei stared at the albino boy. 'Excuse me?' he said, thinking he had misunderstood.

The boy calmly stacked his playing blocks, and the older lawyer was once again forced to wonder just what sort of person the world's greatest detective was. The childish appearance certainly did not lead to trust, though the mature voice and detachment from content lead to a statement of his expertise if nothing else.

But still…

'I said I have put security cameras in several houses, including yours.'

Considering he had a wife, and some of those said houses had teenage daughters, he couldn't see how the most recent L managed to say that in such a casual tone.

Chief Aizawa apparently could, though he did add his two-cents in. 'I will never get used to that tone, Near.'

'I have asked you not to call me that,' L, or Near apparently, replied, though without malice in his tone. In fact, Kousei, who was quite good at picking up fluctuations in tone, could not detect a single change in the wavelengths his speech emanated. Almost like the monotone an electrogram gave off when someone's heart had stopped.

But all that was nothing more than a distraction.

'I have a wife,' Kousei managed without spluttering, though it was a difficult thing. 'And people have daughters, you know.'

'I'm well aware of that, Mr Minamoto,' the young man said calmly. 'I assure you their privacy is being well respected. There is a woman on this task force after all.'

Of course. Halle Bullock. He had forgotten about her.

'And when married couples are engaging in certain…activities?' He didn't see a way out of this one.

'We are very thorough,' was the calm reply.

Kousei shook his head, not knowing whether he should be affronted or embarrassed. And how was he going to explain this to Satomi?

'And why my family?'

L looked at him over the top of his wall of blocks. 'You have two teenage sons, don't you?'

23. Smile

Takuya was grinning to himself as he walked up the driveway of the Minamoto house. He had finally come up with a foolproof way of breaking Koji out of whatever funk he had planted himself in. The prank war was on.

Satomi let him in, no problem, although she seemed to have caught on to his general plan because she added, in a conspiring whisper, that the second stair from the top creaked and that Koji tended to leave his window open at nights.

The second piece of information was filed away for letter, but Takuya was extra careful climbing to the second storey for the first time. He knew where the twins' rooms were – Koji had pointed them out as being on either end of the second floor, with his one almost at the top step and Koichi's as far away as possible.

He cracked the door open slowly. Yep, Koji was still fast asleep.

Grinning, Takuya slanted the door with his knee, both hands carefully managing the small bowl of water in his hand.

24. Need

'I need an explanation,' Kousei said with a frown. 'Why are the video cameras necessary? And without permission no less?'

'L is above the police,' the albino said carelessly, 'and in any case, Aizawa gave his permission.'

Kousei gave the Chief of Police an odd look, and the other man helplessly shrugged. "What can you do?" the shrug seemed to say.

What indeed? L didn't exactly need anyone's permission to do his own thing.

'And to answer your question Mr Minamoto…' L sounded almost as if he was doing Kousei a favour, and the man found he really didn't like that attitude. He would have to tolerate it though; they were trying to find a serial killer after all. 'I believe this new Kira to be a bit younger than the original. Junior high school age.'

L didn't have to say that Kousei had two sons in that age bracket. And after a little more explanation, he had to admit it made sense as well. Not that he had to like the idea.

25. Yes

Takuya could have cheered, but that would have ruined the whole effect. Or…it wouldn't have, as the hand in the water prank had worked like a charm, but if Koji spotted him straight away the after-effects wouldn't be quite as savoury.

So he tiptoed away, clearing the threshold and shutting the door behind him. Downstairs was slightly noisy; it seemed Satomi was cooking pancakes – and if it was the pancakes she had promised the last time he had visited, Takuya was definitely not going to disturb her. Things tended to go haywire when he was in the kitchen.

He wondered if Koichi was awake then. He would hardly call the pair of them friends; the elder twin didn't seem particularly comfortable in their company when it was lacking Koji…and prone to leaving even when Koji was present. Still, Takuya was sure the other didn't want the lack of company, so it didn't seem like all of a bad idea.

Except the other was awake and hard at work at his desk, so Takuya's shadow creeping up made him scream in surprise…and wake up his brother.

Well, at least the joke part went well, and Takuya had to admit that he knew a lot more about Koichi from that little incident. As well as the fact that he shouldn't try to sneak up on him.

He got to see the drawings though, far better than anything he would be able to produce and definitely worthy of being published one day, and that step was well worth the bruise he had to carry home.