Author's Note: I almost didn't finish this in time. I had written down the last scene at school while I was grounded and lost it. Yeah, I know, how stupid of me. I'll probably find it when I go back to school tomorrow and then I'll squish that and this together and I might repost it. I might not. I'm also working on a live-journal to better organise my thoughts. I'll have the link up as my homepage later. Thank you all for reviewing and I hope you enjoy this chapter. (but I doubt you will) Next chapter's title? Tennis.

bip bip bip

"What is it Watari?" L asked, not bothering to turn around.

"News just in of three unusual cardiac arrest victims." The shadow in the monitor replied.

"Thanks."

"I will send you images of the picture and note."

"Unusual?" L asked the darkness, expecting no reply.

…a note expressing fear of Kira. It could just be the criminal acting on his own but Kira can control the time of death. Could he also manipulate his victims actions right before they die? Maybe…

"Chief!" L's electronic voice called. "Regarding the latest victims, please tell the media that 'cause of death was cardiac arrest' and nothing else." Soichiro Yagami nodded. "There's a possibility that Kira used these victims to test something. We don't want to let him know if he succeeded or not." L elaborated.

"All right." Soichiro agreed. "Treating human beings as lab rats…it's abominable!" L heard him mutter as he left supposedly to complete the detective's instructions.

If he was using these criminals as guinea pigs…What's he planning?! If Kira used those criminals as a test, he's about to start something. If he does make a move now, it's possible the FBI will notice someone acting suspiciously. But if these deaths weren't a test, but had another purpose…

This note and that picture might be some kind of message…

Lord have mercy.
Do what I can, I'll either be hanged or
you know it, killed by Kira, I
know about him. He's going to get me.

This…this says…

"So, you're telling me that one of your agents, this Ray Penbar, was outsmarted by a high school student and tricked into revealing our entire operation to the Japanese task force." L commented lightly, incredulity coloring his voice. How can one person mess so much up?

"Well, in defense of the agent, the girl is considered a genius." I definitely need some tea. The detective thought wearily. "L, I'm sorry but the FBI is terminating its investigation in Japan. It's true that Kira has murdered more criminals in the U.S. than anywhere else but ever since you pinpointed his location as the Kanto region around Tokyo, his victims have been concentrated in Japan." A pause. "I'm going to be questioned by Congress over this anyways and well on top of that—I'm a well known man, my face is public property and I…I don't want to be killed." And now the truth comes out. L thought acidly. "The FBI is pulling out of Japan---err, wait a minute." The detective could hear a phone ring on the other side of the line.

"Hmph. Here's a call from the Japanese Task Force already. I'm telling them the FBI was there at your request, L. Is that understood?" L said nothing. "Goodbye."

Maybe I should have been focusing more on the FBI agents than the imprisoned criminals. Maybe I could have prevented this from happening.

Another idea. Maybe I should meet this girl. Light Yagami.

"Are you speaking the truth!? The FBI was probing members of our task force under orders from L!?" Soichiro Yagami all but snarled into the phone. People from two hallways over could hear his rage—if not his words. Quiet murmuring erupted after his outburst.

"L…I knew we couldn't trust him…" Someone mumbled in the background.

"Still," Someone else replied, "I can't believe the chief's daughter—" Soichiro could feel a tendril of fatherly pride tickle at the tops of his ears.

"It was hilarious!" A third someone felt a need to contribute to the almost-hushed conversation.

"Enough." Soichiro may be proud of his daughter but not of his task force. They were gossiping like children! "Is Watari or L here?" By L he meant the laptop. Several people shook their head no. "Good. Now, raise your hand if you don't trust L." Over half raised their hands. One particularly energetic detective raised both and bounced on the balls of his feet. Yagami recognized him as the one who thought his daughter's antics as hilarious.

"Ok then. So what are we going to do about it?" No one spoke. "Yes, you in the suit. What do you think we should do?" Yagami pointed at the largest cluster of task force members. All of them were wearing suits.

"Err…quit?" One in the front said. Yagami nodded solemnly.

"You're right."

"Wha--? Really?"

"No. You're fired." Soichiro cleared his throat. "Anyone else? Okay, first off. Why do we not trust L?"

…

"Because we don't know who he is." Said his daughter in the doorway. "Hello Dad." She had a change of clothes clasped in her ink smudged hands

After Light had left (and over two thirds of the investigators with her) Soichiro received a rather particular message. L wanted to meet him. Meet, as in face to face, with L. It was all the seasoned detective could do to not dance a small jig. Then he remembered why he was meeting L and immediately sobered. Kira was on the loose. The death toll had just reached over 500. His family were suspects in L's eyes.

The patriarch of the Yagami household soon wondered why he ever considered doing something as frivolous as dancing. People were dying, after all.

So he waved his lovely, genius daughter goodbye and hoped that everything would work out. It had to.

"This place?" The director chief of police asked himself; only slightly flabbergasted. He was standing in front of one the most expensive hotels in Japan. L is here. He steeled his suddenly frazzled nerves.

"Excuse me, Yagami Soichiro?" A voice asked behind him—a familiar voice. Watari.

"Oh, yes, Wata—" Soichiro turned around only to find a well-dressed, elderly man. This couldn't be…

"L is expecting you. If you would please follow me?" Soichiro nodded in dumbstruck compliance. One awkward silence and elevator ride later and the Japanese detective found himself in front of two giant doors proclaiming themselves as the 'Presidental Suite'.

By the time Mr.Yagami (or rather, Yagami-san) picked his jaw off the floor and gathered his strength of will to approach the door, Watari was no where to be seen. Sneaky old man. He paused at the door but did not knock.

…

This is ridiculous! You're a grown man! Just knock on the damn door!

Soichiro's inner monologue would have continued on for sometime if the door hadn't opened from the opposite side right then. The startled man made a small 'meep' like sound and jumped at the door's sudden movement. The person who opened the door was a wild haired young man. This couldn't be…

The youth must have noticed Yagami's confusion and disbelief for he spoke first. "Come in." Kira's father did so. Only after the door was shut did L speak again. "I am L." Yagami didn't look convinced.

"But…you're…" youngscruffyshortbadposturenormalyoungL. "Prove it." L nodded, he had been expecting that.

"Your name is Yagami Soichiro, you are 48 years old and were born on July 12, 1955. You are married to one Yagami Sachiko and have two daughters; Light, 17, and Sayu, 14." The ease at which this young man rattled off so much personal information caused tremors of paranoia to surge up Soichiro's spine.

"Well…okay then." L turned around and walked into the depths of the gigantic hotel room. The police employed detective followed.

"You know, if I was Kira you would be dead, Yagami-san." L kept moving. Soichiro stood still. Is this some kind of sick joke…? "You and your entire family. The other investigators too. All Kira needs is your name and face to kill you." …my family!? The others!?

"Kira only kills criminals." He pointed out and instantly regretted it. L just nodded.

"For now." A small pause, they could both hear Watari shuffling around in an adjacent room. "Still, you should be careful about revealing your name." Point taken.

"Could you turn off your cell phone, laptop or any other electronic device you might have on your person and set it in the center of that table? Thanks." L pointed at a nearby coffee table with several chairs surrounding it. He made his way to one of those chairs and perched in it in a most particular fashion. Soichiro thought it rather made him appear like an over grown bird but still did as requested and sat down on a conveniently placed couch. Of course, he sat like a regular person.

"There are two reasons why I called you hear today. One is that we need to test the trust of the remaining task force members and slim down their numbers. I would like to meet each of them but a dozen leaves us with too many possible leaks." Soichiro felt a need to protest the rather harsh judgment L was passing on his team. Then he remembered the FBI following his own family and quieted. L would never trust any of them. "Second," The insomniac looking detective continued, "I would love to hear how your daughter outsmarted one of the FBI's best agents."

How was this guy L again?

…

Wait a minute. How did he know we only had a dozen members left!?