punkish furball—I loved this chapter! It was my fave to write!
Words to Ponder:
Thank you Bishonen'sFoxyMiko, watergoddesskasey, Natsumi Tsuchi-Ookami, Five Tailed Demon Dog, B.D. Gerretson, ice-cold-bunni, Arie-Bo-Bo-Chan, StarlitBaby, Spastic Freak, DeathNoteMaker, Shin Wal-New Moon-, WhiteDemoness11, Watachi No Sukinahito, Gothic Lust, the-black-rose-is-mine-alone07 (2x), First Lady of tha West, LeafeKnight7, 43InuAsha, eloquent dreams, The Amazing Sakumachan, …., and Shi-koi for reviewing.
Bishonen'sFoxyMiko—I love that idea! I'll definitely use that one!
The Amazing Sakumachan—Hmm…PunBall-chan? I like it!
I'll glad most everyone appreciates my kitties! 8D I love cats and ancient Egypt and I was not happy when Kirara didn't have a humanoid form of her own! (how fun would that have been!)
Normal transition: -O0o0O-
Flashback transition: -O0o0O-
Chapter 5: Effectus
"How are you able to tell? Nothing seemed out of place," Kagome asked Light just after he revealed this new piece of information to Ryuk and herself. The group was seated on a bench in a nearby park; the shrubbery and other plant life were noticeably unattended; it grew dense and unruly around them. No passerby could see or hear the meeting between the three.
"Besides," Ryuk said, "that piece of paper you leave in the door was still there."
'Piece of paper?' Kagome thought, 'That's right; that little paper that fell on the floor that Light replaced in the door.'
"The paper is only a decoy," Light began, "The real test is the door handle. After the door closes, the handle automatically rests horizontally. After I close the door, I lower it so that it is slanted about five millimeters at a slight angle. Today, it wasn't lowered. Another indication is a piece of mechanical pencil lead. I place it on the door hinge in such a way that it will break if anyone opens the door. Before I open the door, I remove the lead, but today, it wasn't there."
"Maybe it was your mother," Ryuk suggested and Light shook his head.
"No one in my family would have paid enough attention to detail to replace the piece of paper. Because of this, there is a good chance that someone involved with the Kira case was in my room and that there are wire taps and surveillance cameras not only in my room but the remainder of the house as well. I hadn't expected L to make such a move so soon, but I prepared for it. Nothing out of the ordinary should happen."
"Nothing out of the ordinary, huh?" Kagome repeated sheepishly. Light noticed her holding on tightly to the straps of her backpack.
"Kagome," Light said in a scolding tone. He had a feeling that they were not only.
Kagome sighed and shrugged off her backpack. She sat it in her lap and pulled back the flap. Two small felines poked their heads out.
"Cats out of the bag?" Kagome said occupied by a nervous giggle, but Light wasn't responding to the pun. The two kittens jumped out of the bag and into the safety of the bush. Mimirou and Mayaru emerged seconds later looking slightly miffed.
"Yagami-san," Mayaru said in greeting and her sister only nodded.
"Now," Light said, his voice was a blend of amusement and irritation, "What were you hoping to accomplish?"
"You know that we do not trust you," Mayaru explained, "We wanted to be sure that you did nothing unbecoming towards Kagome-dono in our absence." Mimirou nodded in agreement. Light turned to Kagome whose cheeks were tinted pink.
"I was going to tell you," Kagome admitted, causing the two demonic sisters to frown but say nothing, "but you started to act so strangely, I thought it would be a bad idea."
"Don't do that again," Light said to the two felines, "L suspects me as being Kira and two cats transforming into two teenage girls isn't going to make me look less suspicious. You could just as easily ask to stay during our study sessions. I have a kid sister who could keep you company so it won't look suspicious."
"How long do you believe L will maintain surveillance in your home?" Mayaru asked.
"Hard to say," Light answered, "I suppose it would be after a few days or until he finds something incriminating in my house."
"You think L is just going to clear you of suspicion because nothing abnormal happens?" Kagome asked, "Seems to easy to me."
"Based on the information I have and my own precautions, L has nothing to incriminate me other than the investigations of the FBI agents," Light explained, "This plan should work whether I'm the top suspect or not."
"Do you really think you're the top suspect?" Kagome asked.
"I'm not sure, but it's safer to assume that I am," Light said.
During Light and Kagome's conversation which seemed far too familiar, Mimirou was muttering to herself.
"Is something wrong?" Mayaru asked her sister.
"It's too suspicious," Mimirou murmured, "Far too suspicious. Too normal. Everyone has some sort of skeleton in their possession. A secret that makes them more in touch with their own humanity. Yagami-san is too clean…too perfect. L is sure to notice. Perhaps, if Yagami-san were to expose a nasty little habit to L, he will be less inclined to continue his observation."
"Right," Mayaru agreed, "Something that serves as a natural behavior but is visually unappealing and repulsive."
"Masturbation," Mimirou quickly said gaining a growl from Mayaru, shocked stares from Kagome and Light, and a loud, boisterous laugh from Ryuk.
"What?" Mimirou said in annoyance and folded her arms across her chest, "It is a natural act performed by teenaged boys, usually in private, and one that should not be enjoyed when being witnessed under surveillance…unless of course this L person is a voyeur."
"Maybe you two should go home," Kagome suggested, "I'll meet you there later."
"Alright," Mayaru said and Mimirou scoffed and turned away. The two sisters began to walk away from Light, Kagome, and Ryuk taking slow, hesitant steps before bolting away at such a speed that it was undetectable by human eye (or shinigami) sight.
Light looked from the direction the sisters went it to his watch. It had been about thirteen minutes since their departure from his house.
"Let's go," Light said, "We need to make a quick stop before we head back."
Light led Kagome and Ryuk to a bookstore where he paid for something he had ordered online. It was contained in a large envelope.
"What's that?" Ryuk asked, "Did you buy a book on wire taps or surveillance cameras?"
"Why would he do something so stupid?" Kagome asked under her breath as the three made their way back to Light's house.
"Speaking of which," Light asked, "How do you plan on eating your apples, Ryuk?"
"What do you mean?" Ryuk said with his voice slightly strained.
"That's right!" Kagome said, "People can't see you unless they touch the death note, but when you hold the apple, it looks like its floating. Floating apples? That's out of the ordinary."
"You mean…I can't eat apples in the house anymore?" Ryuk asked; his voice was stunned.
"You'll live," Light said, teasing the shinigami, "It's not like a shinigami can starve to death."
"But you don't understand," Ryuk said in a serious tone, "For me, apples possess the same addictive qualities as nicotine or alcohol for humans. I even experience withdrawal symptoms."
"Is that a fact?" Kagome said dryly.
"Yes!" Ryuk shouted, "My body twists up, I do handstands, it's not pretty!"
"In that case," Light began, "the only solution is to find out the location of all the cameras. If you're lucky, you might be able to find a blind spot where you can eat apples without being seen."
"A camera search? I got it!" Ryuk exclaimed and flew towards the house before Light or Kagome could reach it.
"Very clever," Kagome said appreciatively to her companion. This way Light would know the location of all the cameras and Ryuk wouldn't be helping Light directly. He also wasn't as bad as she suspected Kira to be. It almost makes her not mind he forced her to service him.
Light chuckled, "Kagome, you will soon find that there is rarely a time when I'm not."
Kagome playfully punched the teen in the shoulder before running towards the door to Light's home. Light caught up to her and opened the door, letting the two of them inside.
-O0o0-
Kagome put her head down into her notebook in frustration. She was lying down on her stomach on Light's bed with her head at the foot of it.
"Kagome, lift your head up," Light said from his place at his desk, "It's not as bad as you think."
"Yes, it is," Kagome said with her voice muffled by the paper, "We've been at if for hours. I'm hopeless."
"Don't say that," Light lightly scolded the girl, "You're algebra and basic math skills are solid. You understand basic geometric formulas and operations if all elements are given in the problem. You only get confused when you must apply the concepts to real world scenarios, complex word problems, and determining relationships between the formulas and operations themselves, and more advanced mathematical operations in pre-calculus. You missed a lot of instruction, but I can easily fill you in on that in no time."
"If that's the case," Kagome began wryly, "then why are we still here?"
Light sighed and closed his book, "Let's take a break. You seem a little burned out."
"Sure," Kagome said, standing up and stretching.
"It's been kinda quiet," Kagome said.
"Yeah," Light said, "Usually my mom and Sayu are home by now. I wonder what is taking so long."
Kagome tried not to tense. She knew Light had already taken care of his mother.
-O0o0O-
Kagome and Light walked up to this room and settled down to begin studying.
"How long does your family expect you to be here?" Light asked.
"Not too sure," Kagome said and reached down into her bag. She pulled out her cell phone just as Light expected her to do. L most likely had the phone lines tapped and he needed to have a private conversation.
"Mind if I speak?" Light asked, "I have a better idea of our time frame."
"Sure," Kagome said. She dialed the number to her house and handed to phone to Light. She had a fairly good idea what he was trying to do, but was unsure of his reasons for contacting Mimirou or Mayaru so soon after they departed. The phone rang three times before Mayaru answered.
"Higurashi residence," she answered, "How may I help you?"
"Hello. This is Yagami Light. I'll be tutoring Kagome for the college entrance exams," Light said.
"Yagami-san?" Mayaru said suspiciously, "What is it you require of us?"
"I was calling to inform you that Kagome might arrive home later than I intended," Light said giving no indication to who he was talking to on the phone, "I assume it may be well after dark."
"I see," Mayaru replied with a dangerous edge to her voice, "but I have a feeling this is not the only reason you called. You have something much more underhanded in mind."
"Supervision won't be a concern," Light said, disregarding Mayaru's reply.
'He must be trying to send me a message without indicating anything to L,' Mayaru thought, 'I should listen more carefully for any changes in the tone of his voice.'
"My mother should be returning home from visiting our aunt at a hospital down town," Light continued, "She should be coming back on the main highway at about 5 o'clock."
Mayaru was silent for a moment before replying, "You put a slight amount of emphasis on the word 'should'. You must be implying that…you wish to prolong your mother's return. I seem to recall Kagome-dono showing us around that part of the city. Do you wish that Mimirou and I take care of the little matter?"
"Yes, I'll make sure Kagome gets home safely," Light said and paused as if someone on the other line were telling him something, "Hold on." Light held the phone out to Kagome, "She would like to speak to you. It's your mother."
Kagome took the phone and held it to her ear.
"Hello?" Kagome said.
"Be on your guard," Mayaru said, "Yagami-san has something planned. Do not expect his mother to be home and I am also certain you can expect to remain overnight."
"I see," Kagome said, "I'll call you when we finish up here and I start to head home."
"Farewell," Mayaru said and hung up the phone. Kagome closed the phone and put it on Light's nightstand.
"Ready to get started?" Light asked.
"Sure," Kagome said and pulled out her books.
-O0o0O-
Mimirou growled as she stood perched on top of building looking down at the busy highway. Her sister relayed Yagami's message to her and sent her off to do the dirty work. Frankly, Mimirou was rather pissed with the command. She didn't mind doing the deed because her sister told her too, but the fact that it was Yagami's orders pissed her off to no end.
'Evidently,' Mimirou thought, 'Kira has no trouble sacrificing others if it is for his personal gain.'
By the position of the sun, Mimirou could tell noon had past by about four hours ago and Light's mother should still be at the hospital. She peered down into the streets searching for a target. Mimirou grinned when she saw a shiny silver tanker truck like many Kagome had pointed out on their trips in the city. She said that they often carried flammable materials.
Mimirou willed her energy to surface causing flames to lick the edge of her fingertips. She drew a small katana and let her chi flow into the blade. She dove down towards the truck and slashed it; its contents caught aflame instantly. The cut was rough and jagged; Mimirou had never tried to cut through metal before. Also, instead of doing a straight cut dragging across the tank, she punctured it and brought the blade upwards to rip the metal. This would give the impression that the cut was caused internally instead of on the outside because the direction of the indentation marks would be outward instead of inward. The explosion was fierce; the entire perimeter panicked. Mimirou looked around quickly in the midst of the confusion; she had to find a quick escape so that she would not look suspicious. She spotted a manhole and grinned again.
'Brilliant,' she thought. Quickly, she ran towards the manhole and slipped into the sewer opening unseen in the panic as if she hadn't even been there. Over the smell of the sewage that ravaged Mimirou's nostrils, she caught her own scent leading back to the shrine.
-O0o0O-
While Kagome was caught up in her thoughts, Light stood up and walked towards his bedroom door.
"I'm going to the kitchen," he said, "Is there anything you would like?"
"No," Kagome replied, "I'm fine." Kagome put her notebook into her bag and lied down on Light's bed with her eyes closed.
"I'm just going to lie down for a little while before we get started again, if you don't mind," Kagome said.
"Make yourself comfortable; I'll be right back," Light said and began walking downstairs. On his way down he heard the sound of the T.V. It was on one of those soap opera channels; his sister was definitely home.
"Hey, Light!" Sayu said as soon as Light made his way into the kitchen.
"Sayu, where's mom?" Light asked, grabbing a soda out of the fridge.
"What do you mean?" Sayu asked, "She's not upstairs."
"No, she wasn't home when I got here," Light said, "This is odd. I know she went out today, but she should be back by now. It's past 5:30 already."
Sayu stood up and headed upstairs, "I'll check her room. Maybe she came in and you were too busy studying to notice."
"Right," Light said and headed towards the phone, "I'll try her cell and see if she got held up at the hospital."
-O0o0-
"Where is your wife?" Ryuzaki asked the man sitting next to him, Yagami Soichiro.
"She went to visit an ill relative of hers, her aunt I believe. She said she would be home before Sayu around 5:30 or 6:00," Soichiro answered.
"And where is the relative?" Ryuzaki said.
"At a hospital downtown," Soichiro answered again.
"Ryuzaki," Watari said, alerting the two men. He was sitting at his laptop listening to the conversation searching for any information.
"Yes, Watari?" Ryuzaki said.
"There is a current report of an accident occurring in the downtown area," Watari said.
"Put the newscast on the monitor on the far right," Ryuzaki said; Watari wouldn't have mentioned the newscast if he hadn't thought that it had any relevance to the case.
The image that showed up on the screen was horrific. The wreckage stretched onward engulfing the screen; there was little doubt that there were any survivors in the vehicles. Fire engines and ambulances sped towards the scene to prevent the spread of fire and assist the injured.
"The accident is certainly a tragedy. At about 4:17 p.m., a large tanker truck carrying a highly explosive material suddenly erupted into flames causing a large pile up in the downtown area's main highway. Thirty-two motorists were killed in the accident including the driver of the truck whose identity remains unknown. Several more motorists and pedestrians were injured by the debris of the explosion. Its cause is unknown, but what little evidence remains gives the impression of an internal reaction causing the explosion. Further examination of the remains of the truck will be conducted at a later date. There will be many delays in and out of the downtown area. It is projected that the wreckage cleanup will continue well into the night. Many surrounding areas will not experience any incoming and outgoing traffic."
The camera paned over catching images of many surrounding buildings; a hospital was among them in a distance.
"My wife!" Soichiro shouted.
"Yagami-san," Ryuzaki said, "you may turn on your cell phone to call your wife."
"Thank you," Soichiro said, breathing a sigh of relief. He turned on his phone and dialed his wife's number. She answered after two rings.
"Hello?" she said.
"Sachiko!" Soichiro said, "Are you alright? Were you anywhere near the accident?"
"No," Sachiko answered, "I was going to just a few minutes ago, but some other relatives of mine arrived late and I had to stay longer."
"Thank goodness," Soichiro said, "How are Light and Sayu? Have they gotten in touch with you?"
"Light had called me not too long ago," Sachiko answered, "I wouldn't worry about them too much. They're old enough to fend for themselves for the time being."
Soichiro wanted to ask about Kagome and if his wife knew she was at their home, but doing so would compromise the surveillance on his home. He chose to keep quiet.
"I'm sure they can," Soichiro said, "How are you going to get home?"
Sachiko sighed, "Everyway is backed up because of the accident. I'm going to stay at the hospital overnight."
"Be safe," Soichiro said, feeling slightly empty. The Kira case had taken him away from his home life; he hardly spoke to his wife or children.
"I will and I'll call you in the morning," Saichiko said, "I love you."
"I love you too," Soichiro said, "Good-bye."
Soichiro hung up the phone and sat next to Ryuzaki.
"Everything alright?" Ryuzaki said, though he sounded disinterested with the situation.
"Yes," Soichiro said, "My wife will not be able to return home until morning."
"Interesting," Ryuzaki replied, "No parental supervision."
"What are you insinuating?" Soichiro asked.
"Think about it from the perspective of a teenager," Ryuzaki said, "What would you do if your parents weren't there watching?"
-O0o0-
Light hung up the phone and turned to his sister. She had come downstairs after she couldn't find their mother upstairs.
"So what happened?" Sayu asked, "Is she okay?"
"Mom's fine. There was a bad accident downtown and mom got held up at the hospital," Light said with a sigh, "We're on our own until morning."
"So what about dinner?" Sayu said and then smiled, "Pizza?"
Light shook his head, "Mom and dad are gone and I'm in charge. Before we resort to fast food, I'll ask Kagome if she will cook for us."
"What?" Sayu shouted, "That girl who wants you to tutor her? Do mom and dad know she's here?"
"We're just studying," Light said purposely ignoring the question, "Entrance exams are coming up; we don't have time for anything else."
"I thought you would say something like that," Sayu said, "Leave it to you to make something so interesting sound so dull. Either way, she is really pretty. Her eyes are the best color! Are they real or contacts?"
"Don't know," Light said and headed upstairs to see Kagome.
-O0o0-
Ryuzaki had stopped giving his complete attention to the monitors to study some information Watari found on Kagome on his laptop.
'Higurashi Kagome. Age 17. High School Senior at Furinkan High School,' Ryuzaki thought as he scanned the paragraphs, 'Questionable educational status. High scores in history. Average in all other areas except math. Deplorable math scores.' Ryuzaki looked down to Kagome's attendance record.
'Numerous unexplained absences,' Ryuzaki read, his curiosity slightly peaked, 'Chicken pox? Flu? Mono? Diabetes? Rheumatism? Arthritis? Nonsense. Anyone could tell that that girl is perfectly healthy just by looking at her.' Ryuzaki looked at the dates of the absences. There were sporadic and for varying lengths of time; at least two years before the Kira murders had begun.
'It may be nothing of relevance to this case,' Ryuzaki thought, 'but Higurashi Kagome definitely has something to hide.'
-O0o0-
Light walked up to his room to find Kagome in the position he left her in while in a light doze. He smiled slightly before leaning over and gently rousing her awake.
"What is it?" Kagome asked drowsily without opening her eyes.
"Do you intend on staying like that all night?" Light asked.
Kagome cracked opened one eye and replied, "Maybe."
"Anyway," Light said, "My mother can't come back home until morning. Do you mind maybe making dinner for us?"
"Sure," Kagome said and sat up, "Just show me to the kitchen."
Light lead Kagome to the kitchen adjacent to living room where Sayu resumed watching T.V. She pretended not to pay attention as Light lead the girl throughout the house.
"Everything you need should be in here," Light said.
"Sure," Kagome said but turned to find Light had already gone.
"Didn't expect him to stick around anyway," Ryuk said. Kagome nearly jumped; the shinigami had been so quiet she forgot he was there.
"Let's see what I can make," Kagome thought aloud. She rummaged around the kitchen finding that it was well kept. She pulled out a few ingredients and cooking tools. When Ryuk had gone silent again, Kagome glanced around to find him gone.
'He must have been looking for cameras,' Kagome thought.
"So you're name's Kagome, right?" Sayu said causing Kagome to jump.
"Yeah," Kagome said, turning to face the girl, "and you're Sayu?"
"Yep, that's me!" Sayu said, "So whatcha doing? Don't tell me Light put his own girlfriend to work."
Kagome cringed at the usage of that term, "I wouldn't go as far to say that. We only met a few days ago."
Sayu shrugged her shoulders at the teen.
"Just as well," Sayu said, "Too many girls like my brother anyway. I mean what's so good about him?"
Kagome giggled when Sayu went into living room to watch TV then looked around the kitchen as the young teen walked away. She looked around in the cabinets and the refrigerator to see what ingredients are available to her. She was happy to see that the kitchen was well stocked.
'I wouldn't be a bad gesture to make something for Light's mother when she comes home,' Kagome thought, 'I suppose I could always make nikujaga-; that's simple enough.' Kagome began pulling out the ingredients that she needed.
"Beef, potatoes, onion," Kagome called out as she pulled out what she needed, "I still need a knife; I think I saw one in this drawer. And the dashi- and noodles, where would those be?"
"Try the cabinet to your right," someone told Kagome causing her to jump. She looked and saw Light standing behind her with a few of his books in his hands.
"Oh," Kagome said with a sigh of relief, "It's only you, Light."
"Who else would it be?" Light asked jokingly.
'I don't know,' Kagome thought sarcastically, 'A shinigami, a neko demon, a neko hanyou, an inu hanyou, a man eating mask, the list goes on and on…'
"So they're in this cabinet, right?" Kagome asked.
"Yes," Light answered and took a seat at the table, "We should have instant dashi in there and the noodles shouldn't be too far from it."
"Okay," Kagome said and picked out the desired ingredients with ease. She looked at Light as he sat at the table with his books opened.
"Are you staying?" Kagome asked.
"You don't mind do you?" Light asked, "I just wanted to study down here with you."
Kagome blushed slightly at what Light said but kept in mind that it was mostly likely a show for L.
"No problem," Kagome said, trying to keep her voice even, "Just don't try to quiz me or I'll burn everything!"
"Okay!" Light said and began studying, "By the way, what do you intend on making?"
"Nothing too special," Kagome answered, "Just nikujaga!"
-O0o0-
Ryuk took a break from his camera search; he had already told Light about the cameras in his room before he went downstairs. Upon further investigation, Ryuk discovered that L had thoroughly covered the entire house. Even the bathroom had at least a dozen!
'I was sure I'd find a blind spot there!' Ryuk thought, 'Mimirou may be right about L's voyeurism.'
Ryuk took a deep breath; he didn't know a shinigami could become so tired! After that first breath, Ryuk took in the delicious scent that filtered through the house. It wasn't as delicious as apples mind you, but it was almost as tantalizing.
"Downstairs," Ryuk said aloud, "Light went there after Kagome."
The large shinigami moved fluidly down the stairs into the kitchen. He had to hold in his laughter at the sight he saw. He passed Light's little sister, Sayu, was kneeling in front of the T.V. ignoring the world around her. At the stove, Kagome was engrossed in her cooking which emitted that wonderful odor. Sitting at the table was Light. He seemed like he was studying his notes and all of his attention was focused on them. However, for a few scant seconds, Light's eyes would drift upwards and find themselves locked on Kagome's form.
'To anyone else, Light would seem completely focused on his notes,' Ryuk said, 'but someone like L would easily catch Light looking at Kagome.'
-O0o0-
"Light seems as if he is very enamored with Kagome," Ryuzaki said, "She hardly seems aware of his intentions. That's far too natural for it to be forced."
"What does that mean to this case exactly?" Soichiro asked.
"If my assumption is correct and Light is Kira," Ryuzaki began, "Then it would be more likely for Kagome to be forced into working at his side rather than joining him willingly. That would be a reasonable explanation for her fear and apprehension, but the percentage of the possibility is less than 6%. Other explanation would most likely be she is intimidated by Light. Typical of a girl dating a boy like him who is generally genius in every aspect. Either way, there is most likely some form of manipulation in this relationship."
"I doubt Light is capable of manipulating someone like Kagome in such a way," Soichiro said.
"Hmm," Ryuzaki said in response with his eyes on the monitors. He watched as Kagome performed the final touches to the meal she prepared.
"Okay," Kagome said, alerting Light and Sayu that she had finished cooking, "It's ready!"
Ryuzaki watched as Sayu managed to pull herself from the T.V. to sit in a seat adjacent to Light. Light closed his books and placed them beside his chair. Kagome walked towards the table carrying separate servings for Sayu and Light. They would have a good view of the T.V. from the table.
"This is delicious!" Sayu exclaimed as she took her first bite, "I wish I could cook this good!"
"Glad you like it," Kagome said when she returned to the table with her own serving. She sat next to Light as he ate silently.
"But," Kagome began, "it's not all that good."
"Don't be silly. Your cooking is great!" Light said. He reached across the table and grabbed Kagome's hand causing the girl to blush slightly and tense. Ryuzaki watched the sudden action and its result with slight confusion it caused in Kagome.
'Kagome,' Ryuzaki thought, 'She embarrasses easily, but there is more to that reaction than embarrassment. She is definitely afraid of Light. His actions make her on edge and cause her to be on her guard. Despite what Light Yagami wants anyone to believe, he and Kagome Higurashi are in no romantic relationship. I'm sure of that.'
-O0o0O-
punkish furball—And we end it with the marvelous and always astute Ryuzaki/Ryuga/L!
This chapter was originally much longer and involved a lot more of Light showing off Kagome to L, who is not convinced. (insert smirk) But Light definitely ups the ante in the next chapter (I took a few suggestions)!
Other things to look forward to: bubbles, strawberry ice cream, cat hair, many desserts, ceremonies, and partial nudity. (insert awkward pause) It'll make sense l83r!
-nikujaga – beef and potato stew
-Effectus – "Execution" or "Performance"
L83R, DUD35!
(edited 08.06.2010 )