Light's presence made Robin feel jittery. Although it had been a significant amount of time since she'd seen the teenager in person, his underlying sly personality remained per usual along with his careful surface act of perfection; the things that made it the hardest for Robin to create definite entries into his growing profile. Currently, she was positioned on the couch observing Light's reaction to the tapes and discretely recording notable reactions into a small hand notebook.
As always, Light was difficult to read. But something about the second Kira seemed to make him slip up, brought out his inner persona. Folded arms to indicate dissatisfaction, crossed legs with tensed muscles show defensiveness, coupled with-two so far-quick glances sideways which equals irritation. Robin thought, simultaneously jotting down the words in her notebook. All signs point to Light being annoyed with this Kira; again strengthening the likelihood that he's Kira as well as the possibility that he was unaware of the second Kira's existence. I can confidently say that he and the second Kira have not yet met, indicated by Light's utter disapproval of the second's actions so far. His glances of irritation have come in time with the phrases 'I am creating justice for our world' and 'I have chosen these people because they daily slander Kira's name and power'. He is clearly not a fan of this Kira taking so much control.
"Light, what did you think?" L asked as the tape finally stopped, "Did you get something out of it?"
Robin quickly slid her notebook in her jean pocket, hiding her evidence of her observations as Light turned towards L. As he caught the detective's eye, a clear flash of distain went through Light's eyes in an angry squint. "There may be more than one person with Kira's power" Light stated, and Robin nearly let her jaw drop.
How did Light conclude, in that single moment, that L had created the trap for him? Robin wondered in awe. Is there some smugness indicated by L's face that I couldn't see? Maybe Light was just smart enough to suspect L of creating such a devious trick for him. Or Light was suspicious that no one shared their findings with him beforehand? Either way, L was right when he said Light's deductive skills were amazing.
"Kira's power? Light, what do you mean?" the chief asked, reacting rather loudly due to being so silently tightly wound in the situation. Understandably, of course.
Despite this, Light didn't seemed taken aback at all. "Judging by the video, this isn't the Kira we've known until now. Up until that video, Kira never used suspects for announced killings. And it was also assumed that Kira needed a face and a name to kill, but the Kira that made this video was able to take down the officers with only a face"
As Light finished, Aizawa spoke up in awe. "It's the same…"
"Exactly the same deduction as L-I mean, Ryuzaki, came up with!" Matsuda exclaimed, finishing Aizawa's thought. A look of pride, relief, and awe assaulted the chief's face all at once; although he made no effort to voice any thoughts on the matter.
"I also think we're looking at a second Kira" L said.
Light pretended to be shocked, "so you knew, Ryuga-I mean, Ryuzaki?" he asked, taking a defensive stance as he crossed his arms. "You were trying to test me then?"
"I didn't test you," L said. "The more people that can agree on a theory, the higher percentage of credibility it gives that theory. Although both of us missed some key points in our initial findings"
The shock in Light's face was real this time, and succeeded in wiping off the subtle smugness that L's earlier words had granted him. "What do you mean?" he asked calmly, annoyed at his analysis's lack of complete satisfaction for L.
"The second Kira is a woman," Robin spoke up resolutely, getting up from the couch to join the standing men arranged in a haphazard half-circle. "Not only that, but she is completely devoted to Kira. She also doesn't posses nearly on par intelligence as the first Kira; so she would probably happily follow whatever the real Kira says" she finished, choosing to give Light the condensed version of her conclusions while not including her theory on how the second Kira gained her devotion.
"In light of these observations, we will make a fake message from the real Kira. Which will give us a good chance to stop this second Kira" L stated.
Light's gaze lingered suspiciously over Robin before he shifted his focus wholly to L. "Yes, I also thought that would be a good plan." he agreed.
"Light, I would like you to play the part of the real Kira" L said, making both Light and Robin let out unhidden jaw-drops.
Surely, I would be a better fit for that! I know we're currently operating under the assumption that Light is absolutely the original Kira; but what if he isn't? my extensive profile on Kira would be more than enough to- "M-me?" Light asked in disbelief, cutting of Robin's rambling disappointed thoughts.
"Yes. With your genius, you should certainly be capable" L said, "we really don't have time to waste discussing it. I would like you to finish a script in time to air on tonight's news"
Light seemed to be at a loss for words, nodding in consent of the idea instead. "But, L-Ryuzaki" Robin began, her words stumbling as L shifted his gaze to her and let it turn cold. She bristled, sighing exasperatedly at his continued attitude and, after taking stock of the rest of the expectant occupants of the room, decided to at least attempt at resolving last night's mistake. "…Can I speak to you privately please?" Robin finally said.
L tilted his head in silent agreement, leading the way through the doorway and out into the hall with Robin following quietly behind him. They stopped at the surveillance room; where they had first watched Light long ago but whose screens now contained monotone pictures of various areas in the hotel suite. Had things between them not been so off, Robin might have made another crack about L's paranoia.
"What is it you need to discuss with me?" L questioned, in the same clipped businesslike tone he'd been using ever since their late-night chat over the tapes.
Robin bit her lip, avoiding his eyes as she ran a hand through her hair. "I know you're not cold. It's necessary to keep your emotions on a tight leash, but I know you do have them. What I said last night was stupid and wrong. I wasn't thinking right. I was angry and I lashed out with the drivel B used to tell me. I'm really sorry, L" she said, hoping the sincerity of using his initial was enough to make up for her eye contact with the floor.
L let a pause draw between them before he spoke. "What made you angry? Discussing B?" It relived Robin that his tone was lighter, free from the bitterness of his cold voice, and held a genuine interest for her reply.
She shuffled her feet awkwardly, "Well sort of. I was angry that you were so… nonchalant about what I was saying" Robin admitted.
A chuckle drew her attention immediately to his face, the surprise evident in her own expression as she observed the rarity of L's amused light laugh. Somehow, it sounded so wonderful that her shock melt into a small shy smile. "You wanted me to be upset?" L questioned.
Robin had never been so thankful that she was incapable of blushing, although she could feel her heartbeat quicken and her blood warm in a way that could grow to betray her. "No. I don't know. I mean, I understand that you would rather force out a calm exterior than be open with your emotions. I was being stupid…" she trailed off.
"I wouldn't categorize that as stupid" he stated, "although I do find it interesting that you became upset, despite of how irrational it was to suspect me to react otherwise to what you'd already concluded I would do"
"Interesting?" Robin repeated in confusion. Mulling over the fact that he was correct, that she had been rather irrational in her outburst. I've been rather irrational a lot lately. Considering our fight and then… how I reacted to the second Kira's demand on the tape for L. Robin thought as she remembered how the demand had left her slack-jawed despite it's eventual possibility. As soon as the tape had said it last night, she'd glanced back and forth from the detective to the screen before internally going off about his calm acceptance of it all. "Are you not scared in the slightest?" Robin questioned abruptly, curiously.
L seemed taken aback momentarily before he understood what she was asking after. "When I became a detective I knew that there could one day be risks like this, no matter how carefully I could possibly go into a situation" he stated before continuing in a heavier tone that reflected more reality. "That being said, of course I am"
"How can you still function under all this pressure? If this plan fails, you'll basically have your head on a chopping-"
"Thank you for reminding me" L interrupted suddenly, something flashing through him that made Robin ache painfully. He suddenly seemed much more fragile than his alias; his indigo-stained eyes bruises of his devotion, his lanky limbs echoing a creaky exhaustion, and his pale skin a brand of his separation from the rest of the world. She felt a swell of pity and admiration well up inside her all at once, something that led her to lurch towards him without any sort of thought process.
L went stiff with her proximity, but Robin persisted in wrapping her arms around his slender waist and pressing herself comfortingly against his chest; her head fitting like a puzzle piece perfectly in the crook of his neck. She said nothing, but let the feeling wash over her; the soothing warmth that encompassed her when she was involved in moments like this with L. And with the feeling, came L's hesitant arms around her back to return the gesture in silence.
"I don't hug anyone. Ever." Robin said quietly after letting a few quiet moments of their embrace tick by. "You should consider yourself highly lucky right now" she said.
She felt his smile, or rather heard it in his voice, as he replied with a simple "I do"
…
"I think I acted out the part of Kira rather convincingly" Light said smugly from the plush chair as L stood reading his script, with Robin peering curiously over his shoulder.
L paused before answering, "I think this is very good…" he began, as if trying not to hurt Light's feelings on the subject.
"But, if you don't remove the part about it being acceptable to kill L, then he'll die" Robin stated monotonically, with a wilting squint towards Light.
Light laughed lightheartedly. "Sorry about that, I was channeling Kira so closely that I forgot about that. But what's with that face anyway, Robin?" he questioned.
Embarrassed, Robin hurriedly wiped her attempt at a glare off her face and settled for crossing her arms in Light's general direction instead. Despite her actions, she was still able to catch L's smirk as he announced, "That's her version of a glare, Light. You might be wise to take it as a threat" L said, his amusement coming out in his voice.
Robin cleared her throat to get them back on subject, "Anyway, the rest of the script seems to be up to par. We should have it out together and sent off right away" she said.
"Of course. I'll get Watari on it" L said with a nod, his smirk constant despite his now businesslike tone.
The three of them left the small den where Light had been working and walked out into the living room, where the rest of the team was located and occupied with paperwork and coffee. As L left to find Watari in the surveillance room, both Robin and Light flopped down on the couch. Robin with considerable less care than Light, as he tried to appear alert and interested in anything involving the case.
"Dad, is there anything else I can do in the meantime while we wait for a response?" Light asked, straightening his tie as he leaned towards the team's work curiously.
The chief gave his son a light smile through his tired expression as he looked up from a large file. "Not currently. Unless you can come up with a more efficient filing strategy than what Matsuda's set up" he said with a smile towards the other officer as a symbol of his playful words.
Light took him seriously, immediately rising from the couch. "I'm not beneath filing things" he assured before walking to the coffee table covered in paper and surrounded by case file boxes. "oh, this is rather messy actually. What system are you using?" Light enquired.
Matsuda's shoulder's drooped as did his usual carefree expression that was already dampened by the task force's late night work. "Well, dates and then locations" he said, obviously feeling scrutinized by Light's proven intelligence.
"Oh, well that won't do. Its probably easier to do it alphabetically" Light said with a smile as he sat in front of the table, lifting a box in order to start re-categorizing it.
Matsuda forced a slightly nervous smile back at the teenager. "Okay… well, maybe you would like some coffee then, Light?"
"No thank you" he replied curtly, and the room regained its quiet white noise of shuffling papers and clicking computer keys to only leave Matsuda looking lost.
As Robin began to frown at the display she'd watched, Matsuda's gaze suddenly caught hers and his expression brightened like a light bulb was illuminated over his head. "Robin!" he said abruptly.
Not wanting to kick him when he was down, Robin expressed a smile at him. "Yes, Matsuda?" she asked.
"I've been wondering about something lately…" he began hesitantly, their conversation notably ignored by the rest of the task force, "You knew Naomi Misora, right?"
Robin let her face drop as soon as Matsuda spoke the name aloud. "…Yes" she answered stoically.
"Did you work with her on a case?" Matsuda asked, "L mentioned something about Los Angeles?" Light's ears seemed to perk up at these words, as well as the prospect of learning more about who Robin was.
However, Robin was too immersed in her own thoughts to notice that fact. "I… Sort of. The Wara Ninyo Murders may not have been news here, but-"
The chief cut her off, "the case where a serial killer sent clues to the police that no one could solve? L was involved in that? You?" he asked, the old man suddenly interested. By now it was clear that the rest of the task force was listening in, weather they were subtly eavesdropping while attending to their work or not.
"I've never heard of it" Matsuda said, shyer now that he knew they had an audience.
"I used to do a bit of case research in my spare time, and that certainly stuck out. Although I don't know why there wasn't more press on it, even if it was foreign. The murders were only… 6 months ago?" the chief said.
Robin swallowed hard, curling her legs up onto the couch and wrapping her arms around them in a comforting ball. "Yeah. It wasn't that long ago. The case was mostly kept quiet"
"How did you start working with Misora?" Matsuda prompted curiously.
"I never…" Robin trailed off as she thought about her place in the LABB case. I was never on Misora's side. Until B blindsided me… "I wasn't working with her. I was working with another… detective when I encountered her. She was working for L"
Matsuda looked confused, "You haven't always worked with Ryuzaki?" he asked.
Robin shook her head. "I've known him for a long time, but I've never worked with him until this case" she said.
"It hardly seems like that. For the most part you two work well together" Mogi complimented.
"Why did you join Ryuzaki after the Wara Ninyo case?" the chief asked.
She paused, "I… Felt a lot safer that way" she finally answered.
The room coated itself in silence, until Matsuda spoke up with a simple, "Why?"
Robin squeezed her eyes shut tightly, her arms tightening around her knees as the thought of B once again invaded her peace of mind. "None of that is your business" came a cold voice from the doorway, and the team turned to spot L standing at the doorjamb; the wilting blank look that was usually reserved for when Matsuda said something stupid, gracing his features.
"They didn't mean any harm really" Robin supplied quietly, thankful for his presence despite of her words.
"Regardless, it's late, and there isn't much work to be done until we get a response from the second Kira. Please take your leave, everyone" L said.
The air of the room was awkward, but lingering with a curiosity that was reflected by the task force's furtive glances at both Robin and L as the team gathered their things and said their goodbyes for the night. Once all was said and done, the detective and the psychologist were left alone in the large living room disarray with files and boxes.
"I… didn't tell them anything. They wanted to know my connection to Misora is all" Robin said.
"I know. I was standing in the door for a good deal of it. But you forget who's listening in. You need to be careful around Light, he's trouble"
For some reason, Robin is immediately reminded of one quiet afternoon years ago at Whammy's when L had pulled her aside and warned her gravely, "stay away from B, he's trouble".
The living room of the suite is warm, but a shiver runs down her spine all the same.
…
Shinigami (死神), or Gods of Death, are a race of extra-dimensional beings who survive by killing humans to extend their own lives. Shinigami are not responsible for every death that occurs; people will eventually die regardless of whether or not the Shinigami pay attention to them, but a Shinigami can end their lives sooner than intended to extend their own lifespan.
"Ridiculous" Robin said aloud, squinting at the worn book in her hands as if to better understand it's foreign concepts. She had started her research with 'Shinigami Dissected', a comprehensive gathering of all myths and superstitions thought to be related or about the gods of death. Along with information, the book also came along with a host of theories that cited no sources or basis. Strangely enough, and although Robin personally saw no point to religions and superstitions outside of societal need, the books she had gotten from Kae's occult shop (after her internet hunting had lead her to the titles) were hard to put down. Something about the studies was fascinating and strangely nagging.
Shinigami eyes are said to hold the power of ETD (estimated time of death) predictions, although they cannot ascertain their own ETD's. Sometime during the 15th century, the myth of 'Masuyo and the Eyes' was created.
The tale begins with a beautiful young maiden betrothed to a middle-aged Shogun of great power; an act that would bring much wealth and happiness to her family. However, young Maysuyo hated the man; having already fallen in love with a neighboring farmer boy. Feeling helpless to her fate, she secretly held her disappointment away only to be released at night when she crept quietly to the river side to weep in peace.
On once such night a shinigami descended upon the river and, so occupied in her grief, Maysuyo let the monster comfort her with it's words. Unable to hold any fear towards the creature, she listened as the shinigami introduced itself and professed it's guardianship over her. For many years, the shinigami had watched Maysuyo grow up from his perch in the shinigami realm. The creature explained his displeasure at seeing her so unhappy, as well as his journey to the human world to aide her.
In what western scholars would describe as a 'deal with the devil', Maysuyo exchanged with the shinigami half her remaining life for the power of his shinigami eyes. With this power, she could see the death date of the shogun, and requested their wedding to take place a mere day before his demise. However, with the eyes held a power that proves maddening to humans; who were never meant to hold such responsibility of knowing.
The night of the honeymoon, Maysuyo watched the shogun's life slowly dwindle while staving off his advances to christen their union. As his time grew shorter, Maysuyo became aware of the lack of threat to his life and was driven hysterical by the idea of the shinigami playing a cruel trick by having the eyes lie. In her fever, she stabbed the shogun fatally, ending his life at the preconceived time. Guilt flooded the young woman and she fled their home for the arms of the farm boy, but when she raised her head to gaze at him she discovered his remaining life was mere seconds. Driven mad with the deaths the night had surrounded her, Maysuyo fled to the comfort of the river.
Some servants, having found the shogun, soon made the entire village aware of the death and began searching for Maysuyo, some in suspicion while others in concern for fear of a kidnapping. By dawn, they had found her by the river, babbling with madness and blind to the world around her; having torn the cursed eyes from her skull and cast them out into the rushing waters.
Biased on this tale, no human may be granted the shinigami eyes without the dangers of insanity. And recently uncovered reports of paranoid schizophrenics throughout the years, their names anonymous, make bazzaringly similar claims of being 'haunted' or 'affected with the eyes'.
Robin nearly drops the book, a terrible feeling growing immediately in her gut as she turned the page and stared at the crisp illustration of red threatening eyes.
Fig. C, Shinigami eyes as portrayed by patient 13.
Her throat starts to constrict at the sight of, not only the oh-so-familiar eyes, but the number neatly printed beneath the picture. In a panicky haste, Robin slams the book shut and drops it on the bed as if it burned her. "No. It's not possible. A myth. Blind pandering of some occult crazies" she mutters to herself, her thoughts swimming with information.
But everything fits so perfectly… she thought, her hands already shaking in fear. If B made a deal with the devil once, could he have done the same to cheat death?
A/N: Once again, thanks for reading as well as the favs and reviews! -Luv, Cart