From the window of a cab the building appeared to be only a church. A very homely one at that. However, behind the cross-tipped iron gates, it was a completely different story.
Raito watched children running wildly across the yard, a soccer ball caught in the midst of their stampede, and the sounds of shouting and laughter swallowing up all background noises that filtered in through the streets and sidewalks.
"Wammy's House?" Misa broke the silence with an attempt at reading the plaque on the center gatepost. She scratched her head. "This orphanage belongs to a guy named…Wammy?"
"You have already met him, Misa-san," L revealed, but chose not to clarify. Raising a hand high in the air, the detective began waving at the pack of boys closest to the gate, and despite being deeply immersed in their game, half of them immediately came to a halt. The other half eventually came to a stop, the noise around them also gradually dimming out as if someone had pressed 'pause' on a remote control.
A boy with brown, raggedy hair and blue overalls suddenly broke away from his group and ran in the direction of the house, his hands moving over his head like he was signaling for a ship that had returned to port, while the children remaining in the yard appeared to have forgotten what they were doing, gaping openly at the detective.
"Everyone's staring. I don't think they know who you are" Misa whispered. "Are you sure you came to the right house? We won't laugh at you too much if you messed up your directions. Misa does that sometimes."
"No, this is the place," L assured, smiling as an elderly man in a speckled gray jacket and khaki trousers hurried out of the building. He glanced towards the gate, and even from this distance, Raito could see the surprised expression he wore.
Unexpectedly, L pulled out his cell from his back pocket and dialed a number, and several seconds later, Raito heard a phone ringing and watched as the man standing on the steps of the building reached into his jacket.
"Roger, can you open the gate?" L said into the receiver, in appropriately, but oddly enough an English accent. "I can't get in otherwise."
The older man seemed to remember himself and began to hurry across the yard.
"What – what are you doing here?" Roger, as this man was called, reached into his jacket again, this time pulling out a set of old-looking keys looped around an equally antique-looking ring.
"I am 'taking time off work,' so I thought it would be best to stay here instead of at a fancy hotel that pampers me with room service and mints on my pillow. Can I come in?"
This man named Roger opened the gate, expression still at a loss. "You know you're always welcomed here, but I'm just a little surprised. I thought –" He stopped what he was about to say when he caught sight of him and Misa.
"Oh," L glanced back at them. "I should introduce you to my friends."
The elderly man seemed even more startled by the mention of "friends" than he was by L showing up out of nowhere.
"This is Minako-san," L started up, his hand held out to Misa so the girl would know he was talking about her. "And the person next to her is Kiyoshi-kun. Both have helped me out tremendously during my investigation of Kira."
"Hi," Misa said, in as much English as she could muster.
"It's nice to meet you," Raito greeted politely.
"…yes, likewise," Roger answered, still baffled as to what was happening, but going along nevertheless. He held his hand out to both of them in turns. "Does this mean…" he asked, returning his attention to L "…that you've caught Kira?"
"In a sense," L said, changing his answer when met with another puzzled stare from the elderly man. "Yes, I have caught him. The world is once again a safe place for criminals."
Roger appeared to be conflicted on whether to laugh at L's bad joke or outright chastise him.
"By any chance," L said, changing the subject, "Where would Mello and Near be?" He looked around the yard and smiled at some of the children as they stared back at him.
"I believe Mello is in Matt's room -- exams have finished for now so he's probably asleep. You know how stressed out he can get during this time -- and Near, he should be playing with his toys in one of the classrooms next to my office. I'll send one of the children to go get them.
"But before that, please come in," Roger said, turning to him and Misa, the latter having no idea what was being talked about.
When they reached the inside of the building, the first thing Raito was aware of was the children scattering about. Roger had grabbed a hold of one of the boys milling around the entrance, sending him off to fetch the two that L had requested.
They were currently walking down a spacious corridor with imbedded columns and white tile floors, and large rooms on either side. Raito tried to see what was in them, but missed his chances as he kept pace with the two men at the front.
Spying down the length of the hallway, he could see the beginning of a stairwell. There was a group of children sitting along the steps and he could feel the presence of their eyes.
Paying them no mind, he returned to listening to the conversation between L and that other man. Their talk wasn't terribly important and his attention soon drifted away again. He actually wanted to be shown the room he would be using so he could finally get some alone time, not to mention he was groggy from his nap on the plane. It would be nice to…
Thoughts falling away like grains of sand, Raito shifted his line of sight a couple of inches to the left, vision following the trace of white suddenly caught in his peripheral.
A boy in white, over-sized pajamas was trailing behind them slow as a snail. He was holding a puzzle box under his arm and staring down at his feet, as if it was too difficult to pick his head up.
What a weird boy.
Despite the comments, Raito's gaze did not stray and return to L. They continued to follow the boy's movements discreetly, even when he closely walked next to him. There was a split-second, where under that tuft of white hair, that strange boy looked up at him.
This kid…!
Coal, black eyes…
Like L's.
Raito glanced away, feeling somewhat disturbed by how similar it was. Unfortunately, he wasn't given the time to find out who exactly this boy was, not when his eyes instinctively leaped at the black blur that was coming from the opposite direction.
A blond-haired -- Raito squinted his eyes -- boy (?) in all black was running down the hall.
Stopping in front of them, L particularly, he opened his mouth like he was about to shout something, then he quickly closed it when he realized there was an audience. He oddly enough had the same dark eyes as L.
"It has been a long time," Raito heard the detective say. He was staring down at the two boys with something akin to contentment. "I am glad to see that everything is working out as it should on this end. Roger has been catching me up, but I would rather hear it from the two of you since this concerns your future." L scratched his head, eyes meandering away from the odd pair and falling back on him and Misa. "But that will come later. I should instead introduce everyone." Pointing towards them and switching back to Japanese for Misa's sake, he said, "This is Near and this Mello." He pointed at the white-haired boy first and then the blond next. "They are the front-runners for my position."
L's successors…!
Raito tried not to glare at them.
"And these two," L said, switching back to English, "are Minako-san and Kiyoshi-kun. Minako-san is my friend, and Kiyoshi-kun is in my employment."
That statement seemed to turn some heads, and like magnets, both sets of dark eyes locked on him with strange intensity. Raito smiled politely to offset the tense mood.
It was bad enough being watched by one pair of those eyes, but add in another and he actually felt like telling them to cut it out -- especially that blond kid, who was not exactly hiding the fact that he was glaring at him too. It also did not help that L seemed to be egging them on with his comments. He had conveniently introduced him as an employee. It might be true…but these kids definitely didn't need to hear anything about that.
"Kiyoshi-kun and Minako-san are good people, so please play nice with them."
One month earlier:
"Watari, please come down for a moment. I think I need your help." The abrupt click on the other end of the line was more of a satisfactory response than any verbal one the older man could give. Seated outside the door of Raito's cell, L could feel his heartbeat slowly coming back down, his breathing finally leveling out, and his mind going strangely numb.
Thankfully, Watari was not long in coming, and as he stopped in front of him waiting for his request, L hesitated. He realized that what he was about to ask for was a bit of a stretch – actually more than a stretch. "This is going to sound strange," he begun, immediately disliking the tone used. "Yes…this is not going to sound good, but I am fully aware of what I am about to do."
Watari actually opened his eyes.
"You see," L started up again, still not so sure of himself. "I have done something that maybe I shouldn't have, and it will most likely get me into some trouble in the future. I plan to take full responsibility for my actions when that time comes, but for now, I will take responsibility for nothing and see where that takes me."
Getting a confused reaction out of Watari was always rare, so L knew at this point he either had to be doing something very right or otherwise something very wrong.
"I am not going to execute Raito."
L looked at him closely, trying to gauge his response before it came.
"I instead plan to employ him."
"…"
Watari cleared his throat. "That is your decision to make."
"It is not a good decision though," L said, and this was the first time that Watari had heard him openly criticizing himself for an action he planned to stand behind. Not to say that L thought he was ultimately infallible, but the detective usually had no negative feedback when it came to his tactics
"If I were a proper man Raito would have already been injected with a lethal dose of Potassium chloride by now." L hated the idea that he was going against his words, that he was breaking promises, both silent and proud declarations of Kira's capture and subsequent execution; promises he had made to the world, to the investigation team, to himself…
He had sworn, and the fact that he would not -- could not bring himself to hurt Raito anymore was going to weigh as heavy on his soul as the knowledge that he had let those things happen to him in the first place.
"I believe with every fiber of my being that I can somehow make this work out for the best, that I can somehow keep my principles, my career, and Raito under control. However, 99 percent of that belief appears to stem from forced optimism and any defense mechanisms that I have not used yet to justify myself. It is quite hopeless if I am being honest with myself." L rubbed his thumb over his bottom lip pensively. He looked up at Watari. "I realize that I am in no way objective when it comes to Raito. That I am favoring him over more sensible, noble feelings, but I…" he looked down at his lap, seeming to struggle with his words and his thoughts.
"I am too tired to care anymore. I simply want to go home and take him with me."
Watari stood there, rather dumbfounded at how weak L's voice sounded.
He had known L was suffering. Two weeks ago, he had walked into his room and had seen the disarray left behind. A broken laptop, shards of dishware, ugly looking scrapes on the floor that he assumed had come from the wooden desk-chair now residing against a nearby wall, the reason for its sudden migration likely due to being kicked into it by the younger man.
Unless physically provoked, L was not the kind of person that grew violent when he was angry. He got grumpy and bluntly told people to 'shut up' or 'leave him alone.' In no way did he freak out and break things.
Watari knew it was impossible to negotiate the differences between L before and after this case, that the young man before him was not the same person at the start of all of this. Too many things had been introduced into his life where even if he wanted to go back to the way things were it would be impossible.
In a way, it was almost sad.
"But I cannot go back in this state," L said, that realistic side to him not being overcome by the overwhelming urge to immediately run back to Wammy House.
"Would you like me to arrange reservations at a hotel with a private clinic? It has been three months since your leg injury and you could spend the next month or two in physical therapy. Though I would advise you take the full six months to properly heal before you start rehabilitation."
"Three more months of rest doesn't sound like a bad idea, but I would rather speed up the process so I can finish recuperating at home. A month should do."
"Are you sure?"
"Yes, I want to walk as soon as possible, so please make those arrangements." L touched the part of his left leg where the bullet had pierced, feeling the indention of skin even through his jeans. "I do not trust myself to keep a level head through this," he said, continuing to run fingers over the wound. "This is proof enough of my carelessness." L drew his hands away, resting it gently on the rims of his wheelchair. "I cannot trust myself when it comes to Raito, but I do know I can count on you to remain impartial."
Watari would gladly take on any responsibility for L. However, the older man did not know how much of a help he would be in this situation. Being perfectly neutral in the case of any person was an impossible task, but Raito was an especially difficult person to guard emotions against. Prior to all this, Watari had actually taken quite a liking to the young man and had been content to see that L enjoyed this person's company as well, despite the constant fighting and accusations flying about.
It was nice. L rarely -- if ever -- listened to anyone. Even years of living with the detective had not made Watari an exception. On the other hand, Raito had been quite good at persuading him.
Then again, Watari supposed it was also that very reason which had caused all this chaos in the first place.
"I have other business to attend to, but please get him cleaned up and taken care of."
Watari bowed slightly, even though such etiquette was never necessary between.
"Of course."
………………………..
Both Rem and Ryuuk were standing in the middle of his room when he came in.
It was disconcerting to say the least.
"What is the meaning of this?" Rem asked, venom lacing her voice.
"I wasn't expecting you to do that." Ryuuk was crouched on his desk, grinning from ear to ear.
L knew they both would be able to sense that Raito was still alive. Rem was the shinigami tied to Raito after Higuichi's capture and Ryuuk was originally the death god that haunted the teen.
"He needs to die. I don't know what he's telling you –"
L raised a hand to cut her off. "He is not the one in control, Rem-san. Please do not make that mistake with me."
Those golden pupils lit up angrily, but L moved to his desk without fear, opening the drawer where he kept the three deathnotes hidden. He took out the two that had belonged to Raito and Misa, leaving the priest's notebook in the drawer and the one he had used to make his trade with Ryuuk. It was practically his now.
L motioned for Rem to follow him, and Ryuuk's head perked up, interested in seeing what the detective had planned.
"What are you doing?" The hostility in her voice did not cause him to falter as he made his way to Misa's bedroom and opened the door without so much as a knock.
The blond was up and off the bed she had been reclining on when he came in. Her doe-brown eyes grew larger than they already were as she caught sight of the deathnote held in his hand -- or what she supposed was Kira's weapon from that conversation with Rem in the Yotsuba restroom all those months ago.
"I can tell by the look on your face that you know exactly what this is."
Rem stared at him icily, but she did not give into loud protests.
"What're you talking about?"
"Misa-san, I know you are the second Kira. You do not need to hide it from me." L rolled forward, halting directly in front of the blond. He held the deathnote out to her. "Take it. Originally this was your notebook, so I am giving it back to you."
Misa gave him a strange look, which was understandable. "That's not mine. And I'm not Kira," she added defiantly.
L sighed. "Misa-san, I know you are smarter than this. So please do not be cross with me and take your notebook before I drop it."
"Where's Raito?" she asked. Whatever panic Misa felt at the moment, she was containing it with the mask of a performer on stage.
"I will tell you exactly where Raito is, but only if you take this notebook and follow my instructions."
L could feel the heat from Rem's glare on his neck.
"You're lying. I asked you all those other times you visited me and you never once told me anything. Why should I believe you now?"
"Because it is convenient for me now," he stated. "Today things are different and I would like Misa-san's cooperation with this."
Misa was gaping at him as if he'd suddenly grown a second head. "M-my cooperation?" Her face screwed up in an expression of confusion and anger. "I don't know what's going on, but you're nuts and I want to see Raito."
"I am giving you that chance, but first you must take this notebook from me."
"But you're lying!" Misa accused. "You're not going to let me see him. I know it."
"Then you must be willing to take that chance. I feel that I am more trustworthy than Raito," L commented offhandedly, "but you might not see it that way." He smiled at her and then pushed the notebook in her direction. "Take it, my hand is going numb."
Misa made a cutely frustrated noise before snatching it out of his grasp, and as she did so, her expression changed from agitated to stunned, her eyes glazed over and he heard her make a tiny sound, as if pained. He watched her stagger a bit to the side, her line of sight traveling past him and towards the now visible figure of Rem.
"Now that your memories have returned," L interrupted, reaching out to her, "I would like you to give them back."
Misa snapped her head in his direction. "What?"
The detective pointed over to the white shinigami. "Hand Rem-san the notebook as you renounce its ownership." That should wipe her memory clean of anything involving the deathnote and fulfill one-half of the bargain he had made with Rem. However, he knew the shinigami would not be satisfied with the simple erasing of memories. She also wanted Misa to have nothing to do with Raito or himself, an understandable desire, seeing as how one of them had used Misa to achieve his goals while the other had been planning to execute the second kira after he was finished with the first.
L would have agreed with the shinigami's choice to separate the blond from their sphere of influence. But on the other hand, he would also like to point out that Rem's wish was not very realistic. To tell the truth, he had plainly "misinformed" the shinigami when he had made that promise to erase Raito's existence from Misa's memory. At the time, he had been desperate to get any leverage over Raito in bargaining with Rem, so he could not really be blamed for the things that had come out of his mouth as a result. Or that's what he told himself.
The important thing now was to get Rem to change her mind, or at least to get Misa on his side so she could change her shinigami's mind for him. "Misa-san, this is the only way I can allow you to see Raito-kun, so please renounce your ownership of the deathnote. I promise that nothing will happen to either of you."
"We did not agree to these terms," Rem hissed at him. She had been staying quiet ever since the conversation started, but his continual talk of Raito, and an alive one at that, probably irked her more than anything.
L tried to look oblivious. "Rem-san, let us not bring this up right now."
"If this is how you choose to repay me then I should have let Raito have his way."
"Maybe you should have," L agreed, large eyes focusing on Misa and the confused look on her face. "It would have made Misa-san quite happy despite the fate awaiting her when Raito was ready to cover his tracks. I believe we can conjecture all we want about this, but it does not change the fact this is really up to Misa-san. Don't you agree?"
Rem did not respond.
"And the only question I should be asking," L said, a carefree lilt to his voice, "is what will bring Misa-san her ultimate happiness?"
The blond suddenly pumped one of her arms in the air. "That's easy. Misa needs her Raito."
L smiled. "Did you hear that Rem-san? I do not know about you, but unlike the rest of us, Misa-san is far from conflicted when it comes to her feelings. We should respect that and give her what she wants."
"I think he pulled one over on you," looking on from the sidelines, Ryuuk chuckled at the other shinigami.
"You need to keep quiet," Rem said. "I don't see how you've helped any when you're the shinigami that gave that boy a deathnote in the first place."
Ryuuk shrugged. "I'm just an onlooker here, and getting too hung up on this and that makes it less fun for me. You need to lighten up."
The white shinigami paid no further mind to Ryuuk, a normal occurrence between them, her attention naturally centering back onto the small blond looking up at her.
"Rem, I want this. I want to be with Raito."
Imperceptibly, the unyielding expression on the shinigami's face seemed to give way. Sadness crossed her countenance, a rare emotion for a creature that had lived for eons and had seen everything this world had to offer. It was not hard to tell that Rem was saddened by Misa's choice.
"Is this really what you want?" Rem asked, sullen, but prepared to give in. "I would have no problem giving my life for you, Misa. You only have to say it and I will kill him and Raito."
"Don't kill Raito!" she screeched.
L titled his head the other way. "I'm grateful for Misa-san's concern."
"Oh," she said, realizing what had come out of her mouth. "I guess I wouldn't want Ryuuzaki to die either -- unless he gets in the way of Misa and Raito's love." There was a rather mean-spirited grin on her face as she said this.
L could not help but think that when it came to her happiness, Misa could be just as cold-blooded as Raito. It also did not help that she had an affinity for acting the part.
"You have nothing to worry about," he told her, and he meant every word. Things were different between Raito and him, and he would not go looking for something that did not truly exist. For now, it was good enough that Raito was alive. He could console himself with that fact.
"Do we have a deal, Misa-san?"
Jumping headfirst into this as she was used to doing with everything in her life, Misa agreed with a smile on her face. "I give it up," she said, handing the black book over to Rem. L watched her lose her memories again as well as subsequently lose consciousness.
Thankfully, Rem was there to catch her when she fell.
"I won't try to stop her from being with him," Rem said as she scooped Misa up and rested her on the bed. "But if something happens to her – if either of you hurt her in any way, I will find you and I will kill you both."
"That is understandable," L agreed, moving towards the door. He glanced back at Misa and at the white shinigami watching over her.
It was simply amazing how loyal and dedicated Rem was to Misa.
If only Raito and he were half as dignified, maybe things wouldn't have turned out this way.
Closing the door behind him L noticed he had a follower. "That reminds me," he blurted out, "we also have some things to discuss. Don't we, Ryuuk-san?"
"About what?" the shinigami asked. "Do you have more apples?"
"No…that's not what I meant."
"About Raito?"
"Yes, and more specifically about him staying alive."
"You got me – I was surprised," Ryuuk announced.
"Ah…" L wondered if Raito's shinigami was just a little bit dense. "Yes, but…I was sure you would kill him if I did not."
"Huh. Oh yeah, about that…" Ryuuk scratched the top of his head. "I have some questions."
L tried not to scratch his head in return. "You have…questions."
"Like what do you plan to do with Raito? I think that's a good one to start with."
L stared at the shinigami. "Well…I plan to hire him. As you already know Raito is very intelligent, so I think it would do more good than harm to allow him to fix his own mistakes rather than getting someone else to do it – namely myself."
"Is that so?" Ryuuk asked. "And you're not worried that he'll knife you in the back again." The shinigami was grinning as if he thought that was a fun idea.
"If he betrays me again, I will kill him." There were many things L was indecisive about when it came to Raito -- this was not one of them.
"And if he gets to you first…?" Ryuuk's grin couldn't possibly grow any wider.
"Then I have lost, Raito has won, and you will be given the chance to see a new world being built from the ground up. Either way, I see this as your victory, shinigami-san."
"You guys…" Ryuuk chuckled "…are fun. I think I'll leave you alone for a while and see what happens. But ten to one Raito kills you the first chance he gets, and when that happens I'm giving him a deathnote."
L smirked. "And ten to one, I keep him on a short enough leash where that thought never even crosses his mind. Shinigami-san, please do not underestimate how absolutely paranoid a human being can get when they keep their enemies a hands reach away."
"I guess I'll have to remember that. But you know, you wouldn't have to worry 'bout none of that if you erased his memory."
"Are you telling a joke, Ryuuk-san?" L asked, face completely serious. "Because if you are, it is not very funny." L's demeanor had changed and Ryuuk could tell that he had stepped on one of those figurative land-minds that he'd always been running into when Raito snapped at him. "I would sooner kill Raito than make him forget all the horrible things he has done, and I know that you would also sooner kill him if he were to forget, so please stop uselessly testing me."
"You're right – no use in keeping him around when he's not his usual prickly self. I was just seeing whether you had my interests in mind."
"Of course," L said. He looked down at the deathnote in his hands, the one that had originally belonged to Raito. "I will need him to give up the eyesight. And as much as I would like to keep this part of the deal – it will surely come in handy during cases -- I cannot possible keep it. This power was not meant for human beings. I have already seen the lifespans of everyone here and I do not think I can bear seeing any more."
"So you're giving up ownership too."
"Yes, but since I have not killed anyone with the deathnote used to make my trade, I will basically keep all my memories. Raito, on the other hand, will need sufficient evidence to realize that he is Kira. Thankfully, I have recorded all of our conversations here, but just in case, I will make him write down in his own words everything that he has done up to this point that concerns the deathnote. It may take several days, so please stick around until then."
The sheets were white with a cream-colored blanket on top.
Raito sat down on the bed he would be using, noticing as his full weight was absorbed into the mattress below that one of the springs was loose. There was a large, picture window in front of him, sunlight rippling over the sill and spilling through the white, almost translucent drapes as they fluttered restlessly in the wind. His room was on the second floor, but it faced towards the front yard.
He could hear the laughter of children.
Resting his head in his hands, Raito took a deep breath. It had been one months since he'd been released. One incredibly uncomfortable month. L and him weren't exactly on speaking terms, neither were they even too fond of being in the same room together – which was fine with him because he would rather keep his distance than have the detective cross him the wrong way.
It seemed L was avoiding him with the same vigor. The detective could speak about him, but he could not bring himself to speak directly to him. Raito saw little to no humor in their situation, but if he could make even the unfazeble L feel uncomfortable then consider it an accomplishment in itself.
He could not believe he was actually thinking this but he was actually grateful for Misa's presence. With L and him not on speaking terms they needed a way to get messages across without one of them actually having to go talk to the other, and Misa did not seem to have any problem running between them and blurting out whatever she'd heard. That method of communication seemed to be ideal for the moment, but they couldn't ignore each other forever -- however much Raito wanted to. Eventually L would come to him after this vacation-nonsense was over and he wanted to get back to work. Then he would start bossing him around…
The idea of L bossing him around made Raito want to toss a chair out the nearest window. He'd had one month to come to terms with the idea -- and still -- the very thought of it angered him, incensed him, worse it frustrated him.
It hurt. His pride was in tatters around his feet and there was nothing he could do about it. Ever since the day he had fallen in front of L and begged to be saved from certain death, there was absolutely nothing he could do.
Raito felt hot, stinging regret for every word he had uttered that day, for all the power he had given L over him. In that instant, he had known what he was supposed to do. He should have let Ryuuk kill him. To crystallize his ego, he should have bit through his own tongue and bled to death on that cold concrete floor.
He should have…
But he did not -- would not, because simply put, panic and terror were stronger emotions than pride and honor. He wanted to live and nothing at that moment could have rivaled his survival instinct. He would have agreed to anything, undergone any suffering, any loss simply for the chance to continue on.
It made him feel ashamed. For the first time in his life, emotions like hatred and disappointment and sadness, they were not only being channeled towards others, but also himself. It did not only stop there. Under the tumult of emotions that he could not control, there was one thought that consistently plagued him, that made it hard to breath sometimes, that summed up his failures in one brutal truth:
He had lost everything.
L had taken everything away from him, and no matter how hard he tried, he was never going to get it back.
"Excuse me," came the sudden reply from behind the door. Raito bolted up from the bed, looking on as the door was opened and the man he had been introduced to as "Roger" came through.
"Sorry to barge in on you like this."
"It's no problem at all," he lied, trying his best to smile, but giving the man one of his weaker impersonations. "Can I help you with something?"
"I should be asking you that question," Roger said, genially. "If you need any help unpacking or getting to know your surroundings I would be glad to –" An indignant shriek from one of the children outside made the older man stop what he was about to say. Shaking his head disapprovingly, Roger walked up to the window and promptly closed it shut. "Those children can be so noisy sometime." He fixed the drapes into place and turned back towards him. "I'm sorry about the inconvenience with the rooms. I can always find you another one, maybe something closer to your friend. I put her all the way on the other end of the hall. I hope the boys leave her alone. They can be little terrors at night." Roger then cleared his throat. "But she should be fine. She seems to like children."
"Oh…yeah," Raito said, not really in the mood to hold any sort of conversation.
Walking over to the door, Roger hesitated before showing himself out. "I forgot to mention that dinner is ready. You're welcome to join us downstairs if you'd like."
"No…that's okay. I'm pretty tired, so…" He glanced down at the bed.
"Yes, of course. Well, I'll leave you to get your rest."
A/n: Finally, we've reached the end of the Russian Arc. This was a transition chapter, so it wasn't much fun to write, which probably explains why I took so long to get it up here.
1. Minako – means "beautiful" and "child"
2. Kiyoshi – means "pure"