The first time Eri meet Souichiro Yagami, he looked like a hero.

Tall and broad-shouldered, with a strong jaw and kind eyes, he was the picture of the noble police officer one would hope would appear at the first sign of danger. Eri never felt safer than when she was at Light's house, under his watchful eye.

That is, until that day in 1999. The day he'd toppled off the pedestal she'd put him on.

Eri could remember with perfect clarity just how sharp the betrayal had felt at the time, and it hadn't lessened over the years. She'd carried that resentment with her, letting it steer her away from the Chief, even when visiting the Yagami household. But now, sitting between her best friend and the world's greatest detective by Chief Yagami's bedside, she didn't feel the same dark burn she once had. She wondered if the sight of the Chief's worn face had purged the last of her resentment from her. When Light had picked up the phone and said what he said, Eri felt… afraid. Afraid for a man she had hated for so long it should have been second nature.

'Maybe this is what it feels like to grow up; to forgive.'

It felt almost nice.

She snapped out of her own thoughts at the sound of Light's voice.

"So the doctors think stress was the only cause?"

The Chief smiled weakly, "Yeah. To be honest I thought it was Kira when I first collapsed, but I'll be alright. It seems I've been pushing myself a bit too hard lately."

L piped up from beside her, "Indeed. It must have added to your stress knowing that Light is a suspect in this investigation."

Light winced and glared at him, "You told my father that?"

L nodded. "I've told him about you, Eri, even my own identity. He can confirm that I am L."

Chief Yagami made an effort to sit up, wincing a bit as he did. "That's correct. This man is L. To protect his identity, we on the task force refer to him as Ryuzaki, but make no mistake. It's him." He focused on L, "So, Ryuzaki, now that you've had the chance to meet them, are Eri and Light cleared as suspects?"

L's eyes narrowed, but his face remained impassive. "When I say I suspect them, you should know it's very minor for Light, and even more negligible for Eriko. We've gone over this, but I'll explain it again. Not long ago Kira killed 12 FBI agents who'd come to Japan to assist us. They were instructed to follow people connected to the Japanese police. One of these agents, Raye Penber, exhibited unusual behavior before he died."

'Penber…. Penber…?' The name struck a chord with Eri, causing a wave of deja vu. Suddenly, it hit her; she had seen that name before, printed in plain script on a battered ID card. A card held out by an unassuming man with his guard down. And now, that man was dead. He must have died not long after the hijacking. Not long after he had encountered Light Yagami and Eri Yamazaki and put suspicion of them out of his mind.

She felt sick, and painfully aware of L's presence at her right. She wondered if he already knew, and his claims of only slightly suspecting Light were lies. At this point, anything was possible.

Light remained unflappable as always, merely nodding in response. "I understand. I was one of the people Raye Penber was investigating before he died. It only makes sense I'd be a suspect. No, to be more precise, there's no one else you could suspect."

If he was nervous or shaken by the news, he didn't show it.

A part of Eri wanted desperately to say there was no chance in hell Light could be Kira, but another part, the part of her who wanted to be a detective someday, agreed with them. Her tongue felt like lead in her mouth, her protests weighed down by doubt.

L turned his attention to the Chief. "I have to say, I'm impressed by Light's deductive abilities. He's always quick and to the point."

Light stood up, his eyes alight with conviction. "Ryuga, I would like to join the task force. My father has erased any doubts I may have had about your identity, and I'd like nothing more than to catch Kira and prove I'm not him." Suddenly, his hand reached out to rest on Eri's shoulder, making her jump. "But, I have a request. Please don't involve Eri in any of this, I'm willing to risk my own life but I'm not willing to risk hers."

First, a wave of shock flooded through Eri's body, only to be quickly replaced by a wave of anger. "Excuse me?!"

Light's eyes flickered to hers, pleading with her not to start an argument. "Eri-"

"Enough!" the Chief attempted to sit up, only to sag back against the bed at the strain. "Eri, Light, I don't want either of you to be involved with this case. You have your whole lives ahead of you, this is the time in your life when you should both be studying for your futures. There'll be plenty of time for things like this when you're both police officers."

Light's eyes went pleading then, giving his father that loving son look that always made him melt. "Come on Dad, who knows how long that will take? Besides, I want to keep my promise. I promised that if anything happened to you, I would find Kira and make sure he gets executed."

He said the last word so firmly it felt like a knife slicing the air. Emboldened, Eri agreed. "Exactly. Light and I may be young, but this may be the most important case in the history of police work, maybe all of criminology. We're legally adults and we need to be there and do what we can to help. We both-" she cast a side-eyed glare at Light, "-have the right to decide for ourselves whether or not we're willing to risk our lives."

L smiled faintly, "Eriko is correct Chief. I understand you and Light may be concerned for her, but since she is technically an adult and you are not her legal guardian or next of kin, your influence over her decision is quite limited."

The Chief swallowed and looked away, avoiding Eri's eyes. He was silent for several moments, before sighing and turning his attention to her and Light.

"I understand. But listen Light, Eri, Kira is pure evil. We can all agree on that. But recently I've started thinking of this whole situation in a different way. What is truly evil is the power to kill people. And any person who has come to possess this kind of power is cursed. No matter how you use it, no true happiness can be obtained like that, not by taking another human life."

A chill ran down Eri's spine at that. Something cold and unplaceable, like someone had just walked over her grave. She let her gaze wander over to L, who was staring again, though whether at Light or herself, it was impossible to really say.

Light kept his eyes on his father. "I think you're absolutely right. If Kira is just a normal person who somehow obtained this awful power, I would say he is cursed."

The Chief smiled, the pride in his eyes evident. He turned to L, "Ryuzaki, I'm sorry for all the trouble this has caused, but I'll be back to work as soon as the doctor's let me out of here."

Eri reached over and punched him lightly on the arm, "Don't be sorry, be better. Or get better, I guess."

She tried to sound upbeat, and it came out as awkward, but the Chief's speech was still weighing on her mind. He chuckled, but it turned into a wheezing cough and trailed off. Light tensed at her side.

"Dad, you should really get some rest. We can-"

As if on cue, a soft voice emanated from the doorway, "Excuse me, visiting hours are over."

Outside of the hospital's painfully bright, white florecesance, night had fallen. Eri felt grateful for it, as the night air seemed to seep into her brain to soothe her racing thoughts. Light and L had refrained from speaking after first leaving Chief Yagami's room, but Eri sensed both of their enormous brains were already working overtime, working on how they would respond if the other were to speak.

As was his nature, Light made the first move. Upon reaching the curb, he squared his shoulders, fixing L with a determined look. "Ryuga, what would it take to get you to believe that I'm not Kira? Please, isn't there something?"

To his credit, L waver, simply staring at the other man with an unchanging expression. "If you aren't Kira, that won't be necessary. Simply allow the investigation to run its course and the truth will be revealed."

Eri narrowed her eyes, "Oh yeah? False arrests are made all the time."

L smiled faintly. "Not by me."

Light huffed in frustration. "I can't take this anymore! Put yourself in my position, how do you think it feels to be accused of being Kira?!"

The air between them was charged and silent between the three, and Eri felt a rush of sympathy for her friend. In the chaos of all that had occurred in the last several days, she hadn't thought about the emotional effect this could have had on Light. He was one of the strongest people she'd ever known, but he was still human, young, and under a tremendous amount of stress.

L tilted his head back, staring into the tokyo sky, "It was one of the worst feelings ever…."

Light rallied, eyes shining with sudden inspiration, "What if you were to lock me up for a month in a place with no TV or any other kind of access to the outside world and keep a constant watch over me?"

Eri shot him a shocked look. She knew Light wanted this over and done with, but that seemed a bit… extreme.

L shook his head. "That's no good. I can't do anything that would deprive you of basic human rights. And furthermore, it's completely nonsense for the investigator to take suggestions from his suspect."

Light frowned, letting out a short sigh. "I understand."

The three stopped in front of a black car parked at the hospital's curb, and L entered the backseat, pausing to roll down the window. "Don't worry so much. Be patient, it'll become apparent to us if neither of you are Kira. And Light, listening to that conversation between you and your father, I was almost convinced you might not be him."

Eri felt a smile pull at her lips, "Oh yeah? And what did our interaction tell you?"

L said nothing. Only casting her another enigmatic look before focusing again on Light. "Light, please take good care of Mr. Yagami. And Eri too, if you can manage it."

Her cheeks suddenly felt strangely warm, despite the night air.

Light leaned down so his face was level with the car window, "One more thing. I know I agreed to help with the investigation but I don't think I'll be able to do much until my father is healthy again."

Eri felt her heart twinge again. As badly as she wanted to get started on the investigation and learn more about L and the taskforce, Light needed her support. "The same goes for me, I'm afraid. What kind of friend would I be if I left someone to deal with this all by themselves?"

For some reason, her words felt clunky and ill-suited to her mouth, despite the sincerity of the emotion behind them. She felt Light's hand reach up and give her shoulder a grateful squeeze.

"Yes, of course… well then." L's voice seemed to grow immeasurably soft, and the car pulled away, driving off into the darkened Tokyo streets.

Eri and Light stood in place, watching the car until it turned a corner, saying nothing and not looking at one another. The events of the day a seemingly insurmountable barrier between them. When the car finally turned out of sight around a corner, Eri forced an awkward smile onto her face and turned to Light.

"Well… I don't know about you but I've had enough excitement today to last a lifetime. It's late, and we should probably both get home. Do you wanna… I dunno… split a cab or something?"

Light didn't answer, simply continuing to stare after the car as if in a trance. Eri noticed his hand hadn't left her shoulder, and his grip seemed… tighter, somehow.

"No. Let's walk. It's not far, and I need to ask you something."

He began walking forward, hand never leaving her shoulder and tugging her into motion alongside him.

They walked in silence for some time, Eri's anxiety growing with each step. She'd purposely avoided talking to Light for the last two days, and the guilt was weighing on her. Light stayed tense the entire time, though from what, it was unclear. He'd been through a lot in the past 48 hours.

She wished he would say something. Anything, even scream at her. The tension in the air was choking her. Finally, he spoke.

"What did you and Ryuga talk about, that day he gave you a ride home?"

There it was. The conversation she had been dreading.

"We just… talked, you know? He told me who he was and what he thought about you and me and then he dropped me off at home. The whole thing took like, 15 minutes…"

"Did you talk about me?"

Eri felt like a bug under a microscope. "Yeah, of course, only very briefly though, most of the talking was with you today…"

"Did you talk about Ray Penber?"

The air seemed to turn to frost around them at that. Light did a good job at sounding nonchalant, but Eri could sense the gravity of the question."

"N-no! I didn't even know he was dead until Ryuga mentioned it at the hospital. But Light…" She braced herself, "We should probably tell him. I mean, I know how it looks but… this is to catch Kira, if Kira really did kill Penber then we might be keeping a crucial piece of the puzzle from them by keeping qu-"

The next moment happened so fast she almost gasped in surprise. Light stopped abruptly and turned, grasping Eri by the upper arms and stopping her cold. His eyes shone in the light of the street lamps, filled with intense emotion, but his voice, when he spoke, was whisper soft.

"Eri… do you think I'm Kira?"

Time seemed to have slowed down, and the only thing that seemed to exist was Light's pleading eyes and hands around her arms. His grip startlingly warm against the chill of the night. Eri felt her lips part but no sound came out; she simply froze, completely at a loss.

Light let out a shaky breath, "I know I put up a good front Eri but this is… a lot. And… I'm afraid. My dad could have died today, and even though he didn't he's in danger until Kira is caught. My mom, Sayu, they're both in danger and now I have to worry about proving I'm not Kira and somehow you got wrapped up in this mess and I…." He swallowed thickly, "I need your help. I need you to promise me that you won't get involved with this any further."

Eri managed to find her voice, if only for an instant, "Light… you know I can't do that, I have to clear my name too, remember?"

"Then promise me this; promise me that we'll work together to clear both our names. And promise me that you'll keep what happened on that bus a secret until I figure out a way to prove that neither of us are Kira." His fingers slackened a bit, "Please... If not for your own sake, then for my dad's, and mine."

They stayed like that for a moment, framed in the white light of the streetlamp. Eri felt a deep nostalgia in that moment, seeing something of the determined little boy she'd met years ago in her friend. The sheer vulnerability of the plea made it almost impossible to refuse. Finally, she reached up and gently removed Light's hands from her arms.

"Ok. We'll do this together. We'll work to prove our innocence, and hopefully help catch a killer in the process."

Light smiled, relief washing over his features. "Thank you, Eri…it means a lot to me knowing that I have you and my father supporting me in this."

They walked the rest of the way in companionable silence, reaching Eri's house first. Light bid her goodnight at the gate, and continued on towards home, a new ease about him that Eri didn't find as comforting as she should have.

She stumbled through the door into the darkened house, and wandered into the living room, which was lit by the ghostly light of TV, muted and left on for the night. Isuzu was curled on her side in the fetal position on the couch, asleep and, if the twitching of her eyelids was anything to go by, dreaming fitfully. Eri felt an odd rush of emotion for the woman, and grabbed one of the quilts of the nearby battered armchair to drape over her aunt's boney form. The television was playing some inane late night talk show on Sakura TV, and Eri switched it off without hesitation.

She trudged upstairs and collapsed onto her rumpled bed, not even bothering to change out of her clothes. She had almost fallen asleep when she felt the faint buzzing of her cell phone. Opening one bleary eye, she pulled the offending device from her pocket and opened it to reveal a text from an unknown number.

Meet at the Taeto Hotel tomorrow, 6:00 pm room 973.

She groaned, flinging the phone to the floor and closing her eyes.

'Fucking perfect…."

Eri's sense of direction had always worked against her, ever since she was a child, and it took her a while to actually find the Taeto hotel. She remembered it vaguely from her first meeting with L, but that had happened so many weeks ago Eri felt like it had been a century since she'd encountered the dark eyed man outside of the elegant (if a bit intimidating) building.

When she finally arrived in front of door 973, she tortured herself for a full minute over whether or not she should knock. Finally, she did, and the door swung open to reveal a tall, mustachioed man with white hair wearing a simple suit. He looked like some kind of butler, and Eri was immediately thrown for a loop.

"I, er- I'm-"

"Ms. Yamazaki." The man stated politely, stepping aside and gesturing her into the room. "It's a pleasure to meet you at last, you may call me Watari. Ryuzaki and the others are in the lounge area. Please, come in."

Eri stepped past him into the softly-lit lounge, and noticed immediately that, not only was she the youngest person present, she was also the only girl. Two of the men were unfamiliar, but she recognized Matsuda from her work with the NPA and the rare occasion he stopped by the Yagami household. He didn't seem surprised to see her, so she figured they had already been brought up to date on everything. L of course, was unmistakable, sitting in that odd way of his in an armchair at the head of the group.

He glanced over his shoulder at her entrance, "Ah, you're here. Thank you for coming so promptly. We were just finishing up here."

Eri shuffled her feet awkwardly, intentionally avoiding looking at anyone but L. "Do you want me to… wait in the hall or something?"

L shook his head and gestured her over. "No, you're going to be part of the taskforce so this isn't information you can't hear. Besides, we should get you up to speed as quickly as possible." He gestured to the men seated around him. "You may have already met them, but allow me to introduce the other members of the taskforce. This is Ukita, Aizawa, and Matsuda. Everyone, this is Ms. Yamazaki."

Eri flinched, "Eri, please. Or Eriko if you have to. I'm the youngest one here so Ms. anything just sounds wrong."

The group murmured hello, and Aizawa smiled faintly.

"Eriko huh? That's my wife's name, so I suppose you can't be all bad."

Eri grinned slightly and took a seat next to Matsuda on the couch. "Thanks for the vote of confidence."

L motioned for silence and settled back into place. "We were just discussing the disappearance of an old colleague of mine, Naomi Misora. She disappeared a few months ago and no one has seen or heard anything about her since then."

Another missing person. A lot of people went missing in Tokyo, but with Kira at large, nothing seemed like a coincidence anymore. "Are you planning on investigating?"

"That's what we're all wondering…" Ukita mumbled under his breath.

"If we do, it should be coordinated separately from the Kira case. Also, we'll have to use police sketches instead of actual photos."

Aizawa scoffed. "We're talking about somebody who's been missing for four months already, chances are she's probably dead."

Harsh. But probably true. Eri knew enough about police work to know that that after two days, finding a missing person could quickly become next to impossible, if anything, death was more likely.

L didn't seem phased by the man's comment. "If you're right about that I find it odd that we haven't found her body yet. If we did, it might provide us with some insight and much needed physical evidence."

"Ryuzaki-"

They all jumped and turned to look as Watari reentered the room, looking placid but with a note of urgency in his voice.

"Something is happening. On Sakura TV."

Had she not been in a room full of highly trained professionals (well, and Matsuda), Eri would have groaned out loud.

'What now?!'

The tv at the end of the room blinked on, showcasing three reporters against a backdrop of a winged heart. Eri's stomach dropped.

"... In other words, the reporters and staff here are Kira's hostages, aside from that, we have a professional obligation to share this message with you. I assure you that this is not a hoax, and that Sakura TV is not airing this tape for the purposes of sensationalism."

Eri glanced around at the rest of the taskforce, all of whom looked openly shocked. L, however, remained stubbornly expressionless, his shadowed eyes glued to the broadcast.

"Four hours ago, our program director here at Sakura TV received four tapes. After a thorough examination, there could be no doubt that they are from Kira himself. The first tape we received contained a prediction regarding the time of death of two suspected criminal's who'd recently been arrested. At the exact time that Kira predicted, both men died suddenly of heart attacks yesterday. Kira has instructed us to air the second tape today at exactly 5:59 pm, and we do intend to comply with his demands. This tape should offer proof of his powers by predicting yet another death, beyond that, we understand that this tape contains a message to all the people of the world from Kira…"

Ukita cast a desperate glance around at the others "This has to be another fake!"

Matsuda grimaced, "I doubt it… I don't think even Sakura TV would stoop that low."

"And now, the video:"

The screen blinked out, replaced by a white background emblazoned with the word "Kira" in gothic lettering. Eri noted passively that it was the same font L had used for his own broadcasts. If the detective noticed, he didn't show it, only arching forward slightly as the video began.

"I am Kira. If this video is being aired on April 18th at exactly 5:59 pm as I requested, then the time now is 5:59:47, 48, 49…. Please change the channel to Taiyo TV. The news anchor, Mr. Kazuhiko Hibima will die of a heart attack at exactly 6:00.

"Change it!"

Eri had never heard L's voice so sharp.

The channel changed to 36, revealing a man slumped back in his seat, head lolling. Crew rushed up to him, desperately shaking his shoulders. Had his face been visible, Eri knew she would have recognized him as Mr. Hibima. Isuzu often watched his program for hours...

The shadows under L's eyes seemed to have deepened. "Change the channel back. And I need you to bring us another TV Watari. No- make it two."

'Kira' was speaking again, their deep, robotic voice almost hypnotic in tone and pace.

"This is punishment. I will present you with another victim. My next target is NHN TV commentator Mr. Seiji Komaizumi, who's scheduled to appear in a live broadcast. He too has dared to defy Kira…"

Matsuda cast a wary glance over at L, seemingly at a loss. "Ryuzaki…?"

"Change it to channel 24."

The screen changed again, only to greet them with another image of a man slumped over, his colleagues crowded around his limp form.

"Change it back." L's voice had gone stiff.

"Now that you've seen proof of my powers, you should have no trouble believing that I am Kira."

Eri could hardly believe what she was witnessing. Two people who'd been alive seconds ago had dropped dead, right before their eyes. Not a mark on their body, not a single sign of disruption. The feeling of helplessness in the room was sweltering, and she knew they had not even seen the worst of it. Kira said he had a message for the world an-

'Oh no. Hell no.'

L must have come to the same conclusion. A strangled noise escaped him, "Stop this broadcast! Get Sakura TV on the line, we can't let him finish!"

The room became a flurry of movement, with Matsuda an Aizawa desperately dialing out, reaching empty air at every turn. Ukita snarled in frustration, storming out despite Matsuda's protests, and Eri felt utterly at a loss for what to do, numbly turning her attention back to the broadcast.

"People of the world, please listen to last thing I want to do is kill the innocent. I hate evil and love justice. I've always thought of the police as allies, not as enemies. I intend to create a new world. A perfect world that is free from evil. If you agree to join me in my mission, I know we can make it happen. And as long as no one tries to catch me, I promise that the innocent will not die."

Every word she heard dug the pit in Eri's stomach a little bit deeper. Kira was… clearly insane, but the kind of insane people could listen to… were already listening to. This pitch may have been out there, and supervillainy-as-hell, but it's seductive nature couldn't be denied.

Even if you don't agree with me, all I ask is that you NOT publicize your views in the media. If you can do that, you will be spared. All you have to do now is be patient. I'll create a better world that we can all enjoy. Say good-bye to the world as you know it,

soon we'll have a new world brought about by benevolence and inhabited by kind-hearted, honest people. Try to imagine it, a world where the police and I would…"

Matsuda and Aizawa were still desperately trying to get in touch with the station when the broadcast stopped, and the feed changed to what looked like…

'The outside of a building?'

"We are interrupting this program to bring you live outside the Sakura TV studio. As you can see, someone has collapsed just outside the door. Again we're coming to you live from the Sakura TV building."

Eri's blood froze.

'Ukita.'

A figure was slumped in front of the glass double-doors of the station, framed in the light escaping from them. His back was to them, but he was unmistakable.

Eri could faintly hear the sounds of the other's arguing in the background, but every word came in muted, as if from underwater. She could hear the pain in Aizawa's voice, the panic in Matsuda's, but it was all abstract. A fear was washing over her, as nostalgic as a remembered lullaby, and she suddenly wanted to run from the room and never look back.

"...You want me to just sit here and watch TV?!"

"If this truly is the work of Kira, you'll just meet the same fate if you go there!"

"You told us that Kira couldn't kill without a name. So how could this happen?!"

"The aliases and fake police IDs were worthless! What are we gonna do, L?! You don't think Kira has all our names already, do you?!"

Her head was spinning, the voices in the room seemingly getting further and further way. The room was too hot and too cold and too loud and too quiet and everything was smothered under a thick blanket of paralyzing helplessness. She couldn't breath, her vision was tunneling…

"I..."

She heard a voice. Her own but far away, and then the floor rushed up to meet her.

When Eri awoke, she was alone and lying on a bed in an unfamiliar room. It was clear from the furnishings she was still in the Taeto, but she was at a loss to what room or even what floor. She was fully dressed but someone had removed her shoes and taken her hair out of it's customary ponytail; her fingers only caught air when she reached back to tug it.

She sat up slowly, noting that evening had fallen. The clock on the nightstand read 9:30.

'I've been out for 4 and a half hours?!"

She was steeling herself to get up and go looking for the other members of the task force when she heard a soft knock at the door. She didn't respond, but Watari entered anyway, carrying a tray and smiling upon seeing her awake.

"It's good to see you awake, Mrs. Yamazaki. You gave the entire taskforce quite the scare."

She must have. Watching someone just collapse like that after seeing Ukita die… it must have seemed like Kira was picking them off.

"I'm sorry." She said softly. She couldn't think of anything else.

Watari shook his head kindly. Laying the tray down on the nightstand and gesturing to a glass of water and what looked like a slice of strawberry cake. "There's absolutely no need to apologize. After it was determined your collapse was not in fact caused by Kira, Ryuzaki requested you be taken to another room to recover while the taskforce dealt with the current crisis."

Eri accepted the water gratefully, realizing only now how dry her mouth felt. After three long gulps, she her throat felt loose enough for actual speech. "I suppose I missed a lot in nearly five hours, huh?"

"Yes. But it won't take too long to catch you up."

L's voice, balanced and in control once more, emanated from the doorway. Eri turned to face the dark-eyed detective, who ambled into the room and took a seat on the foot of the bed. He and Watari seemed to communicate almost wordlessly, and the older man turned and left the room, letting the door close behind him.

L didn't speak, simply observing her, and Eri suddenly felt embarrassed. She had been utterly useless during that fiasco, basically frozen solid, then fainted in front of a room full of professional detectives. If there was a way to endear herself to her colleagues, that wasn't it. She felt an ugly red flush begin to creep up her cheeks.

L was seemingly just as uncomfortable. Fiddling with the fraying threads of his jeans as they sat in silence. Finally, he spoke. "So, uh… what, exactly, was that?"

Eri laughed bitterly. "That? I honestly don't know. I haven't felt like that in years, not since I learned that my parents had been killed. Things just got tense and I just… got tenser, I guess." Her fingers clenched into the bedspread, "And seeing Ukita like that… I don't know. It just all felt like too much."

"Hmm."

L merely grunted, but she saw his eyes close for a moment when she mentioned Ukita, tightening as if he were in pain. She realized suddenly how utterly incompetent that sounded, how childish. If she couldn't handle stuff like this, what business did she have being on the taskforce? How helpful could she possibly be?

"B-but it won't happen again! I promise! I don't know what came over me in there but I swear it's a one time thing. I'm 100% committed to catching Kira and if you give me another chance, I promise I won't let you d-"

"Eri. Stop." L said softly.

She stopped and looked at him, noticing he was shaking almost imperceptibly. It was bizzare, a far cry from what she'd seen in the lounge, but somehow it put her at ease. This L wasn't all knowing, he didn't have a flawless answer to everything. He was… hurting. Eri couldn't really work with that any better than she could cold disapproval, but it was still almost strikingly human. She found herself having to suppress the desire to move closer.

"What happened today was- deeply trying for everyone. Your reaction, while deeply troubling to the other members of the taskforce, was not without reason. We lost Ukita. And I…" his fists clenched, "...was forced to make some unpopular decisions. Reacting to the stress we are subjected to is normal, but we have to make sure not to let it overwhelm us."

Their eyes met, and Eri found herself marveling again at how endlessly deep his dark gaze seemed. "I would of course, prefer you remain with the taskforce, but the decision is ultimately up to you. I realize now I may have rushed you into this prematurely. We have received a great deal of new information due to the efforts of Chief Yagami, and I would appreciate whatever insights you may have on it, but if you believe continuing to work with me would put yourself or this group at undue risk, you are free to leave."

Eri thought about Ukita, lying in the light of the TV station. She thought about Light, and the pleading look in his eyes when he asked her to trust him, to help him. She thought about her parents, feeling the dull pain of their absence.

No. Leaving wasn't something she could ever truly consider.

"No, I have to stay. This isn't going to stop until we make it stop. And besides…" She grinned weakly, "I still have to clear my name, and Light's. I've got pretty strong motivation to stay."

"That's… good. I suppose." L said haltingly. He glanced at the clock. "It's late, and if it's alright with you, I'd like for you to stay here under observation for the night. We don't think Kira was involved in how you reacted but considering all that's happened, it's better to be sure."

Eri nodded. "That's alright with me. I'd rather not walk out of here only to drop dead in the parking lot."

L didn't laugh or even smile at that, simply blinking at her placidly. "No… I suppose not. Is there anyone you'd like to call? To let them know where you are?"

Eri chuckled bitterly, "No one will notice if I'm gone for a night. It'll be fine."

L shifted uncomfortably, rising from his place at the foot of the bed and moving towards the door. "Yes… well. You should get some rest. We'll bring you up to speed on everything that's happened early tomorrow."

She smiled, "Sounds good to me."

He turned to leave, and she was suddenly possesed to say something, anything. "Ryuzaki-"

L looked back over his shoulder, brows raised in confusion. "Uh, yeah?"

"I know I wasn't much help today… but I did notice something that I think you should know."

"Oh? And what's that?"

Eri steeled herself, sitting up and making her voice stronger, surer. "I can say with absolute certainty that, whoever it was on that tape? It wasn't Light. I know Light, and there's no way that was him."

L didn't respond, letting the silence stretched between them for nearly a minute before nodding slowly. "Alright. Thank you for letting me know."

"Thank you- for understanding, I mean. And for letting me stay."

His reply was so quiet, she almost missed it as he ambled away down the hall.

"You're welcome…"

Across town, a woman sits on a moth-eaten sofa, clasping a quilt around her shoulders. Her eyes are glued to the television even though it only displays static.

A figure appears behind her. Hulking and misshapen, and silent as the grave. She doesn't turn to acknowledge it, she doesn't have too. She's been anticipating this moment all evening. Isuzu is seeing things clearly now. More clearly than she has in years.

"So you saw? On the news then?"

"Yes."

She smiles sadly, "I thought so. It's not safe anymore, is it? It's not safe to be ignorant, fumbling in the dark.

"No. It's not."

"You'll be needing this back then?"

She pulls a battered black notebook from under her quilt.

"She'll be angry. It's not time yet."

"Things have changed. A new plan of action is needed."

"I understand. How will you get her to take it?"

"I'll find a way."

She sighs deeply, letting her pale fingers tighten on the edges of the notebook.

"I hope so. For her sake." She turns then, meeting the creature's single orange eye, "You may live to regret this. She will lose much…"

"If I do not, she may lose everything."

Isuzu's lip trembles for a moment, a single tear threatening to slide down her sallow cheek. "Consider your next moves carefully, angel."

Her voice becomes quiet then, almost a whisper.

"Will it hurt?"

"Not much."

"Good."

….

Sorry about the length, actually had to split this one up it was such a beast. But, we're getting into it now and the words just don't stop. Fun fact, I just found out Aizawa's wife's name is Eriko, small world huh? Hope you enjoyed, and stay tuned for more.

Thank you all so much for your kind comments, favorites and follows, it's wonderful to know people want to see where this goes.