Sybil and Jerrod Corvax stood in the shadows, staring into each other's equally green eyes.
A small smirk soon etched its way to her face, but it was bitter.
"Wow. A lot sooner than I expected. How'd you know it was me?" Jerrod smiled sadly.
"I know my own daughter."
"I see. Come on, then." She turned around and stepped out of the shadows with the older man close behind her.
His brown hair was speckled with bits of gray and he was obviously worn down from his fifteen years of prison. However, he was still fit as ever. The man's muscles were obvious under his long brown trench coat.
"Sybil-"
"Hmm?"
"Why'd you get your brother to send me here?" Sybil sighed.
"We'll talk about that once we get to my apartment."
"Okay." Jerrod submitted immediately to his daughter's demands.
There was no need for him to get even more on her bad side.
"I- I haven't touched the drink since I've been out of prison." He murmured quietly, causing the young woman to glance briefly over her shoulder.
"Glad to hear it, Jerrod." He flinched and then lowered his head once again.
What a thing to be called by your own daughter. No, he hadn't expected her to be calling him Daddy all over again. He hadn't even expected her to bother to even try to get back in touch with him. Not after what he had done. But, despite all of that, it nearly killed him to hear his own daughter refer to him by his first name.
He heard the young woman stop suddenly and he glanced up just in time to get his feet to stop as well.
Jerrod watched as she just stood there, directly in front of a building. He looked towards the number above its door and his eyes widened.
Six, six, six.
"Sybil, the numbers of the devil-"
"In order to remember you by, Jerrod." She replied calmly and again, the forty five year old man flinched.
However, he knew that he deserved it.
Jerrod watched as the hooded young woman turned the doorknob without even bothering to unlock it. He blinked as it opened with ease and followed her as she entered.
"There's two rooms that you can take. The one on the left or the one on the right. Pick one. I've got work to attend to. We can talk later."
"Oh. O- of course, Sybi."
"Don't. I'm not Sybi anymore. And I may be biologically related to you, Jerrod, but I'm emotionally unrelated you. Do you understand?"
"Oh, of course. Whatever you want, uh-"
"Just call me Sybil. I gave up on being who I was a long time ago and you only have yourself to blame for that. Now, as I said, I've got business to attend to. Go pick a room and we'll talk later." She then walked into the room that the man assumed to be her office, considering he saw the computer as she opened the door.
Jerrod took a couple deep breaths before he entered the room on the left.
He already knew about her profession. Troy had told him nearly everything he needed to know. But, then again, he had always known that Carlyle was his daughter. Ever since she had first surfaced. It was the name Carlyle that had done it. Jane's maiden name.
Not only that, but Carlyle had surfaced so soon after his crime and Sybil was definitely smart enough to become a great detective, even at the young age of eight.
Jerrod smiled to himself weakly.
At least she had made a life for herself. A good life at that. Better than he could have ever given her.
***
Sybil entered her office and sighed when she saw exactly who she expected.
She closed and locked the door behind her before sliding her back down the door to the floor and hugging her knees gently to her chest.
"Ryuu, c- can I cry again?" L stared at her and then sat himself down beside her.
"If it will make you feel better." He replied softly.
Immediately afterwards, she had wrapped her arms tightly around him and had her bottled tears sliding down her cheeks.
L didn't hesitate long to wrap his arms gently around her waist, soon feeling her bury her face deep into his shoulder and begin to quiver.
"I- I shouldn't have been so stupid. I should have warned him to wear a hood or something to cover his face and because I didn't- because I didn't, Ukita is dead."
"Sybil, you are far from stupid. Impulsive, but not stupid." He explained.
Sybil continued to shiver as she cried quietly into his shoulder.
"I- I hate this feeling." She mumbled tiredly, sniffing back her tears.
L stared at her face, which was damp with her tears as it was pressed against him. He felt her hug him even more tightly as she began the cycle of crying all over again.
She had said the word that she despised so much. The current situation really was getting to her. Seeing her in such a way was painful for him to watch.
"Ryuu, do you believe in God?" Sybil's voice, now weak from crying so much, pulled the young man from his thoughts.
He stared at her once again, thinking the question over.
Did he believe in God? That was a good question. There was no proof that there was even a God out there.
"I must admit, Sybil, I keep my mind open to the possibility." A bitter smile touched her lips.
"Lucky you. I don't believe in God. And, if I did believe in God, I'd hate him as much as I hate Kira and Jerrod Corvax. If God does exist, which I highly doubt, he has it in for me. All he's done is stab me in the back and leave me to die, just like so many others in my life." L's dark eyes saddened at her words.
She was obviously depressed. More so than he had ever been and ever would be. Fifteen years of bottling her pain inside had increased the intensity dramatically.
In an attempt to get her to stop crying, L ran his fingers through her short red hair, blinking at how soft it was.
L closed his eyes briefly, inhaling the scent of-
His eyes opened.
- Lavender? It was coming from her hair. It smelt nice.
"Ryuu, let me tell you something." She murmured.
She had opened her green eyes, which were still moist from her tears, and locked them with his own onyx ones.
"Yes, Sybil?" She clung to him even tighter and he watched as she soon averted her gaze.
"I- I don't think I can handle this much longer. The pain of my past. I- I think I'm scared of it." He tightened his grip around her waist in an attempt to soothe her.
"Would it make a difference if I helped you?" Her eyes kept on their unknown target.
"How could you help me? I'm scared and alone and my damn father is in the house. You should just leave before he sees you and puts the pieces together to who you are. I do get my brains from his side of the family, after all. As well as my cowardice." L released her hesitantly.
"Your father?"
"Hmm. I left for a bar. Any bar. I wanted to get drunk out of my mind. At the time, it was a child's mentality. After witnessing many of my father's post-drunken acts. He could sleep so easily. Without a regret because he was that drunk. He felt nothing. I wanted to know what it was like to feel nothing, but, I once promised myself that I'd never touch a drop of alcohol. I stopped and turned around, so I could come back and try to forget the way I always do. Evidently, I ran into my father, who I asked to meet me here in Japan." Sybil looked back to him, keeping her eyes focused on his face as she smiled weakly.
"I may hate him, Ryuu, but he's still my father and as much as I despise saying it, I still have that attachment to him that I can't ever get rid of. In a way, I still love him as much as a daughter can love her father. Even though he killed my mother and my unborn sibling." She pulled away from her fellow detective and forced herself to her feet, soon feeling weak in the knees.
L stood up fairly fast, just in time to steady her.
"I understand. The bond between parent and child is strong." Immediately, she looked to him with her eyes sad.
"Ryuu, do you remember your parents?" He tensed slightly, but soon smirked.
"I may tell you one day. When we are alone without cameras watching our every move."
"You would have turned them off, right?" His smirk remained.
"Matsuda is still back at headquarters." This aroused a small and weak smile from the young woman.
"You think he's brave enough to spy on us?"
"It is Matsuda."
"The cameras can't hear words."
"No, but ears can." L motioned to the door with his thumb and Sybil's smile wavered slightly, becoming a crooked half smile.
"Yeah. You're right. Listen, I've got some things to talk about with Pappy. You should head back to headquarters." L chewed on his thumb and stared at her innocently with his onyx eyes.
"Hmm, perhaps I should. However, my curiosity is getting the better of me. I would like to meet Jerrod Corvax." Sybil tensed slightly before lowering her gaze to her feet.
"H- how about we make a deal? When you feel comfortable enough around me to open up about your past, you can then meet my father and give him shit." She raised her gaze again and handed L her hand.
He didn't hesitate long to grasp her hand in his.
Just touching her hand sent sparks flooding through his body. It was slender and soft.
L locked his dark eyes with her own green orbs and his smirk returned.
"That seems fairly reasonable. Consider it a deal."