CHAPTER SIXTEEN

To be a Detective

Three years ago

"You will be exchanged to another department, Lexi."

The girl looked up, hands frozen in midair as she frowned at the Chief's words. "What?" she asked, her eyebrows pulled together. Her dark hair was up in a messy pony tail, and she wore an outfit of all black that made it difficult to decide whether she was twelve or twenty. Only she knew her real age – fifteen. "There has been a special request for your assistance," he said, his London accent strangely tilted, as if he was trying very, very hard to sound neutral. She raised an eyebrow, her gray eyes appraising him carefully.

"Permanently?"

"It seems so," he said softly. He was in his early forties, and the three years he had worked with Lexi – back when she was so obviously young, but people had forgotten those days because of the multitude of tasks she had taken on which aged her a decade – made her almost like a daughter figure to him, someone to keep by his side. His own daughter was off in America, doing God knows what and now she would be gone too.

"Aw, cheer up, Will," she said and just as easily as her frown appeared, a smile lit up her face – her eyes bright, genuine, childlike. "So who's the unlucky group? Please tell me it isn't the Americans, they've been after me since the Paris case -"

"No," he stopped her immediately and rocked back in her heals. "It's someone who you are supposedly familiar with."

Her curiosity piqued up. "Oh?"

"They call him L."

...

Elaine took a deep breath, staring at the hotel room in front of her located in Iceland. She had exactly no idea why Lawliet would set up headquarters in perhaps the most peaceful place, when he should be working in some crime infested country like the United States. But then again, she shouldn't be making any assumption about him...she didn't know him anymore. Not since he suddenly picked up and left five years ago without a single word. Watari was gone too, and suddenly there was a man called Roger there who had the audacity to throw tests at Elaine and scoff at her "intelligence".

But she knew she was just being unnecessarily bitter, but how was a ten year old was supposed to feel when the man she thought was fatherly and her best friend left her behind?

And the more she thought about it, the angrier she became. More restless. How dare Lawliet just leave her – after all those promises of friendship, of working together, of somehow finding a way to be connected? He didn't even left her a note, an explanation. One morning, she woke up and skipped over to his room to go to breakfast with him – and there was nothing there. She thought something had happened, that he was kidnapped.

And it hurt.

And it hurt even more when she had to hear it from the other kids that they had seen him leave in the morning.

Her hand tightened around the strap of her bag, trying to cease her shaking and she couldn't just stand there any longer. She ran into the Grand Hotel Reykjavik, ignoring the beautiful sparse and modern entry, and went up to the clerk instead. She talked in Icelandic for a quicker access, and although her accent was perhaps terrible, she was fluent enough that she checked in and was heading up the elevators to the highest presidential suite in a matter of seconds. She left her bags with the bellhop and took the key card, running up to his room.

The hallways felt like it was sucking her in and that she wasn't making any movement but somehow she arrived there and swiped it quickly, throwing open the door. She was panting as her head moved back and forth, trying to find him – but all she saw were food. Plates of desserts and abandoned tea sets. Stacks of files and paper made up another majority but she saw no life. She glanced behind her, and seeing that the bellboy was still arriving, she couldn't shout out his name as much as she wanted to.

And then the door slammed close behind her and she whipped around, coming face to face with a man. Not just any young man, but one that was several inches taller than her, sickly pale but smooth clear skin, smudged with shadows beneath black eyes with messy black hair to match. A face not quite white, not quite Asian. A face of her childhood, of her memories - a face she could not forget even after five years.

His eyes searched her face. "Hello, Elaine," he said in a careful tone. "I do hope you're not angry at me for not keeping in touch."

She opened her mouth, but she couldn't find the right words, so he continued in his usual rushed murmur. "And I hope that we could get past it, and work together." He stopped and slipped his hands into his pockets, making prominent his odd stance as he walked around her to pick up a beautifully decorated red velvet cupcake. He held it precariously between his index and thumb, staring at it as he spoke. "I heard that you have been doing well." He handed the cupcake towards her, no smile on his face but his eyes were light, happy even. "I'm glad to hear that."

And at his acknowledgement, all her anger collapsed and she cried out his name before throwing her arms around him. "Lawliet!" she exclaimed, torn between laughter and tears as she squeezed the too tall, too thin man. "God, it's been so long. Have you been sleeping? Where's Watari? Has he been feeding you - God you're so thin. You've been working nonstop, haven't you? Stop using your brain and let that fat accumulate! You're going to get sick like that! But God it's been so long. Don't you dare do that to me again, or I will track you down and kill you. And was it you that called me here - or Watari? Please say it's -"

He stuffed the cupcake into her mouth.

"I missed you too, Ellie."

She stopped, mid-banter as the overly sweet taste of the cupcake filled her mouth. She dabbed the icing at the corner of her mouth, grinning up at him as she ate the dessert he so kindly shoved in her face. "Don't just leave like that again, okay?" she pleaded softly, "ever." And despite that sad, anxious tone - it contradicted those bright, gray eyes that he had lingered over his mind for the past five years. The very same shining eyes of a five year old somehow, despite all the violence and deaths she had seen, remained.

And with this in mind, the idea of falling in love with the girl that was Elaine Bennett became a little more real.

xxx-xx-xxx

"Wake up, Emi."

She felt a gentle nudge on her shoulder and her eyes slowly opened. "Hm?" she mumbled, rubbing her eyes as she yawned and stretched. "What time is it?"

"Eleven o'clock. We need your help to prepare Misa-"

"Damn it!" She groaned and twisted around to check her clock. "Jet lag." She concluded, getting up groggily and rubbing her entire face this time tiredly. "Just give me one second."

"For you: two," was the ever kind response from L. She shot him a look, hoping that it would seem normal but she was suppressing an unfamiliar flutter in her stomach. She threw over the blanket and looked down to see she was still in the now crumpled up dress.

After she got to her room early this morning, she was too exhausted to eat and simply collapsed on the bed, lost in the feeling of wonder. She had been an expert of recognizing relationships and trends her entire life, and wondered how this caught her off guard: this feeling. She had read all those novels about love but it had never occurred to her before that L would be something more than her other half...of a detective, that was.

But she cared for him. A lot.

"You look fine, come on. Knowing Misa, she's going to need a lot of tips on acting," L mused and she couldn't help but smile at that. Behind them, Light sighed. He remembered when Emiko was the one doing the acting...and her friendship was so believable even she fell for it.

"Do I get a role in this?" she asked curiously, throwing on a sweater.

"No."

"No."

She gave the two of them a look, surprised at their same answers. "What – why? Misa's doing it!"

"Stop being such a child, Emi -"

"They've already seen her face and know her -"

Again, they were answering at once and she only picked up the general sense of no you're not doing it from their mixed up reasons. "But I've done it before!"

"Yes, but before we knew about the way Kira kills -"

"It's too dangerous, and I'm not going to stand by and let -"

"Okay, okay! Stop!" She groaned, unable to understand either of them. She fingered her hair, walking out of her room with the two young men following behind after her. "Geesh, you two are like an old, married couple."

xxx-xx-xxx

Elaine couldn't help but laugh as Misa over dramatically flew backwards onto the couch, receiving a tap on the head by L's makeshift horn with an agitated sigh. "Misa, please stop overacting – it looks too cheesy not to mention fake." His disinterested tone pulled a smile on Elaine's face as she crossed her arms and shifted her weight against the other leg.

"Huh? But I thought that was a realistic performance!" She pouted behind the couch.

"Just do it again."

"Whatever you say, oh so great director."

"If you don't get serious about this, I'll kick you," he said with an even darker and serious tone, making Elaine laugh out loud. She bent her arm, resting her elbow against L's shoulder rather awkwardly given the height difference but the mere gesture felt normal. Light sighed and glanced at her. "Any tips?" he prompted with a hint of a smile. She blinked.

"Well don't flail your arms around like that, for one thing," Elaine advised, biting on her lip as she looked at Misa and wondered what type of angle the girl should take it at. "Act frightened, but subtle. Be confused, and just slightly ashamed." She tilted her head. "Pause and look nervous, but don't be too loud or chatter on, but tell them everything. Don't hold anything back."

"That's so contradicting!"

"Women are contradicting, so it's natural," L muttered.

But Elaine didn't seem like she was in a humorous mood anymore and it suddenly hit her all at once what Misa was risking by doing this...for Light. "You have to be convincing," her eyes flickered down, her voice dropped, "after all, they can easily kill you."

xxx-xx-xxx

For several hours, Elaine had tried to distract herself by working. Working, working, working. Hours passed and she didn't even stop to eat – not until a loud entrance snapped her up just as she finally drew an ending. She looked up to see Misa practically skipping into the room with Mogi following closely behind. She watched through narrowed eyes as Misa recounted the entire event. Something about her seemed different, she noticed, a confidence. A drive. Misa wasn't blindly eager anymore, but it seemed like...like...

"Hey Light, wanna come sleep with me tonight?" She was giggling as she ducked out to the door.

Light's eyes flashed up to her, stuttering, "What-what are you talking about?"

"Just kidding!" She giggled. "You're saving for it after we catch Kira, right? You don't have to be shy about it!"

Elaine couldn't help but glance back at Soichiro Yagami, who was peering at them with his glasses shining, half mortified, half like an obsessive parent. She bit back a laugh, pushing her suspicions behind her. L lowered his sugar-filled tea, looking at her and then at Light with a dryly amused expression. "Yes, Light, there's no need to be shy."

"I'm not being shy!"

"No need to be so serious either." He muttered. Elaine stood up and stretched, a smile still playing on her face. With everyone settling back in, she handed the two the reports she had been working on all day to Light and L. "Well here it is," she said as Light inspected the papers in his hand and L merely listened, "my top two estimates as to who Kira is. It's between Kyosuke Higuchi and Takeshi Ooi."

"Hm," L commented thoughtfully not even bother asking why. With the years, he came to trust Elaine's predictions on possible suspects and she was always right when she pulled out the names. Light, on the other hand, needed more convincing than just the facts and dates. "I can sort of understand why you think these two but..."

"Don't ask," L paused, spoon in the air, "just accept."

Elaine gave him a grateful little smile but she expected Light's curiosity. "I understand your scepticism because these are, after all, just dates and achievements. But from everything I've dug up, Higuchi seems the most likely kill for greater self-gain – evident from the threats, blackmail and risks he's made with other companies in the past. He's greedy and rash enough to be Kira. Ooi, on the other hand, is also dedicated to the company. His proposal plans are brutal, honestly, willing to put off hundreds just to increase his profit. He's intelligent enough, and looks past any sacrifice so -"

"So it's most likely these two," L concluded.

"I wish I could make up my mind between them but," she paused and then sighed, fingering her hair, "maybe if I was there when Matsuda messed up, and if I went with Misa and all her friends -"

"No, stop." L groaned, not even wanting to imagine his partner in skimpy "shirts" and short skirts lounging over those men, "I would really rather not have that visual."

"What's wrong, Ryuzaki?" Light asked, amused as he welcomed the distraction, "one line you won't cross?"

"Yes," he said, ever blunt as he returned to his snack. He stirred it thoughtfully, surprising both Light and Elaine with his answer. They all knew the depth he would go to find Kira, and flirting with those businessman was although uncomfortable, not beyond her abilities. She wouldn't have minded if it meant confirming her guess – if it was Higuchi and Ooi. "I wouldn't want you doing that."

She found herself smiling, that same fluttering feeling growing as she leaned over L's chair and wrapped her arms around his neck, trying to be casual. She didn't remember when she did this without her heart beating a little louder, a little faster, but she knew that once upon a time – it had happened. Now she wanted nothing more than...than...

"Don't worry about me, I can take care of myself."

"Hm," he simply said, pushing his cup away, "I doubt that."

She laughed. "If there's anything you have to worry for, it's Misa. Did you notice the way she was speaking when she got back?"

Light looked curious. "What do you mean?"

She ran her fingers back through her hair and sighed again, plopping down on the chair. She rested her chin upon her palm, ticking her cheeks slowly as she looked down at the report again. Higuchi's creepy face lingered on her mind, and she tried to imagine a dainty, perky girl like Misa going up against him without the help of L, Light...or even herself. "I don't know. More confident, driven. I just hope she doesn't do anything reckless."

And the next day, as Misa came back with a recording on her phone proclaiming Higuchi's role as Kira, Elaine was impressed. More than impressed, she felt as if she was useless. Except..."We need to figure out how he – oh, food!" Watari came rolling in with a three tier tray of desert and she was momentarily distracted as she took a macaroon and popped it in her mouth. She listened as L ran through what he thought about her actions, but Elaine had already guessed what his next move would be. "Hm," with her pinkie, she clicked back on the laptop.

"Hey Wedy," she said cheerily, being on friendly terms with the blonde cat-burglar. They had worked together in France before, with the older woman even teaching a sixteen year old Elaine some of her tricks in the past.

"Good to know you're alive," Wedy replied, barely joking, "what can I do for you?"

"Can you please get me an update on the current situation?" she asked as L examined his fruit cake, looking pleased. She took her fork and reached for a piece, picking in particular the one mostly covered in icing and strawberries.

"Everything's going smoothly, we should be able to track 70% of their movement using our cameras inside the office building," she reported back.

"What about outside the office?"

Wedy paused. "That's not going to be possible with just Watari and me."

"What if you focus solely on Higuchi?" Elaine asked, getting a nod of confirmation from L.

"Higuchi? I've only been able to enter the houses of the five men so far." She sounded doubtful. "It took me two days to just get into Higuchi's house."

L interrupted. "Then just install them into his cars."

"What?!" Wedy exclaimed exasperatedly, groaning. "Do you have any idea how many cars this guy has?"

"Six," Elaine and L both said at once.

"Fine," she sounded annoyed but she had worked with them before, after all. She expected L to be just as irrational and there was no point in arguing with his methods. "Then, I just have to install them in all his cars, right?"

"Yes, please. Thank you, Wedy," she said, ever pleasant as she hung up. She leaned back straight, waiting for L to say something. There was an audible pause before he continued. "Light, I'm sorry to keep coming back to this topic...I'll just get to the point." There was no apologetic tone in his voice, of course. "Do you remember... killing anyone I mean?"

They all tensed, and she could practically feel Light's anger reigniting. "Are you still going on about that? Look, I'm not Kira -"

"I just want you answer the question." His tone brushed off the younger boy's anger as if it was a pest. "Well, do you remember?"

Light stopped, closing his eyes and for a long while he did not speak. And then slowly, he opened his eyes and met Elaine's gray ones. She silently begged him to not give a big speech and before attacking L yet again, and she saw the irritation in his face but Light was intelligent as he was just. "No," he said slowly, "I don't."

"Misa, what about you?"

"I don't remember. How could I – cause I'm not Kira!"

And as L explained his theory, Elaine prepared another fight to break a part, but surprisingly Light went along with it. Elaine exhaled, relief. "Thank you, Light. I can now say that I feel ninety-nine percent better." And Watari reappeared, leaving behind a tray of two more cups of tea and sweets. Elaine helped herself, listening as L revealed his plan using Sakura TV to lure out Kira...

With Matsuda as bait.

"I don't need three days to decide," he said his brown eyes hard, gaining new admiration from Elaine, "I want to do this."

And for the fourth time, Elaine let out a huge breath. Movement, she realized, she needed movement. She needed progress. If it was anything to get over this almost depressive, sick state her mind had fallen under – it was action. At least that was one problem down, and many more to go.

Because after all, her confusion towards Lawliet...this infatuation would probably never get solved.

But then again, was being in love really such a problem?

YAY. THIS STORY HAS REACHED 100 REVIEWS :) I am so incredibly happy - thank you everyone for reading, for all those who's been keeping up and especially those who have been giving feedback! Y'all are awesome.

And I'm sorry that I gift to you is somewhat dull but necessary chapter in return. Hopefully though, it will do for now :) Elaine/L flashack coming up next, if you like - do tell me. Reviews would be lovely, as always!