L was quite quick for someone constantly hunching over and soon enough Ceres found herself jogging to not be left behind. Apollo, on the other hand, seemed to be standing still every time Ceres looked at him yet strangely when she turned around again he would suddenly be right next to her. After five minutes off L's crazed pace Ceres finally made up the decision to talk to him (as he had been silent since the train) and hopefully slow him down some. But first was the obstacle of what to call him, it wouldn't be right to say "L" or "Lawliet" in public where anyone could pick up on it and since he hadn't actually introduced himself she was at a loss.
"Excuse me, um, I have a-" she began.
"Call me Ryuzaki for now, please," L said, not even looking at her as he blended in with a crowd to cross the busy street in downtown Kanto.
"Right," Ceres accepted, but she had to stop there because just then the crowd was pushing her to cross the street and once again she had to jog to keep up with L.
"Ryuzaki," she said, "I have to ask you-"
Once again the detective interrupted her, "If you would wait until we reach my home I might be able to answer much more…in depth, than the circumstances here would allow." The man was beginning to sound mechanical. Surely that was normal behavior for a man of his intelligence.
"But how long will that-" Ceres started in again.
"We're here," L announced, and all too suddenly he turned away from the sidewalk and on to the stairs to a brick apartment. Ceres scampered after him as he found a key hidden on the building and entered. She heard Apollo chuckle and spotted him from the corner of her eye playing with a white little kitten on the steps. L closed the door once she was inside and the view was disconnected; she saw the look those black eyes gave her and pleaded not guilty with a small smile and shrug. Well at least that's one less person not making sense gone for now.
Ceres didn't bother to let herself feel bad about leaving Apollo outside. The strange buzz Apollo blared was causing her head to hurt anyway. Well he is an angel! What did you expect?
"This way, and please save the questions until we are alone," L said, and then sped down the hallway to where a flight of stairs waited.
Alone? Ceres glanced around; there were no people that she could see but then… A camera? A rather expensive, High-Tec and super small camera at that; probably one of L's own. So this was really L's home? L lived in the top most apartment within the building. It was only two rooms: a large main room with no furnishings at all and a small bathroom. The walls were a very light blue; the floors were dark, almost black, and made of wood. There were only two things to suggest a human lived within: a small refrigerator in a corner and a computer, still on, sending out artificial light in the otherwise dark room. And Ceres noticed all of this in one quick sweep on the room once L unlocked the door and ushered her inside.
She stepped inside quickly and L locked the door behind her. Not bothering to turn on the lights, for there was a light switch, L trudged to the computer and sat down in his odd fashion facing away from it. Ceres stood awkwardly by the door and twiddled her thumbs.
"Please, come sit down," L said without looking at her.
Ceres hurried to please him and sat down Indian style opposite him on the floor. "So?" she said lamely. Oh my goodness, I'm with L Lawliet. The L Lawliet! Kira's only rival!
"As I am sure you have guessed, I am L," L said calmly, still not making eye contact. His voice was very soft, almost as soft as the angel's.
"Yes," Ceres squeaked.
"I believe that you knowing that information entitles me to your name?" he said; his raccoon eyes suddenly glancing up at her to meet her gaze.
"I'm Iesada Ceres," she offered automatically. Why did I just tell him that? If he was Kira I'd be dead! But…he isn't, right? Yeah…
"Ceres," L said, testing the name on his tongue. He dropped his head onto his knees and looked up at her now. "I'm now going to cover up way questions, Ceres. Where did you get that notebook?" A long, bony finger pointed towards her bag which he knew was harboring the book.
Damn it! How did he… Does he think I…? But I didn't! Her face hardened. But I did. Quietly, she pulled her bag in front of her and revealed the white notebook. One finger stroked the spine of the book. This is so not good!
L took in her silence. "Let me see it," he whispered. He reached up and gracefully removed the glasses he had snatched from before, folded them and placed them gently on the ground beside the computer.
Ceres stared at him. See it? Should she let him? Did she have a choice? She decided to hand it to him anyway. If something bad was going to happen, might as well go for it.
He stared at it for a couple seconds and then took it. He opened it with thumb and forefinger and held the top corners with the tips of his fingers. He flipped through it slowly. He stopped when he found his name. "You know my name?" he asked, not looking up.
She nodded gently. "Yes…" She felt guilty for some reason. Her stomach was heavy with a feeling she didn't quite understand why she was feeling in the first place.
"How?" he asked, curious.
"When you...died...they revealed your name to the public." It wasn't her fault. It was the media's fault.
"They did? How long have I been dead? Or...how long was I dead?" he asked, staring up at her.
Ceres stared back at him. "You were dead for at least 36 hours, I know..."
He looked back at the note, and then at her again. "What provoked you to bring me back?"
She stared at him for a while before answering. "I had little faith in the note when I found it, and I wanted to test it. It was just a coincidence that I had chosen you, and in all reality I did not believe it would work..." she mumbled.
"Yes...I see...domo..." he thanked. He closed the note and handed it back to her then.
Ceres gently took it from his pale fingers. It seemed to feel different now that it had been in L's hands. "So, what are you going to do to me?"
He stared incredulously at her. "To you? Whatever do you mean?" He tilted his head as he asked the question.
"I mean...will you punish me?" she asked, looking at him from beneath her bangs.
"Punish you? Why would I do that?"
"I don't know..." she mumbled looking away.
"I can only thank you, Ceres-chan..."
She looked up. "Thank me?"
"Yes, for bringing me back. What of Kira?" he asked, changing the subject rather quickly to something he actually knew about.
"Kira?" She was a bit taken aback with how fast he changed topics, and why he would think she knew anything of value about the case in the first place.
"Has he made any moves since my temporary death?" His attention turned towards the computer, raising his thumb to chew on the tip of it as he stared at the bright screen.
"I…don't really know.. I mean.. There have been a few more mysterious deaths," she answered, not quite sure what to say. What did he think, that she was on his task force or something?
L continued to munch on his thumb as he rested his head in his knees. "Would it be a problem if I asked you to stay with me?"
"S-Stay with you?" she frowned suddenly, eyes widening a little. What happened to dinner first?
"Yes, Ceres-chan. You possess this Life Note, which would be great aid in my case," he mused.
"Why do you need me? I can just...give it to you," she offered. It's not like him taking the note would hurt her feelings. At all.
He shook his head. "No...I don't want to put myself in that kind of situation. You keep the note; you know its rules..."
"Well I mean you can just flip it to the front here and read the rules-" She'd opened the note and pointed to the inside of the front cover as she spoke before being cut off.
"Ceres-chan, do you know anything more of Kira?" he asked, dodging the subject at hand once again.
She looked up at him then. "No...nothing other than what's been on the news. I'm not a very good detective."
"You must be careful, Ceres…" he said in a calm, but low voice.
"Careful?"
"Now that you have something to counter Kira with, and once he finds out I am still alive (which hopefully he won't), he will want to know how, and he will try to eliminate it," he pointed out.
"E-Eliminate?"
"Yes. Eliminate. Destroy, get rid of, murder, etcetera." Did this woman not know basic vocabulary?
"I don't think I can handle this," she said, grabbing her head.
"Ceres-chan? Are you all right?" he asked, suddenly concerned. He cocked his head to the side.
"This is all too much. I mean, how in the world can some poor, homeless person like me end up having one of the greatest detectives in the world want me to help him with one of this biggest cases in the world? I must have went into some alternate reality when I got hit by that car..."
"Poor? Homeless? Hit by a car?" his eyes grew with curiosity.
"Yes," Ceres mumbled, aware of him even as she explored the possibilities of being in a different reality. "It got me while I was crossing a street, apparently." she explained. "I don't really remember what happened, but no harm done save for some aches and pains."
L's mind was already whirling around this information, creating and eliminating theories. Faster than one can say Shinigami and he had already come to the conclusion Ceres being alive after that was all due to the Note she carried. So it heals a person touching it even without a name. "Was the car going fast? Above twenty miles per hour?" L asked to make sure.
Ceres squinted back, then nodded even if she didn't really know for sure. L sighed. He turned to the other part of the girl's earlier statement that had caused him alarm. "So you're homeless, Ceres-chan?"
"Yes, well no. Sort of," Ceres stammered softly, "I stay in an old home of a deceased relative, not electricity or water though. But I'm adapted." She added the last bit not to show neediness. She had a job, she didn't ineed/i a proper home despite what everyone might think. Not that she didn't want one.
An abandoned house. If she doesn't have a family she could have gone to an orphanage, maybe a runaway then. Better not push her too much, though. "Adapted or not, you would be safer here. It's the least I can do considering the circumstances. I have the room across the hall rented as well; it was for Watari when we stayed here long and I rarely use it. Still, it should be good enough for at least a few days."
L wants me to stay here? But I can't do that, I can't stay with him. Ceres feebly came up with an excuse. "Ano. . . Ryuzaki, I don't think. . . I have to work across town tomorrow, I need my job. It's too far from here. It would be better if I just went back."
"I'll make sure you get to your work," L assured, amused by the girl's obvious attempt. "If I do not, well, then I'll just have to cover you for however much you make. Plus a bonus for the trouble, and a job to replace the one you have."
Ceres gave; she had never had much of fighting chance against a person like L, but at least tried. She surrendered elegantly, "Domo, Ryuzaki."
"Don't mention it, Ceres-chan. Why don't you go move in? There's a key for the room hanging on the wall, make yourself at home," L said. He heard her stand and pitter lightly to the door, the jingle of keys being lifted from the hook, and the close of his door just before the one across the hall opened. Finally, once the other door closed and he was sure she didn't simply leave, L turned back to his computer. He needed to get caught up, and fast. Not to mention he had to contact Watari and possibly Mello and Near to tell them they were not yet in need, he knew the message had not yet been sent but he wouldn't put it past Watari to not tell them.
Ceres spread like star on one of the beds in the apartment. Like the other room it had only a huge open room and a bathroom and no windows but it was furnished comfortably. There were two beds on the left wall, queen sized with a lamp acting as a separator. A large fridge (filled almost completely with sweets) was a in a corner, there was a round rug in the center, two desks, and a TV. It was scarce to most people but more of a home Ceres had ever been allowed to stay in.
Like a cat Ceres snuggled under the rich purple blanket shivering from her wet hair. She had showered first thing and was now completely drained. Under her pillow was the white notebook with only two names inside. She drifted off to sleep by seven, not awakened by the odd blondie that joined her before dark.
Apollo had slipped inside noiselessly and stood at the foot of Ceres' bed, watching her for a moment. He smiled at her, and had mentally thanked L for making her stay here rather than just letting her meander her way back to a cold excuse for a home. He stepped away and towards the other bed where he collapsed on his back with his hands behind his head, staring at the ceiling. Not a second later did his senses pick up something rather...sweet. He jumped up and aimed for the fridge, and upon opening it, it was as if he were in Heaven again. He grinned from ear to ear and grabbed himself a piece of delicious red velvet cake.
Many hours later, L appeared beside the bed shaking Ceres' shoulders gently. "Ceres-chan..." he whispered. "Ceres-chan wake up..." His voice seemed to have a bit of distress in it.
Ceres moaned slightly and then opened her eyes to L. She jumped up suddenly, grabbing the covers. "R-Ryuzaki-san? What are you doing in here?" The man was so intrusive!
He nodded and pointed over to the other bed. "Did you have someone with you before?" he asked, ignoring her question, gesturing to the sleeping Apollo.
"Someone...with me-" she said looking. "Oh, that's just Apollo...wait..." she wheeled back around to L. "You can...see him?"
"Yes," he confirmed. "Should I not?"
Ceres grabbed the note out from under her pillow. "Maybe because you touched it..." she mumbled. She looked back up to him. "That's Apollo, the previous owner of this Life Note. He says...he's an angel. Do you believe that?" she asked.
He looked at her and then to him. "There is no reason why I shouldn't. The Death Note is owned by Shinigami, demons, so there is no doubt that a Life Note would be owned by an angel," he reasoned.
She nodded. "... I suppose."
He bit the tip of his thumb then and went to open the fridge. His eyes grew wide at the emptiness. "He ate my cake..." he mumbled pathetically.
She looked up at him. So...Apollo does like cake... She jumped up then. "I-I'm sorry, Ryuzaki-san. I'll get you another-"
"It's fine, Ceres," he assured. He reached into his pocket then, pulling out his phone. He looked at her then. "You should get ready for work."
She jumped and then nodded, remembering what time it was. She quickly grabbed some clothes and dashed into the bathroom.
L had watched her for a moment before dialing Watari's number. He held it to his ear in his odd fashion and let it ring. It picked up moments later. "Who is this?" it said first.
"Watari-san, it's L..." L said softly.
"That can't be, L's dead..." the old man responded.
"Yes..." L sighed. "But there has been...a change in plans..."
"I'm afraid I don't understand..."
L sighed again. "Watari-san, meet me at my apartment and I shall explain everything."
"All right," Watari said, and then hung up.
L flipped his phone shut and shoved it into his pocket. Just then Ceres emerged from the bathroom in what looked like jeans with holes in the knees and a t-shirt. She held a blue apron over her arm. She smiled at him then. "All ready, Ryuzaki-san."
He grinned lightly and nodded. It faded however once he looked at Apollo. "What about him?"
Ceres looked at Apollo and shrugged. "He always manages to find me under even the worst circumstances, he will be fine."
He nodded and ushered her forward with his hand, going to the door. "Watari-san will be taking us to wherever it is you work..." he said, opening the door and leading her out.
"Us?"
"Yes..." he agreed, going down the hall with Ceres beside him. "I'll be going with you."
She laughed slightly. "You want to work in a flower shop, Ryuzaki-san?" she joked.
"You work in a flower shop?" he asked seriously, not noticing the obvious joke.
Her smiled faded quickly and she nodded. "Yes, I do. It's a nice little place, I guess."
He looked forward again and opened the door to the apartment and stepped out. Examining him, she noticed he had changed out of the over-sized lab coat he was wearing before. However, what replaced it didn't seem to be much better. It was just an over-sized long sleeved white shirt. Ceres chose to ignore his fashion disaster followed at his heels and stopped when he stopped. She looked forward and saw a shiny black car waiting in the drive.
"Watari-san," she heard L mumble.
Watari stepped out of the car and looked up at L, a smile coming on his face then. "L..." he said, exasperated. "H-How are you? But you..."
L smiled and nodded. "I was, Watari-san, but can we explain on the way?"
"On the way where?" Watari asked, opening the door for L.
L looked behind him and smiled at the Ceres that was sort of hiding behind him. He moved out of the way. "Ceres-chan needs to get to work."
"Ceres?" Watari asked looking up at the girl.
L nodded and ushered her inside the car before him. Ceres went reluctantly and he shut the back door after her. L then placed himself in the front seat, sitting in his odd fashion. Watari hopped into the driver's seat and pulled out. "So," he started, "who is this Ceres?"
L did not look at him. "She's the one who saved me," he said.
"Saved you?"
"Yes, she possesses something much like the Death Note."
"Ahh, and what would that be?"
"It's called a Life Note, and with it she had brought me back to the living," L mused.
Watari nodded. He looked in the rear view mirror. "Domo, Ceres-chan," he said.
Ceres looked up after staring out the window and bowed her head, smiling sheepishly. These people would believe anything, wouldn't they? Then again, why not, right?
"Do you know where the flower shop is, Watari-san?" L asked.
Watari nodded and then made a sharp turn to the left. "Have you informed Mello and Near of yourself?"
"No," L answered. "I'm still getting all this straightened out. I believe I want them to go on thinking that I am dead anyways."
"Is this it?" Watari asked to Ceres as he pulled the car to a stop in front of the flower shop some time later.
Ceres looked out of the opposite window and aimed for her handle. "Yes, this is it. Thank you, I should be done in a few hours."
L was out before she'd even reached the handle. "Stay here, Ceres-chan," he said to her, keeping her door shut until she stopped trying to open it and went inside.
She looked up, surprised. "W-What's he doing?" she asked the old man, looking to him frantically.
Watari was silent and waited for L to return.
L entered the shop and instantly looked around for the manager, or owner of the store preferably. He found old Mrs. McCormick at the front counter. He somehow already disliked the atmosphere here. He stepped up to the counter. "May I speak to the owner?" he asked.
The old woman gave L a once-over before lifting her chin. "You're looking at her," she snapped.
L sort of glared. "Yes..." he mumbled. "I'm here about Iesada Ceres."
"Ceres...she's got three minutes..." the woman said, looking at her watch.
Ceres was sitting in the car about to throw a conniption. I'm so gonna be late! She began to panic and squirm around in her seat, stopping only when Watari gave her a look from the rear-view mirror.
Inside, L sighed. "She no longer works here; I'm here to collect her things."
"No longer works here? Shouldn't she be the one coming and telling me that?" the old woman asked sharply, staring the man up and down again.
L glared. "Do you have anything of hers, ma'am..." His tone was more demanding than of question.
The woman gave and searched for a box. She stuffed a couple aprons inside and a few other knickknacks. She handed the box over to L along with an envelope. L gratefully took it and the little metal name-tag as well, and thanked her, heading out the door.
Ceres was sweating. "I'm going to be fired if I'm just one minute late..." she mumbled opening the door. Just as she had L was in front of her and handed her the box. "Your things, Ceres-chan," he said, handing her everything but the envelope.
Ceres stared. "W-What?! Did you get me fired?!"
"No," L said, closing her door and moving to get back into the front seat. He signaled for Watari to go. "You quit."