Disclaimer: *sings* If I wish upon a star…*stops singing* I still won't own Death Note. I guess I don't need this annoying cricket then.

Chapter Nine Understanding

~Rei's POV~

The wind blew through my hair as I stood in front of Tai's grave. I was alone. Everyone else had already come and gone to pay their respects. The grave itself was simple. No meaningful quotes or decoration to mark the person under the ground as the hero he was. I struck again by the guilt I felt. I hadn't known the press would turn to the guards for photographs and information when the convicts refused to be interviewed. Shou had felt just as bad. He hadn't hidden his tears at the small ceremony. I knelt on the ground in front of the discreet headstone. I needed to pay my respects in the only way I knew how. I shifted slightly, trying to get comfortable; I was going to be here a long time. Then I closed my eyes and started to remember.

I'm not sure when I started doing this. Revisiting past memories of the person lost. Letting them play before my eyes like an old movie. Maybe it was when my grandparents died. Maybe when the neighbor's four year old girl suddenly was killed by a car. It doesn't matter. It was never my past I needed to remember. It was theirs. Locked away in my mind was that person, their essence. Everything that made him, him. Or her, her. Or Tai, Tai.

The images began to play. I relived it all. The torture, the rescue the numerous visits. All of it. Emotions shifted, barely registering before moving on to the next one. Hurt. Love. Anger. Happiness. Sadness. It all came and went.

When I broke away after seeing our final farewell, it was morning, I had stayed all night .Tears were flowing down my face. I wasn't sure if I was crying from grief or some form of relief. I took in my surroundings and blinked in surprise. Sunlight streamed down on the grave, from a break in the clouds, so symbolic it couldn't be considered coincidental. I smiled tiredly at the memorial.

"Hey, Tai," I whispered softly. The breeze ruffled my hair just like he used to. "I love you." My voice was thick from crying. "I'm going to catch him for you Tai. I promise." The light slowly disappeared as the cloud moved away from the sun. "Goodbye."

I stood up and brushed the dirt from the black dress I had worn. I needed to get back to the investigation. A glimmer caught my eye. I looked around searching for the cause.

A camera?

I slowly felt all the anger I had been suppressing towards Kira surge forth.

L…

I though his name as venomously as I could muster. He had been spying on me. I stormed over to the camera ripping it from its perch. After a quick walk around the area I found five more. One had even been in a bouquet someone had left. Did he have any limits?

"I hope you're happy, Ryuzaki," I muttered. I was sure he could hear me. Why just stop at cameras when you could install microphones too?

I'm sure I was quite the sight. A seventeen year old girl in a mussed and slightly damp black dress storming down the street with an armful of expensive surveillance cameras. I'm surprised no one reported me to the police. That would have been a fun trip down to the station. As I approached my house I slowed down, wanting to be sure no one was home. I really didn't want to have to explain my appearance to the rest of the family. Excluding my father, all of them were blissfully unaware that I had continued visiting Tai after the incident. I seriously doubted that any of them even knew he had died. Well, unless Light was Kira….

No I was not going to go there. I was already in an unstable emotional setting, if I though about Light being Kira I could completely lose it. Scratch that, I would lose it. Possibly even going far enough as setting fire to his room. Cautiously, I unlocked the front door, waiting for some sign that anyone was home. I sighed in relief and closed the door behind me.

One shower and set of clean clothes later and I was back out the door, this time the cameras in a conservative bag that wouldn't attract attention. On the way to the hotel of L's current residence I picked up a strawberry cake. Part of me recognized that my anger was going to be fleeting. L had a way of twisting things to make it seem like whatever he did was in the right, so it would be best that I had some sort of peace offering when I was done hurling insults at him. The remaining trip to the hotel went by much faster than I wanted it to. Even the elevator up to his floor was being startlingly efficient. Before I knew it I was standing outside of his door, my knuckles poised to knock and to give the man known as the world's greatest detective, hell.

~L's POV~

I sighed in resignation. Rei was not happy with me. That much had been clear from the video feed I had recorded before she dismantled the cameras. And judging from Watari's observation that she didn't feel the need to repress her emotions in front of me, I was due for a lecture. A very loud lecture. A very loud lecture that may or may not include her throwing various items from around the room at me or physically assaulting me. I made a mental note to have all the items in the room that could be reasonably picked up, be removed before she arrived.

I rubbed my temples broodingly before taking a sip of the coffee in front of me, trying to gain as much peace now as possible, when a loud knock sounded at the door.

Speak of the devil and he shall appear.

However in this case it was more of a factor of thinking of the devil instead of actively voicing aloud my thoughts of him. But, it could also be argued that due to my intelligence level, my thoughts were much louder than that of a normal person so reasonably my thoughts would work in the same way as actually speaking. During my mental debate with myself, Rei had been let in by Watari. Her cold expression had silenced all the chatter I had been drowning out from the task force.

Hmm…their dumbfounded expressions indicated that Rei was normally quite good natured. Under her arm was a bag that presumably carried the cameras because she handed it to Watari. In her other hand was a box. More importantly a box primarily used in bakeries for transporting cake and other pastries of that nature. I perked up when I saw the box and immediately slumped when I recalled who was carrying it.

Almost lazily Rei turned to face me, and her expression to be quite frank, was murderous. On any other girl her age the expression would have looked ridiculous, but she managed to pull it off. However, I wasn't intimidated. I had dealt with many enraged people before, while not necessarily in person, the same principles applied.

"May I speak with you, Ryuzaki?" she asked in a deceptively level tone. A few years earlier and she might have convinced me, but my past case with Naomi Misora had prepared me for the wrath hidden beneath even the quietest woman's exterior. A lesson I had learned the hard way by being violently being kicked down a flight of stairs. I gestured for her to continue, knowing fully well she would want to speak to me in private. "Alone." This time her words held a threat and left her mouth as a hiss.

I stood up to comply and in a fit of morbid humor considered asking Watari to draw up my will. However, in Rei's current emotional state in would only serve to make her angrier. Rei led the way to one of the many rooms my suite was composed of. She held the door open and I entered unenthusiastically, not looking forward to the verbal and possible physical abuse I was about to endure.

A wave of irritation washed over me I fully grasped the situation. Hadn't I resolved not to be alone with her? I could have refused her request and demanded that she confront me in full view of the other investigators, where their presence would prevent any relationship outside of coworkers exist. Yet the moment she asks to be alone with me I do nothing to resist.

You're getting soft Lawliet…

"You were spying on me," Rei said, breaking me out of the thoughts that clouded my mind. She hadn't hesitated in the slightest. She went straight for the "kill" as it were.

"Yes," I answered matching her straightforward tone. She didn't avoid my gaze like the other police officers. It was unsettling. Most people couldn't take the intensity of my stare and looked away after a few moments of eye contact.

"Why?" The formally hidden rage was rising to the surface now.

"Because you interest me." Damn. I hadn't meant for that to slip out. I was reminded of my earlier conversation with Watari where I complimented her a bit too much for my liking. This completely diffused her. She gaped at me like a goldfish struggling to understand.

"I…you…me…I interest you?" she finally managed to sputter out. I observed her reaction with amusement. Was it really so shocking? I decided to see how much information I could receive for being truthful.

"Mm…yes," I said slowly, "you do." The shock was evident on her face, but another emotion was mixed in as well. Pleasure perhaps? Her face was turning a light shade of pink now, a color that would have been darker if she hadn't been attempting to hide it. I see….she was flattered that I singled her out for attention.

"I thought you…I mean you…uhh uh," she trailed off uncertainly. Understanding flooded through me.

"You believed that I suspected you of being Kira," I deduced and judging by her embarrassed expression I was correct.

"It was the only reason I could think of," she admitted anxiously, pushing back a strand of her hair.

"Do you have anything to hide from me?" I asked, fully aware this might rekindle her previous ill intent towards me. "Something that will prove to be beneficial for the case?" To my relief she wasn't angry.

"No!" she said earnestly. "Nothing like that! It was just so…personal." She bit her lip, a nervous habit.

"May I inquire as to what you were doing?" I was genuinely curious; her behavior at the graveyard was far from the norm.

"I was…remembering," she replied hesitantly. She saw the wordless question on my face and began to explain. "It's something I've done ever since I was small. I have a photographic memory and I can recall things in almost perfect detail. So when somebody I love dies…I remember everything about them. From the moment I met them to up to their death. It's like I'm watching an old movie of myself, but I'm in the movie. Do you understand what I mean?" I nodded. While this had never occurred to myself, the principal should be possible.

We stood in silence for a few moments, before I thought to ask an important question.

"What was his name?" She blinked, surprised.

"What?"

"Your friend. What was his name?" I hadn't bothered to match Rei's protector to one of the men in the article. I simply had asked Watari to find the funeral Rei would be attending, without finding out the man's name.

"Taichi Todo. I called him Tai," she answered with a sad smile.

"I see…after the case is over….I would like to pay my respects." She stared at me wide-eyed for a few moments, before showing me a real smile. One that wasn't tainted will grief or anger.

"I….He would like that."

"Then shall we rejoin the other task force members?" I asked holding the door open for her. She nodded in agreement and lightly brushed me on her way out. She had no qualms whatsoever about being near me. It was astounding to say the least.

When we entered the room we found the five officers struggling to appear productive while they were clearly attempting to listen to our conversation. I returned to my seat, my eyes focused on the box Rei brought in. She laughed when she saw my eager expression.

"You brought cake," I explained simply, while the others looked on in awe, taken aback by the rapid change from the previously intense atmosphere.

"Yeah…why do you want some or something," she teased, a right she earned by putting up with my observation of her.

"Mm…to put it bluntly…yes." She cut me a slice and placed it on a plate in front of me, before removing the strawberry that adorned it and placing it in her mouth.

"You ate my strawberry." The horror in my tone was evident. She finished chewing.

"Cake buyers privilege, Ryu." I continued to stare at her in shock, before the other half of her response registered with me.

"Ryu?" I asked.

~Author's Note~

Awwwwwwwww. They're so adorable. Sorry about the chapter's shortness. It was either get this out today, or wait until Saturday when I could write again and I figured a little chapter is better than nothing, right? This chapter was a result of a minimum day at school and a pack of Oreo cookies. The gods smiled upon me today.

So some insight into Rei and L. A lot of L POV. Because well…I love it. This is to set up L realizing he could possibly become attracted to Rei if he wasn't a little already. I mean come on, Misa just kisses him on the cheek and he thinks he could fall for her? No. I'm making Rei work a bit to earn L's affections.

I know all you guys wanted to see Light's reaction, but I already have something planned that depends on him not knowing for now. And while it doesn't necessarily depend on it. It makes the scene a lot better I think.

Thank you all my wonderful reviewers!

therabidpenguin: Megan! No, that's a word. Look it up. Hooray! I'm a corrupter of souls! And it was a tiny apple.

snowXgem: Haha I know L ruining it is just so well….L. I thought it would be a bit unrealistic if Rei didn't get PO'd at him at least a couple times. Yes it will happen again. And her anger will not be so short lived! I still hate Light. Don't care if he creates a new energy source or solves global warming (something that is particularly funny if you're a fan of silent reaper) if he is Kira, I will hate him. If he's normal Light I'll pat him on the back. This is my first time cosplaying ever. Though I look forward to the day where I am shameless enough to just walk around in public like that for the heck of it. Because it's coming.

gnarley-: L and Rei awkwardness FTW right? Haha. I miss innocent Light too. I really wish death Note ended with L making sure Light never got the death note again and then they would become a team of crimesolving detectives! Then Matt, Mello, Near and B would join the picture! Ah the possibilities…I also enjoy procrastination.

theawesomesarah: Thanks for reviewing! *forces L to swallow his germaphobic pride

and accept virtual hug*

Sesshomarus-demoness20:Awww your welcome! Really? It reminded you of the live action? Guess I've really know what I'm doing because I haven't seen any of the live actions yet. Jk I have no idea what I'm doing XD. Though I hear an American live action is in the works…

darkravensnight: Just wanted to say your review compelled me to look up Light kills Kenny and Kenny gets killed by the death note on Youtube. This makes you awesome.

Rat300: As of right now I have no idea which is older. I am terrible like that. I'll probably not even mention that for like another five chapters XD. It was dedication. And your dedication is appreciated. I actually enjoy it when my reviewers tell me little snippets about their lives that tie in with my story.

Lt. Sarcasm: SIR YES SIR! Was this fast enough for you? I hope you find a decent sheep costume.

Ailia Sparrowhawk: Yay! I aim to please. That is an accurate description of Rei right now. Mainly because it's fun to write characters when they shatter. I am so sadistic.

boarsskin: You reviewed 4 times! That makes you so awesome. I'm mean. I wait until I finish all the chapters someone has written before reviewing XP. And mine isn't the only fanfiction you're reading. We're reading like three of the same ones. I swear I'm not stalking you! I just happened to see your reviews.

.cake: Oh my gosh! *falls down to worship this awesome writer* you reviewed my fic. Oh my gosh, thank you so much. It really is an honor to have someone as talented as yourself review. I'm serious. I've got nothing on you. You write so maturely and don't have to spell everything out like I do. The characters just get their points across with your spectacular writing. Thank you! Now if only Timekeeper101 would read this…my life would be complete.

kenichisan: Thank you very much!

MetaloidAlchemy: A fellow alchemist yes! Haha this probably sounds mean, but I think it would be hysterical if your teacher caught you reading this in class. It'd be even better if she/he read it aloud. Don't worry L won't fall too hard too fast, though I am itching to write his attempts at flirting.

xXMichyBabyXx: Thanks so much for the review! I liked last chapter too.