Random: Ship... well, since it isn't directly revealed in the story, I can tell you Ship is really just BB in disguise. Sorry if you were hoping for something more interesting, haha. Ahh, I've gotta love Matsu~ Ooh, happy to amuse you at all, dear reader~

The Reading Kind: Poor child L indeed... At that age, yeah, that's what a lot of kids are like unless they have an event like that in their life. I myself was the same... just... anxietal about death; extremely anxietal. Turned out I still hadn't grasped it, though, so I was pretty normal in my own right, too.
Matsuda is perfect comic relief. He just is.
Pfft, no, it's not a fanservice anime. xD It's actually a rather dark anime, and it's one of my favorite anime. In my top five, in fact. I'd definitely suggest it. c:
I don't know Tales of the Abyss... Hm... Natalia; did I mention her last chapter? Apparently so. Well, she'll be mentioned later, so wheee. She likes Kaito. xD
Oh, trust me. I always get back. Muhaha.

Amy: Sad, isn't it? Poor Kenta... Ahh, but of course I had to put Sebastion in there somewhere. xD

Okay...um... double update! Sorry for not saying so yesterday, but I just decided this now. And why? Because this week contained the last day of classes for me. So...yay!

Enjoy the extra chapter~

"You know, L, you really are gonna drop dead one day because you don't eat right or sleep well," Anna informed said detective that night, at dinner.

"It's Near that'll die of malnutrition," Sam responded. "Worry about him."

"Besides, I do believe I had my fair share of sleep last night," L added.

"Really?" asked Light, lifting a piece of food with his chopsticks.

"Yes, really," Sam retorted.

"On a bed?" asked Anna excitedly. "On a real bed?"

"No…," Sam replied.

"On a couch," L told her.

"Oh," said Anna. "But still!"

"It is something," I agreed. "Now all we need is to get you to eat something other than sweets."

"No thank you," L responded, then popped an apple slice that had been dipped in caramel into his mouth.

"He's… eating my apples," said Ryuk, his hands outstretched. "You—you'll get more, right Natalie?"

I smiled slightly. As a note, it should be said that Ryuk was staying with me, Misa, and Sierra interchangeably because of the fact Light had discovered his house had been broken into the day before. He figured there were only wiretaps because Ryuk couldn't find any cameras, but Ryuk got bored being unable to talk with him, so he mostly stayed with Sierra, Misa, and I. Mostly Misa. He just happened to be here now so he could watch the show of the five of us eating dinner.

Maybe he'd catch L pretending to be Batman again.

"So, wait," I said, "why, exactly, didn't you come home last night?" I asked Sam. "I mean… you said you were working on the Kira case all night. If L was sleeping, what were you doing there all night?"

"…I fell asleep," she muttered.

"What," said Anna, "did both of you wake up to find you were cuddling?"

Sam went red, unable to get a response out.

"No," L responded easily, dipping another slice in caramel.

"You know," Anna pointed out, "you two practically live together at this point. You should get married."

I sputtered with laughter as Sam only got redder.

"I'm not the marrying type, if you couldn't tell," L replied coolly. "If that changes, then maybe, but until then, we will stay the way we are."

"…Wait, what?" Sam yelped.

L popped a slice into his mouth. " 'What' what, Samantha?" he asked, his mouth full.

"Interaction!" I cried in delight, then laughed. "I love you, L."

"Really? Thank you."

Anna giggled.

Sam tried to recover, looking at me with determined eyes. "Well, Anna, what about Natalie and Light?"

"What about them?" Anna asked blankly.

"You know," Sam replied vaguely, making a gesture with her hand.

I quirked an eyebrow. She wasn't going to get back at me like that.

"I do believe she means marriage," L explained, then licked some caramel off of an apple slice.

"Well, they're already married, I thought," said Anna.

I choked as Sam looked at her for a second. Then she laughed.

"What?" I cried.

"We… aren't," said Light. "There wasn't…. Anna, to be honest, that doesn't make sense."

"Yeah," I agreed. "How are we married? He doesn't even live here. Sam and L are closer to that than we are!"

Sam only continued laughing.

Anna tilted her head, still looking at me. "…You just are."

I sighed, facepalming. "Okay then. Because that makes so much sense."

"It works for me!" Sam laughed. "I don't care if it makes sense or not!"

Light only raised an eyebrow at Anna as he continued to eat his food.

"Well, that's a twist," Ryuk remarked. "I thought humans had to live together to be married…. And isn't there some sort of ritual?"

Typically, Ryuk, I thought, they do have to live together. And yes, there is a ceremony. "So when's your marriage to Near?" I asked Anna dully.

"Never," she answered matter-of-factly.

"Anna, you're no fun," Sam huffed.

"Sorry," Anna frowned. "Near is my teddy bear, and nothing else."

A pause. "Aww!" Sam cried.

"What? He is!"

"It's so cute!"

"No it's not!"

"Anna," I interrupted, "you and Near are cute together. It is a fact. Leave it alone."

Anna opened her mouth to protest, but Sam spoke first. "Actually, it can be kinda creepy. You and Light, however, are cute and not creepy."

I furrowed my brow. "Hardly. You and L are cute, though."

"Nooo," Sam disagreed.

I pursed my lips. "Yeah… you're right…. You and L are… sweet." I laughed. "It's perfect!"

Sam huffed, then irritatedly continued to eat her food.

"Hm," L commented, then licked more caramel off of his apple slice.

Akihabara, L realized, looking closer at the picture of the map Sayuri Sakamoto had held clutched in her hand. It was still the darkness of early morning. The next victim was in Akihabara. There was a smudge right where the next victim would be located… but it was likely passed off as a trick of the light. Nothing to worry about. But it was really telling us exactly where the next murder would be. L smiled slightly, intrigued, as he placed his thumb on his lower lip. It's like the Los Angeles BB Murder Cases all over again.

He pulled up an image of the note on the back of the map and examined it. Then… it mentions the location in the second paragraph of the note. It talks about a costume café… and… '…going to Tokyo…' '…travel all around….' All of the murders will take place in Tokyo, jumping around to his next crime scene. If there's a pattern with that, I don't know it yet….

Now, the rest of the note…. Does it have meaning in it? The first paragraph only talks about her sickness, undoubtedly her cancer. And then a sickness in society. Perhaps his act here is to kill off people that don't serve any purpose to society…. The second victim, Kenta Gakusha, was a loner without much of a job that was obsessive over his manga, anime, and video games. Is that the pattern here? Sickness, obsession… two worries of society. Maybe that's the point. To draw the public's attention and therefore draw my own because of the fact he's trying to copy Kira through murder, the very thing Kira is against. …Despite the fact Kira murders millions of people….

The third paragraph… it talks about people close to you… people who end up becoming a part of you…. The Bond? So… in his case… Sophia? Or perhaps Samantha? What is he trying to say here? He can't be trying to kill Samantha because he can't have me killed…. Unless… unless he's found a loophole. L bit his thumbnail. But that's unlikely. Hm….

He pulled up the files of Kenta Gakusha's murder. The clues B left here… the image of the news article and the blue triangle painted on the wall opposite Gakusha. The word purge on the wall written in blood wasn't so much a clue as it was an added touch. Like the Wara Ningyo in the Los Angeles BB Murder Cases. The newspaper article matches up with the idea of the problems of society. Is that what decides his victim, then, I wonder? But then, so far, the two problems seem to be at random, jumping from sickness to obsession…. How can one tell what's next? There must be a pattern…. Then, the blue triangle. As the reason was already stated, it makes sense that this would be the clue for the next location, but… what could a blue triangle have to do with anything…?

Lastly, there is the question of the pattern of time…. The first kill was discovered on the thirty-first, then the most recent one was found on the fourth…. It seems to be following the very pattern of the LABB Murder Cases…. It's just that it doesn't seem right because it seems too obvious for it to be B…. He normally wouldn't do one pattern twice. Is there some twist I'm missing here…? He tilted his head slightly as he continued gazing at the screen. Well, I suppose I'll find out soon enough. I'll catch B again…. The corner of his mouth curved upward ever so slightly. Now the problem is the fact I'm also on the Kira case. How interesting.

I like a challenge.

"Now," I greeted, walking into the no-longer-abandoned home that Mikami dwelled in, "how've you been?" I took note of the fact that the place was even more cleaned up than it had been before. Mikami had to do something with his time, after all, and he always was a bit of a neat freak.

Mikami looked up from a book he'd been reading, sitting at his table. "I'm doing much better," he informed me, placing a bookmark in his book and flipping it shut with a small thup. "I'm adjusting to this lifestyle…."

"That's good," I told him with a nod.

"How are things on your end?" he asked me.

I shrugged, setting my lunch on the table and sitting across from him. "Things are doing fine. There aren't necessarily any new developments…." Mikami only nodded. I'd kept him up-to-date the past month, and so there wasn't really anything to tell. I'd call him occasionally just to keep him updated, but today I was keeping him company by visiting for lunch. I bought some simple takeout food for the both of us; it was easy and relatively inexpensive.

I set out his food, a simple sandwich, then pulled out my own lunch, and we ate together in silence for a few minutes. I knew Mikami wasn't the talkative type, but every human needs interaction and, as he had no company, I decided to strike up the conversation. It didn't matter how much he responded, as long as he had someone to listen to. "You know, I do respect you in your own right," I told him, and took another bite of food.

"I can't see why you would," he answered, not so much as looking at me.

"Well, you're worthy enough to receive our notebook and our trust, aren't you?" I pointed out.

"Being worthy of such things does not necessarily earn your respect. God… Light… chose me because I was knowledgeable and I fit his needs. I have a sense of justice to go with the ideologies of Kira, and I have to say I've enjoyed serving justice since I was a child. It was an honor to be chosen by God…." He frowned. "It's truly unfortunate that I let him down anyway."

"Don't say that," I reprimanded. "We've been over this a number of times. The past is the past, and you should leave it there."

"That's true," he agreed.

The quiet returned, and I sighed. It would be hard to keep up a conversation with him. A smile ghosted over my lips. Just like conversations with another man I used to know, I mused, thinking of the way L had once been. He was better now, though still blunt. Then, of course, there was Near…. But then, I don't think Mikami would appreciate being compared to either of them. Especially Near.

"Did you ever feel bad for your mother's death?" I asked honestly.

He stopped mid-bite and looked at me.

"I know your past," I said with a wave of my hand, then tapped my temple. "I'm from the other world, remember?"

He nodded in understanding and replied, "No."

I raised my eyebrows.

"She stood against me, she was wrong, and she was nothing. She had no sense of justice. She told me to stop standing against evil; it was wrong. She is nothing to me, and I almost consider it a blessing that she was killed. I'll admit her death scared me at first, but that's only to be expected in the fact that I was no more than a child."

"Hm," I responded, my gaze drifting down to the table. "Mikami…" I said, "…she was only trying to help you, you know."

"I know, but it wasn't justified. Selfish, even."

"No mother wants to see her child hurt. She was only trying to protect you; she didn't know any other way…."

"That doesn't matter."

I hummed thoughtfully to myself as I took another bite of my sandwich. I chewed, and swallowed. "Well, it's good to care about your family…," I said slowly. "There are a variety of types of people in the world, and I do believe your mom was a good person. She just didn't understand. I suppose you have to give her credit for raising you; for giving birth to you; for caring about you. Light's father died not even a year ago; last November…."

Mikami stopped bringing his sandwich up to his mouth, stared at it a moment, then carefully set it down again. "Light's father was a respectable man with a good sense of justice, though, if I'm correct," Mikami said.

"I'm not reprimanding you or anything," I told him. "Everyone has different parents." I shrugged. "Light's parents aren't yours. But then… it is something to think about…. Family, I mean." I gazed down at the table with vague nostalgia. "It's June fifth, isn't it?"

He looked at me. "Yes."

"It's my dad's birthday," I realized. "It's not like I can celebrate it, of course. I guess the only thing that's worse than knowing someone you love is dead is not knowing how they are at all. It's like the dreaded unknown. It gives it a sense of anxiety. If you met my parents, what would you think of them, I wonder?"

He didn't respond, and I laughed.

"I'm not complaining," I said sincerely. "I liked my parents, for one. Mom was really weird and Dad could snap sometimes when we were in a hurry, but I loved them. And then, I'm happy here. Sure, I wonder sometimes how they are, but that really doesn't matter at this point."

"It's always better to just move on," he said, and I nodded.

"Always."

"Matt!" Sierra called. "Matt!"

"Yeah?" Matt responded dully, turning to her. He was just heading out to get food.

"Matt, can you get pocky at the store? Please?"

"Why the hell do you want pocky?" he asked her quizzically, looking at her through his goggles. In this position, Sierra could actually see his eyes.

"Well, you know that party get-together thing that Natalie and Anna and Sam had last month?"

"May twenty-first," Matt confirmed. "You were upset about it. Pocky doesn't make a party, though."

"No, no, it's not a party I'm planning. Anna mentioned to me while we were talking on the phone one time that Sam brought pocky, and they played the Pocky Game."

"The Pocky Game?" he repeated.

"Yes. The Pocky Game."

"So you're saying you want the pocky because you want to play this game, then."

"Yep."

"What, exactly, is the Pocky Game, anyway?"

"Well, you put the stick of pocky between two people, each person bites one end, and then they eat towards the middle and the first person to pull back loses."

"So… basically, you just want an excuse to kiss Mello," he smirked.

She scowled. "No! I want to play the Pocky Game, that's all! In fact, I might just only play with you 'cause you're more fun."

"I'm more fun?" he asked amusedly, then chuckled. "Yeah, I guess that's true."

"So will you get the pocky, then?" Sierra asked hopefully.

"Sure; sure," he responded, then went out the door.

"Yay!" Sierra squeaked happily, then made her way quickly back into the house to explain to Mello what Matt was getting for them and why. She had to re-tell the rules, but that was fine with her. She just liked the Pocky Game, no matter who she played it with.

"No," Mello told her flatly after she had told him everything. "I'm not playing."

"Why not?" she cried.

"It's stupid," he answered irritably.

"No it's not," Sierra huffed. "Besides, I bet you couldn't win against me anyway."

He looked at her. "No. I'd win."

"Nuh-uh. I would," she beamed. "I know so."

"That's not right; you can't possibly know you'd win."

"Well, I do, and you just made a claim you'd win yourself."

"Then I'll prove to you I'll win," he scowled.

"Good luck with that!" she chirped, smiling at the fact she'd just got him to play. There was one thing Mello could not deny, and that was a challenge. It was her way of getting him to do things he normally wouldn't do. And, of course, Mello did like to prove her wrong, too, which was another method. It was less effective, though….

There was the sound of the door opening and closing, then footsteps as Matt walked in with a few bags. "Okay, I got the pocky," he said. "Plus some of the lesser needed things…. The next store is in the opposite direction of here, so…." He shrugged. "Have fun with your pocky." He snickered.

"Matt…," Sierra said threateningly.

"Hey, hey, don't worry; I'll leave you two alone. I can't watch, so it's less embarrassing." He walked away before Sierra could respond, leaving her and Mello alone again. She knew Matt would take his sweet time in getting the groceries, no matter how much he'd rather be here, inside. So much for playing with Matt first.

She got to her feet to grab a box of pocky, then opened it and looked at Mello. "You still think you'll win?" she challenged, holding her head high.

He scoffed. "Of course I do."

So, she pulled out a pocky stick and held it between them, Mello glaring down at it as he set his chocolate bar aside for the moment and held the treat in his mouth. He looked at her expectantly, and she grabbed a hold of her own end. They ate towards the middle. Sierra was gazing into his eyes with defiance, but after a second or two it started to creep her out and she pulled back.

Mello smirked, pushing the rest of the pocky stick into his mouth. "I told you I'd win."

Sierra frowned, pulling out another stick of pocky. "No. We're playing this until I win!"

"That's not going to happen, Sierra."

"Yes it will!" She held the pocky stick out firmly, her eyes determined. And they tried again.

Sierra lost.

Again.

Sierra lost.

Again.

Sierra lost.

"God damn it!" she cried.

"Give up yet?" Mello asked, sounding rather smug.

She glared at him. "No. We will play until I win."

Mello shrugged. "Whatever."

They played over and over again, until well past when Matt got back. Sierra kept losing, and it wasn't until they reached the final pocky stick that Sierra actually won. Poor Matt was left without ever playing the game, but Sierra promised him she'd play with him next time. Matt wasn't all that disappointed, though. He seemed to be under the impression that Sierra was losing on purpose, even though she most definitely wasn't. In any case, he had a fun time watching it.

Fun Fact: Real-life Anna actually has said that Real-life Natalie and Light are already married. Real-life Sierra and I still don't understand that logic. xD

Review? For triangles!