This is her life now - police officers and mass murderers and detectives who like chess metaphors.
Enfer
V
| I believe I am in Hell, therefore I am |
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Nao's back to school on Monday. She hands in her assignment, waves off people's worries with a smile and pretends that her life isn't hanging in the balance, that it doesn't depend on whether some mass murderer decides to kill her.
It really shouldn't be this easy – but if she can reject Kira and still walk around the next day, then maybe it is. One has to be gentle when letting down someone as unstable as a serial killer. Nao never had to weight her words before, but she pats Light on the head and tells him things she doesn't mean like 'you're like the brother I never had' and 'we're too different, so it wouldn't work'. He seems to buy the excuses and she still promises to do everything she can to prove he's not Kira.
Her father leaves again for a contract and her mother moves carefully around her – mental breakdowns aside, life returns to the way it should be. Until Monday, as she exists her Application of Quantum Chem. Class and sees that she has a visitor.
One last obstacle, one she expects. It's not like Nao thinks she can avoid the great detective L forever, but almost four days of peace has allowed to piece her mind back, to return it to the state of passiveness that it always is in. If she can deal with Kira, then she can deal with a narcissistic detective who likes to see her as pawn.
"Nao-san." He greets her as she makes her way towards him. He looks the same as always, black eyes and thumb trailing on his lips, head tilted to the side and dressed in his white shirt and loose fitted jeans.
April blurs into May, the sun shines a little brighter, the weather becomes warmer, people trade jeans and long sleeved shirts for khakis and t-shirts, boots become shoes and sandals – the world doesn't stop turning.
"Senpai." She nods her head towards the man, her hand tightening on the strap of her backpack. The world keeps on turning and Nao deals with mass murderers and detectives. It's an odd world she lives in. His eyes pause on her, study her and for once she realizes that he sees something and whatever it is has put her into this mess.
She feels like a variable in an equation – she is there because of a particular problem where the formula the never changes, just the data. There are two constants, one is L and one is Kira. Finally, the man breathes out.
"Lunch?" And because she really cannot escape the problem and has already made her move, she has no other choice.
"Sure." At least, he still plans on buying her food. She can count on some things never changing.
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It's not a café this time. No, it's a bistro with a very European décor and where most of the menu is scribbled out in English to make it seem cooler than it really is. The waiter sends them a look – without Light between them, it almost looks like a date.
"There's a second Kira." The man says, when the waiter has left with their order. Yeah, she's not dealing with that Kira, one is enough. "He or she is trying to contact the first."
"Seems like you've been busy." She adds flatly to the revelation. There's an unamused smile on his lips as the waiter places their coffees on the table. Nao smiles a little too brightly at him and he blushes when she says thank you.
"This one can kill with only a face." Really? Then again, that doesn't concern her. Kira already has her name and her face, so he could push the button at any time and end her. But he hasn't done that, even when she rejected his advances. For the time being, she is safe. But she can see why that would bother the detective – he is on Kira's hit list.
"That's nice." She deadpans, reaching for the sugar. She likes the fact that it's in a dispenser and not in those packets. She turns the bottle upside down, watching the white grains drop into her cup.
"I suppose Nao-san's sudden illness was because of the revelation I made to her last time we spoke." Illness? Well, she did throw up for hours – but it's not because of him. No, what really got to her is her own blindness, the fact that a serial killer could kiss her so softly and gently.
"I hate chess." A pause, his expression changes from serious to curious. "People who move pawns around, not caring if they are sacrificed, only to get to the king." There's a blink.
"I see." And then; "They are some pieces that are more valuable than others. For example, the queen can move around as she pleases, can eliminate the biggest threats." Nao nods.
"And yet her goal is still to protect the king because without him she has no value. She is very powerful and yet she remains a pawn." His thumb trails over his thin lips as he regards her with an interested expression.
"Yes, that is true. But surely, winning the game makes up for the few that were sacrificed. Especially if the one moving the pieces can do it quickly." And then, a slow smile spreads on his lips. "I am very skilled at chess, Nao-san. I understand the urgency of the situation." He looks at her. "And I would protect the queen as long as she protects me – if she chose my side, if she allowed me to place her where I want her to be, then I see no reasons that anything could harm her."
The waiter comes with their order, looks a bit put out at both of their expressions. Nao's face feels tense and the detective looks at her as if he is expecting a reply. She's in no hurry to give him one.
"Usually, the people who I work with do it out of a sense of right and wrong, to see criminals put to justice." She stabs a fork into her plate. "But I already knew the queen would not care unless I made her care, would not realize how valuable she is until both kings were fighting for her."
"Why would Kira and L waste time with a simple girl when there's a war to be fought?" She doesn't see it, doesn't see why both of them would fight for her.
"Do you believe in coincidences, Nao-san?" She shrugs her shoulders. "At first, I did not understand why you, out of everyone in Toho, picked up my cellphone. And yet here we are. Somehow, I find myself with the most powerful piece of all, the queen who can move as she pleases between both camps without arousing suspicion. It would be stupid of me not to use it – and I am not a stupid man." Then he smiles.
"The queen is smart, Nao-san, too smart not to realize that she is being used. But the person who she allows to use her is perhaps the most powerful in the game." She blinks.
"Are you asking me to be your queen, Senpai?"
"Aren't you already, Nao-san?" And at that moment she hopes someone out there will allow her to come back and haunt his ass if she dies. While Light tries to dig his claws into her, this man already has. From the beginning, without her even realizing it, he placed her there – manipulated her carefully to the point where, even if she realized it, it would be too late.
"You know, I'm starting to see why Kira wants to kill you." And you know what he does?
He smiles.
"I think it's time you met the task force, Nao-san. You'll be spending a lot of time with them." Yep, definitely – she can understand why Light wants his head on a silver platter, served to him with his feast.
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Watari smiles at her. Nao doesn't know her grandparents. Her mother hasn't talked to hers for years – they had some falling out before she was born. And both her father's parents were dead.
"It's nice to meet the face behind the voice. Thank you for returning the cellphone, Miss." She manages not to tell him that she regrets ever picking up that cellphone, that she wishes she'd followed her first idea. "I hear you're a chemist?"
She nods.
"You know, I did quite a lot of experiments in my days." He laughs then. It's a deep rumble that comes straight from the stomach. "Ah, to be young again." She can't help it, she smiles. The detective watches the exchange in silence. When the car came to pick them up, she refused to sit in the back with him. Instead, she finds herself next to Watari who asks her about her studies.
She has a feeling that it's what a grandfather would do. Nao can't quite figure out how such a nice old man ended up being the chauffer of the world's greatest manipulator.
"I actually haven't thought about it." She says, when the older man asks her about her branch of choice. "I still have time to choose – at least I will, If Kira doesn't decide to give me a heart attack." From the mirror, she can see L is smiling at her.
"I should probably warn Nao-san that Light Yagami is the newest member of the Task Force. That's not a problem, is it?" And then, his thumb trails over his lips. "After all, the queen seems to like the other king." Watari sends him a look and then turns his head to the side to stare at her.
"Don't make the queen give you the middle finger, because she will." Is that what her life is now? Mass murderers and detectives and Task Forces and chess metaphors? It seems just like yesterday she was just a chemistry student with a passive persona. God, she really misses her pillow fortress, stupid cellphones.
"It seems I have missed quite a bit, yes?" She straightens into her seat and L does not answer. Watari gives them both a knowing smile and goes back to his driving.
All three of them remain silent until the car stops. Nao's pretty sure the underground parking is only expensive cars. The name plastered across the walls makes her tilt her head – a hotel? L stands next to her and nods.
"For the time being, the Kira Task Force meets in a hotel. They have comfortable chairs." You know what? She doesn't even question the fact that grown police men meet in a hotel.
The elevator ride is weird. She is sandwiched between the world's greatest detective and an old man who smiles at her, eyes trailing back between her and the raven-haired man and she can see the gears turning in his head. He shouldn't bother trying to understand it – because she sure as hell doesn't.
"Everyone." The man says, as they finally enter a room. "This is Deushi Nao, she'll be working with us from now on." She crosses her arms over her chess, watches as five pair of eyes land on her. Before anyone can react, Soichiro Yagami steps up.
"Nao-chan, what are you doing here?" He looks a lot older than she remembers. Of course, she knows the patron of the Yagami household. Just like her father, he's work orientated and one of the reasons she ends up babysitting Sayu.
"Well…" She trails off, taking a step towards him. "I just thought, my everyday life is so boring, why not go help solve the biggest crime case in the world and potentially get myself killed while doing it!" She sends a pointed look towards L who just shrugs his shoulders.
It's obviously not the answer anyone wants to hear. But Light steps up and smiles.
"Nao-chan wants to help find Kira so Ryuzaki stops suspecting me, dad." He sends a smile towards her and Nao smiles back – completely forgetting for a moment that this is the biggest mass murderer the world has even encountered. This is her life now; mass murderers that are just too cute to be suspected.
"Is this true?" Nao nods her head even if her brain screams no. What she wants is to go back to her boring life where nothing exciting happens. But she doesn't care if they think she wants to help Light, it's actually better this way.
"Yes, Otou-san. I can't believe anyone would suspect Light of murder and I want to help him clear his name." She pats herself on the back for that perfect performance and the smile Light sends her makes her even prouder of it.
She never turns around to see L's reaction.
"Another one? Really, Ryuzaki – where do you find these kids, kindergarten?" It's a man that speaks, with a dark afro. He doesn't even look at her and he looks ready to throw something, anything really.
"I'm Matsuda Touta, it's nice to meet you." He looks too cheerful to be a police officer and young, he's young.
"Don't go telling your name to people, that could get you killed." A dark broad man says to the cheerful one, with a hand on his face.
"Nao-chan, does your father know about this?" Like her father would believe her. If she said 'hey, dad, I just joined a police investigation about Kira, tell mom I won't be home for supper' he'd probably say that she has a nice imagination.
"I assure you, Nao-san is perfectly qualified for the job." L – she rolls her eyes.
"Nao-chan, would you like some coffee?" It's so sad that the only one she likes here is the actual killer.
This is her life now, a circus made up of police officers, mass murderers and detectives who see something in her, in expensive hotel rooms. God, she really needs a drink.
a/n: I think next chapter, I'm going to give Nao her drink - she deserves it. You should probably get ready for chess metaphors, cuz I plan to write many, many more. How'd you like this chapter? And to answer your questions no, Nao won't be dating Light. Even before the whole Kira thing, she saw him more as a little brother. Anyways, thank you for reading, hope you enjoyed. I love and appreciate all of your feedback!