Chapter 3: Unraveling the Web

He'd first heard of L's mononymous moniker on live television — the Kira confrontation. The curiosity that that broadcast sparked in him quickly grew and morphed into flames that consumed his waking moments in the following days. He was intent on finding Kira himself, but the intrigue that L single-handedly brought to the table overshadowed his inclination to prioritize the hunt for Geass above all else. Even C.C. with all her pestering and teasing couldn't peel him away from the blue screen. With an obsession that rivaled his old vendetta against the Holy Britannian Empire, Lelouch had devoured every piece of information he could scrape off of the internet that alluded to and explicitly spoke of the world's greatest detective — and subsequently the most mysterious. (The only way to contact L was through a man named Watari).

Small wonder that he'd been able to narrow down Kira's location so easily if he was capable of solving cases that law enforcement deemed unsolvable or cold.

So when the Deputy Director answered his question with utmost frankness, he'd stopped toying with the ballpoint pen between his fingers, crossed his legs, and slowly considered his next words.

"Now this begs plenty of questions, doesn't it? L is leading the NPA's efforts to catch Kira, isn't he?"

There was a short silence on the other side of the line before he heard Kitamura make a sound of agreement.

"What are you hoping to achieve by consulting with another private investigator to uncover the true identity of another?"

"Ever since this investigation began, Chief Yagami reports receiving resignations from many of our senior detectives. Their number grows smaller by the day. I fear that this trend will soon impede the NPA's progress in the Kira investigation. And the public needs results."

In thought, Lelouch put a finger to his lips. Is it numbers that solve a case? Why does it feel like this is just an excuse to satisfy the police's own insatiable curiosity towards L and his true identity?

"Now that is a bit counter-productive, don't you agree? From my understanding, the ICPO let L be in-charge of the Kira investigation. For what reason? I do not know for certain. But taking what public information there is available about this so-called 'greatest detective in the world,' I'm sure you brought him in to tackle a case that even Interpol is struggling with. I hope you would care to enlighten me, Director, but the way I see it, the police need L. So I ask again, what is the true objective behind this request? If I help you discover his true identity, what then?"

He could hear the frown in the other man's voice. Perhaps he shouldn't have questioned so harshly, on account of him sounding like he was interrogating the Deputy Director of the NPA.

"The objectives and the details will be shared when or if you agree to join the case."

"I'm assuming you will want to see his identification papers and a photo at the very least."

Lelouch offered it up as a suggestion, but he doubted he could get his hands on any of those — even if he had Geass. The problem was finding the right people who had access to L's identity documentations. And since it was evident how much the detective went to such great lengths to hide his identity from the rest of the world, it wouldn't be that easy.

"We want this done as quickly as possible. Four months at the very least."

"Quite frankly, even with my help, I don't understand how you can expect to do a thorough job in 120 days or less. Why not contract Coil or Deneuve?"

Why him? Why Lelouch? The payment he expected out of this was hefty, but it surely was nowhere near as large of a sum that either Coil or Deneuve would probably charge. Or maybe they'd already tried the two and didn't receive the response they wanted. Is that why the NPA was going for cheaper goods? Were they out of budget? Were they hoping to walk away with clean hands after this? Most likely…

Perhaps he'd forgotten to take into account how desperate the NPA truly was if they were resorting to matters like this.

Lelouch almost scoffed loudly into the phone.

How much was Interpol paying L?

"You're not doing a very good job of selling your capabilities."

"Oh, I don't need to 'sell my capabilities,' as you would put it. I am simply curious about the reasoning behind this job offer. If you want assurance, I can assure you my consultation services are well worth it. But why do you need me when the solution is quite simple, to be honest."

"There is a tight lid on the Kira investigation." Kitamura interjected, already knowing somewhat where this was going. "I, myself, am not privy to the details."

"I figured as much."

"Will you join the case?"

Only because it would bring him the resources and information he needed and one step closer to what he truly wanted.

"I will…"

=OoOoO=

Kira was ruthless in their judgments. From the pattern of the killings, retribution for crimes that have been committed come swiftly and brutally. This was a criminal unlike anything the police had ever faced. All it took was a face and a name on top of Kira being capable of controlling the times of death and the actions leading up to the victims' demise.

So when Chief Soichiro Yagami had given the current Kira investigation team a reasonable proposition, L had known what was coming next.

The entire situation was like ripping off a bandaid, giving every police officer currently working on the case an ultimatum to stay or go, but to think of their individual safeties and their families' as well. In the end, only a handful of detectives had remained — few who were bold enough to stand against Kira in the name of justice and in the name of putting an end to the murders.

Kira's previous moves had put L in an inescapable situation — a situation where he had to show his face to the task force or risk losing the resources and additional information provided by the NPA.

Perhaps asking the men to gather for an official meeting during New Year's eve was a bit of a stretch, and requiring these same men — the men of the Kira task force — to be at the hotel at the stroke of midnight was taking it a step further. But in his book, the Kira case took precedence. There was also a dash of allure in meeting a very private figure face-to-face after only hearing of them through the news or through interpol reports. If the promise of surely catching Kira was not enough, then seeing L's face for the first time was more than enough bait.

Kira's plan had worked… Kira had forced his hand, and in the end, the world's greatest detective had had no choice but to make his first public appearance as L. Revealing his face to the men of the task force was him raising the white flag, but since Kira had no way of knowing this fact, the loss was much easier to stomach. Besides, it was just as he'd told the Chief: he'd lost a battle, but not the war.

As Aizawa, Chief Yagami, Matsuda, Mogi, and Ukita excitedly babbled at each other over the stacks of paper containing additional classified information from the IBI that L had given them before, the world's most famous detective contented himself with staring out the window. The fireworks overhead had long ceased, signaling the end of New Years' eve celebrations and heralding the start of a brand new year. He'd robbed the men of a celebration with their families and manipulated them into putting the Kira case first — catering to his own obsession over the case since this had started. He'd forced their hands just as they'd forced his.

As things currently stood, it was going well.

He would even go so far as to say that he was closing in on Kira's identity rather quickly…

Just one more thing — one more piece of evidence was all he needed. It probably helped that Kira made it so blatantly obvious that he was trying to get a physical confrontation from L. When he had that evidence, the probability of this case having at least three suspects — when they'd begun at zero — was high.

Were there other leads he could follow? The IBI's personal relationships perhaps?

=OoOoO=

"I'm sorry, I know you're incredibly busy, and I just keep—"

The rest of what she'd been about to say was interrupted with a begrudged sigh. C.C. returned from the dining room with steaming cups of tea set on trays to find Naomi with her head buried in her hands. Sometimes, the best thing you could do for grieving people was to let them deal with it in their own ways. Lelouch dealt with grief by secluding himself before eventually coming to her for something. Naomi, C.C. now knew, responded to loss with action.

Since the morning her friend had called to deliver the tragic news of Raye's passing — in the line of duty, no less, Naomi had latched on to the assumption that he was murdered.

"I just…" She sighed and accepted the cup C.C. proffered. "That day, Raye said he was planning to go to Shinjuku and on that same day, four people died of heart attacks in that area, and…"

"And there was the bus jacking you were suspicious of."

"It's too convenient. The times, the events. There really is no other way of looking at it." C.C. watched as a firm resolve overtook her friend's expression — the very same expression on Lelouch's own face when he spoke of razing the world's greatest empire to the ground. "Kira can kill in other ways, and it doesn't have to be a heart attack."

The dark-haired woman clutched the steaming cup of chai between her gloved fingers, eyes lost to her own train of thought. C.C. watched her friend carefully and sucked at her own bottom lip in thought. Under the assumption that Kira had Geass, Naomi's conclusions weren't far-fetched. To others — to Naomi, the NPA, and any other human investigator, it was a good hypothesis and well-worth finding a way to test. But for C.C. and Lelouch, the string of deaths was in the realm of possibility. If Naomi's theories proved true (and C.C. suspected that they were), their adversary may be more powerful than they'd thought.

How was Kira doing this?

Was it done simply by wishing death upon a mortal with their name and face in mind?

For someone whose Geass was presumably new, it was quite powerful and unmatched as far as physical distances went. It wasn't exactly as transcendent as Shamna's, but the damage it caused was considerable all the same.

"Cera?"

"Hm?"

"What do you think?"

"You would have to tell them everything — including your connection to Raye and your previous occupation. Otherwise, they will note that theory down, but there is no way of knowing if it's a lead they will follow up with."

Naomi looked deflated with her lips drawn into a thin and tight line. "I know… That's why I need to explain it directly to someone from the Kira investigation. This may be just a theory, but any plausible information is worth looking into."

Of course she would… And of course she had to.

Naomi thought or spoke of little else ever since Raye passed away. C.C. had been her soundboard and her confidant as she rattled off theory after theory and did her best to put together the bits and pieces of evidence she could find.

"The police purposely withhold information about the investigation. The tipline they've set up is as far as civilians like you and I can go."

"I need to go there in person."

Naomi seemed to hesitate for a bit, but pressed on, managing to crack a small smile. "To be perfectly honest, I was hoping to get into contact with L himself — even if it will likely be through a computer, but it's probably best that he hears it directly from me."

Well this was quite the surprise.

"Directly to L? How would—"

At C.C.'s barely concealed surprise, Naomi let a small smile grace her lips. "It's a bit of a longshot, but I'm hoping he'll see me. I never told you this, but I worked under him just before I officially resigned from the International Bureau."

She was apologetic as she folded her hands together and refused to meet C.C.'s eyes. Not that C.C. minded her friend's secrecy, of course. If she was going to waltz around holding a close friend from this generation accountable for keeping secrets, C.C. would have a lot to make up for. Her own stash of skeletons in the proverbial closet numbered hundreds of thousands — if not millions — by now. Her true identity and her real name was perhaps the biggest secret — one that was as good as forgotten amidst the sands of time, even if Lelouch had succeeded atuncovering her true name years and years ago.

A hopeful expression crossed Naomi's face as she smiled and gave C.C. the best incentive she could ever dare to ask. Because even Naomi Misora knew how much Cera Caraverre valued her partnership with Detective Lamperouge.

"If all goes well, perhaps I could put in a word with L to get Marion on-board with the team. Even if he was just taken in as a consultant, I'm sure he could bring valuable insights." At the very least, this was the single strobe of light amid all the shadow for Naomi: a chance to work with the greatest detective in the world once again and reunite with a close friend.

"He would appreciate that."

Despite herself, C.C. smiled at the sentiment. Lelouch would welcome the opportunity to work on the Kira investigation. The closer they got to finding this supposed Geass user abusing his power, the faster they could close this case and tuck away another one of the consequences of their previous sins.

C.C. and Naomi parted ways that same day, brimming with anticipation and the latter promising to give C.C. a call after she'd made contact with the Kira task force. The lobby of the hotel they occupied had never felt more welcoming and despite the absence of warmth or a favorable dinner usually waiting at the small table of their suite, C.C. had barged into the bedroom, completely ignoring her partner's owlish stare and the single light of the computer monitor reflected in dull purple eyes.

"How is she?" Lelouch's question was quiet and somber, finally turning away from the computer monitor to look at C.C.

"You look awfully tired."

Lelouch could feel C.C.'s gaze as it washed over him from head to toe. He had to blink five times and shake his head slightly to rid his vision of the remnants of data he'd been staring at for the past two hours.

"You would be too if you'd been here the whole day." He managed a small smirk.

C.C. abandoned her bags on the floor by their bed as she completely discarded her blazer and kicked off her shoes in favor of jumping back first on the mattress, disturbing Lelouch's efforts to carefully arrange it earlier that day. As Lelouch had mandated earlier on when he'd begun taking his cases into hotel rooms, they absolutely refused room service on account of keeping any evidence they gathered safe. C.C. always thought that was ridiculous since most hotels came with a safe box anyways and this particular hotel had one too, but if Lelouch secretly wanted to play housekeeper for even the most expensive of hotel suites, then she'd let him. It didn't mean she had to make it easy for him though.

She just knew he had annoyance written all over his face. He always did hate it when people walked all over his work — no matter how trivial it appeared.

"What did the Deputy Director want? Did he really call you?"

"He did. He wants me onboard a case where they're trying to find L."

C.C. snorted. "If the man wanted to be found, you'd know his face by now. He's managed to stay as anonymous as we have, and we have been doing it for decades."

Or centuries, for C.C… Even so, between the two of them — Lelouch and C.C., it was Lelouch who had to put more effort into concealing his identity and staying under the radar on account of him being a much more bombastic public figure in the past. No matter how many years passed by, Emperor Lelouch vi Britannia will always be part of history, and for that reason, Lelouch would always have to be cautious. The generation that lived through his short yet horrific reign was still there — even if most were old or on their deathbeds by now.

Lelouch rubbed his face. When he agreed to be taken on as a consultant, the NPA had gladly given him access to their information — which wasn't much help to be honest. Their team of four investigators hoping to uncover L's identity had no leads and no persons of interest except L's designated proxy, Watari, and that was as good as useless to Lelouch as well.

"But I'm confused." C.C. added. "If the police brought L in to solve the case, why are they trying to find him?"

"The Deputy Director implied that his presence was hindering the progress of the Kira case. But it's a lie… A very poorly concealed one. They're doing this for curiosity's sake, and perhaps the deepest motive is that they truly want to trust him if they're working with him. If he is leading the investigation and he doesn't show them his face…" Lelouch trailed off.

He thought of the spectacle L had made of his public confrontation with Kira. It was amazing in the moment, but in hindsight, it did serve to highlight the fact that L was completely safe from Kira's powers in the absence of his name and face. It was a stark contrast to most police officers who probably walked around with identification badges and had no reason to hide their names or faces before this Kira debacle began. The NPA's men were in the line of danger and without knowing the full extent of Kira's capabilities, working with L (who worked and stayed safe in the shadows) carried more cons than pros.

C.C. watched as melancholy overtook her partner's expression and felt his sadness as he contemplated over the past and made his implications. It was like seeing Zero and not Lelouch once again. "The actions of a man determines his value, does it not?"

At C.C.'s echoed words, Lelouch smiled. He'd told her that long ago in this same city, hidden away in his old bedroom in the clubhouse of Ashford Academy.

"But it is a fact of existence that has remained the same for years and years. You can never really trust someone whose face you can't see and whose name you don't know." I had to learn that the hard way. "Don't get me wrong. I think the NPA's plan to find L and uncover his identity is idiocy, but it does take me one step closer to finding Kira. The initial objective hasn't changed even when the methods have. I know L can still lead us to Kira, so I just have to find him."

If it meant using the resources of the NPA to get what he wanted, then so be it.

"And then what?"

"Join him if he allows it. If he has Kira in custody by then, all the better. In the end, our goal is to find Kira and erase his Geass from the world. But that's for later. For now, I need a way to track down a lead that could lead me to L. Watari is the strongest choice, even the NPA figured that out and they've been trying to track him, but they're ignoring the other people closest to L at the moment."

"The investigation team of the NPA in charge of finding Kira. How many men do you have at your disposal?" She supplied as she watched Lelouch get up off of his chair and pace the length of the bed.

He pursed his lips in thought. "Four. If you wish to join in on any field task I will give them, that makes five. Still not enough to keep tabs on an entire team. I need to single out at least five key people central to the case. Watari is one… Another should be one of the chief investigators from the NPA before L came into the picture. That leaves three more—"

"Or we could let Naomi approach the Kira investigation team with her information and let her provide the recommendation necessary to let us onboard the case."

"We could— What?"

The surprise on Lelouch's face did nothing to dampen the devious grin that spread across C.C.'s. Having had enough of staring up at the whirring ceiling fan above them, the immortal woman finally sat up and stole one of Lelouch's pillows to hold between her arms. Lelouch was still staring at her, mind racing to select the most viable query to pose.

"Isn't she busy making arrangements for— Why is she getting involved in the Kira case?"

"You talk as if you haven't worked with the woman. You know how determined she can be. She has reason to suspect that Kira is behind the death of her fiancé. Apparently, the International Bureau sent 12 agents to Japan to investigate the case and all of them died of heart attacks. Raye was one of those agents."

Unprompted, C.C. launched into an explanation and relayed all the information that Naomi shared with her today and how it connected to the bus jacking she told him about some time ago. Lelouch listened to her without any interruptions, intent on absorbing and processing as much information as he could to find more evidence. The calm expression remained even when C.C. finished.

Twelve International Bureau agents perished in Japan as they pursued the Kira investigation through their own initiative or at someone else's behest.

"Do you think the agents died at the same time during the same days?"

C.C. shook her head. "We have no way of knowing until we contact one of the people we know at the Bureau. And that is presuming they will give us that information freely."

"If they did, it could mean Kira is capable of controlling their times of death. It's another proof of the strength of his Geass's power." As if this entire thing wasn't worrying enough already.

"If they died at the same time. That is inconclusive"

"I wouldn't put it past the realm of possibility." Lelouch smiled his infuriating I'm-not-wrong-about-this smile. "If all goes well and Naomi does enter the Kira investigation team with this information, we're on our way to finding L and Kira quicker than we thought."

"So what's that look on your face for?"

Of course, C.C. noticed. She always did. Nine decades together with minimal time apart brought the two of them closer — in more ways than one, so it wasn't surprising that C.C. sensed something was off just by looking at his face. He used to be so good at concealing his true feelings with the mask of indifference and the blithe demeanor he wore around his friends at Ashford during his rebellion, and he still was. It's just that his companion was better at divining his intentions, his emotions, and his thought process most of the time.

"I may have just wasted resources on contracting outside help before I considered the Kira investigation team as possible leads. Not that I had hoped for much results along that front anyway. I'm sure the other party is busy."

"What are you talking about, Lelouch?" C.C. asked, tired of Lelouch muttering audibly to himself.

"Deneuve. But it doesn't matter," he rushed to explain. "Until Naomi's recommendation successfully comes through, I will continue with the plan to track the members of the Kira investigation team. That shouldn't be too hard if the NPA are aware of their colleagues."

=OoOoO=

There was no other way to go about it. Today had to be the day. Plus, the longer she let this information stagnate, she'd only feel worse. She had to do it for Raye. But more than that, she had to do it to bring Kira to justice. Steeling herself and regathering her unraveling composure, Naomi Misora inhaled deeply and distracted herself with the presence of the newcomer in the building as one of the officers at the reception desk indulged her request and called headquarters for her one more time.

"Hi, I'm Detective Soichiro Yagami's son, Light Yagami. I brought my father a change of clothes, but it doesn't look like he's in. Can I leave them here?"

A detective's son. What followed was an amiable exchange between the other receptionist and the boy who looked no older than 17 or 18. It was interesting that he'd apparently helped out on criminal cases before — if what the receptionist said was true…

"So Light, does this mean you're going to be helping us with the Kira investigation too?"

"Sure! If all goes well, maybe I'll find Kira before L does."

What? Find him before L does? This couldn't mean—

"As I thought, there's no one at headquarters. You're going to have to trust me on this, Ma'am. I'll be sure to give them your message as soon as I see them, I promise."

No, that wasn't right at all.

"That's not good enough. I have to tell them in-person—"

"Excuse me." It was Light Yagami. "My father is actually in charge of the Kira investigation. If you'd like, I could pass your message on to him. He's not answering his phone at the moment, but I should be able to contact him soon."

Why was he being so nice to her — to someone he didn't even know?

Light Yagami continued to explain in a somber tone, either truly oblivious or feigning ignorance to Naomi's own apprehension and hesitance. "A number of IBI agents were just killed and a lot of detectives have quit the case because they're afraid of Kira, so he's pretty busy right now."

"Uh, Light? It's probably better if you don't discuss this with—"

The officer had a point, why was he sharing this information in the reception area, let alone with her? With a stranger who could leak information to the wrong people, for all this boy was aware of.

"True, but it's practically common knowledge at this point. Besides you can almost see it in her eyes, she's a wise and careful person. You heard about what happened and you must have figured out that the police had a leak of some kind, and that's why you wanted to tell them in person. You thought this through."

Well, he certainly was sharp, wasn't he?

"Well, am I right?"

Naomi blinked herself out of temporary stupor. She hadn't said a word ever since the officer at the desk told them that headquarters was devoid of people at the moment. Not that she needed to speak. Light Yagami took care of forming a conversation for them both. But now… Her expression must have betrayed her and he'd captured her interest more than she thought he would because she found herself walking beside him as they left the building.

Light still wasn't done talking.

"I'm sure my father will be calling me back once he checks his messages. When he does, I'll give you the phone and let you talk to him."

If he'd approached her differently and with an attitude, perhaps it would have been easier to dismiss him. How could he be so trusting? True, he didn't exactly give his father's phone number away to let her share what she knew about the Kira case, but he was more than willing to lend her his phone — another personal item of equal value to a phone number, if not more. Why was he being so nice to her?

She'd finally found her voice. "You sure that's all right?"

Light Yagami seemed to realize what he was offering too, but his friendliness remained all the same. "Oh… yeah. You understand why I can't just give you my father's phone number, but I have no problem letting you use my phone to talk to him. You'll have to trust my father and I — which I hope won't be too difficult for you."

He laughed — an easygoing, charming laugh. Honestly, she wouldn't be surprised if he had admirers fawning over him. In her interactions with him so far, Light Yagami had been nothing but amiable and surprisingly open. She didn't trust him — she would be a fool too. But he had lent her an ear and presented an opportunity to let her speak to any member of the task force, so he couldn't be that bad, could he?

Shoulders loosening somewhat, Naomi dropped her gaze and then leaned forward carefully in a grateful bow.

"Thank you so much."

She didn't stop him when he decided to keep walking beside her, unintentionally joining her in a stroll through the dreary and frigid January afternoon. The sidewalks were mostly deserted on account of people being back in their offices. The occasional pedestrian wandered into her field of vision or strolled right by, minding their own business, and Naomi let Light Yagami talk and talk as much as he wanted. Because his father was in-charge of the Kira investigation, his interest made perfect sense.

They stopped at a red light and her momentary companion cleared his throat.

"Um… We've been talking and I just realized, I don't even know your name. My name is Light Yagami."

"My name is Shoko Maki."

"Ms. Maki, right? Ms. Maki, I've been thinking about Kira's powers, and I believe they enable him to somehow control his victims before they die."

What? How did he come up to a conclusion like this? She'd long accepted his interest in the Kira case as genuine, but to have theories like hers… Was this boy for real?

"So do I." She piped up and paused in front of him to see the curiosity shining through his face. "It's odd that you say that, because that's exactly what I've been thinking."

Light Yagami listened to her eagerly, hanging on to her every word as she relayed her analysis and the theory she wanted to share with the Kira investigation team. A part of her knew that it should be wrong to share this information with someone she barely knew, but Light could be the exception. His father was leading the case and if anything, this would be more helpful than not. Plus, he'd been thinking about it too: that Kira could kill in other ways and not just a heart attack. Saying it out loud to someone with an interest in the case was no different from sharing it with a close friend of hers the other day. If the police would be willing to consider this idea, then this could help them catch Kira.

To his credit, Light Yagami was quite the listener. He traded ideas with her, offered objective opinions and a brief insight into what the police might think of this theory of hers — further strengthening her resolve to share this information in-person. To have her friend Cera, and now this amiable stranger tell her that her theory held weight was comforting in and of itself.

They'd wandered quite far from the NPA building, now walking along the sidewalk that sandwiched the busy road and its indifferent cars passing by.

"I'm almost positive that someone I know met Kira." She uttered softly, only loud enough for Light to hear.

He chuckled in disbelief. "Met Kira? I'm sorry, but if a person came in and said they 'met Kira', the police would be more than a little skeptical — to say the least."

Feeling resigned, Naomi sighed. "I know. That's why I need to explain it in person to someone from Task Force headquarters. Otherwise, they'll just write me off."

"But wouldn't it be better if your friend spoke to them instead?"

He had a good point.

"It probably would, but he's no longer alive." Her own voice sounded choked.

But could anyone blame her? Her active hunt for Kira during the day and constant calls to her friend during the early evenings were nothing more than distractions — a convenient way to keep her mind off of where it truly wanted to rest, a way to channel her misery into something that could be used for the greater good. Even so, there was no hiding from the sobbing and the nightmares that plagued her in their — her — empty bed.

Maybe it wasn't a good idea to imply Raye's death at Kira's hands to Light.

The boy may not mean it, but all this conversation was doing was poke and prod at the flimsy bandaid she'd slapped on top of the gaping wound.

Her mouth was moving before she could stop or filter herself, words forming on her tongue. "He was one of the 12 IBI agents who came to Japan to investigate Kira. You see, he was also my fiancé. While he was working, he got caught up in a bus jacking and I have reason to believe that he met Kira on that bus."

The absence of once present footsteps beside her stopped Naomi in her tracks and she whirled around to look at Light Yagami. He had the strangest expression on his face — probably biting his tongue or regretting the grim turn in their conversation.

"Is something wrong?"

"Nothing. I'm sorry to hear that he passed away." Light hurried to catch up to her. "So what makes you think he met Kira on that bus?"

"Because 8 days after that bus was hijacked, he died along with the other International Bureau investigators."

It was too late to turn away from the conversation now. So when Light asked more questions — no doubt a product of his curiosity towards the case, she told him what she thought and what she knew, just as she had with Cera. But while her friend gladly added to her theories and objectively asked questions, Light met this theory with skepticism bordering on outright denial. He attempted to disprove her theory and she had to explain it even further. Not that Light's opinion mattered in the end.

All she truly wanted was for the investigators on the Kira case to hear her out, or better yet, speak to L directly, join the investigation, and recommend the two other people she knew who could help them catch Kira even faster.

"You want nothing more than to avenge your fiancé, and there's no doubt in my mind that your deductive skills are excellent, but you can't deny that you have a personal interest in the case. Still, your theory is worth looking into, that's for sure." Light turned back around with a welcoming and encouraging smile on his lips. "Your testimony could be central to the case."

Well, that certainly wouldn't be a bad deal.

"If what you're telling me is true, then it'll only be a matter of time before the police catch up with Kira. The person your fiancé showed his ID to on the bus that day… It had to be Kira."

His smile was infectious and she returned it without hesitation, nodding in approval all the while. "That's right."

"You know, the more I think about it, the more your theory makes sense to me. We can't waste any time, we need to start investigating it right away." Light declared with so much resolve. If he didn't have such a calm and collected composure, she was almost certain he would be bouncing on his heels like an eager puppy.

His enthusiasm was… refreshing. "Do you really mean that?" She asked, a smile slowly spreading across her face.

"Yes."

He asked if she told anyone about this information and she told him 'no', she hadn't. It was an easy and necessary lie — just like the alias she'd given him. And as odd as it was, she didn't pry when he immediately pulled out a piece of paper and a pen to start jotting down notes and facts about her theory including times, dates, and places of interest. Perhaps he was more serious about this investigation than she initially gave him credit for. He would make a fine investigator one day.

"So that's everything." He concluded with a sure nod, putting away pen and paper in one of the many pockets of his winter coat. "I'd like to report this incident to my father, if it's okay with you, that is."

That wasn't exactly what she'd been hoping to hear. "Well, if it's all the same, I think I'd like to report it myself. And after talking to you, I decided it would be best to do it as soon as possible."

They kept walking for a good long while, Light's footsteps falling into a rhythm behind her. The silence felt tense and the uneasiness settled deep in the pit of her stomach made her throat feel tight. She chalked up her apprehension to a case of nerves. It felt like she was walking around with millions in cash stuffed in her purse, like she had valuable information and a single word about it to the wrong person would put her in danger, or worse — kill her.

What was wrong with her?

She threw a glance over her shoulder and saw Light Yagami still following her. He was quiet, contemplative, and looked almost put-out. Had she said anything to upset him somehow? Did he really want to share this information with his father himself?

No matter. They really had wandered far enough.

"I should probably be getting back soon. Someone from the task force might be back there by now."

"Hm? Oh yeah, you could be right. Let's cross our fingers and hope someone's there."

He had that same pleasant smile plastered across his face, but he sounded distracted — such a far cry from the eagerness he displayed earlier on.

When before, he'd spoken to her and hung on to her every word, now he was more reserved. After she'd told him her ideas and after she turned down his suggestion to let his father know himself, he— Was that it? Did she bruise his ego somehow by refusing his help and his involvement in divulging this information to the police? If that was the case, why did he care so much?

More importantly, why was he still tagging along? Didn't he have somewhere else to be?

Beyond dropping off a change of clothes for his father at the front desk, the only other reason he walked out of the building and joined her was to engage in polite discussion about how she could go about sharing her information with the police. When she told him the interesting bits and politely refused his suggestion, that had been the end of their conversation. Moreover, he didn't have to follow her all the way here and then tag along all the way back. She'd assumed he followed her out because he was walking home or heading for a bus stop to take him someplace else.

So why?

"Excuse me."

"Yes?" He replied in that same nonchalant tone, as if there wasn't anything unusual about him following a woman around when they weren't even speaking to each other.

"Uh… do you still have business at the police station then?" No, that wasn't right. She sounded just a tiny bit confrontational, so she rushed to explain. "I'd like to go there by myself if you don't mind."

"Yeah, no problem."

All affability had dissipated from his demeanor completely. Perhaps she had worded her last statement too harshly for him? She just met Light Yagami, so she wasn't exactly familiar with what made him tick and what pleased him.

Despite her growing suspicions towards the actions he'd taken so far, he had lent her an ear and given her words of encouragement. That, she could not dismiss at least.

So Naomi fully turned around and offered him a grateful smile. "Thank you so much, for everything you've done, Light. After talking to you, I feel much more confident about my theory."

"Not at all."

She offered a bow — a parting gesture to accompany her parting words.

Only three minutes now until she reached the NPA and he still wasn't leaving her alone.

She could sense his presence behind her — further than before, but the fact remained that he was still following her. What was he after?

"Excuse me." There it was… Turning around slightly, Naomi saw Light Yagami (who never really left) rushing up to her. "There's something I should probably tell you."

Why all this hesitance from him all of a sudden?

"Okay?"

"The thing is, it would be impossible for you to contact anyone in the task force directly."

"I can't contact anyone? But why not?"

One moment ago, he'd reassured her that if his father called him back, he would let her speak to him and he had no qualms letting her head back to the police station after their little discussion. If he was hiding something, Light really wasn't doing a good job of it. Even when he started explaining so the situation made more sense, it did him no favors at all. Apparently, the Kira task force was organized so its members couldn't be identified easily and nobody from the outside knew who was in-charge. She'd figured as much, but she already knew who was leading the task force.

Light did not know for sure that she knew that it was L.

It had been a suspicion of hers before she came to Japan with Raye, but after meeting with Cera, it was all but confirmed by the detective himself. Cera had told her about the Kira confrontation on live TV and she'd seen clips of it on the internet after her friend told her. To the Japanese living in Tokyo, this was practically public knowledge. The police obviously maintained plausible deniability about who exactly was in-charge of the Kira case, but anyone who had a pulse on the news or who was closely tracking the progress of the case via news bulletin could practically put two-and-two together.

So for Light to have this much knowledge on the details—

"If this is supposed to be a secret, how do you know so much?" The careful mask of naiveté that she'd carefully maintained over the course of her interaction with him crumbled for a moment.

"Very well." He sighed. "You leave me no choice. It's because I'm actually a member of the task force."

What?

"I'm sorry, you're telling me you're an agent?"

Light Yagami looked like he was in his last year of high school at the very least. She knew of internship opportunities and the like, but she never would have guessed they would let civilians (or a student, at that) participate in a case that was this sensitive and dangerous.

"Yes. L is currently in-charge of the task force and he's leading our investigation."

"Yes, to be honest, I already knew that."

"He was concerned that the task force had become too small. Many detectives had quit, fearing for their lives, and so despite the fact that I'm a high school student, he brought me onboard to help out with the investigation. After all, I've helped them solve cases in the past."

What Light Yagami joked about with the receptionist earlier… That wasn't said in jest then, as much as he'd been telling the truth. Well, that made sense based on the information he'd been sharing with her little by little. His father was in the Kira task force, the police officer at the front desk of the NPA cheerily brought up Light's involvement and aid with a few criminal cases before, Light's interest in the investigation, and his theories.

And… L himself welcomed him into the task force.

"So… L trusts you then." It wasn't much of a question as much as it was an objective statement.

"I can go to task force headquarters whenever it suits me, and I'm allowed to investigate freely as I see fit. You see, these days the task force is made up of a chosen few — an elite group of people handpicked for the job by L. All are highly skilled, well-respected, and above all, trustworthy."

She must have looked like a deer caught in headlights. She had no right to be this fortunate, had she? But it still did not change anything. No, more accurately, she would be more comfortable if L heard the information from her himself. If Light really wanted to help, he could vouch for her in the event that she would be allowed to speak with L.

And she was certain that she would. L would remember her, wouldn't he?

"Thanks for explaining, but just to be safe, I'd like to try and visit the task force headquarters again. Goodbye."

She turned to leave and Light called out for her again. Why was he being so insistent? Honestly, the more he did this, the more it was getting on her nerves.

"Ms. Maki please. Wait a second! It's literally impossible to meet L." The boy caught up to her at last and came around to stand in front of her, blocking her path. "This is pointless."

"You may be right, but I think that there's a chance he'll meet with me. Although the only contact I've had with him was following orders through a computer, he might remember who I am. You see, I worked under him in a case in the US about two years ago." No use hiding it now. Plus, this would probably get Light to back off a little bit. He was so pushy…

But she surprised him instead. "A-are you serious? You worked under L?"

She didn't see the point in withholding non-essential information anymore. Light was with the task force. If anything, the bits and pieces she shared with him could help. If someone in the task force apart from L knew enough about her background, perhaps that would get her in quicker.

"Yes… I didn't tell you this, but up until three months ago, I worked as an International Bureau agent."

Light chuckled to himself and shook his head. And that congenial smile was back on his face. "I guess I shouldn't be surprised. In fact, I noticed early on that your investigative skills were far beyond those of an amateur. You're very cautious and you seem to have a gift for getting to the heart of the matter. If I could, I'd like to learn from you."

"From the beginning, I knew I had to do things outside the regular channels because from my perspective, both the police and the members of the task force were suspects. But… I'm certain that I can trust L." Her own voice sounded wistful, even to her own ears, but it was simply the truth. "Maybe it's unrealistic, but I think that if I go to headquarters and I give them my name, there's a chance that they'll let me speak with him directly."

"I see… But if the only person you could trust with this info was L, then why me?"

Light was making assumptions. He didn't know her at all. Who she trusted in her life and who she didn't trust was outside of this conversation. Still—

"I suppose I was upset that they wouldn't allow me to see anyone from the task force, and then you came along claiming to be the son of the lead detective, and— No, that's not it, I—"

"Will you investigate this case with me?" Was she hearing things? Was he serious? "I want you to come work with us as part of the task force. We could use your help. As I'm sure you know, not just anyone can do it. Please, I know this is sudden, but the team needs people like you. I'm serious. You can be doing so much more than gathering information on your own. You have all the experience as an IBI agent, you're more talented than the detectives currently on the task force, and L obviously trusted you in the past. It wouldn't be that difficult for you to join. All you need is some valid identification, a recommendation from a current task force member, and of course, you need to get L's permission."

She couldn't believe her ears. Perhaps she mistook his cautiousness for suspicious behavior before. In truth, Light Yagami was just acting in the interest of the Kira investigation. And now that he was certain that he could trust her, he'd outstretched this invitation. She took him in — took the eagerness and excitement shining in his eyes. What's more, the task force needed someone like her. No, they needed her…

This is it, Cera.

If all this went without a hitch, she would introduce them to two more people who could help close this case and catch Kira. This was all going so well… She never could have imagined this.

"You want me to join the task force?"

"I can't help but think that it must be fate that I had met you today." Yes… Yes it must have been fate that she'd met Light Yagami today too. "I'd like to be the one to recommend you."

Her face must have been frozen in shock because hesitance instantly overcame his confidence and his eagerness.

Pursing his lips and dropping his outstretched hand awkwardly, he sheepishly added, "Oh I'm sorry about that… I— I guess I got a little bit too excited."

"It's okay!" She rushed to placate him. He wouldn't retract his offer, would he?

"I mean, even if you acted as a consultant on this investigation, it would be a great help. But I— I'm sure you have other things to attend to, other arrangements to make. I'd hate to be responsible for putting your life on hold for this. Especially since, solving this case might take longer than we first anticipated—"

"No! Now that—" Gods, she could barely get through her sentences without getting choked up about Raye. Damn it! "Now that my fiancé is gone, I… I really have nothing to lose anymore! I want to catch Kira! Please, let me investigate this case with you."

A sincere and grateful smile adorned Light's face. He truly wanted her with them, after all.

"Yes, of course. I just need to see some form of identification before we proceed."

Oh… Well, this was awkward. He must have read the hesitation and the sudden shame on her expression.

"Yes?" He prompted.

"Um… You see the name I gave you earlier, well— It wasn't actually my real name. I'm so sorry." She shut her eyes and bowed to express her sincerity.

Honestly, she expected more than a flicker of annoyance on Light's face, but when she looked at him again, he had awe written all over his features. He looked impressed too.

"Don't worry, it's all right. To be honest, I'm impressed by how incredibly thorough you've been." He grinned. "You've stayed one step ahead of me, but I suppose that's just further proof of your capabilities."

She could have laughed as she reached for the wallet in her purse. "So will a Japanese driver's license do the trick then?"

"Sure!"

She could have sworn Light was almost bouncing with glee. But that was just her imagination. Handing over her ID without preamble, she couldn't resist smiling to herself in satisfaction just as the gray clouds overhead became too heavy and snow slowly started descending from the heavens. Wait until Cera hears about this. Perhaps she should invite her and Marion to dinner tomorrow night after she'd sorted out her business with L, Light, and the rest of the task force.

She'd never thought she'd feel optimistic again after Kira took the love of her life away from her, but life worked out for the best in mysterious ways, she supposed.

As exhilarating as this new development was, she really should be going to headquarters now. And with Light at her side, there wasn't any time to waste. He nodded with a satisfied smirk and returned her ID to her, checking his wristwatch again.

She wasn't sure how she hadn't noticed it before now, but in hindsight, he seemed to do that quite a lot. Force of habit, perhaps?

"Uh, so if you don't mind my asking, why do you keep checking your watch?" A dumb and trivial question, but whatever. He would probably laugh at her.

They really should be going back to headquarters now…

She chalked her unnecessary questions up to nerves. Resisting the urge to fidget with her gloves, she admonished herself to stay still and maintain her composure. But she just couldn't help it… She could have sworn she could hear the blood rushing in her own ears and to her own head, could almost make out the loud thumping of her own heart.

"Oh well, I guess it's because—"

Reverberating as rhythmically as the sonorous ticking of a clock.

"Because I'm Kira."

No… No, that can't be right… It had to be—

The ticking ceased amid the falling snow as a deafening silence stretched before her, opened up, and swallowed her whole — an inescapable dark chasm.

Kira signed away her fate.

Goodbye, Naomi Misora.

=OoOoO=

The last man filed out of the lead detective's expansive suite, letting the door close with a final click. He was simultaneously relieved and disappointed that the series of traps he'd set up to see if any one of the investigators were Kira had failed. Testing each of their deductive abilities in turn also revealed nothing except that each man was innocent. But while the rest of the task force was finished for the day, L took his laptop and the photocards he'd used for the test and retreated to the bedroom to continue his work. He wanted to look over the evidence again and see if they'd missed anything.

Their adversary did not hesitate to meet all of his challenges, always taking the bait to taunt him and subsequently force him into action. Kira had a goal in mind and that was to meet L face-to-face — even if Kira had no way of knowing where L's exact location was at this very moment. For all Kira knew, L could be hiding away in Britannia conducting this investigation from afar, moving the NPA's investigators around like pieces on a chess board.

Kira had access to classified police information, and while that would have been enough for their purposes of 'cleansing the world of criminals', it wasn't any longer because L was in the picture. Kira did not hesitate to kill his stand-in during that live broadcast. The fact that their perpetrator wanted him dead was all too obvious.

Was it a stretch to assume that Kira would want to be in contact with the police — to be involved in the investigation?

If he were Kira, that scenario would be ideal in the long-run. But as it stands now, Kira would be at a disadvantage if they got too close now. As far as Kira was probably aware, L's face and true name was unknown. They would only be putting themself at a disadvantage in a situation where they were casting a large net to catch one fish.

No, Kira would probably consider that as a possibility, but only if they were sure of L's location. Otherwise, it would be pointless to waste time and energy trying to find a person who was so well-hidden.

Lost in thought, he was reaching into the box absentmindedly for another sugary doughnut only to find it empty. He'd burned through the half-a-dozen-box of Krispy Kremes. How sad and inconvenient. He was going to call Watari to ask for more when the man's call-sign came on screen.

"L."

"Yes, what is it?"

"Detective Deneuve has just received a private request for a consultation."

"Hm? Who is it?"

"The man who sought out Deneuve's services is Marion Lamperouge. There is no public image available, but we do have information that he is responsible for solving criminal cases as far as Europia and throughout Asia for the past four years."

Curious… If Kira's previous actions had goaded L into launching a covert investigation on the Japanese police, then was this Kira's goal?

L investigated the police and in retaliation, the police would have felt inclined to begin investigating L. That was it, wasn't it?

"A private investigator…"

Why was a private investigator hiring another private investigator to consult with? No, this wasn't really a question. It was quite obvious. Aside from criminal cases, plenty of others always hired his two other aliases to attempt to uncover L's true identity.

Had he delayed his in-person meeting with the Kira task force any longer, this request could have been from the Japanese police. His secrecy would have motivated them to come snooping around.

Or perhaps they already have…

"Watari, could you please gather as much information as you can on Marion Lamperouge and his whereabouts? I want to know who he's working for."

A curious development. Whether it was detrimental remained to be seen.

A/N: Not gonna lie, I enjoyed writing Naomi's POV before her death way more than I thought I would. That scene was one of my favorites because it showcased the extent of Light's manipulation and how much of a brilliant liar he is… And it's one of the scenes I disliked most because Naomi walked right into that trap and sadly had to die.

Also, is it still considered cat-and-mouse when there are three people chasing each other around? Dog-cat-and-mouse?

As always, thank you for leaving reviews, and adding this story to your favorites and follows list :D