Chris and I weren't speaking.

Needless to say, after the previous day's discussion, him and I had fallen out. He was furious at me for not backing him up and agreeing with the detective. I can't blame him; even I was mad at myself for agreeing with L, but it had to be done at some point, and what better time to start than in the middle of a stressful, time consuming, life threatening murder investigation?

It was almost ironic - most men would actually resort to alcoholism in their despair, and yet Chris was being driven away from it. If my friend wasn't the one being forced to abandon his coping mechanism, I would've laughed at his misfortune.

He'd spoken with Watari and agreed - albeit reluctantly - to attend rehabilitation sessions every couple of weeks. It wasn't ideal, especially considering how inflexible the schedule of the investigation was, but he planned to make it work. I did what I could to make it more bearable for him, but this was easier said than done.

For starters, I'd been asked by L to confiscate all alcoholic beverages in his possession, and tell the bartender at the hotel not to allow him make any purchases. Knowing that Chris used his own methods to wriggle his way out of a sticky situation, I may have slipped the employees a bit of cash to uphold their end of the deal. I wasn't particularly happy about spending what little amount of yen I had left, but as long as it got the job done.

After discovering my meddling, Chris prohibited me from entering his room. He'd even gone so far as to barricade the door with a chair and coffee table when I started to pick the lock. I'd stood outside his door for almost half an hour, spouting teary apologisies through the solid wood, only to receive silence as my response. Eventually succumbing to fatigue, I'd gone up to my own room, resorting to text messages and voicemails. In my hopelessness, I'd tried all the cliche responses: "we'll get through this together" and "I'm here for you". It was enough to make even me cringe, but I really didn't know what else to say to regain my favour. I had hoped my dedication would be enough.

To no one's surprise, I was forced to walk to the task force the next day.

It didn't matter much anyway as, within five minutes of sitting down, I was back up on my feet and strapped into a car seat alongside my new best buddy.

Over the course of the night, L had had an ingenious breakthrough. His brilliant mind had formulated the plan to invite Light Yagami - who was renowned to be a great sportsman during his adolescent years - to play tennis. All of this, apparently, would help discern whether Light was Kira.

Foolproof, right?

At first, I couldn't believe what I was hearing. What the hell would a tennis match prove? Oh, Light Yagami has a solid grounstroke - must be a serial killer. If I thought L was a bit wacky before, then boy, I had something coming.

"So, what's the big idea behind this stupid plan again?"

Although I'd been mindlessly whittering for the duration of the drive, L seemed particularly irritated by this comment. "It's not stupid."

"It is stupid. How is a game of tennis going to prove whether Light Yagami is Kira?"

"Kira hates to lose," L reiterated

I genuinely wanted to bash my head against the seat in front of me, but I released my frustration with a sigh. "Everybody hates to lose, Ryuzaki. It's nothing special. Honestly, there are so many more things we could be doing to get somewhere with this case."

"Would you rather I have Watari take you back to the hotel?"

He had me there.

Between Chris' constant cold shoulder and the mundane activities I knew would be waiting for me if I was to go back to the hotel, I think I'd stick with the detective's bullshit. Besides, I hadn't just been asked to come to indulge in L's overly sporadic plan. According to the detective, he was convinced that Light Yagami would have some questions about his identity and felt that verification would be necessary in the form of a third party. Out of everyone, he asked me. Me. Naturally, I felt obliged to go. It'd be the equivalent of sticking a finger in his face if I refused, and we've only just gotten back on good terms. I wasn't risking that.

Besides, knowing L - who couldn't even take a breath without formulating some overly critical BS - some sort of ambiguous interrogation was bound to occur. Being one of two people on the task force who had the most knowledge about Light Yagami (one of whom is his father, and has an obviously biased opinion on his son's guilt), it was suitable that I be present to back up anything L might say henceforth.

So I allowed myself to be dragged to To-Oh - the university I didn't even attend, mind you - to act as validation and co-interrogator... and also spectator apparently, because L was adamant that this friendly game of tennis would happen.

I felt the car crawl to a stop and looked out of the window, seeing that (for the second time now) I was being let out of the vehicle half a block away from the university itself.

Narrowing my eyes, I spun towards L. "Wait, are you seriously dropping me off here again?"

"Yes."

"Why?" I whined, throwing my head back in frustration. "Honestly, it doesn't even matter if Light recognises me with you now. He's going find out the truth literally within the next few hours, and that's assuming he hasn't already put two and two together - which, I assure you, he definitely has. So what's the point?"

"If he learns of our association before I begin to test him, his reactions may not be genuine." He said, at which point I rolled my eyes, prepared to make a snappy comment about the fact this whole interrogation is based on a tennis game. However, L intercepted before I could even complete one successful eye roll. "I'm sure you have plenty of things on your mind. Walking is good for that. It'll help to clear your head."

Oh yeah, he'd want me to clear my head for sure. The only thoughts I had right now revolved around slamming either my head or his into the car door.

As I unbuckled my seatbelt, I muttered, "I hope Light kicks your ass."

L merely waved me goodbye as I slid from the car seat.

Huffing, I made sure he got a good glance of my evil eye before gently closing the car door (I didn't slam it; primarily because I held the upmost respect for Watari and his property, but also because L would liken me to a child and I did not deserve more mockery).

The car whizzed off and I donned my 'angsty teen' facade, shoving my hands in my pockets and practically stomping across the pavements in my anger, earning concerned looks from passing adults.

By the time I'd made it to the university - my angry pace allowing me to blow off some steam - Light and L were already setting up their match.

Oh goodie. I was kinda hoping Light would say no to the game so I wouldn't be forced to sit and watch this droll, but no. Of course he'd said yes. The detective probably had a poke at his pride, so then Mr Inflated Ego would have to play.

I moved to see them better, resting my arms against the railing that skirted along the perimeter of the playing court, standing just out of Light's line of sight to avoid being recognised.

The game started innocently enough, with the pair exchanging pleasantries and Light trying to keep the conversation floating in calmer waters (i.e. by not providing any indication that he was Kira). I was oddly excited to see how L performed in a game that actually required physical exercise instead of mental analysis. I mean, he wasn't exactly the fittest guy around, and Light posed a tough challenge - being Japan's high school junior champion for two years running or whatever. Although I'd heard it'd been a while since Light hung up his racket for good, I could imagine that he was pretty athletic in his spare time. I mean, if that one brief peek I'd gotten of Light's torso when he was getting undressed told me anything, then he definitely had the body for it.

It was L's turn to serve first. I was expecting him to toss the ball and fall flat on his face trying to hit it, but what I got was a spherical green blur pistoning across the court and slamming against the chain link fencing before Light - or myself - had a chance to properly react. Needless to say, I was stunned.

Okay, who was this alien that had replaced my boss, and what had he done with the real L?

Even Light was baffled, glancing rapidly between the rattled fence and his opponent. He released a steady but strained laugh, making a quick snarky comment about how L wasn't going to take it easy on him (yeah, no shit) before trudging over to get the ball.

Still too awestruck to react, all I could do was shake my head slowly, making a mental note to tell the detective to go fuck himself the next time he asks that I make a cup of coffee for him.

Sardonically, I thought to myself, that's fifteen-love to L, but who was counting really?

* * * * *

"That's four games all. Light Yagami to serve."

Okay. So he's counting.

I couldn't believe they got their own umpire. This was fucking ridiculous. Wasn't this a university? What were these kids doing with their free periods? Shouldn't they be studying? Or getting hammered? Or sitting in a corner and crying? All I know is that they shouldn't be here, standing around and wasting their time (and also blocking my view, assholes).

In the time it'd taken L and Light to play four tantalisingly long games, the pair had attracted quite a crowd. I was genuinely surprised that so many students on one college campus would dedicate their spare time to watch an amateur tennis match. It's a good sport, given, but it's not exactly the most exhilarating to watch. Personally, I prefer basketball. There's less sex noises and more mutual excitement from the crowd, but each to their own.

To the right of me, I could hear members of Light's fanclub (as I'd so crudely dubbed them) rabble over his incredible skills, and then there was that one girl to the left who quite clearly had the hots for my superior.

Listening to her speak so passionately about the detective, it took a great deal of self-restraint not to laugh out loud. Oh, how I would love recounting this story to him later. I could already feel the second hand embarrassment radiating off of him.

My lips curled into an amused grin as I tried to picture L administering the slightest amount of affection upon another human being, and the image my mind painted just seemed so foreign to me. The detective seemed uncomfortable to even brush shoulders with another human being; it was impossible to imagine him undergoing the level of physical intimacy required in a relationship.

Besides, to most people, L wasn't even remotely attractive (he was all edgy teenage grunge and no style). That is, unless you thought intelligence was sexy, and then L was the equivalent of Brad Pitt.

Just when I was beginning to think that I couldn't take much more of the repetitive swinging, Light's racket collided with the ball and he sent it hurtling with a firm strike, with L only just missing it as it ricocheted off the surface of the court floor. The umpire declared it game set with Light as the victor, and I breathed a hefty sigh of relief as the Light Yagami fanclub went wild. L didn't seem too put off by his loss, but I still hoped for Light's sake that he wasn't a sore loser, otherwise the boy's could be Kira percentage would go skyrocketing and he'd be probably convicted within a fortnight.

As the pair exited the court, beads of sweat collecting on their temples and their faces flushing with exertion (even L's pasty skin had a slight red tinge to it), I scrolled through my contacts and called the number dubbed Ryuzaki.

As soon as the one connected, and I could see L dangling the phone next to his ear in the distance, I said flippantly into the receiver, "So, what's your verdict, almighty one? He won the game, and Kira hates to lose. Is he our serial killer or not?"

"I'm going to test his deductive reasoning," the detective replied, completely swerving away from my question. "We've agreed to go elsewhere. I'll inform you of the location when we arrive."

I held back a sigh. "Okay. How long?"

There was a brief moment of silence as he made his estimations. "Realistically, twenty minutes. Optimistically, ten."

This time, I couldn't help but groan. "And what am I supposed to do for all that time? Twiddle my thumbs?"

"You could if you wanted, but I don't think it'd be very productive."

"Ryuzaki, really--"

"If you want to use your time effectively, you could try to find more personal details about Light Yagami. Judging by how sociable he is, Light is bound to have befriended some students in this college. Ask around."

I glanced across the campus, seeing heaps upon heaps of young students swarming the area. Any one of these people could be acquainted to Light, but who would be the right person?

"Alright, but what exactly am I supposed to ask? Oh, hey stranger, you know Light Yagami? Do you think he could be a killer in his spare time?"

"I'm sorry, what about Light Yagami?"

I hung up the phone instantly, cutting off L mid-sentence in the process, and spun on my heel in surprise.

A young woman - student, I reminded myself - stood a few feet away from me, close enough to have heard a familiar name carried on the breeze as she passed. She wore a plaited white shirt on her front that provided the perfect contrast with the dark bangs that brushed her shoulder, and black suit pants. It was an oddly formal outfit for someone belonging to her demographic - and it made me seem like a kid in comparison, even though I was probably older than her - but maybe she was just mature for her age. From where I stood, I could only just see her eyes. Blue, like mine, but colder. Icy almost. They communicated curiousity, but I could see the suspicious undertones there and so I held my guard.

"Hi," I said blankly. "Who are you?"

"Kiyomi Takada." She didn't hesitate to respond. Her tone was soft, but biting - like snow. Clearly someone had some issues with me talking shit about Golden Boy behind his back. Please, oh please, don't tell me she's his girlfriend. I did not want to put up with a possessive woman guarding her man-territory today.

"I'm sorry, I couldn't help but overhear you mentioning Light's name."

I nodded slowly. "Are you a friend of his?"

The woman blushed slightly, glancing down at her intertwined hands. "Actually, we're seeing each other." There was a pause, a moment in which I started internally screaming for jinxing myself. Then, she added quietly, "Or, at least, I think we are."

What was that supposed to mean? Was Pretty Boy a bit of a player perhaps? Mr Yagami wouldn't be too pleased to hear that, especially after the magazine incident - another tiny dent in his son's perfect facade.

Not wanting to pry into the privacy of someone who was essentially a stranger, I pretended not to hear that last comment and changed the subject. "I met Light at the ceremony. We were supposed to be meeting up today."

Takada did not like the implications of a meet up apparently as her head snapped up in shock. "What?"

Raising my hands in defence, I clarified, "Oh no, it's nothing like that! I'm new to Japan, and Light offered to show me the ropes, if you will."

"Oh." She laughed. "Yes, I suppose that makes sense."

There was another pause, more awkward this time, so I offered, "Is he normally so late?"

Frowning, Takada shook her head. "No, Light's usually quite punctual."

All of a sudden, her gaze left mine and she looked away, thoughtful. "Actually, now that you mention it, he has been acting a little strange recently."

My interest piqued. "In what way?"

"He seems distant. Bored, almost. I mean, we're not an official couple, so I never expected full commitment from him. Suddenly though, it seems like he's never present when I'm speaking to him. Ever since the ceremony, he's been acting like as though not interested in me at all."

As she spoke, I noticed the icy emphasis put on 'ever since the ceremony' and very nearly flinched. Oh, she thinks I'm hooking up with him, doesn't she? She's probably heard all of those tragic stories told by bitter exes of their men being stolen by exotic foreign women - a criteria that I fit accordingly.

Well, screw that, I was not getting wound up in relationship drama. Abort mission!

"I'm sure that's not the case," I tried, softening my eyes to try and appear comforting. "Maybe he's just more focused in his studies right now."

The girl released a long sigh, avoiding my eyes and fidgeting. "I don't know if I should even be talking to you about this. You barely know him, and I don't even know you."

Well that could be easily solved, I thought.

Smiling as genuinely as genuinely as I could given the very awkward circumstances, I introduced myself. "Katherine Turner. Exchange student from the US. Now you know me." I shrugged.

The girl smiled back, hesitantly so, and she looked like she was about to say something. However, a buzzing in my back pocket demanded my immediate attention and I whipped out my phone, already knowing who it was.

Saved by the ringtone, it seems.

"Hello?"

"There's a small coffee shop located about half a mile away from the university campus. I'm sending directions to you now." The familiar voice droned into my ear, sounding as stern as ever.

I continued my perky facade, all grin and no grumble. "Alright! Not a problem. Sorry about earlier, by the way. Something unexpected popped up."

"I understand. We can discuss it further later."

"Okay, see you soon!" I ended the call, still cringing at the sound of my own girlish voice, and slid my phone back into the safety of my pocket.

"Was that Light?" Takada asked, raising a brow.

"No, that was... my boyfriend." Fuck, I hate using that excuse. "He's just wondering what we're doing for dinner."

Smooth, Agent, smooth. The jealous harpy will definitely believe that.

"That being said, I'd better get going. I've got a lot of things to do," I lied, tapping my watchless left wrist to indicate I was caught for time. "Maybe I'll catch up with Light some other day."

"If I see him, I'll let him know you were looking for him."

"Thanks," I said with a smile, intending to leave the conversation there, but then a thought came to me: she could be useful.

"Hey, do you want to keep in touch? It's probably better if I start making friends around here."

The student seemed genuinely surprised by my offer, but nodded nonetheless. "Sure."

We did as agreed and exchanged numbers, with me listing her in my contacts as 'Suspect's GF' for future reference.
As she began to walk away, headed towards her next lecture most likely, she held up her phone, just barely smiling.

"If I ever need to get something off my chest, I'll know who to call. It was nice talking to you."

Having already started walking in the opposite direction towards the entrance gates, I merely waved to her. "You too, Takada."

The false grin fell from my face as I turned my back on her, replaced by a more genuine one. I was proud of my small accomplishment today: learning that Light's first meeting with L on the day of the ceremony (not moi, as Takada had falsely assumed) had had a knock-on effect with his sociability. According to his lovely lady devotee, he'd become distracted, distant, and disinterested with social activites. This was interesting to know and was something I'd definitely divulge to the the detective later.

Taking another glance at my phone, I saw a set of directions had been sent to me via text and, after bringing it up on an online map, began marching in that direction.

* * * * *

I arrived at a quaint little coffee shop a little ten minutes after leaving the campus, raising a questioning brow at the venue of choice.

It seemed cosy. Kinda like a place you'd go on a date. Maybe L was trying to seduce Light? Great tactic, I must say.

I giggled quietly to myself at that thought as I pushed open the doors, surveying the area, trying to pick out where that mop of black sat among the café patrons. It didn't take too long to find him, considering that he stood out like a sore thumb, sat in a booth nearer the back of the room in his signature perched owl position. I still couldn't believe that he'd choose to sit like that in public. It was just embarrassing. If this was any other normal day under normal circumstances, I'd have sat as far away as I possibly could from the crazed lunatic and told everyone that 'he's not with me'. Unfortunately, this was not a normal day.

As I approached the table, L's critical eyes zeroed in on me, and Light, probably noticing that his companion's attention was no longer on him, turned to follow his gaze.

Let's just say that if his reaction to hearing the detective say 'I'm L' was poor, then his reaction to seeing me was just insulting.

Though, even if his face didn't move, I would've loved to hear what was going on inside his head right now.

Ooh it's the crazy woman who barged into me and had way too many random questions about Kira. Wow! Shocker! Didn't see that one coming!

"Hey," I forced out, an uneasy smile on my face. "How's it going?"

He furrowed his brow in thought for a moment, smiled politely, and then asked. "Katherine, was it?" I nodded curtly.

The boy looked back at L, and then back at me. "So you're--?"

"Surprise!" I cheered bitterly, waving my hands for effect. "It was pretty obvious though, wasn't it?"

Light forced a laugh. "It did seem a little too convenient that a stranger would ask me so many questions about Kira on the same day Ryuga introduced himself as the detective hunting him."

I scrunched my nose up in embarrassment. "Yeah, I had a feeling that'd raise some flags. We weren't initially going to be so direct, but when I screwed up and barged right into you, we kinda had to improvise. Shame. The other plan was so much smoother and much less awkward."

Light frowned, saying, "Then why would you walk into me?"

What? Did he think I planned to fall on my ass and make a fool out of myself? Ouch. Pretty Boy cut me deep. I may not have been the most dignified woman, but I did have some dignity.

Grimacing, I slumped over to the other edge of the booth, leaning against it. "I was having a bad day."

Light seemed to accept that answer, nodding. Meanwhile, I looked down at L, making the 'budge up' motion with my head. He took the hint and shuffled over, still in his crouching position, and I slid in next to him. To anyone else, we probably looked like a very weird equivalent of the three amigos, but I felt oddly relaxed with the arrangement.

My God, I was getting way too comfortable with this.

"Anyway, I believe I was asked to come here for a specific reason, was I not?"

Light responded in the affirmative, glancing between me and the man sat (perched) next to me.

"Well go ahead. Ask away."

He sat up a little straighter and dipped his head towards mine, brown orbs scanning the area for any potential eavesdroppers. I mimicked his posture, leaning across the table with ardour.

"Is Ryuga the real L?" He'd lowered his tone, emotionless eyes boring into mine.

I smirked. "He's as real as it gets. Though I can see why you'd have your doubts. When I first met him, I couldn't believe that this ambiguous faceless detective could be so weird in actuality."

The detective's head snapped towards me, offended. "I'm weird?"

Blankly, I looked him up and down for any signs he was kidding; he wasn't. Really? He went around masquerading the classic Alice Cooper look and wearing clothes that looked as though they'd never been introduced to an ironing board, and he thought that was normal? Wow. L really needed to be introduced to some culture.

"You know you're weird. You play tennis to determine whether someone is Kira and then you invite them for coffee. That's weird."

"And yet which one of us is globally recognised as the world's greatest detective?"

I scoffed. "Arrogance is ugly, but it suits you so well."

From out of the corner of my eye, I could see Light watching us. He looked really confused, and rightfully so. Here he was - seventeen years old, studying his first year in law, with aspirations of becoming a police officer - sat across from what can only be described as a human/owl/panda hybrid that was currently exchanging banter with an edgy teenage girl who'd charged into him two days prior.

Welcome to the Kira task force. We catch criminals. Please take us seriously.

A loud ringing suddenly went off to my right and I glanced down towards the source, seeing the detective pull out his mobile, evoking a glare.

"Excuse me." was all he said in response.

Oh, you're damn well excused!

How is it fair that he's allowed his phone on at all hours of the day, but we have to keep ours on silent just so we don't distract him. Injustice at its finest. God, what a hypocrite!

Across the table, Light's cell then went off, and he excused himself also, holding the phone to his ear. Pouting like a child, I slouched back in the booth, feeling hugely left out of whatever party these two had been invited to. I wasn't left to wallow in loneliness for too long however as the pair both managed to pull faces of mutual shock in perfect synchronisation. If this was an act, it was very good, but something told me that wasn't the case.

Snapping to attention, I glanced between them both, concerned. "What's wrong?"

Light blanched. "My father. He had a heart attack." He muttered, eyes wide as he stared down at his phone.

My breath hitched. For a moment, my brain shut down; it refused to process what I was hearing, and I almost asked Light to repeat what he'd said. My mouth having turned dry, I wordlessly looked towards L, whose solemn face confirmed the statement.

Well shit.

"Jesus," I sighed, shaking my head in denial. "Is he okay or was it...?" I didn't even have to finish my sentence for the others to know what I meant, the weight of the word hanging heavy over our heads.

"No. He's been admitted to hospital." L informed me, flooding my system with warm relief. "We should go right away."

Light and I nodded in agreement, both unsteadily climbing to our feet.

"I'll call a cab." I announced to the pair, already dialling the number as we marched out of that small sweet cafe on the corner.

* * * * *

The cab arrived five minutes later - five minutes that I'd spent both thanking and cursing whichever sick deity it was that had devised this ironic joke but had still allowed Mr Yagami to live. It was a very conflicting five minutes, but as I looked towards the Chief's son, I was glad to see some semblance of emotion on his face. Panic. Confusion. A mixture of both? Whatever it was, at least it meant we weren't dealing with a sociopath.

When the car arrived, we all crammed in, Light taking the front seat whilst L and I sat in the back. None of us spoke as the car rattled on in the direction of the hospital, the only sounds coming from the radio. It would've been pleasantly peaceful if it wasn't for the severity of the current scenario, and it was in this pitiful semblance of peace that I began to think.

Fortunately, we could rule out Kira's involvement because the Chief hadn't actually died, meaning it was due to natural causes. Still, there's plenty of reasons why someone his age could have a heart attack: blood clots; an arrhythmia; disease; panic; stress. Ah. Stress. That would make the most sense. With everything that's been going on recently, it would come as no surprise. The common workload of a police officer is stressful enough, but we've just been piling bad events onto his plate by the dozen. If that doesn't make me feel guilty for pointing fingers at his son, then I don't know what will.

I huffed out an anxious sigh as I stared out of the window, counting cars to keep my mind from concentrating on what a crappy human being I was. This was a relatively easy mental exercise seeing as there were so many cars in Japan; it was almost impossible for me to become distracted by any negative thoughts. In fact, I was so engrossed by my little game that I almost didn't notice the light pressure being applied to my shoulder, and slowly turned my head away from the window.

It seemed that my backseat companion had placed a hand on my shoulder, dark eyes watching my response - emotionless as ever. I was expecting him to ask me a question, seeing as he'd never diverted my attention in the past without needing my consultation for something. When he didn't attempt to communicate with me, I furrowed my brows and could only stare back in confusion.

What did he want?

It took a few more seconds of very awkward silent staring (awkward on both ends) before I came to a realisation: he was trying to comfort me.

My lips twitched up into a humoured smile, which apparently was enough to scare him off; his hand instantly recoiled from me and he faced the front of the vehicle in the most deadpan manner as though nothing had ever transpired. Clearly this was too much human interaction for one day.

Despite his rather hasty flight response, I was impressed. As omniscient as he was, the man could probably see I was distressed by the sudden turn of events and was trying to make me feel better. I didn't really feel any better, but at least he was trying. It just goes to show that he is capable of human empathy. Good for him.

It took us about twenty minutes to get to the hospital due to congestion and Light, of course, was the first one out of the vehicle (he also paid in my favour - an admirable quality, especially considering I had very little currency left). As soon as we passed through the hospital doors, being completely taken aback by the scent of antiseptic and the sound of whining children, Light flocked to the customer service desk to ask where his father was being kept. L and I lingered behind him but kept at the boy's heel once he started striding off, having gotten the desired information.

Countless double doors and a handful of seemingly endless corridors later, we arrived at his designated room and all pushed in.

Christ! The man looked terrible.

Completely grey from the attack; eyes dark and unfocused; chest rising and falling slowly with each labourous breath. It had just completely aged him. Poor Chief.

Sachiko (whom I remembered from my 'spying') was already with him and held his hand tightly as she sat in a chair beside his bed. Light rushed over to his dad and began bombarding him with questions such as 'are you okay' and 'when did this happen'. A little cliche, but touching all the same.

After reassuring his flustered kinsfolk, the haggard man looked towards us. "Agent. Ryuzaki. I'm glad you're here."
Light craned his neck towards me, expression lapsing into one of polite confusion. I pretended not to notice, inwardly seething.

Wow. Nice slip up, Chief. I can't really resent him because he's never needed to use my alias, wheareas he uses L's on a daily basis. I'd only ever mentioned it in passing, so I'm not surprised he didn't remember it. Still, this was an annoying setback. I was hoping to build up some trust with Light Yagami. Using an alias, as crucial as having one was in the current situation (something Light should - and likely would - understand), was not the right way to go about this.

"Guilty of using an alias. Sorry." I muttered to him, before turning back to his dad. "How are you feeling, Mr Yagami?"

Yes, Agent. Ask a man who has recently had a heart attack how he is feeling because he must be feeling really peachy!

"I've been better." He responded with a little laugh. "Thank you for asking."

There was only three provided chairs, one of which was currently occupied by Mr Yagami's wife, so I chose to stand, moving to look out of the window.

Time drawled by with Sachiko pestering her husband with hundreds upon thousands of questions, the Chief explaining to the rest of us that the doctors has confirmed it was indeed stress that triggered his heart attack and not our homicidal megalomaniac. It was at this time that I was suddenly glad that Mr Yagami had been given a private room otherwise all this talk of Kira would've shocked some people; it also meant there was no loud distractions. Well, other than the noisy havoc from outside. As expected of a hospital, you couldn't go five minutes without hearing the echo of a police siren blaring out across the city, and it made me shoot glares out of the window with each interruption. Seriously, I knew Tokyo was a large, lively, thriving community and all, but how many emergencies can occur in such a short space of time?

I bet it was some stupid teenage kids doing some stupid teenage things like stupid teenagers do - backflipping off a bridge or setting off fireworks in the house. Honestly, I'd never really understood what was so compelling about putting yourself in danger for the sake of a laugh. Really, this generation was devolving humanity back into primates.

Kids these days! Says the nineteen year old...

After a while, Mrs Yagami left to tend to Sayu, who was still at home. Before she left, she gave her son a quick peck on the cheek and told him to look after his father. Gee, if only she knew her son was a suspect in a mass homicide case, then perhaps she wouldn't be so trusting.

As soon as she closed the door to the room, I took the opportunity to leisurely slide into the empty chair, getting myself comfortable as Light addressed his father. "So the doctors think stress was the only cause?"

"Yeah. To be honest, I thought it was Kira when I first collapsed but I'll be alright." Mr Yagami replied dryly. "It seems I've been pushing myself a bit too hard lately."

"Indeed. It must have added to your stress, knowing that Light is a suspect in this investigation." L added casually, earning him a harsh scowl from Light.

"You actually told my father that?" He asked, appalled.

The ever nonchalant detective didn't see anything wrong with this. "Yes. In fact, I've told him everything. It's true he even knows that I am L." He turned back to the man in question with an explanation in hand. "When I say I suspect your son, you should know that it's very minor."

Although neither of them gave any indication, both Light and his father seemed to ooze a sense of relief, and I hastily clicked my tongue.

"I hate to rain on your parade but that's not something to be hugely relieved about," I chided, directing my speech mostly towards Light, who turned to me with an unreadable expression. "Whilst it's true that your chances of being Kira are low, you still have the strongest probability out of everyone else we've had our eye on, ranking you as our number one suspect."

The silence that accumulated then was enough to rival that from any Charlie Chaplin film, and the tension started to become unbearable.

"Congratulations," I added sardonically in an attempt to soothe the blow.

Light sat a little straighter. "Can I ask what your basis for these chances are?"

I looked towards L for clarification, who swooped in with an elaborate explaination. "Not too long ago, Kira killed twelve FBI agents who had come to Japan to assist with the investigation. They were instructed to follow people connected to the Japanese police and whom would have access to confidential police files. One of these agents - Raye Penber - passed away last December, exhibiting strange behaviour before he died."

"Let me guess, I was one of the people Raye Penber was investigating before he died?" Light asked. When I nodded, I could practically see the gears in Light's head start to whir as his carefully constructed ego walls came hammering down to obscure any reaction he might've given away. Gingerly, he folded his arms over his chest as he relaxed back into his chair, turning his nose up. "Well, then it only makes sense I'd be a suspect. Logically, there's no one else you could suspect."

Wow. Golden Boy was taking this accusation like a champ, even going so far as to single himself out as the sole suspect. Weird kid.

"I find Light's deductive powers to be quite impressive. Someone with his abilities would be an asset to us in a case like this."

I was helpless to stop the eyeroll that was evoked by that comment, and had to turn my head to stop the others from noticing my dissent.

Look at him, dropping hints here and there. So smooth. So subtle. Why not just write 'HELP WANTED' across your forehead? I mean, it doesn't sound as though we're desperate for young fresh minds to harvest or anything.

Golden Boy, having the mentality of someone older than five years old, thankfully took the hint. "Ryuga, I'd like to help with the investigation."

I almost applauded him. What a gentleman, saving us from going to all that trouble.

L cocked a brow. "Are you quite sure, Light?"

The boy nodded. "Absolutely. Any doubts I might have had regarding your true identity have been erased, so I know I can trust you. Besides, I'd like nothing more than to catch Kira and put him behind bars where he belongs."

The 'and prove that I'm not Kira' part was left unsaid but we all heard it.

"No, Light," came a pleading voice from the hospital bed, and Mr Yagami leaned forward to grasp his son's hands with his own. "This is a time in your life when you should be studying to become a police officer. It won't be too late to join us once you're done."

I blanched. Oh dear God, I hope he didn't mean that. The amount of time it would take for Light to finish his courses at university and join the police force was leaning on four to possibly five years. It'd better not actually take that long to find Kira; this case was already aging me. What would I be like in five years' time?

Light appeared to share my sentiment, his brow hardening in displeasure. "Really, Dad, come on! Who knows how many years that'll take? Besides, I promised you that if anything were ever to happen to you that I would find Kira and make sure he gets executed." He was adamant that his words were truth, determination rolling off of him in waves; I snorted.

How sweet. I love when people make promises they can't keep. Adorable! Stupid, especially for someone of Light's calibre, but adorable all the same.

"Excuse me!" A new voice pitched in, making us all look over. "Visiting hours were over ten minutes ago."

I rolled my eyes at the nurse who was peeking her head around the door with a clear look of impatience on her face. Alright, pushy, we're leaving!

We bid our goodbyes and wishes of recovery to the Chief who, understandably, explained that he wouldn't be in work for a while. We gave him as long as he needed. After all, it'd be a bit cruel of us to force him to work whilst he's still recuperating. Plus, we were probably just going to be shittalking his son anyway, and that can't do anything good for his blood pressure.

As we all filed out, heading back down to the hospital entrance, L whipped out his cell as he shuffled along and called for Watari to collect us. Light and I walked ahead of him, side by side, but didn't exchange any pleasantries (party due to lack of appropriate conversational material but also because I really didn't want to have a one on one conversation with him after our last awkward encounter). Nevertheless, the silence that shrouded us was smothering, so I tried my hand at starting a conversation.

"Congrats on your win in tennis today," was all I could muster apparently.

Light nodded politely. "Thanks. I'll admit I was a bit surprised when Ryuga asked me to play. I'm assuming that was another one of his tests?"

"Yeah," I sighed. "It was a stupid idea. If you're thinking of joining the investigation, you'd better get used to that."

The boy in question furrowed his brows. "Tests?"

"No. Stupid ideas."

Light laughed, an oddly jovial sound for someone usually so sombre, but didn't respond. After that, the three of us dipped in a vacant silence, slipping out of the hospital doors and being instantly assaulted by the bitter February air.

Huffing, I wrapped my arms around myself and buried my nose in the collar of my jacket to try and block out the cold wind. Light had a similar reaction, but L, nonsurprisngly, paid not mind to the elements and moved closer to the edge of the sidewalk (most likely to flag down Watari when he eventually arrived). Shaking my head, I sauntered over to him and unceremoniously leant my right side against his, tightening my arms over my chest. He stiffened, but didn't drop kick me across the road, which I was grateful for. Instead, he made eye contact and raised a questioning brow.

With a sigh, I told him, "Did you know that by standing close to another human being, we can conserve more body heat than if we were standing alone in a cold environment?"

"I did know that."

"Penguins do it. So do puppies."

"Do I look like either of those animals to you?"

Scoffing, I answered, "No, you're more of a raccoon actually."

The man instantly bristled with offence, his form stiffening for a different reason. "A raccoon?"

Lips curling into a smirk, I pointed to the underside of his eyes, making semi-circle gestures with my finger to indicate I was referring to his absolutely heinous eye-bags. He frowned in obvious displeasure, but didn't object, briefly rubbing his eyes as he turned to face the road once more.

"Ryuga," a voice suddenly said from behind us, sounding more than a little agitated. "What would it take to get you to believe that I'm not Kira?"

Ah. Light. How could I forget he was still here?

In response to his inquiry, the detective and I exchanged glances, then looked towards the boy, whose eyes were gleaming with fervent distress. "Please, isn't there something I can do?" He tried, essentially begging.

L paused for a long second, holding a finger to his lip in mock thought. Light looked towards me, masking an expression of pure helplessness, and I held up my hands, unable to tell him what he wanted to hear.

Finally, the detective turned back to the boy, seemingly having reached a conclusion. "No."

The response was instaneous. "I can't take this anymore! Put yourself in my position. How do you think it feels to be accused of being Kira?"

Again, the detective took a moment to pause. I couldn't tell if he was just humouring the kid or whether he was genuinely considering how it would feel (if he was, then that was honestly adorable). Regardless, he soon replied, "It was one of the worst feelings ever."

A car horn erupted from our right and I waved at Watari as he pulled over to where we three stood. L opened the car door with the intention of getting in, but Light wasn't finished.

"What if you were to lock me up for a month in a place with no TV or any kind of access to the outside world and keep a constant watch over me?" Light suggested, his voice rising an octave, clearly desperate.

"That's wouldn't do either of us any good." The detective argued, quickly growing bored with this conversation. "I can't do anything that would deprive you of basic human rights."

I actually had to bite down on the inside of my cheek to stop myself from laughing.

Okay, first of all, we'd already deprived this kid of various human rights, namely the right to privacy. Second of all, when did watching the TV or listening to the radio classify as a basic human right? I call bullshit on that, great detective. You just don't want the fuss.

"And furthermore, it's complete nonsense for the investigator to take suggestions from his suspect."

Okay, that second statement seemed more logical. I'd give him that one.

L made a move to climb into the backseat, turning his back on our suspect. "Please take care of Mr Yagami. Goodnight."

"I'll be sure to." Light sighed, blatantly disheartened, and my heart actually wept for the poor kid. This must be terrible for him. His dad's in the hospital, he's been accused of being a serial killer various times today, and we're not giving him a ride home so he has to stand alone in the dark.

Well, I wasn't going to leave him in such a state. Who knows what he'd do unsupervised? I'm not being held responsible for this kid hurting himself, and I'm definitely not giving Mr Yagami's heart more reason to give out.

Slinking back over, I gave the younger boy a hearty pat on the back and spoke quietly just so he could hear. "Light, I sympathise with you. I really do. From your perspective, this sucks."

Sucks was a bit of an understatement really. Kira has half of the globe actively chasing after him and the death penalty waiting at the finish line. I'd say that Light's situation is more like the figurative embodiment of being crushed alive - peine forte et dure style. But sucks works just as well.

"I mean, essentially you're stuck," I continued. "You have no way of proving or disproving your innocence, and that's frustrating. Don't think too much on it. If you aren't Kira, it'll become apparent to us at some point. Just be patient."

The boy's head nodded slowly, seeming to understand my words, and I offered a halfhearted smile, slipping away from him and heading towards the vehicle in which a very impatient detective sat waiting. Reaching the edge of the pavement, I hesitated before stepping into the car's interior, craning my neck in his direction and asking, "By the way, do you have a way to get home? It's late."

Light shrugged. "I'll call another taxi."

"Are you sure? I would offer you a ride home, but it's not my car."

God, I wish it was though. If I had the amount of money to purchase just one model from L's assortment of motor vehicles (which I knew he had, courtesy of my prying sessions with Watari), I could probably end world hunger in a fortnight.

The boy in question smiled. "Yeah, I'm sure. Thanks a lot though."

Nodding, I smiled back as genuinely as possible. "Alright. Goodnight, then."

I settled in my own seat and closed the door before I could listen for a response, releasing a tired sigh. The car then drove off, leaving Light behind in the dust, stood alone under the dim yellow light that flooded from the hospital doors.

Mere moments after we pulled onto the main road, the detective (who'd magically acquired a bag of candy) spun to face me. "What did you tell him?"

Ignoring the spontaneous emergence of confectionary, I waved my hands haphazardly. "Just something to reassure him. This is exactly the kind of thing that people hurt themselves over. Being told you might be Kira isn't exactly a light accusation - excuse the pun. I just didn't want our suspect to do something stupid, like fling himself off a bridge."

"I find it unlikely that a person as mentally strong as Light Yagami would resort to suicide in the face of fire, but I suppose a little reassurance can't hurt."

I was about to retort that 'damn right, a little reassurace wouldn't hurt, considering the circumstances', but L was quicker to speak.

"By the way, who was the person that you encountered this afternoon?" He asked, suddenly reminding me of the girl with those icy eyes who I'd met earlier. "Judging by the reaction you gave the second time I called, I assume they had something interesting to say."

"A girl called Kiyomi Takada. She claims to be Light's girlfriend," I informed him. "According to her, Light has been acting strangely ever since the ceremony - 'distant' in her words."

His eyes lit up like the Fourth of July, and I chuckled. "I thought you'd like to hear that. I managed to get her cell number if ever you wanted to speak to her yourself."

He shook his head. "I don't think that will be necessary right now, but I appreciate the effort. That kind of behaviour might suggest that Light is paranoid about the accusation. Kira is well aware that I'm hunting him, so meeting me in person could only serve to put him off guard."

I shrugged, stealing a single boiled sweet from his bag whilst he went off on his tangent. "You're right, it might be paranoia. Or it could be curiousity. Or suspicion. Or awe. You did throw a huge bombshell on him. 'I'm L' wasn't exactly subtle - or believable, for that matter. Maybe he just needed time to chew that mouthful."

"Perhaps so," he said quietly, brushing a thumb against his lips. "He does seem rather comfortable in my presence now. If he did need time to process the possibility of me being L, then he has adapted rather quickly. It has only been two days after all."

I could sense the underlying tone of distrust to that sentence, and narrowed my eyes sceptically. "You're saying you think it's all an act?"

"I'm not quite sure. He does seem to be acting genuinely innocent. To go so far as to sacrifice your own freedom just to prove you aren't guilty..." he trailed off, whisking his head round to face mine. "What are your thoughts?"

With a huff, I looked away towards the window, shaking my head slowly. "That's an impossible question to answer, Ryuzaki. The problem with judging guilt based on the way the accused act is that it's really difficult to tell when someone is being genuine and when someone is trying to deceive you."

"You see, when accused, most people go off on a total rant, yelling and screaming that it wasn't them or that they didn't do it. Typically, this is the reaction of someone who's innocent. They become hysterical because they're so frightened of the repercussions and, obviously, don't want to be arrested for something they didn't do. However, those who are guilty - particularly the ones who don't have the strongest emotional walls - can respond to an allegation in the exact same way."

"As if that wasn't bad enough though, because of the whole confusion that yelling and screaming leads to, innocent people have come to believe that if they start acting erratic, the investigators will be more inclined to believe that they're guilty. So, they start to act cool and calm, answering all the questions they're asked without raising an issue. Again, guilty people will do the exact same thing to throw investigators off their scent. They believe that by not getting aggressive or defensive that they'll appear less suspicious."

The detective looked vaguely confused by that truckload of information, so I summarised it for him.

"Essentially, there's no textbook method to prove a person's innocence because everyone reacts differently, and also because most bad guys are freaking geniuses that know how to beat the system."

He hummed, seemingly impressed by the depth of my explanation. "Interesting analysis."

I practically glowed with pride. "Thanks."

By this point, I could sense that we had reached a state of equilibrium and took the comfortable silence as an invitation to pose a potentially risky question.

"Hey, this might seem a bit forward, but can I crash at your room tonight?"

The reaction I got was brimming with mismatched emotion; confusion, wariness, and scepticsm all blended so harshly that L's expression may as well have been one of Picasso's paintings.

Okay, yeah, I crossed the line. Bad idea.

Realising how weird and suspicious this must be, I smiled to lighten the mood. When he didn't falter, I pressed further, putting on my best puppy face. "Please?"

Again, no change.

"Oh, come on," I groaned. "You know what's up. My method of transportation is in a sour mood, and I just don't want to walk all that way tomorrow morning."

God, it was such a trek. I was just thinking about it and I was already tired. Don't get me wrong, I loved walking. It's refreshing, and relaxing, and healthy for both your mind and body, but it's so tiring. I'm already appropriate to cast as a zombie in a horror movie, so I didn't really want to push my exhausted body any further.

Finally, he asked, "Where would you sleep?"

Oh! My hopes were looking up.

"Whereever you're not sleeping."

That clearly meant I could sleep anywhere, because L did not sleep.

Not wanting to appear pushy, I quickly added, "I'll steal a pillow and sleep on the floor if it's such a big problem."

The detective contemplated this for a minute longer before saying, "As long as you don't disturb me, I don't see a problem."

Relief washed over me and I had the urge to fist pump the air in silent celebration. "Thank you. I'll make it up to you at some point. I'll buy you a tub of ice cream or something."

"I'll hold you to that."

I laughed. "Whatever."

* * * * *

A/N

Over 9000 words again! Phew I am on a roll. The DBZ meme would be so proud.

Physical contact wow~ L willingly put his hand on another human being. That means we're finally making progress woohoo. If you guys weren't already aware, this whole fluffy love stuff is going to be the slowest burn to ever burn, so I hope you all brought your sun cream.

Also, yay Takada made an appearance! I think that in terms of the DN fanfiction universe, Takada is very underappreciated. She's hardly ever used outside of the canon plotline so I thought I'd intergrate her into the chapter and have some heart to heart with her. Besides, I have a very small guilty pleasure for her (and Mikami. Oh just you wait for him to show up) that I like to indulge, so here you go! Have some Lady Takada!

Sorry about taking so long to post this. I actually had it finished (though not polished) by Saturday, but I've had some issues with my health and it got postponed. Hopefully the next chapter won't take as long.