#dn ff

Zzzzz. 

The phone buzzed again in his pocket, demanding Light's attention for a second time. He narrowed his eyes, his gaze never leaving the paper in front of him. Light kept still, his mind was elsewhere, but on the outside, it appeared he was focused on the task at hand. A skill he had learned to master, something he had grown rather good at while acting as Kira. It was a fulltime job, one that he took great pride in. 

A second text, eh? Only a few minutes apart, too… 

He set the papers down, seeing no new patterns with the victims. Nothing to see here, nothing new nor strange about the sequence with Kira’s killing. As was planned. Nothing unexpected meant that Misa had done a good job staggering the times of the killings. He had trained her well, which was fortunate enough for him. Despite this, she was still a liability, someone he had to get rid of in order to further his future plans. 

All right then. Let’s see. A second text means that there’s no mistaking it, it has to be either Mikami or Misa reporting in… 

A quick glance at the clock on the wall told him everything that he needed to know. After all, today was the day, the great and long awaited exchange. Light had been careful in instructing Misa and Mikami what was expected of them, and how they would keep in contact, both with him and with each other. It was imperative that they left no traces, not a single clue behind that L or someone else on the Task Force could use against them. Despite this, Light was pretty confident in his plans. It seemed rather silly, but sometimes the simplest of plans could work better than anything intricate. 

Light thought the whole idea was rather interesting. He had originally thought it was a bother when Rem brought about her demand to let Misa go as the Second Kira. However, despite how annoying it was, Light was now grateful for a reason to be rid of her. On another note, working with Mikami seemed promising. A quick search through several databases revealed that Mikami worked in law and that he had some connections in high places. Light was not one who liked to get his hands dirty, but he recognized that he seemed rather useful. Unlike someone else he knew. 

Hm. Speaking of Misa… 

Misa’s photoshoot had begun almost two full hours ago. An hour into the photoshoot was when the plan would be put into action, it was when Misa was set to get rid of her ownership of the notebook. Around that time, Mikami was due to sneak into the locker rooms and grab the death note for himself, safely transferring the ownership. He would then be the one with Ryuk’s notebook, Lights’s new pawn until he could safely take over his role as Kira once more. However Light supposed he could keep Mikami on board as long as he was trustworthy and followed through with all of his plans. Light could feel himself smirking a little as he shifted on the couch. He spared another quick glance at the clock, double checking the time. 

Good good…it’s about halfway through the photoshoot…which means… all should be going well. After all, everything was well thought out. It would stand to reason that everything is going according to plan. If I am correct, it must mean that Mikami has acquired the notebook and is in contact with Ryuk right now. Meaning that Misa Amane is no longer the Second Kira, assuming I am correct. 

Despite having two phones hidden on his person, he was almost certain he knew which phone the vibrations had been coming from - the burner phone, which he had been keeping locked away in his left pants pocket. It was secure there, buried deep, and inconspicuous. He was thankful that men’s pockets were rather deep. 

If that’s the case then…perfect… 

Light gave a silent chuckle, keeping his composure despite the multiple notifications burning a hole in his pocket. He was sitting by himself on the couch on this particular day. A choice he had begrudgingly made in order to be extra cautious; that way, he could be positive that no one else would be able to hear the faint sounds coming from the burner phone. It was not without its consequences however, as Keiko and L were positioned across from each other at the main table. This was something that would typically bother Light, but today, he needed the space alone on the couch in order to ensure that the exchange had gone as planned. He had almost kept his burner phone on silent so that he could sit next to Keiko, but against his better judgment, he had decided against it. It seemed too risky for a multitude of reasons. 

Above all, Light wanted to stay informed, his role as Kira was at stake here. On the off chance that Keiko sat next to him and heard his phone vibrating, she could think that he was still in contact with Misa. He didn’t need her to wonder who was texting him, nor to doubt him, especially as he had no plans of contacting Misa after today. It was best that the two did not contact each other, not unless absolutely necessary. He did not need any more suspicion on him, he had gotten more than enough of that from L alone. Keiko was someone he needed on his side, someone he needed to trust him. 

Keiko’s only started to trust me again… and it’s probably fragile right now, so I need to play it extra safe. At least until I can ease more suspicion and potentially get rid of L. Despite Misa’s demand for a date, it’s way too risky…especially after I did this all to ensure her safety so that I could get Rem off my back…anyway…considering the time, it has to be either Misa or Mikami…if all went well, then it should be Mikami informing me that he’s properly received the notebook. I can’t just sit still, I have to confirm this for myself…if all went well, then it’s time to continue on with my plans…  

Light raised his arms, giving them a nice stretch in the air as he yawned. As was planned, he got both Keiko and L’s attention with minimal effort. Not that it took much acting, he was already tired from countless nights getting little sleep. Sleep was hard to come by on such an investigation, not when so much was at stake. Despite the rest of the Task Force taking a short break, L, Light, and Keiko had insisted on working. 

“Are you okay, Light-kun?” the detective asked, not looking up from the stack of papers on the table in front of him. He watched as Keiko glanced in his direction, a concerned expression on her face. The two of them had been going over previous killings to check to see if they had missed anything, any sort of pattern or connection. 

Too bad they won’t find anything, Light smirked, making sure to look away as to not arouse suspicion. I always do a great job covering my tracks. They’re just wasting their time while I'm the one getting ahead. Just you wait, L. I’ll be coming for you pretty soon…speaking of, it’s go time…and this is the best excuse I have.  

“Yeah, I’m fine, but I’m gonna take a short break,” Light was casual as he spoke. He gave a soft shrug, wanting to appear nonchalant as he stood up from the couch. “Y’know. Nature is calling me.”

Yeah, that’s right. You heard me correct, I’m just getting up for a quick bathroom break, nothing unusual about that. No tricks or anything to catch me in a lie there, L. Despite you not looking at me directly, I know exactly what you’re thinking. You’re always so suspicious of me, but you can’t prove anything. You haven’t yet, and now you never will. Good luck trying. It’s all in vain, especially now.  

Keiko looked up at Light as he walked by, his hand grazing her shoulder. He gave it a light squeeze. She gave a small hum in surprise as she realized she was being touched by someone, “eh?”

“Bathroom time,” Light clarified once more, looking down at his girlfriend. An amused expression was on his face as he met Keiko’s gaze, “But I wanted to stop by and check on you first. See how you're doing.”

He watched as Keiko gave him a soft smile, and he fought not to get lost in those soft brown eyes of hers. She gave the hand resting on her shoulder a squeeze in return, and he could smell a hint of what he supposed was the scent of her strawberry body wash. Whatever it was, she smelled good, which was another thing he decided to ignore as she continued on, “right. Well, there’s nothing new yet, but I guess that’s to be expected. I think I may need a break here soon myself.”

“It appears that this Kira is still covering his tracks well,” the detective mused. It seemed he had finally decided to grace Light with a glance in his direction. Light then watched as the detective’s gaze slowly went from Light to Keiko. It stayed there as he continued on. “At this rate, who knows if we’ll ever catch him. Seems like it’ll take us a while to find any leads.”

Despite speaking to no one in particular, Light knew it was some sort of challenge. He wanted a rise out of him, to get a reaction of sorts. A reaction that Light was determined not to give. He was better than that, he wouldn’t let the odd detective feel like he was above him. Not when Light finally had the upper hand. He had L right where he wanted him. In the same note, Keiko was seemingly his once more as well, and with Misa out of the picture, getting her to trust him again would be much easier. He supposed it would take a little while for things to go back to normal, but things were at least on the right track. 

It’s such a shame Keiko is similar to L in her beliefs, it would be nice to have her on board, but alas…such is life I suppose. As long as she stands out of Kira’s way, I won’t have to do anything to her. L is the only one who still suspects me it seems, so I should be in the clear.  

“Ah. Let’s not work too hard,” Light gave a nod, removing his hand from his girlfriend’s shoulder. “I’m sure something new will come up sometime soon. Don’t forget, Ryuzaki-san, we’re Japan’s best and brightest…but in the meantime, I’ve really got to go to the toilet.”

“Don’t fall in,” was Keiko’s response as Light took his cue to walk away. He gave a chuckle at his girlfriend’s wittiness, it was something he admired about her. Another reason he was glad to have her back on board. With her on his side, his future plans were one step closer to becoming a reality. 

Speaking of reality… it’s time to finally check my messages. I’m certain that I’ve received a text from Mikami, considering the time and circumstances of the plan. All should’ve gone well, the margin for error was slim according to my calculations. 

Light entered the stall of the bathroom, fishing the burner phone out of his pocket with a quiet intensity. He had waited far too long, he had to see the messages for himself. With a few clicks, he opened the first text. 

Wonderful. Just as expected. 

His lips curled into a smirk as he read the text that confirmed his prior thoughts. A text that he had received from his new Second Kira, Teru Mikami. It was official, Misa Amane was no longer his Second Kira, and he would have no further reasons to keep in contact with her. It was the start of a new era for Kira, one without outside meddling and annoying squealing. 

‘Kira, Teru Mikami reporting for duty. Exchange a success. Will keep in contact.’

Light reread the text once more, Mikami had kept his texts short and sweet. It was something Light didn’t know he had appreciated until then, as Misa’s texts were always filled with unnecessary ramblings and emoticons. Worst of all, she always had some sort of new pet name for him. After dealing with all that, Light was looking forward to a better texting partner. It seemed he had lucked out. 

Good good. He’s like me, simple and concise. I think I will like working with him, he seemed intelligent enough…though I’m sure the bar was low to begin with after dealing with Misa Amane.  

The smirk on Light’s face grew as he opened up the second text. Once again, his words were to the point, and it appeared that everything was all going according to plan. Another plan perfectly executed. Light relished in this small victory. 

‘Will carry out your orders as planned. Met Ryuk. Talk soon.’

Light clicked away at the burner phone, crafting a response to his new Second Kira. The notebook was now in Mikami’s hands; Light could breathe a sigh of relief, he now had someone trustworthy enough to do his dirty work. Someone that wasn’t a headache like a certain Misa Amane. Someone more on his level. 

Nice to meet you, Teru Mikami…let’s work well together. 

Once the text was sent, Light figured it was time to actually get down to business. His burner phone retreated safely back into his pocket, and Light took a moment to bask in the silence. He was now one step closer to his final victory. 

Well…may as well check to see if I have to use the bathroom while I’m in here… 

Keiko’s POV:

As soon as Light left the room for his little ‘bathroom break’, Keiko locked eyes with the raven haired detective. Despite his expressionless face, she was almost positive that he was thinking the same thing she was. After all, today, assuming their calculations were correct, was the day Rem had instructed them about. The so-called ‘exchange’. Needless to say, Keiko was feeling a little on edge. While they did have some advantage, they only had a matter of time to find out who Light would now be working with, who he had chosen to do his dirty work. Meaning L’s life was unfortunately still in danger. 

That was definitely weird, wasn’t it? It was odd enough that he was sitting away from me on the couch, but that little performance…he usually gets up for the bathroom without saying much… and on today of all days…Matsuda even convinced both the chief and Mogi to take the day off today, a suggestion that Light had initially made…it can’t just be a simple coincidence, it’s too thought out, too planned out. In other words, way too suspicious, it must mean that something happened right? Light had this all thought out from the beginning, he planned every aspect of this ‘exchange’, he knew exactly what he was doing, Keiko gave a shiver, he’s always known exactly what he was doing…he plans everything out methodically, even me. I was a part of his plan. But not anymore, I refuse to let him fool me. I know he’s up to something. Nothing good at that… he’s Kira, a monster.

“‘Don’t fall in?’” L was the first to speak, pulling Keiko away from her thoughts. His lips pulled back into a small yet amused smile, a rather rare expression for him. Her heart gave a small lurch, which she promptly ignored. She gave a slight cough, her eyes not quite able to withstand the detective's gaze any longer, as evidenced by the tinge of red that stained her cheeks. Something she hoped the detective hadn’t seen. Although she had a sneaking suspicion that he had seen, something which she tried to ignore. Somehow that man always had that effect on her, which sometimes made it hard to get any work done. 

Whatever. Not now, heart…now isn’t the time for romance…not with L’s life on the line! Come on, get a grip…this is all for him anyway. 

“It was all I could think of at the moment,” Keiko grumbled, hoping her cheeks had returned to their normal color. She looked around, her gaze lingering towards the door, where Light had left mere moments ago. It was quiet for a moment, Keiko was certain that L was also paying attention to the exit. Their conversation, though short, had halted. It was clear that they both had something else occupying their minds, or rather, a certain someone else. 

Light Yagami… no, Kira… just what are you up to? I know you’re up to something, and I think I know what it is. 

“He’s acting strange, isn’t he…” Keiko murmured. It was more of a statement, sort of to herself, and sort of to the odd man sitting across from her. 

Or am I just on edge…? I admit, I am on edge, but even so, it’s better safe than sorry. And safe is to assume that the exchange went as planned…Light was looking far too happy earlier, he was loud in announcing he was leaving too. That definitely has to mean something, he was too suspicious. I feel like I’m too much like L in that way now, overanalyzing every little thing, but it is for good reason. I know better than to let Light fool me now. I will never let him fool me ever again. For myself and for L’s sake. 

“He is,” L agreed, shifting a little in his chair. He was always in that weird position, but Keiko had grown used to the detective’s antics by now. After all, it boosted his “critical thinking and deductive” abilities, or whatever explanation he had given prior. Keiko had to admit, she hadn’t really been listening at the time. Instead she had spent the time just staring and wondering how he managed not to get a leg cramp sitting that way. She was certain it was bound to happen at some point. It probably already had, she figured he was the type who would be too prideful to admit they’re in any sort of pain. 

Well. Speaking of acting strange…look at exhibit A right here. 

The detective glanced over at her once more, as if he knew she had been thinking about him. She expected a look of amusement, or for him to tease her. However he looked as pensive as she did. “He is acting rather odd, yes.” 

“Do you think…?” Keiko trailed off again, her thoughts wandering about. There was much to consider, so much was at stake. Making a wrong move could be critical, she had to be certain that the detective agreed with her assumptions. While it was a safe bet, once again, it was still better to be safe than sorry. 

“Yes,” L gave a nod. “Yes, I think it happened. And I think it was a success, at least in Light-kun’s eyes. He was practically gloating before he left the room, taunting us with that little performance of his, putting his hand on your shoulder and touching you like that, well…” he paused, giving a little cough himself at his words, and for a moment Keiko wondered if he had meant to say that. She fought hard to ignore the happiness she felt at the thought of L being jealous. “But anyways, it’s clear he thinks that with his newly appointed Kira that he’s in the clear…”

So that basically confirms it…the exchange was a success…Misa Amane is no longer the Second Kira then…not that we could officially prove it in the first place, but now she’s really off the hook, so to speak. For the time being, the most important part is finding out who his new partner in crime is…and find them soon before Light decides to try and get rid of L once and for all. We need all the evidence or leads we can get…speaking of which… 

“That means we should be hearing from Wedy and Aiber again soon, correct?” Keiko questioned, “they should be able to help us with finding new leads and evidence against Light and his new Second Kira, yes?”

Evidence we really need… more than just a shinigami’s word, though Rem was surprisingly helpful so far. Something concrete. Something that Light and his Second Kira can’t refute. And for that, we really need their help. As funny as it is, I’d never thought I’d need a conman or a thief on my side. Though I suppose connections like that do come in handy. Like right now, for example. 

L gave a slight nod, “yes, we’ll have to keep working with them a secret from the others, of course, but yes.  Assuming all went well on their end, we should be one step closer with our own plans.”

Thank goodness, but also…I can’t believe it. How is it I’m more relieved yet scared the farther we get into our plans? There’s a lot of risk, I knew that going in, but living it. It’s another thing entirely, and Light thinks he’s winning. There are a lot of lives on the line… including L’s…no, especially L’s.

Keiko shivered as she realized once again how much was at stake. Light Yagami was something else. It wasn’t fair, first he had lied to her, then he had broken her heart, and then it turned out he was Kira. All this time she was playing defense and hadn’t even realized it, but now, it was her turn to strike back and to strike first. Keiko had come this far into her plan and she wasn’t about to back down. 

Just think, at the start of this whole thing, I had to convince a shinigami to work with me! A so-called ‘god of death’, Rem. Absolutely insane, I know, but desperate calls for desperate measures. And look at how far we’ve come. With a bit more patience, and a lot of luck, we should be able to knock Light down a peg…we can defeat him, right…?

“I assure you, they’re the best at what they do,” L said, as if he was able to sense her anxiety. Not that she was trying hard to hide it. It wasn’t like she could hide anything from the detective, not when he was usually able to read her like a book. “They’ll be able to dig something up on them…”

I’m sure he’s feeling the same way right now, if not way more so than me…unfortunately, for the time being, he’s still a sitting duck. But at least now he’s a more prepared duck, what with my plans and all. 

Keiko let out a soft sigh, glancing over at L. His eyes were glued to hers, once again his expression unreadable. “Hmm…now, who are you trying to convince, me or yourself, Ryuzaki-san?” 

That earned what Keiko suspected was the tiniest of chuckles from the great detective. Unfortunately, it was short lived, stopping almost as soon as it had started. He raised an eyebrow, his gaze still lingering on her, “What, don’t you usually call me ‘L’ when no one else is around, Keiko-chan? How disappointing…” 

Ah, now look who’s trying to be funny…but, Keiko thought back to the last time they were truly alone, a few days prior. Like clockwork, she could feel the pink begin to spread around her cheeks, the way I recall things, he had called me ‘Keiko’ last time, hadn’t he? When he and I were…holding hands…nonono, Keiko. Don’t do this to yourself, no distractions, remember? If you truly love L, you need to be strong for him, and keep your distance as much as you can. It’s too dangerous with Light around… but Light’s not here right now, is he? But…you don’t know when Light is going to return from his ‘bathroom break’. 

“Fine, then, who are you trying to convince, L?” Keiko heard herself retort, but her heart and her mind were somewhere else. “Are you happy now?”

“I’m always happy to be around you, Keiko,” the detective mused. The look in his eyes had softened some, and Keiko wondered, despite her better judgment, just what exactly was going on between them. She wondered if, perhaps, he was wondering the same thing if he was also lost in thought whenever he was around her. He was so close yet so far away, and she was almost tempted to reach across the table to touch him, to hold his hand once more.

But…I can’t….not with so much on the line…but…he’s truly happy to be around me? Does he mean that? Does this mean…? No, no, once again, don’t let your thoughts linger…self control…or as much self control as you have…  

“Now come on, it’s not like you to flatter me,” Keiko replied after a long moment. She gave a small laugh, still hoping to squelch her desire to hold the raven haired detective. Her efforts were futile, she still longed for his touch. 

Wonderful. He must know he has this sort of effect on me…it’s like he says stuff like this just to get a reaction out of me, I swear.  

“It’s not flattery if it’s a fact,” L was deadpan, his face far too serious to be merely teasing her. His gaze still had never left her own. “And it’s a fact.”

“Ryuz-” Keiko was cut off, the detective had leaned forward a tad. The space between them had lessened slightly, though the table was still keeping them locked away from each other. 

Probably for good reason…if he were right next to me right now, who knows…it’s hard enough to keep my composure right now…   

“L,” he corrected. He was looking far too calm, making her wonder where he was going with this. Although he appeared unaffected on the outside, she wondered how he was feeling on the inside. He was always so hard to read, and his words only seemed to confuse her. “Please, always call me L whenever we’re alone. I do believe we just went over this.” 

‘Always call me L whenever we’re alone’?! He may not be Kira, but he’s still giving me a heart attack…but…wait, does this mean he feels close to me? Knowing L, he wouldn’t ask this of just anyone…I suppose, in that way, it’s even more flattering. But still, what does this mean exactly? What does this mean for us? I suppose I’m getting ahead of myself, there isn’t even an ‘us’ but…it’s just nice to have some validation that he cares for me, that must be what this is, right? What else could this mean? 

“L,” Keiko repeated. She had given up on trying to hide the fact that her face was cherry tomato red. Not like she could really hide from him anyway, not when he was leaning over the table to get closer to her.  “We really should…Light…he could be coming back here at any moment, you know…” 

“Am I making you nervous?” 

His sudden question made Keiko pause a moment, she was almost stunned that he asked such an obvious question outright, what the hell kind of question is that?! What do you think?! You’re the world’s greatest detective, you’re the genius here! 

“Yes,” she admitted. There was no point in lying, not that he would believe her anyway. This was L she was talking to, he had to have asked to get a reaction out of her or something. It couldn’t be just a simple question.

Right?

“And why is that?” The detective’s follow up question only confirmed her suspicions. However she kept silent, wondering exactly what his intentions were. Keiko let out a breath, but she felt anything but relieved. 

Is he…genuinely asking though or is he trying to get a confession of sorts out of me? What do I even say? He should already know how I’m feeling, there’s no doubt about that. What’s his real motive here? 

“I’ve…well…I think…” she started to answer, but paused as soon as she heard the sudden noise in the distance. Footsteps. Footsteps that were closeby, soon to reenter the room. Keiko leaned back in her chair, not wanting Light to see how close the two of them were. As if on cue, L also returned to his normal position, crouched over his chair, looking deep in thought. If Keiko had to guess, he almost looked disappointed by the interruption, though that look left his face almost as quickly as it came. On the other hand, Keiko let out a little sigh of relief, glad to now have a reason not to answer. 

Well…saved by the Light…which is something I’d never thought I’d say, especially after finding out he is actually Kira…but in this case, this interruption is welcome.   

The detective raised an eyebrow, and Keiko wondered if he meant to return to this conversation another time. The thought of that made her even more anxious. Perhaps a little excited at his curiosity as well, but mostly anxious. 

Either way, it won’t be anytime soon. I’m safe, for now…let’s just focus on the plan for the moment…right right, the plan…   

Light’s POV: 

After a few moments had passed, Light figured it was safe to return without any suspicion. With a swift motion, he opened the door and walked through. The burner phone was securely back in his pocket, no longer burning a hole. Everything was all under control. It also appeared that Keiko and L were still at the table, exactly where Light had left them. He smirked, but quickly hid his expression when he was greeted by his girlfriend. 

“Welcome back, Light-kun.” Keiko gave a small wave when she noticed his presence. Like earlier, L didn’t bother to even glance in his direction. Light waved away the detective’s rudeness, he was in a rather good mood knowing that he now had a new Second Kira on his side. 

“Did I miss anything?” Light questioned as he walked through the room. Keiko shook her head no, which was no surprise to Light. He was more than aware that things would turn out like this. 

Exactly as planned… 

Instead of going back to the couch, Light made his way over to the table where the two were sitting, taking a spot next to Keiko. He had to admit, he was more relaxed than he had felt in a while. Which was something he supposed he had to keep on the down low. Better to match the atmosphere of the room around him.

Speaking of…how is everyone looking? Light first looked over at Keiko, who seemed rather deep in thought. When she realized she was being looked at, she returned Light’s gaze. There was a light dusting of pink on her face, which only grew deeper when Light reached onto the table and intertwined his fingers with her own. 

Light gave a nod, acknowledging her concern. “Well, let’s not worry too much. We’ll find something eventually.”

He was mostly talking to Keiko, as he was certain a certain raven haired detective still suspected him and would stop at nothing to prove his identity as Kira. Keiko, on the other hand, seemed to have accepted once more that Light was ‘innocent’, or at least innocent enough. Light looked over at L, expecting to catch him staring. However, he found that L wasn’t looking in his direction at all. Instead he followed his gaze, realizing that L was staring at the table, or more specifically, their intertwined hands. For someone who usually seemed so emotionless and robotic, he seemed to be staring pretty hard. 

What’s his deal…? Is he really bothered by this? He usually doesn’t seem to react much to skinship. It’s not like I skimp out on holding hands or hugs whenever Keiko’s around. I’m not taking her for granted, not this time. 

“You’re right, Light-kun,” was Keiko’s response, breaking the sudden silence that had filled the room. “Maybe we should take it easy like the others today…relax a little bit, maybe turn in early tonight as well.”

At the sound of her voice, both L and Light snapped back into action. Light looked back at the detective, who was no longer focused on them. Despite Keiko’s words, he seemed to have resumed his work with the papers in front of him. 

“You two may do whatever,” the detective murmured. “Take another break if you need it, but I’m going to keep working.” 

Ah, there he is. Back to his normal jerkish self. Whatever…not like it matters, anyway…it’s not like L would be jealous or anything…yeah, that idea seems almost laughable. And anyway, if he’s going to give us a break, may as well take advantage of it. It’s not like I have anything to worry about for the time being. May as well spend some time alone with Keiko, romance her, get her to feel more at ease with me again. That’s right. I’ll romance her. 

Keiko wondered how many sleepless nights he had to endure for him to look like that. She was certain that she was slowly catching up, especially with the way that the case was looking now. There was too much to worry about, too much that could potentially go wrong. 

Well great, looks like I’m about to be the next raccoon, the thought made Keiko let out a small laugh as she lay in her bed, trying to no avail to get comfortable. It’s way too late for this, way too late for anything productive, unfortunately…not that there’s a lot going on right now anyway. What else is there to do but agonize about the future?   

Although the investigation had come to a halt: no news, no leads, no nothing, there was still a lot on her mind. To be specific, there were two people on her mind. Namely, a certain raven haired detective and, well, Kira, aka Light Yagami. Needless to say, Keiko’s heart and her head were in a battle. A battle that felt it had no end, one she had been fighting for what seemed like a while now, whether she consciously knew it or not.

Keiko felt rather torn, her heart was saying one thing while her head was screaming at her to be logical. While her heart yearned for L, she had to keep up pretenses with Light. That was something she had no choice in, something she felt she had to do. Here she was, acting as a doting girlfriend, acting as a fool once more, but this time on purpose. Unfortunately for her, it was getting harder and harder to pretend that she held feelings for her so-called boyfriend. This whole act was slowly draining her. She had to keep reminding herself why she was doing all of this in the first place. That was the only way for her to keep on going in her state, her current sleep deprived state. 

Keep in mind, it’s all for L…and for the case, of course. That’s also important, but…for both of them…especially for L, though… to keep him alive… 

Keiko had to admit, if it helped L’s life be spared, then it would be totally worth it in the long run. That was what she had to try to remind herself in order to keep going. To keep pretending, to keep going with this plan of hers. It seemed silly, but feeding into Light’s ego and acting as his foolish yet loving girlfriend seemed to be working. He had no idea it was all just a ruse, something that she was almost a little proud of in a weird way. After all, he had spent so much time fooling Keiko, it was only right for her to get her own little revenge. 

Revenge. If you can even call it that…that’s a rather funny term for what it is, it doesn’t seem very appropriate. Not with everything that's been going on lately. 

Keiko let out a bitter laugh. Not that it was really much of a revenge, it was more like a chore. A chore that she had to do in order to ensure that L kept living and breathing. She supposed she should feel a little guilty, fooling her ex-boyfriend turned fake real-boyfriend. However Keiko couldn’t deny that a small yet bitter part of her thought that Light deserved a taste of his own medicine. She was still human, of course. Keiko supposed that she was allowed to feel that way, especially given the gravity of the current situation. It was a lot to handle, a lot to deal with, and it was simply tiring. Whether he had meant to or not, he had dragged Keiko into this whole Kira investigation mess to begin with. When he had asked her to study, when he had invited her on that date, and probably even before that. 

Well hell, if you think about it, without Light, there would be no Kira and no Kira investigation to begin with! Keiko shuddered, but because of him and this notebook of his, a lot has changed over the past few months…I’ve also changed in these last few months. Unfortunately, not much of it has been for the better…of course, meeting L and being on the Task Force was a great opportunity, but knowing who Kira is now…knowing he’s been close to me this whole time…it’s a lot to handle. Especially when you have to act like you don’t know anything. When you have to protect someone precious to you. It makes it that much harder to sit back and pretend that everything is all okay. This whole situation is whacked up and unfair. It’s unfair to me and to everyone else on the Task Force. I suppose it’s especially unfair for Light’s father, who is also blissfully unaware of his son’s true identity…and L of course…everything and everyone, all because of Light. It’s weird to think about sometimes…it’s weird seeing him acting like normal… it almost hurts, in a way. It’s agonizing, and yet, I can’t do anything about it, at least not yet…

Keiko turned over in her bed, thinking back to the other day, the day she and Light had gone for a walk outside around headquarters. It had been the first time she and Light had been alone like that for a little while. Most of the time, L or someone else from the Task Force was nearby, or at least a room or two away. This was in part due to the investigation, it was also partially due to Keiko not allowing herself to be alone with him. However, there were some situations that were unfortunately unavoidable, the other day being one of them. 

“Keiko-chan, would you like to go for a walk around the building?” Light caressed her thumb, which would have been a sweet enough sentiment, had he not been Kira. Keiko knew then and there what she had to do. She looked up at her boyfriend, giving a small nod in return to his question. It was not something she particularly wanted to do, but it was something that she felt was necessary. 

Keiko had to admit, Light’s sudden request had thrown her off guard, but she had willingly accepted his offer. There wasn’t much of a reason for her to refuse, she had to make her own performance of being a loving girlfriend believable. Everything seemed to be going well, Light seemed none the wiser. Not that he would have noticed anything off anyway, he had been in too good of a mood the other day. Even so, as long as Light believed that Keiko was in love with him she figured she was in the clear. 

Hanging out with Light alone was now one of her least favorite pastimes, it was somehow awkward and uncomfortable for her. She had to be on her guard, she had to pretend. Despite this, it had allowed her to better gauge what was on his mind, with the case and with their relationship itself. Light was pretty talkative and chipper while on the walk, which probably meant that he seemed to think he had won. Although it didn’t seem like a good thing, it was actually a blessing. That meant he wouldn’t be on his guard, at least not around Keiko it seemed. From what she saw, he either genuinely liked her or he was an extremely good actor, as he seemed happy to spend time with her. She wasn’t sure which was worse, nor did she want to know how Light truly felt about her at the time. Or rather, she wasn’t sure if she wanted to know how Kira truly felt about her.

Not that it matters…Light’s hurt me deeply, I can’t be bothered caring what he thinks about me, not when he’s Kira. Not when there’s so much at stake, not when Light’s been corrupted by this so-called ‘death note’. It’s a little hard to read his intentions, sure, but I believe that keeping him happy is key to helping L. Light can’t be suspicious of me, he can’t know that I know he’s actually Kira. Or that I have feelings for someone else that isn’t him. Once again, this is all for the case, but most importantly, it’s also for L. After all, he’s the one that’s in the most danger right now. 

The thought of the raven haired detective made Keiko shiver, though she wasn’t sure if it was from nerves or excitement. Thinking back, their interaction was even stranger than what she had experienced during her walk the other day. With Light, she at least knew how to behave and she knew how Light would be expected to behave. On the other hand, she never knew what she was going to get with the detective. She never knew whether he was going to be sweet or not, how he felt, how he was going to act or say around her. L was certainly an enigma, a wildcard, someone that Keiko felt she would never truly figure out. 

What is with that? What is with him? I can’t believe him…seriously. Him saying things like ‘Please, always call me L whenever we’re alone’ and ‘Am I making you nervous?’ in the same conversation is enough to drive me insane! I can’t believe it, what was his motive? It almost seemed…well it almost seemed like he was trying to get a confession out of me. It’s quite obvious that he must know I have some feelings for him, so what was his goal? That man…did he seriously want me to tell him how I felt? There’s no way, right? Now isn’t quite an ideal time to try to be romantic…but what else would make sense? Was he just trying to fluster me again? For what reason, just for fun or something? Why does he act like this? Does he like seeing me like that? He’s so frustrating, as usual. 

Keiko, having long given up on sleep, sat up in her bed. Her gaze lingered on the window beside her, watching the shadows dance in the breeze as she tried to fight a yawn. It was past three in the morning, but that wasn’t what Keiko was concerned about at all. Her mind was still spinning, especially with thoughts of L. It was not what she should be thinking about, but thinking of L was a nice way to get Light and the whole pretending to be his girlfriend thing away from her thoughts. A nice distraction from her current reality.

Although…the fact that he wants me to call him L when we’re alone… that’s almost kind of sweet. It’s not a confession on his end either but, it has to mean something, right? I already know that he trusts me, this is just further proof of that. I suppose now isn’t the time to pursue a romance, if you could even call it that, but with the way he’s been behaving when we’re alone lately, it’s been making me wonder. Does L feel the same way about me? Is there a chance, even if it is a bit slim, that he’d want to be with me…? Or am I just looking too much into things? Probably the latter, but I suppose I wouldn’t be me if I were to just give up hope…at this point, there’s no use denying it. I’m in love with him, and it would be nice if he were to feel the same way, even just a little bit… 

/meanwhile/ 

L’s POV:

The detective sat up in his chair, resting a hand on his chin. Although it was common for L to pull an all-nighter, it was rather uncommon for him to be thinking of much else but the task at hand, i.e. the Kira case itself. Tonight, however, was a little different. Tonight he found his thoughts leading back to one person in particular. A charming young woman, as Watari had pointed out before, one with a charming smile. A charming young woman who happened to be fake dating a mass murderer under the nickname of ‘Kira’, a young woman who also happened to make his heart skip a beat even when she wasn’t around. Or rather several beats. No matter how hard he had tried in the past, he just couldn't shake off this fluttery feeling. It was only growing stronger and stronger with each passing day, which L knew was something he couldn’t quite ignore anymore. 

Given Watari’s previous advice, he was questioning himself. Every action, every reaction, whether big or small, seemed to be a big deal to him now if she was in the equation. Unfortunately for him, his mind was still reeling from the events of the other night. It was something seemingly small compared to other times alone with her, yet the conversation between them stuck with him. Not exactly the content of the conversation but its meaning, and rather, all the words that were left unspoken between them. All because of a simple question that he found he was unable to stop himself from asking. 

What was I thinking? ‘Am I making you nervous’? I have to admit…it’s unlike me to get so swept away in the moment and lose almost all rational thinking…but with her around, it’s something that’s been happening more and more frequently. Was I truly trying to get a confession out of her? I already know of her feelings for me, I know that she must truly care about me…but did I want her to express these feelings out loud? I know it would be dangerous for either of us to crack, to give in to desire. And yet…why do I feel this way? Why do I just want to give in, even if it means risking it all?

The air conditioning in the main room kicked on, causing a slight disturbance. However, L barely moved at all from his spot. There were still many things on his mind, many things regarding a certain Keiko Kagami. 

I suppose I have to admit, on some level, I truly wanted her to tell me…even though it’s selfish, I wanted to get a rise out of her. I wanted her to admit her feelings for me, to tell me how much she cares. Maybe even…that she’s in love with me…  

L let out a breath. Although he had many papers littered below him, he had to admit, he wasn’t actually paying attention. Instead all he could think about was Keiko and her hair and how good she smelled. Everything about her was inviting to him, everything seemed so intriguing. He had been trying for so long to stop himself from having these feelings, but what for? What was the point? The detective was starting to wonder. He hadn’t exactly been lonely before, but he hadn’t exactly been happy or satisfied either. He merely spent his time buried in his work, all the cases that he covered, he had made that his life. It was all he knew really. All this time he had his guard up, with no other real companionship other than Watari. 

Do I want to continue living my life like that? Is that what I truly want? Or am I starting to want something else right now, because of my feelings for her? 

It appeared that Keiko had been slowly but surely tearing down those walls that he had built for himself over the years. He used to imagine growing old alone, solving many cases along the way in silence, but now he wondered once more if he wanted a future like that. A future alone, without anyone else in it. A future at all, assuming he survived the Kira investigation. L feared he was starting to imagine the impossible; he was starting to covet a life with someone else by his side. A life he had never imagined before until now. A life with a particular someone, someone other than Watari. Someone very charming, someone who was risking her life in order to save his own. Someone that he now recognized he was in love with. 

However…is that even possible?

/the next day/

Keiko’s POV:

Although she had been avoiding him for the last day or so, Keiko knew she had to stop at some point. This was something inevitable, she knew she had to convene with the great detective alone. To her knowledge, everyone else had gone to bed an hour or so ago, leaving just herself and L awake. She, of course, had ‘pretended’ to go to bed a while ago to no avail. And now, here she was, hyping herself up to return back to the main room and face the music. It was time, after all, to continue on with their plan. She had to remind herself, it was no use to dilly dally, not anymore than she already had. 

Let’s go…you can do this! At least it isn’t quite as embarrassing of a situation as it could’ve been, yeah? Keiko gave a shudder as she remembered her dream of the detective she’d had after they kissed that one night a few weeks back. It felt like forever ago now, and yet the memory of their interaction was still burned into her mind. She shook that dangerous thought away, but she wasn’t quite unable to shake the feeling of their kiss from her lips that somehow ached for more.

Nononono. Now isn’t the time. There’s an investigation with a lot on the line, keep it moving! Come on, just a few steps more to go. 

Keiko leaned forward, reaching at the door handle in front of her. With a soft swoop, she entered the room and stepped inside. The room was quiet, empty except for the great detective himself. As she had expected, L was in his signature spot in front of one of the main computers. There were stacks of papers scattered all around him on the desk. 

Well, that’s no surprise there…for being unpredictable, there are still aspects of him that are pretty predictable. I thought it was a little weird at first, all those habits of his, but now it just seems endearing. He’s so weird…well, he’s definitely L. 

His eyes appeared to be glued to the papers, scanning each page thoroughly before flipping to the next. Like her, he also looked rather tired, as evidenced by bigger than usual eyebags. Despite this, he looked rather cute in a dorky way, Keiko noted. It appeared he had showered recently, his shampoo smelled just like the sweets he ate, presumably strawberry. However, his hair was sticking out in random directions, giving Keiko the urge to run her fingers through in an attempt to fix it. She resisted this urge, feeling rather nervous for a multitude of reasons as she sat down in the chair next to him. 

“Hello, L,” Keiko heard herself say as she settled into her chair. She hoped she sounded more confident than she was feeling. At least her voice hadn’t shook and she had no sign of stuttering yet, which she considered a victory. Calling him ‘L’ when they were alone still seemed rather intimate. Rather too intimate for just being, dare she say it, friends. Or whatever the hell they were, Keiko honestly wasn’t sure what to think anymore. It wasn’t like they had a label for a detective-friend-crush-mixed bag companion that could be summed up in one word. It would be quite the feat, though, if there were such a word. 

The detective gave a nod in her direction, slowly looking up from his array of papers. If he seemed shocked to see her, he didn’t show it. Keiko had figured he probably knew she would appear sometime over the next week or so. After all, they still had much to discuss regarding everything that was going on, something that Keiko was very aware of. Everything that was going on with the case, of course, and their plans for secretly working around Light. That was the most important thing that they had to deal with: handling Light and making sure he remained unaware of their sneaking around and their plans. It helped that he thought had won, meaning that they could catch him off guard if they played their cards right. Needless to say there was a lot for the two of them to talk about. 

Speaking of which…isn’t he going to say something…? Did I do something wrong with calling him ‘L’? Is that it? Was he just teasing me before? No, no it doesn’t quite seem like it, with how serious he was being…but then…why is he being so silent? I’m not sure what to make of this, it’s making me even more anxious.

Keiko gave a small cough, waiting for the detective to speak. It wasn’t like he was avoiding her or anything, as she could feel his dark brown eyes staring her down. She was quiet, feeling the heat on her cheeks as he looked at her, scanning her up and down. Somehow she found herself meeting his gaze, her own boldness shocking her. She noticed there was something about how he looked at her, how he was studying her, a subtle softness in his demeanor, something that made Keiko wonder things she supposed she shouldn’t be wondering. Not the right time to wonder, and certainly not the right circumstances. 

Wondering is dangerous, she reminded herself. Wondering may lead to other dangerous things, like longing and desire, so keep focused on the task at hand… 

After what felt like ages, the detective let out a breath, finally breaking their quiet yet intense eye contact. It appeared he was in deep thought as well about something, though she was sure he wasn't about to share what. However, that didn’t stop her from wondering, not when she could feel herself boiling over with both curiosity and confusion. There were too many questions that she didn’t know the answers to, far too many for her taste. 

What was that all about? Why did he look at me like that? It was almost as if…like that other night…he had the same look in his eyes, didn’t he…? Oh my gosh, no way, he isn’t nervous around me is he? That can’t be it, right? He’s been acting rather odd lately, well more odd than usual, that is. 

There was a short pause, but then the detective finally spoke. His tone was light, almost soft, and his gaze still lingered on her own. “Can’t sleep?” 

‘Can’t sleep’?! After all of that staring…and his total lack of a proper greeting…that’s all I get? Seriously…? How disappointing…and awkward. I wonder, even though I really shouldn’t be wondering…

Keiko let out a hum at his sudden question, hoping her disappointment didn’t show on her face at his question. It wasn’t like she had a real reason to be disappointed, not when she already knew his slightly warped personality. It was her own fault that she had high hopes for almost no reason. This was L she was talking to, he wasn’t exactly eloquent most of the time. “No. I suppose not.”

L gave a nod, gesturing towards the papers that were littered in front of him. “Me neither, as you can see.”

“I can’t say I’m surprised. It wasn’t like you really slept much to begin with, eh?” Keiko replied, raising her eyebrows a little, her lips curling into a smile as she looked over at him. “Those raccoon eyes you got there are looking pretty intense.”

Though it’s not like I look any better. Not at the moment. How embarrassing, though I’m sure L isn’t one to judge. Not like he could judge, not in his state. 

It was small, but she could see his mouth twitch a little at her joke, “a raccoon? Well, you got me there. I’m like a raccoon, yes.”

“Raccoons can be pretty cute, you know.”

Oh gosh. What. Did. I. Just. Say? Keiko, seriously? What do you have to say for yourself right now? Why don’t you ever think before you blurt things out loud?

She mentally slapped herself. Keiko had to admit, it just rolled off her tongue before she could think to stop herself. She wasn’t sure what it was, but for whatever reason, she had a knack for embarrassing herself in front of the world's greatest detective. That much was very apparent, being around him made her somewhat of a mess. 

“You really think so? A cute raccoon, eh? Good to know.”

The sound of his voice broke through her thoughts, bringing her back to the present. Despite the fact she was humiliated once again, she wanted to try and keep her pride. Whatever was left of it, at least. But she just couldn’t think of what to say, not with his eyes still gazing intently into her own. Needless to say, it was rather annoying. 

Oh no, oh no. Now what? Think, Keiko, think. 

Keiko didn’t quite want to switch topics quite yet, but it wasn’t like the conversation was flowing very well. Or much at all, at this point. It was more a staring contest than a conversation, much to her chagrin. A staring contest that she felt she would soon lose, as his gaze seemed to linger far too long. 

Oh well. Just laugh and move on, yeah? Yeah, right. Just…move on…quickly! Say something now!

She was about to open her mouth when she suddenly heard L shuffling about beside her. Keiko paused for a moment, making her muster out a small, “hmm, yes?”

“Were you about to say something, Keiko-chan?”

What was that, Keiko-chan? Um. Is he…seriously calling me that? Is that because I was so casual with calling him L earlier or is it something else? Nevermind, nevermind, so not the time right now…

“Yes, but it’s- well, I don’t want to interrupt you,” Keiko managed to get out, officially losing all hope in trying to regain her pride. She hadn’t even been alone with him a full ten minutes and she had already managed to make a fool of herself. At least it wasn’t the first time, and she was convinced that it would not be the last time, not with the way things were looking. At least she was more comfortable around him, or rather, she was getting used to embarrassing herself around him. At this point, it was nothing new. 

“Please, go ahead,” the detective waved his hand at her, inviting her to keep on going. “It’s nothing important, you listen to me talk all the time.”

“Uh, right, sure.” Keiko found herself increasingly confused and red, but he seemed intent on listening. “If you’re certain.”

Well. That’s…definitely unlike him…once again, he’s been rather odd lately.  

To her amazement, she managed to continue on without faltering. L’s intense gaze, however, didn’t waver as she let out a breath. She was all nerves, “since you insist, I was just going to ask you…has there been any news from Aiber or Wedy? Y’know…regarding the exchange a few days prior? I was thinking that we should check in and figure out how we should proceed from here on out.”

“What, no more talk on how cute raccoons can be?” the detective quipped, letting out a small chuckle. He seemed to be enjoying her embarrassment, her clear annoyance at his teasing, all of it. It was clear he was quite amused, given the slight smirk on his face. 

And there it is, he’s teasing me again! I should’ve known he wasn’t going to just let it go…not that easily, anyway.  Why did I mention raccoons in the first place? They must’ve been on my mind since I’ve not been sleeping much lately. 

“You wish,” Keiko heard herself say, fighting an attempt at rolling her eyes. Her little rebuttal wasn’t as strong as she wanted it to be, but she kept going, “however it’s important that we discuss this…”

The look on her face must’ve given her away, because L seemed to waver a little, shifting in his seat before her. It seemed he had enough of punishing her, as he finally relented. Or perhaps, he was more than satisfied with the reaction he had gotten, Keiko wasn’t sure. 

“Alright, alright, fine.” The detective gave a nod, “yes, as I mentioned before, Kagami-san, they are the best in their respective fields. We have gotten some new information regarding the situation. A lot of new information, thanks to them. That’s what this stack of papers is about, actually.” 

Well…back to Kagami-san, are we? Hm. Noted.

“Wonderful,” Keiko let out a breath, feeling a bit more comfortable with their current topic. It was a lot safer than talking about raccoons, or rather, how cute L was. They were back to the plan, back on track. “Are there any leads or anything else that could be useful to us? Anything that could lead to finding any suspects?”

“Well.” L appeared he was back to business, the expression on his face a bit more serious. There was no more hint of a smirk, at the very least. “Given the current information, it appears that we now have three or four potential suspects already.”  

“Seriously?” Keiko’s eyes widened in amazement. She knew Wedy and Aiber were good, but that good? She had to admit, as relieved as she was, she was also quite impressed. It had only been a few days since the exchange, and she was certain there were lots of people in and out of the company building the day of Misa’s photoshoot. “Three to four suspects already? Uh, wow. Are they sure?”

“Yes, they’re sure. They know what they’re doing, so we should be back on track. This is very good news for us, we’ll have a lot to work with. And having a small list of suspects will make it that much easier for us to narrow it down even farther. I’m sure we’ll figure out who this new Kira is soon. As I said before, do not worry too much.”

“Yeah yeah, of course. You’re right as usual, which is a complete shock,” Keiko smiled as she moved her chair slightly closer to the detective, eager to get a peek at those papers. She was hyper aware that her legs dangled dangerously close to the detective’s. If he was affected by her sudden movements, he didn’t show it. 

“Yes, I’m aware. I’m always right,” L had returned to his teasing tone, his lips curling ever so slightly again. It appeared that the smirk was back, and his eyes were shining a little, “I feel like we’ve been over this topic many times.”

Keiko didn’t bother stopping herself from rolling her eyes this time, but she was not as annoyed as she let on. Instead, she could feel a warmth tingling in her stomach. It was a bit refreshing that this teasing was in light of good news, not anything embarrassing. “Right, right, right. I should always remember that. So, tell me, who’re the suspects?”

L gestured to the multitude of papers sitting below him. “Well, you could listen to me talk for hours, but to sum it up, there’s more detailed information in these reports.”

“Right.” Keiko moved to grab the papers, but was stopped when she felt something brush against her fingers. Her cheeks flamed as she realized their current predicament, the detective had already been in the process of handing over said papers to her. Their collision was like a bolt of electricity that ran between the two of them. It was over almost as soon as it had begun, as Keiko hastily grabbed the papers out of his hands. Despite her awkwardness, she found herself wanting more, his touch was far too brief for her taste. The detective froze for a moment, but dropped his hands as soon as Keiko had the papers safely in her hand. Keiko wished she could go back for more, to touch his hands, to feel the warmth of his body directly. 

But alas, that’s not a very good idea. 

“Do you…” Keiko somehow found herself wondering aloud. However, unlike the detective and his question the other night, she stopped herself. It took a lot of self control, but Keiko found she had already humiliated herself enough in one night. The question, though unspoken, resonated within her. It was something she had been asking herself a lot lately, what with all of his odd behavior around her. Though she did not speak, it was on the tip of her tongue. 

Do you feel the same way I do…?

“Yes?” 

Though she hadn’t meant to, she had once again garnered the detective’s undivided attention. She hoped she wasn’t as transparent as she felt. It wasn’t like L knew what she was about to ask him, right? There was no way he could’ve guessed, or so she hoped. It could’ve been about the case. 

Right, the case. That probably makes the most sense, he probably doesn’t suspect…? Just the case, nothing more to see here. It’s not like you’re almost all I think about lately. Not like that at all. 

“Nevermind.” 

“If you insist.” She heard him reply as she buried herself in the papers that now lay in front of her. Keiko skimmed through the information inside them, and the silence between them grew louder and louder. It appeared the detective had no issues in glancing over at her as she read through the new briefings. She could feel his eyes, his gaze upon her once more. 

He’s been staring a lot lately…ever since I sat down, it feels like he’s been watching me this whole time. What does that mean? Am I just imagining it? It doesn’t feel like I am, he’s still looking at me right now…

Keiko let out a small hum as she poked through their new list of suspects. She did not look up at the detective, though she had been tempted. It was better to not meet his gaze, not when she felt like this. Not when he was already this close to her, with those eyes of eyes staring her down. “Huh, that’s interesting…”

“Yes, I thought so, too,” L was quick to reply. 

“So there are two prosecutors, one businessman, and one part-timer whose family is influential in politics…they believe one of these men is our guy?”

“Seems likely, yes.”

“Mmm,” Keiko gave a small chuckle. Despite the tension between them, this was welcome news. This meant that they would be that much closer to finding this new Kira.  “Well that’s good…one step closer to the end, I suppose.”

“Wedy is surveilling them carefully and will continue to report any suspicious activity that’s found, and all of the feeds and wiretaps will also all be sent to me to look at whenever possible. This’ll all be done in private. When the time is right, Aiber will approach in secret to apply some pressure to this new Kira. If all goes well, he’ll slip up somehow. At the very least he’ll start to feel cornered. Of course, we’ll need to narrow some things down first. That’s important, we need to be sure that we have the right man. Then we can continue on with the rest of the plan. As far as the Task Force goes, we’ll continue to investigate as normal and we’ll narrow down suspects with them as well. If possible, we should find potential leads so that they can also discover who this new Kira is naturally. That way we won’t have a need for two separate investigations anymore, and we’ll still find a way to connect it all to Light behind the scenes…well, I digress, I suppose I’m preaching to the choir. But, in the meantime, Wedy will keep us updated. She’s keeping an eye on all of them.”

“Hm, Wedy will have her hands full it seems…” Keiko trailed off for a moment. She was deep in thought as she mentally went over their plans once more. Things seemed to be going in the right direction. “Is there anyone you suspect right off the bat?

The detective paused for a moment. “Well, based on previous activity…Kira isn’t likely to care about influence. That doesn’t seem to align with his character very much, though we cannot entirely rule it out quite yet, of course. Same with the businessman, it doesn’t appear that goes with his values. Given the current information and with what I know about Light-kun, I’d say it’s likely that our man is one of the two prosecutors. In fact, I’d say it’s highly likely, probably over 70% likely. No, it’s probably over 90% likely. I’m almost certain it’s one of the two prosecutors, so that’ll be my main focus.”

She gave a soft hum in agreement at his words, knowing Light…well, it all makes sense. It’s weird to try and think like him, but…he’s still Kira, or acting as Kira…it’s easier to think of them as separate, but…right now, that’s not possible.

“Of course,” Keiko swallowed. Even though it appeared they were in a good position, it was still possible that things could all change on a dime. There were still a lot of anxieties that plagued her. A lot of worries, including the most obvious one that was sitting right next to her. “The plan is all coming together, I hope…”

Hope is all I have left…things have to work out, right? We’ve been working towards the end for so long, and now it’s finally in sight…but will it truly be okay? Or rather, will L be okay?  

“Are you doing alright?” L’s sudden question threw her off guard. His voice made her realize just how close the two of them were. He was leaned forward in his chair, their bodies now closer together than ever. Something that she was hyper aware of, though she tried not to appear flustered. He was mere inches away, within touching distance. Within kissing distance. The memory of their previous kiss was still lingering in the background of Keiko’s mind, despite her trying to push those thoughts away. 

“Y-yes,” Keiko was quick to reply, hoping she wasn’t too obvious. She wanted to look away, but she found herself transfixed, unable to move. If she moved, she wasn’t sure what she would do. She couldn’t trust herself, not around L. Especially not around L when the two of them were alone together at night. 

“Are you sure?” The detective was close to her, so close that she could feel the heat radiating off his body once more. Except this time, she could also feel the heat from his breath as it hit her cheek. If she moved, they would be touching.

Too close. Too dangerous. Too risky. 

Keiko let out a shaky breath, “I’m as alright as I can be.”

Trust me. You’re truly making me go crazy here. 

This response seemed to satisfy the detective, as he gave a small hum in response. Keiko had expected him to finally move away, but instead he stayed close to her. In fact, he seemed to be moving even closer, their chairs nearly knocking into one another. However, neither of them flinched, neither moved away. 

Uh oh…

Unsure of what to do or what she was even expecting, Keiko closed her eyes. She had to admit, she was nervous, yes, but she couldn’t ignore that excitement that was also bubbling up inside her. There was a pause, perhaps even a little hesitation, but moments later Keiko could feel the detective’s fingers dancing around her own. 

What? What’s he doing…?

“Hm?” A little surprised, Keiko looked down at the welcome yet shocking intrusion below her. His hand was a little clammy, which made Keiko wonder if he was nervous, but she let him slowly intertwine their fingers together. They were holding hands, and yet, Keiko found herself wanting more. His touch, though a little awkward, was somehow magnetic. 

“L,” Keiko’s voice was soft as she looked up at the detective. To her utter lack of surprise, he was staring at her. He had that look in his eyes, the one that kept Keiko wondering just how he felt about her. If things were dangerous before, they were even more dangerous now, but Keiko still couldn’t peel herself away. If L was acting like this with her, it had to mean something more, right? 

“This raccoon cares about you a lot, you know,” L murmured. His voice was quiet, yet somehow still loud enough to make Keiko’s heart beat even faster. His grip on her fingers tightened, giving her hand a light squeeze. 

Is this…almost like an answer to my question…? He’s not just toying with me, he genuinely must have real feelings for me, right? Feelings that are more than friendship…? More than whatever we are currently?

All Keiko could focus on was how they were still holding hands. It appeared he wasn’t about to let go anytime soon, which was something she was grateful for. for. The feeling of his hand around hers was sweet, and hearing his kind words was even sweeter. Especially for someone who never showed affection. “I care about you too, L. A lot.”

Is he…embarrassed? No, not only that…I think he’s actually…blushing…cute. Does this mean I have the power of making the world’s greatest detective blush? Oh my gosh. Despite how annoying he can be, he still manages to make me feel like this. Being with him is one of the few times I’m genuinely happy lately, whether he feels the same way or not. I just want to be around him. 

It was faint, but Keiko swore she could see the faintest of color painting the detective’s cheeks. Keiko knew she was also blushing like mad, but it was reassuring to finally see her having some effect on him, too. It gave her hope, hope that would help give her the strength to continue on and face the rest of the investigation. However, for the moment, she wanted to enjoy her time alone with the detective. 

“He doesn’t deserve you, you know that, right?” L’s voice broke through the silence that had enveloped them. 

“Hm?” Keiko wasn’t sure if she heard right for a moment, or if she was just hearing what she wanted to hear. This whole moment was a dream, something she hoped she wasn’t about to wake up from anytime soon. She was almost tempted to pinch herself to check, but even with her sleeplessness, she had a feeling that this was real. This was really happening between the two of them. 

“It’s true,” he continued on, his eyes searching her own. There was a desperateness to his voice, a sense of urgency. He spoke fast, as though he wanted to get the words out before he changed his mind. “You’re too good for him. I…I wanted you to know that. What you’re doing for the investigation…no, what you’re doing for me, it’s unfair to you. I’m sorry.”

Keiko’s smile faltered as she thought about the situation. She had the feeling he hadn’t exactly planned to say this, but she was glad that he seemed to be opening up to her. Despite everything, she felt better than she had for a while. It was all because of the detective, because of L. With him by her side, even if only late at night, she felt renewed. 

“Don’t be sorry, L, it’s not your fault. It was my choice.”

Does he worry it’s all his fault? It’s more so my fault, for falling for him. For feeling like this, for everything. It was all my decision. This whole crazy plan, me fake dating Light, this risky set up. He was my decision.

“If I had it my way…” the detective trailed off, looking more nervous than Keiko had even seen before. He let out a breath before finally continuing on. It was as though he had come to a decision. His voice was a lot more stable as he spoke this time. “If I had it my way…I’d want you to be with me…”

“L…” Keiko was speechless, which wasn’t exactly a first. However, this time, it was for a multitude of reasons. All of which having to do with the raven haired detective who was sitting right next to her with his hand intertwined with her own. 

Well, I suppose that answers that question…does he truly feel that way? About me? Does that mean he really…does like me…? No, it sounds as though…as though he’s in love with me…oh my god…is he really…? Does L…?  Does L…love me…? It sounds as though…I can’t believe it… there’s no way…he may care for me a lot, but love…? Isn’t that just my wishful thinking talking? 

A million thoughts swirled about in her head, and she felt like her heart was about to explode. No, scratch that, it had already exploded. Her heart was now a puddle on the floor of the room, Keiko felt like she was somehow on top of the world. Despite how prepared she felt she was, the detective’s next words were enough to make Keiko melt into the floor with it. She was a mess, but she had to hear what he was about to say.

L looked deep in her eyes, and although he seemed nervous, he didn’t falter once. He was serious, his hand still squeezing her own. “It’s not an ideal time, but, I suppose to be entirely transparent, I have strong feelings for you, Keiko Kagami…in fact, I think it’s safe to say, I’m in love with you…I have been for a while now.”

He’s certainly rather chipper…well, he must mean business, Misa thought. Despite knowing that he could not see her face, she gave what she thought was an enthusiastic nod. She sat up in her bed, as alert as ever. Even though it was too early in the morning to be awake, talking to Light was more than enough to energize her, and she was determined to do a good job, at the photoshoot and for their little secret exchange. 

As good a job as I can do anyway, at least while I’m currently acting as the Second Kira. Soon, I’ll be just plain Misa Amane, model, singer, and fashion icon, once more. How boring, but I suppose it’s a necessary evil for the time being it seems. 

Yes. I’m ready.” 

Oh well. It’s a new beginning, for me and for Light. For Kira and his new Second Kira. Yes, Misa gave another nod. It’s my time to shine. My last time to shine as the Second Kira. As per Light’s orders, I have names written down of criminals to be killed over the next few days. That way, there is insurance that there are no gaps between killings as this fresh start takes place. Luckily for us, that leaves no room for L or anyone else on that damned Task Force to be suspicious! Wow, Light sure does think of everything, huh? He’s arranged this whole little operation all by himself; how brilliant! 

“I’m ready, Light-kun.” Misa repeated. “I’m more than ready.”

“Good,” was Light’s response. “Now, just to review…you have the note I told you to write as well? Make sure it’s securely attached and tucked into the pages of the death note so Mikami and I will be able to keep contact via the instructions listed on there. And make sure it’s safely hidden as well once it’s inside the locker. There shouldn’t be any cameras in the room, for privacy reasons of course, but we don’t need anyone accidentally touching the notebook. I know we went over everything already, but it’s better to be thorough. This whole operation is supposed to be subtle and simple, we don’t need any possible witnesses.”

“Of course. Don’t worry, Light-kun. After what happened with Ryuzaki-san, I have a strict no perverts policy.” She let out a small laugh as she continued on, “besides, the main dressing room we’re using will be out closer by the set. You are more than aware of that, there should be no one left loitering around once the photoshoot begins. It’s a closed set and my manager is a guy, there’s no need for him to be in the room. Only my assistants will be in the locker room with me, but as we covered in our initial plans, they’ll leave me if I ask to be alone for a moment. As I told you before, they usually let me be.” 

“Good, good…I tried to think everything through logistically. It’s best to be prepared though for any type of situation,” although Misa couldn’t see his face, she imagined the way Light was probably smirking at her right now. “You got this, right? I’m entrusting you with this important task, Misa-chan.”

“I got this!” She chirped into the phone. “Don’t worry, you don’t need to keep reminding me. It’s not rocket science, it’s like passing notes in school, but a lot more secretive and stuff!”

“I just want you to be aware,” Light was saying. “I’m sure that today will go as planned, but as I said, it's better to be thorough.”

Misa gave a soft sigh at his words, her eyes grazing towards her alarm clock. It was still a bit early, but the sooner she got ready, the better. For herself and for Light. 

After all, it’s always better to get organized as soon as possible. They don’t call me one of the best in the fashion world for no reason! And, as Light had said, it was very important to be prepared for any situation. 

Misa decided to be as prepared as possible for Light and for his mission. She let out another chuckle as she imagined Light’s face. Of course, she supposed she had to have an award for such a task. It was only reasonable, after all, she needed some motivation to keep her going. There was no harm in that.  

“Anyway, I should start getting ready! Remember, after I complete this mission, you owe me a date.”

“Misa,” She heard Light sigh into the phone, something she opted to ignore. A date was of course within her terms and conditions, especially as she was about to give up being the Second Kira for who knows how long. There was a brief pause as Light was seemingly gathering his thoughts, but Misa didn’t wait for his response, instead she persisted with her demand. 

“I may not have my memories of being the Second Kira anymore after this, but I’ll of course remember the date that you promised we would have. This was my condition for completing this task, you know.” 

“Look, Misa-chan, I don’t remember promising you a date, but I promi-”

“No, no take-backsies!” Misa interrupted again, her voice a singsong as she spoke. She then jumped down from her bed, her socks creating a soft plop sound as she hit the floor below. Taking her chance at his brief silence, she kept going. Her words were rushed, but her tone was light.  “I’ll see you later, Light-kun! Don’t worry, you can count on me! I love you!”

With that, Misa hung up. She walked over to her mirror, studying the stylish reflection before her. There was a pep in her step and a mischievous gleam in her eyes as she got ready that morning. After changing out of her pajamas and lacing up her boots, she decided it was finally time to get going. 

Almost time to report to work. How exciting! After all, today is an important day, an important task! And I get to look good while doing it! 

Her eyes shone extra bright as she grabbed the mysterious notebook, which laid undisturbed on her nightstand. Ryuk trailed behind her, unfinished apple in hand, as she deposited the death note, which also had the note Light had mentioned tucked away within its pages, into her small backpack. After checking to ensure her bag was secure, she gave a small hum of approval at her work. 

It’s go time. 

With that, she was ready to face the day. Misa glanced behind her at Ryuk, “let’s do this!”

Today’s the day. My last day acting as the Second Kira. My final act…just you wait, Light. As I said, I’m more than ready. 

/timeskip/

Misa hummed along to herself as she opened her designated locker. As was planned, she was left all alone in the locker room. Her assistants had left to go help set up in order to prepare for the magazine photoshoot; she would be modeling for a new product design to be released by none other than the Yotsuba Group. It was a funny situation, but also a fortuitous one as it allowed for an excuse to pass off the notebook to its next successor. 

After triple checking that she was, in fact, alone, Misa Amane slipped the notebook discreetly behind her purse. As Light had instructed, Misa felt at the very back wall of her locker, feeling for the loose brick. She then moved the brick aside, pushing it to the corner of the storage unit. Afterwards, she grabbed the death note once more, checking for a quadruple time that she was still alone in the room.

Good good, everything is going smoothly. Not that I thought it would go bad, I think Light was worrying too much earlier. After all, I have a pretty simple task. Therefore, I’m confident I can do a good job! Like I said, it’s like passing a note, but in a much more elaborate way, kind of cool actually…it’s like I’m a secret agent! I suppose in a way, I am. 

Misa laughed a little to herself, and with some quick movements, the death note was now pushed up in the back of the locker. Ryuk gave a small chuckle as she rolled it up ever so carefully, placing it partially inside a small hole that was accessible to the other room; the other locker room aka the men’s locker room, which sat directly next door to the women’s locker room. It was a pretty good set up, one that would make their plan run much smoother.

She was grateful she had tested the death note some days prior, and was even more grateful that, if rolled up, it was seemingly small enough to fit through some rather tight spaces. Tight spaces including said peephole that connected the two locker rooms together, something that Misa was quite thankful for, as it worked in their favor. Taking a step back a moment, she admired her handiwork. 

“Aha! How cool!”

It’s a good thing Light had me scope out the place first! It’s usually the assistant's job to scope out modeling shoot locations, but I was able to convince them to let me come along! It was also pretty lucky that I found a locker that had a false backing to it. After a few duds, I noticed the loose brick in this particular space, I thought it was rather suspicious…and what do you know, I totally lucked out! I didn’t have to carve out my own hole to transfer the notebook, which makes my job a lot easier. Of course, it’s entirely not a good thing, seeing as a peeping tom probably was the one who made the hole there in the first place, but it fortunately also makes good use when exchanging secret documents…or, in this case, the death note! 

“Hyuk hyuk, wow. I never imagined I’d see the death note folded like that,” Ryuk quipped, yet another apple in his hand now that the two were alone. “There’s no technical rule saying you can’t do that, but it still feels rather wrong…not that I care too much, don’t get me wrong. As long as that death note isn’t irrevocably damaged, it makes no difference to me. You humans are rather silly though, if you ask me…all this just to exchange the notebook.” 

“Oh Ryuk,” Misa gave a laugh as she studied the shinigami, who had moved on to try and fish out another apple from his pockets. “I can always count on you to be honest, can’t I? Don’t worry, Mikami will be here to pick up the notebook within the hour. It won’t be stuck like that for too long.”

With that, Misa leaned forward and shut her locker once more. After checking that the door to the locker was locked and secure, Misa clapped her hands together. Her part in the plan was now almost over. In a way, she was almost as sad as she was excited; the prospect of a date with Light Yagami was more than enough to keep her going, but she was going to miss acting as the Second Kira. Not to mention, it was an extra excuse she wouldn’t have anymore to see Light, at least for the time being. However, she was willing to do whatever she needed to do in order for Kira to succeed and, possibly, get ahead. That made everything that she was doing more than worth it, she wanted to be useful to Light. 

Alright! Everything is all officially locked away now… the passcode to the locker was only given to me and Mikami. In case of an emergency, he can always sneak into the women’s locker room to retrieve the notebook…but he should be able to access the locker and grab the notebook from the other side without any issues. 

Misa gave a hum of excitement, watching Ryuk down the apple he was holding. “You better eat that apple quickly, Ryuk. It's almost time for the exchange. Now remember, I will be in the middle of the photoshoot, so I won’t be able to speak with you directly. Just keep an ear out, and when you hear me say the phrase, ‘exchange clothes’ or something similar when it’s time for my outfit change, that means that I want to give up ownership of the death note. That’ll be the cue. ‘Kay, Ryuk?”

“Hah, ‘exchange clothes’, got it.” Ryuk was amused, but he followed Misa quietly as she walked toward the door of the locker room. Her footsteps gave a slight echo as she clicked around in her heels. She was determined to finish her role as the Second Kira with pride. After all, this was all for Light.

It’s time… 

“Alright, let’s do this…” She spoke to no one in particular as she opened the door. It was time for phase two of the exchange. Misa let out a breath as she took a step outside the room, ready to leave the world of Kira and death notes behind her. 

/time skip/ 

Mikami’s POV: 

Mikami gave a small chuckle as he walked through the desolate outer hallway of the first floor business. It was one of Yotsuba’s subsidiary businesses, but it housed a good location for filming, or so he had overheard from an employee outside, presumably on a work break. The employee had been on the phone, but he had been talking loud enough for the prosecutor to hear as he walked by to enter the building. 

Although Mikami wasn’t sure who the original owner of the notebook was, he was almost certain that this ‘Kira’ he was receiving it from was Misa Amane herself or one of her employees, not anyone from Yotsuba Group. He had been keeping in contact with a mysterious woman, someone who had given him orders from the original ‘Kira’ himself. She had said she was the current Kira, acting in place of the original for the time being. According to her, it was time for this power to pass onto him for safe keeping. The task before him was both an honor and a privilege, one that he would accept with pride. His new role as the Second Kira, becoming a god among men.

However, this was no easy task, it was one that demanded the utmost loyalty, dedication, and trust. Therefore, he assumed this woman was someone of high importance to Kira, someone whose ideals aligned more closely to his, not someone from the Yotsuba Group; they were infamous in the legal world as a business who was known to house some rather shady business practices, which he heard about from his fellow colleagues. This narrowed down the list of possible acting Kiras to just Misa or one of her two assistants, who he had briefly seen from his car as they had entered the building almost an hour before. 

As curious as Mikami was to find out her identity, he had some work to do that was more important - namely, the exchange itself. He had been told that all of Misa’s staff and Yotsuba building employees would be gathered for Misa Amane’s photoshoot, something that all but guaranteed that no one would be snooping about in either locker room. The shoot would last around four hours, and he decided to wait around an hour before entering the building, just to be safe and ensure that the shooting was well underway before making his move. 

He walked through the building, careful not to appear too out of place in case anyone would be walking nearby. Just in case, there was a forged Yotsuba workpass housed in his pocket in case anyone had any questions for him. Being a lawyer, all he had to say was that he was a legal representative. Despite having a good cover, he didn’t want to risk seeing or talking to any of the employees, less of a mess that way. Less risky. Lucky enough for him, the halls were barren as promised, and he was able to locate the locker rooms at the end of the hallway without any issues. 

The two rooms were split off, the men’s side separated from the women’s side. However, despite being technically separated, the two rooms were side by side. His eyes peered at the signs written on the doors, then at the door handles, and he counted to ten in his head. After ten seconds had passed, he concluded there was no movement on either side or in any direction, meaning he should be more than totally alone. If there was anyone, they would have likely heard his footsteps and would have potentially questioned him by now. 

Mikami took that as his cue to continue onward in his mission. He walked forward, his hand meeting the handle, careful not to be too loud. With a simple light swoosh, he opened the door and walked into the men’s locker room. As he had suspected, he was alone, causing him to relax a little. 

The prosecutor looked about the room, his sharp eyes grazing over all the locker numbers until he spotted his designated spot - the locker that was closest to the side wall, inconspicuous and well-hidden. The locker that was secretly connected to the women’s locker room - locker 1228. After spotting his prey, he gave a light chuckle, his footsteps light as he walked toward the locker. 

Mikami paused for a moment, retracing his footsteps in his mind. After triple checking that there was no one around the room with him, or nearby in the hallway, he reached forward. The pinpad beeped as he typed away the password, and it gave a final, slightly louder beep followed by a click as it unlocked. He reached upward and opened the locker, in all its glory. It was just a normal locker, but hidden deep in the back of the unit was a small hole. A small hole that had been filled with a particular noteworthy object, the very same object that was promised to him for safekeeping. 

The notebook! It’s here as promised! Mikami’s eyes lit up as soon as he saw the notebook, which had the words ‘death note’ printed on the cover. The same one that he had discussed with that mysterious woman via secret texts and phone calls. He gave a chuckle as he pushed his glasses up on his nose. 

So, this is it, eh? This is that infamous killing ‘notebook’ that was spoken about…the notebook that I was told held Kira’s killing powers…all of his secrets, it must be written down here in this death note! 

Mikami gave another snicker as the realization started to dawn on him. All of Kira’s powers were about to become his own. He was about to become Kira’s proxy, a position most desired by his many loyal supporters. The prosecutor had looked through and commented on various forums composed of him and other fans who gave their unwavering favor and support to Kira. In fact, he had even appeared on multiple television programs in the crowd, surrounded by others who shared his mindset. Of the many, many people who would have loved for Kira to even give them a glimmer of acknowledgement, he was chosen. Him and only him. He had to admit, it was something that was rather fitting. Of all people Kira could have chosen, he picked a criminal prosecutor, someone who more than shared his ideals. This Kira was just as smart as Mikami suspected he was, someone who knew how to be sneaky and powerful. And here was Mikami, who was honored to be working with him. 

Of course, he thought it was a scam when he first received contact but Kira and his Second Kira were able to prove their identities via criminals killed. They predicted their deaths, up to the exact second of passing, and Mikami was able to see for himself Kira’s true power. Although he had never met this woman or Kira in person, he was more than happy to accept this task, as he felt Kira and himself shared many similar beliefs. Kira was able to do what he was unable to do as a criminal prosecutor, and for that, he revered him. 

He had to admit, he had long suspected that Kira may not have always been working alone. That made sense, after all, there may be times that Kira would be unable to move or punish evildoers for any various reason. Whatever the reason, he was certain he would do a good job in Kira’s stead. He was determined to do whatever it took to ensure justice prevailed and that Kira would remain a world power.

It’s almost too good to be true. This notebook, Kira’s killing power, his secrets, hidden away in this one small locker, trapped between both locker rooms, just waiting to be snatched away! And, most of all, it’s called the ‘death note’, a rather fitting name, if you ask me. I have to admit, I thought it was pretty insane when I first heard the way that Kira kills. It’s one thing to hear about it, it’s another thing entirely to see such a sacred notebook sitting right in front of me! It is truly amazing, a small notebook that holds so much power. It’s right here within my grasp, all I have to do is accept it! 

Mikami was more than ready to accept his fate as the newly appointed Second Kira. He reached forward into the locker, gingerly fitting his hand around the rolled up object. With a slight tug, he was able to shake the notebook free from its confines of the hole. No longer sandwiched in between two lockers and two different rooms, the notebook was now safely in his hands. 

Finally, Mikami was able to breathe in a sigh of relief, at least for the time being. He took a moment to relish this feeling, breathing in deeply as he held the notebook. There were many times in court that he felt powerless, but here in this moment, he was the one wielding all the power. It was him who could now take matters into his own hands, it was him who could correct all the wrongs within society. It was him who could fight back and enact justice for those who could not stick up for themselves, and punish those who deserved it. 

It’s mine! All mine! Its powers will aid me in doing what Kira wills me to do! It’s up to me to do this! Only I have this honor! 

“Hyuk, why hello. It’s nice to meet you, Teru Mikami. You seem to have taken quite a liking to this ratty old notebook of mine.”

The sudden noise caused Mikami to let out a grunt of surprise, which caused him to nearly drop the notebook. Standing right in front of him was a most terrifying monster, a magical being that Mikami had assumed was merely a fairytale. Surely, no such being existed. There was no reason for such a being to exist in the so-called ‘real world’, or so Mikami had thought. Mikami soon realized that he had thought wrong. 

What the hell?! What is this thing? Is it really…? Could it be…? It can’t be right? I’m imagining things, but still… 

“W-who are you?” Mikami pushed up his glasses, his gaze unwavering as he stared at the strange black creature with wings before him. “No, wait. What are you?” 

It was both terrifying and confusing, Mikami wasn’t sure what he had expected after retrieving the notebook, but it certainly wasn’t such a creature. He had expected to deposit the death note into his briefcase and leave. Instead, here he was face to face with something he never even thought existed. 

“Don’t worry, I’m not gonna eat you or anything. The name’s Ryuk. I’m a shinigami and I’m the original owner of the notebook that Kira passed down to you.”

Shinigami! Mikami’s eyes went wide. I can’t believe it! So it’s true… I was right, that old folk legend! This creature is a God of Death, and this is his notebook! Amazing, terrifying, yes but amazing…a shinigami, this is part of being an owner of the death note, part of being Kira, or in my case, Second Kira… 

The being laughed in amusement at Mikami’s sudden discovery. Mikami fought his nerves and continued staring at him, determined not to back down. He wanted to appear as brave as he could despite this little hiccup. That was one thing he learned doing his job, you had to always appear cool and collected. Especially when dealing with criminals, or in this case, a shinigami who towered over him. 

“I doubt I’d show up on a human camera, but a picture would last longer,” the shinigami replied and Mikami was almost certain that the creature was trying to crack a joke. 

What an interesting being…he has a sense of humor, eh? What a way to lighten the mood. I suppose he’s gotten this sort of reaction before. 

The joke aside, Mikami was ready to get into it. He was ready to take on his position as the Second Kira. There were many things swirling around in his head, and he was ready to take action, and hopefully get some answers. 

But still…when it comes down to it…   

“The source of Kira’s killing power is this death note and a shinigami?”

“Kind of a package deal, really. Well explained in the manual, now written in both Japanese and English,” Ryuk explained, giving a slight nod. “I can answer some questions, if you have any, but mostly I just sort of hang around. Don’t expect me to do much but watch, if you want my complete honesty. Also I’m not here to guide you on what’s right or wrong, or even influence your decisions at all. The notebook right now is entirely yours…it’s up to you what you want to do with it, I don’t care.”  

“Amazing…” Mikami murmured to himself, the initial shock wearing off as the excitement now rolled back in. He pushed up his glasses, deep in thought. After all, this was a lot for him to process. It wasn’t like he had expected to see such a creature, he was only expecting to take the notebook and leave. 

A package deal, eh? Interesting…a magical creature and a magical notebook, both of which are now my responsibility for the time being, what a well kept secret that this Kira and Second Kira had, it’s truly impressive, I have to admit…hm, wait a moment…I had no idea he was even in the room with me, until…   

Something in Mikami’s mind clicked and he glanced between the death note and Ryuk, “so no one else can see or hear you but the owner of the notebook…is that correct? You appeared after I touched the notebook…interesting.”

“Yeah, it’s something like that,” Ryuk gave a slight nod as he shifted around. He was rather flighty, Mikami noted. Not able to sit still.  “But we can go over that later.”

Ah right. Mikami looked around, that’s for the best…people. I don’t know how much longer it’ll be before someone starts looking around the premises. On the off chance that someone is around…if someone hears any noise, they may start to look around. The last thing I need to do is draw any attention to myself. Not when I’ve already come this far and gotten the notebook safely within my grasp. 

As if he could hear his thoughts, the shinigami gave another chuckle. “Don’t worry, we’re alone right now…but you’re right, we should probably get a move on. If it’s one thing I’ve learned, you humans are strange creatures. Strange creatures who don’t like looking like they’re talking to no one…”

“Well. Maintaining a good image is important,” Mikami confirmed, feeling slightly more at ease with the creature before him. The fear was also starting to wear off as he realized this shinigami was likely not a threat. 

This shinigami creature is quite odd…it doesn’t seem like he’s lying to me, his body language tells me that much. I suppose he doesn’t stand to gain from lying anyway, he did mention that he doesn’t care at all what I do.  

“You sound just like Li-” Ryuk paused, as if to realize he had started to say something he shouldn’t have. He gave a slight cough, “well, let’s just say it’s no fun not having anyone to talk to.” 

At this, Mikami’s ears perked up, Li? I sound just like Li? This… this has to be the identity of the first Kira he almost revealed right? For privacy and safety purposes, it’s obvious the identities of the Kira and Second Kira have to be hidden…although, I have to admit, I’m rather curious…well, we can get to that later. Right now, I’m crunched for time…better to be safe than sorry, right? Back to the task at hand, Teru Mikami! 

The prosecutor let out his own small laugh in amusement. “Well, you said your name was Ryuk, correct? Hm. Don’t worry, Ryuk…the fun is about to start.” 

Mikami gave his glasses another push, a glint in his eyes as he stuffed the notebook into his briefcase, being careful not to crinkle it. Unrolling it was a task in itself and he wanted to keep it in a pristine condition. He vowed to keep it safe and hidden. After all, to the public he was acting as Kira now. He had a reputation to uphold. 

Mikami was extra cautious as he retraced his footsteps through the building, Ryuk trailing close behind him. It appeared the photoshoot was well underway, as the halls remained empty and the only thing that could be heard was his footsteps hitting the polished floors below. He kept a brisk pace, and within a moment, he was able to clear the building, leaving not a trace behind him. The hard part was now officially over. Mikami made his way to his car, a smirk on his face as the events of the last few minutes played through his mind once more. 

It’s my turn. My chance being the Second Kira. It’s my time to shine… 

“Hyuk, you seem rather excited.” Ryuk gave a laugh. He was loitering around in the backseat, watching as Mikami unloaded the briefcase into the seat beside him. Mikami then settled into the driver’s seat, ready to take off. 

“As I mentioned, Ryuk, I’m sure things will be rather fun.” 

At this, Light felt the corners of his mouth pull into a smirk, good job, Misa. You’ve listened to my instructions well. Little does L know, I’ve instructed Misa to kill all kinds of criminals at all times of day. That means there’s no clear pattern. This way, Rem should be satisfied as Misa isn’t in any danger of getting caught. And then, as soon as the switch with Mikami is made, there will be hints, little by little, to reveal him as Kira. Then, with the help of Rem, I can finally start putting the second part of my plan into action… it’s perfect! 

“So still no leads on this new Kira then,” Light let out a sigh for effect. “Like you said, that’s unfortunate.”

L’s voice was monotone. “Yes, quite.”

“We can’t give up yet, though,” Light started. “Hang in there, Ryuzaki-san. I’m sure it’s only a matter of time before this Kira slips up somehow. When that happens, we can use that to our advantage.”

I mean, I can use that to my advantage…

“We managed to find Higuchi and we will manage to find this new Kira,” Light added when L was silent. 

“Thank you, Light-kun, I’m sure you’re right,” the detective responded after a moment. He turned around in his chair to face Light. “We just have to be patient, but with everyone’s cooperation, I’m sure we can catch Kira once and for all.”

“That’s the spirit. In due time, everything will come to an end.”

Or rather, your life will come to an end in due time...heh, Light chuckled quietly to himself as L turned back around. It looks like everything’s coming together. It’s just as planned.

/slight timeskip/

“Good morning,” Keiko called, causing Light to look up. He watched as his girlfriend strolled through the room, his lips tugging into a smile as she sat down beside him. 

“Morning, Keiko-chan,” Light replied, his attention still focused on her. Keiko’s close proximity was a welcome interruption from his paperwork. Her hair, though mostly dry, was damp from a recent shower and he could faintly smell the scent of her sweet shampoo wafting through the air. 

“Light-kun,” Keiko greeted her boyfriend, giving him a quick peck on the lips. “You sure woke up early.”

Good, good…it looked like my little plan to seduce her the other day worked. Thanks to that damn detective I had to be extra cautious around Keiko, at least until Mikami has the death note and I can stop all contact with Misa Amane. That means I have to be on red alert for the time being. I know L said my relationship with Keiko is none of his business, but if he let out anything about my little visit to Misa, things could end badly…Keiko already thought I cheated on her once, I can’t have her thinking that a second time. It’s like what Rem said before, trust is a fragile thing. I can’t break Keiko’s trust again, I can’t have her not trusting me. Especially because the two of us only recently got back together…while I’m sure Keiko’s feelings toward me have returned, I had to do something to make sure she really is falling for me again…Light thought back to how receptive she was the other day to his attention, and her little kiss just now, which, given her behavior, was apparently quite the success.   

“I suppose I did,” he gave an earnest smile, running a hand through his hair, “I wanted to get to work right away.”

“I see,” Keiko chuckled. The noise, though soft, was music to Light’s ears. “Well, the sooner we find any dirt on this new Kira, the better. I didn’t miss anything, did I?”

“There were more killings this morning,” L’s voice interrupted. “But, so far, we’ve found nothing. There’s no patterns or anything to link the deaths together. Unlike Higuchi, this Kira isn’t acting for personal gain…”

Keiko bit her lip, thinking a moment. “Hmm...we should give it some more time…I’m sure we’ll find something eventually, maybe there’s a clue hidden within the new killing spree…I know it might be a longshot, but we should test everything, even if it’s a small lead. That way we don’t miss any potential links.”

Light smiled down at his girlfriend, heh, of course…I figured she would react this way…despite the situation, it’s not like Keiko to give up so easily! That’s something I’ve always admired about her. She’s never backed down from a challenge…but she’s also not greedy, either. I noticed this while we went to school together, she could have easily tried to go after my number one rank, but she chose not to. Instead, the two of us always worked together as rank one and rank two…and here we are, still working together. I must admit, I like being by her side...it’s a good feeling. 

Light nodded, “good idea. I was looking at the severity of the crimes done to see if there was any sort of crime this Kira punishes more than others, to get a sense of their motive. Maybe you can double check the times of death to see if there’s any pattern we missed?”  

“Sounds good,” Light’s heart gave a small flutter as his girlfriend flashed a soft smile at him. She paused a moment, reaching forward to grab the stack of papers profiling the criminals’ time of death. As she reached forward, Light got another whiff of Keiko’s shampoo. 

It’s sweet, which fits her rather well, Light chuckled, fully realizing his current situation. It’s like what I told L the other night…I truly am in love with her. I wasn’t planning on it, nor was I expecting it…but yet, there was something about her…her innocence, perhaps…? No matter what, she always tries her best. 

Light let out a sigh, given my feelings for her, it’s much harder to keep my true identity a secret. However, if I want to stay with her as well as not get caught, it is something that must be hidden...it would be much easier if Keiko’s views on Kira were different, that way it could be our little secret…but I know there’s no chance of them changing. Despite the circumstances, she sees murder as murder, even though it’s justifiable. Those who are evil and do evil deeds deserve to be punished. 

“Are you alright, Light-kun?” Keiko questioned, looking up from her notebook. “Is something the matter?”

“Everything’s fine, don’t worry about me,” Light responded, giving his girlfriend’s hand a light squeeze. “Let’s just keep working.”

While I can’t have Keiko on my side, at least I can still have her sitting by my side. It’s a win just knowing that she’s in love with me. I want it to stay that way...I worked so hard to gain her trust again, and I won’t let anyone or anything stand in the way of that.

The two of them worked side by side. However, while Keiko was attempting to work on finishing up the Kira case, Light was working on ways to ensure Kira’s victory. 

/timeskip/

Keiko’s POV:

“Rem,” Keiko greeded, looking up at the shinigami. “Thank you for agreeing to meet with me once more. I know it was on such a short notice.”

In fact, wanted to get in contact with you much sooner, actually, but I had to wait in order not to arouse any suspicion from Light. It took a couple days longer than expected…however, as far as I can tell, he thinks that I’m deeply in love with him. And I want it to stay that way. He can’t know that anything is amiss. That means it’s better if these meetings are kept a total secret…which means I’m only able to contact Rem after he’s gone to bed or before he’s woken up. It’s a rather difficult task… 

The shinigami looked her over up and down, making Keiko feel slightly uneasy. She knew the shinigami was technically on her side, but it did not make the girl any less terrified. It was hard to forget that she was meeting with a God of Death, a creature that held immense power. She did her best to stand tall, meeting the shinigami’s eye as she responded. 

“Well, I suppose it’s alright. I was wondering when I’d be hearing from you again, Keiko Kagami. I had a feeling it would be soon.”

“Is that so?” Keiko let out an awkward chuckle. “I wanted to meet with you sooner, but I wanted to be extra careful.”

It seems as though Light’s more watchful of me…though perhaps that’s all in my head. It could be just because I haven’t gotten used to his attention again. Before I knew for sure if he was Kira, I wouldn’t have kept track of how doting he was…but now that I know the truth, being with him is like a chore. It’s exhausting. 

“That’s understandable.” The shinigami gave a look in her direction. “Given the nature of our meetings, I believe this is about the plan you mentioned? Am I correct?”

Bingo… 

Keiko gave a nod. “Yes. I have some questions. To start, I suspect that Light’s gotten in contact with Misa recently. Yes?”

“That’s right,” Rem confirmed. “He met up with her last week.”

I figured as much…after all, he’d have to convince her to give up the powers of the death note first in order to pass them along to someone else…and about that…  

“That means the two of them found a new Kira, yes?” When the shinigami nodded, Keiko kept going, “so…that means the exchange of power is going to take place soon, isn’t it?”

“Yes…” the shinigami confirmed. “I haven’t heard anything else yet from Light, but knowing him, he will want the exchange done as soon as possible. He’s just waiting for the perfect timing, that way it won’t be suspicious to you or to L.”

Of course…and knowing Light, he doesn’t want to leave any loose ends. 

“That makes sense,” Keiko let out a sigh. “Ryuzaki-san told me he’s gotten in contact with Wedy and Aiber again. They’ve agreed to the plan. I was hoping you’d have some idea of when the exchange will take place, that way they can get ready. Wedy’s been trailing Misa, but she hasn’t been active much outside of her acting schedule. Aiber hasn’t gotten any leads either. There’s been no reservations made at any hotels or anything, but I don’t think Light would risk having the exchange done at Misa’s home or this new Kira’s home. He’s far too smart for that. But I don’t think they’d risk doing it in public, either…”

But then...where? We need a location. We need something in order to keep track of this new Kira. And we need enough evidence to connect and convict Light… 

Rem’s response broke her away from her thoughts, “trust me, there’s no way I would allow Light to put Misa in any more dangerous situations. I told Light that there better be no evidence that links Misa to this exchange.”

“I’m sure of that,” Keiko commented. “As promised, I will not go after Misa. And, personally, I don’t want to have to deal with her again. For obvious reasons, we don’t like each other…and like I said, it’s Light that I’m after.”

“I’m holding you to that, Keiko Kagami,” the shinigami replied. “I have to admit, I was hesitant about your plan from the beginning…but seeing as how you’ve made it this far…Light trusts you. I can see it in the way he looks at you. Misa wouldn’t be happy I said this, but I can see he has genuine feelings for you. That’s the only reason he doesn’t suspect you.”

At this, Keiko’s stomach did a flip, I wasn’t sure if his feelings for me were true, or if he was just acting in order to make me fall for him again...but hearing her confirm it now…I know it’s good he feels that way but…it still makes me sick. How could I have fallen for a mass murderer in the first place? And, even more so, how could a mass murderer have fallen for me? How could a cold killer like Kira even have feelings? I don’t want to believe it, but like I thought, he’s been acting rather possessive lately… 

Rem continued on. “However, he’s still very suspicious of L…but as far as Light knows, he currently holds the upper hand. That’s why he’s not afraid.”   

“I thought as much…especially given Light’s behavior recently. It appears to me that he wants to let Ryuzaki-san know that he’s won…” Keiko murmured.

But I can’t let him win…I can’t give him that satisfaction…and I can’t lose L. No, I won’t lose him…no matter what, I have to find a way to win. But in order to do that, I first need to know when the exchange will be made…the exchange is vital. From then on, it’s a race in order to collect evidence, trick the new Kira, and find a way to convict Light before he gets too suspicious. 

“What are you thinking?” the shinigami questioned. “I see that look in your eyes…what is it that you want?”

“Will you let me know when they plan to make contact? As I said earlier, I was hoping there’d be more news by now…but the exchange is very important. If I know Light Yagami at all, I know that he’ll be meticulous until the very end. I’m not counting on the exchange to give us enough evidence to convict Light, but this new Kira…”

“You want this new Kira to give you the evidence you need to convict Light?” 

Keiko nodded. “It’s the best shot we have. If he’s as loyal as Light and Misa think he is, then he’ll be willing to do anything for Kira…loyalty can be a great trait…but it can also be someone’s downfall. I learned that the hard way when I thought that, despite the evidence, my boyfriend wasn’t Kira. I was blinded because of my own bias…” she trailed off a moment, letting out a sharp sigh.

In fact, all the evidence was right there in front of me that whole time…and I was a fool. I was loyal to a mass murderer, even worse, I loved him…  

She continued on, attempting to ignore that thought. “But if we can trick this new Kira somehow, then I’m positive he will reveal Kira’s true identity by accident…Aiber is a conman, and I figured if anyone’s suitable for the job to trick this new Kira, it’d be him. And I have confidence in Wedy’s abilities in order to bug and record for evidence. After all, they helped out when we captured Higuchi, as I’m sure you remember. I’m thinking it’d be best if we find a way to corner this new Kira. That worked in capturing Higuchi as well...once that happens, we can get this new Kira to release information about the real Kira. And then this case will finally be solved once and for all.”

“Interesting,” Rem thought a moment. “This plan of yours…it’s not impossible…but there’s a lot that could go wrong. If Light were to catch on…and if this new Kira were to realize that he’s being followed…”  

“Thank you for that vote of confidence,” Keiko retorted. “I’m well aware of the risks. But, despite the risks, it’s worth a shot if it will solve the case and keep L alive. Thanks to Light, it isn’t like there are a lot of other options left.” 

And now, this is the only option that is left…it’s too late to deter from the plan now. I can only keep moving forward.  

“That’s fair,” the shinigami commented. “I’ve seen what Light’s capable of firsthand. He’s ruthless. But, you do have a chance, however slim, at stopping him…you just have to find a way to outsmart him, no matter what. Then you can win.”

Keiko let out a breath, “coming from you, that’s almost a compliment...so are you willing to let me know when and where the exchange will take place? As I said before, it’s necessary to know so that we can start officially tailing the new Kira and eventually collect evidence against Light…”

“First...before I answer, may I ask you a question?” 

Eh? Keiko raised an eyebrow. A question?

“What is it, Rem?” 

The shinigami crossed her arms, “I’m sure you are well aware of the fact that there’s a high chance I would know who Light picked as the new Kira…when I heard you wanted to meet with me, my first thought was that you were going to beg me to tell you who it was…”

“And you want to know why I haven’t done that?” Keiko finished the question for her.

The shinigami gave a nod. “Your request wasn’t quite what I was expecting. I truly thought you were going to ask me for this new Kira’s identity.” 

Keiko paused for a moment to collect her thoughts, “to be honest, the thought did cross my mind…but I know you, and I know there’s no way you’d help me like that. Therefore there’s no point in asking you that. Besides, as long as I know when and where the exchange is taking place, I will be able to figure out who this new Kira is on my own with the help of L’s contacts. That is why it is more beneficial to me to ask you for that information rather than the new Kira’s identity.”

“I see,” Rem replied. She thought a moment, “you’re truly bold, Keiko Kagami. You’ve asked for my help not only once but twice now…”

Keiko’s heart pounded as Rem trailed off. 

Right now, she has the power to make or break my plans…while we could still figure out this new Kira without her, it would take even longer to do, which would make everything else much harder…the sooner we know who Light’s chosen as his new Kira, the better. Then we can start investigating them and figure out a way to corner them.  

“However, I’ll help you. I want to see Light’s downfall. I won’t ever forgive him for the way he’s manipulated and used Misa.”

With this, Keiko breathed a sigh of relief. “Thank you so much, Rem. I promise that I’ll do my best to make the plan work…”

/slight timeskip/

L’s POV:

The detective drummed his fingers on his desk. It was late, and as usual, he was the last one awake. The day’s events filtered through his mind as he tried to make sense out of what was going on. 

I don’t think that the fact that there’s no way to track down this Kira is just a coincidence. It has to be because Misa’s currently still acting as Kira. I’m certain, once the exchange happens, Light will ensure that there’s hints to track down the new Kira on purpose…however, as long as Keiko and I get a hold of when and where the exchange is happening, we’ll be able to figure out who this new Kira is right away… of course, that’s only if Rem agrees to tell us. And even then, we can’t go after them right away after figuring out their identity, not without arousing suspicion from Light. Meaning that, until there’s a clear pattern of killings, we cannot act. But, as soon as we figure out who the new Kira is, we can figure out how to trick them into revealing Light’s true identity once it’s time to finally capture him…this plan really is one big risk. If one thing fails, it’ll be harder to accomplish any of the other steps. But, as Keiko said, what other choice do we have? 

At the mention of Keiko, his thoughts drifted once more, Keiko Kagami…  

He stared at her picture, which he had pulled up from her file on his computer. The first thing he’d noticed from that file was her smile. That damned smile, which he swore he would never let get to him when they started working together. His eyes stayed on her face, studying every inch. He could see the special glint in her eyes, it was the same one he had continued to see countless times, whenever she was able to accomplish something in the investigation.

His lips curved upwards into a smirk. Despite everything that had happened, she had never given up. Instead, she had met every challenge thrown at her during the investigation and still managed to keep on going. It was her positivity that had helped lead the task force to this point in the investigation, and it was her constant determination that was currently helping him stay alive. 

From the start, there was always something about you…I knew that much, I could feel it…you were young and naive, but you still had a sort of way about you. I hadn’t become so interested in a person before you…but you made me want to help you with your skills, you made me want to help you see that Light was Kira. Most of all, you made me want to be around you. I knew this, but I never thought too much of it. I knew my limits, or so I thought…that night we kissed, I knew I had gone too far without realizing it. 

The detective reached up, his fingers grazing his lips ever so slightly as he thought about the kiss.  

I had to stop myself then, because I had wanted more…but even then, I never accounted for this…I never thought I would actually fall for you…   

“Quite a charming smile she has,” a voice quipped from behind him. 

“Watari-san,” the detective gave an awkward cough as the old man sat beside him on the couch. He had a knowing look on his face, a twinkle in his eye. L supposed the feeling he had was of embarrassment, something he wasn’t entirely all that familiar with.

He’s caught me yet again…

“So, you finally realized your feelings, huh?” Although it was phrased as a question, it was clear that it was more of a statement than anything else. 

He knows…he knows full well. He’s always kept an eye on me.  

L let out a breath. “I know I cannot allow myself to have feelings for anyone, it’s too much of a risk…but yet…” 

“You’re in love with her,” Watari finished for him.   

The detective let out a chuckle. “I never imagined this happening.”

I’ve never allowed myself to have such feelings...

“Like I said before, there’s no way to control emotions, young master,” Watari stated. 

“I don’t know what to do,” L admitted. He normally wouldn’t have said this out loud, but he felt comfortable enough around the old man to tell him how he was really feeling. The detective knew Watari was someone trustworthy, someone he could count on.

“What you decide to do is up to you. I can’t control that.” The old man started, placing a hand on L’s shoulder, “but, whatever you decide, all I ask is that you don’t have any regrets. You’re young and it would be a shame if you let an opportunity like this pass you by if it’s something you truly want.”

Something…I truly want?

“I’m heading off to bed now,” Watari stated. “If you need anything, just let me know.”

I dated a monster. Her stomach gave an involuntary lurch. There was a bad taste in her mouth, no, I was in love with a monster. All he did was use me. He never cared about me. He never loved me. And Misa…knowing Light, he used her. He used her like he used me. And, if they both have their memories back, there’s no doubt in my mind that he’d use her again…after all, it seems it would be way too risky for him to act as Kira himself while he’s still investigating alongside L and I. Misa, on the other hand, could easily act as Kira once more. She’s been freed, no more surveillance for her. And, if she starts killing again, L will know for a fact that she is, in fact, the Second Kira. Knowing him, he will want to test out the last two rules at that point. I already suspect that he thinks those rules are fake, but Kira killing again will allow him to freely express this theory about the notebook…but, if he does that, he becomes Rem’s victim…wait a second!

Keiko’s eyes widened, and she had to stifle a gasp. She didn’t want to draw any attention to herself, she couldn’t let Light know that she now knew the truth, no way! Was this Light’s plan all along?! Is this how he wants to get rid of L once and for all?! I don’t believe it! But…I have to say, it makes perfect sense…Light’s a genius, he had to have figured out that Rem has a soft spot for Misa. He’s using those fake rules, and Rem, as a way to ensure that neither he nor Misa gets caught! I can’t let him get his way! I have to stop this somehow…but how? I need a plan, and fast! If Misa has her memories and her powers back, then it’ll probably be a matter of time until criminals start to die again! If that happens…then…L will want to test the rules! No! I can’t let him! Perhaps I can try and speak to him alone…but first, I need a plan… I can’t make any mistakes, not when L’s life is on the line!

Keiko looked around, spotting the shinigami in the corner of the room. Her eyes narrowed, so, you’re willing to kill anyone who hurts Misa, hmm? Wait a second…if that’s true then…why haven’t you killed Light? After all, you must know that he’s using her, right? …is it because she’s infatuated with him? However, Light’s still putting Misa in some rather dangerous situations…if it weren’t for you, Rem, Misa would easily be convicted of being Kira, that is, if she started killing again and the fake rules were tested…after all, she’s the one sticking her neck out if she kills again. Wait...Rem, do you realize that Light is probably planning on using Misa again? Even if you don’t know, shouldn’t you be mad at Light for having used her in the past? If you care about Misa, truly care about her, then shouldn’t seeing how carelessly Light treats her upset you? Wait…! I think I’ve got it…I think I’ve got a plan! It’s a long shot but, if Rem truly cares about Misa and Misa’s well being, then it should work! But, first, before I put this plan into action, I need to speak with L…I can’t let him do anything risky. 

“Ryuzaki-san,” Keiko stood up, looking over at the raven haired detective. She could feel Light’s curious gaze on her back, but she didn’t allow herself to look in his direction.

Just wait. I’ll be getting to you later… 

L looked up from the monitors, “yes? What is it?”

“May I please speak with you alone?  I, er…” she trailed off. She knew she was probably being paranoid, but she was hesitant to say that she wanted to talk to him about the investigation. There was no way she wanted Light to question why she’d want to talk to L alone about the investigation, she figured that would only make him suspicious. Making Light suspicious was the last thing she wanted to do. 

It’s better if I don’t say aloud what I want to speak with him about…

Luckily for her, it appeared that the detective caught on to her hesitancy.

“Of course,” he replied. “I assume it’s a personal matter, right?”

“Y-yeah,” Keiko managed to stutter out. She flashed him a soft smile, knowing Light was still watching her. 

I don’t need Light knowing how worried I am…after all, why would I worried because we’ve managed to ‘catch’ Kira? And anyway, now Higuchi’s dead…with him dead and Light and Misa cleared from suspicion, I shouldn’t have much to be concerned about at the moment. 

“Alright,” the detective stood up. “Then let’s go.”

/timeskip/

“We’ll be safe here,” L announced as he led her into one of the headquarter’s safe rooms. “The walls are soundproof, so even if one were to try to eavesdrop, they wouldn’t have any luck…”

“Thank you, Ryuzaki-san,” Keiko said softly. 

It’s funny, she thought bitterly to herself, I wanted to get L alone to scold him about before, and now…now I have to worry about whether or not he’ll even still be alive. Now my main concern isn’t my feelings, but rather, ensuring his safety… anyway, what’s more important, my feelings or his life? 

The detective gave a slight nod, looking her over as he did so. “Now, what is it you wanted to talk about?” 

“You’re in danger…” Keiko met L’s eyes, letting her facade from earlier fall away. She knew there was no reason to hide around him. There was sadness in her voice as she added, “but you already knew that, right?

At this, the detective was silent, but she couldn’t help but notice the look in his eyes. He was pensive, and dare Keiko say, a bit scared. 

Her heart dropped, so I was right…he knows…and it appears even the world’s greatest detective gets scared sometimes. 

When he didn’t speak, she continued on, “you were right, you know. You were right all along. About everything. Light Yagami is Kira and Misa Amane is the Second Kira. I know that for a fact. It’s the only thing that makes sense...”

“Not according to those rules, they’re not,” the detective spoke. His voice, though firm, was soft. “According to those rules, they’re cleared of all suspicion.”

That might be true but… 

Keiko rolled her eyes, “you and I both know those rules are fake.”

At this, L glanced at her, his dark eyes meeting hers. “That might be true, Kagami-san, but we’d only be able to test that theory if-”

“No!” Keiko exclaimed suddenly. She shook her head. The detective quirked an eyebrow, shocked yet curious at her outburst. 

She continued on, ignoring the questioning look that L was giving her. “Not even then...even if the killings start again, we can’t test those rules…at least, not yet. If you test those rules, then you won’t be safe. You have to give me your word that you won’t do that right now, not even secretly.” 

At this, L took a slight step towards her,“but, Kagami-san…”

Keiko swallowed hard. She could feel her emotions slowly starting to catch up with her. Even though it had been a while since she last cried, she could feel her eyes threatening to water and her voice threatening to crack, “no! If you-if-if you…Rem will k-you’ll be…”

“Kagami-san,” the detective repeated. Even though Keiko was unable to finish her sentence, he seemed to know exactly what she couldn’t force herself to say. Once again, his voice was soft. “From the very beginning, I knew I was taking a risk...I knew there was always a possibility that I’d-”

“No! Y-y-you can’t-” Keiko choked out, “I-I can’t let that happen. I won’t let that happen.”

I can’t lose you…I can’t let Light win! She took a shaky breath, attempting to calm herself. It’ll be okay, Keiko Kagami...trust in yourself, you have to trust in yourself. You have to be confident for him, and show him that he can trust in you.

She stepped towards him, attempting to control her emotions. Keiko knew that she had to be strong, despite her worry. Her voice was slightly less shaky as she announced, “I have a plan, Ryuzaki-san…”

“Kagami-san-”

“No,” Keiko looked at him as she took another step forward, slowly closing the space between the two of them. “Listen to me. Please listen to me. Right now, you’re a sitting duck. If you test those rules, then you’ll be killed immediately. I know that, you know that. You can’t say anything about wanting to test those rules. You can’t. Please. Even if you don’t do anything...you’re still a target…but my plan…it’s a long shot, and it’s risky, but it’s better than nothing. It’s better than sitting around waiting for you to die.”

L took another step towards her, his eyes meeting hers. “What is it?”

Keiko bit her lip, “I’m afraid I can’t tell you that. Not yet. Not until the time comes. It’d be too risky. But, please, just trust me. I know what I'm doing.”

Or rather, I know what I want to try to do, in order to protect you…and capture Kira once and for all...    

“Kagami-san,” the detective was about to speak but Keiko cut him off once more.

Please! Please trust in me, L! I want to do this! No, I have to do this!

There was desperation in her voice as she continued on. “I know, I know…there’s a lot of reasons why you shouldn’t let me do this. It’s a long shot, it’s risky, and I’ve let Light manipulate me before, I’m still a rookie, I can let my emotions get to me…but please,” before she could fully understand what she was doing, she reached forward. She found L’s hand and lightly held onto it with her own, “let me do this. For you. This might be the only chance we have at saving your life.” 

L’s eyes slightly widened at her touch, and Keiko could feel her cheeks turning red as she realized what she had done. She loosened her grip, and was about to let go when all of the sudden L entwined his fingers with hers. 

“R-Ryuzaki-san…” her heart pounded. Once again, she could feel her face starting to heat up at the unexpected contact.

What’s going on right now? L, the world’s greatest detective, holding my hand?! What is this? …is this…is this real? Is this really happening right now? This isn’t like him at all… 

“I wasn’t going to say any of those things at all, Kagami-san,” his voice was even softer than before. There was a glimmer of something, perhaps hope, in his voice.  “If you say you have a plan…I suppose I’ll have to trust you...after all, I doubt I have anything left to lose.”

“L,” Keiko gave the detective a look of disbelief, her cheeks still tinged with pink, “are you…are you saying…?”

L gave a nod, “I’ll have to trust you, Keiko-chan…and if you don’t want me to test out those fake rules for the time being, then I won’t…though that will have to be done, eventually. I’m sure you understand that. No matter what, this case has to be solved.” 

Thank goodness...and although I’m not sure if this plan will work or not, I am glad he’s at least letting me try. That alone means the world to me.

“Th-thank you…” Keiko stuttered out, “thank you for trusting in me. I’ll do my best.”

“I know,” the detective chuckled softly. There was a hint of a smile playing on his face as he added, “I know you will…you should give yourself more credit, you know. You’ve grown a lot from when I first met you. Although I’ve never met him, I’m sure your father would be proud…I know I am.”

He’s…proud…of me? 

Keiko looked up at the detective, a soft smile playing on her lips. It had been a while since she had last been this happy. Before she could stop herself, she leaned her head upwards, and kissed the detective’s cheek.

“That’s the second time,” he murmured. Keiko watched as L brushed his free hand over his cheek, his eyes wide.

“Hmm?” Keiko’s eyebrows furrowed.

“The second time someone’s kissed my cheek,” he responded matter-of-factly.

“Oh…”

Right. The first time must’ve been that night with Misa, Keiko made a face of disgust, her good mood rapidly turning sour. She then dropped his hand, feeling the slight ache in her chest once more, I had been so distracted that I forgot about that…what was it he said again, ‘you know, Misa-chan, I could fall in love with you’...? Right, that was it, how could I ever forget?

L’s voice broke the silence. He sounded almost apologetic. “I didn’t mean what I said that night, you know…” 

At this, Keiko scoffed. If you didn’t mean it, then why’d you say it?!

“If I were to fall in love with anyone…it’d be you.”

M-me?! Yeah, right…

“Me? Real funny, Ryuzaki-san,” Keiko was sure he could hear the bitterness dripping from her words, “you shouldn’t joke about that.”

You know how I feel about you… 

“On the contrary, I was quite serious.”

Keiko, unable to decipher his tone, turned away from him. Before, she had wanted nothing more than to rip into him for what he had said that night, but now she found that she just didn’t want to talk about that night at all. Not now. She supposed she already had enough to deal with. She wanted him alive, yes, but she didn’t want to have false hope about his feelings. Therefore, she supposed it would be best if she left. 

“I-I should go…they’re probably wondering what’s taking us so long.” 

“Wait,” the detective reached forward, gently grabbing her hand once more. “Please don’t go yet, Kagami-san…”

He…wants me to stay? 

Keiko stopped, letting L’s hand wrap around her own. She slowly turned back around to face him once more. His noticed his hand was a little sweaty as it gripped hers, but she had to admit, she liked feeling his warmth. She also noticed that the detective was awkwardly shuffling his feet.

Is he...is he nervous?

Although he seemed a bit hesitant, he looked right into her eyes as he spoke, “I’m sorry, Kagami-san. I’m sorry for hurting you. My behavior was inexcusable and I should have considered your feelings more.”

Keiko searched his eyes. From what she could tell, he was being sincere, he’s really serious about this...

“L,” she started to say, but he cut her off. Again, he seemed a bit nervous.

“I really am sorry. And I meant what I said just now…” his gaze, while still serious, was also thoughtful. “If I were to fall in love with anyone, it’d be you.”

If Keiko’s face hadn’t been red before, it was certainly red now. She could feel her heart going wild.

He-he-what?! Oh my-he’s serious…?! 

“I know I’ve said this before but, I really did mean it when I said I kissed you because I wanted to…” the detective continued on, a mischievous glint in his eyes. For a moment, he was his usual self once more, “do you think I’d kiss just anyone, Keiko-chan? I…I think very highly of you…”

Wha-what?! He kissed me because he wanted to?! And he thinks very highly of me?! What is this? Then, when he complimented me all of those times, he really did mean it...but, what about what he had said afterwards? 

“If you wanted to kiss me, then why’d you say it was a mistake?” the question rolled off Keiko’s tongue before she could stop herself.

“Do…do you really want to know?” L questioned, his eyes searching hers. 

Unable to look away, Keiko nodded. “If you’re going to talk about this then just tell me the truth, please…”

It’s been on my mind since that night...

He exhaled slowly. “It was a mistake because…because I can’t let myself have feelings. For anyone. Considering my line of work, it’d be too dangerous...but you,” the detective chuckled softly. “You’ve almost...no, you have grown on me. Therefore, if I were to fall for anyone, it’d be you.” 

Keiko was stunned, she’d never seen L talk so earnestly before. He was being terribly honest, perhaps the most honest she’d ever seen him. She opened her mouth to speak, but no words came out.

I...I honestly don’t know what to say. Am I dreaming? If he were to fall in love, it’d be with me?! I-I can’t believe...I can’t believe it. 

Keiko was about to move her hand to pinch herself, but she realized that she couldn’t, because L was still holding it. It seemed that L realized this as well, because he suddenly let go of her hand. Although she could no longer feel the warmth of his hand, his confession was more than enough to warm her heart. 

“I-I…” Keiko stuttered out, still trying to process everything. 

He’s serious. I still can’t believe it! As happy as I am right now, I just can’t help but wonder why he’s telling me this. It’s just not like him...wait! No way! Keiko’s eyes widened at her sudden realization, is he only telling me this because...because he knows he might die soon? Is that why he’s being so honest with me? 

“Kagami-san…” the detective started after a moment. It was only then that she realized he was still waiting for her to finish her sentence.

“I-I don’t know what to say,” Keiko finally spoke. She looked up at L, the ghost of a smile playing on her lips, “I’m flattered. Honestly. Hearing all that made me so happy. And...and now all I want to do is help keep you alive, and help to solve this case, no matter what. That’s all I want.”

Although his emotions were undeterminable, L had a soft expression on his face. Keiko noticed that he looked so vulnerable, so tender. It was something she wasn’t used to seeing. Before she could stop herself, she found herself staring at the detective’s lips. He was close, so close to her. Keiko wanted nothing more than to lean in and kiss that soft look right off his face. It was a purely selfish desire, Keiko knew that. It was also something she couldn’t allow herself to do. 

Therefore, before she could give in, Keiko turned away from the raven haired detective. She gave a slow exhale in an attempt to calm her racing heart. 

That was way too close! Did he notice I was staring…? 

“Kagami-san…?” The detective prompted.

That tone...is he worried about me?

“Y-yes?” Keiko stuttered out. Even though she wasn’t facing him, her face was still turning a shade of pink. 

“Are you alright?” 

Am I alright? What does he think?! 

“I-I’m as alright as I can be,” Keiko swallowed. “I, um, I should go. The others might get worried.”

With that, Keiko took her leave. She hurried down the hall, to safety, away from the detective.

“Misa-chan,” Light whispered into Misa’s ear. “Listen to me very carefully. I’m going to tell you about a special place; I need you to go there and dig something up...but you have to make sure that no one else is around when you do so.”

“Don’t worry, I won’t let you down,” Misa quietly responded, hugging him even closer. “I can do this.”

The corners of Light’s lips tugged upwards. 

Good, good...exactly as planned; I’ve won! Misa and I are finally cleared of all suspicion! She’s free to go, meaning that she won’t be interacting with Keiko again. That leaves me free to keep the two of them separate! Enough time has passed since the breakup, I’m sure I can get Keiko to reconsider taking me back, especially now that it’s been proven that I can’t have been Kira! It’s perfect! Not only that, but I’ve guaranteed the safety of the notebook, which means that my memories of being Kira will remain. 

At this, he fully smirked.

L will never get Rem to admit that those last two rules are fake! And now Misa’s free to continue acting as Kira once more…I might not like having her around, but she sure is useful to me...  

“I’m glad that I have you, Misa-chan…” Light whispered. 

“Oh, Light-kun!”

A notebook of death with rules written by a shinigami...L just lost his edge, thanks to those fake rules I’ve created...listen L, no matter what world, the god of that world creates the world, and you’ve already been defeated by the rules I’ve created. As a punishment for attempting to defy the god of the new world, you will die!

/meanwhile/

Keiko’s POV:

The girl watched on the monitor as Misa pulled Light into what looked like a rather bone-crushing hug. Needless to say, she was rather frustrated with the whole situation. Not because she was jealous, but because she had this gut feeling that something terrible was going to happen. Something terrible that, given the circumstances, she was rather powerless to stop. 

I just don’t know what to do. 

Keiko sighed as Misa pulled Light even closer towards her, at this point, it’s best for me to assume that Light Yagami is Kira, and Misa Amane is the Second Kira...even though I hadn’t wanted to admit it for the longest time, it’s the only thing that makes sense. Those rules from the other day just had to be fake..otherwise, why would the notebook be ripped like that? And that thirteen day rule is still way too convenient…and anyway, why would those rules be listed in the back of the notebook and not the front? They seem too important to be placed in the back, especially because, if you don’t write names for thirteen days, you could literally die. That just makes no sense. The shinigami said that the rules of all the notebooks are the same, but is that truly the case? 

She narrowed her eyes at her ex-boyfriend, if Light were Kira, he’d definitely be smart enough to come up with fake rules, there’s no doubt about that…and with all of the evidence stacked up against him, he has to be Kira...and all of the evidence against Misa…also, is it just me or is this hug going on for much longer than necessary? Light doesn’t even like Misa like that! Why would he just let her hug him like that?! They’re up to something, they have to be up to something! It makes sense, after all, there must be another notebook out there for Misa to use...that has to be the case. And, if they are up to something then, Keiko glanced over at the raven haired detective sitting beside her, her heart dropping in her chest. 

If they’re up to something then that must mean L’s life is in danger…

The thought alone made Keiko feel sick to her stomach. Needless to say, it was something she didn’t want to think about. Keiko studied the detective, taking note of his disheveled hair, his owlish yet intense eyes, his odd sitting habit, everything that made L himself. 

It’s funny, he’s so odd, and yet...I’ve gotten used to him and his quirks. He wouldn’t be L without them. 

She gave a soft chuckle, this is him, the L that I like and admire so much...the L that drives me crazy with frustration… the L that I care about, and possibly even love…it’s rather weird thinking that, before the Kira investigation started, my life used to be completely different, but now I can’t imagine a world without L, no matter how much he torments me. I know he won’t ever feel the same about me, but I can’t help but fall for him...however, if Light and Misa have it their way, he’ll be…

Keiko’s stomach gave a lurch. She didn’t want to finish that sentence. No, she couldn’t finish that sentence.

I can’t let that happen! I can’t lose him! I just can’t! 

“If you take a picture, it’ll last longer, you know,” L commented, not looking up from the computer screen.

Keiko attempted to crack a smile, despite her somber mood. She kept her gaze on L. “As if you’d let anyone take a picture of you.”

At this, the detective turned his head to look at her. He was monotone as he replied, “you’re right, I wouldn’t. That’d be too dangerous.”

Dangerous you say? And letting Misa go free isn’t dangerous?! You didn’t even put up a fight! You have to know the danger that you’re in...and you-you...you have to know what kind of position you’re in right now…L, you have to know that right now, you’re in a dangerous position...this is way more than you teasing or frustrating me on purpose, this is a life or death situation… 

“Yeah, it would be,” Keiko’s voice was soft. She wasn’t sure what else to say, or if there was anything else to say. All she knew was that she was finding it rather difficult to continue staring into those dark eyes of his. She could feel her face flushing once more and she cursed herself for getting embarrassed so easily.

Why must he always have this kind of effect on me? 

A couple more seconds passed and L was silent. Keiko, who assumed the conversation was over, expected him to turn his head back around and return to his work. However, much to her dismay, he didn’t. Instead he continued to study her, just as she had done with him moments before. 

Unable to keep his gaze, Keiko looked away. Even though she was no longer looking at him, she could still feel his lingering gaze. Unsure of what to do, Keiko drummed her fingers on the desk in front of her.

What’s he thinking? Why is he still looking at me like that?

“Kagami-san,” L spoke after a moment. 

“Y-yes?” Keiko swallowed hard. 

“Are you alright?”

Out of the many things he could have said, Keiko wasn’t expecting that. A teasing remark, or a matter-of-fact comment perhaps, but not that. His question stunned her. She wanted nothing more than to look over at him, to see his expression, but she couldn’t. Keiko was worried that her emotions would betray her if she did.

‘Are you alright?’, well what do you think?! Of course not! Light and Misa have just been released from surveillance, and it’s highly likely that Light is Kira and Misa is the Second Kira! And they’re probably conspiring together right now! Not only that, but you’re likely their next target! Right now you’re just a sitting duck! If Misa has her memories and power back then she doesn’t need your name to kill you with that notebook! If that’s the case then...then there’s nothing either of us can do…it’s hopeless...right?

“I’m fine,” was Keiko’s only response. Not wanting to sit still any longer, she stood up, still refusing to look over at the detective. 

As she stood up, she noticed the shinigami, Rem, standing in the corner of the room. Rem was keeping a watchful eye on the monitor, in which Light stood alone, watching as Misa was chauffeured away from headquarters. 

An idea was slowly forming in Keiko’s mind. She wasn’t sure what her exact game plan was, but Keiko was certain of one thing; she couldn’t give up, not yet. For L’s sake, she had to keep on going. 

It’s not over yet...even though it seems hopeless, I have to try! 

Keiko took a deep breath, “Ryuzaki-san…”

“Yes? What is it?”

She slowly turned around to face him once more, feeling a little bit more composed than before. “Would it be possible for me to speak with the shinigami in private?”

L quirked an eyebrow. “Why?”

“I just…” Keiko fished for the words, “I want to speak with Rem.”

“Hm. You do realize this seems like a rather pointless request, right? The shinigami has yet to give us any sort of useful information regarding the investigation,” the detective glanced over at the shinigami, who was now looking over in their direction.

Keiko nodded. “I know. But…”

But, to me, it’s worth a try! I know it’s a long shot but...I have to try and get any information that I can out of Rem…

“Even though it might not amount to anything, I’d like to at least give it a shot. I have some...questions...I’d like to discuss,” she finished.

“Alright, go on ahead,” L said after a moment. “If it’s alright with Rem, then I suppose it can be arranged.”

“Thank you, Ryuzaki-san,” Keiko replied. She turned around only to realize that Rem was now standing right behind her. It was clear from the look on her face that she did not trust Keiko, not one bit. Keiko supposed it was only fair, because it wasn’t like she trusted the shinigami, either. She still held a hope that, perhaps, something good would come out of the conversation. That is, if the shinigami actually agreed to talk to her. 

Although...I think I might have a good way to ensure that the shinigami says yes...

Rem’s POV:

Hmm...what’s this? Light’s ex-girlfriend wants to talk to me? 

The shinigami looked down at the girl, her eyes narrowing slightly. Based on looks alone, Keiko Kagami didn’t look like much of a threat. However, Rem knew that the girl was smarter than she looked. After all, looks can be deceiving. 

But...even then...what’s she hoping to gain by talking to me? Like the detective said, I don’t plan on releasing any more information. Keiko did said that, even if I agree, that it might not amount to anything...so why? If she knows that a conversation might be useless, then why have the conversation at all? Is she...suspicious of Misa? If that’s the case, then the best thing for me to do would be to stay silent. So, with that in mind, perhaps I shouldn’t agree to speak with Keiko. That might be too risky. 

Rem watched as Keiko looked up at her, noting the look in her eyes.

Whatever the reason, it’s obvious that she’s determined...what do you want from me? What is it? 

“You know,” the girl started. “I know that we don’t trust each other, I get it. That’s obvious...however, other than that, I don’t see any reason for you to say no to my request. After all, you wield a lot more power than I do, you’re a shinigami. A god of death. You should have nothing to be afraid of. If anything, it’s me who should be afraid...and as Ryuzaki-san said, you’ve been tight lipped this whole time, so even if we did talk, it’s not like I’m expecting you to have a sudden change of heart or anything. Whether or not you talk to me or answer my questions is up to you, but I do want to talk to you…and you have absolutely nothing to lose by allowing me to do so,” she paused, taking a breath. 

Where’s she going with this? 

“That being said,” Keiko looked up at her once more, raising an eyebrow, “because you should have nothing to lose by talking to me, I see no reason for you to refuse my request...that is, unless you’re trying to hide something.”

Hide something?! Does this mean she’s suspicious of Misa?! ...if there is any suspicion at all that the last two rules are fake, then Misa’s going to be in trouble. I can’t let that happen! If any harm comes to Misa...

“You aren’t hiding anything or trying to cover up for anyone, are you?” Keiko added after a moment, “after all, if you were, I’d have no choice but to try and figure out what you’re hiding and who you’re covering for…this is a criminal investigation, you know...if you are hiding something, the truth will come out sooner or later.”

Rem’s eyes slightly widened as she realized the implications of Keiko’s words, I see..so this was her plan...she’s trying to corner me. But...is she suspicious of Misa or is she just going out on a limb? This could be just a bluff...but right now, I’m not too sure…

“What do you say?”

I knew she was trickier than she looked! The way she’s set it up, if I say that I need more time to think, she’ll be suspicious. If I say no, she’ll be suspicious...the only way out of this that has any chance of protecting Misa is to agree to speak with her alone…

“Alright,” the shinigami relented. “I’ll do it.”

I’ll do it, I’ll do it for Misa’s sake only...but I won’t be happy about it...and you’d better believe that I’ll be on my guard, Keiko Kagami...I won’t let you get any information out of me! I hope you realize that this little conversation will be futile.

/short timeskip/

Keiko’s POV:

Keiko had to admit, she was rather proud of herself for her quick thinking. While she hadn’t had a plan at first, the idea soon came to her. She realized that the only way to get Rem to agree would be to assume she’s hiding something or protecting someone. That way, if Keiko was convincing enough, she’d feel pressured to say yes no matter what. 

And she has to be hiding something…she definitely is, she just won’t tell us what...though I have a sneaking suspicion that it has something to do with those last two rules…the only logical explanation I can come up with is that those rules are fake… 

“So, what is it that you wanted to talk about, Keiko Kagami?” Rem asked her. The two of them were alone in one of the interrogation rooms.

Hmm...now that I’m this far, how should I go about this? I know that Rem doesn’t want to reveal what she knows, that much is clear. Lulling her into a false sense of security would be nearly impossible...therefore, it seems like the best route would be to catch her off guard or corner her somehow again...but how? I have no doubt that she’s probably going to be more cautious now that I’ve cornered her once already. 

When Keiko didn’t speak right away, Rem added, “I think you’ll find that this will be rather pointless, but I figured that I might as well humor you…” 

She might as well humor me, eh? I came into this knowing that she probably won’t reveal any information anyway, but her the way she’s acting makes me want to get something from her! Think, Keiko, think! What would L do in a situation like this? He always acts so calm and confident, no matter wha-hey wait a second! I think I have an idea! It’s another longshot, but at this point, anything I try will be a longshot so... 

Rem was about to speak once more when all of the sudden Keiko took a step towards her. Although she was feeling rather anxious, she met the shinigami’s eyes, and placed her hands on her hips. 

Confidence is key! You have to fake it until you make it, Keiko Kagami! Breathe, you can do it! You have to! L’s life is quite literally on the line!

“I know Light Yagami is Kira,” she announced.

Rem’s POV:

‘I know Light Yagami is Kira’...?! What is this?! 

Although Keiko’s direct statement was the last thing that the shinigami had been expecting, Rem attempted to keep her composure. 

No matter what she says, I cannot allow her to elicit a reaction from me. Especially not when she’s making this bold of a claim…and especially because I still don’t know if she’s just bluffing or not.  

“I know Light Yagami is Kira,” the girl repeated. She spoke slowly, enunciating every individual word. If she was nervous at all about being alone with a ‘powerful shinigami’, she didn’t show it. 

Keiko Kagami, fool me once, shame on you...fool me twice, shame on me...I cannot and will not allow you to make a fool out of me again. I must protect Misa Amane.

“He may or may not be Kira,” the shinigami replied, keeping her tone as neutral as possible.

“No,” Keiko shook her head, staring straight into her eyes. “There’s no may or may not about it; Light Yagami is Kira.”

Rem was silent for a moment, what? What’s she playing at right now? Is she trying to wear me down? Is this another way to try and corner me? If so, I can’t let her win. I know Light isn’t the one I’m trying to protect here, but if she isn’t bluffing then she must also think that Misa Amane is the Second Kira...but no matter how much she believes that to be the truth, she cannot prove anything. I don’t like Light Yagami at all, but I’m at least glad that he thought about coming up with those fake rules. Those fake rules are keeping both Light, and most importantly, Misa away from further suspicion. With those in place, Misa should be safe, right? Even if she isn’t bluffing right now, there’s no way she could-

“Beep. Time’s up. You took too long to respond...based on your lack of a response just now, I can only assume that I’m right; Light Yagami is Kira,” Keiko said after a moment, wagging a finger at the shinigami. “Otherwise, why would you have to think so hard to try and come up with a response?”

No! Not another bluff! Wait a second, does this mean that she’s trying to corner me again somehow?! But how…? Remain calm, Rem, you have to try and remain calm. Now that you realize that she was bluffing, you can play her game. 

Rem was about to speak again when Keiko continued on, “it’s alright…to be honest, deep down, I think I’ve known that Light-kun is Kira for a long time…it just took me a while to come to terms with that fact. I made excuses for him and ignored the facts for so long…I’m not sure if this really needs saying but, at this point, it would be pointless to keep on with this ‘Light may or may not be Kira’ statement. Just so you know, nothing you say will make me reconsider my view. And it doesn’t matter if you try because I know I’m right.”

It’s pointless, hm? Is this another bluff? Or is she truly being honest with me right now? Given her recent behavior, I’d be inclined to believe that it’s still a bluff...but that expression on her face says otherwise...there was a shift from confident to bitter with a hint of sadness… unless she’s a good actress, but given how easily Light manipulated her in the past, I’d say that’s not the case...

“Do you truly believe that Light Yagami is Kira?” Rem asked.

Based off of her reaction to this question, perhaps I can tell for sure which it is...

Keiko met the shinigami’s eyes, “yes. I do.”

Looking into her eyes, it seems like she’s telling the truth...but if she truly believes that Light Yagami is Kira then she must also believe-

“I believe that Light Yagami is Kira and Misa Amane is the Second Kira.”

I suppose that would only make sense...but, the fake rules! If she knows that Light is Kira and Misa is the Second Kira, then does she also know or suspect that those rules Light added are fake? If that’s the case then-

The sound of Keiko’s voice broke through Rem’s thoughts once more, “let me repeat myself again...Light Yagami is Kira and Misa Amane is the Second Kira…nothing you say or do at this point can convince me otherwise. And even though the Task Force believes otherwise, because of those so called rules, I know I’m right.”

Damn it! Keiko Kagami, just who do you think you are?! It looks like I’ll have to change my own strategy somewhat… 

Keiko’s POV:

Was it just my imagination, or was there a slight flinch earlier when I said Misa’s name again?  I highly doubt it, but perhaps I should test it again, just to make sure… after all, she was stone cold when I mentioned Light…no reaction from her whatsoever, aside from her taking much too long to respond that one time. 

Keiko stared right into the shinigami’s cold and uninviting eyes, “Misa Amane is the Second Kira. I know she is.” 

It’s there again! This time, I could have sworn that there was a slight flicker in her eyes! ...again, I doubt this could be possible, seeing as she’s a god of death and all, but…perhaps, does she have some sort of weakness? Humans do, of course, but would be really be the same for a shinigami? However, if that is the case, seeing as Misa’s name seems to elicit some sort of response from her, could Misa be a soft spot? That sounds absolutely crazy but…then again, everything that’s happened so far in this investigation has been crazy...but am I just over analyzing things? How would I even find out for sure?

“You say that you know you’re right, but what proof do you have?” Rem replied after a moment. “After all, the evidence you gathered from the notebook goes against what you claim to be true. Those so called rules you spoke of happen to be the rules listed in every notebook. Every notebook comes with the same set of rules. I’ve already told you this.”

“So you’ve said, yes…if you want to bring up the notebook once more, then let me say this, unless I am given proof that the rules in every notebook are the same, I’m allowed to have doubts. For all I know, you could have lied. There’s another notebook in the human world, that I do believe. After all, two Kiras would require two notebooks. Therefore, unless I could compare the notebooks side by side, I don’t know for sure if every notebook actually has the same rules. Also…you never specified whether or not a notebook could have…fake rules…think about it. Aren’t those rules too convenient?”

Keiko took a momentary pause, attempting to gauge Rem’s reaction before she continued on. 

From what I can see, she isn’t giving me much of a reaction...hmm...I suppose I’ll have to try and up my game…and somehow bring in Misa once more…after all, if she reacts to Misa’s name a third time, that means all the other times weren’t coincidental, right? That seems to be the best logic for me to go by.  

“You might be asking ‘why do you think the rules are fake’? That’s a valid question. However, once again, those last two rules just seem a bit too convenient. Also, why would one place those two rules at the back of the notebook, especially when all the rest of the rules are listed at the front? That just doesn’t make any sense to me...therefore, those rules must be fake…which means that, given the evidence, Light Yagami must be Kira, and Misa Amane must be the Second Kira. There’s already been enough evidence to convict Misa, but yet, she because of those ‘rules’, she’s suddenly free to go. And anyway, how did she get that confession out of Higuchi? Why would he reveal himself as Kira unless she was able to provide him with some sort of proof that she’s the Second Kira…and that day in Aoyama...it’s fishy. Misa has to be the Second Kira.”

Although it was only momentary, Keiko could have sworn that she saw a flicker of fear in the shinigami’s eyes.

Fear? Why would Rem be afraid? Perhaps...could it be?

“Rem...do you perhaps...do you care about Misa?”

I highly doubt she’ll give me a real response but it’s worth a shot. And anyway, if Rem cares about Misa then her being afraid must mean that I was right...Light Yagami is Kira and Misa Amane is the Second Kira… 

“Yes,” Rem responded, causing a startled Keiko to look up. 

W-what? She’s actually responding?!

“Yes,” the shinigami repeated, her eyes glowing. “I care about Misa…and if anyone tries to do anything to hurt her in any way…mark my words…I’ll kill them.”

She’ll...kill them. 

A chill ran down Keiko’s spine as the shinigami stared at her. For the first time since she started talking to the shinigami, she could say she was scared. Though not for herself, but for L. She swallowed hard, trying to stop her hands from shaking. 

What do I do? What do I do? Think, Keiko, think! 

“Those rules at the back of the notebook…” Keiko started, trying her best to remain calm despite feeling suddenly sick to her stomach. “That was all Light’s idea, wasn’t it? In fact, everything was probably all Light’s idea right? Did he tell you to follow his plan?”

For a moment, Rem was quiet and Keiko wondered yet again whether or not the shinigami would actually tell her the truth. The girl closed her eyes, her heart pounding, as she wanted for Rem’s response.

“Yes.”

Her heart fell as she heard the verdict she had been waiting for, that settles it...Light Yagami, my ex-boyfriend, is Kira...and Misa Amane is the Second Kira… 

“However, if anyone does anything that results in Misa being harmed...I’ll kill them.” Rem threatened once more, and Keiko could see the determination written into her eyes. With that, the shinigami took off, leaving Keiko alone with her thoughts. 

“Thank you,” Light grabbed the burner phone from the detective’s hands. Everyone watched as he dialled Namikawa’s number. As soon as Namikawa picked up, Light put the device on speakerphone. “Namikawa-san? It’s L.”

“Ah, yes,” Namikawa’s voice filled through the room. “Hello.”

“Before I go on, are you by yourself?” Light questioned.

“No.”

“Then just act like it’s a normal phone call and chime in as you see fit once again.”

“I don’t think there’s any need for that,” Namikawa responded. “One of the people here with me was just expressing his suspicions about your last phone call.”

“Who is it?” a voice in the background asked.

Based off of voice alone, it sounds like Shimura.

“It’s L,” Namikawa announced, “L, Mido and Shimura are here. I’m reasonably certain that neither of them are Kira. In fact, they seem to be sick of him. I’ll speak for them and say that they also choose to stand back and watch your face off with Kira, just like I plan to.”

Looks like I was right about it being Shimura...looks like my skills are getting better...

“I see,” Light replied, “well, tonight I’m going to catch Kira, but I’ll need a little favor from you.”

“Hmmm, it looks like it’s the end for Higuchi,” Namikawa responded.

At this, Light was temporarily taken aback, “so you know it’s him?”

“So even the great L can be tricked...based off of your reaction, I am now certain that Higuchi is Kira.”

Keiko was also a little shocked, so Light messed up, huh? Whether his slip up was accidental or not I’ll never know, but I suppose Namikawa and the other executives would have eventually found out anyway…

Light continued on, “anyway, I’m baiting Higuchi with a staged T.V. special tonight on Sakura T.V. at 7 p.m. and a few minutes into the program, I want you to contact Higuchi and tell him to watch that program. If the other executives not present at your little meeting try to intervene, stop them. If you do this for me, I won’t go after you or the other five executives.”

“Alright, I understand,” Namikawa responded. “I’ll let him know.”

With this, Light hung up the phone. He turned to Keiko and the others, “I suppose, for now, we wait…”

/timeskip/

Higuchi’s POV:

“It’s been about three days since I stopped killing criminals. That should be good enough, shouldn’t it? Now, when I marry Misa Amane, the Second Kira, I’ll have the shinigami eyes. With that power in my hands,” Higuchi laughed maniacally to himself, “Yotsuba will be under my control!”

All of the sudden, his cell phone rang, breaking him from his evil plans. He grabbed the device off his table, checking the number.

Huh? What’s this? Namikawa’s calling me on the weekend?

He put the phone against his ear, “hello?”

“Higuchi, this is bad. We’ve got a problem. You should turn on your television and check out Sakura T.V.,” Namikawa told him.

Huh? Why’s that? Higuchi was confused, but he did as his fellow executive told him. On screen, it looked like someone was doing an interview. Both the host and the interviewee were hidden behind frosted screens.

“So, you’re saying one of those people was Kira, right?” the host questioned.

“Yes,” the interviewee responded, a voice filter had been added to his voice to ensure anonymity. “I’ve got a lot of evidence to prove it too.”

“What the hell is this?” Higuchi muttered, “c’mon, Namikawa, it’s probably a hoax. This is Sakura T.V. you’re talking about here.”

“No, it’s more than that, Higuchi,” Namikawa responded, “at the beginning of the program, I heard the man say he overheard a meeting between eight people.”

What?! Someone knows about the meetings? Who is it? Did someone betray us?!

On screen, the interviewee went on, “earlier I said that there were eight people in total. However, one of them was killed by Kira, and now there are only seven of them...the victim was known as Mr. H.”

Mr. H…? No way, he knows about Hatori?! If he knows this much, he could be one of the other six….no, wait, maybe it’s Coil?

“Mr. H said he wanted to leave the meetings, so Kira killed him.”

No, it can’t be any of them...there’s no benefit for either of them to do this. But no one else knows about the meetings, do they?! Dammit, who is it?! Wait, what? Perhaps...could this guy be…?

“H-huh?” The frosted screen protecting the interviewee got bumped, causing the whole thing to topple over. Although the man quickly moved to cover up his face, he wasn’t quite fast enough. This allowed Higuchi to get a good look at the man’s features.

“It’s that manager!” Higuchi let out a small gasp.

Misa’s manager, Taro Matsui! How the hell is he still alive?!

On screen, the crew members moved to set up the screen once more.

Namikawa went on, “he explained earlier that he thought he was going to be killed. That’s why he pretended to fall out of the apartment window, but he actually escaped to a balcony a few floors below.”

But that can’t be! Just in case, I went home and wrote his name using the notebook! Could it be...was he a former entertainer who became a manager under his stage name? Is that possible?

“If that weren’t bad enough, he said that he continued to investigate Yotsuba until now and he’s figured out which one of us is Kira. Right now I’m contacting everyone right now to let them know.”

“Alright,” Higuchi responded, trying to keep his cool. He didn’t need Namikawa finding out he was actually Kira. The less the others knew, the better. “Talk to you later.”

With that, the man hung up, watching the show through narrowed eyes.

“Sir, I’m terribly sorry for that accident earlier,” the host said on screen. They had finally managed to cover up the interviewee once more. “Are you sure you want to continue on with this interview? Would you like to stop?”

“No, it’s fine. “I knew I was going to be in danger going into this. This is for the sake of justice. I will continue to the end, even if I am killed for doing this…”

Higuchi banged his fist on the table, dammit! Who really are you, Taro Matsui? I’m going to find out, and then I’m going to kill you!

Keiko’s POV:

While I’m glad that we can finally capture Kira, I’m also quite worried...at this point, there’s no doubt that Higuchi is Kira, but after we capture him...then what will happen? I’m almost certain that there’s a chance Misa could have her memories of being the Second Kira back right now, so if that’s the case...then Light could possibly get his memories back as well, assuming he was Kira at some point. If the original Kira and the Second Kira get their powers back then...then I’m almost certain their next target will be, Keiko’s heart dropped, L...that would only make sense...but if so, there’s not much I can do to stop it. Right?

The sound of Misa’s cell phone ringing broke through Keiko’s thoughts. Keiko looked over at the blonde haired girl as she held up her device.

“It’s him!” Misa called out, “he must’ve just seen Matsuda’s little performance on t.v.!”

With that, Misa declined his call, slipping the phone into her purse once more.

Keiko studied the girl a moment longer, Misa Amane...do you remember being the Second Kira? If so, are your powers back?

“Ryuzaki-san,” Watari announced, “Mogi-san, who’s in front of Yoshida Productions, has received a call from Higuchi.”

“Yes,” L replied. “It’s time for phase two.”

On screen, a live recording of the call between Higuchi and Mogi was broadcasted. There was desperation in Higuchi’s voice as he asked where Misa was.

“Oh, Higuchi-san,” Mogi’s voice came through the speaker, “Misa Misa is taking a much needed break right now. She should be back by about...oh? Tomorrow morning. You can reach her then!”

“I’m asking you where she is right now!” Higuchi demanded.

“I’m sorry, but that’s private information. She’s requested that her location not be revealed to anyone. However, I can have her contact you tomorrow.”

At this, Higuchi was quiet a moment. When he spoke again, it was clear that he was trying to be as casual as possible. “Say. Do you know anything about Misa’s ex-manager? Was he an entertainer himself at some point?”

“Pardon?”

“Misa’s ex-manager. Taro Matsui!”

“Oh...I came in as a replacement. I’m afraid I don’t know much about him. If you need some information, I can have you contact someone at the offi-oh, wait. I’m sorry. Everyone’s in Okinawa at the moment. I could perhaps have you try calling the president though…”

“It’s going exactly as planned,” Light muttered, “it’s almost scary.”

Keiko glanced over at her ex-boyfriend, what’s scary is the fact that, if you were once Kira, you could possibly become Kira again…

Watari spoke once more, “Ryuzaki-san, I’m now going to broadcast Higuchi’s call to the president of Yoshida Productions.”

“This is Higuchi from Yotsuba. Taro Matsui’s not the real name of Misa’s ex-manager, is it?”

“Wow!” Misa chimed in, giggling a little as she listened.  “He’s getting more direct. What an idiot!”

“This is clear proof that he’s panicking,” the detective added.

The room got louder as Higuchi’s voice got more aggressive, “you should know the names of the people you hire! What kind of company is this?!”

“Now, now, there’s no need for that tone…if you want to know that badly, you can come to the office and get his file yourself…”

With that, the president told him the security code and where to look for the file. Once the president was finished, a rather frustrated Higuchi hung up. Next, the detective contacted Wedy, asking her to tail him.

“Everything’s going all according to plan…” Light muttered.

It is...I should be thrilled, and I am. Sort of. But, I shouldn’t let my guard down...if Light truly is Kira, and Misa truly is the Second Kira, then it’s only a matter of time before....before...well, before something else bad happens. Of course, there’s still a chance, however slim, that Light is innocent, but...it’s best if I assume he’s not. I have to have a plan...but what can I do?

“Light-kun, please put Higuchi’s car on channel one, and Sakura t.v. on channel two.” L requested.

“Roger that,” Light broadcasted the two channels on the screens. “As expected, Higuchi is watching everything from his car.”

Matsuda’s voice filled the room, “as I was investigating, I discovered the two things that Kira needs to kill. While there are many rumors circulating as to what those two things might be, I know for sure. However, Kira only knows one of those things about me. Therefore, I should be safe.”

“Rem…” Higuchi spoke, “what do you think?”

Rem…? There’s no one else in the car...is he speaking to himself? He’s not using his cell phone, either.

“It’s impossible for someone else to be in that car without us knowing,” Light crossed his arms. “No cell phone...could it be a hidden radio?”

“No.” L interjected. “There’s no radio. There’s only our wire taps, cameras, and tracking devices. I have no doubt that Wedy did a thorough job…”

On screen, Higuchi kept speaking, “is it possible that his file is no longer available at Yoshida Productions? ...if this guy was smart, he would have made sure that everything connected to his real name is destroyed...and isn’t it a little too convenient that Misa’s company is willing to just let me into their offices?”

“This isn’t sounding too good.” Misa muttered, concern crossing her face.

“It’s alright.” L’s eyes were glued to the screen. “He’ll still go.”

Higuchi was still speaking, “even if his record is still there, what if the name on his record is just another alias? I suppose that’s possible...damn it! No wonder this guy’s so confident…”

He was quiet for a moment, then continued on. “Yeah, I know that already. However, just to be on the safe side, I should probably kill the people I called at Yoshida Productions, including the president, Misa herself, and that manager.”

Misa gasped. “What?! No way! He said he’ll kill me!”

“It’s alright, Misa-chan. He’s talking about his plan after he goes after Matsuda. There’d be no point in killing the rest of you unless he gets him out of the way first.”

Besides, Keiko cast a look at the girl sitting beside her. Her eyes narrowed slightly, if you are the Second Kira and your memory and powers are back, then you’d be fine either way because you could just kill Higuchi before he attempts to kill you.

“Oh yeah,” Higuchi muttered on screen. “Rem, you sure are smart. I’ll kill them after I erase my call history.”

At this, Light stood up from his seat. His eyes were glued to Higuchi, “there’s no way he’s talking to himself! Who is he talking to?!”

L cast a side glance at Keiko’s ex-boyfriend, “if he’s talking to someone right now then it could be...a shinigami. Just a theory.”

At this, Keiko watched out of the corner of her eye as Misa shifted a little in her seat.

N-no way! If Misa’s uncomfortable right now, then that could mean that L’s right...does this mean that Misa already knew about the possible existence of shinigamis? If shinigamis actually exist then could they be somehow connected to Kira’s power?

“No Rem!” Higuchi was saying, “there’s no way I could do that. If I did, I’d only end up ruining myself. Even if I forgot the notebook, this Taro Matsui guy says he has proof to back up his claims. If he points out Yotsuba’s sudden growth then no one would doubt him. They’d believe whatever he told them. That means whoever he announces is Kira will be marked as Kira! Even if he didn’t have solid proof, my life would still be over.”

On the air, Matsuda called out to Kira, “Kira. This is your last chance. Turn yourself in!”

“He’s arrived at Yoshida Productions,” Light announced as Higuchi climbed out of his car.

The detective leaned forward, “that means the real show is about to begin.”

On screen, Higuchi walked towards the building. He punched in the security number, then headed towards the records department.

“The farthest desk in the back...the bottom drawer…” Higuchi muttered to himself. He fingered through the employee records, stopping when he reached Matsuda’s fake file. “Taichiro Yamashita, eh?”

“Ryuzaki-san,” Mogi’s voice came through, “I’m in position. I’m ready to restrain him once you give the order.”

“Right.” L replied. Although he was responding to Mogi, his eyes never once left Higuchi’s figure on the screen. It looked as though Higuchi had pulled out a notebook, taking a note of Matsuda’s alias. Once he was done, he calmly put the file back, and headed towards the exit.

“This is no good! He just wrote it down for later! Does this mean he’s not going to kill him here?” Light questioned.

Wait...didn’t he mention a notebook in the car? Could it just be he’s keeping note of everyone he’s killed?

“He’s leaving Yoshida Productions,” Mogi announced, “shall I restrain him?”

“Negative, we still don’t know how he kills...perhaps he’s planning to do something once he’s back in his car.” L turned towards Light, “let’s go back to camera one again.”

Light pressed a button on the computer, which showed Higuchi stepping foot back inside his car. He leaned back in his seat, turning the small t.v. in his car back on.

“He’s almost too calm,” Keiko murmured.

“Yes, you’re right,” L replied. “If he needed a name, then he should have taken the file with him...but he just put it back in the drawer.”

On the t.v., Matsuda spoke once more, “Kira is a murder. I can’t forgive him for what he’s done.”

At this, Higuchi gave a groan in frustration, punching the steering wheel in front of him. “Dammit! He didn’t die!!”

“What’s he talking about? Did he already try and kill him?” L questioned. “Was writing his name down all he had to to?”

Keiko watched as Light turned towards the detective. “What are we going to do now? Are we going to keep watching him? What if he can cause a death by just imagining it?”

If all he had to do was write in the notebook, then does that mean the notebook has some sort of killing power? No, no...that’s crazy. But so is being able to just imagine a death...how are we supposed to figure out how Kira kills at this rate?! If we can’t figure out how Kira kills, and if Light and Misa are the original two Kira, then...there’s no telling what’ll happen, especially to L.

“There’s only fifty minutes left until the big announcement!” The interviewer at Sakura t.v. announced, “please stay tuned until the very end to hear Kira’s identity!”

“Damn! I don’t have any more time!” Higuchi yelled out. He hastily grabbed his cell phone from his pocket. Moments later, Misa’s cell phone went off. Once again, Misa declined his call, making Higuchi groan in frustration.

“Rem,” Higuchi called out, “let’s make the deal.”

Light gave a small gasp. “‘The deal’...what’s he talking about? Who is this Rem? Could it really be that Kira’s power comes from another world or some being?”

“I really don’t want to think that’s the case,” L responded.

However, if that is the case, then is this Rem the source of Kira’s power?

“Then what is this Rem, Ryuzaki-san?”

“A shinigami? Whatever it is, we should probably keep watching. If we capture him now, we won’t get any information. We may still be able to find out how Kira kills.”

On screen, Higuchi sped away. While Mogi, Aiber, and Wedy were already after him, he also attracted the attention of a local traffic cop on a motorbike. The cop’s light flashed as he chased the man, “stop your car! Pull over at once!”

Shockingly enough to Keiko, Higuchi actually pulled over.

What is he doing…?

Wedy’s voice filled the room, “Higuchi’s been pulled over by a traffic cop. I’m going to have to pass him. I’ll leave this to Aiber and the others.”

“Roger that.”

The cop demanded to see Higuchi’s license and registration. Higuchi appeared to be taking his time with the officer’s request as he leisurely flipped through the papers in his car. A few moments later, Higuchi ditched the cop, speeding off once more.

“Higuchi ditched the cop! He’s driving away!” Mogi announced. A few seconds later, Mogi’s voice came through again, this time he sounded even more distressed. “That traffic cop...he just rear-ended a truck trying to catch up to Higuchi! I’m afraid he’s dead!”

“What?!” Light called out.

This isn’t going well at all...how did Higuchi manage to kill that cop even without knowing his full name?! And how was he able to kill him without doing anything? He was just rifling through his papers! If he had the power to kill without a name, then shouldn’t Matsuda be dead by now? What’s going on?!

“Rem…” Light muttered. “A deal…”

No way! Could this Rem have something to do with this? Is this Rem killing for Higuchi?! What sort of deal could that be?

“Everyone!” the detective’s voice rang through the room, “it’s too dangerous to let Higuchi act alone any longer! I think it’s time we capture him! He may have the same powers possessed by the Second Kira! If that’s true then he may be able to kill just by looking at someone’s face! Please keep this in mind as we proceed to move in and arrest him! Watari-san...please connect me with the director of the NPA…and Light-kun, please call your father.”

Light nodded, dialling the number, “dad? Yeah. It’s time to take measure seven.”

“Wha-? Wait a second!” the director’s eyebrows furrowed together, “where is this coming from all of the sudden?!”

“Can’t we just, like, fake kiss or something?” Misa whined.

The director threw his hands into the air, “you’re kidding! You can’t expect us to make a movie like that!”

“But, if I say no, then it’s a no. Okay?”

Matsuda closed his eyes a moment. Admittedly, he was only half listening to Misa’s antics. He was mostly focused on the fact that the Yotsuba Group’s Tokyo office was only a block or so away from where they were filming Misa’s movie. They had been filming for several days already, and all he could think about was, if only he were more brave, he could directly attempt to infiltrate the building.

All I want to do is help the investigation...

The young policeman let out a depressed sigh, thinking back to when he had attempted to lift the tension in the room during the double date.

“It’s nothing. Matuda’s being stupid again.”

“That’s his speciality.”

He hung his head, I want to help the investigation, but so far, I haven’t been able to do very much…

No, Touta Matsuda! You can’t think like that! And today’s Friday!

He thought back to the chief’s words, “...I noticed that all the deaths that are beneficial to Yotsuba appear to be concentrated around the weekend...they all seem to take place between Friday night and Saturday afternoon.”

The chief said he didn’t want to be dead weight...well, like the chief, I also don’t want to be dead weight, either! No, I can’t be dead weight! I want Ryuzaki and the others to see how beneficial to this case I can be! I don’t want to just do coffee runs and file papers for them. Matsuda took another sip of his coffee, Light and Keiko are both younger than me, but yet they’ve been able to contribute so much more to the case than me. They’re younger and a lot more talented than I am...no! Again, you can’t think like that! It’s time to stop moping around, Touta Matsuda! If you want to show your skills, you can’t do that sitting down. It’s time to take matters into your own hands!

Matsuda jumped from his spot on the park bench. He dumped his empty coffee cup into the nearest trash can, then took off in a sprint towards the Yotsuba building.

You can do this, Touta Matsuda! You can prove your worth!

/meanwhile/

Light’s POV:

Would I really punish evil-doers if I could kill just by seeing a person’s face and name? Is that what I would do if I had that sort of power? I admit, there are a lot of people that the world could frankly do without, but...I don’t think I’d become a murderer just to change the world...surely, I wouldn’t do that, right? No! Light, you’re thinking too hard about this. There’s no way one could murder so many people and not have any memory of it.

Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed Keiko running a hand through her hair. He looked over at her, watching as she read over the paper in front of her, and attempted to ignore the pang in his heart. There was no denying that he missed her.

But...because of Misa, my relationship with her was ruined...she caused a misunderstanding and messed things up between us. Keiko breaking with me might have hurt, but the fact that she no longer trusts me, thanks to Misa and this whole ongoing investigation, hurts me the most...and L.

Light looked over at the raven haired detective, L was dangling her right in front of me during that stupid date I was forced to go on. Knowing L, he’s can’t be romantically interested in her...so what was his motive? Was it all just a test? Well, that wouldn’t be too surprising, but if it was a test, it was a rather cruel one. Though, I suppose if his goal was to find out how I truly feel about Keiko, he surely accomplished that. well….I suppose it makes sense he’d want to test me on that. He wants to know if I truly loved her or if I was merely using her. I can understand that. But even so, Light thought back to the way L had intimately placed his hand on Keiko’s chin and let out a sigh.

Why would he touch her like that?! Logically, I know there’s no way that L would ever gain feelings for anyone, and I know that Keiko would never fall for someone as weird as him, but still, thinking about the two of them together upsets me. I don’t even want to think about that, not even hypothetically, it’s crazy and-

“What’s wrong, Light-kun?” L questioned, breaking through Light’s thoughts.

“H-huh?”

“You were staring at me,” L replied matter-of-factly. He was nonchalant, holding a plate of strawberry cake out in front of him. “Wait a moment, you’re annoyed because I’m the only one eating cake at the moment, aren’t you?”

“What?” Light was aghast. “No, that’s not it.”

What the-? Where’s this coming from? He had to know that I was thinking about him. Surely he’s just trying to annoy me on purpose right now.

“Here,” the detective held his plate out in front of Light. “I didn’t touch it yet. You can have it, if you’d like.”

Light shook his head, holding his hand out in front of him, “no thanks. That’s really not it, Ryuzaki-san.”

L sighed, “fine. It’s your loss, really.”

He was about to take a bite when his computer screen lit up with the letter ‘W’.

“Ryuzaki-san,” Watari called out.

Keiko’s POV:

Keiko, who had been trying to tune out L’s latest antics, gave up once she heard Watari’s voice projecting into the room.

“Yes?” L answered, “what is it, Watari-san?”

“Detective Eraldo Coil has just received a private request to investigate and reveal the identity of L.”

Eraldo...Coil? I remember hearing that name before...wait a moment…

“Wait a moment, isn’t Eraldo Coil the man who’s supposed to be the next greatest detective after L?” Keiko wondered out loud as she stood up from her chair. She walked over to where the monitors were sitting, taking a spot near L.

I’m still a bit upset with him...but I want to know what’s going on...once again, there goes my pride…

Light’s father crossed his arms, “who on earth would send such a request?”

“The man who sought out Coil’s services was identified as Masahiko Kida. Kida is the vice president of the rights and planning department of the Yotsuba Group,” Watari announced.

“So it is Yotsuba…” the chief muttered.

“If they want to know L’s identity then…” Keiko started, then she trailed off, unable to finish the sentence.

Light, however, finished the sentence for her, “if they want to know L’s identity then they probably want to kill him...they just need the name and face to do it.”

I couldn’t imagine a world without L, Keiko looked over at the raven haired detective. She bit her lip, deep in thought, despite how much he teases and frustrates me, I can’t deny that I have feelings for him. I wouldn’t want to live in a world without him around...personal feelings aside, he makes things more interesting. And, through working with him, I’ve managed to improve on my own investigative skills. Whether he realizes it or not, he’s taught me quite a bit.

“This isn’t good,” the chief let out a sigh, “we’re already shorthanded...and now we have to worry about Coil, too?”

L swiveled his chair around to face the rest of the Task Force. He glanced at everyone in the room, his gaze lingering a little while longer on Keiko as he said, “it’s alright...you don’t have to worry about that.”

Don’t worry?! How in the world can he say something like that? Kira’s going to great lengths to try and kill him! I might ‘hate’ him, but I certainly don’t want to lose him!

“The detective known as Eraldo Coil...is me.”

Keiko’s eyes widened at his sudden confession, what?!

“It’s quite simple, really,” L started, through bites of his cake. “Three of the world’s greatest detectives, L, Coil, and Deneuve….they’re all actually me. It’s been in my experience that people who try to find me usually fall for this.”

They’re all him? That’s impressive, you never cease to amaze me. Keiko almost smiled, then remembered she was supposed to be mad at the detective. Dammit! This is exactly it! He frustrates me, then makes it impossible for me to stay mad at him for very long...but that being said, I suppose it won’t be too long before he annoys me yet again...

“As expected, you’re always a few steps ahead of everyone else,” Light commented.

L picked the strawberry off his cake, “I’ll give you this strawberry if you keep this a secret.”

When no one took the strawberry from him, the detective turned towards Keiko, extending the strawberry towards her.

“For you,” he said simply.

Why’d he decide on me? Keiko wondered, a blush filling her cheeks, but she took the strawberry from him anyway. I almost doubt it, but...if this is some form of a late apology from him about the double date fiasco, I’ll take it. Though, he still has a long way to go to fully apologize.

/short timekskip/

“...and that’s what I was thinking as far as a game plan,” the detective announced.

“Alright,” the conman, Aiber, said after a moment. “So you just want me to get close to him? Well, leave that to me.”

The woman, Wedy, took a drag of her cigarette, “and you wanted me to breach the security systems and override the surveillance for Yotsuba’s Tokyo branch?”

L nodded, “yes. At this point, it’s safe to assume that Kira and Yotsuba are connected in some way. We are going to investigate Yotsuba to determine who currently holds Kira’s power, and if there’s more than one person who possesses this ability...the most important thing is that we cannot let anyone from Yotsuba figure out that they are being investigated. That being said, it would be wise not to act impulsively out of panic or haste. And definitely don’t take matters into your own hands.”

“Ryuzaki-san,” Watari’s voice cut through the room for the second time that day, “I have just received an emergency signal from Matsuda’s belt.”

L closed his eyes a moment. “Where is he?”

“It appears that the signal is coming from within the head office of the Yotsuba Group.”

“Well, I’m disappointed, but not surprised…Matsuda-san, you idiot,” Keiko heard the detective mutter. He turned around to face the rest of the Task Force, “alright...well...looks like I need to rethink our strategy so please, disregard everything I just said.”

“Mogi-san,” the detective looked over at the policeman, “may I borrow your cell phone, please? Yes...thank you very much.”

Keiko watched as L dialed Matsuda’s phone number then placed the cell phone on speakerphone.

“H-hello?” Matsuda tentatively responded.

“Yo! Matsui! It’s me, Asahi! It’s been a while, buddy!”

Uh. What? Am I hearing correctly? Did...did...the detective...just say yo? And...buddy?

“Oh, yeah. Uh, it sure has, Asahi!”

“It doesn’t sound like you’re out right now. Come on, it’s Friday night! Are you really home already?”

“Yeah, I’m home already…”

“So, you by yourself, then?”

“Yeah, I’m by myself...what’s up?”

The detective held the phone by his chest for a moment whispering, “it sounds as though Matsuda was acting alone...Misa Amane must not be with him.”

“Sooo,” the detective started, talking to Matsuda once more, “dooo you wanna, like, go out drinking tonight?”

Keiko had reached her limit. Despite the situation, the girl had to stifle a giggle at the ridiculous way that the detective was talking.

I know this isn’t the time or the place...but...he’s always so serious all the time...and to hear him talk like that...it’s hilarious. I doubt I’ll ever hear him speak those words again.

“Huh, right now? Oh, sorry. I’ll have to pass on that for tonight.”

“What? What’s the matter? Don’t tell me your wallet’s in trouble again.”

“Yeah, that’s right, haha. I’m in big trouble with money, you know me way too well, Asahi. I’m totally broke right now.”

Upon hearing that Matsuda was in trouble, Keiko sobered up, Matusda...what’re you doing right now?! We leave you alone with Misa Amane to shoot a movie for only a couple days...and you get yourself in trouble...

“That’s too bad. Guess I’ll just have to drag you out some other time, then. See ya, buddy. Speak soon.”

With that, L hung up. He turned towards Light, “could you please call Amane-san?”

“What are you planning on doing, Ryuzaki-san?” the chief questioned.

“Well…worst case scenario, if Masuda-san dies, our suspicions against Yotsuba Group would be confirmed...however, I don’t think they’ll kill him right away. That being said, let’s just watch the situation for a while.”

/slight timeskip/

The ringing of Light’s cell phone broke through the silence. Light fished the phone out of his pocket, “it’s Misa…hello, Misa-chan...wait...listen to me. You’re not with Matsuda-san at the moment, are you?...I figured as much…h-huh?”

Light removed the phone from his ear a moment, “she said she's getting a call on her work phone from Matsuda-san!”

The detective glanced over at Keiko’s ex-boyfriend, “please, tell her to place the phone so that we can listen in as well.”

Light nodded, instructing Misa to do as L said.

“Misa Misa!” Matsuda’s voice filled the room, “when you’ve finished filming, please come over to Yotsuba Group’s main Tokyo office! It’s still tentative, but there’s a chance you may be able to appear in their commercials!”

“What?” was Misa’s rather shrill reply, “are you for real?! That’s amazing, Matsui-san! So that’s what you’ve been up to. Don’t worry, we’re wrapping up filming soon…”

“Great!” Matsuda replied, “it’s just a short trip by taxi.”

With that, Misa’s phone call with Matsuda was finished, and Light hung up the phone with Misa as well. The Task Force, Keiko included, looked over at L, who was deep in thought.

“We may be able to save Matsuda-san,” the detective announced after a moment, “however, we won’t be able to do it unless we have Misa Amane’s help...Light-kun, I’m sure she’ll listen to you, right? She did say she was willing to do anything for you. And…” L’s dark eyes met Keiko’s, “Kagami-san, we’ll need your skills as well.”

M-me?! Keiko’s heart pounded in her chest.

“I know you’re probably still upset with me, Kagami-san...and I’m truly sorry for upsetting you...but we really need your help...I really need your help. You’re the best person to oversee the task I have in mind. I need your skills...perhaps….can I count on you?”

He’s….sorry? He...needs my help? The world’s greatest detective is counting on me? And he apologized? She carefully inspected him, he’s serious...I haven’t seen L looking this serious in a while...

Keiko nodded, looking into the detective’s eyes once more, “yes. You can count on me, Ryuzaki-san.”

/timeskip/

Keiko tugged down on her mini skirt for what she felt like was the hundredth time that night. Unfortunately for her, the reception party had yet to even start. To make matters worse, the crop top she was wearing was showed far too much cleavage for her taste. With her midriff and long legs exposed, the girl felt like she was almost naked.

This is probably the most scandalous outfit I’ve ever worn in my life! And to think, it’s for something like this...

Upon hearing the door starting to open, Keiko got in position with the other girls from Misa’s agency.

Looks like it’s go time! She plastered a smile on her face, Keiko Kagami, you can do this! L’s counting on you to make sure everything tonight runs smoothly...

“Good evening!” The girls from Misa’s agency, and Keiko, chimed once the men from Yotsuba had entered the room. Keiko noted that there were eight of them in total, all dressed to the nines in black business suits.

Eight executive members...if Kira is truly someone from Yotsuba Group, then it’s highly likely that it’s one of them...

“We’re all very pleased to meet you all,” Misa walked over to the group of men, a wide grin on her face, “tonight we’ll all be entertaining you. There’s food and alcohol served on the living room table. I hope you guys will let loose and enjoy yourselves.”

Matsuda gave an awkward laugh, running a hand through his dark hair, “y-yes. Please have fun everyone!”

L’s POV:

L surveyed the scene through the hidden cameras, all according to the plan so far…just a little while longer, and it should be time for Matsuda to be getting a hold of me...

He watched as Misa leaned over, whispering something to the man sitting beside her. The detective identified him as Reiji Namikawa. On the other side of Misa sat Suguru Shimura, who took another swig of alcohol.

“Man, Suguru started, leaning in towards the blonde, “you girls really know how to throw a party, this is heaven.”

“Hmm,” L muttered to himself  as Misa gave Suguru a flirty grin, “she appears to be pretty good at this out of thing.”

However, how’s Keiko holding up?

The detective scanned the room for the girl, who was sandwiched between a pensive-looking Shingo Mido and Kyosuke Higuchi, who had been raving on about their company’s previous successes.

“Oh, wait,” Keiko started, taking an empty cup out of Higuchi’s hands, “before you go on, this is a celebration, you should have more to drink.”

“Thank you,” Higuchi winked at the girl, his hand finding its way to her inner thigh. He rested it there while she refilled his drink. “If a pretty lady tells me I should drink some more, I’ll certainly do it.”

Upon seeing this, L’s eyes narrowed at the man, anger burning through him. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Light stiffening up as well.

I’ll be keeping an eye on you, Kyosuke Higuchi...you’d better watch yourself. If you attempt to go any farther, I’ll somehow make you pay for it later on.

Although it was only for a brief second, the detective had noticed how Keiko froze up at Higuchi’s touch. However, she had quickly regained her smile, pretending that all was well.

Despite the front you’ve put up, I can tell you’re more than uncomfortable with the situation...I’m so sorry to be putting you through this, Keiko Kagami, but you’re the only one available with my trust that fits the role and can make sure that the plan runs smoothly. Please be patient, it’ll only be a little while longer.

As if on cue, Matsuda slipped up from his spot on the couch. He slid with drunken steps towards the door, slipping Misa’s cell phone off of the table and into his pocket, “‘s’cuse m-me, I need to go to the restroom.”

Despite his sudden announcement, the room continued on with mindless chatter. No one was paying any attention to Matsuda. The detective watched as Matsuda took his chance to leave the room. He ran down the hallway into the bathroom, locked himself inside a stall, and then punched in the number for the Task Force.

“Ryuzaki-san,” Matsuda said through the phone, are you watching?”

“Yes.”

The detective watched as the young policeman breathed a deep sigh of relief, “look I’m so sorr-”

“That’s not important right now, Matsuda-san.”

“You’re right...listen to me, the eight men who came here had a meeting to determine who they would get Kira to kill for them.”

At this, L heard a gasp from Light’s father. Both the detective and Light, however, remained expressionless.

“I heard them say it clearly,” Matsuda went on, “there’s no doubt in my mind, they’ve gotta be behind this. One of them is more than most likely Kira.”

“Yes, you’re probably right...but, if you overheard them, then they should be trying to kill you.”

“I-is there anything I can do?” Matsuda stuttered out.

“Luckily for us, you’re still alive. I believe that there is a way to save you...but listen to me very closely, you must die before they kill you,” the detective announced.

“What?! R-Ryuzaki-san-!”

“As I said,” L interrupted, “listen to me very carefully…here’s what you’ll have to do…”

Keiko’s POV:

“...and that’s how our company is still expanding, even today.”

Keiko internally gagged, how much longer is he going to talk about himself and the company? How big is his ego?

Luckily for Keiko, Higuchi had removed his hand from her thigh as soon as she handed him back his cup. However, he still made it a point to unnecessarily brush up against her while going on and on about Yotsuba.

He’s absolutely disgusting and full of himself, but I can’t break character despite how uncomfortable I am...L and the others are watching from afar. I can’t let them down, she looked over at Misa, who appeared to be having fun herself, how does she do it? I have to admit, Misa’s a natural at this...I’ve been having to follow her lead this whole time.

The sound of someone slamming the door open interrupted her thoughts. Keiko looked over towards the source of the sound.

It’s Matsuda! He’s back! Thank goodness! That must mean that it’s time to put the plan into action!

Keiko watched as the young policeman stumbled back into the room, his face flushed and his speech slurred, “heyeveryone. Maaaaan, I’m sodrunk.”

He commanded the attention of everyone in the room, waving his hands around as he walked towards the balcony, “is everyone havin’ fuuun? ...thass great, I’mso glad.”

“What’s he doing?” someone called out as Matsuda slid the sliding door, stepping out into the cool night.

“I have it! The thing you’veall been waiting for! It’s the Taro Matsui show!”

With that, Matsuda started to position himself on the ledge of the balcony.

“What’re you doing?! Suguru called out, jumping off from his spot on the couch in concern,“get offa there!”

“He’s insane!” another Yotsuba executive chimed in as Matsuda fully stepped up on the ledge.

“Yaaay!” Misa’s shrill voice rang out against the crowd forming by the balcony, “you can do it! Go Matsu!”

“Yeah, go Matsu!” Keiko cried out as well, though her heart was pounding like crazy in her chest.

I know I have to trust L but...what if something goes wrong? No, no, you can’t think like that. Everything will be okay.

“But he’s drunk!” Reiji motioned towards where Matsuda was currently balancing, “and that’s dangerous!”

“Iss alright,” Matsuda shot everyone a grin, “Ialwaysdothis.”

That being said, the young policeman took a couple drunken steps forwards, arms balancing him out at his sides. Once that was done, he attempted to balance himself, hands first, on the ledge. He was only successful for a couple of seconds before plunging down into the dark of the night, letting out a scream as he did so.

As soon as Keiko heard the thud on the ground, she scrambled towards the window, double checking to make sure everything went according to plan. She breathed out a sigh of relief when she noticed that the body laying on the ground didn’t quite fit Matsuda’s body type.

Thank goodness. It isn’t him...which means everything went according to plan...now it’s time for phase two.

Everyone around her was in a frenzy, but Keiko and Misa headed towards the middle of the room, ready to command their attention.

Misa cupped her hands around her mouth. “It’ll be okay!” she announced, “the agency will take care of this.”

“What? But-” Reiji started.

“Just leave this for us to take care of,” Keiko interrupted, “as Misa-chan said, the agency will take care of this. You should go, everyone.”

“It’ll be okay,” Misa repeated, “we’ll handle this. But, please, still be sure to consider me for the commercial!”

“You don’t need to tell me again,” Mido said, walking over towards the door, “if they say they’ll handle it then we shouldn’t worry. Anyway, we really should get going. Just think, if the press sees this, they’ll have a field day. It’ll be bad news for the company’s stocks.”