Keiko’s POV:

“I have to admit,” Keiko said, peering over her shoulder at the blonde haired girl, “I didn’t expect that you were going to call me to hang out with you one on one like this.”

Not only that I didn’t expect it, I didn’t even want to see your face ever again...ugh, why am I so dumb? I can’t believe that I got myself stuck in this situation, now I’ll be trapped with her for who knows how long while she shops.

Keiko hadn’t expected that she would willingly agree to spend her free day with Misa Amane. In her defense, Keiko had only agreed to see Misa because she was too caught off guard to say no when she had reached out to her the other day, which lead her to be in her current situation. The two were walking together in the middle of a well known shopping district, passing by all sorts of fancy stores and street vendors.

“Oh really? Why not, Keiko-chan?” Misa replied, she had stopped in the middle of the sidewalk to inspect a short, gothic styled black dress just like the one she was already wearing that was hanging up in a store window.

She clearly already owns a lot of outfits like that, is she seriously thinking about buying another one? Amazing…I can’t believe it, what kind of budget does she have to buy clothes like that all of the time?

Keiko bit her lip, taking a moment to recollect her thoughts. Spending time thinking about Misa’s wardrobe would not be helpful in the situation at hand.

She was trying to figure out the best way to go about saying what was on her mind, “uh...well, you see...the other day, you didn’t seem that interested in getting to know me. In fact, I could almost go as far as saying that I got the feeling you didn’t even like me, but my boyfriend on the other hand…”

Or rather, all you were interested in the other day was getting to know my boyfriend, and probably because I’m his girlfriend, you pretended like I didn’t even exist. Which was quite rude...also the fact that I don’t think we have anything in common with each other, unless you count an apparent shared interest in Light Yagami.

Misa waved her hand and flashed a smile at Keiko, “oh come on! What gave you that idea, silly?”

Oh come on now, is this girl serious right now? There’s no way she could be this stupid, she has to be just playing dumb with me on purpose, right? Ugh this is so frustrating!

Keiko scrutinized the girl, looking for any sort of malice in the other girl’s expression. When she found none, she sighed, getting even more annoyed.

What is this? I can’t believe it, she actually gave me a genuine smile this time...is this her attempt to start over with me? Or is she just playing dumb on purpose? Well, if she’s playing dumb then she’s putting on a good act. Usually there’s some sort of sign, a twitching of the fingers perhaps, but with her, there’s nothing. Not even a single hint of insincerity.

Keiko closed her eyes a moment, deep in thought. After a moment, she opened them again, looking over at Misa to see if she had missed anything. However, Misa was still standing there, an innocent look on her face. She truly looked clueless.

You’ve gotta be freaking kidding me! If this was just an act, then there’s no way she could have kept a straight face for this long...so she’s actually clueless, or she wants me to think that she is. Well, either way, if she’s going to try and be nice to me today, then I really can’t be rude to her, no matter how much I might want to be, no matter how much she might annoy me. I have to try and be the bigger person here...however, I can’t really answer her question without sounding a little rude. There’s just no avoiding that. After all, she was nothing but rude to me the other day, and I have to explain her behavior to her if I want things to change in the future.

Keiko tried her best to carefully phrase her response to Misa’s question, “well...I mean, let’s see...you...you didn’t really attempt to start a conversation with me the other day. Instead you sorta acted like I didn’t exist, focusing all of your attention on my boyfriend. I couldn’t even get a word in. I felt invisible.”

Great, now I sound like a bitter, jealous girlfriend...but in all honesty, that’s sorta what I am at this moment in time. It was pretty clear to me that Misa was into Light, no matter what she might try to say to me about that today. It usually doesn’t bother me this much...a lot of girls are into my boyfriend, but in this case, it’s different...because, you don’t go to lunch with someone and openly flirt with them while their girlfriend is also present! ...especially if you don’t even acknowledge said girlfriend’s existence! That’s awfully impolite, in girl language, it’s like begging for a war to break out. If she truly wants to start over with me, she can’t ever so something like that again.

Misa’s POV:

Wow being nice to this girl sure is going to be hard! She keeps on calling Light her boyfriend! Well, I suppose she is, but that should be me next to him, not her! Ugh...just remember Misa, you’re doing this for Light...it’s all for him. Like he said, I just have to play nice with her until I make him fall for me...hopefully that won’t take too much longer.

Misa gave Keiko another one of her famous smiles, one she usually reserved specifically for her fans, to buy her a couple more seconds of time. She knew that she had to think of something believable to say to Light’s girlfriend, and fast. Even though she was a rather adept actress, her little clueless act couldn’t last forever. No matter how good she was at it, because her patience was threatening to wear thin, she had to think of something else.

...I can’t slip up now! I have to make Light proud of me...no, I will make Light proud of me! This is all for him...ugh, the great lengths I have to go...well it’ll be well worth it in the end, when I myself become Light’s girlfriend.

“Keiko-chan,” Misa started, she brushed a few loose strands of hair away from her face before suddenly bowing a little in Keiko’s direction, “I’m sorry I came across as being rude! I figured, since Light-kun was the one who invited me to eat with you two, that I should be extra attentive to him...I didn’t want him to think I was being ungrateful or anything.”

Misa glanced up, inspecting Keiko’s face, which was scrunched up in a deep concentration. It was quiet for a few seconds, and Misa thought that the anticipation was going to kill her.

Well, did she buy it?

Light’s girlfriend swallowed hard before finally replying, “uh, apology accepted...I guess...that makes sense…but still, that doesn’t really explain why you wanted to hang out with me today? You barely even know me. I mean you could’ve the other day...if you had only tried...”

Misa sighed and straightened herself out.

To be honest, I would much rather just kill you here and now rather than hang out with you, that way I could have Light all to myself, but I can’t let you know that...so I have to think of something...

“Okay…” she started, drawing a breath, “to be completely honest with you, I don’t have very many friends that are girls, so I never really know how to converse with them, which was also why I didn’t speak to you the other day. I’m just a lot more comfortable talking to boys. As far as today goes, I wanted to go shopping, but of course, I need a second opinion before I can buy anything, and I can’t invite a guy along, he’d be bored to tears. So I thought of you. I know I don’t know you that well, but hey, what better way to get to know a person than to go clothes shopping with them...that’s okay with you, right, Keiko-chan?”

I have to admit, that part about not having that many friends is actually is true...girls don’t like being my friend for some reason. But she can’t know that I love Light right now, I just have to make her think it was all just a misunderstand the other day. She can’t be suspicious of me, that would really ruin things.

Keiko’s POV:

Keiko carefully watched Misa’s face as she spoke, still looking for anything suspicious. However, she found nothing. While what she was saying was all coming out of left field, she had yet to find any ill intention behind her words. Of course, her not being suspicious could be suspicious on its own, but she figured that Misa was too thick to truly be a threat to her. The girl didn’t exactly come across as being an evil genius.

Ugh...to be honest, I really would rather not spend time with you, Misa Amane, especially since you were so rude to me before...however, since you are being completely honest with me, and it appears that you mean well this time, I suppose I should give you a second chance...even though we don’t even have a compatible fashion sense...

“Uhhh,” Keiko awkwardly started, “in that case, I guess that’s alright. However...” she trailed off, looking Misa straight in the eyes, to let her know she meant business.

But, there’s still one more thing before we hang out…whether she realizes it or not, she’s interested in Light. However, Light and I are boyfriend and girlfriend, and if this girl truly wants to be my friend, then she will just have to accept that...I can be forgiving, but there’s only so much I can take. So I have to get that point across to her...

“What is it, Keiko-chan?” Misa asked, giving her a wide eyed look, “what’s on your mind?”

Keiko stepped closer to Misa until the two were only a couple feet away from each other.

“I realize I will sound a little bitter, so I’m sorry in advance…” Keiko flashed an apologetic look towards Misa, “but honestly I was a little uncomfortable with how much attention you were giving my boyfriend the other day...you see, I really like Light-kun. I had a pretty bad impression of you the first time we met because I thought that you were into him…of course, with what you told me now, I realize you were just trying to be friendly...however, now that you know that it bothered me, I know that you won’t do it again.”

There, perfect. Subtle, but still forceful. In other words, it gets the point across while still being diplomatic.

Feeling rather powerful, Keiko continued on, “after all, this is a fresh start for us...I wouldn’t want anything to ruin that…”

Keiko gave Misa a friendly smile, leaning her arm up against the wall of the building beside her.

“R-right, a fresh start,” Misa repeated, looking over at Keiko with an unreadable expression on her face, “so that means there’s a lot more to come...heheh.”

Her tone was friendly, but a sudden chill washed over Keiko as Misa spoke. Perhaps it was just because the wind happened to be picking up, but it made Keiko waver a little bit, taking the little bit of power she still felt along with it.

Did I just make the right decision to start things over with Misa? Or should I never have given her a second chance…?

L’s POV:

L took a bite of his cake, thinking over the report that Mogi had given him earlier, hmm...what’s this? According to Mogi, another girl entered the picture…while it was just a chance meeting, them running into each other, I still cannot overlook it. I can’t overlook anything currently happening in Light Yagami’s life, especially not an event like this.

He shifted slightly in his chair, closing his eyes in hopes that he would be able to think more clearly.

After all, despite how nice Light Yagami may be, why would he bother to invite a girl he just met to lunch with him and his girlfriend? Or invite her over to his house the following evening? I suppose it could have just been a distraction...or perhaps it was just an innocent lunch, followed by an innocent evening of hanging out together...but still, it’s suspicious…I suppose that Light could be cheating on Kagami-san with this other girl they met, that could make sense, but it doesn’t seem to fit Light’s personality. With Light’s personality, it’s more likely that he’d be Kira. in fact, that is what makes the most sense. So, if Light is Kira, then there is a very high possibility that girl is the Second Kira. Either way, it would make sense as to why Light would want this girl to be friends with his girlfriend...that way, whether Light is truly Kira, or cheating on her for this girl, she wouldn’t suspect them.

“Yagami-san,” L opened his eyes and lazily glanced over at Light’s father, “if I die within the next few days...then please know that means your son is Kira.”

Mr. Yagami angrily stood up from his chair, his hand balled up in a fist by his side. His nostrils flared, and he shot an accusatory look at the detective.

“W-what did you just say, Ryuzaki-san?!” he demanded, Light’s father was turning redder by the second, and there was a vein threatening to pop in his forehead. It was clear that he was trying hard to hold back.

“Yeah, that’s what I wanna know too!” Matsuda chimed in, also standing up, “what are you even talking about?! So this means, after all this time, you still suspect him?!”

L took another bite of his cake before calmly continuing on, “honestly? Yes. There is still a chance in my eyes that your son, Kagami-san’s boyfriend, is Kira. So, that being said, if anything happens to me, I’ve asked Watari-san to make himself available to you. If that were to happen, I’d be counting on you to continue with the investigation by arresting your son, no matter how hard that might be for you.”

“Ryuzaki-san! D-don’t you dare even talk like that!” Mr. Yagami took a couple steps forward, making it so he was face to face with the detective, “you said before that Light was pretty much cleared of suspicion, and now all of a sudden you’re telling me this?! You must know how frustrating this is to me...and I just want the truth from you...honestly, how much do you still suspect my son?!”

L gave a slight laugh as he looked up at the Chief Yagami, “you want me to tell the truth...well, the truth is, I don’t even know what to think anymore,” he admitted.

He gave a deep sigh before continuing on, “I have never been in a situation like this before. If Kira and the Second Kira are working together right now, then things aren’t looking too good for me. In other words, I would be in big trouble...given that, I might not be thinking as clearly as I normally do, so I could be wrong...maybe I still consider him a suspect simply because we don’t have anyone else...but still, if I do happen to die soon, please assume that your son is Kira. At that point, that would be the most logical explanation.”

I have to admit, even though I would love to be right about this, a small part of me doesn’t want Light to be Kira. After all, I suppose I sort of consider him a friend now. And it would be upsetting to have a mass murderer as a friend...however, him being Kira is the only thing that makes the most sense to me...

L rested his head on his knees, watching the rest of the Task Force as his words sank in. Light’s father had retreated back to his original seat, but he was still visibly upset.

On the off chance that I am right, and Light Yagami is Kira...how far would be he be willing to go in order to achieve his ideal world? I know that Kira wants to get rid of me because I am the biggest threat to him right now, but once I’m gone...what will happen to everyone else who is investigating him? Will he leave them be, because the rest of the Task Force all suspect he’s innocent? Or, would he go so far as to kill his own father, or his girlfriend, if it came down to that? Light would never be able to do that, but Kira would without even batting an eyelash. So which one is he? Hopefully I can figure that out before I die...in the meantime, I have no choice but to make a sneak attack...it can’t be helped. After all, this is all just a wager now.

/timeskip/

Light’s POV:

Up until he spotted a certain detective sitting in that odd way of his on the bench, with his knees drawn up against his chest and nose stuck in a book, Light had been having a good day.

After all, he had every reason up until that point to celebrate because it looked like Misa had successfully started gaining his girlfriend’s friendship. The two went clothes shopping the other day, and today, rather than spending her free time after classes with Light, Keiko had informed him that she had made plans with Misa to grab coffee together.

That and the fact that he would soon be able to get rid of the infamous L once and for all. With Kira and the Second Kira finally teaming up together, L was essentially toast just waiting to get burned.

However, when Light saw L, his blood ran cold and his good mood was gone. He knew that nothing good was about to come out of this interaction, he could feel it in his bones.

Light stopped dead in his tracks, inspecting L, his eyes becoming narrow slits.

“Oh, hey, Light-kun!” L cheerfully called out, peering over the book he was holding, “how’s it going?!”

Dammit, you’re probably here to try and trick me into revealing myself, aren’t you? You want to catch me off guard...well, too bad for you I know what game you’re trying to play at. I know you want me to admit that I’m Kira, and that I’ve worked out a plan with the Second Kira to eliminate you...but it won’t work. I won’t crack that easily.

Light quickly changed his expression into one of concern as he walked over to the detective, eliminating the space between the two of them, “Ryuga, is it really okay for you to be here like this? Didn’t you say that you were afraid to appear out in public?”

“I did,” the detective admitted, setting down the book next to him, “but I realized...as long as you’re not Kira, I have nothing to worry about. I should be safe.”

He stopped a moment, motioning for Light to sit down. Seeing no other option, Light took a seat next to him.

Now satisfied, L continued on, “you see, the fact is you and Kagami-san are the only ones here on the outside that know me as L. I already know for a fact that Keiko-chan isn’t Kira, and like I said, as long as you aren’t Kira, then I’m completely safe. However, in the unlikely event that I die within the next few days, I have instructed your father and everyone else at headquarters to assume that you are Kira.”

W-what? Damn him! I expected him to question me, another test of my abilities, not for him to tell me something like this! He’s deliberately cornered me so I can’t make any sudden moves! He’s distracting me from my goal of getting rid of him!

Light fought to keep his face neutral, as he knew that L was carefully scrutinizing every move he made.

“Besides,” L added, “as long as I don’t die, coming here would be worth it. To-Oh University is a pretty fun place to be, there are so many interesting people here...like you, Light-kun...and Keiko-chan...speaking of which, where is that girlfriend of yours? I thought you two were joined at the hip.”

Light chuckled, “very funny, Ryuga. I must say, you have quite the sense of humor...anyway, I’m afraid my girlfriend won’t be joining us. She’s out with a friend of hers.”

“Ah, so would this be Maki-chan or Akito-chan, her high school friends? I know she hasn’t seen either of them in ages…” L started, but then he smirked a little, looking straight into Light’s eyes.

“Hmm...perhaps, could it be...she’s made a new friend recently? After all, people say that you meet lots of new people while studying away at university…” L’s thumb wandered near his mouth, and Light knew that the detective was still deliberately trying to make him slip up.

This confirms it, he already knows of Misa Amane’s existence...he knows that my girlfriend and I quite literally ran into her a few days ago, he maybe even knows that she was at my house that same evening. He certainly knows that Misa’s become Keiko’s friend recently. He’s trying to find reason to suspect that she could be the Second Kira...however, I won’t give him anything to work with. I’ve been very careful in concealing Misa’s true identity. I can’t throw that all away now.

Light considered his next words carefully, “well, now that you mention it...the other day, when Keiko-chan and I were out taking a walk, I happened to quite literally run into someone...considering she had her lunch box in her hands, I made quite the mess on the ground. So, to make up for spilling her lunch, my girlfriend and I invited her to eat lunch with us...that’s who Keiko-chan’s with right now, we bonded when we ate lunch together that day.”

“I see,” L commented, “well how...interesting, Light-kun...from what I recall, you aren’t normally that clumsy.”

“Well no I’m not. You’re right, Ryuga,” Light laughed a little, running a hand through his hair, “but I was a little distracted by my girlfriend at the time…”

“Hmm...well...I can see why, Kagami-san’s a very distracting person,” L smirked, looking over at Light with a glint in his eyes, “so I can’t blame you there.”

Dammit, a distracting person?! And just what does he mean by calling my girlfriend that?! It’s like he knows exactly what to say to piss me off.

Light could feel himself getting rather irritated with the detective. All he wanted was to give him some sort of sarcastic remark, maybe even slap him.

Even though he still denied any feelings for Keiko, Light didn’t like the way that L was talking about his girlfriend. It was almost too much for him to handle.

However, before Light had a chance to respond, L suddenly stood up.

He flashed Light an innocent smile, acting like his little comment before hadn’t happened, which infuriated him even more,“anyway, since I’m here, would you like to play another game of tennis?”

Light forced a pleasant smile, “sure, Ryuga. That’d be fun...but be prepared to lose again.”

A chuckle escaped the detective’s mouth, “don’t be so arrogant, Light-kun…you never know, I could end up winning.”

“I suppose you’re right,” Light laughed a little, “I guess we’ll just have to see what happens.”