Day Two of Surveillance

L’s POV:

“Hey...Mr. Stalker,” Misa suddenly started. Ryuzaki lazily cast a glance in her monitor’s direction, watching her carefully, looking for anything suspicious as she finished her thought, “I really want to take a bath...I’m fairly positive you already know where I live, don’t you? After all, I wouldn’t be here if you didn’t...so could you please bring me some clean clothes? It’s been days since I last bathed...I feel so disgusting right now...”

So, still you’re still refusing to cooperate with the investigation, huh? How long are you going to keep up with this little stalker act?

“Please, Mr. Stalker,” Misa continued on in a pleading tone, “even if you don’t get me some of my own clothes, as long as you at least give me a bath, I will wear whatever outfit you want me to. After all, there must be some sort of outfit you want to see me in. You want to dress Misa Misa up, don’t you? You pervert…”

At Misa’s words, the corners of L’s lips turned upwards into a slight smirk, “so...I’m still a pervert to you, huh?”

“And just when I thought the situation couldn’t get any more bizarre,” Aizawa commented, his hands on his hips.

“Well...that’s enough of that,” L murmured, flipping through the channels so that he could get a glance of Soichiro Yagami. Light’s father had only been in confinement for a day, but yet he already looked pretty worn out. His face was furrowed, and he looked deep in thought. It was clear that he was quite concerned about his son.

“He isn’t looking so good...I feel so sorry for the chief right now,” Matsuda gave a sigh, “this investigation must really be taking a toll on him.”

“This investigation is taking quite a toll on all of us, Matsuda-san,” Aizawa replied. L imagined that the policemen was probably thinking about his wife and young daughter at home, “it’s just hitting him the hardest.”

After a moment of watching the chief, L shifted the monitors once more so that Light was on screen. He was sitting in front of his bed on the floor. His light brown hair was covering up most of his face so that his eyes were hidden.

The detective studied light a moment, and then decided to make his presence known, “Light Yagami.”

As soon as Light heard the detective’s voice, his head snapped up. He immediately looked towards the camera in the corner of the his little cell, his eyes widened. It was clear that he was desperate for some news.

“R-Ryuzaki-san, please talk to me...what’s happening? Have any new criminals been identified so far? Anything that Kira would be likely to target? And if so, have any of them been killed?” Light called out.

“Hmm…” L raised an eyebrow, “in fact, quite a few criminals names have been broadcasted the last couple days...but since you’ve been detained, we haven’t had a single report of anyone being killed by Kira. Now...in't that fascinating?”

He watched as Light’s face scrunched up, “wait...no one’s been killed? Are you sure, Ryuzaki-san?”

“Yes, I’m sure,” L replied tartily, “as I said, since you’ve been apprehended, there haven’t been any new Kira victims.”

Light let out a deep sigh, looking rather forlorn, “I see...so I assume it’s only a matter of time before I’m convicted of being Kira.”

“I wouldn’t say that quite yet, Light-kun. After all, it’s only been two days. However, that does raise my suspicions of you,” L responded.

“Well I suppose that’s only fair given the situation...but you’re right, Ryuzaki-san, at this point, anything could happen,” Light rolled his head back so that it was resting on the bed, “I’ll just have to continue waiting.”

“Yes,” L muttered quietly, “we’ll all be waiting…”

Even though the detective kept his usual composure while speaking with Light, he had to admit he himself was a little baffled at the current situation. It wasn’t what he was expecting at all. In fact, he had expected the opposite.

L rested his thumb near his mouth, his eyes were glued to Light Yagami.

What’s going on here? I thought that the murders would continue, even after I had Light confined...instead, they’ve stopped completely...hmm...Light was the one who asked to be confined in the first place. If this continues, it’ll only strengthen the argument that he is Kira. the only question left at that point would be whether or not he was conscious of his actions while being Kira. Does he really think that’s going to work? Does he think that he will be let off the hook if he can just prove that he wasn’t conscious of being Kira?

The detective shook his head.

No way...that can’t be. It’s not like Light Yagami...no, even more, it’s not like Kira to do something like that...so what’s going to happen next, I wonder?

Keiko’s POV:

Keiko Kagami wasn’t normally one who would wear a fake smile. Whether she liked it or not, her emotions were usually always on display. However, the whole day she was at home, and perhaps the last day she would spend at home for days, maybe even months, she was careful that her true emotions didn’t show through. She wore that fake smile all day, despite the fact that all she wanted to do was break down and cry. It was all for her mother’s sake, of course. There was no way she wanted to let on that anything was amiss.

She was worried because she thought that if her mother had some sort of clue as to how she was really feeling, she would somehow try to stop her from leaving on that “study abroad program”. Of course, Kotoko Kagami had no idea that her daughter wasn’t really leaving on a school trip. She had no idea that her daughter was investigating the Kira case, the most dangerous case in history, and Keiko wanted to keep it that way.

While Kotoko knew that her daughter wanted to follow along in her father’s footsteps and become a detective, she was still in the dark. Keiko knew that her mother did all she could to support her dreams, but she also knew that her mother didn’t want her to do anything that would endanger her life, no matter what.

After all, since she had lost her husband, her daughter was all she had left. This was why Keiko didn’t tell her mother she was working on the Kira case.

Instead, she told her mother that she was buckling down on her studies especially now that she was a university student. With the sudden “study abroad program scholarship”, her excuse was pretty believable. As long as her mother didn’t find out the truth, Keiko would be okay.

Besides, there was no way that Keiko could leave the Kira investigation. Not now, not when she was so emotionally invested in it.

While Keiko’s mother didn’t like the idea of Keiko leaving so suddenly, she also didn’t argue it too much. To her, Keiko was a university student that was capable of making her own choices, even if she didn’t personally like the choices all that much.

Keiko sighed as she thought on the events that took place earlier that day. Her mother had bombarded her with questions as soon as she headed downstairs and into the kitchen.

“A representative from To-Oh University called earlier today, he told me his name was Watari-san. He told me everything...so...why didn’t you tell me about this study abroad scholarship program sooner?” Her mother had asked her, the phone was still in her hand, and there was a hard look in her eyes.

Keiko gulped, thinking carefully about what to say. There was no way she could say what she really wanted to say of course.

‘Because the scholarship study abroad program doesn’t really exist. Because I’m really investigating the Kira case. Because I’m lying to you about everything.’ Those were all things that ran through her mind.

Think Keiko Kagami, think, she thought to herself.

“Because I didn’t want to hurt your feelings by I telling you I wanted to go away for a long time,” Keiko finally settled on saying after a long moment.

Even though almost everything else that Keiko and Watari had said had been a lie, that part was actually true. It just wasn’t the whole truth. Keiko was certain that if her mother knew the whole truth, she would try to stop her her.

Upon hearing her daughter’s response, Kotoko’s hard gaze on her daughter softened considerably, “Keiko…”

While her mother hadn’t exactly been thrilled at the prospect of Keiko going away for a while, she agreed that the study abroad program would benefit her daughter’s education.

“As long as that boyfriend of yours, Light-kun, is around, I know that you will be in good hands. He’s a good guy, he should be able to protect you in case a situation arises,” her mother had told her later on that day while the two were packing up Keiko’s things, placing everything in her floral suitcase.

It was hard lying to her mother like this. Keiko had to bite her lip in order to hide her true feelings.

There was no easy way she could tell her mother that Light Yagami had been apprehended under the suspicion that he could be Kira. If L concluded that her ex-boyfriend really was Kira, then he definitely wouldn’t be the good guy that her mother thought he was. At that point, Keiko wouldn’t need to be under his protection, instead she would have to be protected from him.

The thought of Light being Kira scared her, so she tried not to think of it. However, even though Keiko tried to brush these kinds of thoughts away, they were still there in the back of her mind. No matter what she did, it seemed she couldn’t keep them away.

By some miracle, she managed to go the whole day without her mother noticing that something was wrong. It was only when Keiko was getting ready for bed later on that evening that she allowed herself to feel the full effect of everything that had happened in the past week or so. Her room had welcomed her, allowed her to let her guard down. She was finally free to let out all the emotions she had kept locked inside of her for so long.

Of course, she had locked her door and made sure that her mother couldn’t hear her as she cried. There was no easy way to tell her mother that she was crying because she didn’t know when she would be home next, that she was crying because everything that she and Watari told her had been a lie.

She wasn’t going on a school study abroad program, she wasn’t even going to school anymore for the time being. Not to mention the fact that Light Yagami was actually now her ex-boyfriend and the famous detective L’s prime suspect in the Kira investigation that she had secretly been working on.

Keiko cried softly until her pillow. She cried until there were no more tears left. It had taken quite a while, but once she had let it all out, Keiko actually felt a little better. Of course, she was by no means back to normal, but after that sudden release of emotion, she almost felt ready for whatever life was now going to throw at her.

I’m going to try to be stronger, more resilient from now on. After all, if I want to continue working on the Kira case, I have to be. I can’t let my emotions get the best of me.

She sat up in her bed, glancing over at her alarm clock. It was now a quarter past midnight, meaning she had been wallowing in self pity for the last couple hours. Unfortunately for her, she didn’t even feel tired.

Great…and Watari’s going to be here first thing in the morning. Looks like I won’t be getting that much sleep tonight.

Day Three of Surveillance

Keiko’s POV:

The following morning was quite rough for Keiko because of how sleep deprived she was. She had laid awake almost all night, thinking of all the changes to come now that she would be spending almost all of her time at the hotel. While she knew she was free to leave and go back home at any time, she also knew that she wouldn’t allow herself to leave until the Kira case was solved.

While Keiko wanted the case to be solved quickly, she also didn’t want the case to be solved quickly. It was like a double edged sword. If the case was solved quickly then she could go back to her normal life and study once more, but that would also mean that Light Yagami and Misa Amane were actually Kira and the Second Kira, which would be absolutely devastating. That would have meant that Keiko had been too big of a fool to realize it before.

On the other hand, if the case wasn’t solved quickly, then it would mean the two of them were innocent, which would be a good thing, but would also mean the Task Force would have to work even harder to catch the real Kira and Second Kira.

Keiko weighed the pros and cons on the drive over to the hotel. While she wanted to solve the case quickly, she also didn’t want her ex-boyfriend or ex friend to be Kira. After a while she decided that, no matter what, it seemed like she couldn’t win. A soft sigh fell from her lips, and she fiddled with the zipper of her jacket.

“Kagami-san.”

The sound of Watari’s voice lifted her from her reverie, “hmm?”

“It’s my duty to inform you that we’ve arrived,” the elder gentleman announced once he had her full attention.

She looked out the window of the car, seeing a hotel’s welcome sign. It was a new hotel, one they hadn’t been to yet. Another quick glance around the rest of the parking lot informed her that none of the other police officers had arrived yet at their new location. She suspected that L wanted her to get settled in before the rest of the Task Force arrived.

“R-right,” Keiko responded. She let Watari open the door for her and stepped out of the car. The next few minutes to her were a complete blur. Her luggage had been toted up the stairs to her hotel suit, and both she and Watari had been given room keys.

Her hotel room was much larger and much grander than she had expected it to be. Not that it would have mattered if it weren’t, as she was probably going to spend most of her time in Ryuzaki’s suite investigating with the rest of the Task Force anyway. Even so, she did think it was rather nice how comfortable her new bed was. She thought it was unfortunate that she couldn’t sleep in it right away. After all, the day was only just beginning and she still had quite a lot of work to do.

After finishing a short room tour and doing some minor suitcase unpacking, Keiko followed Watari through the door towards the detective’s adjoining suite. She realized once she arrived that his suite was almost like a complete replica of hers. The only major differences were the three big monitors that had been placed in front of the living room, all the police files that had been scattered about on the living room table, and the small coffee machine that had been placed near the back of the room.

The great detective had taken a seat right in front of the monitors, which were showing a determined Light, a sleeping Misa, and the listless chief. She also noticed that the other policemen had shown up; Aizawa and Matsuda were sitting side by side on one of the couches near the monitors.

Upon hearing that Keiko had entered the room, L turned around in his chair to face her. Keiko stepped closer towards the detective, watching intently as his dark eyes soon met hers. She had a funny feeling in her stomach, she guessed that it was probably her nerves, and she fought hard to ignore it.

“Welcome to the hotel, Kagami-san…” he started, “I trust your room is to your liking?”

Keiko could feel the questioning looks from the other policemen in the room. She shot a quick glance at Matsuda in particular, watching as he realized the full meaning of the detective’s words.

“H-her r-room?” Matsuda stuttered out, his eyes nearly bulging out of their sockets, “R-Ryuzaki-san...you mean...she’s staying here at the hotel alone? With you?! Do you honestly feel that’s appropriate?!”

Keiko couldn’t help but to let out a small giggle as she studied the young policeman’s astonished face, which relieved some of the tension that had built up inside of her stomach from her little staredown with L.

“Relax, Matsuda-san…” she started to say, but Matsuda didn’t stop to listen to her.

Instead, he placed his hands on his hips, “relax? How am I supposed to relax when it sounds like he’s taking advantage of y-”

Keiko tried again, speaking louder over Matsuda, “I’m staying in a separate suite...so don’t worry, Matsuda-san. I assure you, there won’t be any funny business. Anyway, it’s only until we figure out for sure whether or not Light-kun and Misa-chan are guilty…”

“O-oh,” Matsuda gave an awkward little cough when he realized what Keiko had said. His face turned a little pink, “I misunderstood the situation then. I’m sorry.”

Keiko could have sworn that she heard Aizawa, who had been informed of the situation beforehand, mutter something about him jumping to conclusions way too often.

A small smile took over her own face, and Keiko decided to tease the policeman a little more, “besides...what kind of girl did you take me for?”

Matsuda’s face went from pink all the way to a deep shade of red as he realized the meaning of Keiko’s words, “s-sorry, Keiko-chan...I never meant to, uh, imply anything about you…you’re...not...I know you w-wouldn’t....”

Out of the corner of her eye she saw the corners of L’s mouth twitching upwards into a smirk. It was clear that the detective was enjoying watching Matsuda squirm.

After a moment of watching the young policeman fumble around with his words, Keiko decided to put him out of his misery, “don’t worry, Matsuda-san...I was only kidding around with you; I knew you didn’t mean it like that.”

She then turned towards L, “now, Ryuzaki-san, did I miss anything when I was absent the other day?”

The young detective shook his head, “it was only a day, Kagami-san. Not much has changed.”

“So there were no new Kira victims...but was anyone even broadcasted?” Keiko questioned, her heart pounding a little in her chest.

Aizawa looked over at Keiko, “yeah, quite a few criminals were broadcasted...but we still haven’t had a single new victim since Light Yagami was apprehended.”

Upon hearing Aizawa’s response, Keiko’s heart dropped. It wasn’t like she wanted new criminals to be killed, but she also didn’t want Light Yagami to be convicted as Kira.

“Don’t despair, Keiko-chan...after all, it’s only been two days,” Matsuda called out, waving his hands awkwardly in front of him, “I’m sure Kira will kill again soon, and when he does, Light-kun will be entirely cleared!”

Aizawa glared at Matsuda, which caused him to flush a little. The young policeman scratched his head, “I, uh, I didn’t mean it like that...I just meant…”

“We all know what you meant, Matsuda-san,” L interjected, “anyway I’d appreciate it if we stopped the mindless chatter and got to work.”

“R-right, I’m sorry, Ryuzaki-san. I’ll get right to work,” Matsuda grabbed a stack of papers off of the coffee table and started thumbing through them. Aizawa got to work on another stack, and Keiko took a seat next to the detective.

/timeskip/

L’s POV:

L’s eyes slowly drifted toward the brown haired girl sitting next to him. Three short hours had already gone by and they had gotten nowhere in the investigation. Misa had been sleeping the whole time and Light just stayed sitting in front of his bed, eyes cast away from the surveillance cameras. It was a little frustrating for L, he thought that something would have happened by now. After all, he knew that things couldn’t stay quiet for forever.

The detective also figured it was only a matter of time until Keiko realized that he was staring at her. Sure enough, a few seconds later, Keiko looked over at him. He could see the question written in her eyes.

“What is it, Ryuzaki-san?” Light’s ex-girlfriend asked him, tilting her head a little at the raven haired detective.

L carefully inspected her face, trying to gauge how she was possibly feeling about the situation.

There was no doubt in his mind that she was probably torn up on the inside. After all, her ex-boyfriend, who may or may not have cheated on her, was now in confinement. He got his answer when he saw the faint puffiness under her eyes.

“My, Kagami-san,” he started, “were you crying again last night?”

There was really no point in him asking as he already knew what the answer, but he rather enjoyed watching her reaction.

Keiko had quickly averted her eyes. Her voice was quiet as she replied, “t-that’s really none of your business…”

“You’re right, it’s not,” L replied. He leaned closer towards her, so that their faces were only inches away from each other. While Keiko still refused to look at him, he could see her face was now tinged pink. He continued on, “...but I do have to make sure that you won’t be biased due to your personal feelings during this investigation.”

She lightly pushed him away, “don’t worry...as I said earlier, it doesn’t matter what my personal feelings are, if the evidence points to Light Yagami, then there’s nothing else I can do.”

A smirk formed on L’s face, “that’s good to hear Kagami-san...please make sure it stays that way. Especially because, the way things are looking, Light Yagami is Kira.”

Keiko gulped upon hearing the detectives words. She knew he was right.

“I-I know,” she choked out, attempting to ignore the fact that L eyes were still glued to her, “don’t worry. I’ll stay strong somehow.”

“I have no doubt you will,” the detective next to her muttered. Keiko mentally rolled her eyes. She had a feeling that things with L would only get more interesting, a feeling that she fought hard to ignore.