Keiko’s POV:

“Are you sure this is really necessary, Ryuzaki-san?” Light questioned, bewilderment in his voice.

Keiko honestly couldn’t blame him. Her gaze flitted towards the chains linking her ex-boyfriend and the world’s greatest detective together. She wondered the same exact thing. What in the world was L thinking? He couldn’t be serious, could he? Surely he was just playing a practical joke. However, somehow it didn’t seem like he was joking, which put Keiko on edge.

“Trust me, this is as difficult me as it is for you,” L replied dryly.

So...he is being serious...great...how in the world does he come up with this stuff?! Was there really no other solution that he could come up with?! This means I’ll be stuck watching my ex-boyfriend and my...crush? being chained up together all the time! This can’t lead to anything good...

Misa also looked less than thrilled at the current situation, “is this what you meant by being together twenty-four seven with him?!”

“I told you, I’m not doing this because I want to,” L murmured, studying the handcuffs. He was also clearly uncomfortable with the situation, but Keiko now knew from experience that there would be no easy way to change his mind.

He really thinks this is the best way to keep watch over Light...well, I suppose it is, but at what cost? Does he suspect him that much that he’s willing to go this far?

“That’s not fair! I’ve already had to share Light for so long! Now he’s finally single and I don’t want to share him with you! You’re ruining things!” Misa cried out, despair in her voice, “I never even got to go on a date with him yet!”

Keiko gave an awkward little cough at Misa’s words.

How could Misa accuse L of ruining things when she ruined things for Light and I?! If Light was being truthful with me on the roof, then if she had never meddled in, Light and I would probably still be together now. Keiko bit her lip, however, perhaps it’s a good thing we aren’t together anymore, especially given everything that’s happened recently…

“Oh, you two can still go on dates if you wish, but it will have to be all three of us,” L replied matter-of-factly, breaking through Keiko’s thoughts.

“No way!” Misa crossed her arms, “are you telling me we’ll have to kiss in front of you and stuff?!”

L raised an eyebrow, “I’m not telling you to do anything, but I suppose that would be the situation in that case, yes.”

At the word kiss, Keiko let out an involuntary flinch as she thought back to the moment that ruined her relationship with Light. She could feel Light’s gaze shift towards her and she made a conscious effort not to accidentally catch her ex-boyfriend’s eye. Only a couple hours had passed since the little moment she had shared with him on the roof.

Not to mention, there was also the kiss she had shared with the world’s greatest detective only a few days ago flitting through her mind. That was definitely something to keep quiet about. She was sure, given his confession, if Light found out about the situation, he would be rather upset. Needless to say, it would not end well. That is, if Light was really telling her the truth and not just lying to her again.

“That’s messed up!” Misa cried out, “why would you even want to see that?!

If Light was serious with his confession, then it means that Misa has no chance with Light...which she seems to casually disregard...either that, or she’s unaware of it...from what I know about her, it’s probably the latter.

“Don’t worry, Misa-chan, I can assure you that there will be no kissing between us,” Keiko heard Light respond, much to Misa’s dismay, “you might not want to hear this right now, but I still have strong feelings for Kagami-san...besides, the police have already established that it was you who sent those tapes before, so you’re lucky to even be here right now. They have every right to keep you imprisoned in my opinion.”

“How could you be so cruel, Light-kun!” Misa pouted, “and anyway, I can help you get over her if you’d just give me a chance! After all, I’m your soulmate!”

“Soul mate? Where do you get this stuff?! You’re the one who said you fell in love with me at first sight even though I clearly told you I had a girlfriend at the time, which was something you obviously ignored!”

“So why would you kiss me if you didn’t even have feelings for me?!” Misa balled up her fists and aimed at Light’s chest.

“Did you forget you’re the one who kissed me?! That kiss costed me my relationship!” Light angrily responded, grabbing Misa’s hands and removing them. The irritation in his voice was unmistakable.

“But Light-kun, I thought that-”

“About all of this love at first sight and soulmate stuff...it happened on May 22nd, didn’t it?” L interrupted, looking over at Misa, who had defensively crossed her arms in front of her chest. The question made Keiko freeze a moment as she realized the full implications of L’s seemingly simple question. She didn’t like where the conversation was headed at all.

“Yeah, so what?”

Keiko bit her lip, if she was in Aoyama on the 22nd then...perhaps Light really is Kira or was Kira at some point...either way, it makes him much more suspicious...and that means, if he was Kira, that the two of them conspired together to trick me…but, is Light guilty or not? As L said, he’s in the gray...

“Why did you choose that day to go to Aoyama, Amane-san?”

Misa sighed, “look, you’re not going to get any information out of me because I don’t remember. I don’t know how I decided to go there, or why I went there, or anything. I just went there, happened to see Light-kun, and fell in love. That’s all that I know. Anyway, since when do I need a reason to hang out in Aoyama?”

“Hmm…” L narrowed his eyes at her, “so, what you’re saying is somehow, when you came back from Aoyama, you knew that you were in love with Light…”

Misa nodded, “yes. And that’s all I know.”

“Tell me,” L leaned forward, his dark eyes looking into Misa’s, “how would you feel if Light Yagami were Kira?”

A dreamy look entered Misa’s face, which made Keiko feel sick to her stomach.

“Oh, that’d be wonderful. I’ve always been grateful to Kira for punishing the man that murdered my family. So, if I were to find out that Light was actually Kira, that’d be a dream come true. If possible, that’d make me love him more!”

“Wouldn’t you be afraid? It is Kira, a mass murderer, that we are talking about here. What if he tried to kill you?”

“Light-kun being Kira wouldn’t be scary at all! I’m a supporter of Kira, so why would he kill me? If anything, I’d try to be helpful to Kira,” Misa responded.

While Keiko knew where the conversation was headed, it still slightly hurt to hear the words spoken out loud. Misa had basically admitted everything without even knowing it, I suppose that settles that...if my ex-boyfriend was or is still Kira, then it’s clear that Misa was the Second Kira...which I was oblivious too...

“While I’m sure that’s very generous of you, I definitely don’t think that Kira needs your help. Based off of what you’ve told me, and the other evidence sitting against you, it’s becoming quite painfully obvious to me that you are the Second Kira.”

“But I’m not the Second Kira!” Misa cried out, “why won’t you believe me?!”

Are you seriously asking that right now?

L, despite Misa’s pained outcry, continued on, “anyway, for the time being, you will remain under surveillance. For the most part, your life will return to normal, but from now on, for all private and work related purposes, Matsuda-san will be accompanying you as your new manager. And Kagami-san will be accompanying you as well from time to time as an assistant. But, please for their safety, only refer to them as Matsui-san and Kinomoto-san.”

Matsuda gave a small but friendly wave in Misa’s direction, “hi, Misa Misa-chan.”

W-what?! How long as he kept this up his sleeve?! Is this some sort of punishment for pushing him to release Light and Misa? And why is Matsuda being so friendly towards her after she just admitted all of that?!

Meanwhile, Keiko narrowed her eyes at the detective, which he pointedly ignored, “your agency has been paid to keep quiet about this. So, please, don’t blow their cover.”

Misa’s face scrunched up, “do I seriously have to deal with Light-kun’s annoying ex and this weirdo?!”

She’s unhappy about dealing with me?! How does she think I feel? L didn’t even discuss this with me! Was he planning on doing this all along?

“Weirdo?!” Matsuda’s voice broke through her thoughts. He seemed a little hurt at Misa’s comment, “how am I a weirdo, Misa Misa-chan? Is it the tie? I can change it if you’d like.”

“I think I’ve heard more than enough of all this relationship drama and Misa-Misa crap!” Aizawa interjected, balling up his fists, “in case you’ve forgotten, there’s an investigation going on here! I think I speak for everyone here when I say I want to get back to work. We’re wasting time right now.”

“S-sorry, Aizawa-san,” Matsuda said, the color draining from his face.

“It’s fine...just please tone it down in the future. And, anyway, I think I figured out what the main problem is...Amane-san,” Aizawa pointed in Misa’s direction, “I think it’s about time for you to to leave. I’ll escort you to your room. Matsuda-san, get the door for me, would ya.”

Matsuda scrambled towards the door, leaving it open for Aizawa.

“Wha-but why?” Misa pouted as Aizawa took hold of her arm and directed her towards the door. Seeing no other option, she relented, “fine, but Light-kun, you owe me a date! Just give me a chance, okay?”

How could she even say that with me standing right here? Does she really have no conscience? Ugh, I can’t believe at one point I thought she was my friend, even if it was for a short period of time…

With that, the door closed, leaving Keiko alone with her ex-boyfriend and the world’s greatest detective.

L’s POV:

Once Misa had officially left the room, L decided it was time to direct his attention toward Light, “So, Light-kun, have you thought about giving Misa Amane a chance? Or are your feelings for Keiko too strong?”

He studied Light carefully, knowing Light, if he was serious about his confession to Keiko last night then he won’t even consider it...but it’s still also likely that he wasn’t serious, and it was all just an act...either way, Light has to know that, given Misa’s affections toward him, if he were to get close to Misa, it might be beneficial to the investigation.

“As I said before, it’s all one-sided. I don’t have any romantic feelings whatsoever toward Misa…” Light replied bitterly. “Ryuzaki-san, did you perhaps forget about the part when I said earlier that she completely ruined my relationship?”

“Yes, so you’ve said. However, what I’m curious about is...would you at least consider pretending to be serious about Misa Amane? If that’s alright with Kagami-san, that is…” L trailed off a moment, sneaking a glance at the girl, who said nothing. However, her body language told him that she was feeling uncomfortable with the current situation.

Of course...if Keiko still holds feelings for Light, however small they may be, then Light doing this in order to gain information would hurt her. However, at the moment it’s still unclear to me at the moment how strong her emotions are towards Light. Any progress she made during his confinement could be lost if she’s not careful around him.

“You don’t mean-” Light started to say, and L cut him off before he could finish.

“Listen, it would be for the sake of the investigation. You see, there are two things that I know for sure. The first thing being that she pretty much admitted to being the Second Kira, and the second thing being that she’s hopelessly in love with you. It’s clear, given her actions, that she’s infatuated with you. She went so far as to kiss you knowing full well that you had a girlfriend, whom she considered to be her ‘friend’ at the time. It looks to me as if her love knows no bounds. In fact, I’d be willing to bet she’d do anything for you,” L finished.

“You’re serious, aren’t you?” Light narrowed his eyes at the detective, “so, you’re saying you want me to pretend to be intimate with her in order to gain information about the Second Kira?”

“Yes,” L said simply, “I think that you’re capable of doing it without arousing her suspicions. Not to mention, it’s clear that Amane-san might be a valuable source of information for us, if she is Kira, at least.”

“Ryuzaki-san, as much as I want to help you, and as important as the investigation is...well, I can’t manipulate a woman’s feelings like that,” Light took a breath before continuing on, “please try to understand that, to me, exploiting another human being’s feelings like that for personal gain is unforgivable. I would never even consider stooping that low.”

It’s unforgivable, eh? That’s what you say, but if you’re really Kira, then you’re being a hypocrite right now, Light Yagami. You clearly manipulated Keiko into falling for you just because, if she fell for you, she would defend you against my accusations of you being Kira...is this just an act, or do you really mean what you’re telling me? It’s as if you’re acting like a completely different person now.

“I see,” the detective replied, “I suppose you’re right, using Misa would be wrong…”

But, if you’re really Kira, then using Keiko was also wrong.

L watched as Light ran a hand through his hair, looking over in Keiko’s direction, “exactly, Ryuzaki-san, besides…even if she won’t take me back, Keiko-chan is the one that I love. That being said, I can’t believe Misa went as far as she did in order to hurt Keiko and win me over. I can’t forget that she single handedly ruined my relationship.”

Hm...from what I’ve learned recently, it almost appears as if Misa Amane really was fully responsible for the fallout between Light and Keiko. His claim that Misa kissed him without his permission seems to be holding true, meaning that Light really wasn’t willing to cheat on his girlfriend…and without solid evidence to convict Light of being Kira, then...well, it appears that Keiko would have no reason not to eventually give him a second chance at this rate…unfortunately. And their kiss earlier today...well, it provides proof for my theory that Keiko’s feelings for me might be only temporary…

At that thought, a pang ran through him.

Is this what jealousy feels like? No, wait…I can’t afford to be jealous…

Although he would never admit it, the sight of seeing Light and Keiko kissing earlier that day hadn’t left his mind, and he wasn’t sure if it ever would. The detective also still did not trust Light Yagami, not one bit. However, he couldn’t say the same for Keiko. Her feelings for Light, while subdued, still appeared to be somewhat lingering. He needed to figure out for sure what she was thinking and how she was feeling.

While I can’t afford to be jealous...would it be...wrong of me...to hope that any feelings Keiko might have for me lingers? Is it wrong of me to hope that she won’t take him back? Is it wrong of me not to want her to get hurt again…?

Keiko’s POV:

Is Light being serious right now? He says that he loves me, and that he would never use Misa because it’s wrong to use people...but yet...if we find evidence that proves he’s Kira then...Keiko bit her lip, her heart sinking in her chest, then that means he’s not only a hypocrite but he never really loved me in the first place…and that he was attempting to lie to me once again. If that’s true then I’m at risk of falling into his trap…

Keiko looked over at her ex-boyfriend, who gave her an earnest smile in return, however...he seems genuine. If he really is being genuine then that means he meant what he said; he really is in love with me and wants me back...however, while a small part of me still misses Light, it looks like it’s more trouble than it’s worth. I definitely don’t want to face Misa’s wrath…that and...despite my lingering feelings for Light, I’m not even sure if I want to take him back because...because I still can’t forget about what happened between-

The sound of L’s voice broke through her thoughts, “speaking of...what do you think about the current situation, Kagami-san? Is there anything you’d like to say?”

Keiko, who had been studying her ex-boyfriend, looked over the detective. As always, those dark eyes of his gave no hint as what he was thinking or how he was feeling. She gave an uncomfortable cough, suddenly feeling very self-conscious.

Did he somehow realize I was just thinking about him…?

“I, uh...well…” she trailed off. To say that she was frustrated and confused would be an understatement. She supposed she should have been used to the feeling by now but for every step she had taken forward, she had taken three steps back.

Or so she felt.

Either way, she wasn’t sure how to respond. All she could focus on was the fact that she could slowly feel her cheeks becoming tinged with pink the longer L stared at her, and that she was powerless to stop it.

Even though kissing me was apparently a ‘mistake’...I can’t get him off my mind…and the way he complimented me...if he really meant it…then could he possibly care about me? But…if he really cared about me, then why would kissing me be a mistake? Ugh, I’m getting nowhere, it’s like I’m going in circles… although, that being said, I supposed if he truly cared about me, he wouldn’t have stuck me partially in charge of Misa...I suppose it shouldn’t be too bad if Matusda’s going to be there as well but still, how could he just do that to me without asking first?! I’ll have to confront L about that later...though I suppose Light will be there to hear that conversation as well, given the current situation…lovely.

“Perhaps we shouldn’t be putting her on the spot like that, Ryuzaki-san,” Light said, breaking the silence.

You know, for the first time in a while, I can say I agree with you, Light, Keiko thought.

“I suppose you’re right,” L responded, his gaze shifting towards Light once more, “anyway, there’s an announcement I’d like to make. An announcement regarding the new location of the Task Force headquarters…Light-kun, could you please get a hold of your father?”

Light nodded, “sure.”

“Wonderful,” L replied, “and I’ll have Watari inform the others to meet back here.”

/short timeskip/

Keiko’s POV:

“Now that everyone’s here, I have an announcement to make,” L started, looking around the hotel room. He was standing, though slightly hunched, in the center of the room, “given the circumstances of the case, security is a top priority. So, I arranged for a new facility to be made. Construction started soon after first met up with Yagami-san and the others. It’s twenty-three floors above ground, and two below. And, although it’s impossible to see it from the outside, there are two helicopters hidden on the roof.”

With that being said, L opened his laptop sitting on the table below him, clicking on the photo. Keiko was astonished at what she was seeing, and she was sure that she wasn’t the only one feeling that way.

“Wow, that’s amazing, Ryuzaki-san,” Light commented.

“Ideally, I would like everyone to spend as much time here as possible to work on the case, so there’s room for everyone to stay overnight, if need be. And, in the case that the investigation team grows, we can accomodate more people. Now, I was thinking that Kagami-san and Amane-san could share their own floor…”

At that, Keiko crossed her arms, not believing what she was hearing. The detective looked over in her direction, “yes, Kagami-san? What is it?”

Keiko raised an eyebrow, “are you seriously asking me that right now?”

She hadn’t wanted to have this conversation in front of the others, but she supposed she couldn’t hold in her discontent any longer regarding Misa Amane.

“First, you volunteer me, without my permission might I add, to be in charge of Amane-san when she has work-related engagements, and now this! All that space and you want me to share a floor with her?!” Keiko huffed. She knew she sounded bitter, but honestly, she was. It wasn’t fair that L was doing this to her.

“I think you’re misunderstanding, Kagami-san,” L replied, his voice level. “The reason I want you to be around Amane-san is because I trust you. Amane-san, however, I don’t trust. Therefore, if need be, you can be closeby and keep an eye on her. However, if you’re truly that opposed to the idea, then I suppose other arrangements can be made…”

If he trusts me then that’s a good thing right? I’m not happy about the circumstances, however, but...I suppose I won’t have to be around Amane-san all the time…maybe I shouldn’t even be complaining, considering that Light and L are literally chained together for the foreseeable future.

Keiko sighed, “no, it’s alright...I suppose I can deal with it.”

L gave a slight nod, “alright, it’s settled then.” He lifted his arm a little, which rattled the chains connecting him to Light, “also, I suppose it’s clear that, given the current situation, Light and I will be sharing a floor as well.”

“This is truly impressive,” Light commented, “but...to go to such lengths…”

“As you can see, it is my intention to solve this case, no matter what it takes,” L announced. He looked around the room, meeting Keiko’s eyes for a moment. Although it was only a brief interaction, it got her heart pumping slightly faster.

“I’m right there with you,” Light replied, “we need to solve this case, no matter what or how long it takes.”

“You know, if you’re serious about what you just said, you should try to get close to Amane-san…” L murmured. Thanks to his monotone, Keiko couldn’t quite decipher if he was really being serious or not.

“I already told you, I can’t do that,” Light cast a wary look in the detective’s direction, “that goes against my principles. Not only that, but I still have rather strong feelings for Kagami-san…to be honest, though I don’t know how she feels about this, I want her back...”

Is he serious right now? Well, I suppose I never gave him a proper answer the other night...well, even though a part of me misses him, I don’t know for sure whether or not Light is or was Kira and if he truly has feelings for me or not...and when I consider how I feel about L, and how I can’t stop thinking about what happened between us...getting back together with Light doesn’t seem like the best idea.

“Oh, right, you already said that,” L muttered quietly, “hmm...what a shame.”

“Light-kun,” Matsuda looked between Keiko and Light, his eyes lighting up, “are you serious? Keiko-chan, what do you think about that? It’d be great if you two got back together!”

“Matsuda-san,” Keiko sharply inhaled, “please don’t get too excited.”

A sudden cough from the back of the room caught everyone’s attention. Aizawa.

“Yes, Aizawa-san. Is there something you wish to say?” L prompted.

“Uh...oh, it’s nothing...I’m just feeling very motivated. Let’s all solve this together, Ryuzaki-san, chief, Light-san, and Kagami-san…let’s bring Kira together,” Aizawa responded, nodding at each and every one of them individually as he named them off.

Matsuda gave a nervous laugh, “uh, excuse me...but I couldn’t help but to notice that you missed my name…”

Keiko gave a short laugh, which relieved some of the tension she had built up from earlier, “gee, I wonder why, Matsuda-san.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Matsuda questioned, looking at Keiko with a worried expression on his face.

“It’s nothing,” Keiko replied, giving a her hand a small wave, “don’t worry about it.”

Don’t worry about it...if only I could take my own advice...and yet, here I am, overanalyzing everything.