Light’s POV:

“You’re up early,” the detective commented as Light stepped into the room. There were plates of sweets and papers of Kira’s recent killings strewn all around him. Evidence of him being up all night once again.

“I couldn’t sleep very well. I figured if I’m up, I might as well get working…”

“Mm,” L gave a nod, not looking up from his stack of papers.

“It looks like you’ve been up all night,” Light commented, taking a seat near the front of the room. He booted up his computer, “are there any updates?

“Unfortunately, there’s nothing. Unlike Higuchi, this Kira isn’t killing for his own personal gain and the victims are all random.”

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.”

With that, he left the room, leaving the detective alone with his thoughts.