Sunlight peered through the window of the room. L glanced over his shoulder as its radiance shone on the sleeping young woman's face. Should he close the blinds? It was still early. Then again, she had to wake up eventually. There was no point in postponing the inevitable. He meant to turn back to his laptop, but his eyes fell on the phone instead.

I suppose I should make sure breakfast is ready, he thought. Cassandra likes pancakes, but if it's C who wakes up, she won't touch them. Hmm, maybe I should wait just to make sure. It would be typical of C to force me into introducing Cassandra to the Task Force after her memorable entrance yesterday. Then again, she may want to ensure Cassandra's safety first.

A soft moan pulled L from his musings. He waited patiently until he heard a confused voice behind him.

"Wha... What's...? Where am I?"

L rose from his crouched position on the couch. He slouched over to the bed, hands in his pockets, to reveal himself. "Hello, Cassandra."

"Lawliet!" Cassandra jerked up, pulling the sheets tightly around her bare breasts. "Wha-whe-why-how?"

"Easy, deep breaths. You're in Japan. Tokyo, to be precise. At the Kira Task Force HQ, to be even more precise."

Her eyes widened at the information. She looked past L, out the window, as if to confirm his words. Her grip on the sheets loosened, and they dropped a little, revealing the top of her bosom. L grabbed the blue oversized sweater at the foot of the bed and held it out to her, but she made no effort to take it.

"You're crazy," she whispered, slowly shaking her head, hoping to wake up from some nightmare. "Lawliet, we agreed we can't leave Wammy's House! Why would you...? Oh God, Near! H-He's sick. I need to get back to him."

"I will explain everything," stated L. "Please take the sweater."

It was terribly bothersome that C refused to wear anything but her panties to bed, but at least she always left something close-by for Cassandra to wear when she woke up. The first time it happened caught him off guard, but after four years, he was used to it by now. Still, L noted the entire ordeal made her uncomfortable. For some reason, even more so when he was in the room with her.
Cassandra grabbed the sweater from L and pulled it over her head. As she plaited her hair back with her fingers, L rang down for Watari to bring up some pancakes. He then sat across from Cassandra on the bed, mirroring her tailor pose as it was slightly better to sit since he didn't have any back support and the mattress was softer than anticipated.

"I know you have questions, but please allow me to set your mind at ease first," he started. "I called Wammy's earlier and spoke to Roger. Near is recovering well and started eating again. He asked for you when you didn't come to read him a bedtime story and was apparently worried he got you sick. Roger will inform him you are with me."

Cassandra sighed in relief. "Thank you."

"I should thank you. You took great care of him."

She blushed at his praise. L didn't understand why as it was but a statement of fact.

"Now, as to why you are here," he continued. "I've been on the Kira-case for a little over half a year now, and though I have a suspect, I have no definite proof to apprehend him, nor do I understand his modus operandi. A copycat came into play a few months ago, whom we call Second Kira, and this person claimed the existence of a Shinigami. I don't think I should ignore this last bit of information, hence why I called in C."

"But she's always helped you from a distance," said Cassandra. "You never let us join you on location because of... what might happen."

"I am aware. Yet with an opponent like Kira, I have to take the risk. C is my only chance if something supernatural truly is going on here."

"An awfully big risk..."

Cassandra hung her head, but L still caught her nibbling her lip. Every time he was near the young woman, it amazed him how different she and C truly were. Almost exact opposites of each other.

"What if Kira finds out about... you know?" she asked quietly.

"I will not let that happen," said L reassuringly. "No one besides the two of us and Watari know about Mercy, and that's how it will stay as well. We say nothing that eludes to her or your past. And since we are on that, you mustn't let anyone suspect the extent of our relation either."

"So... you won't tell them that we're —"

"No, that would endanger us both." L looked intently at Cassandra as she lowered her head further. "Are you still upset?"

He always struggled to read people's expressions and emotions, but it was worse with Cassandra. She hid from everyone, including him. It was curious how much she'd changed from the carefree child who enjoyed being in the spotlight. But that was before the accident. Before C. And before Mercy.

"A little," replied Cassandra. "But... I'm also glad to be with you. I... I missed you."

Shyly, she peeked up through her lashes. L's heart stilled as he met her dual eyes. One blue, one hazel, but equally enchanting. They drew him in. The tip of his fingers gingerly caressed Cassandra's cheek. She gasped silently at his touch.

"Eyelash," said L, explaining his action.

Cassandra averted, pressing her lips together. L cocked his head. She truly was a puzzle. Suddenly, she swiftly switched positions to sit and lean forward on her knees. When her mouth pushed against L's, a brief crackle of electricity erupted through his body. Every bit of tension he had from the Kira investigation and from having C around was gone in an instant. All he knew, all he was aware of... was Cassandra. And the longer the kiss lasted, the more he eased into it.
A knock on the door disturbed them. Cassandra hurriedly drew away and sat back in a tailor pose. L allowed her a moment to rearrange the sheets, so she was covered up to her waist before calling Watari in. The old man was the only other person with the code to this floor, so it could only be him. And sure enough, in walked L's faithful manservant, pushing a trolley with two plates stacked with pancakes, berries, bananas, and chocolate chips. A bowl of whipped cream stood between the plates, together with two glasses of orange juice, two cups of fresh brewed black tea, and a full holder of sugar cubes.

"Good morning, sir," greeted Watari. "Miss Cassandra."

"Hello, Watari." Cassandra offered him a little smile. "It's nice to see you again."

"Indeed." He nodded before turning to L. "The others are just waking up now, sir. I have already set up the breakfast table downstairs."

"Please inform them I will join them in an hour. If they ask about C, tell them she's resting from her travel, but only if they ask. Don't mention her otherwise."

"Very good, sir."

Watari bowed and promptly left them, with a final lingering gaze on Cassandra as he closed the door. No matter how many times he explained the situation, L knew Watari would never fully trust her. But she didn't trust anyone either. No one but him, it would seem.

"No strawberries?"

L turned to face Cassandra's inquiring head tilt.

"You're highly allergic," he said.

"That doesn't mean you can't have any."

"If you insist on kissing me, it does."

Cassandra lowered her head again. A curtain of hair fell beside her face, not quite hiding the sudden guilt-ridden expression she bore.

Did I say something wrong? No, I don't think so. Maybe it was the way I said it? Hmm...

"Cassandra, is it wrong of me that I don't want to risk anything happening to you?"

Her head snapped back up. "Y-You mean... You don't mind?"

"Mind what exactly?"

"N-Nothing. Um, it was six cubes in tea, right?"

L nodded and allowed Cassandra to sweeten the tea just the way he liked it. They ate their breakfast in silence and then got ready to meet the others downstairs. Since they didn't want anyone to know how well they really knew each other, L thought it best to go down first. Though his wardrobe mainly consisted of the same white long-sleeved shirt and blue jeans, he made sure to change his clothes daily and took about twenty minutes to shower, comb his unruly black hair as best he could, and brush his teeth. He may be a slouch, but he hated dirt.

"One more thing," he said as he came out of the bathroom. "I am using the name Ryuzaki as my alias at this moment, so please call me that whenever you are with someone from the Kira Task Force. You may, of course, use my real name in private."

"Ryuzaki?" Cassandra scrunched her nose. "Why does that name sound familiar?"

"Do you recall the LA BB case?"

"Um... Oh! Right, okay, so should I use an alias as well?"

"Yes, I believe that would be wise. I will introduce you to the team as Cassia when we join them later, so please prepare yourself to react to that name from now on. They already met C yesterday upon her arrival, so you don't have to worry about that."

"Yikes, how did that go?"

"As well as it could when introducing someone who communicates with ghosts. Try to join us in an hour at the latest."

Cassandra nodded and returned to her side of the closet to pick an outfit. Her aggravated groan warned L that C may not have taken her clothing preferences into consideration, which didn't surprise him. She always pushed Cassandra to dress more boldly, much to her dismay. He wondered if she would dare to go outside to shop for more comfortable clothes.
Seeing how it was close to the meeting time he told Watari to convey to the Kira Task Force, L left Cassandra alone with her outfit conundrum. He walked out of the room barefoot and with his hands in his pockets, but with a long overdue kiss lingering on his lips.

📓💀📓

Light huffed when the cuff closed around L's wrist again. Now that he had a decent night's sleep, he realized that there wasn't a damn thing about this whole situation that made any sense. First, L locked him away for almost two months before concluding that he couldn't be Kira because the killings never stopped. Then, L determined he might still be Kira since no one knew anything about the way he killed people, and thus, he had to be handcuffed to the detective 24/7 if he wanted to prove his innocence. Now, L decided that, yes, the handcuffs were necessary, but it could be with his father as well. Light had to hand it to L — it was another clever move, for there wasn't anyone more determined to learn the truth than Soichiro Yagami. He made it crystal clear to Light that he wouldn't be able to persuade him to undo those cuffs. If he did and something happened, suspicions would rise only further, and Light would lose his father's trust. There was nothing he could do but accept his current fate. And that sucked.

"Is C going to come down soon?" Light asked as he sat in the office chair next to L.

"Hm, no, not today," the detective answered.

Great. They finally had someone who could provide a unique insight into the investigation, and she was AWOL. Nobody had seen C since she retired to unpack. Light understood she might suffer from jetlag, but that didn't mean she could sleep the day away. She should be front and center in the fight against Kira. That was the reason L brought her here from... Huh...

"Must've been a pretty long flight if the jetlag is hitting her this hard," said Light airily. "Where did you say she came from again?"

"I didn't."

The silence after that brief reply let Light know he would get nothing else. But maybe he could learn more from the young woman herself over the next few days. It was good training for his observation skills, and he wanted to see if she could get around his interrogation methods as well. His father let him sit in on a few minor cases as soon as Light informed him he wanted to be a detective and practiced at home with him as well until he eventually became better than Soichiro. If C was truly as good as L claimed, any conversation with her would be interesting and educational, to say the least.

"There you are!"

Misa's loud, enthusiastic voice broke Light's train of thought. He swirled his chair around to see what all the commotion was about. Instantly, he noticed something wrong with the person coming out of the elevator. Either the jetlag was truly wreaking havoc with C or the young woman shuffling hesitantly toward the group wasn't C at all.
Hair hastily brushed and hanging by the sides of her face. No make-up whatsoever. Loose violet shirt over stretchy dark-green leggings. No shoes or socks either. It was like she was a female version of L, which Light found incredibly difficult to fathom, since he didn't think anyone else could be like him.

"I'm so glad you're here!" said Misa excitedly. "It's so nice to have another girl in this boring place! We have to go shopping together! Wait, let me get my calen—hey, where's my purse?"

She dove back on the couch, throwing the pillows in the air to look for her clutch bag, but nobody really cared what Misa did. Every man in the room was taken in by the other girl in the room. By the scrutinizing looks his father and Aizawa were throwing C, Light gathered they, too, found something peculiar about her new appearance. Mogi's expression betrayed little, though his eyes were narrowed at her. The only one who seemed unperturbed was Matsuda.

"Good morning, Miss C," he greeted her, smiling awkwardly. "I hope you slept well. Is my mother still here? I want to ask her something. It's okay if she isn't! She doesn't have to stick with me all the time, hehe. Wait, can ghosts even leave when they're dead? Like, do they walk around or take public transportation to visit something or someone else? Is it 'visit' or 'haunt'? It doesn't feel right to say that my mother is haunting me. That feels like something an evil spirit would do. How does an evil spirit come to be, by the way? Does it depend on the person they were when they died, or does something happen in their spirit form? Can evil spirits kill someone? Oh, and what about an excor—"

"For the love of God, Matsuda, shut up already!" Aizawa sharply broke off the incessant waterfall of questions, to everyone's relief.

Matsuda stuttered an apology and sat down on the couch, earning a scowl from Misa. She promptly pushed him off, then squealed in delight when she found her clutch stuck between the cushions.

"Oh, there it is! Thanks, Matsu!"

"Ah, you're welcome?"

Light's father cleared his throat, drawing everyone's attention away from the comical duo. "Is there anything, in particular, you would like to start with, Miss C? Since Ryuzaki told us yesterday that you specialize in victimology, we gathered the folders of Kira's most recent kills, but perhaps you would like to review a certain time frame?"

C, who had shrunk away at Matsuda's bombardment, fidgeted with the hemline of her shirt. Her eyes flickered toward L, pleading for help almost. L, having followed the scene in silence, as usual, nodded and rose from his seat, sashaying over to her.

"Gentlemen, please allow me to introduce Cassia."

Light furrowed his brow. Cassia? Had C and L agreed to work through an alias for her as well? Whatever for? He did a preliminary search in his room with his father and C wasn't known in any police database. She was a ghost (which was ironic, considering her ability). There was no need for her to use an alias.

"Okay... We already met her yesterday, though," said Matsuda.

"No, you met C," said L. "The woman standing beside me isn't C. Not today, anyway. Little pop quiz; who here knows what DID is?"

Light's eyes widened at the mention of the acronym and L's implication. "Wait, are you saying that C is Cassia?"

"Astute as ever, Light Yagami." A barely detectable smirk appeared in the corner of L's mouth.

"Can someone please explain for the rest of us?" asked Aizawa, clearly irritated at finding the geniuses at work again.

"DID stands for Dissociative Identity Disorder," said Light. "More commonly known as Multiple Personality Disorder. It's a mental health condition where someone has multiple, distinct personalities that take over a person's behavior. It's a fascinating subject in psychology. DID is usually born out of trauma, mostly suffered in childhood, and is seen as the brain's coping mechanism. The person literally shuts off or, to use the term, dissociates themselves from a situation or experience that may trigger anything related to that trauma. This can, for one, cause memory lapses. A person can, for example, find themselves in a place without recalling how they got there."

"Wait, wait, so C and Cassia are different people... but they share the same body?" Matsuda scratched the back of his head, completely at a loss.

"That's a very simplistic way of looking at it, but yes," said L. "You'll notice once you spend more time with both of them, they differ greatly from each other. And I should also add that only C can communicate with ghosts, so please do not bother Cassia with that topic."

"But there's a way we can reach out to Miss C, isn't there?"

"No, we pretty much have to wait until she decides to take over again."

"But... Miss Cassia is also an investigator, is she not?" asked Light's father, hoping for a positive answer. "She can help with the case?"

"Hm, not particularly. Cassia is a painter."

Nobody quite knew how to react to that. Light, especially, was utterly shocked. What was L thinking? Not only had he brought in someone who should be under observation in a clinic, both for her own safety and others, but they couldn't even reach the person they actually needed!
Light threw Cassia another investigative glance. She stood half-hidden behind L. It was so clear she was uncomfortable and anxious about the entire situation. He tried to recall what else he knew of DID. There was still so much on the subject that boggled even the brightest minds. But there had been one researcher who successfully engaged with his patients' other personas after purposefully endangering the dominant personality. With this method, he proved that almost all personas served as a sort of protector. If this was the case with Cassia and C...

No, I can't do that. I could never harm someone like her. She looks like a frightened kitten, for crying out loud. Maybe we'll be lucky, and C will pop up again soon. I have to trust that L knows what he's doing. But it's still a colossal risk.

"Well, I for one don't care one bit who she is!" exclaimed Misa, pushing L away from Cassia. "If you don't need her, I'm taking her shopping right now. But eh, not like this. Wardrobe change first!"

"Actually, I would prefer if she..."

"Oh, shush already." Misa cut L off, waving her hand dismissively. "Come on, bestie!"

Ignoring Cassia's sheer angst and dismay, the model dragged her by the arm. L moved to go after them, causing the chain between him and Light to tighten. He paused and looked down at the infernal thing before eventually just returning to his seat. Light believed he heard him mumble something, but couldn't quite catch what. One thing was for certain though — if C was truly Cassia's protector, she'd show up any minute to save her from Misa.

A/N It's getting a little complicated, right? Don't worry, I got you covered. Here's a little outline of L and C's background, true identities, aliases, etc., without revealing too much of the story.

Lawliet operates as the great detective L, keeping his true identity secret to all except a trusted few, and he uses the alias Ryuzaki during the Kira investigation. The real Ryuzaki was a serial killer, active in LA a few years before Kira surfaced, and who is more commonly known as Beyond Birthday or BB (hence the name of that particular case, the LA BB murders).
Cassandra and C are the same person, suffering from DID. They normally switch when asleep, though it can also happen with certain triggers, like when there's danger. The two are completely different, with only one common thing - they share a connection to L. On his request and for both their safety, Cassandra goes by Cassia when in contact with someone from the Kira Task Force.