April 20, 2007

"Everyone can retire. I will not require your assistance tonight."

The four investigators looked up at the enigmatic lead detective. No one failed to notice the distinct authoritative tone in L's usual monotone voice. He kept his eyes on the screen in front of him, but waited for the inevitable protests. 

"Are you sure, Ryuzaki?" asked Chief Inspector Soichiro Yagami of the Japanese National Police Agency.

"Yes," replied L, answering to his alias. "I need to lay out everything I know so far to see if I have to pursue a different angle. Seeing how I still suspect someone within the NPA, possibly even our own Kira Task Force, to be connected to our killers, I cannot take any risks. We have already lost one of our men, and I will not permit another to die at the hands of Kira or his accomplice."

"But we can help!" exclaimed Touta Matsuda, the somewhat green and naïve gumshoe of the Agency.   

"No, you cannot. Furthermore, agent Ukita's funeral is tomorrow, so you must all take the time to grieve. You may return here the day after tomorrow at nine am. Please vacate the room now."

Chief Yagami raised a hand to silence Matsuda before he could object again and pulled him toward the door of the hotel suite. The other inspectors, Shuichi Aizawa and Kanzo Mogi, followed in silence. Though his social skills were lacking somewhat, L understood the four men had all been quite close to their fallen comrade. Ukita had died two days ago from a sudden heart attack in a brave yet reckless attempt to stop a Kira broadcast on Sakura TV. All who'd worked with him needed time off to mourn. And with the inspectors gone, it would give him ample opportunity to go through the investigation on his own again, with no one interfering.

"Please turn the light off," requested L.

Yagami, the last to leave, flipped the switch beside the door before closing it. Were it not for the TV and computer screen being on, L would have been cast into darkness. As soon as he was alone, the twenty-four-year-old raven-haired sleuth got up from his crouched position on the couch and paced the room, his thumb pressed to his mouth. He didn't look up when the door opened behind him. There was only one other person with a keycard, and L sorely needed his advice — and the sweets he brought. 

"Thank you, Watari."

"Of course, sir," said the elderly manservant. 

"Stay a moment. I want to discuss something with you."

"Yes, sir."

L sat back down on the couch and waited for Watari to join him after passing him a strawberry eclair and a fresh cup of coffee. The enticing yet bitter smell of the dark liquid clashed with the candied fragrance of the treat, so L quickly dropped seven sugar cubes in. He stirred for them to dissolve, reflecting one last time if he should truly pursue the course of action he was intending. It was a shot in the dark, but... what choice did he have? 

"I wish to call in C to join me here," he stated.

Watari, who usually managed great composure, nearly dropped his own cup. He stared at L in utter shock, eyes wide behind his glasses. 

"Sir, no, you can't!" exclaimed Watari. "The risk —"

"Mmm, I'm aware of the risks," interrupted L, eating his eclair. "But Kira is a formidable foe. I cannot continue on my own."

"Be that as it may, sir, I must insist you do not have C travel here."

"You fear her."

"I fear what she may bring with her."

L sipped his coffee before pressing his thin lips together, pushing his thumb against them once more. The old man wasn't wrong and had every good sense to be afraid. Yet fear had never stopped him from bringing justice to those who deserved it. And Kira most definitely had to be taken down.

"I understand your concerns, for I share them," he said. "But I feel that, in this case, the end may need to justify the means. I have been in Japan for almost half a year now, and though I have my suspicions about Kira's identity, I lack proof. Without knowing for certain how he kills, I cannot make a move without bringing others and myself in harm's way. A second Kira has now surfaced, killing with only the need for a face, while the first Kira needs a name as well. This alone proves more harrowing, yet what truly worries me is Second Kira's claim to be in league with a God of Death, a Shinigami. If there was ever any doubt that something more mysterious surrounded this case, I now believe this statement alone is enough to substantiate we have crossed the line with the supernatural. C is the only one who may be able to truly confirm the Shinigami's existence, but she cannot do that from England."

Watari sighed and hung his head. In just a few minutes, he looked much older and frailer. L wondered if his mentor and butler was perhaps getting too old for this line of work and should retire to take charge of the orphanage again. But he knew Watari would never abandon him mid-case. The man was loyal to a fault. 

"I know you did not agree with my choices regarding C in the past," continued L, "but despite that, you have always respected them and stood by me. I'm not asking for your approval now, for I know I won't get. But I am asking for your help."

"It sounds as if you've already decided then," said Watari, meeting L's sunken gray-blueish eyes. 

"C's deductive skills are on par with my own, and she was invaluable to me during the LA BB case. Naomi Misora could have helped me as well, but I fear Kira may have already gotten to her. Her disappearance after her fiancée's death is too coincidental to ignore. C is all I have left. I need her. It's that simple."

"Very well. Just promise me you will be cautious and that you will not hesitate to act at the slightest hint of trouble."

"Yes, I promise."

"All right then." Watari rose from his seat and bowed. "I will make the travel arrangements in the morning."

"Thank you," said L. "And good night."

"You too, sir."

A little smile crept up L's mouth. Watari always wished him a good night, even though he almost never slept. The sentiment behind the words was very much appreciated. 
L drank the last of his coffee and then turned back to his computer to go over all the data on the Kira-case before sending it over to Watari's personal account. With what he gathered so far with the Task Force and his own personal notes, C should have no problem building her own investigation. He was curious to see if she would come to the same conclusions he had. With some luck, they could bring Kira to justice before summer started.

Lean as a cat, L climbed from the couch and walked to the window as he stretched his muscles. There used to be a time when his crouched position made his limbs sore, but his body was used to it by now. He gazed at the lights illuminating Tokyo's skyline, wondering what his reunion with the young woman he'd met when he was nineteen would be like. It had been a year since they last saw each other. The monthly e-mail exchange gave him a pretty good idea of how she was faring, but there was always a chance she was hiding things. It wouldn't be the first time, after all. Having her close again wouldn't only help him with the Kira-case, but it would also assure him Mercy wasn't in control.
For if she was... then bringing the only murderer he ever failed to take down to Japan would surely seal his fate.