Hundreds of miles away, L had been working on the Kira case. The detective had sent twelve FBI agents to monitor the members of the Japanese Kira Task Force a few days ago. He received no new information from them, and was focusing on the information that the task force had been digging up.

As L was thinking, Watari walked in the room, interrupting the silence with urgent news. "Ryuzaki, I just spoke with Near about the case in Los Angeles. Apparently, Beyond kidnapped Bambi several days ago and tortured her. When Mello went in with the SWAT team to rescue her today, a bomb exploded, injuring him. Beyond was not found in the vicinity of the building. Mello and Bambi are currently in the hospital under the aliases of John and Jane Smith."

This was very frustrating for L to hear. He put his thumb to his lip as he thought. When he was arrested for the LABB murders, it was clear that Beyond wanted to defeat me as a criminal. He must have that same goal now because he was unsuccessful. His actions make it very clear that he wants to get rid of the current investigation team to get me to investigate.

Beyond knows his way around Wammy's, so it's no surprise that he managed to get information on the Wammy Teams. He must have known that the four of them would be difficult opponents if they worked together. That has to be what made him decide that he had to split them up to beat them.

Beyond most likely went after Bambi first because she is a woman--no, he absolutely went after her first for that reason. Using what he learned about the others, Beyond had to have known that Mello tends to be impulsive if he gets emotional. That must be why he tortured Bambi. He needed something to bait Mello, who he knew would be the hardest to kill, given his ability to fight.

That explains why he did it, but what to do with the investigation?

L sat in front of his laptop and dropped another sugar cube in his tea. As he looked at the screen showing the Kira Task Force, the detective mumbled, "I'm too busy with the Kira case, so I can't take it on. It has to go to the old investigation team."

L took a sip of his tea as he continued his contemplation. With what she endured, I'm certain that Bambi will be incapable of thinking clearly about anything relating to Beyond. Additionally, Beyond will likely take another chance to go after her, knowing that she will be both mentally and physically handicapped. It would be too dangerous to leave her on the team, or anywhere near LA.

I can't allow Mello to investigate, either, because Beyond now knows that he can easily use him. I have to keep Mello as far away from the situation as possible so that he can't interfere.

That leaves Near and Matt. I'll have to leave the investigation to them.

But, what to do with Bambi and Mello?

The detective stood back up and looked out the window. Obviously they can't stay there, but I have to get them somewhere where Beyond can't find them or antagonize them in any way. It also has to be with someone who will keep a close eye on them to prevent Mello from trying to return to the investigation.

With those restrictions, the best place for them to be is here with me.

Besides that, I will also have the benefit of their help on the Kira case.

L informed Watari of his decision, sending the older man off to retrieve the two young adults from the hospital in California.

* * * December 22 * * *

Bambi slowly opened her eyes to find herself laying down in a bright room. She carefully moved her stiff arms up to rub her eyes and sharpen her focus. When she looked down, the young woman saw that her arms were covered in bandages. She scrunched her nose, surprised at the sight. The brunette then looked down past her arms. She could see that she was wearing a hospital gown, and a blanket was draped over her legs.

As Bambi looked to the side, she saw Mello sleeping in his own hospital bed. He was also in a hospital gown, but his bandages only seemed to cover his left arm and the left side of his face. The brunette frowned. Did Beyond do this?

She could now vaguely remember Mello coming to her rescue, but she passed out midway through it. Her eyes traced his sleeping form as she wondered what happened to him. His face seemed so peaceful when he wasn't busy yelling at her. A light blush rose to Bambi's face at the thought.

Just then, a nurse walked in. Bambi redirected her attention to the nurse as she smiled at and said, "Oh, good. You're awake."

The nurse checked Bambi's vitals on the monitor that she had been attached to. She then picked up the her patient's chart and scribbled a few things down.

She looked up at Bambi and said, "I'm going to ask you a few questions to see how you are doing."

"Okay."

"What is your name?"

Bambi hesitated as she realized that she was probably registered under a fake name. "I don't remember."

The nurse recorded her answer before saying, "Your name is Jane Smith." She then continued, asking, "Are you married?"

"Uh, not that I'm aware of."

Tge question and answer session continued. The nurse eventually began asking questions that Bambi could actually answer such as: who is the current president, what color her eyes are, and so on. After she finished asking questions, the nurse flipped the page on Bambi's chart.

"Well, Jane, you have slight amnesia. You keep forgetting your name, information about your family, and your husband, John," she gestured to Mello. Bambi's eyes widened and a blush rose to her cheeks again as she glanced to the blond. The nurse didn't notice, and continued speaking. "You have been unconscious for the past few days." She paused as she turned the page. "You also have over 200 stitches total, a few burns around your elbows and feet, and a broken ankle."

The nurse put the chart down before looking at Bambi with a warm, almost sad, smile on her face. The brunette, still jumpy from her experiences this past week, frowned and let out a panicky, "What?"

"You are a very lucky woman, Mrs. Smith. Your husband laid his life on the line to save you, even going so far as to use his own body to protect you from an explosion. He must love you very much," she finished, and left, closing the door behind her.

Bambi stared down in disbelief as she tightly clutched the end of the blanket. After a few minutes she looked over to Mello. Why would he protect me like that?

About half an hour later, the blond stirred and opened his eyes.

As he carefully sat up, Bambi looked over at him and asked, "Married?"

"What?" he asked with a tone of feigned innocence. "Matt and Near wanted us to stay in the same room, and that was the only surefire way I could make that happen. Besides, we fight enough to look like an old married couple anyway."

The brunette let a small chuckle escape her lips. "That we do, Mello. That we do."

Bambi looked down, still feeling weird about the whole situation. Just a week ago Mello hated her, and now he's off using his body to shield her. He's even making her laugh instead of yelling. It just didn't feel right.

She shifted awkwardly before looking back up at Mello. "Why are you acting so weird? You hated me before, but now you're..." she gestured to his side. "Why?"

Mello sighed before responding, "Look, I've realized that I haven't been fair to you, and I want to change that. Let's just start over." He stuck out his good hand, "Hi, I'm Mello."

Bambi smiled at his words and met his hand in the middle. "Thanks for saving me, Mello. I'm Bambi."

Mello smiled back at her, and the nurse walked back in.

"Mr. Smith," she said, addressing Mello. "Your father is here with clothes for you two. I just need to do one last checkup before I can discharge you."

The nurse did her final checkups and let them both sign out. She then opened the door, letting in the familiar friendly face of Mr. Wammy.

He greeted the young investigators. "Good afternoon, John, Jane. I've brought clothes for the two of you." He placed their clothes on their separate beds. "I'll let you both get changed now." He then left, closing the curtain behind him.

Mello smirked at Bambi. "Well, Mrs. Smith, since we both know we aren't actually married, I'd like some privacy. I'm sure you won't mind, either." He pulled a second curtain between the two beds, allowing them both to get changed.

It was difficult with her broken ankle, but Bambi managed to get changed in ten minutes. While changing, she noticed bandages around large sections of her legs and torso. The brunette than stood up using her crutches and went outside to meet with Mr. Wammy and Mello. The elderly inventor then led the young adults to a dark limousine with tinted windows. He sat in the front, leaving Bambi and Mello in the back seat.

Once he began driving, Mr. Wammy addressed the pair. "L has instructed me to take the two of you to him. I have already packed your belongings, with the help of Matt and Near. Our flight will depart as soon as we arrive."

Mello narrowed his eyes and turned his attention to the window at the news. Bambi decided not to ask, unwilling to bring his foul mood to be focused on her again. Despite not asking, she was pretty certain that he was unhappy about being taken off the case in LA.

Bambi looked back to the front of the car and asked, "L is in Japan, right?"

"Correct, and while we are with L, you are to call him Ryuzaki, and call me Watari. Additionally, I will pay for your medical bills, so there is no need to worry about that."

Bambi smiled and thanked him. Even though she had the money to pay for it herself, it was a kind gesture. The rest of the car ride was silent as Watari drove to a nearby airfield. He parked the car near stairs leading up to a private jet. Another man came out to help take the suitcases.

Bambi approached the stairs and put her crutches on one arm, holding onto the railing with the other as she hopped up the stairs on her good foot, followed closely by Mello. Bambi, Mello, and Watari then took their seats. Shortly after that, the airplane took off. The brunette looked out the window, watching as the plane began to fly over the Pacific Ocean.