End Games

Chapter 5: Lairs

It was the weekend, the only time when KIT members were not hard at work. They generally took this brief time to spend with friends and family, or in Light's case, to catch up on school work. L however, never took a day off. This was one of the "perks" to being the world's best detective.
While most people's activity cycles involved being awake during the day and sleeping at night, L had long ago lost all feel for a normal human schedule. He was awake at all hours and his sleep habits could be summarized in two words: scarce and sporadic.
It was now Saturday morning. Of course, to L, this normally wouldn't mean anything, but today was slightly special. The detective was perched on his usual spot at his desk, immersed in thought as he fiddled with some candy wrappers. Watari came into the room with a cart on top of which was a laptop. He rolled the cart next to L and addressed the young man.
"Good morning Ryuzaki. It's time" Said the older man.
"Perfect. Thank you Watari" Said L, getting up from his seat and walking in the direction of a door to the far right. "Please bring the laptop to the observation room. I'll have the meeting there. I assume Roger's ready?"
"Yes, he is" said Watari, rolling the cart with the laptop right behind L.
-In the meantime-
Misa was just waking up after a long night. She had been up late after she and Light finished the movie because she was updating her journal. She had been thinking about the incident with Ryuzaki more than she should have been, and felt that writing it all down would help. It turned out, Ryuzaki's rejection bothered her, a lot. It was like an insult to her as an attractive woman who never had a problem getting male attention.
She whipped the covers off her body and surreptitiously struck a sexy pose while pretending to stretch so she could show off her sexy attire. Last night, Misa wore her favorite short, silk nightgown. She knew there were cameras in her room and that because it was Friday night, Ryuzaki would be the only one watching. She thought her little performance was a clever ruse to get back at him for embarrassing her.
Misa stepped into the shower and let the warm water run over her sculpted body. That guy rejected me...MISA MISA the super model...I seriously think he's either dead from the waist down or he's not interested in women...Still, I don't buy that he didn't feel the slightest bit turned on that night She thought.
After her shower, she called Light to see if he was free to see her today. He didn't answer the phone. Well, I guess I could stop by his apartment and see if he's home' She thought, smiling to herself at the thought of surprising Light at his apartment. "Now, to pick out something cute to wear..." She said as she walked over to her closet.
-At Wammy's House in London-
A group of children sat huddled in front of a laptop with a gray screen with an "L" on it. They were the gifted, orphaned children at the institution called Wammy's House. Roger, Watari's right-hand man sat next to the laptop beaming at the children's curiosity and thoughtful questions. This was the first Q&A Session the children had ever had with the most gifted, and accomplished individual to ever pass through Wammy's House.
L's voice could be heard from the laptop loud and clear "Are there any other questions?"
The children argued excitedly amongst themselves to decide who should ask the next question. The winner was a girl that looked to be about seven years old. "L, could you tell me if there's something that you're not good at, or something you're scared of?" She asked with excitement.
The other children teased the girl about her question. "Yeah right! L's not scared of anything!" Said one of the boys. Another boy told her how silly her question was. The girl seemed unfazed by the protests, however.
"Something I'm scared of? Well, I suppose...monsters."
L's response made the children erupt into laughter. After a few seconds, they settled down again and listened carefully to words of their mentor.
-At the KIT Headquarters-
Misa was on her way out when she remembered something kind of important.
"Shoot" She said out loud. "Oh wait, I know..." She said to herself as she turned back around and headed to the main investigation room.
Misa walked into the main investigation room hoping that L would be there, but to her surprise, he wasn't. 'Well this is odd' She thought. She was about to leave when she heard what sounded like children laughing. She looked around thinking she might have gone crazy. She eventually came to the front of a door on the far right. She pressed her ear to the door and listened to what was going on inside. 'It's definitely him. And he's talking to...children?! What the hell is going on in there?'
Her curiosity got the better of her and she carefully turned the handle of the door and cracked it open a tiny bit. Through the slit she could see a couch overlooking a ceiling to floor glass wall. In front of the couch was L's hunched figure sitting on the floor in front of a laptop. 'The children are speaking to him through the laptop'. Misa heard a young girl ask him what he was afraid of. What surprised her most about the question was the fact that she had addressed the detective as L. 'So they know that Ryuzaki is L? I thought that was top secret...who are these children anyway?' She wondered.
Misa was too afraid to shut the door again so she stayed still for a few minutes, barely breathing, waiting for a good time to move away. Ryuzaki made the children laugh again, and she took advantage of the added noise to slip away. She decided that she would wait for him by his desk. That wouldn't raise any suspicions.
A few minutes later, L walked into the main investigation room where Misa was waiting for him.
He walked toward his desk and didn't seem surprised to see her there. 'What are you up to Amane and why were you spying on me just now?' Thought the detective as he walked to his desk. L's face remained stoic, not betraying any of the worry he was experiencing. He definitely did not want either of the two Kiras finding out about Wammy's House. While his identity was safe, Watari's may be compromised, and should the Kiras find out that the institute's purpose is to produce his successors, it may not bode well for the children either. 'That could be very bad. Amane, it appears that it may be time for a little performance of my own. Two can play this game' He thought to himself.
She smiled and said "Good morning Ryuzaki!"
"Morning. I know I'm not the expert in social norms, but I believe it's considered rude to spy on others" L said.
Misa's heart dropped and her cheeks began to flush with embarrassment. Damn.
"Well, you're one to talk! And here I thought I was the one with cameras in every nook and cranny of her apartment. Well, excuse me!" Said Misa sarcastically.
"Fair enough. You have a point" he said. There was a small pause before L sighed and then plopped down in his chair, slumped. It was the first time Misa had seen him sitting in a semi-normal way. She stared for a long moment. He wasn't eating any sweets and he wasn't fidgeting with anything, in fact, he wasn't doing anything at all.
She actually felt concerned now. He let me win that argument and he's not saying any more about it. That's weird of him..."Um, Ryuzaki, is everything ok? You look really bad." She said and immediately she regretted her words.
L looked at her un-amused and said, "Thanks for the compliment. You look great."
"I'm really sorry!" She gave him a small polite bow. "I meant to say you don't seem like yourself today. What's the matter?"
L didn't answer and simply looked down at his hands.
Misa didn't know what to do next. "Don't want to talk huh? Alright, cool. Whatever." She crossed her arms and pretended to be mad at him.
L still said nothing.
Misa decided to try a different approach. "So, um, you want some cake?" She asked him hopefully with a weak smile. He simply looked at her.
"Ok, FINE. Be an ass. I don't care anyway. I don't even know why I'm wasting my time here sitting with you...ass!" She said getting truly frustrated now.
L smiled a little at her genuine outburst and said "Yeah Misa, why are you sitting here wasting your time with me?"
"Oh right. I don't know how to get back in here if I want to go out. Like the passwords and stuff. Last time I left Light came back with me and he opened all the doors with the security things. I don't know any of that stuff and I feel like I should just in case you or Watari aren't around to let me in." She said.
"I'm afraid I can't give you that information. And even if I did, it wouldn't be useful to you for very long; a new password gets randomly generated every day. Watari sends the password to each KIT member through a process that I'm not going to discuss with you" He told her.
"So what the hell am I? I'm helping with the investigation now aren't I? Shouldn't I have the passwords too?" She asked taking a step towards him. L shifted in his seat back into his usual position and looked as though he was mulling over her comment.
"Well, the quick and easy solution would be if you go out with me instead and then I can type in all the passwords. That guarantees you access to Headquarters when you want to get back in" He said standing up from his chair. "Besides, I personally wouldn't mind going out for something a little bit more exotic than just cake. I'm kind of craving shortcake" He said now sounding more like his usual self.
Misa was speechless. L stood before her looking at her with his hands in his pocket. Did he...just say he wants to go out somewhere? Together? There was a long pause as she processed what had just happened.
"Well...I was actually going to see..." She almost told him that she was going to see Light and wanted to go alone but she saw a look of disappointment flash across his face. He was now looking at his feet, and nervously moving one foot over the other. 'Well, Light didn't answer his phone so it could very well be a wasted trip. Not to mention that Ryuzaki seems like he's in a bit of slump and he helped me out before, so I should return the favor. Beside the whole apartment incident, he's been really nice to me.' She thought.
"I was actually going to see if the new park and ride a few of miles from here was open! I think Light is busy today, so it's perfect that you're coming with me" She said, finishing her sentence.
L was surprised that she had agreed to that. She said yes. That's quite interesting' Thought L.
As the two walked out of Headquarters together, L turned to Misa and said "By the way, I had fully expected you to refuse my offer. I figured you would go to Light as soon as you got the chance."
Misa laughed nervously and said, "Well, you know what they say. You shouldn't judge a book by its cover, right?" 'Great Misa, you pretty much just called him judgmental. Way to be an idiot' Thought the attractive blonde, slightly mortified.
...
L's chauffeur drove the couple to the park and ride in L's Bentley. They went around stopping at every other concession stand so that L could get his fill of sweets. Misa, on the other hand wanted to stop at every single ride. It was a good tradeoff because while they waited in line, L could enjoy his treats until it was their turn to ride. The two made their way through the entire park, having been tossed sideways, dropped from high places, carried at high speeds (forward and backward), and spun in circles in every direction. Misa was having a blast. L on the other hand wasn't too fond of the rides, though he tolerated them because Misa really wanted to ride them. Also, it allowed him to get really close to Misa without seeming too obvious, which he reluctantly had to admit he liked.
"I'm tired!" Proclaimed Misa as she plopped herself down on one of the park benches.
"We can go back whenever you like" Said L finishing up a bag of doughnut holes.
Misa stood back up and did something L didn't see coming. She enlaced her arm around his and started to walk, forcing him to go in stride with her. 'What are you doing now, you cunning woman?' Thought L as he went along. He wasn't used to being like this with anyone, but he liked the feel of Misa on his arm, the way she seemed comfortable with him, and the way her breasts brushed against his arm as she held it close to her chest. 'That feels nice' He thought, subconsciously licking leftover sugar off his lips.
"We can't go yet!" Declared Misa. "We haven't gone on the Ferris Wheel! It's about to be sunset too, it's the best time to go cause it's so—" Misa stopped herself from saying it but she was about to say that it was romantic.
"—So, pleasant?" Offered L.
"Yeah, that!" She said quickly.
Without thinking about it, Misa held on to L's arm long after they had reached their destination. The line was short so they did not have to wait long before the Ferris Wheel took them up. Misa had been right, it was a beautiful time to go on that ride. L, however, was lost in his thoughts 'What could she have possibly heard at my session with my successors today? She couldn't have been standing there for more than a mere seconds, minutes at most. I doubt she would have heard anything meaningful that would lead her or Light to investigate Wammy's House...' instinctively, L wanted to assume his usual sitting stance but couldn't because of the Ferris Wheel's lap bar. That was yet another thing he disliked about these contraptions. He couldn't sit like he normally did.
Misa noticed his slight predicament and chuckled. "Ryuzaki, why do you sit like that?"
"I have to sit that way. If I were to sit normally, my deductive skills would diminish by approximately 40%" He told her.
"Oh, I see. So does that mean that while you're strapped up like this you're of average intelligence?" She said playfully. L simply looked at her, unsure if that was a serious question. After a long silence, Misa asked "Isn't the sunset beautiful?"
"Yes, I would say so. Though I'm not sure how many more I'll be able to enjoy." Said L with a hint of melancholy.
Misa was confused by his statement. "What do you mean?" She asked. L was now closely gauging her reaction.
"We know that there are at least two Kiras out there, and now possibly three. It is not at all impossible that they will work together to bring down their common obstacles, mainly those who are trying to bring them to justice, myself among them." He said.
Misa didn't know what to say for a moment. She was scared and sad. "I don't want you to die, or anyone else for that matter! Ryuzaki, you can count on me to do whatever it takes to help catch Kira!"
She grabbed L's arm in one of her vice grips and looked him straight in the face. "I swear! I won't let anything happen to you or Light or anyone on the task force!"
'She speaks with such conviction, it's almost impossible to believe that she's the Second Kira. But I can't be wrong...' He thought. He felt the circulation to his arm stopping and said "Misa, you're crushing my arm."
Misa's cheeks turned pink. "Oh sorry" She said letting go of his arm. The two remained silent for the rest of the ride, Misa admiring the sunset with new determination, and L lost deep in thought. The ride back to Headquarters was just as comfortably quiet. As L had promised, he took care of all the security clearance once they reached HQ. As soon as they got back, L said a quick goodbye to Misa and then went on to the investigation room. He was again surprised when she followed him into the room. When he looked at her inquisitively, she said "Not so fast, if you're going to be here, then I'll stay too. I'm going to finish that whole volume on the Kira murders and then we can really start doing something about this once and for all!" She said excitedly.
L was actually impressed. She walked right by him, set her stuff down by his desk, sat next to his usual spot and began reading ferociously. 'She's surprised me yet again. I am not wrong about her....am I?' Thought the detective before taking his seat next to Misa and getting back to work.