End Games

Chapter 18: Betrayal

Hours had passed since Misa spoke with Light. Their conversation had left her scared and confused so she wandered the streets, thinking, sorting out her feelings. Clutching the wrinkled Death Note piece in her hands, she concluded that Light was right. However, she still would not kill L, not without talking to him first. If what Light said was true and L was on the cusp of finding out their identities, then she might as well come clean now and hope for the best. Only if he still insisted on executing them would she consider making the deal for the eyes and writing his name in the Death Note.
She looked at her phone and gasped when she saw that it was almost 11pm.
'L must be on the verge of sending out a search party! Now he'll never trust me to go out again...' She groaned, finding it strange that she hadn't received any calls from him asking why she was taking so long at the park. She walked as fast as she could back to Headquarters and went inside.
Misa stepped into the main investigation room, and immediately, she knew something was off. For starters, it was past 11pm and every single task force member was still there. The only time they ever stayed that late was when they found a new lead, which, to her knowledge, hadn't happened. Another weird thing was the way they were all staring at her with a seriousness she'd never seen before.
"Hey...you're all here pretty late. Did something come up?" She asked.
The KIT members exchanged uncomfortable looks with each other as if they were hiding something from her. Misa eyed them all with unease. Light stood up from his chair and walked up to her. Misa slowly backed away from him. L stood up as well.
"OK, is something wrong? Why are you all staring at me like that?" She asked, getting alarmed.
Out of nowhere, Light grabbed her arm tightly. Misa yanked her arm out of his grip but he quickly regained hold of it.
"Light, what the hell?! Let me go!" She demanded, attempting to free herself.
"It's over Misa. Or should I say, Kira?" Said Light icily.
"'What?! You're calling me Kira? Is this some sort of sick joke?!"
She managed to twist her arm out of Light's hands and as she did, Light grabbed her backpack and opened it. Confused, Misa moved to stop him but he'd already pulled out the death note inside, holding it out for all to see.
"It's too late, Misa. I already told everyone about how you called me today to try and convince me to help you kill L with this Death Note! You told me how much you hated L and wanted retribution for all the pain he's caused you. You're done, Kira. Your reign of terror is over!" He told her harshly as he grabbed her by the wrists even harder than before.
"That is NOT TRUE! Guys, I swear he's lying!" She yelled, outraged by the accusation. She turned to Light. "This is a setup, isn't it?! You fucking set me up!" She screamed at him.
Light saw that she still had the piece of the death note with L's death description clenched in her fist. Seizing the opportunity, he pried open her hand and held the paper out to L.
"A set up? No Misa! You were coming here to kill L and here's the proof!" He said, giving the paper to L. The detective stepped forward and took the paper from Light. Misa struggled even harder.
"L, please don't read that!"She begged, frantically.
He ignored her as he unwrapped the paper.
"L!" She called to him in an effort to stop him. "L, I know this looks very bad, but please don't believe a word he says. I can explain everything! I swear I wasn't going to kill you! I love you, you're the father of my baby, I would never kill you! Please you HAVE to believe me!" She implored with tears in her eyes. Light held her back roughly. L was quiet as he read the paper. He knew exactly what the paper was and what it was meant for.
'This isn't...'
"OOWW! You fucking BITCH!" Yelled Light as Misa bit down hard on his hand, drawing blood. In retaliation, he forced her arms behind her back and wrestled her down against the floor, where he put her in a deadlock. Misa screamed in protest and the other KIT members looked on in shock with the way Light was treating her.
"I HATE YOU LIGHT! All your words were bullshit you miserable scumbag..." Cried Misa, helplessly against the hard floor. "I hate you so much!"
"Light, let her go." Said L. Light looked at him like he was crazy, not making a move to release her.
"I said to let her go, now." He repeated sharply.
Light reluctantly did as he was told and immediately, Misa ran to L. She hugged him as tight as she could and buried her face in his chest, shaking and sobbing.
"L...please...believe me..." She said choking and sobbing against his chest. "I'm not Kira, and I didn't come here to kill you. I swear on my life and the life of our child!" His white shirt was now wet with her tears. L wrapped his arms around her and Misa looked up at him with a desperate, teary-eyed expression. His expression was as unreadable as always. He looked down at her and pressed his forehead against hers, his raven bangs brushing her blonde ones. For a second Misa thought he was going to kiss her.
"I'm sorry..." he whispered to her before snapping the cold, metal cuffs around her wrist in one fluid motion. She looked down, and saw that L had placed handcuffs on one of her wrists. Misa stepped away from him, shocked and betrayed.
"No! Please, this is a mistake..." She pleaded desperately. Misa tried to tug herself away by yanking on the steel chain but L would not budge. She looked around at the other KIT members for help.
"Mr. Aizawa...Mochi...Mr. Yagami...MATSU! Anyone... you have to believe me, I'm not Kira!" She pleaded. However, they all remained silent, not able to look at her directly. Finally she slumped onto the floor, a defeated, a teary-eyed mess.
Light stepped forward and just to add pain to injury, he showed L the page of the death note where Misa had allegedly ripped out the paper with his death written on it. L simply looked at it and then at the piece of paper with his death written in neat stick letters. He narrowed his eyes slightly, concluding that Light must not have known about Misa's journal.
'It's painfully obvious that this isn't Misa's handwriting. Light, you've made a fatal mistake here today' Thought the detective shrewdly, relieved to finally have a piece of concrete evidence against Light. He looked at Misa and then at Light, who was bending down to grab her once more. Over L's dead body would he allow Light to get a hold of Misa like that again. He put a firm hand on Light's shoulder to get his attention.
"That won't be necessary, Light. Matsuda, please take Misa to her apartment where she is to remain indefinitely. I trust you'll be gentle with her. " Said L to the young police officer. If there was anyone that he could trust to be good to Misa, it was Matsuda.
"Right" Said Matsuda, walking toward the distraught blonde and gently helping her to her feet. Misa silently obeyed, following Matsuda with her head hung low. The rest of the KIT members looked on sadly as she was escorted out of the main investigation room and into the elevator lobby. Once they were gone, everyone released their breaths collectively.
They all quietly gathered around, discussing amongst themselves what they should do next. They knew their work was far from done, as this still left the Second and Third Kira to be found. Even though they had just captured "The Kira" it somehow didn't feel like a victory at all, not to any of them. Perhaps it was the fact that Misa just didn't fit the profile of a master mind like Kira, or the fact that Light was so adamant about her guilt. Something about this just didn't feel right.
Light sat at his desk, nursing his bloody hand. On the outside he looked serious and somber like everyone else, but on the inside, he was triumphant. Now that Misa was the prime suspect for Kira, he was free of suspicion. To top it off, he still had Mikami and his Shinigami eyes in his arsenal. Things were going better than ever.
L walked to his seat next to Light, looking eerily relieved despite having just apprehended Misa. He was still holding onto that piece of her death note, stretching it tenderly between his forefingers and thumbs.
"Thank you Light for all you've done for this investigation" Said L, not really referring to Misa's capture. "We've hit a major breakthrough, and it's all thanks to you."
Light grinned and accepted his gratitude. "I was only doing the right thing and fulfilling my duty as a member of this task force. I'm sure any of us would have done the same." He said.
"Right." L replied blandly as he folded the death note piece and stashed it in his pocket. For the time being, L did not possess a sample of Light's handwriting, but as sure as anything, he would obtain it.
...Two months later...
The KIT members sighed with fatigue and defeat for what felt like the umpteenth time. Two months had passed since Misa's capture and she hadn't said a word about Kira or anything else pertaining to the case. She was not allowed to leave her apartment or have any unauthorized contact with the outside world aside from the occasional house visit from her doctor. Most days, Matsuda along with another KIT member, went up to see her and interrogate her. However, each time anyone brought up the Kira case, she shut down and changed the topic.
As for L, he'd lost all notion of time as he submerged himself into every aspect of the case. In those two months, he had obtained a writing sample from Light without his knowing, and verified that the writing on the death note piece, was in fact his. He studied every rule of the death note and had them tested by a death row inmate, convincing himself that the death note works. He also painstakingly examined a list of dozens of thousands of potential Third Kira suspects, narrowing the list down by over 90% to 2,254 potential Third Kiras. As a result, he was currently pushing 192 hours, or 8 days straight, of work with no sleep. He had not even budged from his desk for the past 26 hours, just burning through Kira suspect profiles. While the rest of the Kira task force managed to collectively go through 2,000 profiles, L had already processed over ten times that amount by himself. This was mostly due to shear will power as his body was begging to succumb to rest. However L was determined to keep going for as long as it took to win it all.
...
Misa shot up into a sitting position on her bed as if someone had kicked her. Someone did kick her! The first genuine smile in two months came to her face as she put her hand over her 5 month-old bump that was her womb. She felt a flutter, and then another one. Misa started laughing. She hadn't laughed at all during her confinement, so this was a big moment. Right then, Matsuda walked into her apartment and found the usually sullen mother-to-be laughing hysterically by herself. He didn't know what to make of the scene before him.
"Misa...are you ok?" He asked, concerned. 'Oh no, she's finally cracked! I knew we would make her crazy!' He panicked.
"Matsu! Come here! Feel this!" She said, beckoning him toward her with her hand. Matsuda looked suspicious but he went and sat on the edge of her bed awkwardly. Misa grabbed his hand and placed it over her still modestly-sized belly. Matsuda made a face and jumped back a little.
"Oh! It's moving!" He said, amazed. "This is great news, Misa! Everyone's going to be so excited to hear about this!"
"Right..." she said, downcast. 'Everyone, except for the one who matters most'. Matsuda excused himself to go spread the news. Misa shrunk back in her bed with a sad look on her face. 'I shouldn't get too excited. For all I know, I may be executed right after delivering. I may not even get to meet my baby before I'm whisked away to a prison somewhere...' She sighed. 'Even if I do confess, I'm still the Second Kira so what good will that do?'
She reclined back on her bed and tried to fall asleep. Sleep had not come easily to her these past two months. She often had nightmares about her being thrown in prison and executed while her baby suffered in an orphanage somewhere without parents to love him or her. Actually, in her dreams, her baby was always a boy. Maybe it was a sign that her child was going to be male but it was only speculation on her part. She would be happy either way. The young mother-to-be sighed, turned on her side and caressed her belly, trying to will herself to rest.
...Meanwhile, in the main investigation room...
L was starting to feel drowsy after pushing himself so much to finish the task at hand. He nearly dozed off completely while reading the Third Kira suspect profile of a certain Teru Mikami. 'Right to the suspicious pile with this one...if I were Kira, I would choose him.' He thought, his eyes closing involuntarily. He was woken abruptly from his impromptu nap by a lively conversation going on between Matsuda and the rest of the KIT members.
"You guys have to feel it. It's the coolest thing ever" Said Matsuda telling them the good news.
L perked up at the mention of Misa and the baby. Apparently his child had started to kick. He was definitely intrigued. Matsuda went on about how excited Misa was to feel it kicking and how it felt when it kicked into his hand. For the first time ever, L actually felt a little envious of Matsuda. While he knew that his jealousy was misplaced, L disliked the fact that Matsuda had shared such a moment with Misa before he had gotten the chance to do so. Without saying a word to anyone, L stood from his chair. Everyone looked at him with interest as L hadn't stopped working in over a day. His legs were weak and almost atrophied from the prolonged time without usage. The detective nearly stumbled under the weight of his exhausted body.
With languid steps the detective walked past everyone to the elevator lobby and pressed the up button to go to Misa's floor.
'What am I doing? Why am I even going there?' He asked himself. 'I must be out of my mind...' He concluded, noting that he was definitely not functioning properly under the haze of fatigue. His body seemed to move on its own as the elevator door opened and he boarded it. Once on the elevator, L closed his eyes, and all was quiet. Peace and darkness took him. With a 'Ding!' the elevator doors opened once more, plunging him back to reality abruptly. He had dozed off yet again without realizing it, this time standing upright while on the elevator.
'Sleep is such a nuisance. So much productivity and resources are lost as a consequence of sleep, I should invest some time figuring out a way to be productive while sleeping.' He mused as he walked toward Misa's apartment. He let himself in and made his way to her bedroom.
An unsuspecting Misa was tossing and turning on her bed, unable to sleep for the past hour. She put her hand inside the night table drawer beside her bed, looking for her journal. It wasn't there. She sighed, wondering where on earth she put the journal that she hadn't found it in the two months.
'Maybe I should bribe Ryuk to find it for me. I bet he'd be good at that kind of thing. Now if only I knew where he went... I haven't seen that selfish Shinigami since I was put on house arrest...'
Her thoughts were in interrupted by the sound of her front door opening and closing. She looked expectantly at her bedroom door and almost toppled off the side her bed when she saw who it was. L was standing there, looking at her after almost two months of not seeing her. She said nothing, just gaping at him, cursing herself for feeling happy to see him.
"It's you." She said, trying to sound displeased. "What do you want?"
He walked closer to her and she saw that he looked more disheveled than usual, the dark circles under his eyes more pronounced than ever. He also looked more asleep than awake and more like a zombie than a living person. L went over to the bed and she shrunk back with apprehension, not knowing what to expect.
"I'm sorry Misa-san, I didn't want to disturb you. I'm not thinking very clearly today. May I...feel it moving?" He asked innocently, climbing into bed next to her.
Misa looked at him, shocked. He was actually interested in their child? L was now kneeling next to her on the bed, seeing Misa and her belly for the first time. Last he'd seen her was when she was captured and she hadn't been showing her pregnancy then. She was not too big now either but it was obvious to the naked eye that she was expecting. Misa saw uncertainty mixed with curiosity written on L's face as he stared at her belly. She softened a little and removed her hands from her stomach. She started to giggle and L looked at her, wondering what was so humorous.
"The baby's kicking now if you want to feel. It tickles a little..." She explained.
L hovered a shy hand over her stomach and tentatively placed it there. He felt a small flutter against his hand causing him to draw it back a little, then replacing it back on her belly. L was in awe. The corners of his mouth curved a little into a faint smile. This was the first time that he actually felt something concrete for this little creature he'd never met before. Misa looked at him nervously, wondering what was going through his mind. She looked away from him because trying to read his expressions was stressing her out.
She wanted to reach out to him, tell him everything just then, and beg him to help her get out of this mess so she could keep her child. Maybe he would help her, or at least agree to see that her child was well cared for when she was gone. Either way, she was probably already screwed and headed for death row, but for the sake of her child, she would take the risk and come clean at last. She closed her eyes, and without notice, she blurted it out.
"L, I'm the Second Kira" She said quickly. She opened her eyes but couldn't get herself to face him. She looked down at her hands, waiting for his response and praying that he took it well. He said nothing.
"L...Did you hear what I said?" She turned to him to find that L was passed out face down on her bed, with his hand still on her stomach. She squealed and poked him to see if he would react. He did not. His slow, steady breathing indicated that he was very much asleep. Misa could not believe it.
"Are you serious?! L get up, you can't sleep in my bed." She said sternly.
She tried pushing him off the bed but he was out cold and would not be easily moved.
"Ugh!" She huffed, annoyed, crossing her arms over her chest. For all that she had against L and as much as she hated it, having him close like this did make her feel comfortable, even peaceful. She stayed there for some time, just looking at his lean back rise and fall with each breath he took. Before she knew it, she'd fallen into a deep, much needed slumber as well.
In their dormant state, the two shifted so that L was spooning Misa as she laid on her side. His arm was wrapped around her waist and his hand hung easily on her stomach as if he were still feeling for his baby's movements. Misa could sleep like this forever. A small, lazy smile crept over her lips as she slept. In the throes of deep sleep, all was forgiven.
Several hours later, Misa opened her eyes, feeling refreshed after what seemed like the first time she'd truly slept in those two months. She still had a small smile on her face, up until she realized her predicament. Her eyes opened wide as she realized that she was trapped. She looked down at her waist and saw L's arms around her, hugging her to him as though she were his own personal teddy bear. Fighting the temptation to submit to his embrace, she carefully began prying his arm off of her. She tried to do it gently at first to avoid waking him, but it was impossible; it was as though he had become rigid. She sighed in frustration and employed greater force this time, not caring if he found it bothersome. Still nothing. She then began writhing against him in efforts to create some room between them for her to escape through.
She stopped her struggling when she heard a moan from behind her. Misa froze and felt the hand around her waist trace the curve of her side and move down to her hips where they remained, pushing her further into him. The blonde froze and then turned to face her captor. Her hazel eyes landed on his dark gray ones. L was awake.
"What's your problem?" She hissed at him.
"You're trying to seduce me" He said simply. She looked at him, offended.
"What?! I'm trying to seduce you?! I'm trying to get away from you!"
"Then why are you grinding your perfect ass against my crotch?" He said with a bite. If she was going to be nippy with him then he was going to give back as good as he got. That was one of the things he lived by, "an eye for an eye." Misa couldn't believe he'd just said that to her.
"That's not...I wasn't...I hate you!" She said, blushing. L released her and sat up on the bed, looking at her without saying anything back. Misa glared at him. He lightly bit his index finger as he looked at her with that pseudo-smile of his. He found something amusing, and she didn't know what.
'why is he looking at me like that?' She thought, shifting uncomfortably on the bed. Just as she was about to ask him why the stupid look on his face, L answered.
"Misa..."
She looked at him expectantly.
"Your boobs are bigger" He finished, blatantly ogling her.
Her jaw dropped and she noticed that her tank top had ridden a little low on her chest while she slept, revealing more cleavage then she would have liked. She yelled, smacked L across the face and quickly covered herself.
"You pervert!"
"Misa, that hurt." He said, rubbing his cheek.
"Good!"
"Could you please do me a favor?" He asked her. She seemed interested in hearing what he had to say. "Could you stop hating me for an hour?"
"Why an hour?" She asked, frowning.
He didn't say, but then he moved in and kissed her. His kiss was firm but not rough, and it carried an urgency and need about it that made Misa succumb to its effect.
'I must not give in...I must not...give in...' She kept repeating to herself. Yet, her body did the complete opposite. She allowed another kiss and this time, L ran his tongue lightly over her lips, requesting entrance. She granted him access and within minutes, L managed to melt her defenses and nestle himself between her legs, leaving just enough room for their child to not be squished under him. Misa felt is hand slowly creeping its way into her pajama shorts, yet she had no intention of stopping him.
She felt his long fingers make contact with the fabric of her panties. He lightly ran a finger over her opening, causing her to spread her legs even more. Meanwhile, his other hand had snuck its way into her shirt and was firmly massaging one of her breasts. She voiced her pleasure and reached down slowly past his waistband. L moaned into Misa's mouth as she skillfully teased the bulge in his pants through his jeans. He kissed and sucked Misa's neck on his way down to her now full breasts that he'd been dying to explore from the moment he noticed them. Misa grabbed a fistful of his raven hair as he worked a couple of fingers inside her, causing her to moan in response. Encouraging his movements, she tugged on L's shirt, pulling it up to remove it. Then he made short work of her bra and tank top, leaving her exposed to him. They shared a look of pure lust, both of their hearts beating rapidly as their bodies craved more.
Misa wanted him so bad, she was almost begging him to take her. Likewise, L was more than ready to rut her right then and there. He quickly resumed his work inside her shorts as his mouth took possession of her breasts. Misa wrapped her legs around him, bucking her hips against his groin, communicating her need to him. He tugged at her shorts and panties, and she raised her hips so that he could remove the offending fabric. Then Matsuda walked in.
"Misa, is L-AAAHHHH! SORRY!" Yelled Matsuda as he closed his eyes and put his hands up defensively. Misa screamed an ear-splitting screech that made L frown and she quickly dove under the blankets to cover herself.
"What is it?" L asked Matsuda as though nothing was wrong.
"AAHH! I...well... ow!" Stammered Matsuda, tripping over some of Misa's belongings throughout the room as he tried to find the door with his eyes closed. "There's been news you see... damn..."
"It can wait half an hour." Said L as he turned around to fish Misa out from under the blanket, attempting to continue where they'd left off.
"L!" She protested. "Get off! We're not doing it while Matsuda's still here!"
"Why should I stop on his account? It's his problem if he wants to watch" L responded as though it were a perfectly normal thing. Matsuda's face turned pink, then red, and then it just went pale altogether. Misa was not having it.
"L, LEAVE. You and I are NOT on good terms and you know it! I don't know what's wrong with me, letting myself get carried away with you...pervert!
She threw him out of her bed with all her might and the detective went tumbling off the side. He caught himself and looked at the blinded Matsuda, unamused.
'Matsuda you idiot' He thought, mentally noting to get back at him for this incident. Just then Aizawa ran into the room and also screamed upon seeing L in nothing but boxers and Misa hugging the blanket up to her forehead.
"Um...sorry to interrupt, but we have good news or bad news depending on how you look at it." Said Aizawa, avoiding looking at L or Misa. Matsuda was huddled on an arm chair, his eyes still shut. L began to dress himself calmly, listening to Aizawa's report.
"Mass killing of criminals have started up again." He said gravely. Misa gasped and she felt an inkling of hope. L looked at Misa and then finished getting dressed. She narrowed her eyes at him as if saying 'Well at least I have an alibi that you can confirm'
"Matsuda, you can open your eyes. We're leaving" Said L standing in front of the cop, fully clothed. And with that, Misa was left by herself with her unborn baby to ponder what may happen next.