Jane Grey

Chapter 6: The Court of L

I knocked on the door and waited patiently, leaning against the door frame as support for my swaying self. The door slowly opened to be greeted by the familiar sight of Watari's gentle smiling face "Glad to see that you're back in one piece my dear," He noticed me gripping the door-frame for dear life to which he took my shoulders to support me, "Perhaps another time?" He suggested. I shook my head, instantly regretting the sudden movement, but I was determined not to let my illness get in the way of my work.

"No, I must do this today." he seemed unconvinced, but pressed me no further.

"Sir, Lady Grey has arrived," He informed L and presumably the task force that was in the room. I shoved his hands from my shoulder and staggered into the room, feigning confidence and grace despite my recoil when the lights turned on to reveal several men in the room with me. Whilst I had expected this to happen, part of me was still terrified. It wasn't hard to deduce that the man in casual clothing (a stark contrast to the other men in suits) was my boss. He looked nothing like I had imagined him to be, though looks can be deceiving. One man, who looked to be the youngest of all of them, seemed to recognise my face from my case and blurted out, "You're Jane Moreaux, aren't you?" he seemed more than a little enthusiastic about it. I nodded, and introduced myself by my code name. Soichiro Yagami, Light's father, held a face of shock and disbelief. Once upon a time, he had investigated my case to the ends of the earth and was supposedly reluctant to give it up when the higher ups declared it a cold case.

"Whilst I'm sure it is nice to see such a case come to resolution, much like with my identity, you must keep her's a secret too," L informed. I shook his hand, we had finally met face-to-face after the weeks of working alongside each other.

"Its a pleasure to finally put a face to the man behind the door. Please just call me Grey." I smiled through the growing blurriness of my vision. Noticing my growing faintness, L instructed me to return to my room and that we would continue introductions later (later meaning when I was feeling well). Before I could leave, Mr Yagami had put a hand to my shoulder in an attempt to get my attention, though I froze in fear as I had not seen his face when he had touched me. He spoke, but I heard nothing, the other's spoke but I heard nothing and so I have L here to fill in the blanks where I was not mentally available.

L relayed that Mr Yagami had asked about my wellbeing and how I had survived all this time, though when I didn't respond it became pertinent to Watari and L that the sudden contact had shocked me. By the time I had come to, I was laying on the couch of the room I had tried to leave. The lights were soft, and the room empty save for my boss and temporary caretaker, I had a wet cloth on my forehead and a blanket covering my body

"Ah, you're awake Miss Grey,"

"What happened?" My voice was shaky once more, and the feeling of weakness was heavier than my body. I wouldn't blame you if you felt that most of this account was overshadowed by flashbacks and illness hindering my consciousness, however it is incredibly important to note how it affects my life and decisions.

"When Mr Yagami had touched you, you froze and began to scream. We felt is right to have them leave for the night whilst you rested." Overwhelming guilt filled my heart, Mr Yagami was a nice man and ever dedicated to his family and his career, screaming at him like that probably made him feel bad.

"Perhaps it was too soon to let you meet so many people at once,"

"No!" I yelled, the sudden change in volume shocking both men, "I'm sick and tired of being treated like a sick child,"

"With all due respect, Miss Grey, that is exactly what you are." That comment made me shut up. L was facing the window in an attempt not to listen in on the scolding I knew I was about to receive. I hadn't been scolded in so many years, my parents struggled to scold me out of an intense love to see me smile. Not to say I was never disciplined, because I certainly was, it was just a feeling so foreign to me.

"You've been through a lot within this year alone. You refused to take care of your health when it was at its weakest when we found you, you put up a tantrum like a child when you wouldn't get what you wanted," the mere memory made me flush with embarrassment, I was glad the others weren't here as I wouldn't be able to handle being humiliated in front of Mr Yagami and his colleagues. Watari sighed deeply, maintaining his composure, "If you're going to act like a child, then we will treat you like one. You're 17 years old, going on 18 for goodness sake. You're nearly an adult, so rather than refusing to acknowledge your health and disability alongside trauma then how can you expect to handle a case like this?"

He was right, as usual. I was acting childish. I said nothing in return, only throwing the cloth from my forehead to the ground and running into my room, slamming the door loudly and locking it behind me. I felt utterly humiliated and ashamed, though the message he had hoped to send did get across to me. About two days later, I stopped sulking and prepared for a proper introduction to the new task force. Before I could do that though, I confronted the two men about my behaviour, and sucked up my pride to apologise. They thought nothing of it, only giving me their looks of approval.