Stalemate (A Death Note Story)

Chapter Seven: Concern

Nemo stood in the doorway, slightly confused. "Why does he wish to see me?"

Watari began to sigh. "Not a lot of people stand out, Ryuzaki. After your conversation with him, he seemed to have taken a bit of an interest in you."

Nemo felt somewhat honored. She put on her shoes and her coat, following Watari to a black limousine.

"Good evening, Ms. Kimura." L said.

Nemo smiled nervously at him. "Ryuzaki, how are you?" She stepped into the car.

She was sitting across from him. L was sitting in his usually odd position, but Nemo didn't seem to mind.

"I'm fine. You're probably wondering why I asked you to meet me here." L answered. He didn't seem as focused as usual. He had a bit of a worried expression on his face.

Nemo nodded. She didn't interact with him much outside of meetings, but he stood up for her theories. It was nerve-wracking being alone with him. Nemo didn't have a lot of romantic experiences, but something about a silent and patient detective that Nemo invited herself in.

"Ms. Kimura, what do you know about Light Yagami?" L finally spoke. This was a rather obvious question, but it was a test to see how much she knew about Light. L needed to make sure she wasn't working with him in any way.

"I know just as much as you, Ryuzaki. He's the Chief's son." Nemo scoffed. "He's a student and a smartass."

"Yes, but he's not all he seems. During our meeting yesterday, you had said that we shouldn't be so sure that both the families were innocent." L monitored her reaction. "What did you mean by that?"

"I was just piggybacking off of what you said. Unfortunately, I don't think that the Yagami family is that innocent, but I didn't want to upset the chief." Nemo replied. "I don't think Light Yagami is innocent."

"You're very interesting, Ms. Kimura." L put his thumb up to his lips. "Why do you think that?"

Nemo thought for a second. In her sleep-deprived state, she thought about what made Light so suspicious. He spent nearly all day in his room on the cameras. It seemed like he was putting on an act. A show for his father and L to see, but there was something he was hiding. If he had the death note, he would be in direct correlation with Kira.

"Take your time, Ms. Kimura." L said. "We've got all night."

"I think Light was putting on an act. During his studying, I noticed something shiny coming from the potato chip bag he was eating. I went to the landfill the next day, without the Chief's permission, and I think I found a completely crushed miniature television." Nemo explained. "Why would Light toss a piece of expensive appliance like that?"

L's eyes widened, more than his already wide stare. He nodded. L got the confirmation he needed that Nemo wasn't working for Light at all. Nemo stared back with a confused look on her face. She waved a hand in front of his face to get his attention. The space between Nemo and L got smaller, as Nemo unintentionally moved closer.

L finally snapped back. "There's something I want you to see. No one else has this, and these pictures were never released to the traditional media. I want you to see these and tell me what you think."

In front of her, he showed three photographs showing gruesome pictures of prisoners using their blood to write a message directly to L.

"L, did you know shinigamis love apples?" The paper read. Nemo's jaw dropped slightly in surprise. She knew what the sentence meant. To her, this meant Kira was an owner of a death note. She was completely pale, paler than L at the moment.