Failure (A Death Note/L Love Story)

Chapter 35

Yagami was under surveillance, too. It had been decided while I was taking Light away that it was best for him considering his... mental state. He was temporarily being taken off the investigation, at least while Light was detained, but kept informed on what was happening. I wish I had been there to say something against it. It felt wrong to have to watch him, of all people. It left what little of a team we had with less manpower and the room feeling empty.

We were only three days into detaining Light. "Ryuzaki, talk to me. What's happening? Have any new criminals been identified; anyone Kira would be likely to target? If so, has he killed any of them?"

L pressed the button on the mike in the middle of the three and informed him, "In fact, quite a few criminals' names have been broadcast recently, but since you've been detained, we haven't had one report of a criminal being killed by Kira."

"Wait, no one's been killed? Really?" Light asked.

"Yes."

"I see. So, it's only a matter of time before I'm convicted as Kira," he figured, but he didn't seem too distraught by it.

I placed my hands on L's shoulders and said, "Please tell me I'm not the only one feeling like this is all wrong." This was only making him seem more like Kira. I thought the killings would have continued. Plus, he asked to be confined. We didn't force him. If he was Kira, what would be the point of doing something like that? He would have just confessed that he was Kira if he wanted to be convicted. He'd want the credit. Acting as if he was unconscious of it... wasn't Kira's way of doing things.

"You aren't," L admitted.

"About what?" Matsuda wondered.

I dismissed, "I wouldn't worry about it now. We'll tell you if it's necessary. I don't want to distract from what you need to be looking for."

So, we continued on for another two days. "In the end, I just have to get through this, no matter what," Light told himself. Still, no criminals had been killed by Kira.

"You know what, Mr. Stalker? Your video won't sell if it's just me sitting here the whole time," Misa said. We had put her in a chair after her complaint so much about standing the entire time.

I stressed through the mike, "Misa, I'm not a stalker. This is a police investigation."

"Whatever you say," she replied.

I sighed and hung my head, "It was worth another shot. Why did a smart guy like Light choose her?"

"Mr. Yagami looks pretty bad. I think he's taking this harder than Light or Misa," L commented. I turned my attention to Yagami's corner of the scene. He looked absolutely miserable. I wasn't sure if he had moved from the chair he was sitting in at all during those five days. Or slept.

"What do you expect? It's been five days since Light was put in prison. And look, not a single criminal whose name has been broadcast was killed by Kira. In these situations, I think the parents must suffer a lot more than the accused," Matsuda stated.

"No kidding. Especially now that we're seeing proof that Light is Kira," Aizawa added.

I said quietly, "I'm really nervous, though. This must cause a lot of stress. What if he has another heart attack from this?"

L contacted him quickly after I spoke, "Mr. Yagami."

He immediately sat up and questioned, "What is it? Is it good news? Is it bad news?"

"No, I wanted to tell you not to worry so much. It doesn't matter how much time you devote worrying about this; the outcome will be the same. This can go on for quote some time. Perhaps you should rest somewhere more comfortable," L suggested. I smiled at him taking my concerns into consideration.

I continued, "Please, this must be affecting your health to some extent. We can watch you just fine from our hotel room."

I jumped when he stood and flipped over the chair. "Impossible! What makes you think I care where I am? With the state I'm in now, this is the best place for me." He walked over to the video camera, and I felt myself take a tiny step back. I had never seen him so furious. He took hold of it. "And no matter what the result, when I leave here, it's going to be with my son!"

L looked back at me, and he mirrored my surprise. I just shrugged. He said quietly, "I understand." And we never tried that again.

It had been a week of Light being there. Not one criminal had been killed by Kira, yet. I hoped we would make the arrest soon. We were really going to catch Kira.

"Light, you've only been here for one week, but I'm sure it can't easy. Are you feeling alright?" L asked. Light mostly just looked tired. He never slept much, but I guess that was natural for someone in his position.

There was a short silence before he looked up at the camera, "Yeah, I know I must look pretty bad in here, but this useless pride, I suppose I'll have to get rid of it!"

"What does that mean?" I asked. Then, his eyes widened, and he looked around at his surroundings. It was like he was confused as to why he was there.

"Ryuzaki, Hikari, I realize I was the one pushing for confinement, and I asked you to put me in here, but I just realized something very important: this whole thing is pointless!"

"No way," I gasped, shaking my head.

"Because I'm not Kira! You have to get me out of here!" he begged.

L denied, "I can't do that. We promised you that no matter what you said, we wouldn't let you out until we were convinced that you are not Kira."

"Please, L, I wasn't thinking clearly. Do you really think a serial killer like Kira could commit these crimes without being aware? If I have no memory of his crimes, I'm not him!" Light shouted. Maybe he's just having a temporary mental break. It could easily happen. Look at all the stress, I hoped. My mind went immediately to Misa. If he had lost his memory, too....

I agreed, "The idea of Kira not knowing what he was doing is a long shot and not very believable, but everything has pointed to you since the beginning, Light. Plus, Kira hasn't committed a murder since we've kept you under surveillance. We just can't overlook that."

He pleaded, "Listen. Just hear me out! I swear to you I'm not wrong! You have to believe me. I'm not Kira! I must've been framed. That's the only explanation for this!" I was at war with myself. There was nothing in his voice or body language that said he was lying. I couldn't help but believe him; at the same time, there was no one else. He had to be Kira. That was the only thing that made sense. "We're wasting time! You have to let me out!"

"We can't let you out, yet," L repeated.

"Damn! Why is this happening?" I was asking myself the same thing.

"What the hell is going on? This isn't like Light at all. He's contradicting himself. It doesn't make any sense to me," Aizawa commented.

Matsuda said, "Well, we can't release him now that the murders have stopped. It doesn't matter what he says. I mean, even I know that much."

I elbowed him, "Don't degrade yourself like that!" I saw L give me a look, but it wasn't bad or anything. I wasn't sure what emotion it held, really. It almost mirrored jealousy, to some extent....

"Anyway, I don't care what anyone says. As far as I'm concerned, we have all the proof we need. Light Yagami is Kira, and that's the end of it," Aizawa declared.

I moved closer and hugged L from behind, sighing. I rested my chin on his shoulder. We looked at each other, and I knew we were thinking the same thing from his expression. What if... Light wasn't Kira?