Failure (A Death Note/L Love Story)

Chapter 37

Fifty days. Fifty whole days. I never imagined our interrogation would take so long. It wasn't supposed to. The day before criminals began dying again, L and I had been making plans to arrest Light and Misa. But they just kept dying. No matter how much evidence we had against them, nothing seemed to be going our way. Why did they have to keep dying? Why did Kira have to play with us like that?

L spoke to Yagami, "Mr. Yagami, are you alright? There's no reason for you to keep doing this to yourself." He still looked like a wreck, but he didn't seem as worried as he used to. I thought he might have returned to headquarters after hearing criminals were being punished again, but it seemed he would not budge.

"It's been over a month since Kira started killing again, and as far as I'm concerned, that's all the proof I need to be sure my son isn't Kira. So then all that is left is for you both to be sure. On way or another, when I get out of here, it'll be with my son," he vowed. I sighed at the response and picked the cherry off the sundae I was eating. I was about to put it in my mouth when I gave it a second thought and offered it to L. He wordlessly bit it off the stem. I set the cup down.

"Wow, the chief can be pretty stubborn," Matsuda said.

I complained, "More than I would like to work with." I looked over at Light's corner of the screen. He was just lying on the ground.

I pressed the button on the mike and asked, "Hey, Light? You know we gave you that bed for a reason, correct?"

Light moved his head so he could look at the camera, "It's hard to get back on there in these restraints."

"Yeah, I guess that makes sense. Sorry.... How are you doing? You've been in there a while," I stated.

He struggled to sit up, "Ah, I'm okay. I know that in the time I've been in prison, no new criminals have died. However, that suggests to me that Kira must be someone who's intimately familiar with my situation. And if that's the case-"

L cut him off, "No, Light. The reason criminals have stopped dying is because you are Kira."

"No! I'm not Kira! How many times do I have to say it?" Light demanded. I turned off the mike and put my head in my hands. He should know that we're lying, I told myself, so why does he look so genuinely clueless? How can anyone keep up this kind of act for so long?

Aizawa spoke up, "This is just cruel. I don't care if he is a suspect. Light still has the right to know that criminals are being killed again."

"He doesn't have a right to anything. He made a self-surrender. We choose what he knows and doesn't know," I snapped. He looked surprised by my outburst.

"Amane," L called.

"Yes," Misa answered quietly. Her body was completely limp, and she didn't lift her head to look at the camera. She was the one I was most worried about. Watari had told us she was beginning to refuse to eat.

"Are you okay? You seem tired," he commented.

"Is that supposed to be funny? How are you suspecting me to look after being tied up and questioned for this many days?" she asked.

L considered, "Hm, that's true."

"Please, just let me go. I want to see Light. Please. Light. Let me," she pleaded. Looking at all of them... they just seemed broken.

"I'm not sure how much more of this the three of them can take," Matsuda fretted.

"Hikari, Ryuzaki, you have no reason to keep Light locked up anymore. Do the right thing, and let him go. Then, we can get the chief out. Criminals are still being killed even though Misa and Light haven't had access to any of that information. We know that much already, so what are you waiting for?" Aizawa demanded.