At the Heart of Justice

Chapter 4: Beginning

Naomi's eyes fluttered open, then closed again. She could sense that she was not at home, but her sleepy brain hadn't figured out where she was yet. With her eyes still closed, she lifted both arms above her head, arched her back in a good stretch, and then relaxed back into the soft pillows. It had been a long time since she'd slept this well.

Her mind began to clear as she fought for full wakefulness. Slowly, it all came back to her: the hotel, the papers, the strawberry cake...

...L!

Naomi sat straight up. She was completely awake now. She grabbed the clock on the nightstand. It read 10:04am.

"Oh no!" Naomi panicked and sprang from the bed, grabbing the clothes she'd laid out the night before. Her mind was whirling.

"What must he think of me?! This is so unprofessional!"

She flew to the bathroom and, upon quick inspection, she decided that her hair could get away without a shower. She dressed quickly, fluffed her kinked hair with a brush, and freshened herself up. In under ten minutes, she stepped out of her room, thoroughly embarrassed and prepared to apologize.

The living room looked a bit different than when she had left it hours earlier. The television screen was split into six different displays, showing live footage from security cameras in some indoor location. There were wires and cables running here and there, connecting to various electronic devices and outlets.

There were multiple laptops- Naomi counted three- scattered around the room. One was closed on the couch. Another sat open on the coffee table displaying a screensaver with a floating, calligraphic letter L. The third was also open on the coffee table, but it was facing away from Naomi.

L was seated in his odd stance in the swivel chair at the desk on the other side of the room. A desktop computer had been set up there and he was staring intently at it. His hunched back to her, he didn't seem to notice that Naomi had entered the room.

Naomi wondered what time he had gone to bed and how much sleep he had gotten. She chided herself, realizing that he had both gone to bed later than her and gotten up earlier than her. She felt so stupid for not setting an alarm.

She looked around. Watari was nowhere to be seen. Naomi took a deep breath and crossed the room to stand at L's side.

"Good morning," she greeted, again feeling stupid that a "good afternoon" greeting would have been more appropriate had she slept much longer.

L had one hand on his knee and the other up to his mouth. His thumb rested on his bottom lip and his gaze was fixed on the computer screen. His response was spoken subconsciously, as his attention was entirely devoted to whatever it was he was looking at.

"...morning..."

Suddenly, he smacked both of his palms on the desk, startling Naomi.

"That's it, I knew that was it..." he muttered. He typed something vigorously on the keyboard, then moved the mouse slightly and clicked it triumphantly. He used one hand to push against the desk and swivel to face Naomi.

"Did you sleep well?" he asked.

Naomi's face burned.

"Yes, I did, thank you."

"That's good," L said, standing to his bare feet. He was wearing the same clothes as he had been the night before- and at the subway station two years ago, come to think of it.

Naomi then began to wonder if he had even gone to bed at all. His darkened, bloodshot eyes declared the answer to be a resounding "No."

"Did... you sleep well?" she asked, hoping she wasn't prying. She figured she should know if he was going to get some sleep soon. Maybe then, she could get a shower.