Bean

Chapter 10: The Vow

"Bean."

L shoved what remained of a chocolate cake doughnut into his mouth and licked his middle finger and thumb before beckoning slightly.

Obligingly, Bean unbuckled his seatbelt and slid out of the plush, leather seat of his papa's private luxury jet. He set his iPod and headphones down on the cushion and moved with quick, little steps across the aisle to the window L was sitting beside.

The detective lowered one of his bare feet to the floor and leaned forward a bit, setting one hand atop his bent-up knee and pointing out the plane window with the other. "Look down there," he directed.

Bean leaned forward to peer down through swirling, white tufts of clouds at the earth far below them. His elongated, blue eyes widened with intrigue from behind floppy, black bangs protruding from a red flannel hood. His slender fingers held a drawstring to his mouth, and he chewed on the flat, plastic end of it.

"Do you know what that is?" L asked, looking fondly at his small son.

"Japan," Bean's small voice answered, recognizing the cluster of islands from the map L had shown him.

"And in Japanese?"

"Nihon." Bean's eyes didn't leave the green strip of land surrounded by glimmering blue water as he answered with confidence, having been learning the new language over the past month.

L, with the assistance of an instructor at Wammy's House, had begun teaching him after speaking with Watari about moving to Japan, and the little boy was picking it up quickly. The rate at which he mastered new information was highly accelerated, and he was always eager to discover more about the world around him.

As for the Kira investigation, things were progressing steadily. On the day following the ICPO meeting, L had issued a broadcast that interrupted programs all over the Kanto region of Japan, although it was announced as being televised worldwide. Using a death row criminal named Lind L. Tailor as a decoy, he publicly challenged Kira as L. The experiment resulted in the immediate death of the convict, which decisively confirmed the location of the infamous serial killer.

Over the past several weeks, L had discovered several interesting details about the mysterious and powerful Kira. Not only could he kill without being present with the victim, but he could also somehow control the time of death and the way in which they died. Whoever this killer was, it was also made clear that they had access to confidential files on the case. This prompted L to send a team of twelve FBI agents to Japan to investigate the members of the Japanese police. But, soon after, these agents all fell dead of heart attacks- a tragedy that was unmistakably Kira's handiwork. L now believed beyond the shadow of a doubt that his nemesis was among the members of the Japanese police force and those closest to them.

For this reason, L was now relocating to Japan in the hopes of uncovering Kira's identity and putting an end to his warped perception of justice.

Leaving Wammy's House had been a big decision, but it seemed to be the only option, given the magnitude of this case. L had been in his room reading some files the day before leaving when a quiet knock had sounded on his door- something that occurred very rarely, as disturbing L was strictly forbidden.

"Come in," L called, without turning around from the computer on the floor.

The sound of a handle turning and hinges creaking came from behind him, but whoever it was didn't speak.

L, who was sitting with one arm draped over a bended knee, shifted to see who was in the doorway. Grey, shadowed eyes met a teal-green pair, and L spoke plainly.

"What is it, Mello?"

The boy with the black clothes and yellow hair stood with one hand on the door handle and his head tipped to the side and slightly forward. He stepped into the room and shut the door behind him, his eyes never breaking contact. Then he walked with bare feet and moved to sit cross-legged on the wooden floor facing L. He leaned forward with his elbows on his knees and his hands flopped between his legs. He tipped his head again and sighed.

"You're working the Kira Case, aren't you?" His eyes narrowed and challenged L to deny it.

L returned his fervent gaze with equal solemnity. "I am," he replied evenly.

Mello said nothing. He merely maintained eye contact, his slight shoulders moving evenly up and down with his breathing. At last, he dropped his gaze. He fidgeted lightly with his fingertips.

"What's wrong?" L asked the boy who had just turned fourteen.

Mello shrugged, his head tipped and his eyes on his hands.

"Are you worried?" L prodded.

The teenager sighed and lifted his head, looking off to the side. "Well... yeah." He shrugged again, his fingertips having found a string on the hem of his shirt to play with.

L brought his thumb to his mouth and trailed it along his bottom lip, his elbow resting on his bent-up knee. He looked thoughtfully at the brilliant adolescent before him who was scowling off to the side.

"It's just..." Mello began. He sighed and looked back down at his hands. "How can you catch him? I mean... he can kill whoever he wants." The boy swallowed, an indent appearing and then disappearing at the back of his jaw. He added softly, "Even you."

"He'd need my name first," L reminded him.

Mello nodded, his eyes fixed on his fingertips where the black thread was being rolled into a little ball. He took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "Well, do you have to take Bean?" he finally asked.

A corner of L's mouth twitched upward. "You like him?"

Almost involuntarily, Mello smiled. "Yeah, he's pretty cool," he said, trying to sound casual.

L lowered his hand from his mouth and let it hang with his forearm atop his knee. "I do have to take him," he said plainly.

Mello nodded with downcast eyes.

L sighed. "Mello."

The teal-green eyes lifted.

L leaned forward a little. "I will put an end to Kira," he vowed. His eyes bore the likeness of stormclouds charged with electric currents. His voice was steadfast, and his words were spoken with great purpose.

A spark of hope flickered within Mello as he sat eye-locked with the World's Greatest Detective and the man he looked up to more than anyone. He swallowed again. "Promise?" His voice was somewhere between a child's and that of a young man.

L nodded. "Yes. I promise."

Mello didn't look away. He sat leaning forward and rubbing his fingertips together with the tiny balled-up thread between them. Slowly, the tension in his shoulders began to subside and finally, he nodded with trusting approval. He believed L. In fact, sitting before him now, Mello couldn't help but feel that it was Kira who should be afraid.

With a screeching jolt, the jet touched down in Tokyo, and L gazed out the window as the plane quickly slowed and began to taxi on the runway. Bean was buckled once more in his seat and was listening to music as he peered curiously out his own window.

"Kira..." L muttered under his breath. "I know you're here." He curled his long fingers into a fist, and his brow lowered with resolute ferocity.

To whatever end, L wholly intended to maintain his resolve. But within the very depths of his being, he knew that a long and arduous road stretched out before him... and not even his brilliant mind could predict what was waiting at the end of it.