Keiko’s POV:

“Honestly, all this time, I never pictured my stalker as being an old man,” Misa announced rather loudly as she rested her head on the back of the carseat.

“I’m not your stalker, I’m a chief detective with the NPA,” Light’s father said matter-of-factly, and Keiko could hear the slight irritation in his voice from Misa’s accusation.

“What, you’re a detective?!” Misa was saying, “hey wait...I remember now! They arrested me and told me I was under suspicion for being the Second Kira. You mean, that was for real?! No way...there’s no way the police would cover my eyes and bind me up all fetishy like that...gross...”

“I can assure you I’m telling the truth, now please, just keep quiet,” the chief replied, stopping the car in a dimly lit parking garage. He was there to pick up his son, who was being held by Aizawa, Mogi, and Matsuda.

“Are you sure this was the best idea, Ryuzaki-san?” Keiko muttered, cringing a little as the scene continued playing out on the screen before her, “I mean, did you really have to insist on doing this?”

“Light-kun?!” Misa squealed and Keiko sighed. She was still cringing, although this time it was internal.

I see she’s back to being her annoying self...and she called me annoying?! As if...okay, even if I am, I can’t be as bad as her.

“Given the circumstances, this was the best that we could do. It’s not like I was given a lot of time to work...and if I remember correctly, someone here was getting rather impatient about letting Light and Misa out from surveillance,” L replied tartily before popping a strawberry in his mouth.

“I missed you so much!” Misa continued on gushing, and Keiko was sure that the only thing keeping Misa’s hands away from Light was the handcuffs on her wrists. Keiko wasn’t sure how to feel. It was a little weird, seeing someone being so friendly with her ex-boyfriend. It was even weirder when she remembered that Misa still thought that Keiko and Light were still together.

Does this girl have no shame?

“It’s not like I imagined you would go to such great lengths…” Keiko sighed, “I asked you to let them out from their cells, not put them through even more mental torture...this plan is...absurd. If Light is Kira and sees through this plan, it’s not like he’d do anything and risk getting caught. He’s too smart for that. I know you’re counting on Misa slipping up, but even so…this just seems…crazy.”

“Yes, I’m aware of that,” L responded.

As always, I’d love to know what goes on in that head of his...

“I was starting to think that I would never get out of there,” Light was saying on the screen, “but it feels good to finally be cleared.”

“Oh, no, I’m afraid I am taking you to your execution,” the chief replied, earning him two gasps from the back seat, “I wanted to be the one to escort you to the execution site. It was secretly built in an underground facility not far from here…”

“Execution, what the hell are you talking about?!” Light demanded from the backseat.

“L is convinced that you are Kira, Light. And he’s convinced that Misa Amane is your accomplice and the Second Kira. He is convinced that the only way to prevent the murders is to execute the both of you.”

“I-I don’t understand, the killings have already stopped,” Light stuttered out, his eyes wide. He looked entirely innocent to Keiko, and perhaps he actually was.

Even if he isn’t Kira, he still probably cheated on you, Keiko reminded herself. You don’t need to do this to yourself all over again.

“No, they never stopped,” the chief informed his son.

“They never…” Light started, “that’s not what...wait...so he was lying to me?!”

“Oh, wow, a guy lied to you. How original,” Keiko muttered bitterly, watching as her ex-boyfriend stared wide-eyed at his father, “just like you lied to me about Misa…”

“L was trying to get a confession out of you. He would have said anything, however, at this point, that’s not the problem. It’s all political now,” Light’s father was saying. Keiko tuned out his little speech and focused on her ex-boyfriend, Light Yagami.

Sure, she was the one who told, no begged L to let him go. However, was she really emotionally prepared to see him again? Was she really ready to see Misa again as well? L had said that, even though the two wouldn’t be held in cells any longer, that the two of them would still be under constant surveillance. Meaning that the two of them would now be staying at headquarters together.

Somehow the thought of having to live with both her ex-boyfriend and the girl he cheated on her with didn’t seem all that appealing, even if it was all to solve a case. On top of that, Keiko wasn’t ready to see Misa all over her ex-boyfriend, even if she had somewhat moved on.

Add in her kiss with the world’s greatest detective and things really weren’t looking too good. Sure, L told her to forget what had happened between them but Keiko already knew that it wasn’t going to happen. She was still thoroughly confused by everything that had happened between in the last couple of days. How could he compliment her like that and then tell her kissing her was a mistake? How could he act like he cared about her then suddenly change his story only a few seconds later?

Needless to say, Keiko wasn’t all that excited for the things to come.

‘I meant every word I said’...how could he really say that to me? It still doesn’t make any sense, no matter how I look at it. He either cares or he doesn’t. He acts like he doesn’t care all the time, then he says that and kisses me? It was a ‘mistake’, huh? Was it a mistake? Or was he seriously kissing me because he wanted to?

“You really should be paying attention, Kagami-san,” the sound of L’s voice broke Keiko’s train of thought, “it’s getting to the good part now.”

“You mean it’s getting to the worst part of the mental torture,” Keiko corrected, rolling her eyes a moment at the detective, “you know, I might not like Misa or Light very much right now, but even I feel a little sorry to them for what’s about to come.”

“It’s necessary, given the current situation, I’m afraid.”

“Where are we right now?!” Light demanded on the screen. The panic in his voice was rising, “why did you bring us out to the middle of nowhere?!”

“It looks like nobody’s around to see us out here!” Light’s father announced, “I figured that it would be better for us if I brought you two here instead of the execution site...Light, listen to me carefully. I am going to kill you here, and then kill myself!”

Keiko watched as both Light and Misa went into full on panic mode. “What, what are you talking about, dad?! That’s insane!”

“Don’t you even say that!” Misa added, “you’d really kill your only son for L? No way! If you want to die to badly, why don’t you only just kill yourself? If you kill us, you’re really no different than Kira!”

“I am nothing like Kira!” the chief’s voice boomed as he took out his gun and started to point it at Light. “I am bound by my responsibilities as a parent and as the chief of the NPA!”

“Dad, come on, she’s right! Think about it, if we die here, then the truth will never be revealed! Please, dad, you have to let us escape!” Light was yelling now.

“It’s too late for that, unfortunately...either way, you will be executed, son. At least with this, I will be the one to do it,” the chief said, “now Amane-san, I am going to die here with my son, but I have no reason to kill you. It’s only a matter of time before the police locate this car. When that happens, they will transport you to the original site where you will be executed.”

“Light, my son, from one murderer to another...I’ll see you in hell,” the chief’s voice boomed. His gun was now properly aimed, and despite the pleas of both his son and Misa Amane, he fired without hesitation

Although Keiko knew it was only an act, and that the chief had a blank the whole time, she flinched at the sound of the gun. Like she had suspected earlier, all three people in the car were still alive.

“Oh thank god,” she heard Light’s father exhale.

Oh thank god is right...

“Thank god? What’s going on, dad? I don’t understand,” Light responded, the question written all over his face.

“Please forgive me you two,” the chief started, “I know that was hard on you but it was the only way I could get you two out of your confinement. You must understand, I only agreed to do this because I believe you’re innocent, Light.”

“That’s so crazy,” Misa mumbled.

“Were you watching, Ryuzaki-san?” Light’s father asked, looking directly into the camera, “I did exactly as you said, and as you can see, I’m still alive.”

Keiko looked over at the detective, who had narrowed eyes, “yes, yes, it was a convincing performance. If Amane-san were the Second Kira, who only needs a persons face to kill them, then I have no doubt she would have killed you before you had a chance to fire your weapon. Also, if Light was Kira, I am certain he wouldn’t even hesitate to kill his own father to save himself. With Light in particular I cannot rule out the possibility that he might have seen through our little act at some point...as agreed, I will end their confinement immediately. However, as discussed, they will both remain under surveillance until Kira is apprehended. And, Amane-san, although you insist the tapes we found are just occult videos, the physical evidence remains.”

“Hey!” Misa cried, “you still suspect me? That’s not fair!”

“If I were you, I wouldn’t complain,” the chief grumbled, “you get to go back to your normal life. The surveillance shouldn’t even be a threat to you if you’re innocent, just think of it as police protection.”

“Oh, and Light-kun?” L started, “you and I will be together twenty-four seven from now on. I think it’s best we remain that way until we have brought Kira to justice. Anyway, I will see the three of you at headquarters shortly.”

Be together...twenty-four seven? What does he even mean? Keiko wondered. Whatever he means, it doesn’t sound good. It certainly means he still suspects Light. I mean, of course he still isn’t fully in the clear, but twenty-four seven sounds a bit extreme…

“That sounds good, Ryuzaki-san!” Light called out, “I look forward to working with you again.”

/timeskip/

It didn’t take too long for the three of them and the rest of the Task Force to arrive at headquarters. Keiko had to admit, she was feeling pretty apprehensive about the whole situation, but she knew that, in order to move forward in the case, things would have to be rather uncomfortable for a while.

“Ehhh? What’s she doing here?” Misa questioned as soon as she walked in the hotel room. She pointed a bony finger over at Keiko.

Oh great...this is where it starts, Keiko thought, mentally rolling her eyes.

“Kagami-san happens to be a valuable member of the investigation team,” L informed Misa, looking the girl over, “she’s here to help us out with the Kira case.”

A valuable member, eh? Is that another compliment from him?

“Oh great...and here I was hoping I could spend time with Light here without having his girlfriend around,” Misa grumbled. She probably had meant for it to be quiet, but her statement was rather loud, and earned her a glare from Keiko.

“Ex-girlfriend,” Keiko clarified quickly, which caused Misa’s head to snap upwards.

“Ex-girlfriend, what do you mean?” Misa quickly brightened up, grabbing one of Keiko’s hands and pulling her closer towards her. Keiko couldn’t stop herself from groaning as the girl rather roughly pulled on her, it was as though she was attempting to physically get information from her.

Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.

Keiko could feel the stares from the other members of the Task Force. She hated the intense scrutiny her situation was getting, especially since she and Light had been broken up for a little while now. It was also quite awkward because Misa was the reason she had broken up with him in the first place, and Keiko wasn’t the kind of person to say that to a person outright. She didn’t want to make the energy in the room any more tense than it already was.

“Yeah, I, uh,” she fished for the right words. “I broke up with him, Misa-chan…”

Misa was about to continue her interrogation when Aizawa’s voice cut through, “alright. Enough of the mindless chatter. We’re here to work on a serious investigation, not gossip!”

Taking her chance, Keiko slipped out of Misa’s death grip.

“Exactly,” Light’s father added. He looked between his son, Misa, and Keiko, “whatever drama there is between you needs to be set aside for the sake of the investigation.”

“I understand,” Light replied, “I promise I’ll do my best for the sake of the investigation. I’m here because I want to help Ryuzaki-san catch Kira…”

“It’s good to have you back,” Matsuda cut in, “I missed having you around, Light-kun!”

“Ah, thank you, I missed you guys, too,” Light rubbed his neck, laughing a little as he turned to look at Keiko, “and I really missed you, Keiko-chan.”

This earned a squeal of despair from Misa, “oh come on! That’s not even fair! I thought you said you two broke up, Keiko-chan! Why does he miss you?!”

“Light-kun,” Keiko started. She ignored Misa, focusing on attempting to respond to her ex-boyfriend, “I...I…”

It’s not like I can talk openly to him here with everyone else around!

Light seemed to understand what Keiko was thinking, so he looked over at L, “Ryuzaki-san, I understand that I’m not entirely clear of suspicion yet, and I’m here to help with the investigation, but would it be rude of me to ask for a moment alone with Kagami-san? With her permission, of course...there are a couple things I wish to talk to her about, and I don’t know if I can work smoothly here with her until I get these topics off my chest…”

“I understand,” L started, “I figured you would say something like that. I’m sure you two have some things you wish to sort out, so it’s fine with me as long as Kagami-san consents.”

“It’s fine with me,” Keiko murmured.

I don’t know if I feel fine...but I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t curious about what it might be that Light has to say to me…and after his confinement, I feel like I at least owe him this. It’s not like I really let him talk to me much beforehand...

“Thanks, Keiko-chan,” Light replied, flashing an awkward smile in her direction. It was just enough to make Keiko’s chest start to ache.

“It’s not fine with me!” Misa grumbled, and she attempted to reach out, but Aizawa grabbed her arm, “it’s between the two of them, not you. Goodness, what is this? Why am I the one stuck playing crowd control?”

Keiko winced, sorry, Aizawa-san...

“You two can talk, but please, don’t make it too long. Remember, there’s still work to be done, Light-kun. And Kagami-san, if you would,” L nodded his head at Keiko, motioning for her to open to hand.

Keiko opened her palm, flashing a curious look in the detective’s direction. He dropped a small, black item with a red button in it.

“It’s a beeper,” L clarified. “Just a precaution, in case something happens. If you press it, one of us will be on the way in no time.”

“I, er, thanks, I guess,” Keiko mustered, feeling her cheeks start to flush.

What does he think is going to happen to me? Does he think that Light is Kira and that he’s trying to get rid of me or something? Leave it to L to think of literally everything…

With that, the two of them set off into the hallway outside of the hotel room.

“Where should we go?” Keiko asked. Sure, she had her own hotel room next door but she wasn’t about to invite her ex-boyfriend inside of it. That would just be asking for some trouble, and she didn’t want to have to deal with Misa’s wrath later on.

“How about the roof? We’re almost on the top floor anyways, it’s only a couple flights up,” Light suggested, “besides, it should be empty up there.”

“S-sure,” Keiko let her ex-boyfriend lead the way. The two walked up the stairs in silence. Keiko could feel her apprehension slowly growing with each and every step. It wasn’t because of Light per say, but rather because she wasn’t sure what to expect from him.

He’s not going to tell me he wants to be with Misa now, right? It doesn’t seem like something he’d do, not with the investigation, but then again...it’s not like I expected he would be the type to cheat on me either...

Luckily she wasn’t left alone with her thoughts for too long because soon enough, the two of them reached the roof the hotel. The sun was just starting to set, causing the sky to be a beautiful array of colors.

“It’s nice up here,” Light said after a moment of staring at the sky, “I forgot how nice it was outside.”

“Y-yeah,” Keiko stuttered out, feeling the awkwardness creeping in even more.

What else is there to say? ‘Sorry that you couldn’t go outside the past month because you decided to put yourself under surveillance’?

“It’s nice to see you again,” the sound of Light’s voice once more broke Keiko away from her thoughts. He took a step in Keiko’s direction so that the two of them were now face to face, flashing her a small smile.

It’s not like I can say ‘it’s nice to see you again’ back to him...it feels too awkward with these circumstances...

Keiko could feel her heart beginning to pound, and she fished for something to say in response. However, she came up blank.

“Don’t force yourself,” Light laughed. It was yet another awkward laugh, but he seemed more comfortable than he did back in the hotel room.

“I’m sor-” Keiko started to say, but Light cut her off.

“If anything, I should be the one apologizing, Keiko-chan…” Light started, “you have nothing to be sorry for. I know you watched me when I was under surveillance, but you were only doing what you had to do. So I hope you don’t feel awkward because of that...I just wanted to tell you that I’m so sorry...for everything that happened before I went under surveillance…I’m especially sorry that you had to deal with Misa Amane…”

At the mention of Misa’s name, Keiko could feel herself stiffen a little, something that Light didn’t miss.

Misa Amane, otherwise known as the cause of a lot of the pain I’ve suffered these past couple months...

He let out a soft sigh, “look, please hear me out..I have a lot to say regarding Misa-chan…I know that the evidence isn’t in my favor, and I know you believe that I cheated on you...in fact, you have every reason to believe that. Misa did kiss me, that is true, and I’m sorry that you had to see that. It’s also true that I neglected to tell you about it. However, the only reason I didn’t tell you was because I didn’t want you to worry about her. I didn’t want to hurt you...the truth is, Misa came over to my house quite a few times.”

Quite a few times? Great...

“She wanted me to break up with you because she was in love with me. I refused, and I told her the only way she could spend time with me, if she liked me that badly, was to be friends with you…it was the only thing I could think of because she refused to leave me alone and I didn’t want to stop seeing you because of her. To be quite frank, Misa annoyed me. A lot.”

Well...I’m glad to know it’s not just me who finds her annoying...that is, if he’s really telling me the truth...but, it looks like is...possibly.

Light took a breath to collect his thoughts before continuing on, “it was stupid of me to encourage her to try and befriend you. I knew that she only wanted me, and that she hoped she could get me to break up with you. I just hoped that, if she became friends with you, she could stop disliking you and see how happy the two of us are together. I hoped that, if she saw that, then she would finally leave the two of us alone...however, that day...she knew you were supposed to be out of town, so she quite literally came out of nowhere and tried to kiss me...which was what you saw…and well...all hell broke loose after that.”

He paused, looking at her in desperation, “again, I’m sorry, Keiko-chan. I just thought that you should know the truth, the full truth. I never intentionally cheated on you. I didn’t want her to kiss me.”

Keiko carefully studied her ex-boyfriend, searching his brown eyes for any sort of sign he was lying...however, there was none. From what she could tell, he was, in fact, telling the truth.

Either that, or he’s a damn good liar...but...for some reason, I believe him...it seems he really meant it when he said he didn’t cheat on me. If that’s the case, then that means I suffered all of that heartbreak and broke up with him for no reason…

Keiko bit her lip, thinking back to that fateful day. She had spent hours crying over Light only to find out that he hadn’t really cheated on her.

Was all my suffering really all for nothing?! Am I really the biggest fool of all? No wait...I can’t think like this. Either way, I got hurt...and I shouldn’t just blindly trust him again. Not after all that. He really messed me up...

Light must have sensed where Keiko’s thoughts were going because he continued on, “look. I know I have no right to ask this, but...after hearing the honest truth...do you think you could find it in your heart to forgive me? And…well I know this is very bold of me, Keiko-chan...but, I can’t hold this in any longer. To be blunt, I still care about you. A lot. And I know I’m being selfish right now but-”

“Stop,” Keiko suddenly interrupted. She took a deep breath, “please, Light-kun. Stop for a moment.”

Reliving all of the painful memories she had spent the last month forgetting had caused Keiko’s heart to ache. She swallowed hard. It was like Light was slowly peeling back the band aid she had just finished putting on. No, scratch that, he wasn’t slowly pulling it off, he was ripping it off in one swift motion.

Keiko had attempted to condition herself to think of Light only as a suspect in the Kira investigation. She had tried not to think about him, really think about him for days now. Now here he was, pulling at her heartstrings, making her feel things once again. She wasn’t sure how to label what she was feeling, but she knew, whatever it was, it was a lot.

“Keiko-chan,” Light whispered softly, taking another step forward, “I’m sorry. I’m so, so sorry...about everything.”

“Why are you telling me all of this now? Why?” Keiko murmured, looking up at her ex-boyfriend. The two were now within touching distance, all she had to do was reach forward. A part of her was tempted too, but she somehow stood her ground.

“Because...I care about you, Keiko-chan. I had to let you know that. I couldn’t have come back to working with you on the Task Force without telling you all this first. I couldn’t have you thinking that you meant nothing to me this whole time,” Light responded, his brown eyes were round with concern.

Do I even dare believe him?...but those eyes of his, those stupid eyes of his...they make me want to believe him...that, and he always did have a way with words...ugh..no, why am I even doing this?! What is wrong with me? I can’t allow myself to get hurt again! I just...I can’t. Keiko, stand your ground...

“Light Yagami…” Keiko exhaled, emotions swirling around inside her, “you might not have meant to but you hurt me...no...you broke me. I don’t know...I just…it’s just...”

“I know,” Light took a half step forward, “I can only imagine how you must be feeling right now...that’s why I’m so sorry…I messed up everything.”

“You-” Keiko’s voice broke. She could feel the tears threatening to fall, which she fought hard to ignore “why-you-I-”

Dammit...why is he still able to do this to me? I don’t want to cry for him anymore...I don’t want to be a stuttering mess, and yet...

Light reached forward, interrupting her thoughts, and enveloped her in a rather tight hug. All she was able to feel was his warmth, it was taunting her, trying to invite her in once more.

“Why are you doing this to me?” Keiko was finally able to choke out, her head resting on Light’s chest in defeat. She was far too exhausted, both physically and emotionally, to fight back.

“Because,” Light repositioned the two of them so that he was looking down at her, “because...well...I never had the chance to say this before...but…”

“But…?” Keiko echoed quietly, peering up at him.

“I think I love you...no, let me rephrase that...I think I’m in love with you, Keiko Kagami. I just didn’t realize it until I was locked away in surveillance...”

Keiko could feel her heart exploding at his words. She felt her throat go dry, and she found herself speechless.

L-love?! He loves me...no...he’s in love with me?! Did I hear him correctly?!

Before Keiko had a chance to properly process what was going on, Light leaned forward and closed the space between them. His eyes closed and he pressed his lips against hers. Keiko instinctively kissed back for a moment before she thought the better of it.

Wait a second…

Deep down, Keiko knew that she should have been happy. Her ex-boyfriend, the guy she had fallen deeply for, both just apologized and confessed his love to her...and yet...

Wrong. Wrong. Wrong! This all feels so wrong.

Keiko had been waiting for months for Light to make this confession, sweep her off her feet, and kiss her, but something about this just made Keiko feel off.

I can’t deal with this right now, it’s just all too much! I need to get out of here!

It took almost all of her willpower, but she finally was able to push herself away from him. She could see the hurt and the confusion in his eyes, and she winced.

“I-I’m sorry, Light-kun…I...I just can’t do this right now...I need time to...process...” Keiko managed to say, staring at the cemented ground of the roof. She couldn’t bear to look up and look into those sad eyes. There was no way she could risk falling for him again. Keiko just couldn’t do it, not when she was starting to think of someone else in the back of her mind. Someone she felt she was betraying by kissing her ex-boyfriend.

Despite what L had told her, Keiko found that she couldn’t forget what had happened between them.

That and she wasn’t sure if she could ever fully trust Light Yagami again.

L’s POV:

L peered over the corner from his hiding spot on the deck of the roof. He knew he could have just sent Matsuda or Aizawa to report back to him, but there was something he wanted to confirm for himself with his own eyes.

When he saw Light lean forward and envelope Keiko in a tight hug, he knew his hunch from before had been right.

It’s just as I suspected...the first thing Light does after ending his surveillance is try and win Keiko back…I’m certain that he feels he needs to have her on his side as an ally, to keep him safe from me convicting him as Kira.

He ignored the involuntary ache starting to form in his chest when he noticed that Keiko wasn’t doing anything to fight back. L had hoped that she would have at least made him apologize a few more times if she was seriously going to take him back, but he also knew how strong her feelings for Light Yagami were in the past.

If his deductions were right, there was a good chance she would take him back eventually when the two went back to working on the case together. He was also fairly certain that, whatever feelings that she developed for himself were only temporary, which for some reason rather bothered him.

“I think I love you...no, let me rephrase that...I think I’m in love with you, Keiko Kagami. I just didn’t realize it until I was locked away in surveillance...” he heard Light confess to her. L then watched as Light, without any warning, leaned forward, passionately kissing Keiko. While he had expected Keiko to kiss back, seeing the event as it unfolded before him made feel something he had never quite felt before. If his chest had been hurting before, it was on fire now.

I’ve...I’ve seen more than enough...

He turned around, and was about to quietly exit the roof when he heard an unmistakable voice. Keiko’s voice, to be exact. A voice that he could now recognize anywhere.

The detective quickly turned back around, he was more than curious to see the new development.

“I-I’m sorry, Light-kun…I...I just can’t do this right now...I need time to...process...” he heard Keiko choked out, not even looking at Light in the eyes.

Process...hmm? Perhaps…does this mean her feelings for him are not as strong as I thought they were?

L wasn’t quite sure what to make of her reaction. While he wanted to find out what her true feelings were, and whether or not she would really take her ex-boyfriend back, he had to be careful not to let his emotions get the best of him again. However, despite how much he fought it, he kept on wondering if some part of Keiko truly liked him. That he wasn’t just a rebound while she attempted to get over her feelings for Light Yagami. He somehow liked the thought of that.

If so, it’d be the first time someone’s ever truly had a crush on me...