Day Fourteen of Surveillance:

Rem’s POV:

Rem stood warily behind the calculative man, Kyosuke Higuchi. He was dressed to the nines in navy blue business suit, his desk nearly empty aside from the death note she had recently given him.

She didn’t trust the man sitting in front of her, not a single bit. However, she knew that giving him the death note appeared to be the only way she could successfully save Misa. It was a rather unfortunate situation, but if she got Higuchi to use the death note for his own selfish gain, then Misa would be more than most likely cleared of suspicion. Luckily, she was rather certain that it wouldn’t be long before Higuchi succumbed to the power of the death note.

“You will continue to kill criminals whose names are broadcast on the news; that’s the only condition,” she started, “outside of that, you are free to use the death note however you wish. Just think of the possibilities.”

If everything happens as Light Yagami planned, then this should help save Misa. It better, or else.

“Do as I say, and you will get what you want. In the end it works out well for the both of us. I suppose for someone sitting in your position, you’d call this ‘good business’.”

Rem watched as the man nodded. She could not see his face, but she could hear his malicious laughter as he slowly started to write down names in the death note. The shinigami missed Misa dearly, but she knew that if all went well, she would be able to see her again soon.

Day Fifteen of Surveillance:

Keiko’s POV:

Keiko, despite her better judgement, decided to glance over at the raven haired detective. The two were alone at headquarters, but the rest of the Task Force was due to arrive within the next hour. She wished that the other members would hurry up. The last thing she wanted right now was to be alone with L, but yet here she was stuck in that very same predicament. It was like she was just begging for another awkward disaster to occur.

The wait, though it’d probably only be about a half hour to an hour until the rest of the team arrived, felt like years to Keiko. Time was going by slow, agonizingly slow. She was aware of every minute, every second, and every millisecond that went by.

Keiko had a nagging feeling that it would only be a matter of time before she embarrassed herself in front of L again. So much had happened between them in such a short amount of time. She slowly recounted each and every encounter between them recently in her head. First there were the arguments over whether or not Light was innocent, followed by the almost-kiss between them, and most recently, the whole post-nightmare hug fiasco. It was becoming quite hard for Keiko to keep up with what was going on between them.

The girl let out a grimace as she thought back, reliving the experiences and emotions in her head. Processing everything was becoming a nearly impossible task, there were a load of emotions swirling through her. However, the main emotion she had been feeling lately was plain embarrassment.

Why do embarrassing things always happen to me? It’s not like I asked for any of this happen, I just sort of accidentally got myself roped into this mess of an investigation....and now this on top of everything...why me? It’s not fair.

Keiko let out a soft sigh, her gaze still directed at the detective. He had his nose buried in the files on Misa Amane once again, probably hoping to find any scrap of evidence he could use to properly convict her. It was, after all, becoming abundantly clear that she was the Second Kira, acting out of her love for Light. At the thought of her ex-boyfriend and very likely mass murderer, Keiko shuddered.

Again...why me…? I fall in love for the first time with Daicho, and I get cheated on. I fall in love a second time, and not only do I get cheated on, but I also find out that my boyfriend’s more than most likely the worst killer the world’s ever seen! Not only that, but now here I am, stuck in this hotel investigating with the world’s greatest detective, L, and I keep on embarrassing myself! And yet, I’m despite everything, I’m still finding myself being drawn towards him…

She knew that she should have also been attempting to contribute to the investigation, but she found herself being unable to focus. It appeared that she had been having that problem a lot lately. Keiko’s gaze had finally shifted from the detective to the paper in front of her, but she had now read the same sentence approximately twenty times in a row.

All she could really focus on was the fact that Light was looking rather guilty and the fact that she had willingly almost shared a kiss with the world’s greatest detective. Oh, and those embarrassing moments that she kept stacking up. There was no way that she could forget about that. Especially the fact that her recent nightmare had featured L dying at the hands of her ex-boyfriend. She definitely wasn’t sure how she felt about that.

Just great.

Things were clearly shaping up to be just peachy.

How so very professional of me...I’m a wreck. And what did that nightmare even mean? It clearly had quite an effect on me…does this mean that I...care...about L? Could it possibly mean that I...feel something for him? Even worse, could I even possibly have a crush on him?

Keiko could feel herself flushing at the thought and her eyes flickered back over towards L, who was still inspecting Misa’s files.

I suppose it’s possible, after all, I did admire him even before I knew who he was and put a face to his name. He ended up being much younger and more attractive than I thought, even with his eccentricities. Those qualities of his just seem to fit him perfectly. I mean, he wouldn’t be L without them...

She knew that, if she was, in fact, crushing on the world’s greatest detective, nothing good would be able to come of it. The Kira investigation would always come first, no, it had to come first. And even then, she doubted the detective would ever feel the same way about her. It was impossible.

As a matter of fact, Keiko doubted he had ever felt that way about anyone, well, ever. It looked as though he was pretty reclusive, trusting only Watari. It wasn’t as though she could blame him, he was only being cautious because of the nature of his profession. A profession that he was damn good at, but Keiko supposed that even though he acted cool on the outside, his life had to be rather lonely.

While Keiko couldn’t entirely discern how she felt about the raven haired detective, one thing she knew for sure was that there would be no simple way for her to stop her emotions. If she did have a crush on him, however small, then she was rather screwed. For better or for worse, her feelings had a mind of their own. Keiko knew from experience that there was little she could do to control them.

She supposed that, if she had it her way, she never would have fallen for Light Yagami. Then none of this would have ever happened. Keiko wouldn’t have had her heart stomped on once again. She wouldn’t have gotten seriously involved with the Kira investigation...she never would have met the world’s greatest detective.

But...wait...even though I suffered the misfortune of going through yet another heartbreak and the whole ordeal with the investigation, would I really go back in time? Would I really change the current course of my life? Though my personal happiness was the cost, I’m achieving my professional dream. Would I really go back in time and pass up my chance to meet the world’s greatest detective just because of a few rather embarrassing moments? Because I might have a crush on him, too, on top of that?

L must have sensed that he was being watched once again because he looked over at the girl. To Keiko’s detriment, he had an amused expression on his face, which made her feel even more flustered.

Great, he must be well entertained...but what’s worse is that it looks like he’s not even affected by any of this...it’s only one-sided...which is even more embarrassing.

It was abundantly clear to her that he was enjoying the current situation. His apparent calmness after the recent events between them further proved her hypothesis that she was the only one that felt something, the only one being affected.

His behavior also told her that her previous suspicion had been true; he was never actually going to kiss her. In fact, it was probably just another one of his questionable tactics to see if she was actually getting over a certain Light Yagami.

That sudden realization struck her with such force that Keiko accidentally dropped one of the papers she had been absentmindedly holding onto the floor. She looked away from the raven haired detective, now staring at the lone paper laying on the floor but yet she made no attempt to pick it up.

Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

Why does that realization hurt so much? It’s not like he’s one to care about anyone anyway. I know that. Does this mean I really do have a crush on him? ...but...wait a second...the other night, after my nightmare, why was he sitting on the couch in the first place? I have no way of knowing, and I’m definitely not about to ask him now…

“Keiko-chan?” the detective drawled. The sudden sound of L’s voice broke her away from her relentless thoughts.

“H-huh?” Keiko glanced up, now face to face with a certain detective once again. She could see into his dark yet curious eyes, and she instinctively jumped back a little bit in her chair, “w-what is it?”

He leaned forward a little more, so that his face was next to her ear, and spoke rather softly, “you know that I don’t bite, right?”

Keiko’s eyes slightly widened. Whatever it was she expected him to say, it certainly wasn’t that. L then bent down and picked up the paper she dropped.

“I-I know,” she weakly stuttered out as she grabbed the paper out of his hands. He was still studying her, gauging her reaction, and Keiko felt uncomfortable under her close scrutiny.

“If you truly know that, then you know there’s no reason for you to be so jumpy around me,” he replied, and Keiko could almost see the wheels turning in his head. She swallowed hard, feeling as though he could read her mind, as though he had figured out what she had been thinking about.

Keiko turned away, unable to keep her eyes locked with his any longer. She attempted to focus her attention back onto the papers in front of her. After a few minutes had passed, she quickly looked over at L a moment and saw that he had also returned to his work. It was as though their most recent interaction had never happened.

A few more minutes passed and there was a sudden beeping from L’s computer. L tapped on a button, and a gothic W for Watari appeared on the screen.

“Ryuzaki, I have just received word that there have been more heart attacks. It is believed that between fifty to fifty-five criminals were targeted. I will be sending over the files on all the victims now. It’s believed that the deaths occured this morning about a couple hours ago…”

What the?! What the hell is going on?! More people were killed, but how?! If Light is Kira, there’s no way he’d be able to kill criminals like that! We’ve been keeping a close eye on him...wait...does this mean he’s not Kira? But…all the evidence points to him! This really doesn’t make any sense! If he’s not Kira then he’s been put under surveillance for no reason…

“Thank you, Watari,” she heard L respond, “well...this is certainly an...intriguing development…”

“Yes, it truly is,” Watari replied, “I’ve just sent the files to your computer. I will be sending in more information as it comes in.”

With that, the call between them ended.

Keiko felt like her world, which had already been turned upside down only a couple weeks before, had been flipped upside down once more. She wasn’t sure what to believe or how to feel. If she hadn’t been able to focus before, she certainly wouldn’t be able to focus now. There were too many questions and so little answers.

Is my ex-boyfriend really Kira? If so, how did he manage to kill people without having any knowledge of them and while in confinement? It doesn’t make any sense, but even so, the evidence points to him. If he isn't Kira, then was he framed like he said he was? Or did his power transfer to someone else? Is this even a power? Murdering people, even criminals, doesn’t quite seem like a superpower. There has to be a logical reason why this is happening...but nothing is making sense!

Keiko turned to look over at L, bewilderment written all over her face, “w-what is this...what do you think is going on, Ryuzaki-san? Does this mean that Light really isn’t Kira? As you must know, there’s no way he could have done this…given his current circumstances, it’d be nearly impossible.”

The great detective was quiet a moment, as if in deep thought, “hmm...honestly? It’s quite strange. I’m not sure what to make of things at the moment…”

Keiko let out a deep sigh, great...if he doesn’t know, then no one does…

She was deep in thought as she looked over the files Watari sent over with L. As Watari had said, they had all died due to heart attacks. There was no way that Light could do this, right? How would she feel if his name were cleared because of this? Would how she possibly felt about L change? There was no way she could tell for sure.

All of the sudden, she heard the door of the hotel room open. The sound of frantic footsteps soon followed. When she looked behind her, she noticed that the person in question was none other than a frazzled looking Touta Matsuda.

“Do you guys know what’s going on?! I just heard that two weeks worth of criminals were murdered all at once! It apparently happened just this morning!” the young cop burst out as he entered the room.

A much less energetic Aizawa followed behind him, “yeah, it appears that Kira is back…”

“So I’ve heard,” L responded, a look of annoyance crossing his features. Keiko wasn’t sure if it was because of Matsuda being way too energetic this early in the morning or if it was because it meant that Light Yagami could possibly be in the clear, or both.

“Did you already inform the chief?” Matsuda asked, looking between Keiko and the detective.

Keiko shook her head, “no, he doesn’t know yet. We’ve only just found out recently ourselves.”

Matsuda nodded in understanding, then quickly ran over to the computer with the chief’s surveillance feed, hitting the speakerphone button, “guess what, Chief Yagami! Kira started killing again!”

Light’s father looked up towards the intercom box, his jaw dropped down to the floor and his eyes were wide, “what?! So this means-”

He was cut off by an overly excited Matsuda, “it looks like Kira was only resting, but now he’s started punishing criminals again!”

“T-that means,” the chief started once more, “I-I...I really shouldn’t be happy that people have been killed, but at least this means that Light’s name will finally be cleared...no wait...knowing Ryuzaki-san, this won’t be enough to clear him quite yet…”

As if on cue, the Task Force looked over at the raven haired detective. Keiko also looked over, as she was also quite curious.

“Well...he’s officially in the gray, I guess,” L finally responded, earning a cheer from Matsuda. Keiko could hear the reluctance in his voice.

Of course...if Light isn’t Kira then L has to start over with his investigation...which would mean more work for us...but wouldn’t it be a good thing if Light was cleared?

“Didya hear that, chief?!” he questioned, pumping an arm up into the air.

“Yeah,” the chief nodded, a small smile forming on his face. “It’s a hell of a lot better than him being completely guilty, thank goodness.”

“I’m sure as grays go, he’s a shade closer to being cleared! Let’s go tell Light!” Matsuda cried.

“No,” L responded. His voice was loud and firm, as if he had already thought this through. Keiko had no doubt in her mind that he had. He continued on, “don’t. That’s not a good idea at the moment, Matsuda-san.”

Keiko found herself agreeing with the raven haired detective, and nodded her head. She, too, was reluctant, “yes, we shouldn’t tell Light about this yet…”

“B-but why not?” Matsuda looked between the two of them. His dark eyes stopped on Keiko’s. He looked more than a little hurt, which made her feel guilty, “I thought that you would be the most happy, well aside from the chief, that is...after all, I know how you feel-er felt about Light-kun…”

Keiko bit her lip, feeling rather torn. She knew that Matsuda was right, she really should have been happier at the news but instead she felt more confused than ever.

Perhaps I’m still salty about the way he hurt me...because even if Light isn’t Kira, the truth is that he probably still cheated on me...he might claim that he didn’t, but how could I compete with a blonde model like Misa Amane? And...there’s all this complication now between L and I...well...at least on my side, there’s complication, as I doubt he feels anything towards me...but I can’t say I don’t still feel anything for Light, because I do...it’s just...oh, I don’t know! Both my head and my heart hurt!

“I’m just not sure...it’s all so confusing, Matsuda-san...all the signs pointed to him. But now, with new criminals being killed…what does it all mean?” she finally responded, “I’m not sure...I think we need to keep an eye on him for a little longer.”

Out of the corner of her eye, she could see L nodding his head. It appeared that he was agreeing with her. That would be a first.

L flicked on Light’s intercom, “hello, Light?”

“What is it, Ryuzaki-san?” Light responded, his eyes were wide. It been a couple days since L had last updated him on the current situation. Keiko watched as he sat up on the dingy bed in his cell, focusing all his attention on the speaker in the corner of his cell.

“You’ve been in here just over two weeks and not a single new criminal has been killed...are you ready to confess?” L questioned.

“Don’t be ridiculous!” Light cried out. Keiko could hear the frustration in his voice, and it pulled at her. He continued on, his voice growing louder, “I’m not Kira! I keep on telling you that! I understand why you feel that way but even if the evidence does point to me, I swear, this is a set up! I’m not him! Zoom in and look at my eyes or something! Go ahead and get a good look! You tell me: do these eyes look like the eyes of someone who is lying?!”

Light faced the camera so that his wide eyes could easily be seen, and Keiko had to admit, he was right. He didn’t look like he was lying at all. There were none of the tell-tale signs.

“Hmmm…” L muttered, he turned off Light’s microphone and turned on Misa’s instead.

Keiko had a good idea where this was heading. Her theory was confirmed when he heard L speak once more.

“Amane-san, are you ready to tell me who Kira is or not? I know that you are the Second Kira.”

Misa, who was still blindfolded, looked up for the source of the voice, “huh? That again? I already told you, I’m not the Second Kira and I know nothing about who the real Kira is...I wish I knew but I don’t...if I did, I would have thanked him for punishing the burglar who killed my parents. To me, Kira is a hero…”

Keiko felt a little sick to her stomach at Misa’s words, Kira’s no hero...he’s a murderer.

After a minute more of Misa’s rambling, L finally had enough and clicked off her microphone.

“I don’t really understand what’s going on here,” he muttered. It was so quiet that Keiko was sure no one else but her, because she was sitting right next to him, heard it.

She agreed with him, she didn’t quite understand what was going on either. The evidence all pointed to Light, but now all of the sudden Kira was killing again? It made no sense.

Keiko just had an inkling that, whatever was going on, it wasn’t anything good. She had a feeling that her life, which had already gone through drastic changes, would now definitely never be the same again.