Adult-FanFiction.org : Anime

Fifty Days	By : sashocirrione Category: Death Note > Het-Male/Female > L/Misa Views: 2868 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own Death Note, and I do not make any money from these writings.

Chapter List
- 32
- 33
- 34
CHAPTER 33: Living
Out of the safe houses L suggested, Mikami chose a safe house near the edge of Tokyo, perhaps to facilitate an easier time of fleeing the city if it later turned out that they needed to run in a hurry. On the outside, it seemed to be a fairly ordinary four-story house in a nice neighborhood. It had a small yard and garden enclosed completely by a high stone wall, so that outsiders would have a very difficult time seeing in. All the windows appeared to have ordinary curtains or shades, but there was a second, hidden inner window for each one with a completely reflective mirror-like surface, allowing nobody to see in no matter the circumstances.
The first floor was separate from the rest of the house, with security doors hemming it off. The first floor also had its own entrance, a garage door opening directly onto the street. A grocery service regularly delivered food items through that entrance, placing them in the first-floor kitchen and pantry. Grocery services were common in this neighborhood, so nothing should seem out of place.
L had also been having an employee arrive once a week to remove food items, especially perishables, but with a quick explanation to Mikami and one phone call, he fired that employee. The guy had no idea he'd been working for L or that his work had anything to do with law enforcement. He'd just thought he was working for a family on vacation that was unsure of when they'd return, so that they couldn't be bothered with temporarily canceling and then re-starting their grocery service.
For additional security, as soon as they arrived at the place L changed the passcode on the first floor's lock in order to prevent any possibility of that employee being able to get back in. Mikami stood behind L as he entered the new code. L could almost feel the weight of Mikami's stare, like having someone breathing down your neck, monitoring your every move. L carefully tried to control his reactions, to not appear concerned.
I wonder if Light felt like this? If he did, he never showed much discomfort. He almost seemed to take a twisted kind of glee in it, as if it were a game. Perhaps he was more interested in sparring with me than in controlling the world. Certainly he would have been a terrible dictator if he'd ever proceeded to the point of manipulating governments and completely replacing justice systems with himself.
Just as L finished and straightened up, Mikami said, "Are you sure we weren't followed?"
L said, "Our swift departure and the measures I took on the way here should preclude that possibility. They will never find us unless you are spotted or unless they conduct a massive search for every car of this make and model in the city. We will avert that by concealing this car inside and only using the other two cars that are here."
In a moment, Mikami will wonder how he is supposed to investigate all the news reports and other items independently, without relying on myself to supply him. When he does, I can save Deputy-Director Kitamura's life and also prevent some troublesome possibilities.
As soon as all three of them were inside the first floor entrance with a door securely closing them off from the outside world, L gave a brief description of the house's security features and the equipment that was available.
L didn't try to lie at all. Any dishonestly that wasn't vitally important had to be avoided. To create the best chance of convincing Mikami, it was best to present as much of the truth as possible even if it caused some vulnerabilities. Ryuk drifted through a wall while L was finishing up the explanation.
Sure enough, Mikami went to the equipment lockers immediately, arming himself with a small gun that had an easily-disguised thigh-holster and placing the rest of the weapons in a safe which he reprogrammed with a new code, forcing L and Misa to leave the room while he did so. Rem leaned over Mikami and called out the new code as he was entering it, though he was so quick she wasn't quite sure of the last few numbers.
The next thing Mikami did was to destroy all the detectors for cameras and bugs, going into the basement and placing them in the on site crematorium-quality high-temperature furnace, handy for destroying anything you really didn't want to ever be found.
Will Mikami place hidden cameras to see if Misa or I act out of character when he isn't directly watching us? I must assume so, but if I actively search for them I will only make myself look suspicious.
As L watched them melt and burn, he couldn't help but have a morbid little fantasy pop into his mind of his own body burning there after his death, after Mikami had killed him.
L turned to Mikami and said, "You do not have much time. We should start making plans immediately. You've chosen a very bold path so far, but it has risks."
Mikami looked at Misa, a long, searching look tinged with reverence and awe, and replied, "The worst will not happen. Either Misa Amane is the true Kira, or you will deliver the true Kira to me once world leaders start dying. There are no other options."
L looked to Misa as if checking her reaction, trying to convey that he took orders from her rather than the other way around.
L said, "I was not thinking of the obvious trouble from governments collapsing, so much as I was thinking of the other things that could go wrong."
"Other things?"
Mikami could not keep his hands still. They were twitching, even though he had clasped them together.
After this, he will have no choice but to spare Kitamura and to help to avert any of the idiotic problems that could occur in a worst-case scenario.
L said, "Specifically, there are three issues. The simplest one is the issue of Kira's public reputation. Doing anything that would turn most of the world firmly against Kira would at least halfway ruin Kira's mission. The second issue is making sure you are completely hidden when you go out of here on your own, as you must do to confirm that I have not fabricated the news stories, since I could easily be presenting false Internet and television feeds to you in this place. If the police spot you, they might not follow the wisest course of action."
In a voice with a surprising amount of passion, Mikami said, "They can't be trusted!"
"The third issue is the most serious. Even if Deputy-Director Kitamura and the other NPA officers who know about the hostage situation never leak that information, if governments start being decimated there will be panic and there will be plenty of people who will guess Kira is behind the scheme. The only fact most of the world knows about Kira is that Kira is in Japan. Out of sheer panic and a sense of self-preservation, it would not be unreasonable to expect that someone would think of nuking the entire surface of Japan into complete oblivion. They might even nuke places other than Japan, if they suspect Kira could be hiding there."
Mikami's lips pressed together in a grim, straight line, and at the same time L heard Misa gasp behind him.
Mikami said, "Then this safe house is not a good place. We should flee the country and hide in the last place anyone would expect Kira to be."
He would not say this so readily unless he thinks there is a significant chance I am lying.
L said, "I am sure it will not get to that point. Also, there would be difficulties in sneaking out of the country if the NPA is on full alert and all the police in Japan are watching for you. We do not want to endanger Kira's safety and anonymity by allowing the police a chance to recapture you and connect her to you."
Mikami turned and gazed through the tiny furnace-window at the flames. He said, "Then we will not do so now, but you must make a plan for that possibility. Your plan will include a way to do this very quickly, before any panic starts. Borders could close."
L said, "The sea is only a short drive from here. I will rent the nearest dock I can, and commission a submarine to be waiting there for us. You are the one who knows when these deaths might start. If you have not called off your accomplice by the point the first assassination will occur, get us to flee in the submarine immediately before that event. We can stay far away from any land surface that might get nuked."
This plan will give me some warning before politicians start dying. Also, it will motivate Mikami to make his broadcast before any assassinations start, so that we don't get trapped out at sea during a nuclear conflict, with possibly no way to make that broadcast if the chaos is too extreme.
After a pause, Mikami said, "I will consider that plan and possibly ask for modifications. We still have time."
Mikami started pacing while making dramatic hand gestures and said, "We should control the head of the NPA to call off any alerts or searches. Then I will be able to move freely through the city to collect information and conduct my investigations. There are many parts of your story that need further verification. I can also control him to create a report about everything secretive he's done in recent years and put it where I can access it, to see if his dealings with you contradict the story you've told me."
Though he is intelligent, Mikami's reasoning is too simplistic. He thinks, but he does not follow through all the way to the logical end-conclusion.
L said, "Kitamura is the one presently keeping things under control at the NPA. If he dies or is obviously being controlled, it could incite panic in the NPA, and someone might do something stupid. If they do not panic, we can count on them to be predictable and to obey Deputy-Director Kitamura, who is presently following the orders I gave him before going to meet you. If Kitamura is at all intelligent, he has people observing him and trying to gauge whether he is being controlled."
Mikami turned, and the furnace flames reflected onto his facial features in an eerie way, making everything under-lit and orange-red.
Mikami waved his hands in a dramatic flourish and said, "Then we can control and kill the entire NPA. They will not panic if I force them not to. I will get even more information about your dealings with them, and they will stay alive until shortly after my own death, so that they will not die before the situation with my accomplice is resolved. There will be no problems."
L replied, "I would agree with that except for one issue. No matter how much we terrorize the world, we will never be able to control everything or know everything. If people hate Kira, they will organize more hidden disobedience that will be impossible to ever fully uncover and destroy. Kira's power can be thwarted by things such as falsified records and secret trials."
Ryuk laughed and said, "You can't force people to be good. They just don't have it in them. They're a bunch of bastards."
L gave Ryuk an annoyed glance and then said, "If society comes to rely on underground organizations, it will become more lawless. Everything will be little more than a display for Kira, to show Kira what she wants to hear and to attempt to please her, while people continue doing what they want behind the scenes. This process can never be stopped, but it can be minimized by winning the hearts and minds of the world, by keeping Kira's reputation as clean as possible and showing people that Kira is a force for good. It is important to avoid methods that seem like terrorism. Kira can accomplish far more through a combination of fear and love than through fear alone. We should not do anything to seriously harm Kira's reputation unless it is unavoidable."
Mikami looked stubborn and defiant for a moment, but then he gazed at Misa almost wistfully and said, "You are right. We cannot risk Kira's reputation. This future, this utopia, it is too important. We cannot allow people any excuse for hating Kira. Still, I do not understand how I will safely leave this place for necessary research and then return to observe both of you, if I cannot guarantee that I will not lead NPA officers straight to Misa Amane."
He wants to be given orders. He wants to believe us, to obey Misa. He has built his life around rules, schedules, and what he's supposed to be doing. If I balance this just right, it won't be too difficult to fool him.
L said, "It is simple. There is a room upstairs with professional-quality disguises. We will render you unrecognizable to any police officer who might be looking for you, and if we change certain features such as the shape of your nose and the placement of your eyebrows, we can also fool facial recognition software, or at least force it to spend a much longer time processing before it realizes your identity. Even if the NPA has already tapped into every security video feed in the city, they shouldn't find you, at least not quickly enough to follow you here. We can start immediately and run tests with the software we have here."
Gesturing even more forcefully with his hands, Mikami said, "I know some things about facial recognition software. I would need to look very different. Also, there is no sure way to fool it without plastic surgery, which we don't have time for. I should never appear in public places or in stores with either of you."
This is good. If I am left here without Mikami some of the time, I can put finishing touches on my plans and make any adjustments. Plus, I'll have chances to calm down and prepare myself for the next onslaught of dealing with him.
Without any warning, Mikami said, "Empty your pockets!"
L turned his pockets inside out, revealing his cellphone and a number of pieces of candy. Misa stepped forward and went through her pockets as well, mostly bringing out items of make-up. Mikami took the items as they were produced. He slipped L's cellphone into his own pocket, gave back most of Misa's things, and then examined the pieces of candy with an expression of intense puzzlement.
L said, "You can keep those if you wish. I can always get more candy."
Mikami poked them around on his outstretched palm and said, "What are they for? Are there secret spy devices within them? Are they poison in case you need to kill?"
"No, it's just candy."
Mikami glanced up into L's face, then back at his palm. He made a sudden decision and opened the furnace door, immediately half-stepping back, choking and with eyes watering from the wave of intense heat, and then he threw the candy in there, shutting the door hard after it.
L said, "Nobody ever calls my cellphone. I only use it for outgoing calls, and it is one of the most secure in the world. I've built small booster towers all over Tokyo. Each time I call, it goes through one of those towers before merging secretly into the regular cellphone networks. Even if it were traced by an expert it would only lead as far as that one booster tower, and I never use the same booster tower twice, so it is impossible to find me that way. The only downside is that there are a limited number of calls before I must have new towers built. You could impersonate L by calling the NPA with that phone. However, they now believe I'm controlled, so it would be the same as Kira giving them orders."
Mikami said, "How many calls are left?"
"Thirty-eight."
He may hope to catch me in a lie by using up the calls and counting them, but he won't figure out about the few spare towers I can switch to by entering an emergency code.
Mikami said, "I will conduct this as if it were a trial. I will gather evidence and interview witnesses. I must start quickly. Bring me to that room. How long will it take to disguise me?"
L replied, "I would estimate at least four hours to deal effectively with facial appliances such as false noses. Even if you control an expert to help you, it will take considerable time to prepare you for each trip you make, unless we try a shortcut."
This is not good. No, this is not good. All I can do is try to minimize the number of witnesses who will be killed and get Mikami out of here as fast as I can, so I can attempt to gain more control over the process.
Mikami said, "What kind of shortcut?"
"If we do not try to make you look like a normal person, if we instead dress you up in an outlandish style that would allow us to draw shapes on your face that would confuse most facial recognition software. For example, if we used a visual kei style we could use a wig that covers half your face and use dark makeup around your eyes that would make them seem larger, and we could use a combination of heavy foundation and lipstick to re-draw your lips as smaller or placed differently. Misa is very good at this. Her undamaged hand is still steady for applying make-up and she has an excellent eye for style."
L turned and headed out of the furnace room, letting Mikami and Misa follow him up stairs and through heavy security doors that required a code, then on to the upper floors. The room with disguises was on the third floor, and included an entire walk-in closet of both male and female clothing in all styles, sized for L, Matt, Wedy and Watari. L and Misa worked together to pick out and lay aside several possible outfits for Mikami, all in Wedy's size as that was the closest. Mikami picked one and disappeared into another room to dress in it, returning looking embarrassed.
There was a hairdresser's chair that Misa motioned Mikami into for the make-up and hair session. Mikami got a strange look in his eyes and shivered at Misa's first touch to his face, as she removed his glasses so she could start applying a pale foundation. L worked on Mikami's hair, a simple task of pinning it down so that a wig could be put over it. Mikami shuffled and bunched up his hands in his lap, awkwardly re-arranging the big plastic hairdressing bib that had been placed around him. L was sure after watching a few of the nervous squirms that Mikami was trying to hide an erection.
Is this a religious experience for him? He thinks of Kira as a god, yet he also recognizes that Kira is human. Kira is touchable, and he suspects Misa is Kira. It is only natural that he should have a strong reaction to her.
Mikami said, "What is your plan, L? What will you do with me?"
"Once you make your broadcast, I will let the police arrest you. It would be extremely difficult to rescue you at that point, and would only create risks for exposing my identity or Kira's identity. After they arrest you again, the police may try to torture you to get answers, but I know it will not work. You will become unconscious if they do."
By showing that I would do exactly the same thing after Mikami's broadcast regardless of whether I am on his side or not, I eliminate the possibility of him using a fake broadcast to test my loyalty, and I eliminate the possibility of the police reacting with stupid actions after a fake broadcast. It is all the same either way.
Mikami said, "You will show me the other shinigami."
Without turning around, L said, "Rem, make yourself visible to Mikami."
Rem said, "I thought you said not to. Has that changed?"
Really Rem? You can't remember what I just told you about this a little while ago?
Quickly, before Rem could do anything, L sighed and said, "She is leaving through a wall instead. Rem is being disobedient. She is shy and her behavior is difficult to control. I'm sorry."
To L's relief, Mikami said, "Ryuk is disobedient as well. I do not understand the role these shinigami play. Are they not the true owners of the death notes? Are they not servants of Kira? I had thought Ryuk would start answering questions once I met Kira."
L said, "I have spent much time and energy investigating them, without discovering any purpose to them. They are passive and uncaring, refusing to interfere. The only good thing about them is that their personalities make it easy for humans to use them to enact Kira's mission."
Mikami frowned, and Misa made a gentle scolding noise at him as she was trying to apply make-up around his furrowed eyebrows. He immediately relaxed his muscles, but somehow managed to still look tense.
Mikami said, "I will conduct an independent investigation into the story you have told me. I will collect evidence on my own, so that you will not be able to steer me to planted evidence. I will also conduct interviews with witnesses."
L felt as if the bottom had dropped out of his stomach.
Here it comes.
Mikami said, "There must be at least one person who can confirm some critical part of your story. You will deliver that person to me, to be controlled into telling the truth."
L said, "We have been extremely secretive, as a matter of necessity. The only people who know of Kira's plans are already dead, or they've had their memories of being Kira's soldiers erased. Only you, Misa and myself know anything crucial. The rest of the information that is relevant to proving I am telling the truth is more or less publicly accessible and those you might interview about it will tell you the same story regardless of whether you control them or not."
Mikami said, "Who is Watari?"
L replied, "There is not a single Watari. The role has been played by a number of hired men, none of whom ever saw my face. I rarely used the same man more than once."
Technically, that is mostly true, except that over ninety percent of the time I used the true Watari.
Mikami said, "You will give me one of these men, and I will control him in order to force the truth from him. If it is as you say, you should have no difficulty getting me one of them."
I must think of this as a horrid necessity. I cannot protect all innocents from Mikami, and for this situation I cannot use a completely fake Watari, as it must be someone who has truthfully fulfilled the role in the past. I should use William Potts. He is old enough that he would probably die within a few years anyway, and he has no family and very few friends.
L suddenly had the urge to admit the truth to Mikami, and then hope that after hearing that the real Kira was dead perhaps Mikami wouldn't have an emotional crisis large enough to endanger the entire world. But then he dismissed that urge as completely irrational and squashed it deep inside.
Misa waved L back out of the way and carefully placed a wig on Mikami's head, making many small adjustments before she was satisfied. L started up a computer in the corner of the room and fed it the proper information.
L finished just as Misa pulled Mikami up out of his chair and surprised even herself by saying, "Done!"
L pointed to the mirror and said, "Mikami, face the mirror so the camera can do an analysis."
Mikami walked over to stand where L indicated, frowned at the mirror and said, "I look like a Harajuku girl."
Ryuk said, "No, your stomach makes you look like a guy."
None of Mikami's actual hair was visible, only a long bright pink wig with one black streak that hung into his face, completely covering one eye and most of his nose. His visible eye, along with the other one, had black eyeliner drawn around it to give almost a rectangular shape at one end, turning into a dramatic sweep that ended in a triangular point. The foundation had made his skin paler than L's skin, and lipstick made his lips bright pink, drawn smaller and slightly higher than his actual lips.
His outfit to complete the look was a bodysuit of silver leather and black velvet, accented with lace panels. It had a large open oval to show off his abdominal muscles. The entire thing was set off with fingerless red gloves and knee-length glittering silver boots with many buckles. Mikami looked uncomfortable even standing in it, as if his every urge told him to rip it off and destroy it.
L said, "Press that button next to the mirror, select your photo, and you'll get a result on the computer."
Mikami pressed the button almost reluctantly, and then the computer mounted next to the mirror gave percentages for the chance of being recognized by the five most commonly-used programs for facial recognition. The highest percentage was seventeen.
L said, "That computer has already erased your photo, for safety reasons. You'll need to take a new photo before every session."
Mikami replied, "Seventeen percent is too high. Kira must be safe."
"This percentage of recognition is for if they compare video of your face as it is now to a photo of your normal face. That situation may never occur. It would be a tremendous computing task to process all video from Tokyo's public places to look for your face, especially to do so fast enough to catch you before you leave the place where you were caught on video. There are so many people in Tokyo that you are likely to be overlooked unless you go in areas where they might expect you."
"What would those be?"
"They are most likely to process videos from airports and hotels. They may also anticipate you showing up in certain other places. Do not go anywhere near anyone who knows you, do not do your research in any of the places you have used to research for trials in the past, and do not return to the same place twice. Be sure that for each stop you make, you do everything that you need to do there as fast as possible and then leave. Because your disguise makes you highly visible, we will also switch your disguise to a different one for each new trip. I will be ordering more clothing in your size."
Mikami said, "Be sure it arrives by tomorrow, and try to get something less uncomfortable. I will leave now, to make the best use of my time."
Misa began to tidy the area, putting away the make-up and supplies.
Mikami walked away, the leather making slight creaking noises, and just as he was almost out of the room, L said, "Mikami, thank you for all you have done. You have been brave, and you are a martyr for Kira. If there is anything I can do for you in your last days of life, do not hesitate to ask. Whatever you ask for could never be enough to pay you for the tremendous sacrifice you've made."
Mikami looked back over his shoulder, wincing at the squeak the leather made, and said, "I require nothing, and I am a martyr either way, whether you are lying or telling the truth. Kira will be saved."
Rem trailed along after Mikami's disappearing form.
Good, she at least knows enough to keep track of him while he's within range. If he tries to suddenly return and surprise us, Rem will probably go ahead of him and warn us.
Misa's expression suddenly changed from cheery and bright to exhausted and sullen.
L said, "Misa, you look tired. Let's go to the roof and take some fresh air. Nobody can see us there."
Misa looked surprised, but took L's offered hand and let him pull her along, through a hallway and then up a narrow stairway that opened directly onto the roof. A high fence of woven wicker-like substance entirely encircled the flat portion of the roof, hiding it from outsiders, and there were several benches to sit on. L sat down at the greatest distance from Misa and peered out through the gaps in the fence's weave, watching for one of the cars to leave.
L said, "Misa, it is possible that Mikami has been sneaky enough to have already placed a few hidden listening devices or even cameras in this house, and in any case I am sure he intends to do so soon, or he would not have destroyed all the equipment for detecting those items. We cannot use Mikami's absence to buy more detecting equipment, because if Mikami ever discovers us searching for such things he will think we are working against him."
L heard the sound of the garage door opening, and then a car emerged from the house, driving very slowly and a little unsteadily. He had a moment of panic at thinking of the possibility of Mikami's driving inexperience causing a wreck that would leave Mikami unconscious for the rest of his life. But, no, Mikami was overly cautious. The chances of him getting into an accident, especially one causing something worse than mild pain at all times, was very low.
When it was almost out of sight, Rem separated from the car and then flew back to go through a wall into the house.
L said, "The roof is clean for the moment. We can talk openly here for now. There are also a number of rooms downstairs that Mikami never entered, and so they will be clean until he returns as long as you close the door to make the room soundproof. I will take you to one of those rooms soon, but after this you must always remain in character. You must never assume that you are safe and unwatched. One mistake could ruin everything. Do you understand?"
Misa replied, "Understand," and gasped in surprise at her achievement.
L continued waiting and watching in silence, wary of Mikami trying to suddenly return, until Rem finally came up from underneath a bench onto the roof.
L said, "Rem, stay here and watch in all directions for Mikami's return. Warn us immediately if that happens. I need to fully brief Misa and put a few finishing touches on my plans."
This time L did not take Misa's hand, but simply turned his back on her and made his way to a secret room that could only be accessed by moving a bookcase.
Once they were both inside the nearly-bare room and the bookcase/door was back in place, L said, "Misa, the strength of my plan is that I have lied about almost nothing. Every bit of publicly-available information agrees with the story I told Mikami, so he can research all he wants and he should not find any contradictory information. Even the token Watari I am being forced to hand over to Mikami will only know that he functioned once as a go-between for L's communications with Interpol, several years ago, and that he never saw L's face. There is only one piece of information that could cast serious doubts on my story, and we need to eliminate that possibility now."
L hesitated, then said, "Yumiko knows I am afraid of you, and that I had a panic attack. If Mikami discovers this, it would still be possible to fool him into believing my story, but it would make things extremely difficult."
L made his way to the only furniture in the bare room, a small table that held a single computer. With some difficulty he hoisted up one table leg just enough to unscrew the bottom and a cellphone fell out.
L said, "Misa, I am sorry I did not think of this sooner. It is my fault. I did not think he would conduct interviews."
Misa looked very worried.
L said, "I am certain he won't dare to kill Kira's sister, but it is likely he will eventually think to talk to your closest family members as part of his interviewing process. We need to convince Yumiko to be quiet. She can keep a secret."
L made the call, and when Yumiko answered he couldn't even get past the greeting, she was so upset and practically shrieking into the phone. She wanted to know where her sister was and why the hospital knew nothing and whether Misa was okay and she simply would not let L get out anything more than half a word for some time.
When Yumiko finally took a breath, L said, "Yumiko, Misa is here. She is fine. I am sorry we left so suddenly. Something has happened."
"What?"
L silently mouthed the words, "I'm sorry," to Misa and then into the phone he said, "Misa has a new boyfriend. We are all living together now, the three of us."
"What!"
"I accept this situation. I have always accepted Misa's habits. I know you do not approve, but this is what Misa wishes. She is receiving excellent medical care within our home and she is in no danger."
Yumiko sighed and said, "When can I visit her?"
"I do not know. He is not here presently, and we would need his permission because we are living in his house. We are still very busy with the process of moving. However, I need to discuss something important with you."
"What is it now?"
"I am sure that you must guess I am a sexual submissive, and that-"
Yumiko said, "I don't want to hear about this! Just do your own private things without telling me, okay?"
L said, "I would not bring this up, except that there is a potential impact on Misa's safety. Please hear me out."
"The new boyfriend isn't going to hurt her, is he?"
"No, nothing like that. He is very gentle and he is also a submissive. The problem is that I am naturally a very frightened person, and I feel extremely inadequate. I am terrified that Misa's new boyfriend will think I am too weak and soft, and then he won't like me any longer. The fear of this has been keeping me up at night, and it has been so extreme I've been thinking of killing myself. Misa's own will to live is extremely fragile, and I am sure another suicide so close to her would affect her deeply."
Yumiko gasped and held her breath. A few moments later L heard her letting out air in a slow hiss.
I need to let her adjust to this. She should be unwilling to take the risk even if she doesn't quite believe me, but a more believable situation is better.
L waited a few more moments, until he heard even, regular breathing on Yumiko's end, and then he said, "I am the most burdened by one thought in particular. I do not want him to find out that I am frightened of Misa and that I have panic attacks. Please do not tell anyone, especially not him. Please! If you are not sympathetic to my situation I would be willing to bribe you to keep quiet. Name any price."
If she is not willing to keep the secret, she should protest immediately. In that case I will need to arrange a situation where everyone that she knows will think she has gone on a sudden vacation, but she has actually been taken into protective custody until after Mikami's death. That should be a last resort, though, because it would certainly appear suspicious to Mikami.
Yumiko said, "Keep your money. I haven't told anyone anyway, and I wasn't planning to. I'm not a gossip. Don't worry about this, I won't say anything. Just let me see Misa soon."
"Why don't you talk to her now? I'll give her the phone."
L handed the cellphone to Misa. Misa turned her back to him and made periodic babbling noises into the phone. When she was done L carefully concealed the phone inside the table leg once more, and then he used the computer to bring up various people's photos, explaining to Misa the false timeline he'd constructed in great detail and pointing out the Kira supporters who had died in the past year that he'd decided would be presented to Mikami as Kira's soldiers, the ones who'd had pages only and thus had needed to be killed to protect the secret.
When L finished and saw the overwhelmed look on Misa's face, he said, "Do not worry about remembering all this. I am sure Mikami will separate you from me and ask you questions, but because of your disability you only need to have a general idea of my story. Feign worse communication skills than you actually have if Mikami tries to grill you about specifics and details. Your job is simply to remain in character, to use your acting skills. Do not try any schemes or plans of your own, as you did when we investigated Higuchi, because doing anything more than what I've asked you to do could backfire."
Misa made a noise that sounded like she was agreeing.
L said, "In everything that is not crucial, we will be completely honest. I will leave the door to this room open, to show Mikami that we are not hiding anything. I am sure he would have discovered this room anyway, by measuring other rooms and seeing that they do not add up correctly. He may find the cellphone, but that is not crucial. If he asks, I will even show it to him."
Misa looked surprised but made a noise of agreement again.
L said, "Now, let's go shopping. Along with buying new disguises for Mikami, we need to buy clothing for you. If we had your regular clothing delivered here, it is possible someone might follow it, and also it is almost all in the gothic lolita style. I am sure Mikami does not approve of the public persona of Misa Amane, so to command the greatest respect and loyalty from him we must keep up the pretense that all those silly and outlandish things are only for your fans, not the real you. The real you prefers normal clothing when not in public."
L opened the door to the secret room and then went back to the computer, bringing up various shopping websites and letting Misa guide him as to what to buy.
Mikami did not return until several hours after sunset. He brought boxes full of documents and articles of all kinds, but instead of going to work immediately, he stacked them on a table and stomped off to the bathroom for a long time, emerging nearly an hour later with no make-up or wig and back in his normal clothing. He looked exhausted and as he sat down in front of the evidence he'd collected and began to go through it, he kept rubbing at his eyes and temples.
L sat at a nearby table, poking his food into patterns on his plate. Misa was at a different table, using scissors to cut paper into intricate doily shapes.
L was in the middle of creating a stack of chocolates and tiny little pastries filled with jam when Mikami suddenly said, "What is wrong with you? Why do you eat that way and always crouch?"
L said, "It is my own way of organization. It helps me to think. It leads to better results in my work, which is very important."
Mikami said, "It is not right. You need to stop doing it. Sit straight, eat something healthy, and stop playing with your food."
If I give in to his demands too easily, he will be suspicious that I'm trying to placate him rather than being myself. Besides, I wouldn't function that well.
L said, "I eat one healthy meal a day, and I eat one healthy item with every meal. My posture is not going to change anytime soon. It is an ingrained habit and I do not think as well if I'm always fighting against that habit. It is not my fault that I became like this. My parents were very poor and did not have furniture, so I grew up being used to crouching on the floor. By the time I experienced other environments with furniture, it was already a habit I found impossible to break."
"Where are your parents now?"
"They are dead. They died when I was four years old. I was sent to live with my grandmother in Japan until she died when I was seven, and then I was sent to distant relatives in England who were incapable of caring for me and they put me in an orphanage. From that time until I was eighteen I moved from orphanage to orphanage, and then I lived on my own."
We are all orphans here. This might make Mikami identify with me more easily.
Mikami quizzed L about the details of that supposed life, and L answered all his questions, giving the names of his parents and grandmother and of orphanages he'd never lived at but where his information had been planted in anticipation of a purpose like this. They were all large orphanages and short times of residency, so that it would seem entirely natural that the staff should have no memory of him. Mikami should anticipate the staff should have no memory of L and think it pointless to kill just for interviews.
When Mikami finished the questioning and seemed satisfied, he said, "Your parents are to blame for your posture, but you need to stop making excuses about your diet. You are the one responsible for that. I am going to throw out all your junk food tomorrow and I will ensure every meal you eat here is healthy. If you change your eating habits for just a week or two, you will see how much better you feel and you will want to do it the correct way.
Tomorrow? Then I had best go downstairs and eat that entire cake now.
Several hours later, Mikami was still awake and going through his evidence when Misa started yawning and made pantomime motions of sleeping, so L took her to the bedroom with the largest bed, with plenty of room to be as far from Misa as possible, and tried to act as a husband should while she undressed in front of him and changed into her pajamas. He tried to be casual and relaxed and to not avert his eyes, though his stomach was twisting into knots.
They both crawled under the covers and L curled up on his side, hoping to go to sleep. Misa was restless. She moved about constantly and made little sighs and sometimes brushed up against L slightly, making his stomach roil even as a small amount of arousal shot through his system, mixed with anger, fear, hate and other ugly emotions.
L couldn't help but compare Misa to Light. Light had been a wonderful bedmate. He had stayed on his side of the bed and had always gone into an immediate deep sleep that was peaceful. He didn't have wandering hands or kicking legs or inadvertent sleep-snuggles.
L scooted even further from Misa, almost off the bed, and forced his mind through various mental exercises while he tensed his entire body and then relaxed one muscle at a time, each in sequence, fiercely fantasizing that the bed was empty and Misa was not there.
L was almost asleep when he suddenly felt Misa snuggle up against his back, her arms snaking around his chest and hugging him. He froze in place, convinced for a moment that he was going to throw up right there, feeling his stomach do flip-flops and feeling the strong, fast beating of his heart. Trembling was trying to start up in his limbs, but he squashed the reaction with sheer willpower; he absolutely refused to let it happen.
Mikami could have placed cameras and bugs in here already.
L rolled over and pulled Misa close, acting as if he were tenderly kissing her ear. Instead of kissing, he very quietly whispered directly into her ear, "Don't hug me now. It makes me want to vomit. We need to put on a believable act."
Then he withdrew, as if he had just wanted that one kiss, and curled up in his own part of the bed to gently nibble on his thumb and sleeplessly stare at the wall for hours.
He never went to sleep and was up early, before anyone else, gobbling down as much of the remaining cookies, candy, donuts and other sweets as he could.
When Mikami arrived in the kitchen he started throwing things out and noticed everything that was missing, everything that L had secretly eaten. He scolded L and forced him to eat a second, normal breakfast, then spent a few hours quizzing L about every detail of the false timeline L had constructed, including the identity of every person who had ever acted as one of Kira's soldiers. Mikami took notes during the process and frequently asked L the same questions in a slightly different way, probing to try to find any contradictions.
Mikami then took Misa into a soundproof room for two hours and quizzed her. Rem went in and out of the room, bringing L updates. It sounded as if there were no problems.
For lunch, Mikami insisted on having L help him make cabbage rolls from scratch. He lectured L about every aspect of the process and kept pointing out the things L was doing wrong, forcing him to do it over and over until it was right. By the time lunch was finally ready, L was cross and exhausted, with sore fingers from constantly re-rolling the cabbage to Mikami's exact specifications.
Then Mikami tried to serve, along with the cabbage rolls, steamed rice and natto. L stared at the natto as the smell assaulted his nose.
Is Mikami kidding? Natto, the Japanese food that is most likely to cause a foreigner to throw up. He can't be serious.
L said, "I'm sorry, but I don't like natto."
Before Mikami could protest, L jumped up from his seat, taking his plate of natto to the trash and dumping it in.
Mikami started lecturing about the health benefits of natto. L felt slightly dizzy. The smell filled the room. Misa was having no problem with the natto and was eating it with a cheery smile on her face.
L returned to his seat and started eating the cabbage rolls as Mikami continued to lecture.
Really? How long can he go on about this? Something so vile can't have that many health benefits. It is probably half folklore anyway.
The oppressive feeling didn't go away. It was only increased by the lingering natto stench. The air was stifling and thick, and L kept shaking his head, trying to clear it. His thinking seemed muddled. He felt sleepy and out of things and couldn't focus well on what he was doing.
Then, just as the meal was almost finished, L had a feeling as if he'd run into a spiderweb and the invisible strands were on him, along with a spider crawling just out of reach of his swatting hand. He wiped along his arms, trying to get rid of whatever it was as he inspected them for any traces of what he could feel but couldn't see. The sensation didn't go away no matter how much he wiped, it only got worse, and pretty soon there seemed to be several spiders, somewhere just out of reach and sight, getting into his clothing. Cold sweat was running down his back, under his shirt, leaving nasty wet trails.
Suddenly a familiar voice said, "Ryuzaki, I want to help. Please let me do something other than making coffee."
L could just barely see the owner of that voice standing at the edge of his peripheral vision. It was Matsuda.
- 32
- 33
- 34
You need to be logged in to leave a review for this story.You need to be logged in to leave a review for this story.
Report Story

Fifty Days