Chapter Ten

Fifty days. Fifty days of confinement and the increased stress and decreased will to fight, not to mention the declining health of Chief Yagami! I think that they've had enough. But Ryuzaki is ever so stubborn. Light looks horrible. I can't tell how many times the boy has passed out from exhaustion. He lies down on the floor, trying to get comfortable, taking Ryuzaki's taunts. Oy! Even Ryuzaki should know by now that this is getting nowhere. And Misa, just as exhausted, is asking for Light. Now I kind of feel sorry for her. Mr Aizawa and Mr Matsuda work together to convince Ryuzaki to let the three of them go. 'The only reason you're doing this is because you don't want to admit that you were wrong about Light!' Mr Aizawa accuses.

Even I have come to agree with that.

'Ryuzaki, It's time to start looking for the real killer.'

Silence.

The tension rises as we wait for Ryuzaki's final decision. Finally, Ryuzaki presses for the microphone connected to the Chief's room: 'Mr Yagami.'

'Yes, what is it?'

'Would you be willing to come to headquarters just once? I'd like to discuss my thoughts with you but it should be done in person.'

What are you—

'However, above all else, I need to talk to you as Light's father.'

Oh…no.

'Alright. I'll come,' Chief Yagami says.

Ryuzaki asks that he meet with Chief alone to discuss the new plan. We clear out of the hotel to give them some privacy. Mr Matsuda treats me to a meal at the hotel restaurant, the first real meal I've had in a month. I barely give myself the time to savour the taste of the food and rush at eating, though maintaining my lady-like ways. After the two of us are done with lunch, we see Chief Yagami leaving the room in distress, Mr Aizawa behind him. I walk back into the room as soon as they leave. Mr Mogi is in the room with Ryuzaki. The screen shows the inside of an empty car. 'What's going on?' I ask.

'I've instigated a plan that will prove whether or not Light is Kira for sure.'

'Oh?'

'Why doesn't the chief look happy about it?' Mr Matsuda asks.

'There's a risk to the plan and if it works, then Chief Yagami may be in danger.'

'What?' the rest of us gasp.

The screens are suddenly filled with people. Chief Yagami sits in the front seat with Light and Misa seated in the back. What the—

'I was starting to think I'd never get out of there. But it feels so good to finally be cleared.'

'No,' Chief Yagami interjects.

Misa and Light look at the Chief questioningly.

'I'm afraid you two are being taken to your execution.'

I glare at Ryuzaki. He's unaffected but it's all I can do not to punch him.

'I wanted to escort you to the execution site. It was secretly built in an underground facility.'

Light and Misa furiously protest: 'Is this a joke?' Light demands, 'What the hell are you talking about?'

'L is convinced that you are Kira, Light. And that Misa Amane is the Second Kira.'

By the Saint, I can't imagine how difficult this is for the Chief to say.

'I don't understand,' Light counters, 'the killings have already stopped.'

'No, they never stopped.'

'They never—that's not what he told me! So he was lying?'

'L was trying to get a confession out of you Light,' Chief Yagami says, 'He would have said anything. But at this point, that's not the problem. It's political now. You see, L's suggestion that the killings would stop if you two were eliminated was unanimously accepted by the top officials in the UN and the Japanese government. They want Kira to disappear; no trial, no publicity.'

'But that's completely insane! Please Dad, I'm not Kira.'

'That's right!' Misa backs, 'What kind of father are you, anyway? This is your own son you're talking about.'

'L made this decision, not me,' Chief Yagami sighs, 'And his word is absolute. Over the years he's tackled the most difficult cases, solving all of them. He's never been wrong!'

What on earth is Ryuzaki up to? Not even the Chief looks all the better.

'You trust L more than you trust me, your own son?' Light challenges.

'L went so far as to stake his life on this theory. If the killings don't stop, then he, too, will be executed.'

'L said that?' Light looks shocked. I'm surprised he hasn't caught on the bluff. 'What could he be thinking? I know that given the material evidence, this might seem like the only logical solution. But he's making a mistake. Somethings' not right here. The L I know would rely on hard evidence! He has to have the truth! Is he really trying to end it like this?'

'Alright, we're almost there.'

The car sharply turns. From Light and Misa's bodies jumping up and down, it seems that they've encountered a rather bumpy road. They come to a sudden stop. Wherever they are shadows the car a bit but I can still make out their faces. Chief Yagami's distressed look has turned into full on fear and rage merged into one while Light and Misa maintain their confused looks as they look out the windows, studying the landscape they're in. 'Where are we right now?' Light asks, 'Why did you bring us out in the middle of nowhere?'

'Wait a sec,' Misa looks optimistic, 'I bet he brought us here to let us go.'

'This will do,��� Chief Yagami sighs. I can detect the sadness in his voice but the fear in it doesn't escape me. He turns to face the two in the back: 'Listen to me, I'm going to kill you here, and then kill myself.'

Whoa, what? What the—Zut!

Mr Matsuda gasps but one glare from Ryuzaki and we both know to remain quiet.

'What?' Light yells, 'What are you talking about Dad?'

'How could you say that?' Misa yells, 'You'd kill your own son for L? If you want to die so bad, why don't you kill yourself? If you do this, you're no different from Kira.'

Bull! This is totally not like Kira.

'I'm nothing like Kira!' Chief Yagami declares, 'I'm bound by my responsibilities as a parent and as Chief of the NPA!'

'Dad, come on! She's right!' Light struggle desperately, probably to be free of the handcuffs, 'Think about it, if we die here, the truth will never be revealed. Please Dad!'

Chief Yagami reaches into his coat while Light protests, 'It's too late!' he snaps. 'Either way, you will be executed. At least with this,' he pulls out a gun, 'I'll be the one to do it.' He points the gun directly at light, the muzzle barely touching the boy's forehead.

Light's eyes widen as he stares Death straight in the face. 'Please Dad! I'm not Kira. If I die here, Kira wins!'

'Amane,' ignoring his son, Chief Yagami addresses Misa, 'I'm 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. They'll transport you to the original sight and execute you there!'

Why the heck would Ryuzaki ask this of the chief? He saw how he was taking it in there and he dares place this burden on the man? What does he hope to achieve by doing this? What will it reveal? Even if Light turns out to be Kira, I'm only worried for the mental state of the Chief! I remember when he had that heartache that time, the pain and distress he had as a chief of police to go through this and…I swear when this is over—

'Light,' Chief Yagami's voice snaps me out of my reverie, 'my son, from one murderer to another, see you in Hell.'

The gun blasts loud and clear; the shot fired.

Gasping, I place my hand over my mouth, short of crying out in despair for them all.

1…2…3…4…5…

I've barely caught my own breath before I notice Light's wide-eyed frightened face still looking at the hole in the muzzle where the bullet should have been shot out of. A point blank shot like that should have killed the boy, leaving his bleeding head slumped and Misa crying out in fear and agony. But Light remains very much alive.

By the Saint! The gun was a blank!

'You…used a blank?' Light asks.

'Thank goodness,' Chief Yagami breathes hard, leaning back on his seat relieved at something.

What is going on?

'Thank goodness?' Light repeats, barely coming to terms with what just happened, 'What's going on?'

'Please forgive me you two. I know that was hard on you, but it was the only way I could get you out of prison. I only agreed to this because I believe in your innocence, Light. Were you watching Ryuzaki?' he says to the camera, 'I did exactly as you said and as you can see, I'm still alive.'

'Huh?' I glare at Ryuzaki.

'Yes,' he replies, 'it was a convincing performance. If Amane were the Second Kira, who only needs to see a person's face to kill them, there is no doubt she would have killed you before the chance to fire your weapon.'

By the Saint! That's what Ryuzaki meant when he said that if this works, Chief Yagami might still be alive or dead. That sneaky little dirty cop!

'Also, if Light was in fact Kira, the Kira I know wouldn't hesitate to kill even his own father to save himself. With Light in particular, I cannot rule out the possibility that he may have seen through our act at some point. However, as we agreed, I will end their confinement immediately.'

Finally!

Ryuzaki explains that Misa Amane will be under constant surveillance. I still don't doubt for a minute that she's the Second Kira but under surveillance, things should be cleared up a bit if we allow her to go back to her normal life. As for Light, apparently he and Ryuzaki will remain together 24/7 until we catch Kira. After explaining all this, he orders that they come back to headquarters to discuss further details. As we wait for them to come back, I take this opportunity to punch Ryuzaki roughly on the shoulder. He looks at me surprised: 'Ow.'

'What the heck! What were you thinking putting Chief Yagami through that ordeal? What is wrong with you?'

'I told you the plan.'

'Were you planning on his death? Did you really plan on killing him off because of your absolute certainty?'

'It all worked out for the better though.'

'Oh yeah, thank goodness it did! You Jerk!'

'Calm down, Frejda.'

I can only glare at him. 'By the way, how exactly do you plan on being together with Light 24/7?'

I get my answer the group comes back . Ryuzaki links himself to Light by a chain.

'Are you sure this is necessary?' Light looks at the cuff on his hand and back at Ryuzaki.

'This is as difficult for me as it is for you,' Ryuzaki sighs.

'So this is what you meant,' I comment.

'Looking at you I never would have guessed,' Misa comments, 'Are you on that side of the fence, Ryuzaki?'

'I told you I'm not doing this because I want to,' he answers her.

'But Light belongs to me! I don't want to share him with you. Or you for that matter,' she points at me, 'especially you.'

'Leave me out of this please,' I raise my hands defensively.

'If you are with him 24/7, how are we supposed to go on dates together?' she demands.

Seriously? That's what you're worried about Misa?

'Oh you can go on dates,' he says, 'but it'll have to be the three of us.'

'No way! Are you saying we have to kiss in front of you and stuff?'

'I'm not telling you to do anything. But yes, I suppose I would be watching.'

'That's so gross! You really are a pervert aren't you?'

'Light, please make Misa stop talking now.'

'Yes!' I beg, 'For the sake of our sanity.'

'Listen, Misa, that's enough. The police have already established that it was you who sent those tapes, so you're lucky to even be here right now.'

'Huh?' how could you even say that Light?' in case you forgot, I'm your girlfriend! Don't you trust your own soulmate?'

One has nothing to do with the other, you idiot!

'What do you mean "soulmate"?' asks a perplexed Light, 'You're the one who said you fell in love with me at first sight, Misa.'

'So why would you kiss me if you didn't have feelings for me?' she cries, 'You took advantage of me?' In anger, Misa attacks Light with light punches which he takes quietly and with a confused state. How on earth has he managed to put up with this for this long?

'About this love-at-first-sight,' interrupts Ryuzaki, going back to business. Boy am I glad that he's managed to stay focused! 'It happened in Aoyama on May 22nd, didn't it?'

'So what?' Misa asks.

'Why did you choose to go to Aoyama on that day? And do you remember what you wore?'

'Like I said, I just happened to go there! I don't know how I felt, I don't remember why or what I was wearing. Anyway, since when do I need a reason to hang out in Aoyama?'

'And somehow, when you came back from Aoyama, you knew that you were in love with a person named Light.'

She can't talk her way out of this one.

'Yes,' she insists.

By the Saint, she didn't even try!

'And you yourself have no idea how you came to know his name,' Ryuzaki persists.

'Yeah, so what?' she challenges, her face close to L.

'Tell me, what if Light was Kira? How would it make you feel?'

'How would I feel if Light was Kira?'

'That's right.'

She grabs Light's arm and rubs her head against it in a dreamy state. The poor boy!

'I mean, I've always been grateful to Kira for punishing the man who murdered my parents, so if I found out Light was Kira, that's a bonus for me. It would make me love him more, even though that's not possible.'

Saints!

'It's Kira,' Ryuzaki reminds her, 'You'd love him even more for that? Wouldn't you be afraid? What if he tried to kill you?'

'Light as Kira? That wouldn't be scary at all. I'm a supporter of Kira so if I found out that my Light was actually him, I'd think of helpful I could be.'

'Just as I thought,' I ponder.

'That's very generous of you,' Ryuzaki says, 'but I'm pretty sure Kira doesn't need your help. Well Misa Amane, based on what you told me, there is no doubt you are the Second Kira. You've made it so painfully obvious that I don't really want to believe it.'

'Whatever! It's not believable because I'm not the Second Kira, ok.' She finishes off her point with sticking her tongue out.

'Anyway, for the time being, you'll remain under surveillance. For the most part your life will return to normal. But from now on, for all private and work related affairs, Mr Matsuda will accompany you.'

I glance at the man. In a shy but excited way, he waves to Misa. Mr Aizawa, seated in between a standing Mr Matsuda and a sitting Chief Yagami, bends his head low. His teeth, fists and eyes are clenched. I get the feeling something is really going to set him off very soon and I have a pretty good idea who that person will be. As Ryuzaki explains to Misa about Mr Matsuda's manager status over her, she complains directly to his face that he's some old guy, bringing out the insecurity in Mr Matsuda to fight back. Mr Aizawa, having had enough, releases the active volcano of emotion: standing up roughly, he slams his hands against the coffee table and gives the rest of us his parental glare, yelling: 'Would you cut it out with all the kissing and Misa-Misa crap already? This is the Kira investigation, stop messing around!'

We've all officially drowned in a lava of anger.

'Sorry about that, Aizawa,' Mr Matsuda looks at his colleague apologetically.

'No it's alright,' a calmer Mr Aizawa glances at him then back in our direction, 'I just figured out what the problem is.' Walking around the table, he approaches Misa: 'Misa Amane, it's time for you to go to your room.'

'Why?' she protests.

It continues until Mr Aizawa has physically thrown her out of the room, slamming the door in her face. Welcoming the silence, he exhales a sigh and slightly slides down the door.

'So Light, are you serious about her?' Ryuzaki asks.

'No way. Like I said, it's completely one-sided.'

I don't know who to feel sorry for right now: Misa for her unrealistic view of Light or for Light having to put up with this all this time, Kira or not. I pat him on the back: 'Sorry about that, Light.'

He chuckles. 'It's good to see you again Frejda.'

'Could you pretend to be serious for the sake of the investigation?' Ryuzaki asks, 'There are two things I want to know about Amane. One: how she's involved and two: why she's in love with you.'

'Y-you want me to become intimate with her to gather information about the Second Kira?'

'Yes. You won't arouse any suspicion and Amane is a valuable resource to us. This is the primary reason I agreed to release the two of you.'

'Ryuzaki…as much as I want to help you, and as important as the Kira case is to me, I can't manipulate a woman's feelings like that.'

Well, well.

'Please try to understand,' he continues, 'to me, exploiting other people's feelings for personal gain is unforgiveable, and I won't allow myself to stoop that low.'

Okay. I don't think I know Light as well as Ryuzaki but something about the way he said that…it's almost like he's a different person. I mean sure, he's always been nice, but this is a lot further than I picked him out to be. None of that cold and calculating demeanour I caught up with previously, the clockworks running in his mind.

'What's wrong, Ryuzaki?' Light asks, snapping me out of my reverie.

'Nothing,' he says. He must have been snapped out too. 'But can you at least make sure she doesn't leak any information to the public?'

'By the way, do you think we could come up with some sort of alternative situation to this moving from hotel to hotel?'

'Yeah,' I agree. 'I think we'd all feel better working from one base.'

'I had that same thought some time ago so,' Ryuzaki moves to the computer, dragging Light with him by the chain, 'I arranged for a facility to be built. Construction started right after my first meeting with Mr Yagami and the others. It should be finished in a few days.'

He logs into his computer and fishes out the file. A picture of a skyscraper appears on the screen. Twenty-three floors above ground and two below. It even has a place for helicopters on the roof. The plan is for all of us to spend as much time working the case from the building as the main base for the investigation. It will be easier for us to all move in but of course, not everyone can afford that, especially if they have families. But it's set up to accommodate as many as sixty people. Misa and I will have an entire floor (each to ourselves that is). With all the resources made available to us we should solve this case quickly and quietly, working together as one. Who knows? Maybe the Task Force will grow. Motivated, all of us vow to give our all to the case and to end Kira's impending reign once and for all. As for me, I'd still have to do what I came for before leaving. I can only hope to keep it as quiet as possible. This will be a great team effort and all of us have our parts to play.

It's been three days since I officially moved into the new and permanent Task Force Headquarters. My floor has a total of three large Spaces that Ryuzaki had designed and constructed since my arrival. One Space is actually a full one-bedroom apartment. The space of each of the rooms within the apartment is large, I'd think I'd be able to fit in a party of thirty plus people in the sitting room alone. The kitchen is a wide space with an island in the centre, a large stove, two refrigerators and a separate small space for the sink and dishwasher within the confines of the kitchen. As for my room, not even the king-sized bed fills it up. There's enough space for three bookshelves that could be long and tall as well as an entire desk space for my forensic lab equipment to be set up like a real lab space. There's even room for a moderate sized walk-in closet between the bedroom and the bathroom. Yeah, it's huge! The second Space, located next door to my apartment is the swimming pool. It's a Gemini-sized swimming pool, rectangular in shape, going as low as twelve feet at the deep end. There is also a locker-room available for a shower and a change of clothes, although I personally prefer to change and shower in the apartment. The final Space/room is the gymnasium. It contains two of each basic exercising equipment but most of the space is for my knife throwing practise. Talk about pursuing a criminal at such luxury! The main office for work and meetings is the second basement, directly beneath the lobby. Misa's floor is the sixth floor while mine is the fifth. It's easy for us to travel by lift up and down the floors but there are stairs if we want to use those. This place is definitely going to work.

Since moving in, I spend most of my time with the others on the floor below the lobby. Kira's continuation of killing criminals leaves us with little trace to follow, and by 'us' I mean everyone except Light and Ryuzaki. Ever since he released Light and Misa from confinement, Ryuzaki's been disinterested in the investigation. My guess is that he's upset to be wrong about Light being Kira. Not to say that I don't see them. When I do though, Ryuzaki hardly wants to be on the computer, or watching the news to gather any intel on the work of Kira. As far as I can tell, almost all criminals continued to die by heart attack, the extra month that Light and Misa were help, Kira's killings showed no weird pattern they followed or anything that could pinpoint his location. But what I can tell so far is that he's definitely in Japan. But the more I pay attention to the news, the more I gather up on when most of these killings are happening, I suspect that this Kira may not be a student. One of the biggest clues is how the killings are frequent to morning, afternoon and evening hours. What's left in between is the regular business hours. I keep this thought journaled in my log book. Chief Yagami, Mr Mogi and Mr Aizawa are the police officers more invested in the actual investigation. Mr Matsuda (poor guy) is tied down to being Misa's manager.

Misa Amane! Three days in and I have already established that I do not have any respect for her. I have never met a more self-centred, incompetent, annoying brat in my life! All she cares about is when she will see Light, if she can have him all to herself and insulting anyone who gets in her way. I am considered an enemy only for being a female. Each time I approach Light or Ryuzaki, who are attached by chain, makes her think that I'm interested in Light and it sets her off. Every opportunity is used to remind me that Light 'belongs to her!' Oy! Talk about an obsessive possessive girl! Even if Light is Kira, I'd feel sorry for him. Speaking of which, there is no doubt that her behaviour matches that of the Second Kira, the way she clings to him like a fan or a devoted follower. Everything about her matches the identity of the person who sent the tapes. So, it looks like half of my job is done. Sort of. But I don't know if I can carry on with my mission. Misa convincingly claims to not know anything about Kira's identity. And while she was confined, her change in attitude change is about as 180 degrees as a chameleon blending into the background for protection. I just wonder if the reason for camouflage is really because she's not the Second Kira. Not even Ryuzaki has the means to try her and officially convict her. Plus that test he performed: if she was the Second Kira, she should have somehow been able to kill Chief Yagami for threatening Light's life, if not hers. Everything seems to add up except this. Still, regardless of her would-be innocence, the girl is impossible to hang around. I'm better off in my room than anywhere near her.

Light on the other hand, he's changed drastically. For as long as I've known Light, which isn't long, I've seen him as a person who interacts with people only when he absolutely needs to. When it comes to my friendship with him, he's held it open but he's never invited me to get close to him. These past few days though, he's eager to clear his name and every opportunity to catch the murderer killing criminal. The problem is that Ryuzaki is not feeling his usual self. His certainty that Light and Misa were both Kira was staked high so it's only natural for the greatest detective in the world should feel this bummed that he is wrong. Apart from the move for some of us, investigation has come to a standstill. We don't move forward except to keep an eye on Light and Misa. Secretly, I'm thankful for this break. We've been through a lot these past few months so maybe we need to clear our minds now.

I get up early one morning to get a swim. Donning my bathing suit, a black with white trim long sleeved modest swimwear, I travel to the empty but lit swimming pool. I leave my towel on a chair before I dive into the pool, starting my daily eighteen-lap exercise. I swim straight for all laps, not once taking a break. My mind runs with questions, observations and conclusions about the Kira investigation. The rope doesn't clear once on how close we seemed, only to realise we were on a dead end. What in the name of the Saints were we missing? What clue slipped away before we, before Ryuzaki, could catch it? What were we missing? I stop at the shallow end of the pool, done with my laps. Wiping my face, that's when I realise I have company. The two chained up boys stare at me patiently. I wonder how long they've been waiting. 'Can I help you two?'

'Yeah,' Light answers, 'Uh, can you spend some time with Misa this morning? You know, be with her and Matsuda.'

'Why?' I ask, suspicious.

'I'm trying to prove to Ryuzaki he has no reason to suspect her of being the Second Kira anymore.'

'Uh…'

'Well, since Kira started killing again, the Second Kira has been ironically silent.'

'So…?'

'If Misa is the Second Kira, there's a chance she would be collaborating with him while we're not looking,' Ryuzaki explains, 'I just want to know for sure.'

'So you just want me to be a second pair of eyes/ To confirm your suspicions?'

'Would you mind?'

'Argh!'

'I know she's been giving you a hard time,' Light says apologetically, 'but Ryuzaki and I both trust you and, well—'

'Oy! Fine!'

Light chuckles. 'You really don't like her do you?'

'I don't hate her yet.' Getting out of the pool, I walk to the chair that holds my towel, picking it up and drying myself with it. 'What's her schedule for today?'

'She's supposed to have breakfast with a director for some movie.'

'Great! At least Mr Matsuda will be there for company.'

Ryuzaki does not look happy about that and Light just shrugs.

'By the way, how did you two meet?'

Light's taken aback by the question. 'Huh?'

'I mean…how did you get to know each other in the first place?'

'Oh she just showed up at my house one day.'

'Right after you went to Aoyama?' Ryuzaki interjects.

'Not that again,' Light sighs.

'I figured,' I interrupt, 'that you were dating the other girl, Kiyomi.'

'We broke up around the time I—uh—turned myself in.'

'Oh. Sorry.'

He just shrugs.

'Still, good luck with Misa. I feel real bad for you.'

'Yeah. Um…sure.'

I follow them out of the pool area and head back to my apartment. After showering I sport on a dark purple and black lace-up handkerchief dress, fixing my hair in a ponytail to the side. I wear a black cropped long-sleeve cardigan and black converse boots. After spraying some light perfume, I pack my wallet and phone as well as the new book I started, Flowers in the Attic, into my purse and take the lift to the floor below the lobby. The room is occupied with almost everyone from the Task Force save for Mr Aizawa and Mr Watari. Light and Ryuzaki sit on the green couch looking at the TV in the room displaying the news about Kira. Misa's not here yet which means I have a few more minutes to hold on to my sanity. Whew. I take the couch opposite the boys. Ryuzaki absent-mindedly drinks his coffee while Light glances between his chained companion and the TV. 'You okay?' I ask.

'Yeah.'

'You look a little bored.'

'Nothing's really happened since we moved here. I thought we'd be on the move to catch Kira by now.'

'Well, we're not exactly sure where to start since—well,' I indicate his confinement.

'Right.'

'As far as we can tell, Kira's still working from Japan but that's not really a big lead.'

'True.'

After a few seconds of silence, I release a frustrated sigh as I lean back on the couch.

'What's wrong?' Light asks.

'Still not looking forward to spending time with Misa.'

'Cheer up. She's not that bad a person once you get to know her.'

'I'm hoping.'

He chuckles. Well I'm glad that he still finds me funny. 'So…do you miss home?' he asks.

'Huh?'

'France. Do you miss it?'

'Yeah. But I'm also too focused on this case to complain. Ooh! Speaking of, I just remembered I wanted to show you two something,' I get up and walk to the computer, furthest to the right.

I hear the chain clink as Light and a dazed but semi-interested Ryuzaki follow me. Logging into the computer, I feel Light lean over, his hand resting on the table. Why do I pick today to be distracted by his body heat? Zut! Anyway, I pull out the articles that have recorded Kira's killings in the last two weeks. 'I've been following Kira's killings ever since they began but lately I've been noticing a strange pattern in his killings. I'm not sure if this helps but he seems to focus his killings in the early h—'

'Light!'

Oh no!

My head lumps on the table as the model with the crazy fan-based obsession arrives. Great!

'What do you think? I need to dress to impress!'

'Please let me not go out with her?' I whisper the plea as I rub my temples.

'Uh…it looks all good Misa. And hey, Frejda is going with you to your meeting too.'

'Mmm!' she groans. 'I don't want her to come with me, I want you!'

If only.

'If he goes with you, I go too,' Ryuzaki points out.

'Hmph! Fine! She can go with me as long as you take me out on a date when I get back from my shoot afterwards, Light!'

'Are you not aware that you're practically under arrest?' I mutter.

'Uh—sure,' Light agrees reluctantly.

'Yay! I'll be a good girl, Light. Matsu! Come on, we're going to be late.'

'Of course, Misa-Misa.'

I look at the two boys with pleading eyes: 'Must I? Really?'

'Please?' Light asks, 'I at least want to settle this matter. And I doubt Ryuzaki would trust me to do it,' he holds up his chained hand to prove a point.

'I'm not forgiving either of you for this.' I stand up.

'Yes, we ow you,' Ryuzaki nods.

Following Mr Matsuda and Misa to the car, Misa takes the back seat while Mr Matsuda drives and I take the front seat. It's enough that I have to spend the day with her. If I have the option to be delivered from a close up then I will take it. Still I don't have the luxury of a quiet ride. This is the worst possible situation of social interaction that I've been put in. 'Listen you,' Misa says grabbing me by the shoulder, 'I don't want you anywhere near Light. He's in love with me okay? He's my boyfriend! Got it?'

'For the last time,' I clench her hand, making her wince in pain, and shove it back at her, 'I share nothing more than friendship with Light. Alright?'

'No! I see the way you look at him! You want him all to yourself, don't you?'

'A girl has better things to do than fawn over a boy.'

'Ah! How rude!'

'Says the girl who openly called her boyfriend's dad a pervert and insisted on it.'

Her eyes widen; I can't tell if it's in shock or embarrassment and neither do I care.

'I heard about it from the Chief!'

'I knew it! You are in love with Light! You even got him to introduce you to his dad!'

'Idiot girl! I work with the police! That's the only reason I'm even trying my best to tolerate you right now!'

'You only work with the police because you want to get close to Light!'

'I came from France! How in the name of the Saints would you expect me to know of Light, never mind care for him, without getting involved with the Kira investigation?'

'You suspect him of being Kira too? But—'

'Okay, Misa-Misa,' Mr Matsuda interrupts loudly.

Apart from nearly damaging my ear, I have to thank him for putting a stop this girlish banter. Stupid girl!

'We're here!' he continues, 'The director would like to talk with you alone. Frejda and I will be eating separately.'

'Okay!'

Mr Matsuda gives me a stressed look and calms down when I mouth the words 'thank you'. He parks the car in front of a high-quality restaurant reserved for celebrities and businessmen. No wonder the director set up the breakfast here. Mr Matsuda opens the car door for Misa. He leads her to a secluded booth, introducing her to the director. My job is to watch her and see if she's maintaining contact with Kira. This is all thanks to her practically admitting to it but the part that doesn't make sense to me here is the fact that the girl remained clueless the entire time Kira started killing again. Could it be that Ryuzaki is still going on that lead? We've all been had before but, how insistent can this guy get? Still there's only so much that we can make sure off. Oh great! Now even I don't make sense to myself. I need to eat.

Mr Matsuda arranges for our table to have a good view of both Misa and the director. I order banana and chocolate chip pancakes with a banana milkshake on the side. Mr Matsuda orders bacon with eggs and toast bread on the said and milk tea. How very fancy of him. He must be taking advantage of Ryuzaki's 'generous' finances. Since I'm practically living in the building for free, I don't have to worry. Still, my simplicity has a lot to do with the way I was raised. My upbringing can be described as humble and in lieu of that, my entire view of life: the interactions we make, the roadmaps we take, the way we treat others, should be in respect to that life. In some ways, it's what makes death all the more beautiful, natural embracing life is no different than embracing death: a philosophy I was raised to honour in all ways.

'Are you okay?' Mr Matsuda's question snaps me out of my thoughts.

'Yeah. I was just lost in thought. What did I miss?' I glance at Misa who's still talking with the director as she eats.

'Nothing,' Mr Matsuda says, 'I have a feeling she'll be taking the job though.'

'Really?'

'Yeah.'

'What's next on the agenda?'

'After this, she has a photo shoot and a commercial filming up until about 2:00 and then we head back to base.'

'I should have brought a book or something. Wait!' Thinking back I do remember packing a book. Opening my purse, I find it waiting for me: 'Yep. I'll be fine.'