"This is so stupid." Ori put her hands over her face and rubbed the skin hastily, forcing herself to stay awake. She was still following the murders, looking at the dates and times of death, but it all felt pointless now. Ever since her talk with Ryuk, her mind's been all over the place. Ryuk had basically confirmed that Raito was Kira, and the thought made her sick to her stomach. Every time she spent too much time thinking about it, her gut churned painfully and she'd have to take a sip of her water. It was like someone was twisting a knife around in circles in her stomach.
She kept her head rested in her hands. She didn't know how long she stayed like that, just sitting there, not really thinking about anything. After Ryuk left, Ori felt as if her brain had melted into mush and was leaking through her ears. Writing down names and numbers was basically the only thing she could do, and even that was a little difficult; she could hardly focus.
'If he really is Kira, I can't let him know that I'm onto him. Before it was only to see if I was right, but now it's for real. I can't do anything that would raise suspicion. I don't think he'd hesitate to eliminate anyone in his path.'
Next to her, on the desk, Ori's phone rang. She removed her head from her hands and looked at the number. It wasn't one that she recognized, and she knew that she should just ignore it, but curiosity gripped her tighter than caution ever could.
'It's a good thing I'm a human.' She thought humorlessly, remembering what Ryuga had said before. She reached over and picked it up.
"Hello?" Ori asked.
"It's not very smart to pick up a phone if you don't know whose number it is." The familiar monotonous voice of L rang in her ears from the other side of the line. She leaned back in her chair, fighting off the growing smile that was invading her face.
"I was curious."
"I believe your very words were: curiosity killed the cat. If I'm not mistaken." He was teasing her.
"Then it's a good thing I'm a human. Weren't those your words?"
"Very clever." L praised. Ori's heart thrummed happily in her chest. She never thought that she would ever have this conversation. She had certainly hoped and imagined, but she never thought it would happen. She held the phone away from her and took several deep breaths to calm her heart. She was sure she would have a heart attack of her own if she couldn't settle herself. When she had collected herself, she held the phone back to her ear.
"Is there something you need?"
"Yes, I would like you to come to my location and help me with the investigation." As soon as he said location, Ori's brain had officially stopped working. It was silent for longer than was comfortable.
"Are you still there?"
"Y-yeah... I'm here. So you need help. When?"
"Right now if you're willing. I'll have Watari pick you up. Please be ready in the next twenty minutes or so. Delete this number as soon as you can." Before Ori could respond or ask who Watari was, L hung up. Ori set the phone down on her desk after deleting the number with an annoyed huff.
"He could at least say 'good-bye'." Looking down at her clothes, she shrugged. She was wearing gray sweats and a ratty old t-shirt with several rips in the material. She thought about changing, about looking more presentable, but then she remembered L's attire of too big clothes and figured it wasn't necessary.
"I don't get this. He's the exact same person before he revealed that he was L. His personality hasn't changed at all. Just my view of him because of who he is." She laughed bitterly at herself and leaned back in her chair.
"I guess that our views of people change whenever power's involved." She whispered. She looked over at the clock next to her computer. It read 11:37. So whoever Watari was, they'd be showing up at around midnight. Ori went to the closet in the wall in the corner. She grabbed an oversized hoodie and tugged it over her head. Her head popped out from her head hole; her hair went flying around her head. She grabbed a pair of socks and slipped them onto her feet. Normally, she hated wearing socks without shoes on; the fabric always found a way to get in between her toes and she hated it, but she couldn't wait to put them on until she got to the front door. Vivian's room was just across the hall. She had to be as quiet and quick as possible.
'Great. Not only am I hunting down a mass murderer who could potentially be my best friend. I'm sneaking out at night while my mom sleeps peacefully just across the hall.' Ori's blasted conscience was looming over her shoulder like a dark shadow. She closed her eyes and sucked in a breath through her nose. This was all so she could find Kira and become a detective. She had to be willing to do whatever it took to achieve her goals, even if it meant lying to the person she loved most.
She went through her notes one last time, making sure that times and dates were in order, comparing everything in her notebook to what was on the computer screen. Before she knew it, twenty minutes passed. Ori grabbed her notebook and slipped out of the room, turning off the light and closing the door as gently as she could. She padded down the stairs, slipped on her boots, not even bothering to tie the laces yet, and grabbed the door handle. She knew it would creak, so she just had to open it quickly. Closing it would be a different issue. She'd have to be careful not to slam it when she went through. Sucking in another deep breath through her nose, she let it out through her mouth. She twisted the doorknob, swinging it open. There was the familiar creak, but just for a moment. She stepped out into the crisp winter air. The snow was falling into her hair, wetting the brown curls. She cast one last glance into the house. It was dark again, still a strange sight to behold.
"And it's going to be dark when I get back." She whispered. Swinging the door closed, it creaked mournfully and she slowed enough to close the door softly. She clutched her notebook harder as she turned, only to be smacked in the face with a sudden cold breeze. She groaned as she hopped down the cracked steps. The cold wasn't what bothered her, it was the snow it brought. Snow was bitterly cold. It was harsh and unforgiving. It was beautiful and cruel. Tantalizingly horrible. Deceptively wicked.
Ori pulled her hood over her head and walked to the gate. A black limo was parked out in front. Other than the streetlight giving off the glow, the vehicle was camouflaged in the black, moonless night. Not even the stars glittered in the background.
An old man was standing in front of the limo; he seemed untouched by the harsh weather even though he was dressed in a very nice suit and nothing else.
"Hello, miss." The old man greeted. "I am Watari." He opened the door for Ori, who ducked down into the car. When Watari was in the front seat of the car, Ori spoke.
"It's a pleasure to meet you, Watari. I'm sorry that you had to stand outside it that cold."
"It's all right, miss. It's part of my job." Ori leaned her head against the window, seeing nothing but black through the tinted windows.
"Sounds like a pretty shitty job." She muttered. Watari let out a short laugh but said nothing.
"Thank you for agreeing to come." A modulated voice came through a TV in between the two front seats. That English L that curved and swirled was in the middle of an otherwise static-filled screen.
"It's not like you gave me much of a choice, making Watari stand outside in the cold. He'd probably wait all night if you told him to." She glanced at Watari as she began to yank at the laces on her boots, double knotting them. "No offense. You just seem like the kind of person who would."
"It's quite all right, miss. L did say you had a knack for reading people." That statement confused Ori, for she had done nothing to give off that feeling. Unless...
"Did you do research on me?" She asked. She wasn't angry. In fact, she expected it from the best detective in the world.
"I did. Is that a problem?"
"No. It's not." Ori said. There was silence, and then some shuffling in the background. Male voices filled the emptiness.
"Who else is there? It sounds like a frat boy's bedroom over there." Ori teased. L let out a sigh. The sound was suspiciously resembling that of a sigh of annoyance or disapproval.
"It's the other participants of the case. You'll meet them once you arrive. And I ask that you come up with an alias. Just for precaution."
"Makes sense, but how do you know that I'm not Kira." No matter how bad Ori wanted to help with the investigation, it was odd that L was asking for the help of an 18-year-old college student, and a random one he knew nothing about aside from what he read from her file.
"I have my ways." He said. His tone was flatter than a board, telling no secrets.
"I'm sure that you do. I just hope that it wasn't from putting security cameras in my house." At that, there was a laugh in the background, which made Ori uncomfortable and more than a little nervous.
"Funny you should mention that." A new voice said. It was higher than L's, despite the modulator. "Because we told him not to do it." Ori's face grew hot. It traveled down her neck and she wrapped her arms around herself.
"Are you fucking kidding me?! I get that you're a detective and you need to be thorough, but not that thorough. That's a crime, you know?"
"I'm well aware, but if it makes you feel better... I put blind spots in your room."
"Blind spots don't mean shit if I don't know where they are. You're lucky I changed in the bathroom."
"Yes, you take quite a lot of showers." More howling laughter rose in the background. Her skin itched in agitation and anger. When she got her hands on that stupidly smart detective's neck, she was going to commit some crimes herself.
"Whatever, we'll get back to that later." Ori dismissed. "For now, I want to know what you have on Kira, and who your suspects are."
"That will be revealed as soon as you get here, which won't be much longer."
"All right then. See you soon."
"Yes." Was all he said, and the screen blinked out. Ori's face still felt hot and she mused her hair with a hand.
"Geez. Never thought the world's greatest detective would do something like that. REally does take all kinds, huh?"
"Yes. I suppose it does." Watari said. "But you should focus on coming up with an alias as L suggested."
"Oh, I already have one; there are no worries." Ori knew he couldn't see her in the dark, but she smiled anyway.
"We're here, miss." Watari's voice jostled Ori. She looked over to see that he was out of the car, holding the door open for her, the midnight breeze clawing at her clothes. Ori stepped from the car, rubbing her eyes. She must've fallen asleep, even if only for a few minutes.
"Thank you, Watari," Ori said. The old man nodded and walked next to her. Once they reached the doors, Watari stepped in front to open the door. He opened it and allowed Ori to step in. She thanked him and walked inside. It was a generic hotel lobby: tiled floors, fancy lights hanging overhead. A receptionist was stationed at the desk. Her dark eyes watched her as she walked, probably judging her for her attire and for walking in passed midnight. Ori ignored her; she had more important things going on than worrying about what someone who didn't matter thought about her. Watari walked her to an elevator. They waited a little bit for the doors to open then stepped inside. Watari pressed on the highest floor. The doors slid to a close, and that awkward, cliche elevator music began to play. Ori let out a chuckle, and Watari cracked a smile along with her.
The doors opened, showing off a luxurious hallway.
"Woah, is this a penthouse suite or something?"
"Yes. L wanted to have as much room as possible."
"Nice. I could get used to this." The carpeting was ivory and golden, woven into articulate designs of swirls and curves. The walls were white with gold trimming. Mini chandeliers dotted the cream ceiling every ten feet or so. They walked until they reached a light brown door with a gold handle. There was a slot for a key card, and Watari pulled one out. It was silver and small. He slid it into the slot, opening the door. He held it open for Ori. Inside, the carpeting and walls were similar to the hallway. It gave off a victorian feeling that Ori appreciated. Five men were inside, including L himself. They all had black hair, which wasn't going to make it easy when it came to remembering their names. The first one had his hair styled into an unstylish afro. His dark brown eyes were serious and narrowed. Next to him was a younger man with lighter eyes, almost amber. With his babyish face, he reminded Ori of a puppy. Sitting in the corner was a man with his hair cut short on his scalp. His black eyes were searching over a stack of papers. The last man was sipping a cup of coffee. He had black eyes that locked onto her with a curious stare, and the best part... he had no eyebrows. Ori had to bite her inner cheek to stop herself from laughing.
"Why is there a kid here?" He asked, his gaze turning to the table against the far wall, where L himself was seated. He was curled in on himself, various treats surrounding him and the computer he was staring at. Ori stepped into the room all the way. Watari closed the door behind her then disappeared into another room. Ori turned to him, smiling and ignoring his comment.
"Hi, my name's Maggie Cobb. It's nice to meet you."
"That doesn't sound very much like an alias." The puppy man said. Ori recognized his cheerful tone from the car.
"Maybe it is; maybe it isn't. Only L, Watari, and I know for sure."
"Ms. Cobb has proven herself to be quite intelligent." L said without turning around. Ori made her way over to the detective, who took a short sip of his drink. She took a seat in a chair next to him. The screen was a series of news articles, all about the killings, unsurprisingly.
"I'm still upset about the cameras." She said. She plucked a lime macaron from one of the trays. It was only then when L looked away from the screen.
"Could you not? I need those." He stared her in the eyes, but she didn't back down. In fact, she slowly brought the maccaron up to her mouth, and bit down. She stared at him with a blank expression that matched his as she chewed. When she swallowed, it took all she had not to laugh.
"You didn't need that one." She said, her voice cracking a bit. Her mouth wavered as she fought off the smile that was crawling onto her face.
"You're not very nice." He said, turning back to his computers. Ori nodded and grabbed another macaron, this one was light pink.
"I should've warned you; I'm pretty selfish."
"But you must want to stop the murders, right?" Puppy asked. His eyes were hopeful for some reason.
"Sure, but it's mainly that I wanna know who Kira is. Curiosity is driving me more than anything. That, and I'll be able to say that I caught Kira. It'll look pretty good on a resumé, don't you think?" She added with a cheeky smile. Puppy frowned slightly and scratched the back of his neck.
"Kids these days, geez." He huffed while looking at the ceiling.
"I'm pretty sure that I'm the only one with that kind of goal in mind," Ori said. She turned to the screen L was staring at, then frowned.
"I haven't seen these." She said, scooting closer.
"I had the reporters keep these hidden. In return, I paid them fairly well." One that jumped out at Ori had the picture of a pentagram on a prison wall. The ink used was dripping down the surface. The picture was black, but Ori knew it had been drawn in blood.
"Good call. I don't this would be good for the public. It would only fuel the flames on the cult fires Kira's worshippers are fanning."
"Do you suppose they are actually building fires," L asked.
"I wouldn't be surprised." She scanned the article. It stated that a prisoner had drawn the demonic symbols in his own blood before dying. There were other articles that said prisoners were writing messages to L, also in their own blood.
"How long ago was this?"
"Two weeks ago."
"Not long after Kira started killing. These were experiments." She said, leaning back.
"Yes, here are the messages." He handed her three index cards.
L, do you know gods of death love apples? The message was separated into three parts, hidden in other messages entirely.
"Again with these gods of death." She whispered to herself. Ryuk flashed into her mind. Kira was flaunting at this point. She looked up to see that L was staring at her and leaning over until he was right in her face.
"Could you not?" She echoed his words from before. Moving back to get some space, she set the cards on the table.
"Well, it's easy to see that Kira has quite the ego. They really do see themselves as a god, comparing themselves to a god of death."
"Hold on! Am I the only one who sees the problem with this?" Afro shouts.
Ori leaned over to L. "Is he OK?" She whispered. L just made the slight motion of a shrug.
"She's just a kid! Why is she involved in this?!" Ori rolled her eyes and stretched as she rose to her feet.
"I thought I already made myself clear. I'm here because I want to know who Kira is. And I'm eighteen, so legally an adult. I would appreciate it if you treated me as such." Afro was spluttering.
"I get it, but I already have one overprotective parent in my corner, so why don't you focus on your part, and I'll focus on mine." Ori sat back down with a sigh. The image of Vivian invaded her brain. Her expression worried and loving. She hated what Ori was doing, she knew that.
"Tell me. How did you know he had kids?" L asked. Ori glanced at him, shoving her mom's face to the back of her mind.
'Because his eyes were so much like hers.'
"Because only a parent would get so agitated about someone under twenty working on a murder case. It was pretty obvious." Ori said. She didn't want to talk about this anymore. She just wanted to bury herself in the case. To forget everything but Kira and the screen herself. She didn't want to feel the ugly feelings of guilt rising up in her chest. He looked so much like Vivian in that moment that it hurt.
"You seem agitated." L said.
"I'm not," Ori threw on an airy tone. "It's just hard to focus when so many people are distracting me." She flicked his nose once and began reading the articles.
The hours ticked by quickly. Before Ori knew it, it was already three-thirty in the morning.
"What the hell?" She muttered as she looked at the time on the computer. "When did that happen?" She twisted her torso in the chair, making it pop and crack. Rising to her feet, she looked at L.
"I want those cameras gone by tomorrow, by the way." She said in a low voice and pinched the bridge of her nose. Her eyelids felt heavier than they have in a while.
"Don't worry, I'm already working on it."
"Thank you." She wanted to curl up on her bed and sleep forever. It was a foreign feeling, something she wasn't used to. She couldn't stop now. She had to keep going; just for a little bit longer. She sat down in her chair. Rolling her ankles, those cracked and popped too.
"That's distracting." L said, thumb pressed against his lip.
"Apologies. Just had to stretch for a moment." It was funny; L hadn't moved at all. His back was curved in a way that looked painful.
"Is that really so comfortable?" She asked, pointed to his knees. He followed her gaze briefly.
"It's not uncomfortable if that's what you're asking."
"It's not. I asked if it was comfortable, not if it was uncomfortable." L took a bite of a cake, chewed, then swallowed.
"It's comfortable enough. Is that a good answer?"
"A mediocre one at best," Ori said. She stood one last time. "I should get going." She hopped through the small space between their chairs, smiling at Watari.
"Would you mind driving me home, Watari?" She asked.
"Not at all, miss." He opened the door for her and she walked through. Casting one last look at L, she waved.
"Bye! See ya later!" The door closed behind her and she and Watari made there way down the hallway once more.
<> <> <>
L was still crouched at his computer when the sun rose over the tall city buildings. Ori had gone home hours ago. He hadn't looked at the cameras in her room, but he could imagine she was searching her room for where they could be. As soon as Ori's mother went to work, L would send in a team to remove the cameras.
'Maggie Cobb. An interesting choice.' Cobb was obviously for her mother, but Maggie? He saw the bracelet on her wrist. The elegant script cut into the silver band. Magnus. Maggie was probably just a nickname for that. It was strange. The bracelet, Ori's name, her blue-green and gold eyes. When it clicked and he figured it out, L hummed in amusement.
"So that's how she got her name. How interesting."