It was almost laughable, really, but Ori wasn't laughing. She wasn't laughing at all. What she was doing, was staring at L with an awed expression. She was watching his black eyes scan her face while she stared back at him, her locker door still open.
"Are you serious?" She asked, her voice a hushed whisper.
"I'm always serious. What's your mother making for dinner?" L was standing over her with his bent back, and hands jammed into his pockets. When Ori finally closed her locker, she let a small chuckle escape passed her lips.
"She got her hooks into ya, huh? I'm not surprised."
"You haven't answered the question." He was like a robot, so laser-focused. Ori crossed her arms over her chest, she still had one class left, and L wasn't even letting her get to where she needed to go.
"She's making breakfast for dinner. Waffles, pancakes, eggs, bacon, and sausage. I'll text her that you're coming to dinner again as soon as my class is over."
"I appreciate it."
"Yeah yeah, whatever. I'll see you later." She waved him off as she went off to her Language Arts class. With L distracting her, getting to class on time would be uncomfortably close. She glanced at one of the clocks adorning the walls. She only had two minutes left. She broke into a run, ignoring everything else around her. When she reached the classroom door, she had twenty seconds. She sucked in a breath to slow her breathing and walked through the door. She went up to her seat and tried not to fall asleep as the lesson started.
"Ori!" A hand waving in front of her face made her jump. She hadn't fallen asleep, just zoned out for a little while. She looked up to see Light peering down at her with a small smile. Ryuk was standing behind him, grinning and letting out quiet cackles.
"Hey, Raito. What's up?" The nickname felt gross on her tongue as she forced it out.
"Class has been over for a while. You feeling OK?"
"Y-yeah, I'm fine. Geez, Ryuga's gonna be all over me now." Ori muttered that last part.
"Why?" Light asked, and Ori bit back a curse. She couldn't tell him that L was coming to her house for dinner. He would get the wrong idea and it would only make things worse.
"He said that he had something to talk to me about after class. Sounded pretty urgent." The lie slipped off her tongue easier than his name had. Light nodded and backed up so she could get out of her seat.
"Anyway, I wanted to know if you wanted to go to Spaceland with me tomorrow. My mom gave me some tickets and I'd feel weird going by myself." He let out a short chuckle that grated Ori's ears. She had to swallow heavily to keep herself from growling at him.
"Sorry, I can't. Mom needs my help cleaning the house tomorrow." Ori stepped onto the stairs and went down to the door.
"All right. Well, is there a day you wanna hang out? We could go to the café or something. I'll pay." Ori could hear the desperation in his tone. He was usually so calm and collected, this one a completely different side of him that Ori had never seen. Had he thought she would say yes to his first offer?
"No, I'm OK. I need to catch up on some sleep." Her words were coming out short and clipped despite her urge to keep her tone airy.
"OK. I understand, just don't push yourself too hard." Light said from behind her.
"I said I was going to be sleeping. How would I push myself too hard in that aspect?" She turned down the hallway.
"She seems extra touchy today," Ryuk said. Ori hesitated for just a second. Was he trying to bring attention to the fact that Ori was avoiding him? Stupid Shinigami was going to get her killed. She realized that her halted movements were only telling Light that she had heard Ryuk, and kept walking.
"I'll see ya tomorrow, Raito. Bye."
"I'll walk with you." She turned to him. It was hard to describe the ugly feeling that rolled around in her stomach. She just wanted him to leave her alone.
"I already told you, I have to talk to Ryuga. Don't bother waiting; it might take a while. Bye." Her words came out rushed, almost stumbling over each other, but she didn't care anymore. She just had to get out of this conversation.
"OK. Bye, Ori."
"See ya later, Raito." She ran off to her locker, completely unsurprised to see L waiting for her. She pulled her bag from her locker and slipped the strap over her head.
"Sorry to keep you waiting. I ran into Light."
"It's fine. Shall we go?" Out of the corner of her eye, Ori could see Light and Ryuk coming down the hallway.
"Just a second." She murmured. "Come over here." She pulled on his short sleeve, bringing him away from the lockers.
"Is there a problem?" He asked. Ori didn't answer and continued to watch Light walk passed the gate and onto the sidewalk.
"Just wait a little bit." She held him still until she couldn't see Light anymore. Once he was out of sight, Ori let out a small breath and turned back to L.
"Sorry about that." She said before making her away around the corner.
"It's quite all right, but if I may ask, what's the problem?"
"It's Light. He's been giving me some bad feelings lately." She wasn't sure if she just wanted to come out and say that Light was Kira. L being there was kind of a giveaway that he suspected someone at the school, and him zeroing in on Light and Ori made it obvious that he at least suspected Light, but if she agreed with him, what would happen next? L was like a locked book full of blank pages. She couldn't figure out what he was thinking. He was so confusing. She could tell that he was a pretty serious guy who had a soft spot for good food and sweets, but other than that, it was like he wasn't entirely human.
"Honey." L's voice and his hand waving in front of her face made her jump. She backed away from him, feeling her face heat up.
"I'm sorry if I overstepped my boundaries, but you weren't responding. I figured it would help."
"N-no, it's fine. I should've been paying attention. I was just lost in thought."
"About what?" Ori went around him and he followed behind.
"Nothing in particular." Her boots tapped against the ground lightly against the cement. The snow was beginning to build, but with the heated cement, Ori didn't have to worry about cold toes. She did, however, have to worry about the cold breeze pulling the falling snowflakes into her face. She yanked the hood of her leather jacket over her head and groaned.
"Whatever invented snow was an asshole." She muttered to herself.
"I'm not sure I understand your vendetta against snow."
"It's cold and sharp it gives you frostbite. Snow sucks." She jammed her hands into her pockets.
"Maybe if you wore a hat and gloves, snow wouldn't bother you so much." Ori looked away in annoyance. He was sounding like Vivian. Wearing gloves was like wearing socks without shoes: uncomfortable and sweaty. She didn't have a problem with hats, but why would she wear them when she had a perfectly good hood on all of her hoodies and her jacket.
"Whatever." She grumbled at last. Then she pulled out her phone to send Vivian a quick text.
~You~ Hey, Mom. Ryuga's coming over for dinner again. He heard that you were making breakfast for dinner. XD
~Mom~ All right, Honey. Be safe, and make sure your jacket's zipped up. I'll see you guys soon. :)
~Mom~ I mean it with the jacket.
~You~ I know, Mom. Jacket's all zipped up. Promise. See you soon. Love you.
~Mom~ I love you too, Honey.
Ori slipped her phone back into her pocket and zipped up her jacket up to her chest. She wasn't super cold, but she didn't want to lie to Vivian about something so small, so she zipped it up anyway. She looked over at L, still dressed in his white shirt and faded jeans. His feet were jammed into his shoes, the heel folded over. Ori's OCD kicked in and she bit her lip as to not yell at his about his shoes. She shifted her focus to other things. The pancakes and waffles she was going to eat. The bacon. Oh god, the bacon. Vivian had the best way of making bacon. She didn't fry it, she put it in the oven, leaving it so crispy that it fell apart the moment it touched your tongue. Ori could feel her mouth beginning to water.
"I'm telling you, Light. She's definitely onto you." Ori instantly froze. Up ahead, Light was walking with Ryuk, who was talking rather loudly. Ori flashed a quick look at L. He was looking at Light, then opened his mouth. In a panic, she slapped a hand over his mouth and held a finger to her lips.
"Don't. Don't call out to him." He stared at her dully, then pulled her hand away.
"Ms. Nanase, are you feeling all right?" His tone implied that he really didn't care all that much about her wellbeing.
"Yeah, I'm fine. Just stay quiet. Please." His abyss eyes bore into her, scanning her. Ori could feel her heart punching into her ribcage, and wondered if L could hear it.
"You suspect Light of being Kira, too, don't you?" That caught her by surprise.
"T-too? You mean-"
"Yes, Light is our main suspect in the Kira Case." Ori choked out a laugh, pressing the heels of her hands into her eyes.
"Of course you do. I figured as much. I just didn't know what my added input would do."
"It's quite all right. Now can we get going? I'm feeling hungry."
"Yeah, sure. Just stay quiet, will you? I haven't been very discrete about asking Light about Kira, and I don't know how it'll look if he sees me bringing you to my house."
"I'm trying to stir up the pot a little bit. Make things interesting." Ryuk said in his overly raspy voice. Ori fought off the urge to clear her throat. Had Light begun talking to Ryuk while L and Ori weren't paying attention? Did he know that they were there? Did Ryuk tell him?
'No, Ori, get yourself under control. You need to settle down, otherwise, this whole thing could flop just because you had a panic attack.' She sucked in a large breath through her nose and let it out through her open mouth. Steam rose into the air and then dissipated. She could feel her nose beginning to go numb and she put her warmer hands over her nose and mouth and warm the skin.
"Ryuga! It's so nice to see you again." Ori and L walked into the warm, inviting house. Ori let out a breath of relief once the door closed behind her. They hadn't been seen by Light the entirety of their path home. Vivian gave her a strange look but said nothing. She began fussing her L, telling him he needed a warmer jacket for the winter. Ori wondered how he hadn't been cold, the guy was a twig. Not a single ounce of fat on his bones. Though, Ori didn't have a whole lot of fat on her, either. With her small portions, it was astounding that she wasn't cold either.
"I had dinner waiting on the table. It's still warm." Vivian was beaming at them, then turned back to the living room. Ori shucked off her jacket, hanging it up. Ori knew that her clothes didn't match her facial features. She had the face of someone's little sister. Someone who would gossip about boys with girlfriends and bake cookies for the cute guy in class. For the lack of a better word, Ori's face was misleading. Her clothes either consisted of sweatpants and hoodies that were always too big for her figure or ripped jeans and punk clothes. She often got teased for it in middle school and people always told her she would look better with skirts and blouses. That only made Ori more determined to not wear skirts and blouses. Call her your typical teen all you wanted, but Ori didn't like doing things just because people told her she would look better.
Vivian looked at Ori's faded blue and jeans and ripped black shirt. She gave a soft smile and sat down at the table. Ori pulled off her boots along with her socks -which she stuffed into her boots- and went to the table. Her feet padding over the soft, off-white carpet. She passed through the living room before settling in the dining room. L was curled up in his seat, lifting pancakes onto his plate. He dowsed them with syrup then piled eggs and bacon on top of the pancakes, pouring syrup on them again. Ori watched this whole process through narrowed eyes, but then looked at her own eggs covered in ketchup and came to the conclusion that maybe she didn't have the right to judge L for how he arranged his plating.
"Honey, how's Light? I haven't heard much of him lately." Vivian looked up at Ori briefly. A lump formed at the base of her throat.
"He's been pretty busy lately. Since he's our representative, he has to stay at school a lot. We haven't even seen that much of each other."Mostly because I've been avoiding him.
"You said that there was another representative, right? Do you know who?" Ori gestured lazily over to L, who was too busy cutting through layers of pancake to even look up.
"He scored a one-hundred on the entrance exam, but he wasn't interested in being a representative, so he gave the position to Raito." Saying the nickname almost got caught in her throat. Ori chomped into her bacon uncomfortably. It dissolved on her tongue, sending warmth through her body. Good food was just the distraction she needed at the moment. She could worry about everything else later. She scarfed down the rest of her food before looking over at L.
"You told Watari you were having dinner here again, right?"
"Yes. I did."
"Who's Watari?" Vivian asked.
"My caretaker." L answered. Vivian just nodded and smiled before picking up her plate and took it to the kitchen. Ori liked how when Vivian wasn't working, she didn't try to pry. She was really good about keeping her professional life separate from her home life unless Ori needed it. She understood that if she was going to be pushing someone for answers, it was because they asked and paid her to.
Five minutes later, Ori was curled up on the couch, L sitting on the other side. With her stomach full and mind on the TV, Ori had never felt so content.
"Honey, you should find a day where Light's not busy and invite him to dinner." Vivian poked her head out of the kitchen, right next to the TV on the other side of the living room. The first floor always reminded Ori of a triangle. The kitchen and dining room were pushed back against the house while the living room took up the rest of the space with the stair behind it. Now that Ori thought about it, it looked more like a penis. That little section of Ori's brain that was basically a twelve-year-old made her laugh quietly. Vivian cocked an eyebrow at her, either waiting for her to respond or questioning why she was laughing.
"I will, Mom. Maybe I'll ask him tomorrow when he has a free day." She flicked on a convincing smile and Vivian ducked back into the kitchen. Ori huffed and spread her legs out in front of her, slouching.
"Are you ever going to tell her?" L was now curled up closer, almost touching Ori's shoulder.
"No. And even if I did, it would be after we caught him." She whispered back.
"But what about the news covering it?"
"Then I wouldn't have to tell her. But she'd probably ask me if I wanted to talk about it every day for the rest of my life." Ori closed her eyes briefly, her hands clasped over her stomach.
"You seem oddly calm about all of this." He said, a thoughtful lilt in his otherwise dull tone. Ori laughed humorlessly. "You should've seen me when I figured it out. I completely destroyed my room. Papers, bedding, and glass everywhere." He gave her a side-eyed glance, light eyebrows lifting a small amount in surprise.
"How did you figure it out?" Ori didn't tell him about her meetings with Ryuk, or how she always saw him hanging around Light like a leech. Instead, she looked over at him and smiled sadly.
"I just looked at reality. All the signs were there, I just didn't want to think about it. Light's good at hiding his reactions, but he's not as immune as he likes to let on."
"I'm impressed."
"Thanks. That actually means a lot." He looked at her quizzically, but realization quickly dawned on his face.
"Ah, that's right. Watari told me about how I'm your hero." Ori's face flushed and quickly began trying to defend herself.
"N-no, that's not it. It's more like I look up to-" Before Ori could finish, Vivian excited the kitchen with a smirk.
"Congratulations, Ryuga! You actually made Honey blush. What were you talking about?" She raised an eyebrow suggestively. Ori slowly dragged her eyes away from the TV to the woman standing next to, a Cheshire smell gracing her face.
"You Americans are disgusting." She said. Vivian rolled her eyes and sat down beside L.
"She was telling me about how much she admired L. She really enjoys talking about him." Ori glared at him, not missing the slight smirk pulling at his mouth.
"I never said that. I was trying to say that I respected the guy and respect him as a detective." L and Vivian gave her matching unbelieving looks. How had they managed to synchronize something like that?
"Honey, I love you more than life, but when L first appeared on TV for the Kira Case, you were practically drooling." How had Vivian managed to be a cringy dad and a loving mom at the same time? That was the one question Ori never found the answer to. That and math questions.
"I wasn't drooling! I just found the whole thing interesting." Vivian cocked an eyebrow once against before sitting back against the couch. L was still smirking at her, and she pushed his face back.
"Stop smiling at me like that! Isn't Watari here yet?"
"He'll be here in a half-hour. No worries." L said cooly while batting her hands away.
"What does no worries even mean?" Ori grumbled rhetorically, sinking further into the couch. Nobody said anything else and they focused on watching the movie. Ori had basically no idea what it was about, but the actors seemed pretty decent. Her eyelids grew heavy and she propped herself up on the couch. She let her eyes close and leaned her head on her hand. She was vaguely aware of Vivian talking about American movies she though L should watch.
"You don't have to see." A raspy voice cooed in Ori's ear. "I make take it away. Just say the words, and I will remove myself from the equation."
<> <> <>
"What does no worries even mean?" Ori slouched low into the couch. It was difficult getting used to her mood changes. One moment she seemed untouchable, the next moment she was flustered, then she was pouting like a child, and other times she was a pure genius. How could someone so unreadable read others so easily? It was confusing. Ori was the only person L couldn't figure out.
Vivian's laugh pulled L from his thoughts. He looked over at her to see that she was looking at Ori. L turned his head to see her leaning against the couch, eyes closed. She was sleeping.
"I wasn't aware she knew how to do that," L muttered. Vivian laughed again.
"She stays up late a lot, but she does sleep occasionally. Her insomnia really got bad when she started doing her research on Kira. I had to come into her room and tell her to go to bed like she was a child." Vivian stood up from the couch and walked around to Ori. She gently pulled the hair-tie from her hair. The brown curls spilled around her shoulders and settled at the dip of her waist. Vivian then took Ori's bangs and began to braid them. The braid ended at her nose and Vivian tied it, careful not to wake Ori up. L watched all of this in confusion. Was this something that happened often? And if so... why? As Vivian backed up, Ori brushed her nose and stretched out, still asleep. She reminded L of a cat when she slept. Vivian chuckled, pleased with herself.
"This happens every time she falls asleep down here. You'd think she'd have learned by now."
"Maybe she secretly likes it." L said, which only made Vivian laughed harder.
"That may be true, but why don't you wait and see her reaction when she wakes up?" L couldn't help but wonder if this was the real reason Ori was an insomniac. If he had a mother like Vivian, he'd be content, but he'd also maintain his schedule of going without sleep.
Vivian was gently shaking Ori's shoulder, whose eyes squeezed shut before relaxing and then opening. Ori yawned once and rubbed her eyes groggily. She looked up her mother in confusion, then her face went slack.
"Are you kidding me right now?" Ori asked in a slightly rasped voice, pulling the hair-tie off and running her fingers through the braid.
"Do you just enjoy annoying me? I'm really beginning to think you do." The freed bangs gathered over her eyes and she ranked them away. "I'm seriously considering just cutting these off because of you." She grumbled, then looked at L. "When's Watari coming to pick you up?" She asked.
"In just a few minutes." Ori nodded, then stood. She gathered her hair into a ponytail again. She rubbed her eyes once more, then grabbed her jacket and boots. She put her socks on and laced up her boots then pulled on her jacket.
"You don't have to walk me out." Ori gave a soft laugh as she pulled on her jacket.
"What kind of host would I be if I let you walk out in the cold by yourself?" She tossed L's hoes over to him, and he shoved his toes inside. Vivian watched Ori was a small smile.
"How do you think Kira kills?" Ori asked. They were walking to the limo, Watari standing with the door open.
"I'm not sure, but we'll get it out of him when we catch him." L ducked into the car, settling into the heated leather. Ori looked down the road towards Light's house.
"Yeah, let's just hope he tells the truth."
"If he lies, then we'll send you in with him. If your comfortable, that is." Ori smiled at him, laughing a little.
"Sure, I'm up to be used at a human-lie-detector. As long as I can be useful." She waved and stepped away from the car. Watari shut the door and stepped in.
It's odd that she's asking this question now, of all times. L thought, but quickly dismissed the thought.
<> <> <>
"I wonder if there's a way for me to stop seeing Ryuk." Ori muttered to herself as she lied on her bed, fiddling with her bangs. "He's too distracting. I need to be able to have a conversation with Light without freaking out. L's able to talk to him just fine, and Light's his prime suspect."
"I have a solution for that, actually." Ori opened her eyes. Ryuk was hovering over her with his twisted smile. She sat up, Ryuk backing up as she did.
"Really? What is it?" Ryuk unlatched the book carrier at his waist and pulled out his Death Note.
"If you resign your ownership of it, you won't see me anymore and all your memories of the Death Note will be gone."
"But I don't own the Death Note."
"I know; it's weird, but those are the rules." Ori tapped a finger to her chin.
"And all of my memories of the Death Note will vanish?"
"Yep. It'll be like the Death Note never existed."
"Will I forget Light is Kira?"
"Yeah, but you already suspected him from the beginning, so it's not like it's a huge deal." Ryuk held out the Death Note as if trying to taunt her.
"What happens if I come into contact with the Death Note again?"
"All of your memories will come back."
"Are there other Shinigami's with Death Notes?"
"Yeah."
"What happens if I touch their Death Note? Will I get my memories back all the same?"
"I'm not sure. Maybe." Ori turned away from Ryuk briefly. Would Light get rid of the Death Note if things got hairy for him? Maybe. Light was calculating, and would probably have a plan set up. Maybe Ori could use this to her advantage. She turned back to Ryuk, a confident smile on her face.
"All right, Ryuk. I have a plan. I'll resign my ownership of the Death Note, but if Light does the same and forgets everything, I want you to come to me and give me his Death Note, no matter what he tells you." Ryuk's wide smile only got wider, almost unnervingly.
"Well, things just got interesting. All right; the Death Note isn't yours anymore." he unfurled his wings and exited the room, cackling as he went.
Ori was sitting on her bed, eyes locked on her desk.
"Where the fuck is my lamp and alarm clock?"