Failure (A Death Note/L Love Story)

Chapter 23

 The next day, we explained our situation and sent back the fourth tape for it to be broadcasted. L and I knew we would soon be hearing from other countries about our decision, but there wasn't much we could do about that for the time being. We needed to find the second Kira.

The day after the tape was broadcasted, Chief Yagami walked in as Matsuda, Aizawa, L, and I were sitting around the table having tea and talking about the investigation. Well, I was working on a puzzle, actually.... "Ryuzaki, I'm afraid it's as you thought. The member countries have wade in, and it seems they are in favor of having the real L appear on TV," he said as he sat in a chair. I sighed and put down the piece I was working with. That had been much quicker than expected.

L took a sip from his cup before saying, "I think that's the most appropriate choice given the options. Well, we still have three days before it happens. Maybe we can find some countermeasure. After all this, it would really annoy me," he set down his cup and took a bite of his cake, talking with his mouth full, "if I'm killed by the first person who jumps on the Kira bandwagon." They gasped at the news.

"Ryuzaki, what do you mean by that?" Yagami gaped.

I raised an eyebrow at L, "You didn't tell them?"

"You can. Go ahead. I'm eating my cake."

I shook my head at him before explaining, "We believe that there is a very good chance of this Kira being fake. He's more like a second Kira."

"A second Kira?"

Aizawa stuttered, "I-I don't understand. Why do you two think he's a copycat? How did you come to that conclusion?"

L took over so I could sip my tea, "We looked at the victims he used for his prediction on tape number one. Their purpose was to prove to the Sakura TV staff that he is Kira. Both their names were only reported in tabloids and daytime talk shows, so they weren't exactly hardened criminals. The real Kira has no need to prove himself using such insignificant criminals, but from the perspective of the second Kira," he stabbed the strawberry on his plate with his fork and offered it to me. I was a little surprised. He never offered his strawberries since they were his favorite, but I bit it off the utensil anyway, and he then continued, "he'd want to make absolutely certain that he didn't predict the death of the criminal who would be killed by the real Kira first."

"Have you both put a number on that? What's the probability of a second Kira?" Yagami wondered.

"I was thinking seventy-percent," I offered after I swallowed the fruit.

"Oh, we actually agree for once." They gasped at it being such a high number. "But I really don't like the way he operates. It's not like Kira," L frowned. He eyed my puzzle before pointing at a piece. "Hikari, you know that piece," he leaned over the table and put his finger on an empty space in the middle, "goes there, right?"

"I'm working on the outer edge, but thanks," I explained and put the piece in the correct space. I had accidentally brushed L's hand in the process and felt a little shock travel up my arm. He immediately returned to his original position and acted as if nothing had happened. I couldn't stop the slight blush I felt.

Something was extremely different about us, but I don't think either of us understood what was happening. That hadn't been the first time in the past two days a scenario like that played out. I couldn't help but feel that my expression of how much I was willing to do to keep him alive was a part of it. Sure, I had said it many times in the past, but I felt like that was the first time he actually heard me. It was as if every other time he had registered the words and not the feeling that went along with them. Coupling that with him knowing that I was beginning to trust him more.... I don't know. L had never made me so confused before.