Precursor || Death Note [ON HOLD]

Chapter Thirty-Two: Kaori

Author's Note:
Sup, dudes. I'm sorry it's been months. I could whip up some fancy shmancy excuse to say it's not my fault, but you know what, it is. It is my fault, and the only thing I can say is sorry. I'm sorry. I just didn't feel motivated to write this.
BUT.
Now I am. Now I'm motivated, and now I'm gonna write more. I've decided to write and post in arcs: the first one, the intro/Father dying arc, the second, coping/whatever arc, the third arc, the school arc (this one), and so on. In between each I'm gonna take short breaks...hopefully never more than a month from now on. hehe
Anywho. Read on. Please, pwetty pwease read on, vote, comment, etc. Fank oo! :3
P.S. AWESOME TIME SKIPPIE OF AWESOMENESS (to after Light'a been imprisoned...)
End Author's Note
***
CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO: {Kaori}
Kill. Me. Now.
"I'm not a very good judge of character, am I?" I sighed aloud.
"You're just very trusting," L said simply. Through the computer, I could hear him munching on something sweet as usual-though this time, I wasn't there with him, and I couldn't steal any of whatever it was.
I debated inwardly. "...Not a very good judge of character," I decided. I mean, look where we were now. The only two friends I really had at the moment were suspected to be mass murderers Kira and the second Kira.
Ever since I'd seen Misa with Light, I'd been ordered by L to try and become friends with her. And I had, though I'm not going to describe those times. I don't wanna relive that. (Though Misa seems really nice and harmless, and I like her and all...man, can she talk....)
Finally, L had had her taken in under suspicion of being the second Kira, and though I was getting good at being professional, seeing a decent friend in a straight jacket and strapped to a chair like that was weird, to say the least. I liked to avoid the surveillance room because of that; unfortunately, L and the others were almost always in that room, so it was pretty hard.
Oh, and then Light had to go and get himself locked up, too. Who would want that for themselves? (Well, apparently, him, but details.)
I sighed and stared blankly at a wall.
"How long are you going to stare at that wall?" L asked apathetically from his computer screen. The big L on the screen flickered slightly.
I turned to glance at him. "What, staring at the screen'll ruin my eyes. And nothing's happening, sooo...." I lazily put my feet up on the chair in front of me.
I was located at the Task Force headquarters at the police station, holding fort and pretending the Task Force was actually in. Since I didn't like seeing Light and Misa imprisoned, I often found myself taking that shift, despite the fact that I wasn't even in the police force.
"Oi," I heard someone say from the doorway.
I turned, taking my feet off the chair they'd been lazily perched in. "Hmm?" I grunted.
"Oh." The young man looked at me in surprise. "You're not Chief Yagami."
I frowned. "Do I look like an old guy to you?"
The man snorted, not expecting that. "Well...no. Not really." He paused, composing himself. Then he extended him hand. "I'm Ide."
I took his hand. "Kay. I work with the chief and L," I said flat-out, "so you might want to stay away. Don't want you getting hurt."
Ide blinked, caught off-guard. He backed away a step or two. "Um, okay?" It sounded like a question.
"Well, I was looking for Chief Yagami. Do you know where he is?" Ide asked.
"Umm...." I frowned. What should I say? "He's...not available right now. Sorry." I bowed slightly. "But if you like...." I paused, bowing slightly. "Kay, at your service!" I smiled lopsidedly up at him.
He flushed slightly. "U-um, well, I wanted to report that the new guy moved into Kitamura's office fine, but he found some of Kitamura's stuff still in a drawer. Apparently his wife forgot some stuff." Ide held out a cardboard box.
My chest throbbed painfully. No, I was not having a heart attack that Kira orchestrated. It was just that it hurt. Hearing about my dad...it hurt.
"I'll take care of it," I said stiffly, holding my hands out for the box.
"But the chief-"
"I'm here to take care of anything concerning the chief to the best of my ability. I'll get it," I interrupted. I'd be lying if I said there wasn't any ice in my words.
Ide, sensing I wasn't in such a grand mood anymore, handed me the box and hurriedly left.
"We heard the old guy comment, you know," I heard Aizawa-san say from L's end.
I smiled. "I know."
But then I looked at the box in my hands. Dad.
I walked over to the window and looked outside, up at the sky.
"What should I do with them, Dad?" I asked, smiling sadly.
I opened the box, gulping slightly. What would I see?
The first thing in there was a small, framed picture of just me and my dad from my high school graduation.
I smiled, reminiscing. That had been a fun day. I missed my dad. I missed my old friends.
I picked up the picture and started to fish around the box a bit more, but I was interrupted.
"Kay," I heard L's voice from the laptop. "You need to come back here. Light-kun has begun exhibiting odd behaviours."
I went back in front of the laptop, so L could see me. "What do you mean by odd behaviours?" I inquired sharply. "He's not having a heart attack or acting like a dog, is he?"
"No. Don't worry." L paused. "You'll understand when you get here. Oh, and your attempt at humor wasn't very good."
I hesitated.
"Unless you wish to stay there, which I'd advise you not to, but if you want to, feel free to," he continued.
Was he...? Yep, he was trying to make me feel guilty for hesitating.
"I'll be right there." I closed and powered off the laptop, slipping it in a bag and draping it over a shoulder. I grabbed the box and exited the room, going down the hall and pushing the button to call for an elevator.
What should I do with the box? I puzzled. I mean, I wanted it, but Mizuki....
The elevator dinged, and I hurried inside.
The elevator went down to the first floor as I thought. Finally, on the third floor, I lightly slapped my cheeks. What was I thinking? I couldn't be sad forever. I had to move on.
The elevator reached the first floor, and dinged as the door slid open. I walked briskly out, heading towards the main desk and handed the box, minus one item, over to the secretary.
"Mail this to Kitamura Mizuki-san, please," I told her. "It's some of her former husband's belongings."
The woman nodded. She frowned suddenly. "Are you new here?"
"I guess," I replied distractedly, already hurrying away. "Thank you."
I slipped the picture of me and my dad into my sweatshirt pocket and went out the door.
---
"So." I walked into the surveillance room and dropped the laptop and my bag on a chair. "What's going on?"
L gestured to the TV screen, where we could see Misa-chan asking to go to the bathroom and Light...was he claiming he wasn't...?
"I'm not Kira! I know I put myself in confinement, but I don't know what made me do that! Now I can see that I'm not Kira!" Light was protesting wildly, eyes wide and pleading.
I, being an artist, noticed his eyes immediately. They were...wider...more brown than black...the irises weren't as shrunken as they usually were nowadays...what? Why?
"Day seven of his confinement, and he's acting all weird all of a sudden," Matsuda said to me, confused. "We don't know why." He looked expectantly at me.
"What?" I noticed his look. "Don't look at me. I don't know, either. Up until thirty seconds ago, I was at the Task Force HQ, doing my job." I paused. "You guys are the ones without the excuse. You were here the whole time."
I reached over and grabbed one of the ham slices off of L's melon, hoping he wouldn't get irritated (like he'd eat the ham, anyways). Popping it in my mouth, I slumped in a chair, pressing a mike button. "How's it going, Chief?"
"You don't have to call me that," he reprimanded. "You're not in the police force. And I'm doing all right."
"It doesn't look it, but if you say so.... Oh. And I called you an old guy earlier, if you'll forgive me."
"A-all right, then. Don't worry. It's fine."
I sat silently and awkwardly in the chair, then stood abruptly. "Well, if nothing's going on, I have something I need to put in my room."
"Is it this?" L emotionlessly held out the picture of myself and my father.
"Y-yeah." I made a grab for it, but L held it out of my reach.
"We must destroy any and all pictures of ourselves, remember?" he said flat-out.
"But-" I wanted to protest, but I knew I shouldn't. I mustn't. What L was saying, it's correct. So any argument I made would be irrelevant.
I hung my head. "Yes. So...." I fished around in my head for something to do. "Is there anything I can do?"
"I would like some cheesecake," L declared, sliding my picture into the pocket of his jeans.
"I'm not your personal maid or chef or something." I frowned, glaring half-heartedly. But I had to admit, cheesecake was sounding very appetising at the moment.
"Cheesecake it is, then." I headed for the door.
Another night of doing nothing.
---
I had a sudden idea as I was walking home from the French-style pâtisserie I'd discovered a few blocks away.
What if I went back to England? Back to school? Back to Sally and Elise and the lot?
I smiled to myself, remembering them all. Maybe...yeah. That sounded like a good idea. And if we truly had captured Kira and the second Kira, what was there left to do other than figure out how the heck they killed? And I wasn't really needed for that. There were plenty other investigators on the Kira case.
I thought about it long and hard as I entered the building, waited for the elevator, went up to the top floor.
Then, once I had sliced L's precious cheesecake, gotten out plates and forks and napkins, and served it to everyone (though mainly L), I dropped the bomb.
"Ryuzaki."
He tilted his head slightly, signalling for me to continue.
I drew in a deep breath. Okay. I'd made up my mind. I was saying it.
"I want to go back to Oxford to finish college."