I Know Your Secret-Death Note

Kira Did This (Edited)

       The days leading up to Ori's release were ones of stress and impatience; L needed her back on the team as soon as possible. He had tried to go see her the day before she left the hospital, but he could only see her gaunt face staring back at him lifelessly, so he never left the hotel. Watari had gone to get her. The old man said a quick and quiet good-bye before closing the door gently behind him. 

       'I need her back on the team, but I'm not entirely sure how useful she's going to be.' He'd seen her conviction when she told him she wouldn't stop until Kira was found, but she would be useless if she were to burn herself out.

       'I can always make her stop if she gets too out of hand.'

       "Will I, though?" He thought out loud. "I can't physically force her to do anything she doesn't want to do." Whatever, it didn't matter. L could cross that bridge when he came to it. He'd just have to hope that Ori wouldn't become to come of a handicap.

       'I'm going to be pissed if this backfires on me.'

                                                          <>       <>       <>

       Walking used to come as easily as breathing. It was something Ori had taken for granted; she understood that when she tried to push herself up from her hospital bed and almost kissed the wall when she tried to support her weight on her legs. It took two nurses to keep her upright and get her into the wheelchair at the door. She wanted to just collapse into the chair, but with her back, that wasn't exactly possible, so the nurses eased her into the chair and wheeled her out of the building. 

       The sun was beginning to set, casting warm oranges and pinks over the sidewalk and turning the metal of buildings the color of gemstones. Ori got the brunt of it. The sun shone directly in her eyes. She winced and covered her face from the blinding light. From her shielded eyes, Ori could see that familiar black limo with the kind old man standing in front. 

       "Ms. Nanase, I'm glad you're finally ready to join us once more," Watari said. Ori couldn't find it in herself to say anything back, or even acknowledge that she heard him, so she opted for silence. He didn't complain, only offered his hand for her to take. She took it silently, and the two nurses helped her get to her feet. She staggered into the back seat of the limo and eased herself against the back of the seat as carefully as she could. Everything hurt. Her back hurt, her legs hurt, her head hurt. Her heart hurt the most.

        As Watari closed the door, the echo reverberated in Ori's brain. They were probably going to L's hotel room, but that begged the question.
What happens after the Kira Case ends? Ori had no parents, no family, no house, and no money to support herself. She had absolutely nothing. 

       "I wouldn't worry so much, Ori. L has everything worked out." Watari said, faith and conviction so clear in his tone, Ori would've thought him a fanboy instead of a butler.

      'Of course, he does. The guy probably has every second of his life planned until he dies.' L was still Ori's biggest sense of inspiration, but since meeting him, she realized that she'd been putting him on this untouchable pedestal. She'd seen him as this guy without any flaws, not some weirdo with bad bed head and a sweet tooth. It was funny really. To think that the world's greatest detective would be nothing more than a shut-in with an advanced IQ.

       'That's not fair,' she chided herself. 'It's not like you're any better.'

       The ride was quiet, which was fine by Ori; she had nothing to talk about anyway. When they pulled up to the hotel, Ori wasn't stuffed into a wheelchair. She was handed a cane, curtousy of Watari, and an arm to hold on to. Again, thanks to Watari.
Ori held onto him like a lifeline. Her hand dug into his arm and the cane as her unsteady legs walked up the steps. Could seven days of walking not walking really be this damaging? And if so, why didn't the hospital have her on any kind of physical therapy? Were they just that prepared to not deal with her as much as possible? Probably.

        Inside the hotel room, Matsui, Aizawa, L, and Raito were surrounding a series of computer screens, but they all stopped to look at her when Watari closed the door. Four pairs of eyes all locked on her, wide and curious.

       "Maggie!" Matsui jumped up from his seat to greet her. Maggie was the name she had decided to go by, a small call back to her namesake: Draco Orientalis Magnus. She wanted to stay as close to her real name as possible.

       "Hey, Matsu," her voice was scratchy with the lack of use. "How's it goin', buddy?"

       "It's great! Light was just telling us about his new girlfriend!" Oh? A new girlfriend? Ori tilted her head to look at Raito, who was rubbing the back of his neck in embarrassment. 

       "Does this mean I can't tease you about being gay anymore?" She asked dryly. Raito laughed and put on a cocky smile.

       "Exactly, no more jokes about me being gay." Ori fought off the urge to shrug, and stepped closer with her cane. It seemed like a big step to be going from a wheelchair to a cane, but she was getting better at using her legs again, so it didn't really matter.

       "I could always make jokes about you getting a girlfriend just to prove me wrong. That's pretty gay." He let out a sharp groan, and Matsui laughed. Aizawa just rolled his eyes and turned back to the screen. L, however, did no such thing. He continued to look at Ori, looking like he wanted to say something, and she knew exactly what it was. 

       "Yeah, we can talk." She said. She just wanted this to be over with to she could get back to the case. She had a lot of work to do.

                                                                        <>       <>       <>

       "And then she -you know- stabbed herself." Ori spun her cane back and forth, sitting rigidly straight in her chair. Sitting any other way must've been painful. Despite the way she was sitting, she looked like she wanted to curl into a ball. L couldn't blame her. She told the story in excruciating detail, from her mother's words of asking for forgiveness, to how sick she felt when her dead mother's body fell over her. 

       'Maybe bringing her back so soon wasn't a good idea.' That small, human part of L thought. He quickly squashed it. He needed every edge he could get, personal matters couldn't be the most important thing here. It was all about finding Kira.

       "I'm sorry you had to go through something like that." She didn't say anything for a long moment, just wound her hands together tightly until they crack. L inwardly winced at the harsh sound. 

       "We have a building nearing the end of its construction; it should be done by the end of the week." L tried, but again, Ori was silent. He didn't know what else to say; this was too far out of his comfort zone. He found criminals all the time, but he's never had to comfort the victims before. 

       "She wouldn't have done something like this." She whispered hoarsely. "I know that Kira had a hand in this. She was-" she swallowed heavily, "she was a happy person. She always had a smile on her face. Even when I fucked up, she was always willing to hear my side of the story. This wasn't her." Her voice was thick, but she cleared her throat and lifted her head to face him. Her eyes were brighter than L had ever seen them, but that must've been from the water growing in her eyes. Her jaw was set as she pushed herself up from the chair, gripping her cane tightly. 

       "Come on," she ordered. "We got shit to go over."

                                                           <>       <>       <>

       Light watched as Ori and L came out of L's unused bedroom. Ori's mouth was set into a firm line as she carefully seated herself and began looking over reports and criminal records. He felt a smile pull at his mouth. 

       'The die is cast.'

                                                        <>       <>       <>

I have such a hate for Light, I don't even find him attractive anymore. What the heck? What an asshole. I was so happy when he finally died in the end.
Until next time...
Doragon-Chan is Out!
"We lie best when we lie to ourselves."
-Stephen King