Chapter Text
Things had quieted down in the investigation after Chief Yagami had his heart attack. As the investigators slowed their research to reviewing the previous evidence, Ume had a chance to catch up on her school work. She had indeed let it fall by the wayside when she got too deep into the Kira case. A small respite from investigating was just the reset her brain needed to get back into the swing of things.
Once the semester was over, Ume planned on signing up for interim classes. She didn’t know how long the investigation would take but she wanted her degree as soon as possible. When the case was over and Kira was caught (she had to tell herself that they would catch them), she would have a long career ahead of her of publishing papers on the subject. Perhaps she would even get a book deal.
It puzzled Ume sometimes, why L had chosen her to be a part of the task force. She was clever, she knew, but there were dozens of other psychology experts whom he could have brought in. She was still just a student, one he suspected of being Kira. Was it truly just about keeping your enemies closer than your friends? With talks of bringing Light into the investigation after his father has recovered, Ume wasn’t sure anymore if L valued just her skills or if he just wanted to keep an eye on her, continue to evaluate her.
It didn’t matter anyway, Ume reasoned with herself. She wasn’t Kira and time would prove her innocence. L could continue suspecting her and she would continue giving her best to the investigation. There were no illusions that her efforts were key to finding Kira, but if she could do anything to catch Kira faster, she would.
It was early in the evening on a school day when the first tape was broadcast. Ume was home studying, having nothing new to work on with the task force. She kept her TV on a channel rotation to make sure she didn’t miss any new developments in the Kira case. They usually got information faster than the media did but she wanted to keep up to date with public opinion. Even if she hadn’t seen the Sakura TV channel, Mogi texted her as soon as it started. Luckily, her family had a TV recorder so she could save the broadcast. Mom would have to do without Ume’s 5th violin recital. This was far more important.
Ume didn’t know him well, but when Ukita collapsed on the ground, she burst into tears. The team needed her and she wasn’t there. Poor Ukita! Was his family watching? Did they even know why he died? Ume could do nothing for a while but hug her legs to herself and try not to throw up. After watching the manifesto get cut off and the riot police surround the entrance, Watari texted her the new hotel location. She gathered herself and rushed over as fast as she could, recording in hand.
Chief Yagami was already there at the hotel when she arrived. He had confiscated the Kira tapes from the station and brought them back to the task force. Ume had to restrain herself from giving him a hug. She tried not to notice the gray streaks in his hair or the way his skin seemed to shine with a thin layer of sweat.
He noticed her staring and waved off her concern, "I'm fine, just a little tired. It was worth it to get those tapes."
Ume nodded, "Ukita…" She felt her eyes about to overflow.
"I know, we can't dwell right now, there's work to do." He put a comforting hand on her shoulder.
L was already watching the tapes. She sat down with him and got to work as well, notebook at the ready.
“I’m glad you weren’t near that building,” L said, unprompted. His voice was soft and that was when she noticed he was trembling all over.
“If only we could have stopped Ukita. I should have been here, I’m sorry.”
“There was no way any of us could have known. We will find justice for Ukita.” He closed his eyes for a second before playing the next tape.
She wanted to reach out to touch him, comfort him but decided against it. Yagami’s heart attack, Ukita, and now this message from Kira, it was all so much to process at once. She cast a glance back at the rest of the task force and Aizawa met her eyes. He nodded once at her, a small gesture but it warmed her a little.
Ume took a transcription of all the tapes, wanting to get each word exact so she could analyze them closely later. Lately, she had been picking up a few criminal psychology books to aid in her efforts with the investigation. She remembered reading about the Unabomber case and how the press had allowed the manifesto to be viewed by the public. They had hoped that the specific rhetoric used would produce workable leads. Which surprisingly, it did and ultimately led to his arrest. Kira was very different from the Unabomber but maybe they could employ the same tactic to catch them. Ume proposed the idea to the task force.
“Hmmm,” L thought it over. “I will consider it, but I give it less than three percent chance of working. I have another theory forming that I believe would conflict with this tactic.”
After a few hours of reviewing the tapes a few times over, L regrouped the task force for a rundown of the situation and to propose their strategy moving forward. He revealed his theory that the person behind the tapes was not the same Kira they had been hunting all this time, but a new Kira. One who may be acting independently but trying to coordinate with the real Kira. Ume agreed, citing the strange language the second Kira used and how unlikely it would be for the first Kira to expose themselves like this. When they had escalated in the past, they did so mostly silently. The first Kira had used some victims to spread cryptic messages and symbols but this only obfuscated their true intentions. Always in writing, always indirectly, never giving anything substantial away except that they liked to toy with the investigation.
L dropped another bombshell on them, one that Ume didn’t see coming. They were going to bring Light into the task force.
~~~
“I’ve been thinking,” Ume said while staring at the white board she had marked up, “If we’re going to be building a legal case at some point, I think it’s important to really nail down the psychological profile of this second Kira."
L turned and looked over his shoulder, having been engrossed in rewatching the tape. It was late and they were the only two left in the hotel suite which was serving as their task force headquarters today. He stared at the table she had made illustrating her observations on the second Kira. As always, her thoughts were written haphazardly but he had now grown used to interpreting her notes.
She continued, “We need to have solid and organized points to show how the person who sent that tape is indeed a separate individual from the one originally dubbed ‘Kira’.”
“I agree,” L rose from his chair and walked over to stand beside her. He took a dry erase pen, drew a line beside everything she had written. On the other side of the line, he then wrote down some key characteristics of Kira, using some of his observations as well as hers.
“Draw this up in a full analysis and we can add it to the case file. Be sure to wipe this board clean as soon as possible, I don’t want Light to see it.”
“Right,” she nodded, biting her bottom lip as she often did when concentrating or deep in thought. She was already jotting more notes down in her notebook. Taking in her appearance, he noticed her clothes looked crumpled and her hair was falling out of her ponytail. There were dark circles gathering under her eyes and her makeup had faded almost completely.
“Your school work will suffer if you don’t rest,” L pointed out.
“I will, I just want to get some things down while they’re fresh in my mind. Might forget later.” She waved him off absent-mindedly.
L shrugged and went back to his computer. He wasn’t her father and he wasn’t going to treat her like a child. Still, it was a constant struggle among the task force to get Ume to sleep and take care of herself. Ume was a capable young woman but she was stubborn. Chief Yagami took it upon himself most of the time to look after her, though Watari was right behind him. He was grateful for it. L supposed the Chief felt he was responsible for his superior’s daughter's well being.
After a while, he realized he hadn’t heard Ume say goodbye as she always made sure to do. He looked around and saw she had curled up on the couch. A pen was still in her hand but her notebook had slipped onto the floor.
L got up and grabbed a blanket from the bedroom. He gently draped it over her form before picking up her notebook and taking the pen out of her hand. Not fully knowing why he did it, L opened it again to the page where she had drawn him. It was an accident the first time and he was certain she hadn’t meant for him to see it. The likeness was a profile portrait, a quick pen sketch with rough lines. Even so, he was struck by how flattering it was. His expression looked soft, much softer than he had seen when he happened to catch his reflection on occasion. Is this how others saw him? Or just her?
He had noticed some strange behavior from her while they had been working together. At times it was eyes darting away from him, blood rushing to the capillaries in her face, a marked change in her breathing. Physiological responses that could be attributed to fear, anger, or attraction. At first he thought it might be anger, as he found he often elicited irritation in others. She spent most of her free time with the task force, going to school by day. Stress often led to frayed nerves, he found. That was more plausible than fear or … the other one.
It couldn’t be attraction, could it? Real attraction and not a show. It was hard to fake those responses and even if she had, for what purpose? He didn’t really suspect her of being Kira anymore. Every day he worked with her, the percentage went down little by little. Now it was a fraction, a decimal. So there was not enough reason to suppose that she might try to distract or seduce him. Even so, they had been working together for some time now. If the goal was to distract him she was doing a poor job of it so far.
There was still the possibility she was working with Kira, helping him. Perhaps she could even be this second Kira. It was something he needed to seriously consider.
Ume's eyes opened and she saw him holding the sketch in front of his face. Her eyes widened as she rose up to sit. It reminded L of a cornered animal.
“You have some artistic ability,” L noted, setting the notebook down on the coffee table. “Good enough to pursue it as a career, I’d think.”
“Thank you,” an uncertain smile as she avoided his gaze again.
“Why didn’t you?”
“It’s more of a hobby, an outlet. I don’t want to spoil it by the pressure of hanging my life on it.”
Why did you sketch me, he wanted to ask. “Ah, I see.” Why did you try to hide it?
"Is this investigation another hobby to you? You could make a career out of it as well, if you wanted too."
"My father would never allow it even if I considered it. He'd lose it if he knew I was here," she sighed, fingering her notebook ponderously. "No, I've always wanted to work with kids. I know I belong there."
"Shame, you would've made an excellent Criminal Psychologist," L remarked casually. She grinned, clearly pleased at his statement. He thought of Watari and the children back at Wammy House. A child psychologist on hand could be beneficial. Perhaps when the investigation was over...
“Mind if I crash here for the night? I think it’s too late to get a taxi or a bus.”
“Of course,” He mentally shook himself and gestured to the bedroom, “Feel free to use the bed. I won’t be needing it.”
“I have to confess,” Ume looked away, biting her lip. “I once caught you asleep in bed. It was the first weekend I spent with the task force and I was so exhausted, I climbed into the bed without noticing you were in it. As soon as I realized, I left, though!”
"... I hadn't realized," L looked down and didn't meet her eyes. He would have to be more careful next time and lock the door.
"I figure we're almost even now." She smirked.
"Even?"
"Well you've seen me in all manner of ways," blood illuminated the capillaries in her cheeks. "And from multiple angles."
He couldn't tell if she was teasing him or genuinely embarrassed. Perhaps a little bit of both? L opened his mouth to speak but she got her words out quicker.
"Goodnight, L."