Soichiro Yagami was a good man. At least, that's what he liked to think. He worked hard, did not hesitate to arrest someone who was blatantly disregarding the law, and he positively doted on his wife and two children.

So, when he found out his son, his very own flesh and blood, was the main suspect in the Kira case lead by the greatest detective in the world, he was understandably unnerved.

After all, who would suspect Light Yagami, honor student and police chief's son, of being a supernatural serial killer?

It was absurd! Soichiro and Sachiko had raised him better than that.

Ryuzaki was wrong.

Soichiro watched him pick at a slice of cake left on his desk by Watari and frowned. He looked oddly subdued.

Maybe he was realizing just how wrong he was in accusing his son of being Kira?

That had to be it, didn't it?

Soichiro felt a hope swell in his chest that he couldn't quite bring himself to crush.

He walked with an added skip in his step for the rest of the day.

(\-~•O•~-/)

Matsuda had just come back from his coffee run to see L still putting sugar in the last cup he went to get him. Huh? "Aizawa, do you think there's something wrong with Ryuzaki?"

Aizawa glanced at said odd detective from the corner of his eye before shrugging and returning to his work. "Not more than usual. He's probably just annoyed that he can't convict the Chief's son."

Matsuda looked back toward L with a contemplative look on his face. "I don't think that's it."

Aizawa sighed. "Look. If you're so worried about him, why don't you go ask him what's wrong?"

Matsuda looked at him. "Do you really think that'll work?"

Aizawa hid his eyeroll. "Sure. Why not?"

Emboldened, Matsuda turned toward L. "Hey, Ryuzaki!"

"Get back to work, Matsuda."

Matsuda smiled. "Okay, boss!"

L was alright after all.

(\-~•O•~-/)

L was acting strangely.

Not that that was out of the ordinary for the detective. His very being oozed strange. However, there was something off about him lately.

Light looked him over in as subtle a way as he felt was necessary and began looking for the fault. Hmm. His posture is still horrendously poor. His coffee is, as usual, little more than liquified sugar. He's sitting in that stupid way that he claims increases his reasoning skills. And he still refuses to put on shoes. But something's off.

There was a sort of... absence of life in his eyes. A blankness that went deeper than his usual facade normally did.

An emptiness.

L, the world's three greatest detectives and Kira's sole competent rival, was slipping.

Light smirked to himself and turned back to his computer.

It seemed Justice would prevail after all.