The day the infamous 'Watari' retired and she took over, a dormant volcano erupted and twenty-five children were abducted. They say coincidences are the devil's way of remaining anonymous, but none of them are superstitious. Sequel!Enfer (sort of LxOC)

Anathème

one.

| help, i lost myself again, but i remember you |

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Nao blinks at the whole scene, pretty flowers braided into her hair and the white, white, white dress (it's tailored to fit her, mold to her body and it must've cost a fortune because there's sultry lace and a trim of ribbons that almost touches the floor).

Her vision is a tad cloudy because of the veil and her hold on her father's arm tightens (weddings should always be at the beginning of June, when it's hot enough, but not too hot – outdoor weddings at least).

It's not that she thinks she'll fall off her heels, it's more that the hold her father has on her prevents her from making stupid decisions, like running off in the opposite direction (it's not that she doesn't want this, no, she does, she'd older and wiser and marriage, marriage doesn't sound like such a terrible idea).

"Last chance." Her father offers with a smile. He's stoic in his Italian suit and looks at peace, even if Nao knows that the thought of handing her off to some block is hard for him (she's his only daughter, his only child and he loves her, very much – they are so much alike).

"Isn't it a tad too late?" Nao wonders, what would happen if her life was like in one of those cheap rom-com her mother likes so much, what would happen if some handsome leather clad guy came to whisk her away from all of this and she ran away with him in the dying sunset.

"There's always divorce." Her father says and he has a smile on his face. "I'll leave your room as is, just for you." Nao has to grin at that, it's such a typical thing for him to throw in her face at her wedding.

"I'll keep that in mind." Nao answers back just as the funny little tune starts and she feels some of the tension dissipate from her shoulders (weddings are just pretty titles, wife and husband, a couple of rings and do you take this man to be your lawful wedded husband, to hold and to cherish).

Her dress shimmers in the cool sun rays of pre-Summer and the ground is covered with the same flowers as in her bouquet (roses; for eternal love, lilies; for sweetness, baby's breaths…).

She moves past her mother while walking up the aisle; the woman sobbing in a handkerchief, so, so happy (it's not that she'd lost hope, no, that's not it, it's just her daughter isn't like the other little girls and marriage had never seemed like an option because who would marry someone so passive like Nao, even she wonders).

"Remember what I said about divorce." Her father whispers to her before grinning and handing her off to the man in question, her future husband (her vision is cloudy because of the veil, but it's definitely a man, a man in a suit and smiling at her).

(Nao realizes that she can't remember, not his face, not the man she's marrying and she's sort of in a dazed trance, the kind that makes her limbs feel sluggish and the whole thing feel like a dream, but maybe that's what she's supposed to feel on her wedding day).

It's tradition, that her husband-to-be is the one to lift up her veil. Nao blinks as the fabric is pushed away from her face and into her hair, blinks at the pretty brown eyes, brown like chocolate, that stare back at her.

(Light, Light, Light, of course, who else could it be and now it makes sense, Sachiko Yagami on the other side of her parents, with Soichiro and Sayu as one of her bridesmaid because that's just the sort of typical, normal thing they would do).

He grins at her, boyish and handsome and Nao doesn't wonder (about detectives with black hair or blonde ex-models that happen to be her maid of honor or a house full of geniuses where she never gets any peace), doesn't wonder how she got here.

No, it makes sense.

"Ready?" The groom asks, white teeth perfectly straight and out of a dentist's magazine. Nao blinks again, ready to nod her head and –

And she falls off the bed, right onto the floor and there's nothing to cushion the blow besides her left side. When she opens her eyes, Mello is peering at her with sleepy eyes.

(She'd asked what he's doing in her bed, but that would be like asking why the sun burns when you look up, pointless and there's nothing you can do besides wear a pair of sunglasses).

"Is that your new thing?" He asks, sleepy and totally undisturbed by the fact that she's on the ground. Nao would roll her eyes, but it seems useless (because Mello always finds a way to break into her room) and picks herself up, rubbing her left shoulder.

"Just move over." She says in English, staring at him with a raised eyebrow and wanting nothing more than to go back to sleep. It's still dark outside and the clock by the bed reads four fifteen and it's early, way too early for her, but obviously not for the occupants of Wammy's.

He actually listens to her and crawls back into the wall, leaving space for her and she doesn't waste any time returning to the safety of her blankets (it's sort of her thing, the world always seems safer that way).

"You okay?" And there's the vague concern there, but Nao simply hums back in response and shuffles a bit underneath the new weight of the fabric.

(When she closes her eyes, the dream, the dream comes back in full force like she never left, and it starts all over again, her wearing her pretty, pretty white dress and with flowers combed into her hair and Light waiting for her at the end of the aisle).

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Japan, Japan is home.

Nao won't lie, she never does, except maybe to herself, but Japan is home. Streets and smells and the busy humming that's always there, it's familiar (not she has anything against English countrysides and geniuses that stick to her like glue, but Japan is home).

"Here you go." The barmaid is blonde, pretty, with a loose fitted white tank top and a pair of tight, maroon leather pants that showcases every curve. "On the house."

Nao taps her cigarette on the ashtray and smiles at the woman, accepting the glass. It's before hours, too early for anyone to wander in for a drink, at least in a bar.

"It's nice here." Nao offers as a compliment. Misa beams at her, jumping up and down excitedly and clapping her hands together, hairs flying free from her ponytail as she nods her head vigorously.

"Isn't it?" She asks childishly. "Although, I wanted more pink, but Raito said it was a bad idea, not for grown-ups." Yes, that's something Light would definitely say, but he'd never liked girly stuff.

"Pink is more suited for a café." Talk about the wolf. He appears quietly, looking very dapper in suit, haircut framing his handsome face and throwing his case on one of the bar stools.

"A café would be nice." Another appearance, this time to Nao's left. The detective still manages to crouch on the stool with little difficulty and yet no one in the room is impressed (they, they all know him so well, not that there are many people who can claim that). "You could sell cakes."

"Why not?" Misa offers. "If the bar goes well, we could open a café." Light rolls his eyes (because he's mostly the one who has to do all the paperwork every time. Misa can certainly run a bar and be the face of it, but he's stuck with the rest).

Nao smiles then (someone else than her would marvel at the fact that they can manage to act like functioning adults, that this is normal, well, as normal as any of them can get) and takes a sip of her drink.

"Yes, that sounds like something worth investing in. Watari always says I need to be more business oriented." Nao and Light exchange a look and the latter raises an eyebrow.

"I don't think that's what he had in mind." Light says with a roll of his eyes, loosening the tie around his neck and shrugging off his jacket. "Besides, isn't Nao the new Watari now?"

At that, she has to fire up another cigarette.

"Tomorrow." She says. "Tomorrow." She repeats again (this, this is not a dream or a nightmare, she won't wake up, no, this is reality and reality is that she signed up for this, she made that choice).

"Yes, tomorrow." The detective agrees, biting the nail on his thumb. "There will be an announcement, you'll be there Light-kun." He's looking at her, black eyes piercing her head (and she doesn't bother, no, doesn't bother pretending because he seems to see right through her).

"We should celebrate." Misa practically shouts, loud and happy and grabbing a bottle of tequila from behind her, dropping it in front of them a tad too hard. "It's been too long since Nao-chan was in Japan."

Nao has to smile at that (maybe the blonde's enthusiasm can spread to her, just like a disease, maybe she can feel some type of happiness at her decision, maybe she just needs to get drunk).

While the ex-model busies herself with finding shot glasses, Light raises an eyebrow at her and waves a hand at the smoke she produces.

"Since when to do you smoke?" He asks, like he should know everything about her and smoking isn't one of them (she doesn't know why Light always concerns himself with her, but he does).

"A while, I think." She shrugs her shoulders, because she doesn't keep up.

(One day, one day Matt comments that she looks a tad stressed and throws his pack of cigarettes at her and Nao, not stressed, but a bit bored and maybe depressed, has one and then two and, well, here she is).

"You think?" Light repeats like he can't believe that is her answer. Nao shrugs again and simply takes another drag, watching the pretty white smoke come out of her mouth.

"It seems Matt has rubbed off on you." The detective says, because everyone at Wammy's knows Matt is the one that smokes and if Nao started, it's most likely because of him. "I would have hoped you'd taken Mello's love for chocolate."

"Chocolate is nice, but Mello doesn't share." She blinks at him. "You know that." Everyone at Wammy's also knows that. Mello doesn't share; not his chocolate, not L's title (Near and him, yes, they always fight, but Nao thinks they secretly like each other), not even Nao's attention (he's possessive of her, of her time, of her attention and of her bed).

"Is Mello actually a person?" Light asks and yes, the name is odd (but then again, what kind of name is Near or L or even Light, geniuses, Nao learned, all have weird names, aliases and weird names).

L completely ignores Light and Nao is in no hurry to answer that question (really, they are both so good at infuriating him because Light doesn't like being ignored, is not used to being ignored and they both notice the way his hand twitches on the bar).

"There." Misa says, not paying attention to the way her three customers all seem to have dark clouds hovering above their heads. "To Nao-chan's new job and to hoping she'll come back quicker this time."

Four shot glasses, all filled to the brim and Nao wonders, while throwing her head back and dumping the burning liquid in her throat, if that's what being a grown-up means, to make shitty decisions and have passive aggressive conversations and deal with it by consuming loads of alcohol.

At least, the detective's face as he tastes the alcohol is worth it.

"Misa-chan, do you have anything sweet, perhaps?" He asks her, wide black eyes on the barmaid. She shakes her head and pouts.

"I don't have any cakes." She says and he deflates. "But I have whipped cream flavored vodka. I can make you a very sweet drink." He nods his head and perks up and the blonde smiles at him, finding a blue bottle with the picture of whipped cream on it.

"Do your parents know? About the whole Watari replacement?" She knows Light is only trying to make sure she isn't forced, that's why she doesn't bother with being annoyed (not that Nao knows what that's like, to purposely be annoyed at someone for being concerned about her).

"They didn't ask." Not that her parents would even begin to phantom what their only child does (maybe her father, maybe just a bit, but he doesn't ask about it and she doesn't want to talk about it).

Misa pushes a very slim and tall glass towards the detective. It sparkles and he takes a tentative sip, the other three all watching him. He perks up at the taste and takes a few large gulps, almost finishing the thing.

Misa claps her hands, happy and nice and Nao would like to know how someone can remain this happy all the time and then both Light and L's cellphones start to ring, exactly at the same time. Nao blinks (she doesn't believe in coincidences).

"Okay, I'm on my way." Light answers, followed by;

"Yes, I'll be there shortly." L says almost a second after. "Misa-chan, thank you for the drink."

"No problem." She says with an exaggerated bow.

"You're taking on the case?" Light says, like he knows what is happening right now (Nao has no idea and she only starts tomorrow. She's perfectly happy remaining here while they go to their thing, whatever that is).

"Yes, Watari just called." He nods his head. "Nao, you're coming." She blinks at him, at the fact that it wasn't a question, not one at all.

"But…" She wants to protest, but he grabs her arm and she knows exactly what that means as he starts walking, not bothered at all by the fact that she's in heels and that she'll just have to move at his pace. "Misa-chan, I'll see you soon." She'd wave, but the detective doesn't have time for that.

"Why are you in a such a hurry?" She asks when they are outside and Nao doesn't miss the fact that L didn't bother to wait for Light, even if they are probably going to the exact same place.

"Twenty-four children were abducted – that's the number for now – exactly two hours ago. Ages seven to fourteen, with no real connections and there have been no ransom demands." He's calculating, she can tell.

"And?" He's not telling her something.

"And…" He starts. "One of the children is from Wammy's."

So, she supposes she starts the job today.

a/n: I'm redoing this story because I frankly wasn't that happy with the pace. So, if you're new, obviously that won't concern you, but to those who read the first chapters, I hope you enjoy this more, because I know. L and Nao's relationship will still be shit because, honestly, it's L and Nao and I'm not sure those two will ever find common ground. Hope you enjoyed, thank you for reading and feedback is, as always, appreciated. See you next time.