Disclaimer: I do not own Death note nor its characters, if I did L would be alive and well. I only own my OC's.

Author's note: Hi everyone! This is my first Death Note Fanfiction, wanted to try my hand at this. Let me know what you think, have a nice day!

The young woman hastily made her way to what had once been her bedroom in the headquarters. Technically it was still her bedroom, at least for the next thirty minutes or so ad maximum.

Closing the door she began to pace, thoughts going a mile per hour, nodding to herself and taking huge gulps of air to prepare for the epic confrontation that was about to take place in a minute or so. Everything had to go swimmingly if she wanted to make it out of this situation unscathed, the man she was about to face was highly intelligent and cunning and, most of all, a paranoid, suspicious bastard.

Quickly she revised every step of the plan, praying to any listening entity above (well, if shinigami existed, everything was quite possible..) to not let her sister be distracted by Light's hair or eyes or whatnot and do what she had asked previously.

She had to somehow draw him near her without tipping him off that something was amiss. Fortunately they had grown closer in the last few months of their peculiar living arrangements, maybe an attempt of swaying her to his cause and gain her secrets.

Pulling the hood of her black sweatshirt up, she checked her left pocket for her phone. A quick and silent push of the digit sporting the number one would alert Misa of the beginning of her task.

Hopefully.

It wasn't as if she didn't trust her sister or that she thought her stupid. Misa was far from it, but she was childish, and had been spoiled rotten by their mother and her step-father, who had adored her with every fiber of their being. Especially their mother. Misa had been the sweet, beautiful, uncomplicated child that she had with a respectable man who had loved both of them fiercely. Maybe Marguerite Amane had been too young and naive when she had her first daughter…

But yes, she was digressing.

Her sister had had the potential to be an intelligent, independent and strong woman before all this shit storm with Kira, shinigamis and super detectives, and the woman had been adamant to reset the situation straight, for Misa to start over and even for him..

He would have died if Rem, God bless that shinigami and her love for both sisters, hadn't told her about the plan that little son of a bitch her sister worshipped had conjured.

She couldn't just sit back and watch it happen, not to him.

But she couldn't even witness her sister being put into jail or worse, executed.

Maybe Misa deserved it for what she had done. For all the killings and for behaving like a doormat to that bastard who played her like a fool and treated her like shit.

Yes, there was no long lost love between the woman and the Yagami kid, even though he put on the charm ten folds around her. But she had not be fooled, not even for a second.

However Misa.. She felt responsible for that girl, and, most of all, guilty.

She couldn't allow her sister to rot away, in jail or in a nuthouse, your pick.

How many times had she been envious of her little sister that she had seen only once before being whisked away by her paternal grandmother to Italy?

How many times had she wished her mother had never met Katsuo Amane and never gone with him in Japan to play the happy family?

How many times had she wanted Misa to just disappear?

Hell, one time she had even wished for the fucking kid to just die.

She had been a stranger to her sister's life, only knowing what their mother told her on the phone, the rare times she had called.

A perfect, beautiful, loving kid with a stellar model career in front of her while she had been the moody, studious brat who didn't give two cents about her appearance.

But when she had came to Japan for her mother's and Katsuo's funerals and saw her crying in desperate huge sobs with fat tears rolling down her cheeks, not caring about anything and anyone, clutching their mother's white, lifeless hand, like a child, as if it was her only lifeline, so small, so innocent and fragile, she had felt her hate and envy crumble.

Then the guilt had started.

Maybe the fault resided in her Catholic upbringing, or in her grandmother's stern discipline but the woman had felt crippled by the guilt and shame at her previous behavior, at her thoughts and had decided to devote herself to the well being of her little sister. And for a while it had been ok, just the two of them.

Then came Kira and that damned black notebook..

The sound of the door opening and closing startled her from her musings and she looked up in the face of the person who had just entered and stilled.

Huge, black eyes looked at her unflinchingly, almost deceptively dull and bored. Oh, he was far from dull and despite his devil may care posture with his hands in his pockets and his customary bare feet, she knew that in this moment he was like a dog with a bone. In this particular scenario she was the bone and if she wasn't careful enough she would come off mauled after all of this.

Still, looking into those bottomless dark pools sent a shiver down her spine. They were so black, like black holes, ready to attract her in their orbit and swallow her whole.

"Where has Moni-chan been this afternoon?" The man asked with his deep monotone.

She immediately looked at her feet, still clad in her black and pink sneakers. As disgusting as Japanese found the habit, she often forgot to take them off when inside a house.

Well, now this terrible habit, that had always made Misa cringe, would come in handy for a hasty retreat.

"Mm.. Out.. I-I needed a breath of fresh air.." Monica tried to convey her anxiety in that sentence, even putting her hands in her sweatshirt's pockets, her left securely around her phone while her right brushing something that would become useful in the very near future..

She took a furtive glance at him as he made two silent steps further into the room, biting her lower lip.

"Moni-chan stayed out for four hours, without her phone." He stated.

Without my tracker you mean..

Clenching her jaw to show her irritation she stayed stubbornly silent.

Monica heard him coming closer and felt a little triumphant that her plan was actually working.

"Moni-chan, I would like to ask you a question."

Damn his fucking childish pattern of speech, she knew exactly what he was about to ask. She pretended to flinch and closed her eyes in dismay. Who knew she would be so good at acting? Did it run in the family? Misa beware!

"Yeah.. Ask away Ryuzaki.." she answered resigned.

Slowly he took his right hand out of his pocket and brought his thumb up to rest on his white lips.

"The Death Note in our custody disappeared this afternoon, just before Moni-chan went out for her.. breath of fresh air..." He trailed off looking intently at her.

She gasped in mock surprise, then closed her mouth to gulp loudly.

"Rem-san has also disappeared." He continued, tilting his head, full of messy pitch black hair, to the side.

"Does Moni-Chan know anything about it?"

And wasn't it a Million dollar question?

"N-No, Ryuzaki.. Obviously not.." She declared turning her body towards him.

He kept looking at her, narrowing slightly his eyes while he hummed as if considering the possibility. He was 99,9% not. For sure.

"And would Moni-chan know anything about Light-kun's and Misa-chan's change of behavior that occurred this afternoon, two hours after Moni-chan's outing?"

Ryuzaki pulled his thumb off his lips that were set in a firm line, giving his usually emotionless face a stern, accusing expression.

Of fucking course he would immediately notice that too, wouldn't he?

She tried playing dumb, hoping that seeing her so pathetic and defenseless would make him feel in control and maybe lower his guard a little.

"W-what? What do you mean? Is my sister ok?" Her voice was full of concern.

"Misa-chan and Light-kun are fine Moni-chan."

He took a step closer and she could feel the heat of his body and his smell. She felt the urge to just close her eyes and let the fragrance wash over her. A musky smell, obviously very male, with a tinge of strawberry and vanilla.

Monica inhaled sharply.

If everything went accordingly this would be the last time his particular smell hit her nostrils and she basked into this sensation. Again a shiver went through her and she chanced a glance at his face.

Oh, for all his social awkwardness, he knew exactly what his proximity was doing to her. If she could conjure a mirror and stare at her face she would probably see her pupils dilate and her lips moist, ready for a kiss. Yeah, sure…

She could remember as if it were yesterday when Ryuzaki had asked a noteless and wide eyed Light to pretend to love her sister, essentially to toy with her feelings. In that moment she had started to get to know this side of him, he was a cunning and deceptive man, willing to do just about anything to win, to solve the riddles that were in front of him, harsh and uncaring in the pursuit of his 'Justice'.

But she liked him even for his ruthlessness, maybe in spite of it.

He had always been painfully aware of her attraction to him and, like the bastard that he was, he had played her and she had let him.

Let him think she was gullible, and maybe a little like her sister too. Well, no. Monica was no masochist nor a doormat, fuck genetics and all.

She knew he had disregarded her from the very beginning, labelling her as not a threat.

Sure, he had still been guarded around her (Misa, her little, childish sister was still suspected of being a mass murderer after all), at least more so than with Matsusa or the other members of the task force, and after getting a hint of her admiration and crush (such a silly term) on him, he had tried to be more charming and gentle around her, being sometimes rather awkward and borderline weird.

But still the effort had been evident for everyone to see, startling sometimes even his caretaker, Watari.

Whether or not she found his attempts adorable and cute, Monica had known that his behavior hadn't been actually genuine from the very beginning.

Hell, she didn't even think that it would be possible for him to form any kind of romantic feelings towards anyone, least of all for her.

Ryuzaki wouldn't certainly consider her a threat, and her previous meek and goofy behavior had confirmed that truth. He was a logical man after all.

Well, in the end she had won, a war that she hadn't even wanted to have anything to do with, and both L and Kira had been… Neutralized, let's say.

By her.

She had always been an excellent student, albeit a little lazy, and considered very smart, even brilliant by her teachers and peers alike.

Maybe she would be considered dumb in the presence of both L and Kira but still… She had won.

But she went ahead of herself, she had to survive this before she could even remotely think about gloating.

"I would say that Misa-chan and Light-kun are better than fine, Moni-Chan." He continued after a pause.

"Oh… G-good then.." She stuttered then stayed quiet, her green eyes downcast.

His right hand returned to his pocket and he tilted his head downwards in silence.

The tension in the room could be cut with a knife and she felt the urge of blurting out something just to break it off.

But no, it was important to let him play his role and draw within her reach…

"Moni-chan, did you take the Death Note?" He asked directly setting his gaze of steel on her face.

Finally the dreaded question.

Her head snapped up to look at his intense, cold back eyes.

A tinge of betrayal? Disappointment? Never had he looked at her like that.

Guarded? Sure. Calculating? Hell, yes.

Never downright hostile. An uncomfortable emotion swelled in her chest and her throat started to burn.

"W-what..?" Tears were gathering in her eyes at his suspicious stare and she let them, least be more credible.

"R-Ryuzaki..I-I.. W-why would y-you..?" She managed to stammer before he invaded her personal space, looming over her pitiful height that she shared with her sister.

"Moni-chan, if you confess now and give me the notebook back there will be no consequences." His deep voice surrounded her senses and for a moment she closed her eyes, savoring it.

"I know that you did it to save Misa-chan."

Yes, it was true, what she had done in the past and this afternoon, the risk she took, of being killed by that other shinigami, only for Rem to come to her rescue, threatening him with a king or whatever (when he had actually taken out his notebook her brain had just about melted and she could have sworn she could feel a burning in her chest, and well, she hadn't paid much attention to the two growling shinigamis' words.), everything she had done had been for her little sister. Because Monica had hated and envied her all her life, but the first time Misa had seen her at the funeral, she had thrown herself in her arms, as if they had been raised together, as if they had been close all their lives, praying and downright begging to never leave her, sobbing that she was the only person she had left. Her heart had stopped beating right after that, then the shame and the guilt had come and she had sworn in that moment to protect her. And protect her she did.

Ryuzaki's words hit close to home and at this point Monica started to sob, the noise covering the clicking of her phone's button. Her sister would be hopefully acting in seconds.

He kept silent during her sobs, probably sneering mentally at her pathetic display of emotions.

Then Monica felt something surprising, a hand on her shoulder.

She gasped in shock, almost chocking on the saliva that had pooled in her mouth.

Was he willingly touching her? Trying to offer some kind of comfort? Ryuzaki?

This had not been even remotely contemplated in her scheme, but she would roll with it.

The hand then guided her gently toward his chest and the woman felt her heart speed, accompanied by a twist in her guts for what she was about to do.

Guilt probably, fucking new, eh?

She started to sob harder her left hand coming up to clutch at his white T-shirt, while the other hung limply by her left side, clasping the syringe.

"I-I'm s-s-sorry.." She managed to stutter out over and over between hiccups, like a litany, in his half embrace as her right hand moved slowly and stealthily towards his jeans clad tight and stabbed him, releasing the yellowish liquid inside his body.

Ryuzaki froze.

Monica quieted her sobs.

The woman was pushed out of his embrace, light chestnut locks bobbing at the sudden motion, his right hand stayed on her shoulder while the other dislodged the syringe that was still stuck in his body.

He stared at it with a disbelieving look on his face, then snapped his eyes to hers, a look of incredulity and betrayal passed in those dark orbs. Rethinking the label now Ryuzaki?

So many emotion clouded his usually stoic face. The hand on her shoulder tightened painfully, nails tearing slightly the skin underneath, and she took it without even a grimace, as a penance for her actions, while fresh tears clouded her vision.

He took a stumbling step in her direction, whilst his hands made an aborted motion towards her neck.

Probably to strangle her. Not that she blamed him.

Monica gripped his arms tightly as his legs began to give out and gently led him to the floor, trying to support his dead weight.

She kneeled down beside him placing his head on her legs and caressing his surprisingly soft hair.

His breaths started to quicken as he struggled to speak.

"Shhh… L, shhh. Don't try to speak, it's all right.." She murmured reassuringly, stroking his cheeks gently.

"It's just a sedative, nothing lethal." She reassured him.

Finally her passion for pharmaceutical studies had come in handy. He probably wouldn't know anything about it, she had never advertised it and her humanistic studies certainly wouldn't have hinted at that.

She was an Linguist Major, her expertise in ancient 'dead' languages, with a passion for drugs. What a weirdo, eh?

He stubbornly kept trying to talk, but she ignored him continuing her ministrations.

"T-They were ready to kill you L…" His eyes snapped up at her with an indescribable emotion. She kept explaining while tears marred her cheeks, some of them hitting the face on her lap.

"Rem would have done it, she would have written you name on her book. I-I couldn't let them.. I had to do something."

Monica took a deep breath. Misa had fortunately done what she had asked her to this time, or else she would have probably been dead by now, sniped by Watari.

God how she loved that wicked English gentleman.

She choose her next word carefully, she had activated the tech that would scramble with the listening devices and cameras, but you couldn't be careful enough with this man.

"And they had both to be saved, even if I would have preferred to condemn one of them… So… I killed both Kiras, Ryuzaki. They are no more."

He narrowed his eyes at the last sentence while she kept stroking his fringe.

"And there are no tangible proofs of anybody's fault. I'm sorry that those murders will go unpunished. I'm sorry that you had to loose for this, L, I really am. But, hey, look at the bright side, you're alive… And you can still solve cases around the world and save people… T-this was the b-best solution L… I-I.."

She was babbling now and stalling. She didn't want to leave his side but she had to go to catch her ride, away from here, from this mess, from her sister and from him.

Monica stretched out her right arm, jostling the detective's head a little, to grab the pillow on her bed, gently squeezing it under him; then she stayed a moment by his side admiring his pale face with his delicate features. His lids were trembling and there was a fire in the depths of his eyes that she would have never in a million years expected from him. He was probably pissed off, and rightly so. She sighed.

"It was all true L… M-my…mmm.. Admiration for you.. I-I didn't fake it.. Not like you did with me.." He clenched his jaw at her words, and that fire in his eyes burned hotter.

"I don't blame you.. This isn't some kind of revenge, mind you.. I-I'm not a… vindictive bitch or something like that.."

Shit, this was difficult.

"I really, really like you Ryuzaki. I couldn't let you die just to capture someone. Y-you're too important…"

She admitted quietly gazing at him intently, trying to convey her honesty in a look.

She bent down then and kissed both of his cheeks, gambling that he didn't have the strength necessary to take a bite of her face. She didn't risk his mouth, it would have been slightly creepy.

Monica rose then, taking a bag that she had previously hid in her closet, then headed to the door after placing the blanket that was on her bed, over his still form on the floor.

"Good-bye Ryuzaki." She whispered without looking back, then locked the door.

She quickly made her way into the living room of the task force's quarters to find a fidgeting Misa who immediately tackled her with a little scream of her name, making her almost stumble backwards.

"I did as you asked me sis, he will be out for an hour or so." Misa whispered in her ear while hugging her.

Monica returned the embrace.

"Good, love, thank you."

She chanced a look at her surroundings to find an exhausted Mogi and Matsusa in the room, along with the little wannabe God.

"Everything good with Ryuzaki?" Light asked, turning to look at the girls. She took him in.

Really, seeing him again so innocent like that after knowing the monster that he had been during the ownership of the notebook made her question the pull that little dark object had on people. Maybe it made you want to try it and then you were hooked. Mmmm.. Something to ponder in the upcoming months then..

"Yeah.. I'm cleared... Rem has probably taken the notebook back." She told him escaping her sister's clutches.

It wasn't actually a lie. Rem had taken the notebook, only to give it to her. But that was a detail. Small and insignificant.

The beautiful boy narrowed his amber eyes in suspicion.

"He told you that?"

Monica felt rage swell in her chest and stomach. Really? Fucking Kira was accusing her? Yes, yes, he didn't actually remember being him, ok, but still.. Ironic much?

Even Misa looked slightly put out by his tone and sent him a reproachful glare. This day was full of surprises, it seemed. First Ryuzaki offering comfort then her sister defending her from her perfect boyfriend, what a turnaround.

She sighed.

"He hinted at that, Light. Look.. I had a urgent matter to solve at uni, Ryuzaki spoke to the head of my department. He confirmed everything." She told him while rubbing her temples, trying to slow down the huge migraine that was looming in front of her. After this shit she would be needing a drink. Or ten.

"Now, they asked me to take a trip to Sofia, to take a look at some texts that will hopefully clear the debacle around an ancient document that Athens' university lent us. And before you ask, yes Ryuzaki knows and has given his permission and even gave me a lecture for forgetting my phone here."

She lied tiredly, the adrenaline peak from before going dangerously low.

"You're leaving?" Misa whined with a pout, interrupting her boyfriend that was about to interrogate her further.

Christ, she only needed to get out of this fucking building and then all would be ok.

"Yes, sweetheart. I must. Not long though, three, four days at maximum." At her look of dismay she smiled, hearth warming a little, then added.

"I will bring you a fabulous present sweety, ok?"

Misa squealed in joy and hugged her again. In her sister's ear Monica whispered so low that only Misa would understand.

"Please distract Light for at least ten minutes after I'm gone."

She felt her stiffen for a moment but then nod.

"Moni-chan, you're so lucky that you get to visit the world for your job!" Matsusa interjected jovially lowering the tension in the room.

"Last minute trips aren't my cup of tea Matsusa-san, really."

Monica answered with a smile, then kissed her sister good bye.

"Good bye Misa, love." Monica stared at the lovely face trying to seal her features into her memory, then waved at the other task members and finally turned to Light, who regarded her cautiously, arms crossed tightly over his lean chest.

He interrupted her farewell with a question. Rude.

"Where is Ryuzaki now?"

Stupid nosy brat.

"He went to his room, to sulk or watch some camera recordings or whatever he does in there." She lied smoothly looking directly in his eyes, raising a brow in challenge, then stretched her hand.

The handshake was firm and despite her desire to crush his hand and break every little fucking bone in his limb, for ruining Misa's life, her life and thousands more, she kept herself in check.

"Take very good care of my sister in my absence Light." Her voice held a tinge of menace.

He narrowed his eyes.

"Of course." He answered with his smooth, cultured voice.

She nodded, then grabbed her bag, gave a last kiss to her sister and headed to the door, just barely talking herself out of running like a bat out of hell from there.

After exiting the building, as she was climbing inside the car that would take her away forever from that place, she sent a last look at the building.

"Good-bye forever, L."

The whisper was carried away by the wind.