A/N: Hey everyone! I'm back with an update! I hope ya'll like it, because this chapter was a pain to write and put out. There had been so many revisions, it's been driving me bat-shit insane. Also, have you noticed that Watari is awesome-sauce? He'd be like the best grandpa ever! This chapter is dedicated to: Ashna (queenofsurf13) and snooze2010. Thanks guys for not giving up on me! And also thanks for your advice and encouragement! Thank you to everyone who reviewed and has been staying with me despite my update issues and whatnot. On with the dog and pony show!:

Matsuda sat in a familiar, yet unfamiliar room. Though the decor was obviously the same as the room the Task Force considered as temporary Headquarters, it was completely changed by its occupants.

He fidgeted in his seat as the man named Inuyasha scrutinized him from his position in the bed. "Sorry about the mess, but we haven't exactly had any time to ourselves," Kagome apologized sheepishly as she picked up an empty can of soda from the floor.

"Keh," Inuyasha grumbled. The miko pursed her lips and threw the can at the healing hanyou at blinding speeds. Inuyasha jolted, trying to get out of the way, but he was unable to since he was tangled in the mounds of sheets and comforters. It nailed him straight on the forehead. "Oi! What was that f-"

A sharp knock interrupted his protest and Kagome made her way to the door. Matsuda leaned forward in anticipation and watched as the door was opened. A blur of orange attached itself to Kagome and she was nearly knocked over by the sheer force.

Kagome laughed after regaining her footing and kissed the young teen on the forehead. "Hey Shippou."

"You've been gone forever," the fox demon complained, pulling back to see his sister figure.

A woman that looked about Kagome's age entered as well with white hair, like Inuyasha's, and timid lilac eyes. She wore a simple white dress and had skin the color of ivory. She was fragile looking, with delicate features and a small smile gracing her petal-like lips. The woman was a bit shorter than Kagome and wore no jewelry what-so-ever. "Kagome," she greeted calmly, but the excitement in her voice was detectable. "It's so good to see you."

"It has been a while, eh, Shiori?" the miko smiled, releasing her hold on Shippou in order to bring the pale female into a tight embrace. "It's good to see you as well."

A woman with reddish hair and tanned skin hovered close behind Shiori, excitement bubbling when Kagome took notice of her. "Ka-go-me!" she practically sang, dark blue eyes alight with brimming happiness.

"Ashna!" Kagome cheered, glad to see the tiger demoness happy and well. "Now that is a face of someone I haven't seen in two years. How've you been?"

"Good. Lord Fluffer sent me out to India to work under two princes for a while, but now that their curse is lifted and they're all happy, I was sent back to the Manor. I heard about your predicament and couldn't help but get involved and escort little miss Shiori here," Ashna explained.

Matsuda coughed, gaining the attentions of the rooms occupants. He waved sheepishly as Kagome jumped and hurriedly went to introduce everyone. "Matsuda, this is Shippou, Shiori and Ashna. They all work under Sesshoumaru. Shiori will be your teacher."

"Her?" Matsuda asked dubiously, eyes wide. He couldn't fathom how a fragile looking girl will be able to teach the skills needed to him, but then he thought of Kagome. She looked young as well, but she'd been keeping powerful secrets from the Task Force. Perhaps he should stop judging a book by its cover. Afterall, looks can by misleading.

Shiori bowed and said, "I will be honored to train you. That is, if you will have me."

Awkwardly, Matsuda bowed back and straightened his posture at the presence of such a pretty woman. "O-Of course, Miss Shiori. The honor is all mine," he studdered, his cheeks coloring slightly. Shiori tilted her head in slight confusion, but smiled warmly in order to ease the nervous man before her.

She'd always trained young females before because she was known for her gentler teachings. She'd never experienced teaching the opposite gender, but she hoped it wouldn't be much different than teaching a female. Matsuda would be the first male to be taught under her, and while Shiori didn't mind it, she was worried about the rigorous training her new student would have to endure both physically and mentally. For the most part, her past students were full-fledged demons and occasionally half-demons. Never had she had to train someone of such low yokai blood.

"Just call me Shiori. I was never one to abide by human titles. Besides, I like to speak with students on a more personal level," Shiori explained softly.

"As a cover-up, you may refer to her as Shinju in front of the Task Force and Light. Shinju is your recently widowed aunt. Using this story allows you to slip by the notice of your team without too many questions thrown your way. Just say you were close to your aunt and uncle, and do look a bit mournful," Kagome filled in, handing over a small manila file. "Any other background information will be provided within this folder."

"She won't be coming into contact with the case, will she?" Matsuda asked worriedly.

"Of course not," Ashna replied. "The only connection to the Kira case will be through you, and I won't allow her to even come close to becoming involved in such a dangerous situation."

"She is one of our best teachers after all," Shippou chirped.

"And this means you're going back to the Western Manor, Shippou," Kagome told the fox demon with a raised brow.

"But Kago-"

The miko cut off his protest. "No buts! I bet Lord Milkbone needs your help out there, and we have plenty of agents here. So I want you to go home and listen to what Sesshoumaru tells you to do. Got it?"

Shippou opened his mouth to argue, but Inuyasha interrupted. "Ya heard her, Kit. Better get back home. I can sense that little annoying imp readying to take leave so ya better hurry," he grumbled, leaving no room for Shippou's complaints.

The kitsune sighed heavily before saying, "Fine." He hugged Kagome, Ashna, and Shiori, then waved to Matsuda and Inuyasha before rushing out the door.

"Where will you be staying?" Matsuda asked. "Ryuzaki has us moving to a new location."

"I will be staying in a nearby hotel. My contact information is within the folder," Shiori answered.

"We start your training tomorrow. I will be your sparring partner when need be," Ashna grinned. A canine exposed itself, poking her bottom lip as she peered over at him. "Don't expect me to go easy on you."

Kagome walked down the halls of the new Task Force Headquarters, eying the shininess of it all. It was definitely not her style. She balanced a tray of breakfast food in one hand and used the other to push open Watari's surveillance room.

"Good morning, Watari-san," Kagome greeted. "I noticed you haven't had your morning tea yet."

"Ah, thank you Rin. You didn't have to," Watari smiled, moving a stack of papers off to the side to make room for the tray.

Kagome swatted Watari's hand away when he reached to pour the tea and instead did it herself. "Let me. You work far too hard; allow me to at least do this for you."

Watari chuckled and let the miko do as she pleased. She passed the cup of tea to the elderly man and smiled when he nodded his approval. "This is quite a fine tea, my dear."

Kagome poured herself a cup and sat at the edge of his desk. "Thanks, glad you like it." She sipped quietly and watched as Aizawa's car drove into the parking garage. He rolled down his windows and scanned his finger and eye before being allowed entrance.

The cameras followed him as he parked and proceeded to the metal detector. He rid himself of loose metal items and went through, but was stopped by the red 'X' that told him he still had metal on his person.

Kagome's sapphire eyes slid from the screen and casually glanced around the room, familiarizing herself with it. Something on his desk made her do a double-take, however. The young miko narrowed her eyes on the book resting on top of Watari's papers.

Without asking, she picked it up and flipped through it, confirming that it was indeed a book of Japanese mythology. "Watari-san, I never knew you had such a great interest in Japanese legends," Kagome stated, a single brow raising in question.

"Recently I've become quite fascinated with it," Watari replied, bringing his tea cup to his lips. "Afterall, I would like to know more about who Ryuzaki is contacting." A sly glance was sent Kagome's way and she forced herself to look confused instead of panicked.

"What are you talking about?"

Watari took a heavy gulp from his tea before admonishing the Task Force member. "Now, now, Rin. I may be old, but I'm not naive nor am I senile."

Kagome's expression darkened. "How long have you known?" she asked as calm as possible.

"Since your first meeting with Ryuzaki. I happened to notice him researching on strange lion-dog creatures and snake women."

"And that was enough to draw the conclusion?"

Watari turned to look at the young woman situated at his desk's edge. "No. I first drew a conclusion when I met your friend, Amaya." At Kagome's frown, he elaborated. "I am an orphanage director, my dear. The orphanage I am the caretaker of selects students that are intelligent enough to possibly precede Ryuzaki if he loses his life during a case. I've seen many talented young children come and go through my building's doors and once in a while, I receive a student that is far more exceptional than the others. They are faster, smarter, stronger and age slower than anything I've ever seen.

"The first I accepted under my wing was a young wolf demon by the name of Megumi. She was a trouble-maker but held the intelligence of a fully grown adult and was experienced in the art of jujitsu. She lost her family at the tender age of, or what looked to be the age of, 6 during a territorial war involving the South and her homeland, the East.

"But the way your friend Amaya moved, looked and acted was extremely similar to Megumi. The moment she walked through those hotel doors, I knew. And I knew you were involved."

"Why now? Why didn't you approach us straight away?" Kagome asked quietly.

"I didn't want to scare you away," Watari chuckled.

"We're not animals," she grumbled around her cup. "I mean Amaya partly is, but still."

They returned their gazes to the screen and Watari said, "I won't tell anyone, if that's why you're worried about. I've had many more students that were like Megumi and I had never told a soul."

"I'll still have to talk to my superior," Kagome sighed, then her eyes widened when she saw that Aizawa was finally able to pass the metal detector by throwing off his slacks and stomping through with a green light giving him an okay.

"He'll just have to get used to our security system," Watari chuckled.

L slowly finished the strawberry cake on his plate before setting the empty plate onto the glass table in front of him. To his left was a dozing Kagome and to his right was a none-too-happy Light. Misa sat at a couch on the other side of the glass coffee table, her expression that of irritation. Her fingers played with the edge of her thigh high black and gray striped socks out of frustration. "Hey, this doesn't feel like a date," Misa grumbled, crossing her arm across her chest.

"Just think it's a double date," Kagome told her sleepily.

"But you and Ryuzaki aren't even dating!"

"Hence the word pretend, Amane-san." As an afterthought, Kagome curled into L's side and wrapped her arms around his torso, like he was a teddy bear. "Happy now?"

The miko's actions surprised the detective, but her affections weren't unwelcome. As a person, people avoided L because of his jaded attitude or his overall look. He generally off-put or frightened people, so when he felt the warmth Kagome offered him through such an intimate touch, he felt accepted.

Without looking away from the woman 'cuddling' him in her sleep, he said, "Pay no attention to Rin and I. Anyway, are you going to eat that piece of cake?" L looked up at Misa with his steely grey eyes.

"Sweets are fattening, so I try not to eat them too much," Misa replied, wrinkling her nose and sniffing haughtily.

"If you use your head, you can still eat sweets without gaining weight," L stated matter-of-factly.

"Hey! You're making fun of me again!" Kagome shifted in her sleep, drawing the attention of the investigator she was cuddling to herself. He felt her arms tighten around him momentarily and felt her sigh in contentment. After a moment of thought on Misa's part, she leaned forward as if to negotiate. "If I give you the cake, then will you leave me alone with Light?"

"Even if I leave you two alone, I'll be watching with the surveillance cameras. It's the same thing."

"You pervert!" Misa shrieked. "Will you stop doing these sick things?" She straightened her posture and leaned back onto the couch unhappily.

"Call me whatever you like. I'm taking your cake," L announced. He paused in his conquest when he realized Kagome was still clinging to him. Surely he couldn't move without waking her. And she needed her sleep due to long periods of time spent outside of her body as an ikiryo. It wasn't healthy how she continuously went without proper sleep, but there wasn't much he could do about it. He just hoped she got at least an hour or two of sleep before having to head off again. "Amane-san, could you hand me the cake?"

"What?" Misa asked dubiously. Her gaze caught Kagome before she huffed and handed the cake over unhappily, resisting the urge to just toss it into his face. But she had a reputation to uphold, so she didn't. "She sleeps more than she works. Are you sure she's good for this case?" she grumbled instead, rolling her eyes.

"She's a hard worker," L replied, his mouth watering at the sight of the cake before him. Slight irritation marred him, though, when Misa dared to comment on Kagome's worth of the case.

"You know, I'll just close the curtains and turn off the lights!" Misa pursued ignoring L's statement.

"We also have infrared cameras."

The teenage pop star let out a sound of sheer fury and annoyance, wanting to pull her hair at the impossible panda-eyed man presenting a challenge to her. She was going to retort, but Light began to speak."Despite moving into a fully equipped headquarters, you don't seem very enthusiastic, Ryuzaki."

L chewed on a piece of Misa's cake, regarding Light thoughtfully. Around the bite he had in his mouth, he said, "Enthusiasm, huh?" He swallowed. "I don't have any. Actually, I'm kind of depressed."

"Depressed?" Light repeated, blinking owlishly. He hadn't expected such an answer from the detective.

"Yes," L answered, monotonously. "All this time I thought you were Kira. I'm just shocked my deduction was wrong." He took a generous bite of cake and chewed a bit before adding, "But, I'm still suspicious of you, hence these." He lifted his arm lazily to jingle the chain connecting the both together. He let his arm down to the couch, his expression thoughtful. "Kira can control people's actions. In other words, Kira was controlling you to make me suspect that you were Kira. You and Misa were both controlled by Kira. When I think about that, everything matches up."

"By that reasoning, Misa and I were controlled, but doesn't that still mean we're Kira?" Light wondered out loud, staring at L as the man ate. He crossed his arms, his gaze narrowing in suspicion. He didn't like where this was headed.

"Yes, I don't think I'm wrong about that. You're both Kira. I think that when you were confined, you were Kira. And while you were confined, criminals stopped dying. You were Kira until then, so it works out. But after two weeks, criminals began dying again." L looked over at Light out of the corner of his eye. "Based on that evidence, I think Kira's power can be passed from person to person." He returned his piercing steel gaze down to his cake.

"That's...an interesting idea. But if that's true, it won't be easy to catch Kira," Light sighed, frowning in thought. He stared out of Misa's window as he rolled the idea around in his mind.

"Yes. That is why I'm at a loss. Even if we catch those under Kira's control, Kira's powers will be passed on to others and the former will have no memory of their actions. Which means it's useless to catch anyone."

Light's gaze returned to L's in shock. He smiled uneasily at the investigator. "But that hasn't been decided yet, right? Cheer up."

"Cheer... up?" L asked, his expression curious. "I can't. No, it's better to not try so hard. Our lives will be in danger if we desperately try to chase him."

"Ryuzaki," Light growled out menacingly. The insomniac looked over at his teenage "friend" and was promptly punched in the face, sending L backwards due to the blunt force. The sudden impact knocked him into the dozing Kagome before he fell over the arm of the couch and onto the hard wood floor. Misa shrieked in shock as Kagome jumped to her feet, barely dodging Light as he was pulled along by the chain connected to L.

Just before he fell, Light righted himself, standing over L as the investigator sat up. "That hurt," L admitted, surprised.

"Stop messing around!" Light ordered. "You don't feel like doing anything just because your deduction was wrong?"

"I may have phrased that wrong," L murmured, wiping his mouth roughly using the back oh his hand. "I meant it would be a waste for us to make a move, so we shouldn't-"

"There's no way we can catch him if we don't chase him! Do you know how many innocent people you're involving in this case?" Light demanded, seething. He grabbed the front of L's shirt and lifted him by the collar slightly. Kagome moved to intervene and knock some civility into Light, literally, but stopped when she noticed L's demeanor suddenly change into that of defense.

"I know," L responded softly. "But for whatever reason..." L ducked free and lurged to the side, kicking Light under his chin harshly. "An eye for an eye."

The chain pulled L as Light toppled back onto the far side of the couch, leaving L to fall onto it as well, narrowly avoiding falling onto Light. The couch creaked under their sudden weight and force, and it tipped back, sending them rolling onto the floor. L quickly sat up. "It's not that my deduction was wrong. The fact is, the case isn't going to be solved simply as Light Yagami is Kira and Misa Amane is Second Kira. So I was a bit depressed. I'm human. Am I not allowed to feel like that?" L asked honestly.

"No, it's not," Light ground out, still furious. "The way you talk. It's as if you won't be satisfied unless I'm Kira!"

"I won't be satisfied unless you're Kira?" L repeated angrily. "That may be true. I just realized I wanted you to be Kira." Light moved to punch L again, and the detective hadn't moved to defend himself. Kagome refused to have him get struck again and jolted forward to grab a hold of Light's wrist, twisting slightly to freeze the teenager in his tracks momentarily. What she didn't expect was his defiance to her will and his sudden wrench of his wrist to free himself. The sudden force knocked Kagome over and it sent her backwards, only to land sitting on the table. Unluckily, the miko had sat in Light's uneaten portion of cake, the white and purple frosting sticking to her ass as she stared shocked at Light's strength. Perhaps she misjudged him.

Light threw another blow to L's face, his fist connecting with the investigators cheek, leaving L to reel for a split second, his rage barely masked when he saw Light push Kagome back. "An eye... for an eye. I'll have you know, I'm pretty strong," L said. He twisted out of Light's punch and roundhouse kicked his adversary's face. Light pulled the chain to get the upper hand on L, but he didn't succeed. The pair grabbed fistfuls of each others shirt, raising their fists to strike the other down, when the phone rang.

They men released each other and L went to the toppled over phone to answer. "Yes?"

"Please listen, Ryuzaki," came Matsuda's voice sheepishly. "Misa-Misa is number one in Eighteen Magazine's reader popularity poll!"

"Yes I see," L replied, obviously not sharing the Task Force member's excitement.

"That means it's been decided that she'll be starring as the heroine in the next film by the director, Nishineke!" Matsuda shouted happily.

L promptly hung up by dropping the phone on it's stand. "What's wrong?" Light asked him casually despite the recent fight.

"Matsuda's acting stupid again," he answered.

"Well, Matsuda is a natural at that," the former Kira mumbled.

Kagome looked up at the camera with an apologetic smile. "You know he can hear us, right?" The occupants of the room shrugged and Kagome sighed, standing from her position in the table. As she feared, cake was smeared all over the butt of her favorite pair of jeans. "This was my favorite pair of jeans!" she complained, glaring daggers at Light, who looked at her strangely, unknowing he was the cause of her debacle. "Aren't you supposed to be an adult? In college? How can you be fighting with the man investigating the Kira case like a child? I swear, if I were your mother, I'd send you straight to your room and wouldn't let you out for days on end!" She was so distracted with admonishing Light, that Kagome completely missed L's gaze on her rear.

However, it didn't go unnoticed by an ikiryo Kouga, who watched from the Task Force's surveillance screens beside an uncomfortable Matsuda. The wolf demon guffawed at L's obviousness. "I knew he liked her!" Matsuda frowned up at Kouga, but said nothing in order to avoid being called crazy in addition to his title of stupid by his fellow investigators.

Two Months Later

Ayame lounged on the leather couch beside Matsuda, taking a brief nap as he texted back and forth with his new mentor, Shiori. She was explaining various exercises to him again to reign in his yoki and keep it in check. Kagome sat in an office chair, spinning around like she did when she was a child. She giggled, blue eyes wide with delight as Aizawa pushed her chair to make her go faster and chuckled when she bumped into the big desk, which abruptly stopped her amusing pass-time.

Light made a small sound of annoyance when one of the stacks of papers fell over due to Kagome's chair. L refrained from laughing at his strange companion and instead focused on what Light was doing. "Ryuzaki, I know you're not feeling up to it, but come over here for a second," the teen said, waving him over. The detective wheeled over and looked over at the computer screen curiously. Kagome, being the curious miko she is, wheeled over as well, bumping into L's chair as she did. "Take a good look at this. Isn't it unbalanced?" L put a finger to his lip, glancing over the statistics in front of him and nodded. "All three of them were prominent Japanese businessmen. They all died of heart attacks. As a result, Yotsuba's stock prices rose and those of the other companies dropped. In other words, they are deaths in Yotsuba's favor," Light continued. "Checking back, there've been as many as thirteen such cases in the past three months. What do you think? I can only conclude that Kira is supporting Yotsuba."

Kagome narrowed her eyes on the news, and L noticed her change of expression and stature. 'Could the shinigami really be as stupid as to rejoin the human world so soon?' Kagome thought with a slight frown marring her face. 'And if so, which one is it? Ryuk, or the bone one?' Her eyes went to Light suspiciously. 'Could this be a part of Light's elaborate plan?'

"Yes, but if that's true then punishing criminals is not this Kira's true intent," L replied, his voice placid.

"Yeah, he's punishing criminals as a front and killing people for the benefit of his company," Light said with a small smile. "Do you feel more enthusiastic now?"

Later in the evening, both Mogi and Soichiro joined the Task Force in the main room stiffly. Matsuda noticed from his place on the couch and he jumped up, much to Ayame's displeasure since the shifted weight of the couch woke her up, and he rushed to meet the pair. "Chief! Oh you too, Mogi! Great job!" He stopped when he was in front of them. "It's amazing! With Light's help, the theory that Kira is involved with the Yotsuba group had become stronger."

"Yotsuba?" Ayame repeated, glancing at Kagome, who nodded. The wolf demoness nodded back and promptly left to inform the rest of the agents.

"That's probably the case, Matsuda," Soichiro said, putting a hand on his fellow Task Force members' shoulder. Matsuda was instantly on the defensive, knowing something was wrong. "We just heard from the Director that Kira's offered bribes yo politicians. The police caved into Kira." At this point, everyone looked over at the Chief in horror. "Mogi has already made up his mind, but..." he trailed off, shifting his weight nervously. "Aizawa, Matsuda, if you still want to pursue Kira, then turn in your letters of resignation to the NPA with Mogi and me." Aizawa and Matsuda looked at the man strangely, mouths slightly agape. Soichiro reiterated his meaning, "We can not pursue Kira anymore unless you quit the police force."

"What do you mean?" Aizawa sputtered, refusing to believe the words coming out of his chief's mouth.

"It's simple," Soichiro said, frowning. "We were told that we would be fired if we were to pursue Kira with L."

"So then, Chief, you really... you're really quitting?" Matsuda asked, brows raised.

"In a few hours, I'll no longer going to be your chief. But you still have your own lives. Please think hard before you make your decision."

After a moment of silence, L finally said something. "I think you should all remain as police officers. I was alone to begin with and I'm to you all for sticking with me this far, but I can do it myself. I'll be sure to visit you all at the police department and bring you Kira's head as a gift."

"That's right," Kagome assisted. "You have family's to think about. Putting yourself in unnecessary danger when L, Watari, myself and Amaya is fully capable to handle the Kira case is not a bright idea. Please, leave it to us. We will not fault you for leaving."

"Ryuzaki, as long as Amaya, Rin and I are here, you won't be alone. You have my promise," Light announced.

"That's right, I'll have them working with me until I catch Kira. But everyone else should remain as police officers," L said, staring at his computer screen.

"But you told us you needed the help of the police in this case," Soichiro pointed out, confused.

L took a moment to observe the cherry he held by it's stem before answering, "That's because the police, as an organization, didn't bow to Kira and hoped to arrest him. I don't really think the help of two or three civilians who quit the police force can really count as police. Also, the police have decided that they don't want to catch Kira, so that's enough." L popped the cherry into his mouth, stem and all.

"It's true we wouldn't be of much help not being police officers," Soichiro conceded, "but what about our feelings? We've risked our lives to catch Kira. We at least have the right to decide whether we stay here or remain as police officers!"

L frowned as he pulled the knotted cherry stem from his mouth. Kagome watched him in interest, her thoughts surrounding his ability to tie a cherry stem into a knot. "Means he's a good kisser," Kouga pointed out with a laugh. Kagome jumped and looked to her right to see her wolf demon friend floating beside her.

"Don't scare me like that," she hissed quietly, her cheeks pink at being caught. Her gaze returned to L shyly, who was staring at her out of the corner of his eyes in confusion.

L set the cherry stem down on a small circular plate before speaking again. "I suppose you're right. Then decide which you want to do."

"But Chief, if you quit the police force, you'll be unemployed. Even if we catch Kira, what are you going to do afterward?" Aizawa asked him, his brow furrowing.

"Afterward, huh?" Soichiro wondered, regarding the new issue. "I haven't thought about it, but after we catch Kira, I guess I'll be looking for a job again." The chief of the police smiled despite the serious situation.

"I've decided!" Matsuda yelled excitedly, grinning widely. "I'm also going to quit the police and chase Kira! I'll still do my job as Misa-Misa's manager and besides, if I remained as a police officer, I'd feel like a loser."

"Watch what you say, Matsuda," Soichiro ordered sternly, looking past him to see a contemplative Aizawa.

Matsuda turned to look at his friend and lost the smile on his face. "How about if I remained as a police officer and helped you in my spare time?" Aizawa asked hopefully, refusing to give up on his dream of catching Kira. It wasn't fair to him that he had to quit, but he knew his family came first and it was important to give them support.

"That's no good," L deadpanned. "If you remain a police officer, please don't come back here."

"I won't leak information!" he shouted angrily, face contorting into fury.

"I won't give you any information. As detectives, you are free to chase Kira. But I don't think it's right to give up your livelihoods and harm your families just to catch Kira."

"It's as Ryuzaki says," Soichiro agreed. "No one will blame you if you quit now."

"That's right! No one will think of you as a traitor," Matsuda added, trying to ease the anger Aizawa was expressing.

"But Chief, you have a family too," Aizawa accused.

"Our situations are different."

"That's not fair!" It didn't matter that he sounded like a child. He wanted to continue chasing and catching Kira. He already spent so much time and energy to beat the murderer; he didn't want to give up now. "I want to help to. I was prepared to die anytime. And if I quit here, how will I face Ukita? Damn it! Why can't a detective working for the police chase Kira?"

Suddenly, Watari's 'W' appeared on screen, casting a white glow across the dimmed room. "Ryuzaki," Watari called, his voice coming over the speakers. "In case anything happened to a member of the Task Force, even if they were fired, you entrusted me to make preparations so that financial support would be offered to their families so that they would never be in need for the rest of their lives. Why aren't you informing them of this?"

"Watch what you say Watari," L warned.

"I apologize."

"Oh, so our livelihood was secured?" Matsuda questioned before his smile returned. "Aren't you glad Aizawa?"

Aizawa glared venomously at the L's back. "Ryuzaki, were you watching to see if I would quit the police to join you?"

"It's not like that Aizawa," Soichiro cut in swiftly. "Ryuzaki just doesn't like to say things like that himself."

"No," L denied. "I was testing you. I was watching to see which you would choose."

Kagome frowned at this, glancing over at a confused looking Kouga."He's lying," Kouga murmured. "Why is he lying?"

'He's choosing for Aizawa,' Kagome realized. 'He wants him to go back to his family. That by keeping him on board the Kira case, it risks Aizawa's and his family's lives.'

L ignored Kouga's muttered words and focused on the seething man through the reflection on his screen. "All right! I'll quit and remain as a police officer!" Aizawa shouted. "I couldn't make a decision quickly like you all and I was leaning towards staying a police officer anyway."

"Don't be so stubborn," Matsuda complained.

"No, I quit! It's becoming clear to me once more. I hate Ryuzaki. I hate the way he does everything!" He turned to leave, stomping towards the door when he heard L's next words.

"But I like people like you," L stated.

Aizawa paused in his trail to the door and whirled on the detective. "And I hate how he can say those things like this so shamelessly! I quit!" He left promptly after that, leaving no room for argument.

"Thank you very much for your hard work," L called out after him as the door slammed shut.

"Follow Aizawa," Kagome whispered to Kouga. "Make sure he's safe with his family. Then report back to me." The wolf demon bowed his head slightly before melting through the doors Aizawa had just left through.

"I found another," Light said. L turned to Light after sipping his coffee. "The branch manager of Yotsuba's biggest rival bank died on September 7th when he slipped on the steps of his home."

"September 7th was his birthday," Soichiro added, walking in with a document in hand. "I checked once more and discovered that the deaths that are beneficial to Yotsuba are concentrated around the weekend. At first, the times of deaths were random, but gradually, they became concentrated around Friday nights through Saturday afternoons."

"It's amazing you caught that Chief!" Matsuda praised.

"I told you, I'm no longer chief," Soichiro grumbled.

"This should be some sort of hint, Dad," Light told him.

"I haven't lost to you and Ryuzaki yet," the former chief claimed with a dry laugh. "I don't want to be dead weight."

"Is Kira someone from Yotsuba or is Kira using Yotsuba?" L wondered out loud, his eyes trained on Kagome and Ayame, who were speaking in hushed tones off to the side of the room. "I haven't figured it out yet, but let's investigate this with the assumption that this is Kira's doing. Let's thoroughly investigate Yotsuba!"

Mogi set down stacks of files onto the desk beside L. "I've compiled a list of all domestic employees in the Yotsuba Group," he told him.

"Thank you," L thanked, looking over the files. "300,000, huh? I'm surprised you compiled the list so quickly."

"That's amazing Mr. Mogi," Light commented, eying the heavy stack. "You've been amazing from the beginning."

Matsuda pursed his lips slightly, feeling slightly useless at this point. While Soichiro and Mogi had been busy and useful, he hadn't. "Ryuzaki! Is there anything I can do besides being a manager?"

"You want to be more useful?" L asked.

"Yes, of course!"

"Then can you get me another cup of coffee?"

"What?" Matsuda asked, surprised.

"And for our guests over there." L motioned towards the people sitting on the couch. One was a woman with curly blond hair and the other was a man with dirty blond hair. The man lifted a hand in greeting and Ayame sneered.

"Who are they? When did they get in?" Matsuda asked with wide eyes.

"They are our new members."

The man and woman both stood to join everyone. The woman wore a striped, stylish office-like outfit and wore dark red lipstick that stood out against her pale skin. Black sunglasses hid her eye color from the group. The man wore a black casual suit with a mauve dress shirt. He stood tall compared to his companion.

"I'm Aiber. A con-man. Pleased to meet you," Aiber introduced with a nod and a smirk.

"Wedy. I'm a thief by trade," Wedy nearly sighed.

"A con-man and a thief?" Soichiro frowned.

"Yes. Aiber has excellent social skills," L told the Task Fore. "He's a con-man who can cozy up to our target. We'll use him to infiltrate Yotsuba. Wedy is a thief who can crack any lock, safe or security system. As proof, she entered without any of us noticing."

"We have to work with criminals," Soichiro stated bluntly, eyes narrowing on the pair before him distastefully.

"They're criminals," L agreed. "But not the type who will surface and be killed by Kira. Think of them as pros of the underworld."

"I see. If we want to investigate Yotsuba, we need people like them," Light nodded, looking them over. "Let's work together and give it our best!"

Aiber caught sight of Kagome and Ayame before grinning lewdly. The women stepped up to give him their false names so he wouldn't blow their cover. "Aiber, so good to see you again," Kagome smiled uneasily. "You may call me Rin for this particular case."

"Amaya,"Ayame nodded. Inuyasha slid into the room through the wall and glared at the male demon standing a mere two feet away from Kagome.

"Oi, what the hell is this asshole doing here?" the hanyo growled. "Aiber, is it? Aren't you supposed to be in England or something?"

"Last time we saw you, you were in England," Kagome told him, so he could answer Inuyasha's question without suspicion.

"I was," Aiber replied, taking hold of Kagome's chin and tilting it up in a mock kissing gesture. "But Ryuzaki enlisted my help."

Kagome shoved him away with a grimace and left the room without looking back, muttering, "Asshole," under her breath.

Matsuda took in a deep breath, closing his eyes to get a better image of what Ashna's and Shiori's auras looked like without the distraction of the two very attractive women in front of him. His mentor was instructing that it would be easier to sense people's energy by keeping him closed off to the world as possible in order to concentrate on his yoki. Behind his closed eyelids, he saw a faint lavender glow that he assumed was Shiori's energy. His yoki pulled hard against his body as he forced it outwards. It was like a rubber band; pulling and stretching to a point he couldn't take it.

Before he could even get close to Ashna's aura, it snapped back and slammed into him like he just ran into a brick wall. The air was knocked out of him as he was thrusted back and onto the floor. Matsuda gasped in an attempt to regain his breath as Ashna laughed loudly at his misfortune. The poor former police officer opened his brown eyes, staring up at the pale ceiling for a few moments before Shiori came into his line of vision, looking concerned.

"Are you all right, Matsuda?" Matsuda sat up with the help of his new teacher and nodded, still unable to speak through his gasping breath. "Perhaps I set Ashna a little far out of your reach. You were doing so well. Don't worry, you'll be able to get to her soon. Let's try again, yes?"

"Y-Yes," Matsuda studdered, standing to regain his masculinity.

"Move forward a bit, Ashna."

The tigress demon took a few steps forward in their mostly cleared out hotel living room. She now stood 6 feet away instead of the 10 she was at. Matsuda nodded at the grinning red-head and closed his eyes again to center himself. He pushed against his yoki and saw Shiori's close lavender glow. With a monumental effort, he at last reached Ashna's energy and gasped when he felt the aggressive red yoki brush his. He completely enveloped her contained yoki and jumped when he felt it suddenly push against his yoki. It felt like needles were pricking his skin, and it soon became the pain of razor blades slicing into him. Matsuda recoiled, losing his grip on his yoki, and it returned to him forcefully. He flew back until he slammed into the wall and slid down, sitting against the wall.

"Ashna!" Shiori admonished, rushing to help her unconscious student. She began fanning him frantically when she noticed he didn't come around like most demons and half demons did after a blow like that. She was definitely in for it for accepting him as a student. She had a feeling that more situations like this would happen in the near-future. Especially since Ashna was on the case as well.

"What?" Ashna asked innocently, failing to hide the smirk across her face. "I told you I wasn't going to go easy on him. Besides, you're too nice. He needs a good push to get him going. Maybe I pushed him a little too hard."

"That wasn't a push," the half demon woman muttered. "More like a shove."

Kouga trailed after the man he was sent to watch and rested in a tree when he saw Aizawa sit at a park bench. The sun was just beginning to set, letting an eerie orange and pink glow to settle on the land before it slowly began to dim. A pretty woman pushing a stroller and a young girl walked past him when the little girl recognized him. "It's Daddy!"

The girl ran to meet her father and hugged him tightly. "Yumi?" Aizawa asked incredulously.

"What are you doing here?" his wife questioned as she joined them with the stroller. When Aizawa didn't answer quick enough, she continued. "At least tell me if you're coming home. I haven't bought enough for your dinner."

"I'll give you half of my croquette!" Yumi cheered, tightening her hold on him.

"Sorry," Aizawa apologized. "I haven't had a break in some time now, so I got some time off."

"Huh? Is a time off a break?" his daughter asked curiously.

Kouga's smile mirrored Aizawa's at her naive, childish behavior. Kouga always denied his soft-spot for children, but in actuality, he loved being around them. He tried to hide it, but always failed. "Yeah. That's what it is," Aizawa replied, smiling down at her.

"All right!" Yumi squealed, clapping her hands in 5-year-old excitement.

"From now on, I can have a break every week. So I can take you to this park, no. The zoo, or even an amusement park," Aizawa began choking back a sob, holding his daughter tightly. Kouga stood from his perch, looking down at the family with a gentle smile before going off to return to the Shikon no Tama's miko.

L looked over the recent activity of the Yotsuba group quietly in the dark main room. The bright screen light lit the room up slightly, revealing a sleeping Light at the desk, his face resting on the hard wood covered with files. His eyes drifted over to a slumbering Kagome, who was resting on the leather couch with her arm over her head and long legs twisted in the sheet she was cuddling. He had no idea why she even had a sheet to begin with, since she didn't seem to be using it for anything other than something to "cuddle" as she puts it. She wore just a plain white tank and black Hello Kitty fuzzy pants that rode low on her hips. Her toned stomach was partially revealed due to her raised arm position and from his place at the desk, L could see a large splattered scar over her hip. Smaller scars were evident over her shoulders and even a few on her chest. Her forearms were especially marked, by what, he didn't know, but he knew there was some kind of history behind them. His scrutiny continued as he looked at her feet, seeing the dark scar tissue covering the expanse of her toes, heels and ankles. It was as if her feet had been subject to intense flame or even acid.

He frowned at the thought of her being harmed in any way, but such scarring on her body horrified him. 'What did she do in her past to deserve that amount of scars?' he wondered, eyes training on the scar over her hip. 'What did she fight to obtain them? What did she sacrifice? What did she lose? How could she still be alive?'

"Is it that terrible?" Kagome's voice asked softly. L's steely gaze went to her dark sapphire blue eyes and he contemplated on what to say tactfully. He instead opted out by shaking his head. A bitter laugh passed through the miko's pink lips and she ran a hand through her black mane before sitting up and adjusting her clothes to cover the scar across her hip. "You don't have to lie for my sake," she told him. "I know its quite disturbing to see anyone with this amount of damage done to their bodies. But really, there is nothing I can do. I can see the questions in your eyes, L." L said nothing as she sighed, a faraway look overcoming her features. "You're wondering what happened. Why I have so many markings on my skin, am I right?"

"You are correct," L finally said. Kagome's lips pursed and she looked up at the ceiling, unable to meet his gaze evenly.

"It is... a very long and complicated story. One that is hard to believe," she admitted, her voice tired and worn.

"Demons, half demons, Komainu, snake women, the Kuchisake Onna, Ikiryo..." L trailed off, listing the creature he has came across since meeting the strange team from the west. "All are hard to believe. But I accepted it due to your proof. What makes you think I won't believe you now after you had shown me so much of the true world as it stands now? Had you not told me of this, I wouldn't have known that Shinigami is real, and that the Death Note is real. You have not given me a reason to distrust you, so why would I not believe you if you told me of your past?"

The shrine maiden locked gazes with him as she told him seriously, "I was pulled into a well by a centipede demoness and time-traveled 500 years into the past."

L's expression didn't change, however his mind was going a mile-a-minute. Endless questions plagued his mind as he tried to believe what she was saying. "You're right, it is hard to believe-"

"I told you. Just forget it."

"You didn't allow me to finish," the detective reasoned. "It's hard to believe, but I do believe that you're speaking the truth."

Kagome glanced at Light, then back to L. "My story is long and can not be heard by just anyone. There are legends of myself, though my last name was never used. You must not speak of this to anyone." L nodded, urging her to speak. Her eyes went to Light again. "But I mustn't tell you while he is here, should he wake up." The woman closed her eyes and laid down once again.

After a few moments, L watched as a piece of Kagome's soul separated from her body. She wore only a white yukata as she approached L and sat on the desk, her feet dangling off the side. She took a deep breath and looked to the floor, her pale skin glowing against the computer screen. "My story begins when I was in middle school..."

A/N: And there you have it! Updated (at last). Hopefully it's good and up to ya'll's standards. I wanna thank those who've stayed with me this far. It's almost been a year since I first began writing this. Hard to believe for me.

Recently there is this image thingy I can put with my fanfic, and I was debating on what to put. I fancy myself with photography and was hoping to match something with the title, but I haven't found anything that would be good scenery. Any suggestions please? Or if you wanna draw one, I might put it up *hint hint* lol PM me with any suggestions on what would be a good cover, neh?

As a side note, I wanna highlight my newest character: Ashna. She is actually modeled after a very good friend of mine, who has been a great friend to me since freshmen year of high school. I made her a tiger demon because that is what she wanted and because she's obsessed with the Tiger's Curse Saga by Colleen Houck. If you caught my reference to the two princes, Ren and Kishan, then good for you! I have her permission to use her personality and name, so yeah. She is actually using one of my OC's (Murasaki) in her fanfic (her pen name is queenofsurf13). Thanks Ashna! Again, thanks everyone! I'm done with my ramblings, so please leave a review on how I did and etc. etc.. Ja ne!

-KiriKatana

P.S. Longest chapter written thus far! Hurray!