Breakthrough

Inside the Task Force Headquarters, L looked at the envelope in his hand, with an expressionless face.

How the envelope appeared in his room was a mystery, but inside, it contained the answers he had been looking for. He has always found it unexplainable how Kira's method of killing transcends the means of a normal serial killer.

He has joked around to himself about the possibility of Kira being an Esper, but that was just a joke in the end. He, with his rational mind, would not believe in fantasy, as he lived in the real world. However, this envelope challenged his assertions, but it opened up a door for him.

Still, he did not take this information at face value and sent people to check its credibility.

Well, there was no doubt about the person's loyalty, but the information was too important to leave on trust.

That being said, if this was in fact true, his guess would be confirmed as correct. Still, without a second hand confirmation, Justice would not be served in it's entirety.

~Knock ~ knock -

Hearing the knocks at the door, L turned around and with a brief smile on his face.

"Come in."

Just as he predicted, it was the person he trusted the most, Watari.

Walking inside, Watari closed the door behind him, with a stack of papers in his hand, "It's just as you suspected, L-sama. Surveillance of the Yagami Household revealed abnormalities in Light - Kun's behavior - a noticeable change that emerged after Kira appeared. Prior to this, he was a normal student, but now he seems to be trying to cover his tracks, which is suspicious. What is there for him to hide? And why? Additionally, it has been determined that Light - kun had a brief contact with Agent Penbar, meaning he may be responsible for Agent Penbar's death."

"Slowly, everything is falling into place." L remembered receiving a report from the Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation about the loss of their field agents, which made him wonder how that was possible. These were highly trained combatants and investigators, how could they simply disappear without word?

Whatever force was responsible, had to be better trained and sophisticated.

There was also the possibility that the Japanese Government had discovered the agents and used countermeasures, but that is unlikely when the government is also trying to locate Kira.

This is one of the few times that nations have joined hands in solving a criminal case, in which each country was being challenged by a common foe.

As far as L knows, no one was aware of the FBI's involvement, besides himself and the Bureau. However, it's undoubtedly a slap to the face that a highly skilled agent was killed on his watch, under his orders no less.

L did not have any overlap with Penbar, but that did not change the anger he had felt. The more deaths that happened as a result of him, the more incompetent he feels.

Closing his eyes, L cleared his mind and recalled what he knew about Penbar's death.

When they were going through the surveillance camera at the train station, it showed a scene that depicted Penbar being in contact with Kira, which may be the cause behind comrades' deaths.

Penbar's death had been caught on camera, showing him reaching towards the slowly moving train as if attempting to say something, before collapsing.

"Although I am eager to throw him behind bars, I am afraid I can't. Showing change in behavior, which is out of character, does not equal to being Kira. How many people's behaviors change as a result of this mass murder? It's too many but that being said, he is very suspicious. Everything he does seems to be executed to reach some kind of goal."

"It is as you said, L-sama." said Watari as he bowed.

"Thank you, for your hard work. This confirms it - Light Yagami is indeed Kira. While I would like to bring him in right away, it's too dangerous for a number of reasons. According to this letter, Yagami is in possession of a Death Note, a Shinigami's grimoire. Do you happen to know where Yagami is currently located?"

Watari - King of Death - let out a sigh before responding. "Unfortunately, the agent tasked with monitoring Light - kun said he changed his route at the last minute, which caused the agent to lose him. However, the agent believes that the reason for the change in Light - Kun's route was due to a phone call he received. As of now, we are incapable of tracking the caller. We could use a warrant to retrieve the phone data from that moment."

L shook his head in disappointment and tapped the table as he considered their options. "No, we can't wait that long." Biting his nails, L looked at Watari and slid over an envelope, "For now, I want you to investigate this person and find out who they have been in contact with."

The room became silent as L started to think. Watari did not interrupt him and instead waited patiently.

"It would be suspicious to just remove the Yagamis' from the Task Force, so I want you to announce that we have caught Kira, meaning the Task Force is no longer needed. I will contact the National Public Safety Commission of the Cabinet Office and have them give the detectives a believable story. I'm sorry you have to do this but you are the only one I trust."

"I understand, I am here to lighten your load." Watari thought for a moment before bringing up a concern. "What about the Life Bringer? We haven't gained any new information recently. Not only that, the number of people being revived is less than before. I wonder, is this the Life Bringer telling us something?"

L responded firmly, "Right now, our priority is confirming the status of that individual and bringing Kira in. The Life Bringer will have to wait. Unlike Kira who only brings death, Life Bringer is less of a threat."

L leaned back in his chair and continued to ponder his next move.

Watari smiled inwardly, and refrained from speaking. It was always interesting for him to observe humans, especially the clever ones.

Watari had incarnated in the Human World since the creation of the Shinigami Realm, experiencing the life of mortals. As he created more and more incarnations of himself, the stronger and more profound his understanding of humans.

Of all the humans he had raised as an incarnation, L was around the pinnacle.

Within a limited span of time, L absorbed all of his knowledge and made it his own, which was truly terrifying in its own way. If he could live longer, what level could he reach? Such a frightening prospect.

Leaving the room, Watari's body flickered, reappearing in another room of the Headquarters, housing the detectives of the Task Force.

Despite being the Task Force Headquarters, there were areas that even the detectives cannot enter, L's room being one of them.

Watari called the detectives and told them exactly what L wanted, causing the Task Force to be disbanded.

The detectives were surprise, wondering how that was possible. They could tell something was wrong but couldn't quite put their finger on it.

Watari looked at the men and spoke with gratitude and respect, " The National Public Safety Commission of the Cabinet Office have requested that the detectives be given a week off at the expense of the state. Go home, you all deserve it." This was the only way he saw the detectives leaving without asking too much questions.

This was effective, especially, since the detectives have been put under pressure of life and death, with many quitting as a result.

Watari originally left the Shinigami Realm with the desire of exploring the universe but the current situation with Kira and the ongoing investigation had held this goal back. He is aware that Momonga was keeping a close eye on Light -kun and the brat, Ryuk, and he didn't want to disrupt the progress L and the Task Force had made so far.

Only after making sure Watari has a fitting death, will he leave.

The Shinigami Realm has been nothing but a prison for him, for the last thousands of years, it was time to spread his wings.

When Yggdrasil still existed, he was free to travel as his father governed the World of Death under the goddess Hel. However, after his father's death, the boy he once, had to grow up and become a protector of those beneath him, like his father once did.

As they say, war only creates two things, monsters and orphans. He turned out to be both.

Bringing his phone out, Watari called a number, asking them to look into the envelope.

He was actually surprised because he did not know where the envelope came from. Although he looked like an Old Man, he was not human to begin with. He is an ancient being with thousands of eyes, meaning he knows almost everything with the Shinigami Realm and the Human World, yet this envelope evaded his notice.

Sighing in wonder, Watari returned to L's side, ready to provide aid.

As the one who trained L, it would not be a lie to say L surpasses him in deductive abilities. Though he was good, L was better, and he was proud of this fact; that was the reason why he created the Wanny's House, to create talented individuals, who would put even him to shame.

With Watari keeping watch, L fully focused on the task at hand, trying to learn more information about Yagami and Kira. Because of how serious this was, he couldn't afford to let anything distract him.

With his deductive ability, L was able to analyze the situation from different angles, trying to see if he missed anything and to his dismay he did.

Back when he met Yagami's girlfriend, Misa Amane, he remembered her constantly staring at his head or more accurately above it, and according to that envelope, when a person sign a deal with a Shinigami, they gain the Eyes of Death, being able to see a person's lifespan and name, which is a readily made ability for those who wants to kill with the Death Note.

What this means, is currently his life was no longer in his hands. The enemy knows his true name and face.

L was quite alarmed but he was not scared. He already acknowledged he would most likely die doing this job.

Still, the fact he has not been killed yet, made him confused. It was some time ago he met Misa Amane, if not for that envelope, it would be impossible for me to link Misa and Light Yagami as holders of the Death Note.

However, even if he did not know this, Light Yagami would not think so.

L have proven time and time again how ausute he was. Him knowing about the Death Note would not be suprising.

Without Watari, it would be difficult to reach his current stage in the investigation. Wholly devoted to the case and having someone in charge of the minor things, was the only way he could showcase his full potential.

Of course, this was impossible if he did not trust Watari as he did. And it was not hard considering that Watari was the one who raised him.

They have been on many cases together, all around the world, honing their compatibility with one another.

When he first got introduced to the Kira case, L had thought it was a simple serial killer incident but even he was baffled by the method of killing as it was uncanny. However, as an expert and professional, he overcame all odds and reached the final stages of the investigations; he doubted he could reach this stage without Watari.