Author's Notes:

Surprise! An update!

Should I surprise you again? I really believe a good soundtrack for this chapter involves any Queen hit. Choose any of your favorites, and see how well it marries the events of the chapter.

"Mr. Lawliet…Light Yagami," Pastor Mikami says, when L and Light walk into his office for another of their lessons in Church curriculum. "May the gods be with you."

"And with you, Pastor Mikami," L recites dutifully. He told Light only minutes before, inside the carriage, that one of his goals for this meeting was to impress upon the Pastor how very dedicated he has been in his course of study of Church teaching – the better to lull the Pastor into a false sense of security, that L might increase his chances of inducing him to let slip something of the murders. Perhaps even slip something concerning Kiyomi Takada, as well.

L and Light take their customary seats: high-backed wooden chairs, absent of any cushion, designed with only a passing consideration for the human spine.

"I trust you are both in good health," the Pastor says cursorily. Without waiting for a response, he continues on, "Do you have the virtue treatises I sent you for study?"

L nods, forgoing comment on Pastor Mikami's rudeness. He begins pulling scrolls out of a pocket in the lining of his coat, making a great show of fumbling with them.

"Courage…wisdom…justice, and…" he says, naming them off as each scroll emerges. The last he calls out with a flourish, "Peace!"

Dear L,

No matter our recent disagreements, and no matter the frustration that a lack of progress has made in that arena, I feel confident in one thing, at least:

We have our man.

I am sure that you and I are of one mind in this. There can be no mistaking it. He is the one we hunt. His indirect protestations, his pointed inquiries, his eyes when they met yours – he could not veil the fire of challenge in them, and how badly then did I wish to tell him my exact opinion of his stated "virtue."

There is only now the small matter of capturing our prey.

Perhaps I ought to write instead 'your' prey? Perhaps I overstep by inserting myself into your work. If so, I do apologize, Suitor mine. …but something tells me you will not view it in such a way. If I might venture to assume your acquiescence in my interference, I would offer you my assistance in removing him, in whatever way necessary.

Your Match,

Light

P.S. - …I realize that our lack of the physical evidence of his culpability may, perhaps, present a small problem. So far as I am aware, even the Gentry are not permitted to simply declare guilty a suspect of their own choosing.

P.P.S - …but perhaps I am (happily) mistaken?

"You know, Pastor Mikami," L says. "I wonder if you might be willing to provide a bit of…spiritual guidance…to Light and I. We were unfortunate enough to witness at our Match Celebration a truly disturbing incident."

"A Pastor must always be willing to provide support to his flock."

"You are quite devoted, Pastor, quite devoted, and we are in your debt," L tells him. "I know not how quite to phrase the telling of what happened there. Pray, tell me if you have heard of it prior, so that I may be spared some of the awful remembrance."

"…I must confess to have heard the story, though I cannot say that every detail that reached my ears was in perfect accord with its historical reality."

"Ah, no doubt, no doubt. I needn't add to dear Light's distress with crossing every t and dotting every i of the story. And praise be to the gods that Mistress Shikibu remains among the living yet. But, Pastor, please…what are we to do with ourselves following this awful near-miss? Should we be…chastised? If our faith is left floundering?"

"No brush with the eternal can be expected to leave a man just as he was before," the Pastor says, with ill-disguised severity. "But our faith is our only recourse, our only physician, from the darkness that might otherwise consume us."

"I feel confident that I can speak for Light when I say that we shall both remember your words, in our times of trial," L says. Then, as if he were remarking upon the weather, he adds, "You know, my dear Pastor, I did hear some talk recently surrounding that suspicious incident…that one of your flock was held briefly on suspicion of being involved! There were even some scandalous rumours that it may have been a string of murders. Now…I thought to myself, I did…if anyone could be counted upon to put this vial slander to rest, it should be our dear Pastor Mikami."

"I am sure that those who spread such talk have their own demons to battle," says the Pastor. "And besides, they ought not to spread unverified hearsay…the god of truth should punish them most severely for it."

L nods.

"I agree most sincerely, and said as much to them when they attempted to ensnare me in such chin-wagging. I resolved then and there to go to one who could bring the truth to us," he says, gesturing graciously in Pastor Mikami's direction.

The Pastor seems to have no difficulty in meeting L's eyes. No shame, and no hesitation.

"Which of my flock do they accuse?" he asks.

Dear Light,

Ah, how much good it does my spirt to hear you speak so passionately in defence of my purpose. In the interest of perfect clarity, I would have taken you many months ago to be my right-hand-man in the business of detection, were business between Suitor and Match not so stringently forbidden here.

But what jurisdiction do the magistrates have over my own mind? There, you are already that very thing, and more.

To the matter of your point: I agree wholeheartedly. The only matter left to secure is, as you say, the proof.

And would that it were not such a difficult thing to come by.

I believe, before the end, we may require a trap to catch this prey. His falling into the path of our guns, as I confess to have hoped, is becoming to my mind more and more unlikely with every passing day.

Your Suitor,

L

P.S. – The Gentry, sadly, are not legally permitted to do so. Perhaps if I promise the magistrates very, very, very sincerely – with all my heart for ever and ever - not to abuse the privilege, they might make an exception?

"Well…it pains me to say, Pastor," answers L. "Pains me greatly. She seemed such a devout young woman, when I met her at our Match Celebration…Miss Kiyomi Takada."

"I should seek guidance from the gods in how to appropriately punish those who would besmirch such a name as hers," says Pastor Mikami, with real feeling. "I should not trust my own judgment in such a matter, afflicted by my own personal appreciation for her as it is, as well as my appreciation for her service to the Church."

"Of course, Pastor, of course," L agrees. "I should like to set them to rights myself - were it not forbidden by proscription of the gods, that is."

L crosses his legs at the knee, observing Pastor Mikami keenly before continuing. "But how much blame can we truly place on the town? They grieve those who were taken from them."

His voice now drops from the higher, more agreeable range he has used so far with the Pastor. It takes on a low, rumbling edge as he says, "And the murders have been vicious, I hear…dreadfully done, and in cold blood, seemingly. It is enough to send even the most pious widow into a vengeful rage. Would you not agree?"

"No one would set their lips to disagree with the grief of even one of our flock," says the Pastor. "I would find it equally reprehensible, however, to refrain from declaring that it has been awful, these past few weeks, without Miss Kiyomi Takada in our midst. It is a terrible hardship to find her absent from our Church volunteers. I feel no shame in admitting that the news of her disappearance sent me into quite the fury. I do hope that, in her pitiable lack of relations, no one has taken advantage of her."

"Such a shame to discover that all may not be well with her. Have you no idea of what could have happened? Nothing you might provide to the policehands for their search?"

"I am afraid I have nothing substantial with which to offer them aid," says the Pastor curtly.

"Such a shame," L repeats.

Silence reigns for several beats, and Light feels the quiet settle around them with a tension that could suffocate.

"Have you anything to offer them, Mr. Lawliet?" asks Pastor Mikami.

"Well, as I mentioned, I have only just become acquainted with the young woman. I would love to provide the Academy with a lead, but I am simply….out of my depth here," L answers, speaking with a small smile, one that reveals a slight hint of his canines. He gestures toward himself, plucking at his heavy coat. "Fur trader, you know."

"I cannot help but notice that your answer is neither a no nor a yes," the Pastor says icily.

"Ah, then allow me to clarify," says L smoothly. "No."

"Hmm," the Pastor says, neither agreeing nor dissenting.

"But I do have every confidence that a woman of her stature and determination should find no trouble in extracting herself from a foul person's clutches, if indeed that is where she finds herself," L continues, raising his chin.

The Pastor looks into L's eyes with cold resolve. "I should not doubt that, sir."

Dear L,

What sort of trap does one lay for a man who lays traps of his own? Shall we treat him as a fox in the henhouse? As a snake among the eggs?

In the case of the fox, we might use smoke to provoke the animal out of the coop, but such a plan means sacrifice of all that we aim to protect. A last resort, and a costly one. Done when necessary, but never with any victorious triumph after.

In the case of the snake…we would employ a different approach altogether. In most cases, even if the snake is known to be venomous, it is best to deal with the thing directly: a sharp shovel to the neck. With precision, and with extreme care, we need remove only that animal which, if left alive, would destroy the rest.

What do you think, Suitor mine? Have we a fox? Or have we a snake?

If you should seek my opinion, his sordid inquiries into our private endeavors put me more in the mind of him as a snake: sly, depraved, cunning, and unsavory.

Your Match,

Light

"You are so near to the taking of your sacred vows," the Pastor says. "I trust that all of the prescribed Courtship regulations are still in place?"

"Absolutely, Pastor," L says at once. He widens his eyes, seeming just as a Suitor in supplication should be expected to: eager for the consummation of his Match and trying to hide that fact.

"No meetings without a creditable chaperone?" Pastor Mikami inquires, one eyebrow lifted skeptically.

"My hand to the gods, I should never think of such a thing," L assures him.

"And, Light, you have had no dealings with anyone but your Accepted Suitor?"

Light would dearly love to insult the man for daring to ask such a question, but with the knowledge that doing so would be end of both his Courtship and his Match, he answers demurely, "Never, Pastor Mikami."

The Pastor nods gravely. He takes off his glasses and polishes them with a white cloth before giving voice to his most scandalous question yet.

"And of course, I do need your assurance that you have abstained from any acts of physical intimacy thus far, and that you will continue to do so until the marriage vows have been taken."

Dear Light,

Let us not forget the dear Pastor's meticulous attention to chastity. 'Abhorrent liberties,' indeed. 'Liberties' I shall happily admit to, as no other word will do for the freedom with which I have allowed my hands and mouth and mind to wander. But 'abhorrent'… 'abhorrent' simply will not do, for nothing is less abhorrent to me than the taste of your lips, or the softness of your tongue.

By the by, have you taken note of the audacious nature of Wolfram Bostein's Letters from a Copper Well? To lay about all the day long while attention is paid unceasingly to one's carnal needs? And then to complain about the intensity of it, hour after hour, day after day, in letters to no one in particular? One man's torture is another man's paradise, I suppose. The mind boggles.

(I should have no instinct to complain – nay, no instinct toward anything but hearty satisfaction, and perhaps great thirst - if you and I were to fall into such a well together.)

Your Suitor,

L

The Pastor sits behind his wooden desk, enormous in breadth and grand in shine. The office in which he, L, and Light sit is dwarfed by the desk's immense size. Carvings of the gods are etched into it, devouring the front and side panels. They are carved so deeply that chasms form between each figure, and most of the details of the artist's painstaking work are lost to shadow.

Light schools his expression into one of tight control. Pastor Mikami would surely have a great deal to say about the acts in which he and L have engaged. He would grant no mercy for their obeying the spirit of the Courtship rules, if not the letter of them; he would treat them just as guiltily as if L had known Light's body whole, and not just his mouth.

But the Pastor doesn't know, and Light believes that something kept secret is something kept safe.

Also, he has every confidence in L's ability to lie by omission.

"Of course, Pastor," says L, a small smile tugging at the corners of his lips. He ducks his head in a mockery of shyness. "Were I ever to desire to engage so…freely…with dear Light…outside the bond of sacred matrimony…well, let me say only that no mercy should be spared upon my vile person."

Pastor Mikami nods. "And you are familiar with the punishment for taking such abhorrent liberties, are you not?"

L shifts in his chair, reaching up to scratch at the back of his head uncomfortably. He plays his part well.

"Of course, I cannot claim to know the particulars so well as you, Pastor," L begins, nodding his head humbly in Pastor Mikami's direction. "But I do recall from my study of Church literature that a person guilty of such indiscretions ought to have their Suit, or Courtship, as it were, torn asunder immediately."

Pastor Mikami nods solemnly. "And…?"

"And they should have no further opportunity for marriage," L replies. "So long as they both shall live."

"Well," says Pastor Mikami. "I cannot fault your study."

"You honor me, Pastor," L says, full of embarrassed pleasure, overly gracious. "My only wish is to be that which a person of Light's loveliness deserves: a good and faithful husband."

It is only an hour until dinner, and Light is well and truly exhausted. Working the field today has been particularly grueling, and all he wants is dinner, a bath, and enough privacy to write a letter to L before falling into a deep and dreamless sleep.

Life being what it was for him…Light's evening turns out to be very different.

First and foremost, dinner is a very modest affair. The Yagami family's grain stores are being rationed for the coming winter, and Light could have eaten much more than his allotted portion. He is proud of himself for swallowing his single biscuit and cup of porridge without complaint.

Next, his bath water is even colder than usual. Autumn is in full swing, and the chill in the air keeps their bathwater icy.

After his frosty soak, Light still retains hope of writing something to L. Perhaps he shall even re-read one of L's more scandalous letters…

He crouches down, reaching under his bed to take out a quill and parchment. As always, his heart beats faster, imagining just what words he shall dare to set down to parchment this time.

But before he can scarcely begin writing, a folded note with purple ink catches his eye.

Immediately, Light's mind races to the worst. Has he misplaced one of L's letters? Has someone seen its contents? What if Mother or Father have discovered their illicit conversations? What if they were even now reading –

Unfolding the letter as fast as he is able, scanning it frantically, Light discovers something reassuring and something that is yet, perhaps, even more troubling.

Dear Miss Sayu Yagami,

How are you? I do hope you are splendid. A beauty like you deserves every happiness. I think of you often, and I wonder if you think of me?

I had my seventeenth birthday, and Father kept his word. I am the proud owner of a palamino gelding. Ah, but he is perfect. Quite the loyal beast, and healthy as could be! I have named him Champagne.

I cannot say that I am wholly happy, though. Despite Champagne being able to take me wherever I want to go, there is still a journey I cannot make, and that is the journey to you. I wish I could see you again, but I am still too young to make an Offer for your hand. Too young for Courtship too!

And even if I were of age, you are not, and will not be for several years, and what a tragedy it is to me!

For you are more interesting than all of the girls my age, and I know you will only grow more interesting still and -

"Hey! That's not for you to look at!"

Light looks up from the letter, reeling from the contents. He sees Sayu standing on the stairs, looking as angry as he has ever seen her, barefooted and in her night clothes.

"Sayu, this - "

"Is none of your business!" she shouts, hurrying suddenly down the stairs and snatching the parchment from his hands. She folds it hurriedly and puts it behind her back, as though doing such a thing would erase it from his memory.

"You're not supposed to be writing to him!" Light says in a harsh whisper, conscious of Mother and Father upstairs. "If anyone found out - "

"Well they won't!" Sayu whispers back. "Unless you tell them!"

Light says nothing.

"Aww, come on, big brother! Don't look at me like that! What's the harm in writing to Mr. Hideki? It's not like I'm meeting with him or something!"

Light sighs heavily. "Sayu, you're asking me to lie to Mother and Father."

"No, I'm not! I'm just saying…don't tell them!"

"Sayu, I'm going to ask this only once, and if you want my help, you'll answer me honestly," Light whispers. He needs her to understand how serious this is. "Is he saying anything untoward to you?"

Sayu's cheeks turn red, and she can no longer meet Light's eyes. She shakes her head. "No…Mr. Hideki is always very proper."

Light sees that she's telling him the truth.

"Hmm," he says. He still doesn't know whether or not to report the letters to their parents. Or, perhaps, to stop the exchange himself…

"Light!" Sayu says, eyes wide. "I like him. I swear, he's perfect. Can't you just…just not say anything?"

Against his better judgment, Light really is moved by her plea. After all…does he not know what she is going through? And did Mr. Ryuga Hideki not appear to be an upstanding young man, when he appeared at the Match Celebration?

Light sighs again. "I need you to promise me that you'll come to me if he does anything improper. Alright?"

Sayu laughs. "Oh, big brother, don't be such a - "

"Sayu. I mean it."

"Alright, alright," Sayu says, still laughing a bit. "I promise. But he won't. I know he won't. He's really perfect, Light."

Light wants to argue that no one is perfect, and protect Sayu from having her highest hopes for this boy crushed, but he refrains. Better to let her learn for herself. Better to let her walk her own path.

"Good."

"Then…" Sayu says hesitantly. "You won't say anything?"

"No…I won't say anything."

"Yay!" Sayu shouts, then realizes how loud she's being, and slaps her hands over her mouth. "Hey…big brother."

"Yeah?"

"Since you already know about the letters…maybe you could help me…with some of the words? I don't really get everything he says…he talks like a Gentryman, you know? I don't know all that stuff!"

Almost laughing at the absurdity of the entire situation, and still mourning the loss of the opportunity to write his own letter to L, Light pats the space next to him on his small bed.

Sayu smiles broadly and hops up onto it.

"Show me how to read fancy words, okay?" she says eagerly.

Slowly, Light reads the letter with her, pointing out the more unfamiliar terms and explaining how to pronounce them and what they mean. Sayu nods, but she is clearly more interested in being told what Ryuga Hideki is thinking than the etymology of his words. She coos and giggles over certain phrases, usually the more affectionate ones, and Light feels a bit ill at overhearing them.

He reads aloud nonetheless.

I find you quite incredible, Miss Sayu Yagami, and I would very much like to Court you, if given even half the chance. And, perhaps, we shall one day have that chance. Your brother and his Suitor, Mr. L Lawliet, have broken certain barriers that might once have served to stand in our way.

The affection they have for one another is obvious, when they are near to each other, close enough to be of one body – desirous of nothing so much as the company of the other. No one who looks at them could deny their ardor!

"Haha, big brother!" Sayu sing-songs. "Now you're the one blushing!"

It is October, crisp and cold. Light finds himself pressed to L's side, their fingers intertwined and nestled within the ends of their coat sleeves, as they walk into L's manor. L is warm against him, and he takes the brunt of the wind's fierce blows.

They settle in the dining room, and small morsels are presented to them, along with fragrant wine. L's servants lay several portions out onto the table, as Matsuda and Miss Amane are accompanying them.

It is one of the reasons they are in L's manor, and not out about town for this meeting, at a place like Willows or some other such café. It wouldn't do for Pastor Mikami to hear tell of Miss Misa Amane cavorting about town with another man.

Mr. Wammy is settled in one of the chaise lounges in the parlor, reading, providing that small bit of further chaperoning. It was not strictly required, of course, given Matsuda's presence, but…certain parts of Light are left feeling bolstered by it all the same. Bolstered and frustrated, if Light is to be honest with himself.

Dinner is a lively affair, with Miss Amane and Matsuda providing most of the conversation. They never seem to run out things upon which to comment: the excellent taste of the roast hen, or the richness of L's décor, or questions of plans for the upcoming wedding.

"I truly cannot imagine a situation in which a hundred swans would be required, Misa," L says, answering one of her colorful suggestions. "Certainly not a wedding."

"You're no fun, Ryuga," she scolds him. "Have a bit of imagination!"

"Oh, I am not lacking in that," L answers, looking in Light's direction and leering deliberately.

Matsuda makes a startled sound, blushing instantly scarlet, but Miss Amane only laughs.

Having grown over time much more accustomed to L's outrageous teasing, Light merely raises one eyebrow at him and takes a delicate bite of an asparagus spear.

"Oh my, Ryuga, look at that!" says Miss Amane, smiling broadly. "Mr. Yagami, I must apologize! I daresay I have underestimated you!"

"There is no need for apology, Miss Amane," Light answers mildly. "After all, it is only Mr. Lawliet who suffers when my capabilities are underrated."

When the meal is nearly done, and the four of them are munching heartily on bits of grilled pineapple and glazed pear, Miss Amane touches the sleeve of Matsuda's grey shirt delicately.

"Dearest Matsu…would you mind terribly if I begged of you to fetch my cardigan from the carriage? I feel a chill and fear I've left it there!"

"Never would I mind, Misa dear, never would I mind!" Matsuda insists. He jumps from his seat at once, as if the thing were burning him, and leaves the dining room.

When the massive front doors of L's manor close behind him, Light waits for Miss Amane to reveal what it is that she was unwilling to say in Matsuda's presence, but evidently L's patience runs thinner than his own. It is only a handful of seconds before:

"Now…what is this about, Misa? I can only guess at your ulterior motive for sending away our Mr. Matsuda. You know I tire of your requests for a higher reconnaissance budget; you must at some point realize that one can only wear so many dresses in a lifetime."

"This isn't about dresses, Ryuga!"

"Oh?" he asks. "Is it to be shoes this time, then?"

"Ryuga...this is serious! I...I'm in trouble, Ryuga."

L's eyes narrow, and Light sees him sit up slightly straighter from his slouch. "What sort of trouble?"

"Well…just forget about that part. 'Trouble' is an indelicate word. And it is easily dealt with. And it's not the important thing anyway! What's important is that you accept Mr. Matsuda's Suit."

"Hmmm," L murmurs, going back to his slouching. "He hasn't asked for your Suit, he's asked to Court you. We must remember Mr. Matsuda's standing, yes? And he must learn a basic command of his native language in writing, and then we shall see."

Miss Amane screws up her face into a fair approximation of Sayu's, when she was still very small and prone to fits of temper. "Ryuga, nevermind that! You have to accept Mr. Matsuda's Suit! You just have to!"

"The things I have to do and the things I want to do are often vastly diverged, Misa. But in this case they are not so far apart. ...but I confess that I find the sudden urgency in your plea troubling."

Miss Amane sits in front of them, avoiding L's eyes and somehow managing to appear both ashamed and fiercely proud at once.

"...Oh, Misa, tell me you did not."

Miss Amane looks up to him and says with bright fire, "You have to accept his suit! Just accept his Suit quickly and all will be well!"

All at once, Light feels his mind race to a huge and terrifying realization.

He can draw no other conclusion from what his eyes and ears convey to him, but to think...to think that something like this could have happened. How could the pair of them have been so wildly irresponsible?

"Do you realize the jeopardy into which you have placed not only yourself and your future but the entirety of my investigation as well?" L asks, leaning in close and speaking softly. "If one person were to have seen you - "

"No one saw us!" Miss Amane whispers viciously, and their attitudes contrast so sharply that it makes Light's head spin. "And nobody knows about…about this…except you! Not even him!"

"Oh for the gods' sake, Misa," L says, sounding truly angry with her now. "How on earth can you be so cunning in some things and so very foolish in others? He must be told. And he ought to have been told before me!"

"I cannot tell him until I know he will have me!"

L turns away from her, muttering under his breath, "It sounds as if having you has been seen to already."

Light reaches out to L's hand, covering it with his own, trying his best to calm him. No matter the dire nature of the circumstances, keeping a level head about the matter is the only way to a solution.

And a solution they must find, because the alternative...Light doesn't want to imagine.

"Miss Amane...how much time do we have?" he asks.

Tears form in her eyes, glittering in the candlelight, and Light is shocked to discover that this is the question which provokes them. Miss Amane dabs at them with a handkerchief hidden cleverly in the folds of her skirts.

"Seven months, perhaps. If...if the usual course is followed. I should think...well...I should think late May," she says.

Light nods, turning over possible solutions in his mind and discarding them one by one when their success proves too dependent on chance.

"We must get you out of Autumn Pass," he finally says. "And out of Golden Apple too."

In unison, Miss Amane and L both explode into protests.

"I can't leave him! A baby needs their father and - "

"She can't abandon the Pastor, Light be reasonable, she - "

Light turns to L first, as L's station and Light's own heart dictates. "To abandon the Pastor is to save her reputation, and quite possibly her life. If he proves to be the murderer we're looking for, how can we expect him to react to this news? With peace?"

Light then turns to Miss Amane (and, he realizes, to the child she carries). "I can well understand your devotion to Matsuda, Miss Amane. Now more than ever. But we must keep our sensibilities. Reason forces our hand. We must hide you, and your present circumstance, or all involved will be put at risk. The separation would not be permanent. Perhaps not even so very long, were we to play our hands wisely."

"You talk about it as if it were a game of cards," Miss Amane says, wiping at her eyes.

Light, shamed by someone of a higher station, does not reply.

Miss Amane sighs and smiles through her tears.

"I meant no offense, Mr. Yagami. I only mean to say that you are thinking like our Ryuga here does, when there's a problem." She looks away, to L, whose black eyes have not lost their ire. "Except that in this moment he seems more inclined to send me to a Scarlet House and have done with me."

"Do not be ridiculous, Misa," L says, softening visibly. "I am your Executor, and the nearest thing to a father you have in this world. Forgive me for indulging in my sense of failure. I don't often come across the occasion to berate myself and I intend to take full advantage of this one."

Miss Amane laughs, brighter than Light would have thought possible, given her tears. "Father? Ha! You may be relegated to the role of older brother, perhaps, if I am to be generous."

"The laws of this land will judge me much more harshly than that, I should think," L argues with a baleful stare.

"No one will know of this, and therefore no one will need to refer to such edicts," Light says firmly.

"And besides," Miss Amane says, tucking away her handkerchief. "The law would put more penalties on me, anyway. And those penalties wouldn't be half so much as what other people would say...the things they'd whisper about me. And no one will hire a dress model who is not alone inside herself."

"Which is why we must send you away from here, and protect you from that fate," Light says firmly.

"And what are we to tell our darling Pastor, then?" L asks. "That she disappeared into a puff of smoke?"

"Ooo, we could tell him that I'm a witch! Then he'll never want to marry me!"

"True. But it does leave the small problem of him wanting to see you hanged..." L says thoughtfully.

Miss Amane gasps.

"We shall tell him that you are ill - so ill as to require a doctor far from here, who specializes in...something. Name your fatal illness. And then, conveniently, the Pastor will receive word that you have tragically died, as the doctor failed in all his efforts to heal you," Light pronounces.

L makes a hmmm kind of sound, tilting his head and looking up at the ceiling. "It shall all be quite sad. But…we shall benefit from the convenience of requiring no funeral procession, as your body will be far, far away."

"Ryuga!" Miss Amane hisses.

L pays her no mind. Abruptly, he says, "Am I to be an uncle, then? I have always wished to be an uncle."

Light gets the feeling that he is indulging in a performance for performance's sake, not speaking the literal truth in this moment.

But perhaps Light is wrong. L can be quite capricious.

"You shall be Uncle Ryuga!" Miss Amane says, taking to this topic quite easily. "And Mr. Yagami shall be called Mr. Lawliet by then, and he shall be Uncle Light! And…" she adds, with a soft smile and a slight blush. "My Matsuda shall be called Father."

"You mustn't let the child take his or her grammar lessons from Mr. Matsuda, Misa," L says. "I absolutely forbid it."

"Well, you'll no longer be my Executor when the baby comes, Ryuga, as I will be Mrs. Matsuda Touta, so you'll have no power over the matter," Miss Amane says with a wide smile. She sticks out her tongue at L. "So there!"

"Then I shall simply kidnap the child and teach the little one myself, as soon they are of age to speak and write, so as to prevent any such corruption," L proclaims.

"No one shall be kidnapping anyone," Light cuts in. He is wholly ignored.

"You'll do no such thing, Ryuga!" Miss Amane shouts. "Or I shall kidnap your heir when you bring them into your home, and teach them all the best ways to defy you!"

Light freezes, too numb with shock to even begin to address the multitude of horrifying ideas presented in her statement.

"Oh, Misa, you are absolutely precious," L says, with overbearing sweetness. "Thinking one of my own could be kidnapped from me…how adorable. Positively quaint. And speaking of heirs, what a peculiar assumption to make, that Light and I should have only one."

Light collapses back against his chair, suddenly feeling faint.

Miss Amane waves a hand carelessly. "Be that as it may, Ryuga. The quantity of heirs makes no difference. I should like to kidnap them all, just to teach you a lesson."

"I should like to see you try," L tells her, smirking, as though nothing on earth would give him greater amusement.

Light decides that steering the pair of them back to the present, instead of the frankly alarming future, would be wise; he decides that this should be done with all possible haste.

"There is one other matter that we must address," he says.

Miss Amane turns to face him, turning away from L very pointedly indeed. "And what is that, Mr. Yagami?"

"The matter of telling - " Light begins. He is interrupted by the sound of the door opening and closing, followed closely by footsteps on the wooden floorboards.

Matsuda enters the room, chattering away about the strange lack of Misa's cardigan, and how he never doubted that she did indeed leave it in the carriage, but it truly is no longer there, he truly looked in every nook and every cranny, and did any of them think perhaps that a large crow could have swooped inside and decided to add the thing to its nest?

When none of them answer, Matsuda looks at all of them in turn. He sees, no doubt, L's cross exasperation, Light's tense deliberation, and - most of all - Misa's shame and fear.

"What's the matter with all of you?" Matsuda asks. "What did I miss?"

Author's Notes:

Thank you to everyone who has kept up with this fic despite the long pauses in updates. It means so much to me that there are people out there who have responded to the work – every comment, every favorite, every bookmark, every piece of gorgeous fanart…they all mean more than I can say. Especially when I'm struggling with my writing, your kind words and brilliant creativity encourage me.

I've been very busy with large projects, both personally and professionally, so I can't give you all an estimate on when the next update will take place. However, I do promise that I will never abandon this work. And I know exactly where I want it to go, and what chapters need to be written, and I'm happy to say that all that is left now is simply to write them.

As always, a thousand thank yous to BC3: you saved this chapter from dying a terribly dry death-by-filler. And your encouragement means more to me than anyone else's ever could. I can't wait to marry you!

I would love to hear your thoughts on this chapter! Any predictions you may have, any sections that stood out to you, any surprises, any questions…I would love to hear from you in the comments!

Until next time,

Magic