Life Span (L Lawliet x Reader)

Chapter 4

My stomach dropped lower than at the start of the mugging earlier.

I was a Kira suspect?

I stared unblinking at nothing for a solid thirty seconds. Then I dilated back into focus, realizing I was staring straight at Yagami still.

"Are you serious?"

He let out a long sigh, as if he'd said this countless times already.

"It's nothing personal, and this isn't coming from me," he murmured, pressing his palms together and resting his pointers just over his lips.

"But given the situation, the evidence we have currently, and the fact that you were the only other individual present for this incident, we have been given orders to investigate further." He said in a gruffer voice. "So we will have to detain you until proven otherwise."

As if today couldn't get any worse. I was seen as a potential serial killer.

"I... Well.." I sputtered, pressing my fingers to my temple as I felt my chest tighten uncomfortably. I slumped back against my seat as I held my palm to my head. "I don't even know what to say."

When I looked back at him, his eyes held both caution and sympathy. "If you aren't Kira, I have no doubt it will be verified in no time. But until then, I have to keep you in custody."

I scoffed. "This seems.. unbased, given there needs to be substantial evidence to arrest someone. Aren't there countless other individuals who happened to be around when one of Kira's victims died?"

He hummed at this, shaking his head. "That is true, but your case is more substantial given it was a double blow. Even so, I'm not the one making this call." He answered with another sigh.

I groaned as I rubbed my face. My mind couldn't process yet that this was happening. Nearly taken out, and now detained- all in the course of a day.

"I.. how long will I be held?" I ask desperately, hands held out in exasperation. "I have classes, and a job-"

"We'll make arrangements to have notices sent from authorities of your absence. The specifics won't be given, but that's the best we can do for now."

His demeanor softened a bit now. "I can assure you that much. But for now, I'm going to have to escort you to where you'll be held for the duration this lasts."

With that, he pushed off the desk and rose, nodding for me to do the same. "I'll be driving you myself."

I look up at him in defeat and let out a long sigh, standing wearily. He reaches to open the door and motions me out.

I noticed that he made sure to let his jacket lift just enough to show the glimmer of the weapon on his holster. A subtle reminder of compliance.

And so he ushered me out to what seemed to be his personal vehicle.

—

A jolt from the loss of momentum suddenly whisked me out of my thoughts.

I blinked and refocused to find myself looking out of the car window and up at a scaling tower. It was a sleek, dark, formal-looking one. Like it meant business.

On pulling into a lot down under, the Chief escorted me from the car and to the entrance. A rather thorough series of key locks, IDs, and gates had to be accessed before he finally led me to the elevators.

I couldn't help but start to feel intimidated by the level of security and what of importance was behind it. And wonder why I was being brought in if I was a suspect.

In my quiet intake of this foreign setting, I fell silent as we rode up. I finally looked up and spoke quietly.

"Where exactly am I going?"

Chief Yagami looked down at me as he leaned against the rail of the elevator room. "Well, this is.. our team's primary headquarters. I don't yet have details on where you'll be held, but I was instructed to take you here for the time being."

My brows rose in surprise at this, and as if to answer, he added. "Having you as a suspect here was also not what I expected, but our lead detective requested it."

I stick out my lip at this. What reason could a formal investigator have for showing the suspected criminal the base of operation?

The elevator doors slid open, compelling me to look ahead again. Yagami gently touched my arm to usher me out and motioned towards a rather intimidating-looking double door.

Another identification scanner requested his hand print, which he gave. Then the doors clicked, and he pushed through.

Following the Chief, I entered a rather glossy, expansive main room. A massive plane of space separated us from what appeared to be the main operation desk.

Screens spanning the majority of the wall flickered over it. Several men were standing, milling nearby.

All clustered around one individual, seated center.

The ruffled raven hair was the first thing I saw peeking over the top of the chair. Then as the Chief approached with me, the head it belonged to turned to us.

Two bagged and unreadable dark eyes peered at me over the edge of the seat, and several thin fingers curled over it. Deadpan.

Something about those eyes prickled my spine. They stood out- oddly enough, being so dull. It wasn't in an unsettling way, just.. odd.

"Chief, this is Miss L/N, our suspect, I presume?" An unenthused-sounding monotone voice murmured behind the seat.

Yagami grunted with a nod, eyes on the man as he stopped with me before the small group. "Yes, I brought her as you instructed."

"Very good." The voice hummed. Then the man turned forward to the screens again, silent. Even Yagami shifted uncertainly.

But then the chair suddenly swiveled to fully face us.

It only was more odd.

In the flock of formally dressed, what I supposed were investigators, here was someone who appeared to have fallen into a basket of week-old unfolded laundry, then tumbled out in whatever happened to catch on him. A wrinkly cotton long sleeve and slightly oversized jeans.

And no shoes. Not even socks.

I blinked and looked up from his bare toes to meet his shadowed eyes. He crouched in the seat in almost an upright fetal position.

Where'd the homeless dude come from?

"Y/N L/N, yes?" he spoke lowly, no movement in his expression aside from his thin lips to talk.

Speechless, I didn't answer for a moment, but I finally gave a curt nod.

He stared blankly at me and blinked once before responding. "Perhaps not the most ideal situation to be brought here in, but welcome to the Task Force office. I am Detective L."