(Y/n) could definitely say that by the end of the day, she had a much deeper respect for all the celebrity managers in the world and their work. Having to not only deal with so many different people in a day, make phone calls when she hated them with a burning passion she did not show for many things, and also put up with Misa for an extended period of time had substantially worn her out by the end of the day.

Although that could also probably be attributed to finding out the third Kira's identity and being faced with Rem all the while having to pretend like she didn't see the Shinigami glaring at her.

It had taken a considerable amount of effort to keep the Shinigami from making contact with Misa again, and (Y/n) had just barely managed to convince Rem that absolute ignorance was the best protection they could give Misa.

If the blonde was genuinely unaware of her time as the second Kira, there would be next to no proof of otherwise. She may be charged for trying to mislead or prank the police department but that was much better than being proved guilty of homicide.

It had been an eventful day to say the least.

She was tired of the forced smile and coy nature, and more than ready to unzip the pencil skirt she'd bought the previous day for this very occasion. Even if the skirt did do wonders for her figure, (Y/n) was glad to bid it goodbye.

Another thing the skirt did was land her under the attention of the Yotsuba Kira. Although a large factor of that may be the ploy they'd set up which placed (Y/n) as the second Kira as far as Yotsuba knew. They interviewed Misa with the hope that the model landing the job would mean more access to her manager.

When Higuchi made his advances, all (Y/n) had to do was flirt back, which was something she could keep up for just about ten minutes at a time before wanting to throw up all over the man's expensive shoes because what person would want that predatory grin so close to their face.

It didn't help at all that he was so obviously trying to glance at her butt when he though she wasn't looking.

Rem found it equal parts amusing and disgusting.

"Humans are disgusting," the Shinigami stated when she was alone with (Y/n) in the restroom, "and that man is among the worst kind."

"Amen to that," the profiler agreed before reapplying her dark red lipstick and leaving. She figured she may as well look like a femme fatale in order to embody one and catch Higuchi's eye.

Besides, everyone looked good with the right red lip color. Misa had said so herself when Light expressed his dismay at having his sister be the bait and having to dress up for it.

It wasn't that (Y/n) disliked dressing up or the like. She liked looking good to feel good when she had the time. No matter how much society tried to shame it, she embraced her femininity when she felt up to the effort. On most days, she could barely sleep so going the extra mile to nail her make up each day felt a little out of reach, but she didn't think there was anything wrong with killer eyeliner and a bold lip if it made her feel like a badass.

And there was nothing wrong with forgoing that and not enjoying a feminine look.

As far as she was concerned, it was a choice and it all varied with people.

She was confident in her own skin, and she honestly couldn't bring herself to care what anyone else thought.

Her ensemble of fitted pencil skirt and killer heels made her look amazing, but she thought she looked absolutely fine in her typical work attire of jeans or trousers, blazer and loafers.

"How did it go, ladies?" L asked once Misa and (Y/n) exited the elevators.

Misa huffed. "Do you know how gross it is to have all these old businessmen flirting with you? Because it is very gross. Honestly, do I look like I need a sugar daddy? I could probably buy them if I wanted to. Like, please. You have no idea how much I missed you, Light." Her tirade was punctuated with Misa promptly using Light as a chair, to which Soichiro let out a strangled cry of protest.

(Y/n) bit back her grin of amusement, nodding in agreement with Misa instead. "It is rather disturbing. Especially when a few are about as old as Dad. But between the both of us, we got quite a few date offers today if you want to take advantage of that."

Immediately, Light frowned, gently pushing Misa off him."Honestly, I'm not comfortable having you do that. Either of you. You'd be entirely alone in a situation like that and it's dangerous."

L turned to the brunet thoughtfully, a movement that did not go unnoticed by Light, who frowned at the detective's predictable line of thought.

"Misa's completely inexperienced in terms of field work. And forgive me, (Y/n), if I come across as stubborn or disrespectful because I am younger, but after your last mission, I don't think I'm ready to have you back out there just yet," Light elaborated, turning to his sister as he spoke, reading from her furrowed brows and tense shoulders that she was less than pleased about the reminder of why she had returned to Japan in the first place.

For a tense moment, (Y/n) was quiet before eventually sighing. "I'm grateful for your concern, Light, but that isn't your choice to make. The fact is that it's easiest to investigate them in that kind of setting when their guard will be low. If it comes down to it, my stepping up would be convenient for us."

"But--"

She shook her head, cutting him off with a pointed strict gaze, reminding everyone once again that she was in fact the elder of the two, and age mattered in their community. "I am fully capable of deciding what is best for myself, Light. This isn't your decision to make. If L thinks it'll work, then I'll do my part for the plan."

L cleared his throat. "I do think it could be beneficial for us to have such access to all potential suspects. Especially since (Y/n) is such a capable profiler. If her mental health is not made subject to stress, I would like to go forward with this."

"I do agree that Misa doesn't have to put herself in danger for this, but that isn't for me to decide either," (Y/n) added, shrugging as she sat down in the empty seat next to L.

Misa hesitated, her gaze turning nervously to (Y/n). "I'm not sure," she admitted.

"And that's okay. This investigation isn't really something you have to be personally involved with. The rest of us get paid to square up and do our part. You don't owe us anything." (Y/n) accepted the bite of strawberry cheesecake L offered her, Light looking between the two in confusion.

Misa exhaled slowly, looking at Light. The boy in turn attempted a reassuring smile which the model returned. "If you guys don't absolutely need my help, then I'll sit this out, if you don't mind."

"We don't," L assured. "The reason we had (Y/n) go with you is to reduce your direct contact with the case because, currently, you have civilian status which means we can't put you in direct harm's way."

Smiling brightly, Misa nodded and sprang up to her feet. "Great! Now if you will excuse me, I'd like to change and freshen up," she stated before turning to Light and winking. "You're more than welcome to join me, if you'd like."

Flustered, Light shook his head. "I, uh, no. You go ahead. I'll just...stay right here."

Misa giggled. "Yeah, okay. Bye, everyone!"

"Don't let us hold you back, Light. You can enjoy occasionally," L muttered, dry humor present in his voice that made (Y/n) snort and had Light shooting the pair a withering glare.

The youngest among them sighed heavily. "Please, don't." He leaned back to look at his sister. "And you're supposed to be on my side. We're siblings."

She feigned ignorance. "Oh, I wasn't aware of such a rule?"

Light narrowed his eyes. "Liar. You're the one who established it at the park near our house when I was five."

(Y/n) shrugged. "Promises are made to be broken, dear Otouto. Don't go breaking your heart about it."

"Low blow." Light grimaced at her dramatically and she blew him a kiss in return.

L watched the siblings curiously. "I've never heard you bantering before. It's entertaining."

"Thanks," she muttered sarcastically, "we try."

Light chuckled. "All siblings argue sometimes. We get along most of the time, but we aren't exceptions. (Y/n) and I have had some pretty bad fights before."

"None recently, though," she mused aloud. "I mean, it could be because I got old enough for small things to not matter as much anymore. We are six years apart, after all."

L hummed. "(Y/n) and I are quite close in age, yes? Maybe a few months apart."

Once again, Light looked between the both of them, a slightly constipated expression finding its home on his features as he watched his sister nod in confirmation at L.

"You look older, though, probably because of your absolute lack of self-care," she stated plainly, flicking his sleeve. "Honestly, you'd think a perfectly capable and functioning adult would at least do the bare minimum to look after himself."

L shot her a small smile. "I tend to think of it as a waste of time," he admitted.

"It's not," she told him. "You should hold yourself to a higher importance, enough to consider making at least a little bit of time to ensure your body is receiving the care it biologically requires. It's that way for a reason, you know."

Turning away from her, L picked at his pastry. "I'm aware. However, I do not intend to take any time away from the case unless I absolutely have to." He shot her a teasing gaze (or about as teasing as he could manage with a minimal change in expression). "I suppose, for now, I'll rely on you to look after me."

(Y/n) rolled her eyes while Light choked at the flirtatious instigation. "Smooth," she commended, "but no. You have Watari for now. I refuse to associate myself with any form of responsibility over you."

"You look after Light," L pointed out, and Light considered it before agreeing because his sister was always looking out for him in little ways even when he didn't realize it. And L sounded like a petty child with that being his argument, which brought some much appreciated amusement to the brunet.

(Y/n) glanced at L judgmentally. "Because he's my little brother. And you are significantly more difficult than he is."

"Well, I am your friend."

She blinked, taken aback at the immediate retort. "Yes, you are," she agreed, "but we could be married and I would still refuse simply because it requires additional effort that I don't like putting in."

L shot her an unconvinced look. "We'll see," he muttered under his breath.

Having heard, Light looked at the detective, alarmed, while simultaneously questioning his sanity after having heard the conversation. He hoped nobody would be seeing anything but didn't bother saying as much to L because he refused to accept the weirdness of the situation.

It occurred to him that L was quite attached to his sister, and not in the same way he claimed to be to Light. Perhaps it was because (Y/n) wasn't suspected of being Kira, but Light had a feeling it wasn't just that. It had to do more with the air of understanding and something mutual around them. He wouldn't call it attraction or tension. It felt quite the opposite in that it looked like the both of them were entirely comfortable with being around the other.

While his sister was a typically confident woman of an easy-going demeanor that made her likable enough for most people, Light knew that one could only ever see (Y/n) how she wanted them to see her. She didn't trust easily and she took her time in assessing people before she even began considering letting them in or lowering her guard around them.

He didn't think she entirely trusted L or let her guard down around him, but her wariness seemed to coexist with a strange familiarity. Breaking her usual pattern of a long period of judgement and then a comfortable relationship that seemed to shift overnight with no one but her and perhaps someone close enough to read her knowing better, (Y/n) seemed to be slowly allowing L in on who she was.

Mutually testing the waters was probably what they were both doing, and Light wasn't completely sure why it bothered him so much, but it did.

He could only pin it on feeling protective as a brother, but it had never mattered too much to him when his sister got close to other men and women (romantically or platonically). For a while, Light was sure she'd end up dating her colleague-- Spencer Reid, he thought his name was-- and it hadn't concerned him because he knew (Y/n) and he knew she wouldn't give anyone enough power over her to hurt her.

Maybe he was put off because of L making his suspicions of Light being Kira so obvious? It would make sense to feel upset when his sister was slowly growing closer to the guy who made sure to remind Light that he was convinced the boy was a mass murderer every chance he got.

His mind wandered to a future beyond the Kira case where L and (Y/n) ended up together, and Light shuddered at the thought of awkward family dinners and having to spend bonding time with a potential brother-in-law.

"You're making a weird face, Light," (Y/n) observed, tearing into his strange and traumatic train of thought.

L peered at the brunet. "Are you feeling alright?" The genuine concern in his voice startled Light further out of his reverie, prompting him to nod dazedly.

"Maybe I need to take a break or something," he mumbled, rubbing at his face and holding back a frustrated groan when his chains clanked in reminded that L certainly would not take any breaks which meant that Light was stuck there too.

Probably figuring the same, (Y/n) stood up, straightening her skirt. "I think we'd all benefit from a quick break. Come on. I'll make us some tea and we can tear into Misa's special expensive cookies because I have no more self control."

Looking between the Yagami siblings and their expectant gazes, L sighed, unable to argue against the collective pressure they were silently laying on. "Fifteen minutes. Tops."

How generous, Light thought to himself. Considering L, it really was.

Coming up to walk on his other side, (Y/n) linked arms with her brother.

"You're welcome, dearest Otouto," she whispered to him as L trailed a step behind them.

Light shot her a grateful look. "I owe you one."

She hummed. "Buy me a pudding cup and we'll call it even," she bargained, and he agreed quickly with a grin because it reminded him of when they were both still in school. "Are you alright, by the way? For a second there you looked about ready to faint."

The concern and attention from his sister felt nice. Light hadn't registered that the amount of time and honesty the two had for each other had reduced significantly since (Y/n) had become so actively involved with the case and L, but it hit him that he had missed his elder sister even though she was right there.

It made him frown. How had he not noticed the growing distance? Light had always been closest to her in his family, and growing up, she had always the one person he could trust unquestionably. His sister was his greatest support and, as sad as it may sound to other kids his age, she had probably been his best friend for as long as he could remember. When he was younger, he'd wanted to be just like her because she was literally the coolest thing to him. And while he didn't necessarily want to follow her exact path of life, he still very much looked up to her.

So when and how had he allowed himself to drift apart from his Nee-chan when she was so very important to him?

"Light?"

He blinked back to attention. "Sorry, I just--" He paused. "You know, even though it's not like you were gone anywhere, I just realized I've missed you."

For a moment, Light found himself under (Y/n)'s scrutiny but before he could realize it hurt him, her features softened into the expression he'd grown used to seeing on her since they were kids. A look of affection that used to make him believe that everything would be alright.

In fact, it still kind of made him feel like that.

She squeezed his arm reassuringly. "I've missed you too, Light," she said, "but I'm here. Like I always have been."

Behind them, L found himself wrapped up in the potential implications of the Yagami siblings' conversation. Did this mean (Y/n) revoked her potential alliance to him? L found himself surprised to register that it would upset him if that turned out to be true. He didn't want (Y/n) to be his enemy, and it startled him like most things couldn't. Would he have to go against her then?

Almost as though she had sensed his thoughts, (Y/n) glanced at L over her shoulder before he could get around to masking the tiny frown on his face. Their eyes met and she winked before turning back, leaving L to stare at the back of her head with a small smile replacing the frown as he found himself once again intrigued by the enigma that was (Y/n) Yagami.

Truly, how interesting.