[It would take effort, indeed, as L is actively resisting being reached. He's hiding and hoarding away the salvageable scraps of his Bond with Light and the gentle reality he's come to covet like so many stolen eyepatches.

They have an understanding, after all. They are of one mind, a like soul; the fluid ease with which they can accomplish miracles together as a team is more addictive than any substance L has ever sampled or swallowed. The only flaw is that honesty would kill it; it's a big flaw, certainly, but he believes it is the only one.]

Alex.

[He sighs. Kind girl, innocent to all of this. She wouldn't know better.]

She has a gentle way about her... a gentle way with him. But Light will surely notice it if he hasn't already.

[More work; more risk, more smoke and mirrors to haul and carry and maintain so that the superficial illusion can remain, because he is not ready.]

I need to figure something out. Given that he took my name, Deneuve... he could also have chosen the name M to align himself more closely with me.

[It makes Mello sound obsessed, even more dangerous and unhinged. L is well and bleakly aware of the further problems it creates, but there were always going to be more problems. There's no way around it, now.]