Death Note Fan Fiction ❯ True Affection ❯ A Birthday ( Chapter 11 )

True Affection

 

Chapter 11

 

--

 

“What do you mean it's fake...?” Rem frowned, narrowing her eye at the skeptical Shinigami before her.

Slightly annoyed by her obliviousness, he sighed and took the notebook out of her hand. “It's obvious,” he observed, holding the book by its front cover to let the pages flutter downwards, “Just look at this stitching.”

From what Rem could see, the stitching wasn't stitching at all. It was stapled!

“That human!” she growled, snatching the replica back, “I can't believe he went to such measures to do something like that! I never should have given him the benefit of the doubt.”

“Hmm. Maybe so, but I can believe that you were so easily tricked though, Rem.”

“What was that?!” she snapped, aggressively advancing towards him; a chilling glare in her eye.

Instantly the cynical Shinigami shied away and held his bony hands up in caution. “I'm only stating the obvious!” he squeaked.

 

Rem wasn't convinced as her glare sharpened like the tip of a dagger, yet she did not attack him. “If you weren't of the same kind as me, I wouldn't hesitate to rip you into pieces..”

 

He gulped. “But since that wouldn't kill me, your threat just became useless!”

At those words, she smirked devilishly, reestablishing her overbearing facade. “Then why are you trembling?”

“Uhm well...”

While any other time his behavior would be considered very amusing, today, Rem became very bored of it quickly. She sighed, staring off into the distance; her thoughts on Misa and that man she chose to be with.

“Still, I can't forgive that human for what he has done. He had no business tampering with a notebook that does not belong to him.”

“No human should claim one, really, but you don't hear me talking bad about the human you're attached to. But, speaking of her...”

“What about her?” Rem interrupted promptly.

The shorter Shinigami buckled slightly in her stern gaze. He really hated confronting her. “Yes, well, you do realize what all this means, right?”

The expression on her face clearly showed she didn't follow. “What are you talking about?”

“Well, Since the notebook was being misused, the owner, being her, should forfeit her ownership of the Death Note. Personally, I don't think any human should have one to be honest,” he admitted, shrugging a bit.

Rem said nothing for a moment, indicating she was perhaps considering his words. “No,” she answered with an air of finality, “She isn't to blame so keep her out of this.”

“Falling in love with a human, Rem? You know that spells death for us, right?”

“Of course I know that and I have no intention of falling in love.”

“But you are.”

“Maybe you should think before you speak...” she warned, “before I make an ornament out of your beak.”

Slightly offended, the Shinigami covered his beak with both hands, causing his words to sound more nasal than usual. “I've grown quite fond of my beak, thank you! I'm just looking out for you, but if you don't want my advice, don't take it,”

“I can appreciate the advice but I don't need it. I shall pay that human a visit later. But for now, I will watch her from up here,” she concluded, her eye carrying a weighty burden within its depths as she turned her back to the otherworldly being and began to trudge away from him.

Puzzled, he called after her, “Why wait? What's stopping you from going down there now?”

 

The female Shinigami paused and slowly looked over her shoulder at him. Her features expressed remorse, but her voice was placid. “Christmas,” was all she uttered and continued on, leaving the Shinigami baffled.

“Christmas?” he echoed dubiously, “What's a foolish human holiday got to do with delaying the inevitable?”

 

--

A white Christmas morning descended quickly upon, Japan, but not at all too soon for Misa.

Laying on the edge of the bed where L was the other night, her delicate hands instinctively clutched the sheets and her lids fluttered open.

The first thing she noticed was the empty spot in the bed and that she had rolled, in her sleep, into the spot that L once was.

Setting aside the thought that was rather cute, she wondered instead where he had gone to. Ignoring her bed-head hair, she pulled her lithe body to its knees and scanned the room.

Her eyes didn't get very far when she noticed the lacy pair of panties she wore, laying wrinkled, in the middle of the bed.

An immediate crimson blush swept over her cheeks and an embarrassed smile crept across her lips in remembrance to what they did and how talented he was.

 

While they didn't go all the way, and she was glad he understood how she felt, Misa was still very satisfied.

Her body was still healing after all.

 

Peering down, she looked over the shirt of his that she was still clad in. Silently, she pulled the hem of it back to examine the faint bruises tattooed along her legs and thighs.

 

In about 2 weeks, she figured she'd be back to normal again.

 

She sighed and swung her legs over the edge of the bed. By doing so, the shape of a rather large golden key on the dresser in front of her caught her eyes.

Gazing curiously over at it, she also noticed a handwritten note that rested beside it.

 

Snatching it up, her eyes instantly began reading. “Misa, whenever you see this, please meet me downstairs. Lawliet.”

 

Misa's heart happily flip-flopped. Could her Lawliet have gotten her a present? Maybe he knew of the significance the day held; something that Light nor anyone else seemed to care much about.

 

With a giggle, Misa hugged the note to her chest and looked down at the key.

Just what could that be for? She had never seen real keys that large before. This key was large enough to easily fit into both her hands.

Her brows knitted in thought. Maybe the key didn't go to anything. Maybe Lawliet was just being his usual cryptic self and the key had another meaning?

 

“Ahh, I'll ask about it later! All this speculation is making Misa's head hurt!” she exclaimed to no one and leaped from the bed, making a beeline for the bathroom.

 

Once inside, an ecstatic gasp flew from her as she sought the nicely folded clothes that had been set out for her along the rim of the sink. And from what she could see, L made a rather nice and matching selection.

Another note was atop the bundle of clothing and she eagerly read it over. “ Misa, I apologize for choosing your outfit for you, but I'm quite sure you'd rather not head back into your room in just my t-shirt. Please keep in mind, that I did not deem it necessary to put much thought into the selection, but as long as they match, I'm sure you will be fine with it. Your Lawliet”

Smiling warmly, Misa brought the paper to her cheek and “hugged” it. Silently, she closed her eyes. The note faintly carried his scent, and made her feel that he was standing right next to her, holding her in his arms.

So far, today was turning out to be quite the memorable one for Misa.

 

--

Down in the main observation room, the analytical detective closely eyed the monitors, keeping careful and close attention on Light's cell.

From what L's obsidian eyes could decipher, Light was still in his confinements; bound and blindfolded, sitting in a slouch.

L pondered this behavior for a moment.

There was something intricately odd about the murderous teen's appearance; something L could not place at that given moment. An intrigued thumb found its way to the corner of his mouth as his wary eyes studied every pixel within the monitor to prove his hypothesis correct.

 

As he analyzed, his mind began to wander.

Light was manipulative, driven and hated to lose. He would even befriend an enemy to render them vulnerable to him in order to gain the upper hand. Clearly, he couldn't be trusted and L knew that with Light, almost nothing was what it really seemed.

Yet, L thought it kind of ironic of how he and a killer were so much alike.

 

The way the two of them concocted ideas, conceived plans; it was almost as if one could read the other's mind and prepare actions acutely in advance because of that perception alone. It was almost odd that Light was the one to take on the role of Kira; someone who wore many masks; one who sought success but didn't know how to take a loss. One who sought partnership, but did not know how to love; one who pursued the truth and justice, but was nothing more than a liar.

 

Yes, this type of being was almost too easy for L to fully comprehend.

Light Yagami was a being, a monster, that mirrored L's own entity.

He and Light were like two sides of the same coin. The only significant difference being, although L thought of using the Death Note to kill, he instead used it to prolong life.

And in addition to his exceptions of similarities with Light, it would seem that L actually was capable of love.

 

Love that he found in the form of Misa Amane.

 

In that instance, perhaps he wasn't as much of a monster as he had thought. At the very least, he was capable of true affection.

A sound of agreement drifted from between his lips, although to a normal person it would have sounded more like an exhausted sigh, and he continued his study. His eyes traveled down to the straight jacket the younger male wore.

It was then that L realized a peculiarity. If Light were bound and blindfolded, how could he write that note that was found in Misa's room in the first place?

L's expression hardened as he pondered this puzzling predicament. An image of Rem flashed in his mind. A Shinigami. One with ownership of a Death Note is connected to a Shinigami. Like Misa, Light had to have one as well. L was certain of it.

Perhaps a Shinigami wrote the note on Light's behalf.

Yet, if that were the case, and he and Watari had been watching the live feed from Light's cell, why was there no evidence of this clearly shown?

The idea of someone replacing the feed with a recorded one slithered through L's mind.

And since he would be one to consider doing the same thing if he were in a similar situation, he refused to put the idea past Light and deemed that to be the case.

 

Had Light somehow escaped?

 

“ If Light is freed, Misa can't use the Death Note and will be not able to let go of Light as long as a certain detective remains in love with a pawn of Kira.”

 

L remembered the secret message within that note very well. And if it were true that Light had indeed somehow escaped, Misa would most likely end up needing to forfeit ownership of her Death Note. And if that happened...

 

He didn't want to think about it. What mattered at the moment was Misa's safety. Everything else, he would just have to deal with.

 

Subconsciously, L shut off any more nagging and negative thoughts and shifted his attention to another monitor where the morning news was beginning to broadcast.

 

Wanting to hear it, he switched on the volume. The weather was being announced. 60 degrees, low winds and snow.

 

Snow?

 

Suddenly the particular date dawned on him. Quickly, he turned his head to the right of him where the very large present he and Watari purchased for Misa sat in one of the chairs.

 

It was square-shaped, wrapped in glossy black paper and topped with a huge pink ruffled bow.

 

 

Unknown to L, a cute boyish expression dashed across his curious features as he observed the gift and an innocent thought came to mind.

 

Couldn't he be Misa's present too?

 

Motivated, he stood to his bare feet and begun undoing the bow carefully as not to rip it. Toying with the idea, he wondered where he would place it.

 

Expectantly, he looked towards the stairwell wondering when Misa would awaken.

 

More curious to what she was up to, L absentmindedly placed the bow atop his head, letting its trailing ribbons dangle about him as he stuffed his hands in his pockets and headed upstairs.

 

--

 

Misa hummed a tune while she dressed herself in the bathroom. She was thrilled about the way the day was turning out so far. Maybe L even remembered the significance about today. Light never did.

At the thought of his name, an odd pain wrenched her heart and she placed delicate fingertips over it. For some reason, she still felt a connection to him and she didn't know why.

She cursed herself. Why was she feeling this way now? Why on Christmas and after she and L had gotten so close the night before?

 

With an annoyed sigh, she shook the thoughts from her mind. “I'd better get downstairs fast. Seeing Lawliet will cheer me up! Ahh I can't wait to see what he got me!!” she enthused to herself in order to keep some sort of smile on her face.

Leaving the bathroom, she padded over to L's dresser where the large key was and scooped it up in both hands.

Heading to the door, she barely rested her hand on the knob when a sudden series of knocks resounded from the other side.

“Miiiisaaa? Are you awake in there?” L called lazily.

Hearing his voice, her pretend smile instantly flourished into a genuine grin and she swung open the door with happily closed eyes, “Lawliet!! Merry Christmas!” she chirped gleefully, flashing him her best bright smile.

A soft curve touched his lips as he beheld her. “ Good morning, Misa,” he smiled lightly, nodding to her.

When she opened her eyes, their attention immediately went to the bow atop his head; whose tails he was nonchalantly curling around a finger.

 

'Is...is he trying to be Misa's present??' the girl wondered. Instead of bursting out into laughter, she stared at him intently; thoughtfully.

Her expression grew so suddenly serious that L thought perhaps he did something wrong.

“Uh, well, if I've intruded, I apologize. I'll just wait for you downstairs,” he concluded, turning on his heels and returning his hands to his pockets.

He didn't get very far when he felt something poking him in the left side of his back.

Knowing it was Misa, but not sure of her reason or method for doing so, he casually turned to face her—and stared wide eyed as she continued to press the large key against him. The object now pointing directly to his heart.

Expectantly, she turned the key as if she was unlocking a treasure chest.

 

Taken aback, L could do nothing but watch her innocent display of cuteness with a thin-lipped expression.

Finally, out of intrigue, he asked, “What is Misa doing...?”

 

Blushing faintly, she glanced up at him; her brown eyes brimming with honesty, “Unlocking your heart.” She then tilted her head to the side, her straight locks spilling over her shoulders. “What else could this key be for? I mean... Aren't you my present, Lawliet?”

 

L said nothing. He just stared at the girl. Moments later, a low chuckle fluttered in his throat, then that chuckle grew into a sonorous laugh, and then to a hearty one, as if he had hardly ever laughed so hard in his life.

Seeing this, Misa couldn't help but smile a little, although his sudden outburst of laughter was a tad bit scary. She hadn't heard him laugh like that since the time he told Light he was a lucky guy for going out with her.

 

Once his laughter subsided, he leaned down so that their noses barely brushed against the other.

“Yes,” he replied simply, his tone carrying a hint of merit.

 

Comfortably, Misa giggled at his behavior. “Aw Lawliet, you're so sweet. Thank you!” she cheered, slipping him a peck on the nose. He paused. He would have kissed her back, but just the thought of being that forward oddly made him feel a bit shy.

“It's nice to hear you say that, Misa,” he agreed softly, hiding his coyness, “Come on. You've got more presents to see.”

 

“Yaaaayyyy! Thank you Lawliet!” she exclaimed, jumping up and down, “Oh I should be thanking Watari too! I know he had to have contributed to getting me presents too!” she continued on, rambling happily.

Silently, L watched her. He loved seeing her pleased, but now, her joy almost tore him apart to watch. From his next thoughts, a hint of pain settled over his features. If Misa had to forfeit ownership of her Death Note, then that would mean...

“Say, Misa...” L interrupted wistfully.

Caught off guard by his unusually upbeat tone, the blonde ceased her tangent and eyed him with candid dubiousness. “Y-yes? What is it, Lawliet?”

His expression faltered for only a second before he continued on, “I want you to come up with a nickname for me.”

She blinked and raised a brow. “Huh?? What's wrong with your name? I thought you liked hearing me say it, Lawliet?”

His gaze softened. “I do, Misa,” he confirmed lowly, “And as I said, only you are allowed to call me by it. Once we leave this room, I would much rather not have anyone else hear of it.”

“Oh, I understand that, but what's wrong with the name everyone calls you anyway? What's wrong with just calling you Ryuzaki again?”

“Not acceptable.”

“Why not? It's a safe name.”

He smirked faintly. “But it doesn't sound very cute coming from you. I would much rather prefer to be called something more...affectionate by you, Misa. Of course, if that's all right,” he replied softly; an unreadable expression wavering in his eyes.

There was another reason for his endearing request; a reason he would not tell Misa. He knew that telling her would not change the outcome, especially while his feelings for her continued to grow.

 

His selfish feelings.

 

But he wondered if Misa touched a page of her Death Note, would there by chance be a loophole in the fate Light had written out in that cryptic message?

There had to be and L had to be at least 10 steps ahead of Light.

 

After all, L hated to lose...

 

At his sudden silence, Misa gazed worriedly at him. He had such a faraway look on his face. She wondered if he was coming up with a name, or of something of a much darker and more obtuse complexity.

She opened her mouth to speak, but stopped shy on breathing her words. She didn't know what to call him. And as if he could read her mind, his eyes seamlessly fell on her. But his bemused features remained intact.

“Please, Misa? Don't worry, I'll think of a name to call you as well. How's that?”

She nodded, feeling a bit more comfortable now that he was talking to her again, “All right!” she exclaimed, cutely placing a finger to her chin in thought. “Hmmm now what's something that I can call you... Oh!! Lisa!!”

He frowned a bit in disbelief. “What?”

“Oh, you know! It's a mesh of our names together!”

L still wasn't swayed. “...”

“No one would ever catch on! Except maybe Watari but he's different!”

“Bzzzt. No good. Try again.”

“H-hey! Well at least I thought it was cute!” she playfully retorted, puffing out her cheeks and crossing her arms. “Hmph! What about Shaggy?”

“No.”

“Uhmm Eccentric?”

“No.”

“Weird?”

“You're failing, Misa.”

“Tal...Taw...Tali...” she stammered, and L automatically caught on that she was attempting to say his name backwards.

“Misa, you're supposed to be coming up with AFFECTIONATE names, not just random synonyms and anagrams.”

“Okay okay! You like eating desserts and other fattening junk like that, right?”

He sighed and pointed to his head, “I told you you won't gain any weight if your brain burns the calories.”

She bristled slightly at this. “Are you calling me STUPID?!”

“I wasn't the one who said it.”

She frowned cutely. “What's THAT supposed to mean?!”

L chuckled lightly. “You're not naming...” he playfully chastised, wagging a finger.

“Ugh!! You're just horrible!! Really mean! That's it! I should call you MEANIE!”

“Nope,” he added, fingering the tail of the bow.

“Um, Justice?”

“Fitting, but not a name.”

“Well, what kind of name is Lawliet anyway?!” she huffed.

“One that deals with the law and justice. Perfect for me. You don't hear me making fun of your name, sea sand.”

She shuddered. “I swear you're going to make me kick you...!”

“Continue please.”

“Grrr! Cookies! Candy! Sweets! I should call you Lemon, you pervert!”

A hint of mischief glinted in his eyes. “I didn't hear you calling me that last night when you allowed me to...”

“Shh shh shh!!!” Misa urged, covering his mouth with her hand. L glanced down and grinned cunningly when he saw the bright red blush blossom about her cheeks.

Casually, she removed her hand and placed it on her hip. “Oh hey I know! What about Lollipop?”

“What?”

“Remember when you first met me, you gave me a lollipop??”

He touched a finger to his lip in remembrance. “Ah yes, I do...”

“ So, is that name fitting enough?”

He sighed. “It would have been...”

“What's wrong with it??”

“It sounds too close to loli. And I certainly don't have a Lolita Complex...even though you look very young, Misa”

Misa rolled her eyes.

“Amai,” he uttered, the Japanese word for something sweet tasting, “I like that one.”

She blinked and stared at him as if he grew 3 heads. “But, that's not a name! It's an adjective!”

“But Miiisaaa, I liiike iiit...” he insisted, pretending to imitate her mock whine, but in a flat tone.

 

And Misa couldn't help but laugh. Mocking him as well, she placed her thumb to the corner of her mouth and nodded. “All right, Amai it is!” Now then! What will you call Misa?” she asked, cutely pointing to her nose.

He had to think about that. He wanted to give her a suitable and pleasing pet name, but at the moment, all he could think about were desserts! He wouldn't dare call her a tart and calling her a treat just wouldn't cut it.

Aimlessly, his eyes skimmed the room behind Misa and rested on the dresser where the cake was last night.

Briefly, his features brightened when his attention returned to her. “Madeleine,” he spoke with a hint of triumph in his voice, as if he had found the perfect name for her.

Her features scrunched in confusion. “ 'Madeleine'?” she echoed, taking note of the accent he used for it., “That's French isn't it?”

“Yes. It's the name of a popular small round cake that originated from France.”

She paused. She could feel a mild blush creeping across her features. “Cake?!”

Did he HAVE to say cake...? Memories of the night before flooded back into her mind and made her laugh a bit nervously.

 

Oblivious to her embarrassment, L inched a step closer. “Is...something wrong with that?” he inquired in a level tone, tauntingly licking his lips when she met eyes with him, only to bashfully look away.

Embarrassed, but very flattered, she tossed him a quick sideways glance. “N-no. Not at all really, just... Well... actually...” she began, her tone becoming more serious and sincere, “I wanted to thank you for not...taking things too far between us...last night. I really appreciate it. You were such a caring gentleman to me and...”

“Shh...” he whispered, raising a finger to her lips, “Let's hurry downstairs. Your presents won't open themselves.”

Misa gazed at him with wide, questioning eyes as to why he would want to change the subject, but she didn't have time to answer.

Without warning, his body moved on its own and he moved his finger to lightly taste her lips.

Surprised from the attention, it took Misa a few seconds to realize that she was being kissed. Once her eyelids fluttered to a close, L softly broke the kiss and planted another instead on her forehead.

 

“And by the way...” he uttered gingerly, his words brushing against her skin and fluttering about her bangs like downy feathers, “...Happy Birthday.”

And at that moment, Misa felt her heart soar and tears of joy welled in her eyes.

 

He didn't say Merry Christmas. Not once. Instead, he said the one thing that Light and others seemed to overlook. It may seem like something trivial, but it made a world of a difference to Misa.

“Oh, Lawliet!” she cried, springing into his arms and giving him her strongest hug, “You knew! Misa's so glad...!”

“Haha...” he chuckled softly, hugging her gently, “Of course I did.” Although that was a tiny lie, since he had just remembered it earlier that morning, it didn't matter. Misa was in his arms, smiling happily.

 

And her happiness was what mattered the most as his love for her continued to grow.

 

His selfish, selfish love.

 

After sharing a sweet, chaste kiss, L took Misa's hand and led her downstairs.

 

--

 

To be continued!!!

 

-Why do I call L's love selfish. You should already know. It deals with the secret message in the note Light had written that L found in Misa's room.