When We First Met
Sunako is in labor close to Christmas and L is remembering when they met
L waited outside the room, hands folded in his lap and bent over, as though thinking. He sat normally, before he was sitting as he usually sat. He stood and went to get water. His hands were shaking.
A scream inside the room made him jump, crushing his Styrofoam cup in his hand. Water drenched his sleeve.
L took a deep breath and laughed at himself.
He had been in life or death situations since he was as old as ten, maybe younger, and here he was, at Tokyo Central Hospital waiting for the doctor to tell him that he could see his wife and child.
She was fifteen when he met her and he was in Tokyo working on the Kira Case, now referred to as the Kira Scare.
"I tried, she wouldn't listen," Watari said as he fitted L into a tuxedo. He had better things to do than go to parties, but Ms. Nakahara would not take no for an answer. "Just stay for an hour or two and I'll pick you up after getting coffee or something."
"Right," L scoffed.
In the end, L was glad he went. If he didn't, he wouldn't have met his wife. Another shriek made him wince. A nurse came out, glaring at him, ready to give him a report on how she was doing.
L entered the foyer and bowed to Ms. Nakahara.
"I'm so glad you could come, L-san."
L winced. "You blackmailed me," he growled, straightening.
Ms. Nakahara laughed. "Oh, dear me, L-san! That's quite an accusation. Besides, everyone would love to meet you!"
"Ms. Nakahara, don't tell anyone who I am," L snapped, grabbing the stupid woman's arm. "Anyone could be Kira. My name while I'm here is Ryuuzaki."
"Oh, don't be such a stick in the mud," she tried to pull out, but L's grip tightened.
"My name," he growled, "is Ryuuzaki."
She frowned, but with a cute harrumph and a nod, she agreed to keep his name secret.
"Overall, she's doing fine and so is the baby," the nurse concluded.
"Thank you," L said. The nurse spun on her heel and returned to work.
L sat back down, in his usual position, which drew a lot of stares and pressed his thumb to his lip in thought.
L glared at anyone and everyone.
He wanted to get out and hoped Watari would hurry up and save him.
People began to murmur and he glanced about to see what had gotten their attention.
His scowl vanished when he saw a girl walking down the stairs, her porcelain face set in a stoic appearance.
She wore a red dress with white faux cuffs and her ebony hair was pinned up on top of her head and curled down her neck.
Behind her were four bishonen.
"Ladies and gentlemen," Ms. Nakahara said, standing on a platform. "As you are all aware, I house four boys and my niece. Tonight, I am proud to present to you these four boys, now gentlemen, and my darling niece, now a fine lady."
L stood, trying to get a better look at Ms. Nakahara's niece.
The girl smiled and talked her way through the crowd and L tried to get closer to her.
L waited another few minutes before the doctor came out with a relieved sigh. "You can come in and see them now."
L stood and followed the doctor. His hands were shaking and he had to conjure all his strength to go inside.
L brought Sunako-chan some juice as they made their escape from the crowd. "Here," he said, handing her the cup.
"Thank you," she said, taking it from his hands.
L sighed. "Thank Kami! I got out of there."
"I ought to thank you for that. I hate it when she does these parties," Sunako agreed, sipping her juice. "Sure, I became a 'lady' but that doesn't mean I like this sort of thing."
"Must be hard," L said, "having an aunt like that."
"It is, sometimes," Sunako admitted. "But at least I don't feel as though I'm going to melt or get a nosebleed around them anymore."
"Huh?"
"It's something that's been happening all year. I get a nosebleed, or I pass out whenever I'm around my housemates—the boys."
"That must have been," L began.
"A pain in the ass," Sunako finished.
"Yeah," L agreed. A car pulled in and Watari got out. "Oh, my escape's here."
"Lucky you," Sunako mumbled.
"Want to come?"
Sunako glanced at him, wide eyed. "I…what the hell. Sure."
L kissed his wife's forehead, then his son's.
Sunako opened her eyes. "You," she muttered, "Are so dead."
"When you have your strength back, Love," L joked, "may I?"
"Why ask? He's your child too."
L took his son out of his wife's arms and cradled the baby, who squirmed a little and opened his eyes.
Four hours had passed and Watari stopped in front of the mansion again.
"When can I see you again?" L asked her.
Sunako swallowed and looked at the mansion. She back to him.
"After school starts up again," she said. "Meet me at Morii High at three o'clock on the day school starts back up again."
L kissed her fingers and released her.
Sunako returned to the house and Watari drove away.
L drove his family home three days later. The baby, Hikaru Nakahara, was fast asleep in the backseat with his mother.
He asked her to marry him after she graduated college. He loved her to much not to ask. He asked in the presence of her parents and her aunt.
She accepted.
He thanked her aunt—if she hadn't blackmailed him into going to her party, he never would have met Sunako.
"Sunako, we're home, Love."
"Oh? Already?"
"Yeah." L took in the new baby gear as Sunako picked up Hikaru from the car seat.
After going inside, Sunako went to show Hikaru around.
"Surprise! Merry Christmas!"
L and Sunako jumped, startling everyone.
Hikaru whimpered.
"Good God!" L muttered.
Noi approached them first, having noticed Hikaru in Sunako's arms.
"Oh my word! Sunako-chan, he's just precious!"
"Hey! Look it's another bishonen!" Kyouhei joked, taking a look at Hikaru himself.
"Goodness," Sunako muttered, "I hope not. I've had enough with bishonen to last a lifetime."
Hikaru reached out for L and Sunako handed him over to his father.
"Why is everyone here?" Sunako asked.
"Oh, right, like we're not going to have Christmas without you. In fact, you have your aunt to blame."
"We convinced her to join us in a family only party," Takenaga muttered to Sunako. "No princes, oil sheiks, or only Kami knows what else."
"Thanks," she said. "I don't think either L or I would ever have survived—not with Hikaru just being born a couple days ago."
L shook his head, hearing the conversation.
Hikaru was passed around the group, meeting Aunts Noi, Machiko, and Tomao, Uncles Takenaga, Yuki, Ranmaru, and Kyouhei, grandpa and grandma Nakahara, Grandpa Watari, and Obachan Nakahara.
Sunako took him again when he started to cry.
"Tell me if I'm needed," she said to L as she and Hikaru went upstairs.
L joined in on a conversation with his family, listening to Sunako's father for advice.
And it was around this time that he first met Sunako Nakahara, his friend, his partner (in crime, he had to admit…), the mother of his child, and—first and foremost—his wife.