((Let me start off by saying, 'don't take this seriously'. It's for fun, and sort of gives an example of maybe (MAYBE) what L would be like with a girlfriend. And what this girlfriend would be like.
So in other words, yes, she is an 'original character'. I had fun forming her character. I think I might draw her…
Please excuse any small details that I may get wrong in this. I'm not a diehard fan, so I might accidentally get something a bit wrong. Hey! It's a 'what if' story anyways. For a time frame that this takes place, I don't really focus on the main story. (I'll get mauled for saying that.) It's just a small excerpt demonstrating that maybe L is more human than people may think.
Or maybe he's not.
But you can thank my friend for giving me this lovely idea. She asked rhetorically, 'What kind of girlfriend L would have?' And so we end up here.
There might be another chapter. Maybe……. Depends on the reception this gets.
Commence!))
…
L closed the apartment door behind himself, dropping the keys awkwardly on an entryway table nearby. He turned the locks using the tips of his fingers, as if handling a safe's combination knob. The next thing to do, as always, was to get rid of his shoes. They were easy to slip off, and looked pretty new even after a year and a half of usage. He didn't really like them. L had a habit of ditching the shoes in some corner wherever he went to visit, where they would not be noticed or tripped over.
But L noticed something different, out of the corner of his eye. His attention turned back to the entryway table.
It had a little, glass vase and a doily for decoration, mainly as something pleasing for a visitor to see as they would walk through the door. Although, he always used it to place his small ring of keys down for the night. At least, whenever he was able to go home. L examined the setup of the table. The doily was centered perfectly, every wrinkle smoothed out. The vase was placed in the top right corner. It held a common, white flower in the middle. It had begun to wilt a bit, but it was fresh.
He tensed up a bit, feeling something in his memory click in remembrance. In his mind, he revisited one of the main tables at his base of operations. He mentally navigated his desk using his memory. He can to a spot in the past where he had placed a small note on one corner a few days ago.
Be home on Thursday afternoon. 5 pm
Why didn't he remember that? Suddenly, the picture in his head changed. Now there was a dish with crumbs on top of the slip of paper. Ah, yes… He had used it as a coaster for a plate of crème puffs a team member brought him yesterday.
L slowly walked further into his apartment, towards a light in the living room, moving quietly. It wasn't that he was afraid…
On his couch was a girl. He felt a little bit of guilt as he noticed how comfortable she had become, laying on her side in sleep. She must have drifted off, leaning against the pillow at one end of the couch. Her shoulder-length black hair was a bit draped over her face, a few ends over her nose twitching as she breathed. She was in her work clothes, a simple knee-length, smooth skirt and a buttoned-up jacket over an ironed shirt. A bit formal for someone only 19 years old. Very… uniform.
He sat on the chair across from the couch, a glass-topped coffee table separating them. Pulling his legs up to his chest as usual, he looked around to judge how long she had been there. She was very punctual, but L continuously looked for any inconsistencies in her behavior.
It was almost… a hobby for him.
Trying to spot a slip-up in Hamano Isae's compulsory pursuit of perfection.
Looking around, he tried to figure out if she really did come at 5 o'clock. Generally, his apartment had very few decorations or items of entertainment. L was barely ever home. Which also meant that things weren't often placed orderly went they were put down. Any papers or items would be haphazardly tossed in some empty space as soon as their use had run out.
But looking around at the apartment now, it was hard to believe that L had a negligence of organization. The magazines and few books that had been neatly stacked in separate piles on each edge of the coffee table. The biggest books were underneath the smaller books, and the magazines were piled so all the corners were even.
L looked towards other places in the room. The reference and information books on a nearby bookshelf were arranged alphabetically by topic, and the spines were all smoothly lined up. Small decorations were evenly spaced apart and facing forward.
Things were still a little bit dusty, but every nearby item was arranged in an orderly fashion. He couldn't help but wonder if her OCD-fueled crusade had taken her into the kitchen. If so, he wouldn't have to worry about finding any expired food.
L got up from the couch, intent on finding even one small thing out of place. Something that proved that Isae wasn't perfect. The furniture creaked beneath him, as did the floor, when he stepped down.
Slowly, her eyes opened, looking forward. Her gaze shifted to L, who stood frozen in place in his usual slouchy, bad posture. He stared at her, waiting for some sort of reaction.
As if nothing had happened, Isae sat up, straightening her hair. She was the image of ladylike perfection, sitting up straight with her legs together and her appearance very clean. Just the sort of girl that a young man would be proud to introduce to his mother.
"I apologize. I must have drifted off while waiting," she calmly said with no emotion in her tone. That was what often put off so many boys. Or even anyone else for that matter. She could be likened to an Ice Queen, as her voice seemed devoid of any human sentiment.
L thought of what to say. "No, it was my fault. I was late, because I forgot about you coming to visit today," he explained.
Nothing. No pursued lips. No furrowing brow. She seemed to have no response to his attempt to provoke an inconsistency in her façade. Not angry, not sad, not frustrated, not anything.
Isae just checked her watch in response. L looked to the side to a small clock on top of his tv. According to the device, it was almost half-past ten pm. Whatever plans she might have had were now out of the question.
"It's late," she said, stating the obvious. L thought he heard a hint of disappointment in her voice, but wasn't entirely sure whether or not he was just hearing things. It was hard to tell if she really did care about spending time with him.
"The café across the street should still be open," L offered. He may have blew his chance to silently survey her for mistakes or slip-ups for hours, but he still sought at least a bit more time. Lately, the crimes he had been handed were so predictable. Inwardly, it infuriated him. Everything was so monotonous and tedious. He needed something different to happen, even if it was something small. This girl was his possible salvation, even though he felt bad for wanting Isae to make some sort of mistake. It bothered her when that happened.
Searching his blank eyes as if for some sort of lie, Isae was thinking to herself. Eventually, she gave one, curt nod.
"Okay."
…
Every movement was so predictable. She would take a small bite of her parfait, then reach for the napkin to wipe non-existent crumbs from her mouth. Isae's movements were so fluid, despite her icy demeanor.
L sat in his usual position in his chair, legs up to his chest while hunching forward over his parfait. Though, he was a lot less relaxed and at ease. L had barely started to eat, even though it had been a while since they arrived in the small, family-owned café.
L thought back to how exactly they had met. And why this strange girl had intrigued him so.
It had to be about a year ago. A serial killer had made his next move in the outskirts of the city, picking out a prominent head in the business world, like usual.
Isae's uncle.
As per every other strike, it seemed to be a very clean operation. At least, his proficiency was immaculate yet again. The victim had been tortured in his own home in the kitchen, making a mess of blood all over the floor. But as for evidence… There was none.
Nothing was left behind to lead the investigators to where or who the killer might be. Only verification that this was the same man as before, based on his methods. They might have well been chasing a ghost. But there was one thing he had un-knowingly left behind.
A witness.
L took a bite of his parfait, picking out a small bit of chocolate and cake layering. Isae had slowed down. She must have noticed how distant he was, and how half-heartedly he was eating.
Isae had refused to talk with anyone. Apparently, she had lived with her uncle after a huge family dispute back home. She worked full time, and helped her uncle out with housework. Although she was just as stoic as she was at this moment, the murder had deeply bothered her.
The serial killer was getting dangerous now, and he needed to be stopped at all costs. They needed whatever information Isae could give.
L, being the head of the case, had decided to talk to her personally. If anyone could gather information from even the smallest details, it was he. L set up a meeting with Isae, his main objective putting this chase to an end. For a few days, they would meet up, and L would subtly interrogate her.
Through their conversations, he slowly realized more and more of how complicated this girl was. She had a set path of actions, and never acted out of character. L was completely enthralled by this human. It was impossible for someone to be so… consistent. So predictable, yet unpredictable at the same time.
Unpredictable, as if he never knew if, or when, she would act out of turn.
Isae had loosened up around him, and gave L all the info that the case needed. He was even more amazed with how clear her memory was, and how her eye for even the smallest of details never failed. Isae remembered every single piece of her environment and during the murder.
She recalled every little thing that happened or changed during her duration of hiding in the downstairs closet. Even though she did not see the man, her information was still reliable and perfect.
With her memories, the serial killer was soon found. L was praised for such a quick strike against the murderer. His skills were unmatched!
But L knew that he would not have found the man if not for Isae. Even though his coworkers would not believe him if he told them so.
Even after the issue was done and over with, L found himself calling upon Isae again and again. He enjoyed just watching her. His obsession with her perfection was never-ending. He liked seeing how straight-forward she was.
How Isae never made a mistake.
How Isae could remember every single detail of anything.
How Isae was capable of organizing nearly any mess.
Her Ice Queen sort of personality did not bother him whatsoever. He was not put off with how emotionless and empty she seemed to be. He enjoyed every single moment of his new friend's company.
But one day, she did something out of character. She seemed to slip up in one simple act that she performed in front of him. This act should have pushed L away. She was not a flawless human being. Her perfection streak was completely ruined.
But strangely, L was even more interested after this. He realized that watching her being completely predictable and sound was not what he really wanted. What L really wanted all this time, though he did not realize it, was for her to do something out-of-character. He wanted to know someone who was predictable, but could be totally unpredictable at the same time.
So for a year, they would casually get together and do things that most couples would probably do. Sometimes they would go to dinner, or to the movies, or even just for a stroll in the park. As mismatched as they seemed to any passerby, L would truly admit that she was his 'girlfriend' if anyone asked. And he could tell that if Isae would actually open up to anyone else, she would say so, too.
He enjoyed the company of this unsympathetic girl more than he would any other female.
L was always waiting for the next slip-up.
"I should be going."
Isae's soft and quiet voice broke through his trip down memory lane. L looked down to notice that he had finished his dessert, without even realizing it. Isae was staring at him, her napkin neatly folded on the table in front of her, and her hands in her lap.
L nodded, experiencing a slight sinking feeling. He went to pay for the desserts, and then left the café with Isae. His hands were shoved in his pockets and his gaze was directed at the ground as he followed behind her.
The half-ruined date with Isae was over. Now he had to go back to a working frame of mind. He had so many simple cases in from of him. Even though the answers were so simple, no one else seemed competent enough to even give matters enough thought. It was infuriating how droning his life was. He needed a breath of fresh air.
He was looking away thinking to himself, as Isae waited in front of him. He was deep in thought, his mind leaving her again as he looked away. She might have well been halfway down the street already.
"I apologize for utterly forgetting about you tonight," he said, looking at her. Reminding her of his failure was his last-ditch attempt to provoke something from this ice sculpture of a woman.
"That's okay," she simply replied with the same empty stare.
"Next time, we'll do something," he said, though his mind wasn't really thinking of his relationship with Isae anymore. He was thinking of work again as he looked back away. It was around eleven-fifteen now, so he would probably review over some files, then go to bed. L would probably get up early to head back over-
Suddenly, he snapped back to reality as he felt something touch him. Isae had gotten closer to him and placed her fingertips beneath the side of his chin. She lightly held him steady as Isae leaned her head forwards and up a little to meet his lips with hers. She gave him a kiss, but then carefully parted his mouth with her tongue. He followed suit. They shared a very brief, yet somewhat passionate kiss.
She then quickly stepped back and turned away from him without another word. Isae walked away down the street while staying evenly in the light of the lampposts, leaving him standing there.
L slyly smiled to himself. There it was. Proof that Hamano Isae was not a flawless specimen among the impure human race.
It was exactly what he was looking for, and what he truly wanted. Someone similar to him.
