L's Lips
"We think we could get rid of L," the eleven year old Goto exchanged cunning glances with his classmate, his contemporary, Shizuku.
"How?" the younger orphan Ryota asked.
"Because the last genius quit because of a girl. We're going to get L to do the same."
"But L's not interested in girls."
"He's not really interested in anybody is he? His life revolves around all those murder cases, and Watari."
"The same with the last genius Denueve. He was the greatest detective in the world before L." Shizuku pitched in.
"I remember that name...Isn't that one of L's aliases?"
"It is now. The real Denueve gave it up so L assumed the title. Denueve was the real genius. L's talented but he was only second in his class when Denueve was around. He's a genius but he can't understand how other people's minds work. Denueve could, like Poirot he solved most of his cases with his ability to step into the mind of the murderer."
"Until he met her..."
"What happened?" asked Ryota
"She was in his class. They were best friends and they got even closer as they grew up. I heard that Watari didn't like the long hours they spent together, just the two of them, alone. One day I saw them kissing. later we were told they had quit, that L would be taking over as the new Denueve..."
"It hasn't been the same since."
Ryota agreed, shaking his head.
"So we want him to go. We've got to get L to fall in love with a girl so he'd quit."
"But L's not into girls."
Goto grinned.
When the orphans were served their dessert Miki heard the kids talking behind her. She sat across from Goto and his friends. In front of her was a slice of strawberry cheesecake and one huge strawberry.
Miki poked the cheesecake crust with her fork, thinking about a mystifying puzzle from one of her classes everyone else knew how to solve. To Miki it was just a doodle, a mess. She rolled the one strawberry around and around the dish, frustrated.
L crouched on his chair a little ways away, eyeing Miki's dessert. He had finished his own a long time ago.
Miki was not as smart as everyone else. The puzzle was on a sheet of paper covered with smudged pencil marks. Her classmates' papers were squeaky clean with just one sentence on it.
L slid closer to her, watching her play with her strawberry.
"Are you going to eat that?" he said.
She nodded.
"But you're not eating it."
"Not at the moment."
"Why?"
"I'm thinking."
"Can't you do both at the same time?"
She stared. Here was the smartest kid since Denueve asking if he could have her dessert.
He gobbled down the cheesecake. The juices of the huge strawberry seeped into and rejuvenated his crackly lips. Crumbs of the graham cracker crust stuck to his left cheek.
She swept away a runaway lock of hair.
His mouth was full. She drew his attention to the puzzle.
"It's easy for you, I'm sure."
"It is."
"Can you help me?"
He wiped the crumbs off his cheek. "It's your puzzle."
"Please?"
"No."
"I can't make heads or tails of it," she persisted. "What do you see when you look at it?"
L's eyes scanned the table, searching for another piece he could scavenge. He held his fork pinched between two fingers.
"I gave you my cake! Unless you can spit it out you should help me."
"It's impossible to regurgitate dessert on command."
"Help me with this then!" she wanted to shout. The boys across the table were trying very hard to keep straight faces in front of L.
"I can't explain it if you don't know it already. We're obviously not on the same wavelength if you can't figure it out by yourself. So I can't help you." L got up from his chair and ambled away with his hands inside his pockets, his back hunched, leaving Miki very flustered and angry.
Goto recognized his chance. He gave his co-conspirators a knowing glance and leaned forward. "Give it to me. I'll help you."
Miki recognized him from his class. After L, Goto was the second person to hand in his solution to the puzzle. She passed the sheet of paper across the table and handed him her pen. He wrote down one sentence - in two seconds he'd saved her. But Miki was apprehensive. Goto looked into her eyes, smirking.
"Remind me again, why am I helping you?"
His goonies sniggered.
"If you can't even solve this simple puzzle, it's not like you can help with next week's test as repayment."
Miki sighed. "I'll give you my dessert tomorrow. It's no big deal."
"Isn't it?"
He refused to return the paper to her.
"What I'm getting at is...there is something I want you to do for me in exchange for this." he waved the paper in the air. "and it's bigger than dessert." he paused. Shizuku snorted behind him. "I want you to kiss L."
Miki gawked in disbelief.
"Can't I just eat with his fork?"
"No, you have to kiss L."
Miki groaned, "You guys are weird. This is definitely the grossest thing I'll ever agree to do…" But it wouldn't be the most difficult, she added to herself. "Fine," she nodded. "I'll do it."
Goto leered, "Alright. He'll be in the library, three in the afternoon."
"And you've got to kiss him..." Shizuku made kissing noises with his mouth so there would be no question where she'd have to kiss him.
Miki hadn't asked Goto how he planned to make sure L got to the library. In the hours past noon Miki was preoccupied with nerves and feelings of inferiority that she hadn't begun to feel guilty for being an accomplice in L's ambush.
L arrived at the library alone, as was his custom. Miki took a deep breath, walked up to him in a few long stoic strides. L was unsurprised to find her at the library, he saw her there all the time when they studied at opposite ends of the same table. He was taken aback when she placed her face right in front of his and planted a kiss on his lips.
L's eyes widened, staring into Miki's eyes, which were also open, taking in the view of his pointy nose. They moved up to the black shadows under his eyes then to the eyes themselves.
Miki and L held their breath both of them unsure of what it was to really kiss. Miki thought L lips tasted of strawberry. Real strawberries. Not the lip balm flavour. There were also hints of cheesecake, vanilla, chocolate, whipped cream, pecans, and raisins.
When she breathed his body emitted the smell of espresso. She'd never been this close to his body though she knew L almost never slept. L was older than her. His height at fifteen years old was 170 centimetres but since he hunched he stood 150 centimetres from the ground and she was really just 145.
"Um...How long do we have to stand like this?" he inquired with their lips still touching.
Miki's face flushed but she liked the sweet taste on his lips, with incredible reluctance she stepped back.
He took his hand out of his pocket and wiped his lips.
"Are you feeling okay?" asked L observing her bright red veneer.
"Yes," she gasped.
L looked at her suspiciously. He cast his eyes around the room.
"Did you see Goto come in here?"
"What?" Miki said, still trying to catch his breath.
"Goto took my book. I can't study without it."
"I didn't see him."
"He headed in this direction."
"But I don't know where he is!"
He looked down dejectedly.
Miki quickly grew impatient.
"Aren't you a genius though? Why do you need a book?"
"Watari gave me an unusually difficult assignment. I only got through half of it in the morning and was counting on finishing the rest in the afternoon. I was on my way to Roger's for help when Goto snatched it out of my hands."
"Can't you just start over?"
"I won't finish in time. Could you go with me to retrieve it?"
At this point of crisis she related to him, though she hated the revelation that she could relate to him while he alone was the genius everyone revered.
"Why do you need me to go?"
She couldn't understand why L's collected demeanor irritated her so much.
"I'm convinced that your being there will help me exponentially increase the probability that he returns it to me." He added, "I'm not very good with people."
When L thanked her by kissing the corner of her mouth, she was again caught in the cloud of espresso and strawberries.
While he was resolute that he wouldn't tutor her, he offered to stay with her until she found a solution and promised to let her know when she landed on the correct one.
They left the library together.
The only reason Goto stole the book from L was because he panicked seeing L head away from the library. He wasn't carrying very much with him - only a book and bowlful of strawberries, in each hand. Goto snatched the book from him and ran in the direction where he knew Miki would be waiting. He hid behind a bookshelf where he witnessed Miki and L kissing and after that had no other reason to keep the book. He willingly handed it back to L.
L was very happy to get his book back and he was eager to keep his promise. Together he and Miki walked back to the library and emerged five hours later.
Goto was also very pleased at how things were turning out according to plan.
Thanks for reading!