Sugar Cubes

Author's Note: This is based on the /movie/ version of Death Note, not the manga. If you have watched 'The Last Name', you would probably understand most of the things in this fic, particularly the 'stupid-looking mask'. This is my first attempt at writing something unfamiliar to me. I write this at the request of a close friend who is fond of the LxMisa pairing. So there you have it. R&R if wished, no flaming please and thank you.

Disclaimer: I do not own the Death Note manga/movie and all its characters.

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One, two, three.

The sugar cubes, of different colours, no less, were stacked neatly in a pile. Not only that, but they were also stacked skilfully for that matter. Now, yet another sugar cube (a green one) was placed on top of a pink one as world-renowned dectective, L, smiled in satisfaction at his work. Various security tapes played on small screens infront of him. Reaching for a brown cube, the slamming of the door to his room sent vibrations through the floor, causing his perfect tower of sugary goodness to collapse on the table. Annoyed, L pressed a button on his remote control, causing the screens to withdraw and close. Then he turned towards the door to see none other than Misa Amane, famous celebrity and Raito's current girlfriend. Reaching for a half-eaten chocolate bar on the table, he bit another chunk off it as he stared at the intruder inquisitively, waiting for her to say something.

"Yes, Misa-chan?"

The young woman was speechless for a moment, before tears started to flow from her eyes. She started to sob, and badly at that. Her cries were high-pitched and at most, rather whiny, and L winced as he placed a hand over his right ear, before taking another bite out of the chocolate bar. "Raito hates me! He doesn't care about me at all!" she cried, before her sobs escalated into shrieks. L swore he could see the wine glass on his table crack. Hopping down from his perch on the sofa, L paused. "How did you get into my hotel room?" he asked blandly. The only sound now was L chewing on the remnants of the chocolate bar. Bits of chocolate crumbs fell onto the carpet.

"I..."

"Stop. That was a rhetorical question. A lazy mistake on my part, although world-renowned detectives don't make mistakes. I was supposed to have a fingerprint and pupil scanner installed this afternoon, and I didn't close the door properly." L gestured to the room service cart outside the room. Plates of leftover cake and strawberries lay on the ceramic plates. "And of course, anyone could tell that this is my room from what's left behind. Besides that, it's good to have a famous TV personality in my hotel room." Misa opened her mouth to speak, but L cut her off once again. "So, Raito abandoned you, did he?" Misa nodded quickly, as tears started to brim again. L gingerly picked up a strawberry from a plate infront of him and took a bite out of it, before placing the last bit of his chocolate bar in his mouth, and tossing the wrapper back onto the table.

"It has been only a day since I released you. You don't want me to suspect you of being the second Kira again, do you?"

Misa remembered the weeks she had spent tied up in that horrible cell, being fed only sandwiches, water and whatnot, and being observed by close circuit cameras twenty-four hours a day. She shook her head vigorously. "No." Misa squeaked. "So then, there are many psychiatric counsellors you could visit. Why me?" L put bluntly, his eyes half-closed. Misa was rather insulted that he'd put up a rather bored appearance along with his drawling tone of voice and unenthusiastic words. She fidgeted where she stood, and laughed nervously. "Well..." she began. L hopped back up onto the sofa and picked a lollipop up from the table. He held it up to Misa's face.

"Lollipop?"

Misa stared at the candy for a moment, before smiling and grabbing it from the detective, who had now started eating the sugar cubes he had previously been stacking. Seeming to regain her confidence, Misa grinned. "Because Misa Misa loves you, L!" L dropped the blue sugar cube he had been holding in disbelief. Turning towards Misa again, he managed to speak. "Excuse me?" The grin seemed to fade slightly from the girl's face as she repeated herself. "Because Misa Misa loves you!" she declared. The detective vaguely remembered him saying something to Raito a few weeks ago. "Tell me, how do you date celebrities?" he had asked when Misa unexpectedly turned up at Raito's college when L had been there on an undercover investigation, picking up the alias of 'Ryuzaki'. He also remembered that he had been wearing a stupid-looking mask. But L himself didn't think it was that stupid-looking. It was also the day he had Misa arrested on suspicion of being the second Kira.

"Really?"

L asked, his voice as monotonous as usual. Misa nodded. At that, L stood up abruptly, jumped off the sofa and shuffled over to the young woman. Taking her hands in his own, he gave her a faint smile. "I'm a big fan of your work." He said, reaching into his pocket and pulling out a copy of 'Heaven's Door', Misa Amane's first pop album. Misa's face seemed to light up as she smiled. The detective pulled her into a hug, and of course, Misa happily returned it. "Misa Misa is thinking of letting L-kun be on a guest episode of Happy Sweets." she said gleefully, looking at the table of sugar-coated goodies L had so quickly consumed. Releasing his hug, L crouched down and gathered the fallen sugar cubes together. Misa sat down next to him and picked up a cube. "So you stack cubes in your spare time?" She asked randomly.

"Yes." L replied in a weird manner.

Misa smiled again and put the cube she was holding back down on the table. Taking another one, she placed it on top of the first. And then she started to stack them, finding it rather fun now. But her tower only lasted five cubes. L prodded her gently, and started to stack his own tower. "There is a certain skill you must take into mind when stacking cubes of sugar." He stated promptly, placing a cube on Misa's new sugar cube tower. L tossed a cube into his cup of tea before continuing. "You must--"

He was interrupted once again by the slamming of his room door. This time, it was Soichiro Yagami, also known as Raito's father.

"Ryuzaki, we have new updates on Kira."

L turned to the police chief, oddly insulted that his focus on the sugar cube stacking had been so suddenly interrupted. Leaving Misa seated on the ground, her eyes wide in shock and a pink cube still clutched between her fingers, L walked over to Soichiro in an extremely serious manner, slouching like he always did. This was the first update on Kira that they had gotten all day, for the elusive killer rarely left evidence behind, mainly because he was a genius that rivaled L himself. But today was rather different. For some strange reason, L's level of interest in the killer had declined. Perhaps it was the presence of a certain celebrity in the room. Placing a hand on the shoulder of his associate and confidante, L cleared his throat and made serious, business-like eye contact with Soichiro.

Putting it so very plainly, L spoke.

"Could you please not interrupt? We're stacking sugar cubes."

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Owari