Checkmate; L Lawliet
L trailed Light with a sombreness draped over his shoulders like a mantle, weighing on his body so he walked more crooked than normal.
He was bored.
Stuck following Light around as he went about his college routines had drained away the excitement of the case. He knew he was Kira, but Light wasn't going to make this easy for him.
L wished he would do something. Something more exciting than studying and speaking to his peers.
They walked in silence through the college courtyard, ignoring the other students milling around. The soft hum of chatter was making L's ears itch.
"Hey Light," a female voice called, and the two males turned simultaneously to face a girl sitting cross-legged on the floor, a chessboard set out in front of her. A boy was walking away from her, appearing dejected as his shoulder slumped forward. "Wanna have a game?"
Light cocked a brow, considering her offer, then he tilted his chin away and shrugged. "Maybe later, Miko."
Her cheeks dipped into a smile as he declined, before she suddenly turned and caught L's eye. He gazed back curiously. "How about you?"
L pressed a thumb to his lip, resting his elbow on the palm of his other hand. "I suppose it wouldn't hurt," he droned, slumping forward and trudging toward where she sat. "I've never been much into chess, but I could have a go." He was confident he'd win anyway. "At least this will exercise my brain more than following Light around," he added, settling into his usual position.
Smirking to himself, Light planted himself on the bench beside them and watched the scene with curiosity. He knew Miko was the best chessplayer in college. She was an undefeated legend, so to speak. It would be interesting to see her against L.
The game raged on for the entire lunch break, until Miko claimed victory with only four pieces left on the board.
L appeared dumbstruck, his lips parted as he glared at the board. "What?"
"Checkmate," Miko repeated, chuckling to herself. "I won. But I must admit, it did stretch my brain more than usual." She flexed her fingers and began packing the game away. "You're very good at this. Best competition I've have in a long time."
"But... I lost?" L mumbled, a frown pinching his face.
Miko laughed softly, climbing to her feet and waving a hand in front of L's face to help him up. "We all have to face defeat some time. Don't ya think?"
Ignoring her hand, L stood up and brushed down his shirt, as if purposely avoiding her gaze. Miko noticed this.
"Hey, how about a rematch after college today? I'd say you have a pretty good chance of beating me, if you keep at it. Oh, what's your name by the way?"
"Hideki Ryuga," he mumbled distantly, fixing a curious gaze on her face.
She shied away slightly, flashing Light a smile. "See you both later?"
"Sure. Bye, Miko!" Light waved, starting in the opposite direction to class.
"Looks like you've got a rival," Light chuckled as L caught up with him, clapping him on the back. "But like she said, we've all got to face defeat sometime, right?"
L lost the subsequent four games. A crowd of people had gathered around the couple as they battled it out on the chessboard.
"Check... and mate," Miko declared triumphantly, beaming at L. "Looks like you lost, again."
L growled under his breath, slapping a hand to his face. "Why do I keep losing? I calculated your moves before you'd even made them!" He revealed, annoyance evident in his tone.
Miko merely laughed, beginning to fold away the board. "Hey, don't be so hard on yourself. I might have won but it certainly wasn't easy."
"Another game?" L pleaded, grabbing her wrist to stop her from packing away.
"I-I can't," Miko stuttered, her cheeks flushing faintly. "I need to get home."
She climbed to her feet as the crowd dispersed, chattering excitedly among themselves. The games had been intense, pleasing to watch.
"Hey Miko!" A girl shouted, skidding over to where the stood. Suddenly losing her balance, she grabbed her friend for support and proceeded to knock the chessboard from her hands. Pieces scattered everywhere, the board landing -luckily- intact by L's feet. "Oh, I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to-"
"Don't worry," Miko brushed off her apology, smiling as she bent down to retrieve the pieces.
A moment later, she felt a presence by her side, another pair of hands picking up the pieces with her. For a second, she'd hoped it was Ryuga. But she turned to find Light passing her the pieces, Ryuga already walking off in the distance. Her chest plummeted for a moment.
"Thanks, Light," she mumbled, shoving the board back into her bag and swinging it over her shoulder.
"No problem. Nice job, beating Ryuga. He's usually the best at everything," he chuckled, helping her to her feet. "He ought to know that he can't win everything."
She shrugged, dusting down her trousers. "See you tomorrow," she called, hurrying away to meet her friends. Though her mind was preoccupied by a certain black-haired boy.
x-x-x-x
"I challenge you to another game," L declared, approaching Miko the following day. She was currently playing against a brown-haired boy, most of his pieces resting by her side.
She looked up warily. "Let me finish this one first."
He harrumphed, folding his arms lazily across his chest. "Fine."
She rolled her eyes, muttering something under her breath and proceeded to beat the boy in a matter of seconds.
"Aw, man," the boy sighed, throwing a fist to the ground. "How are you so good?"
"Practise," Miko said with a shrug, smiling at him. "Thanks for the game."
The guy shrugged as he walked off, eyes downcast. L studied the girl carefully as she reset the board and pointed to the space opposite her. "You gonna sit down?"
Pressing a thumb to the corner of his mouth, L studied the board, before flicking his curious gaze back to her face. She squirmed under his stare.
"What?"
He licked his lips, shifting his feet. "Do you want to get some cake with me?"
She glanced up at him, slightly taken aback. "What?"
L rolled his eyes, leaning closer toward her. "Do you want to get some cake with me?" He repeated slowly, his face remaining expressionless.
Light was smirking behind him.
"Uhm... okay," she agreed with a sheepish smile, suddenly yelping as he pulled her sharply to her feet. His hand felt warm around hers. "Wait, I need to pack my stuff away."
L was already pulling her away. "Light can take care of that for you," he said lazily.
"Hey- oh, fine. If it gets you off my back for a while," Light muttered reluctantly as L steered Miko out of the college grounds.
The café was almost empty when they arrived, settling into an empty booth in the corner of the room. L sat across from her, peering intently at her face.
"Why do you keep staring at me?"
L pinched his lips thoughtfully. "Your face is pleasant to look at," he said bluntly, drumming his fingers against the table. "I'm going to go get some cake."
Before Miko had time to open her mouth, he was out of his seat and wandering over to the counter. Her cheeks burned a furious shade of red as she stared at his empty seat, trying to think of something to say in return.
He came back with a whole cake, frosted with white icing and decorated with strawberries.
"I-is this all for u-us?" she stuttered, unable to see much of L's face over the cake.
"Don't you like cake?"
"Well, uh, yeah. Just p-perhaps not as much as you."
L shrugged over her comment and dug his fork into the cake. "Help yourself."
Miko left the café feeling sick. She had no idea how L could consume so much cake and stay as thin as he did. "Thank you, Ryuga," she said as they walked back to college. "I had a nice time."
"Hmm. I suppose I did too," he agreed, suddenly stopping. "Would you mind if I kissed you?"
Swallowing thickly, Miko wheeled to face him in surprise, her veins thrumming loudly. "W-What?"
L rolled his eyes, taking a step closer to her. "Can I kiss you?"
"If y-you want to."
"Well, I wouldn't be asking if not," he said, before leaning down and giving her a quick peck. Her knees almost buckled at the lingering taste of strawberry on his lips. "There. Now let's head back. I rather fancy another game. That sugar rush might have just given me the strength to beat you."
"Uh, sure," Miko swallowed, stumbling after him slightly dazed. She doubted, with the state of her mind, she'd win anyway.
But L knew that.
Hello! Thank you for reading; I hope you enjoyed the one-shot. Do let me know your thoughts :P