How to make Ryuzaki love me:
Stage 1) Become friends: This may be more difficult than it seems. Ryuzaki is a genius but he is obviously socially retarded. To others wishing to make someone their boyfriend/girlfriend this would seem like a disadvantage: Ryuzaki who had been companionless for his life would jump at the chance to have me on his side. However, it was not hard to guess that he had often been the butt of others jokes and so his friendless state has made wary of people being kind to him in case it was a joke.
In the light of Ryuzaki's past I have hypothesized that the best plan would be to use the truth. Tell him how much I respected his intellect and how he made meā¦feel normal. Even though I made a point of being 'normal', joining the football team, watching shows that are popular among my less gifted classmates, I have always felt an outsider. My intelligence made be a freak, but you didn't hear it from me. I understand how Ryuzaki feels and, with a bit of luck, he will see this too.
Raito's Pov
All sound of work stopped momentarily in the hotel that was serving as the Task Force Headquarters. Matsuda took advantage of the lull in activity to stretch his shoulders and emit an explosive yawn.
'Man, I'm bushed. Ryuzaki I think I'm going to call it a night,' he said in the direction of the stacks of paper concealing the odd man and all his idiosyncrasies.
'Hai,' came the hollow reply from behind the detective's paper fort. Said detective quickly finished his mouthful of gummy bears and began work once more.
'I'll think I'll be heading home too. I promised the wife I wouldn't be too late tonight. See you tomorrow Ryuzaki-san,' Aizawa added as he packed up his things and joined Matsuda before leaving the room.
'Dad you should get some rest too. You've been working too hard recently,' I said to my father when I realized he was planning to stay. He looked up with a surprised expression.
'But Raito what about you?' I felt an unexplainable anger boil up in me. Didn't he care that if I left, Ryuzaki would be by himself for the rest of the night? Just because they'd had a silly spat over the obvious last night he no longer cared about our leader's well being. Ryuzaki was working the hardest here yet nobody had suggested he'd take a break.
'No I'll be fine Dad. Ryuzaki and I have it covered.' I stressed the other man's name to remind my father that we weren't the only people still in the room.
'Ah.' He sighed. He still looked adamant about staying so I gave him a reassuring smile. 'Ok Raito but don't stay here too late else you mother will worry.'
'I know, I know.'
I gave a sigh of relief when the door clicked shut for the second time.
'Raito-kun there isn't any need for you to stay here. You'll still be able to catch up to your father if you go now.' L said as he hopped over his little fortress. I looked up just in time to see concern flash across his usually empty eyes before the wall came down, hiding the man I dearly wanted to know behind it.
'I'm honestly ok Ryuzaki. It's not a school night so I thought this would be a good chance to make up for the time I wasted yesterday.' Was it just the lighting or did Ryuzaki seem regretful?
'Raito-kun I've been meaning to talk to you about my decision,' he said around a Mars bar. What's this? I thought. 'I understand that this may be hard for you but please bare with it until we discover that you are Kira or until we find the real Kira.' I pushed down my irritation at being accused of being Kira quickly, putting up my own mask to hide myself. If he can keep what he feels a secret then so can I. I thought childishly.
'Ryuzaki there's no need to apologize. I was the one that Raye Penbar was investigating. I know why you suspected me and I don't blame you. Who else is there to suspect?' I reassured my temporary classmate as he sat down in his usually weird position.
'I'm glad Raito-kun understands,' was the monotonous reply. I smiled at him from across the coffee table and was delighted to receive a perfect half-moon smile. He really can be so adorable sometimes. I thought to myself as we simultaneously returned to our work.
I felt a cold hand roughly shake my shoulder. What's going on? I thought groggily. I rubbed the sleep from the corner of my eyes and looked around my surroundings.
'Raito-kun fell asleep,' Ryuzaki said from behind me. Oh. I stretched out my body, wincing as my joints cracked in protest.
'Ow,' I murmured quietly.
'Perhaps you should go home now Raito-kun. We wouldn't want your mother to worry,' the shaggy haired detective proposed.
'Yeah,' I mumbled at his back, 'I probably should go home now.' A yawn punctuated my words. No response came from the retreating man as I pulled my bag together, noting that my work had already been saved. How long had I been asleep? I wondered.
I walked over to the detective taking up the position next to him as he looked out onto the sleeping city from the window. I was curious if he'd always looked but never experienced the city for himself. But it would have been rude to ask at this point in my plan. I turned to the strange man next to me who only came up to my shoulder because of his odd posture.
The moon light found a break in the clouds and illuminated the pair of us. Sucking in a quick breath I reassessed my thoughts on the detective.
Before, I had been a little uneasy with my plan. My main concern was whether or not I found the detective attractive, but now I knew that I did. Of course I did, how I could have ever thought of him as ugly was as strange a thought as finding Matsuda attractive. That his pale skin made him look sickly instead of angelic? That his thinness made him look unhealthy instead of slim and lithe? The beautiful person next to me peered from under his dark bangs with even darker eyes.
'Can I help you with something Raito-kun?' The voice that I once found uninteresting now sent shivers down my spine.
'I was just wondering if you were going to attend university again.' L turned away from me closer to the wide expanse of sky until his face was almost touching the window.
'No Raito-kun. I only went to the university so I could observe you closely.' His words made me feel a foolish kind of pleasure. He went to all that trouble just to watch me? For the first time it didn't even bother me that he'd thought that is was Kira even before he'd met me.
'That's a shame Ryuzaki-kun. It's boring without someone there who I can hold an intelligent conversation with,' the use of "kun" was not wasted on the still detective. I turned back to face the room and sighed at the thought of leaving the amazing man behind. 'I miss you when you aren't there. You're a good friend to me Ryuzaki-kun.' That got a surprising reaction. The slim man whipped around to face me, his expression a mixture of surprise and suspicion before the wall crashed down again.
'What do you mean Yagami-kun?' Ah, so he doesn't like me calling him "kun".
'Well, it's just that I admire you so much,' I shrugged as if it didn't mean anything, as if I didn't care, 'you don't care what other people think of you. You're not afraid to be yourself, to be different from everyone else. I think that's a very important characteristic you have.'
The angelic man placed his thumb between his lips and bit down on the soft flesh.
'You're a good friend too Raito-kun. My first friend in fact. Ever.' It was shocking how good that made me feel, like I was walking on clouds.
Stuffing my hands in my pockets I made the short distance to the door, hiding my delighted smile, all the while being trailed by the silent man.
'Goodnight Ryuzaki,' I said as I exited the hotel room. I didn't mind that I didn't get an answer.
Stage 1) Become L's friend: complete.
