Showerheads and Stressful Times

Disclaimer: I don't own Death Note or any of its characters

Ran rubbed her eyebrows, exasperated from the events that had occurred. Not only did she knock out her best friend, but she and Matt had no choice but to bring her back to her apartment. Ran had no idea what she had been thinking when she had hammered Terry with the lid of a trashcan. Now she would have to deal with a crap load of questions and lectures from her, mostly centered on why she was struck down. She had no idea why she had thought that the easiest way to escape and avoid the situation was to knock her out.

The two were driving back from Terry's house after they had thrown her into her bed. Despite sneaking Terry back into her own home, Ran still couldn't help but feel the tormenting whirlpool of emotions that bubbled inside her. She couldn't help but feel guilty for knocking her out while at the same time worried about how this situation could be dealt with. The stress of it all weighted down on her, feeling heavier than stone. It was quite clear on her features how she was feeling, not bothering to mask her emotions behind a steely expression.

Ran dropped her head to the dashboard, ignoring the spark of pain that now rested on her forehead.

"I'm such a horrible friend." She muttered in a pathetic state.

"Just curious...why'd you knock her out in the first place?" Matt asked as he slowed to stop at a red light.

The anger that had been overpowered by her other emotions, exploded from its prison.

"Isn't it obvious, idiot? The last thing I need is for Terry to find out that I'm in the mafia. She was getting way too suspicious about everything so I did what I had to! Plus, do you really think that I want her to know that I also live in that troll cave with a dope like you?" She added an empty laugh at the end to put emphasise on the absurdity of the whole ordeal.

"But what are you going to do when she wakes up and sees that nasty bruise on her face?" Matt asked, the ghost of a grin gracing his features.

"Then I'll officially announce that she's crazy." Ran said, forehead still resting on the dashboard. "Actually, come to think of it, what the hell took you so long to get your keys?" She inquired while snapping her head up to face him, a skeptical glare narrowing her eyes.

"Well after you messed with my whole apartment, it took me a while to find them." Matt answered, his nonchalant attitude causing a vein of anger to twitch within Ran.

"Messed with?" She echoed, completely dropping the subject of Terry in order to express her clear offence to his reply. It had been brought to her attention once before that she tended to forget about subjects quite quickly. "I didn't "mess with" your apartment, I cleaned it you idiot!"

"Well you touched my stuff so that counts as messing with it."

"Jackass." She spat under her breath.

"Hey, it's hurtful when you call me mean names." Matt said, only his ghost of a grin finally materializing into a large smile.

Ran scoffed as she slumped into her seat, arms crossed, gaze glaring forwards. Her posture greatly resembled a very unhappy child that had just been denied what they wanted. The pose she took on made it even harder for Matt to accurately guess her age. Though her face appeared matured enough, her wild, messy hair gave her the "I-don't-care" look that most children would sport. Her height helped none considering she couldn't have been more than 5"1, nor did any of her other...female features. Overall, Ran's age was a deemed a mystery since all of the aspects made her look childish but her voice and face said otherwise, as did her language. Though there was the fact that she supposedly lived alone and also had a job.

After sending one last side-glance in her direction, Matt had finally settled on the guess that she was sixteen...no more like fifteen now that he did another side-glance. His last glance did not go unnoticed by the displeased teen. She turned her head, knitting her brows signifying her confusion.

"What?"

"Nothing."

"Uh, no, you glanced at me, what is it?"

"Like I said, it's nothing." Ran scoffed before proceeding with her previous action.

There was a short blanket of silence before the car reached a stop. Ran, not paying attention to her surroundings, did not bother acknowledging the halt until she heard Matt shift the gear. She examined him, confusion and question written all over her former glaring face.

"Where are we?" She asked.

"Getting something to eat, I don't feel like making anything." Ran folded her lips to one side as she replied with half-lidded eyes.

"And by "making anything" you mean stuffing something in the microwave, yeah?" She scoffed only to earn a chuckle reply.

"You catch on fast." He stepped out of the car and slammed the door behind him. Not waiting for Ran to follow, Matt dug his hands into his vest-pockets before heading towards the main entrance. Ran tilted her head to the side in an attempt to see beneath the roof of the car. She lifted a brow at the large black sign that hung above the doorway. It read "Diner" in bright, blinking red letters.

"How original." She thought before stepping out of the car and starting for the door, taking slow and shuffled strides. Once she had entered, the low sound of 80's music and the bright beams from the light fixtures attacked her. She grimaced at the intense lighting and decor. The walls were cluttered with different vintage records, pictures of old musicians and various other posters. Each bright red booth was lined with black and white checkers while the small, round tables sported high chairs. Ran almost felt as if she had walked through a time machine and ended up thirty years in the past.

Her wondering eyes lingered on the different record albums hung on the blue walls. It was almost interesting to see how times had changed within a few decades. It had taken quite some time before Ran realized that she had been standing, awkwardly staring around the room, unaware of the hostess before her.

"Miss? Table for one? Miss?" She spoke.

Ran's head snapped towards the source of the high-pitched voice that had been addressing her.

"Uhh, yes—wait no! I mean, yes I want a table but...there should've be another guy that came in before me. I'm with him..." She spoke, trailing off as her gaze hovered over every table with her brows knit together.

"What the...where the hell is he?"

The hostess bared a strange look as she examined Ran slowly circling her eyes around the restaurant. The curiosity itching at her brain, the hostess took one quick glance around the room. There was only five other customers, two of which were men but other than that, there were no other possible candidates or her vague description.

"I...I know that he's here." Ran spoke, the confidence that previously fuelled her words, draining away like water in a sink.

"You sure? Maybe you mistook him for someone else?" The young woman tilted her head, a small pang of sympathy forming inside her for the clearly confused customer.

"I..." Before Ran could complete her sentence, her eyes caught onto another waitress who had approached a vacant booth, the one side obscuring Ran's view of the table itself but it was clear that no-one was there. The waitress pulled out a pad and pen from her apron as her mouth began to move as if she was speaking to someone. Ran quirked a brow before realization smacked her upside the head.

"That bastard better not be—" Ran's theory was proven true as she stomped towards the "vacant" booth only to see Matt sitting down with his back arched and his chin resting on his crossed forearms. Ran slid herself into the booth, the anger clear on her steaming features. A small grin curled on Matt's lips.

"So you saw through my little prank, huh?"

"The idiocy of it all was a dead give-away." Ran replied, a mock smile developing on her face before quickly dropping back to its original form, similar to a beautiful woman turning back into a beast.

The waitress, pad and pen in hand, stared at the two strangely before turning her attention to Ran. "And what will you be having, hon?"

"Water." She snapped, her eyes flicking down at the long menu before tearing back to the patient waitress. "And a chocolate ice cream. Actually...make that two." The waitress nodded sharply before grabbing the menu that lay on the table's surface and stalking off.

Ran rested the back of her head on the booths surprisingly hard back. She heaved a loud, exasperated sigh as her eyelids slid over her chocolate-coloured orbs.

"Come on, cheer up." Matt said while bringing the small flame of the lighter to the untouched cigarette between his lips. Ran almost wanted to laugh at his words but was unable to even manage a smile at the moment.

"Cheer up? How can I when I have to put up with your bullshit? I already have enough to deal with and you go and pull a stupid stunt like that." She hissed, eyes remaining closed, causing her calm demeanor to clash with her tone. "And why the crap are you smoking inside, idiot. Do you want to get us kicked out?"

"That's why I love this diner. They're cheap...and they allow smoking indoors." Matt spoke with a grin. Just as he had done so, their waitress sauntered over and placed the glass of water in front of Ran.

Her eyes tore open slightly, before peeling her distressed back off the large booth and slumped forwards. She pulled a small bottle of pills from her coat pocket and lazily twisted the cap off. She tipped it in her hand and shook it until two blue capsules fell onto her palm. Ran popped them into her mouth before swallowing a large amount of water.

"You're on medication?" Matt asked, his question being more of a statement.

"No. These are just painkillers for the headaches I get when I'm stressed." She answered while screwing the cap back on and shoving it into her pocket.

"Is your life really that stressful?"

"Not usually but yes, my life has been pretty shitty as of late." Ran growled the last part of her sentence before sinking further into her seat until her head was almost invisible from Matt's angle. "Why me?" She groaned, helplessly.

After a short moment, a waitress skipped out of the kitchen, a plate in one hand and a bowl of ice cream in the other. A bright smile seemed forever glued to her face as she approached them and set the two dishes down. The waitress was a different one. She was much younger and her cheerful attitude matched her preppy and utterly hideous uniform. Her bouncy, blonde hair swayed with each movement she made.

"Here you are! Is there anything else you'd like?" She chirped, glancing between Matt and Ran. Matt opened his mouth to speak but was cut off by Ran as she scooted herself back into a proper sitting position.

"No." She stated simply as she straightened the cutlery perfectly.

"'Kay!" She squeaked before turning on her heel and bouncing towards another poor soul that would have to deal with her sickening sweetness.

She gripped her spoon and began digging into her ice cream, each bite bigger than both her utensil and mouth could handle. She ignored the smears of chocolate that dirtied her face only for a few moments as she allowed her senses to indulge in such a delectable and comforting treat. Ran normally turned to the therapy of ice cream when she felt stressed or when the situation called for it. She had to say that the situation, indeed called for it. As she scooped more and more mouthfuls of ice cream into her mouth, Matt observed from the other side of the table with a small grin at her fast pace of eating. Come to think of it, neither of them had had anything to eat in the past twenty-four hours or so. It made sense that she'd be eating so much and at such a pace but then again, Matt had a feeling that her speed was not based on the emptiness of her stomach.

Once she had completely devoured her first bowl, Ran slid it aside, being sure to place it right in the middle of the table before digging into her second. After about two spoonfuls into her treat she slowly trailed her eyes towards Matt, realizing he had been watching her the entire time. She gave a skeptical look while shoveling another scoop into her mouth.

"Whart's wif yuh sharing aht meh?" She scoffed, her mouth obviously overstuffed. She swallowed the ice cream before continuing. "You know, I don't like you at all."

"You don't have to like me; you just have to work well with me."

"What if I can't work well with you?"

"Then you just have to put up with me."

"What if I can't put up with you?" She hissed in a low tone, putting some emphasise on the fact that she found it hard to deal with him.

"Well then it sucks to be you." Matt said simply as he shovelled some food into his mouth. (He must of extinguished his cigarette without Ran noticing).

Ran's lips curved into a venomous scowl as her glare remained unblinking on Matt's nonchalant form. After a moment, Ran slid from the booth and began stomping in another direction. Matt glanced up from his dish, brows raised.

"Where are you going?" He asked.

Without sparing as much as a glance his way, Ran replied, her tone close to a yell from the distance that had gained between them.

"I'm going to go voice a complaint to the chef on why your food wasn't poisoned." Her retort only earned her slight grin once she rounded the corner and entered the bathroom.

"Your sarcasm hurts, Ran."

The heavy, metallic door swished closed behind her as Ran stalked towards the sink. Her palms rested on the edge of the marble counter while her back hunched, displaying all of her stress and distraught in one gesture. A loud and long breath was exhaled before Ran pulled her head up to meet her mirrored gaze.

Her stress and other boiling emotions were apparent on her poor excuse for a face. Ran had to admit to herself that she looked close to death with her glazed over eyes and pale, lifeless features. Her lips were straight, being the only part o her showing no emotion at all. Ran heaved yet another sigh before she muttered: "Oh, Ran, how did all this happen?"

She could hear every noise echoing through the eerie hall and bouncing from the naked walls. Every tick of the inaccurate clock and every hearty, drunk laugh that came from the woman she feared. She clenched the crinkled paper in her small hands. The tormenting images of her mother lounging on the couch shadowed onto the walls like monsters haunting her dreams.

She slowly crept down the foyer until she reached the woman, the root of her fear, the base of her sadness, the starter of her confusion. Her mother. Said woman was on the leather couch, taking large swigs of alcohol from a bottle while she laughed merrily. Her cheeks were tinted with a scarlet hue.

"Mommy?" She timidly spoke as she approached her mother.

"What'd you want?" Her mother slurred.

"Well...my class is having a trip and I was wondering...if I could go!" She thrust the permission slip that she had been clutching onto the entire time as if it were only form of comfort and life.

"Ran, ya' know what I told ya' 'bout those...things." Her mother tipped the bottle once again and gulped down the rest of its contents. "They're scams that try to milk us poor things of every last penny we own but lucky little you~, you got a super smart mom who spots these things a mile and a half away!"

"Yeah but...but Terry—" She was cut off by the booming and abrupt voice of her mother.

"Don't interrupt me! Or, I mean stop with this Terry stuff, how am I supposed to focus or do anything when I have to put up with your bullshit?! I work all the time to get us money while all you ever do is sit on your lazy ass and do nothing like the little brat you are! I've been raising you for eight years now, giving, giving and giving and then all you do is ask, ask and get in the bloody way! If you ever want any money in this life, the only way to get it is to either get a friggin' job or steal it, your choice, idiot!"

Ran clutched onto the edge of the counter even tighter at the sudden attack of that memory. That memory in particular was one of the worst from her childhood. Sure, she had been through much worse and received much more severe punishments and lectures but that memory was by far, the most haunting. Once Ran was sure that she had successfully locked it away, caged it within her mind and would never see it again, the same memory would replay in her mind like a film. It was so clear, not a single bit forgotten or blurry. The reason it haunted her so badly...the reason she dreaded that memory...was because it always reminded her just how much she resembled her drunkard of a mother. It reminded her just how alike they had grown to be, from the terms they used to the hand gestures, all the way to their facial features.

Ran hated it. She despised it, no, she despised her mother. The simple thought of that woman caused Ran to clench her teeth together in a deathly tight and angered manner. Suddenly the large, heavy door swished open revealing the bubbly waitress standing with her brows furrowed in confusion yet her smile still was remaining.

"Sorry to bother you but your boyfriend over there asked me to check on you to make sure you were alright." She stated.

"He's not my boyfriend." Ran snapped. "In fact, he's the last person—" She suddenly stopped herself midsentence as she regained a straight composure by removing her hunched figure from the sink.

"You're doing it again...you're being like mom." Ran mentally scolded herself.

"T-thank you...f-for checking up on me." She sputtered before exiting the bathroom, feeling slightly embarrassed that a waitress had to come check up on her in the washroom. A part of her accused Matt of sending the waitress in only for the purpose of making her feel embarrassed and uncomfortable.

She slid back into the booth and ignored Matt's smart comment on her position of being in the bathroom for so long. Instead, Ran continued eating away at her large amount of ice cream that lay beginning to melt. It was not long after that she had finished the bowl she had been working on and had eaten through another two. After Ran had eaten more ice cream than her body could most likely handle, they paid the bill and left the diner. Ran had to admit that she was glad to be out if that place and have the chance to breathe fresh air that wasn't mixed with the cringe-worthy smell of fast food and tobacco. Ran inhaled a deep breath and held it in her lungs for a moment before letting it out through her nose. They got in the car before driving off to the apartment.

To be honest, Ran had not allowed her mental or physical exhaustion to spread its wings and affect her greatly but now that she had just eaten a large amount of ice cream, her grogginess began to spread throughout her body, weighing her down. As much as Ran wanted to simply close her eyes and rest her head on the window for a well needed and frankly, a well deserved rest, Ran could not allow herself to display such vulnerability. She was sure that Matt wouldn't rape her in the car, or at all for that matter but after she allowed her distressed side to peek from the depths of her being when she carelessly ate all that comfort food, Ran was not about to show what affect this whole thing was having on her.

As her mind was sternly set on her thoughts, Ran's head began to nod while her heavy eyelids slowly began slipping closed, despite all of her internal protests and scolds. Just as her eyelids gave into the weight of grogginess, her head fell to the side, unable to hold itself up any longer. Instead of landing on the window as expected, her head fell on something much softer, much warmer. Whatever her head now rested on, Ran paid no heed to it and slipped into a begrudgingly welcomed sleep.

Matt tensed once Ran's head fell on his shoulder. He sent a glance down at her sleeping form. Her chest moved up and down at a steady pace, signifying that she was now fully asleep. Whether it was on purpose or not, the action made Matt feel a bit uncomfortable. It wasn't like he ever had a girlfriend or any other person who had ever rested their head on him before. Of course, there was the time when Mello fell asleep on Matt's shoulder on the train but the person across from them thought that Mello was a girl anyways, so it didn't make a difference. Well at least, Matt thought she assumed Mello was a girl since she said: "You two make a cute couple, hope everything goes well." There was a chance that she thought they were the other way around but Matt really needed to focus on the matter at hand (and driving).

Matt attempted to gently shake her off but her temple seemed to be glued to his shoulder. While sparing the road a few glances between his actions, Matt took his one hand off the wheel and slowly lifted Ran from him and let her head fall in the other direction onto the window. Despite the light bang of her skull hitting the window, Ran didn't so much as groan which meant that the transition had not disturbed her sleep. He sent one last glance her way, taking notice of Ran's peaceful expression. Even though it was late afternoon, she still appeared to be sleeping so well. Her steely expression was hidden by a sleepy mask while her lips parted ever so slightly to display just how innocent such a rude girl could appear. Her expression was tempting enough for Matt to call "cute". Despite her strange choice in hair dye and her very young appearance, she still looked quite cute, though her young appearance may have added to that.

The car finally came to a stop in the parking lot of the apartment building. Matt pulled the car into park and clicked his seatbelt off. Before exiting the vehicle, Matt reached across towards the sleeping passenger and gave her shoulder a firm shake.

"Hey, Ran, wake up."

Said girl merely groaned a few inaudible words as she shifted into a more comfortable position.

"Raaaan." Matt gave her shoulder another shake, being sure to make it more vigorous than the other before it. It only took one shake more before Ran's brown orbs shot open, her body following suit with a snort. Her giant eyes glanced towards the person who had awoken her, squinting at him in a skeptical manner.

"What?" She asked in a "why-did-you-wake-me-up?" manner.

"We're back." He answered before getting out of the car.

Ran's skeptical expression fell as she slowly got out of the car afterwards. She slammed the door closed then jogged over to Matt who had already gotten a great deal ahead of her. The entered the building and started for the elevator. Matt entered immediately after the metal doors slid open; Ran on the other hand, glanced back at the sound of a low screech. Her eyes squinted for a short moment in order to search for the source of the noise. It didn't take long before the source rounded a corner and dashed towards the elevator. Ran immediately recognized him as the child from yesterday. He ran into the elevator (which was being held open by Matt), being followed by a little girl who appeared to be very angry for whatever reason. Ran raised a brow at the pleading boy.

"Hurry, Matt, close the door! Don't let her catch me!"

Ran glanced at the fuming girl who was close to reaching the elevator.

"Come here right now, Trevor!" She screeched.

Ran stepped inside the elevator, paying no more attention to the children's quarrel. Matt pressed the button to close the doors then pushed the floor that they needed to reach. Luckily for the young boy, the doors slid closed just before the girl could enter in her rage. The boy, Trevor, gave a sigh of relief as he held a hand to his panting chest.

"That girl's crazy!" He exclaimed before pushing a button of his own.

"Why was she chasing you?" Ran inquired. She felt a small spark of curiosity as to why he was being chased by a girl that was in such a rage.

"Nothing! She's just mean!" He defended with furrowed brows.

Ran raised a skeptical brow at the young boy but had no time to say any further word before the elevator came to a stop and he exited. Before the doors closed and obscured all sight of Trevor, he gave a wide, toothy grin while waving a goodbye.

"Thanks, Matt!"

"You're welcome."

The elevator began to move upwards once again. Ran shoved her hands into her coat pockets as she sent a glance towards Matt.

"You seem pretty familiar with him." She stated while leaning her back to the beige wall.

"Yeah, he's the apartment's troublemaker."

"Oh, I see. Kind of reminds me of a kid I used to know in fourth grade. He always used to cause a heap of trouble for all the teachers. He also had a crush on my friend, Terry." Ran spoke the last sentence with partial disgust laced in her tone.

Her reminiscing provided a bit of amusement for Matt. It was the first time she actually sported a soft expression paired with a calm tone. Her eyes remained glued to the floor until the metal doors slid open and they both exited. They walked down the wide hall of endless doors and apartment numbers until they reached the correct number. Matt stuck the key in the lock and opened the door, waltzing in first. Ran followed in afterwards and began unbuttoning her coat before neatly hanging it on the rack of hooks (which had remained hidden until Ran had cleaned the apartment). She quickly stole Matt's vest before it could lazily be thrown on the nearest object. She hung it on the hook next to her own coat, being sure the hang it straight.

Ran exhaled quite loudly as she practically dragged her groggy body towards the bathroom.

"Where are you going?" Matt asked as he flopped himself on the couch in front of a computer.

"I'm taking a shower then I'm heading to bed. I don't care how early it is, I'm exhausted." Ran answered in an exasperated tone of voice.

She slammed the door behind her, adding a little too much accidental force to it. Using her hands, the teen attempted to rub all of the heavy temptations of sleep out of her eyes, which worked for a short amount of time. Ran approached the pristine bathtub/shower and pulled back the navy curtain. A small smile tugged on the tips of her lips at the sight of her handy work in cleaning. She had to admit that she was a damn good cleaner, possessing the skill to transform event the messiest of homes into beautiful and bearable environments.

She reached for the faucet and turned it to the right. Unfortunately, no water flowed from the showerhead. She turned it to the left. Still nothing. Ran furrowed her brows, slightly before attempting to pull the faucet forwards a few times, only resulting the same. She made another attempt in making it work by pressing the knob down. She repeated each attempt at a fast rate, each failure causing her anger to grow larger and larger. She began to get slightly rough with the handle, losing any bit of patience and gentleness that once existed within her. Ran stepped into the bathtub in order to get a better hold on the faucet.

"Matt! Come here! Your shower is broken!" She yelled, loudly, still proceeding to push, pull and hit the knob.

There was a low shuffle sound as Matt entered the bathroom. As if he brought with him a cloud of bad luck, Ran slammed her fist into the tile just above the faucet with anger powering the strike and upon the impact, the showerhead gushed huge, endless amount of icy water onto Ran. It flowed from the showerhead like a fire hose, drenching right through her cloths and causing her hair to fall into soggy mess. Despite the water being as cold as ice, Ran felt the heat of her anger boil inside her as Matt stifled a laugh at her misfortune.

"I forgot to mention that the shower is a bit kinky."

"Matt...I'm going to shove those goggles down your throat if you don't...stop...laughing." She threatened menacingly; her venomous voice was enough to make even a pro wrestler shudder. Though he had to admit that it was hilarious when something such as this happened to Ran. It truly was.

A/N: Done! YAY! Well I hope this was an enjoyable chapter, the sooner you review and stuff, the sooner we can join forces to save the world!

QUICK QUESTION: I'd actually like to know how old you might think Ran is, so feel free to tell me your guess on her age if you want (Why do I feel like I've already announced her age? Hmm...)

Well, a weird fact about Ran that will probably never be hinted to or mentioned in the story is: She has a clock fetish and used to own a collection of vintage clocks until she sold them all in order to get extra money. Haha, just felt like mentioning that since I had planned to put it in a later chapter but the idea got scrapped XD

Anyways, in reply to:

anonnnnnnn: (love the name by the way XP) Thank you for your opinion, it is greatly appreciated! I'm very happy to hear that Ran is off to a good start so thank you very much

Payton c: Yes, I had to resist the urge to cry when both Matt and Mello died, they were the BEST in all of Death Note. Anyways, thank you so, so much for such a nice review. Being told that my writing is amazing is such a wonderful feeling