CHAPTER 10

"Are you suggesting my friend is leaning towards the evil? . . ."

Mikami hesitated to speak, then spared a glance at Light. "Yes," his voice was lower than usual. "He seems too perfect. It looks like he's concealing his true self from everyone else. A bit haunting."

"I-I've never heard anyone talk of him like that," L giggled. "Everybody has a crush on him, even some guys! It's kinda funny."

'Which is evidently me,' L deviously thought as he spoke femininely, 'he is just stuck in that denial stage.'

"Be careful around him, Ryuzaki-san," Mikami eyed the brunette with suspicion. "Something is awfully off. I would stay away from people like him. You never know what to expect next from them."

"Really? I think he's pretty decent," L smiled, resisting the urge to bite his thumb to not ruin the coated lipstick.

Mikami's eyes darkened. "Believe me. Your thoughts will change soon. Please avoid him for your own sake."

"I'd rather not," L smirked and mumbled, "I like to live dangerously."

He rose an eyebrow. "I did not account that for your kind of character," Mikami commented.

"Are you normally good at deducing people, Mikami-san?"

"Yes, I have to be," it looked like he was about to roll his eyes. "I am a criminal prosecutor."

"Wow. What a cool job," L exclaimed with an impressed tone.

"I suppose. It has it's ups and downs though. . ."

"Don't worry. All jobs do."

"How about you, Ryuzaki-san? What job do you have as of this moment?"

L bit his lip cutely. "I. . . I don't have a job right now. I'm studying at To-Oh University."

"Impressive." A miniscule smile grew on his face, briefly. "That is one of the top universities in Japan."

"I know. I've been working hard every since day one there!" L grinned and played with his hair.

"You seem the type to. What do you hope to be?"

"Hmm. . . maybe a teacher or nurse," L answered, "I'm good with people."

"Interpersonal skills are required for those sorts of jobs. What kind of teacher are you planning to be?"

"Baking teacher. I love sweets!~"

"Perhaps one day, I can taste test your sweets."

A giggle escaped his lips. "You'd end up eating the whole batch!"

"No. I have self-restraint."

L shook his index finger from left to right, cheekily smiling from ear to ear. "Not around my cookies!"

"I seriously doubt that." Mikami smirked.

"I shall prove you wrong then." L challenged him.

At the moment, Light and Misa chose to join the conversation. They were holding hands like the typical lovey-dovey couple, smiling amongst themselves in their own special world. To a stranger, you would have thought they were the typical couple. When in reality, they were anything but that. L knew that Light was simply manipulating Misa because of the Shinigami Eyes she possessed. The 'love' was all an act. Poor Misa did not even realize that. She was blinded by the power of love. As for Light, he didn't believe in love. He believed in hard facts and the ultimate truth. Love was simply just a matter of adrenaline, dopamine and serotonin determining who you fancy. None of the magic shit that everyone keeps on going on about. Everything happens for a reason.

"Hi, I'm Misa Amane! You may have heard me from many magazines, but, shhhhhh, I don't want to attract any attention!" Misa lowered her voice to an excited whisper, giggling.

"Nice to meet you, Amane-san," Mikami robotically replied.

"Light Yagami." The brunette held out his hand and the prosecutor simply stared at it.

L nudged him, lightly. "He's waiting for your handshake, silly," he softly said into Mikami's right ear.

He glanced at L then released a small sigh. Mikami returned the handshake and stated, "Mikami Teru. Pleasure to meet you."

"Now, everybody's knows each other!" L smiled and grabbed Mikami's wrist. "Let's go eat altogether now."

Unconsciously, Light gritted his teeth.

For some reason, Light didn't like seeing L make physical contact with other men. It didn't matter what his relationship was with him, Light just did not tolerate it well. Whether if it was Matsuda, Aizawa, Mogi, Ide, the jealously always slowly crept in. Light wished he could control it. It's not like he asked for this to happen. It just did. Light hated the unexplained. The world would be better off without mysteries. An equation that explained why this and that occurred. That was a perfect world to Light Yagami. Add in a crime-free society and you've earned perfection.

"I'd be more comfortable if you let go of me," Mikami bluntly said, trying to shake off the insomniac.

"No, I like it much better this way, Mikami-kun," L smiled and completely grabbed a hold of his arm. "Kinda like a couple, right?"

". . . Please stop this, Ryuzaki-san. For all you know, I could be years ahead of you."

"Let me guess, kareshi(1)," sublimely, L hummed a bit to himself before continuing, "mid 20's? Latest has to be 28. There's no way you can be 30 already, Mikami-kun!"

"Scarily accurate," he stared at the sweets-obsessed detective skeptically. "You're hiding something aren't you, Ryuzaki-san?"

"What makes you say that, Mikami-kun?"

"My gut instincts of a prosecutor," his dark eyes narrowed. "Are you a wanted criminal in Japan, Ryuzaki Leiko?"

"No! I feel very offended, you idiot," L scoffed and shoved him away from him roughly with his usual strength. "How could you accuse such an innocent college girl like me?"

He flinched and stoically replied. "That's what they all say at first."

"Loosen up, Mikami-kun," L shook his head and playfully slapped his back, "you'll never get the ladies like this."

"I do not wish to 'get the ladies' at all." His face contorted to something of blasé(2). "I'm afraid that it far is out of my interests."

"Well, everybody wants to procreate sometime, right?" L somehow managed to make that an innocent-sounding question.

". . . We are human beings so I suppose by our animal instincts-"

"Then you need to find a lady!" L grinned. "Don't worry; you don't have to look far~"

He blinked. "What do you mean by that?"

"Never mind," he skipped away cheerfully and exclaimed, "hurry up you slowpokes! All the good sweets are gonna be digested!"

Light simply rolled his eyes at the sight of L skipping further and further away. Typical of him to do that. The brunette had to bite his lip to stop from grinning idiotically. Why does it have to be him, goddammit. Couldn't it be some shallow-minded girl like Misa to make his heart skip a beat?

"Is she always like that?" Mikami asked to only you.

"He-she," Light quickly corrected himself, "this is quite normal for her, believe it or not."

"Interesting . . . by chance, is Ryuzaki-san bisexual?"

Light almost choked on his own saliva. "W-w-what?! How did you even guess?-"

"Just a hunch." Mikami shrugged his shoulders. "Something is off about her . . . or him?"

'Damn, this guy is good,' Light thought.

He tilted his head, smirking. "I'm correct, aren't I, Yagami-san?"

"U-uh, no, of course not," Light hesitated.

Mikami arched an eyebrow. "You seem to lack the ability to lie which seems very uncharacteristic for you. Perhaps you are only affected when it is about Ryuzaki-san."

"I-"

"You better notify your 'girlfriend' about this." He snickered. "Girls don't like dating closets."

His brown eyes widened to the max. "What the fu-"

"What are you guys talking about, hmm?" Misa interrupted Light with a bright smile.

The criminal prosecutor broadly smirked and walked in front of them before saying, "Nothing that concerns you yet, Amane-san."

"What's that supposed to mean, Light?" The gothic lolita complained with pouty lips.

"It's nothing. Don't worry, honey," he automatically replied, his eyes never leave the retreating figure's back.

An hour hasn't even passed and Light already knew he hated that cocky bastard.

A/N: Man, this is turning into some complicated shoujou love pentagram or something. xD Misa Amane x Light Yagami x L Lawliet x Beyond Birthday x Mikami Teru. !I'm so overwhelmed by all the reviews and reads this fanfic is getting! Thank you so much! Since there's more people, 10 reviews for next chapter? Can you guys do it? (I'm saying this bcuz I have no time soon to write lmao) Please do leave any reviews, comments, found errors! I read them all~ :)

(1) kareshi = boyfriend in Japanese

(2) blasé = fancy French-sounding word for nonchalant