I Do Not Own Death Note!

Author's Note: Not a lot for me to say this time. If anyone is interested in drawing a picture of Raine, I would love to see it! I tried to do it the other day and failed miserably. =/

"Oh wow! These are even more beautiful than the ones from yesterday!" Raine inhaled the fragrance of the fresh flower arrangement that rested on the small breakfast table. She admired the red and white blooms before turning her attention to the purple roses that had been left the day before. "Why would a hotel waste the time and money to bring fresh bouquets to each hotel room every morning? I can understand one per visit, I guess. One bouquet normally lasts several days though. Why bring one every day?"

Ryuzaki looked at the flowers before turning his attention to her. "Do you not like them? I can tell housekeeping to take them away."

"No, no. They're beautiful! Please leave them. I love flowers. I just wish this hotel wasn't so wasteful. These flowers have been plucked away from their life source for the sole purpose of impressing the rich people that stay here. As beautiful as they are, we won't be able to take them with us. It's weird. It seems a basket of mints and hand sanitizer would be a more appropriate complimentary gift."

"I'm… sorry. Would mints and hand sanitizer be your personal preference from now on? I can make the arrangements with the right people at each hotel to bring you whatever your heart desires."

Raine grinned from ear to ear. He had just given himself away. "Just like you made the arrangement to have these flowers delivered to me?"

Ryuzaki didn't actually answer her. He shoved his hands in his pockets and shrugged as he looked down at his toes.

"But you told me yesterday they weren't from you. Why go through the trouble of doing something nice like that and then deny playing any part in it."

"It's really no different than removing countless numbers of predators from the streets and letting the recognized authorities take all of the credit for it. Besides, I don't consider myself the type who sends flowers. I have this condition known as a male ego that needs to be protected."

She wrapped her arms around him and gave him a firm squeeze. "But they mean so much more now that I know they came from you."

Hands still in his pockets, he tilted his head down and lightly kissed her on the forehead. "I'm glad you're happy."

"You don't look glad. You look depressed." She released him and took a few steps back as she studied his face. As usual, his expression was almost unreadable. Only his dark eyes revealed the slight hint that something was bothering him.

He wasn't sure where it came from (it certainly wasn't what was bothering him), but he had the sudden urge to bring it up. "You've yet to ask me my real name."

Raine had been waiting for this topic to pop up. He had told her in New Orleans that he wasn't satisfied with her lack of questions. She knew this was the big one that he had been referring to. "If I asked, would you tell me?"

"No."

"Then there's obviously no point."

"So you're telling me that even though we're trying to move toward building a possible relationship, you aren't even the slightest bit curious to know my true name?"

"It isn't that I'm not curious. Believe me, I am. But I know you well enough to know that if I asked you what your real name was, you'd just give me another alias."

"True. There is in fact a 93% chance I would use another alias."

"See, there you go. There's no point in asking. You introduced yourself as Ryuzaki and it's a name that you respond well too; therefore, that's what I'm going to stick with for now. I'm sure you'll share your real name with me eventually."

He stepped forward and placed his hands on her shoulders. His eyes darted back and forth as he studied her face. "You're forgetting about the 7%. No matter how low the possibility, it's still there and shouldn't be ignored."

She rolled her eyes and sighed. "You're testing me again aren't you?"

"I might be."

"Before you started throwing numbers around, you flat out told me you wouldn't tell me if I asked. Your 7% means nothing. Can we drop this now?"

He let go of her shoulders and put his hands back in his pockets. A very weak smile formed from his lips. It disappeared before Raine even noticed.

"Forgive me if I ruined your good mood. It's actually very convenient for me that you aren't pushing so hard to learn my true name. Still, I can't help but feel a little bothered by it."

"Why would it bother you?"

"It isn't important. To be honest, there are times when I'm not completely sure I even know my true name anymore."

"That isn't surprising. You use so many aliases to keep yourself in the shadows; your real name is obsolete. It's a tragedy. What difference would it make if I knew your real name if it isn't one you recognize and identify with?"

A split second of sadness flashed across his face. "You make a valid point." He turned away from her, ready to change the subject. "I'm going out today. You're more than welcome to accompany me, if you'd like."

"I'd love to. I bet you're going to watch that capoeira demonstration. Am I right?"

He turned to face her again and smiled. "Yes. It starts in just under two hours."

"Sounds like fun. Maybe you can pick up a few tricks from what you observe."

"I sincerely hope so."

She gave him a soft, lingering kiss on the cheek and smiled at him. "I hope it cheers you up a little."

He smiled back at her shyly; the color in his face had changed to a sheepish shade of red.

"I believe you've already managed to do that."

The Capoeira demonstration was to take place outside of a hotel that was sponsoring a martial arts competition. Fighters of every style were showing off their moves in various demonstrations. Ryuzaki's eyes darted back and forth as he took in the variety of styles. He took great interest in the Aikido, Hapkido, Judo, T'ai-Chi and Kuntao sets. Finally, the Capoeira fighters began to take their place. Several men brought out a variety of strange looking instruments; taking their places just outside the circle. One looked like a strange bow. Ryuzaki had told Raine once when he showed her a capoeira video that it was called a berimbau. Another looked like a tambourine, followed by a conga drum. The anticipation in Ryuzaki was so strong, he wouldn't even blink.

Raine couldn't help but laugh at his excitement. He did such a good job of appearing indifferent; others would have never picked up on his interest. Raine on the other hand, was slowly learning how to read his moods. She would pick up on certain eye twitches or slight differences in his unusual mannerisms. She had even trained herself to tune into his breathing patterns when they were close enough, which was normally an automatic giveaway. All the little things that most people would completely ignore; that's how she picked up on the emotions that he tried so hard to suppress.

She played with her yo-yo as she waited for the demonstration to start. It had recently developed into a bad habit. Ryuzaki had asked her to stop playing with it one day while he was trying to work; in which she replied "you have your quirks; I think I'm entitled to mine." He never brought it up again after that. Raine tried to take him into consideration. She only played with it in parts of the room where she knew he wouldn't see the red circle going up and down repeatedly from the corner of his eye as he tried to work. He pretty much ignored it after that. Now however, he was asking her to switch hands with it.

"Why? How will you find it any less annoying if I yo-yo with my other hand?"

"It's not that I find it annoying. It's just that it's a little difficult to play with your bracelet while you're constantly moving your arm."

She shyly turned away as she laughed. "If you'd like I can just take the bracelet off and give it to you." She couldn't understand why he found a common chain so appealing. Perhaps he was using it as a crutch to make himself more comfortable with human contact. She accepted that theory.

"As I told you on the beach, I enjoy playing with it more while you're wearing it." He was definitely in a better mood. He retrieved a grape lollipop from his pocket and presented it to her. Grape was her absolute favorite. She accepted it almost immediately and opened it before switching hands with her yoyo. She did one last "walk the dog" trick with it and then decided to put it away.

Raine felt the usual light tug on her bracelet and knew it was Ryuzaki. He was standing very close to her, but his eyes remained on the performance circle. She felt one of his fingers moving between the chain and her skin. It was very enticing. He let another finger slide underneath the chain and rested it against her pulse. His touches were so light and sensual; she closed her eyes and slid her tongue yearningly around her lollipop.

She shivered when she realized he was leaning close to her ear. "Your heart rate is increasing. Does it really require so much effort to suck on a lollipop? Or perhaps…" His hand released the chain bracelet completely as he spoke. He found Raine's hand and gently interlocked his fingers with hers. His lips moved closer to Raine's ear until she could feel his breath. He whispered the rest of his sentence. "Perhaps it's something else."

She backed away just enough to turn and face him. As soon as her honey yellow eyes met with the dark pools he called his own, he completely lost his nerve. He released her hand and turned his attention to the performance circle as the music began to play. Raine arched her eyebrows in confusion, but she didn't want to say anything now that the show was starting. Ryuzaki had been looking so forward to seeing the demonstration; she had no intention of ruining it for him. She realized she was going to have to accept the fact that Ryuzaki only showed affection at completely random moments; and that often ended prematurely with him backing away and acting like nothing ever happened. She wondered if it was only because he was still unaccustomed to human contact; or if it would always be that way.

The Capoeira dancers entered the circle and shook hands. One patted the other on the shoulder. Raine thought it was a neat way to begin a play fight. It sent good vibes through her. It was a positive dance that could show unity; but it was also an effective method of self defense. The performers began their routine; doing cartwheels, back flips, hand spins and a series of kicks. Raine was amazed that they were able to do all of those things in such close proximity to each other, yet they never actually landed any kicks. Each always seemed to know exactly what the other was doing. She couldn't figure out how they did it. Had it all been choreographed? It left her in bewilderment as she admired the beauty and grace that the performers displayed as they moved.

Ryuzaki spent the first half of the performance in a trance. He studied each move attentively. Every so often, he would play commentator for Raine. "The 360 degree twist performed by the one wearing blue is known as the Mariposa. It's also been referred to as Parafuso, Parafusetta, or more commonly, the Butterfly Kick. His landing was 7 out of 10… maybe 8."

The other man flipped his legs over his head in what would have landed a blow much like the one Ryuzaki had received from Naomi Misora. He couldn't help but wince as he leaned in to continue his commentary for Raine. "That's called the Armada Dupla. I've experienced the move first hand."

"Ah, that's what knocked you down the stairs?"

He didn't bother to reply. He was too lost in his own fantasy. He wanted to be the one in the circle showing off moves. His eyes danced right along with the performers. It was the first time in a while he had actually taken a genuine interest in something other than solving difficult cases. Before that, it had been tennis. He had quickly mastered it in his pre teens and lost interest in it just as quickly. He enjoyed being active. It was a great way to release the inner frustrations that the sweets couldn't soothe.

The demonstration concluded and the audience applauded as the two men shook hands again and bowed to the crowd. Ryuzaki's mind was still floating around somewhere in another world. Raine placed her hand on his shoulder to get his attention. "Hey, you seemed to enjoy that a lot."

"Indeed, I did."

"Do you know how to do any of that?"

He frowned. "Unfortunately, no."

"Would you like to learn?"

"It would prove very effective in ensuring your protection in certain circumstances."

"So, that's a yes then? Why don't we learn it together? It looks like it'd be a lot of fun!"

His eyes widened. "You… would share the experience with me?"

"Of course! Don't look so stunned! I want to share the things with you that make you happy."

He could almost feel his heart melting. She had somehow penetrated through its icy edge; and released warmth into its core. A heartfelt smile appeared on his face as he lost himself in her eyes. "I'd like that. I imagine one day we'll be even better than the performers we just witnessed." Ryuzaki wanted more than anything to embrace her, but he hadn't completely recovered the nerve he had lost before the demonstration. Instead, he did the one thing that he knew his confidence was comfortable with. He kissed her hand before bringing it to rest on his chest. "We'll be completely in tune with each other. I look forward to it."

She smiled at him brightly and kissed his cheek as she had done earlier that morning. "I also look forward to it."

Ryuzaki was blushing again. His shy grin made him appear boyishly cute. He brought his hand to the cheek she had kissed. "I'm growing very fond of that. Please don't hesitate to do it more frequently if you happen to feel the urge."

She giggled at him like a crushing school girl. "I'll remember that."

After watching a couple more demonstrations, they left. They found a small coffee house a couple blocks away and stopped for tea and cake. As Ryuzaki saturated his tea with sugar, Raine observed a slight difference in his demeanor. No one else would have noticed it. He was a professional at hiding his feelings; but Raine noticed. He didn't appear to be indifferent towards his very existence as he usually did. She could see that his mind wasn't filled with his usual serious thoughts. He was day dreaming. He had lost himself in a world in which he felt content. Ryuzaki noticed that she was smiling at him. "What is it?" He spoke through a mouth full of cake. "Why are you staring at me like that?"

Raine turned her eyes down to the table as she laughed. "Nothing. Nothing at all."

He gave a slight shrug and turned his attention back to his cake.

"I have things to attend to this evening; therefore Watari has made arrangements for you to attend a symphony with him at the Sydney Opera House. His colleagues from the inventor's convention will also be in attendance, so you will have to pose as Watari's niece. You are not to bring up anything that would connect you or Watari to myself. Also, you may not address him as Watari. I believe Uncle will serve well enough. We will be departing Sydney in the hours after the performance." They were back in the hotel room. Ryuzaki was perched in a lounge chair, stirring sugar cubes into his coffee.

"Sounds great! I haven't really had a chance to get to know Watari yet; so now would be the opportune time. What time does the show start?"

"Watari will arrive in roughly 4 hours and 12 minutes to escort you to the evening's entertainment."

Raine laughed as she played with her hair in the mirror. "You're always so precise! This feels sort of like a date with your dad sort of thing."

Ryuzaki frowned. "When worded like that, I find myself suddenly hoping you're not attracted to older men."

"That's it! You figured me out, Ryuzaki! I've been hoping to find a rich old man to marry so he'll die and leave me his inheritance! That'd be a great way to start my life over! Do you think Watari would fall for me if I wore something really cute tonight?"

She apparently hid her sarcasm a little too well. Ryuzaki's eyes widened at her remark. He almost opened his mouth to say something, but had already lost the words. Raine walked over to him and brushed his hair out of his face with her hand. "Ryuzaki, I wasn't being serious."

A small laugh managed to escape with his quick breath. "Of course you weren't. I know sarcasm when hear it."

Her fingers slowly ran through his hair. Ryuzaki pretended not to care, though it was proving to be a lot more difficult for him than it should have been. He finally had to say something. "Is there any particular reason you're playing with my hair?"

She drew her hand back. "I'm sorry. Sometimes I totally forget that you're not a touchy-feely kind of guy unless you initiate it. I just really like your hair."

"And why is that?"

"Well, because it's so smooth and thick. And it hangs wildly, even after you comb it. It makes you look like a mad genius."

He smiled at her slyly. "I am a mad genius. The hair on my head is obviously aware of this." Smile fading, he took a sip of his coffee and motioned for her to sit down on the couch. As much as he had enjoyed his day of blooming puppy love with Raine, there was something that had been nagging at him since the night before. The light hearted demeanor that Raine had worked so hard to bring out in him suddenly disappeared behind a wall. His face was stone cold and serious. "Raine, there's something very important that I feel we need to discuss before you leave. I'm sincerely hoping it won't be too difficult."

Raine stared at him curiously. She couldn't believe he could turn off all hint of emotion so quickly. "Sounds sort of serious. What's up?"

"This pertains to last night…"

Raine tensed up. Surely he wasn't about to ask her about the dream. It was just a dream, after all. It had no significance to anything that involved her wakeful hours. She felt a wave of paranoia sweep over her as she remembered Onasisk's warning to keep their encounter a secret. The last thing she wanted to do was upset Ryuzaki. She tried to think of what else it could be that had changed his mood so suddenly. "Is this about you lying in bed with me last night? I'm sorry if you regret it, but you're the one who suggested it. It isn't like we did anything."

"It has nothing to do with that. I wanted to hold you. I wish I could do so every night. This actually concerns the dream you had."

Raine was trying to think of an excuse to get out of the conversation. She could take a bathroom break, but he would only be waiting for her with his questions when she returned. "What about it? I don't really remember much, honestly."

"Is that so?" He poured himself another cup of coffee in silence and dropped in the usual ridiculous amount of sugar cubes. He patted his spoon against his bottom lip repeatedly as he thought. "Do you remember what you said to me last night?"

She closed her eyes. If she tried to pretend like she didn't even remember that, it would probably raise his suspicion. "I do."

"And why would you request such a thing only moments after waking up from an apparently vivid dream?"

She lied. "The request wasn't a result of my dream. I've been thinking about telling you to stop looking into my past identity for awhile now. If you discovered it or if my memories returned, it could make it difficult for me to continue to stay with you. I might have come from a very bad place for all I know and I don't want to end up nude in an alley again. I might not wake up next time. I don't want to deal with anything that held any significance before I woke up in your hotel room."

He rested his chin on one of his hands. "Is that all?"

Her eyes narrowed at him. "What do you mean 'Is that all'? Of course that's all. What else would there be?"

"You remember nothing at all about that dream? Not even the corpse you told me you saw?"

"What does it even matter? My dreams are my own and I shouldn't have to share them with anyone. They're just dreams! They have nothing to do with reality."

"So quick to jump on the defense over something that's seemingly so simple. I find that very odd, Raine."

Raine was starting to get angry. The first words that she wanted to say were 'Fuck off! My dreams are private!' She bit down on her tongue to keep the words from coming out. Instead, she forced out something a little more acceptable. "I have nothing else to offer you concerning this subject. I don't remember the damn dream. It's not like it would be any of your concern if I did."

Ryuzaki glared at her as he sipped his coffee. He looked as though he wanted to get out of his chair. "I'm afraid it's very much my concern."

She threw her hands up in frustration. "Why?"

He didn't answer her question. "Have you regained any of your memories?"

"I have not." Her voice had turned hard and cold. That part wasn't really a lie. Even though Onasisk had told her who she was, she had still failed to recover any actual memories. It made her wonder if any of it was valid. It was after all, only a dream.

Ryuzaki set down his coffee cup and played with his bottom lip. "I recall saying that I would never lie to you if I thought it might cause you grief. I would greatly appreciate it if you would be kind enough to show me the same courtesy."

Without another word, he got up and walked over to his computer, as he often did when he had nothing else to say and wanted to be left alone.

Raine felt guilty about lying to him, but she couldn't get Onasisk's warning out of her head. He had said that it would bring Ryuzaki nothing but grief if she shared with him any of what she had learned. Raine didn't want to do that. Ryuzaki already had enough inner turmoil to deal with. She stood up and clenched her fists in an attempt to find the courage to speak. "Ryuzaki, I…"

Without turning away from his monitor, he held up a hand to signal her silence. He wasn't interested in anything else she had to say. What had started out as a day too good to be true was ending in disaster. Raine stormed out onto the balcony so she could pout alone.

Watari walked through the door a few hours later. Ryuzaki was still sitting at his computer, trying to keep himself buried in his work. "She's out on the balcony." He didn't bother to look up as he said it. Watari arched his eyebrow and walked over to the sliding glass door. Raine didn't even hear him open the door and step outside. She had propped her legs up in the chair that sat opposite from her own and fallen asleep. "Miss Raine?" He repeated himself twice before she woke up. "Watari? Oh gosh, I didn't mean to fall asleep out here! I'm not sure I'm dressed appropriately for the symphony."

Watari smiled warmly at her. "It's not a problem. I arrived a little early, so there's plenty of time to change if you'd like. Dress codes have never been an issue with me or my comrades."

"Thanks, Watari. It shouldn't take me long." They both went back inside. Ryuzaki didn't look up to acknowledge either one of them. Raine looked at him and rolled her eyes before retrieving a fresh outfit and disappearing into the bathroom. She was going to see a symphony, and she wasn't about to let Ryuzaki spoil her excitement. Once she was in the bathroom, Ryuzaki decided to be sociable with Watari.

"Thank you for allowing her to attend the symphony with you, Watari. I regret that I can't take her there myself. I hope it isn't too much of an inconvenience for you."

"Not at all. She will be accompanying us to dinner as well. I'm sure she'll have a wonderful time."

"I have told her to pose as your niece to avoid confusion."

"Excellent thinking."

"I spoke with the head of the archeology department earlier. She said that the symbols on Raine's flute have no affiliation with any of the known forms of language, past or present. The final report suggests that the symbols are little more than made up calligraphy."

"Are you satisfied with that?"

"No. However, the flute is no longer my main concern."

"Oh?"

Ryuzaki's toes played with each other nervously. "Watari… I have a slight conflict that I'm not sure I know how to resolve."

"And this concerns Miss Raine?"

"I'm afraid I'm developing feelings for her at an alarming rate. There's no stopping it anymore."

"I already know you're in love with her. This old man wasn't born yesterday. A lover can be a man's greatest weakness. You could face betrayal from her in the future… or her safety could be used against you. Are you sure you're willing to pursue it knowing that?"

"What fun is living if I can't be a little reckless every now and then? It's true that I'm taking a chance that could result in great consequence; however, I'm doing so with the necessary caution. I tried to force myself to remain indifferent towards her; but I'm afraid it's now beyond my control."

"So, what's the unresolved conflict?"

"Well…" Ryuzaki stood up and walked up to Watari. He leaned in as though trying to keep a secret. "She talks in her sleep."

Watari looked confused, but before Ryuzaki had the chance to elaborate, Raine was out of the bathroom and ready to go. Neither Raine nor Ryuzaki bothered saying goodbye to each other.

See everyone next chapter! As always, I really love the reviews! They're what keep me motivated to write more! =)