Chapter 14

I plopped down next to L in the shade.

Before he saw me walking in his direction, he had taken up the entire bench with his odd sitting position. He had scooted over to give me room and then promptly resumed his weird way of sitting and reading.

"How was your run?" he asked softly.

"It was good," I said, smiling. "I saw a lot of kids out today. Moms must have decided that today was the day to go for a stroll." I chuckled under my breath, cringing at how awkward I was.

I saw the corners of his mouth twitch a little. I stretched myself out as much as I could, leaning on his side while my playing with the fine hairs on the back of his head. It was those intimate times that made me so thankful for my decision.

"Ava," my name rolled off his tongue, breaking the silence. "He's back."

I quickly sat up, attempting to spot Light Yagami.

He walked in our direction with a tall, skinny woman by his side.

Another one of his toys, I thought.

I crossed and uncrossed my arms before giving up and just resting them in my lap. It was so nerve racking, just waiting for him to stop in front of us.

I glanced in Yagami's direction, only to see him stop dead in his tracks. He had spotted us, or at least, he spotted L.

The detective beside me looked up, feigning shock and excitement for a moment. "Oh! Yagami-kun!" he waved at the man.

His voice turned cold and monotone as he said, "Hello."

Light's expression turned dark as he told the woman to get lost. Before she turned to go, the woman shot me a glare. I raised my right middle finger and watched as her mouth dropped and her eyes went wide.

Yeah, that's right. I win.

I stared down the girl, hoping I would burn holes into her back with my eyes.

L promptly proceeded to roast Light with his "If I die, you are Kira" theory. The conversation trailed off quickly, and L had the bright idea to grab cake.

My stomach rumbled excitedly in response to hearing food.

We didn't get very far, however, as a squealing voice called out, "Light! There you are!"

We all turned around to see a gothic-looking girl standing behind us, waving her arms excitedly. "I came because I had a photoshoot nearby!"

"Who is she?" I blurted out before I could stop myself. I slapped my hand over my mouth, mentally scolding myself for being so rude to such a cute girl.

She moved closer with her own question. "Are they friends of yours, Light?" She looked the both of us up and down. "He's so unique and cool...and she! Wow, she's so pretty! How did you get your complexion that way?"

I smiled kindly, touched by her personality. "I, uh, was born?"

I never really liked my fair skin before, even though I was always complimented on it.

She giggled cutely and introduced herself. "I'm Light's girlfriend, Misa Amane! Pleased to meet you!"

"I'm Hideki Ryuga." L responded back with his other fake identity that he used for school.

"Huh? Hideki Ryuga?" Misa looked at Light with a confused look on her face.

"Yeah, he has the same first and last name of that idol. Isn't that funny?" Light butted in quickly to answer Misa's confusion.

Oh, yeah. I had forgotten about that fact.

I introduced myself to break the awkward silence. "Hi, I'm Ava, Hideki's girlfriend."

Her eyes shot to mine and a wide smile spread across her face. "Ah! That's so cool! We both have amazing boyfriends!"

She was way too excited, but it was refreshing to meet someone like her.

L started to laugh under his breath. It was really creepy, to be honest.

"Yagami-kun…" he began. "I'm jealous."

I whipped my head and stare at him.

"Huh?!" I said, way louder than I intended to.

Light let out a gasp of his own. All three of us had similar confused expressions on our faces.

"I've been a fan of yours since the August issue of "Eighteen," L said.

Misa's expression immediately lightened up. "What, really!? I'm so happy!"

From her outburst, people around us began to notice that there was a huge pop star right there. They began to crowd around the petite girl.

She smiled brightly at her fans. Amidst the chaos, L swiped Misa's cell phone, a pretty dirty move if you ask me.

L took the innocent detective route to get himself out of the mess.

Misa's manager finally came and took her away. The crowd dispersed quickly after she left.

L and I walked toward the cafeteria after Light left us, saying he needed to go to the restroom.

"What's he up to?" I asked L.

"You'll see soon." He continued along, not looking back.

"Oh, by the way, what was that back there? You could have at least warned me." I scowled at the man.

That stopped him in his tracks. "I didn't think you would mind."

I rolled my eyes. "Even for someone like you, women are still a mystery, huh?"

I moved closer to him and put my lips next to his ear. "The only woman's butt you should be grabbing, is mine."

I backed away slowly, totally pleased with his reaction.

What I did not expect was the playful look in his eyes.

"You just wait a while."

I laughed. "You better, Mr. Detective. I'll hold you to it."

A phone rang out loudly in L's hand.

I couldn't help but giggle, realizing what Light was up to. "Yes, hello?" L answered.

I glanced behind him to see Light's expression. A wide grin spread onto my face. I watched the exchange between the two with admiration.

Light walked over to us, and L pretended nothing was going on. We started to walk away until L's real phone rang from his pocket.

I still didn't know what was going on with the case, but the look in his eyes told me something good was happening.

The insomniac turned to face Light. "This might be good and bad news for you. We've apprehended Misa Amane on suspicion of being the second Kira."

Light's eyes went wide. L continued his explanation, "When the second Kira sent video tapes from Amane's room, they left a great deal of evidence." He explained that the public was not likely to know what happened to her.

That night, I joined L and the others in front of the screen to watch the captured Misa. I sat down next to L on the floor. He sat oddly, as usual, in front of the screen. "Watari, has she said anything yet?" L asked.

The old man's voice came out from a speaker, "No, not a word."

I squeezed his pale hand as he told his partner to show a visual of her on the screen. Suddenly, a bright light emitted from the TV, shocking the gentlemen at the sight of a distressed young woman.

Being the only girl, I was in charge of the girl's bathroom supervision. Even though the whole kidnapping thing was wrong all together, as I had been there myself, I couldn't allow for a man to do that.

My boyfriend was determined to get her to spit the truth out about the first and second Kira.

I had a feeling that although Misa acted dumb, she really was a smart girl. If Light was the first Kira, he was sure to had coached her to keep her mouth shut, as well.

While the men chatted amongst themselves, I decided after my third yawn, that it was time for bed. Deep in thought, L did not notice me walk up to him until I tapped his shoulder. His entrancing dark eyes shot up to meet mine. "You okay?" I asked softly.

He shrugged, avoiding eye contact. Well, something must be wrong, I thought.

"Oh no you don't, mister. You aren't getting out of telling me."

I shoved his feet out of the chair and plopped right onto his lap. "Now you have to tell me," I whispered in his ear.

I heard a soft sigh escape his lips. He leaned in close to my ear, and I shivered as his breath touched my skin. "I have a surprise for you...just wait a little longer."

I nodded "Okay" against his cheek, enjoying the closeness. We never got to be like this. I missed his touch always. "Can you not come to bed tonight?"

His dark hair tickled my cheek as he shook his head no. "You know I can't. Just wait a little longer."

I hung my head dejectedly.

Well if he couldn't come to snuggle, then I was not leaving without something else.

I took a quick glance around the room to make sure those old geezers weren't looking. They were still in their little pod, talking about this injustice.

I wrapped my arms around his neck and pressed my forehead to his. Our eyes met once more, and I leaned down, planting a soft kiss on his lips. I held the contact for a few seconds, until I feel the pressure from his own.

I broke away slowly, heart racing.

"Goodnight," I said against his ear.

"Goodnight," he responded quietly.

I got off of him and made my way to the darkness of my room.

I didn't sleep very well that night, or the following few. I tossed and turned without him beside me, even though I should have been used it by then.

The sun shined brightly through the single window in the room. I reluctantly crawled out of bed and started my morning routine.

I came out of the bathroom not long after entering, sporting minimal makeup and a messy bun. I had put on a long-sleeved blouse with a pair of comfy black leggings and fluffy socks.

With an obnoxiously loud yawn, I dragged myself into the suddenly noisy investigation room.

From the darkness of the room, the bright light from the TV still illuminated the faces of the task force. As I got closer, I heard a female voice coming from the screen.

She was finally talking.

That made it easier on all of us. I made my way past the other members of the team to sit on the edge of the coffee table behind L.

"I can't stand it anymore," she whispered. "Kill me. Hurry up and kill me!" My heart clenched at her words.

Her mentality was obviously at its limit. Misa begged over and over for them to kill her multiple times.

Then, she tried to bite her tongue.

Luckily, Watari stopped her just in time. I wouldn't have been able to continue being there if she had died. Watching her suffer was emotionally draining on its own.

I had to get away for a little bit. "I'm going out. Let me know what happens." I told this to Matsuda, moving away from the TV and Misa's imprisonment.

I took a leisurely stroll around the block.

My mind swam around the case. Why did we have to take such extreme measures? Even if she was the Second Kira, she was still a young lady. I tried to wrap my head around everything.

She and Light were in this thing together, obviously.

As I started back toward the hotel, I felt my phone vibrate in my hand. "Hello?" I answered in English, like I usually did.

"Well, here's your update, Ava-chan." It was Matsuda.

"Lay it on me," I laughed into my palm at his dorkiness.

He took a deep breath before telling me. "Well, she is acting strange."

My expression became puzzled. "How so?"

"It's like she doesn't remember that she is there under suspicion of being Kira. She thinks we are stalkers or something. Oh, and get this, she called L a pervert. His reaction was priceless."

My cheeks flushed red. I thought I was the only one who noticed? "Wow, okay. That does seem like it would shock him. His idol called him that."

"Yeah and guess who just called to say they're coming for a visit?"

Further up the sidewalk, I recognized the figure of a stuck-up college student. He was turned facing me, a sickeningly bright smile on his stupid face. "Great! Light Yagami has graced me with his presence."

Matsuda laughed on the other line. "Of course, who else would it be?"

I narrowed my eyes at the man in front of me. "No, he is literally standing in front of me. We will be up there soon."

I hung up without letting him say anything else. "Good morning, Ava-san." Light greeted me as we came face-to-face.

"Oh, well hello there, Yagami-kun. Lovely weather we are having, right?"

"Indeed. I was just on my way—" I cut him off with a wave of my hand.

"You were on your way to get yourself locked up, were you not? You know, your personality reminds me a lot of a lot of boys back home. Sneaky and narcissistic. You would fit right in."

He put a hand up to his heart. "I am flattered. I would love to visit the States. It is a wonderful nation, after all."

I rolled my eyes. "Why? To kill everyone there, too?"

My heart skipped a beat. Idiot! Why did you just say that? Now he will try to kill you, too!

Light seemed unfazed by my comment. "As much as I enjoy our conversations, I should be joining the detectives upstairs."

I smiled bravely at him. "I was just heading back. Let me accompany you."

He held out his arm for me, and I took it, worried that if I refused, I really would have become the next victim.