Since it's the 29th chapter, it's a special (twice as long), as I'm obsessed with the number nine. If it's in any number, that number's significance goes up by 69%.
And because the author's an obsessive-IX-insane freak, I'd like to dedicate this chapter to all the people reading this, the fellow LxMisa fans. Here's to you! 9;
Chapter twenty-nine- The unwanted guest.
The car rolled to a stop. "We're here," L stated redundantly.
"So we are. Um, Ryuuzaki may not be home right now. Do you want to come in?" She honest-to-God hoped he declined her offer. She was just being nice. And she did not want to be alone with him any longer than necessary.
She was in no such luck. "Sure, why not. I haven't been inside in so long."
They both stepped out of the car and walked up the long, neat, cobblestone path.
At least we can rule out the possibility of him being a serial killer. It'd be rather ironic if he was a serial killer and the private detective trying to catch Kira. Besides, even if he was, Rem and I could easily take him, Misa pointed out to herself happily.
"It should be unlocked," she murmured before sliding the door open. "Ah, voila!"
He stepped inside in the same awkward manner that comes with walking with a slight slouch.
Misa dropped her bag to the ground before playing the part of hostess. She smiled brightly at him- a smile she, in no way, felt. "Can I get you anything?" She chirped like the little bird she was pretending to be.
Ride the wind, Misa, she told herself. And this evening will fly by faster than you'd expect. Though, not nearly fast enough.
"Do you have any tea or some coffee, perhaps?" He asked with his thumb pressed to his lips in a childish expression.
She nodded, finding the gesture madly adorable (raise your hand if you did, too). "Yes, right this way, to the kitchen."
He obediently followed her, refraining from telling her he'd been here many times more than she had, as that would likely get him thrown out of his own house.
She popped a teabag into a cup and ran steaming hot water over it. "Give it a few minutes. The flavor will melt together soon. Do you take sugar or milk or cream in your tea?"
"Yes, sugar please."
She added a few spoons of sugar into the cup. L watched obsessively, as though there was a way she could possibly ruin adding sugar, because apparently to him, she could. "A bit more than that, I'd say," he nudged nicely.
She added in a few more spoonfuls and looked at him for the okay. He nodded, despite not being complete satisfied with the amount. The moment he brought it to his lips, he'd already figured out the outcome. Dry.
"Fantastic," he lied politely. A simple lie.
"Do you want anything to eat?"
L pretended he didn't know what the contents in the refrigerator and the cupboards were. "What do you have?" He asked innocently.
She sighed wryly, thinking about her husband. "Well, unfortunately for me, Ryuuzaki's a sweet food junkie. So we have plenty pies and cakes. L seems to favor chocolate over vanilla and strawberry over chocolate."
"I am L."
She did a comically double take before realizing her mistske. "Yes. Yes, you are. Sorry, L. I meant Ryuuzaki."
She's mixing my aliases up, he mused fondly to himself. She's confusing the way I act when I'm being L and the way I act when I'm being Ryuuzaki.
"It's quite alright. Most people mistake us for twins when they see us. Both black haired, pale skinned."
Hm, he's got a point. "Well, I'm sorry all the same."
"Misa," he spoke sharply. "Stop apologizing."
She flushed. "I'm sor-"
He raised an eyebrow and she trailed off. "For pie, we have boston creme, apple, chocolate cream, and banana cream. For cakes; carrot, wedding- don't ask how he got it- strawberry shortcake, and cheesecake. We also have pudding, s'mores, belgium chocolate, and strawberries."
The list was heaven itself. "I can cut myself some strawberry shortcake."
"No! You're the guest. I must cut it. I insist."
Well, at least I can actually feel like her husband, if she does this, he gazed on the bright side.
L watched as she took his desired object from the fridge. Is it terrible to say that having Misa serve it to him made the dessert's value skyrocket past the thousands?
It made him wonder how she tasted right now. "Thank you," he murmured gratefully as she passed him his slice.
Misa suddenly gasped. It sounded like she swore "Ryuk" under her breathe. Ryuuzaki couldn't be sure.
"You okay, Misa?" He asked, getting up and going over to her. Next thing she knew, he was feeling her forehead for a temperature. "You seem fine," he said to comfort her, but even more for himself.
She's fine! You're overreacting, he scolded himself. Don't get so worked up over such little things.
Misa, on the other hand, was recovering from hearing the concern in his voice. She hadn't ever heard him express so much emotion. She hadn't even realized he had any.
She had also been shocked to turn around and see Ryuk there. Rem was patiently waiting beside him, clearly not enjoying the other shinigami's company.
Misa shakily forced a simper to her face. "I'm fine. Let's take this to the living room," she offered, unconsciously taking his hand.
She looked behind to see if the shinigami were following them. They were.
L observed that Misa hadn't let his hand go when they sat on the couch. He didn't think she noticed in the first place.
"Misa, we need to talk," Rem spoke. Light had dropped by while her mistress had been out. She hadn't liked what he'd had to say. Or the "gift" he'd left. "Light Yagami stopped by while you were gone. He told me he wants you to give your Death Note up."
Misa understood immediately. Light thought she was past repair to him. She had no use left to him. And for reasons unknown to her, she honestly didn't care.
She stood up with a slight frowned. Takada was involved somehow.
L saw the expression and mistook it for boredom. "You okay, Misa? You seem really out of it today."
"Oh no, I'm fine. Excuse me to freshen up."
He watched her leave with an unreadable expression.
Misa locked her bedroom door behind her. "Let me guess," she started off with an eye roll, "Light plans to give my Death Note to Takada so his whore will bend and break his way, since I refuse to? Heh, I should've known."
Ryuk laughed at the insult. "Good job, kiddo, let her have it. Humans are so interesting!" He cried out gleefully.
"Leave her alone, Ryuk," Rem scolded him. "She has enough to think about without you adding even more."
"Partypooper," grumbled the spiky haired shinigami uninterestedly. "You need to learn how to loosen up. You think a few boring centuries in the shinigami relm would make you as curious as I am."
The purple haired shinigami rolled her eyes at that. "Don't pay attention to him, Misa. What are you going to do about Light's request?"
"Well, I'll listen, of course."
"But you'd forget everything," Rem warned. "You wouldn't remember me, or Ryuk, or anything to do with the Death Note, including all the murders you've committed."
Misa shrugged. "I know. But Light's Kira. And Kira gets what he wants. And right now, he wants my Death Note. If I don't give it to him, he'll kill me."
"And then I'll kill him," Rem growled, a firm glare on her face. Her expression softened slowly.
It was at this moment Ryuk broke in. "And then I'd have to go back to the shinigami relm. It's super boring there, kiddo. Make her behave!"
Misa didn't soften a bit. Instead, she walked over to her bed and pulled the book from under her mattress. She handed it to the purple haired shinigami. "Take this to him. It's been nice knowing you, Rem, Ryuk. In another life, then." She closed her eyes as she said the words, each one more rueful than the next. "I denounce ownership of the Death Note and any knowledge having to do with it."
They faded from vision and her expression softened into that of teenage innocence. "Oh, Misa," Rem murmured softly, not heard by her ex-mistress anymore.
"I'm gonna miss the kiddo a bit," Ryuk admitted, for once, not laughing. "Come on, Rem, we have a job to do."
Well, somehow I managed to depress myself while writing this. Ironic, right?
