STRAWBERRY MEMORIES- ICHIGO NO KIOKU
Chapter XVII
Oyasumi Nasai Misa chan
I do not own Death Note.
"Don't worry Misa, I'll make sure you will see him and when you tell me his name, we can finally work undisturbed to achieve our goal. We will build a new world Misa. Together."
Misa turned over in bed for the hundredth time, that sentence has been buzzing on her head the whole fucking night. If a year earlier, they told her that not only would she meet Kira but that she would even become his accomplice she would laugh in their faces. She was pretty good in that role game, she had to admit it, but she got herself into something much bigger than her, and now she didn't know how she was gonna handle it. The only thing she was sure of, was that she wanted to protect Eru at the cost of her own life. That's why she would try to delay the meeting between her and Kira as much as possible because before she wanted to figure out a way to frame Kira and save L. She even thought of revealing everything to the detective, but she didn't know how he could react. So she decided to wait, hoping that the time would give her the answer. That night Light had already put her to work and wanted to know the name of some criminals that he could not find. That evening she had promised to Light that they will constantly seeing each other and what worried her even more, Light had asked her to be his girlfriend. He had told her that with the cleverness and power she had, she was the perfect woman for Kira and that one day, maybe, he would really love her. Misa sighed loudly for the umpteenth time and changed position again, the only thing she was able to tell L when she saw him that night, was that Light had asked her to be his girlfriend. She perfectly knew that L had sensed that she was hiding something, but even though she didn't want to lie to him, she lied for the best. The detective also informed her that some unknown criminals, wanted for years by the Interpol and the Secret Service, had been killed by Kira while she was with Light.
"It's as if Kira now manages to kill without knowing the name of the criminals, while until yesterday we were sure that he needs the face and the name of the person to kill. I know it sounds crazy, but it's like Kira acquired a new power, or we're just missing something. I was so close, and now it seems like everything needs to be retested. And now it comes out that he wants you to be his girlfriend, all of this makes no sense!"
The detective for a moment seemed almost upset that night, Misa wanted to hug him and tell him the whole truth, but she had to refrain from doing so. She hoped that her Eru would solve the case with his own means, although the girl was aware that it was impossible without considering the paranormal elements within the framework of events and people. At that moment, she felt like she messed everything up. She had to find a way to help L and frame Kira without getting involved in the case.
Yet again, when she turned between the sheets without falling asleep, she surrendered and got out of the bed.
"Where are you going Misa?"
Asked Rem who always kept an eye on her, the Shinigamis never sleep.
"I can't sleep, I think I'll go downstairs. I need to spend some time with Eru if you don't mind."
She answered, smiling gently.
"Of course go Misa, I'll stay here."
Misa closed the door behind her and set off for the elevator. When she arrived on the first floor she found herself in front of Mr Watari and the girl made an embarrassed squeal. Watari looked puzzled at the girl's outfit, Misa in fact still wore her pajamas, consisting of shorts and pink satin tank top with white lace at the edges.
"Oh, Watari san, what are you doing out this late? I thought there was no one in here…"
The gentleman smiled at her amused.
"I could ask you the same question, miss Amane. Are you looking for L?"
The model blushed and she smiles sheepishly, knowing she's been caught out.
"Do you know if he's still in the control room? I couldn't sleep so I decided to keep him company..."
Watari smiled at her gently.
"Of course, he's still there if you want to join him."
Said that, he entered the elevator. But Misa tapped him on the shoulder.
"I'm sorry to bother you again, but I wanted to ask you something."
"Of course, ask me whenever you want."
The girl smiled happily as she joined her hands like a child.
"Do you know where the kitchen is? I wanted to prepare a sweet for Eru chan."
Watari was amazed by the girl's request and chuckled around.
"Of course, sounds like L picks women very well. However, it's down to the left, you cannot go wrong, you will find a large white door with two round windows in the middle."
The girl jumped happily.
"Thank you very much Watari san! I owe you a favor!"
Said that she ran for the kitchen.
Watari watched her leave, from a distance she looked like a blonde and pink shard with pigtails. He thought that if Misa had been at Wammy's House with L, the latter might have had a happier childhood. Though the detective was lucky enough to had found her again, even as an adult. Watari hoped that, when the Kira case was over, L could let himself go to a normal life, giving ways to his heirs, worthy of taking his place.
Meanwhile, Misa was fiddling with the pots and had made a big mess; she was not cut out for the kitchen at all. After turning the whole room upside down and having soiled the entire kitchen shelf with flour, eggs and milk, she decided to opt for a simple hot chocolate. She searched the pantry and found the cocoa powder, she checked a cookbook so she finally managed to make two nice steaming cups of hot chocolate, despite this she felt that something was missing from her amazing work.
"Of course... the strawberries!"
Heading toward the fridge, she found some big, juicy strawberries, she took them and added them to the chocolate along with a lot of cream and a sprinkling of cocoa.
When her work was finished, it was midnight, she took a tray and with great caution she headed toward L's surveillance room.
"Watari I told you I don't need anything."
She heard L's voice as she tried to open the heavy door with her back.
"Watari, didn't you just hear me?"
The boy turned with the whole chair and suddenly froze.
"Good evening! I couldn't sleep so I thought I'd keep you company if you don't mind. To make up for the trouble I made you some hot chocolate."
The model chirped swaying towards him in her pink silk pajamas and the two huge glass cups hovering on the tray. Miraculously she managed to reach L's desk and lay it all in front of the guy.
"So? What do you think?"
She turned to him happily with the hands on her hips.
He looked at the chocolate first and then at her again.
"Do you mean Misa or the hot chocolate?"
Asked the poor man touching his head. slightly embarrassed.
Misa finally realized with what clothes she had left her bedroom and ashamed, at first, she lowered her head, then she gave a big push to the poor detective which he clung to the model in order not to fall from the chair. The result: they both fell to the ground, and Misa was literally smeared on top of him.
The poor girl was now just even more embarrassed and as she glanced at L's face she realized that up close he was even more attractive than expected, under her she could feel his chest that she had occasion to see only once, she could distinctly perceive the muscles tending to each small movement, as she looked up she observed his long and white neck, the jaw well proportioned, the chin slightly sharp, the slender and well-made lips, the thin and straight nose, his slightly pronounced cheekbones and finally those eyes as big and black as night. She never realized how beautiful they were, large even if almond and not at all enhanced by those deep dark circles. Just looking at his eyes she realized that the look of L was not addressed at all to her face but a little further down, where the model's breast, masterfully crushed against his chest, seemed to want to burst from the beautiful satin tank top. The girl gone mad all of a sudden.
"Eru! What the hell are you looking at, maniac? Misa Misa's face is up here!"
The boy seemed to wake up from the sweet slumber of before and finally looked at her face, finding a embarrassed Misa, with red cheeks and elusive and beautiful hazel eyes.
"First Misa chan ran me down, and then she gets angry?"
He answered displeased though he has been laughing, so he lifted himself up on his forearms in a clumsy attempt to sit down and lift even the girl with him.
"Stop laughing, Misa Misa is embarrassed."
The model answered, lifting her torso with him and remaining on her knees.
The boy only laughed louder.
"yes I know, because when Misa is embarrassed she speaks in the third person."
"You embarrass me only more like this, stupid!"
She said furiously as she crossed her arms around her chest.
L smiled gently at that vision, Misa knelt in front of him, with her arms crossed and her face turned to one side and hidden by her long blond hair. She looked like the little girl he'd learned to reproduce in his memories, if it weren't for those perfect shapes, which forced him to remember that he was a man after all. Sighing because he had to part from that show, he rose slowly and handed her his hand gently as he laid the other in the pocket of the wide jeans.
"Come on, up, I absolutely want to try Misa's chocolate before it gets cold!"
Misa looked at him gratefully and got up.
"oh well I'm glad I made a good choice by preparing something!"
She said hopping, forgetting about what had just happened. Having said that, she sat down on L's table crossing her legs, not caring about how much papers has been crushed by her backside, so she grabbed happily her own hot chocolate. L sat in his own chair wondering what others would have thought if they had come in and see a pretty girl in skimpy pajamas eating hot chocolate and sitting comfortably on his desk. He drove out those thoughts by shaking his head and finally tried his chocolate.
"Misa chan! This is so good! Much better than the ones Watari makes me."
And not only that's better than Watari
He thought without being able to control it.
Misa made an enthusiastic scream.
"I don't believe it Eru chan! You don't have to lie to me!"
"I don't lie, it's true. Misa has just been hired to take Watari's place as L's baker."
He said, convinced that now the model would have given up on giving him any more surprises.
"Now let's not exaggerate." she said in fact "this is something quite exceptional."
"What a pity!" the detective said amused "I liked Misa dressed like that."
The girl threw a strawberry in his head and ate another one satisfied.
"If you keep talking like that, Misa will start to think that Eru is a normal guy."
"I never denied this, I simply had little time to distract myself until now."
He replied by finishing his chocolate with a final long sip, while Misa was still eating hers using the teaspoon.
"If you don't finish it in five minutes, I'll take it."
He warned her.
"No, I want to finish it! It's the first and the last time I eat one of those."
She said, swollen her cheeks.
"Don't you dare touch it"
She concluded with a smirk.
"Ok ok, don't worry"
He answered, writing on his computer again.
"Eru..."
She said after a while, she was looking at the wall in front of her with some concern.
"You know… I realized that I never asked you where you come from, I noticed before that you have almond eyes but they are large and with the double eyelid and then your features are delicate. You look Japanese but not quite."
"Well even Misa doesn't look Japanese."
He said pointing to her blond hair.
"Well yes because my father was Japanese, but my mother was Russian."
She answered quietly.
"I always forgot to tell you, you know here in Japan it is just a novelty that a Hāfu girl is taken as a model and idol1, usually they only want Japanese thoroughbred".
She said shrugging.
"Really? I'm Russian too, well actually I'm a fourth Russian. Watari told me that I am a fourth Japanese, a fourth English, a fourth Russian and a fourth Italian."
He said enumerating everything with his fingers.
The girl opened her mouth in amazement.
"Wow Eru chan, but you're a crazy mix! That's why you're a genius!"
and good-looking
She concluded in her mind.
"You must have got the best of every ethnic group."
She said confidently.
"I never asked myself sincerely. I barely remember my parents, I only know that my father was half Japanese and half English and was part of the secret services, while my mother was Russian and Italian and was a nuclear engineer."
He ended up saying shrugging his shoulders.
Misa felt so sorry for him, at least she had the opportunity to grow up with her parents, while he had to grow up in an orphanage for genius without any contact with the real world.
"How old were you when they died? If I may ask..."
L looked at her impassive.
"I think when I was six or seven years old, all I know is that when I was eight years old Watari discovered me and took me to Wammy's House where I could fully develop my abilities."
"And Watari didn't tell you anything else about them? Not even how they died?"
She asked more and more sorry for him.
"Well, yes, I already know that from me. I was at school when it happened, I remember that I was picked up by the police. My parents died of polonium-210 poisoning; a substance used by Russian intelligence to neutralize enemies. Although my mother had Russian citizenship, she was not spared either. I was lucky because I was at school at the time. I didn't even go to their funeral because the police feared for my safety. Actually, my parents aren't even buried together, my father was Anglican, while my mother was Christian Catholic, so he's buried in London at Brompton Cemetery, and my mother is buried in her father's city, Venice, at the San Michele's cemetery."
The model did not know whether to be sadder by the boy's melancholy tale or happier by the fact that he had opened up so much to her. Every day she got so close to him that if she wasn't careful, she'd end up getting him killed, and it terrified her. At least now it was explained why above L's head there was an English surname: Lawliet.
The girl laid the empty cup on the desk and stepped off the table with caution. She approached the boy and lowered herself to his height by caressing his face with one hand.
The boy looked at her with a slight smile and took a lock of golden hair between his fingers, undecided on the behaviour to be held on such an occasion. No one had ever tried to console him.
"You don't have to be sad for me Misa chan. I was never sad; I was always convinced that things happen for a reason. If my parents hadn't died, I never would have met you at St Jame's Park in London 12 years ago."
Misa smiled and embraced him.
"and if my parents hadn't died, I never would have met you at To Oh."
L initially stiffened then returned the hug slowly, as if he did not really know how to do it. He first laid his open palms on her back, then tightened his arms tighter, encircling the girl's small body in something that finally seemed like a real hug.
When Misa detached from the detective's body she grazed his cheek and a shiver ran through both, they looked each other in the eyes and the model really thought she could kiss him on the lips but it was L who interrupted the eye contact talking again.
"Anyway, I never told you my name."
Misa stood up amazed and with her little hand on her mouth.
"You don't have to tell me if you don't want to, I totally understand how important it is for you to remain anonymous."
She went on concerned as she took his hands. L smiled at her gently.
"But I want to tell you, I don't like that I know your name and you don't know mine. I trust you, and I am 99.999% certain that you will not betray me. If even you'll betray me, It wouldn't make sense, and this would not be a world worthy to be lived for me. It would be the same if Watari betrayed me."
He ended up saying looking her in the eye more seriously than ever.
The girl felt a heartbeat missing, although she already knew his name, because of the eye exchange, she was aware that the detective was entrusting his life to her.
"My real name is not L. L is the name recorded in the official documents when I was adopted by Watari. Actually my parents had baptized me with Catholic rite with the name of Michelangelo Lawliet. Watari just took a letter of my name and made it my new name."
Misa wondered why it was only L on the head of the detective. Perhaps the eyes of the Shinigami allowed to see only the name used last by the people. It seemed nice to her that his parent's real name was somehow hidden and that only her in the world would know it, well, her and Watari.
"But Eru, your real name is beautiful. It suits you! You are a paladin of justice and in your name there are both "Michael" and "angel", as if your parents had called you like the archangel Mikail head of the celestial militia."
She said to him, looking up and touching her chin with the index finger, trying to remember the few notions she knew about Christianity.
L smiled looking at the girl's hand position, so similar to his usual one.
"What are you doing? You're doing an impression of me?"
He asked her amused.
The model smiled to him end after she clapped her hands happily.
"Well since we are in revelations mood, now I want to know everything about Eru chan. For example, I want to know what your zodiac sign is! When were you born Eru chan? But the date is not enough, you must tell me the time! Because I have to calculate the ascendant too! And then: the blood type, the favourite colour, the favourite meal... Oh my God, I don't know anything about Eru yet!"
L began to laugh.
"Now I recognise you Misa Misa."
He said shaking his head.
"Anyway, if you care so much to know it, I was born in London on 31 October 24 years ago and I am AB negative. Unfortunately for you I don't know the time when I was born, so no ascendant I'm sorry. My favourite colour is white. I don't have a favourite meal, I like all sweets I mean..."
Misa screamed happily.
"Oh thank you for all of this information! It's no big deal if you do not remember the time of your birth, I'll find a way to find out! Maybe sneaking into Watari's office and looking in his documents for your birth certificate, if he adopted you he must have it!"
"This thing is getting creepy"
He said bowing his head.
"Sure, sure, whatever you say… Anyway it's my turn".
She said happy as she took a sit on the desk with her legs crossed, this time in front of the detective, crushing his hope of continuing to work.
"I was born in Kyoto on December 25 at 8 pm 19 years ago, so I am Capricorn rising Leo. My blood type is AB positive, and my favourite colour is black. In a way we complete ourselves! You're born on Halloween I'm born on Christmas, you're AB negative, I'm AB positive, your favourite colour is white, mine is black! And last but not least, you are a scorpion so your planets are Mars and Pluto while I am Capricorn and my planet is Saturn, these signs are characterized by a strong tenacity in the pursuit of goals, even without scruples and no sentimentalism. They are both stubborn but also very brave and loyal. Let's say they complete themselfs!"
She ended up saying after gesturing for two minutes.
"Are you saying that we are made for each other?"
L asked by bowing his head in a curious way, first pointing at her then at him like a child.
Misa suddenly blushed and looked away.
"I'm not saying it, but astrology says so!"
She said looking at him with more confidence in her eyes.
"Oh, well then…"
He answered amused.
She pretended to be offended and then she pushed him, but this time slowly and smiled at him too…So they talked until late at night, they told each other many things and of course it was Misa who spoke the most. In the end, she got so tired that she ended up dozing off in a headquarters chair while L was working. She put her arms on the detective's table and leaned her head on it yawning, obviously after a few minutes she was already in the kingdom of Morpheus.
Only after half an hour L finally realized that she had fallen asleep, because he has been so busy to make up for lost time of work. So he turned toward her to tell her to go back to sleep in her bedroom but he found her in that position: with one leg dangling from the stool and the other bent on the chair, her arms crossed on the table and her face covered in part by her hair. He noticed that a shoulder sleeve of her satin tank top had gone down and, to not linger too long on that white and visibly soft skin, he looked away.
"ehm Misa…"
He tried to call her, but the only response he had was an indistinct whimper from the young model. Then the boy tried to get close and touched a shoulder to shake it gently, the skin was soft and delicate exactly as he had imagined. The detective bited his lip, angry at his own mind that kept reminding him how much he liked that girl. Misa, on the other hand, did not want to wake up at all, so L cursed himself for what he was about to do, and he held her gently in his arms. The girl in contact with the boy's chest smiled in her sleep and with extreme naturalness leaned her head in the hollow of his neck beaming of the perfume that emanated, while with her small hand she grabbed his shirt. L always continuing to curse himself went into the corridor and took the elevator. When he arrived in front of Misa's apartment, he opened the door with his elbow and with great caution he climbed the spiral stairs leading to the bedroom. Once he arrived, he gently laid her on the bed in order not to wake her up and covered her with the blancket. He looked at her for a moment, she looked so innocent and so beautiful that she didn't seemed to be real, he hoped that nothing would ever happen to her. The only acquaintance he had outside Wammy's House was Naomi Misora who had taught him capoeira, and she too had disappeared, probably killed at the hands of Kira. Everyone else he knew were only kids like him, geniuses who grew up without a family which could love them. And the girls were the worst, they were so mean, both inside the Wammy's house that those who were part of the police and the interpol. While Misa was different, she awakened in him that human side that he had been accustomed to suppress, and above all she gave him the desire to live out of there, in the world that he despised so much, perhaps with her. She was like a ray of sunshine that warmed him day by day and that slowly would make him sprout. Waking from his thoughts he gave her one last look and moved to leave, but when he turned around he felt the warm hand of Misa holding him by the wrist. He turned and saw her pulled up with her torso while with her left arm she was rubbing her tired eyes.
"Don't leave Eru chan, please stay here with me."
L mentally ran the thought he had just before, that girl was not an angel but a tempting devil with the appearance of an angel.
"I have to go back to work, I did almost nothing tonight."
Misa opened her eyes completely and looked at him stubbornly, ready as hell not to give up.
"Misa know that working during night is not productive at all. You should know this well. Just think what tipe of performance could give a genius like you if he slept at night. I bet you never thought about it, did you, Eru chan?"
"Misa..."
The poor boy tried to resist, this time more weakly.
"Come on Eru, come here…"
She whispered, opening the blankets and tapping the mattress with her hand.
"I promise you that all the work you lost tonight I will do it for you."
She said winking at him.
"Of course, you will not."
He answered surrendering totally to her and slipping under her covers.
The girl smiled happy and satisfied with the goal achieved. When he picked her up, she had been so well in his arms that she wasn't willing to give it up. Although it could not seem, for the scruffy look of the detective, L had a very good smell, she could not define it, but it was definitely his. And then the warm hug before had allowed her to forget about Light and the terrible days that awaited her as a fake girlfriend and accomplice. So she ended up cuddle up on L, intertwining her legs with his. She raised her head to the boy's and stroked his eyes.
"Try to close these and you'll see that tomorrow you'll be fine and above all, these will disappear."
She said following the detective's deep dark circles with her little fingers. He closed his eyes, enjoying the warmth emanating from Misa's small body and finally smiled calmly, resting his head on hers.
"Goodnight Misa."
"Eru.."
"Yes?"
"I promise you that once all this story is over, we will go to Brompton Cemetery and St. Michael's Cemetery together"
L hugged her tightly in response.
Angolino Author:
Hello everyone and hello to all your shotguns too! It was not my intention to spoil the character of L but I always thought that no parent would ever give their child a letter as a proper name! It's more of a Watari's choise, right? This also allowed me to speculate on the character by comparing him to the archangel Michael, in fact in the comic there are many references to the Christian religion: from the apple, to crucifixes, to the washing of the feet by L to Light before being betrayed.
As for the story of L's parents, it's all invented out of the blue by me, I like to make crazy theories. The only real thing is the ethnicity of our detective: Tsugumi Oba herself in an interview on Death Note said that she liked to think of L as mixed race and expressly said a forth Japanese, a forth English, a forth Russian and a forth Italian or French. I obviously chose Italian because I am biased. You can find this information here: /anime-manga/elle-di-death-note-lantagonista-di-kira/56808
As for Misa, I made up that she is half Russian because she is actually a bit strange a natural blonde Japanese and I wanted to justify this. Finally, regarding blood types and horoscopes, I followed the information that the mangakas left us in the manga, I didn't invent anything. The only thing of my choice is the blood type of L wich the author left unknown. I chose AB negative because it is the rarest in the world, and who but L could have such a particular blood type?
I hope not to have resulted in the OOC but I want these two to approach slowly and as I have already said in the past I love this couple and in my opinion they are perfect for being together. Anyway, it's not just me saying ... go and read on the horoscope what they say about the Capricorn and Scorpio couple, they are practically soul mates xD
Finally, for Misa's pajamas I took inspiration from the manga and anime when Misa goes down to the headquarters in a very skimpy pink nightgown and tells Light that she would be good tonight and go to sleep alone.
If anyone has constructive criticism or not, please come forward I am always happy to receive your impressions.
A big thanks to Undermask who has comment the last chapter and added me and my story on the favourites! Thank you, I hope you enjoyed this chapter too!
And thanks to Chaecorn who follows the ff!
And thanks to all of you that are reading this!
Regards, Juliette.
P.S: you can find mine fanarts about this chapter on my Instagram account: JulietteYuuki
1 Hāfu (ハーフ from English "half") is a Japanese term used to refer to the children of Japanese-foreign unions.