Gosh, I forgot that I already had a short character info page for Rui lolol. Anyway, here's some fluff!
Thanks for all the favorites, follows, and reviews!
Chapter 31: Deep Waters
Aug 13, 2004; 22 22
Rui stared blankly at the expensive-looking bottles of personal care products that Watari had brought her, all lined up at the edge of the bathtub. Why was there always something to worry about in this world? At the back of her mind, she was always worrying about Ryuzaki's plans. She was nervous about having to meet Misa again the next day. Oh, interacting with Misa was always pleasant, but really exhausting, and Rui was always wary of giving away too much. Misa was so disarmingly an open book with her emotions and desires that several times, Rui had to catch herself before she divulged something she shouldn't. Besides, Misa was not someone you wanted to go against. Rui would bet that in a fight or flight situation, Misa would always pick the former.
She was nervous, too, about her capoeira lesson with Ryuzaki the next morning. She was pretty sure that both him and Watari knew about her crush on him, and she'd have to remember to act normal. There was also Watari to worry about. What did he want, giving her that stack of questionnaires? Should she capitulate and fill that in, or would it be better to make excuses and avoid giving him any information? Even if there didn't seem to be any harm in handing it in, why, for goodness' sake, should she give Watari, of all people, any insight into her psyche?
Oh, there were other mundane matters to worry about, too, like making sure that her plans for the upcoming date, happening in two days, went smoothly. But for now, her subject of worry was the 'gift' that Watari had handed her.
She picked up the bottle of shower gel. The packaging was weighty, matte black with deep gold, and was all very chic. She pressed the catch and the lid slid smoothly open. Way too much thought was put into the design of the packaging for something as mundane as shower gel.
Bespoke scents? Curiously, Rui took a sniff, and was immediately hit with a strong wave of homesickness.
It was the same cinnamon peach scent she'd once claimed as her signature, because it reminded her of autumn harvests. Except, the scent was elevated, somehow. It was obviously of even higher quality than the original product. She'd thought she'd never be able to smell that again. How much did these cost? Rui knew bougie when she saw it.
Either Ryuzaki or Watari had gifted these to her, and she wasn't sure that either possibility was less alarming. If Ryuzaki had indeed asked Watari to gift her this, he knew of her feelings. Or it might be a farewell gift. He evidently took note of her scent. Could Ryuzaki maybe- She caught sight of the goofy smile that was spreading on her face and froze.
No. Best not to entertain false hopes. She turned away.
It wasn't any better if Watari was the one to actually gift this and then claim it to be Ryuzaki's, for that would mean he was taking definitive action on a private agenda that necessitated goodwill between her and the detective, for whatever reason. Rui wanted to think the best of others, that Watari just supported a potential relationship between her and Ryuzaki, but in the DN world that would be suicide, a la Misora Naomi.
She should ask Ryuzaki directly. About that, and about the set of questionnaires, too. However, if she were fully honest with herself, she was kind of procrastinating - she really wanted the gift to be from Ryuzaki, and it would really disappoint her if it weren't, and she was already stressed, and...
Rui sighed, stripping off her clothes determinedly and stepping into the shower, turned up to as high a temperature as her skin could tolerate. Here, there was no mom to nag her about how hot water dried out one's skin and could accelerate aging. The torrent of hot water on her skin was comforting, like a warm hug. Here, there was no mom to chide her about how she was wasting water. A bath really would have been better for this, but it would have been more conducive to her overthinking tendencies, which was undesirable. Though, she was STILL overthinking. Her temples hurt.
There wasn't a mom here to scold her about overusing her shampoo and bodywash. Or to protect her.
Not for the first time, Rui felt alone and lost. Now her thoughts were veering into pessimism. She was just tired, tired of never feeling safe, of having to second-guess everyone's motives, of having this stupid, nerve-wracking, one-sided crush on Ryuzaki like some loser. It didn't help that she'd actually been missing him after a week of no capoeira lessons. With no small amount of surprise, Rui realised that she was crying; not big, heaving sobs or anything dramatic like that, just some long-overdue tears of frustration and stress that she'd been repressing. Of course she knew she was wallowing in self-pity, but if Ryuzaki could, then she was allowed some leeway, too.
Ugh. Rui knew she had it kind of bad. Could she, for one second, not think about that overgrown man-child?!
Almost like she was attempting to escape thoughts of said detective, Rui hastily stepped out of the shower. No, she would ask him about the gift the next chance she got. Better to clear this up once and for all. Stupid.
She almost threw the weighty, expensive tub of body butter at the mirror in frustration at how difficult the packaging was to open.
Aug 14, 2004; 03 34
L Lawliet was somewhere very familiar. He knew that, yet the images before him were almost unfathomable, bathed in a dying grey light. It was cold, and smirry - rain so fine it seemed almost non-existent, except you found yourself getting wetter. He thought he heard the sound of children playing, and over that, the terrible, grating racket of one or two of them crying, uncontrollably. L Lawliet never liked crying, whether in himself or others. It was unpleasant to behold, even more unpleasant to listen to, messy; he couldn't recall the last time he himself had cried, or perhaps he didn't care to fish them out from the murky depths of his tarry memories.
He blinked; a moment later, he found himself racing after someone up the rickety, uneven steps of the old bell tower at Wammy's, which seemed to have increased in size. Wammy's it was, however, for he recognised the weak, coloured light filtering in through the little stained glass windows at the top. Who he was following, he could not say, neither could he discern any details of his companion, not even their gender. They did not appear to have spoken once, yet he knew they were trying to show him a huge bird nest in the belfry. He felt the sense of urgency they did: all the tiny eggs were starting to hatch and they had to be there to witness them, and it would be a marvelous sight and...
They never seemed to get any closer to the belfry no matter how much they ran, and he was starting to get a terrible feeling; something was wrong. If there was indeed something hatching up there, they weren't birds. He tried to open his mouth to tell his companion so, but the words were lodged under his tongue; try as he might, he couldn't halt his movements and pull away from whoever or whatever was tugging him along.
With great force of will, he broke away from their iron grasp, only to miss a step.
Ryuzaki jolted awake from the fitful, shallow sleep he'd been bobbing in and out of, heart in his throat. A deep sadness seemed to have lodged itself in his being. For half a second, he stared into the darkness of the room he shared with Light, still half convinced that he was about to fall on his face, flatten it into disfigurement, and snap his neck tumbling down an endless flight of stairs.
Funny, no matter how many times he had dreamt the same, he never quite managed to get past the reflex to pull away, cutting the dream short.
His senses, still heightened from the feeling of danger he'd experienced, told him someone was watching him. As Yagami was asleep, it could only be Rui, through the surveillance equipment. He often felt her watching him at the oddest of times. But what might she be doing up so late? Perhaps it was not her, but a Shini-
The door cracked open slowly, and Rui's head peeked into the room, almost timidly. "Excuse me," she loud-whispered, then came tiptoeing in, wearing ridiculous teddy-bear attire. Onesie, they called it.
She was carrying a tray with two mugs. Ryuzaki inhaled deeply, identifying the floral, apple-like scent that intermingled with Rui's familiar cinnamon peach scent. Chamomile tea. He sniffed again. Her scent suited her.
"It's honeyed chamomile tea," she elaborated, offering him one of the mugs and proving him right, not that he needed the confirmation. He did not drink chamomile tea.
"It's sweetened in accordance with your tastes." That brought a little more interest.
He took a cautious sip and had to admit that it did not taste horrible. He took a second, deeper one. "Why are you here?" He had not meant for it to come out that way. He supposed he wasn't fully awake yet. Thankfully, she appeared to take it in stride.
"It seemed that both of you were not sleeping well," Rui observed neutrally, obviously glossing over the fact that she had been watching them. Ryuzaki wondered how long she'd been doing that. His sense of time was not the best, even at the best of times. He hid a smirk at his own joke.
Ryuzaki had been recovering from his own nightmare, but now he peered over at the boy, who was still sleeping in a fetal position. Yagami was grinding his jaw so firmly that a vein was standing out on the side of his neck, and the covers were wrinkled from his tight grasp.
"I'm not quite sure how to deal with nightmares," Rui murmured, her brow wrinkling in concern. "Should we wake him?"
"It would be best to leave him to wake naturally," Ryuzaki replied. A nightmare would not kill Yagami, although it would probably put him in a terser mood later in the day. A glance at the clock confirmed that a little under five hours were yet to pass before the boy would awaken.
Having finished his mug of tea, Ryuzaki took a sip from the other one, ignoring Rui's "um". It tasted like horse piss, not having been sweetened the way his had. "Is that for Light-kun?" he asked, already knowing the answer.
"Yes."
He drained the other mug anyway, ignoring Rui's raised eyebrow.
"You could've just told me you didn't want Light to have any chamomile tea..." Rui mumbled, equal parts annoyed and amused. She didn't realise Light annoyed Ryuzaki this much.
Rui was right, but Ryuzaki wasn't about to admit it. "I am afraid I have no clue as to what you're referring to." He widened his eyes guilelessly, knowing it would annoy her further. Rui's eyebrow twitched, and he mentally awarded himself a point.
Rui inwardly rolled her eyes at the ridiculous detective, gathering up the emptied mugs. It would serve him right to have all that excess liquid drive him to the bathroom over and over. "Well, it's about time I take my leave, too," she announced. Thank goodness he hadn't harped on the fact that she'd been watching them.
"Would it be right to assume that Rui has found herself an insomniac this night as well?" Ryuzaki called out, with a glaring sense of self-satisfaction that gave her the urge to dump the tray on his head and run off. Instead, she froze. He wouldn't...
"As she seems to have been watching this room for a while." Yes, he would. She'd been too quick to celebrate.
Rui was thankful that the dark hid her terrible blush, although Ryuzaki, the smug bastard, likely still knew. She'd only meant to do a quick check in, but had noticed Ryuzaki biting his fist alarmingly hard, and that he was trembling visibly in his usual fetal position. It was only because she'd been unsure what to do that she'd ended up watching them for over an hour. After all, if she'd gone in and tried to wake him up, he might've accidentally kicked her to death.
Ryuzaki awarded himself another point.
Rui stared curiously as Ryuzaki flipped up what she'd thought was another lift button to reveal a nondescript thumb scanner. He pressed his forefinger on it, then pressed the numbers 2 and 7. What, so there were at least two more floors that Ryuzaki kept hidden from the task force? Just how many levels to this building were there, really?
The elevator doors slid open with nary a sound, but Rui's attention was captivated by the contents of the room. There was a small foyer just outside the elevator, but most of the entire room was dim, taken up by a vast aquarium that spanned floor to ceiling, complete with deep reefs and bioluminescent fish and squid that swam above the little glass tunnel that led deeper into the massive aquarium. She shivered, not entirely from the cold.
Hands in his pockets, Ryuzaki stepped forward into the twilit, empty darkness that seemed to stretch in every perceivable direction, and Rui couldn't help but grab his sleeve. This wasn't like the typical sunlit, fish-filled aquariums that made up most tourist attractions. This aquarium was murky, dark, and looked mostly empty, like an ocean's twilight zone*. Rui did not doubt that was what it was.
"Ryuzaki..." she half-pleaded, unsure what to say. Her thalassophobia was rearing its ugly head.
The detective in question could feel the hand on his sleeve trembling violently, and admitted to himself that he hadn't anticipated that reaction. The silence, vastness and darkness of the deep functioned better as an antidote to insomnia than anything else, at least when it came to him. For a moment, he wondered why he had allowed her to come with him, when he had chosen not to make this place accessible to anyone else apart from Watari, then dismissed the concern. It did not particularly matter.
Rui bit her lip in thought, gazing blankly at the alien, underwater world behind the glass, her legs like jelly. She swallowed as she spied a bioluminescent creature drift past them. She wouldn't want to be left alone in a world like this. And she wouldn't want Ryuzaki to be, either, even if he seemed perfectly comfortable here. Or maybe, she was just a huge simp who missed him, just a little. It was alright to miss him a little bit, right? Besides, she could scarcely contain her curiosity, both at the place itself, and the reason behind its existence.
Rationally, there really was nothing to fear. Ryuzaki seemed familiar with the place, and there was no way they were drowning here, or being surrounded by underwater... things.
Stubbornly, she strode forward into the little glass tunnel with him just a step behind, still clutching tightly to his sleeve like a lifeline. She startled badly as a huge oarfish floated above them, undulating its dorsal fin like a propeller, gooseflesh rising on the back of her neck.
"You-you-you lead the way, Ryuzaki," she mumbled, nudging him ahead of her and averting her eyes from the creature. This time, she clutched at his bicep, crouching closer to him as if for protection. Ryuzaki breathed in her scent, this time noticing the underlying warm smell of her flesh, noting the absence of any discomfort at her touch. He dismissed the observation.
As they ventured deeper into the dark tunnel, Rui did not say anything or halt their pace, despite clear evidence of her phobia. Ryuzaki observed her shivering violently against his frame, and she stumbled every so often on legs made clumsy from mild fear paralysis. Her too-wide gaze vigilantly took note of everything happening in the darkness beyond the glass, though interestingly, not without a slight hint of intrigue. She was also consciously regulating her breathing, probably to ward off any panic attacks.
Ryuzaki approved.
Rui startled as the harsh piano notes of a particular DN character's theme song** suddenly played. When had Ryuzaki taken out his phone?
"I suppose it would be useful for announcing my presence," Ryuzaki quipped dryly, awarding himself another point for the shift in her expression.
Rui stared, dumbstruck, then began to giggle uncontrollably, no doubt from the pent-up fear. What had possessed him to have that on his phone? But wait, her smartphone would have run out of battery. Unless Ryuzaki had managed to charge it up. Would technology advance faster in this world now that her smartphone was here as a sort-of prototype? She knew, at least from the DN 2020 oneshot, that smartphones would eventually come into vogue; she just didn't know when they would.
Ryuzaki and Watari would probably not commercialise smartphone technology, but they'd definitely use it in their investigations if it proved more useful. Welp. She missed her smartphone. In fact, it could only benefit her if smartphone technology advanced. No, wait, would social media technology and trends also emerge much earlier here? Would that not mean that Ryuzaki would have to become even more of a hermit to stay safe?
Rui shook off her random thoughts as the theme music ended. Her mind just worked differently at night, and that was some intellectual music. "Some have said that hearing this tune makes them feel like they can use 122% of their brains," she suddenly recalled. Well, that and Koei's 'The Men of Intelligence', but he wouldn't have known that. "Man, I wish I had my own theme music." Bummer, it was. What sort of theme music might suit her?
For a bit, Rui immersed herself in the fantasy of having cool theme music play every time she made her grand entrance into a room. It would no doubt be annoying for everyone else. Ha!
Did Ryuzaki play an instrument? He seemed like the sort who might pick things up intuitively. She could see him playing the piano, and she told him so.
Not for the first time, Ryuzaki took note of Rui's ability to compartmentalize. Although she was breathing audibly, she was still coming up with non sequiturs. He watched as she actually paused to stare in some wonder at a stray bioluminescent fish that darted close to the glass.
"I have not been formally trained as a pianist," he finally responded. He briefly wondered if she, too, played an instrument, then dismissed the thought. It was the lack of background information on her that continually brought idle questions of that nature to the fore. As it was, they only had the results of her most recent physical on file, from which he had learned that she was mildly underweight (but so were Yagami, Amane, and himself), her blood type was AB+ which might suggest a slightly higher risk of heart disease and certain types of cancers, but that she was otherwise in optimum health. He searched his mind for any additional pieces of information on Rui.
"I used to play the ukulele a bit, but never really committed myself to it. And everyone at school was required to play the recorder in music lessons back then," Rui said, as if in reply to his thoughts. "I've probably forgotten most of what I picked up." She perked up. "Hey, are you able to play the piano on computer keyboard?" Since he and Watari moved around a lot, she didn't see how Ryuzaki would've had much opportunity to play on a real piano.
No, he did not, but it was a good idea, Ryuzaki mused. He mentally filed the new information away.
They, or rather Watari, appeared to have been rather remiss in investigating Rui before having made her an employee. He supposed some of it was excusable given the complexity and unprecedented nature of the Kira case, which had left them all lacking in time and manpower. Still, it was more likely that Watari had taken a calculated risk to advance his own objectives.
"Ryuzaki, it would be good form to offer Rui a gift on your next date," Watari had said. He wasn't asking, but it was worded in a way that meant he had room to refuse.
Ryuzaki and Watari's relationship had always been complicated - part employer-employee, part guardian-ward, and part... He didn't allow himself to dwell on this, content as he was with the life he had designed for himself. It was a situation of mutual benefit, and having worked with each other for more than a decade, it was understood that silence could and would be taken as tacit agreement unless an explicit disagreement was voiced.
Watari rarely voiced a specific opinion or wish, which made the rare occasions in which he did rather jarring and difficult to oppose. Thankfully, this was not fully one of those occasions.
Ryuzaki did not say anything.
"A gift from the heart is always best, Ryuzaki," Watari continued, noting his silence. Again, he wasn't asking.
There were a lot of things about Watari that even he knew nothing about, despite their longstanding relationship. Still, some time back, Ryuzaki had arrived at a working hypothesis of Watari's goals and what he stood for. He just didn't consider it particularly relevant, on account of the nature of his chosen profession.
Having received Matsuda's report on the excursion earlier, Ryuzaki knew exactly what to gift Rui. Ryuzaki didn't want to make it easy for Watari, but...
Later that evening, he reluctantly handed Watari an empty travel-sized spray that nevertheless smelt like cinnamon peaches.
As if to demonstrate an almost uncanny ability to be in sync with his thoughts but which was more realistically attributed to mere coincidence, Rui piped up again. "By the way, Watari handed me a box of personal care products about three nights ago, saying that you were the one to give them to me. Is this true?"
Watari had made a definite move to advance his goal.
"Has Watari handed you a stack of questionnaires?" He was already 97% sure of the answer.
"How'd you know?" Rui asked innocently, in surprise.
Because Watari was nothing if not consistent in the pursuit of his goals , he thought. He didn't respond.
As the tunnel itself wasn't exactly extensive on account of logistical feasibility, they soon reached their destination.
The end of the tunnel opened up to a small, round room surrounded on almost all sides by aquarium, but for the tunnel entrance. The room was designed to make its inhabitant feel like they were truly under the sea, Rui realised. It sort of reminded her of a reverse fishbowl.
Only Ryuzaki had the moolah and whim to do something like this, she thought with some amusement, then jumped again as she felt a dark shape swim over them. Trying to take her mind off how she was feeling, she looked around, noticing a number of strangely-shaped, pod-like chairs, some of which had wheels. She watched as Ryuzaki clambered into one. The cushions perfectly supported his customary crouch.
Ah, I see.
Experimentally, Rui got into the one beside his. It happened to be wheeled. Well, whatever.
Surprisingly, it wasn't as uncomfortable as it looked, being made of firm but plush velvet, and she did indeed feel warmer and safer with her limbs tucked up and protecting her midsection. She didn't even flinch when she felt another dark shape above her. Huh, besides the horrible posture, Ryuzaki might be on to something. She told him so.
"Indeed," he replied, though she had meant it as a passing remark. "It took several iterations before Watari finalised the design. It is, in my opinion, a much more natural way to sit."
As there was nothing Rui could say to dispute that, she merely hummed, content to bask in the surprisingly-comfortable silence. The more she stared into space with the dark waters surrounding them, the more it felt like she was floating in a different world, silent and unchanging, and like nothing could get at her. Perhaps this was something of how it felt for a baby to float in amniotic fluid, carried and protected by the mother, except much colder. If so, no wonder babies cried when they were born. Was this, too, how Ryuzaki felt about this place?
What did he think of Paris, the city he'd been found in? Who were his parents? Did he miss the embrace of his mother? Did Ryuzaki ever celebrate his birthday at the orphanage? Well, even if he didn't, perhaps she should get him a present-
"Hey, Ryuzaki?" she called out, belatedly worrying that he might've been dozing and that she'd rudely interrupted him. One look at him banished that concern - his huge, buggy eyes were trained on her, and had been for some time. She tried not to dwell on that thought, instead noting that he looked very much like one of his own deep sea creatures. Ryuzaki as a merman? Now there was a thought.
Rui hadn't missed how Ryuzaki had avoided giving a definite answer as to who had given her the gift. She also hadn't missed how Ryuzaki didn't say anything more on the stack of questionnaires she was given. To be honest, she was a little disappointed that it was likely to be Watari's idea to gift her something, but hey, Ryuzaki didn't seem like a gift-giving sort of person anyway. It also seemed like something about this had Ryuzaki a little perturbed. Well, she wasn't exactly sure what the right term was, but he seemed a little... off.
Not for the first time, Rui wondered at the relationship between the two. "Is it better if I avoid completing Watari's questionnaire?" she asked carefully.
Ryuzaki mulled over what to say.
On the one hand, it would be ideal if she could avoid presenting herself as a more plausible candidate, but it was part of the tacit agreement between Watari and him to not interfere in each other's work. On the other hand, he was not particularly opposed to the idea of administering a paper test to Rui on general principle; in fact, he was admittedly a little curious as to how she would fare. Besides, Watari was relentless when it came to what he wanted - Ryuzaki himself had to have picked up his battering-ram approach to solving crimes from somewhere, after all.
"You should do as you see fit," he hedged.
Rui furrowed her brows. Why was Ryuzaki being so cagey? What wasn't he saying? She was getting the feeling that it would not be a good idea to explicitly refuse Watari's request, but it concerned her more that Ryuzaki, of all people, didn't seem to fully be in favour of her complying with Watari's request. If she hadn't known better, she would've thought the questionnaires were his idea, not Watari's.
What if she randomly answered the questions instead of doing them seriously? But Watari seemed like the sort to make her redo the stack if he suspected anything being amiss.
There was nothing for it. She'd try to avoid answering them for as long as she could. Things would pick up after the Yotsuba arc, so if she timed it perfectly, Watari wouldn't even have time to look them over.
The atmosphere between them was quickly turning sour, and Rui cast about for a change in subject.
"Why don't we try going out on double dates in public?" Rui suggested. "I understand safety concerns among other things, but we'll soon run out of date ideas if we have to have them indoors. Plus, it might be fun." She tried to imagine Ryuzaki at the beach. He'd probably have a straw hat, and some kind of ultra-sweet tropical cocktail... Or better yet, Ryuzaki at the beach in a mermaid tail costume. Merman L. Nice...
His voice brought her back to the present. Well, at least she hadn't drooled.
"As you have rightly pointed out, safety is a concern, particularly since a new Kira is at large," he was saying. Evidently, he couldn't resist teasing her, for he added, "I suppose you will not have the opportunity to meet cute guys like Misa did."
Rui bristled, refusing to blush. Of course he'd overheard her questionable attempts at interrogation.
"Neither will you," she shot back.
He didn't answer. Obstinately, she considered it her win, even though it was a stupid retort. After all, he was already handcuffed to one.
"But the idea has merit," he chose to continue, instead. "Perhaps I could wear a hat."
Rui saw her chance and took it. "You won't find one big enough." Score two to Rui, and she smirked as he sulked, thumb on his bottom lip.
Rui found her thoughts wandering again. What had Ryuzaki dreamt about? Did he usually get nightmares? Why did Light get nightmares? Back when she'd been a child, she'd been too timid to sleep by herself. She hadn't even dared to sleep with her feet dangling off the bed, for fear of things grabbing her. Did Ryuzaki ever get these kinds of night terrors?
She jerked in surprise as he suddenly leaned forward, staring at her. "What?" Somehow, she'd forgotten how to breathe.
He didn't answer. Slowly, he reached for her, and it took great effort of will not to let her gaze drop down to his lips. Rui's pulse began to drum as his softboy lavender scent clouded her senses, and she went stock still, watching as his hand cupped her cheek and-
"What the hell are you doing?" she growled, as he rubbed vigorously at the mole on the corner of her left eye.
"I thought I saw some dirt on your face," he responded smugly. That-! He knew it was a mole. How childish! "I was simply attempting to be of assistance to Rui."
Outraged, Rui grabbed him in a headlock, and started mushing her knuckles into the top of his head. Ryuzaki awarded himself another point for his success in annoying her. Now he was in the lead, especially since it wasn't exactly unpleasant being pressed up against her like that. He banished the thought immediately and began to struggle halfheartedly.
When she had deemed Ryuzaki to be suitably chastised, she let him beat an immediate retreat back into his usual position. He wasn't sulking as much as she'd expected him to. Come to think of it, wasn't it awfully convenient that the brightest children of the world ended up at Wammy's? How had Watari found L?
Dimly, she realised she'd voiced that last question.
"Was it not mentioned in your world?" he replied. Typical. Ryuzaki always turned it back to a question on her end.
"No, but it seems you were a product of Wammy's," she responded. "In fact, the creators hadn't even thought up much of a backstory for you."
She expected him to fall silent again, so she just went on talking. In for a penny, in for a pound, right? She just missed being able to freely speak without having to guard herself so much. Besides, Ryuzaki was one to do what he liked. If he didn't like her babbling, he'd tell her so in no uncertain terms.
"I'm not going to lie, sometimes I rather envy Light for his family, even if his father is kind of a workaholic. That's not meant to be any aspersion on the Chief's character, by the way," she mused. "I can tell he genuinely believes in what he's doing." What was it like, having such strong moral convictions?
"My family was never a close-knit one," Rui continued, almost to herself. "We lived in the same house, of course, but we all just did our own thing, we left and came back at different times, we ate at different times, and at times we wouldn't even know what the others were doing. That didn't seem to bother my family members, though." Some bitterness had crept into her voice. Huh. She thought she'd gotten over that.
It was too easy to be her true self around Ryuzaki, and sometimes she wasn't prepared to face that.
"You know, your sleuthing skills are unparalleled and you certainly have the resources; it's not like you won't be able to find out if you've got any living blood relatives around," she quickly added, more to take Ryuzaki's mind off what she just said about herself than any real hope of finding out more about him.
"Perhaps, but there is no benefit to doing so," Ryuzaki found himself actually answering. Indeed, all he was consciously aware of was that he had made the decision to go where he was wanted, and that he had chosen to forget all childhood memories before Wammy's. They sometimes resurfaced in his sleep, but were getting fuzzier with age, to his satisfaction. Watari would know the full details of his parentage and background, but it was part of their longstanding agreement not to ever bring it up. Some things were better left unexamined, particularly as they would call into question a number of issues, including how Watari had obtained guardianship over him. Moreover, he rather liked the lifestyle he currently led, and saw no need for anything that would upset it.
Rui stared at him. He was so matter-of-fact about this. Was he not even a little curious? She supposed family didn't always count for everything, and in the worst case scenario, they could threaten his safety and wellbeing in a bid to get whatever they could out of him, which was a lot, if the wealth and influence L wielded was anything to go by. But had he ever wondered if he was arresting someone who could be a blood rela- No, she was letting her sentimentality get the better of her logic. His job was easier when he was able to be impartial. Of course.
L was alone, and clearly used to it. He didn't need any pity. But-
"As they say, the blood of the covenant is thicker than the water of the womb," Rui opined. "You know, you probably aren't as alone as you think. You might have to work at it a little, but you've got-" She counted on her fingers thoughtfully. "Me, Chief Asahi, Aihara, Moji, Matsui, Wedy, Aiber, W-Watari, I suppose," she looked up uncertainly, then continued. "I guess we aren't geniuses, but even there, you've got options. Like Near and Mello and Matt. You aren't alone if you don't wish to be." She yawned, dimly noting that Ryuzaki had a rather unreadable expression on. Ah well. Perhaps it wasn't important to him.
"Building a deep sea aquarium as a sleep aid, of all things," she muttered, half in disbelief, and yawned again. "You're so spoiled, L."
Her half-closed lids could not hide the affection in her gaze she clearly wasn't aware was showing, and Ryuzaki found himself unable to look away, even after she'd chuckled to herself and closed her eyes.
He felt suddenly too warm.
He meditated on that strange feeling, trying to decide if he liked it or not, as Rui's mouth dropped open in sleep. He listened, amused, as she began to emit little snoring breaths. It didn't feel bad. It felt rather nice, actually. He made a mental note to engage a medical professional if it persisted the next day.
Some of her long, midnight-dark hair had spilled out from under her hood, and Ryuzaki took hold of the lock of hair in his customary two-fingered grip, being sure not to rouse her. It was softer than he had anticipated, he observed as he rubbed it between his fingers. Her hair was so different from the coarser, thicker texture of his own, which had been likened to everything from a mop to a raven's plumage.
He twined the lock of hair around his fingers over and over, enjoying the way it slid over his skin and marveling at the way the dim aquarium lights played off the strands. It reminded him of the surface of an oil slick.
*Credit: 13eyond13's Tumblr for the nightmare idea and the headcanon that Ryuzaki would be the type of person to want some kind of window into a world not often accessible and so he might want a deep sea aquarium. Though I ran with it so that now he uses it as a sleep aid.
There are several zones within an ocean, based on how much sunlight they receive, within which the kinds of creatures that thrive differ. Most aquariums that people walk through recreate conditions from the sunlit zone, the uppermost zone with all the bright coral reefs and such. Ryuzaki's aquarium here recreates conditions from the twilight zone, which contains little light. After that, you have the midnight zone, which is completely dark, and where creatures like the angler fish live. Scientists have not fully figured out how to recreate such conditions in the aquarium.
I mean, well, I don't know if science had figured out how to recreate twilight zone conditions in 2004, but Ryuzaki has scads of money. He can have almost anything.
Also, I really projected my thalassophobia onto Rui. GAH the photos of creatures from the twilight zone still freak me out. Yes, I know I did it to myself. No, it is safe to say I will not be getting any kind of diving license soon. Something about THINGS being in the same water I move about in is just... UGH. Even staring into a koi fish pond makes me feel queasy, though the fish are cute.
**L's theme A. LOL
AN: Somebooody clearly has a kink~ lol
You guys are lying if you haven't imagined being in an MV or having your own theme music XD
I get the feeling L could be a musical person, somehow, and he seems like he's got pianist fingers. I imagine him picking out keys and intuitively learning to play the piano one day out of curiosity, rather than being formally trained. He doesn't seem like the sort to listen to instructors, and any instructor might require him to sit properly when playing, which he doesn't like.
Did you guys also have to play the recorder as a kid? I always got so frustrated because my fingers were never able to cover all the necessary holes to play well. I haven't touched one in ages, but I bet I can still play 'Mary had a little lamb'! (Badly.)
