STRAWBERRY MEMORIES- ICHIGO NO KIOKU
Capitolo VIII
"Double Date"
I do not own Death Note.
"Ita amare oportere, ut si aliquando esset osurus."
"We must love as if we were,
sooner or later,
destined to hate."
Cicerone «De Amicitia»
"Is this outfit looking good on me?"
"Yes Misa! It's the third time you've asked me! "
"If you say so…"
The girl stopped mirroring in the window pulling her hair back, then she turned towards her friend putting the denim skirt back in place.
"Damn it, this skirt just pulls itself up ..." the girl complained then pulling down the skirt.
"It's not that it pulls himself up, let's say that at the beginning I didn't even understand it was a garment, in fact when I saw that you were going out dressing like this I was going to warn you." the shinigami commented in a reproachful tone.
"What do you know about human clothing? You are the one who goes around naked...you can't talk about human clothes"
The blonde answered then as she put her hair forward after another sudden indecision on her look.
"I have already told you several times that we shinigami do not have the awareness of modesty or whatever you call it, nor of what is it right and wrong like you conceive it in this strange world, so ..."
"Aye, aye, you always repeat the same things ... anyway, it will be better to turn on the microphone, it's almost 5 pm, so Rem starts to shut up ..."
Rem, as always, rolled up her big eye and sighed. Sometimes protecting that human was more difficult than usual, especially when there was a aim inside that little head.
"Oh, here he is!"
The model almost screamed panicing all of a sudden. Thank goodness she had just turned on the microphone and didn't have to make suspicious moves like touching her bra.
"I'm going away, I wouldn't want you to betray yourself while you're insulting me as ever." Rem declared before flying off, heading for a nearby skyscraper.
"Good afternoon Megumi."
"Good afternoon Light, punctual as always!»
"And you are early."
"Let's say I don't live very far from here."
Huge lie.
"Usually those who live nearby, taking it for granted, are always the ones who arrive last."
The boy answered laughing.
"It's true, it's usually like that, but this time I was particularly keen to be on time."
Misa replied, keeping perfectly calm and smiling back.
"Then let's not waste time." Light replied, holding out her arm, Misa leaned on it flattered.
Light looked at the watch he wore on his right wrist and then turned to the girl.
"How about we get something to drink?"
Misa first looked at him in amazement then nodded happily, even though she was outraged by the fact that he had checked the watch first, Misa knew perfectly well that such behaviour was not polite on a date.
"this coffe-shop is good enough for you?" The boy asked polite.
"It's perfect Light!"
Light chose a fairly secluded table, most likely he was afraid that someone was following him, he always was extremely accurate on the things he did.
Once she taked a sit he started talking.
"What would you like to order? "
"Mmm." Misa examined the menu carefully then with a broad smile added "a strawberry smoothie!"
Light looked at her surprised by the effect caused by a simple smoothie, but then he thought that she was a girl and like all the girls she was happy for the most futile things. Certainly her and most of the people out there would never have had ambitions as big as his, they would never risked their lives for great things like achieving the world's peace!
"What about you Light?" replied the girl closing the menu happily.
"I what?" he asked, still immersed in his thoughts.
"What, do you ask?" Misa smiled " about ordering Light kun!"
Even if the model didn't show it, she had been disappointed by the boy's absent-minded behavior, she certainly wasn't expecting a bouquet of flowers, but at least she considered that date quite worthy of a better performance by him.
Maybe he assumed that any girl would fall for him without any effort.
"Oh sure, I don't need the menu though, I just take a coke." he replied smiling at her cordially.
Once the drinks arrived, they both began to drink without speaking.
Misa peered at the boy, while he looked at the table emotionless.
A couple of times already, trying not to be seen, Light had controlled his watch, but Misa had immediately sensed the movement of his eyes.
He certainly had something in mind, surely not a simple date ...
"Mmm this smoothie is great and this place is very nice, you made a really good choice Light!" Misa cryed out when she finished drinking.
Light, who was looking over the window, simply nodded.
"Yes, it's also a very quiet place,"
"You don't like noicy places Light kun?" asked the model curiously.
"Let's say I don't particularly like crowded places. I like to move freely, feel comfortable ..."
Saying that the boy had turned to look at her.
"Ohh then you're a lonely guy! Though Light kun is so pretty popular at University! "
Misa exclaimed voluntarily exhibiting an astonished face, like a girl who sees the rainbow for the first time.
"Being popular is not part of my priorities, actually I did nothing to be popular ..."
"What are you saying! Everyone knows you at university for your high marks, your physical skills, your intelligence! Of course you are a role-model for everyone of them! "
"These are all things that comes naturally to me, I don't think they should reward me for something that I can do without any effort. It's the big deed that need to be recognized, what I do is simply what everyone should do."
So Light turned over to look at the window.
"But the fact is that only you can do it, to be such great in everything you do, Light kun ..."
Misa become suddenly serious and she absolutely wanted to continue that conversation.
"In my opinion everyone has a task in life, I am fulfilling mine perfectly, nothing more nothing less ..."
Now his gaze was elsewhere. Misa had been enchanted to look at him, that boy's eyes were so different from those of his peers, they were conscious, confident and sharp eyes.
"And you Megumi chan?"
"Hmm?" Misa woke up from the previous enchantment.
"What goal do you think you have in life?"
The student continued smiling calmly at her, Misa was happy with that question.
"Let's say that at this moment in my life I am at a crossroads ... but my mind is clear enough now. You know Light, lately I am beginning to believe that it is not we who find our way, but is the way itself which finds us and we just have to follow it in the best manner so as not to get carried away by it ..."
"I think so too Megumi chan."
Having said that, Light glanced at the clock.
"How about we go? I wouldn't want to waste here the little time left to us."
He continued with a face that did not allow replies.
"I agree with you!"
Misa got up and together they reached the exit.
Light had decided to go to the park, but to get there it was necessary to take the bus, Misa had decided to listen to all his indications, he seemed too sure of the decisions made.
Once they got on the bus, they sat in the third row.
"I hardly ever take the bus, I prefer taxis. "
The girl declared smiling at Light.
"Well lately there is a man following me ... it's about three days, so I wanted to see if he would follow us even in here."
Misa gasped and turned to Light, but he had already turned back.
"Why are you following me? Are you a private investigator? "
The man behind them who was reading a newspaper looked at Light in amazement and a little puzzled as to what to do.
Light was probably right.
"Who do you work for?"
The student continued, narrowing his eyes.
The man turned the page of the newspaper to find calm.
"I don't know what you're talking about ... you must have mistaken me for another person."
He replied continuing to read a sports article.
The bus made another stop and a short, stocky man with a cap got on board.
Misa saw Light turn and glance at him. But the short man instead of sitting pulled out a gun.
Misa gasped.
"If you don't want to die, do as I tell you!"
The robber screamed pointing the gun at the driver.
The whole bus paniced.
"And you stay in your seats if you don't want to die!"
The man continued towards them.
Misa pulled closer to the boy.
"Light ..."
"You! Contact the bus station now!"
The robber yelled at the poor driver, who after a few stammers had the man stolen the phone.
"I took this bus hostage, if you want nobody to die you better get a plane to me!"
He yelled at the receiver.
Misa saw Light pull out a piece of paper and a pen.
He had written to the man behind him to wait there and that he would capture the robber!
"Light, what are you going to do?"
Misa whispered in terror.
"Leave it alone, it's too dangerous! I will do it!"
The man replied approaching their place.
"You have never done it so far, while I am the son of a police officer ..."
The boy answered starting to get up.
"Stop it, I'll do it!"
Then the man whispered in agitation.
"Who tells me you're not an accomplice?" Light answered then.
"An accomplice?!"
Misa became even more agitated, and in the meantime hoped that L would hear everything.
"Yes, there are many cases in which one pretends to be a helper and reassures people, but in reality he is a murderer ..."
The boy answered, getting up slowly.
"OK! I got it!"
The man declared resigned, so he pulled out the badge and showed it to Light.
"FBI ... Raye Pember ..." read the student.
Misa had also read.
Light leaned forward even more, but doing so he dropped the piece of paper from his hand.
"Hey what are you doing ?!"
The robber quickly approached them and picked up the piece of paper from the ground.
Misa was terrified.
"Ahaha stupid boys, are you sending messages eachother?"
The robber screamed as he read.
"Do you want to make me more nervous than this eh?!"
He continued to shout, pointing the gun at Light's head, whom did not change his facial expression at all.
"Ahh who are you ?!"
The man suddenly screamed at an empty spot.
Misa saw Light sketch a little grin so she understood instantly.
Ryuuk
The girl thought satisfied.
"What are you talking about?! How did you get in ?!"
The frightened robber continued to shout.
All the people had turned to look at the spot, but nobody saw anything.
Nobody except the robber and Light ...
That man was going crazy.
"Die!" the latter suddenly shouted, starting to shoot.
"Everyone on the ground!"
The policeman shouted covering his head.
Misa heard one of the bus windows crash.
Shortly after, the robber ran out of ammunition and terrified he began to scream to stop the bus.
The driver braked the bus, but when the robber threw himself out, a car suddenly passed and hit him.
The robber died.
Misa saw Light pick up the piece of paper from the ground and put it back in his pocket.
The girl suddenly remembered that she had to play the part of the terrified girl so she began to tremble convulsively.
"Megumi chan are you okay?"
Light careful asked holding her up.
"Not so much…"
The girl replied holding her own chest.
«Come on let's go out...»
The boy whispered helping her to get up.
"Hey, hey!"
The policeman had joined them once they left.
"Listen, I know who you are and why you're here ..."
Light answered quietly.
"So ask openly if you have anything to ask to me, I have nothing to hide ..."
Said to the policeman who remained speechless.
Following wich, he took Misa away and called a taxi.
The girl inside herself was delighted and frightened at the same time.
She had just seen Kira in action, and it was exactly as she expected.
Every gaze, every move, every word ... it was all calculated.
It was all perfect.
But what was this for?
"Are you sure you want to go home alone?"
"Of course don't worry, I'm only two blocks from here and I need to walk to calm down a little ..."
"Okay, then see you tomorrow Megumi."
"Bye Light ..."
Following that, Kira closed the taxi door which left immediately after.
Misa pretended to go to the opposite side, but when the taxi turned the girl sat down on the bench indicated by L.
The latter of course had heard everything and had given her instructions on where to stop.
Not even two minutes and a black limousine stopped in front of the girl's green bench.
Misa got up slowly, all of a sudden she begun to felt the tiredness and stress accumulated during the afeternoon.
"Come in."
He made room for her on the seat and Misa sat down staring straight ahead.
"Misa chan are you okay?"
Asked the boy staring at her.
"What do you think, Eru? Misa Misa has just witnessed a robbery! Do she feel good in your opinion?"
She almost screamed, turning to his side.
L began to bite his finger.
"When you're scared, you start talking in the third person again ..."
The girl put a hand in front of her mouth and smiled.
"You never change Eru chan ... you prefer to psychoanalyze me rather than worry about my health."
"And who tells you I don't care?"
Misa's eyes widened and she turned back to him.
"Just because I don't show it doesn't mean that I'm not worried about your health ... it's true, today you risked a lot, but I wasn't very worried about it, because Light was with you and when he is there nothing is by chance."
"That's what I think too!"
L looked at her in surprise.
"It seemed that everything was calculated ... it was a very strong feeling."
"Did you hear everything right?" the girl continued, fixing those attentive eyes.
"Yes, everything, and we'll hear the tapes later."
"We will hear?" Misa jumped on the seat.
"Yes, I really liked your part, you turned out to be better than expected."
"Even if you wouldn't think of it, the part that interested me most was the one in the cofee shop, you managed to get the most important information out of him, at least for me, with the most innocent questions."
"As for the second part of the date, everything is still to be analyzed, but we are on the right track ... especially thanks to that agent ..."
"Raye Pember."
"Hmm?"
"Raye Pember, the name of the FBI agent, you will have noticed when Light suspecting him to be the robber's complice convinced him to show us the badge ..."
L's eyes widened.
"Were you been able to read the name written on it?"
"Apparently ..." replied the model bragging.
"This confirms my hypothesis, Kira always lowers his guard when he is with someone he considers inoffensive."
"Oh yeah…"
"Misa you are officially on the special team to catch Kira."
"Fantastic! Then I will meet all the members of the taskforce! "
Misa exulted, not expecting anything better.
"Not exactly ..."
"Pardon?"
"I have already asked Light to join the team, it is essential for me to let him join us, so you will be part of another team, made up of you and me."
"You and me?! Are you kidding me Eru chan? "
"Not at all, for this you will now come to my hiding place to listen to the recordings, I need your help to better understand the situation since I only had the sound ... you will have to tell me everything you saw and to tell me more about this Pember. "
"Ok ..." Misa stared at the dashboard for a few seconds but after a while she widened her eyes in fear.
"So I'm going to have to stay up all night ?!"
"Sure…"
"Oh no Eru chan! Misa can't afford to have dark shades under her eyes! "
Author little corner:
I hope you all enjoyed this chapter and I hope too to can write soon the ninth chapter, I have written it yet in italian but I have not much time to translate it. How do you sees Light, do you might have anjoyed a date like this? I know that the bus episode was early in the manga but it was necessary for the ff's plot.
See you soon.
Juliette.