STRAWBERRY MEMORIES- ICHIGO NO KIOKU

Chapter XV

Ichigo no chokorēto[1]

After leaving Light's house Misa felt much lighter. She had the feeling that she had just taken her high school exams again. After saying goodbye to the boy, he kissed her, a more chaste kiss, telling her that he would like to see her again soon beside the college. Misa hoped it would happen as late as possible, after Rem's raid in the room she was sure that Ryuk would not have been silent with Light. Whenever she thought of Light discovering everything, she always imagines the worse scenario: the death of L at the hands of Kira. She couldn't let that happen. As she mulled it over the day, she heard something alongside her on the road, she turned and saw a shiny black car, she already knew who was in it but above all the head wash that awaited her.

"Get in, Misa."

The model saw in the dim light the detective's long hair and his pale face, she noticed that he was sitting composed and that wore shoes as white as the t-shirt, it was an absolute novelty for him. Misa sat next to the boy too embarrassed to start talking, she was ashamed even to look him in the face, which is extremely bizarre for Misa Misa.

"Misa ..."

The detective began to say, but before he could say anything else, the model felt so guilty that she tried to justify herself overwhelming him with a flood of words.

"Eru I'm really sorry, it has been such a disaster! I did not find nothing in his room, Light has discovered my identity, and I couldn't stop him when we were on his bed. I am so embarrassed Eru, I'm not like that, I'm no saint obviously, but I am not like that either! I was so afraid that if I'd stopped him, he would had been suspicious about me. Although I'm pretty sure that he just wanted to check that I wasn't wearing a wire, so if I'd stopped him, he would have thought so ... and then…»

"Misa, is enough."

The girl stopped suddenly, she hadn't realized that while she was venting, she had started shaking like a leaf and that a few tears was coursing down her cheeks unchecked. Her heart was pounding, and her face was blushing. She noticed that L was holding her hands as if to stop the tremor and that he was looking at her with apprehension.

"Eru ..."

She whispered, as she looked up at him shyly.

"Misa is an excellent actress, she did a really good job, so she has to keep calm."

He whispered, looking her in the eyes. The young woman took a deep breath and tried to talk again.

"Eru … Light knows who I am. He saw a picture of me in his sister's magazine and it was easy for him to find out my name and my background. I got away with telling him a lie, which was that I had changed my name to be able to go to college in peace, without stalkers and fans around… but I don't know how much it will hold up."

L was silent for a while, then turned to her again.

"I hope Misa chan will appreciate ice cream, we're just arrived."

Misa gasped, she was convinced that after what had happened at Light's house, he wouldn't want to go out with her anymore. Instead, that guy always surprised her.

"Sure, Misa loves it!"

She replied with an uncertain smile.

"Well, I'm glad of it."

He said, as he got out of the car holding out his arm to her.

It was all so different, his kindness, every gesture was natural and nice. Nothing to do with what she had felt with Light, with him everything was in the balance between excitement and danger, fascination and fear.

She noticed that L hadn't let go of her wrist as he cautiously accompanied her inside the place. Misa remarked that they were not entering through the main entrance but through the back. L probably wanted to remain anonymous and that reassured her too. They entered a room with soft lights, the girl saw that it was full of mirrors and the colour of the walls were green. There were glass chandeliers on the ceiling and round tables. From the appearance it had to be an exclusive venue, a place frequented by high-level people, which rented it for special events. They were probably in the smallest and most secluded room. They sat in a corner next to one of the large mirrors, Misa noticed that the tears from before had slightly ruined her make-up, so she immediately rubbed her cheeks to get rid of those dark traces, it bothered her to be in that state with a boy, even though the boy himself had panda eyes.

"Choose calmly, I already know what I'm getting."

L said, offering her the menu.

Misa took it thanking him and scanned the menu quickly, she didn't want to make him wait too long.

"I chose too."

She said smiling, she felt much better now.

L called the waiter and ordered the usual for him while Misa ordered a strawberry and coconut ice cream. The detective didn't point out to her about the ice-cream flavour she had just chosen, but a smile escaped him anyway. When the ice creams arrived, the boy finally spoke.

"It's the first time that I bring someone here, I always come when I want to be alone for a while. I hope you like although it's not very crowded, as you can see."

He said, smiling a bit.

"Eru chan, this place is beautiful and the ice cream mmm… it's delicious!"

She answered sincerely.

"I don't doubt it, this is the dining room of a starred chef, his desserts are the better of Tokyo."

He replied satisfied.

"Oh…"

The model said in amazement.

"Misa doesn't deserve all of this! It must have cost you a lot to bring me here!"

The boy smiled at her.

"Don't worry, it's my first date with my first and only friend. It has all the characteristics of a special occasion and I don't want anything or anyone to ruin it, let alone Light Yagami."

Misa was surprised by the change tone of his voice, it was as if at the end of the sentence there was a clear hint of annoyance, maybe of contempt. However, Misa Misa thought, she shouldn't have deluded herself that Eru was annoyed because of Light's behaviour towards her, almost certainly his was the usual tone of those who refer to their rival or enemy. She knew very well that for him a girl, or how a girl was treated, was less important than the Kira case. Although, it was she who voluntarily became the victim of that dangerous game, so there was nothing to complain about.

"So,"

He continued interrupting her flow of thoughts.

"I would like at least for now to avoid talking about the Kira case and your work done today, what happened with him it's only that for me, work. We can talk about all of this later, when we get back to the headquarters. This is my moment of pause and yours too."

Misa gave him a beautiful smile, impressed by the words of her childhood friend. No one had ever made her feel so precious. Suddenly all her worries vanished, and a sense of genuine warmth flooded toward her chest. So suddenly she embraced the boy, who at first stiffened but then he let himself be warmed too from that familiar warmth.

"Thank Eru, you don't know the half how bad I needed that."

After a while she detached herself from the detective's chest and as she watched out of the corner of the eye she noticed a tinge of sorrow on his pale face.

"Anyway, my dear first and only friend, to be your first date I have to say that you set up it very well. The girls you're going to date will not be disappointed at all, I'm actually a little jealous of them."

She said looking at him happily and lowering her voice at the end of the sentence, slightly embarrassed.

"And who says I'm gonna set up other dates?"

He asked her seriously as he finished eating his cake.

"Oh…"

She said slightly disappointed by his answer.

"Come on, sooner or later, maybe after the Kira case, you will have more free time and you will meet more girls, you will see. I'm not gonna be the only girl around anymore, and the only person to disturb your impeccable detective work."

She replied, laughing and winking at him but quivering with jealousy at the thought of him in the same place with another girl.

"I meant that I don't want to date other girls, I never said that I won't set up more dates with Misa chan."

Having heard the boy's little confession, the girl blushed, not knowing how to answer. Then she turned to her ice cream wondering why such an innocent sentence between friends caused her such a heartbeat.

"If Misa still want to go out with me, obviously."

He said, pointing himself in a very funny way, like that morning.

"I promise I'll never offer you a bitter drink like orange juice."

He continued saying with a smile that was almost a grin, which made him look like Light, not the negative part of him but the charming and attractive one.

"In that case ..."

She said with a more mischievous and confident look.

"I see no reason to decline any more of your invitation to go out, from one first friend to another."

She concluded winking and giving him her hand as if to seal a pact. L looked at her small hand and then squeezed it with a smile.

"Oh,"

She said suddenly with a twinkle in her hazel eyes.

"You got dirty with chocolate…"

And before he could look at himself at the mirror, she placed her mouth on the corner of his lips, washing away with a kiss the chocolate that was there.

"You know what Eru chan … chocolate goes great with strawberries. You should try it, at least once."

She concluded with a wink.

An hour later they were both at the headquarters and it seemed that everything was back to normal, apart from the fact that after Misa's kiss L almost seemed unfocused, and every now and then he looked at Misa with different eyes, human or rather ... like a man.

"Eru, how do you think I will have to deal with Light now? Do I have to go to his home again, in order to search some evidences?"

L raised his head quickly, as he heard the last part of her sentence.

"No."

He said.

"It's enough with Light's house, it's too dangerous as you said. And I cannot let him use and test you anymore."

Misa was glad to hear that; she was so pleased to know that L had been really annoyed by what he had seen in Light's bedroom.

"Yes, but if he invites me what should I say? It will sound strange to him that suddenly I don't want to deepen our relationship anymore."

"I don't think he will touch you more than necessary out of his house. Even if he wants it, in order to check if you are wearing a wire, he could never do it in public or in public places, it's not his style; and that's why you won't go to his home again, where instead he feels free to do what he likes, in spite of the investigators who are watching him."

Misa noticed again a surge of annoyance towards the end of his sentence. Who knows what it must have been like to look at her on that bed with another boy, and what is more with a boy that is his archenemy or supposed one, Kira. Inwardly, even though she knew it was wrong, the most flirty and feminine side of her was giggling. She really would have liked L to be jealous of her, but he wasn't a normal guy and she wasn't even sure what was happening between them and how far they would go.

"About what happened... I wouldn't want you to think I'm that kind of girl, or that I like Light Yagami at all, even though it might seem that way..."

She said, really embarrassed, but she had wanted to explain herself for hours.

"I don't understand why you keep repeating it Misa, you have no reason to justify yourself to me. I know you're not like that. Actually, you did a pretty good job saying those words about your parent's murder, because even though Light denied his moral support to Kira, and kissed you mostly to look for evidence of your spying, I noticed that what you said has lit something inside of him. He certainly did not kiss you with love but surely with a certain ardour... it was pretty clear, I assure you. And all of this has greatly increased the chances for me, already high, that Light is Kira."

Sure, it was just like that, L thought to himself, Misa had done a really good job, and he was happy that she had said the right words at the right time, but still he could not get rid of the annoyance he had felt at the sight of Misa in Light's arms; his Misa Misa , the little Misa of his memories with peeled knees and a blue dress, his first friend. And even if he kept repeating it to himself, she was no longer just his first friend. Little by little that little girl was making her way inside of him, making him more human, more man and that heat in his chest was becoming more and more insistent, the need for her more and more visceral; her smiles and her presence were no longer enough for him, every time he saw her he realized that he wanted moreFor this reason, seeing them on the bed had oppressed his chest, because Light that afternoon had got what lately he wanted, without even managing to control it. A need that led him to do crazy things like set up a date and try to hide all afternoon the anger that oppressed him and that he felt for Light Yagami. He had been selfish to involve her in all of this, even though he did not admit it to himself he was becoming increasingly aware that he had done everything to be able to get closer to her, and now her kiss was not helping at all. What was happening to him? It wasn't like him to get distracted like that, for a girl, even if that girl was her.

"Eru chan, are you ok?"

She asked worried.

"Why do you look like that?"

She asked laughing.

"Excuse me Misa chan, I 'm just a little tired, let's continue tomorrow, all right? Now go to sleep."

He answered, going back to be the L the world knows the most: cold and detached. Misa was a little hurt by it, because he had never been like this with her, of course he was always strange, but never detached or cold.

"Ok ..."

She replied.

"But you go to sleep too, it's bad to stay up every night, even if you don't model!"

She went on saying with a sweet smile.

Finally, he returned the smile, and this was enough for Misa to go to sleep peacefully.

"Goodnight Misa."

"Goodnight Eru."

She answered, walking towards the exit, but like that morning as soon as she touched the handle, Eru stopped her with his voice.

"Anyway, I'm sure I'll like it a lot."

Misa turned to him amused.

"What are you talking about?"

"Add chocolate to strawberries."

Author's Corner:

Hello everyone! Here we are with the first "date" between L and Misa, since we are talking about people who are not really "normal", especially as regards L, I tried to make the first date in his own way: no official invitation, no explicit loving intent and obviously sweets, sweets and still sweets. I love them so much, they are so cute that they don't need to openly say what they feel for each other. As for Misa, of course, her attraction to Kira / Light is not entirely absent, but in this fan-fiction I decided to preserve her from her obsession with him thanks to the meeting of L when she was a child. In fact, I believe that if she had fallen in love with L instead of Light, things would have been much better. Misa does not have a killer nature, she simply has totally cancelled herself in her toxic relationship with the protagonist of the story. A bit like between Harley Quin (the one from comics) and Joker (always the one from comics). However, I hope there is still someone who follows the story.

If it has ended up being an OOC in some way, please advise me, I always have time to adjust.

Regards Juliette.