A couple of days went by and not much had really happened. Akemi spent most of her time reading and resting. But now that she had almost completely recovered from her illness and felt much better, she wanted to get up and do something else. Akemi stepped out of her room and walked into the front room only to find task force members quietly reading papers and computer screens while L sat at his desk, scanning through a huge stack of folders and binders that had been placed on top of it. Of course, he was eating cookies while he was reading which didn't surprise Akemi in the slightest.

Everyone looked preoccupied. Akemi didn't want to disturb them. None of them had even noticed she had walked into the room. Well, at least if anyone had, they didn't show it. So, she just went on into the suite's kitchen area. Watari was arranging an assortment of desserts for L and he looked up when he heard her walk in. "Good morning, Miss Yoru," he greeted cheerfully, then continued to place different kinds of sweets on the cart.

"Good morning, Watari," Akemi replied with a smile as she approached the refrigerator to get some orange juice. She poured herself a glass and stood by the counter as she started sipping on it.

"You look like you're feeling a lot better," Watari noticed.

"I am, thank you," Akemi said appreciatively. "I mean, really, you and Ryuzaki and everyone looking after me the way you did…" She wasn't even sure of what to say at the moment, her heart started swelling up with gratitude she didn't know how to begin to express without getting too sappy.

Watari just smiled kindly at her like he usually did. "Think nothing of it, Miss Yoru. And please inform me if you need anything." He was about to wheel the desserts into the main room when Akemi spoke up and stopped him.

"Actually…"

She blurted out that word without even thinking. Watari gave her his full attention and listened.

"Um…" She wasn't quite sure how to put this without seeming rude. "Watari, do you think there's maybe something I could do other than sitting in my room and reading all the time? I mean, not that I don't enjoy it, it's like my favorite thing in this world, but it'd just be kinda nice to change things up a little and maybe go outside or experience something new or make something-"

"Well…" Watari had an idea. "How are you at making desserts?"

Akemi honestly wasn't sure about that. Normally, the desserts she ate were store bought or made at restaurants. It had been a long time since she'd tried baking anything herself. "Um…I suppose I could attempt it. What should I make?"

"There are certain foods that Ryuzaki requests but aren't always provided by room service or local establishments," Watari told her. "So, that duty falls on me. But if you'd like to take over for today to pass the time, you're more than welcome to."

Akemi finished her orange juice and then set the empty glass on the counter. "Okay, so, what does he want today?" She hoped it was something easy like pudding or gelatin but she knew odds were that it would be more challenging than those.

"Ryuzaki has been wanting a lot of strawberry shortcake lately," Watari said. "If you would like to try making that, you may. All the ingredients are in the kitchen and there's a recipe book on the counter you can follow if you need it. He will most likely want it this afternoon. Best of luck, Miss Yoru." He pushed the dessert cart out of the kitchen, leaving Akemi alone to make the cake by herself. She was already feeling uneasy as she tied an apron on, pinned her hair up into a bun and then skimmed through the recipe book until she found the one she needed. The instructions didn't seem too complicated at first despite the fact that she had never tried to make a cake like this before.

"Miss Yoru, is Ryuzaki's cake finished?" Watari asked as he stood in the doorway to the kitchen.

After baking for what felt like days to her, Akemi was putting the finishing touches on it. "Yes, I'll bring it to him in a minute…" Watari left her alone to complete it. Once Akemi was done, she stepped back and took a look at the final product. Honestly…it didn't look good at all. But she hoped it tasted better than it looked. Akemi carried the cake out to L who was sitting on the couch watching the news and she set it down on the coffee table in front of him. His eyes stayed glued to the tv screen until Watari said, "Miss Yoru made your cake today, Ryuzaki." Akemi cut a slice for him and handed it to him on a small plate along with a fork. His gaze moved up to her. "Oh. Thank you, Miss Yoru." Akemi hid her nervousness with a polite smile and nod. L looked down at the plate in his hands and just stared at the piece of cake for an extremely long moment. The two layered cake looked flat as if it had failed to rise properly and the whipped cream appeared to be thin and melting already. "And this is…shortcake?" L asked, double checking since it didn't look like the usual kind he ate.

Akemi nodded again. "Yes. It was my first attempt at it…but I hope you like it." L could tell by the way Akemi's apron, shirt and face were splattered with batter and how the bun in her hair was a sagging, messy knot now, it was apparent she had struggled to get through making it.

L stared at the strange looking dessert as if he'd seen a giant bug crawl across the plate but he knew he had to be polite to Akemi and at least try it. He picked up his fork and then cut it into the edge of the cake, then lifted it up to his mouth, hiding his dread the best he could. The second it met his tongue, he cringed and froze and did all he could to force himself to not make a face of disgust. Slowly, he chewed the flat, underbaked cake, the runny whipped cream and the tart strawberries Akemi didn't add near enough sugar to. "So…is it okay?" Akemi asked then bit her lip nervously.

"Mmhmm…" was all L managed to say before reluctantly swallowing that first bite. "It's great. Best cake I've ever had…"

Akemi couldn't tell if he was lying or not but the fact he even tried it and ate it without spitting it out was good enough for her. Her face lit up. "Thank you, Ryuzaki." She had a lot of cleaning up in the kitchen to do so she excused herself and then began taking care of all the dishes.

After Akemi was done tidying up the kitchen, she stepped through the main room on her way to her bedroom. When L heard her come back in, he quickly picked up the plate of cake he had set down after taking that one bite and then acted like he was going to finish the rest of it. He shoved another small bite into his mouth while Akemi walked by and she saw what he was doing and smiled. Once she disappeared into her room to get changed, L gulped down the cake and then said, "Watari, please take the cake away…"

"You didn't like it, Ryuzaki?" Watari asked, knowing exactly what the answer was. "You told Miss Yoru you did."

"I never said I liked it," L corrected. "I just said it was great. And by that, I meant her effort."

"No, I recall you saying it was the best cake you've ever had," Watari reminded him.

"Not the best by taste or skill…" L said. "No single part of that cake was executed correctly. But rather…the best because…"

"Because she made it?" Watari guessed.

L's eyes shifted a bit. "I suppose you could say that."

Watari smiled. "Well, you did the right thing by being good to her."

"There was no point in being rude, it was only cake," L declared, even though everyone knew how much he loved it and was probably really looking forward to having it only to be given one that wasn't edible. Plus, Watari had seen him firsthand complaining about other desserts that weren't quite to his liking. L scowled and then muttered, "I'm pretty sure I ate part of an eggshell too…"

Watari couldn't help chuckling. "You hid it well."

L chugged down some sugary coffee to get the cake's taste out of his mouth as Watari took what remained of the cake back into the kitchen, then returned to the main room to answer a phone call. When Akemi reemerged from her room, she was changed and she walked into the kitchen for a snack. The cake she made was on the counter since Watari hadn't done anything with it yet. Akemi stared at it and wondered if it really tasted better than it looked. Her curiosity got the better of her and she decided to try it. Akemi cut herself a small piece and then took a small bite.

It was terrible.

Somehow, Akemi managed to swallow it and then she drank at least three glasses of water and then ate a few cookies to get rid of the taste. "Blegh…." she groaned. "How did Ryuzaki eat this-" She suddenly realized what he must have done. He lied and held back his true reactions to it. She knew he probably did that to spare her feelings. Akemi softly laughed everything off. What happened amused her but she also felt bad for promising Ryuzaki a cake she couldn't pull off making. And then he endured not one, but two bites of that inedible disaster just so he could make her feel more confident in her abilities. It was getting more and more apparent to her that Ryuzaki cared very much about her feelings. Knowing that made her smile again.

Akemi stepped into the main room and could see Ryuzaki sitting at his desk, reading through more files. She wanted to talk to him but she knew now probably wasn't the time. So, instead, she spoke to Watari once he was available and asked if she could make a phone call. After she had permission, she ordered something for L that would be delivered to the hotel soon. The front desk called their suite once it arrived and Akemi retrieved it and approached L who was still working at his desk, holding the gift for him behind her back. "Ryuzaki….?" she asked softly.

"Yes, Miss Yoru?" L said, keeping his focus on his work.

"I had these ordered for you," Akemi said and then L turned his chair around to see what she was wanting to give him. Akemi handed L a white box that appeared to have come from a bakery. When he opened it, he saw it contained a dozen strawberry shortcake cupcakes. "I had to call all over the area. Honestly, I probably should have done that in the first place. I hope they make up for the cake I destroyed."

L let himself smile at her. Seeing him smiling, even slightly, tugged at Akemi's heart strings. "You didn't have to do this," he told her as dimples appeared at the corner of his half smile, warming Akemi's heart even more. This was the brightest she had seen his face light up.

Akemi returned his smile. "I wanted to. I mean…You've done so much for me, the least I could do was this."

"Well…" L said softly, "thank you, Miss Yoru." He let her stay in the main room with him and shared some of the cupcakes with her. After they had eaten nearly half of them, Akemi was longing for some fresh air. It had been days since she'd had a chance to be outside. "Hey, Ryuzaki, I know it's nearly dusk, but I'd really like to go for a walk. And since I can't go anywhere alone, would you like to come with me?"

L wasn't really in the mood to go outside at the moment but he didn't have anything else to do except work. He figured he could spare a few minutes and accompany her, even if he didn't exactly feel like it. "I suppose I could."

"So…why this?" Akemi wondered as she walked down the sidewalk with L at her side, his shoulders hunched over and his hands in his pockets like usual.

L wasn't sure what she was asking. "What do you mean?"

"I mean, I've been around you for a couple days now and I've seen how smart you are," she told him. "Plus, you scored perfect on the entrance exams which rarely happens. Why are you a detective when you could be, I don't know, an astrophysicist or a doctor or something?"

"Because being a detective challenges me," he answered bluntly. "And I enjoy solving cases."

"Have you been able to find any more information on the case regarding my father?" Akemi wondered. She hoped she wasn't sounding intrusive, she was only curious.

"I have narrowed down a list of criminals he most likely was in contact with but I haven't been able to trace his whereabouts yet," he confessed. "But if anyone can find him, I can."

Akemi smiled slightly. "Well, I have faith in you."

L took a lollipop out of his pocket, unwrapped it and then stuck it in his mouth. "That's good to know." It was starting to get dark and L wondered if it would be best if they went back to the hotel. Just before he could suggest it, he looked to the street and saw car headlights slowly approaching them. There hadn't been any cars passing by them until that moment so L grew suspicious. Akemi was forced to stop walking when L stepped in front of her so the person in the car couldn't see her clearly as they drove by in case they were looking for her. His eyes stared strongly at the car, closely watching its every move until they pulled up onto the other side of the street. "Um….Ryuzaki?" Akemi asked from behind him. "What are you doing?" She looked over his shoulder and could see the person that was getting out of the car. "Were you just hiding me from a pizza delivery man?"

"Uh…" L's eyes widened a bit as he realized he had done that for nothing. He turned around and faced her and tried to come up with something to say. He took his lollipop out of his mouth to speak. "Yes. I was. I mean, do you know how many criminals guise themselves as delivery men in order to infiltrate a location? I must have sent at least…fifty people to prison who did that very thing. It's a dangerous world, Miss Yoru, you cannot trust anyone."

Akemi could see he felt a bit awkward by what he had done and it took all of her will not to laugh at how strange, yet cute his actions were. She wasn't even mad that he appeared to be lying to her. L was usually an expert liar but for some reason, it seemed like he was making it too obvious that he was lying. So, she decided not to make a big deal out of it because it almost felt like he was saying this to amuse her. A small laugh finally escaped her. "Well, thank you for protecting me from the scary pizza man. Really."

Their gazes met for a long moment until L's eyes shyly darted around as he smiled softly. "I think we should get back, Miss Yoru," he suggested and she didn't argue.

They walked silently together for a while until Akemi asked, "Did you really like my cake, Ryuzaki? Honestly?"

"Well…" L half smiled again, keeping his eyes forward. "I liked that you made it for me."

Akemi knew what he meant. He didn't like how it tasted but he still appreciated her attempt. Akemi was glad it was getting dark since she swore she could feel her face turning red. She hoped he didn't notice. But, L noticed almost everything. They both just kept their thoughts to themselves on the rest of their walk back to the hotel.