After trying on every single dress in her closet, Akemi finally settled on a purple summer dress, despite it being a few months early for that particular selection. It was the most comfortable without compromising sophistication. She put on some evening makeup and just wore her hair down with a jeweled head band then stood in front of her mirror fiddling with it anxiously for several minutes until she was satisfied with her appearance. Akemi finished off her ensemble with a pair of silver high heels, grabbed her purse and then stared into her mirror again. She noticed her cheeks were flushed red and she hadn't even applied blush to them. It was obvious she was feeling antsy but she wasn't sure why.

'This is silly…' Akemi thought to herself and tried to laugh off her anxiety. 'Akemi, you're losing it. You're practically acting like a kid in middle school again. I mean, it's not like this is a date or anything…'

'…Is it?'

Akemi had never discussed any romantic intentions with L, so the answer was most likely no. Maybe she was feeling nervous over nothing. Perhaps, she thought, if he didn't think of this as a date, she might feel more at ease. She figured her nervousness probably all came down to the fact that she was going into another part of the city for the first time since she started staying at the hotel. If she convinced herself of that effectively enough, then she could possibly get through the evening without feeling awkward. It was just a night out with a friend. Nothing more.

The sound of three knocks at her door interrupted her thoughts. She composed herself, took one last look in the mirror, needlessly adjusted her hair and then opened the door expecting to see L. But, it wasn't him. "Good evening, Miss Yoru," Watari greeted. "It's near time for you and Ryuzaki to depart if you do not want to miss your ride."

"Oh alright, thanks, Watari," Akemi replied and then grabbed her purse before stepping out of her room. She walked into the main room and glanced around for L but she didn't see him anywhere.

"Ryuzaki," Akemi heard Watari's voice say from the kitchen, "Miss Yoru appears to be ready for your date. She's waiting for you." Akemi grew nervous again after hearing that. She braced herself for L's response to that statement, not even sure what she was hoping to hear him say. She just listened anxiously for his reply.

"It's not a date, Watari," she heard L tell him. Honestly, Akemi didn't know how to feel. And she didn't know why she was so clueless about it. She didn't feel let down but she didn't feel happy either. It was beyond confusing. She watched as L entered the room, his eyes right on her as he walked in as if he knew exactly where she would be standing. Akemi thought he would maybe compliment her appearance but all he did was look at her for a moment. There was no readable emotion in his gaze so she couldn't tell if she looked appealing to him or not. But then she wondered why she even cared since they weren't even dating. "Are you ready, Miss Yoru?" he asked.

Akemi nodded. "Yes. Let's go…"

"We'll be back in a few hours, Watari," L said as Watari opened the door for them. Suddenly, they were greeted by three familiar faces.

"Where are those two headed?" Ukita asked as he, Aizawa and Matsuda stepped inside the suite just as L and Akemi were heading out.

"Well, by the way Miss Yoru is dressed all nice like that, I think it might be a date," Matsuda speculated, smirking a little.

"It's not a date…" L muttered as he walked into the hallway with Akemi at his side.

'He said it again…' Akemi thought to herself. 'I suppose that confirms it then.'

"Could you at least tell us where you're going?" Aizawa asked, his voice in a slightly frustrated tone. He didn't want to have to spend the next few hours worrying about them.

"Just downtown!" Akemi replied, leaving them with no useful information.

"Okay, well, have a great time on your not-date downtown!" Matsuda called to them and smiled and waved while he watched them step into the elevator. "Even though I'm pretty sure we all know it's a date!"

"IT'S NOT A DATE!" L and Akemi both said in unison just before the doors closed. Akemi hit the button for the first floor and then the elevator started moving. They stood in awkward silence, side by side, avoiding eye contact until L asked, "So…where are we going exactly?"

Akemi honestly had no ideas. "I….I don't know. Where do you want to go?"

L's expression turned annoyed. "You're the one who wanted to do this in the first place. Are you telling me you haven't decided on a destination yet?"

"I just thought maybe we'd just take a bus to Shibuya and figure it out from there," Akemi suggested.

There were a few locations L could think of to visit for investigative purposes but now, he wasn't sure if he wanted to actually take Akemi to them just in case of any potential danger that could be awaiting her. It would be senseless to let her anywhere the people who were after her might be possibly lurking. Shibuya seemed safe enough since the areas that were most likely the greatest threat to them weren't very close to that specific ward of the city. And it was usually a very busy area so it was their best bet. They walked a few blocks to a bus stop, mostly in silence as both of them had a lot on their minds. L was thinking about the investigations while Akemi was just wondering how the evening was going to turn out.

They didn't have to wait too long for a bus to arrive. Once it stopped, they followed a few people up into it and then glanced around for an empty seat. L found one toward the back and offered the spot next to the window to Akemi but she decided to let him have it since she knew he probably didn't get out much and would most likely appreciate the view more than she would. He didn't argue and sat by the window, of course, with his feet up on the seat. Akemi tried to hold back the urge to laugh as she sat down beside him. He noticed she was smiling at him and he just asked, "What?"

"Nothing…" she chuckled and then looked away from him so she try to relax her face and stop smiling. She didn't mean to be amused by his sitting position, she'd seen it dozens of times and was used to it, but this was one time she expected him to not put his feet up on something, especially on a public transport. But at the same time, it didn't really surprise her either.

L didn't ask any more questions and just looked out the window as the bus started driving down the street. The sun was setting outside so the city was beginning to light up. Akemi wanted to enjoy the view as well so she moved a little closer to L so there was virtually no space in between them. L was not used to sitting this close to people so he tensed up and froze for a minute. Once he reminded himself that Akemi was no threat to him, he eased up a little. They both sat silently as they watched the city go by while the evening sky darkened. It was quiet and neither of them said much but they didn't really need to.

"I don't see the appeal of these movies, they're incredibly unrealistic," L muttered in annoyance as he finished off his last piece of candy. They were practically the only ones in that particular theater except for a few other people scattered around the room. L continued to criticize the film they were watching. "And all of these people are incredibly stupid. Just look at that person just sitting there like that, why don't they just run? It makes no sense…"

Akemi laughed. "It's a horror movie about a ghost that kills people, it's not supposed to be realistic. You know, you sound grouchy, are you out of sugar or something?"

"…Yes," he pouted and crossed his arms unhappily over his knees.

"That's not good…" Akemi glanced at the growing pile of empty boxes and wrappers on the floor next to him. "You ate all of that in less than half an hour? Wow…And here I am still working on my first bucket of popcorn…Should I just go to the lobby and buy out their entire inventory of candy for you?"

"Not a bad idea, here, let me write a check for you…" He started reaching for his back pocket and Akemi laughed again.

"I was just kidding," she informed him through her chuckles.

"So was I," he remarked, his eyes still on the screen as he continued to watch the movie, completely unimpressed.

A few minutes passed and the movie was starting to get more intense. Movies usually didn't bother Akemi but this was starting to get to her and she was hoping to use this as an excuse to get a little extra attention from L. "Ryuzaki…" she whispered, leaning toward him. "I'm getting scared…"

L remained unconcerned and unfazed. "I thought you understood that this movie was nonsensical rubbish."

"It is but I'm still scared…" Akemi wasn't sure how to give him any more hints without spelling it all out for him. "I'm also cold…Oh wait, you're not wearing a jacket, nevermind…" She wasn't even lying about that, she was freezing in that room. She regretted not bringing her own jacket and deciding to wear a dress with short sleeves.

Of course, L had no idea what she was talking about. "Okay, I don't know what I'm supposed to do about that…" It's not like he had a coat or an extra shirt to lend her and he definitely wasn't going to embrace or hold her. Akemi had noticed he didn't seem very open or affectionate with others. If she was going to get anywhere with him, she knew she had to start small. While L was watching the movie, Akemi eyed his left hand that was resting on his knee, wondering if he'd be okay with it if she held it. She hesitated to make any sort of move and just stared at his hand in nervous silence. Akemi wasn't even sure why she wanted to hold his hand, especially knowing he didn't see this as a date and the last thing she wanted was to make him uncomfortable or creep him out. But she couldn't stop those thoughts from invading her mind. Sure, maybe Ryuzaki was odd, a bit rude at times, withdrawn and incredibly difficult for her to read, but she found herself always wanting to be around him. Akemi barely knew him yet he was always the first thing she wanted to see every morning and he was always on her mind every night when she was falling asleep. There was something about him that she really liked. It was those kind gestures. The subtle signs he cared about her. The way he could read her so well. That voice. Those eyes. That rare smile…Nothing made her happier than seeing him smile at her. Akemi felt butterflies in her stomach just thinking about it. She then quickly realized why she was wanting attention like this from him…

She was crushing on him.

Akemi's heart started pounding so hard, she wondered if he could hear it. She couldn't believe it took her this long to actually realize it. L sensed he was being stared at and his eyes shifted to Akemi. "Why are you looking at me like that?" he asked her.

Finally, Akemi snapped out of it. "Oh…s-sorry…" she apologized, feeling embarrassed now. "I guess I was just spacing out…"

L's attention went back to the movie he was barely interested in. While Akemi was trying to get her mind on the movie as well, both of them heard a group of people conversing softly a few rows behind them. Akemi swore she heard those people's voices before. She leaned in toward L and whispered, "Do those voices sound…familiar to you?"

L didn't answer yet and just turned around to see who they were. But they had ducked behind the seats so he didn't see anyone. He faced forward again and just said, "I wouldn't be surprised if they did." Akemi wanted to see for herself and took a look but she didn't see anything either. Now all she could think about was who those voices belonged to. It was hard for her to get lost in the movie after that.

"So, I guess there's no point in going to dinner now since you ate about fifty times your weight in candy bars…" Akemi said, smirking at him as they walked down the sidewalk outside of the theater. "I'm surprised you're not in a hospital after consuming all of that…"

"And you ate an entire large bucket of popcorn all by yourself…" L reminded her in what sounded like an irritated tone.

"Okay, I may have been the one who ate a bunch of popcorn, but it sounds like you're the one who's full of salt…" Akemi teased.

That just confused L. "Salt? What? Miss Yoru, what are you-"

"It was just a joke," she told him. "Calm down."

"I'm always calm…" he muttered then turned his attention to their surroundings. "First you laugh at me on the bus, now you ridicule me for eating too much. What are you gonna make fun of me for next…"

Akemi hoped she hadn't made him feel bad. She suddenly felt guilty for teasing him. Even though he acted like he didn't care what people thought of him, she wondered if perhaps he felt just as self-conscious as she did at the moment. "I'm sorry, Ryuzaki," she apologized. "I shouldn't have said that. I only teased you because I thought it was okay for us to poke a little fun at each other because you know I don't actually judge you."

"I thought you would be the last person who would joke about how weird everyone thinks I am," L said, his voice emotionless that time.

"I don't think you're weird," she said sincerely. "I think those things you do are…" She wasn't sure if she could admit this and glanced away shyly as she felt her face turning a bit red. Akemi fought off a smile as hard as she could but failed. Finally, she built up enough courage to spit it out. "…cute."

No one had ever called L cute before, at least not to his face. He wasn't sure what to make of it. "So, you think I'm…endearing?" he inquired curiously.

Akemi softly laughed. "Yeah…" She couldn't believe she was admitting this. "I do."

L had no idea how to respond to that so he just changed the subject. "Where do you want to go now?"

They happened to be in front of a book store just then. It didn't take long for Akemi to notice. All she did was smile optimistically at L until he gave in and said, "Alright, let's go…"

L just let Akemi loose in the store but followed her closely as she looked around in every single aisle at all the books and novelties. "Are you looking for anything in particular or are you just browsing?" L asked her.

Akemi laughed as she was walking down the last aisle. "You sound like you work here."

"I might as well be since we've been here long enough," he remarked.

Akemi continued her search, picking up one book after another. "There's actually a follow up to a book I recently read that was just released and I'm trying to-"

L held up a book he just found. "You mean this?"

Akemi looked at it and L watched her face light up. "Yes, that's it! How did you know?"

"You're underestimating me again, Miss Yoru," he said and started walking toward the front of the store so he could pay for it. Akemi offered to buy it herself but he insisted. She didn't argue with him but promised him she'd get him something in return before they headed back to the hotel.

"So, is it alright if I ask you some questions about yourself?" Akemi wondered as they strolled down the sidewalk together again.

"Why would you need to know anything about me?" L asked, as secretive as always.

"Just making conversation," Akemi promised him. "I just don't know much about you except that you're a detective and you have the most immense sweet tooth out of anyone I have ever met…" She kindly smiled up at him since she expected him to give her some sort of look and when he did, she hoped she conveyed that she wasn't teasing him this time, she was just being honest. Akemi continued talking after he turned his gaze forward again. "Where did you grow up?" she wondered. "What's your family like?"

"I don't have one," he replied honestly. "I grew up in an orphanage. I never knew my parents."

Akemi didn't expect to hear that. She felt incredibly guilty for asking him that question. "Oh…" she uttered sadly. "I'm sorry, I didn't know…"

"Of course you didn't," he said in a factual way. He didn't sound upset at all. "You have nothing to apologize for. You asked a question and I answered. No harm done, Miss Yoru."

"Well, it's just that sometimes it can be a difficult subject for people to talk about," Akemi said. "And I feel kinda bad for prying…"

"A family is simply something I've never had," L declared. He didn't seem bothered by it in the slightest. "That's all."

"Don't you ever wonder where you came from though?" Akemi asked him.

"I don't put too much thought into it," he answered. "My life is the way it is. I can't change it."

"Well…whatever your parents' reasons for not raising you, I'm sure they'd be proud of you if they knew you were helping people," Akemi added.

"I'm not sure how much I help people though…" L muttered softly but loud enough she heard him.

Confused but not curious enough to ask him to elaborate, Akemi said, "Well, you have done a lot for me." Akemi gave him an assuring smile and L met her gaze, almost returning one back to her. "So, is this really not a date?" Akemi wondered nervously. She was beginning to feel more comfortable thinking of this evening as a date now that she knew for sure that she liked him.

"I thought we agreed it wasn't," L replied. "You even said so yourself."

"I know, but, we never actually talked about it and…it's kinda starting to feel like one…" Akemi just needed to know if he felt the same as she did about this.

"I am only here because you wanted to get out of the hotel," he reminded her. "You are free to call this outing whatever you think is appropriate."

Akemi smiled. "And what are you going to call it then?"

L turned to her, looked her right in the eye and said, "An escapade." That made Akemi laugh. "Why all the questions about this anyway?"

"I don't know, I just didn't know if you had changed your mind about thinking of this as a date like I kinda did…" Of course, she didn't think she could admit that she had developed feelings for him and couldn't help wondering if he had any for her.

"And what exactly changed your mind?" he wondered.

Akemi's heart pounded again. She searched her mind for an honest answer but one that didn't reveal everything at once. "Well…I guess with all that's happened so far, I just kinda like the idea of categorizing this as a date…"

"If you like the idea of dating me then that implies that you want a relationship with me," L gathered. "Is that what you want, Miss Yoru?"

"Umm…" Akemi laughed nervously and stopped walking and looked for a quick way out of this conversation she had dug herself into. The building they were standing in front of caught her eye. "Oh, look! This place has desserts! How about some ice cream, it's on me!" She hurried in through the door before he could even respond. L just rolled his eyes, let out a heavy sigh and then followed her inside. It felt like this night would never end.