[A/N: It may take a while to update this since I'm currently still working on the next chapter, but thank you all for the reads/reviews/follows!3 -D]

Akemi found an empty table inside the dessert bar she had literally just run into and immediately sat down. L wasn't far behind her and took the seat across from her. He was about to ask her why she dodged his question and ran inside this place when a waitress arrived to take their orders. The menu had countless fancy desserts to choose from but both of them just asked for ice cream sundaes, L of course, requested extra candy toppings on his. Akemi knew he would say something like that. "Didn't you already have a sundae today, Ryuzaki?" she asked with an amused smirk on her face once the waitress stepped away.

"I did, yes," he replied. "But I suppose another wouldn't hurt."

"You know, sometimes I wish I could eat nothing but sweets like you do," Akemi admitted.

"What's stopping you?"

Akemi laughed. "Well, it's not exactly good for the average person. Plus, too much sugar can make me kinda…hyper. So, I try not to consume too much in one day."

"You had a large soda at the movie and some of that cake before you left the hotel," he reminded her. "Are you sure you can handle ice cream too?"

"Oh, that's right…" Akemi felt like an idiot for forgetting about that. "It might be okay, though. It's a special occasion after all…"

"What are we celebrating?" he wondered.

"Um…" she uttered as her eyes darted around nervously. "Just…getting out of that hotel."

"That's a special occasion to you?" he asked, sounding slightly confused.

"Yes," she smiled. "It almost feels like a mini-vacation from being locked in that stuffy building every single day." She suddenly realized she sounded rude and regretted putting it in those words. "I-I mean…It's a nice hotel, but…you know…It's nice to get out once in a while."

"I suppose." L's voice was soft and monotone, like usual. Akemi was worried he might be getting bored with her. She quickly searched her mind for a new topic to converse about. Before she could speak, L said, "By the way, you didn't answer my question, Miss Yoru."

Akemi felt her face flush red. She knew exactly what he was talking about. "Oh, uhh…" Her eyes darted around nervously and she shifted in her seat and fidgeted with her hair. "What…What question?"

"Before you bolted into this place, I asked you if you were interested in being in a relationship with me," he reminded her, even though he didn't have to. She remembered and he was sure she did but he said it anyway.

"Oh, that…" Akemi laughed, knowing she was going to have to do her best to avoid answering him directly. "Well, I…" She wasn't certain of what to say to him and anxiously froze as she tried to think of something. Familiar sounds distracted her for a second and she looked around the room. "Wait, do you hear those voices again? I could swear I heard them…" She turned in her chair and looked a few tables behind them and saw three men in suits hiding their faces behind menus. Akemi thought it was strange but L just ignored it.

"Just moments ago, you were quite determined to call this evening a date so I assumed that perhaps you had some kind of romantic intentions in mind," L told her, his dark eyes peering at her as he bit on his thumbnail.

Akemi's eyes shifted nervously again. "Well, I don't know if I would say I was determined…" Luckily, their sundaes had arrived and Akemi silently thanked the heavens for the convenient interruption. They started eating and she wondered how long it would take until he brought it up again. Since dodging this topic entirely was most likely impossible, Akemi decided to at least ask him a few questions. "Are you in some kind of relationship right now?" she inquired as she stirred her spoon around in her dessert. Akemi was sure the answer was no, but she wanted to ease into the subject instead of just jump into it head on.

L took a bite of ice cream with a small mountain of sprinkles on top and then shook his head. "I'm not."

"Have you ever been in a relationship?" she wondered.

"No," he answered honestly. "The concept of relationships has never interested me."

That was one of the last things Akemi was hoping to hear him say to her. Suddenly, she didn't feel like eating anything now. "Oh…" She dropped her spoon into her bowl and lowered her gaze in disappointment.

L could easily see something was wrong. "Miss Yoru?"

Akemi couldn't gather enough courage to look him in the eye. She felt embarrassed for giving him all those hints that she liked him. She wished she never had now. "I'm fine..." she uttered softly. "I just…I think I need to use the restroom…" L didn't say anything and just watched her walk off in silent confusion.

"God, Akemi, you're so stupid…" she muttered to herself in front of the bathroom mirror as she tried not to get too emotional over this. She didn't expect to feel this bad about getting rejected by someone she had just started crushing on. But she didn't crush on people often and it seemed to end in disaster every single time. Akemi had hoped this would be different but of course it wasn't. She was finally ready to open her heart up to someone again only to get her hopes up. All she wanted to do now was just rip her feelings out and destroy them so she wouldn't wind up getting hurt again. Akemi wasn't even mad at L. She knew there were people in this world who just didn't want to be in relationships. That wasn't his fault. Instead, she was disappointed in herself for not asking him that question in the first place before she started to like him. She knew she had made a fool of herself in front of him and she wasn't sure if she could face him again. But she had no choice.

Once Akemi was ready, she walked out of the restroom and started to make her way back to the table where L was still waiting for her. She passed the front windows and happened to glance outside and when she did, she thought she saw a familiar face then froze in shock. "Dad…?" Without even thinking, she dashed out the front door and weaved through the all the people walking down the street in the direction she saw him going. She searched every face she passed, but couldn't spot him.

L had seen Akemi run and quickly went after her but he had lost sight of her once he had rushed out the door. He had no choice and took his phone out and dialed Akemi's cell number. He waited but she didn't pick up. This concerned him and he knew he would need help so called the first number he could think of. He heard a response a few seconds later. "Matsuda, this is Ryuzaki. Akemi took off and I need you and the others to come out from that place you're hiding and help m-…Matsuda, there's no time for you to play dumb, I know you've been following us the whole time, you didn't exactly make yourselves inconspicuous, now please just help me find her! She couldn't have gone far, I'll head east down this main street, the rest of you split up and look for her. And call me the second you find her." He ended the call and put his phone back in his pocket and then sprinted down the street as he looked for any sign of Akemi.

Meanwhile, Akemi was having no luck finding her father. It was almost as if he just vanished right off the street. She wanted to call out to him but she knew that could be dangerous in case he was being pursued. She couldn't draw attention to herself or to him. After running nonstop for multiple blocks, Akemi slowed down and then rested a moment to catch her breath. Once she was ready, she started to take off again when a hand reached out and grabbed her, taking her by surprise.

"Hey, Akemi, where are you going?" Doran asked, practically coming out of nowhere after spotting her on the street. He grasped onto her arm, forcing her to stay put and she tried tugging her arm out of his grasp. He noticed what she was wearing and quickly eyed her up and down. "Wow, you look really good tonight-"

"Doran, I don't have time for this, let go!" she shouted, still struggling to get free.

"You look upset," Doran observed while he could plainly see she wanted to be released. "What's wrong? Maybe I could take you-"

"No, I don't want to go anywhere with you!" Akemi tried prying his fingers off of her arm with her free hand but it wasn't working. She was about to raise her foot and kick him when a soft voice interrupted them. "Excuse me, but…" Akemi looked back and saw L standing there. She was relieved he had found her. "…I would appreciate it if you released this young lady immediately."

Doran didn't expect anyone to ever confront him like this, especially someone like L. "You?" He instantly recognized him from the entrance ceremony. He also didn't think Akemi would have associated with him. "Akemi, do you know this freak?"

Since L had distracted Doran, Akemi was finally able to slip out of his grasp and then stepped back out of his reach. L didn't want her getting hurt or grabbed again so once he noticed Akemi was free, he moved in front of her to guard her from any further unwelcome contact or stares. "Just leave us alone, Doran," Akemi ordered, worried something bad might happen to L if this didn't end soon.

"How about I just beat the crap out of this pathetic abomination of nature for moving in on my girl and then take you back to my place, Akemi?" Doran suggested, smirking confidently.

"I would strongly advise against doing anything of that sort." There was an anger present in L's gaze that Akemi had never witnessed before. He was usually collected and calm emotionally but not now. "She isn't your girl, she's told you no several times. Why do you continue to pursue her like this after she's made it clear she isn't interested? Obviously, you would have learned by now…"

"Because I deserve at least one date with her," Doran declared, his anger starting to flare. "Especially after I gave her a ride in that storm, my car ended up with rain damage."

"Miss Yoru does not owe you anything," L informed him. "You, sir, are not entitled to any person because you like them. Miss Yoru has the right to make a choice and she did. I believe you should listen to her and respect that."

"Why do you even care?" Doran snapped at him. "Who even said this was any of your business anyway?"

"Well, since I'm here with Miss Yoru right now, I think that makes it my business."

"Are you saying you're dating her?" Doran pried. "What gives a little freak like you the right to be in a relationship with someone like her?"

"Stop calling him that!" Akemi shouted as she fought the urge to tell him off in a not so polite manner. "He might be different but at least he's a better person than you'll ever be!"

"That hurts, Akemi," Doran remarked, fabricating slight distress. "I never figured you'd ever pick someone like that over me, I mean, what could you possibly be thinking? He can't even stand up and walk like a normal human being…" He barely finished his sentence since he broke out into laughter. It only enraged Akemi even further.

L spoke up again since he was wondering something too. "And, might I ask, what exactly makes Miss Yoru so special to you? Why pursue her when you could surely have other girls who actually like you?"

"Have you looked at her?" Doran smirked, gesturing toward Akemi.

L's eyes shifted to her. "Well, yes, I have. And I'm looking at her right at this moment. What point are you trying to make?"

Doran scoffed. "Are you serious? She's the best looking woman in our university, that's my point. You couldn't see that?"

"I don't judge people merely by their appearance," L declared. "I may be childish but that kind of thinking is superficial and rather juvenile, even for me. I simply do not have time for that senseless and vapid mentality. You cannot determine your compatibility with Miss Yoru solely on what she looks like."

"Okay, why are you with her then?"

L thought of a clear answer. "Because she wanted me to be."

Doran waited a moment to see if L was going to continue but he didn't. "So…that's it? That's the only reason you went on a date with her?"

"What other reason do I need?" L asked him. "She requested my company and I accepted. It's all quite simple really. I don't understand how you're not grasping this concept."

More rage seethed through Doran as he glared intensely at L. "I know your kind, Ryuga, if that even is your name. You look like a creep that only wants to use her."

"That sounds like the impression that you've been making of yourself. You declared it quite proudly only a few moments ago."

"You don't know anything. My family is one of the most prominent in the country. I could offer her so much more than you ever could. I want to date her because she deserves the best," Doran declared.

"If that's the case then that is what she will get," L said, stepping back, causing Doran to believe he won. Even Akemi grew anxious for a moment as she watched L appear to back down. But, it turned out, L was only moving back so he could stand beside her. "Miss Yoru, shall we?" he asked, offering his right arm for her to take. Akemi did not expect this and she just stared at the arm he was presenting to her for a moment, then accepted it. She slowly placed her hand on his sleeved arm, gently grasping onto his elbow with her trembling fingers. She couldn't believe how nervous she was feeling during all of this. L shot Doran a small, sly smirk. "I think it's time that I, her date for this evening, suggest we go somewhere that's a bit more to Miss Yoru's liking." Akemi couldn't believe what she had just heard him say. She lost her breath and could feel her heart pounding so hard, she expected it to burst inside of her chest. Of course, she knew she couldn't let herself get too carried away since she realized this may have been something L was doing to prevent Doran from bothering her. But just hearing him speak those words aloud, especially after what he said about how he wasn't interested in relationships, made her wonder if there could have been even just an inkling of truth behind them. He seemed to say it so easily and naturally. It gave Akemi hope that perhaps one day it could be true.

"Yeah, he's just gonna dump you tomorrow, Akemi!" Doran shouted at them angrily. "I know what creeps like him do! The second he gets what he wants, you're out of his life! You're smarter than that, Akemi!"

Having heard what was said and understanding it, L stopped walking and turned around and faced him once again. "You don't seem to know me at all. None of that is important to me. But…Miss Yoru's happiness is. And, clearly, you don't make her happy. So, if you don't mind, we're leaving. Good evening to you, Mr. Yasai." L escorted Akemi down the street until they were out of Doran's sight. Once they were, Akemi released his arm so he could make a few phone calls. She wasn't even listening to the conversations. All she could concentrate on was what had just happened. When he was through, L slipped his phone back into his pocket and they started walking down the street again.

There was so much Akemi knew she had to say and she wanted to begin by explaining her actions. "I'm so sorry, Ryuzaki," she apologized wholeheartedly. "I must have put you through a lot…I didn't mean to run away, I just…I thought I saw my father passing by and I just took off looking for him. Honestly, I was going to come back and find you. You believe me, right?"

"Of course. Are you alright?" His voice was soft, yet empathetic. It calmed her.

"Yeah, I'll be fine," Akemi said. Between the rejection, seeing her father and that whole ordeal with Doran, she knew she should be an emotional wreck right now but she was feeling surprisingly stable. If anything, she was just happy to see how much L cared about her and to know her father was still alive. "So, I guess it's time to head back then. Are we taking the bus again or…?"

"I called Watari. He should arrive and pick us up soon."

Akemi smiled shyly. "Oh, okay, good."

There were a few things L couldn't get off of his mind. "You know…You saw your father and then you run into that Doran Yasai…"

Akemi raised a curious eyebrow. "What are you thinking?"

"I don't want to jump to any conclusions but it just seems like more than coincidence to me," L confessed. "We'll have an entire team come in and search the area shortly. And possibly question Mr. Yasai."

"You think he's involved, don't you?" Akemi knew that was exactly what he was thinking.

"The fact that he attempted to drive you somewhere other than your home and then you were pursued shortly after departing from his car and now we saw him after you spotted your father…This has gone beyond being merely coincidental." L suddenly remembered something. "By the way, I ended up paying for that ice cream you said that you would take care of."

Akemi held back an embarrassed smile. "Oh…that…"

"You still owe me something then," L reminded her.

"Okay…" Akemi wasn't going to argue with that. They ended up walking passed a candy store and Akemi let L pick out whatever he wanted. He had quite a time deciding but he left happy with a couple of candy bars and a giant rainbow lollipop. It wasn't long before they found themselves strolling down the street again.

There was a long silence until Akemi spoke up. "Ryuzaki…Earlier when you were defending me and then called me your date…Were you just trying to end the dispute or…did you really mean all of that?"

L felt annoyed just recalling how awful that confrontation was. "I should not have had to do that. I have no personal experience with the traditions of courtship but I do know that the behavior he displayed didn't utilize proper etiquette. The moment you said no, he should have left you alone. But saying those things and claiming myself as yours seemed to be the only solution at the time. I concluded if he was under the impression you were spoken for, he would just go on his way and it would be solved. It's unclear whether or not he'll continue to pursue you but it's unlikely he'll bother you again tonight."

"You didn't answer my question though…"

L knew he had to reply in a proper manner but he also didn't want to lie to her either. "You really want to know?"

Akemi wanted to avoid disappointment but she knew she couldn't let this continue on with a one-sided crush. She decided knowing was better than guessing. "Yes. Please tell me."

"Miss Yoru…" he said in his soft, emotionless tone as he looked her right in the eyes. Akemi held her breath and braced herself. "I already told you I have never had any desire to be romantic with anyone."

Akemi's hope had been drained from her eyes upon hearing that. She tried to hide it but L noticed.

"But…"

'Wait, what?' Suddenly, Akemi felt her heart racing again.

L continued on. "I would be lying if I said I didn't like being around you. Honestly, being social with anyone doesn't strike me as fun, in fact, most people tend to annoy me. And it's true that you can be quite difficult at times but, I've come to find myself liking your company. Your kind disposition and open mind make it simple for me to be around you. I've felt like this ever since you first smiled at me."

For a long moment, Akemi was speechless. His words surprised her yet comforted her a little. It sounded as if he was at least tolerant of her and felt more at ease around her than he did around other people. But she couldn't help wondering if he was trying to tell her something else. "So…what exactly does that mean?" she asked meekly.

"Well, Miss Yoru, it means…" L gazed up at the faint stars that were visible through the mechanical city lights as he pondered his response. Akemi felt her heart racing as she awaited his next words. "I like you." He heard a soft gasp and then a relieved exhale escape from Akemi as a black limousine pulled up and stopped at the corner they were standing next to. L looked at Akemi and saw she wasn't paying attention to anything except her emotions. "Our ride is here, Miss Yoru," L informed her and she snapped out of her daze.

"Oh…okay…" Akemi sighed softly and then L opened the car door for her before Watari could step out of the driver's seat to do so. "Thank you, Ryuzaki," she said and sat in the back seat beside him. Once they were all ready, Watari started to drive them back to the hotel.

"Thank you for everything, actually," Akemi said to L. He just glanced at her and replied, "You're welcome, Akemi," and then looked out of his window. That was the first time he had ever addressed her by her first name. She smiled to herself and then noticed L's left hand was resting between them on the seat. Akemi hesitated but then placed her right hand on top of L's in a silent gesture of gratitude.

L, not being used to feeling unexpected physical contact, flinched and tensed up and slid his hand out from underneath hers, recoiling his arm up over his knees so she couldn't touch him. "Oh…" Akemi uttered, hoping she hadn't startled him too immensely. "I-I'm sorry…I didn't mean…" She had thought he would be alright with that after letting her grasp onto his arm earlier but then she realized he had been okay with that because he was prepared for it. But this time, he hadn't been.

L's eyes were locked on the glowing scenery as he stared out the window, silently composing himself. He knew Akemi wouldn't hurt him and he could tell she was feeling guilty judging by the tone of her voice. Akemi placed her hands on her lap and turned her head and looked away from him just in case her gaze was also uninvited and made him uncomfortable too. She watched the city pass by through the windows on her side of the car while she thought about how she was feeling about L and how happy she was to know he liked her. She wondered if he might ease up around her a little more once he got used to the idea of having a relationship.

While Akemi was lost in her thoughts, she suddenly felt a gentle pressure on top of her right hand, causing her to quietly gasp and look down at her lap. There, resting on top of her hand was L's. Akemi almost couldn't believe it after he had pulled it away from her just moments before. She smiled and then looked up at L. He was gazing out the window again. Akemi slowly turned her hand over so she could hold his and he didn't even budge this time. Akemi just held his hand gently in hers and felt his grasp on hers tighten a little as if he was assuring her that this was okay with him. Akemi felt her smile grow wider and she let out a soft laugh, which L heard, causing him to crack a faint smile as he kept staring out the window.