...

Vienna had finally finished pressing the last piece of K's hair, the strand falling down to meet the others as smoke floated into the air. The whole room smelt like burnt hair and lavender perfume. Vienna smiled triumphantly.

"Done!" She said, dusting the stray pieces of K's hair off of herself.

She turned the girl around to face her and brushed through her soft, pin straight hair.

"K you look great." She said with a smile. "Stand up and look at yourself."

She looked in the mirror and jumped, seeing some girl she'd never seen before. She had on brown shoes, itchy sheer stockings, a navy blue skirt Vienna had lent her, and a thin gray jumper she always refused to take off. She looked so girly it was throwing her off. Her hair fell down to her hips, it was so long. K ran her fingers through it in fascination; she'd never had her hair straight in her life. It was weird.

"God K, I wish you would stand up straight!" Vienna exclaimed, forcing the girls shoulders back. K nudged her away. Vienna rolled her eyes, then continued to gaze at the younger girls hair. "So what do you think?" She asked.

It was pretty, K thought, but she wasn't too fond of it. "It's nice." She lied, twirling a piece between her fingers. "Thank you, V."

"Oh you're welcome you look gorgeous." She went to the door. "A come in here and look at her!"

A came in the room, a look of surprise on his face.

"K you look..." His eyes were wide. "You and V look so much alike! Beautiful!"

Her face got hot. She wasn't sure if she was angry with A for comparing her to Vienna, or embarrassed at the way he gazed at her so lovingly. "Stop!" She said, turning away from them.

"Oh K why're you so shy?" A asked, laughing at her. He walked over to the girl and pulled her close to him. He went to plant a kiss on her lips but she turned away from him, it landing on her cheek.

"What's wrong?" He murmured into her skin, still holding her close.

"Nothing... I just don't feel well that's all..." She said, wriggling in his grasp.

He frowned and kissed her again, this time on the forehead. "Well feel better, I guess."

"Thanks, you smell nice." She mumbled, burying her face in the crook of his neck.

After Vienna brushed her hair a bit and tidied up the area, she pulled the couple by their arms. "Let's go downstairs." She said, pulling them towards the door.

"...I need to go find B." K said, feeling incomplete without her friend. She hadn't seen him since that morning.

"There's no time for that, I need you guys to help me with some last minute preparations before our guest arrives."

"Can't X and Y help you with that? They're strong men."

"Am I not strong enough?" A asked, slightly offended.

"No. I need you both."

"What about Z?"

"K. Stop." Vienna ordered, shutting the girl up.

K pouted. Vienna was such a liar. She'd say anything to keep her away from B. As they got to the bottom of the stairwell the front door was opening. A quick refreshing breeze went through the door as Watari and another gentleman walked in. Perfect timing. Watari immediately took off his hat and greeted them.

"Why hello you three. It's so nice to see you all again! A looking handsome as ever! V and K you two just blow me away with your beauty looking just like your-" He stopped himself.

Vienna swallowed hard, her eyes were wide.

"Our what?" K asked, confused as Watari and Vienna exchanged glances.

"Oh never mind, come come, I would like you to meet someone, K."

He turned the light on in the foyer and took K's hand, leading her over to the strange man standing awkwardly at the door. He was wearing a hat similar to Wammy's but had a scarf wrapped around his face and shoulders, only revealing tired looking eyes.

"Excuse me." He said, taking off his coat, scarf and hat. "It was extremely windy out there."

A tall lanky man stood before her, dark eyes and hair, he looked eerily similar to B. K knew who he was immediately. A greeted him with a small handshake and smile. Vienna embraced him, they seemed awfully familiar with each other.

"Hello, I'm L." He announced finally, holding his bony hand out to her.

"Yes and I'm K." She said quietly.

K stared up at his dark eyes as he cocked his head to one side. He looked so much like B it was freaking her out. And he was so tall, and strange. She didn't expect L to be like that.

"What's the matter?"

"Nothing you just look a lot like.."

"A lot like B, yes. He actually looks a lot like me. Where is he? I'd like to see him." He said, looking down at her intently.

His gaze scared her. It was unrelenting and blank- like B's. "I-I think he's outside, I'll go get him." K stuttered, shuffling uncomfortably towards the exit.

Vienna reached for her arm. "No K don't-"

She slipped past them and out the door, letting out a huge sigh. K made her way over to the pond behind the house. It was foggy outside. The wet grass was soft under her shoes as she approached B, who was sitting at the bank with his feet wading in the brown water. He wasn't smoking a cigarette for once. K knelt down beside him.

"Hey." She said, nudging him with her hand.

B turned to look at her, his red eyes going wide at the unexpected sight.

"What happened to your hair?" He asked, his eyes narrowing.

"Vienna." She said with a small laugh. "Why you don't like it?"

"Its so... straight."

"I know..." She said running her fingers through her dark locks. "Its probably going to get all curly soon, you know, with all this wind and fog...it'll rain soon."

"What about now?" He splashed her with his feet, water getting all over her hair and arm.

"B!" She gasped, shoving him to the ground.

"What?!" He laughed. "You said it was going to get curly didn't you? It was inevitable, you know."

"You're so annoying!" She joked, laughing as he tried to pull her to the ground.

K fell onto her knees as he pulled her down next to him, the rocks and dirt ripping at her stockings.

"B!" She whined.

He held onto her arm still, staring up at her.

"Vienna's going to me so angry with me." She sighed.

"Blame it on me." B said smirking. "Say I ripped your tights, she'd love that."

"She'd probably lock me in my room if I said that." K giggled, shaking her head.

They lay there for a while, staring up at the cloudy sky.

"L is here." K sighed, looking off into the distance, remembering why she had come outside in the first place.

The smile slowly faded from B's lips and he got this annoying feeling in the pit of his stomach.

"Yeah."

He loosened his grip on her arm and his fingers trailed along her skin until his hand was in the muddy grass. He kicked his feet around in the water, watching as the small ripples formed and dissipated, rolling under the many lilies that floated on top of the water.

"I figured you'd be more excited." K said to him, disappointed. "Everyone makes him out to be so great..."

B shrugged.

"I guess the novelty has worn off."

…

"Hello, B."

"L."

They stared at each other. B sat on one end of the couch and L on the other, crouching in a strange way with his knees to his chest.

"I missed you." B said quietly, stretching his legs out, staring down at his feet.

"Likewise." L nodded, his gaze not leaving B's face.

B had his arms wrapped around himself, his hands griping his shirt. Their long awaited reunion and B couldn't even move. He wanted to hug L so badly, but he also had the sudden urge to punch him in the face.

"You seem tense." L said.

B shot him a look. "Don't examine me."

B dug into his pocket and pulled out his pack of cigarettes, his hand shaking. He pulled one out and placed it between his lips, watching L watch him do so. He gestured one towards L, and the man shook his head. B shoved the pack back in his pocket and lit the cigarette, leaning back on his couch. He sighed, the gray smoke streaming out of his mouth.