Blue eyes say, Love me or I die; black eyes say, Love me or I kill thee.
Spanish proverb
Mika no Uta
"…What?"
L looked at her.
She looked at him.
"What is it that you want?" L asked again, his black eyes narrowing.
Usually, his stare was enough to make most people shy away, but not this girl.
She was on her hands and knees next to him on the couch, watching with intense blue eyes as L picked up a gumdrop from the bowl next to him and ate it. L looked at the candy in his hand.
"I thought you didn't eat," he asked suspiciously. Mika said nothing, but merely stared more, almost like a dog, her eyes wide and her ears perked up slightly
"…Not talking, huh?" L shook his head slightly and popped the candy into his mouth.
Next to him, Light was typing on his keypad in a one-fingered way. He looked utterly board, his eyes blank as they scanned words on the screen. L ignored him and grabbed a handful of gumdrops from the bowl next to him, stuffed them in his mouth, and proceeded to get back to work.
It had been a few days. The Kira case had been progressing, but not by much. L and Light hadn't found a moment where they needed Mika's eyes, but still made sure that her identity by the rest of the team was not figured out. No one seemed to question her ears anymore. Cody still inhabited the large apartment-like room, and had taken to sleeping most of the day. They decided not the bother him and focused on the case.
"Ryuzaki…."
"What?" L asked through a mouthful of candy.
"Ew! Cover your mouth!" Light scolded, shoving his foot into L's side from his position on the couch. L flinched but did nothing.
"Is there something Light wanted to ask me?" he asked through clenched teeth.
"Yeah," Light sighed, turning over on his side next to L and putting a hand under his chin, "Can we go out sometime?"
"No," L immediately answered, chewing loudly on the candy.
"Why?" Light asked, elongated the word.
"Because," L mimicked Light's speech, "The last few times we chose to appear in public, Light broke a window, crashed the car, verbally abused an employee at a coffee shop, attempted to repeatedly assault a custodian at the supermarket, and threw countless hissy fits in malls."
Light was silent for a while, his eyes slightly widened as he comprehended everything L had said. Mika was still sitting next to L, looking at hungrily at the candy he was eating.
"Okay, but that custodian was asking for it," Light suddenly said, "He kept staring at my hair!"
"I'm sure he just found you attractive," L drawled, typing a few things absentmindedly on his laptop.
"Shut up," Light flopped back down on the couch, "And give Mika some candy before she bites your hand off."
"What are you-" L stopped short when he turned next to him to see Mika looking up at L expectantly, leaning towards the candy, her mouth opened slightly.
"…What is she doing?" L asked in complete befuddlement.
"She wants some candy," Light said incredulously, "Can't you see? She's been staring at it since you brought it out. You really don't have social skills, do you?"
L looked down at Mika. Was she salivating?
"Hm," L observed, "Mika is performing the response to the stimulus of that in Pavlov's experiment. But I remember the short thing saying that angels do not eat."
"I think he said they can," Light said thoughtfully, looking at Mika, "He just said that they don't need to. If she ate it, it wouldn't go anywhere; it would just get absorbed into energy."
"…But that would mean that Shinigami don't need to eat either," L said quietly, a million thoughts going through his mind. But they were stopped short when he looked down at Mika, who still her had her mouth open towards the candy.
"…What do I do?" he asked blankly. Light scoffed.
"Give her some!" Light prompted.
L hesitantly picked a red gumdrop from the bowl. He held it toward the angel.
"Here," he said, "Take it."
Mika looked up at L, and opened her mouth even wider.
"Aaaah," she sang, like one might do when instructed to "open wide".
"…You truly are hopeless," L sighed, placing the gumdrop on her tongue, taking care to avoid her fangs. Mika closed her mouth and chewed on the candy happily.
"Mmm," she hummed, smiling.
"Y'know," Light suddenly said, "Mika was progressing so well with her language, I almost forgot she wasn't from this world. But she still has a lot to learn."
"Very true," L nodded.
"In fact, I don't think she's ever been outside," Light said thoughtfully, looking out the window, "It's a beautiful day…say, Ryuzaki?"
"Absolutely not."
"But why!? She's never been outside!"
"With good reason!" L shot back, holding up Mika's ears with two fingers.
"What's all the comobo!?"
The two bickering men turned to see the reaper Cody standing in the doorway wearing what appeared to be Light's robe, rubbing his eyes with a curled paw.
"What the hell?! Why is it in my clothes!?" Light yelled.
"Cody!" Mika chirped, waving a hand.
"Yeah, what's up, doll," Cody said distractedly, walking over to face L, "What's this I hear about the kid?" L sighed and rolled his head upwards to meet the ceiling.
"Light was hoping to take Mika outside today," the detective explained, "But I told him hat Mika should stay inside where she is not seen by others." Cody looked at L, then at Mika.
"I don't see the problem," Cody shrugged nonchalantly. L looked at him oddly.
"R-really?" he asked. He seemed somewhat unsettled by the idea.
"Sure," Cody sang, a grin on his face, "The kid needs some sunlight. It's not good for her kind to stay indoors all day. Take her out, have some fun with her."
"See?" Light grinned, "You can take us both out, then we'll all be happy, okay?"
L looked towards Mika. She was smiling at L the way she always did. L shoved a thumb in his mouth and bit down.
"Won't the ears…be a problem?" L asked quietly.
"Cover them up," Cody suggested, "Watch." Cody untied the red sash from Light's black bathrobe and tied it around each side of Mika's ears, so that it resembled a decorative ribbon. Mika shook her head a bit, then felt her ears.
"Pretty!" she smiled.
"Wow, you can't even see her ears," Light marveled, studying her, "Why didn't we think of that earlier?"
"Because you're humans," Cody rolled his eyes, "Anyway, as you can see, she looks just like one of you. I'm giving you permission to take Mika out into the world, or at least Tokyo. Show her the human world! She's never seen it!"
L studied her as well. She did look human with the ribbon covering her ears, even with her silver hair and blue eyes. But was it really safe to take such a delicate, naïve child out into the world?
L bit down on his thumb more, calculating percentages.
I can't take both Light and Mika out; that's too much trouble. Only one shall go, but who shall it be? Mika's chance of getting noticed has been reduced from 93% to 10%. Light has a 2% chance of getting noticed. Mika has a 67% chance of doing something life threatening. Light has a 54% chance. Hm…well, I guess there's only one person to choose to take out today.
Light watched in shock as L slapped on the metal handcuffs, locking the other side onto the couch leg.
"You…you bastard!" Light shrieked as L proceeded out of the room, "I hate you, you pale-faced psycho-path!"
"Come along, Mika," L patted his side and turned to the angel on the couch. She looked the familiar man, to the reaper next to her. Cody nodded his head.
"Go head," he smiled.
Mika suddenly grinned, jumping off the couch and hurrying to L's side.
"Are you ready to see the world?" L asked, turning the doorknob.
"Yes!" Mika declared, following obediently after L.
Cody watched wistfully as Light continued to scramble on the ground next to him. The sun had even gotten brighter once they left, the sky now an even more vibrant blue. Cody was silent, his eyes stern as he looked at the door.
He couldn't understand why she was so happy.
"That jerk! How come that freak gets to go out and I have to stay here!? I'm the one who has a social life! I'm the one who…Cody?...Cody, what's up?"
Cody jumped slightly, turning to the teen on the floor.
"Oh…it's nothing," he said quietly. Light watched curiously as Cody turned back to the door, his eyes still, his mind working.
***********
It was summer, and the entire city of heated with a sense of wellbeing. The bright sun reflected off of the grey concrete, the color banners and vibrant blue skies replaced the flashing lights and blinking advertisements that lit up at night. Hundreds of people were walking to and from buildings, talking, yelling, smiling, checking their watches, talking on their phones, or simply just staring at the ground as they headed towards there destination. It seemed no one was taking in the beauty of the perfect day.
Except for Mika.
L thought her abnormally large, blue eyes couldn't get any larger, until that day. She stared up at the sky, the buildings, over at the people, the signs, down at the concrete. She looked form left to right, up and down, leaning forward and craning her head back, so much that L had to hold on to her arm to keep her from falling down from not looking.
"The city is big," Mika gasped, gaping at a large advertisement for Shojo Beat above her.
"Yes, it is fairly large," L mumbled. Unlike Mika, he hated the city. The noise, the crowds, the constant motion. He merely chomped on the lollipop he had clenched tightly in his jaws and tried to drown out the noise.
He soon found this to be near impossible.
"Ryuzaki, look at that! Ryuzaki, look! Look! Wow, what's that, Ryuzaki!? Hey, that thing has ears like Mika! Wow, that's big! What's that in the air!? What's that?! What's that!?"
L suddenly stopped, holding onto Mika's hand tightly.
"Yes, Mika I can see that. That back there was a skyscraper. What you saw before was a dog, closely related to the wolf. That big thing is a television screen, used for advertisement and news. The thing in the air is an airplane. That which you are pointing to is a homeless person. And finally, please address me as Ryuga in public. Any questions?"
Mika looked up at L's tired face, trying to read his expression. L thought that she had finally calmed down, and was ready to resume his walking, to show Mika the city, make her happy, and then take her home, when Mika pointed to something behind and said, "Ryuga, what's that!?"
L sighed loudly and slowly turned around. He saw behind him a cotton candy vender, cheerfully handing out cotton candy sticks to customers. L's eyes lit up.
"Mika…," he said quietly, still looking at the candy, the lollipop now being thrown into a garbage can and being replaced with a finger, "Would you like some cotton candy?"
Mika stalled, tearing her eyes away from a blinking advertisement portraying the latest news on the criminals that were killed that week.
"Ah…Mika doesn't know what that is…," he smiled.
L slowly turned to look at her with is owl like eyes. Mika wavered slightly, unsettled by the domineering look he was giving her.
"Mika, come with me," L said quietly. He took Mika's small hand, pulling her along as he made his way to the vender. Mika watched with wide eyes as L led her sternly over to his destination. Suddenly, her eyes widened with fear, and she began to yank herself away from L's grasp violently.
"No! No! Let go! I'm sorry! I'm sorry!"
L immediately let go of the child and stopped short, staring at her in disbelief. A couple of people slowed their pace and turned to see a small, shy girl shying away from a pale, sallow, un-kept looking man.
Needless to say, L got a few disapproving looks, as well as a few "Perverts!" thrown at him.
"…Mika, it's alright," L said, kneeling down to her height and ruffling her hair with a long-fingered hand. Tears were even welled up in her pretty blue eyes. L became worried.
"I'm not going to punish you," L continued quietly, looking at her distraught face, "I just wanted to buy you some sweets. Why would I punish you for not knowing what cotton candy is?"
Mika was silent, bringing up a shaking hand to wipe her eyes. She nodded, and let L carefully take her hand again so as not to startle her, and they proceeded to buy some sweets.
"Here, Mika."
Mika looked up, still slightly upset, to see L handing her a piece of the pink cotton candy that he held in one hand. Mika looked at the odd substance in his hand.
"…I-is that…candy?" she asked meekly.
"Yes, this is candy," L clarified, "A type of food that is very sweet." Mika wrinkled her nose a bit. "…Sweet?" she questioned.
"Yes, something that is sweet is…ah…very likeable to someone with a sweet tooth such as mine. Like the gumdrop you had earlier. I'm very partial to sweet things," L nodded to himself as Mika hesitantly took the piece of pink fluff. She stared at it for a while, turning it around and inspecting it. Finally, she popped it into her mouth. L watched with mild interest as she closed her mouth, her eyes rolling from side to side.
"Mmm," Mika suddenly hummed, smiling, "Ryuzaki was right! It is sweet!" L smiled to see her old smile back and patted her head.
"Just like you," he smiled warmly, "I find you satisfy my sweet tooth as well, Mika."
L was curious when Mika stared at him, then looked away with wide eyes, her face matching the color of the cotton candy she held. He wondered if he had upset her again, when Mika turned back after a while, her mouth open in astonishment.
"The…the candy is gone! Ryuga, the candy disappeared and I didn't swallow!"
L smiled even wider and took a piece of the candy as well, as the two walked down the street together.
The sun was staring to sink low in the sky, leaving the pleasant summer sky tinted with pink and blue. The summer heat was replaced with a soft, lulling coolness. The lights in the city had become more prominent, adding to the beautiful scenery.
After L had devoured most of the cotton candy, he had checked his watch and clarified that it was time to head home. Mika had no complaints, since she was quite tired from her experiences. L had shown her all different sorts of buildings, shops, parks, and other sights that a tourist might visit. It comforted him to know that she had enjoyed her evening.
"Ryuga…?"
L looked down at Mika. She was looking up at him with those big eyes again.
"Hn?" L mumbled questioningly, looking at her.
"Why do humans hold hands and press their lips together?"
L furrowed his brow at her in puzzlement, looking up to see Mika observing a couple sitting on a park bench together, holding hands and kissing.
Oh, not this again.
"That…is called 'kissing'," the detective mumbled, trying to keep his eyes ahead of himself and not on Mika's clueless expression.
"Oh…" Mika said, "Why do humans do that?" L sighed.
"It's a genetic response passed down to humans from primates," he droned, "It's just something we respond with when we feel attracted or close to someone."
Mika was quiet. She turned away for a second, her eyes thoughtful, as she stared up at the shining lights. It fascinated her greatly. She had never seen anything so beautiful. She didn't notice that a few people were staring at her remarkable looks and blue eyes. L, however, did notice, and found it irritating.
Haven't they ever seen a blue-eyed girl before? It's not like they know she's an angel. They can't see her wings and halo like Cody can.
But when L looked at her unwavering eyes, her silver hair, her graceful walk and the fascinated expression on her pale complexion, he had to admit that even he was amazed by her beauty. He couldn't deny that angels were indeed perfection.
"Ryuga…"
L looked down again. She was staring at him yet again. L restrained a weak cough of surprise and turned away, "Yes?"
"…I keep doing this," Mika suddenly said, and began to shake, her eyes squeezed shut, "What does that mean?" L raised an eyebrow suspiciously. Could she mean…?
"Are you cold, Mika?" L asked. He looked at her pale skin and saw that she had goose bumps.
"What's cold?" Mika asked.
"Don't you have weather in heaven?" L asked tiredly. Mika shook her head, shivering slightly and wrapping her arms around herself, resembling a bird puffing up to stay warm. L sighed. She truly was hopeless.
"Come here," he said, draping his long arm around her shoulder and pulling her close. Mika stumbled slightly as her head met a few inches above L's waist. She looked up, surprised, as L continued to walk down the darkening street. She felt her face warm up again, and couldn't understand how she could go from hot to cold so fast. It confused her, but soon she felt the coldness on her skin melt away into L's warmth.
"…Thank you, Ryuga," Mika smiled, her head resting against L.
"I wouldn't want you to freeze," L mumbled, looking ahead. He tried to concentrate on the lights and advertisements everywhere, blinking like stars. There was music playing somewhere off in the distance, and the steam from foods being cooked in venders melted in with the rest of the city.
"…It's…pretty," Mika said quietly. L looked at her, and then at the world around them.
"Oh…yes…yes it is," he said softly, pulling her closer.
***********
"Did you guys have a good time?" Light asked as Mika and L walked through the door.
"Yes!" Mika chirped, nodding eagerly, "I saw buildings, signs, lights, food, and a homeless person!"
Light raised an eyebrow.
"Charming, Ryuzaki."
"I can't help it if Tokyo does not wish to offer more employment," L muttered.
"Well, that being said," Light said in a strangely pleasant voice, "Do you think you could see your way into getting these goddamn handcuffs off of me!?"
L looked over to see Light handcuffed to the couch, reminding the detective of the phrase "if looks could kill".
"…Oh…yes, of course, Light," L said innocently, producing the key from his pocket and kneeling down to unlock Light. Light immediately stood up with an indignant huff and stalked out of the room towards the bedroom. L looked to see Mika standing below him, smiling at him.
"…Why don't you go to bed, Mika?" L asked, looking at the clock, "It's getting pretty late." Mika nodded happily, about to walk towards her room, when she ran back to L, wrapping her arms around his leg.
"Thank you, Ryuzaki," she smiled. L looked down at her and patted her head.
"You're welcome," he said. Mika smiled and ran to her room. L looked around the empty room, the lights from the city outside glinting through the window.
"…Well," L sighed, stretching slightly as he went to the cupboard to grab a bag of gummy bears, "Time to get to work."
**********
"Cody! Cody!"
Cody awoke from his sleep to see Mika jumping above him on the bed.
"Urgh, what? What!? Stop jumping!" Cody snapped. Mika flopped down on the bed and lay next to Cody, smiling.
"Ryuzaki took Mika to the city and I got to see buildings and lights and dogs and food and it was great!" Cody blinked, letting the words seep in.
"Well, good," he finally said, watching as Mika pulled one of the black dresses Misa had given her over her head and put on the far-too-large white shirt that she found on the floor. Cody cocked his head.
"Why do you still wear that guy's old shirt?" he asked incredulously, "You have other clothes too."
"Mika knows," the angel shrugged, curling up at the front of the bed, "I just like the way this shirt smells." Cody watched as Mika turned a few circles on the bed before nestling into the pillows. He opened his mouth to say something, hesitated, and then started.
"Mika…you know that La-Ryuzaki is a human, right?" he asked slowly.
"Yes," Mika said from the covers, her eyes somewhat sleepy.
"And…you do know that you can't…love him, right?" he asked, measuring his words, but saying them sternly. Mika was quiet, staring at Cody, the blanket covering her nose so that only her eyes were visible. She nodded.
"Mika knows," she nodded. Cody nodded as well.
"Because you're an angel, and angels can't love," he continued.
"Mika can't love," Mika agreed softly, before closing her eyes, "Mika won't love…"
Cody, assured that she was asleep, got off the bed and went to the window to look out at the city below. He sighed, putting a paw to his closed eyes, and recited softly:
From thine own eyes of purity comes the truth of all humankind
You, who is young and frail
Will be cursed to bleed from the wound of love
You, who is divine and right
Whose temptations will lead others to their death
Will find your what you were forbidden to search for
Oh, flower of purity, child of chastity
Will thou ever be able to reach for the fruit of knowledge with gentle hands
And eat from the tree of truth?
Those who resist will join you by your side
And you will be happy
From thine own blue eyes of purity will come the word that the winged ones fear
The word meaning eternity
When he finished the verse, he looked at the sleeping angel. He suddenly gave a low growl and jumped off the window sill, climbing onto the chair opposite the bed and curling up into a ball on the chair.
"Whatever," he grumbled, his small black eyes closing, "It's just a stupid myth anyway."
Spookthemook says: I know. Long delay. I'm bad. Anyway, I thank you for your patience, and I hope you enjoy this chapter. I just made up that silly little prophecy thing, but I think it works well to the story. At first I was going to use the lyrics for the Elfen Lied song Lilium, since it's in Latin. I would like to incorporate that song though, it works well with the story. You can listen to it on youtube. Anyway, I hope you all had a rockin' Halloween!
Thegriffin88 says: Hell, I make up half the shit I write on the spot. I sure we're not the only ones.