"If you want to live, get away soon," she said, her voice having an air of menace to it. "By now!" she called, her voice returning to normal.
__________________________________
For the rest of the day, Raito couldn't stop thinking about Misa and what she said. A few times it got to the point were a teacher would yell at him to stop daydreaming.
At lunch he spoke to L about it.
"So you say she was all cute and bubbly after you bumped into each other..."
"If you think Goth-Lolita is cute," Raito mumbled.
"...And just before you parted she got all weird and serious and just walked away? You sure attract the crazies, don't you?"
"You're living proof of that," Raito retorted, grinning wryly. Then he became serious again. "But seriously, why did she do that? I mean, that's the first time we met, right?" He sighed, reasting his head in his hands. "I just can't wrap my mind around this."
"She does seem strange," L mused. "What did you say her name was?"
"Amane Misa."
"Hmm, why don't we do a search through the NPA database? They're bound to have something on her, aren't they?"
"It's as good a way as any to start. Let's do it."
"Besides, if it's just a weird behavioral quirk then you could just ignore it. Problem solved."
"Hm, I hadn't thought of that," Raito said, getting up form his chair. L followed suite. "I should probably let my dad know I'm doing that, though. He gets kind of mad if he finds out I've been using the police database without his permission."
"Your dad actually let's you do that?" L asked, cleary surprised.
"He doesn't mind, especially not after we helped him with that case once." Raito checked his bag to make sure all his books were still there and headed off to his next class. "Besides, what better way to have an edge when I join the NPA?"
When he got home that evening he tossed his book bag in his room and went to say hi to his parents.
"Hi Mom, hi Dad," he said.
"Hello Raito," his mother said, giving him a hug. "How did you do today?"
"I don't know yet, we don't get our grades till Friday."
"Don't pester the boy," his father said from behind a newspaper, "he gets enough pressure at school already."
"Thanks, Dad," Raito said, making his way back to the stairs. "By the way, where's Sayu? She's usually begging me to help her with math by now."
"She's at a friend's house," his mother replied, "she said she'll be staying the night."
"Thanks."
"Oh, dinner's in fifteen minutes."
"Thanks Mom!" he called from the top of the stairs.
Once he was safely in his room again he turned on the computer and began writing a new essay. He eventually got bored of that and decided to invite L over after dinner.
The sooner he got Misa off his mind the better.
About forty-five minutes later there was a knock at the door.
"I brought donuts," L said, his arms holding a dozen-size box of donuts.
"I can never understand how you can eat those things," Raito said as he let his friend in, "they're practically sugar."
"Because they're practically sugar," L answered.
"What in the world are you boy going to be doing that would require all those donuts?" his father asked.
"Current events project," Raito lied.
"The donuts are to help keep us awake," L offered helpfully.
"Of course," Yagami Soichiro said, the logic somehow escaping him, "just don't stay up to long."
"By the way, I need to use the police database," Raito said. "Out project is on criminals still at large."
"That's fine," he said, Just don't go in anything marked classified."
"Sure, thanks."
"Seriously, what's with the donuts?" Raito asked once he and L were in his room.
"I got hungy on the way over," he explained. "Plus, I saw it in this Western cop movie once."
"Ugh, did you get dropped on your head when were young or something?" Raito exasperated.
"I am who I am," L shrugged. "Let's see who Misa really is," he said, taking a donut from the box. Raito rolled his eyes and turned on his computer.
When it fully booted up he typed in his father's password and brought up the internet browser.
"Let's check the college website first," Raito suggested, "I should be able to access her permanent record from there."
"Good idea," L agreed, taking a bite of donut.
A minute later the permanent record for Amane Misa filled the screen.
"Wow," L breathed, "her grades are almost as good as yours."
"I know, her record is almost spotless."
"Almost?"
"Here in High School," Raito pointed to a spot on the screen, "she was briefly suspended for breaking and entering after school hours. It looks like she and some of her friends were playing this spirit medium game and were caught by the night watchman one night.
"But other than that she seemed to be a model student."
"Try the NPA files, they'll have more than just the stuff from her schools," L said.
Raito brought up the NPA database and typed in Misa's name.
"The same as her school record; spotless."
"Bring up her expanded profile," L told him. Raito did so. It was rather long, but not terrible so. It took them about five minutes to read through it thoroughly.
"Still nothing," Raito said when he finished. "She's just to perfect."
"Which just means that there's more to her," L explained. "We might have to use more drastic measures if we what to know anything."
"You do that, I know all I need to," Raito said in no uncertain terms.
"What do you mean?"
"She's obviously has a teeny, tiny screw loose, but that's all. It's just a behavioral quirk like you said. Nothing to worry about."
"Whatever you say," L sighed, unconvinced. He took another donut out of the box, "but I think that there's still more her than meets the eye."
"Do you even know how corny that sounds? Never mind, let's actually try to get some studying done, OK?"
"Sure," L said, "I don't have anywhere else to go."
The next day Raito was feeling much better about himself. He'd turned in a thesis paper on criminal psychology that he knew he did well on, he scored three goals in a pick-up game of football* he decided to join during lunch, and he hadn't seen Amane Misa all day.
He was actually kind if disappointed about not seeing Misa, he wanted to ask her if she would have dinner with him and L as an apology from bumping into her the other day.
At least, that's what he would say if anyone asked him about it.
What he was really going to do was test his theory, or more accurately L's theory, that she was just a normal, bubbly girl who had one or two bats in the belfry. Hopefully, L would be right.
He finally caught up to her on his way home, just as he was leaving the main building.
"Misa, wait up!"
"Oh, hi there," she said. "Yagami-kun, right?"
"That's right," he said, "I kind of bumped into you yesterday?"
"Aw, don't worry about that, Misa said it happens all the time."
'Misa' said? Did she think she was three or something?
"I still feel pretty bad about it, though," Raito said, giving no indication he noticed he slip into the third person, "so if there's anything I can do to make it up to you?"
"Please," she said, starting to blush, "you don't have to do that."
"If that's what you want. I just wanted to make sure you weren't mad at me or anything."
"Misa's fine, but I would like to ask you something."
"I'm all ears," Raito said, preparing for the worst.
"Would Raito-kun like to have dinner with Misa tomorrow?"
"I don't see why not," he said, only half expecting her to say something like that. In truth, he was surprised that she was asking him the exact thing he was planning on asking her. He decided to roll with it, "where did you want to go?"
"Ooh, I know this adorable maid cafe down town. I've always wanted to try it, but I've never had anyone to go with. Thanks a bunch!" She gave him a quick hug and then headed of towards the nearest bus stop.
"Raito? Hey there!" L said from the other side of the phone line. "You almost never call my cell, what's the occasion?"
"Something interesting happened just now," Raito explained to his absent friend. "Misa just asked me to have dinner with her tomorrow."
"Really?" L sounded stunned. "Did you say you'd do it?"
"Of course I did. Why?"
"Well, for one thing, you still have a girlfriend."
"I know that," Raito scoffed, "this totally isn't like that. But you're right, I should call her tonight and see how she's doing. Thanks."
"You're welcome. Besides, I just found out something interesting about her I think you should know."
Beep! One new text message.
"Hold on a sec, someone texted me." Raito opened the new message and found it was from Misa.
"Who texted you?" L asked eagerly.
"Misa," Raito answered, "it's the directions to the place she wants to meet me. Wait, did you want to say something?"
"Yeah, and it's even more important you know now." L paused. "I did some digging of my own, and guess what I found.
"All of Misa's records were faked."
Beep! One new text message.
When Raito looked at the new message, he could swear he felt his heart stop beating.
Beware the one close to you.
"Hey," L called, "bring me back some cake, will you?"
Author's Note: Layman here, finishing up chapter two.
How do you like it so far? Can you guess what will happened next? If you can, than I tip my hat to you, because then you'd be as smart as either Light or L. If not, then you'll just have to wait and see....
As always, R&R. I'd really like some feedback on this story.
*soccer. Everywhere else in the world soccer is known as football.