Everyone was glad they made it back to the command center safely. Sachi went straight to the kitchen to begin making coffee. She smiled at the kindly caretaker named Watari when he walked into the kitchen as she was measuring coffee into the filter. He is always so quiet and polite while being attentive to L's every need. He never complained no matter how childish or demanding L could be.

"You don't have to do that, Miss. I'll take care of it," he assured her, smiling pleasantly.

Sachi was sure he smiled because his thick white moustache turned upwards at the edges. "I don't mind helping. I had a real job just a few days ago. Watari, how long have you been taking care of L?"

"Since he was a child, Miss. He's an amazing young man," he said with fatherly pride, retrieving the cake from the refrigerator to begin cutting it up.

"Yes. He is quite an incredible person," she murmured thoughtfully, filling the electric kettle to heat water for tea. She opened the cabinet to begin retrieving cups.

"Miss Sachi, do you love him?" he asked with uncharacteristic bluntness.

Sachi lost her grip on the delicate china cup from the unexpected question. Helplessly she watched it fall to the floor and break into shards. "Oh, no," she gasped, covering her mouth. "I'm so sorry, Watari."

"It's all right. I should never have asked such a rude question. I apologize," he rejoined, opening the small closet to his left to retrieve the broom and dustpan.

"I suppose it is fair. I asked quite a personal question as well. You took me by surprise, "she admitted, giving him a sheepish smile. "I'm not sure how to answer because I'm not sure myself. I definitely like him and want to get to know him better. Isn't it too soon for the four letter word?"

"You are correct. Don't move," he said, looking at the broken pieces of delicate porcelain on the floor. "Let me sweep that up."

Sachi's mind is flooded with thoughts evoked by the one, seemingly simple, question. Do you love him? Did she? It had only been a few days. Her involvement with L had been intended to be strictly professional. She was supposed to pretend to be his girlfriend to seduce Light Yagami for obtaining information and nothing more. Somehow, she had become fully entrenched in the investigation and emotionally entangled with L as well. She puffed out a noisy exhalation to blow the unruly curl from her forehead.

"I can do that if you like," she offered, attempting to take the broom.

"No, I'll do it. I don't mind really," he assured her, carefully sweeping up the broken pieces from around her feet.

Once the mess was dealt with, Sachi assisted him with loading up the cart with cake slices, coffee, and tea for the people in the next room. Everyone is talking at once it seemed when she and Watari entered the room. She heard bits and pieces of conversations as she walked about serving people to help the overworked caretaker. Once that was done, she fixed herself a cup of tea and sat down beside L who is poking at his computer keyboard. She leaned over and kissed his cheek before she could stop herself.

"You better stop doing that. Some of these people might get the idea that you like me or something," L joked without moving his eyes from his monitor. A soft smile played at the edges of his lips but never fully developed.

"Oh, I hope so. I want them to get the wrong idea. I do like you or something," she responded, smiling over her cup at him. "Did you need anything else?"

"No. Just you." He reached over to pat her on the knee which reminded her she had not changed yet.

She liked his answer. While sipping her tea, her eyes skimmed down the computer screen. Doing that had come in quite handy before and probably would again. After finishing her tea, she began to feel sleepy. People are beginning to leave, possibly to go to bed themselves. Tomorrow held the potential of being another long day. No one really knew from day to day where the investigation would lead.

"Honey, I'm going to take a shower then go to bed," she said, standing up and stretching.

"I'll be in there in a few minutes," he informed her, staring at his computer monitor.

"You will? Of course you will," she murmured, going to the bedroom with a smile on her face.

After her shower, Sachi dressed in a tank top and matching boxer shorts. She lay down on the bed, picking up the book he had left on the bedside table for her. It is a book about a detective who is also a pastry chef. She had to giggle at the irony. Settling into her pillow, she opened the book and began to read. By the time she finished the second chapter and was beginning to nod off, the man she was waiting for entered the room.

"Sorry it took me so long. Light and I were going over some information and planning our next step," he explained, lying down beside her. "I think he would have kept me in there all night if he could have."

"Do you really trust him L?" she inquired, closing the book and laying it on the table. She rolled over toward him so that they are face to face.

"No. I don't. But I have to do this. Have you heard the maxim keep your friends close and your enemies closer?" He kissed the tip of her nose, running his fingers along the thin strap of her tank top.

"Yes. So you're using that saying in the most literal sense," she returned, looking into his black eyes. She placed her hands on his cheeks, running her thumbs over the dark circles under his eyes. "I wish you would sleep."

"I do. A few hours every few days are more than enough. I don't want to think about that right now. I came in here to be with you," he murmured, scooting closer to her and pressing his lips against hers.

Sachi held her breath, delighting in the tender kiss he gave her. His lips were so soft against hers and he always tasted sweet. She would swear he oozed the sugar he ate to excess. Her tongue flicked across his bottom lip, and he immediately opened his mouth. She inhaled loudly not only to fill her lungs that longed for oxygen but also because his tongue met hers. Their tongues lazily intertwined then untangled in an unhurried way. She smiled when he reluctantly broke the kiss.

"I'm curious. Will you allow me to do something? Just think of it as research to sate my thirst for knowledge." When she did not object, he pushed her over onto her back. Moving until he was laying with his body pressed against her side, he began his little 'experiment.' "Close your eyes."

Sachi shivered with anticipation when his finger touched her bottom lip. Her lips parted a little as he traced them with an almost imperceptible pressure of his forefinger. She slid her tongue out to touch the pad of his finger which made him inhale noisily. Her body flushed with warmth when he tentatively pushed his finger into her mouth. Sucking lightly on the finger laid against her tongue, he released a moan that made her whole body jerk with a stab of excitement. She squirmed from arousal as he slowly moved his finger in and out of her mouth. Her hip grazed against him below the waist, feeling something hard pressing into her. Wriggling again and purposely rubbing him this time, she elicited a low grunt from him that made her want to rip his clothes off.

"We should stop," he whispered in her ear, pulling his finger from her mouth.

"It's not fair," she whispered back, clutching the waist of his jeans at the button and zipper to keep him from getting up. Her eyes were piercing with an emotion somewhere between anger and sadness as she looked at him. "You can't do that to me. Don't torture me. Don't you like me at all?"

"Of course I like you. I might even – " He stopped himself, moving back to her. His lips moved across hers in a soothing kiss meant to calm her feelings.

"You're inquisitive right? I'm sure you have questions about sex and the female body. Satisfy them," she urged him, taking his hand in hers.

Sachi brought his hand to her lips, kissing each fingertip. They are the hands of a master detective and deserved to be treated with care. Flattening his hand against hers for a moment, she smiled at how hers are only a tad smaller than his and they are both equally pale skinned. Her skin coloring is hereditary; his resulted from an aversion to sunlight. She laid his hand over her breast and the nipple instantly hardened to a rigid little nub beneath his palm.

"Satisfy me," she requested, kissing him fleetingly on the lips. She issued a sigh when he delicately squeezed her breast then brushed his fingers across the firm piece of flesh that had responded so quickly to his touch.

"Fascinating," he mumbled, pulling the tank top out of the way so he could see it.

Sachi watched his face as his big eyes stared at her breast with bold interest. It is an erotic yet comical thing to observe him studying her like a scientific specimen. She bit her lip to hold back a giggle as he poked it, then brushed his finger over it. When he pinched it she withheld a moan. He repeated the process, and she had no choice but to release the moan of pleasure she could no longer hold back.

"Oh, L, honey," she gasped, holding him tightly around his shoulders. "You do know there's more to this right?"

"Yeah. There's another one right here," he said, pulling back her top to uncover it.

"OH GOD!" she yelled when his warm wet tongue lapped over it.

"You liked that? Want me to do it again?"

This is truly depraved, exciting, and wonderfully weird. "Yes, please."

L granted her request and she squealed with delight. He closed his mouth over it, sucking lightly to make her wriggle and writhe like a worm on a hook. He is having fun and so is she so where is the harm? They are both consenting adults after all. Touching and prodding with unrelenting curiosity, he aroused more than his curiosity.

Her mind began to form a hundred questions one of the first being had he ever had sex with a woman? Considering his overwhelming strangeness, distinct social inaptitude, and boundless desire for erotic knowledge exhibited right now, she seriously doubted it. Her eyes opened to see his fastened to her face in investigative awe. Sachi returned his gaze in the silence that had fallen over them. She sighed with satisfaction when his lips covered hers once more. Her hands moved to his face, holding it tenderly in her palms as he kissed her with a poignant tenderness. The kiss is long and slow, making her body ache with desire. Her unlikely lover is shockingly tantalizing and alluring with his gentle touches and unhurried kisses. She watched his every move as he sat up then crawled to her feet. Her eyes locked with his as he gently separated her legs and knelt between them.

"L, what are you doing?" she asked, when his fingers slid under her shirt and up her belly. Her body tingled with delight as his hands continued their upward trek, pulling her shirt along with them. She hissed with pleasure when his nails softly scraped her skin while he pushed her shirt up her arms and over her head.

"I want to make love to you," he whispered, leaning down to kiss her.

"Are you sure?"

"I'm one hundred percent sure." Lying down on top of her, he pressed his lips to hers.

Sachi slid her fingers into his amazingly thick, shaggy hair when his tongue entered her mouth. She sighed with arousal sucking his tongue slightly to taste the sweetness that seemed to be such an integral part of him. She released his tongue and pulled her mouth from his, turning her head to expose her neck to him like a woman offering herself to a vampire. The invitation to explore her skin with kisses is eagerly accepted, and he pressed his lips to the area below her earlobe first. She patiently and happily pandered to his sensual explorations as he proceeded to kiss every inch of her neck and chest. Sweat broke out all over her body from the powerful yearning he is stirring up within her. Raising her hips for him, she ran her fingers through his hair as he pulled her shorts and panties down her legs.

Sachi assisted him with pulling his shirt over his head then waited patiently while he took off his jeans and underwear. She gasped when she felt his warm, rigid member brush across her womanhood while he cautiously laid down on top of her. She held his lean body firmly with her hands clutching his slim waist as they lay still in others arms. Her hands began to move across his naked body which felt so fragile and thin. She raised her hips, touching his manhood which made it twitch and poke her thigh close to its target. When he moved his hips toward her, she positioned herself beneath him in an attempt to maneuver him in. She grunted with frustration when the head pressed against her and penetrated briefly before he moved away.

"Are you mine?" he whispered in her ear with the head pressed against her longing body.

"Yes," she answered, opening herself to him physically and emotionally. She whispered his name when he pushed into her.

The carnal, aching desire that had been plaguing her was finally being pacified. His body trembled beneath her hands as he moved in a deliberate, measured way to savor every sensation going through his body. Sachi is amazed with what a gentle, attentive lover he turned out to be. She slid her hands over his back as he moved inside of her causing pleasure to flow through her with each long stroke. He kissed her lips and caressed her breasts as he made love to her. He made sure she felt every inch of him from head to base which left her panting and gasping for breath. Her body quaked beneath him as he slowly brought her to a climax that left her in tears and clinging to him. He kissed her tears away as he continued to move at the same restrained pace. She heard the difference in his breathing as he neared an orgasm.

L's breath came in rapid, erratic gasps then his hips moved faster with shorter strokes. He groaned, calling her name when he discharged inside of her. She held him as he convulsively thrust into her a few more times before he had fully ejected everything within him into her. Sachi felt his whole body relax on top of hers as his breathing slowed and fell into a steady rhythm. Her fingers brushed through his hair while he lay on her chest with his head between her breasts. She kissed his forehead, smiling when he stirred and rolled off next to her. A giggle of happiness rushed out of her when he cuddled her to him, fitting his body to hers with her back pressed to his chest.

Sachi sighed deeply, luxuriating in the warmth of his body seeping into hers. Listening to the sound of his breathing relaxed her and she began to feel drowsy. Just before drifting into unconsciousness, she became aware that he was already slumbering peacefully beside her. How long had it been since he had slept? With a content smile on her face, she fell asleep in her improbable lover's arms.

When she awoke the next morning, Sachi is alone in the bed with a blanket tucked around her. Since she is naked, she knows that last night was not a dream. Did she regret it? No. Is she still in shock that it happened? Definitely.