She clenched her hands as she walked, headed for the train station she'd seen a few blocks back. How dare he come along on a date he practically forced her on, and treat her like this? Just who did he think he was, acting like a jealous child? It wasn't even as if she'd shown real interest in Matsuda, but the point was that he had no right to act like this! He himself had insisted on no attachments after his constant flirtation, it wasn't fair for him to-

"Hitomi-chan, wait!" A hand caught her arm and she snapped from her thoughts, turning to see an out of breath Matsuda clinging to her.

"What is it, did they send you after me? To reprimand my temper? I don't need to be lectured, Matsu, I'm a big girl and I-"

"No, no! That's not it at all! You were drinking, and you stormed out like that, without even a jacket. It's cold, Hitomi-chan, and I was just worried about you. I promise I won't lecture you." He smiled, and she couldn't help but let her anger fade a bit.

"I'm sorry, Matsu. I just can't bear how self righteous Ryuzaki is sometimes. Like he's better than everyone else..." She growled to herself, then let out a deep breath. "I'm sorry. Can we just go back to headquarters? I don't want to have to sit there with them the rest of the night." She shivered a little, and Matsu took his jacket off, draping it around her shoulders.

"Of course. Oh, but I left the keys upstairs... Can you make it on the train?" She smiled slyly.

"I'll be fine. It just so happens that I'm only a little impaired, and that I'm a better actress than I thought." He looked at her critically for a few moments, then his smile was back.

"That's so something Usagi-chan would do, tricking her adversaries... So cool!" They started walking, and with her lack of a less revealing outfit, she found herself walking closer and closer to him, until they were seated shoulder to shoulder on the nearly empty train.

"Matsu... Can I ask you something?" He nodded, eyebrows raised. "You wouldn't really want to date a girl like me... Would you?"

"What's wrong with you, Hitomi-chan? You're nice, and smart, and you're beautiful. And you're Usagi-chan..." She stopped him before he could say something about how cool it was.

"Ryuzaki thinks I'm the third Kira. I drink, and I was in a violent, dark band with all men, and I used to date Raito-kun. My family moved to America and was practically disgraced beyond any definition of the word, there and here. No Japanese man would even consider-"

"This is the twenty first century, Hitomi-chan. No one's asking us to get married, and even if they were, old fashioned criteria like that don't make a difference to me." He paused, looking more thoughtful and serious than she, or likely most of the task force, had seen him. "That's not what this is about though, is it? You're saying you aren't interested in me. Not like that, right?"

"I'm sorry, Matsu. You're a great guy, the nicest I've probably ever met. It's just that... Well, I guess you're right. I uh... I just want to be friends, okay? I'm not a nice girl at all, I'm damaged goods." She paused and looked up at him from her lap to see him smiling.

"Hitomi-chan, don't worry about it. You're right, we're probably better as friends anyway. We're working on the investigation together, after all, and I am a few years older than you, and besides, it's pretty obvious that we don't, you know... Click. I could never date a famous musician, too much happens, and after working with Ryuzaki-san, I've had enough excitement." She smiled back at him, her guilt quickly fading. "No one ever said that one date had to mean we were a couple, right?"

"Thank you, Matsu." They sat in silence for a few moments, Hitomi yawning and settling her head on Matsuda's shoulder. He put his arm around her, and as she closed her eyes he said softly,

"Besides, Hitomi-chan, don't say things like that. You're nice, and you shouldn't be so hard on yourself just because of things you couldn't control. I like you, Raito-kun and his father still like you, even if you are broken up, and Ryuzaki-san likes you too. He's just... Ryuzaki-san, you know?" She smiled, and settled in for the ride back, trying not to think about how things would be when they all got back.

"Thanks, Matsu. I'm glad I got to celebrate my birthday with you."

By the time the others returned, Hitomi had spoken a few words about the excursion with Yagami-san, taken a shower, washing the heavy makeup from her face and changing into shorts and a comfortable t-shirt, and climbed in bed. She was just dozing off when the phone next to the bed rang sharply, jarring her awake.

"Moshi moshi..." she spoke groggily.

"I need to speak with you." She didn't answer at first, propping herself up on one elbow and turning on the small lamp on the nightstand. "Ooka-san." It took a moment for her to recognize his words. Just like him to let her get used to Japanese then call her in the middle of the night in English.

"L?"

"Yes. Come down immediately." He didn't wait for an answer, hanging up quickly and leaving her confused. She sat up, putting the phone back on its cradle and rubbing her eyes, then standing and crossing to the bedroom door before realizing he hadn't told her if he meant on his floor again or in the main investigation suite. With a sigh, she grabbed a thin robe from the back of a chair as she passed it, tying it around herself. Finally, she pushed the button for the elevator, yawning as she waited. But when the doors slid open with a ding, she was surprised to find the detective already waiting for her inside.

"You forgot to tell me how far down to go," she muttered, still coming up from sleep. He didn't reply, so she simply stepped in and let the doors shut, following him back out when he disembarked on his floor. As the light from the elevator cut off behind her and they were left in the dim light of his computer screen, she stopped by the entrance and crossed her arms over her chest. Still yearning for the warmth of her bed a floor above, she didn't humor him, switching back to her native tongue.

"Look, L-san. I think I know what all this is about." He turned back toward her, raising an eyebrow but otherwise showing no reaction to her. "I'm not interested in Matsuda-san, okay? He might have had a bit of a celebrity crush on me or something, but we talked, and there's nothing between us outside of friendship. He and I are co-workers, and it would be inappropriate besides, just like we agreed anything between us would be. So can we please stop acting like jealous teenagers here and get back to some semblance of normal?" She waited in a stretching silence, feeling a now familiar frustration with L building up in her chest, until she felt ready to burst. Lost in her own thoughts, she hadn't noticed him walking toward her until they were practically face to face, but still he didn't speak.

"Fine," she sighed, "Yell at me, lecture me, ignore me, treat me like crap, whatever. I'm not going to keep fighting to make you like me if-" A fingertip resting on her lips silenced her, and she looked up to make eye contact with him. "What?" she mumbled past it, and finally he spoke, grabbing her arms roughly and pulling her closer to mutter harsh sounding Japanese in her ear.

"I don't want you to ever flirt with someone like that in front of me again, understood? I am in charge here and I will not hesitate to dismiss you from this investigation." The tone in his voice sent a chill down her spine, an angry sound she had never heard from him before. She could only nod slightly before he continued. "This isn't a relationship. I'm not your boyfriend, and I never will be. I don't do boyfriend. Can't. Understand?" She nodded again, and he removed his finger, replacing it with his lips. After a few moments he pulled back.

"You aren't going to be able to change my mind on this. I will not grow to love you, or even like you. I like you physically, and physically is all I will abide by." Another short kiss, his arms pulling her closer, sliding up her back and then down and around her waist, loosening the robe and pulling it from her shoulders. "If you cannot follow this as strictly as me, say so now, because even if you come to love me, I will not return the sentiment." A spark of anger bloomed in her at being treated like a child, given rules. She bit his lip, earning a small groan, then pulled back.

"I'm not that naive, L-san, I get the concept of fuck buddies." She pulled his shirt up and over his head, smiling a little at how compliant he was when moments before he was acting so commanding. "You just take care of yourself, and I'll take care of me. If sex is all it is, so be it. Now," she pulled from his arms and took a step back, "Show me that domineering side again." That ghost smile flickered over his face, eyes glinting, and he closed the distance quickly, fully intending to show her how demanding of a boss he could be.

It hadn't been long that she'd been there, but she was about ready to leave, whether L had asked her to or not. She lay with the sheet pulled up almost to her neck, the detective's lecture to her running over and over in her mind. He had hardly said a word to her in since then, discounting a few growled orders in her ear during...

She took a deep breath and turned her head to look at him, putting the pictures out of mind.

"Ne, L-san... Have you ever had a girlfriend before?"

"I told you-"

"No, it's not that. Just the way you made it sound, I wasn't sure if you'd ever had a girlfriend before. I was just wondering, friends talk about these kinds of things you know. Unless you don't want to be my friend either, but then I'll be jealous of Raito..."

"Not technically." It took her a second to realize he was answering her first question, at least hopefully.

"Oh. Then how how do you know it's so bad having one?" He didn't reply, and she thought for a moment this was his ploy to get her to leave like he'd asked, but it was still early. No one would be awake to notice her absence from her own bed. "Have you ever been in love, then?"

"Hitomi-chan." A smile broke on her face. L, the ever stoic detective, had actually shown surprise, his eyes opening and glancing over to her.

"I guessed it, huh?" He looked away, closing his eyes again. "You know, just because one woman broke your heart doesn't mean that all women will. Ano... Not that I'm asking you to love me. I'm just saying, if you never give love a chance, you might miss out on something great." She laughed a little turning back to stare at the ceiling. "What was she like? The girl you loved?"

"I can't share personal information like that. The investigation, remember?"

"I'm not asking for a name. Just, you know, what she was like."

"She was like you."

"L-san!" she said louder, taunting him. "Now who's being sentimental? I can't be your girlfriend you know, there's an important investigation in progress."

"She was Japanese. Her hair was almost exactly the same. A little shorter, but soft. Shiny. I liked that. She was smart. Impatient. She had a short temper, but she could handle herself in a fight."

"How did you meet her?"

"She worked for me on a case. I can't tell you which one. I met her once during, and things went from there."

"So what happened?" He fell silent again, but just as she was about to repeat herself he spoke in a voice so quiet it was barely above a whisper.

"She left me. Said she couldn't hurt her boyfriend like that, he was her soul mate. So she went back to him." He didn't show it, but the calmness in his voice was clearly forced. She'd pushed too far into the subject, brought up something that still hurt him to think about.

"L-san, I'm sorry. That's terrible." She waited a few breaths, then asked softly, surprising herself at her boldness, "Do you still love her?" He grunted in return, bringing his thumb up to his lips and turning away from her. Now she knew her welcome was spent.

"I thought I was in love once too, you know. And things turned out just as badly. Maybe worse, depending on your sense of humor. But anyways, I should get going." She sat up, retrieving her underwear from the floor and pulling them on. She didn't turn, but she could tell he was watching her now.

"What was he like?" She smiled to herself, thinking about how easily men were manipulated, and sat back down. She pulled her shirt on as she did, then reclined against the headboard.

"He was smart. Good looking, all the girls wanted him, but he was so focused. I was surprised when he asked me out. His parents liked me, mine liked him, everyone thought we'd probably get married after college."

"Only your family moved to America."

"No. We broke up before that. Even had time for becoming friends again." She looked over at him, holding his gaze until he asked,

"So what happened?" Her eyes dropped back to her lap.

"Things just... went bad." He didn't say anything, but she could sense his gaze, questioning her, maybe even pitying her. "I'm past it, and I don't see how it's important." When his fingertips made the barest contact with her arm, she shrugged away and stood, picking up her shorts and climbing back into them.

"If he did something to you and you've not told anyone, justice-" Now she laughed aloud.

"Justice," she hissed between clenched teeth. "I don't need your justice. I told you it's in the past, and I don't need you sticking up for me when you have no idea the circumstances, and no reason to fight for me. It's not like you're my boyfriend." She didn't turn to look as she left, but she imagined he was taken aback at her dig, at first when he didn't stop her on the way out to argue, and especially when he didn't call her phone to lecture her when she trudged back into her bedroom and flopped on the bed. For a while she waited for him, sure he would call, then she was so mad he didn't that it took considerable will not to call him. Not that she had anything to say. But imagining how the unplaced call would go, how she would inevitably be made a fool of in some sort of monologue about out of control emotions, made her all the more angry. She finally fell asleep wondering about how every time she and the elusive detective were in the same room things started out so well, but ended so poorly.

She rolled over and opened her eyes to her own still unfamiliar room, sleep deserting her. Not that she's had that much time to sleep, it had been two when Matsuda had returned her to the building, and after three by the time L called on her for his 'talk'. And now it was seven in the morning. She had an hour before everyone would gather downstairs. An hour to gather herself and wash the thoughts of the night before from her head, and the smell of him from her skin.

"Better get started," she grumbled, getting up and heading for the bathroom. But try as she might, her mind kept returning to the night that had only barely ended for her. So now she was in some kind of... thing with L. Not a relationship, he'd made sure to stress that, but it was also clear that even if it was only physically, she was his only. 'Fine,' she thought, eating her breakfast alone rather than downstairs with the rest of the team, 'as if I need the trouble of juggling a boyfriend, this kira business, and L anyways. Might as well enjoy this while I can.'

L and Raito were sitting at the bank of monitors when she arrived downstairs, neither looking up from their conversation to acknowledge her. So she grabbed a cup of coffee and sat at a long desk next to Matsuda, speaking to him in a low tone.

"They seem awful serious today. Has something happened?" He nodded his head, pointing at the monitor that sat at the end of the desk.

"They just found her. Misora Naomi. She was engaged to one of the FBI agents that were helping L out near the beginning of the investigation."

"Weren't all of them killed by Kira?"

"Yes, and that's when she contacted L and told him she was going to investigate on her own, to find her fiancee's murderer. She disappeared more than a month ago, but they've just found her body."

"She's dead... Was it Kira?" At this point Raito's voice interrupted, and Hitomi jumped, looking up to find him standing just behind her chair. A further glance showed L retreating silently to the elevator with Watari, the doors closing before she could say anything.

"We think so. They found her in an apartment in San'ya. It had been paid for in advance for months, but it finally ran out and the landlord and some local police eventually got in. She'd hung herself, and the reports say there was a fire as well. She might have burned her information on the case."

"It has to be Kira, that explains it perfectly, why she'd pay for an apartment for so long, and burn everything before killing herself," Matsuda chimed in, "Kira can control the victim." Hitomi nodded slightly, glancing back toward the elevator.

"Where's L gone to?" Everyone glanced up for a second, Raito watching Hitomi's face and the others looking around, and he answered lowly.

"He went up with Watari. They're going to go to the scene. At least Watari is."

"Then why-" Raito grabbed her arm and pulled her back, spinning her chair so she faced him.

"A word in private, Hitomi-chan." She stood and followed, still watching the elevator as they retreated to the table of refreshments, far from the others gathered at the computers.

"What is it? Why's L leaving if we've got something so big as this? We should all be-"

"He knew Misora from before. Said she worked for him on a case in the States. I didn't want to say anything in front of the others, but he looked upset."

"Upset?"

"Well, less indifferent than usual."

"Do you think they were friends?" Raito smiled.

"Ryuzaki told me I was his first friend, but I wouldn't put it past him to keep something like that from us. I mean, if either of us were connected to Kira..."

"Did Misora... Did she investigate you, Raito? Is that what this is?" A look flashed in his eyes, warning her off the topic.

"How about I take you out to dinner tonight, Hitomi-chan? Just the two of us, for old times sake? I'll run it by Ryuzaki and make reservations somewhere." As if hearing their conversation, Hitomi's phone rang, and she turned away from Raito, flipping it open.

"Yes?"

"About the death of the FBI agent-"

"Misora. What is it?" He hesitated for a moment, as if shocked by something.

"Watari is going to the scene. I want you to go with him."

"Okay. I'll do what I can to help, I've never searched a crime scene before but-"

"I have faith in the two of you. And as far as that dinner alone with Raito, I'm afraid that's impossible. The two of you could disappear, ruin your cover as Misa Misa's friend and Matsuda's girlfriend, or even run into Kira out there. You could have a dinner here, in your apartment. Of course I would chaperone..." Hitomi looked over at Raito, pulling the phone from her ear for a moment.

"He said we can't go out to dinner. Sorry." But before she could resume her conversation, Raito plucked the device from her hand and spoke.

"How about this, Ryuzaki- Hitomi-chan and I will have dinner and spend the night without you and Misa-chan. But at my parent's house. My father has mentioned her to my mother and sister, who both want to see her while she's in town. We'll have supervision, by a task force member, nonetheless." The smile on his face gave Hitomi the answer to this proposal, and Raito bid the detective farewell, handing the closed phone back to her. "He said that Watari will be waiting in the garage for you in fifteen minutes. I'll call my mother and tell her we'll be over by eight... Does that sound good?"

He didn't wait for a reply, joining the others and leaving Hitomi wishing she'd not gotten her day started after all.