A/N: Hm...maybe I'm posting these chapters too fast. Should I leave some space in between? Like every other day or once every week? Lemme know! Enjoy and please review!

Chapter 9: Rejection

"I'm not Kira!" Light was yelling on the screen again. It was his thirty-ninth day of confinement, and he had made a daily point of screaming his innocence. Miya just didn't get it, and so she tried to ignore Light if possible. All his yelling did was distract everyone from trying to figure out the case.

"Can we shut that off?" Miya asked, rubbing her head. She was resting on the arm of L's chair, fighting the monster headache that was threatening to attack.

"Light, as I've informed you every day we cannot let you out yet," L said into the microphone. Light cursed, but quieted down enough for Miya to think.

"Thank goodness," she sighed, opening her eyes. Matsuda and Aizawa were in the back, going over the same information for the thousandth time, just in case they had missed anything the first nine hundred and ninety nine times.

"You should have some cake Miya," L suggested, turning toward her. "Especially if you have a headache. It really helps to think." Miya nodded.

"I'll try anything now," she groaned, rubbing her head. She made to hop of his chair, but lost her balance halfway up and fell backwards…right into L's lap. Matsuda and Aizawa heard her shriek as she fell and turned to see her lying across his legs, which he was thankfully able to put down before she fell onto his knees. L just sat there with a very surprised look on his face, shifting his gaze downward to see Miya, who opened her eyes and smiled innocently.

"Sorry," she groaned, pulling herself upright. "I guess I just got up too fast." L stared at her blankly, and she furrowed her eyebrows.

"I really didn't mean to fall on you," Miya continued to apologize, thinking he was mad. Matsuda chuckled and spoke up.

"I think he's just waiting for you to get up," he laughed.

"Huh?" Miya said, confused. It was then that she realized she was still sitting on his lap.
"Oh my God!" She hopped up quickly and held her hands out in front of her. "I'm so sorry! I was just sitting there like an idiot!"

"Yes well…I think we were going to get cake?" L said awkwardly, switching the subject. Matsuda and Aizawa were still chuckling slightly as Miya walked quickly over to the table that held the stash of sweets. She glared at them playfully as she passed, attempting to recover from her momentary lapse of coordination.

"This case is literally going nowhere…" Matsuda said with a yawn. It was now Light's forty-first day of confinement, and the task force was obviously tired.

"I agree," Aizawa said. "Light isn't talking except when he's begging to let him out, and Misa's convinced that she's been kidnapped by a stalker. Not to mention poor chief. He's beating himself up in there."

"But something fishy's going on with them," Miya shrugged. "I don't trust Light and I say we keep him in there until things make sense."

"The killings have started again," Matsuda said, now stretching. "It's not right to let Light think he's guilty when he's obviously not."

"It's too late to argue about this," Aizawa said as he rubbed his eyes.

"Yes, please head home for the night," L added, staring at the TV screen as he usually was. Misa was definitely asleep, and though Miya couldn't tell from where she was standing, she was fairly certain that Light and Mr. Yagami had dozed off as well, yet L continued to watch the screen for reasons unknown to Miya.

"Okay, see you tomorrow!" Matsuda said with no hesitation, heading for the door. Aizawa was right behind him, and soon L and Miya were alone.

"Aren't you going home Miya?" L asked without turning around. Miya shrugged as if he could see her and plopped down in the chair beside him.

"Yeah, I just wanted some cake first," she said, reaching out to the coffee table in front of them and serving herself a slice. One bad thing about working on the task force was the unavoidable amount of sweets you ate. Miya was forming an addiction that could only get worse from here.

"That does sound good," Ryuzaki agreed. Miya handed him her plate and then cut herself a new one. When she looked back up, L was on his last bite.

"Boy, you just wolf those things down, don't you? Or…panda those down I guess." Miya cracked up at her own joke as L took his last bite and placed the plate back down on the table.

"Are you going to eat your slice?" he asked as Miya took a deep breath to calm her laughter. She glared at him and guarded her plate.

"Yes I am, now back off!" L shook his head, slightly amused, before fixing his gaze back on the screen. Miya watched him curiously as she chewed her first bite. They had been spending a lot of time together lately as the confinement period wore on, and Miya finally felt like she knew him a little better. In fact, she was feeling a little more than that…and it was scaring her.

"Um…here you can have this," she said, passing him the half of the cake she had left. He took it appreciatively and finished it, nodding as he put the last bite into his mouth.

"You really do make good cakes Miya…" he mumbled through his mouthful. Miya blushed slightly before replying.

"Oh thanks, it's no big deal." She had gotten into the habit of bringing cake in nearly every day, partly because the team needed the sugar rush and partly…because L seemed to like it.

'What the hell is wrong with me?' she thought as she looked at L. He was hunched over in his chair, as usual, his knees to his chest with his arms resting on them. His hair was a complete mess, and his eyes were looking darker every day. The oddest part was that Miya was finding this rather attractive as of late. She wasn't sure when this all happened, so she took a moment to backtrack.

She supposed it must have started at the dinner party. She really hadn't expected him to look that good in a tux, let alone look that good at all. And then she'd been able to talk a little more with him, and though he was still a mystery to her, she felt like she was breaking through his shell. On top of everything else he was smart, and they were able to carry on intellectual conversations with ease. Mix it all together and it was a recipe for a crush Miya was not expecting and did not understand.

"Why don't you get some sleep L?" Miya asked. "Even the people we've got locked up are getting some rest." L sighed and turned to Miya.

"It's pointless really. The moment I lie down, my brain will start racing with thoughts that would keep me up anyway." He placed his thumb to his lip before continuing. "It's easier to just skip the pointless effort." Miya sighed. She was on a constant mission to get him away from his work and it always proved futile. There just had to be a part of him that was programmed to think work, work, work and that was it.

Miya stood up and grabbed the plates, carrying them over to the stack that no one had bothered washing yet. She then returned to the sitting area and plopped herself on the edge of L's chair. She hadn't done that since she'd fallen in his lap, but now she wasn't so sure that a repeat of the incident would be a bad thing.

"Is your balance in check?" L asked, turning toward her. He was obviously making fun of her for exactly what she'd been remembering, and instead of joking back she decided to test his emotions.

"Does my sitting here bother you?" she asked.

"No, not really," L replied with no emotion, turning back to the screen. Miya sighed with his answer. She'd been trying all day, since she came to the conclusion that Ryuzaki was slightly adorable, to find out his thoughts on her. She was sure he liked her, she just wasn't sure how much.

"Alright, well I guess I should head home," Miya announced, standing up. "It is getting late after all."

"Yes it is," L agreed, standing up like he often did when Miya left. He always walked her to the door, and Miya wasn't sure whether or not it was just because he was being polite or because he liked her. It was all so frustrating, and Miya just wished she could go back to yesterday when she was happily oblivious to her own feelings! "You know if you need to leave earlier in the evenings to be with Noah, I'd understand," L added as they reached the door.

"Well…I kinda like talking to you…" Miya said slowly, testing the waters. L just stared at her with his unblinking eyes, and Miya instantly blushed with embarrassment. "Okay well," she said loudly. "I will see you tomorrow!" She reached for the door and opened it quickly, but L was looking confused.

"What?" she asked, now confused herself.

"It's dark outside," he stated obviously. Miya furrowed her eyebrows and nodded slowly.

"Yeah it…tends to get like that at night…"

"Well you shouldn't be walking home alone in the dark like this," he said, placing his thumb to his lip in thought.

"I've done it before," Miya said with a shrug. "Yesterday, in fact. I have pepper spray. It's all good." What was with the sudden concern?

"I'll walk you," he insisted. Miya looked around quickly as if searching for something. "What are you looking for?" Ryuzaki continued.

"I was just trying to figure out where L went," she said. "He would say goodnight and then go back to the screen."

"Well, if that's what you want," he said, turning back around. Miya cursed at herself with a strong vocabulary before trying to get him to come back.

"No, okay you're right. It's dark," she said quickly. "Let's go." L paused in front of his chair and leaned over the microphone.

"Watari," he said quickly.

"Yes?" Watari replied. Man did these people ever sleep?

"I'm going to walk Miss Yamagata home. Keep an eye on them for me will you?"

"Will do," Watari replied before the room went silent. Miya was extremely pleased with this re-write in her night plans, and had to resist smiling like a doofus as L headed back over and motioned for her to go ahead.

"Ladies first," he said in a low voice as Miya headed out the door. L was right behind her, and she slowed her pace so they were walking side by side. It was silent for a while, L walking beside her with his hands stuffed in his pockets, and Miya was trying to figure out what to say. This was absolutely ridiculous! Yesterday she would have been able to blab on about anything, and today she was all self-conscious about what he would think of her.

"You okay Miss Yamagata? You're strangely quiet," L asked curiously once they were on the sidewalk. Miya really didn't live that far away, so she consciously slowed her pace so the walk would be longer as she answered him.

"I told you to call me Miya, remember?" she reminded.

"Ah yes, I'm sorry. It just happens sometimes," he shrugged.

"Yeah, sometimes I want to call you Ryuga," Miya admitted. "I guess I'll always have that image of you in my mind. Uh…not that I think about you enough to have an image or anything. I just mean that I was so used to calling you Ryuga and now you want me to call you Ryuzaki and sometimes I call you L…" Miya trailed off, realizing her nervous ramble was pointless. This was L! Ryuzaki! It was Ryuga for Pete's sake! The same guy who'd never been on a date! What was she worrying about?

"You are quite amusing Miya," L said, turning his head to look at her. "But tell me, honestly, how's it going? Working on the case, I mean. Are you happy being on the task force?"

"Well, I'm sad we haven't gotten Kira yet but I'm glad you see something in me," Miya replied. "I always wanted to be a detective but I never thought it would really happen, you know? Being a teenage mom and all I kinda figured it was out of the picture."

"Yes, I suppose that would be difficult, though I couldn't say from personal experience," L commented obviously. "How…?" he trailed off, however, and instead chose to say nothing.

"What?" Miya asked.

"It's none of my business," Ryuzaki replied flatly. Miya took a deep breath, knowing exactly what he was going to ask about.

"He left," she explained. "Noah's father. The minute I told him I was pregnant he took off. I don't even think he stopped for a second to think about what effect it would have on me and my life. He just got out of there as fast as he could to save himself." L didn't respond, so Miya decided to keep talking. "I really did love him though. But I was young and stupid, I guess."

"But you don't regret it," L picked up from her tone.

"No," Miya said confidently. "Maybe I regret the fact that I wasn't able to see through him, but I will never regret having Noah. He's everything to me now."

"You're very wise for nineteen," L informed her. "I'm impressed." Miya shrugged.

"I guess most people wouldn't expect it from me. But you're complimenting me and look at you! You're only a college student and already you're the best detective in the world."

"You honestly still believe me to be a college student?" L asked blankly.

"Huh?" Miya said. "What do you mean? You were in my class."

"Yes, but that was just a cover," L explained. "Really, I thought you were aware of that by now. I haven't attended class with you in over two months."

"Guess my deductive skills aren't as sharp as you give me credit for," Miya shrugged. "How old are you then?"

"Twenty-five," L answered casually. Miya, on the other hand, about choked on the air. It was quite an adjustment to go from imagining yourself with an eighteen year old to a twenty-five year old. Not that it was such a huge difference or anything, it just caught her off guard.

"Wow, okay I was way off," she mumbled. "Only a six year gap there."

"Are you suggesting that my acting was well done?" L asked curiously.

"Well, I thought you were a college student so yeah, guess so. But I'm not surprised. Is there anything you can't do? Seriously you're like a genius, you can play tennis, and you danced pretty well there recently."

"You give me a lot of credit," L shrugged.

"But you said that day at the zoo that you don't have many friends. Why is that?" Miya didn't want to hurt his feelings, but she figured that since she didn't have many friends either it wouldn't be offensive.

"I just…never have," Ryuzaki replied. "Only on the Kira investigation did I reveal my face to anyone, and as you know, my name is still a mystery. Not exactly the best circumstances to befriend someone."

"Yeah, that's really not fair," Miya said. "The whole, you being a giant mystery thing. But it's okay. I'll figure you out eventually."

"Let's focus on the Kira investigation first," L commented, looking up at the house they'd stopped in front of. "Hmm, well it appears we're here." Miya hadn't even noticed where they were until they were standing in her driveway, and she was a little disappointed that their walk was over so shortly.

"Well thanks for walking me home," she said, turning to face him. "Though I guess it was pointless. No one was out here to attack me."

"But I do enjoy talking to you," L said as his eyes met hers. "So don't worry about it." Miya blushed slightly, though she wasn't sure why. He just said he liked talking to her; not exactly a love confession.

"Alright, well night," she said with a slight smile.

"Goodnight," he replied, turning and heading down the street once Miya had reached her door.

"Oh, call me when you get back so I know you made it home safe!" she called after him. She knew he heard her and so she stepped inside and headed upstairs. After checking Noah, who was sleeping peacefully, and putting on her pajamas, Miya crawled into her bed full of thoughts about a certain black-haired man.

She was nearly asleep when her phone rang.

"Hello?" she mumbled into the phone without checking to see who was calling. She practically bolted upright, however, when she realized who it was.

"Miya?" L said on the other end. "I'm back safe and so I'm calling you."

"Oh, yeah," Miya said, slapping her hand to her forehead. "Okay good."

"Did I wake you?" L asked. "I'm sorry."

"I asked you to call," Miya said. "You were just following orders."

"I suppose I was," L replied. "Well, have pleasant dreams Miya." The phone clicked, and Miya tossed it to the side.

"Oh, I plan to…" she giggled to herself as she rolled over to sleep.

The next morning, Miya arrived at headquarters with the full intention of making her feelings known. She'd had about four different dreams the night before, all about Ryuzaki, and decided it was best to find out exactly where this friendship might be heading before her pining for him reached pathetic levels.

"You alright Miya?" Matsuda asked, snapping her out of her thoughts. "You seem distracted."

"No…" Miya sighed, glancing to L, who was balancing a strawberry on his fork.

"Okay well…just checking," Matsuda said with furrowed eyebrows before turning back to his work. Miya wasn't sure when she should tell him, but she knew for sure they had to be alone. Her crush on L was one thing she did not want Matsuda and Aizawa to be aware of.

"Night," Matsuda called at the end of another fruitless day. He was the last task force member out, and Miya found herself growing anxious. She still hadn't worked up the nerve to talk to L about anything besides Kira and it was about time to go.

"Well…goodbye," Miya sighed, defeated. There was no talking over feelings tonight. She just wasn't feeling brave enough. She stood up slowly and headed over to the door, Ryuzaki behind her.

"L," Miya said once they reached the door. She couldn't leave without saying something. It would eat at her all night!

"Yes?" he asked. Though he'd asked her to call him Ryuzaki, he'd grown accustomed to her calling him L when they were alone. He supposed as long as she didn't say it in public, they'd be okay.

"Um…I…I'll see you tomorrow," Miya said quickly, chickening out.

"Okay see you then," he replied casually.

"Wait L," she said again.

"Yes?"

"Um…I was wondering…never mind, it can wait."

"What is it Miya?" he asked seriously. Miya shook her head.

"Nothing," she said firmly. "I'll see you tomorrow." She reached for the doorknob at the same time he did, and once again they found their hands brushing against each other. "Sorry," she apologized, pulling her hand back as he did. She looked up and met his gaze, and suddenly felt a rush of confidence as his dark eyes bore into hers.

"L?" she said again.

"Yes?" he asked for a third time. Miya hesitated for the slightest second before placing her hand on the side of his neck and leaning forward to press her lips to his. She just couldn't seem to express her feelings in words, so she decided to show him. It didn't take her long, however, to realize his lips were completely still against hers. She pulled back slightly to see that his eyes were wide open, and so she backed up completely.

"I'm…sorry…" Miya apologized, feeling the pain of rejection stab her in the gut. L still looked shocked, and he raised his thumb to his lip in thought.

"Hmm," he mused. "It appears I have a girlfriend…"

"I wouldn't go that far," Miya said, opening the door. Lately she'd been stalling when it came time to leave, but today she couldn't get out of there fast enough.

"But…doesn't a kiss…?" L began uncertainly.

"It's not like you kissed me back," she shrugged, stepping out the door. "See you tomorrow." L just stood there, staring after her at a loss for words. Had he messed something up without even being aware of it? As he ran his finger along his lips, he sure hoped he hadn't.

Miya, on the other hand, was fighting the tears that were pushing against her eyes. She wasn't expecting a scene out of a movie, but a response would have been nice. At least now she knew how he felt, right?