A/N: If you look REALLY closely, you can find the small quote I took from L in the series...

...

JK, it's totally easy to find! You'll see it!

I hope you all enjoy, reviews welcomed, and keep being awesome my friends!

(Light P.O.V)

Did this girl ever just SHUT UP!?

We'd been at this diner for close to an hour and all she had done was talk about was her friends while texting others. I don't even believe she looked up once from her phone! Honestly did she have anything else to talk about other than her friends? I needed more variety than this, I needed to talk about subjects like pressing matters around the world, or school, or even the weather would be better than this! But no… I was stuck in a perpetual loop of crazy with this girl.

Her name was Mimi. It was short for something I'd forgotten. The only reason I didn't choose Misa or Takada was so neither had a win over the other. But, at this point, I'd take their crazy over her crazy right about now.

I rubbed my temple as she kept talking… looking down at her phone the entire time. "…and I just know Tara's going to be so jealous of me! You know she's wanted to date you since ninth grade, right?! Creepy, I know! But that one time you visited Teri and Tamlen, EVERYONE was talking about you! Especially Misa! Ooh! We should take a picture together and send it to her! She'd be SO jealous, she might even cry!"

I shivered a bit from her. Not only could she not stop talking, but apparently she was a bitch. And I only saved that word for the real ones that deserved it.

As she kept talking and texting, I looked around the diner. This was sort of a last minute date so I just picked a place and Mimi agreed to it. Not that she looked at the place or anything. Or the menu… or the drink list…

This was just terrible.

Finally realizing my mistake, I looked out the window and saw an opportunity to get out of there.

Ryuzaki was walking home, not realizing he was passing the diner I was in. I decided now would be my best opportunity to leave, so I slowly slinked out of the booth we were in, silently stepped my way out of her line of sight, the quickly paid for my one drink and hurried to find Ryuzaki. At the moment, I hadn't cared that I wanted to be distant from the man. I just knew he carried an intelligent conversation and didn't look at his phone while he talked. Next time I picked a date, it wouldn't be with someone so absolutely insane.

"Ryuzaki!" I called after seeing him.

He turned around and stopped for me as I ran to him. When I'd stopped in front of him I ws huffing and in pain from the cold air.

Once I caught my breath, I smiled. "I am so glad… I found you."

He cocked an eyebrow. "I thought you were on a date with some girl." He replied.

I shook my head. "I hardly consider that a date. She wouldn't get off her phone, she wouldn't speak about anything but her friends, I think I lost a few IQ points with her! Please, if you care about me as a friend, you will have an in depth conversation with me so that I may revive the lost brain cells!"

He was quiet for the longest time. I was beginning to think he might not want me around until I heard a chuckle come from him.'

"Alright." The man said happily. But did you at least tell your date that you left?"

"Hold on." I replied as I took out my phone and texted her that I had left nearly ten minutes ago. "There. She should get it soon."

"Then I suggest we find a place where she can't find you and demand why you left. Women are quite caddy and defensive if need be it."

I looked back at the diner, then to him. "Yeah, you might be right. Let's go!"

We ended up running off and out of sight at that point. I didn't want to deal with a crying girl that night, especially one that was so rude. So I led the way to a coffee shop I knew about that Ryuzaki might like. It was better than being out in the cold, and I actually wanted to enjoy my time out tonight.

No matter who it was with.

(L P.O.V)

The coffee shop we went to, courtesy of Light, was quiet and warm. It was a nice place and didn't have your typical loud teenagers only there to have a good time. You were there simply because you wanted to be, you were with a friend… or on a date.

I shook those thoughts away. Light and I were absolutely not on a date. I knew he liked women and not men, yet still I tortured myself with the thought that just maybe he'd want to try something new.

I'd begun to realize I was having feelings for Light, as much as I hated the thought of it. Not the thought of being with Light, but rather… the thought of never being with him. He had so many others to choose from, so many people in his fan base to love and who loved him, why would he choose me? Someone he just barely met and who looks and acts the way I do? I'd wanted to be just a bit normal for him, to sit like a regular person, to eat regular things, and to have a regular attitude. But I wasn't normal… and I hated that more than anything.

It was one of the reasons I got in touch with Derek. He'd been so happy that I called him, begging me for a second chance. And… I gave him one. But we'd start again after I came home from Japan, once I was done with work. So, losing Light wasn't all that painful anymore. At least I had someone waiting for me when I went home.

So now I could settle with the fact that Light and I were not going to be together. I already had someone.

Someone who loved me.

We sat down at a booth and Light's demand for an intelligent conversation was accepted.

"So what would you like to talk about, Light?" I asked.

He seemed to relax at this happily. "How about that topic of L you said we'd get back to?"

I hummed at this, questioning whether or not this was a good idea. "Light, before we get to that topic, I would first like to know what your idea of justice is. That, and why you choose to follow L so blindly when you have no idea what he is or what his methods are."

Light merely looked down at the table, thinking about how he should answer this. "Ryuzaki, as a child I bullied mercilessly by other kids because I was different. I liked to read books at a tenth grade level when I was only eight. I was bumped up again and again until I was doing high school tests in fifth grade. I had no one but my closest friends Teri and Tamlen, and even then they were picked on for even knowing me. I thought it wasn't fair, that there was no justice.

"But then… L just kind of appeared. It started when my father came home telling us that this detective solved a cold case in less than two days. Then another… and another… and suddenly it was like justice was actually being done. Maybe not to everyone, but it gave me the hope to believe things could change for the better.

"You asked me what justice is… and I can't honestly tell you. I just know it when I see it. When I see that innocent people, ones who are suffering, get the integrity they deserve, the happiness and positivity… I just know they've gotten the justice that was needed."

"Light, that is a very childish way of looking at things." I said as our drinks were placed in front of us. After stirring mine for a bit, I smiled at him. "And you think almost the same way that L does."

He blinked in surprise at this. "Do I?"

I nodded, sipping my drink. "Although I really shouldn't be telling you any of this, L is quite childish himself. He has a strong sense of justice, but how he began was merely an accident. He saw a case he wanted to solve and he solved it on his own. After he began doing this for fun, his guardian began to invest on making him one of the best detectives in the world. Better than Eraldo Coil, or even Deneuve. He seeks to right wrongs but purely only to the ones that most interest him, or he's offered a high amount of cash. His guardian, Watari, is the only one who knows his true face. The only one by his side."

He nodded at this. "But, haven't you seen his true face?"

I thought about this before answering with a shake of my head. "No, I don't believe I have. L has many faces in this world. He could be anyone." I sunk into myself a bit. "It's rather cowardly of him."

"I wouldn't say that. I mean, a lot of people might want to kill him for things, so why wouldn't he…"

"Light, once again you are speaking like a child." I answered him. "L has many enemies, this is true, but if he really cared about justice more than anyone, don't you think he'd allow the ones he hurt to impose justice upon him?"

Light was quiet at this. "I… I haven't thought about it like that."

"And neither has he." I said morbidly. "He just hides away and lets others suffer. It's why I have such disdain for him." I kept my eyes on my tea as I began stirring it, losing myself in the motion. "He's so cowardly, so out of tune with the world. So many people think he's a good thing, but the same amount of people hate him too you know.

"I personally believe he is a monster."

The brunette seemed confused by this accusation. "What do you mean by that, Ryuzaki?"

I continued stirring the tea. "There are many types of monsters that scare me, Light. Monsters who cause trouble without showing themselves, monsters who abduct children, monsters who devour dreams, monsters who suck blood... and then, monsters who tell nothing but lies. Lying monsters are a real nuisance. They are much more cunning than others. They pose as humans even though they have no understanding of the human heart; they eat even though they've never experienced hunger; they study even though they have no interest in academics…" I paused for a slight moment. "They seek friendship even though they do not know how to love." I stopped stirring my tea to look Light in the eye. "If L were to encounter such monsters, he would likely be eaten by them... because in truth, he is that monster."

Light was silenced by my small soliloquy. He seemed to understand what I was trying to get at, but was more than willing to defend L's name.

"I think you're wrong, Ryuzaki."

"Oh? How so?"

Light took a few sips of his coffee before answering. "Although L does lie about who he is and what he is, he never lies about wanting to find the truth. You said it yourself, if a case interests him then he jumps to the occasion to look into it. A monster would demand he be paid in those circumstances, no matter the feelings of the people he's trying to help. Plus, L never says he's in this purely for himself. He's in this for the justice as much as he is for the thrill. And honestly, I can't believe he would be a monster if he's willing to go through so much to find the truth and end the suffering of others. Maybe there are times he is selfish… but we all are at some points in time. Is this a crime? To be selfish? No. It's all about how you act when it comes to your selfishness. And L uses his own selfishness to help others as well."

For the first time in my life, I was dumbstruck by what someone else had said. I'd never known anyone who was able to counter my argument. I'd always been right, no matter what… but Light…

I looked away from him, then. Not wanting to fall for him any more than I already was. I loved the way he was able to counter me, that he had the same mindset, and that we shared so much in common. But… I also hated it. I hated it because I knew he didn't see what I was seeing. The attraction… the common interests… he didn't see it. And it made me sad. If it wasn't for Derek…

I suddenly got a phone call to my emergency phone and I answered it almost immediately. "What is it Wammy?"

"L, there's an emergency at the Wammy house! It's been taken care of, but I need you home right now! I believe there's something you need to tell me."

I felt my heart sink to my stomach. "I'll be there as soon as I can."

I hung up my phone and slid out of the booth as quickly as I could. "I have to go home, Light. There's an emergency."

He stood up as well. "If you need me to come with you…"

"No." I said as I left some money on the table for both of our drinks. "This isn't something you need to hear."

"Is it about L?" He asked worriedly.

I took a quick moment to think about it. "Yes, but it has nothing to do with you. I'm sorry, we'll have to talk later."

I hurried out of the coffee shop and ran like hell to get home. I knew exactly what happened… I didn't need to be told.

(Light P.O.V)

I sat back into my seat, feeling alone. I hadn't known why I felt so alone until I looked at the half empty cup of tea in front of me.

Ryuzaki had a way of making me speak my mind and find the facts in everything. And the way he spoke about L… it was passionate, even if it was in a negative way. It was quite honestly the first time I'd ever felt connected with somebody. Like I could talk to him about anything and he'd listen and debate with me. He was smart, but brooding, humorous, but stern. And his smile… it just lit up my day. Why couldn't anyone else make me feel this way?

I leaned my head on my hands, thinking about his emergency. I'd hoped everything was alright with him. If he had to leave Japan, though…

I didn't like thinking about that. No, he'd be in school tomorrow morning. We'd meet at his locker like we did every day then talk about our project. Maybe more if any other topic came up. I had to remember that.

Why was I feeling like this?