Misa: It's Misa's chapter! Hooray! XD!
TCLA: Did you just say, "XD?"
Misa: Of course Misa did! Now Misa is to tell you how my best friend ever, Alex
TCLA: They don't know me by that na-
Misa: Doesn't own Misa or my Light, otherwise she would write a wonderful happy ending where we would have lots of cute Light babies!
TCLA: …I can't bring myself to hate you in fanfiction. In the manga and anime I have no problem with wishing a violent death upon you, but I can't seem to do it in fanfiction.
Misa: YAY!
TCLA: That should probably concern you. Oh whatever. Get on with it and read the story. That's why you're here right?
Chapter 23 Friendship
"REI!" the blonde shrieked energetically on the other line, causing me to recoil and hold the phone an arm's link away. And there goes my hearing. "Misa is so happy you called! Work is sooooooooooo," I kid you not on the length of the 'so', "oooooooo boring right now." Yes. Perfect opportunity.
"Well maybe I could help with that. I'm free right now and was wondering if we could hang out?" Damn, why did that come out as a question? "I mean, I wouldn't mind waiting on the set with you so the shoot would seem faster," I offered, hoping my Yagami charm would assure a yes. Who was I kidding? It was Light charm. Nobody else in the family, least of all me, possessed any charm.
"Of course! Misa would love that!" I let out a breath I hadn't realized I was holding. "Can Rei come right now? Does Rei need a ride?" I grinned at my easy victory.
"Slow down girl. Yeah, I can come right now and I think I'm good with a ride. What's the address?" Misa recited the location at a breakneck speed as well as some instructions for getting in.
"Make sure you say that Misa specifically asked for you and will quit if you're not let in. Then they'll come back to check with me to make sure you're not a stalker." Misa really was likeable. I wouldn't have tried to become her friend without some sort of motivation, but she was a sweet girl. I must have some sort of an affinity with undercover murderers or something.
"Get a lot of those do you?" I asked jokingly. There was a pause on the other line.
"Sometimes…" she finally answered in a tone hardly traceable to her normal bubblegum pop attitude.
"Misa?" I asked in genuine concern. The other side went quiet again. "Misa?" I prompted.
"Ah! Sorry Misa was distracted! They want Misa back on now, will Rei be here soon?" It wasn't a lie; I could hear background noise on her end.
"Yeah, twenty minutes tops," I assured her. "Bye!"
"Bye, Rei!" Misa cheerily yelled back. The phones disconnected. I stared at the small cell phone in my hand for a few moments before, embarrassingly enough, doing a fist pump and jumping in the air.
I quickly vacated the park heading for the nearest bus stop. I blinked in shock when I saw how far I was from the task force's hotel of the hour. I quickly calculated the distance. Shit. I had run about fifteen blocks. No wonder I hadn't been able to stop crying, that would've meant I would have to stop breathing. My uncontrollable sobs had saved me from passing out. Thank you miserable fight with my possible murderer of a brother.
The bus came relatively quickly and we reached my stop in about ten minutes. I thanked the driver and stepped off onto the curb in front of an extremely expensive ritzy looking building. I wolf-whistled and several passersby gave me a few strange looks in response, though I ignored them.
I walked up to the double glass doors a bit apprehensively and jumped when they opened of their own accord. What the hell was I doing? No! This was no time to freak out! These people could smell fear! Wait, that's completely ridiculous…or is it,?
Tentatively, I glanced up at the staff in the small lobby. No one was paying attention to me, excluding a secretary stationed at a large desk backed against the center of a large wall. I took in a deep breath, trying to shake off the cowed feeling the huge building had given me.
You just won a fight with Light. Freaking Light! You haven't won a fight with him since you were twelve!
I was wondering where you were. And don't you mean we?
Nope. I had nothing to do with it. You had the entire situation under control.
This makes me feel slightly schizophrenic.
Only slightly?
Well, you are only one voice…
Focus, Rei.
Right.
Feeling much more comfortable after, well, talking to myself I strutted over to the desk trying to radiate Light's, "worship me for I am God in human form" attitude. It must have worked a little because the secretary lost the skeptical expression she had been wearing a few minutes ago.
"Hey," I said trying to act confident, cue laughter here, "I'm here for Misa Amane." Oh, the skeptical look was back.
"Really…" she drawled out lazily. My fingers tightened at the disbelief in her tone. She looked me up and down in that same lazy way. "Really," she repeated flatly. I feel like I should be offended.
"Really," I answered mockingly. When she made no move to do anything, I spoke again rolling my eyes. "Misa said to mention that if you didn't let me in she was quitting," I added impatiently. The phone on the desk chose to ring at that moment.
"One sec," the secretary said, not looking the least bit apologetic. She hit a button enabling speaker phone. "Yeah?"
"Hey Keiko, do have a girl out there saying she's here for Misa?" a male voice asked. I grinned widely pointing to myself. The secretary blanched. "Cause Misa is sorta having a meltdown," the male continued.
"One sec," the secretary I now knew as Keiko said, hitting a button on the phone. She smiled weakly. "What did you say your name was again?"
"I didn't. It's Rei Yagami." She nodded and hit the button again.
"Shigure, Misa's not waiting for a Rei Yagami is she?" the secretary asked sheepishly.
"Yeah, actually. Why is she there?"
"Kinda," Keiko admitted.
"Then get her back here!" the male yelled causing Keiko to hastily hang up.
"I'm so sorry!" Keiko floundered. "I just thought you were a, well uh…"
"A stalker?" I offered helpfully. Keiko flushed red.
"Right," she muttered. "Here, I'll take you back there myself."
"That would be helpful," I said with a rueful smile. Wow connections really were everything.
I was led through of a maze what most girls would consider heaven. Clothes, makeup, and people willing to make you look good in the first two were everywhere. However, I was resisting the urge not to run out the way I came.
For one thing, I couldn't breathe. Perfume and hairspray hardly mixed together as a breathable gas. I was also going blind from the harsh lights and constant flashing. Not to mention it was deafening. Incredibly so. People were shouting as well as blaring pop music as loud as possible. No wonder Misa was vocal. You would have to be to survive in here.
We finally emerged into a relative open area containing the various sets being used. And in the center of this space, was Misa, who was apparently pouting and ignoring everyone. That is until she saw me.
"Rei!" she squealed and ran towards me dressed in what appeared to be a wedding dress. All the photographers looked relieved that Misa's particular problem was over.
"Hey, Misa," I answered. "Um, what are you wearing?" Misa giggled and grabbed fistfuls of the dress while twirling in a circle.
"Oh this? It's part of the photographers 'vision'," she explained with air quotes. "He wants to show all the sides of love. Misa is gonna be in a red one and a black one too." I nodded. It made as much sense as anything else had today.
"I'm sure you'll look beautiful." Misa blushed modestly.
"Misa has to work now, but you'll watch right?" I nodded again. "Great!" She seized my arm (that seemed to be happening a lot lately) and dragged me to her particular scene of the moment.
I just stood towards the back of the mob of photographers that enveloped her, and watched, looking for little quirks she exhibited that may come in useful later. All the while, I could feel myself confidence taking several hits as groups of scantily clad girls giggled past. Appearance hadn't ever really mattered to me, but I hadn't necessarily avoided looking good. And around all these tiny waists and hips, I was feeling a bit gargantuan by comparison. Ugh, now was not the time to be thinking about this. Suck it up.
Misa came over every once in a while when she got a break. Mainly long enough for me to compliment her and to take a few sips of water. No wonder I had never bonded with any other girls, they were sort of self-centered.
After enduring about two hours of the constant flashbulbs and constant jostling of photographers and prop handlers running past me, Misa's shoot was finally over. It was clear from the tired expression on photographers and models alike that my feeling of relief was mutual. Misa bounded towards me, her energy seemed to be as high as ever, dressed once again in her casual wear. Translation: something black frilly and lacey. I managed to ignore this however and greeted her with a smile.
"Rei, Misa is soooo tired," she complained, though she didn't look it. "Can we get something to eat?" Misa asked seeming to wilt before my eyes; shifting from her omnipresent hyper attitude.
"Yeah, I'm kinda hungry too. Got anywhere in mind?" Misa lit up.
"Misa has this perfect little café she goes too all the time after shoots! They have the best sundaes!" Complete one-eighty in the space of a few seconds. She reminded me of Matsuda.
"Sounds good," I responded easily.
"Yay!" she yelled out, bouncing on the balls of her feet. "Let's go right now!" Her little hand clutched mine and she began skipping towards the exit, humming under her breath.
"A strawberry sundae please," Misa ordered.
"Same," I said distractedly, trying to ignore the fact that Misa's "perfect little café" was the same place L, Light, and I had gone after the tennis match. It was also the place I found out that Dad had suffered from a heart attack. Bad memories.
"So Rei," Misa began, "you're going to school with Light, right?" Misa let out a little laugh at her unintentional rhyme. I felt myself smile automatically in response.
"Yeah, we eventually want to follow in our father's footsteps and begin working in the police force, and eventually the NPA," I explained. Misa got a coy expression on her face.
"Then shouldn't Rei be at school with Light right now?" Misa asked triumphantly. It was last night's interrogation in reverse it would seem, though I was hardly giving out crucial information.
"You caught me," I admitted with a grin and a shrug. "I'm ditching today. Light and I had a fight and I didn't feel like dealing with him today."
"A fight?" Misa exclaimed, her tiny made up mouth forming an "O" of shock. "What about?" I smiled sheepishly.
"I spent the night at my boyfriend's an-"
"The boyfriend Light doesn't know about?" Misa interrupted eagerly. I nodded.
"Right. Anyway, Light found out and started freaking out, because he thought something else happened." Misa wrinkled her nose.
"Light is over protective. If Misa did something like that, Light would probably tear the other boy apart. Rei should have told Light nothing happened, though,"
Misa scolded. Right, it was my fault that Light assumed L raped me. Yeah, let's go with that.
"You're right," I relented, sensing Misa would defend Light even if Light had told me to stay at the hotel himself.
"Of course Misa is! And Misa know her Light had a good reason fo- " At that moment my phone rang, interrupting what I was sure was a well thought out analysis of a person Misa had only known for a few days at most. Tugging my phone out of my pocket, I checked the number to see the name Ryuuga flashing across the screen. L was calling me. I glanced over at Misa who was looking offended, and crossing her arms with a pout.
"Misa it's my boyfriend…. Do you mind if I answer it?" At the word boyfriend, Misa's irritated expression immediately changed to excitement.
"Answer it! Answer it! Answer! It!" Misa chanted. Despite myself I started laughing and was still giggling a bit into the phone when I flipped it open.
"Hello?" I asked amidst muffled laughter.
"Rei," L said.
"Yes?" I answered my voice lilting up at the end when I saw Misa's expression. She was mouthing something and gesturing intricately. She looked ridiculous.
"Am I correct in assuming at this moment you are not with Light?" he asked.
"Yeah, but how would you know that?" I responded curiously.
"Because Light just called to mention that you ran off early this morning after our confrontation." I paused uncomfortable, unsure of what to say to that.
"You don't sound upset," I commented. He chuckled into the phone.
"Should I be?" I frowned in confusion.
"Well, no. But you seem like the sort to always want to have at least some idea of where I am…" I trailed off.
"I have no desire to repress your interactions with the outside world. I do not want to control you, Rei." I blinked in surprise. That was, well, mature on his part. "That being said, I would still like to know your location." I smiled. That was more like L.
"Remember where we went after your tennis match? I'm there with…a friend," I said carefully.
"Mm, yes I remember and a friend you say? Someone I've met?" I knew the vagueness of the question was for the benefit of those listening on his end.
"No, but I told you about her." I smiled at Misa. "The pretty model, with the blonde hair?" Misa practically started glowing.
"Ah yes. I trust you are safe?" he asked with only the slightest hint of tension.
"Duh," I couldn't resist saying. "I just couldn't deal with Light today."
"So Light was not exaggerating when he said you ran off?" Out of habit, I started to rub the back of my head sheepishly.
"Flee would better describe it actually," I admitted. He laughed quietly into the phone.
"You have no idea how utterly amusing that image is," he said still chuckling.
"I expect you'll find it even funnier then that I ran fifteen blocks before stopping."
"I was under the impression that running of any kind was difficult for you," L observed.
"It is." There was silence on the other line.
"I am curious to know what Light said to you to gain this sort of reaction."
"Look, I just over reacted. The stress got to me."
"Rei, you're avoiding the question," L chided.
"I have to go; I'll talk to you later. Bye!" I said ending the call hastily. I turned back to Misa to see her grinning at me.
"You sounded so cute talking to him! And when you were talking about Light too! I knew you couldn't stay mad at him!" she bragged.
"He's my brother," I explained with a shrug. "He could be found guilty of murder and I wouldn't care," I said with the purpose of gauging her reaction. She tittered nervously. "Do you have any siblings?" I asked with honest curiosity. Misa sobered.
"Misa has…I have one," she confessed. I started at the shift from third person to first. "A sister, but I haven't seen her since…since our parent's died."
"I'm so sorry," I whispered.
"It's alright. They've been dead a long time." I swallowed loudly.
"How did they die?" I asked numbly.
"They were murdered," she answered blankly.
There it was. A motive. Something to cause her to believe in Kira's vision.
"I'm sorry," I repeated, not knowing what else to say. Misa starred off into space.
"It's alright," she repeated, sounding like I was the one who needed comforting. Her eyes went back into focus. "Misa doesn't remember them much anyway," she added slipping back into third person.
The waiter came back with our orders and we dug into the food not finding much to say. I was such an idiot. Did I seriously ask her that? Ugh. I was hopeless. Marveling at my own idiocy, I took a large bite of the sundae.
"Oh my God," I muttered under my breath. Misa let out a triumphant laugh.
"Good right?"
"My boyfriend would absolutely die if he had this. He goes nuts over strawberries. Any kind of sugar really…"
"We should go on a double date sometime!" Misa suggested. Not having the heart to tell her that there was no way L would ever want to be in the same room as Light and herself unless they were bound, blindfolded, and gagged, I agreed.
"Yeah that would be fun."
The rest of the meal was spent in comfortable silence and Misa and I each left to go our own ways with a promise to do this again soon. As usual, the walk to the hotel was used as a welcome distraction from the horrors inside the suite. This time it was Light I had to worry about.
I cautiously knocked on the door, hyperaware of the uncomfortable atmosphere that was sure to assault me. Gritting my teeth, I stepped through the doorway as Watari opened the door. Immediately Light's head snapped up. Crap, I was hoping he wouldn't be here yet.
"Don't talk to me," I commanded flouncing next to L. Good, I could still muster up some rage against him.
"But Rei," he began, but L interrupted him.
"I believe she does not want to be spoken to by you Light. I suggest you honor her wishes," L said dangerously. Light met L's eyes with defiance, but relented after a few moments.
"Of course, Ryuzaki. I'm sorry Rei." I said nothing instead choosing to get back to work. I reached for a file, relieved that Light was going to leave me alone. When I did, my sleeve was pulled back revealing the dark purple bruise. I quickly yanked it back, but I'm sure L caught a glimpse of it. My suspicions were confirmed a few moments later.
"Light, may I speak with you for a moment?" L asked blankly.
"Sure, Ryuzaki." Light obediently followed L, and after a few seconds hesitation, I did as well. However, my attempts at spying were slightly ruined when the door shut behind the pair. Instead of admitting defeat, I stooped low enough to pressing my ear against the door. The words were slightly muffled, but I could still hear the conversation.
"So what did you want to say Ryuzaki?" Light asked.
"Exactly what did you say to Rei this morning?" L questioned.
"I didn't say anything. I just told her not to worry me like that," Light lied easily.
"Do not lie, Light Yagami. You insult both of our intelligence. Mine by assuming I would fall for such petty tactics and yours by resulting to flat out denial. Now I will ask again, what did you say to Rei?" I could almost imagine Light's upturned chin when faced with this accusation.
"I didn't say anything." There was silence for a moment before L changed tactics.
"Then perhaps you could explain the bruise on Rei's wrist?" Light stayed silent. "I thought not, though I never took you for the abusive type Light."
"Why do you care so much Ryuzaki?" It was L's turn to stay silent. "You barely know her."
"I am selfish man, Light. I do not react well when something that belongs to me is threatened." I felt a small thrill run through me at this.
"Rei," Light hissed, "does not belong to you. She is my sister."
"Which is why she fled from your presence this morning."
"Rei is mine. I will not have you using her against me."
"Then I look forward to the battle to come," L taunted. I took this as my cue to rejoin the investigation before I was discovered.
~Author's Note~
Eh, not a fan of this chapter, but it needed to be written. Especially not after how great I felt after last chapter, but I'll get over it. I hope you guys won't hold it against me.
I got a laptop. Woot.
Also
322 Reviews!
Thank you to everyone who reviewed.
SweetHearts4L: Awwww that's so cute. Glad you liked it. I don't feel as great about this one, but here ya go.
Clarice: Haha your English is fine. Except you said tow instead of two, but that can be a typo. I have lots of typos.
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