Mrs. Lawliet: Real-Life Sierra doesn't actually randomly dance all too often... but Real-Life Anna does. o3o Randomly dancing is always fun~ Ahh, poor, poor, B indeed.
He was kinda like Slenderman, wasn't he? I still can't completely put my finger on why, though.
...Sorry, Near, but I feel no sympathy for your loss of toys.

"You seem to be getting better," Ryuk remarked.

My smirk disappeared as I removed my gaze from the Death Note laid out on the desk before me. It had been dug up from Misa's hiding place awhile back, soon after her funeral. Now every Kira had their own note, which worked well. Poor Ryuk had no notebook, but oh well. I looked up at said shinigami. "What do you mean?"

"Well, I dunno, you just seemed off lately."

I frowned, my eyes narrowing. "And what do you mean by that? If you're talking about the night L drugged me, then that was because of the alcohol he fed me."

"No, you just seemed quieter for the longest time. Too submissive. That's all."

I gave a heh. "Well then, I'm sorry about that, Ryuk." I rolled my shoulders. "But you know, I feel better. Much better now. I guess my confidence took a dip for awhile. I'm not sure why." I looked to the notebook again, thinking about it a moment. I snapped my fingers in realization. "I've got it! It started back when I realized Light was stuck without his memories for good. I became too reliant."

"Huh," Ryuk remarked.

I chuckled. "It took the Bond long enough to cure that, didn't it?" I closed my eyes, leaning back against the desk. "Well, here we are now, at least."

"Yeah, um, speaking of which, we need apples."

I cocked an eyebrow. "You always tell me about how many apples Sierra keeps in her bag. Why don't you go ask her for some?"

"Oh, come on, you're closer," he complained.

I waved him off, turning away. "I'm not going to the store until tomorrow. I shop every Sunday, remember?"

His fingers twitched. His black hands looked as though they wanted to grab something that wasn't there. "But…."

I began walking towards the door of the attic. "I haven't bought apples lately because you've been with Sierra so often. You can't expect me to tell the future."

"You can tell when people die."

I smiled and turned to him. "That's different," I told him, and opened the door.

The shinigami floated down after me. "Well, you can still go shopping today, can't you?"

"I don't feel the need to, and I'm not making dinner tonight anyhow."

He sighed as I stepped out into the closet, knowing we couldn't continue our argument. "That's no fair…."

Sure it is, Ryuk, I thought in vague amusement. With that, I changed into my clothes for the day – Ryuk sorta flew outside the room to wait – and headed downstairs before putting my pajamas in the laundry room. I entered the kitchen afterwards to find Anna at the kitchen table, eating breakfast. "Morning," I greeted as I went to the counter to grab the cereal from the cupboard.

"Morning…," Anna responded. She swallowed the bit of powdered donut in her mouth. "Why don't you have donuts for breakfast anymore, Aunt Natalie?"

I shrugged as I set my bowl on the table and began pouring said cereal. "I kinda got sick of them after eating them every morning for a month or so."

"Aw." She looked down at her nearly-finished donut. "That's too bad." She popped the rest of it into her mouth.

"Is Sam still in bed, or has she left?"

Anna shook her head. "She didn't come home last night again."

"Oh…." I laughed a bit. "Well I guess L is cuddly."

Anna giggled. "I guess so."

Anna didn't go to SPK headquarters that day, and I in turn didn't go to my own workplace. We both stayed home and relaxed. Ryuk was bored, of course, but it wasn't like he could do much about it. He eventually left around noon, saying he was going to go to be with Sierra. He was muttering something about how she was more interesting as he left. Light arrived a few hours afterwards, at around four.

Anna looked at him confusedly. "What are you doing here?"

"Natalie and I will be going out for dinner later," Light explained.

Anna blinked. "Oh." She paused. "Oh." She grinned teasingly at me.

"Matsuda's coming too," I told her dully.

"…Oh."

Light chuckled as he joined me on the couch. Anna pulled up the chair from the corner. "You wanna play a game of Monopoly or something?" she asked.

"I don't see why not," he answered with a smile.

Anna grinned. "Okay!" She ran over to the bookshelf in the corner where the games were and brought out the Monopoly. "I call the dog."

Sam came home just as we finished getting the game ready. She entered, saw Light, and said thoughtfully, "I wonder, if I were to kick him in the family jewels, would you feel it too, Natalie?"

I winced. "Yes."

"We found that out when Anna kicked me," said Light, scratching the back of his head. He laughed weakly.

"I said I was sorry!" Anna snapped.

"Neither of us were reprimanding you for it," Light assured her.

"When'd this happen?" Sam asked amusedly.

"Back in late April or early May," I said with a shrug.

"Huh." She eyed Light. "And what is he doing here, anyway?"

"They're going to dinner with Matsuda, apparently," Anna informed her.

"What for?" Sam asked me.

I shrugged. "To get together. That's all."

"Can't we just play Monopoly now?" Anna huffed.

"Can I play?" asked Sam.

"Of course."

It would be awhile before Matsuda came to get Light and I, so we were able to play for a few hours before we had to leave. Anna would buy every property she could lay her hands on, of course, though because of it she nearly went bankrupt. There seemed to be some underlying battle as we played between Sam and I, but Matsuda came before the game could end anyhow. But of course he had. Monopoly, quite frankly, lasts forever. Who knows how long the game would have lasted if Light and I weren't to have gone out that night? After all, Anna, Sam, and I once held a game that lasted over a week….

But Matsuda did come, and so Light and I had to leave the game. Anna was disappointed. Poor Matsuda felt kinda bad, but Light and I only laughed and assured him it was fine. Anna was only being Anna as all. We all said our farewells, Matsuda apologizing to Sam and Anna for not having been able to bring them, too. Soon, though, the three of us were all heading down to Matsuda's car to be on our way. Light got shotgun, and I got the backseat. It was kinda weird how Matsuda had the car and we didn't, but we supposed it didn't matter in the long run.

"You guys really should get a driver's license. You should, at least, Light," said Matsuda. "What are you now, twenty-three?"

"Yeah," Light replied.

"And you're twenty-one, Natsumi," he said, and laughed slightly. "To think I met you when you were fifteen. It's so weird…. Time flies, doesn't it?"

"Yeah…," I agreed.

"Funny how everything happens so fast," he remarked. "I mean, it seems so slow going, and then you look back and wonder where all the time went."

"I guess the only the only thing you can do is savor the good moments and enjoy yourself," said Light.

"Yeah, I guess so." It didn't take long to get to the restaurant, or at least it didn't seem like it. It was up in Akasaka, which wasn't too far off…. Matsuda kept up the conversation while we drove, though, which was nice. Yes, it would be a pleasant night, with Matsuda and without the annoying Bond making me restless as a plus. Not that it had been bothering me today anyway.

Matsuda was taking us to a Swedish restaurant called Stockholm that was admittedly expensive (dinner on weekends was ¥4,179, or $53.30), but we had quite a bit of money left over from Misa's will…. We might as well make use of it, rather than let it sit there. (Compared to some restaurants, though, it was cheap, so….) Though, it seemed surreal that it had been a bit over a week since Misa had been killed. It seemed like it had happened just yesterday, yet at the same time it seemed like forever ago….

When we at last entered the restaurant, the wonderful scent of food filled our noses. "This place seems nice," Light commented.

"It is," Matsuda grinned. "The food is great, and there's lots to choose from."

"Huh," I remarked. We were soon led to our table by a nice man with barely any hair, and as I sat I realized this place was reminiscent of the Fieldstone, which I'd gone to with my grandparents many times. It wasn't so much how the place looked, but the feel that came with it. The tablecloths were dark blue, and I saw as we passed that the buffet was upon a glass counter. We didn't have to wait long before our waitress arrived.

She was wearing her uniform, of course, which consisted of a few shades of beige to go with the general colors of the restaurant. Her eyes were brown, as was her hair, which was pulled back into a messy bun with a pencil. Stray hair fell into her face. "Hello," she greeted, "I am Kamiko and I will be your waitress tonight." My eyes told me her full name was Kamiko Minami. "Do you know what you'd like to drink?"

"Mountain Dew?" I asked hopefully, and she marked it down on her notepad. Wow. They actually had it. Cool.

"Um… I'll have this aquavit," said Matsuda, pointing to one of the eight selections on the menu. Kamiko nodded.

"I suppose I'll just have water," Light smiled. The girl nodded again, then left.

"C'mon, Light," Matsuda chuckled, "have some fun for once."

Light only smiled at him. "I'm not the type for alcohol, and you know that."

"Well, one drink every once in awhile can't hurt," Matsuda chided, nudging him with his shoulder.

"No, thank you."

"Jeez, Light, what do you do for fun, anyhow?"

"Well, Matsuda, I haven't really had the time for fun the past few years," Light responded. His smile seemed slightly sad.

"Yeah, I guess that's true…. Then Kira came back and the Sinful Murder Cases came into play, and… Misa…."

"Yeah," I replied. "Lots of things have been happening."

"You know, though, you really need to loosen up," Matsuda told Light. "With all you've went through, and all of that, you should just have a night out to let loose and relax. Just you and me, what do you say?"

"Maybe, sometime," Light smiled. "Maybe."

"When he has time, of course," I added.

He giggle-laughed. "Oh, and don't worry, Natsumi, I won't steal him away from you for too long."

I frowned. "Feh."

Light laughed lightly. "I can assure you she's not the jealous type anyway."

"Well, you would know…." Matsuda sighed. "Plus, you've got that whole mind sync going on. It's so weird…."

"Yeah…," I agreed, eyeing the hand on top of mine. Well, we wouldn't be getting restless anytime soon.

Kamiko came back to our table with a tray of drinks and silverware, and began setting the glasses in their respective places. The girl wasn't very good with balance, however, and so as she tried to give Light his drink, it spilled onto Matsuda. He yelped. "I'm so sorry!" Kamiko exclaimed, hurriedly setting down the tray and grabbing a napkin to help dry his shirt.

Matsuda laughed weakly. "It's fine… just kinda cold…."

"I'm sorry; I'm so sorry," she mumbled.

I laughed. "It's fine, Miss Kamiko, he'll be fine."

She hesitated, then hastily began giving us our silverware. I thanked her, and she mumbled a little, 'You're welcome,' before finishing and grabbing the tray. Matsuda was still wiping at his shirt with a napkin as Kamiko began walking away, her head down. Something caught her eye, though, and her gaze seemed to examine Light's hand with interest.

"Yes?" Light asked politely.

She looked at his left hand – the one on mine – for a moment, and I shifted uncomfortably. Then she looked at our faces. Eventually, she went straight ahead and asked, "Are you guys dating, or brother and sister?"

We looked at one another, then back to her. Matsuda looked up, immediately brought back into the conversation. "Uh," I said.

"Dating, I'm sure," Light informed her.

Matsuda laughed. "They do kinda resemble each other, don't they?"

"Only the hair…," I mumbled.

"Oh," said Kamiko. She looked at our hands again. "How long have you been together?"

"About three months," Light answered.

"Why?" I asked.

"I dunno," Kamiko replied, "it's just… you seem so close, like…." She shifted on her feet. "You seem like you've been together longer than that. Like you're really comfortable together, and you completely understand each other." She shook her head. "I dunno. Never mind. Um… are any of you ready to take your order?"

"We're all getting the buffet," Light informed her.

"Oh, alright… thank you." She looked to Matsuda. "I'm sorry again for the spill." Then, to Light, she added, "I'll bring you another glass of water."

"Thank you."

"Oh, yeah, cool!" Matsuda exclaimed after Kamiko had left and he began better examining the silverware that had been given to us. "We even get napkin rings!"

"Fancy," I grinned. I would have used a British accent if I had actually been speaking in English. Unfortunately, though, I was speaking Japanese, so it couldn't really be done. Meh. Oh well.

"Well," said Matsuda, "we can actually go and get our food right away." He stood, we followed, and we got our food. Matsuda got the ribs, Light got smoked salmon, and I got some Swedish meatballs along with these little fried hot dog sausages that amused me greatly. "Remember to save room for dessert," Matsuda reminded us happily.

"Mmm," I hummed at the thought. "What do they have?"

He shrugged. "You'll have to see for yourself when it's time for it."

"I guess so."

Kamiko came back soon to give Light his drink, and she left letting us know that she would be back in a bit to check on us. "These ribs are amazing!" Matsuda yelped delightedly. "How's your guyses food?"

"Delicious," I responded, actually happy with my meal. And I'm a picky person.

"Good," said Light. "I'd come here again for sure."

"You know," said Matsuda, "we're actually supposed to eat the food in courses, kinda, but I forgot how it went…. But, with the buffet, we don't have to do that, which is nice." He laughed a bit.

"Is it a Swedish custom or something?" I asked.

"Yep." He stuck some rib in his mouth. "So anyway, how've you guys been doing? You know, since you're not on the Sinful Murder Cases anymore?"

"Well, I've gotten better aim," I grinned, jutting my thumb at my chest.

"I've just been doing my usual job back in the Intelligence and Information Bureau," Light shrugged. "Both of us have gotten a lot of Misa's things sorted out with all the time we have, though, which is good."

Matsuda nodded. "Yeah, well, that is good…. I still think you two should be back on the case, though. The team isn't the same without you, and besides… we aren't really getting anywhere."

"I thought L was working with you," said Light, and took a sip of his water.

"Yeah, he is," Matsuda confirmed, "but so far he hasn't given us his deductions or whatever. We just give him the information." He sighed. "It's kinda stupid."

"He probably has good reason," I assured him. "…Probably."

He frowned. "Well, at least he isn't like Near. I still don't like him very much. I mean, yeah, he's smart and all, but he's just irritating. And rude. Not to mention he won't let any of the old task force on the Kira case." He huffed.

"I kinda agree with some of that," I admitted sheepishly, "but he is working to help everyone."

"Yeah, I guess…," he mumbled. There was a pause as we ate. "Hmm," Matsuda hummed eventually. "It's gonna be rainy the next few days…. I'm kinda disappointed…."

"I like the rain," I shrugged.

"But it can be inconvenient when walking places," Light added.

"Yeah, well, I know it rained yesterday," Matsuda said thoughtfully. "And the clouds in the sky today make it seem like it'll rain soon. I dunno. The weather said it'd rain earlier, but it didn't."

"Huh," I remarked. I pursed my lips. "I hope Sierra wasn't caught in the rain, wherever she is."

"Oh, yeah…."

"But then," said Light, "Mello would most likely find a suitable shelter."

"True," Matsuda conceded. "Well, that's good…."

We eventually finished our meals and, as we had a bit of room left, we headed back to the buffet for dessert: Matsuda got a bowl of apple pudding while Light and I got the rice pudding with cinnamon powder. Huh. Pudding. Light typically had the smallest portion. As we sat down to eat our desserts, I decided to actually use my napkin before I started on the sweet treat. (It was nice; I hadn't had rice pudding in ten years. …Saying it like that makes feel old.)

"Boop," I said as I slid off the napkin ring. Too fast. It fell with a clink to the floor. I frowned at it. "Meh." I was about to lean down to grab it, but stopped in knowing Light intended to get it himself. Matsuda leaned forward as Light knelt down to grab it, trying to figure out what was going on. Poor Matsuda. He's always confused. See, he wasn't an idiot… he was just easily confused. Yeah.

Well, Light tried it hand it to me, but at that moment our waitress Kamiko came back to check on us like she had promised. She dropped her tray, capturing our attention, and squealed in utter joy. "Oh my god!" she cried. "You're getting married?!"

Light and I looked to one another, then back to Kamiko. "Ah—" was all I got out.

Matsuda was laughing.

"Ah—um, uh, no," I stuttered.

Light realized his position – ah, so it looked like he was proposing, how nice – and laughed lightly as he set the napkin ring on the table. "Sorry, Miss Kamiko, but that's not happening quite yet. I was just giving her her napkin ring, that's all."

"O-oh…," Kamiko answered dumbly, slumping forward. "Um, sorry…." She picked up her tray from the ground. "I'm an idiot."

Matsuda was still laughing.

"It… it's fine," I told her.

There was an awkward pause, Matsuda still laughing. "So… how is your food?"

Matsuda forced himself to stop and breathe, and all of us told her we were enjoying ourselves. We thanked her again, and she gave us the check for when we were ready. Well then. That was unexpected. It was odd, neither of us had even considered that. It had never come to mind, really. In any case, now that it had been brought up, the idea made me a bit warm. Luckily, there was always that anti-blush mechanism….

Light glanced at me as he put his glass to his lips. "Natalie, you're blushing," he informed me, and took a sip of his drink.

"Sh…shut up…."

Matsuda was laughing again.

What a dinner.

Yay fluff? .-.

Fun Fact: The four of us (Real-Life Sierra, Real-Life Anna, Real-Life Sam, and I) once watched a short play. The main male character they named to be Light, and at the end of the play something very similar to that little napkin ring scene happened. Real-Life Sam and Real-Life Sierra asked for it to happen in here.
And that's how that restaurant scene came to be.

Review? For napkin rings? :3