Sayu awoke to the smell of coffee downstairs. There was light filtering through the crack in her window and she looked up to check the time on the clock above her desk. Half-past nine. She suddenly realised that her and Matsuda had never actually decided on a time for their date, or even on a place that they would meet, so she jumped out of bed, grabbing a hoodie that was draped over the back of a chair, and hastily making her way down the stairs.
"Oh Sayu! Would you like a cup of coffee? A piece of toast?" Her mother offered as she sat at the kitchen table, but Sayu shook her head, looking around the room.
"Not thank you… Hey have you heard from Matsuda? We are supposed to be going out today but we didn't decide on a time or place to meet…" She began, and Sachiko smiled.
"He mentioned something about that before he left this morning." Sachiko informed her as she poured herself a cup of coffee.
"Wait, when he left? You mean he stayed the night?" Sayu interrupted. She had just assumed that Matsuda had walked home after he had left her room, though it made sense that he had stayed over that night, as the walk home would have been especially bad considering how cold it was at night in winter in Japan.
Sachiko smiled. "Yes, he stayed in Ligh-" She stopped herself. "The spare room. Anyway, he told me he wanted to go home first, so that he could neaten himself up for your date." Sayu blushed brightly at that, and took a seat beside her mother. "Don't worry, he said he'd be back soon." She continued. "He left at 8, and he said he'd come back around 11, so if I were you I'd hurry up and get ready." Sachiko said, smiling at her flustered daughter's expression.
"I-I'll go get ready now then…" Sayu said, and she made her way back upstairs. When she returned to her room, she felt the wave of excitement flow over her. She had never really been on dates. Her friends had encouraged her to go out to bars with them so that they could meet guys, but it just wasn't her scene. Sayu wasn't really someone who enjoyed drinking, and she much preferred guys who weren't super cocky and full of themselves. 'Someone like Matsuda…' She thought to herself before shaking herself out of her daydream. She didn't have long to get ready, so she went over to her wardrobe and looked through her clothes. She looked at a pair of loose-fitting jeans and thought about wearing them with the hoodie she had grabbed on her way downstairs, but she shook her head. 'Too laid back for a first date…' She thought to herself, as she kept looking. She then pulled out a dress. She considered it, but then put it back, not wanting to look overdressed and out of place. Finally, she settled on a floral skirt, a knitted jumper and a pair of tights.
She just about finished getting ready when she heard a knock at the front door. She nervously got up and began to gather her things when she heard her mum answer the door followed by Matsuda's cheerful voice.
"Hello Mrs Yagami!" Matsuda greeted merrily, and Sachiko welcomed him inside again.
"Hello Matsuda, Sayu will be down in just a second, I'll go let her know that you're here-" she began, but before she could finish Sayu had appeared at the top of the stairs. Matsuda's face reddened as he gawked at the young woman who was making her way downstairs, and she also blushed when she seen him, giggling at his reaction.
"Wow, Sayu… You look beautiful…" He stammered. He couldn't believe how much she'd grown and matured since the first time he'd met her. He had first met her when she was around fourteen years old. She had come to the office to see her father at work. At that time Matsuda was new to the police force, and he worked beneath Yagami, aspiring to one day work at the same level he did. Matsuda had seen Sayu as an adorable young girl, but his feeling for her had changed a lot when he visited her again a year ago – when she had suddenly grown from that adorable child into a beautiful woman.
"Thank you, Matsuda, you look very handsome…" She replied happily. They both looked at each other, in a momentary world of their own, until Sachiko interjected.
"You both look wonderful! Let me get my camera!" Sachiko said delightedly, going to the drawer below the television. Sayu gave Matsuda an apologetic look and he chuckled. "My baby girl is all grown up, going on her first date!" She declared as she took a couple of photographs of the two of them. Sayu turned bright purple, not even her ears escaping the blush.
"M-Mum!" She protested, and both Matsuda and Sachiko laughed.
"Right, are you ready to go Sayu?" Matsuda asked, offering her an arm to link. Sayu giggled at how old fashioned he acted, but she found it endearing, and she slid her arm around his.
"Ready!" She replied, and the two left the house after saying goodbye to Sachiko.
Matsuda led the way, walking towards a local café not far from where the Yagami family lived. It was a nice place that never got too crowded, and Matsuda knew that it was a place Light frequented, and therefore he hoped Sayu felt comfortable there. He took her inside, and sat down with her in an area by the window. "Is this place okay...?" He asked and she nodded.
"It is, thank you…" She said as she picked up a menu with an assortment of milkshakes on it. "So, how has work been?" She asked him as she read the menu.
Matsuda sighed and shook his head. "It's been hard, especially without the Chief…" He began. "Me, Aizawa, Ide, Mogi and the new guy, Yamamoto, we've all started a new case, which means a tonne of sleepless nights are ahead of us…" He groaned at the thought of having to take naps in between shifts in the task force headquarters again. Sayu nodded, giving him an encouraging smile.
"That does sound tough… But if you can solve the Kira case, there's nothing you can't do." She said supportively.
"Thank you, I hope you're right… Though most of it wasn't me. After all, we couldn't have done it without Ne- urm, L." Matsuda still couldn't get used to calling Near L, it felt strange. "Anyway, what about you?" Matsuda knew that Sayu had taken time out of college after the incident, but he wasn't sure if she planned on returning or not afterwards. "How have you been?"
Sayu looked down. "I've been okay thanks... I've enrolled back in college, and I'll be starting up again soon."
Matsuda nodded. "That's really good to hear… I'm glad that you feel able to go back after what happened, you're really strong willed…" He offered, and she smiled up at him.
"You think so...? Thank you." She replied.
"Of course I do, you're amazing Sayu..." Matsuda said as he reached for a menu as well. "What would you like?" he offered, getting up to get them both a drink.
"Could I have a strawberry milkshake please?" She asked, and offered Matsuda the money to pay for it. But he smiled and closed her hand around it.
"I want to treat you, it's all on me." He stated and she smiled.
"Thank you…"
Sayu watched as Matsuda went up to order. She was so happy that he had asked her out. Despite the fact she had only seen him a couple of times before he came to visit her last night, he was someone she had formed a close bond to. She couldn't explain it, but he made her feel safe and happy, and he was unlike all the other guys she had met. Even her own brother was someone who never treated his girlfriends with much respect, and she knew that. She had seen how he was with Misa and Takada. Matsuda was a guy who complimented her sincerely and took her feelings into consideration. The perfect gentleman. Sure, he was in some ways childish, but it was something she found charming about him.
Matsuda returned, carrying the two milkshakes; a chocolate one for himself and a strawberry one for her. He sat opposite her and passed her the drink. She took a sip then smiled. She felt better when she was with him. The memories were less painful, and she had someone she knew she could share the burden with, because he would listen and not judge her for it. "Hey, can we go for a walk?" She asked. She decided she would talk to him about it.
Matsuda picked up his milkshake and nodded. "Sure, is everything okay?" He asked, and Sayu nodded.
"Yeah, I just feel like it would be nice to go for a walk through the park or something…" She picked up her own milkshake and the two of them headed out towards the local park. It was an expanse of green land, with a few benches and patches of flora. Sayu walked beside Matsuda, and she linked arms with him once more. "Hey Matsuda…?" She asked, and he looked down at her.
"Yeah?" He tried to read her expression, but he couldn't quite tell what was on her mind.
"Kira will never be free to kill like that again right? People are safe? You're Safe…?" She asked. The final part just slipped out, and Matsuda detected the fear in her voice.
"Sayu…" He whispered, before hugging her close. She was scared. How could she not be? She had lost half of her family to Kira, and she had been held hostage because of the death note. "Kira has been stopped… He died in prison." Matsuda stated. He wasn't lying; Teru Mikami had died in prison. But he couldn't tell her about Light, the real Kira, and it was eating him up inside. He couldn't lie to her and tell her that Kira would never kill again, or that he himself was safe for definite, because there was a very real chance now of another Kira appearing. As long as there was still the existence of the death note, there was a possibility of a human using its power for evil.
"Thank goodness…" Sayu sighed. It seemed to have put her mind at ease for now, but Matsuda could not bring himself to continue deceiving her. He wanted to tell her the truth.
The two sat down on a bench, and Matsuda drank some of his Milkshake as Sayu looked up at the sky, then she gave out an involuntary yawn. Matsuda noticed and smiled. "Am I that boring?" He joked and she chucked.
"No, no, not at all…" She laughed, then her smile slowly faded. "It's just, I haven't been sleeping well recently." Recently was an understatement. Sayu had been having nightmares for a long time now, dating back to the beginning of when her mental state deteriorated. She had improved in a lot of areas since then, but her sleep pattern was still impaired.
Matsuda realised from her body language that it wasn't just a small thing and he bit his lip. "I'm really sorry, I didn't realise…"
Sayu shook her head. "It's okay, it's just, that's why I asked about Kira. It's always the same kind of nightmare. I can see him, but I can't recognise his face. He's sort of, twisted and distorted I guess. Which makes sense. I can't ever imagine someone like that as human. Then I see people dropping one by one. My dad, his eyes rolling back in his head and falling to the ground. Light, vomiting blood and collapsing beside him. The task force too…" She felt a lump in her throat, but she continued. "Then after everyone else has been killed by Kira, I'm next. He slowly begins walking towards me and I can't move. I'm paralysed."
She suddenly felt Matsuda's arms around her, and her face was wet. She hadn't even noticed that she had started crying.
He didn't know what to say, so he gently held onto her as they sat in silence. But it wasn't an uncomfortable silence. Sayu just appreciated his company and his warmth. He didn't have to say a word; his presence alone was the most reassuring thing in the world to her.