Chapter twelve- Rejection made up in kindness: part one.

Ryuuzaki bit back a laugh. She was taking her sweet time on their chess match. It was her move and she was really flaunting it.

"Are you planning on moving any time soon, or are you gonna just sit there and look pretty?" He taunted.

"Sh, I'm thinking!"

He smiled wryly. "Well, take all the time you need. You are up against the chess master."

Misa laughed it off. Ryuuzaki read her form of pokerface. She had a tendency to finger the statue she was about to use next. Nervousness radiated off of her in heavy spikes.

"Well, that's comforting to know," she muttered timidly, moving her queen three squares forward, almost aligning herself with an innocent victory.

He shrugged. "I just thought you'd want to know who exactly you're up against. Move my king one space to the left, Love. Checkmate."

She made a face as he won. "Oh, that's lovely. You should scrunch your nose up like that all the time. I can see that face perfectly for bunny food."

She waved him off with the flick of the wrist. "Well, I do like bunnies. Oh, I forgot to tell you!"

Ryuuzaki raised a non-existent eyebrow. "Tell me what?" He inquired suspiciously.

"I got on the cover of the June issue. Wanna see it?!"

His face broke into a little smile as he chuckled over her hyper words. "Sure. Slide it under my door. I'll give you a review afterwards."

Misa pouted into the live feed. "Oh, come on. That's not fair. You've gotta see it down here!"

Ryuuzaki shook his head. "Now, why do I feel like I've heard this before? That's right; because I have."

"Oh, you're so mean to me, Ryuuzaki! Don't you know a husband's supposed to be nice to his wife?"

"Yes. And you're not letting me see it."

She sighed. "Come down, then. Otherwise, yes you're right, I'm not letting you see it."

Ryuuzaki shook his head unapologetically. "No. I'm afraid I'm gonna have to pass."

Misa sulked over. "That's it. You're never coming down! You'll forever remain my phantom."

Ryuuzaki nodded tboughtfully. "Yes, I suppose I will."

"Oh come on, Ryuuzaki! One night can't hurt you. It's not like I'm gonna want anything from you anyway. It's just a harmless sleepover. With my husband, I may add."

She cast a glance his way, an eyebrow raised.

"Tempting, but still gonna have to pass."

She groaned as he added, "Besides, I'll see it when I get the next issue, which should be three days. I think I can wait that long."

Well, I can't, Misa reminded herself, Light's expecting Ryuuzaki's real name soon. If I don't give it to him, he'll find another girl who can.

Kyoimi Takada came specifically to mind. She shuddered. Yeesh, just thinking about that woman gives me shivers!

Ryuuzaki noticed her discomfort. "Something wrong?"

Her head shot up in surprise. She'd forgotten that he was "there." She smiled and waved him off. "I'm fine."

He nodded, not quite believing her. But he didn't push it.

Ryuuzaki hit the intercom button to Watari's room. "Do you mind locking Misa in her bedroom until I get out? I've just received a text from Light. I need to get down to Head Quarters right away. Feel free to let her out or keep her locked in after I'm gone. Your choice."

He clicked the link off and got off his perch. He stretched his legs out with a deep sense of pleasure as the muscles relaxed. He'd been in the position for way too long.

Watari called back a moment later. "It's done."

L smirked, sure that she was less than amused. "Good work, Watari." He paused briefly to savor the sweet taste of victory, "Please send me a link of her reaction later. No doubt it was hilarious."

Watari nodded on his side. "Will do."

L walked out of the house with not a care in the world.

He entered the large building, glaring at the passerby as they all stared on at him with perplexed looks on their faces. Why was a mere kid entering such a mysterious building?

He pushed himself through the door and ignored them. Mogi ran up to him. "L- erm, Ryuuzaki, Light's waiting for you upstairs. He's convinced he's found a critical piece of evidence against Kira."

L nodded. "Yes, I assumed as much. I sounded quite urgent."

The two walked side-by-side until the end of the hall, where Mogi froze. "I've gotta make a call," he answered L's questioning look.

L nodded. "Go ahead then. I'm not stopping you. Come right in after you're finished."

Mogi nodded and walked away. L's lingering eyes followed his descending figure as he got further away, finding something suspicious about the set up. He turned away a second later, going his own way.

"Ryuuzaki!" Light cried getting up, and running over. "Kira made a mistake! There's a fingerprint. We're running it through the lab at this very moment."

L scowled. Why would he leave a fingerprint linking him to the murders? He wouldn't... He must be planning on pinning it on one of the other Kiras. Misa, maybe? No, she's been far too useful to him. Besides, she's still undercover on trying to find my name. So that means there must be a third Kira. No. I can't jump to conclusions.

They walked over to the screen as one of the men brought a piece of chocolate cake for Ryuuzaki.

"Is there something wrong?"

L glanced up, surprised. "No. Why do you ask?"

Light gestured at the untouched dessert. "You haven't touched your cake."

L tongued the vanilla icing as he stabbed a piece and brought it to his lips, savoring the sweet flavor. "There, satisfied?" He asked after swallowing.

Light chuckled a bit. "Well, you are acting like yourself, at least."

The air between the two was bound to be awkward. After all, one man used to date Misa, and the other one had married her... while the first one was dating her, I might add.

"How's Misa?" He asked finally.

Ryuuzaki looked up in suspicion of the younger boy. "She's fine, thanks."

"Is she settling in well?"

L nodded awkwardly. "Yep, all settled."

Light nodded, smiling at a memory. "She hated moving when we were dating," he said, a faraway look on his face, "She wasn't too much trouble, was she?"

L glanced over at his friend questioningly. "No, she was fine."

"That's not like her," Light informed him. "She seems to have changed. How long have you been married again?"

Lawliet understood the underlying message from his friendemy. "You've changed her, L. Why'd you steal my girlfriend again?"

L resisted the urge to just tell him off. But as a friend, he'd be nice. "Eight weeks."

Light nodded. "Yes, a few months. How forgetful of me. I'm sorry I wasn't there for the wedding ceremony."

L shrugged coldly. "There was no ceremony. Well, none that I remember. I'm pretty sure Misa and I were drunk and our meeting was accidentally coincidental. I'm sorry I married her, but I'm not about to divorce my main suspect for the second Kira."

That actually earned an honest laugh from L. "So do you marry all your suspects?" He joked.

L glared at him. "No. That was accidental. I've already said that, I'm sure. But I'm using now as a chance to find out if my theory's correct. Besides, you're not dating anymore. I don't see the problem."

Light sighed harshly, trying to make it sound like he was clearing his throat. "You know, I do believe that counts as cheating."

Ryuuzaki shrugged. "Not neccessarily. If my hypothesis is correct and misa Amane is the second Kira, she'll go to jail, or quite possibly execution. Besides, I was under the impression that you couldn't care less what she happened to her," pointed out the genius detective to the friendly serial killer.

"She was still my girlfriend when you married her," Light muttered.

An attachment? Can it be that Kira is developing feelings for his second in command? No. It's a cover up. Besides Light isn't the type. He's asexual, at best.

"Yes, and I've apologized."

Light closed his eyes shut. Why couldn't the SMARTEST DETECTIVE in the world understand about relationships and their boundaries?

He eyed the older man, trying to analyze his kind of thinking. Was L a virgin?

No, he wouldn't be able to ask without sounding either like Kira or gay. He smiled, a sudden thought crossing his mind.

It was a perfect idea. After all, why was Misa with him, if not to get information like this for him? And she was the perfect candidate to do it.

Good work, Misa. You finally prove useful to me.

"Excuse me, Ryuuzaki. I've got to make a quick call," Light said.

L just nodded and waved his hand in a "I'm not stopping you" gesture. Ryuuzaki noticed the snicker, but even he couldn't guess the idea forming inside the other man's head.