Chapter fifteen- Stranger's the stranger.

Voices hissed around Misa as she slowly opened her eyes. Black dots danced over her vision, making everything unclear. When it all reappeared, she gasped. "Light!"

The boy in question had been staring deeply out the window, with a small look of confusion spread across his face. Upon hearing her voice, he whipped around. His face broke into a handsome grin.

"Misa, you're awake!" He ran over and hugged her. She hugged back, but God, it felt awkward.

A tall, raven haired man stepped inside, silently.

He wore a raggy, white long-sleeved shirt and wrinkly jeans. His hair was unwashed and unkempt. He was gently biting his thumb. His body was slim, with seemingly no build to it.

His skin was ghostly pale, as though the words "sun tan" was foreign to him. Misa thought it was safe to assume that he was a total slob- therefore, the exact opposite of Ryuuzaki.

The stranger was slumped over lazily. She'd never seen anyone quite like him, but when he looked at her, she felt she should know the name that matched the face. She read the name above his head just in case. Lawliet... L.

Her eyes widened in alarm. She forced herself to calm down. He walked over to her boyfriend, awkwardly scratching the back of his neck. He offered her his hand after a moment, "I'm L," he said bluntly.

She pretended this was news to her. "Nice to meet you, sir," she replied politely. "I'm-"

"Misa Amane," he broke in with a jestjng chuckle. "Yes, I know who you are. How could I not? Beautiful teenaged model. Your husband's a lucky man."

She flushed at the mention of Ryuuzaki. "Yeah," she agreed. "He is. But I'll let you in on a little secret if you won't tell anyone."

A puzzled look took over his face before he gradually nodded. "I won't tell," he promised.

She smiled warmly at him. "I'm lucky to have him."

For some untold reason, this brought a faint blush to his pale face. Light frowned at his girlfriend's words. He was completely confused about whose side she was on.

She was dating him, married to L, without knowing L and Ryuuzaki are one and the same, of course . And here she was flirting with the enemy. Sure she was married to him, but she didn't know that.

"You understand why you're here, don't you, Misa?" Light added himself to the conversation.

She bit her lip, a realization dawning on her. "Actually, I don't know where here is," she admitted.

"You were in an accident. You were talking about the whereabouts of a acquaintance with your husband, when you lost control of the steering wheel. Do you remember what he told you?" L asked her.

She shook her head slowly. "No, I don't. I don't remember any accident. I don't remember anything."

L nodded slowly. "You have a concussion," he explained. "You hit into a tree. Your airbag didn't completely deploy the way it was suppose to. You hit the dashboard pretty hard. Miss, I don't know how to say it any differently; you're lucky to be alive."

Misa's brain took the information and store it in a safe place to share with her later, but right now she was confused, tired, and... hungry.

"Is there anything to eat?" She asked as her stomach growled.

L gave Light a look as if asking him to take care of it. "I'll go see what I can find," he said unsurely.

He left the room with a dark pout on his face.

L looked his wife hard in the face. She has no visible damage other than a few scratches. But then, she'd been healing unconsciously for two weeks.

"Your friend, Saki Yukino, is here."

She perked right up. "Where is she?" She said excitedly, mistaking his words for a surprise visitor. The wide smile on her face surprised him.

It took him a second to realize his mistake. "She's comatose," he fixed quickly. "She had a heart attack. That's what you and your husband were talking about actually."

Misa's smile shrank by a few molars. "What?"

The world around her was growing dizzy. Misa felt like she was drowning, a sickening calm settling over her. "Can I see her?" She choked out finally.

L noticed her heart rate was starting to spike harder on the EKG machine.

"Yes, I'll take you to her." He held a hand out to her. She eyed it suspiciously. Ryuuzaki resisted the urge to roll his eyes. "I'm not going to bite you. Come on."

She hesitantly took the outstretched hand. His hand felt warm against her own. The touch was... familiar. But that was crazy. She didn't know him, did she?

"Thanks," she mumbled more to herself than to him.

He pulled her up with astounding strength. She has not expected him to have any muscle. Maybe he did have a build secretly hidden under all that... shirt.

She blushed at the thought. She sincerely hoped he didn't notice. Poor Misa didn't get her wish. "What's wrong?"

She unconsciously felt a hand go to her pink cheeks. She willed the color away. "Nothing," she lied. "It's just getting a little hot in here, that's all."

You filthy liar! She scolded herself harshly. She got the feeling L could tell she was lying, but he didn't call her out on it.

She shivered as she got Ryuuzaki vibes. Maybe L could've been Ryuuzaki, after all. She shook the ridiculous thought away as she walked hand-in-hand with him. She realized he hadn't released her hand yet.

She pulled her hand away, getting a strange sense of betrayal for Ryuuzaki. He stopped and turned around with a frown on his face. "What?" He asked emotionlessly.

Too emotionlessly, Misa pondered. No, I was right the first time. L can't be Ryuuzaki. Ryuuzaki's more emotional. "I'm married," she answered aloud.

This time, he didn't bother stopping himself from rolling his eyes. "Oh, yes, but you and Mr. Yagami seemed to get on quite well. It reeks of marital betrayal, if you ask me."

She glared at him with fire burning bright in her eyes. "Not that it's any of your business, Light and I used to date. My marriage to Ryuuzaki was a complete accident. A nightmare that turned into a... Never mind. You wouldn't understand. "

He dared her to finished her sentence. "Into a what?"

A fond smile found its way to her face. "Into a daydream," a faraway look stole over her face. "I think I'm in love."

He gave her a weird look. "Isn't that a good thing? Marriage takes a lot of work and needs certain things like love to strengthen it. You know, I believe it's up to the people in the relationship on whether or not they'll try in the first place. Since far too many don't care anymore, most marriages fail."

Misa took the information in with a smile on her face. "That's... exactly how I feel. But your wording was amazing. I think hallmark can take a sidestep to you."

He chuckled wryly, shaking his head. "No, that's no a good thing if you're comparing me to hallmark. I've never been into poetry. The closest thing I've ever had to do with a poem is having to do a recital of 'The Conquerer Worm' by Edgar Allan Poe in college." He winced. "His works aren't really meant to be read aloud, but read in a book. Believe me when I say it was torture."

Misa laughed aloud. "I bet. Although, I didn't quite share your fate. However, I've memorized 'The Raven' and I have several of his books."

L cracked a smile her way. "Ah, model, Gothic Lolita, and avid Edgar Allen Poe fan. You certainly have an amazement factor. I didn't have you pegged for the type."

He stopped outside a door. "Erm, your friend's inside," he informed her strangely. "I should probably go back to headquarters."

He pulled a card out of his pocket and handed it to her. "It's my number, if you need anything," he explained. "See you later, okay, Misa?"

Misa was pleasantly surprised. It was the first time he'd called her by her name. She quickly decided that it should be the only thing he calls her. "Yeah. L?"

He turned around. "Yeah?"

"Thanks for everything. It was nice talking to you. So... thank you."

She watched him leave with a strange tugging feeling jerking at her stomach. Something in her mind threatened to breach the surface, but it just couldn't get there yet.

Something about Ryuuzaki.

I'm an Edgar Allan Poe fan. But L's statement, I believe, is correct. If you look at one of his works, you realize that, while the words are spelled to LOOK like they rhyme, they don't. Can I please here from other EAP fans?