Sorry, I lost WiFi for the last few days. Yeah, music withdrawals suck... anyway, here's to you. Special! 39th. Fluff in flufferfluffapolis. Fluffier and fluffier and fluffier and fluffier and fluffier and fluffier and fluffier and fluffier and fluffier to the 99th power. Sorry I got a little carried away there...

Chapter thirty-nine- To play: part three.

L kicked the wall in boredom. He- hm- she sat in a large, dark castle, overlooking the town. Okay, it was more of a tower. Okay, it was a kid's playground.

He was tied to a wooden board and glared in a way that would not suit a real princess's face. Misa had managed to stuff him into a dress and curly blonde wig. He could not believe his own wife would betray him like this.

"Kira, you are sadistic," he groaned underbreathe. "I never imagined just how much."

"Princess Lla, we have smited the terrible dragon. We are here to rescue ye!" Matt- Sir Julian - called up suddenly.

L rolled his eyes and called back sarcastically, "Great timing, guys. You've only left me here for three hours! Misa, untie me right now."

"I am not Misa. I am Lady Elaine I," she replied. "Princess are you functional?"

"Aye, princess, are thy functioning properly, milady?" Matt chipped in.

He whacked an apathetic Mello's arm. The careless boy shrugged. "Are you okay, Lla?"

Misa gasped. "And you kiss your mother with that mouth, Sir Romeo! Don't you know you never refer to royalty by their first name, without a title?! Unheard of."

Mello rolled his eyes. "Sorry, your majesty," he quipped in a mocking tone.

L groaned. "Yeah, hurry up already. Release me!"

Misa shook her head in disappointment. "Princess, you should never use slang words. They're unbefitting of such royalty such as yourself."

"Misa- ah- Lady Elaine, if you don't get me down, I'll scream. And loudly."

Misa thought about. "Yeah, okay. I shall climb this mighty tower, my comrades. This has been a wondrous journey. We've been through high and low. Hither and tither. We've seen the greatest sights and I'd wish it no other way. So with these last words, I fear I must depart."

Matt wiped tears from his eyes. "Nor I, I assure thee, maiden. Fare thee well. Please return safely to us, for I know this shan't be the last quest we take on!"

Misa nodded simply.

Mello rolled his eyes at the ridiculous display. "We were getting ice coffee, you idiots!" he snapped.

"Aye, brother, but it was fine coffee, was it not?"

Mello had to stay silent for that one.

Both boys watched as Misa climbed the toy castle with ease. They got quite the good look at her undergarments. Matt, having decency, looked away quickly, but Mello just grinned.

The pervert...

Misa simpered at L when she saw the unamused expression upon his face. "Ice coffee? How does that take three hours to get?! You had a car! There was a Starbucks one block away! Where's the sense in that?"

"It was good coffee," she offered, pulling a knife out and slicing through the binds, carefully making sure not to carve his flesh.

He slipped from the confines, pulled off his wig, shedded his dress, and tackled her to the floor, claiming her lips roughly.

She moaned and pulled him closer, moving her arms around his neck, and tangling her hands into his dark locks.

L pulled away, leaving her panting on the floor. Misa noticed he was leaning over her, still very close. He wiped his mouth and gave her a suggestive smirk. "That's your punishment for waiting so long to save me, my princess."

Her tongue slowly left its speechless state. "Glad you enjoyed it. Could you get off me now?"

He pecked her lips hard. "No," L teased, burying his face into her chest. He was faintly aware of how fast her heart beated underneath him. "Beat faster," he willed it unconsciously.

He felt Misa's fingers grasp a few strands of his hair. L gasped as she began stroking her hands though his hair in an affectionate fashion.

"Like that?" She teased, abandoning all sense of her past nervousness.

"Yes," he groaned into her chest.

"Are you guys doing each other, or what?!" Mello yelled out, ever the gentleman.

L was off her in a second. "No. And you're too young to know what that is," L called over the balcony.

"I'm fourteen. I've known since I was six!" Mello argued.

Matt stayed silent throughout the exchange. He was still in horror from his view earlier. A firm blush stuck to his face.

L opened his mouth to retort something back, but Misa got there before he could. "Okay, guys, I think that's enough playing for today. Let's go home."

Matt finally found his voice and his mind caught up to the conversation. "Ye-Yeah. Let's do that."

Mello wasn't about to argue. His toga was driving him crazy.

The car ride was long. Too long. Not to mention awkward. Watari sat in the front seat. The three children sat in the back. Misa and L tried to ignore each other, flushing bright red whenever their eyes accidently met. Needless to say, both teenage boys were deeply fascinated by this.

"What, you guys can spend the night together, but when the fifteen year old points it out, you get weird? That makes no sense," Mello pointed out.

Ryuuzaki answered. "Fourteen, and we didn't do that."

The blonde haired boy was not impressed. "You should have. I don't see why you're waiting so long."

Misa choked. "Whoa. I'm married!"

Mello scowled at her. "Ah, yes. I see. So do you suppose your husband would be disturbed by the fact that you're sleeping with another man?" He examined at his fingernails. Perfect. "There are numerous ways of this circulating."

L fought a laugh. Mello was unknowingly was trying to blackmail Misa for his sake!

He cleared his throat, and stated in a deep voice, "There's no need for that. Her reputation wouldn't be the only one damaged. There's already news of an apparent pregnancy. If that got out, I'd be pegged as the father."

The younger boy stared him straight in the eye for a moment. A silent agreement. "Fine, L. For your sake, I'll keep it to myself... for now, anyway."

Misa glared at him. Matt was too busy playing his Gameboy to notice anything. Poor boy. You had to feel sorry for him. He was missing out on a great conversation.

"Thank you. That is all I can ask of you," L continued.

"Yeah," Misa agreed sarcastically. "Thanks."

The would-be blackmailer nodded. "I figured. Just watch yourselves, 'cause I'll be watching, L. I know for a fact B would be more than happy to hear any of this. He's getting really close to discovering your true identity, as it is, so be careful. He's not stupid. It only takes one slip-up and he'll figure it out. And Near already had the audacity to call you out in public, so how much worse would B be?"

L nodded. "I am careful."

"No, you're Eraldo Coil."

The car pulled into the driveway and came to a sputtering halt. Kids bounded through the large, double oak doors and ran up to the car as the passengers stepped out. Misa grinned and waved at a few of them.

"Hey, guys!" She chirped jovially at them.

L took Misa's hand and began walking with her. Mello and Matt ran after them, Mello's "toga" buffering around in the harsh wind. Matt was having trouble running in his armor. Misa had made them go home and change. She herself was dressed up in, what he imagined, a real faerie would dress in. Very otherworldly. Not that it didn't suit her.

"Mello, where are my sheets?!" Linda growled. Her eyes widened considerably at the sight of him dressed in them. Nothing but them. She grinned, whipped out a cellphone from her pocket and snapped a few good shots. She turned it around and showed it to him.

"Mello, where are my sheets?!" Linda growled. Her eyes widened considerably at the sight of him dressed in them. Nothing but them. She grinned, whipped out a cellphone from her pocket, and snapped a few good shots. She turned it around and showed it to him.

"Oh, Near!" She sing-songed. The small albino looked up slowly.

Mello flinched. How could he let his guard down in such a way?! Near would be sure to gloat...

The white haired boy glanced at the real thing then back to the photo, then back at the real thing again. He looked back down without another word. Not that he'd spoken any. But then, did he really need to?

Linda beamed at Mello and spoke. "Now you're forgiven."

"Gee, thanks, Lynn. That comes as a comfort."

The young blonde pointed at him and warned, "Don't take that tone with me, mister. I have a few good friends that'd be dying to see this."

Mello cringed. The threat was no lost on him.

The blackmail surprised Misa. She had no way of suspecting that this seemingly sweet girl was secretly a she-devil when provoked.

She also observed the way they teased each other was in a less than affectionate brother/sister relationship. There was no romantic attraction between the two.

"Okay, cool it, Sparky," the older blonde growled. "No need to get your panties in a twist. And there's no need to tell B either."

Linda blushed and looked away with a soft, "Shut up."

"Tell me what?" B's sweet voice floated through the crowd he made his way through those assembled. He caught one look at Mello's wear, widened his eyes, and shook his head. "Nevermind, I got it."

Linda laughed at his reaction. They were good friends, after all. She, A, and B all were.

Alternate stumbled up to Backup's side and smiled awkwardly. He didn't seem completely comfortable in the crowd. A natural introvert.

"Mello, what are you wearing?" He gasped out. "You look like a girl..."

"Thanks, A. That makes me feel all warm inside." He inwardly seethed at himself as A visibly winced. "I didn't mean that- I- A, please stay!"

The raven haired boy had tried to get away, but Mello wouldn't let him go (bad yaoi fangirls!). He grabbed his friend's wrist and pulled him back. "I said wait! I'm trying to apologize to you, man. Would you let me finish?!"

A calmed himself and spoke mildly. "I don't need your apology, Mello. You did nothing wrong. If anything, I should be the one to apologize. I was so out of line-"

Mello slapped the older boy so hard he fell backwards onto the hard cobblestones. A rubbed his cheek as Mello fumed at him. "WHAT IS WITH YOU?! YOU USED TO BE SO HAPPY, AND NOW YOU'RE ALL DEPRESSED. WHAT THE HECK, MAN?!"

Linda, who had been in frozen shock a moment ago, moved forward and whacked A's offender. "Don't you hit him," she growled at him before helping the victim up.

A was shaking, and his eyes were wide with surprise. Something in his eyes seemed awakened though. Like he'd been in a trance, and that slap was well needed.

Mello wasn't done yet. His fists were clenched and his knuckles were white. His eyes were closed tightly, and when he opened them, they were wild and raging. Linda held him back as he continued yelling. "You have a reason to live, you idiot. Don't you think we need you?! It's not like you're replaceable, A. Don't you get that?! There is no other Alternate.

"Don't you get we need you? You with that fake cheerfulness: it's sickening. And it's deceiving. And I wish more than anything that it was real. Why can't it be real?! We love you! L loves you! Matt loves you. Linda loves you. Backup loves you! And I do, too!"

A's shivering deepened into rasping sobs. His body shook uncontrollably. There was no way he could possibly try to speak.

Misa pulled her hand from L's, ran over to the quivering boy, and hugged him close. "That's right, A. You have a reason to live. If you can't live for yourself, live for us. For me. Open up and we'll help you. We want to help you."

"But I'm broken!" He wailed into her shirt.

Her grip only tightened. "No, you're not broken. You're bent, but with a little bit of tinkering, you can be fixed. Back to perfect. Voila."

His sobs slowly came to a stop. B had watched the whole display with an unreadable expression. He was deeply suspicious of the second Kira's motive. Was she trying to win L over perhaps? Make him fall for her and use that to her advantage.

He'd have to be careful, if that was the case. L wouldn't be easy to trick, nor seduce. And if he did fall for her, they'd be in it too deep.

They'd all die.

I know this chapter seem random. But it's not. You'll see the next plot twist on a while. Who knows, 50 chapters from now, or maybe 9?

I also ship LindaxBB, which is weird, but I'll keep it tuned way down. And they won't get together in the end, but there is a spin off where they ARE together, but maybe it's not a spin off since A may stay alive. I haven't decided yet.