Chapter 25
WE MADE IT! Here we are at Chapter 25! I'm not sure why, but that sounds like a milestone to me! So I've been teasing a special event and building to it slowly and y'know what? This is the special event Chapter! I expect a lot of reactions to come out of it. Here we go!
January 28th
It's been a while since the exam and I think I did well enough to be accepted, but Ryuzaki says we won't know for a month or so. The entrance ceremony is slated to be in April so he says that we'll definitely know before then.
I ended up sketching a picture of the Shinigami with all the right colors and showed it to Ryuzaki. He immediately said he understood why I jumped out of my seat that day. I didn't mention to him its comment about him being my boyfriend though…it was just too awkward to say. The Shinigami didn't do anything else but sit on the stairs and complain that day so Ryuzaki said we'd have to keep a closer eye on it while we are enrolled. He also reminded me…for like the fourth time, that the Shinigami can't find out that I can hear and see him because he'll probably tell Light. To which I replied 'easier said than done'. Anyway…I guess you wanna know about today.
. . .
Watari had taken me with him to the store many times recently; in hopes that I'd either pick out a snack or that I'd help him pick what we'd be having for dinner over the course of the week. He always told me that I didn't eat enough and that it was odd to see another human being not eat as much sugar as Ryuzaki. It seems that he was just not used to me yet, I've only been with them for a month after all. Anyway, we went out so frequently that I began to get familiar with the area, and eventually Watari made me drive to the store with him so I would be familiar with the Mercedes and the area. He said that it was important for me to be able to drive in Japan just in case Ryuzaki needed something and he wasn't around. However I never thought he'd make me drive to the store with Ryuzaki so soon…he's one sneaky old man.
"Suzuki…try not to kill us." Ryuzaki opens the passenger door and slides in, sitting like a normal person. I stand outside for a moment and grip the keys tightly.
I can do this! Nothing's different, just imagine that Ryuzaki is Watari and it's just like any other time. You'll be fine.
I clench the keys until I can feel them digging into my palm. I walk toward my door and begin to lose faith with every step.
Who am I kidding? This will be awful! Why did I have to let the old man talk me into this? I hope he doesn't plan on wearing it because I'm sure as hell not gonna let him.
I slouch in defeat and open the door and slide in. I take a minute to buckle up before I even put the keys in the ignition.
Safety first.
My brain finally comprehends Ryuzaki's comment and I glare at him for a second before turning the key and adjust old Watari's mirrors.
Yeah there's no fucking way I can pretend that he's Watari.
We're in the hotels parking garage between two other cars so I place my arm behind his headrest and prepare myself to back out.
Looks all clear.
I back out gently and once I'm sure I'm out enough I shift into drive and pull away. It's not that far to the grocery store and within a few silent minutes we reach it; safely.
I pull her into a pot that's relatively close and throw her in park. I slap my hands on my thighs and turn to face Ryuzaki.
"See that wasn't so bad. We're safe and sound."
"We've only completed half the trip, there's still time." I scoff and roll my eyes as I turn off the engine. Ryuzaki gets out and I unbuckle myself and join him.
"Ryuzaki, I'm not gonna kill us." I stop dead as he puts on that pink mask; I haven't even shut my door yet. "What, the hell, are you wearing?"
"I have to protect my identity. Kira needs a face and a name."
"Yeah I know. But if you don't want people to question who you are then don't bring attention to yourself with a mask. What even is that thing?"
"It's a Hyottoko mask." I stare at him for a few seconds.
"Well you're not wearing it inside." I reach down and unlock the back door and rummage through the back until I find a grey baseball cap that I bought the other day. It's a tourist hat with the word 'Tokyo' sewn on. It looks ratty and worn, but it's just the style. Inside it are some silver aviators that I bought that day as well.
I'm lucky I left these back here…
"Ryuzaki c'mere" I shut the back door and gesture for him to walk over. From all around the parking lot I can feel people's stares. I place the hat and aviators on the roof of the car. "You gotta be more careful. I know you think the mask will protect you, but people will only notice you more. You need to learn to blend in." My voice is soft and I gently begin to take his mask off. As it comes off the dark eyes of my companion are revealed and I begin to stare into them.
My heart flip flops and I quickly look away, tossing the mask into the back seat via my open door. I reach up and grab the cap with one hand and the glasses in the other. I place the cap snuggly on his head; hair sticks out every which way and I stifle the urge to laugh. Next I place the aviators over his dark eyes; they cover those dark circles as well.
There we go…no one will ever know.
"There; now you'll blend right in…kinda" I give him a once over.
This disguise should work well enough.
I grab the keys from where I put them on the driver seat and shove them into my pocket before shutting my door. Ryuzaki is looking at his reflection as I begin to walk away.
He looks cute…I kinda wish he'd wear normal clothes like this more often…or even dress up a little…we still haven't gone on that 'date'. Hmm he's being awfully quiet I hope every thing's alright.
I stop and turn around; he hasn't move, he's still looking at the glass.
"Ryuzaki?" He turns as I call and seems genuinely surprised that he didn't notice I'd left. "C'mon." He begins to run toward me. Yes, run, or at least what would pass for running.
He looks like a little kid that doesn't wanna get left behind.
"You alright?" I ask as he catches up to me, I ignore the urge to hold his hand.
"Yes. I just look so different, it's fascinating…" I give him a smile and we continue to walk towards the entrance side by side.
Ah so it seems someone does actually care about his appearance after all.
As we step through the entrance I glance around to see if anyone is staring; but it seems the disguise is working.
Hmm guess Ryuzaki and I look normal together….
"Ryuzaki, grab a cart will ya?" He nods and walks off to fine one.
If no one is watching, then why do I feel so uneasy?
"Will this do?" I turn and Ryuzaki is standing there with probably the biggest cart in the whole damn store.
"Holy crap, do you think we're gonna buy the whole store? Where did you even find a cart that big? Watari said he wanted groceries and…snacks for Ryuz-shit…"
For a second there I forgot who I was shopping with; enter Ryuzaki, the world's biggest sugar fiend.
"Should I find a smaller one?"
"No, it's fine, c'mon." I sigh and take the cart from him. I head toward the farthest isle and start there. I pull out my phone and mentally check off each item that goes in the cart from the list that Watari texted me.
Man this sure is a lot of stuff…Ryuzaki must be loaded…well actually that is true…he does have that giant mansion…I make decent money working for him I can only assume what he makes for the whole case…
"Suzuki?" Ryuzaki's voice breaks my train of thought and I come out of it to realize we've hit the candy isle.
"Hmm?" I stop the cart and rest my foot on the bottom rack while leaning over the handle bar.
"Are you going to pick something out?" Ryuzaki looks cute as he's standing there with one hand in his pocket and the other at his mouth. I look down and inventory the cat; most of what Watari wanted is already in there.
"Um…yeah maybe." He beams in excitement as begins to look around for his own goodies. I follow close behind with the cart, but I'm still leaning on the handle. Ryuzaki begins to mumble to himself.
"I already put sugar cubes in the cart earlier when we were in the coffee isle…so now…Ohagi, bean jelly and jam; probably strawberry, but we can get that by the bread. Chocolate Chips so we can have Chocolate covered Strawberries; hmm maybe I should get white chocolate chips too…The Strawberries and Melon are over by the produce isle…I want Anmitsu, Mochi, Hello Panda's, a giant lollipop, this bag of small lollipops to replenish stock…" He trails off and I sigh.
This might take longer than I thought.
"Don't crush anything and keep in mind I still need to be able to push the cart." I sigh again and continue to watch him. After a few minutes he stops and stares at me confused.
"Did you pick out a snack?"
"No not yet."
"Oh…well go on." I can see that he won't drop it 'till I do so I look around the isle.
What do I want? Hmm…oh cool.
I walk over to a familiar yellow package and place it in the child seat of the cart.
Mmm . Ryuzaki is still watching, he probably isn't satisfied yet…hmm…I guess I'll get some Pocky too.
I reach for it and stop for a second remembering my dream. I shake the thought from my mind before grabbing a few different flavors and place them next to my candy bar. I glance at Ryuzaki who finally seems happy.
"You happy now?"
"Yes. Feel free to pick anything out; we need your brainpower at 100%."
Yeah…but my metabolism isn't, I'm gonna gain so much weight from this shit.
Before Ryuzaki decides to put one of everything in my cart I begin to push it into the next isle.
This thing is fucking heavy…how are we supposed to bring all this upstairs?
A shiver runs down my spine and I spin around; only Ryuzaki and I are in the isle. He's still standing where I left him; staring at the candy.
"Ryuzaki?" He snaps out of it and faces me. "C'mon I gotta get the rest of Watari's list." He frowns slightly and does that running thing again.
You can walk y'know, I'm not gonna leave you behind.
We wander through the other isles and grab the rest of the list. I stop for a minute and check inventory one more time.
"Okay Ryuzaki, we got everything he asked for. Let's cash out." He nods and we head toward checkout.
. . .
"Two hundred dollars Ryuzaki…that was way too much…" I can't believe it was all that much. We step back out into the parking lot as a shiver runs down my spine.
"You forget it's not for just the three of us, but the task force as well." I stop the cart before it hits the Mercedes and pop the trunk, ignoring that 'watched' feeling again.
"I guess you have a point…" I start loading the trunk with bags and prepare to do it all by myself, but to my surprise Ryuzaki begins to help.
Holy shit! I'll have to tell Watari about this.
With the two of us working it doesn't take long before there is only one bag left. I reach for it, but as I do so does he and our hands touch.
OH SHIT!
I pull my hand away as my heart begins to flutter. I can feel my face heat up and I turn away slightly as he places the last bag in the trunk.
"There, that's all of it." Ryuzaki turns to me and I quickly shut the trunk before grabbing the cart to bring it to the corral.
"W-why don't you get in and I'll put this away." I don't give him a choice, I just keep walking.
Why do I still feel this way about him? It's not like he'd ever love me anyway…I just wanna lock myself in my room.
"Samn! Samn Crisis!" I stop dead no more than two feet from the rest of the carts. My blood begins to run cold and fear runs through me as I turn my head.
No one here should know my name…is it Kira? Did he find out my real name and send someone to kill me?
I turn fully and meat the eyes of the person who called me by my real name and I can't believe my eyes.
"Maxx…" The name barely escapes my mouth, but he clearly hears it and comes closer.
"Oh so you do recognizes me after all. I thought that maybe you had forgotten about me."
Maxx Agito…my longtime boyfriend turned abusive stalker. After I had saved him from trouble, albeit the Red Queen, darkness, or both; and returned him home…he snapped and broke up with me. After that I threw myself into school, I just don't get why he's here or why he's so angry…he left me.
"What are you doing here, in Japan?! Better yet how the fuck did you find me?" I back up, but I have nowhere to go, there are carts all behind me. Something shines out of the corner of my eye and I look to see Ryuzaki getting out of the car.
Shit…if he comes over here Maxx is gonna freak out even more.
"I've got my connections, but seriously, what the fuck are you doing here?" His tone is aggressive and I cringe a little. Ryuzaki is close now; he's coming up behind Maxx. I look at him with pleading eyes.
No dammit, get back in the car. Please get back in the car.
"Suzuki, is everything okay?" He walks right past Maxx and to my side. I'm anxious as all hell, but as Ryuzaki places a hand on my arm it all melts away.
"What?! You changed your name too? That's rich." I ignore Maxx and glance at Ryuzaki's face; I feel like I'm shaking but I also feel safe with him by my side.
"I'm alright Ryuzaki, let's go. I just wanna go home. It was nice seeing you Maxx, but I have work to do." I pull softly on Ryuzaki's sleeve and we head past Maxx toward the Mercedes. Ryuzaki seems on edge though; he must have made the connection.
"You're leaving? Are you kidding me?!" He grabs my arm tightly and I cry out in pain; Ryuzaki and I stop in our tracks.
Oh shit! He's got me!
Out of fear I grab Ryuzaki's wrist and he flinches. I loosen my grip, realizing I dug my nails into him. I look at the ground as tears form because of the pain and because I'm terrified of what Maxx might do.
I've fought all sorts of monsters and evil, but nothing prepares you for the unpredictability of a human. We fight dirty…
I'm beginning to tremble.
"Maxx let go! You're hurting me!" I try to pull free but somehow his grip grows tighter. I cry out as he tries to tug at me, as he does I accidently pull Ryuzaki along.
I'm so sorry Ryuzaki…
I watch as tears fall from my face and hit the pavement below.
It hurts so much…I think my hand is going numb…
"This is pointless; please let go of the girl." Ryuzaki's stern voice breaks through to me and I look up at him. He's standing taller, but the only thing I can see when I try to look into his eyes is my refection in the aviators.
"And who're you? Her boyfriend or her pimp?" Maxx snarls and pulls at me again resulting in a pained cry and the tugging of Ryuzaki's wrist.
"Ryuzaki…" I don't even realize that I say his name; the voice that comes out is small, pitiful, and weak. Nothing like mine.
"You have one more chance. Let…Go…Of…her." Ryuzaki looks down at me and places his free hand on my hand that's clinging to his wrist. I relax at his soft touch and loosen my grip once more.
"And if I don't?" Maxx comes in closer to me and I can smell booze.
He's drunk…
"Let's just say it would be in your best interest to let go." Ryuzaki's voice changes to threatening and I look at him in surprise.
What's going on? He's never acted this way before…
"And it would be in your best interest to shut the hell up!" Maxx spits and it lands on Ryuzaki's show. He sighs and looks down at me.
What are you going to do?
"Just remember, I did warn you." Ryuzaki takes a quick breath before taking my hand off his wrist. Panic strikes, but then all of a sudden his leg flies up and he kicks Maxx right in the face, sending him flying through the air and into the carts behind him. I almost go with him but at the last second Ryuzaki somehow gets me free and pulls me into his chest. I breathe in his sweet scent and close my eyes. He pushes me out at arm's length by my shoulders to check to see if I'm alright. Blood rushes back into my hand as I push back my sleeve to reveal bruising. Ryuzaki 'Tsks' at it and leads me in the direction of the car. "C'mon, we've wasted enough time here, let's go home." His voice is soothing and I nod, wiping the tears from my face. He leads me to the car and we split to get into our respective sides. I hear coughing and the carts moving behind me, but I don't look back, I just stand there with the car door open and one foot in it, ready to go.
"No matter what you do or where you do; no one will ever like you! Everyone will always leave because you're nothing! Even your parents didn't want you; you're nothing but a freak and a slut!" His words cut through me like a knife and I get in the car. I glance in the rear view and see him run off. I can barely breathe, my chest wants to explode and release this flood of emotions, but I don't. I pull the keys out of my pocket and turn on the car. Raindrops hit the windshield as I back the Mercedes out and head home.
Everything inside me wants to crumble into a million tiny pieces, but I hold it together. I pull up to a light and take a glance at Ryuzaki who's been quiet the entire ride. He's facing the window and seems in thought; the aviators are sitting on his lap, he must have removed them cause of the rain. Although he still has on the cap. I take in a shaky breath and adjust in my seat until I feel comfy again; resting my not bruised arm on the center console.
I can't believe Maxx is in Japan…hopefully after that display he'll go home…
"Suzuki…you didn't deserve what he said. No one should ever talk to another person that way…" Ryuzaki's voice startles me a bit and I push a hand through my bangs as the light turns green. His voice is soft and it sounds as though this is his attempt to make me feel better.
"You don't know me that well…For all you know he could be right, I've got a complicated past…" I pull forward and continue to head toward the hotel; my arm is still on the center console.
"That maybe so…but he was wrong in the very least about some things. I like you and I know that the Task Force likes you. Not only that, but I don't plan on leaving any time soon. To be honest…after we caught Kira I had planned on asking you to continue to work with me…" His words touch my heart; breaking it and repairing it all at once. I take a ragged breath and fight back the new found tears. Suddenly I feel pressure on my hand; I quickly look between it and the road.
He placed his hand on mine…he really does like me doesn't he…
I fail to keep the tears back and as I pull into the hotels parking lot the floodgates break open.
"Ryuzaki…thank you."
Oh my god typing that up took FOR-EVER. I've had too many distractions today…anyway I know this was a super long chapter but I worked really hard on it, so I wanna know what you thought. Thanks to Natasha and Ashley for commenting it really helped me get goin' on typing up this chapter. So the next bit I haven't quite planned out yet, I'm not sure if I'm going to have her find out about her exam scores or just skip to the entrance ceremony so I don't know when the next chapter will be up ^^ But perhaps if you let me know what you want to happen then I'll get a brainstorm and work on it sooner. Well that's all I have to say for now, I gotta get to bed :P See you next time!