Chapter 27
I'm finally back and with the Valentine's Day chapter! Sorry it took so long, I was having major writers block I had to go through a few drafts to get it right, or what I assume is right. Not only that but my computer is still dying -_- had to run a system restore to get it to work, that's an hour of my life I'll never get back…Anyway I think you've all waited long enough. Here we go.
February 14th
I sit up in my bed, an annoying sound blares at me. It takes a minute for me to realize that it's just my alarm. I groan as I roll over and hit it's off button, but once I do it shuts up.
I groan again. Ugh what time is it? My eyes travel to the bright red numbers in the dark. Six AM…ugh it's so early…I know I should be used to getting up this early by now but I'm so not a morning person.
I reach over and turn on my bedside lamp before checking my personal phone for messages.
I don't even know why I check this every day; no one will ever message this phone…
I toss it in the bedside table's drawer to be forgotten and then pick up my work phone; it says that I have 1 message. I rub my eyes. It's from Matsuda. I shift and sit cross legged before opening it.
'Happy Valentine's Day Sis
-Matsuda'
What?! Is that really today?!
I back out of the message and try to think of something clever to say. After a few attempted drafts I give up and just send him a simple response.
'Thanks, you too. '
I set the phone on top of the bedside table and try to rub the sleep from my face before swinging my legs over the edge of the bed and then heading to the bathroom.
As I splash water on my face I begin to wake up. I look up at the mirror and watch as the water drips down my face.
Valentine's Day…more like singles awareness day…
I turn the water off and wipe my face with a hand towel. Suddenly there's a knock at my door.
It's too early for breakfast Watari…I just woke up…
I drape the towel over my shoulders and head for the door. As I open it I'm greeted by Watari.
"Good morning, Miss Matsui." I notice his lack of breakfast tray and feel grateful.
"Mornin' Watari, what's up?" I sense he wants to come in so I move out of his way and shut the door behind him.
"I wanted to discuss something with you." His tone is soft, but I cross my arms, slightly confused.
"Everything cool?"
"Oh yes of course. Are you at all familiar with the customs for Valentine's Day here in Japan?"
Customs for Valentine's Day…here in Japan? So they're not the same as back home?
"Uh…if it's different then back home then no, no, I'm not familiar." I drop one arm and rest my other hand on my hip, adjusting my weight to one leg.
"Ah, just as I thought…well; over here on Valentine's Day the women give gifts and chocolate to the men and then on March 14th, White Day, the men give women chocolate and gifts. So in that regard, did you have any plans for making any sweets today? I would be happy to help you."
Woah that is pretty different then back home. Did I even want to make anything for today? Who am I kidding? I forgot all about today until Matsuda texted me…wait a minute! That sneaky bastard! He only reminded me so I'd make chocolate for him!
I shake my head at the thought of Matsuda's alleged plan. "Honestly Watari, I had forgotten all about it until I got Matsuda's text this morning. Which is probably a hint that he wants me to make him chocolate," Watari chuckles.
"It does seem that way doesn't it. Come to think of it; do you know who would really enjoy receiving chocolate from you?"
"Everyone-"
"Ryuzaki. I'm sure he'd be ecstatic."
"Ryuzaki would enjoy chocolate from anyone. An even if he did get some from me I doubt he'd be ecstatic, he'd probably still have that bored look on his face…besides, I'm not a baker. I'd probably mess it all up." I give a sigh and look down at the floor. There's silence for a minute, but I can read the old man like a book, he's forming a plan.
"Then I guess I'll just have to help you, however, before we start I think I'll go to the store and get fresh supplies." To my surprise the old mane begins to head toward the door, fully intent on making me bake.
"Wait! Watari! I didn't agree to this!" I chase after him, but he stops at the door, causing me to almost walk into him.
"What kind of cake do you suppose we should get? Something everyone will love…" I groan and fold my arms in protest.
He's not listening, no getting out of this one.
"I don't know, Vanilla…just white cake…or do something festive, like red frosting or red strawberries."
Not that I think they come in any other color…
"What a great idea. I will return with vanilla cake mix and red and white frosting. Is there anything else you can think of that we may need?"
I have no friggin' idea, ask Ryuzaki…
"I don't know, maybe cookies? That's more a question for the guys on what they want."
"Well…think of this party as a way for everyone to unwind instead of in a romantic way, also it's going to be a surprise so I very well can't ask them what they'd like."
"Oh…"
"No matter, I have a good general idea so I think I'll be on my way now." Watari leaves without saying another word, leaving me alone in my room. My hand slowly slides down my face as I push the stress away.
Goddamnit…I guess I better get dressed and go check on Ryuzaki…who knows what he's doing right now…
. . .
It doesn't take long before I'm dressed and heading to the living room to find Ryuzaki. I decided to ditch my normal button up and just stick to a black tank top because I'll be cooking and I don't wanna ruin my 'work' clothes.
As I enter the room I see the familiar shape of my friend, hunched over his desk with his back to me. After a few seconds he seems to realize I'm there and turns.
"Oh, good morning Suzuki." I smile at the sight of him and flop down on the couch, lying across it.
"Morning Ryuzaki, how're you?" He sighs and rubs his face before standing from his chair and coming over to sit across from me. I notice that today he looks especially tired. "That bad, huh?" He sighs again but softer.
"No, I'm just not certain what I should do right now…Kira has had the same pattern for a while now and even though I've separated the data into every kind of chart I can think of, I'm still no closer to any new leads. It's just…vexing, to say the least"
Vexing? That's an emotion isn't it? Isn't that the same as frustrating, I guess Mr. Robot Voice does feel things after all.
"Oh…I see." He sighs deeply before reaching for a lollipop from the glass bowl on the table, next to the coffee pot, or tea pot…Silence fills the room, only to be disrupted by the unwrapping of his treat.
Should I say something to comfort him? Tell him he's doing a good job? Honestly he'd probably just ignore me, or say he doesn't think he's doing well…
The front door opens and I pop my head over the back of the couch to look toward the door. A familiar voice floats through the air.
"Happy Valentine's Day! I can feel that love is in the air!" The voice grows louder as Matsuda and the rest of the team enter the room. "Just look at you two lovebirds." He laughs, but I hear Ryuzaki groan so I go back to my original position on the couch.
"Matsuda you idiot…" I watch Ryuzaki as he puts his lollipop in his mouth, he looks thoroughly displeased.
Aizawa walks up and stands behind the couch, but the others come into view. "Hey guys; Happy Singles Awareness Day." I hear a grunt and look up at Aizawa. Oh wait him and the Chief are married aren't they. "Oh, but Valentine's Day to you guys." He folds his arms and smiles down at me.
"You're a glass half empty type of gal, arntcha?"
"Eh." I shrug and put my arms behind my head.
"Hey Ryuzaki, what do you think about Valentine's Day?" Matsuda seems excited to find out and I turn to look at Ryuzaki.
Yeah, what does he think about today? Is he expecting chocolate like the Japanese tradition? Or does he celebrate it in the American way?
"I have nothing to say. Quite frankly it's just another day to me." Ryuzaki pours himself some coffee/tea and begins to add sugar cubes.
"Y'know what? You're both Debbie Downers. Today is about love, joy, and chocolate" Matsuda spreads his arms but seems disappointed in Ryuzaki's response.
"Oh yeah? And how many chocolates did you get Matsuda?" Aizawa's voice rings from above me and I crane my neck to look at Matsuda.
"As a matter of fact I got like five."
"Wow, your mom spent a lot of money on you." The room erupts into laughter at my burn and I throw a smile at Ryuzaki, he quickly looks away.
Was he blushing? What's up with him?
"So we've got someone who doesn't care about Valentine's Day and someone who thinks it's just a reminder of how single they are. What a fun group we have." Aizawa looks down at me.
Oh, don't lecture me, it was just a joke.
"That's not all I think, back home; the day after Valentine's Day is the day that candy is half off. It's always pretty exciting…" There's an awkward silence but then the front door opens and I hear the sound of crinkling plastic bags.
Watari must be back.
The others move onto a different topic and I stand to head toward the kitchen.
"Where are you going?" I turn at the sound of Ryuzaki's voice. I point to the kitchen with one hand.
"Um…Watari asked me to help him with something before he left…" Everyone seems to accept my answer, but Ryuzaki seems almost sad to see me leave the room. I give him one last look before heading to the kitchen.
Watari notices me immediately as I enter the room. "Well hello there Miss." He seems surprised at my sudden appearance. I walk over to the island and sit on a stool, watching him put stuff away.
"Hey, so did you still want to make that stuff?" He pauses and turns around to face me.
"Why yes of course; just give me a minute to put this away and then we'll get started."
I sigh at the impending baking catastrophe and place my head in my hands.
This will not be fun…
. . .
A few hours, cuts, burns, and Watari instructions later we're finally done. I cringe as I wash a fresh burn, it 'burns' like a mother. Watari is finishing the icing on one of the cakes so I dry it with a paper towel and head toward the first aid kit to Band-Aid my hands…I can understand all the burns from the pans and such, but some of these cuts I have no idea where they even came from…
I never want to bake again…
I glance over and Watari places the last strawberry on the cake he's working on then carefully picks it up and brings it over to the table and sets it among the other confectioneries. We're lucky that no one came in during the baking; otherwise our surprise would have been foiled. Haha get it? Foiled, as in the foil under cupcakes? Yeah, I know…it's a bad joke.
Watari claps his hands making me look up. "Well Miss, that about does it, don't you think?" I fold my arms and glance at all of our deserts.
"It better, I don't think my hands could take anymore abuse." He chuckles lightly.
"You just need practice…and proper cooking etiquette." I roll my eyes, but smile. "Now did you want any of these to me set aside for Ryuzaki?" My heart skips at the mention of his name.
"W-why would I do that?"
"Well, today is Valentine's Day, and as I mentioned, on said day women give gifts and sweets to those they admire." He stares at me from atop his glasses and I can feel myself blush.
Should I deny it? Tell him that I feel nothing towards Ryuzaki and that our relationship is purely work related and innocent? No…it's too late for that, he'd see right through me…he's a smart old fart, I'll give him that.
I sigh and it's a sign that I surrender. My whole body, which had previously been tense at the accusation, relaxes into a slough, utterly defeated.
"It's that obvious, huh." Watari's smile changes to one of reassurance.
"Yes Miss. To me…the only way it could be more obvious were if you wrote it on a piece of paper and stuck it to yourself." I instantly cringe like a reprimanded child.
Yikes…that's pretty obvious, and here I thought I was being cool about it, that no one would figure it out.
"So, you think everyone knows?"
"I'm not sure; however it does seem that Ryuzaki remains oblivious to the matter." I smirk.
"Some detective he is."
"Indeed…"
"You won't tell anyone will you?" Watari pretends to be hurt.
"Do you think so little of me? You are; how they say, 'secret safe with me.'" I feel instant relief once again.
I really didn't think he'd tell anyone to begin with, but it's good to know that he won't anyway.
"Now, we really must decide on what dessert to set aside." I pull my attention from him to the confectioneries that line the table. One has stuck out to me this entire time, as if telling me that it's the one that Ryuzaki would enjoy the most: the Vanilla Cake with the Red Strawberries. I slowly walk over and stand next to it.
"What about this one?" The cake itself is relatively small, but for some reason it just seems perfect to me.
"I think it's perfect, I'll set it over here for now. Would you mind bringing everyone in here?" I nod as Watari takes the cake away and I split off to find my team.
. . .
We normally convene in the main room so that's the first place I want to check. As I step through the door I'm instantly told that I'm right in my assumption that they'd be here but I stop dead in my tracks and stare in horror at the sight before me.
Oh my god…what the hell happened in here?! It's like a goddamn tornado came through. The floor is lava? How about the floor is paper!
There are papers scattered all over the floor, the form a second carpet. I just continue to stare as Matsuda notices me and stands up immediately.
"Oh hey there Suzuki…um…sorry about the mess. I guess we were working so hard that we didn't notice how bad it got…" He looks around confused. "But it's weird; normally it doesn't get messy at all…" He scratches the back of his head innocently and smiles.
"That's because Mogi and I always organize it! I can't believe that without us you guys made this big of a mess…" I rub my temples in frustration then run my hands down my face. I hear a squeak and notice that Ryuzaki has spun around in his office chair. He looks at the mess and then to me.
"Was there something you needed Suzuki? I thought you were helping Watari with something."
Yeah just ignore the mess Ryuzaki…did I need something? I can't remember….OH the party! I can't believe I almost forgot.
I put the image of the mess out of my head. "I already finished helping Watari, but there's something in the kitchen I'd like all of you to see."
They all glance to each other before standing up, once each has made it too their feet, including Ryuzaki, I lead the way. From behind me I can hear them talking amongst themselves.
"I wonder what it is."
"I hope its food, I'm starving," I smile at Matsuda's exclamation, but because I'm leading the pack no one can see it.
As we reach the kitchen door I stop and block the way so that everyone can catch up. Once Ryuzaki is at the back of the line I extend my hand through the door and usher them in.
"HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY EVERYONE!" As they enter they each respond with amazement.
"Wow! You guys did all this?!"
"It's looks amazing!"
"I can't wait to try one of everything!"
I scan the room and notice that Ryuzaki hasn't said a word and hasn't moved from his spot just inside the door. I walk over to him and watch the other members fill their plates. He doesn't seem to notice me so I lean over to and whisper.
"So, what do you think?" He stiffens as if I've startled him, but then relaxes once he realizes it's just me. Everyone is preoccupied so they don't notice us.
"I think it's wonderful. Everything looks so good. I'm torn between eating it or not because I don't want to ruin it." I smile and watch as the Chief scolds Matsuda over his mountainous plate. "I'm just curious though, why did you do all this Suzuki? On Valentine's Day aren't you only supposed to give a gift to your Valentine or significant other?" As Ryuzaki speaks I make eye contact with Watari and nod as a signal to bring a slice of cake. He quickly cuts two pieces from the white cake and heads our way. "We can't all be your Valentine that would be absurd."
I laugh and Ryuzaki turns to face me, his eyes meet mine. "I did this as a thank you for all everyone has done for me and as a bit of a break from the investigation. Besides, I only have one person here who I want to be my Valentine, Silly." Watari hands us our cake and plastic forks. He leaves to go assist the others with their cake. I look down and notice that my piece has a strawberry on it.
"Oh? And who would that be?"
I smile and pick the strawberry up, turning to Ryuzaki. "I'll give you this strawberry if you promise not to tell." His eyes widen at my proposal and it's clear that he wants it. He reaches his hand out but I pull the strawberry back a little. "You have to promise first."
"Yes of course, I promise…" I set the strawberry in his hand and his eyes return to mine. I grin and lean over to whisper in his ear.
"It's you."
Well there you have it, Chapter 27, Valentine's Day! Sorry it took so long, I am the worst procrastinator…Thanks to Ash, Darcy, Mai, and Hateme for your reviews. Happy Belated Darcy it's pretty cool that I uploaded on your birthday. Honestly I was just upset with not going anywhere in life and decided that the best way to get noticed was to put myself out there. Thanks Mai for the comment about the writing style. It's actually pretty hard to continuously write in the same style, especially when I take as many breaks as I do. There are a few authors that write in this style like Lilith Saintcrow, James Patterson in the Maximum Ride novels, and Karen Sparks. So whenever I get lost I try to read their stuff to be like "Brain! You need to write in this formula." Just kidding…kinda, it's more like "I haven't done a monologue in a while, where can I fit one in." It's hard but it's my favorite style to write in. Hateme101…first off idk if your name is hateme like a Japanese name or legit Hate Me, it's been boggling my mind. Second, I acknowledge your comment and will think about that in the future. However I have a plan on where this story needs to go, I have two more filler ideas before I can get back on track, it's a pretty big space to fill between the entrance exams and when they actually start going to To-Oh. I'm also taking a different approach with this FanFic, normally it's almost a copy paste of the original with my character jammed in there, but I got tired of that and wanted to do something completely different, while the Death Note plot is there in the background, this is a romance fanfic between Ryuzaki and Suzuki. I also have to adjust for the fact that the original jumps back and forth between Light and L, and the whole point was to see what L does when we aren't watching him, hence the title The Other Side. I really do appreciate the review, you're one of the first that I feel has given me criticism to think about and what I can work on, so keep it up. As for everyone else, if you're feeling like your 'keep it up' reviews aren't appreciated, then you're silly. If I'm slumming it in my house and I haven't worked on it in a while and then my phone buzzes and I read your review 8/10 times I'll get up and start writing :D
So if I'm not mistaken I have a few new favorites, so thanks to crazychessgurl, lette4127, mai, and ShalPal. Also thanks lette, mai, and hateme for following I know you'll read this soon Sorry about the huge authors note and I will see you next time on what I hope will be a chapter on White Day but I'm not sure I have a cute Idea I want to do. See ya!