A Stolen Kiss

The days when L left Amane Misa to her own devices were days when Yagami Light wasn't around.

The Chief Inspector Yagami Souichiro had taken his son home to reassure his family that they were all right. It was a rare occasion because both men hated to be taken away from their work. Their determination and drive to solve the Kira case were admirable qualities and showed how much they resembled each other. But going away for days at a time meant that wife and daughter or mother and sister would be worried sick over them.

L watched the screen intently. They had planted at least one camera on the Yagami household in case of emergencies. Neither father nor son knew about it. It was a precaution that Watari had suggested.

He looked away when the heartwarming scene of their reunion came on. Instead, he shifted his attention on the blonde young woman who was pacing behind him. The pop idol and supermodel Amane Misa still had a long piece of chair attached on her left ankle that kept her captive.

"Let's go out, Ryuzaki," she begged, pouting her pretty lips. The detective didn't say anything when she knelt by his feet and looked up to him with huge misty blue eyes. "Misa-Misa is so bored! She hasn't gotten out in days and she needs to buy a lot of things!"

Watari glanced up from his work before ignoring the tableau.

L looked at his friend's girlfriend, slightly confused. Dealing with girls weren't his forte but no one needed to know that. There was nothing wrong about girls but they confused him so he generally left them alone. He made a mental note to make more interactions with this particular girl to educate himself on that subject.

"You're out of your apartment, Misa-san," L pointed out, rational as always.

"Yes but Light isn't here," Misa murmured, looking as pathetic as possible. She pressed her upper body on L's leg to emphasize how helpless and delicate she was. A light blush crept up on his pale cheeks when she batted her eyelashes.

Involuntarily, his gaze traveled from her blue eyes to her cupid's bow lips and then downwards to her exposed cleavage that smelled like roses and strawberries…

He forced himself to calm down. It was only a logical reaction. He was a man who had suddenly faced the terrifying prospect of vulnerability against a woman's greatest weapon: seduction. It became clear to him how and why women got their way in the course of history.

"Please?" Misa asked in a begging tone. She was getting very good at this. "We're good friends, aren't we Ryuzaki? Misa-Misa promises she won't bother you or escape your hold. She'd even dress up as someone else… Surely you know she's a good girl…"

"Misa-san, don't push it," he muttered under his breath. She was making it very hard when she stretched like a cat. He stared at her, mesmerized by her flexibility and grace; captivated on how her back arched perfectly and how her full breasts curved upwards enticingly…

Misa stared at him directly. She held up a peace sign. "I promise that I won't let you down, Ryuzaki! Let's go out to the drugstore, please? Just for today. Light never takes me out…"

Hearing those words made him feel slightly proud that he can do something that the other man hadn't.

It was useless. L had to admit that Light was tough competition. In everything from the investigation to reasoning, eating and drinking they were competitors. It was an endless match between his suspected "Kira" and himself. If it meant getting to one-up Light at least in one field, he can agree. It was only an afternoon with Amane Misa…

He said yes.

When she got up and hugged him tightly, he wished that he could feel that way all the time. Winning against Kira paled in comparison.

oOoOoOo

True to her word, she didn't go out as Amane Misa.

She was dressed in shorts, white long-sleeved shirt and sneakers. (He wondered where she got the white shirt. She never wore white; it was also slightly larger than her small frame.) Her blonde hair was tied up into a ponytail and tucked under a black baseball cap. She even donned huge black sunglasses to hide her blue eyes. When she walked by him, he swore he could detect a faint and familiar scent but it disappeared immediately.

Watari agreed to drive them over to the drug store. They had thought of a couple of back-up plans just in case while she dressed. It never hurt to be prepared. In their profession, a slight oversight or mistake spelled failure. If she ever ran away, Watari was in the position to do everything to stop her.

L and Misa sat at the back of the car together, not talking. She was looking out the window and smiling at the pleasant view of blue skies and towering buildings. When she saw people on the sidewalks, she couldn't help but giggle.

He stayed expressionless. Going out by day was not his favorite activity. He preferred the cold and silence of night. It was also the time when his brain worked hardest while daytime made him feel hot and drowsy. So he preferred to stay in and hide from the sunshine.

"Here," Misa said suddenly. "Let's go here!"

Watari obliged by parking the car beside a shopping center. The cheerful blonde hopped out of the car followed by the pale dark-haired man. As usual, the shopping center was filled to the brim with people who ate and shopped. Nobody blinked as the trio entered the cool, air-conditioned building.

L hated crowded places. He hated hearing noises and voices; he disliked the press of human flesh against him unlike Misa who reveled in the crowds and rejoiced in the masses of people around her. But though he was alone, he wasn't lonely. He'd just rather be by himself.

"Don't go too fast," he said when he had to walk faster to catch up with the blonde. She turned around, an apologetic smile on her face. It was an unusually crowded day in the shopping mall. He wondered what he should do if she got lost.

"Sorry Ryuzaki!" Misa said sincerely. "Misa-Misa hasn't been on a shopping mall for a long time and she's so excited!"

He blinked when she took out her white handkerchief and folded it. With wide eyes, he saw her tie one end of her handkerchief on his wrist before tying the other end on hers. When she touched his wrist gently, he had trembled involuntarily which he supposed was inevitable.

"There!" she said, stepping back to survey her work. "So Ryuzaki and Misa-Misa won't lose each other…"

L didn't have a choice to walk beside her, step by step to avoid lagging behind. But she was too impulsive, too energetic for him. So when he couldn't take it anymore, he grabbed her hand.

She stared at their laced fingers but didn't say anything. They were holding hands in public. But what surprised him most was when she tightened her hold on him. He glanced at his mentor questioningly.

Watari only smiled.

oOoOoOo

Misa didn't get irritated very easily. She tried to be patient, outgoing and not childish this time. It took a lot of effort to convince Ryuzaki that she was a good girl to let her out of their gilded prison. If she didn't see regular people soon, she would go mad.

So she allowed herself to wander, talk unceasingly and enjoy his company. She let him ask questions about her personal life. She permitted him to find out about her likes and dislikes, hates and loves. Because being around Ryuzaki, she found out that she could exercise her brain which was locked away far too long.

Light was her boyfriend. He had her unwavering devotion and unquestioned loyalty. She loved him at first sight. In her dreams she could see herself marrying the smart and handsome Light and raising a family together. They fit so well she had no doubt that they were meant to be together.

But her relationship with him was not perfect. She had to admit that she was obsessed with a cold and ruthless man who didn't return her affections in the same way. She knew that she was a fool for hoping that Light would one day kiss her and tell her that he loved her back. Misa was patient so she would wait for that day to come.

Again, she saw the differences between Light and Ryuzaki. Light was rational, meticulous and pleasing to the eye; Ryuzaki was sometimes irrational, messy and painful to look at. Her boyfriend was tall, handsome and perfect; his best friend was slouched, nowhere near attractive and imperfect by her standards. But Ryuzaki had more heart than Light did.

The pale, dark-haired man respected her like a true gentleman. He talked to her politely, listened to her and gave her benefit of the doubt. Though he'd locked her away for a long time while interrogating her for being the Second Kira, she forgave that because he was thoroughly sorry in his own way. She also sensed that he was kinder and better at dealing with her than Light.

While they browsed the drugstore, she kept her eye on him.

Ryuzaki stood out like a sore thumb. His old, faded long-sleeved white shirt and torn jeans hung on his thin and gangling body. She also noticed that one of his sneakers were already untied. Messy and slept-in hair stood out in strange angles. His eyes had deep dark circles and he was abnormally pale. But she'd learned not to judge people by their appearances because that would be a grave mistake.

Though Misa's fashion aesthetics were offended, she kept quiet about it. Sometimes she fantasized about bringing Ryuzaki to a good store to buy him better clothes. She'd sit on one of those comfortable couches while he stepped out of dressing rooms in vintage rocker t shirts, dark skinny jeans, black boots and cuffs on his arms. He would look like a true rock star when she was finished with him…

"Are you all right, Misa-san?" he asked courteously.

She nodded and looked away to hide her heated cheeks.

Her blue eyes landed on a rack of tampons and the like. Casting a glance on the curious Ryuzaki, she blushed harder. How will she buy them when he was around? Her period was going to appear in the next two weeks and it will be embarrassing to ask Watari-san to buy them for her…

"Oh," Ryuzaki said. He turned around, presenting her with a view of his back.

Misa looked surprised. She smiled in spite of herself. Approaching the rack, she scanned for her favorite and most relied on brand. She grimaced when she realized that it was on the topmost shelf. Standing on tiptoes, Misa tried to reach up for the box.

Her eyes widened when she saw Ryuzaki take one without difficulty. Without looking at her, he gave it to Watari who merely nodded and put it in their basket. She stared at him, awed. Who knew Ryuzaki was so tall? He was almost taller than Light by an inch!

"Thank you, Ryuzaki," Misa said softly.

The detective merely grunted and moved away to the magazine stands. She followed him, skipping happily. There were plenty of newspapers and magazines featuring Kira, L and the demise of the world's criminal population. But her attention was on her favorite magazines.

Misa was busy browsing an open copy of her favorite magazine so she didn't care at first. She glanced at Ryuzaki who was staring at the magazines with interest. If he was checking out how far Kira's greatness went, it would explain his calm and interested expression. So when he reached forward to pull out a magazine, she didn't blink…

Until she realized that she was staring at her own face.

Blushing, she sputtered as Ryuzaki gazed down on her sexy magazine cover for a well-known fetish magazine. The dark-haired man placed his thumb on his mouth, staring at it thoughtfully. She remembered that it was the last shoot that she did before she was abducted by Ryuzaki. That was almost a month ago. She totally forgot about it.

Averting her gaze from the detective, she pulled it out to see it properly.

The blonde and blue-eyed Amane Misa stared up enticingly at her while lying on her stomach in a blood-red couch with candles that made her hair glow like a halo. She was dressed up in a tight black baby dress that had an indecently short skirt that exposed her legs in spiky stilettos. She was also hugging a black-haired doll that drew the eye to her long neck and full breasts. It was sexy and innocent, sultry and sweet. No doubt the Gothic Lolita persona gave her an edge over the other blonde actresses and models.

"I didn't know you posed for this," Ryuzaki said politely. "It's most interesting."

Misa flushed when she saw him give it to Watari. She completely forgot that there was a sexy centerfold and more suggestive pictures inside. But she giggled instead. She didn't know that Ryuzaki was such a fan.

It thrilled her to know that he paid more attention that her boyfriend.

She saw the cosmetics counter and made a beeline for it. It was time to replenish her makeup bag. Though she was kept in captivity, that didn't mean she should let herself go. She must look more and more beautiful to entice her darling Light while they still technically lived together.

Ryuzaki smiled when she clutched his hand tightly to make him walk faster. It felt nice to hold hands with her. She had soft and delicate skin that he didn't dare hold her tightly because he was scared she must bruise. Her fingers were also long and tapered with nails that gleamed in pale pink polish.

He let go to let her browse the makeup counter. She shifted through the various brands like an expert. He stared at her, slightly interested. All of the makeup looked the same to him. But it was entertaining to watch her sort through them like it was a science.

Watari moved closer to Misa and let her place her desired products at will. She looked like she was having fun.

Ryuzaki didn't think he could be bored when she was opening bottles, cases and assorted nail polish bottles. She sniffed a bottle of perfume before putting it back. Her eyes widened with pleasure when she explored the rows of lipsticks. Seeing so many expressions on Amane Misa's face was a pleasurable experience.

He didn't think that it was possible to see and feel so much at once.

When Misa found something she liked, she made a little noise that made him think of a purring cat. She had opened a small red rectangular box and removed the tube of lip-gloss inside.

The dark-haired detective inched closer to get a better view. She ignored him. He saw her lean forwards to get a better look on the mirror, open the lip-gloss with a twist, lean closer to her reflection and open her sweet pink lips…

Watching her apply slick and shiny lip-gloss made him feel like a voyeur more than anything else.

He started a bit when he detected a faint smell coming from her. Leaning forward casually, he realized that it was his smell that he had detected earlier. Smiling secretly, he deduced that she must be wearing one of his white shirts and it still reeked of him. Whether she intended to or not, she'd showed him that she liked him.

"There! Misa-Misa's favorite color," she announced before blowing a kiss to him. Watari chuckled when the blonde woman tossed two or three more boxes into the basket. Paying for those expensive little things was nothing to L if it meant Misa's content.

They passed the confectionary area of the drugstore and he didn't waste time in cramming as many sweets as possible on their little black basket. Misa had to stifle her laughter when he hugged a large bag of chocolate bars. L loved sweets more.

While Watari paid for their purchases, they sat on the small court of the shopping mall. They had ice cream too. Misa had agreed to eat ice cream if and only if it was vanilla and strawberry. She'd usually yell at him for suggesting sweets but she didn't which was odd. But it was better, he surmised, to eat ice cream with a quiet Misa.

"Thank you Ryuzaki," she spoke up. Turning to him, Misa gave him her brightest and sweetest smile. "I've never been on a good date before."

He noted her use of the first person pronoun. And felt proud that he'd accomplished that.

"Didn't Misa-Misa keep her promise?" she asked, pouting cutely.

L nodded as he licked his ice cream. He took her hand in his and squeezed it tightly. "You're a good girl, Misa-san."

Misa squealed with glee. She inched closer to him and kissed his cheek quickly. Flushing slightly, she pulled back and laughed. She licked her ice cream quickly to prevent it from dripping.

"Amazing," he murmured.

oOoOoOo

They drove home afterwards. It was late afternoon already. L knew that Light and his father would be getting back. He didn't want to share Misa with him anymore…

He glanced at the sleeping blonde girl. She was leaning on his shoulder and their hands were still tied. It reminded him of the long chain that handcuffed him to Light before. Smiling slightly, he squeezed her hand before looking at her face.

She was too beautiful, too pure. Surely she wasn't the second Kira?

But emotions clouded rationality and good judgement. He'd slacked off for a whole afternoon already. When they get back, he'd be the cool and passive master detective and genius. For now, he'd rather be the same crazy Ryuzaki who allowed Misa to go out and kiss him…

L didn't care that Watari was watching when he kissed her strawberry-flavored lips.

He'd won a secret victory already. Misa might never know but she taught him to care about her more.