"She looks anywhere from 14 to 20."

"Are you kidding, Matt?" the voice asked in disbelief. The red head on the other side of the line smirked.

"No, I'm not." He continued to watch the couple wander through the streets until Mello called him off.

~~~

The next day, Matt was free to wander the streets on his own but had strict orders to call Mello if any suspicious activity was noted. He decided to ignore this command. Fiddling with his goggles, he took a long drag from his cigarette and closed his eyes.

He brought back to his mind the face of that adorable, blonde girl he had seen the day before: her smile, her laugh, her walk; if only he could smell her. He smiled as he emptied his smoky lungs. Then, closed his eyes, imaging for himself the perfume she wore.

And, to his surprise, there was the timid, adorable blonde girl looking in a window in front of him. And as an added bonus, she was by herself. Matt first though that this was a 'suspicious activity' as defined by Mello, but shoved that thought aside. No way was he going to ruin this moment. Not on his day off.

"Is there something you like in there?" He stood beside her a peered in the window as well. Her face turned pink with surprise, and she shot up.

"Well actually, yes!" She placed her finger against the glass, directing Matt's eyes to a pair of knee-high, platform boots. She then spun around. "I think those boots would look amazing with this skirt." He smiled in agreement before dropping his cigarette to the ground and stomping it out.

"I'll get them for you, if you let me take you out for some food after." He gave her a heart-warming, trustworthy smile that was apparently infectious. Her face lit up and she clapped her hands together.

"Wow, really? That's so nice!" she exclaimed, hopping on one foot. He opened the door for her, pulling it shut behind him.

The shopping trip ended with the pair of boots, one spaghetti-strapped wallet-purse, and a leather belt to match them both. Matt spread his hand across lower face and sighed into his hand, his eyebrows twitching. How expensive woman are! He thought, opening the door for her once again.

"Thank you so much! I'll pay for lunch okay?" She smiled, strutting along the side-walk in her new boots, belt, and her new purse strung over her arm. "I know an amazing restaurant just down the street." Her finger pointed with her words. Matt attempted to smile, and she seemed to find it enthusiastic. They reached said restaurant in about five minutes.

"Oh, Misa-Misa! Welcome back! Table for one?" the host asked with a kind smile. She giggled and grabbed Matt's hand in her own. She tugged herself close to him. He blushed a bit with surprise, but stabled himself and smiled.

"No, no! I have a date today!" She smiled at the host and he returned it, stepping to the side, allowing the couple to step inside. Matt's mouth dropped. The interior was all dark mahogany- the walls, the tables; and draped over the top were soft, blood red drapes. The dishes were all white and a bright red, contrasting beautifully with the dark wood. "Isn't it beautiful?" Misa asked, pushing his lower jaw back up. He nodded nervously. He felt... under-dressed.

After they sat down, Matt finally found his tongue and started asking Misa about herself. She went on a 15 minute rant about her boyfriend, Light. Matt didn't exactly enjoy the topic, but he couldn't just stand up and throw the bread sticks at her. So he endured it, until finally, she took in a deep breath.

"Oh, silly me! I tell you all about me, and I don't even know you're name!" She laughed innocently and he swallowed his anger. He gnawed on a tooth-pick in frustration, his face leaning against his gloved hand.

"Mail," he told her bitterly. "Mail Jeevas." She smiled.

"That's an unusual name! Did you grow up somewhere else?" she asked with interested eyes. He nodded, dumbfounded by the fact this girl actually wanted to know about him.

"I was born and raised in an orphanage in England." Wait, he thought, holding the tooth-pick still in his mouth. Maybe I shouldn't say too much. This girl does know Mogi.

"Wow! I went there once! The buildings are so pretty! How long ago did you come to Japan?" she pushed further, folding her hands together in front of him. The server placed a plate in front of them. Misa began to eat the gelatinous blob on hers, but Matt simply poked at it, completely oblivious to what it was.

"I don't know, I think it's been like, 4 years- What the hell is this stuff?" he asked rather rudely. Misa giggled, and sucked the substance off her fork. "No, seriously. Is it like, goat-fat or something?" The girl simply continued her laughter.

Matt chivalrously took a bite before Misa when their entrees came. Matt had yet to touch the appetizer he was brought. But, despite his better judgement and the appearance of the soupy substance, it was really good. Even so, the appearance convinced him to hold back on asking what the dish was made of. The entire time he was cautiously eating it, Misa was smiling. Finally, dessert came, and it was just plain, ordinary ice cream with a sprig of mint.

"Finally! Recognizable food!" He spooned it up and sucked it viciously off his spoon.

"You mean you've never eaten--" Matt quickly shoved his fingers in his ears.

"I don't want to know what I just ate!" he yelled quietly. Misa giggled again.

"You're funny, Jivasu-kun." Her smile was simple, but kind and accepting. She also had a light blush on her cheeks which immediately transferred itself to Matt's face.

They paid after they were finished eating and wandered out of the door. And to Matt's surprise, Misa seemed to refuse to let him walk without her hand in his own.

"Where to now, Misa?" he asked, looking up at the sky. She smiled.

"I like to just... go where my heart takes me." That statement made Matt's heart skip a beat, and he felt his entire body fill up with something. Maybe it was happiness. Today, Misa's heart took her to a small park with cherry trees and a small pond. The two sat in the grass that over looked the water. Misa smiled tenderly at the ripples and threw a rock in the water to bring out more. "Have you ever felt like a water ripple? Just... one thing effects your entire life, then eventually just fades away?" Matt looked at her with a timid expression.

"What kind of thing?"

"I don't know... For me it was when my family was killed. I was completely alone, but when Kira passed his judgment to their killer, my sadness just faded away. And of course I met Light, so all the love I felt for my family I can just... give to him." Matt was hoping the subject of Kira wouldn't come up.

"I didn't know you supported Kira, Misa," Matt lied, looking over at her. He felt kind of stupid. Of course he didn't know. They just met. She nodded in response and he continued. "He sure is a revolution." A smile crossed her face before she shoved Matt to the ground.

"How do you know Kira is a man?" She climbed over him, giggling. "You don't think a woman could kill criminals, too?" Matt had to think about this. He wasn't a chauvinist perse, but he did always assume men to be more violent and darker-minded.

"Yeah I guess you're right." He blinked, staring up at her. The sun was shining over them, and not a single cloud rested in the sky. Her hair fell from her shoulders, and Matt began playing with one of the locks. She unlocked her legs and arms and landed on him with an 'oomph'. His face was quite red at this point, but he kept his sanity.

"Better yet, who's to say who Kira is? Maybe I'm Kira," she threatened in a dark tone. But despite her eyes, her face still glowed in pure innocence. He couldn't help but snicker. She smiled a bit too and dug her face into his neck, taking a light sniff. Matt discreetly took a whiff of her, too.

"You smell good," he said, eyes closed.

"You do, too."