End Games

Chapter 11: Calm

A week passed sine the bar incident and every night since, L and Misa sneaked away to places to spend time together. This night was no exception.
Her dining room table was still covered in leftovers from dinner, which L helped her make. Misa discovered the hard way that he was a terrible cook, prone to burning even the microwaveable stuff. In the end she managed to salvage most of it, but only after poking fun at his terrible culinary skills, which he did not appreciate.
L's favorite part was, not surprisingly, dessert, of which he had seconds...and thirds. With determination and brute force, she finally dragged him away from the cake for an intense session of love making. They were sprawled out on the couch as they had not even made it to the bedroom before going at it. L wrapped his arms around her naked body as Misa laughed heartily. Her laughter resonated through her apartment as she retold the story of her failed date with Takahashi.
"...it was awful, that man was the WORST!" She said tearing up from laughing so much.
"Just how bad was he again? I didn't quite understand it the first four times you mentioned it" He teased her.
Whenever Misa brought up her "date" with Takahashi during dinner, she mentioned several times that Takahashi was "the WORST," as if that was the only thing she could say about the man. L could not help but tease her about it, especially after she'd teased him earlier.
"He was the WORST." She repeated, trying to keep a serious face.
"Really? I could have sworn you said he was the best" He taunted.
"No! Shut up! You're just teasing me!" She laughed and playfully smacked his chest.
L gently grabbed her hand and kept it there on his chest, over his heart. Misa relaxed as she felt his heart beat under her palm. She sighed contently and laid her head back down on his chest, lounging on top of him.
Misa had finally been formally contracted as spokesperson for Yotsuba. L was slightly relieved because it meant that from then on, she would only be dealing with the camera and film crew of the Yotsuba marketing division instead of the eight members of the Yotsuba Group. That meant that she would be relatively safe for the time being. Now he had to catch the Yotsuba Kira as quickly as possible. He stared up at the ceiling, listening to the peaceful sound of her breathing.
Misa felt him shift beneath her. He gently lifted her up and she protested with pouted lips.
"I have to go. There's still a lot of work I have to do" He told her.
"Aw!" She grabbed him. "You always have to go save the world. You should take a break and stay with me tonight!" She protested, half-jokingly.
"I already took a break" He said, peeling her off of him. "Besides, if I don't do this, then we'll never get ahead in the case." He told her calmly, putting on his clothes. She understood where he was coming from, but she was still not happy about it.
"Ok..." She said, defeated, falling back onto the couch where he was just laying. "But promise you will come back to me when you're done!" She said giving him her puppy-eyed look.
He gave her a small smile and nodded. Too often he found himself saying yes to Misa's capriciousness, and that was not good.
"YAY! Come back quickly!" She said as he walked out of her apartment with his hands in his pockets. Once he left, Misa went to her bedroom and changed into comfy pajamas. As hard as she tried to sleep however, she couldn't. She'd become spoiled and only slept if L was by her side. "He's the perfect pillow...' She thought fondly. She looked at her clock and saw that it was 4:30 am. She waited for L a while longer, trying her best to sleep, to no avail. That's when she decided to take matters into her own hands.
'Well, if he won't come to me, I'll just have to go to him!' She said smugly, getting up to go to her closet. She sifted through the items in her closet until she found what she was looking for.
-In the main investigation room-
The curved figure of the raven-haired detective could be seen atop his chair. The room was dark and the only illumination came from the many computer screens scattered about the room. On his way down from Misa's apartment he had picked up a pack of gummy bears and was now munching on them. He lined them up one by one as he thought of each individual Kira.
'It's all becoming clear now' He thought, looking at each of the four gummy bears on his desk. 'There is a total of four Kiras now. This proves that Kira's killing power can be passed from person to person, but why? Because in doing so each subsequent Kira is a distraction from the first.' He thought as he eyed the first gummy bear on the row. 'The first Kira, Light Yagami, passes on his power to the second Kira...no. The second Kira appeared independently of the first, meaning that Kira's power can not only be passed down but that multiple people can have it at the same time. Assuming Misa is the second Kira, I doubt she passed her power down since she's been under strict surveillance. That means that Light Yagami passed his power to the third Kira, and the Yotsuba Kira as a distraction.' He thought, gripping his knees.
'Yotsuba Kira is turning out to be deceptively easy to catch. At this rate it'll only be a matter of days before I have him in custody' He thought, knocking down the 4th gummy bear. 'Then after that happens, I will know how Kira kills and that will lead me to the third Kira.' He knocked down the third gummy bear. 'If I find the third Kira without dying, I will undoubtedly catch the first' He said, finally knocking down the first gummy on the line. He now looked at the second gummy bear, standing alone in the row of fallen gummy bears. 'But that leaves the question of the second Kira...Misa. What to do with her? I can't-' But his thoughts were interrupted by the sound of soft footsteps behind him.
Before he could turn around, he felt a soft pair of arms encircle him and an equally soft pair of breasts press against his back. The contact sent a spark down his back and to his loins.
"How's work going?" She murmured into his ear. She saw the gummy bears on his desk and giggled as she imagined him toying with his food like he often did. It was one of his quirks that she found endearing.
"What are you doing here?" He asked her without turning around.
"I'm here to help you work, silly!" She said, walking around him so he could see her.
She was wearing a tiny satin nightgown with a deep v-neck that revealed her cleavage, and a simple white garter. L gawked at her, noticing that she wasn't wearing a bra underneath. As if his mind hadn't wandered enough, one of the straps of her nightgown had slipped off her shoulder, threatening to reveal her soft breasts to him.
L said nothing, but the way he was staring at her let Misa know that her plan was working just fine.
"Well, I guess I'd better get started on these papers!" She announced, picking up a stack of papers from the desk, bending over ever so slightly.
She did not sit in her chair either. Instead, she walked up to L as he watched her with lustful eyes and sat right in between his legs, wiggling in between them to find a "comfortable" position. L gulped, an inevitable tightening sensation forming in his pants as she moved against his groin, forcing him to shift slightly. Misa, ever so merciless, leaned into him while arching her back, giving him a better view of her cleavage. His heart quickened and his mind slipped as what little resolve he had left was crumbling, and fast.
"So...I see the surveillance cameras were installed in the Yotsuba Group's conference room" She said, smiling dubiously. Again, the detective failed to conjure words, and only nodded his head to confirm her statement.
"...and...do you have any suspicions on who it could be?" She asked innocently.
She was relishing the effect she had on him, her own excitement growing as L began to crack under her spell. Giving in to his desire, L slowly brought his arm around her waist, and ran a hand up her thigh and in between her legs with feather-soft strokes. Misa's breathing became shallow and her eyes fluttered closed as she felt his lips suckling on her neck. He sucked harder and a moan escaped her lips. Misa turned her head to face him and L quickly brought his lips against hers eagerly.
He hugged her closer to him, pressing her back against his chest. As they continued to kiss, L brought the arm around her waist up to caress her perky breasts. Simultaneously, he slid his other hand up under the hem of her nightgown to caress the moist, sensitive flesh between her legs, causing Misa to move her hips against him in a slow, sensual rhythm, that further stimulated him. L moved his fingers over her nipples, which now showed through the flimsy fabric of her nightgown while thoroughly exploring the folds of her sex, causing Misa to clutch his knees frantically. His strokes on her sex quickened and Misa gasped as she teetered on the edge of her climax, realizing that he had turned the tables on her as she was about to come undone in his arms. The original plan was for him to be hopelessly lost in her, not the other way around.
Before he could finish her off, she turned around and without warning, plunged her hands into L's jeans, grasping his shaft firmly. He groaned and closed his eyes, lost in the long strokes of her hand. She smiled triumphantly, knowing that she had regained the upper hand and that now it was him the one squirming underneath her touch, just as she'd intended. She kissed him fully while increasing the speed of her administrations until she was rubbing him with persistent, short little strokes. L bit his lip and fought the urge to climax all over her hand.
He broke the kiss abruptly and in an instant, she was on her back on top of his desk. He took his shirt off and threw it behind him before leaning over her, kissing as much of her as he could with desperate, wanton kisses. She ran her hands over his arms and back, encouraging him to continue. While he was preoccupied, Misa unbuttoned his jeans and dropped them around his hips, freeing his engorged erection. She grasped him once more, but this time L would not have it. He took the offending hand and entwined his fingers in hers. With the other hand, he slipped her panties off and spread her legs, making her quiver in anticipation. L brought his face close to hers, his long, dark bangs lightly brushing against her forehead.
"Misa..." He whispered huskily, sending more shivers up her spine. She responded with a gentle, loving kiss that made him breathless. He then straightened up, grabbed her hips and slowly pressed himself inside her, joining her in a duet of amorous sighs and sounds of pleasure. She moaned loudly at their union, writhing as her body took him again and again, relishing the look of ravenous desire on his face.
L moaned as well, enraptured by the feeling of being inside her. She felt too good to him, like a perfect pleasure drug that drowned his senses, making him completely stupid and completely happy all at once. His breathing became increasingly more rugged as he rhythmically pumped into her, making her squirm and buck her hips against his. Misa gripped the edge of the desk tightly, burning with a desire that only he could quench. L threw his head back as pleasurable waves hit him each time he entered her. Every push drove him to greater high as Misa's walls squeezed him harder, drew him closer. She cried out for him. He felt the pressure of his inevitable explosion and he knew there wasn't much more he could take. As the speed and intensity of his thrusts increased, Misa felt a thrill of pleasure finally release. She arched her back and cried out as the gratifying spasms of her climax crashed over her. L followed soon after, gripping her hips tightly, spilling himself inside her with a forceful shudder. Panting, he continued to slide into her slowly, finishing, unwinding. Once spent, he remained still until he felt able to move without falling over in a lustful daze. He collapsed back in his chair, breathless yet energized, his mind completely devoid of anything that wasn't her. Misa slowly got up from the table and he admired her as she stood before him, with the monitor lights outlining her delicate figure.
'How did I ever get so lucky?' He asked himself, incredulous.
Then, without warning, she jumped onto his lap and hugged him tightly, sobbing into his shoulder. L was immediately confused, and though he could not see her face but he could feel that she was shaking. He took her arms and moved her so he could get a better look at her, and it was then that he saw she was crying.
"Why? Did I do something wrong?" He asked with concern.
"No, don't think that. I'm crying because you did everything right" She said, wiping her eyes. Her words puzzled him even more, and she noticed. "Sorry...I never thought I would be one of those people that cry after sex..." She said, shaking her head and getting a hold of herself. "It's just...that this is so perfect. You're so amazing and I've been nothing but horrible to you...when we met I said horrible things to you and I've been nothing but trouble, I don't deserve you..." She said finally, choking on another sob.
L kissed her. He understood what she meant, and to him it was all the same. Her insults never truly hurt him. He wanted to express to her how much she had done for him already, but he couldn't find the words to do it, so he simply waited until she calmed down. When she did, he let go of her so they could gather their clothing. Watari would be getting up soon and it wouldn't be good if he were to walk in there and see them as they were.
"You know what's funny and terrible at the same time?" She said, sniffling, but with a small smile on her face.
"What is it?" He asked.
"I never thought I would have sex with a guy whose name I don't even know" She said. "That's really bad" She giggled.
"And I never thought I would have sex with a model suspected of being a killer" He responded thoughtfully. "To be quite honest, your situation isn't that rare. I think I beat you on this one."
She playfully swatted his chest and rolled her eyes at him. He shrugged.
"So I guess this means you won't tell me your real name, huh?" She asked. L looked at her with a hint of a smile and shook his head. She rolled her eyes and sighed.
"That's alright. I'll just guess your name, like in Rumpelstiltskin!"
He looked at her, trying to determine if she was serious. She was. He had to admit that his girlfriend's antics were unlike anyone else's and thoroughly amusing.
"If it makes you happy, do it, though be assured that I, unlike Rumpelstiltskin, will not give away my name by dancing and singing it out loud in a song." He said seriously. Misa laughed and began to think.
"Let's see..." She said thoughtfully. "It's probably something that starts with an L...you look like you could be a...Luke!" She said expectantly.
L shook his head.
"Lance?" She said. L shook his head once more.
"Leonard? Leo? Logan? Lee?!" She asked growing more impatient with each shake of his head. As much of a waste of time this was, he found it humorous.
"Ok...you gotta give me a hint!" She whined. "Has your name ever been used in a song?..." She asked, hoping he would tell her as much.
"Hm...not to my knowledge though even if it were, I wouldn't tell you that." He said. "That would be cheating."
"Alright...what nationality are you?" She asked thinking that his background would rule out certain types of names.
"I'm European, a fact that will be of little use to you in trying to guess my name" He told her contently.
"Well FINE then, I guess I'll just have to TICKLE it out of you" She said as she approached him menacingly with a mischevious smile.
"Misa...you'll do no such thing" He told her in a warning tone as he slowly backed away from her.
"I sense someone is ticklish!" She said, lunging herself at him. He dodged her easily and she ran after him again. He took both her hands and playfully held them to her side, careful not to hurt her. L was by no mean a large man but he still outsized Misa, and could easily overpower her. Misa laughed uncontrollably as L held both her wrists in one of his hands and began to tickle her.
"NOT FAIR!" She said in between gasps and laughter. She managed to pull free from him so she could tackle him again. She tripped and fell right into him clumsily and L laughed out loud. It was the first time she had ever heard him laugh and it was a nice, clear, masculine laugh that she longed to hear again and again. She looked at him as he held her arms down once more. His eyes met hers and for a second, they both froze there, staring at each other. L felt an unfamiliar, but good, fluttering feeling and he wanted to make Misa his, but more than just a sexually. Likewise, Misa felt her heart flutter happily as she looked at him, and she wanted nothing more than to be like this with him. Both felt as though they had something they desperately wanted to say, yet neither spoke.
Misa was the first to break the moment as she tried her hardest to break free and tickle him. In the end, the two ended up with him standing behind her, holding her from behind. They laughed at their predicament. Suddenly, the door to the main investigation room opened. L and Misa tensed and froze in that position as they briskly turned to look at who was entering the investigation room.
Thankfully, it was just Watari. The older man paused for a second to digest what he was seeing. Once he was certain his eyes weren't playing tricks on him, he beamed at the couple, overjoyed by how happy they looked together. L and Misa, separated from their current position and greeted him. Misa had half her body behind L since she wasn't exactly wearing something decent. The old man noticed the slight awkwardness and even though he didn't care for Misa's state of undress, he decided to leave them.
L stood staring at the closing door and Misa lightly tugged at his sleeve, effectively gaining his attention.
"I guess I'll get going upstairs to change" She said before she pecked him on the lips and walked away.
L pressed his finger to his lips, as if tracing where she had just kissed him. 'What am I doing?...What's happening to me?' He thought, reflecting back on the strange fluttering feeling he'd experienced moments ago. He looked down at the floor with a slight frown and quickly dismissed the thought, believing that he was just overthinking it. With that, he turned back to his work.
-Meanwhile, elsewhere-
Kyosuke Higuchi was getting ready for another day in the life of Kira. He sat in his armchair, sipping a cup of black coffee, smirking viciously as he stared at a picture in his hands. It was a picture of Misa. He reveled in all he had accomplished with the death note, yet, he still wanted more. He wanted Misa.
"Rem" He said out loud. As he spoke, a tall, thin, skeletal figure with yellow eyes, purple hair and curved spine materialized next to him.
"Yes?" It replied to him in a dull monotone.
"I am taking a pause from punishing criminals. Over the next few days, I will be dedicating myself solely to one purpose" He announced to her. Rem couldn't care less what Higuchi did. She was only here because Light had sent Higuchi the Death Note that she was now bound to. The notebook in Higuchi's possession was Light's original Death Note. For some reason that she did not understand, Light had made Ryuk trade notebooks with her, forcing her to follow this vile human. Even though Higuchi was the one keeping the notebook, Light was still its rightful owner. He had given Higuchi instructions to punish criminals along with anyone he wanted, in exchange for keeping the death note long term. She looked at Higuchi's face as it contorted into a twisted smile.
"And do you want to know what that sole purpose is going to be?" He asked her, barely containing his laughter.
Rem really did not want to know. She was already annoyed that he had called her since she hated spending time with Higuchi. All he talked about were his petty ambitions, conquests, and other things that were meaningless to a being like Rem.
"What is it?" She asked, obliging him. He turned Misa's picture over so that Rem could see it.
"I'm going to make Misa Amane my wife!" He said laughing triumphantly. "Money, power, AND a beautiful wife. That's enough to make anyone envious!" He said.
Rem was very interested now. She had seen Misa during the interviews with Yotsuba and she had to admit that she looked happier than ever. Rem did not know what had caused this change in Misa, but what she did know was that she did not want any harm to come to the girl. Or rather, she would not allow it.
Rem's eyes glowed red as she lifted a bony finger toward Higuchi.
"I do not like this idea. If any harm should come to Misa, I will dispose of your life, Kyosuke Higuchi" She told him severely. Higuchi was speechless. He couldn't believe what he was hearing. This whole time Rem had been nothing but indifferent toward him and all things human, yet here she was threatening to kill him over some girl. He figured that there must be something more to this than he knew.
"Very well, Rem. No need to overreact." He said, a nervous lump forming in his throat. "I'm not planning to kill her. In fact, as my wife, Misa would enjoy many benefits of a luxurious life and attention from a loving husband" He said trying to appease the Shinigami. The god of death narrowed her eyes at him, not trusting a word of what he said.
"Mark my words, if you make a move to kill Misa, I will write your name in my death note." She said with finality.
"You have my word, I will not kill her." He said, a drop of sweat dripping from his forehead. With that, the Shinigami disappeared. Once she was gone, Higuchi sighed with relief and tended back to his coffee.
-Back at Taskforce HQ-
The members of Taskforce sat around teasing Matsuda. To make up for the whole Takahashi debacle, Matsuda had offered to come into work wearing the same ridiculous "thug" outfit he wore the night he tried to get into Kuroi Uma Bar. His coworkers had all been informed of the incident but even so, they would not stop pestering him over it, and now he was the laughing stock of taskforce. Matsuda simply sighed and accepted his fate.
"You guys are never gonna let me live this down, are you?" He said, downcast.
"Nope! Never!" Said Aizawa laughing with the rest of the taskforce members.
Fun times like these were scarce in the lives of the Kira taskforce, and even L had to admit that the lighter mood was a nice change. That whole week in general had been relatively calm. This was in great part to the fact that Light had not been to headquarters in days. According to Chief Yagami, his son was swamped with school work and was taking a few days off from the investigation. This came as a surprise to everyone as Light had always been so adamant about helping out with the investigation. However, since he'd done so much already, they all understood.
While most of taskforce partook in the merriment, Misa sat quietly in her usual spot next to L, suffering in silence. She had woken up with a horrible headache that wouldn't go away, and she was feeling extremely nauseous. She found it odd since she rarely got nauseous and she hadn't eaten anything out of the ordinary lately. To top it all off, she had been getting constant text messages from Higuchi about his impending date offer. She had deferred his invitation and after the Takahashi episode, she turned him down. However, he was persistent and would not leave her alone. She made sure to put her phone on silent so as to not alarm L. She looked at the detective sitting in his seat, chewing lightly on his thumb thoughtfully. He was submerged in his work, oblivious as to what was happening with Higuchi.
"Ryuzaki, which of the Yotsuba group members do you think is most likely to be Kira?" Asked Chief Yagami, causing the other taskforce members to focus back on the investigation. L lconsidered the question as he stared at his computer screen. He had been studying the mysterious Yotsuba meetings since Weddy installed the surveillance cameras in their conference room a few days ago.
"Based on what Misa told us about Takahashi not knowing who Kira is, I was naturally curious as to whether any of the other Yotsuba Group members knew who among them is Kira. It turns out, they do not." He said. The rest of the taskforce listened carefully.
"So, that left me with the task of carefully analyzing the dynamic of their conclave as well as their backgrounds. Having done that, I've narrowed it down to two possibilities...Reiji Namikawa and Kyosuke Higuchi. I am certain that Kira is one of those two." He said calmly.
That last part gave Misa the chills.
'So there's a possibility that Kira is interested in me.' She thought. 'At one point that would have flattered me, but now it only disgusts me' She admitted to herself as she eyed her cellphone nervously. She felt queasy, followed by an urge to run for the nearest bathroom to puke her guts out. 'I'd better get out of here' She thought, miserably.
"I'm tired! I'm gonna go take a nap!" She proclaimed suddenly. Everyone looked at her as she promptly got up from her chair and made her way to the stairs.
"Misa Misa, is everything ok? You've been very quiet today" Asked Matsuda. L was now listening in on the conversation since he too had noticed that she had been unusually silent.
"Oh! I'm fine, like I said I'm just tired" She said laughing nervously. "Oh, and Matsu, next time you need to go undercover, consult me. I'm an expert on disguises and frankly, yours looks like the work of an amateur!" She said boldly, making the others erupt into laughter before running out to the elevator lobby. 'Screw the stairs, I need to go up to my room NOW' She thought desperately. Once she got there, she closed the door behind her, went to the bedroom and threw herself on the bed. She laid there for a few minutes, letting the queasiness pass. After some time, her phone lit up, indicating that she was receiving a call from someone. She picked it up and was extremely surprised to hear that it was Light.
"Hello, Misa?" Said Light over the phone.
"Yeah? It's me" She responded.
"How are you?" He asked her. She was perplexed. Since when did Light ask her how she was? In truth she doubted if he ever cared about how she was doing.
"I'm not feeling well, actually. Sorry, Light. Did you just want to talk because now isn't a good time" She told him as she felt the nausea returning.
"Oh, alright. I just wanted to tell you that I miss you and that I wanted to make it up to you for all the times I haven't been there for you" He told her. Misa was in shock. Out of all the things she expected from Light, this was not one of them. This was also a terrible time to talk and she didn't feel like pursuing the issue in her current state.
"Oh, wow. Thanks. That's really sweet of you Light but...like I said, I'm not feeling well. Can we talk about this later?" She asked, praying that he would let her go back to her nap.
"Yeah...sure. I also had a favor to ask of you, but we can discuss it then as well." He said.
"Alright, sounds good! Talk to you soon!" She said, trying to sound a bit more enthusiastic. Light said a quick goodbye and she hung up the phone, relieved. She threw herself back down on her bed but before she could doze off, her phone lit up once again. She rolled her eyes and thought 'What now, it'd better not be Light again. I'm not in the mood for these mind games'
"Hello?" She answered.
"Hello Misa" Said a chilling voice from the other end. It was Higuchi. Misa tensed up as she realized who it was and could barely muster the control to speak normally.
"Hi Mr. Higuchi! To what do I owe the call?" She said as cheerfully as she could.
"You know what I want Misa. Your company tonight. Nothing serious, I would just like to spend some time with you" He said, giving her the creeps.
"I don't know about that Mr. Higuchi. It wouldn't look very good if we were to be seen together so soon after I just signed a contract with Yotsuba. I don't like scandal." She said, hoping that he would take that as an answer.
"Oh, but it wouldn't be a date or anything scandalous. I merely want to show you a few spots around town and chat with you. That's all. It would take but half and hour to and hour of your time." He told her. Misa silently considered his offer. 'If Higuchi is Kira, this could be very dangerous, not to mention that if L finds out, he'll be furious. On the other hand, if Higuchi is Kira, and he's as interested in me as I think he is, then maybe I can trick him into confessing that he's Kira. If we do that, then this whole case will be solved...' She thought. 'Besides, it wouldn't be a date, and we're not going to a bar, so technically, I'm not breaking my promise to L'
After what seemed like a long pause, she finally answered.
"Alright. But remember Mr. Higuchi, this isn't a date! This is just me getting to know you, ok? And I can only be out for half an hour!" She said.
"Yes, that's perfect. Would 7 be a good time for you?" He asked.
"Actually, could you make that 6? I don't want to be out too late" She responded.
"Very well. I'll see you at 6 my dear" He murmured into the phone. Misa got the creepy chills again. She agreed, and hung up the phone, seriously hoping that her efforts pay off and that this whole thing doesn't turn into another fiasco.