Key (L x OC)

Nine

Kaori's eyes fluttered open and she gasped, terrified for a moment of the unknown. But it was only for a moment as she sighed and realized she was safely in her own room.

However, the sunlight peeking through the window was more bright than usual. Her phone displayed fourteen minutes past noon in electronic white lettering. She hadn't been woken up that morning at the usual eight o'clock from an obnoxious, standard phone.

But she was thankful and felt rejuvenated in a way that she needed, especially after the events of the previous night.

As she walked down the stairs to the computer room, just about everyone was gathered around. Ryuuzaki sat at the long black desk with, of course, a cake sitting in front of him. When she finally stepped on the tiled flooring, he noticed the subtle sound of her footsteps.

"Oh, Kaori." He said as excitedly as he could possibly manage. "Are you feeling better?"

"Yes." She smiled.

"It was the chocolate, I'm sure of it." He declared as he took another bite of his cake.

Kaori laughed. But she paused when she heard the sound of a camera going off; a sound that made the girl feel so uncomfortable.

As the scene had happened before, she noticed the black cell-phone that he held in front of his tired-looking face. "You didn't..." She said threateningly and narrowed her eyes.

The flash went off again. "I did." Ryuuzaki admitted in his usual monotonous voice.

"Seriously...?" Her lip turned down into a pout.

The flash went off yet another time. "I suppose I am rather serious..." He trailed.

"Ryuuzaki!" Kaori yelled and reached for the phone, yet the fact that the chair he was sitting in had wheels did not benefit her goal. The cell-phone with her pictures on them just kept escaping her grasp.

Until she tripped over the legs of the wheeling chair, and Ryuuzaki happened to be collateral damage as she fell to the ground.

"Ow... Seriously, Ryuuzaki." She whined, clutching her knee that she landed on when she fell onto the cold tile.

But even more surprising than their trip, Ryuuzaki released a genuine chuckle. He noticed her intent, rather confused expression and murmured, "what's that look for?"

"You laughed... Like, you really laughed." She mentioned.

He sat up, positioning himself in his usual, odd crouching position. "I'm just in a good mood." He mentioned with a wide, curled smile.

Kaori hummed in thought. "Whatever." She stated, shrugging off his behavior. "Just delete those pictures."

"I don't think I will."

"Why not?"

"Because they turned out rather nicely." He focused on the computer screens, instead of the girl's pouting. "By the way, Kaori, I need to speak to you about something important in a little while. Don't let me forget." Just as though he had turned on a mental switch, Ryuuzaki transformed into the detective that he was known to be.

-----+-----

To Lawliet:

I thought I'd just let you know that I'm doing alright. I'm sorry about that text last night, and in case you were worried, everything's okay now. I was saved...

And it was L of all people. He even walked me back to the investigation headquarters and helped to clean my wounds (which only really consisted of a few bruises and a broken finger).