The Alias

Five

I've always loved the rain; I love the way it patters against the windows, the way it's constantly unique and never falls straight down, and the fact that light drops could turn into hard downpours in the blink of an eye. Whatever it turns out to be, it always had a way of comforting me. It always welcomes me to dance with the gusts of wind and turn my face to the gray sky above. Face upturned and arms stretched out wide, I'd allow the water to completely cover me, and in that moment, I'd forget who I was. I'd forget the pain, loneliness, and suffering that I'd grown accustomed to, and allow myself to just be. My mother would always reprimand me the moment I walked in the house all soaking wet, but I was content and relaxed, and, honestly, that was all that mattered to me.

Rain is also a time for quiet contemplation. I could sit in the window seat in my room and gaze out the glass towards the cloudy sky for hours on end, watching the raindrops plunge down onto the grass or pavement and form puddles. It would help me think, and in turn, calm down. If I ever felt a crack in my composure, the rain would help me mend it.

Today, however, wasn't a rainy day; it was mostly sunny, except when a cumulus cloud happened to pass over the sun. This meant my nerves were on high. I needed to think of a way to drop clues to the investigation team without it being too obvious, but I was coming up short.

It had been a few weeks since the team first met Ryu, and during that time I felt that Ryu and I had become well acquainted. It turned out that he was just as socially inept as I, which was quite comforting, and we had a lot in common. He was actually quite... charming. And funny. And... Wonderful. Today was a particularly slow workday since no good tips had come in regarding Kira, and everyone in the investigation team was sitting around Ryu's room making small talk. I made my way through the room and sat down next to my father and Matsuda who was talking about Kira.

"Hey Aki-," Matsuda started but stopped when, immediately after I sat down, I got back up, "where are you going?" I had spotted Ryu sitting alone at the desk in the corner and felt an uncontrollable need to keep him company. How hard could it be anyway? I sat down in the swivel chair next to his and placed my hands in my lap, fiddling with them. I seem to have forgotten that I, being the awkward person I am, have absolutely no idea how to keep someone company.

After a few seconds of silence between us, I decided to speak, "Suppose you suspect someone in this room is Kira. How would you go about proving that person is guilty?"

Ryu paused and looked at me. "Are you implying that you are Kira?"

"No of course not. I was just wondering the steps you'd take to prove someone guilty." Dammit, how am I going to leave a clue if he starts thinking I'm Kira?

"Then you must be hiding the fact that you know who Kira is."

"Not necessarily." He paused and repositioned himself so that he was looking over the backrest of his chair. Then, in one swift motion, he grabbed hold of my armrests and pulled me towards him, the back of his chair bumping against my knees lightly. He rested his chin atop the backrest of his seat and stared straight into my eyes as if he were looking for my soul.

"Your eyes seem to say otherwise."

"Eyes don't speak, Ryu."

"Actually eyes do speak. For example, your eyes are gray in color which says they have larger deposits of collagen in the stroma." Ryu got closer. "And your eyes also have tiny little specks of brown in them." I closed my eyes and stuck my tongue out at him.

"Open your eyes."

"Hmm-wait! My eyes seem to be speaking to me! They're saying... No." I felt a repetitive tapping on my nose and his warm breath against my face. It smelled extremely sugary as if I could get sugar high just by inhaling it.