I honestly didn't think I'd ever come back to this. Yet here I am with dragging feet. I don't even know if I'm that great of a writer anymore but - well see where this leads us. Down the rabbit hole we go.

XXX

Chapter 20: There's More

"So what's your relationship with L?" The girl suddenly asked, pausing down the middle of the hall. Misa's brow rose at the sudden urgency to discuss her private affairs especially when one of them was shirtless. Now really wasn't the best time. Misa's nose scrunched up and her mind jumbled back to what L had called her.

Linda.

She was short, much shorter than Misa. Perhaps younger too but even squinting Misa could not tell what color eyes she had or the shape of her nose. It was quite the hindrance. At least she had an idea who she was dealing with as she could see the notable pigtails through the outlined yellowish amber tinted color. This girl was bold. She wasn't going to hop-skip around the subject as L did.

Misa kept her arm's crossed against her chest.

"Does it matter?" She replied back, a little snippy but the fact that Misa was starting to feel cold wasn't helping. Nor was the vulnerable feeling that there were eyes on her everywhere.

Misa felt Linda's gaze harden. The color around her shifted for a moment to a hibiscus state that Misa faltered slightly. She had never seen such a colorful range at once – white, pink, red, orange, peach, yellow, and purple. Misa felt her mouth part to ask – just what this girl was feeling but then Linda turned heel. Moving forward once more.

Misa felt her lips glue shut, but quickly followed behind. She was pretty much at her girl's mercy. She really hadn't the slightest clue where she was. Misa wished L didn't have to leave but she knew his occupation. A detective's work is never done especially when crimes were skyrocketing since the Kira ordeal.

"Where are you going?" Linda asked, and Misa squeaked out of her thoughts to realize the girl had stopped in front of a door. Linda's arms crossed instantly. "You really are an airhead." She stated plainly, "Near wasn't joking around."

Misa couldn't help but bite down on her lip as it quivered. While she had no idea who Near was she really didn't like being called stupid. Sure she wasn't the top of the level genius like L or Light was but she did have some good quality aspects. "I don't know what L sees in you," Linda muttered as she opened the door out for Misa to see. "You have no class."

Misa, however, had her eyes locked on the girl. The strange color outline was still there and Misa couldn't help but test her theory.

"Are you jealous?"

Just like that did the girl's aura flicker to a glittery yellow to a sudden brilliant red aura and Misa realized she had hit the nail right on the head. Misa's mouth then parted into a cat-like mischievous smile. "Does it bother you to know L fancies Misa?"

"Of course not!" The girl snapped back but the sound of the tittering door behind her said otherwise.

"Now who's the one playing dumb?" Misa asked, and Linda's color sharpened to pink.

"For your information, all of us worked really hard to get L's attention and to have a hussy as you come in-"

"Hussy!" Misa echoed back incredulously. Her face lowering to meet the girl at eye level. Her hands moving from her chest to the sides of her waist. "Misa will have a pipsqueak like you know that Misa, in fact, has known Lawliet for a very long time."

"You don't even pronounce his name right." Linda fired back, and Misa found herself reeling away entirely. "It's Law-lee-ET. He's from England, not Japan. Try to wrap your big dumb brain around that." Linda snipped before heading into the room. Misa watched the girl yank something off the wall. "And for the record, if you really cared about Ryuzaki the way you preach then you should know not to say his name so casually in front of people you don't know."

Before Misa could utter a rebuttal the girl shoved something soft into her face. "Here's your towel. Enjoy your shower. I'll be down the hall if you need me but please don't."

Linda left Misa in a dazed state.

She felt like she had just been hit by a train.

Some welcoming wagon. Misa thought bitterly as she gazed down at the towel in her hands. Why was she here again?

It was L who brought her to this building against her will. Mostly because she kept attempting to sneak away from his hired bodyguards. It wasn't like she was able to go far as most of the time she ended up colliding into something due to her poor eyesight.

Misa just wanted to be with her fans again. She was lonely. Sure she had L but to be adored by the thousands was a whole other feeling altogether. It pissed her off slightly that Ryuzaki instructed to keep their relationship a secret - because apparently being a slut bothered her. So what if they thought she was quick to rebound after Light's death. He was a total jerk. But the public doesn't know that. Ryuzaki's words came to mind. To them, the people, Light heroically sacrificed himself to stop Kira. It would be you Misa who would ultimately be known as the abuser.

In the end, it was all so very complicated...At least Misa had known for sure that small pipsqueak named Linda did make a very valid point.

She had messed up.

L was incredibly touchy when it came to certain topics. His real name is a sure-fire nondisclosure agreement. So why, oh why, did Misa allow such a sensitive piece of information slip so easily through her lips?

'Worked really hard to get his attention!' Linda's voice rang through her ears which caused a sudden throb of pain in her heart. Misa was suddenly biting her nails. Nibbling at them in a similar fashion to L's own disgusting habit. 'You don't even pronounce his name right.'

Misa felt her a small nail chip snap off and grumble.

Now, who's the jealous one? Her mind mocked as she spits out the clipping. With a groan of frustration, Misa stepped into the bathroom and closed the door behind her. She began to feel out for certain objects. When she found the tub with some baby steps, Misa began to undress herself completely. First dropping her pants and underwear down to her feet before finally working her way up. In fact, once Misa started on her final piece of garment, her bra, Misa froze when the hook snapped loose. A memory coming to mind, and a heated feverish blush flooding her cheeks upon realization of what it meant.

Oh, gods! Misa had been mispronouncing L's name when she was moaning too! Once again Misa groaned in disbelief as the final article of clothing dropped to her feet. She felt so stupid, mortified, and frankly a little angry.

Why the hell hadn't that idiot just tell her that she was butchering his name through every step? Did he just not care to correct her? Even after everything that they had been through? Was she nothing more than a walking joke?

What was her relationship to him anyway?

Misa looked down at her hands in shock.

Had she been used once again as a tool by the person she claimed to love the most?

"No!" Misa cried out loud to no one in particular as she slapped her cheeks with both hands in protest.

She would not cry after coming so far!

"Hyuk hyuk hyuk."

A sudden voice came and Misa did not care to look up because she knew exactly who had visited her.

The irony. "Long time no see," Ryuk called out. "Am I intruding?"

Misa rose her head finally to glower at his blue humming aura.

Misa was naked.

What did he think? "Relax, I've just come here to talk," Ryuk replied waving off her brewing steam.

"You picked a hell of a time to show up." She snapped in a bare whisper as she reached for the curtain to cover herself. "Misa is trying to shower."

"Is that what you call it?" Ryuk asked back, "I thought that actually required you to be in the water."

Misa's brows knit in aggravation.

At least Rem knew what privacy meant. Misa grumbled. "Look, kid, I get it. Times are tough. You're out of a job with Light gone and all-"

"For your information, Misa is not out of a job," Misa argued back as she leaned down over the tub and fumbled for the knob to turn on. "Misa has an interview in a couple hours from now which by the way she needs to prepare for and is probably behind schedule no thanks to you."

"Whoa whoa hold on there champ. I didn't mean your modeling career." Misa's yanked out the knob, making the water spill out from above.

"Then pray to tell - what do you mean?" Misa snapped back as she moved inside before yanking the curtains close to separate the two completely. "Misa is a busy woman." She added from behind view.

Ryuk sighed.

"What I mean is what are you going to do about the Death Note?"

"The Death Note?" She echoed back stilling from behind the curtain. She thought that was long behind her. "What Death Note?" She asked feigning ignorance as she began to wash with soap in hand.

"Mine kid."

"What about it?" Misa asked feeling aggravated.

"Are you going to use it or are you going to relinquish it and lose your memories?"

Misa was quick to freeze when the words finally played correctly through the mind. It was in this time that the soap she had been holding had fallen below feet. Misa cursed inwardly at her bad luck. "Then there's always that notion that I can just outright kill you for wasting my precious time." His voice intruded again and Misa was positively sure she could hear the amusement dripping from his voice. Misa was left blinking and blinking in astonishment.

"Your going to apply the same standards onto Misa as per the rules you once told Light to follow?"

"Well yeah, these are my Shinigami rules kid. Entertain me or get lost."

Misa was left suddenly feeling very sick. Her stomach tossing at the very notion of using the Death Note to kill once again.

Rem was right – Ryuk was indeed a very awful Shinigami. She wished Rem was back at her side instead. "Well?"

At least Rem gave her time to think instead of making split decisions out of the blue! Misa swore in the back of her mind she heard Ryuk snap open his Death Note and because of that, her mouth felt very dry. Too dry for her liking as if cotton was now lodged down her throat.

Misa panicked, heart now skipping a thousand miles as she took a step forward only to slip on forgotten soap.

Darkness was quick to soon follow after.

XXX