Chapter Thirty-Four: Rock Steady

Disclaimer: I do not own Death Note or a death note but if I did… I fear many would be in trouble. O.o Just Kidding! Lol.

A/N: Ah, this wait wasn't so long.

Sasume: Yeah because I threatened to never stop singing the never ending song if you didn't update.

Author-sama: (Shoots Sasume a dirty look) I… hate… that… song…

Sasume: I know. That's why I sang it to you.

Author-sama: You are despicable.

Sasume: Say what you want! I just want you to write about me and Lawliet-kun's relationship… Get going now!

Author-sama: Fine… here it goes… But with the lyrics to a good song by No Doubt!

Love is like a punishment
Homegirl here to represent
So innocently you seem to come my way
While Tinkerbell and Cupid play
They sit there and laugh
I sit here and I can't believe my eyes
You found me at last
But wait and see how it'll agonize

A real love survives a rock steady vibe
A real love survives a rock steady vibe
Rock steady, rock steady
Our love is so rock steady
Rock steady

Steady now, stop rocking it
It's a delicate environment
Retire the sleeping is a Shanti love
Be careful now don't wake it up
It's never gonna last
It's never gonna make it back alive
So how can we relax
I really hope that we will actually survive

Rock steady
Our love is so rock steady
Rock steady, rock steady

Satsuki Kawashima was preparing breakfast for her 'future son-in-law' and her undeserving daughter that morning. She hummed a cheery tune as Sasume and L walked down the stairs together and then joined her in the kitchen. Now Mrs. Kawashima had no inclination that Sasume and L had started dating. Sasume had told Ryuzaki to keep it a secret for a few good reasons. One reason being that she didn't want her mom to behave anymore weirder than she already did and another reason being that she didn't want her father throwing L out of the house.

"How are you two doing," cooed Mrs. Kawashima as she set down two plates of delicious strawberry covered and syrup smothered waffles. She was a bit more cheery than usual, Sasume had noted. Sasume gave her a quizzical look, wondering if she knew anything.

"I am very content," replied Ryuzaki as he began on his waffles, "Arigato for the waffles, Mrs. Kawashima."

"Call me mom," she said with a giggle, "Especially now."

"What do you mean especially now," asked Sasume in a low growl. Her mother was beginning to wear on her nerves already.

"Oh, I think you know," said Mrs. Kawashima in a sing song voice. She poured two glasses of milk for Sasume and L, and then leaned on the counter with a grin. "Don't worry… I won't tell your father."

"Tell him what?" Sasume demanded as she gulped down her strawberries. They were syrupy and delicious but that wasn't going to stop her from asking her silly mother what the heck she was talking about.

"You and L, of course," she said with a giggle. "I think it's simply fantastic," she hummed as she began to clean up the kitchen, putting away the milk and the syrup.

"Ryuzaki," hissed Sasume to L in a whispery voice, "Did you say anything?"

"I did not," he said with a shrug, "Perhaps she guessed on her own…"

"Because there's a seventy percent chance of that," snarled Sasume as she swallowed some more strawberries, the best part of the waffles, in her opinion.

"Actually there's an eighty five percent chance Sasume-chan," replied L as he poured strawberry syrup into his glass of milk along with maple syrup and sugar packets.

"Yeah and how does that work out?" asked Sasume as she poured some strawberry syrup into her own glass of milk.

"Mother powers always tip the balance," responded Ryuzaki, "It could be ninety nine."

"Ninety nine?!" screeched Sasume, loud enough for her psychic mother to hear.

"Ninety nine what," asked Mrs. Kawashima. "Do you and Ryuzaki need some money? Here," she said as she reached into her purse and handed the money to L. Sasume had stuck out her hand to receive it but apparently Mrs. Kawashima only loved L. "You two should go to the amusement park in town. I hear they have a tunnel of love." Sasume scowled at her mother. She was so blunt and… annoying.

"Kay, bye," Sasume said as she grabbed Ryuzaki and dragged him out the door and into the car.

"Sasume-chan shouldn't be so abrasive," said L as he buckled up.

"You shut up because you like it," snarled Sasume as she turned the car on, threw into reverse, and sped off. L gave her his half smile, thinking he did like it but he wouldn't let her know that.

DEATHNOTETARDDEATHNOTETARDDEATHNOTETARD

The hustle and bustle of the crowd at the amusement park was enough to make Ryuzaki's head spin. He was never a fan of a big crowd and the amusement park had several huge crowds. He also did particularly enjoy all the boys gawking at Sasume. He glanced over at her, wondering what was making her so appealing to other boys; he knew why she was appealing to him. Sasume had been wearing a midriff revealing blouse and short shorts. Ryuzaki frowned at his girlfriend. She loved attention too much. That's why she always wore those kinds of things.

"Sasume-chan shouldn't wear such revealing clothing," Ryuzaki grumbled to her. His hands had been in his pant pockets but he had chosen that moment to take a hand out of one of his pockets and lace his fingers with her.

"Ryuzaki-kun shouldn't get so jealous," retorted Sasume as she smiled over at a couple of gawking boys. Ryuzaki noticed that she gave her hair a flip in their direction.

"Sasume-chan will not shamelessly flirt with other boys," said Ryuzaki as he whirled her around, straightened out his usually slouched back, and loomed over her, a full head taller. "She is mine and I do not like it when other boys ogle her and she encourages them."

"I'm not… encouraging them," Sasume grumbled as her brow furrowed into an upset look, "I was trying to encourage you…"

"Encourage me?" asked L, taken aback by this. She had gone about it all wrong, or had she? Ryuzaki had come to the conclusion that Sasume had just used reverse psychology on him and it had worked very well.

"You wouldn't even hold my hand," she mumbled to him, "You had your hands in your pockets." She looked a bit sad as she turned away from him and untangled her hand from his. "I understand if you don't want to hold my hand Ryuzaki-kun… I understand if you really don't like me that much."

"Sasume-chan will not say those things," L told her firmly as he pulled her to him, knowing he had allowed her to use her reverse psychology. "I love Sasume-chan very much and I love to hold her hand," he said with his half smile as he laced his fingers back with hers. Sasume smiled, feeling very much like she had won.

"Well good," she announced, "You should." She grinned over at him as the two approached a cotton candy stand. The couple had purchased a bag to share and went on their way to the next stand. The cotton candy had been finished in a matter of seconds as they approached the next stand. It was one of those stands that offered prizes to winners. "Oh I want that cute panda bear! It looks just like you Ryuzaki-kun," squealed Sasume with a giggle as she clasped her hands together in a pleased manner.

"I think it resembles Tux more than me but whatever Sasume-chan says," said Ryuzaki as he stepped up to the stand. The man behind the counter handed him three baseballs after being paid and stood back. Ryuzaki calculated the exact angle and exact centrifugal force needed to knock over the bottles down. He aimed properly and sent the baseball flying. He knocked over every single bottle and won the panda bear in one strike. He smiled at the panda triumphantly as he turned around to find his girlfriend talking to another boy.

"I won this," said the boy, blushing furiously as he showed Sasume a panda stuffed animal. In fact, the same panda that Ryuzaki had just won for her so expertly.

"It's so cute," Sasume chirped with a smile, "I'm sure any girl would be happy to have it." Ryuzaki frowned. Was Sasume really that dense? She couldn't tell the boy was flirting with her and had gotten her the panda.

"Well, I, uh… I saw you earlier when you walked in with your cousin and got this for you," the boy said to her as he attempted to hand her the stuffed animal. "Maybe you'd like to go into the tunnel of love with me?"

"He wasn't my cousin," Sasume said as she stuck her pinky finger in her mouth to think. She felt she was in a bit of a jam.

"Your brother?" asked the boy, still hopeful.

"Her boyfriend," said Ryuzaki as he stepped forward, clutching the panda bear he had won for Sasume in one hand and other thumb in his mouth. He was gnawing at it like a furious rat.

"You two are boyfriend and girlfriend? But she's way prettier than you!" The boy stepped backward, glancing back and forth between L and Sasume. He couldn't understand what a beautiful girl like her was doing with a spooky guy like him.

"Hey," Sasume cried out, "Now that's not fair. I happen to think that Ryuzaki-kun is very handsome! He's way cuter than you are!" She crossed her arms angrily and scowled at the boy.

"Whatever," he said as he tossed his panda in the air. It hit some unsuspecting girl on the head as she was attempting to eat an ice cream cone. The ice cream had exploded on her face and she began to cry. "You're loss," he said to her as he began to walk away.

Ryuzaki was about to go after him and beat him to a pulp for being so rude but Sasume grabbed his arm. "Lawliet-kun," she whispered into his ear, "Let him go… I have a feeling someone else wants to beat him up first."

Ryuzaki stared after the boy to see that a large man that could have been a sumo wrestler approached him. "Hey buddy," said the sumo man as he grabbed the boy by the scruff of his collar, "You threw a stuffed animal at my girlfriend and made her cry."

"That wasn't me," yelped the boy. The sumo man turned to the crying girl and asked her if he was the boy. She nodded miserably as she tried to rid her hair of ice cream but her hair only got stickier. She ended up sobbing louder than she had been before.

"I don't like liars," said the sumo man as he pulled the boy up to his face, "You'll pay."

Sasume and Ryuzaki laughed all the way to the line for the tunnel of love. The sumo man had managed to put the rude boy into a pretzel and then stuck him in the Ferris wheel, stuffed panda bear in the seat next to him. The couple was standing in the line to the tunnel of love. If they didn't go, Satsuki Kawashima would be very disappointed. Sasume would have been disappointed as well but she didn't like to admit things like that. Sasume smiled as she and L were seated into their love boat, the cart for the ride. She was nervous the thing might tip over but the man assured her that it would not. She resolved to remaining calm as she glanced to Ryuzaki and the boat took off at a rock steady pace. The small love boat entered the mouth of the dark tunnel of love and the ride began. Soft music was playing in the background as couples ahead of Sasume and L made out. She embarrassingly turned away. She felt a bit awkward initiating contact that way with Ryuzaki. They had only been boyfriend and girlfriend for a short time. It hadn't even been two weeks yet.

"Sasume-chan looks nervous," L pointed out as he stared at her blankly.

"I do not," she snapped, "I am not." She bit her lip after being so cruel. She shouldn't have snapped at Ryuzaki like that. "Gomen… I am nervous…"

"Why would Sasume-chan be nervous?" asked Ryuzaki, throwing his thumb into his mouth only to nibble on it. Sasume shrugged and said nothing. L knew that she wasn't so straight out with her feelings as he was so he decided to change the subject to something less anxiety filled. "Did Sasume-chan mean it when she said I was cuter than that other boy?"

Sasume turned to him, almost in shock. Her mouth was agape for a moment as she gazed at him. "Of course I meant it," she said to assure him, "Ryuzaki-kun is the most handsome boy I have ever seen…"

"I am?" asked L, clearly surprised. He hadn't thought that Sasume liked him for his looks much and had better appreciated his mind, like most people did. "But I did not blush like that boy and I do not stutter with Sasume-chan… I do not behave like a normal hormonal teenager."

A giggle escaped from Sasume's lips. "Ryuzaki-kun is not a teenager… he is almost thirty," she replied to him.

"He is a cradle robber," Ryuzaki mumbled as he began to chew on his thumb a bit more. His toes were wiggling through the beaten up sneakers. Sasume made him wear shoes in public though he rather disliked it. He liked very much for his feet to remain naked at all times.

"I'm eighteen, Ryuzaki-kun," Sasume said to him with a pout, "You are not."

"Sasume-chan will not be eighteen until the fourteenth of this month," Ryuzaki retorted, a bit frustrated. He felt a bit like a cradle robber. "To think I put men in the same position as I am into jail for being with a minor." Sasume rolled her eyes. This was not as romantic as she had expected it to be and her expectations weren't very high to begin with. Now was not the time for Ryuzaki to suddenly feel guilty over the age difference.

"And about the blushing…" Sasume murmured in a soft voice, that Ryuzaki happened to find very agreeable. She leaned toward his side on the boat and pressed herself against him. "I can make you blush and stutter if I wanted," she whispered in his ear as she gave it a light lick with the flick of her tongue. One of her hands began to massage the back of his head and the other dipped under his shirt to rub his stomach area. The hand on his abdomens slowly worked its way down until it found the rim of his pants where a finger dipped in but only to caress the heated flesh underneath.

"Sasume-chan is very good at doing that," Ryuzaki said after moaning slightly. His hands went to Sasume's waist, caressing her sides.

"Doing what?" she asked innocently, although she knew very well what she was doing to him.

"Making me feel like a hormonal teenager," he said to her as his two hands rose to find her face. He pulled her face toward his until their lips finally met. Her hands rose to swing around his neck to deepen the kiss. Sasume was inwardly triumphant. She had succeeded in making the moment a more romantic one as she continued to press closer to Ryuzaki. He pulled away from her lips for a moment to say, "Sasume-chan shouldn't—"

But it was too late. The two had tipped over from the love boat and landed in the water. Luckily the water was shallow and very clean. Still, Sasume screeched as her hands landed on something gooey. "Ewwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww!"

DEATHNOTETARDDEATHNOTETARDDEATHNOTETARD

"So how was the amusement park you two?" asked Satsuki Kawashima as she heard her daughter enter the doorway with L. "Did you two ride the tunnel of love?"

"Its more of… we swam in the tunnel of love," said Sasume as she made her way to the kitchen.

"You two are soaking wet! What happened?" her mother cried out in shock. She hurriedly went to grab some towels for the two. "Here, use these." She tossed them the towels so they could dry off.

"Arigato," said L politely as he rung out his hair. It had retained the water as if it were a sponge.

"Well… let's just say we tipped over in the tunnel of love," Sasume replied as she dried herself off with the towel. "At least my panda bear didn't fall off with us," she said, smiling proudly at the bear. "Doesn't it look like Ryuzaki?"

"It does," cooed Mrs. Kawashima, "You should sleep with it."

"Mom!" Sasume cried angrily.

"I said sleep with it not with the real one," her mother said with a laugh. "Why don't you two go lay out on the roof until you both dry up?"

"I guess we could do that," Sasume told her mother as she grabbed Ryuzaki by the hand and led him up the stairs. The couple went on the roof together and was drying up when something came to Sasume's attention. "I'll be right back Ryuzaki-kun," she said to him, "I left the car unlocked." He nodded and said he would wait patiently for her return as she climbed back into her room through the window. She ran downstairs and found her mother, still in the kitchen. "Hey momma," she called to her. Her mother looked up at her expectantly. "How did you know about me and Ryuzaki? About us being boyfriend and girlfriend?"

Her mom's face lit up with excited eyes and a wide grin as she brushed some strands of her hair out of her face and continued to wash the dishes. "Mommy intuition," she replied, leaving Sasume to think about it for a moment. When Satsuki saw that her daughter had struggled enough she shrugged and said, "And eavesdropping as well."

"Eavesdropping?!" Sasume hollered, "On what and who?!"

"Oh, don't get yourself all worked up," her mother replied with a smile as amusement flickered in her eyes, "You talk in your sleep sometimes, dear."

"Oh yeah… I do… don't I?" asked Sasume with a sheepish smile as she remembered a funny moment with Ryuzaki. He must have caught her sleep talking because when she woke up he was calling out her name, trying to wake her up. A series of awkward event occurred directly after and then their first kiss. It was accidental but she had enjoyed it all the same even though she had called him a pervert and had slapped him. She laughed as she clicked her car keys to lock it, never having to leave her doorstep and go further outside to it. She climbed back up the stairs, still giggling. She had told him that men were such babies and it was true because men were! All of them; every single one!

"What's so funny?" asked Ryuzaki as she sat back out on the roof with him.

"Nothing," she replied with a warm smile, "Just remembering a funny moment between the two of us."

"And that funny moment would be?" inquired Ryuzaki as he lifted one of his eyebrows.

"Our first kiss… then a slap… then a 'men are such babies' speech," Sasume responded to him, turning to face him and grinning widely as she did so. His lips formed into a small pout as she leaned forward to kiss them lightly. She pulled away from him, blushing slightly. It was funny how he could still make her blush like the way he did. The two were about to kiss again when Tux mewed angrily from her bedroom. "Gomen Tux!" Sasume opened up the window again so Tux could come out onto the roof with them. The black and white brushed himself firmly against Sasume and then licked at Ryuzaki's bare feet, tickling him ever so slightly.

"That slap did hurt," Ryuzaki said after a long silence.

"Five minutes later," mumbled Sasume with a laugh. "So did that kiss! You smashed my lips!" She was grinning madly at the black haired boy. He returned the grin with a small half smile. He reached out for her hand and caressed it.

"It was worth it," Ryuzaki said to her, a mischief playing in his eyes.

"Are you saying you planned it to be that way?" Sasume was astonished. Ryuzaki had made it seem like an accident.

"Maybe," he replied, smiling more fully as he scooted himself closer to her and wrapped his arm around her waist. "Or maybe you planned it?"

"Oh, don't turn this around on me," Sasume cried out to him with a grin, "You planned it and you know it!"

"Know what?"

"You know!"

"Know what?"

"Don't play stupid!"

"I only play smart, Sasume-chan!"

"You play stupid and you know what I'm talking about!"

"What are you talking about?"

Sasume sighed, exasperated. There was no winning with Ryuzaki because he always won in the end. Even in the actual Death Note series he had won. Light had thought he could escape from judgment but in the end, Ryuzaki had won as his cold ghost looked upon the dying body of Yagami Raitou. Sasume could feel herself shiver for a moment, heart aching slightly from the pain of remembering her love's ghostly form. She turned to him and kissed his cheek lightly, glad that she altered things the way she did. She refused to feel guilty for altering Death Note. She had done a good deed.

"There's no winning with you," she finally said to him, gazing deeply into his onyx eyes.

"Sure there is," Ryuzaki replied to her, "But there is a point zero, zero, zero, zero, zero, zero, zero, zero, zero…"

"Okay, okay I get the idea!" Sasume laid herself out on the roof, her fingers playing with Ryuzaki's pants but not in a flirty way in more of a curious way. "I think I did win with you though Ryuzaki-kun…"

He cocked his head to the side for a moment after throwing his thumb into his mouth to give it a nibble. "I think Sasume-chan is right… she did win with me."

A/N: Yes! Chapter thirty four is done. I didn't take so long to update, did I? I tried not to! It wasn't as long as the last wait… that was really long.

Sasume: So, Author-sama… did Ryuzaki plan to kiss me that day or not? That day of our first but accidental kiss?

Author-sama: (shrugs) I don't know… ask Ryuzaki or the readers.

Sasume: I already asked Ryuzaki and he didn't tell me anything! I guess I'll ask the readers… Readers what do you think? Review, please!