Disclaimer: Death Note is Tsugumi Ohba's and Takeshi Obata's genius work, obviously. Not mine.

o0o

For The First Time

o0o

Like Sapphire

Misa opened the window and placed her elbows on the sill, her chin on her fisted hands. She watched children flying the kite, running about and even simply lying on the trimmed lawn. She saw a girl painting near a tree, where beside her there was a white-haired boy sitting, watching everyone else quietly.

"You can go and join them, if you want to." L told from behind her.

Misa turned around and watched him. She had momentarily forgotten there was a constant typing sound that came from L's fingers, dancing on his laptop keyboard. "Why wouldn't Ryuzaki-san come down with Misa?" she suggested. "They are Ryuzaki-san's successors, they would be happy to see you, Misa thinks."

Their relationship – if there was one – was rather hazy. Misa thought she had chosen L when she betrayed Kira and presented all of her works to L. She thought she had fallen in love with Ryuzaki when she allowed him to bring Light to the penalty, but now that she thought about it again, she didn't know. L hadn't asked her to leave after everything was over, after they could both walk away and continue with whatever they were doing before Kira was ever there, but Misa had followed him here. England. She had left her career and took his hand when he offered it to her and she was here.

Intimately they had only gone as far as kissing. Awkwardly.

When Misa had made her decision, she kept repeating the line L said to her. "It's the right thing to do." She still couldn't believe it, sometimes, that she had actually picked and was trying to move on. Was it really just because "It is the right thing to do."? There was no 'love story' for her in this choice she chose?

She didn't know.

From it Misa had nightmare – the same nightmare that would replay in her mind eyes at certain night in monochrome. She also didn't like to have time alone in her hands now. She had learned to bake really good cakes and make sweets – she spent times learning things that would please L, mostly. She lost herself in activities because if she had times, she would think about the person who she had betrayed. She would cry. Somehow she didn't like L see her cry. He would seem, almost sad – she didn't know if he really was, but she decided not to dwell on that thought.

"Hypocrite." Was the last word Light said to Misa, and she thought if that, that last word he had spat with sheer hatred and pure resent at her, was meant to hurt her, it was doing its job impossibly effective. It hurt because Misa knew Light was right. She began with symbolizing herself as everything that he needed to implement his mission yet in the end, she was everyone who turned away and the only one who turned him down. She didn't even know what it was for now.

"I suppose I could play football," L's answer came almost ten seconds after Misa's offer that she thought he wouldn't respond.

"Ryuzaki-san can play football?" Misa asked in pure surprise. As he stood from his chair, L threw her a sideway glance. Misa giggled. She thought he looked playfully offended. "Misa has seen Ryuzaki-san drive, so Misa shouldn't be too surprised, huh?" she teased.

"I want to see you as a goalkeeper." L decided, shoving a hand into his jeans pocket and raising another to nibble at the edge of his thumb.

Misa skipped to his side and they walked towards the door. "Eh…? But Misa wears skirt!" she gasped dramatically. "Ryuzaki-san is such a pervert!"

o0o

"It's love, I tell you." Mello insisted. He, Matt, Near, Linda and Julie were sitting on the grass near Linda's drawing, which she had laid under the sun to dry.

"Maybe it was epiphany on her part." Near said, habitually twirling the curls of his silvery hair with his index finger. "She realized what she and Kira were doing was wrong, and she turned to L. L fixed things up, everything ended. Maybe it was like that and—"

"And L brings her here for a vacation because they're friends?" Mello scoffed. "Get real."

"I think it was epiphany." Julie butted in confidently. When Mello opened his mouth with an expression of snarling the sunshine out of her life, she backpedaled, "That doesn't mean it couldn't turn into love."

"Yes," Linda agreed, beaming. "Maybe they will fall in love with one another."

"You'd want that." Matt muttered. Linda gave him a look and he coughed self-consciously. "I mean do you all really want L to date a model? Ex-Second Kira?" he queried, sounding almost challenging. When the rest of them looked at him intently, as if questioning what was wrong with him – considering he rarely was interested enough to discuss anything, much less caring about L dating a model – Matt lifted his shoulders in a lazy shrug. "Just asking."

Mello and Near seemed to be pondering the matter from every possible angle, A to Z, 1 to infinity.

Julie decided, "As long as L likes her."

"As long as she likes L." Linda alternated. "I mean she must like L, therefore she will be true to L."

"Go get laid, Virgin Mary." Matt breathed.

Linda threw him a paintbrush and Matt jerked back. "You're a toerag."

"Like you're so divine."

"You can sit elsewhere then!"

"It's a free country."

"Then if you blaspheme again I'm going to paint your mouth—"

"Hi guys!" an unexpected cheerful voice interrupted them, and the rest of the group exhaled quietly in relief. The epic mouth-war between Matt and Linda could end for – ever. Roger will be more surprised to find them sitting together than finding Mello and Near sharing a chair.

Mello stopped mid-bite when he saw L and Misa approaching. Near's finger stopped swirling and they watched the couple walk towards them with scrutinizing gaze.

"The picture doesn't quite fit." Mello noted.

"L should straighten himself." Near suggested.

"Future governesses." Julie remarked just as Misa skipped to them.

She put her hands behind her and leaned forward with a bright smile. "Hello, could you introduce yourselves?" she inquired.

After a few blinks, Linda broke the ice. "I'm Linda, nice to meet you." she smiled, ignoring the blatant retching face Matt was making from beside Mello.

"Julie." Julie followed.

Mello quickly said when he saw Near open his mouth, "I'm Mello." a bit too politely that Matt almost quirked an eyebrow.

"Near." Near muttered.

All the while L watched how Misa nodded to each one of them and repeated their name to herself in a quiet whisper, as if she was trying to remember the script. "And you?" she pointed an index finger curiously, smiling at Matt.

Matt leaned against the tree behind him and scanned her. Up and down. He half-drawled, "Matt."

"Matt." Misa whispered. She smiled more and turned around to find L. She frowned faintly at his blank expression. "Misa thinks Matt-kun doesn't like Misa much." She reported.

L glanced inconspicuously at Matt. The goggled-boy looked away, as if noticing. "Matt doesn't really like models, truth be told." L returned.

"Why?" Misa's brown eyes shimmered anxiously. "He doesn't like sexy girls?"

L almost scoffed at how she sounded worry at that. "No, Misa. Matt's mother was a model. Let's say… she didn't leave good impression on him as a mother."

Misa's brow furrowed understandingly. "Oh." She nodded, her pony-tails bouncing along. She smiled more confidently. "Misa must show Matt-kun she is friendly, then."

"That you do." L agreed, failing to keep a smile at her concentrated, serious frown. He didn't know if she noticed, but one thing she brought to him was 'smile'. And if there was another thing, it was 'faces'.

Misa turned back to the group of geniuses. "L wants to play football!" She announced.

After a few blinks yet again, Mello smirked. "Bring it on." His smirk etched wider when L regarded him with a thumb in his mouth, looking almost amused.

Therefore they played football. Many of the other children joined them – and though Misa managed to escape from being a goalkeeper, she made a good cheerleader.

As she watched from the side, Misa had to smile at how the children moaned and cheered when L bragged them his skills. She even found herself cheering for him until she was breathless, and silently she wondered why she couldn't love him. Beneath his expressionless mask, L was considerably a nice person. He was a man as smart as Light, it was safe to assume. He wasn't exactly disgusting, as Misa had earlier accused him to be – he was as clean as her, she had come to be sure of that. He wasn't – Misa considered as she tilted her head watching his sweating fair face, the strands of his jet-black hair sticking to his forehead – he wasn't actually not good-looking. Most importantly he treated her nice.

Then why couldn't she love him?

Misa sighed, and that was when she caught Matt sitting under the same tree he had been when he was with the others before. She was sure he had joined them, but she didn't notice when he had stopped playing and returned to the tree. He had a gameboy in his hands and Linda who hadn't joined in, was working on another drawing near him. They were leaning against the same tree, slightly distanced from one another, but Misa thought they made a good picture.

Linda looked up when she heard rustles of movement. She peered around and saw Misa, and noticed that Matt seemed to be leaving because Misa was walking towards them. "You don't like her." she noted.

"Why does it matter to you?" Matt responded sharply, almost defensive.

Linda frowned, slightly taken aback. "It doesn't." she retorted.

"Good." He spat, stood and stalked away.

Misa reached the tree when Matt was out of earshot, and she folded her pleated skirt neatly as she knelt next to Linda. "Hey." She said, sitting and leaning her back against the spot that had been Matt's a second ago.

Linda smiled. "Hey."

"What are you drawing?" Misa asked, looking in. "A…uh,"

"Unicorn." Linda laughed.

Misa stuck an index finger out. "That was it!" she hummed complacently, nodding. "It's pretty." she told.

"It's just a sketch," Linda shrugged briefly, thumbing the drawing.

Out of the blue, Misa asked. "Matt doesn't like Misa, does he?"

"…I don't really know." Linda answered politely.

"It's okay." Misa assured, smiling. "L told Misa that Matt doesn't like models much. Because Matt's mother was one, and she wasn't very nice." She informed earnestly, nodding when Linda looked at her, seemingly surprised. "You didn't know?" Misa asked.

Linda blinked. She returned to her drawing. "He's not very communicative. Not to me, at least." She said, keeping her eyes on her unicorn.

Misa pursed her lips and watched the football match blindly, thinking.

o0o

"Matt's birthday?" L looked up, but Misa made him sit still while she toweled his drenched hair – it was L after shower, and Misa loved to wipe L's after-shower hair (as well as messing a little with it; one time Misa had begged him to let her tie his hair. As a result Watari had laughed until he cried, seeing the many little tufts of hair sticking out on L's head, tied 'creatively' with many colorful hair-bands).

"Yes, Matt-kun's birthday." Misa confirmed. "Misa wants to know when it is."

L was silent for a moment. Then he guessed, adeptly, "Are you going to go and make him a surprise party in the hope of he will like you better?"

Misa blinked. She should've known he'd be able to smell it. "Ryuzaki-san should just pretend to not know…!" she complained, squeezing his head for good measure.

"Ouch… It was hard not to," he admitted. Misa smiled and kissed his head. Since it wasn't the first time, L didn't seem to give it any thought. "Matt's birthday has passed, anyway. It is on February 1, I reckon." He told.

Misa hummed. "Misa will think of other plan then. It doesn't really matter if Matt-kun doesn't like Misa. Misa just doesn't like to know he doesn't happy because Misa is around." She told.

L blinked. Before he could open his mouth to assure her that wasn't the case, he felt Misa kiss his head again and sniff. Frantically she squealed out,

"Ah!"

L blinked again. "…Ah?" that was the first time he felt so… lost, uttering the single syllable.

"Ryuzaki-san's head smells of watermelon!"

"…You picked the shampoo."

"Misa knows! Misa wanted strawberry! Ooh…!"

"……"

Roger's wonder hadn't been odd; L recalled how the caretaker had first expressed and summarized his thoughts on their 'relationship',

"How a pair you two would make."

o0o

Linda rubbed the sleep from her eyes. If not for the toilet in the room she shared with Julie was somehow stuck, she wouldn't have had to walk the entire way to the general bathroom. Since she was in a kind of 'emergency', she had to.

She had almost pushed the door open completely to trudge in, before her ear picked a sound. Being the nervous-of-ghosts person that she was, Linda shuddered as she felt the hair on the back of her neck stand. She thought it was a crying sound.

"My Lord." She squealed quietly, squeezing her eyes shut and almost turning to flee. Briefly she thought of how stupid she was for not banging at anyone's door even if it was farther than the general bathroom from her room, to borrow their toilet – forget their wrath at being waken in the middle of the night. She should have, considering going to the general toilet alone.

Then just before Linda turned, she saw Matt. She blinked incredulously and peered into the dim bathroom, almost squinting in the lack of light.

Leaning against the wall with his arms on his drawn-up knees, his head on them, it was unmistakably Matt.

"Matt?" she echoed tentatively.

He froze. The quiet crying which was definitely his, stopped. Abruptly he looked up.

Linda felt herself freeze even when she wasn't even moving yet.

Matt's eyes were beautiful.

She didn't know why, but he had never taken his goggles off in front of people – certainly not in front her, but right now, for the first time she saw him without them, his eyes were beautiful blue – like sapphire.

"What are you doing?" he hissed, pulling his right arm to himself.

Linda's eyes flickered to the small action and she gasped. "You—" her eyes widened at the penknife he was gripping in his left hand. The right hand which he had just pulled, apparently trying to hide it from her – was bleeding. There were a few cuts on his forearm and blood was dripping slowly, but ceaselessly from the fresh wounds. "You cut yourself!" she accused, and rushed in.

"Back off!" Matt warned.

Linda winced, stopping in her track. Matt tightened his grip on the penknife and kept his cold gaze on her, as if daring her to approach. "B-but you're… bleeding." She said lamely, frowning pleadingly at him. "Matt I'm just—"

"You don't see anything." he ordered, his voice dangerously quiet.

At that Linda shook her head. It was impossible for her to simply go to sleep and wake up as ignorant as she was after seeing this. "N-no. You need help—"

"I don't." Matt snapped. "I say you don't see anything—" his eyes shone. "And if you do," he mouthed quietly. Linda held her breath. "I will tell everyone about your little crush on Near." He threatened, sounding meaning it.

Linda's eyes widened. "H-how – you hacked my computer?!" she figured indignantly; she only wrote diaries in her computer and it was the only explanation. Matt was the best virtual tech Wammy's had after all. When Linda looked at him again, Matt's smile was even more promising that Mello's when the blond was about to hit someone. "I can't believe you." she breathed, shaking her head.

"I was simply curious." Matt told as if it was nothing. "Now, you don't see anything." he pressed, apparently determined on making sure of the matter.

"But I did! I am!" Linda insisted, bracing herself to stare into his sharp eyes. She took another step toward him. "Let me help," she lowered her voice as she decided, waiting for his reaction. Matt didn't respond. She swallowed and gestured at his arm carefully. "I-I will bandage your wound and…" she seemed to be fighting an inner turmoil, before she finally sighed. "I wouldn't tell anyone." She assured softly, almost whispering. She remained eye contact, hoping Matt would agree. Believe it or not she was worried. As much as she disliked him no one could not have been worried at something like this – whatever it was.

For a long while, they were staring at one another without a word. Briefly Linda reflected how hurt his eyes looked. Maybe that was why he hid them.

Matt clenched his jaw at how worried Linda seemed. He hated it. It wasn't that she cared. He didn't believe it she cared, it must be only pity. He didn't want pity. He didn't need pity. She should just leave him alone.

"You don't see anything! Get out!!" he shouted in a sudden blind of fury, and before Linda could argue her point, he flung the penknife at her forcefully, as if he seriously intended for the blade to stick into any flesh of her body. She shrieked and fled the bathroom – the knife hit the wall and clattered noisily to the ground. Matt stood and slammed the door fiercely behind her. He leaned against the door and slumped to the floor, drawing his knees to his chest.

Matt buried his face in his knees and ignored the blood that was still seeping down his arm. He deafened himself and paid no heed to Linda's shouts outside the bathroom, begging for him to open the door and swearing she wouldn't tell a soul.

A/N: My first attempt at writing fanfiction. So? Please, please at least tell me something. Anything to be fixed and all? Like it? No? Yes maybe then? :o