Key (L x OC)

Fourteen

"I'm so bored!" Kaori proclaimed as she leaned over the edge of the hotel mattress. Ryuuzaki had been doing research on the suspected Kira in California for four days, and the girl wasn't allowed on the beach for a single moment. She had to lounge about the hotel room with nothing to do but occasionally hack into secure websites and whatnot.

"I thought you were excited about being in California." Ryuuzaki spoke monotonously.

"I was." She drew out her words sarcastically. "But you won't let me do anything!" She released a groan of boredom.

He hummed thoughtfully, dismissing her complaints. "I need you to hack into this site to see a list of computers that have contributed to the page within the last twenty-four hours."

"That's easy." The girl muttered to herself and lazily trudged to the sofa. She took the laptop from him, rapidly typed on the keyboard and a list of website contributors was summoned to the screen.

He immediately pointed to one of the registered computer names. "We need to hack into his computer."

"Do you mean his computer's database? We kind of don't have his computer in this room..." She mentioned sarcastically and rolled her dark gray eyes.

"That's what I mean..." Ryuuzaki responded, appearing to be unaffected by the fact that he knew nearly nothing about Kaori's technological gift. "It's not like you wouldn't be able to do it, right?"

"Of course." She answered immediately. "Just who do you think I am?!" She was brimming with pride as she began to furiously write codes on a new tab. Yet, her voice diminished to barely a whisper as she commented further. "But hacking into someone's database is among the most difficult hacking jobs."

A just barely audible chuckle emanated from Ryuuzaki's mouth, seeming more like a scoff that a laugh.

"What?" Kaori asked, questioning his thoughts.

"You're claiming that this particular task is difficult." He gave the girl a peculiar look and rested his thumb on his lip. He looked as though the gears in his mind were ticking away insightfully.

"What are you getting at?" She raised an eyebrow.

"You admitted that it's difficult." His lips curved into a suspicious smile.

"That doesn't mean that I can't hack into his database." Her focus reverted back to the computer screen as she mumbles, "You can't make me admit defeat that easily."

To Ryuuzaki, this was a challenge that he accepted. Due to his childish, competitive nature, he wouldn't allow himself to lose this challenge. And when he got the chance, he would make the girl regret indirectly challenging him in the first place; that was something he would make sure of.

"Got it!" Kaori suddenly exclaimed with relief. "Told ya I could do it." She huffed with pride as she handed the laptop back to the crouched man.

"What's this?" He wondered aloud as his forehead knotted together into creases between his brow muscles.

She eagerly looked over his shoulder at the display on the screen. "What?"

She swallowed deeply and took the laptop again, typing rapidly on the keyboard. She was unsettled by the large white letters that had appeared, and they weren't disappearing with her elaborate coding. "Crap!" She cursed, throwing her hands in the air frantically as a slew of other profanities came from her mouth.

"Have you seen something like this before?"

"Yes." She sighed irritably. "Only once."

"How did you get through it?"