Key (L x OC)

Twenty Five

It lasted for a few moments. It was so quiet that they thought they would hear each other's racing hearts.

But as soon as Kaori released his lips, she turned away from him.

"You see, I've been acting strange because I thought I was in love with you." She released an awkward chuckle, clearly uncomfortable with the situation. "I can't help but wonder why I would be in love with such an odd person such as yourself. So, I had to make sure. But I guess it's hard to tell when the person you've kissed doesn't love you in return."

Ryuuzaki opened his mouth to say something, though he was unsure of what to say.

"I'm sorry for taking something as precious as your first kiss. I'm sure you would've rather had it with someone you love." She stretched her arms and gave an exaggerated yawn. "Well, I needed this fresh air, but I think it's about time we got back to the room."

He gave nothing but an eager nod as a response and followed the girl back to the hotel, retracing the two pairs of footprints in the powdery sand. All he could think about was how he wanted to stop her, turn her around, and kiss her. He wanted to feel her thick, smooth hair in his fingers and the passionate sensation of her lips upon his once again. He wanted to tell her that he loved her, and he was very sure of that, despite the lie he told.

But he couldn't do those things. He felt it would only endanger her with knowing who the Kira in California is. Moreover, she didn't know who he truly was. She didn't know that the person he was has loved her for much longer than she's known him. And he feared that she would be scared of him, or even worse, that she would bear a deep, relentless hatred.

——-+——-

Kaori slept in a few hours later than usual the next morning, probably because it took a while for her to fall asleep. It wasn't until she woke up that she realized she had been out of contact with Lawliet for the past few days. She knew she needed to let him know that she was feeling better, and she was no longer suffering in her heart.

To Lawliet:

I'm sorry about the last message... I was really messed up. I'm doing alright now, and I'm back to the person that I usual am. At least, that's what Ryuuzaki said.

I still feel like I've been acting a bit weird. Heck, I took Ryuuzaki's first kiss last night, and that probably disappointed him. I told him that I was thinking that I loved him, but wasn't really sure... He didn't say anything.

Love is such a weird thing. And the fact that I think I love a weird person just makes it that much more confusing.

For now, I'm not going to let myself be bothered by such things any longer. The first priority should be to find Edward (or Kira), get the proof we need to convict him of being Kira, and send him to jail.

~Kaori

After pressing the green 'send' button, she rolled out of bed, feeling refreshed for the first time in a while. She yawned, and said a disgruntled, tired "Good morning, Ryuuzaki."

The young man looked at her for a moment, appearing to be studying her and analyzing what he predicted to be her next action. Once he blinked, he returned to focusing on the illuminated screen of his laptop. "There's extra coffee in the machine if you would like some." He mentioned as he placed his feet on the sofa, assuming his preferred crouching position.

Thus, the girl poured herself a warm cup of coffee and sat on the arm of the couch, overlooking what Ryuuzaki was doing as he quickly typed on the computer's keyboard. "So, do you have any idea of how we're going to convict Kira?" She asked nonchalantly.

"Actually, I was thinking about that this morning." He rested his thumb on his lower lip as he pressed one last button. "I don't think we need complete proof to prove his guilt of being Kira. Seeing as we don't know how he kills, it would be hard to find such proof. However, because of that, we need a confession. If we were able to get that recorded somehow..."

"... then we could convict him." Kaori finished his sentence.

"Precisely." He agreed. "And, I discovered that he will be attending a local event tonight very similar to the one we were at a little while ago. So, tonight will most likely be our chance to catch him." He turned the computer towards the girl. "We just need to get our names on the guest list."

She knew exactly what he was asking of her. Therefore, she took the laptop from him and slid onto the cushions of the old couch. It only took about thirty seconds for her to be able to edit the guest list. "Alright... what are the names of the two surprise guests at this event tonight?" She asked inconspicuously.

"Hideki Ryuuga and Kanna Ikimoto." He stated without hesitation.

Although she wasn't expecting for him to have the names off of his head, she imputed them into the guest list anyway.

"Now that that is accomplished, we need to figure out how to get a recording of his confession of being Kira..." Ryuuzaki bit his lip as he thought of many different scenarios in his head.

"I have an idea." Kaori said, proud of the fact that she had come up with a plausible idea.

"It couldn't hurt..."

"I'll be the one to get him to confess. He targeted me once, so there's no question that he would again the moment that I'm away from you. When I get him alone, I'll act as though I don't know that he's Kira, and eventually, I'll get him to admit to it. I'll wear a miniature recorder or something so that it's recorded."

"No." He immediately responded. "That is out of the question."

"Why? It would work..." She pouted.

"I refuse to put you at risk. That's a dangerous plan."

"There will be plenty of people at the party. The farthest I'll be is on a balcony or something. It's not like he would be able to drag me from the building without anyone noticing." She began to reason.

"I won't allow you to come anywhere close to that man without me."

"Well, do you have a better idea?!"

Ryuuzaki hesitated.

"Ryuuzaki, this is probably our only chance! We need to take advantage of it."

He looked down at her, meeting her hopeful gray eyes. After a moment of gritting his teeth, he released a defeated sigh. "You will wear a bluetooth so that I can hear everything going on. If worst comes to worst, you'll be armed with a knife because guns are too obvious." In his own way, he had admitted defeat.

Kaori gasped excitedly, brimming with pride of coming up with a plan worthy of her genius friend's approval, despite his hesitancy. "We're going to catch Kira tonight!" She cheered.

"Keep in mind: This isn't the real Kira. The real Kira is in Japan." He warned.

"I know that! But nonetheless, this Kira kills people in the same manner, so he is still a dangerous person." The girl retorted defensively.

Ryuuzaki looked away and frowned. "I can't believe that I'm allowing you to do this..." He considered.

"I'll be fine. You've got nothing to worry about!"