Categories > Anime/Manga > Death Note > Rewrite
Our Distance and that Person
0 reviewsL x Misa drabbles or chapters intended for a challenge community. A moment in time. A chance meeting. Fate turned upside down.
0Unrated
Disclaimer: Death Note is owned by Tsugumi Ohba, and Takeshi Obata. Neither of whom are me.
Author's Note: This fic was originally written for the LiveJournal community of 30 Kisses. Yes, it was approved. We could all use some L/Misa love, let's be honest. This is an AU, and dabbles with the idea of Misa meeting L before Light. Still with me? Good. Let's go.
Rewrite
Theme 4: Our Distance and that Person
Kira.
Kira had come to save them all.
"Ryuuzaki-san, do you know about Kira? Rumors say he was sent from God to punish bad people. Do you think that's possible?"
At least, that's what Misa had concluded. Somehow, he was punishing criminals, giving them deaths that she was quite sure they all deserved. He was making the wicked quake in their boots, and Misa loved every minute of it.
"Ryuuzaki-san? Do you think Kira can just tell when people have been evil? Like Santa Claus, but better!"
Kira had killed her parents' killer.
"Ryuuzaki-san, did you see the news? Kira killed the bad man who killed Misa's parents! Kira is great!"
Kira was Misa's new hero.
"Good-bye, Misa-san."
However, Ryuuzaki seemed less than thrilled over Misa's new idol, and would usually end any conversation if she brought Kira up. He was jealous, Misa decided. Jealous that Kira was able to give her parents the justice that he could not. Jealous that Misa did not see him as a hero, like she did Kira. Ryuuzaki was simply jealous.
What the hell did Ryuuzaki know?
Misa clipped out magazine and newspaper articles of her precious savior, and pasted them in a scrapbook. Reading the articles, she pictured him as a middle aged man; some graying at the temples of a well-groomed haircut, and a serious expression on a distinguished face. He'd be wise, and sick of what the world had become. Gifted with the ability to change it. One day, she would meet him. Somehow, she would thank him for what he did for her, and all the other people he helped. That was Misa's wish.
And as Misa's new obsession began to grow, she noticed Ryuuzaki's calls began to ebb. She hadn't realized it at first, but after three whole weeks without a single call, Misa reluctantly pulled herself out of her hero worshipping, and began to wonder what could've happened.
Obviously, trying to call him was out of the question. She had picked up the habit --out of pure curiosity-- of listing down each phone number Ryuuzaki called from, and then tracked down where the calls might have been made from. While she could never actually pinpoint him, she found that he not only called from different phones, but from different countries. All of which Misa found quite absurd.
Who could possibly want Ryuuzaki in Montreal, Canada, anyway?
Clearly he was still jealous over her adoration towards Kira. This was just silly, as far as Misa was concerned. Kira was her hero, and she truly would love to thank him, but it's not like she was in love with him.
Besides which, Misa backtracked, Ryuuzaki had no reason to be jealous even if she was in love with Kira. Ryuuzaki was not Misa's boyfriend. Ryuuzaki was... Ryuuzaki. And really, that was quite enough. Having a hunching, sugar craving, perverted, never there boyfriend was not appealing to Misa at all. Besides, it would most likely make her manager faint in horror.
Still, Misa admitted that she was rather anxious for a phone call. Maybe she'd apologize for irritating him with her never ending chatter about Kira. Not that he deserved an apology, but just to keep the peace. Misa could extend the olive branch if the need arose. Even if she didn't want to.
"Misa will even not talk about Kira at all," she promised her phone one lonely afternoon. "So ring, okay?"
However, it remained silent.
And Misa began to simmer. She was going to give him such a yelling when he finally had the brains to call her. He should know better to ignore Misa-Misa.
But maybe, Misa thought to herself, Ryuuzaki didn't like Kira because he thought Kira was just another criminal for what he was doing. She thought that stupid, because Kira was obviously in the right, but she wouldn't put it past Ryuuzaki to not see it from her point of view. Ryuuzaki liked his nice, neat justice system, where bad guys get away and victims get punished all over again.
Clearly, Ryuuzaki had been brainwashed somewhere along the lines.
But justifying her views until she was quite satisfied that she was right didn't stop Misa from wanting Ryuuzaki to call; for her to ramble on about her new interview that would appear on TV, and for Ryuuzaki to wax poetic about the wonders of pastries, and other tidbits of life that never truly made any sense to her, but she pretended they did just to listen to him talk.
She simply missed talking to him.
When had she begun to actually miss him? When, and why, and how? How to put a stop to this, and how to get him to realize he better call her before she began to over analyze these feelings and come up with a conclusion that most likely would be disastrous?
It was really all quite frustrating, and Misa found herself more and more annoyed each time she reached for her phone eagerly when it rang, only to be disappointed that it wasn't who she was hoping for. She would get angry, and tell herself to stop. But then the phone would ring once again, and her heart would jump as she reached for it like a drowning man would a life preserver... Only to be disappointed again.
A full month went by with no calls. Misa reluctantly concluded that Ryuuzaki was not going to contact her again, and she needed to get over it. She forced herself to be angry instead of sad, reminding herself over and over again that it was only Ryuuzaki, and it was Ryuuzaki who didn't even have enough guts to give her a proper good-bye. That she needn't be depressed over someone so obviously full of himself and rude.
But no matter how many times she told herself this, Misa never quite believed herself. And she hated that.
Soon after, she heard of the televised broadcast of a detective named L, and his challenge to Kira. With anxious curiosity, Misa was able to easily download the showing off one of the many Kira fan sites she had bookmarked. Playing it over and over again gave her an eerie feeling in her stomach. On one hand, it was obvious that Kira tried to kill someone who was actually not a criminal.
But then, L had threatened Kira to begin with, so it was only natural that Kira would try to protect himself. Misa understood.
L was trying to stop Kira's righteousness. Therefore, L must be stopped. Killing him was the only solution. And it was too bad that Kira had been unable to do it at the time. However, the broadcast did make Misa slightly grateful to L, because now she knew what she needed to do.
A week later, Misa moved to Tokyo. Her manager thought it was a good idea because it made Misa closer to companies and agencies that would be interested in her. Misa thought it was a good idea because it made her that much closer to Kira. And she had decided that finding Kira would be her new goal. She would do anything to thank the man that was her savior, even if it meant her life.
Of course, she had no idea just how to find him, but placing herself closer to where he was seemed like a good start. And every goal had to start somewhere.
So, Misa began to multitask. On one hand, she spent most of her days working on her career; going from audition to photo shoot to interview, until she just about collapsed when she got home. And on the other hand, when she did arrive exhausted at her apartment, she dragged herself to her television, newspaper in hand, and began to piece even more articles and information about Kira in her scrapbook. She didn't know when, after all, any of this information might come in useful. She was just sure it was bound to.
After two weeks of this routine, Misa had gotten it down to a science. She was a walking encyclopedia for Kira, able to list his latest judgments, and just why they deserved their punishments.
She also perfected the art of never letting on that she was pro-Kira. Misa was not a dumb girl. She knew what her views could mean to her career and life in general. The celebrity idea that even negative media was good media was a notion that was entirely lost on Misa. She had no desire to ostracize herself from her audience. Misa-Misa was a happy girl. She did not thirst for justice, and the punishment of the wicked.
Sundays had always been Misa's designated day off. Even idols needed downtime, and her manager always fretted that Misa's hectic work schedule would burn her out if she didn't have some relaxation. Not that there weren't some Sundays that Misa would do an interview or magazine spread. But those were few and far between, and she was quite all right with that.
On this particular Sunday, Misa felt too lazy to even glance at her scrapbook. She flipped through magazines lethargically, not really focusing on the text in front of her. She knew that free time was rare for her, and she really ought to use it wisely.
However, she just couldn't find the energy to move this particular day. After a while, she gave up pretending to care, and allowed herself to fall asleep unceremoniously on her couch.
So when her doorbell rang, Misa barely moved from her curled up position on the cushions. It was only when the visitor then began to knock in a peculiar rhythm that she stirred, nearly dragging herself to her door. Assuming it was a neighbor --they would, at times, find enough bravery to talk to Misa-Misa, and sometimes even ask for an autograph-- she ran her fingers through her tousled hair, straightened her shirt, and opened the door with a picture perfect smile.
Standing there with untied shoes, unkempt hair, and black eyes ringed from lack of sleep was Ryuuzaki. One hand was raised to continue knocking, while the other was at his lips, as he thoughtfully chewed on the pad of his thumb.
"Good afternoon, Misa-san," he greeted her, congenially.
A thousand things ran through her mind in a few seconds. Just where had he been for the past month and a half? What was he doing here? How'd he find her? Why hadn't he called her all this time? Was he going to disappear again, or was he actually staying around?
And just who the hell did he think he was popping out of nowhere, and thinking that everything would be okay?
And the questions just kept on piling up, until she found her mouth opening of its own accord to utter something, anything. But nothing came out, except a pathetic squeak. What could she say? How to start? Ryuuzaki was there, and she could demand a hundred different answers from him that she wanted, but they were all important, and all deserved to be given, and she should say something because he was there. Really, really there. Not on the phone, but right in front of her.
When she didn't make a sound, he tilted his head in curiosity and asked, "Are you feeling all right, Misa-san?"
She stood there, too shocked and filled with questions to actually come up with something to say more than guttural sounds. Until finally, the one thought that kept coming up over and over again consumed all other ideas, and she had but one response for him.
"Ryuuzaki-san!"
Misa practically leapt onto him, her arms wrapping tightly around his bony frame and the side of her face pressed firmly against his neck. Obviously, such physical encounters were few and far between for Ryuuzaki, for he stiffened in shock, and even when he finally relaxed there was still an unnatural rigidness to his body.
He was thin, Misa realized, her splayed fingers feeling his almost emaciated form underneath the cotton of his shirt. It was almost painful for her to think how someone who could eat so much could still have such an apparently fragile frame. Thin, but not weak; he hadn't toppled over because of her this time around, regardless of his bad posture. There was a strength that belied his appearance.
Carefully, Misa lifted her head, her lips barely brushing his ear as she whispered, "Ryuuzaki-san is not allowed to disappear without telling Misa!"
A decree. A threat. A plea. It was all of the above and more, and somehow he seemed to understand that.
He tilted his head a little away from hers, as if the extra inch of space would somehow give him back his comfort zone. "I apologize, Misa-san. My schedule has been... full. Could you release me now?" he asked, almost looking hopeful.
She decided to crush that hope. He had vanished and made her fret for well over a month. Now he reappeared with no decent explanation, and seemed to expect no retribution whatsoever. A little discomfort seemed like the least punishment she could give him.
"Misa doesn't want to." She promptly rested her chin on Ryuuzaki's shoulder, and gave him a squeeze for good measure. She was rewarded with a nearly imperceptible sigh. Happily and shamelessly, she smiled against his neck.
She would let him go in a few minutes, before the neighbors craned their heads out their doors in interest. But for now, Misa was quite content to have her ill at eased Ryuuzaki right where she wanted him.
Author's Note: This fic was originally written for the LiveJournal community of 30 Kisses. Yes, it was approved. We could all use some L/Misa love, let's be honest. This is an AU, and dabbles with the idea of Misa meeting L before Light. Still with me? Good. Let's go.
Rewrite
Theme 4: Our Distance and that Person
Kira.
Kira had come to save them all.
"Ryuuzaki-san, do you know about Kira? Rumors say he was sent from God to punish bad people. Do you think that's possible?"
At least, that's what Misa had concluded. Somehow, he was punishing criminals, giving them deaths that she was quite sure they all deserved. He was making the wicked quake in their boots, and Misa loved every minute of it.
"Ryuuzaki-san? Do you think Kira can just tell when people have been evil? Like Santa Claus, but better!"
Kira had killed her parents' killer.
"Ryuuzaki-san, did you see the news? Kira killed the bad man who killed Misa's parents! Kira is great!"
Kira was Misa's new hero.
"Good-bye, Misa-san."
However, Ryuuzaki seemed less than thrilled over Misa's new idol, and would usually end any conversation if she brought Kira up. He was jealous, Misa decided. Jealous that Kira was able to give her parents the justice that he could not. Jealous that Misa did not see him as a hero, like she did Kira. Ryuuzaki was simply jealous.
What the hell did Ryuuzaki know?
Misa clipped out magazine and newspaper articles of her precious savior, and pasted them in a scrapbook. Reading the articles, she pictured him as a middle aged man; some graying at the temples of a well-groomed haircut, and a serious expression on a distinguished face. He'd be wise, and sick of what the world had become. Gifted with the ability to change it. One day, she would meet him. Somehow, she would thank him for what he did for her, and all the other people he helped. That was Misa's wish.
And as Misa's new obsession began to grow, she noticed Ryuuzaki's calls began to ebb. She hadn't realized it at first, but after three whole weeks without a single call, Misa reluctantly pulled herself out of her hero worshipping, and began to wonder what could've happened.
Obviously, trying to call him was out of the question. She had picked up the habit --out of pure curiosity-- of listing down each phone number Ryuuzaki called from, and then tracked down where the calls might have been made from. While she could never actually pinpoint him, she found that he not only called from different phones, but from different countries. All of which Misa found quite absurd.
Who could possibly want Ryuuzaki in Montreal, Canada, anyway?
Clearly he was still jealous over her adoration towards Kira. This was just silly, as far as Misa was concerned. Kira was her hero, and she truly would love to thank him, but it's not like she was in love with him.
Besides which, Misa backtracked, Ryuuzaki had no reason to be jealous even if she was in love with Kira. Ryuuzaki was not Misa's boyfriend. Ryuuzaki was... Ryuuzaki. And really, that was quite enough. Having a hunching, sugar craving, perverted, never there boyfriend was not appealing to Misa at all. Besides, it would most likely make her manager faint in horror.
Still, Misa admitted that she was rather anxious for a phone call. Maybe she'd apologize for irritating him with her never ending chatter about Kira. Not that he deserved an apology, but just to keep the peace. Misa could extend the olive branch if the need arose. Even if she didn't want to.
"Misa will even not talk about Kira at all," she promised her phone one lonely afternoon. "So ring, okay?"
However, it remained silent.
And Misa began to simmer. She was going to give him such a yelling when he finally had the brains to call her. He should know better to ignore Misa-Misa.
But maybe, Misa thought to herself, Ryuuzaki didn't like Kira because he thought Kira was just another criminal for what he was doing. She thought that stupid, because Kira was obviously in the right, but she wouldn't put it past Ryuuzaki to not see it from her point of view. Ryuuzaki liked his nice, neat justice system, where bad guys get away and victims get punished all over again.
Clearly, Ryuuzaki had been brainwashed somewhere along the lines.
But justifying her views until she was quite satisfied that she was right didn't stop Misa from wanting Ryuuzaki to call; for her to ramble on about her new interview that would appear on TV, and for Ryuuzaki to wax poetic about the wonders of pastries, and other tidbits of life that never truly made any sense to her, but she pretended they did just to listen to him talk.
She simply missed talking to him.
When had she begun to actually miss him? When, and why, and how? How to put a stop to this, and how to get him to realize he better call her before she began to over analyze these feelings and come up with a conclusion that most likely would be disastrous?
It was really all quite frustrating, and Misa found herself more and more annoyed each time she reached for her phone eagerly when it rang, only to be disappointed that it wasn't who she was hoping for. She would get angry, and tell herself to stop. But then the phone would ring once again, and her heart would jump as she reached for it like a drowning man would a life preserver... Only to be disappointed again.
A full month went by with no calls. Misa reluctantly concluded that Ryuuzaki was not going to contact her again, and she needed to get over it. She forced herself to be angry instead of sad, reminding herself over and over again that it was only Ryuuzaki, and it was Ryuuzaki who didn't even have enough guts to give her a proper good-bye. That she needn't be depressed over someone so obviously full of himself and rude.
But no matter how many times she told herself this, Misa never quite believed herself. And she hated that.
Soon after, she heard of the televised broadcast of a detective named L, and his challenge to Kira. With anxious curiosity, Misa was able to easily download the showing off one of the many Kira fan sites she had bookmarked. Playing it over and over again gave her an eerie feeling in her stomach. On one hand, it was obvious that Kira tried to kill someone who was actually not a criminal.
But then, L had threatened Kira to begin with, so it was only natural that Kira would try to protect himself. Misa understood.
L was trying to stop Kira's righteousness. Therefore, L must be stopped. Killing him was the only solution. And it was too bad that Kira had been unable to do it at the time. However, the broadcast did make Misa slightly grateful to L, because now she knew what she needed to do.
A week later, Misa moved to Tokyo. Her manager thought it was a good idea because it made Misa closer to companies and agencies that would be interested in her. Misa thought it was a good idea because it made her that much closer to Kira. And she had decided that finding Kira would be her new goal. She would do anything to thank the man that was her savior, even if it meant her life.
Of course, she had no idea just how to find him, but placing herself closer to where he was seemed like a good start. And every goal had to start somewhere.
So, Misa began to multitask. On one hand, she spent most of her days working on her career; going from audition to photo shoot to interview, until she just about collapsed when she got home. And on the other hand, when she did arrive exhausted at her apartment, she dragged herself to her television, newspaper in hand, and began to piece even more articles and information about Kira in her scrapbook. She didn't know when, after all, any of this information might come in useful. She was just sure it was bound to.
After two weeks of this routine, Misa had gotten it down to a science. She was a walking encyclopedia for Kira, able to list his latest judgments, and just why they deserved their punishments.
She also perfected the art of never letting on that she was pro-Kira. Misa was not a dumb girl. She knew what her views could mean to her career and life in general. The celebrity idea that even negative media was good media was a notion that was entirely lost on Misa. She had no desire to ostracize herself from her audience. Misa-Misa was a happy girl. She did not thirst for justice, and the punishment of the wicked.
Sundays had always been Misa's designated day off. Even idols needed downtime, and her manager always fretted that Misa's hectic work schedule would burn her out if she didn't have some relaxation. Not that there weren't some Sundays that Misa would do an interview or magazine spread. But those were few and far between, and she was quite all right with that.
On this particular Sunday, Misa felt too lazy to even glance at her scrapbook. She flipped through magazines lethargically, not really focusing on the text in front of her. She knew that free time was rare for her, and she really ought to use it wisely.
However, she just couldn't find the energy to move this particular day. After a while, she gave up pretending to care, and allowed herself to fall asleep unceremoniously on her couch.
So when her doorbell rang, Misa barely moved from her curled up position on the cushions. It was only when the visitor then began to knock in a peculiar rhythm that she stirred, nearly dragging herself to her door. Assuming it was a neighbor --they would, at times, find enough bravery to talk to Misa-Misa, and sometimes even ask for an autograph-- she ran her fingers through her tousled hair, straightened her shirt, and opened the door with a picture perfect smile.
Standing there with untied shoes, unkempt hair, and black eyes ringed from lack of sleep was Ryuuzaki. One hand was raised to continue knocking, while the other was at his lips, as he thoughtfully chewed on the pad of his thumb.
"Good afternoon, Misa-san," he greeted her, congenially.
A thousand things ran through her mind in a few seconds. Just where had he been for the past month and a half? What was he doing here? How'd he find her? Why hadn't he called her all this time? Was he going to disappear again, or was he actually staying around?
And just who the hell did he think he was popping out of nowhere, and thinking that everything would be okay?
And the questions just kept on piling up, until she found her mouth opening of its own accord to utter something, anything. But nothing came out, except a pathetic squeak. What could she say? How to start? Ryuuzaki was there, and she could demand a hundred different answers from him that she wanted, but they were all important, and all deserved to be given, and she should say something because he was there. Really, really there. Not on the phone, but right in front of her.
When she didn't make a sound, he tilted his head in curiosity and asked, "Are you feeling all right, Misa-san?"
She stood there, too shocked and filled with questions to actually come up with something to say more than guttural sounds. Until finally, the one thought that kept coming up over and over again consumed all other ideas, and she had but one response for him.
"Ryuuzaki-san!"
Misa practically leapt onto him, her arms wrapping tightly around his bony frame and the side of her face pressed firmly against his neck. Obviously, such physical encounters were few and far between for Ryuuzaki, for he stiffened in shock, and even when he finally relaxed there was still an unnatural rigidness to his body.
He was thin, Misa realized, her splayed fingers feeling his almost emaciated form underneath the cotton of his shirt. It was almost painful for her to think how someone who could eat so much could still have such an apparently fragile frame. Thin, but not weak; he hadn't toppled over because of her this time around, regardless of his bad posture. There was a strength that belied his appearance.
Carefully, Misa lifted her head, her lips barely brushing his ear as she whispered, "Ryuuzaki-san is not allowed to disappear without telling Misa!"
A decree. A threat. A plea. It was all of the above and more, and somehow he seemed to understand that.
He tilted his head a little away from hers, as if the extra inch of space would somehow give him back his comfort zone. "I apologize, Misa-san. My schedule has been... full. Could you release me now?" he asked, almost looking hopeful.
She decided to crush that hope. He had vanished and made her fret for well over a month. Now he reappeared with no decent explanation, and seemed to expect no retribution whatsoever. A little discomfort seemed like the least punishment she could give him.
"Misa doesn't want to." She promptly rested her chin on Ryuuzaki's shoulder, and gave him a squeeze for good measure. She was rewarded with a nearly imperceptible sigh. Happily and shamelessly, she smiled against his neck.
She would let him go in a few minutes, before the neighbors craned their heads out their doors in interest. But for now, Misa was quite content to have her ill at eased Ryuuzaki right where she wanted him.
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