I Know Your Secret-Death Note

To Cherish You(Edited)

       "You look awful," Raito said as they made their way to school. A few days have passed since Ori had first started working with L, and the lack of sleep was finally beginning to get to her.

      "Really?" Ori asked sarcastically. "I feel right as rain!" Of course she would look tired. After getting home from L's hotel room, changing into her pajamas, and falling into bed, it had almost been four in the morning. Three hours of sleep later, here was Ori, ready to collapse. 

       "You sure? I feel like you're gonna fall over at any minute." He said, like he was reading her mind. It was scary how close their thoughts were sometimes. 

       "I'm fine, Raito. Don't worry so much, otherwise, you'll have a heart-" She stopped herself. Saying Raito was going to have a heart attack was a joke she used to tease him with whenever he got too mother hen-ish. Now, the joke didn't seem so funny.

       "Light, Ms. Nanase, good morning." That familiar monotone voice said behind them. L was hunched over as usual, the heels on his too-big jeans brushing against the ground. 

       "Ryuga! How's it goin'?" Ori greeted with a smile.

       "I'm fine. You look horrible." His own black eyes locked on the dark circles under her eyes. 

       "It's all good." When two sets of eyes looked at her, full of doubt, she frowned. "Come on, I never lie. I'm great."

       "That in itself is a lie," Raito said, crossing his arms. "What about that time you-!?" Ori jumped up and smacked a hand over Raito's mouth, clinging to his torso to hold herself up.

       "Shut up, please~!" She interrupted in a sing-song voice. 

       "Now I'm curious." L cut in as he pressed his thumb to his lip. Ori climbed down from her spot on Raito's back, laughing nervously the whole way.

       "Let's just say my sweet tooth's gotten me in trouble on more than one occasion."

       "Trouble like getting banned from almost every candy shop in the Kanto region of Japan?" Raito reminded her. She shot a glare his way. "It's not my fault that little girl was trying to shake down the cashier. That's all I'm saying." She put up her hands above her head in defense, then put them down when she shivered at the memory of that terrifying child in the platinum blond pig-tails. "My shins will never forget what happened that day."

       "You're being overdramatic," Raito said. "It wasn't that bad."

       "You were there!" She threw a hand on his shoulder, bringing him successfully down to her level and poking him repeatedly in the nose. "You saw how vicious that little girl was." Raito pulled her hands away from his face and shoulder and rose to his full height once more.

       "She was seven."

       "That's a terrifying age for girls."

       "I'm very much interested in hearing this story." Raito smiled smugly as Ori slowly turned around to face L.

       "I'm never going to tell you, and if Raito ever tells you, he's going to find himself in a lot of pain." She smiled brightly.

        "I don't know what's more disturbing: the threat, or the fact you're smiling," Raito said. Ori faced him, smile still in place. "Oh, it's not a threat, it's a promise."

       "Definitely the smile." L said. He maintained his bored tone and expression, but his eyes twinkled with humor. He shifted his focus from Ori to Raito.