Misa, Ryuk

[misalolita.livejournal.com]

[It seems to Misa that all she ever watches anymore is the news. It's not something she'd do normally, of course - at least not without a good reason - so it takes some getting used to. The drone of the reporters' voices (more dead, more frightened every day, and more people growing reverent in the corners of the world) and the flashing of their movements, shaky camera interviews... that sort of thing.]

[In a way, it's awful and boring and she can't imagine why anyone would do this. But they're Light's orders, and he's counting on her. He'll be busy with work, with planning, and his new... assistant, so he wouldn't have time to catch every dissenter that fell through the cracks. He would need to keep up appearances for himself.]

[Which left Misa as his eyes.]

[And when she thinks of it that way, it isn't bad at all. As the tv screen switches back to an announcer (that pretty Takada lady, and Misa wishes she could add her name to the list, but Light would never fall for that) Misa flops back against the side of the sofa, draping her arm dramatically over her head and turning her face upwards. On the ceiling, a large shadow moves at the edge of her vision, and she sighs.]

Ah... it's so boring just waiting for people to complain about Kira! They're so disrespectful, I wish Light would just let me kill them. Hmm.

[After a few seconds she pushes herself back up with her hands into a half-sitting position, and looks at the source of the shadow lurking in the corner of the room, near her bookcase.]

Ryuk, what does Light do when he's researching? He's always so focused... he doesn't get bored, does he?

Comments

[unsettled-dust.livejournal.com]

[Misa's home is... interesting, compared to Light's. There's definitely more here to look at, so he can't complain about not having anything to do, and besides, she's much, much nicer to him than Light is.]

[And almost as fun to mess with. Ryuk turns away from the shelf and its eerie little decorations, and tips his head at her.]

Eh? Heh, no, Light's pretty intense. You won't hear him complaining as long as things are going his way.

[...not that they always did, especially lately. But for Ryuk, that was the fun part.]

[misalolita.livejournal.com]

[Misa angles her head a bit, thoughtfully. No complaints... well, Light was nothing if not professional, after all, although perhaps his attention span is a bit more forgiving than hers. Still, she takes a deep breath and tries to focus herself; Light wouldn't tolerate complaints, so she shouldn't, either.]

[After a few seconds she exhales, then smiles at Ryuk.]

Well, Misa's here to help make sure things do go his way, see? If Light needs anything, he can count on me!

[Beaming at him, she swings her legs over the edge of the sofa, kicking them with her ankles together... and then her smile sours a bit and she drops her shoulders.]

And only me.

[unsettled-dust.livejournal.com]

[Watching Misa - her posture, the tone of her voice, it was obvious who she was thinking of. Light's new pal, Beyond, whom he should be visiting at this very moment, in fact. And Light probably hadn't told her, either; or, if he had, it would have been shuffled away under the umbrella of "unavoidable business meetings." Something nice and neutral to keep her placated, but respectful of its importance.]

[Ryuk chuckles and shrugs his massive shoulders, looking back to one of the dolls adorning Misa's shelf. It's oddly patched, with mismatched eyes and velvet-lined wings, and it reminds Ryuk of the shinigami realm. He prods at it with a claw curiously before picking it up.]

Of course. You're the only other one with a Death Note after all. Well, for now anyway.

[He turns the doll over, inspecting the bottom, and waits for Misa's reaction.]

[misalolita.livejournal.com]

[...for now? What was that supposed to mean? Misa's smile dissolves completely into a curious, if a bit wary, expression, which she turns on Ryuk.]

Huh? Ryuk, what do you mean by that?

[unsettled-dust.livejournal.com]

[Before he responds, Ryuk lets out a soft, dry laugh, almost more of a breath than anything.]

Well, it's just that he still has Rem's note, and knowing Light he won't just let it sit around. He's a practical guy. I guess he'll end up giving it to someone.

[He plays with one of the arms briefly, stretching the silence just long enough to get the proper effect.]

I don't know, maybe that new guy.

[misalolita.livejournal.com]

[Misa stares at him and bites back a tiny gasp of horror.]

What? Light would never do that! He can't give Rem's note to that... that...

[Pausing, she struggles to come up with a word - any word - that would represent her feelings accurately, and goes through several of them before she gives up entirely and makes an indistinct grunting sound.]

-oohh! He's crazy, and he's dangerous, Light said so himself! Not to mention he's a jerk. Ryuk, don't say things like that!

[unsettled-dust.livejournal.com]

[Hilarious. Ryuk chuckles, a little more lighthearted than normal.]

Yeah, maybe you're right. I guess you'd know better than me, huh? After all, Light trusts you, that must be why he'd leave you alone like this.

[Setting the doll back down (carefully, but not too carefully) he glances back over at the tv screen, showing the news as usual. Everywhere he goes these days has it on constantly.]

[misalolita.livejournal.com]

[She frowns at Ryuk as he sets her doll down more or less where he'd taken it from to begin with. Sometimes Ryuk could be so weird - of course Light trusted her, that completely went without saying. He could certainly trust her more than anyone else, especially Beyond.]

[As for why he'd leave her alone...]

Yeah, well, Light's really busy, you know! He can't do everything by himself, even if he is Kira. That's why he has Misa to help!

[Misa pauses, lowering her head enough for her hair to fall in her face. In her mind she can still remember her asking this of her, the softness of his voice and being so close to him. She would have done anything, if only he'd ask.]

That's why Misa gave up another half of her life to be his eyes. She'll be his hands, too, if he needs them. Anything for Light.

[unsettled-dust.livejournal.com]

[Ryuk scratches the side of his face and waits for Misa to look away before rolling his eyes. He'd always found human relationships strange by their very nature, but the weirdest kind of all were those that involved love.]

[Naturally, it also made them the most interesting... especially once they were mixed with other emotions.]

Nice to know he's got someone so loyal on his side, heh.

[...in Misa's case, he's pretty sure it's delusion.]

[misalolita.livejournal.com]

He sure does! And Misa's the most loyal... eh, no offense, Ryuk, but you're not really as reliable as you could be.

[She pushes herself up into a full sitting position and lifts her chin proudly, even as she gives Ryuk a slightly apologetic grin. It's a little sad around the edges, as well - it was times like this that she misses having Rem around, as much as she likes Ryuk. He really isn't very reliable, but that doesn't mean he can't be useful, too. It's even easier when you have a supply of apples on hand.]

But that's okay. Like I said, I'd do anything for Light. While he's making the world safer for everyone else, I have to make sure it's safe for him. If anyone tries to put Light in danger, they'll have to answer to me.

[Misa nods once, decisively, then softens her gaze a little.]

Ah... you won't tell Light, will you? He might be angry with me if he heard it, but it's so important!

[unsettled-dust.livejournal.com]

[Ryuk's head tips, his grin as wide as ever. Misa was asking him to keep a secret, and from Light of all people. That must make it very important indeed.]

Hm, well, I guess I'll see if I can remember not to... sure, why not?

[misalolita.livejournal.com]

Hmm.

[Misa frowns a little, a slight pout directed at Ryuk, although she isn't sure those things normally worked on shinigami. Still, it wasn't the response she was hoping for, but if there was some way to...]

Oh! Of course-- I forgot.

[She holds up a finger and hops off of the sofa, quickly padding past him and into the kitchen... and then returns a few seconds later with a bright, shiny red apple in hand.]

Now you won't tell him, right? Promise!

[She carries it over to Ryuk, but stops and holds it just out of his reach, looking at him very seriously. This was a gravely important matter, one that couldn't be toyed with. Having Light irritated at her for wanting to take her own sorts of precautions isn't something she wants either of them to go through - but it's for his own good, even if he wouldn't think so himself.]

[unsettled-dust.livejournal.com]

[...all right, maybe he can grin a little more than he had been. Of course, when Misa holds the apple out of reach, he's tempted to just take it anyway, but decides to humor her for the hell of it. He'd probably get more apples out of the deal that way anyway.]

Eheh heh, well, in that case he won't be hearing anything from me. Shinigami's honor.

[He holds his hand out for the delicious bargaining chip, and wonders briefly if Misa knows there's no such thing.]

[misalolita.livejournal.com]

[Well, it was better than nothing. Misa draws back a step with a satisfied grin, and tosses the apple to him in a high arc and heads back to the sofa without waiting to see if he catches it.]

Good! I don't want Light worrying about anything he doesn't have to... he has enough to deal with as it is! So it's better if he doesn't hear about it, you know?

[unsettled-dust.livejournal.com]

[The apple goes a bit farther than he'd expected it to, but he does manage to catch it... in his mouth, and he takes a huge bite off of it before taking the rest of it in his hand. It's delicious, as usual. By some miraculous means, Misa knows to get the very juiciest apples, even better than what Light gives him. It's more than enough to be worth making a stupid promise to her.]

Mmm, you sure do know how to treat a death god. Heh.

[Ryuk takes another bite, nearly halving the remaining apple, then draws the back of his hand across his mouth to wipe away the juice.]

Mmh, so... you're keeping secrets from him? That isn't like Misa.

[misalolita.livejournal.com]

[Misa lets out a little shriek and tosses Ryuk a glare as she pulls her feet up onto the sofa with her, tucking them underneath her. Sometimes Ryuk could be really--]

Only one! A little one, but it's for his own good. Just think about what might happen if someone decided they wanted to hurt my poor Light... everything we've worked for would be ruined!

[Immediately her face falls into a sorrowful expression at the very thought of it. Obviously Light only had the best of intentions, in everything, but sometimes it would put him in such a vulnerable position...]

[unsettled-dust.livejournal.com]

[Munching on the rest of the apple, Ryuk tips his head to the side, and thinks about what might happen if Light was somehow incapacitated. He'd be furious for one thing, and... actually, that was enough, and it was pretty funny on its own. Somehow he doesn't think that this is what Misa had in mind.]

You mean Beyond, right? Heh, I don't know, they seem pretty friendly to me.

[...in a manner of speaking. From what Ryuk had seen of them, he isn't entirely convinced that they even like each other... but that's probably too minor a detail to bother Misa with.]

In fact, he's over there right now, isn't he?

[misalolita.livejournal.com]

[Misa's unhappy look turns into a scowl, and she crosses her arms firmly over her chest. Ryuk was right, of course, but that only made it more annoying. Couldn't he see the huge problem here?]

It's business. He has to make sure his plans will work on Ryu-- I mean, L. Like he couldn't figure out what to do on his own.

[She rolls her eyes, and then lets her gaze settle back on the television screen. A new report is starting, something about a robbery, but Misa doesn't wait for the details after that. She reaches for her laptop sitting on the site table and pulls it onto her lap, then watches the tv carefully until they show the man's face - Tanaka Hiraku - and her fingers fly over the keys as she takes down the information. It's a little exhilarating, in a way, that despite everything deploring Kira they're still reporting on criminals, still giving out exactly what Light needed. And they wouldn't stop, either - they couldn't stop, because no barrier would be enough to keep him from doing his work.]

[Misa grins as she takes down the name, and hums to herself a bit, her anger nearly forgotten.]

[unsettled-dust.livejournal.com]

[Ryuk watches, more or less quietly, as Misa does her assigned job. It's almost embarrassing, how willingly she follows orders sometimes - or it would be embarrassing, if Ryuk felt at all empathetic.]

[He doesn't, so he merely watches in amusement.]

He's probably just being cautious then, just like what you're doing. I guess that means that if there's a problem, you'll have to write the guy's name down.

[misalolita.livejournal.com]

[Misa presses her lips together and glances to the side, without looking at Ryuk directly. He's being awfully nosy about this, and she's not sure how much she likes it.]

I'm not going to do anything to ruin Light's plans! Misa's already gotten into trouble once, it won't happen again.

[She glances down at her fingers hovering over the keyboard, and frowns a little. She had, after all, made a promise to herself that in case something terrible happened, she would do just that. And she had memorized the names and faces of nearly everyone Light associated with... including L and Beyond.]

[She shakes her head.]

Light needs Misa as much as Misa needs Light. And once the world is fixed, we'll rule it together. He said so himself.

[unsettled-dust.livejournal.com]

[Ryuk manages to scarf down the rest of the apple without choking from laughter. She wouldn't know that Light considered her even more expendable than the new guy... and even if she found out, there was a good chance she wouldn't understand it anyway.]

[Humans.]

That doesn't sound like any fun.

[misalolita.livejournal.com]

[She rolls her eyes, and lets her head follow the movement for emphasis.]

It's not supposed to be fun, Ryuk. Don't you know anything? We're making the world a better place-- no wars or murders or anything like that!

[Misa looks to Ryuk, but doesn't quite see him; her eyes are far away and unfocused, seeing instead a vast empire filled with peace and prosperity, and happy people unafraid of living their lives. Sure, some criminals would be left - there would always be some dregs at the bottom of the cup - but they would easily be smoked out and eliminated. For the most part, it would be perfect.]

[After a moment, she blinks and looks directly at him, rather sternly.]

It's hard work, you know!

[unsettled-dust.livejournal.com]

[Feeling a little put off by her stare, Ryuk shuffles back a half step, and watches her.]

Sure, yeah, but it still sounds pretty dull. Besides, once you get rid of all the criminals and murderers, you're going to run the whole thing yourselves? You're criminals too.

[misalolita.livejournal.com]

Huh?

[Misa's head tips to the side and a curious expression crosses her face. She hadn't actually thought of it that way before. True, they were killing, which was technically against the 'rules', but--]

That's different! It's a sacrifice. It's okay if it's for the greater good, and besides, nobody else can handle a job like that!

[She scrunches her nose up at Ryuk, frowning at him. Somehow, here, he looks much bigger than she's used to seeing him. Maybe it's the relative lack of space, compared to Light's uncluttered apartment, or maybe she just never really looked that hard before. Usually if Ryuk was there, Light would be, too; or else she'd be busy working.]

Mmm, you shinigami don't have anything like that back home, do you? I mean, who runs your realm, anyway?

[unsettled-dust.livejournal.com]

Eh? Well... the King of Death, obviously. He's in charge of everything, but aside from hoarding Death Notes he doesn't do too much. You can't expect someone interesting to run a place like that.

[Ryuk shrugs a little, and very briefly wonders how much Misa really knew about them. Rem would have told her anything, naturally, but it wasn't a guarantee that Rem knew enough to satisfy her.]

[...which would mean that Misa had only Ryuk himself left to question. Great.]

We don't have wars, really, or anything like that. Nothing happens.

[misalolita.livejournal.com]

[Misa's eyes widen, and although she's still annoyed at Ryuk, she can't help but be captivated by the romance of it. She rests her chin on one hand, leaning forward over the laptop.]

Ohh, a King of Death. That sounds so cool!

[With her smile curling into a somewhat more sinister smirk, she leans fully over the laptop, towards Ryuk.]

Just you wait, Ryuk - someday, we'll have one of those, too.

[unsettled-dust.livejournal.com]

[Ryuk's laughter starts out small, but he follows it up with something more, a low, dry chuckle. He could easily imagine Light in that position, and was already convinced that Light was more of a proper shinigami than any of the actual ones he knew.]

Not bad. I guess you could do a lot worse.

[misalolita.livejournal.com]

What? What do you mean, we could do worse! Light's obviously the best person for the job, there isn't anyone who could do it as wonderfully as he can!

[Without realizing it, Misa balls her hands up into fists, and glares at Ryuk before tipping her chin up a little. Just because he was a shinigami himself, didn't mean he could say things like that about Light.]

[Not that it was entirely a negative thing, but even so - Light had done an awful lot to get to this point, and he deserved every bit of praise he could get. Even if it was from Ryuk.]

[unsettled-dust.livejournal.com]

[She's practically shrieking at him, and he can't help but laugh again. To think that she's so protective of Light, even now, when he would barely give a thought to her if she wasn't directly in his line of vision. And often, even if she was.]

[He waves a thin hand at her, in some vague attempt to cool her attitude.]

Hey, settle down! I didn't say he couldn't, heh. He's been pretty impressive so far, for a human.

[As soon as Ryuk says it, he draws back a little in anticipation of her taking it completely the wrong way. But it isn't really worth the effort to clarify.]

[misalolita.livejournal.com]

[Misa rolls her eyes, frowning a little at his laughter. That was a little annoying, sometimes. Ryuk had a habit of finding things funny when she couldn't identify them herself. She wonders if it's a shinigami thing, something exclusive to their unique perspective, or if it's just that Ryuk is easily amused.]

[But she doesn't question is, and she doesn't let it bother her for more than a few seconds. When she looks over, there's already another news report on the tv, another group of people searching for punishment. Officers, this time.]

[Wouldn't they learn?]

He's impressive for everything! Now, shh! The news is on, and Misa has work to do.

[She shifts in her seat and draws the laptop closer, adopting a much more professional air to show that she meant business. As she begins to dictate the names, she notices Ryuk's thick silence, and rolls her eyes again.]

Ryuk, there's another apple on the kitchen counter if you want it, okay? Just don't eat all of them, or there won't be any left for you later!

[unsettled-dust.livejournal.com]

[That's definitely more like it, and as much as Ryuk would like to stay and watch - which, admittedly, isn't all that much to begin with - there's no way he can turn down a direct invitation for more apples.]

Heh, see, I knew you knew how to treat a shinigami. You might even be better at it than he is!

[Ryuk laughs again, even though his praise is simultaneously empty of value and startlingly accurate. Before he even finishes, he's already on his way to the kitchen.]

[misalolita.livejournal.com]

[Even though she's engrossed in taking down the names of the officers from the report, Misa stops long enough to acknowledge the compliment with a little glance at Ryuk.]

[She takes it as a compliment in any case, even if he didn't mean it that way. Being better at something than Light? If that were actually possible, it would be the highest honor.]

[She's not sure it is, but it's flattering nevertheless.]

Ah! Well... maybe just a little.

[Misa give him a small grin, then immediately returns to her more professional state. Light wouldn't waste time talking to Ryuk, if he were here. So she wouldn't, either.]

Go, go! This is very important. Kira needs his eyes.

[unsettled-dust.livejournal.com]

Yeah, all right.

[Ryuk stops for a moment and looks over at Misa, already hunched over the laptop in order to take her notes. Strange how she could focus herself a certain way... when it came to he responsibilities for Light, anyway.]

[The way humans changed when they wanted something so badly was something he'd never get tired of seeing. Ryuk smirks behind her, washed out with the silvery light from the tv and the laptop combined, and chuckles to himself as he heads into the kitchen.]