L Goes Shopping!

By: Eternity Echoes

Dtisclaimer: We don't own any of the Death Note characters, or anybody else who might appear in the story. We sometimes imagine we do...gosh, we really should have invented them...

"Light-kun?" L asked, swiveling his chair around to face the handsome college freshman.

"What is it, Ryuzaki?"

L chewed on his thumbnail for a minute. "Misa-san is...forcing me to go...shopping."

Light accidently let out a chuckle before he put his hand over his mouth to muffle the laughter, and L turned back around to face the monitors. "Do you think...that maybe you could convince her to go shopping by herself?" Light smirked at Ryuzaki. "Why? No offense, but you do need some new clothes, L." L glared at Light out of the corner of his eye. "Never mind. I'll get out of it myself." He stood up and walked away, mumbling something about locking Misa up in a concrete room - no doors, no windows.

"Ryuzaki?" Light asked.

"Hmm?" L turned to Light.

"If you don't mind me asking, exactly how did the subject of shopping come up between you and Misa?" L grimaced. "I don't know where you were at, since we finally took the handcuffs off, but Misa-san came down here looking for you, and she asked, 'Why are you always wearing that same shirt and jeans? I think you should wear different stuff. Like me!'" L crinkled up his nose, doing a very bad imatation of Misa. "I told her it was because they were comfortable, and that, frankly, that I didn't care what she or anyone else thought about my clothes." Light opened his mouth to speak, but L kept talking. "Then, she told me that we were going to someplace called 'Hot Topic' today."

Light cocked his head to the side. "Well, you probably do need to wear more clothes." At that very moment, Misa bounded down the stairs. "Light!" she squealed. "You agree with me! Oooh, wanna come shopping with us?" At this, L turned back to the table and picked up a strawberry cheesecake. "I'm sorry, Misa, but you and Light can go by yourselves. There is absolutely no way that I am leaving the task force headquarters at a crucial turning point in the case like this." he mumbled around a mouthful of cake.

"What 'crucial turning point' are you talking about, Ryuzaki?"

L froze. "Um...well..." Light grinned. "Don't worry, Misa. We haven't found any new information in weeks! I'm sure the rest of the task force and I can handle anything, so let's get you ready to go, L!" L shot Light a evil look. "I will remember this, Light-kun." Light chuckled. "I know."

x-x-x

Misa attemped to grab L's arm to pull him out of the car in front of the mall. "Noooooo..." L moaned.

"Let's go." Misa commanded. "Guess what, Ryuzaki? The mall has a giant candy store, too! You'll love it!" L looked up at her. "A...candy store?"

Misa grinned. "Yep! And, if you'll let me buy you some new clothes that I pick out, and you promise to wear them, I'll buy you all the candy you want!" L slowly smiled. This could be his chance to get back at her! "All right...but remember, all the candy that I want!" Misa jumped up and down. "Yay! C'mon, then!" L rolled his eyes as she dragged him into a black and red store blasting Korn's music, a band that Ryuzaki himself used to listen to.

"Ooh, L, look at this!" Misa squealed. L immediatly grabbed her arm. "Misa-san! You must not call me that in public! It's Ryuzaki! Remember that!" Misa cheeks flushed red with embarassment. "Oh. Sorry. But anyways, what do you think about this?" She was holding up a pair of black Tripps along with a bloodred Slipknot t-shirt and a black jacket. "Eeerm...Misa, that's a bit much, isn't it?" She wrinkled her forehead. "Uh-uh. I think it's great! Plus this..." she held up a bottle of black nail polish and black and red eyeliner pencils. L's eyes widened. "No. Way." Misa nodded her head. "Yes way! You promised!" L groaned, taking the clothes out of her hands. "Fine. I'll go try them on."

Misa twirled around to face the dresses. "While you're doing that, I need some new clothes too...oh, and try these on while you're at it." She tossed a pair of black suede fingerless gloves at him.

"Ew." L made a face at the gloves, and headed into the dressing room.

x-x-x

"Um...Misa-san?"

Misa turned around to face Ryuzaki, and almost fell over backwards when she saw him. "W-wow." L grimaced. "Does it look that horrible?" Misa violently shook her head. "No way!" She took a few steps backwards to get a better view of him. The black Tripps hung perfectly from his narrow hips, with the chains gently swinging against his legs. The bloodred shirt made him look even paler than usual, which, in turn, made his black eyes seem deeper and more intense. The gloves just completed the outfit, matching the jacket perfectly.

"But...wait...you don't have any shoes on!"

L looked down at his feet, and rubbed one of them against the other. "I don't like shoes." Misa just smiled at him and pulled him to the shoe rack. L sighed when he saw the rows and rows of shoes - like his worst nightmare, only after the one where all the candy in the world was gone. "Ooh, lookit these!" She ran over and grabbed a scuffed pair of black combat boots off the rack. L shrugged. "They're just shoes." Misa pulled him over to a stool and shoved them on his feet. "Those aren't even that uncomfortable!" Misa said. "Well...I guess they're better than some..." L murmured standing up and examining a spiked black leather bracelet. "Perfect!" Misa squealed. "Good eyes, Ryuzaki! That'll look great with your outfit!" L just stared at her. "Here." she said, snapping it around his wrist. "And try this..." she held up a studded belt to match. L put it on and walked over to a mirror to see the horror that he thought awaited him.

x-x-x

He stood and looked at himself in shock for a few minutes, and then turned back around to face Misa. "Um...thank you?" She grinned at him. "You've still got more to go. One outfit won't last very long, you know!" L halfway smiled back at her. "What about you?"

She held up a outfit that included a hot pink minidress with black thight-high boots that had silver zippers and a tiny fanged bear hanging off of one of the zippers. In the other hand, she held up a pair of black jeans with a red miniskirt over them and a black lace camisole along with a pair of cotton and mesh fingerless gloves. "See?" she asked. "Aren't they cute?" L nodded. "Sure." Misa rolled her eyes at him, and piled a pair of dark blue skinny jeans, a tight, long-sleeved black shirt, a studded choker, and a pair of black, high-top converse into his open hands.

"How about this?" She pushed him back into the dressing room and closed the door. "Oh...don't forget to bring the nail polish and eyeliner when you come out so we can buy those, too!" she called over the door.

x-x-x

After ten minutes of impatient waiting, Misa knocked on the dressing room door. "What's taking you so long, Ryuzaki?" she yelled.

L froze mid-chew. "Umm.." he stalled.

"Hurry up! I wanna see your outfit!" she whined loudly. L sighed and put his sucker back into his wrapper. "I'll be out in a minute." He quickly pulled on the jeans,

wincing at the coarse fabric. His old clothes had been so comfortable, but, although he was embarrassed to admit it, his new outfits were more...stylish? Nobody in the

store looked at him warily, and he seemed to fit in. He slipped into the black t-shirt, which was actually pretty comfortable. The shoes took a little longer, because he had

to lace them up all the way, which he was not used to, and finally, the choker, and then walked out. "So...?" he asked self-conciously.

Misa squeezed him into a tight hug, and his eyes got even wider than usual.

"Misa?"

She squeezed him again and stepped away. "What...what was that for?" he stuttered, his face bright red.

"Aww, you look so cute!" she squealed, ignoring his question. L half-smiled. "Thanks," he mumbled.

"Oh!" Misa slapped her forhead. "I forgot my camera!" L breathed a sigh of relief. "Oh, that's too bad," he said absently, eyeing a mannequin wearing black jeans and a black and yellow striped hoodie. Yellow? he thought. I'm turning into Misa. But...this actually is not as bad as I had expected.

"I know! I'll just call Light and ask him to bring me my camera!" She pulled her cellphone out of her black leather purse, and L moaned in protest as Misa hit the button for speed dial to Light. "Light? Hi! It's me, Misa. Can you bring my camera down to Hot Topic? I wanna get some pictures of L-er,I mean Ryuzaki." Light said something L couldn't hear and Misa replied, "Yeah, he looks great! But we've only found two outfits. I can't wait for you to see them! Okay, we'll be here! Bye!" Misa saw L looking at the outfit on the mannequin. "Oh, Ryuzaki, do you wanna try that on?"

L looked down. "Can...can we go to the candy shop, first?" Misa giggled, and started walking toward the mannequin with L following her. "No way! After here, we'll go to the hair salon! Doesn't that sound like fun?" L froze. "No." he said. Misa turned to look at him with a confused expression on her face.

"Of course it will be! If you'll come...I'll buy you a cookie cake! The biggest one, if you want." She could see his reserve wavering. "And a big box of sugar cubes?" she added on. L's face brightened. "Fine. But you have to hold up on your end of the deal." Misa picked up the hoodie, jeans, and a short sleeved black shirt from the pile underneath the mannequin. "We'll get these, too."

x-x-x

"So, which outfit are you going to wear to get your hair done in?" Misa called into the boys bathroom.

"Misa, get away from the bathroom! The girls' one is across the hall!" he yelled back to her. Misa giggled and walked away. A few minutes later, L walked out in the second outfit-skinny jeans, long sleeved, tight black t-shirt, high top converse, studded belt, bracelet, and choker, and the fingerless gloves from the first outfit. "Okay, if you want, we can go get your sugar cubes so you can have something to eat before we get your hair done." Misa told him. L fell into step beside her. "Sounds good."

x-x-x

"Mmmm..." L mumbled, shoving another sugar cube into his mouth. He held the box out to Misa. "Want some?" She smiled at him. "No thanks. They're for you."

L glanced down at his newly painted black fingertips, wondering how in the world she had talked him into this. Although it didn't actually look all that bad. "So, tell me what again they're doing to my hair?" he asked with a worried expression on his face, pointing up at the hairdryer surrounding his head.

"They're chemically straightening it, silly." She looked pointedly down at the sugar cubes. "Are you sure it's healthy for you to be eating all this sugar? I mean, you might get, like, diabetes or something." L rolled his eyes. "No, I won't." Misa sighed. "Suuuure, Ryuzaki. Whatever you say." L smacked Misa's hand when she reached out to mess up his hair, right when Light walked in the door. "...R-Ryu...Ryuzaki?"

L froze. "Light-kun?"

Misa jumped out of her chair, throwing her arms around him. "Light, you made it! Doesn't he look adorable?" Light tore his shocked stare from L to look at Misa for a minute. "Misa...a hair salon? Ryuzaki is getting his hair done? In public?" Misa giggled. "Yeah! Oh, let me see the camera, I gotta get a picture of this!" L tried to get out of the chair, away from the dryer, but was stopped by a hairdresser. "Absolutely not. You have to stay here until your hair drys." she told him. L started to put his hand in front of his face but Misa had already taken his picture.

"Aw, Misa." he sighed, rolling his eyes.

Light couldn't hold it in any longer, and broke into a hystarical laughing fit. "Oh...my god...Ryuzaki..." he managed to choke out between his laughter. L glared up at Light and Misa. "Thanks a lot."

x-x-x

The hairdresser was just putting the finishing tips on L's hair when Misa realized something. "Ryuzaki! We forgot the eyeliner!" At this, Light had another laughing fit. "...Eyeliner...?" was all that was understandable this time. L sighed again. "Now, c'mon, Ryuzaki. Close your eyes and look up." L glared at Light. "Only if Light-kun has to get some on too." Light's laughter ended immediatly. "No way." he said, and Misa grinned evilly. "Great idea! But you've still gotta go first." She tilted L's head up and dabbed concealer on the circles under his eyes. "Okay...now open them and look up." She gently lined the bottom lid, then the top. "All right. Open you eyes, and look in the mirror." He did.

x-x-x

"Incredible, right?" Misa asked him. His hair was long, black and straight, with pieces falling in his eyes and almost down to his shoulders, and the black eyeliner was

striking. His eyes immediatly seemed piercing and intense. The fingerless gloves, with the black nail polish, made his fingers look long and elegant, and, altogether, he

looked like a different person. "Yeah...now can we go get cake?" Misa sighed. Apparently she hadn't been able to change his childish personality...but that was okay. It

was what made L...L.

x-x-x

"Stupid...eyeliner..." Light grumbled, scrubbing at his eyes with a rough washcloth. "Ugh...Misa's had some pretty stupid ideas in the past, but this tops the list."