"You are having difficulty competing against me in everything but chess."

L's hunched figure perched on the cinnamon-coloured chair at the other side of the table bent to study the chess game. I shifted nervously on the floor across from him in the sunlight streaming from the window, wondering if this were meant to be demeaning or a compliment. Deciding not to respond, I thought ahead to my next three moves. L lifted his thin, delicate hand and knock my knight out with his queen. "Your paperwork, organization, cleaning, and general secretary skills are impressive. Although your skills in chess are quite exceptional, you will lose."

"I am aware of the fact," I said, moving my bishop so that it was directly in line with his king.

L immediately put his rook between his king and the attacker. He pulled back his hand to his mouth, rubbing his pale lip with his thumb. His dark black eyes focused upon the board almost lazily, and yet with an imperative eagerness. I hung my head down towards my lap, blushing when I realized I was staring impolitely. But I couldn't help but glance back up to gaze at the black hair covering most of his snow-pale face, trying to look through those perceptive eyes, behind which lay encased in bone the most intelligent brain in the entirety of the world. His beautiful skin acted as a mirror, reflecting the light and creating a halo of soft light around his thin, almost anorexically-bony body.

I blushed furiously and stared to the side. Nothing would ever happen between us, excepting only my imagination. In a way, I almost didn't want to ever have a relationship with him; it was almost as if he were the closest to God that I would ever come to on earth. Though it may be selfish, I don't want to ruin that by seeing a weakness in him.

Within the next two minutes the game was over. I stood and cleared up the game, my head bent low so that I wouldn't have to meet his stare. I could feel the piercing of his eyes searing into the back of my head. I blushed, turning away to set the game on the bookshelf so that he wouldn't see.

"Why do you play?"

I turned around to look at him curiously. His eyes were empty of any emotion and his voice did not express any either. "Why do you play chess if you said yourself that you know you will not win?"

I walked to sit back on the floor across from him, pondering over his question. Why did I? "Because I find it fun and informative at the same time," I finally answered. "Because I like playing against you. Whether I like what I'm doing or not, I do it mainly because I enjoy being with you." I blushed a little as I said it, and there was no way to hide my embarrassment.

He stared at my forehead, lost in thought, his thumb on his lip. "Hm." His lack of conversation made me feel even more awkward. He's going to know I like him, it's going to feel awkward every time we're in the same room, he's going to act aloof and above me, he won't ever come to see me and-

"You will make a good assistant," he said decisively out of the silence.