Disclaimer: I don't own Death Note.
Light just wanted to make the world a better place. He never meant to cause so much trouble - but, really, where could he stop? No one ever told him, and so he kept going. But he wasn't a murderer - he just wanted the world to be better.
Mikami's only wish was to serve. He'd always felt a little lost in the world, no one else really seemed to get it. And then he found his God, and he'd finally met someone who could steer him down the path with complete and utter confidence. Mikami wasn't a starter; he was a finisher.
Sayu wanted her brother back. She hated the police, she hated that whole world (of black and white with no shades of grey) that they lived in. She hated them for every innocent man convicted, and for every criminal let free. But mostly she hated them for taking her brother away from her.
Misa liked people, she always had. People were fun. They did things that didn't make sense, and they didn't do things that did. But they always got boring after a while. That's why she was glad she got Light. Light never got old. And Misa was just along for the ride.
L never thought of himself as a beacon of good, a figurehead for the side of light (ironic, that). Sure, he thought he wasn't, probably, the worst person in the world. There was a 98.4% chance that somewhere, someone worse than him existed. But he wasn't justice.
Mello's ambitions were simple. He wanted only one thing, and one thing only - to win, for once in his whole, godforsaken lifetime. Every time he came close, he got beat, by the tiniest margin, by that stupid, white brat. It infuriated him, so he pushed the limits. Mello'd never been too attached to the good guys, anyway.
Matt was an easy person to please. Give him a cigarette, a video game, and Mello to concoct crazy schemes with, and he was happy. He didn't care much for winning or losing, or even trying. But you couldn't be the third best at Wammy's House by being stupid.
Lidner didn't mean to betray anyone. She'd always thought of herself as one of the white hats, the good guys who could do no wrong. So she wasn't on guard, didn't believe Mello was much more than an androgynous thug. Didn't believe he could manipulate her so...easily. She never wanted her loyalties to waver.
Near was cold. It was a fact of life. He didn't take emotions, his or anyone else's into account when implementing a plan. He was just a child, but he was determined to be like a brick wall, immobile and unnoticed. And if he felt a slight twinge in his stomach when Mello, the closest thing he'd ever had to a friend, died, well, no one had to know.
