Disclaimer: I do not own Death Note. I only own my OCs, for whatever they're worth…

Warning(s): Nothing worse than the actual series... so far. (Which is TV-14, but it's not like I can actually stop younger readers from reading.) (Also, this story has a slow start to it. I hope that you can overlook this.)

Edit: (9/28/17) This arc ends on Chapter 5, which means that a time skip happens on Chapter 6 which takes all the (more) important events that lead up to the actual Death Note series's arc. If you don't want to read this arc, you can skip to Chapter 6, but that's not what I recommend, as you will likely miss a few major details. Then again, it's up to you. Just thought I should at least let you know. :)

(10/8/17) I will be revising some of the chapters, as my writing from when I started this has tremendously improved since then.

Chapter 1

A Life Lost

2004

Naomi Misora cradled the small child in her arms, hushing him to sleep. She rocked gently back and forth in the rocking-chair given to her by her mother, an unreadable expression spread across her face. She could hardly believe how fast things had changed in her life since the events of the LA BB Murder Case. If you had asked her a day after the case was closed, she would've told you that she would never end up married and never have a kid. To think, she was proposed to not even a full year later, and now… Well, it was something she had never anticipated.

The child snuggled against her chest, violet eyes shut and muscles relaxed. Naomi wrapped the blanket around his fragile arms and carried him to his room, carefully tucking him into bed. She still felt odd knowing that he wasn't really her own, but she knew that adoption was her and Raye's only option after trying and failing for so long...

Speaking of Raye, it seemed like he would be working late again tonight, too. Naomi frowned slightly as she moved into the apartment's kitchen, heart heavy as she remembered when she too was an FBI agent. It's already been around a year since Raye's proposal and her leaving of the workforce. They were planning to have the wedding after Raye meets her parents. It was difficult to plan, considering the fact that he was still part of the agency and as such had responsibilities here in America. She could only hope that he would manage to find time to take off work. Naomi didn't want to postpone the wedding any longer than necessary now that they had a new family member. Then again, it wasn't as if there was a drastic need for any sort of rush.

The sound of keys clicking in the lock outside the door caught Naomi's attention, and she turned to greet her fiancé.

"Naomi," Raye said, returning her smile. She took off his coat and hung it in the compact closet as he sat down his briefcase, pulling out several documents that likely needed his review. The two moved into the dining room, and Naomi began to make tea as Raye started reading over the papers.

"How's work?" Naomi asked, pouring the tea into the cups. Raye scribbled down his signature on one of the forums before looking up at her and sighing.

"We've been stuck in a rut, lately. No new leads, no spontaneous developments, no nothing." He flipped to another document and begun writing notes in the margin. Naomi handed him a cup, which he gladly took, and sat down next to him. She scanned through the files before picking one up that had caught her interest. A recent series of robberies taking place throughout one particular branch of banks, each one resulting in a loss of $10,000 every time, no more no less.

"Do you have any suspects yet?" she asked curiously, thumbing through the pages. Raye glanced up from his work and rubbed his eyes with one hand, groaning.

"You aren't an FBI agent anymore, Naomi…" he began, trying yet failing to put what he wanted to say nicely. "Besides, we have a kid now. He needs more attention than these files. Leave the work to me, okay?" She nodded and returned the packet of papers, sipping her tea.

"I know that, Raye. Sorry, just old habits I guess." Raye instantly regretted his slight outburst at the sight of her upset expression. He rested his hand on hers, smiling up at her.

"No, I'm the one who should be apologizing." They sat in silence for several moments, and the tea was forgotten. Concerned by the awkward silence, Raye spoke up again with a question he had been eager to ask. "How is he?" An obvious reference to their newly adopted son, of course, but it took Naomi a minute to reply.

"Still distant. It's only been a day, after all." She rubbed her finger around the rim of the cup, lost in thought.

"Well, it's to be expected, I suppose. Have you come up with a list?" They had yet to decide a name. Naturally, they could've chosen to use the child's old name from when he was at the orphanage, but they wanted things to be a fresh, brand new start. Raye had been so excited he had been experiencing difficulty focusing on his work. Naomi, however, was still troubled, upset by how easy Raye was taking things and mad at herself for being so pathetically infertile…

She buried her head in her hands and whimpered softly.

"Hey, what's wrong?" Raye leaned over and brushed back her hair, startled and worried

"Nothing," Naomi whispered, wiping away the tears she had tried so hard to not let out. "I just can't stop thinking. I… I don't want something to happen to him. I don't want to lose another child…" This wasn't like her, not at all, and yet she couldn't manage to help herself. "It was all my fault…" Raye embraced her, realizing why she had been so eager to distract herself with another case again. It had impacted him too, and he felt a sudden lump in his throat as he struggled to swallow.

"Hey." He lifted her chin to look into her eyes. "It's okay. It's going to be okay. You are strong and beautiful. It was not your fault, Naomi. We can get through this… with him, together." Raye hoped Naomi understood what he meant. He was never very good at comforting others, preferring to leave them alone and let them sort things out themselves, but he knew that this was one of the times he needed to step in and be there for her. Naomi gazed into his eyes, her lashes dashed in tears. He was right, and she knew it. This child needed someone, and, she decided then and there, that someone was going to be her. She took in a deep and shallow breath.

"Here. I made up a list while cooking dinner. I don't know if these will work, but let's look through them together." Naomi handed Raye the small slip of paper with shaky hands and the two ran through the names with a new bond resonating between their hearts.

A/N: I wrote this instead of studying for an exam. Don't do what I do, kids!

Anyways, this is the result of a random idea that popped into my head around midnight a few days ago. I don't know if anyone will actually care enough to read, but some really close online friends insisted I should publish and see what happens. Constructive criticism is greatly appreciated. I already know I'm not the best writer out there, and I am terrible with tenses, but, hey, I tried.

This will probably become more and more AU-ish, as some of the "rules" may end up being changed for the benefit of the plot. Already you have probably noticed some differences in the times of the events that have and will be taking place. To clarify for now and for the future: the LA BB Murder Case takes place in 2002, as stated in the manga timeline. This current arc (this chapter and a few others) takes place in 2004. The Kira Case starts three years later, in 2007, with the "intermission" occurring in 2010 and with Near and Mello coming in around 2012. Hopefully, this will make sense, and if it doesn't please do let me know.

Warning(s) Details: Mentions of infertility and hints to a stillborn.

*Any and all warnings will always be specified before the chapter, with notes at the end of the chapter giving more details for your convenience. I don't plan on having anything get worse than the actual series, and it definitely will not be as stupidly gory as the Netflix movie. Do expect violence, though I will always tell you beforehand and specify what kind of violence in a little note down here. If I feel as though something is too much for the more sensitive readers, I'll put a chapter summary down here as well.