CHAPTER I

Happy Birthday

"Light!!" I exclaimed. "Isn't this a bit much?" It was my 18th birthday, and Light Yagami, my best friend, had decided to throw me a surprise party. The reason for my exclamation was that he had planned the party and it had reserved one of the ballrooms at a really nice hotel. An insulted look appeared on his face.

"So I'm not allowed to throw a party for my best friend that's in an expensive place because it's her 18th birthday, the most important birthday of her life? Is that what you're saying?" he asked me. I nodded mutely. He rolled his eyes. "Jeez, Hari. It's your 18th birthday; you need to do something special. Just relax and enjoy yourself, please." He walked away and I shook my head at his retreating back. Just then, the people I wasn't expecting walked up to me and hugged me.

"Happy Birthday, sweetie!!" My mother congratulated. She held me at arm's length. "So, are you and Light going to school together next year?" I glared at her.

"I don't know. I think so. When did he invite you guys? How long have you been in on this?" I asked. My father grinned.

"Light let us know as soon as he started planning this. He wouldn't let us tell you, though. Blame him, not us, Hari." He said.

"Oh, I will." I muttered. My father smiled and I grinned back. They walked away to talk with Light's parents, who I guess had also been on this, and I sat down at one of the tables and buried my face in my hands embarrassedly. I felt a hand on my shoulder and looked up to see Sayu, Light's younger sister, smiling down at me.

"Happy Birthday!! Care to play a game and maybe interact with your guests?" She joked. I grimaced when she said that, then rearranged face and smiled.

"Sure." I answered. She led me to the dance floor, which I thought was strange. The rest of us followed her lead and sat on the floor, Light on my right, his sister on my left. Sayu pulled a bottle out of the plastic bag she had been carrying. I hadn't noticed it.

"Okay, we all know how this game works. You don't have a choice, the bottle chooses for you." She said, and set the bottle down in the center of the circle. "Birthday girl, you're first!!" I sighed and gave the bottle a good thirty-three spins, since thirty-three was my lucky number. Light and I looked at each other when the bottle stopped spinning.

"You're kidding." I muttered.

The bottle was pointing at my best friend.