Disclaimer: I don't own the Death Note franchise & I'm not making any money off this fanwork. This disclaimer applies to all subsequent chapters of this story.
A/N: Not Death Note Redux Too, it is on the back burner but coming along! I went through a lot of loss during the last half of 2017 & I'm still recovering from it; this story & The Marauders were on my mind more heavily & are being posted ahead of other things. LwtD will be updated on Wednesdays until done!
In other news, I have a book on Amazon Kindle called Magical Girl available for $2.99 (ebook) and/or $9.99 paperback. It's a young adult magical realism work & I LOVE it + hope you will, too!
FREE DAY on August 29, 2018.
Get yo'self a copy of Magical Girl on Kindle & be sure to review it so others will buy!
...shall die?
...like one of those chain letters...
He turned once more, looked toward the strange notebook, briefly considered going back for it, when a sudden commotion called his attention toward the school's entrance.
Instead of returning for the so-called 'Death Note' Yagami, Light walked away from the grotesque book, thinking to himself it was better to leave something like that alone anyway.
Made by some disturbed student? Dropped from the roof. No one with a healthy mind had need for such a twisted fantasy; certainly, he didn't.
What if someone were to see him with it? That kind of thing was a first class ticket to a psychiatrist and he couldn't risk that. He'd set his sights on employment within the criminal justice system; a record of mental health issues, substantiated or not, would be a high hurdle to overcome.
As it should be. That was a chance no one needed to take.
The world didn't need a sociopath in a place of power.
Doma, Rin pushed a piece of black hair behind her ear as she held her patterned uniform skirt to the back of her legs, bent at the knees and began gathering fallen items, carefully replacing them in her bag.
She heard them titter as they walked away, too slowly, taking time to glance back and make comments.
"I thought that school was supposed to teach poise?"
"It's all about money..."
It was true that the Hana School for Girls catered to those of a higher-class, but there were plenty of scholarships offered and, though she wasn't the recipient of one, she knew many girls who were. No matter their ability to pay tuition the students of her school had to demonstrate their gifts and strengths on a daily basis. Money was far from the deciding factor when it came to enrollment. It wasn't uncommon for some to crack under the pressure; if they couldn't meet the standards they were sent packing.
Despite that reality, the popular perception of the students at the Hana School, perpetuated between adolescent girls who weren't attendees, persisted. Hana's students were viewed with scorn within their peer group.
Rin understood it was jealousy driven. That was nothing new and unfortunately, the more physical side of their envy wasn't new either.
There would always be people like that in the world.
"Can I help you?"
The one offering assistance was already level with her, bent down as she was, and he'd collected a bundle of folders.
"Thank you," she murmured, blinking back the mist. "You don't have to though."
"I know, but-" his eyes left her face briefly, focused on the group of girls only paces away. They were clearly shocked. "This wasn't just an accident, right? I wouldn't want you to think everyone at Daikoku is like that."
She wondered who he was, noted that even though people slowed down to watch none offered the same aid.
Why did the world have to be this way?
The unanswerable question was soon forgotten, her belongings replaced, and she stood with the boy who'd taken the time to assist her.
"Thank you," she said again with a bow. "Sorry, I'm sure you have other things to be doing."
He shrugged, adjusting the shoulder strap of his own bag, "Not really. I'm glad I could help you."
"Well," this was the forever awkward goodbye between strangers, "Thanks again. Um, have a good day."
She walked past him, only to find that he was headed in the same direction.
It was strange, he thought, walking with her. Rin.
Her name was Rin.
He walked home alone. Every day, without fail, he took the same route back to his family's house. There he would study, eat supper, and on certain days leave to attend cram school.
On his way to any destination there were hoards of people. People looking at their watches, people speaking on cellular devices, people checking their beepers. He felt he was surrounded by people, but he didn't walk with them.
It wasn't so bad, walking with Rin.
She was headed to a convenience store, she told him. She'd had a work-study activity that took her away from Hana's campus and she wanted to stay out a little longer.
"Do things like that happen often?" he asked, almost unable to hide the resignation in his tone.
People were rotten.
"Uh...define often," she hedged.
Light sighed and muttered, "As expected."
"It's really just girls," she defended the judged unknowns. "You know, they get a little jealous sometimes. It makes them defensive."
"You mean it makes them bullies." He didn't know why he was speaking so bluntly, he was normally careful to keep thoughts like that to himself. There were some things you couldn't say and, in fact, he had a lot of complaints that went unspoken.
She exhaled loudly and he watched as her shoulders sagged. "Yeah. I guess. Not always though."
"No, but even once in a while is wrong." He really didn't understand why he couldn't be bothered to filter his words.
"You're right," she yielded. "But, maybe they learned something this time? Maybe they won't do that kind of thing again."
Her positivity was soundly rejected. "Or maybe they'll be worse. Maybe they feel even more defensive."
"That's really negative."
"I think it's realistic."
She released a noise of irritation, closed her eyes for a moment, and then kicked a stone into the road. "Okay, you're right again. That's probably how it is. And hey, I remember you now. I knew I heard your name before."
Yagami, Light.
"You got the top scores in all of Japan. No wonder you're so accurate."
"Grades are one thing," he said. "This is different. Human nature is easy to predict."
She couldn't argue, the things he said were dead-on. People were a lot alike in all the worst ways. Those girls were probably stewing over being caught by their classmate, one they thought well of, and that wouldn't make them more conscientious. They'd be angry. Embarrassed.
Already inclined to take their emotions out on others, she could only imagine what they'd do if she met them again.
Within the small store she tried to dismiss Light, insisted he must have something better to do, but he stuck around anyway, waiting for her outside the shop after making a couple purchases of his own.
Rin felt she must be an annoyance.
There was no way he was letting her ride the bus back to Hana alone.
"...had something to do. I'll head straight to the prep school..."
His mother worried over it, but accepted his mild direction the way she always did. Sachiko wasn't a bad person, just easily led. Or misled. It depended on the intentions of the one speaking to her.
When Rin stepped out of the store he moved away from the payphone, to her side, closer than was actually appropriate given their status as almost-strangers, but necessary.
The man who shadowed her through the shop turned away at the sight of her companion, a hand in his hair, as if he'd not been about to follow.
They were still going the same way. It turned out Yagami was also headed to the convenience store and then the same bus she was taking. He was on his way to a prep school for more study.
She felt like less of a bother and, tentatively in an off-handed way, offered her cell phone number. To her surprise, he was quick to accept and as she got off the bus, moved down the sidewalk and showed her school identification card to the guard housed at the gate, she smiled.
It was a small smile that grew a tiny bit larger when he sent her a text about a minute after they parted company.
Even if they're worse, I guess not everyone is like that.