Disclaimer; Death Note = Not mine. L and Light = not mine. This particular plot = mine. However I make no profit from this whatsoever. This disclaimer applies to all chapters.

A/N; Written as a reviewer reward story for Constant Temptation as a thank you for receiving over a thousand reviews.

This story is written for Nichigo. I hope you like it.

Please read and review!

An Education in Understandings

Chapter One

Light stared out of the window of the aeroplane. Far below him cloud passed in a steady monotony of white. Occasionally snatches of ocean, or land appeared beneath him, the small glimpses proving that there was more than cloud to the world. He kept up his steady vigil though, unwilling to turn and survey the others in the plane and acknowledge the noise they were making.

He thought back on the hectic few months that had passed, he had never expected this from his parents, never thought that they would be willing to spend so much money on their 'genius son'. He had sat at the dinner table staring down at all the brochures they had silently ordered for him unable to say anything, they had been worried at first; until he had shown them the stunned expression on his face. After that all he had needed to do was pick…

Still though this was all rather a shock to him, he was only 12 and he was already going abroad to study, had to learn another language efficiently, and had to deal with other people without the supporting comfort of his family. He glanced back, well he wasn't entirely alone, his father had come with him and was in fact trying to kill his hand he was holding it so tight, but he would only be with him for a few days until he was truly alone. Light wasn't sure if he could go through with this now, the school he was going to was meant to be special, was meant to be one of the best places to be educated if you were as intelligent as he was…

But…

Well…

In a sudden burst of need Light turned and held onto his father's arm tightly, his grip increasing as a hand patted his hair tentatively. He didn't want to leave his family; he didn't want to leave his father, because when he did he would truly be acknowledging what his father had calmly said to him as they had gone through the brochures.

"No matter how worthwhile working with the police is Light," Soichiro said, his tone suddenly serious, "Even I know that there is far more you could achieve if you left your options truly open, and took every opportunity that is available. I don't want to limit you just because I too want you to follow in my footsteps."

Light had never loved his father more, or hated him that much, as he had in that moment. In that moment he had ceased wanting to know just where the money was coming from to pay for such an education, and all the extra belongings he would need.

Gradually then, Light succumbed to sleep and stayed wrapped around his father's arm, only waking as the plane began to descend through the now dark sky towards their destination; for they had arrived in the place that was going to be more Light's home than Japan. Light was going to be studying in England at one of the most selective Boarding schools in the world.

…

"What if I said I didn't want to live away from home?" L said quietly, "I would much prefer to study at home than to coexist around raucous children who would care little for the peace and quiet that I so value."

"L," his mother, Marianne, sighed, a small smile appearing on her face as she stared down at him, "you are one of those children."

"I am not raucous, I don't believe I have ever been raucous."

"You are proving my point by being so deliberately obtuse little one," Marianne laughed, trying to defuse some of the annoyance radiating of her son.

"I am also not little, not any more," L replied quickly.

Marianne did truly sigh then, turning away from the vegetable she was preparing for dinner that night. For a moment her usually so amiable face stared down at L critically, as if trying to see L's true thought's about the school. Unfortunately L had become very good at schooling his face years ago, it infuriated people too well for him not to have managed it.

"If you truly don't want to go," Marianne said at last, "you don't have to go. Your father and I would love to have you here at home with us. However we also know this is the best opportunity for you. Do you really think you can go through another year of school where they don't understand how clever you are?"

L opened his mouth as if to reply but closed it almost immediately; he hung his head as he shook it slightly.

"No," L murmured, "No I don't. I just… I just don't want to be alone."

"Don't be ridiculous," Marianne said with a laugh as she bent down to hug her son, "you'll make lots of new friends. We're close enough for you to come visit at the weekends occasionally, if you want."

L would have taken offense at being called ridiculous, but he knew he was being silly. He had never been parted from his mother though and he was very attached to her, he didn't want to leave her. He loved his father too, but his father was never around for him to get close to, it was one of the difficulties with being so high up in the judicial system; judges did not get much free time. He still respected and loved his father though, and admired the difficult job he had.

"I should go pack," L said softly, his hands holding his mother closer for the briefest of moments before he fled the room; leaving his bemused mother shaking her head slightly at his ever changing moods.

He always thought too quickly for her to keep up with what he was thinking about, and all his quick changes in conversation wore out her brain at times. He looked twelve but talked as though he was already an adult, it always confused people and his teachers had never known how to cope. She only hoped the teachers at the new school would be able to.

"Pack more than your growing collection of blue jeans and shirts L," Marianne called up the stairs a moment later. She knew that if she let him that would be all he would take, sometimes she considered hiding them from him; she knew she wouldn't though; she loved him too much to do that.

"Yes, mum."

Marianne couldn't help laughing slightly at the despondent tone in L's voice at her words. Oh yes L could act like an adult all he wanted, but underneath he was still a child.

…

Light fought back the urge to sink down in the seat of the taxi as they approached the school. The buildings were highly decorative and distinctly unfamiliar in their design. It increased the realisation that he was in a foreign country and he would be at an immediate disadvantage because English was his second language. He had not had much chance to test out what he knew enough to feel confident that he would be able to keep up with conversations, let alone in the classroom. Light didn't like feeling that he would be at a disadvantage, or would not be able to do well; it was an unfamiliar and unwanted feeling.

Silently he exited the taxi with his father and helped remove the few suitcases he had brought with him, anything else he had wanted had already been brought over. Again he felt a pang of nerves pass through him as he wondered whether this would be a good idea or not. He could only be grateful that he would have a few days to settle in before most of the other students arrived, hopefully it would be enough to help him feel more secure about his place here.

"Are you going to be alright Light?" his father asked as the taxi drove away, his hand coming to rest on Light's shoulder as he stared down at his son.

"I don't think I will be until I am settled in here," Light replied with a smile, some of his nerves vanished though as his father gave him an understanding smile in return and squeezed his shoulder.

"Let's go inside and begin to get you settled in then, see if we can decrease those nerves."

…

Half an hour and a small mountain of paperwork later, Light stared round the room that was to be his for the coming years... his and another boy's anyway. Light had not been best pleased to hear that he was going to have to share a room, even if it did come with an ensuite bathroom; but it was better than the deal most students received. Only those with the highest grades and/or special circumstances qualified for such rooms. Light qualified in both respects, he had the joint highest entrance exam grades and was a foreign student, he couldn't have been more applicable if he had tried.

Light didn't know whether to be irked, or simply intrigued, that his dorm mate was going to be the student he had tied with. It would be interesting he had to admit to have the person who was, potentially, his only real competition here in the same room as himself. They would either be enemies or friends. Either way though his future here had the potential to be more exciting than he had thought.