Raito didn't mean to snap at his father before they left. He knew that this job was the one Yagami-kun had been waiting for. But back home in Japan he had set up his own comfortable circle of friends, and he was practically the king of his school. He knew Sayu was taking it hard as well, she had barely said two words to their father during the trip. Raito had heard his mother try and console her the night before they left but soon after Sayu was shouting and crying and a few doors slammed.
The car stopped and Raito glanced up.
Two storey house, white fence, blue door, white shades. Raito and Sayu exchanged similar expression.
They all stepped out of the car and started unloading bags out of the boot. It was strange and depressing, they were moving about the job in complete silence. The furniture had already been moved inside a few days ago, so all that were left were their personal items.
Raito helped Sayu lift her large suitcase and she smiled at him as they lugged their way up to the obnoxiously bright door. Inside their mother announced lunch would be ready in an hour and the two teenagers went upstairs.
"Which rooms are ours?" Raito asked Sayu, not really caring. The teenager poked her head into the closest doorway and retreated just as quickly.
"Yours." She poked her thumb in the direction of the room and disappeared into the next room over. Slinging his bags over his shoulders Light entered the room and looked around.
Well, at least it was spacious.
His room was at the front corner of the second floor, and the wall-to-wall windows that stretched across his room gave him a wide view of the street out front and the double-storey house next door.
"Oh well…"
Dropping a bag onto his desk he began unpacking his books. His desk was huge compared to his one back home, polished mahogany that the sunlight outside cast a blood-like glow across. Dropping a stack of textbooks onto the table Raito cast a curious glance out the window at the house next door.
It was considerably less cheery than the Yagami's new household. The design was the same but the shades in the room opposite to Raito's were a dull grey colour and drawn closed with what looked like a silver clasp. There was no car parked in the drive and the garden looked wild and untamed, roses with needle-sharp thorns climbing their way up the stained bricks.
"So much for the Girl Next Door." Raito sighed glumly.
--
Lunch was set out in silence, except for when their mother asked Sayu if she was able to get in contact with her friends and the teenager snapped at her that she couldn't understand the American Internet to try.
"I'll change it for you if you like." Raito suggested, angry with his parents but still intent on keeping the peace. She agreed and they rushed from the table so quickly that the bowls clattered.
--
"Raito?"
"Hm?"
He glanced over his shoulder to where his sister was sitting on her bed, arms clasped around her knees and a thoughtful expression on her face.
"What if I don't find any new friends here? I don't speak English very well, you know…"
Raito smiled and tapped a few buttons, Sayu's expression brightening as the jumble of letters turned into recognisable symbols.
"You'll be fine." He assured her. "Want to say hi to the neighbours? Maybe there's some girls your age."
Sayu nodded and quickly sent an Email to her friends before grabbing her brother's hand and dragging him out of the house. The street was long and every house was like the ones from that American sitcom Sayu and their mother watched on Sunday nights. A jogging woman ran past and a few children were playing in the sprinkler across the road, their shrieks of laughter mingling in with the occasional dog bark.
"Oooh, creepy."
Raito blinked and turned to see Sayu head across to the shady house. Groaning he followed reluctantly.
"Trust you to straight for the mass-murderer house." He mumbled, and she stuck her tongue out at him.
"And you call me immature!"
She jogged up the path while Raito took his time stepping over the weeds and uneven cobblestones. He glanced up as the house loomed before them, Sayu practically skipping up to the porch with unlimited bubbling excitement.
"Uh Sayu?" Raito began slowly as she rang the doorbell a few times. "It doesn't look like anyone's home…"
"No, look!" she leant over and gestured towards the window. "There's a light on!"
Damn. Raito jumped the last few steps and joined his sister's side when the door opened slowly with a strangled squeak. Sayu bounced on the balls of her feet.
"Hello?" The old man asked pleasantly.
--
Wagner.
A long tapered finger tapped rhythmically against the bed frame, dark eyes staring up at the ceiling as headphones blared sound into his ears.
Suddenly the song was interrupted by the cheery sound of the doorbell ringing, and he blinked.
Click.
Standing languidly he slowly made his way over to the window and tugged the curtain back a fraction, wincing as sunlight assaulted his eyes. There was a young girl and slightly older boy standing at the door. The boy was talking calmly with Watari, and the girl was looking back and forth between them with a rather dumb smile on her face.
Full but chapped lips parted, one eyebrow rose. The boy said something and Watari chuckled, before they waved and departed back down the path, the girl grabbing the boys arm and tugging him away.
He let the curtain close, and after a few gentle thumps his bedroom door opened.
"Pardon me sir. We have some new neighbours. Mr Yagami and his wife and two children."
"Japanese." The young man replied quietly.
"Yes."
When it appeared that the conversation wouldn't continue, Watari bowed and left the room, closing the door behind him.
Headphones returned to his ears and he let Wagner flood his senses once more.