Disclaimer: I don't own Death Note.

A/N: Based on the prompt, "What would Death Note be like if Light grew up without a mother?"

Note: Raito is the Japanese equivalent to Light.

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"I'm very sorry, Yagami-san…your wife didn't make it."

Those were the words that brought Soichiro Yagami's world to an end.

His wife, his beautiful Sachiko, was dead. He didn't want to believe it, but the evidence was overwhelming.

As a veteran police officer, he knew death. He knew pain and suffering and loss. He could see his daughter, his son, bandaged and hurt in the room across the hall from him and the doctor. But he couldn't see Sachiko.

He had gotten the call late. In the back of his mind he was sure that it was going to haunt him forever, not taking that first call. He had been busy working on a crucial case of homicides rampaging across the precinct. He hadn't answered his cell phone when it rang, just pressed the side button to silent it. He had been…so caught up. Gods above, how could he have ignored his phone?! No one ever called him on it unless it was an emergency, but he ignored it. And now his wife was dead.

Not Sachiko!

He stopped listening to the doctor as the smell of the hospital overcame him. A sharp pain shook his chest. He fought to breath, clawing at his tie. He didn't hear the doctor call for help. And he most certainly didn't see his son standing in the doorway, watching with wide eyes as his father had a heart attack.

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Throwing himself to the floor, humor struck him as he slid, hands reaching for the ball. The things he did for his sister's amusement! Catching it, he curled and waited for impact. Seconds later, she landed on him and he couldn't be gladder for the "No Cleats" in the house rule. The padding on her shins hurt enough as it was. Laughing breathlessly he held the ball to his stomach. Sayu's shrieking laugh filled his ears as he rolled onto his back. Her hands found his sides and he let out a shout.

They scrambled off of the hardwood floor of the kitchen as Raito desperately tossed the soccer ball out the open back door. It landed safely within their backyard and as his sister ran for it, he leaned against the doorframe, out of breath.

He watched as Sayu grabbed the ball, looked back at him, and fell dramatically onto their neatly cut grass. Walking over to her prone form, he considered dragging on their game of keep-away but she was starting to look generally tired so he tumbled onto his back next to her. He could smell that she needed a shower, but then again, he was starting to smell too with all the roughhousing they were doing.

Turning onto his side he propped himself up on an arm and looked down at her. She had lost the jersey and the cleats the moment they stepped into the house, leaving her in her sweaty sports-bra, grass-stained shorts, and dirty padding. She had just won against one of the toughest teams in the league and had been elated. Raito hated to drag her away from her celebratory party with her teammates and coach, but they had had a train to catch and none of the team lived anywhere near them. It was also a school night, so she couldn't spend the night with one of the other girls. He figured he made up for it by buying the ice-cream and making cupcakes that looked like soccer balls. Sayu loved his baking and Maggie Moo's Ice-cream©.

She certainly didn't appear to have any hard feelings about leaving early when he had given her the three scoops of chocolate and Oreos.

The day was dieing by the time they had walked from the train station home. She had seen the cupcakes and they had played around with the winning ball that Sayu had gotten to keep when she had scored the winning goal. Raito had the business cards of the recruiters that had seen Sayu do that amazing, scare-Raito-to-death-and-almost-broke-her-neck-move.

Raito didn't know what else you'd call it. Sayu played soccer, he watched and if he was lucky, he learned a thing or two. He knew fouls pretty well after three years of watching.

Staring at the growing dark circles under her eyes, he reached out and ruffled her hair. The sun had warmed the grass and Raito felt as sleepy as his sister looked. Her hands still clutched the winning ball and Raito watched, concerned, as she breathed and he could see ribs start to show. She was doing about three hours of cardio five days a week, and he was doing his best to give her the diet that fit that workout, but she still lost a scary amount of weight each soccer season.

He sighed and got to his feet.

Sayu opened her eyes when she felt her brother move. She was tired after the game. Physically and emotionally, soccer was draining. But she had won! Well, her and the team had won.

And Raito had been there to see it.

She had seen him in the stands, alone in the crowd of other soccer moms screaming and cheering for her. Her brother was the best, but Sayu couldn't help but be worried for him.

He was always alone. He never had any friends over. She knew that he had never had any girlfriends, too.

He was- was Raito.

He cooked and cleaned and did laundry and served dinner and baked cute things for her and her friends and played host and picked up after her and studied hard at the kitchen table and- and…he was like a mother, only…better.

She didn't feel any sadness at the thought, not really. She couldn't even remember her mom, except for the vague smell of old perfume and the feeling of a soft chest and warm arms hugging her.

Raito was the one who was there. He was the one who took care of her and listened to her and held her when she cried about stupid Yuhiki in seventh grade who she was sure was going to be her husband some day. He didn't tell her to shut-up, or that she was stupid like she had heard some of the other girls' brothers scream at them from inside their rooms.

Raito took her shopping and taught her about periods and pregnancy with a straight, solemn face that she had looked at and listened intently to everything he said.

He was the one who explained cussing and bought her first bra. He brought her pain medication when her period pain got so bad that she cried and cried and thought she was going to die.

He was the one with her in the doctor's office, holding her hand while she told the doctor what was wrong. He was the one who came up with birth control helping with the hormonal transition during her bleeding, and he was the one who explained to dad when he had come home to find the empty pill container sitting on the counter.

He took the outraged backhand their father threw, and he stood there as Soichiro screamed at him about being a terrible son. He was the one explaining quietly, respectfully, that Sayu was in pain and the doctor had prescribed it and that Raito had told Soichiro this all three days ago.

He got her into soccer and wasn't embarrassed to shop with her, something that made all of her friends jealous. He took her out and hugged her in public and still, with all that he did, managed to be a straight 100% student. He even worked part time at the coffee shop after school while she was at practice!

Raito…was just…brilliant. He helped her with homework and was the best brother in the world! Sayu…just wished that he had someone to be with. She knew that she was only there for him so much but she helped where she could.

She had started vacuuming and dusting and picking up after herself. She helped Raito was dishes and was sure to turn the TV down when Raito was trying to study at the kitchen table.

She got the mail and helped him cook dinner and made tea and set the table. She tried so hard for him. But seeing his rare smile like tonight when he bought her ice-cream and ruffled her hair and baked her amazing cupcakes she'd have in her lunch for the next week, she knew that she wouldn't be able to live without him, not like she lived without their father.

Raito saw the look on his sister's face, and spared her a small smile as he offered her a hand up. She took it, smiling back at him.

She loved her brother.