A cat on its prey, I waited silently from the shadows on that cold, scarlet night. Slowly, very slowly, Light-kun stepped down the pavement with fragile, ginger steps - as though he knew I was waiting. For fear he might have seen me, I stepped back, only to find my foot landing on a twig that gave off a loud crack! as it broke into pieces.
Crack!
Light-kun turned sharply. His hawk eyes pierced the darkness, bounding back and forth, back and forth, trying to make out what - who - the noise had come from.
It was all over now. I knew I had to take action at this moment, or be discovered before my mission was complete. I lunged forward.
"BLARG!!!!" said I, not startling Light-kun in the least. His frigid countenance remained unchanged. I shivered in my spot. "Blarg....?" I whispered.
"Ryuuzaki," he asked in an irritated tone. I leaned closer.
"Yes, Light-kun?"
"What are you doing?"
"Trying to scare you," I confessed, emerging a little more into the light. "It's Halloween, you know-"
"I know."
There was a silence.
"So um... blarg, and all that."
"Blarg to you too." Light-kun began walking away. The moon, pale and weak behind a curtain of clouds, gave a faint, ruby light that blanketed the streets. He did not sound like he meant that blarg.
Near looked up from his blocks and cocked his head, bulging black eyes wide like a curious young owl.
"You're sure you said 'blarg'?"
"Yes." I nodded.
"And not like, 'blargh', with an H?"
"Oh, certainly not."
He looked back down to the colorful shapes he'd arranged. It looked like he was building some sort of castle. I stood up and began walking towards the kitchen for a snack. Whenever I'm upset, I eat a strawberry or seven or two and a cup of coffee.
"Welp," Near began cheerfully, "I had some fun with Mello trick-or-treating. Misa went with us too. Why didn't you come?"
I didn't respond. He knew the answer.
"Mello ate all my chocolate," Near said, as though he'd never asked the question, "but you're welcome to anything that's left." He was standing at the doorway now, pointing a cloth-covered arm towards the counter, where there sat a large pile of colorful candies.
I nodded in thanks and picked a cherry-red piece from the heap, threw off the wrapper, and popped it into my mouth. Strawberry flavored. I smiled, and my eyes happened to wander down to my cookie-shaped watch. It read 10:15.
"Gah!" I gasped, the candy wrapper flying out of my hands, "It's almost time for the party! Better get in costume Near-"
He was gone. I shrugged, and headed towards my room, where I had prepared a costume so grand, even Light-kun might not hate it!
"What are you?" asked a large, white, potato-shaped lump I assumed to be Ryuk in a ghost sheet. He had two gleaming eyes, like red coins, poking out of his face.
"I'm Near!" I squealed, turning around in a little circle to show off my Near costume.
"And I'm L!" Near piped in, making a circle as well. We high-fived, because our costumes were awesome.
"HEY!" said a voice from behind. We turned around. There stood Mello, arms folded, dressed as Matt. Matt wandered behind him, dressed as Mello. "You stole our idea!!"
"You stole ours!" squeaked Near, pointing an accusing finger.
Mello grabbed the nearest chair and chucked it at him. Near scrambled behind me. I stood there, bold and handsome as I was, protecting my friend. Come and get me, I thought courageously.
Suddenly, a wooden chair smashed against my face. I shrieked.
"OMG WHAT WAS THAT FOR YOU JERK WHY DID YOU DO THAT IT REALLY HURT AND NOW MY FACE IS RED MY HALLOWEEN IS RUINED!!!!!!!" Mello and Matt snorted with laughter.
Just then, Light-kun walked into the room.
Near cringed. The whole room seemed to straighten. All was silent.
All except Misa, of course. Misa happily skipped around the newly arrived guest.
"Light-kun, Light-kun, Light-kun," she sang softly. He was not amused by our collective reaction, nor was he wearing a costume.
Matt coughed.
"I know!" Misa squeaked, suddenly jumping up. "Let's play spin the bott-"
"No," said an irritated communal voice of everyone at the party. Misa whimpered in disappointment. She perked up.
"Seven minutes in heaven?"
"NO," said a cantankerous Mello. "Now can we please continue this party?" There was a collective nod, and the music resumed. Light-kun ambled towards Ryuk.
"Why aren't you in costume, Raito?" Ryuk asked, removing the white sheet to reveal his contorted face. Light-kun shrugged.
"Honestly," he replied in a nonchalant tone, "what's the big deal about Halloween anyway? It's a stupid holiday. Who likes dressing up in a ridiculous costume and badgering the neighborhood for candy?"
"Apparently everyone," Ryuk said. Light-kun slapped him.
"Don't prove me wrong," he spat, then walked away.
Ryuk floated over to me. The shinigami looked quite displeased.
"What's Raito's beef?" he asked. I shook my head. My hopes had been torn into two. Every year since we met, I've tried to get Light-kun into the Halloween spirit. Each time, I've failed. He just hated things like this. But this year I was determined. I was going to get Light-kun to go trick-or-treating-
"Hey jerk," Mello barked, interrupting my thoughts. "We still haven't settled our dispute. You guys stole our costume idea, and you need to pay, big time."
"Dude," I responded, "you threw a chair at my face. I think that's a-"
"SHUT UP!!!" Mello wailed, throwing another chair at me.
"MELLO!" Misa said, walking between us. "Stop throwing chairs at Ryuuzaki. It's not nice." She wagged a scolding finger, as though Mello didn't know throwing chairs at people wasn't very nice.
"Sorry," he shrugged, not sorry at all. Misa beamed and climbed up onto the nearest table. She teetered a bit, then regained balance.
"Apple bobbing time, everyone!" Misa announced, waving her arms in the air to get the guests' attention. I bubbled with excitement. Bobbing for apples meant we were going to eat apples. And apples meant...
"Sugar!" I hollered, skipping around the room like a puppy set on fire. "Apples have sugar!!!!" Everyone looked at me as though I were insane.
"Why yes," said Near in a babying tone, putting an arm on my shoulder. He was about to guide me off somewhere relaxing, but I had bounded ever so excitedly, pulse beating wildly like rain against a roof, lissom feet galloping like a mad gazelle, smile climbing wider than a creek upon my face, towards...
...a potato-shaped lump standing next to an empty basin. He was rubbing his stomach with a content smile.
"Ryuk," I sputtered, hardly smothering my sudden angst. He noticed me, put his arms to his sides and tensed.
"... Yes?" he peeped with an anxious, half-hearted smile. He knew it, I knew it, everyone else in the room knew it; The last time someone had dared deny me sugar, I went on a bit of a teensy-weensy rampage.
"R...Ryuk..." I could scarcely control my smoldering rage. My hands were trembling with fury, and not far off was the pumpkin carving table, upon which sat a large, glistening sawtoothed knife...
"Oh! Look!" Misa shouted. I turned around to see her, intentionally knocking over a large bowl of candy, scattering its contents across the floor in my direction. "The candy is on the floor. Would not that be bad if some one were to come over here and eat it all?" She sounded out each syllable deliberately, as if to actually be inviting someone to come over and eat the candy.
"Not as bad," Near interposed with the same tone of voice, "as someone drinking all of this coffee I left out on this table, because it is loaded with sugar and very tasty!" He motioned towards a table with about seven mugs of coffee an a carpet of torn packets of sugar.
"And what do you know," Matsuda joined in, looking off into space at no one in particular and still continuing the strange, sounded-out tone. "There's a heap of sugar cubes here that are just begging to be eaten. Wouldn't it be strange if someone were to eat them? Then they would be eaten. Oh the shame." And sure enough, there behind him sat box upon box of sugar cubes.
I curiously contemplated each speaker, putting a hand on my chin. "Funny," I remarked, "it almost seems like you want someone to eat those said items, or else you wouldn't have announced it so clearly."
"HA," they laughed in zombie-like unison. I noticed the three were all looking directly at me, when suddenly it dawned upon me.
"Hey," I said, a light clicking in my head, "you guys are implying that I eat the sugar, is that it?" They smiled uneasily, nodding their heads. "So I don't kill Ryuk-
"RYUK!!" I roared, whirling around to make sure he didn't get away. "YOU'D BETTER-"
The potato-lump was gone. I gawked at the vacantness: the empty basin, the empty promise of apples, my own empty hopes, and, now, the empty place where Ryuk once stood. Defeated, I sighed.
"Honestly," my white-haired friend mused, flipping his hand about to gesture his annoyance, "You shouldn't be so concerned with what happened. Apples are apples." It was around midnight when we had left the party; and, now, only a few curious stars poked their way through the charred sky. I was kicking a piece of loose gravel from the road gloomily, listening to it skid along the path.
"Exactly," I stressed, "apples are apples. And do you know what apples are?"
"I'm stumped," Near groaned sarcastically.
"Apples," said I. "And furthermore" - with this, I made an exaggerated gesture with my hands - "they are the tastiest fruit the world has ever known. The-"
"And what of strawberries?" he asked. I paused, then reconsidered my statement.
"The second tastiest fruit the world has ever known; but more importantly, the reddest-"
"Cherries?"
"The roundest-"
"Peaches..."
"Well then, when green, the brightest and sourest-"
"Certainly limes-"
"Oh for heaven's sakes, Near," I snapped, "stop proving me wrong. I'm trying to make the point that apples are my second favorite fruit, that Ryuk shouldn't have eaten them all, and that, had this gone in a more agreeable way, I could be skipping home merrily with a belly full of fruit right now! And, in the least, apples are undoubtedly the shiniest fruit the world has ever known. And therefore, they are a fruit one such as myself can rightfully desire, rightfully have, and, if not allowed, rightfully go on a rampage for as necessary. And, despite the fact that such was completely necessary, I was graciously denied those latter two privileges. All I am saying is that never in all my years have I seen such ignominious behavior, not in all my days! That is all I am saying, Near. Now, what do you say to that?!"
Near pondered this for a moment.
"... I think that grapes could be shinier, if they put their minds to it."
"GOSH DARN IT, NEAR!"
At this moment, we had arrived at the hotel doors, and began to enter into the lobby. Up the elevator, not a wink of conversation was shared between us. Same could be said of the trip down the long, silent hallway, to our suite door, upon which was taped an envelope labeled "Ryuuzaki" in bright, pink crayon.
I took the letter and tore off its sleeve to reveal a piece of folded paper. Inquisitively, I unfolded the parchment to read what was inside.
"Dear L," it screamed, in more obnoxious pink lettering, "I am soary I eate your appels. Ples to foregive? - Ryoke." I read and reread this strange message, not quite sure understanding what kind of education this death god had, considering he had a hard time spelling his own name.
"Apparently," remarked Near, who was peering over my shoulder, "Ryuk is illiterate. And likes pink crayons."
"I suppose one must give him credit, for never going to school." Near shrugged, then, with a twist of the key he was holding, opened the hotel room door. We both stepped inside.
My friend turned and held his hand out to me. "Let me see it," he said. I passed him the note, and he glanced over it.
"At least he apologized," I said, wandering over to the kitchen for a snack.
Near scoffed. "'P.S. Thosp apeles we're rely tastye.' Some apology."
"WHAT!!!" I barked, bolting back towards him to see for myself. "That little...! Wait till I get my hands on him!" I yanked the paper out of Near's hands, nearly ripping it in half in my anger. My eyes hurtled over the pink text, reading the same words he had read aloud.
"You know," Near said calmly, plopping onto a couch, "I have an inkling this isn't actually from Ryuk. Judging by the fact that it's in pink crayon, everything's spelled wrong, and... If he were sending a note of apology, why would he include that part at the bottom?"
He was right. "You're right," I admitted, sitting down on a plush chair. "But there's only one way to find out. Let's go ask the death god himself."
"Nah, I'm tired," Near sighed, teetering off towards his bedroom.
"Fine, but I'm going." I grabbed the nearest key, and, with letter in hand, headed out the door.
La, la, la, la, wasting my time, I sang to myself, skipping merrily down the path to Light-kun and Ryuk's house. I was sure that the former would hate me for showing up at his house around 12:47 at night. La, la, la...
I cannonaded the door with my fists, pounding away impatiently.
"LIGHT-KUN!!! RYUK!!!!" I cried in all caps. "IT'S ME! RYUUZAKI!!!!"
About a minute later of knocking, I door opened to a tired Soichiro Yagami, dressed in his night gown. "Hello, Ryuuzaki", he mumbled, half-asleep.
"Hello! Where's Ryuk?"
"Ryuk?"
"Ryuk."
"Who's Ryuk?"
"Ryuk is Ryuk."
"I see, but who is Ryuk?"
"Oh! Ryuk's Light-kun's shinigami!"
"My son's what?"
"Shinigami!!!"
"And that is...?"
"His death god buddy? The one that follows him around places-"
"Ryuuzaki!" interrupted another sleepy voice from behind Soichiro. Light-kun stood, in a bath robe, bearing a smile that looked almost fake. "Why don't we get you some coffee? It's so late. You must be tired, which is why you are having these hallucinations. He's always like this, Dad; ignore him."
His father shrugged, then headed back into the house. Light-kun motioned for me to follow him. Questioningly, I wandered inside in his wake, went into the kitchen, and sat down to get some coffee. We sat in silence, Light-kun's back facing towards me.
"Where's my coffee-"
"Idiot!" the boy snapped, turning around sharply. "Do you think I'm actually getting you coffee?!" I looked at him, baffled.
"Why yes, Light-kun, you did say-"
"That was a diversion to make my dad think you were just tired and crazy so he'd leave! Now get out of my house before I beat you with a stick!"
"That's not very hospitable, Light-kun."
He glared at me like I was a despicable half-eaten walrus dying on his couch. I smiled, perturbed by this sudden rancor, when instantly I realized why it was I'd bothered my friend in the first place.
"Where's Ryuk?" I said innocently.
"You do realize," Light-kun replied, putting a hand on his chin - as though he were stumped by a stupidity of some sort - "that my father doesn't know who - what - Ryuk is, correct?"
"Your dad doesn't know about Ryuk?" I wailed, rising quickly out of my chair. "Goodness! That's not being a responsible son, Light-kun! You're not allowed to have pets without parental permission! What if they peed on the carpet? What would you do then, Light-kun?"
My friend just stood there, eyes widened by my immediate shouting. Without waiting for him to give some sort of explanation, I began to siren.
"MR. AND MRS. LIGHT-KUN!!!!!!!!! YOUR SON IS-"
A hand clasped over my mouth.
"Shut up!" Light-kun hissed, nearly gagging me. Just then, two pairs of feet came scurrying down the stairs to see what was going on. The kitchen door slammed open, two anxious parents panting behind it.
"Making bad coffee," Light-kun finished, laughing uneasily. I looked at him with a fiery glower, knowing he was simply covering up what I was actually trying to say.
"I... see..." Sachiko replied, stepping back cautiously. "Light, dear, why don't you take your friend home so he can... um... get some rest-
"A swell idea," Light-kun said, making an excited gesture as though they were discussing the plan of a genius. "Let's go, Ryuuzaki-"
"BUT HE HAS A RYUK!!!!! COME SEE!!!!" I bolted up the stairs to Light-kun's room, my friend waddling after. I reached the room first, opened the door eagerly, and sprang into the room to find Ryuk in the corner, eating some chips.
"Oh," he said, noticing my arrival. "Hello Ryuuzaki. Nice to see you here."
"Hello Ryuk." I held up the letter Near and I had found on the door earlier that night. "Did you write this?"
"Oh. Yeah, I did."
"I see."
Light-kun turned up a second later, panting and slamming the door behind him. He turned the lock with a swish.
"Ryuuzaki-"
He stopped himself.
"L,". He was breathing heavily now. "What will it take to get you to keep this a secret?" Light-kun leaned an arm on a nearby table for support. Apparently, his parents must have given up, or were extremely bad at climbing up stairs, for they did not seem to show up.
I considered this meticulously.
What did I want most from Light-kun?
A strawberry? A hairbrush? Perhaps a new blank-white shirt?
No. I knew what Light-kun was going to do (no, not that. Get your minds out of the gutters). I smiled devilishly, and answered him in a sly tone.
"Perhaps," said I, observing my fingernails and pretending not to be interested, "there is something you could do." Light-kun stiffened (poor choice of words), making me smile wider. (very poor choice of words)
"Wear a Halloween costume," he sighed.
"And go trick-or-treating."
What followed was Light-kun standing in front of a door in Ryuk's baggy ghost sheet. He looked bothered, but I only giggled. Wait a minute, I'm a man. I chuckled heartily. Reluctantly, he pressed the doorbell.
We waited.
Soon after, the door creaked open slowly, opened by a jaded old woman wearing a hideous red-flowered night gown.
"Darn you kids," she grumbled to herself. "What do you want?"
I nudged Light-kun encouragingly.
"Trick," he groused.
"Or," I prodded.
Light-kun took a long, deep, and unhappy sigh. He shifted in place, looked down to the ground, then up to the dusky sky, then back at the lady. The woman tapped her foot impatiently, because, like everyone else on the block, she probably wanted to get some rest at 1:00 AM. Light-kun exhaled one more time, mulled over his incentive, then concluded.
"Treat-"
"No." The old woman slammed the door, mumbling from inside things like: "darn kids these days and their tricks and treats", and "molly-coddling peddle-meddlers, they are". Light-kun looked at me with a mixture of vexation and dismay.
"Well that was a disappointment," I pointed out in my befuddled state.
"I'm going home-
"No, wait!" I pleaded, "One more house. One more. And if this next one fails to satisfy you, then you can go home." Light-kun looked out into the distance.
"Just try."
The next house on the street looked a lot nicer than the first one we'd visited. It was sure to set the stage for Light-kun's soon-to-come life-changing Halloween experience.
"Okay," I said, "ring the doorbell." He did. This time, however, it was only a few moments' wait before the door popped open and a cheerful man emerged to greet us.
"Wow," he breathed, "you kids these days sure do stay up late."
"Trick or treat," Light-kun replied.
"Well, okay", the man said, looking at his watch to reassure himself that it was in fact 1:15 in the morning, not to mention it now wasn't even the day of Halloween.
There we stood, for nearly ten minutes, in the November cold, waiting for the man to return. Eventually, he reappeared with something enclosed in his hand.
"Guess what I found!" he said cheerily. Light-kun looked unamused. "Necco Wafers!" The man deposited the wafers into Light's hand. We both stared at him with disbelief. Nobody likes Necco Wafers. How could he do this to someone? He might has well have given us an ash-tray. Regardless, the man simply beamed, gave a little wave, then shut the door.
I looked at Light-kun apologetically. He was staring at the disappointment on his palm. I stepped back warily, knowing that I was soon to be met with a punch in the face or something of the sort.
"I hate you," was all he said.
A cat on its prey, Light-kun chased me down the pavement and through the shadows, shaking his Necco Wafers violently on that cold, crow-colored morning. Quicky, very quickly, I paced down the block with hurried, frightened steps - I knew I was as dead as a puppy in a running chainsaw factory. For fear he was advancing on me, I quickened my speed, only to find my foot landing on a twig in the road that gave off a loud crack! as it broke into pieces.
Crack!
But I ignored it.