Also, if any of you wish to take over my story ideas, feel free to do so. All I ask is credit for the idea, and for you to PM me with a link to the story so I can follow it myself. After all, most of these are just uncompleted stories that I was too lazy to finish.


"Happy birthday, big brother!" a female teenager with dark brown hair giggled and held out a neatly wrapped present. "Even at eighteen, you're still as brilliant as ever!"

A young man with caramel hair accepted the gift with a small smile. "Thanks, Sayu. But you really didn't have to get me anything."

She giggled again. "Oh, Light. So humble as always. But really, it's your birthday, silly! Even the most smart and handsome people get presents on their birthdays, 'ya know!"

Light smiled wider this time and looked down at the present. "Of course. Thank you, Sayu."

Sayu replied by falling into Light, wrapping her arms around him in a tight hug. Light blinked in surprise before smiling warmly and returning the embrace. Sayu pulled back a little to look up at him with her arms still wrapped around his body.

"And remember, even though you get to leave and go to college doesn't mean you need to get all popular with the ladies! Do you know how many girls call you?" Sayu teased as she pulled away completely and winked. "You womanizer you!"

"Sayu!" Light scolded and tried to appear serious, but even he couldn't fight off the smile at Sayu's teasing. Sayu looked up in faux innocence, shrugging. "What, you can't say it isn't true." Her voice changed to a tone higher than her real one as she flipped her hair and fluttered her eyes. " 'Hey Light, want to come party with me tonight? I can pay for the hotel afterwards'." Sayu winked at the end of this before clearing her voice and letting it drop to a masculine tone. She supported her left arm on her right arm which she brought across her chest. She held her face in her left hand and looked up at the ceiling in faux interest, attempting to mimic her brother. " 'Sorry, Yuri, I can't because Kiyomi already asked me to go watch a movie with her. Maybe tomorrow-'"

Light shoved her playfully, trying to fight back a grin. "Sayu!"

"Just kidding!" Sayu laughed as she regained her balance and pushed Light back. "Geez, Light. You take things way too seriously. I would hate to be your girlfriend."

They both laughed. It was just innocent teasing between siblings. Like the moments they used to have when they were younger, before Light was leaving to go to college and Sayu was starting high school. It felt like Light was fourteen and Sayu eleven again- back when things weren't so complicated with Light's choice of career path: Criminal Justice. Back when Light wasn't helping his father solve murder cases. Back when they were just normal children without a care in the world other than deciding what game to play next.

"Light! Can you come down here for a moment?"

The sound of Light's mother calling him interrupted their joking. They were still both grinning at each other as Light moved to his bedroom door while smoothing down his formal suit, which had been wrinkled when Sayu hugged him. The present was placed on his bookshelf for later as he opened his door, Sayu at his heels. "Coming, Mom!"

"Oh, and tell Sayu to stay upstairs, all right?"

Sayu stomped her right foot in defiance and crossed her arms, her bottom lip sticking out like a child as she pouted. "Aww, come on! I never get to be in any of the fun conversations!"

Light's mother, Sachiko, was standing at the base of the stairs looking up at Light and Sayu. She smiled in amusement. "Some things are more of adult issues, Sayu. Light is an adult now, after all."

Sayu rolled her eyes like most teenagers do when arguing with their parents. "Whatever. I'm going to go watch TV in my room, so don't bother me!"

"Who would want to?" Light called teasingly after her. It appeared he was still stuck in that four years ago time period.

"Shut up, Light!" Sayu shouted before slamming her door.

Light just chuckled in response before making his way down the stairs to meet his parents. Sachiko smiled warmly, though Light could detect something else in her eyes. Sadness? Well, Light was leaving to go to college today, so that was understandable. Though with high school in the day and cram school at night, Light was barely home before he finished high school anyway.

"So, what did you want to talk about?" Light asked politely with his signature modest smile. Light had the looks that could win anyone over, and he used them without even knowing it. Or so he says, although he's complemented all the time on his looks, so he has to have some sort of clue by now.

"Why don't you come into the living room so we can talk with your father?" Sachiko suggested as she gestured towards the room right of the stairs. His father, Soichiro, was sitting on plush, maroon sofa parallel to a wooden coffee table. He seemed troubled about something, but that wasn't an uncommon sight either. His father was chief of police so he's constantly working on solving crimes. Light was surprised he's even here today considering how busy he is. Maybe that's why he seems so deep in thought.

Light took a seat at a matching couch on the other side of the coffee table while Sachiko took a seat by Soichiro. They both exchanged glances with each other before looking back at Light. It seems as though they were at loss for words.

Light cleared his throat after a few awkward moments of silence. "Ahem… Is there something you wanted to talk about?"

Sachiko and Soichiro exchanged glances again before his mother started fiddling with her fingers, refusing eye contact. Finally, she looked up after another period of silence. "Light, remember, no matter what we're your parents and we love you unconditionally," she blurted out. It seems as though his mother was on the verge of tears, which bothered him a little.

Light tipped his head in confusion as he let out a lighthearted chuckle. "Mom, college won't make me forget that you're my parents. Don't be ridiculous."

"That… Isn't what your mother is trying to say, Light," Soichiro said quietly before taking Sachiko's hand in his.

Light stopped smiling before displaying a true look of confusion. "What's wrong? Is it a case you're working on? Is it dangerous? I could help-"

"Light…" Soichiro started, taking in a deep breath. He hesitated for moment before exhaling, breathing out the rest of the sentence almost inaudibly. "…You're adopted."

Light laughed at first. Adopted. Right. Like Light hasn't heard that's he's adopted before- wait what? His disposition changed at once as he sucked in a breath. "A-Adopted? Is this some sort of joke?"

He shook his head. "We… Figured now is the right time to tell you," Soichiro explained as he held the now weeping Sachiko in his arms. "We adopted you when you were only two years old. If you want any information on the orphanage you came from-"

"The right time to tell me?" Light interrupted, his eyes wide in shock. His voice was slowly rising as he continued, "Right when I'm about to leave for college is the right time to tell me? My whole life is different now!"

"T-this is w-what I was scared o-of," Sachiko sobbed into Light's father's arms. "H-he won't love u-us… anymore!"

"Sachiko, that is ridiculous," Soichiro growled before changing his tone to a softer one. "I'm sure he'll be okay, anyone would be shocked-"

"What about Sayu?" Light sputtered, interrupting his father in mid sentence again. "Is she adopted too? Does she know?"

"Sayu wasn't adopted. And no, she doesn't know that she isn't related to you," his father sighed. After another period of them staring at each other, Soichiro sighed again before providing an explanation. "Your mother was told at first that she wouldn't be capable of bearing children. So, we traveled to Whammy's House to adopt a child. We had heard that children from there are abnormally intelligent, and we wanted to give one of them a good life-"

"If Mom couldn't bear children, then how'd she have Sayu?" Light interrupted yet again, his eyes narrowed and his voice on the verge of shouting.

Soichiro broke eye contact. "It was a miracle. We don't know how it happened either."

"But- But what about my love for justice? That was passed from you to me, right?" Light was trying to hard to convince himself that what he was hearing wasn't true, but deep down he knew he was adopted. It's surprising he didn't catch on sooner, really. He had deep caramel hair and honey eyes, while the rest of his family had dark brown hair and chocolate eyes. He always thought that maybe the genes for his hair and eye color skipped a few generations, but now he realized… He must have really stood out.

"…It was influential," Soichiro said slowly. "But like your mother said, we are your parents and have been here for you since day one. We love you unconditionally and will continue to if you allow us."

"Adopted…" Light muttered as held his head in his hands. "Adopted…"

Light couldn't believe what he was hearing. Adopted. Him. And not only that, but he came from an orphanage. He's an orphan? What happened to his real parents? Did they die, or just dump him there? And what's this "Whammy's House"? Is that the orphanage's name? So many questions were swimming in his head at once. He felt the edge of a headache creeping over him.

After a few moments of uncomfortable silence (There seems to be many of those in this conversation…), Soichiro cleared his throat. "Yes, I know this is a hard moment for all of us. But I don't want to stand in the way of you finding out about your past and, knowing you Light, you probably would want to," His father reached in his back pocket and pulled out a folded piece of paper. "So, we prepared flight tickets for nine in the morning to Winchester just in case you wanted to visit the orphanage we adopted you from."

"Winchester…?" Light mumbled, staring at the paper in slight shock. "I'm from England? Am I even Japanese?"

"Whammy's House takes in genius children from all over the world. We took careful consideration into choosing a child that would match our nationality. So yes, you are Japanese."

Light took the paper in his grasp, glancing it over. Nine in the morning, flight 287, Tokyo Airlines. Twelve-hour flight. If he went, he wouldn't arrive in Winchester until nightfall. Not to mention he's going to be walking into some orphanage that he's never even heard of that is apparently where he spent his early years. It was intriguing, but Light was having second thoughts.

Soichiro seemed to sense this because he continued, "Do you want to know something interesting? After doing further research and conversing with the orphanage owners, that orphanage is apparently training L's successors. …You do know who L is, right?"

Light rolled his eyes. "Of course, Dad. I would be a disgrace to the career I'm pursuing if I didn't."

"You were the highest ranking student at Whammy's at age two," Soichiro went on. "Even then they could measure your potential. Who knows, maybe they will still be interested in you. You are Japan's top student, after all."

"What purpose would there be?" Light snapped. His shocked stage was clearly changing to an irritated one.

His mother, who had calmed down a bit, blinked in surprise. The tears had dried on her cheeks and her eyes were puffed up and red from crying. It made Light feel a little guilty for reacting the way he did. "You want to meet L, right? For most young detectives it's their dream. I know it was your father's when he was growing up. He told me so."

"Like L would have any interest in me," Light muttered. "He's probably busy doing important things… Like doing his job? Which, isn't very easy, should I remind you."

Soichiro shrugged. "You never know. From what I've heard, L does a lot of his cases in one place. Maybe he actually lives at Whammy's House."

"Or he told people that to mislead them into thinking he stays in one place, when in reality he's moving all around the world." Light retaliated. "Just leave me alone, all right? I need to think this through."