Chapter 1: Sachiko Yagami

(Sachiko's PoV)

The last sounds I heard when it happened were the truck driver honking his horn, and both he and my dad slamming on their breaks and trying to swerve to miss each other. But...they didn't see each other in time and…I woke up in a hospital bed. My long golden brown hair was sprawled over my shoulders and as I moved to sit up, I found it a bit of a challenge. When the nurse came in, I asked her where my mother and father were. She turned to me, a sad, pitying look in her eyes.

"I'm sorry Miss Yagami, but...your parents didn't survive the collision with that semi. If you hadn't been in the back seat...I'm afraid you would have died as well. " She informed me gravely. My body went numb as I looked down at my hands resting in my lap.

"…I see." Was all I could manage to get out.

"…I'm going to go give the doctor your vitals chart and tell your cousin Light that you're awake." The nurse said. I merely nodded as she left the room. A few moments later, Light came bursting in, accompanied by a girl with blonde hair and a guy with messy black hair and VERY tired looking eyes. (as in the ultimate insomnia circles) and he wore a pair of baggy jeans and a white long sleeved shirt. If I wasn't so upset about the death of my parents, I probably would have been flirting with him; he was pretty handsome. Light sat in the chair next to my bed.

"Sachiko….thank goodness you're alright." He said, hugging me. I returned the hug, fighting back tears. The girl tapped me on the shoulder. When Light released me, the girl hugged me, too. Even though I didn't know her, I was a huggy person by nature, and this just made my need for human contact stronger. I hugged her back, almost as tightly as I'd hugged my cousin.

"My name is Misa Amane, I'm Light's girlfriend. Sachiko-chan, I'm SO sorry about your parents." She said. I only nodded. I knew if I spoke, I would just start crying, and it was hard enough to hold back my tears as it was. When she released me, the dark haired guy put a hand on my head affectionately.

"Rue Ryuzaki. You can just call me Ryozaki. I suppose you could call me a friend of Light's. You have my condolences as well, Sachiko-chan."

"Arigato, Misa-san, Ryuzaki-kun." I said, voice cracking.

"Sachiko, Light is your cousin. And even though you don't know Ryozaki or Misa, I think the situation allows you to cry in front of them. If you hold back your emotions now, you'll only regret it later." Without glancing at the Shinigami beside me, I stopped holding back my tears and just let them fall.

(Yuma's PoV)

I watched Sachiko sob as Light and Misa held her in attempt to comfort her. I felt so sorry for her, and…not being the best Shinigami, I don't always know when someone's going to die, otherwise…I would have gladly sacrificed myself to prevent Sachiko from losing her parents. I glared at the other two Shinigami across from me.

"Well…if it isn't Rem and Ryuk. What are you two doing here?" I asked. Ryuk just gave one of his annoying chuckles.

"And what about you, kid? A little young to be out of the Shinigami world, aren't you?" he remarked. I glared at him.

"Yuma….I noticed you don't have your Death Note. Does that girl have it?" Rem asked. I nodded at her.

"I purposely dropped it here. No offense, but you guys…and the other Shinigami aren't exactly my idea of conversational companions. Sachiko is my friend. And I'm sure you'll be surprised to find this out, but she hasn't once used the death note. Well, now that you know loneliness was MY reason for being here, I'll ask you again, why are YOU here?" Ryuk laughed.

"What? You haven't heard of the Kira murders?" I froze and my head shot towards Light, Misa, and Ryuzaki. I started to ponder which of them could be behind the Kira murders. Since both Rem and Ryuk were BOTH here, and a Shinigami that drops their Death Note usually follows the human who picks it up, it obviously had to be two out of three. First there was Ryuzaki. Granted he wasn't who he said he was, but that didn't make him Kira. (I could see his real name; Shinigami eyes were special that way) Then there was Misa Amane. She didn't SEEM like a killing sort, and neither did Light. But….Sachiko didn't seem like the type to have the secrets that SHE had, either. But…no, I was certain it wasn't Ryuzaku. Sad really when the most suspicious LOOKING person is the least harmful one in the room. I glared at Rem and Ryuk.

"Get out of here. And take THOSE two with you. I don't want you OR them anywhere near Sachiko." I said coldly, pointing at Light and Misa. When the other three humans weren't paying attention, Sachiko gave me a questioning look.

"I'll explain everything later." I told her softly. It wasn't long after that, that the nurse came in and told the humans that visiting hours were over for the day. They seemed reluctant to leave, but before Rem and Ryuk left, I said,

"Don't you DARE tell Light and Misa about Sachiko's Death Note." They didn't say anything as they left.

(Sachiko's PoV)

When Yuma and I were alone, I sighed and laid back down.

"Who were you speaking to so coldly before?" I asked. He sighed and ran his fingers through his messy black and light green hair.

"….Rem and Ryuk. They're Shinigami like me. Sachiko….I don't know how to say this, but-" I didn't let him finish. He didn't need to.

"Light and his girlfriend each have a death note. I know. I saw them in their bags. And Ryuzaki…well…he's cute but he seems to be hiding something too. I'm going to call you-know-who and ask if I need to keep an eye on the three of them. Two people with death notes are DEFINITLY suspicious." I said quietly, sitting back up and taking my cell phone off of the bedside table.

"You think one of them is Kira?" he asked. I hesitated as I placed my thumb on the Call button. After a moment, I nodded.

"It should be obvious. They ARE Kira and the second Kira. They HAVE to be. A death note is the only way I can see that someone could kill another person by just knowing their name. Light and I used to be SO close, but…this is the right thing to do." I said. Despite my words, about an hour and a half passed before I finally got around to calling the person I mentioned earlier.

"Miss Yagami, I'm glad you contacted me. I heard about what happened. Are you alright?" At the sound of the computerized voice, I felt a wave of comfort wash over me. It had been almost a month since I had heard it.

"I've got two bruised ribs, a sprained ankle, and a broken arm, but other than that, only cuts and scrapes. As for…hearing that my parents didn't survive…well…it hurts now, but the pain will subside. L, there's a reason I called. It's about the Kira case. You're working on it, right? Well…there's someone I met today that I was wondering…if you wanted me to keep an eye on."

"Who is it? I'll look up as much information as I can on them and get back to you on it." L replied.

"…He said his name is Ryuzaki. Rue Ryuzaki. He was hanging out with my cousin Light and his girlfriend Misa Amane." I said.

"I see. And what did he look like?"

"Let's see….he had messy looking black hair and onyx eyes. He was wearing a pair of denim jeans and a white long sleeved shirt. No matter what he's doing, he's slouched, and he was really pale…pretty handsome actually…at least in my opinion, but… he looked so tired. If I wasn't so upset about losing my parents, odds are I would have tried to ask him out." I said, giving a slightly sad laugh.

"..." There was silence on the other end, and I started to worry.

"L?" I asked hesitantly.

"….Alright I've looked into this Ryuzaki person and you have nothing to worry about as far as I can tell, but if you like, you can look into him more yourself; your cousin and Miss Amane as well, if you feel it necessary." He said. I exhaled.

"Okay. Great. And L?"

"Yes?" I was hesitant for a moment. Would he tell me no if I asked him to… let me help him with the Kira case? Well…only one way to find out, right?

"L…I was wondering…if I could help you with the Kira case?" Silence, then,

"I'm afraid our conversation must be cut short for the evening. I'll contact you again in the near future. Please wait until then to hear from me. You have my condolences for the loss of your mother and father. Get some rest, Miss Yagami. Good night." I sighed as L hung up on me. Was it because of what happened last time that he wouldn't give me an answer right away? Oh! Oops! Guess I better explain why I was even talking to L in the first place, right? Well, it had all started when I was fourteen. (I am now sixteen) I was a prodigy I guess ( that's what my mother called me), and I was already in my last year of high school then. I wanted to wait to go to college until I could attend with Light. I was a couple years younger than he was, and we both wanted to study the same major: Law Enforcement. One day, about a week after my fourteenth birthday, L himself contacted me and asked me if I would use my puzzle solving skills to help him solve a case. L was the whole reason I wanted to get into the Law Enforcement track, so naturally I agreed to help him. Soon, one case turned into two, then three, and so on. I think I helped him a little bit with solving at least twenty murder cases in the past two years. Not much, I know. But he only needed me those times. In the two years he and I more or less worked together, I never met L face to face, though that was my birthday wish each year since I'd heard of all the good he'd done in the world. One night, last summer, during one of the cases I was helping L with, something happened. I was taking a look around the cemetery trying to find evidence that would throw yet another wanted killer, known only as "Grave Digger" in prison. The man that was behind the killings caught me there and threw me into a coffin. He buried me alive. I was so terrified that I didn't know what to do other than cry. Yuma wasn't there, or he could have written the killer's name in our death note and been done with it. But…he'd gone back to the Shinigami world temporarily. Lucky for me, the case before that was officially the two year anniversary of my helping L from time to time. And for some reason, L sent me a locket with the first letter of my name engraved in English on the front, and the phrase "Justice Will Prevail" on the back. I was wearing it, and little did I know, L had put a communication device inside the necklace; along with a tracker. He heard me crying and contacted me immediately.

"Miss Yagami? Miss Yagami, are you there?" he asked. I was shocked, but I'd managed to wipe away my tears and speak.

"L? L, is that you? How are you speaking to me?" I asked. That was when he told me about the necklace. (Now, my parents knew from day one that I'd been helping L, but they never found out about the graveyard incident….luckily.) He asked me where I was, and I told him about my predicament. He told me not to panic, and that I had to stop talking to avoid running out of air. He would have stopped talking to me then, but I was so scared that I couldn't handle breaking contact with him. I begged him not to go; to stay and talk to me, even if I couldn't say anything back. L was nice enough to keep talking to me for the half hour it took for an FBI agent he'd asked for help to catch the killer called "Grave Digger", as well as dig me up and get me out of the coffin. The agent introduced herself as Naomi Misora and asked me if I was alright. I told her I was, and thanked her for saving my life. I never saw her again after that, but nonetheless I was pretty sad when I found out she'd been killed by Kira not too long ago. She seemed so nice. Even though I got over the graveyard incident after a week or so, L hadn't asked me for help on a single case since that night. Was it because I made it seem like I couldn't keep calm in a state of emergency? I shook my head and laid back down in the bed. I wanted to prove to L that I had a greater ability to control my emotions than he thought, and I COULD help him catch Kira.

-the next day…-

Yuma cocked his head to the side in confusion as he looked out the window.

"What the hell….? I wonder what he wants?" he said. I looked up from the book I was reading.

"What is it?" I asked. He turned to me.

"Ryuzaki just walked into the hospital. He had a bouquet of flowers and what looked like a box of cake. Wonder why?" he said. I shrugged.

"Maybe he's here to see a relative." I said. Yuma sighed.

"Well, whatever. Hey, I'm going to go talk to Ryuk and Rem and see what I can get out of them. Will…will you be okay by yourself?" I sighed at his hesitance.

"I'll be fine, Yuma. It's a hospital. This isn't my favorite place in the world, but there's not a lot here that I need to be afraid of. Go ahead." I said, giving him a slight smile. He nodded and disappeared. Not long after that, someone knocked on the door of my room. I put a bookmark in my book and closed it.

"Come in." I said. I then blushed slightly as Ryuzaki entered and closed the door.

"Good morning, Sachiko-chan. How are you holding up?" he asked. I looked away so he couldn't see the crimson hue on my face.

"Well…I'm doing a little better, I suppose. The shock has worn off, but I'm still upset about losing my parents. That's something that I don't think will ever go away. So uhm…what brings you here? And…what's up with the cake and flowers?" I asked. Ryuzaki set the cake down on the side table and put the flowers in a vase full of water. He then took a knife, two plates, and two forks out of a shoulder bag I just noticed that he was carrying.

"I hope you like strawberry and chocolate cake, Sachiko-chan. Light and Misa are busy this morning, but I had some free time and I wanted to come cheer you up. Light told me you liked orchids, and white roses, so that's what I brought for you. …Forgive me for saying so if I'm out of line, but you seem that though you're in a slightly better mood, something still weighs on your mind…other than the death of your parents." I was slightly startled by Ryuzaki's observation, but nonetheless, I decided to try and tell him what was wrong…without telling him that I more or less knew L.

"Well…a…um…I don't know if I could call him a friend or not, but let's go with that for now. A friend of mine has trusted me with some important errands over the past couple years, and…on the last one I did, something happened and I almost got hurt. And…since then, this friend of mine hasn't asked me for any more favors, and that bothers me because I feel like he doesn't trust me to carry them out due to that one incident. And there's something really important he has to do now, and…when I offered to help him last night when I called him, he….avoided the subject completely and hung up." I said. Close enough to the truth without details, right? Ryuzaki thought a moment then said,

"Maybe this friend of yours is just afraid you'll get hurt. Perhaps he cares deeply for you and wants to keep you safe, and this special task you say he needs to take care of could get you seriously hurt, if not worse." He said, ruffling my hair affectionately. I scoffed in embarrassment and looked away.

"Wh-wha…? R-Ryuzaki-kun, if you knew who my… err…"friend" is, you wouldn't be saying that. I mean, like I said, he and I aren't really…that close to be honest. We're more like acquaintances than anything. I just agreed to do the favors I did for him because I enjoyed it." I said. Ryuzaki looked down at the locket I was wearing.

"That's an interesting necklace. Sterling silver with a 2 karat gold chain, am I right?" I looked down and nodded.

"May I see it?" I shrugged and took it off, handing it to Ryuzaki. If it had been anyone else, even Light, I would have said no. This necklace was my most prized possession. But for some reason, I trusted this guy. He read the back out loud.

"Justice will prevail…interesting. Do you believe that, Sachiko-chan?" He asked, handing it back to me. I slipped the necklace back around my neck.

"Of course I do. And….I just know L will catch Kira. And…what are you doing now?" Ryuzaki looked up from placing a few candles in the cake and lighting them.

"Light told me that today was your birthday, and to go ahead and celebrate without them." I sighed.

"So basically, Light told you to babysit me until he and his girlfriend got here?" I asked as he held the cake out to me.

"That's an awfully bleak way to look at it, but I suppose if you want to see it that way, you can. Now make a wish." He said. I sighed. May as well go with it for now, I guess. Smiling slightly, I blew out the candles without a moment's hesitation. Ryuzaki smiled at me and raised an eyebrow.

"That was awfully quick. Did you even make a wish?" he asked. I nodded.

"Of course. I've made the same wish for quite a few years now, and I'm going to keep making that wish until it comes true." I replied. The two of us alone wound up eating the whole cake gradually, and for a while, we talked about random things. But around two in the afternoon…

"So…tell me Sachiko-chan, what did you wish for when you blew out your candles?" I frowned and crossed my arms.

"What, you've never heard that you're not supposed to tell other people your birthday wishes, or they won't come true?" I responded. Ryuzaki sat in the chair in his odd (but cute, in my opinion) way, and argued back with,

"I'm quite certain telling someone doesn't affect whether or not your wish comes true." I was going to make another argument, but he seemed to make a valid point, so I said,

"Don't tell anyone else this, but…the thing I've been wishing for most is to one day…meet L in person."

"L? Why L?" Ryuzaki asked curiously. I laid back and put my hands behind my head.

"Because L is my idol. It's because of L that I was inspired to go into Law Enforcement." I admitted casually.

"I see. Well, I just remembered there was something I have to do in a bit, so I should go. It was nice to get to know you a little better, Sachiko-chan. I'll visit you again a little later with Light and Misa. Happy birthday, by the way." He said, standing up.

"Thank you, Ryuzaki-kun. And yeah, this was nice. I look forward to your next visit. I don't know how but…you really cheered me up." I admitted.

"I'm glad to hear my efforts weren't in vain. Oh, and Sachiko-chan?"

"What is it?"

"…I have a feeling that your wish to meet L will come true someday. You just have to be a little patient." He said. Unsure what he meant by that, I just nodded as he left the room.