CHAPTER 1

"Light! Is there any more news about the killer?!" A reporter shoved a microphone in the teen's face as he made his trek to school. Luckily, Light was trained in ignoring any questions regarding any case his father was working on at the time.

"Is it true that the killer left a note by the body of the victim that read, 'You are getting closer'?" Another reporter yelled around the chaos. A crowd of people surrounded Yagami Light, but the stoic boy just continued walking down the side walk. Soon, he hit school property, and, as expected, the reporters shuffled away. They could not legally be on the private property of To-Oh University.

Misa ran over to her boyfriend and hugged him. "Those reporters just won't leave you alone!" She pouted and kissed Light's cheek. Light took her hand and walked into the building of his class with a shrug. "Misa doesn't like that at all!" Misa continued in a whiney voice. Light and Misa were in an on-again off-again relationship. Light wasn't interested in the girl in the slightest, but she kept good company.

"You get used to it," Light commented as he sat in the front row of the lecture hall for his Criminal Justice class. Misa just rolled her eyes. She paid attention to Light as Light paid attention to the professor for his favorite course.

Light kept to himself during school, only really socializing with Misa and Matsuda, a senior at To-Oh. He'd only been in Los Angeles for a few weeks; they'd moved from New York City due to his father, a highly commemorated police officer and detective, being needed for a special case here in Los Angeles. That was only partially true, though. The entire story brought up terrible memories Light did not want to think about.

After class, Light said an idle goodbye to Misa before heading home. He wasn't surrounded by an entourage, so he could enjoy the walk back to the apartment he and his father lived in.

Light unlocked the door. His father wouldn't be home until late, so he had some time to kill to do homework. On the counter sat a manila envelope. Light frowned and opened it, though the front read CLASSIFIED in all capital letters. Light studied the picture for a moment before quickly shutting the envelope in disgust. The picture was of a bucket of severed hands, a note sitting on top of the hands that read, "HE'S ON HAND."

His father had been working the case of a serial killer roaming the streets of LA. They'd been working for almost two weeks and still had no leads. Light was intrigued by the case, but his father wouldn't let him go to the office and get all the information he needed to help solve the case. It irked Light to no end. He scowled and headed to his room, throwing his backpack on the ground and sighing.

I need some potato chips, he thought to himself. He grabbed the container he stashed under his bed and pulled out a bag of chips, then got to work on his homework. His life was typical, but that's how he liked it. He didn't need any more drama.

"LIGHT?!"

Light crashed to the ground, wincing as the banging on the door matched the pounding in his head from the fall. He pulled himself up and scowled as his father continued banging on the door.

"OPEN THIS DOOR!" His father bellowed, banging harder. Light opened the door and gave his father a blank stare.

"What?" He demanded, annoyed that his slumber was interrupted. Soichiro grabbed his son and shoved him against the wall.

"Explain this," he growled. The eighteen-year-old looked at the paper in his father's hands, his eyes widening.

Light Yagami Confirms that the Serial Killer Case has NO Leads!

Light looked at his father, not sure what to say. He hadn't told the reporters anything. This story was slander!

"I… I never said anything!" He exclaimed. His father was furious.

"No one's supposed to know that we have no lead, Light," he hissed. He sucked in a breath, still glaring at his son. Soichiro suddenly let go of Light and backed up, closing his eyes as he attempted to calm down. Light straightened up and let out the breath he'd been holding. He was used to these outbursts from his father, but sometimes they still caught him off guard.

"I didn't say anything, father," Light promised. Soichiro let out a shaky breath.

"We need help on the case," the police chief said. "We need outside forces… someone smarter beyond repair."

"I could—" Light started, but his father shoved him against the wall again.

"No! You've done enough to hurt this case. I will not have you mixed in with the police—again!" Soichiro snapped. Light scowled.

"You can't keep me from doing what I want, father. I know I messed up in the past—" Light was cut off with a slap across the face. His head jerked to the side and he sucked in a sharp breath. Light slowly turned and looked at his father, who was fuming.

"You did more than mess up, Light," the man said in a deep, dangerous voice. Light glared at the man. "You are not trusted with anything to do with this case. I will never trust you, Yagami Light. Ever." A pause. "And if you try to mess with this case, I will seek disciplinary actions."

Light clenched his fists. "Go to hell," he growled. He threw a mean punch, nailing his father straight in the nose. The man rocked back, giving Light enough time to shove him against the dresser. A picture frame with nothing but a stock photograph hit the ground, glass shards spilling across the carpet. Light dashed out the door, ignoring his father's cursing.

"Get back here!" Soichiro yelled as he chased Light outside the apartment complex. "I'm not done with you!"

Light threw his father a middle finger, which seemed a little immature for someone eighteen years old, but it seemed like the right thing to do at the time. He ran and ran and ran down the side walk and off the beaten path. He ran into a small forest and threw trees and past vines and bushes. He ran away from all his problems, from his violent father who never understood him, from the girlfriend that he just could not find himself interested in, which made him nervous. He ran from himself, from who he'd been in New York, from who he was now.

Light broke through the trees and collapsed on the grass, breathing deeply. He was physically fit, but wasn't used to such an intense journey. Wet hair dripped into his eyes, and he realized it was raining now. All he could hear was the howling of the wind, loud and meaningless.

Light leaned on his knees and wiped his eyes, looking around. The rain was falling sideways due to the harsh winds. He realized he was on a cliff side; he could see the ocean in the foggy distance. He stood up and continued looking around—and stopped when he saw a figure at the edge of the cliff. It appeared to be a young man, tall and lanky. He saw the profile view of him. Black locks surrounded a pale face. The man's eyes were closed, dark circles lining them. He stood hunched in the rain.

Light cocked his head curiously. He wondered why the guy was outside in the storm. Maybe he was admiring the serenity, the solitude of the cliff? Light did agree that there was something nostalgic about the atmosphere.

Light's thoughts about the beauty of this situation changed, however, when the young man spread his arms out wide.

Light quickly sprang to his feet. "Hey!" He yelled, though the man couldn't hear him over the roar of the wind.

Light started running towards the man, heart beating.

The man was going to jump.

A/N
I hope you enjoyed the first chapter of Never Close Enough! I can't wait to get this whole story down and posted. I promise it'll be great! More to come soon.
Have a great day!
-M