Disclaimer: I do not own Death Note in any way, shape or form. I don't even own Lina, really…

A/N: This chapter is dedicated to field-of-tears; thank you for reviewing, Alerting and Favoriting. :)

A New Light

Chapter I-Rubik's Cube

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Lina Hikari, 15 years old.

Birth Date-September 1st, 1997.

Oldest child and only girl of Masoi and Yura Hikari.

Member of the religious group that call themselves the Church of Kira.

Average student; member of Ohnii High's chess club.

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"So, demon-worshiper, how'd it go last night?"

"Did you sacrifice another live rat?"

"Yeah, how did your black magic ritual go?"

"What, you're too good to answer us, demon-girl?"

She pretends not to hear them.

Ignorant fools, she thinks sadly. They can never understand the joy of what Kira-sama stands for. Never. I must pity them.

That is what she has always been taught. Those who do not believe in Kira will never enter his ideal land. Only the Last Worshipers may live in that land, and only after a lifetime of suffering among the ignorant.

Yes, that is what Lina Hikari has always been taught. But yet, a rebellious part of her mind burns and boils with anger. How dare they, it seems to hiss. How dare they make assumptions of things they know nothing about.

The rebellious part scores a single point as Lina silently, reluctantly agrees. People, it seemed, were almost all the same. They glanced, they judged, they looked away.

And they never stopped looking away. That was possibly the most frustrating part. They didn't listen. They came to their own conclusions and then closed their minds to any other potential realities.

"Answer us, demon-worshiper!"

She doesn't react. She's been putting up with these kinds of things for pretty much her entire life.

She knows what comes next.

Any second now, when they get bored with just taunting her, it'll happen. Like clockwork.

She turns her mind to something else to kill time until it happens.

The rat rumor, she thinks wearily, sipping a spoonful of her mushroom soup. Will I never know how that got started?

About eight months ago, a rumor started somehow that the Last Worshipers of the Church of Kira sacrificed live animals-particularly rats-during their prayer sessions (which had come to be known as 'black magic rituals' and such, by the way). Lina had denied it over and over, but the damage had been done. Yet another tally mark on the ever-growing list of misconceptions about the Church of Kira.

Lina pulls lightly on a strand of her pale red hair; a nervous habit. Wait for it…

One of the boys who was tormenting her darts forward suddenly, snatches up her half-full bowl of soup, and pours the remaining contents on her head. Mushroom soup drips from her long hair. Her jeans are soaked, and streaks of the liquid run down her black top as well.

She stares straight ahead, silent, unmoving, emotionless.

After a few minutes, as per usual, the bullies get bored watching a girl with all the reaction of a statue. They return to their respective lunch tables.

Lina cleans up what remains of her small meal swiftly, then drifts inconspicuously to her locker. After a few years of similar incidents occurring nearly every day, Lina started coming to school prepared. She never brings hot soup for lunch, and she always has at least two changes of clothes in her locker.

The bell rings just as she finishes redressing and stuffing her wet clothes in the locker. She jogs down the hall and into her math class. She takes her usual seat in the back row, next to her best-and close to her only-friend, Michael Karson.

He stares at the blackboard, unblinking, as Lina sits next to him.

Her grey eyes twitch briefly as she notices that he has once again brought a puzzle to class. He's playing with it under the desk.

It's always something with Michael; he's constantly fidgeting with some odd little toy. His favorites seem to be clay and a Rubik's Cube (the latter being today's choice). It drives Lina crazy. She can never tell if he's really concentrating on the class or not.

His dark, black-rimmed eyes glance sideways to Lina, and he nods to greet her.

She nods back and looks down again.

The Rubik's Cube is solved.

To be continued

-Rule II of the Church of Kira:

Pity those who do not believe, for they shall never be allowed to enter Kira's perfect Land.

Repent for them, so that you may be allowed into the Land in their stead.-

A/N: Hmm, Michael Karson seems somewhat familiar, doesn't he…? -SS