It hadn't even been a week and already Sakura was fed up with the new world she resided in. It wasn't the classes that bothered her, though she didn't feel like she fit in very well with them, and it wasn't her new family, though they were a little nosy. No, the reason Sakura was fed up was simply due to a young man named Yagami Light. He hadn't been annoying or mean in any way, but it was rather obvious to Sakura that he was trying to get a read on her. It felt like he was looking right through her, and that kind of look from anyone was disconcerting.

She didn't know what he knew, but he definitely knew something was up with her. This, Nakama was quick to tell her, was not a good thing. He said the fewer people that knew of her power the better, stressing the word 'fewer'.

It's not like Sakura didn't know that already. It was pretty obvious her that secret things should be kept secret. Light seemed to look right through her and continuously asked seemingly innocent questions, but Sakura saw what he was trying to do. He must've thought he was so clever. In reality he was nothing more than a manipulator and Sakura had dealt with enough of those in her life to be able to recognize one.

Why he was doing it was another matter entirely. Sakura couldn't grasp why he was suddenly so suspicious of her. She got the vibe that he was bright, but he had no reason to suspect her of anything. To be frank, it frustrated her to no end and by the end of the week she was relieved to hear that she didn't have to see Yagami Light for one of those days. Instead all she planned on doing was relaxing in her room and attempt accessing her chakra to escape the genjutsu around her.

Once again, not a genjutsu. And you don't have chakra here, Nakama pointed out. Sakura ignored Nakama once again; it had seemed to turn into somewhat of a habit.

What scared her most about Light, though, wasn't that he noticed something had changed with her, no, no. The scariest thing about Light was the insidious aura that seemed to cling to him most of the time. She would admit that there were a couple times where he'd seemed like a normal young lad, but the vast majority of the time he felt, well, evil.

Perhaps evil wasn't the right word to use to describe Light, because he wasn't evil, per se, but her heightened senses picked up on something otherworldly. Sakura wasn't one to believe in ghosts, but it felt like Light was being haunted by one. Sakura had half a mind to inform him of this, but considering the logical type of person Light was she doubted he would believe her. She didn't even believe herself.

Sighing slightly, Sakura realized there was something definitely suspicious about him. Whether it be the odd questions he seemed to love asking her or the chills she got oftentimes in his presence, there was something off about him.

Is he…Kira? Sakura asked herself. She knew it was a bit of a stretch to make, a weird aura and strange questions wasn't enough to accuse someone of being Kira. If it was, she would have every reason in the world to suspect Honoka. Sakura's thoughts drifted to a question he'd asked her on the way to cram school a few days before.

"What do you think of Kira?" he had asked her. Sakura had found herself at a loss for words at his question. Not because it caught herself off guard or anything, but because she found that she was unable to come up with an opinion. Was Kira good or evil? What he was doing, was it right or wrong? As a kunoichi she had experienced the grey color spectrum many times before, what was morally sound and what wasn't and what could be forgiven.

Even though Nakama claimed to be neutral, it was clear to Sakura where his morals lay. He oftentimes remarked on the bad things about Kira, although when he did so he tried to sound unbiased. But Sakura's own morals aligned more strongly with Kira than they did with Nakama's. She didn't understand what was so wrong about eradicating criminals.

It was when Sakura started her research that she learned what made Kira such a poison, though that was long after Light had asked his question. When she finally learned what Kira was capable of, she was rather saddened by it. Someone with such a gift should've used it for good, rather than an ego stroke. That's what Sakura assumed it was after she'd finally learned what Kira was all about. The additional victims, the ones that were not criminals, the ones that were a liability to his cause. In Sakura's eyes, Kira was despicable for killing innocent people. Members of the police force, attempting to kill the detective known as 'L'. Who did Kira think he was? Clearly a God if he could not understand the use of figures of justice.

Criminals were the ones that deserved to die, not innocents.

"What do you think of Kira?"

After she'd responded to his question with a simple 'I'm unsure', Light hadn't brought it up again. He did, however, make the occasional remark on the Kira case. He seemed unnaturally invested. If Light was Kira, he either thought she was a brain dead fool that wouldn't notice if he shamelessly talked himself up in her presence or he really didn't notice what he was doing. Considering the length of Light's intelligence, she assumed it was the former.

Though it irked her that Light might've viewed her in such a way, she kind of understood why. Sakura didn't think that she was dumb by any means, but she wasn't a genius either. When it came down to it, all Sakura had was stellar memorization skills and facts. If it came down to a battle of wits, Sakura was sure she would lose. The only reason that Light hadn't done so already was because he didn't feel afraid of her. If something changed, however…If Light was Kira and he learned that she knew his secret, she would be dead.

"Okay, that's enough!" Sakura snapped in irritation. She ran her fingers through her hair and ground her teeth. She didn't have any proof that Light was Kira; she wasn't doing anything but playing around with 'what if' scenarios. It was good to think ahead, but Sakura knew she was going too far with it. There was no reason to freak out when nothing had even happened yet.

Sakura sighed and flopped down onto her bed. Back at home she would've been working tirelessly at the hospital, something she genuinely enjoyed doing. Now all she had to do was lounge around all day and attempt studying things she'd never even seen before. It was both frustrating and upsetting. Sakura picked up the odd piece of plastic that Nakama called a cell phone. He explained that people could communicate back and forth by using the strange device, he told her how to use it but now how it worked, claiming she wouldn't understand. That was fine by Sakura; it gave her an excuse to research it herself.

She flipped the device open and saw that she had two new 'messages'. One being from Rika and the other being from Light. Sakura cringed, what did he want?

Sakura checked the one from Rika first.

To: Sakurin
From: Rikarin
Timestamp: 13:34
Sakura-chan! I know it's last minute, but Miyuki dropped out of the goukon last minute and I was wondering if you could fill in for her? Pretty, pretty please, Sakura-chan, with a cherry on top~

Sakura cringed, a goukon was the last thing she needed right now. Perhaps if she didn't answer, she could tell Rika that she hadn't got the message in time. Ignoring the curdling in her stomach, Sakura opened the next message.

To: Sakurin
From: Yagami Light
Timestamp: 13:16
It's a bit short notice, but I was wondering if you'd like to come over and study for a little bit today. As you know, the final exams are approaching and universities take those scores into consideration.

"It's a good opportunity to snoop…" Sakura muttered to herself. The only problem was being around Light left her feeling exceedingly uncomfortable, though that was nothing she couldn't handle.

Um, wouldn't you say the biggest problem is that you don't understand any of the stuff you're supposed to be studying? Don't you think Light will notice if the person that ranks second in the exams consistently suddenly has a second grade education?

I don't know much about this world, that's true, so that's why you're going to help me.

Why do I have to help?

Because that's what friends do, unless what you told me before was a lie and I should change your nickname to 'Kisama'.

Ladies shouldn't use such rude words, but fine, I'll help you.

Good!

If Light was Kira and he didn't suspect her, that left her a very delectable position. He wasn't worried about her finding out his secret and she didn't have to worry about her suspecting him, at least not yet.

Have you ever considered just staying neutral?

What do you mean?

I mean, you don't have to get involved. You don't need to find out who Kira is; I'd say you should go to the goukon with Rika.

You sound like you know something.

I don't. All I'm saying is that you shouldn't get involved when you don't need to get involved. Are you going to be this nosy the whole time you're here?

No, but Light is apparently my friend and I want to prove his innocence.

Seems to me like you want to prove his guilt.

Either way I want to know.

What Nakama said had been rather interesting. Not only had he hinted at Light being Kira, but he'd also mentioned 'the whole time you're here' revealing to Sakura that there was a way out. Just another mystery to solve. It seemed she'd have to find a way to get good at those.

Sakura responded to Light's message, making sure to press each button carefully. She was positive that her dummy had once been good at sending messages, but her body lacked the muscle memory and skill it took to mash her fingers quickly against the keys. Kind of frustrating considering she had enough delicacy to save people from the brink of death but there was nothing else she could do.

After messaging Light, she kindly informed Rika that she already made plans. Rika, of course, responded immediately demanding details, but Sakura didn't respond. It took Light a little bit longer to reply, but when he gave her the okay to head over Sakura was already out the door.

You got all your books?

Yes, Okaa-san.

Don't sass me. What's the plan of action?

What do you mean?

How do you plan on getting information?

I'll come up with one as soon as I see the place for myself.

Right, and do you know how to get there?

That's what you're here for, Nakama.

I just had to get stuck with someone like you, didn't I?

What do you mean by that?

Nothing, turn left up here.

With the help of Nakama and her natural good sense of direction, Sakura was at Lights's home in no time at all. She assumed it wasn't the first time she'd been there, in fact, she was sure she'd been there before. Probably for studying, it seemed both she and Light had a knack for that. Sakura approached the house and sounded the buzzer to inform Light that she had arrived. It took no more than a minute for Light himself to open the door, that nasty chill following him. He smiled another fake smile at her and invited her in.

Sakura smiled amiably at him, hoping he didn't see through her attempts to potentially unveil him for what he was.

"It's nice to see you, Light-kun. Shall we study?" Sakura said. Light nodded and lead her to his room. It was a cozy room, clean and organized. She wouldn't expect anything less from him. He cleared a spot on his desk, the only part that wasn't entirely organized, for Sakura to put her books.

As Sakura was placing her books down, Light asked her a question, "Can I get you anything to drink before we start?"

Sakura almost said no, before realizing that if Light went to get drinks it would leave her a few minutes alone to explore his room. She couldn't possibly know where to begin, but it was better than nothing.

"Sure, some water would be nice," Sakura smiled. Light nodded and left the room to go fetch the drinks. He left the cold feeling behind him in the room. Perhaps Light had some sort of jutsu, a spying one. It would explain how sometimes he felt like he was being followed around and other times he seemed like a normal teenager. If she were to search, she would need to tread carefully. "I wonder if Light-kun has any notes hidden away from me…I won't come second this time."

She'd like to think that her acting was pretty convincing. There was definitely something watching her, so if she were to snoop she needed to make it seem as petty and natural as possible. Maybe she was overreacting, but it was better to be safe than sorry. Sakura went to his desk first, notes messily strewn across the wood. Sakura flipped through them, pretending to be disinterested. There was nothing incriminating in those paper, unless the Pythagorean Theorem counted.

Then again, it would be idiotic to leave anything out where anybody could find it. Sakura went for the drawers next. None of them were locked, but that was to be expected. It was when Sakura opened up the first drawer on the right hand side she noticed something odd. The first thing she felt was an immense feeling of dread, similar to the one that Light had brought with him the first time she'd officially met him. In the drawer there lay one, single notebook and pen. That was odd in itself, but perhaps it was an important notebook to him. Sakura reached in and pulled the notebook out and skimmed through it. Most of the pages were blank, aside from the first few that held nothing but more notes. That's all Light seemed to have in his desk. Pretending to be disappointed, Sakura put the notebook away and closed the drawer. She couldn't get that dreadful feeling out of her head, and now that she'd noticed it the whole room seemed to feel like death.

It was almost suffocating, but Sakura was a kunoichi, dammit! She'd fought and killed one of the most dangerous shinobi alive, and she had the scar to prove it. If she could do that, then she could handle staying in Light's room for an hour or two!

It didn't take Light much longer to return with the drinks and a few snacks. It would certainly last them until they finished studying. When Light finally sat down to start studying with her, Sakura started the onslaught of questions.

"I suppose you're not going to tell me how you manage to always secure first place in the exams, are you?" Sakura sighed. Light laughed lightly telling Sakura that yes, indeed, he wouldn't share his secret. "Aren't geniuses supposed to be nice and teach the lesser population?"

"I'm not a genius," Light argued, though she could tell he was lying. He definitely believed he was a genius.

"You might as well be with your grades," Sakura grumbled. "You're smart enough that I bet you could catch Kira if you tried."

Aha, now that caught Light's attention.

Careful now, Sakura, you're treading dangerous waters.

I may not be a genius, but I know what I'm doing here.

"You want Kira to be caught?" Light responded. "Last time we spoke you said you were unsure."

"Mmhm, and that's still true," Sakura explained. "All I'm saying is that you're smart enough to catch this guy."

Why the hell are you stroking this guy's ego?

It's called manipulation. Arrogant guys like this practically live and breathe off of it.

"What makes you say that?" Light asked.

"Wouldn't you like to know? Let's get to studying," Sakura replied. By the look in Light's eyes, she knew she had him. Hook, line, and sinker. He wanted her to answer, but he couldn't pressure her for an answer without it seeming odd. The rest of the time they spent studying was met with the occasional roundabout question in attempts to get Sakura to answer. That told her all she needed to know about Light. Arrogant and smart, two traits that Kira would need to have.

By the time Sakura was leaving, she still hadn't given Light the little ego boost he so desperately wanted. Though by then she could see he had already clearly given up.

As Sakura walked home, she couldn't help but feel she'd failed. She'd only managed to confirm two of Kira's traits in Light and felt a strange presence in his desk drawer. That hardly proved anything.

There's always next time… Sakura thought to herself.

Why are you so interested in this? No more than a week ago you were on Kira's side!

I can't condone the murder of innocents. They were just people trying to do the right thing. They didn't need to die.

But criminals deserve to die?

If someone has done something wrong, then I don't see anything wrong with punishment.

I honestly don't know what to say to you right now.

If someone has a power like that, they should be using it to help people, not kill anyone that gets in their way.

Well, I'm glad we agree on something.

Sakura idly thought that maybe this wasn't a genjutsu after all.

. . . . . .

Another chapter complete, hallelujah. Seriously, praise the Lord I got it done. It's insanely stressful to attempt writing a chapter every day (because I want to finish this before school starts uwu), but I'm making an effort. In all honesty I'm not going to finish this before school starts, but I will at the very least have 15 chapters written so everything SHOULD work out okay. This chapter is kind of short, but have no fears the next chapter is going to be probably twice as long. Also, introduction to L next chapter as well as a time skip.

Just in case anyone was wondering, Sakura landed in the world of Death Note just after the To-Oh exams. To be honest, I'm not ENTIRELY sure how testing into universities work in Japan so I'm just going to assume that they're still in school but VERY close to graduation and their break right now in the story. There is going to be a rather large time skip next chapter, skipping their winter break and graduation, but I don't think that's really going to upset anyone…at least I hope not.

Anyway, here's the next stats…Light's!

Personal Information
Full Name: Yagami Light
Gender: Male
Birthday: 2/28/1989
Deathday: 1/28/2013
Height: 5'8
Weight: 119 lbs.
Blood Type: A
Likes: Justice
Dislikes: Evil

Stats

Intelligence: 9/10
Creativity: 10/10
Initiative: 8/10
Emotional Strength: 10/10
Social Skills: 10/10
Other Attribute
Acting Skills: 10/10

EDIT 3/31/2015: Just fixed some typos and word confusion.