Les Enfants des Classiques
(Children of the Classics)

The next few days passed slowly and agonizingly for the circle of musicians who had been invited to the fateful concert. Since Melodi's death, they had waited anxiously for any news from the police about what had actually happened to her. Light got the call from Mr. Kitaniji, the show's director, three days later. He had been eating lunch with Sayu and his parents when his phone rang, and when he saw who it was, had excused both himself and Sayu to go answer it. Kitaniji, upon learning that they already knew of the death, had given them the official report from the police autopsy. Melodi's death had been suicide, based on all the evidence. Light personally didn't believe it, but that was what the police had said. He had promptly called Ryuuzaki to tell him the news. He wasn't sure why he was telling Ryuuzaki; maybe because he had been to the crime scene with them. It was a half-baked idea at best, but Light went with it.

Kitaniji had been intending to call the rest of the musicians from the concert. Light was close to last on his list. The three Russian siblings, Vera, Andrei, and Alexei, were the only ones he had left to call.

Now, sitting in a small, casual restaurant, he was explaining the situation to his best childhood friend.

"But Light! Aren't you worried in the least?" Misa cried, almost spilling her soda in her worry. "What if it is murder, like you thought? What if they come after you?!"

"Misa, even if it is murder, the likelihood that they would target me is low. Likely it's someone with a personal vendetta against Melodi, or something." Light said. He was fond of Misa, but she could be overly protective sometimes. The blonde girl, a semi-famous model, had been his first friend, back in elementary school when he had felt so very apart from everyone else. He was smart, ahead of the others in his grade, and even at that point, music was everything to him. It was everything that other people were not: complex, fascinating, and in Light's eyes, beautiful. When other children had free time to go play outside, play games and run about, Light had hidden away in the music room, experimenting with the different instruments. After weeks of fooling around, he had discovered that piano was the one that he liked the best.

Misa had been in his class, and had one day begun following him to the music room. He had been wary, but she never said anything, just sat there and listened. After almost a week, he got used to her presence, and she finally decided to speak to him. They had become friends, talking about music and comparing interests. It was the first time anyone had tried to be Light's friend, and he realized that he liked Misa's company. They had stayed friends ever since, even if Misa could be unbearably girly and a worrywart on occasion. Sometime after, Light's mother had gotten him piano lessons. He went from teacher to teacher, getting more and more advanced, until he finally met Teru Mikami. The older man had become his only other real friend, outside of the people who were like him, other musicians. He supposed he could consider the other musicians as his friends. Every one of them, except L. L didn't seem like the type of person who had friends.

Misa was regarding him with an uncharacteristically serious expression. "Light, I don't want anything to happen to you. You're my best friend." She nervously stirred her soda with the straw. "This whole mess… Something doesn't seem right about it. I mean, the police reported it as a suicide, right? But it doesn't feel that way. I saw that girl perform that night. She looked so happy; I can't imagine what could have spurred her to kill herself."

Light was surprised. So it wasn't just him, Sayu, and Ryuuzaki. The list of people who thought this was weird was getting longer. Surely, that meant something. He smiled at Misa. "I'll be careful, Misa. Don't worry." he said, trying to be reassuring. They got up to leave, and Light gave her a hug. "I'd better get home, or Sayu will think I'm off doing something inappropriate with you."

Misa giggled. Light's little sister had been teasing them forever about just giving up and dating already, but that wasn't how it was. They were best friends, nothing more. But that didn't stop Sayu from sneaking edgy comments in on occasion. "Go home, then. I'll see you later, Light!" She leaned up to kiss him on the cheek, laughing, and skipped out of the restaurant. Light smiled as well, following her out.

xXx

As he walked, he contemplated everything that had happened, absently turning over ideas in his mind. He knew that people were often capable of hiding their emotions very well, but there were definite triggers to look for when someone was suicidal. They were depressed, or spent time considering how things would be if they weren't there. Otherwise, some deep, sudden trauma could trigger a suicidal impulse, but unless they could pry into Melodi's personal life, there was no way that they could find that out. She hadn't seemed depressed or contemplating the lack of her existence in the world, so that was really the only remaining option.

His phone rang, and when he looked at the screen he saw Ryuuzaki's newly saved number once again. He flipped open the phone, answering, "Yes, Ryuuzaki?"

"Light-kun…" Ryuuzaki said slowly. "I have been contemplating the nature of Melodi di Lirica's death, and have come to the conclusion that the police report is entirely wrong. There is not enough evidence to name it as murder, but there is also not nearly enough evidence to classify it as suicide. There is no suicidal motive."

"That we know of, Ryuuzaki." Light replied, grinning wryly at the fact that Ryuuzaki didn't even say 'hello' like normal people. He got right to the point. "Something could have occurred in her personal life that we don't know, something bad enough to drive her to such an action."

"Of course." Ryuuzaki acquiesced, sighing. "I merely wanted Light-kun to hear my idea, since he is directly involved."

"I was thinking along the same lines, actually, but there's nothing we can do without police access, or something." Neither were detectives, even if they were smarter than average. That was access that they didn't have.

Ryuuzaki was silent for a long moment, and Light wondered if he had been disconnected or something. He was about to speak the other's name, to make sure that he was still there, when Ryuuzaki said hesitantly, "Light-kun?"

Light was taken aback by the tone he spoke with, but refused to let his surprise be revealed in his voice. "Yes, Ryuuzaki? What is it?"

Another long pause followed from Ryuuzaki's end of the phone. Light waited patiently, assuming that it was something that the other young man was finding difficult to say, but he was surprised yet again.

"I… would like Light-kun to come and visit me." Ryuuzaki said quietly.

Light blinked. "Is that all? That's no problem. Tell me where you live."

"I can send directions to your phone." Ryuuzaki murmured, talking faster now, and Light recognized it as nervousness. "Please, come visit. You can meet my children." There was a hint of sarcasm there, a mocking emphasis on my children. Light smiled to himself, opening his mouth to answer, but hesitating as he heard Ryuuzaki murmur almost noiselessly, "Light-kun is my first friend, and I would like to trust him."

Light processed this sentence quickly, but didn't acknowledge it verbally. Instead, he said easily, "I'd be happy to meet your kids." He put the same laughing sarcasm on the possessive, hoping Ryuuzaki would hear and understand.

"I will send directions, then. Goodbye, Light-kun."

Light closed his phone, then opened it again as it beeped. A message waited, and he clicked it open, revealing a small map of Tokyo. A blue line traced from the A-East theatre, a landmark both knew, to an address about twenty minutes from Light's own house. Light raised an eyebrow, but calmly headed to the subway station to take the train home.

xXx

About half an hour later, he stood outside of a moderately-sized house in a perfectly normal neighborhood. In fact, it seemed almost too normal for someone like Ryuuzaki. He rang the doorbell, wondering who would answer.

Ryuuzaki himself opened the door. He smiled widely, motioning Light inside, and the pianist couldn't help but think that the odd young man was cute when he smiled. Ryuuzaki led him through into a simple living room, where he hopped into a chair and said softly, "Please sit, Light-kun." He hugged his knees to his chest as he watched Light warily.

Light sat down, looking around. "So this is where you live. It's almost painfully normal, Ryuuzaki."

"Light-kun was expecting a mansion? A circus tent? A fortified bunker underground, perhaps?" Ryuuzaki said with a smile. "No, it is simply a house that I share with my adopted brothers." He looked up, nodding to someone who had come into the room behind where Light sat. Light turned to look, raising an eyebrow.

This was obviously the youngest, the one Ryuuzaki had said was thirteen; although he looked much younger, maybe seven or eight. His hair was blindingly white, and he dressed entirely in the same color, as if to match. His skin was a darker tone than Ryuuzaki's, though not by much. But what really got Light were his eyes, a startling black. Certainly, Ryuuzaki's were black as well, but they were the sparkling black of obsidian. This child's eyes were the shiny black of a polished piece of onyx.

"This is Near." Ryuuzaki said quietly. "Near, this is Light Yagami. He is a pianist. I met him at the concert."

Near's eyes focused on Light, and he murmured, "This is who you went to lunch with?"

"Yes." Ryuuzaki smiled. He noticed the violin cradled in Near's arms, and said quietly, "Are you going to practice?"

"Yes. If Mello and Matt aren't keeping the room to themselves…" Near drifted away up the stairs, and Light blinked.

"He plays violin?"

"They all play violin…" Ryuuzaki replied absently. "Mello plays guitar, too, and Matt plays the drums. Near can play the flute… That is why there is such a deep love of classical music in this house. All of my adopted brothers are musicians-in-training." He glanced upwards, saying, "There is a room upstairs that we have soundproofed so that they may practice and not disturb the neighbors or each other."

Thunderous footsteps pounded down the stairs, and Light turned to see the source of the new disturbance. A skinny blond child and a redhead came into the room, the blond obviously being the oldest, Mello. The redhead was Matt, then. Mello opened his mouth, paused when he saw Light, then yelled, "Ryuuzaki! Near stole the practice room!"

"Stole?" Ryuuzaki asked quietly.

"I left for two seconds and he went in there! I was practicing!"

"Then you ask him quietly to leave, Mello. You do not get upset about it. It's easily resolved."

"Told you so. I knew he'd say that." Matt grinned. He glanced at Light. "Ryuuzaki, who's this?"

"This is Light Yagami. The friend I went to lunch with the other day." Both boys exchanged a glance, and Matt laughed.

"Good! Ryuuzaki has a friend! For once…" He and Mello went back upstairs to try and negotiate with Near.

"For once…?" Light murmured questioningly.

Ryuuzaki looked down at the chair. "…I do not have many friends, Light-kun. You are the first real friend I have ever had." He shifted uncomfortably, and continued, "I do not trust many people. I am paranoid to the point of ridiculousness at times, and obviously that is crippling to any form of social interaction. But I trust you, Light-kun, with anything that you find out about me."

"I have to find out?" Light asked teasingly. "You can't just tell me?"

Ryuuzaki was silent for a long moment, which Light took to mean 'no'. "If you discover things, I will not deny them." Ryuuzaki finally replied. "You treat me like a person, Light-kun. Not an untouchable idol or something, but a living, breathing person, and for that I am grateful."

Before Light could ask what Ryuuzaki meant by that last bit of his speech, his phone rang again. Light was starting to get annoyed with the thing. How many phone calls could he possibly rack up in one week? Maybe he would set a new record. He answered it with a curt, "Yes?"

"Light, it's Suki." Her voice shook slightly, and Light's eyes widened. No way…

"What is it, Suki-san?" he asked, trying to keep the worry from his voice.

"There's been another death." Suki said, fighting as hard as he was to keep her voice calm.

"Another death…" Light echoed, and he saw Ryuuzaki stiffen. The wide-eyed young man moved to lean over Light's shoulder to listen in on the conversation.

"Can you get over here? We're at Tokyo Tower…" Suki asked. "Lïnwé's here with me, but I'm scared, Light-san. Please…?"

"I'll be there as soon as I can." Light hung up, looking into Ryuuzaki's endless obsidian eyes. The other drew back, to normal boundaries of personal space, and said emotionlessly, "I'm going too."

"Sure." Light replied.

Ryuuzaki moved to the closet in the hall, yelling up the stairs, "I'm going out!" It didn't matter if they heard or not, but chances were at least one of them wasn't in the soundproofed room. He dug through the closet, rummaging through jackets and cloaks, red, black, white, silver, before pulling out a light jacket and shutting the door again. As the door swung shut, Light blinked at the contents of the closet, but they were out of sight before he could process what he had seen, and he followed Ryuuzaki quickly to the door. Another death… This didn't bode well at all…

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Light! A good little not-detective should pay attention to other's coat closets! Who knows what you might learn... (snicker)

Musical prodigy children ahoy! I love all of them so much, but Mello is definitely the most entertaining to write. :)

To everyone who keeps guessing if the killer is Beyond Birthday: No. He's not in this particular story. You'll have to look for clues just like everybody else!

Luv and hugs!
Li