I Am Kira!

by AlmineGoneWild

Lila Ranger is an ordinary Canadian high school girl who dies one night after a terrible car accident followed by a heart attack. The next thing she knows she's waking up in an alternate world's Japan apparently in the Death Note universe, one of her favourite anime's. This would be great except...Now the death note's been placed in her hands and now there's no going back!

4. Chapter 3 (Farewell Raye Penber)

Chapter 3

(Farewell Ray Penber!)

It was yet another long, long school day and even though I hadn't expected it, at lunch I kept hearing a lot about Kira buzzing around the student populace. Ryuk once again was following me around like a shadow and Light, having seen the news this morning about the broadcast last night in New York, had insisted on keeping a close watch on me and his younger sister Sayu. This meant that after my last class at the end of the day he was waiting for me to walk me home.

"You know you don't have to do this right? I'm a capable young woman able to take care of myself," I told him as we walked towards Sayu's school to pick her up from her club. He shifted his bag on his shoulder and stuck his hand in his pocket.

Sorry but I'm not taking any chances," he stated. "After what's happened to us recently, I don't want to risk it. Call me paranoid all you want but I say the more likely place in the world Kira would be is here in Japan."

"Oh and how did you come to that conclusion?" I questioned warily.

"Simple," he replied. "Because the timings don't match up." I gave him questioning glance. "Let me explain," he continued with a sigh. "If L. wanted to broadcast in areas of the world with larger populations, he would broadcast the message in those areas first. So he started in Japan where the patterns of the killings were the highest and the Kanto region because of its large populace. If L. was tracking the ratio of the deaths and found that the city of New York and areas surrounding there were also with a high death rate, he would broadcast there next. Then he would broadcast around the world until the death rate numbers began decreasing until he got to the lowest percentage." He looked up to see if I was still paying attention. My attention was what he had and not because I was interested in his line of thinking but because I was beginning to get the feeling that I had royally screwed up.

"Anyway, if that was the broadcasting method he'd used then he would've definitely broadcast in New York after having broadcast some more around Japan. Therefore, the time of the original live broadcast in New York was around the same time we were probably eating dinner last night or while I was in night school; you'd have to account for the time of the run of the broadcast. Meanwhile the death announced by L. of Lind L. Tailor occurred after the original broadcasting at around two o' clock our time during a re-run of the report in New York which could suggest that Kira had access to the internet and was browsing around for new targets, coming across Lind L. Tailor at that time and deciding to kill him after he'd been accused of being evil. Therefore, that's how L. probably figured he could only be in one place at one time and matching the death rate ratios and the times between Japan and New York plus the length of the re-run, he figured that Kira must be in Japan but also had access to New York news. Obviously what he said on television was also a psychological trap set for Kira to make him start panicking while also remaining with a false sense of security that he's a lot safer than he could've been."

Light kept walking as my jaw hit the street. How the hell did he deduct that so quickly? Was he right, was L. just toying with me? Did he really actually believe that I, Kira, was in Japan? I had been so confident that I'd gotten a one up on this world's greatest detective but had all of that just been my naivety kicking in? God, I was such an idiot!

I heard Ryuk chuckling behind me and when Light wasn't looking, I whirled around and gave him the death glare which only made him laugh harder and my cheeks burned red. Damn and I thought that I was smart here too. I guess my knowledge of this world didn't compensate for actual wit. Now L. was probably going to use my little slip up to his advantage. And I couldn't just start killing more in another area. That would more than likely add on to his hunch and prove him right. Not to mention that if Light really did get involved with this case, I'd have two super genius's to deal with. Just perfect!

"Hey, are you alright?" Light asked looking back at me. I had begun to trudge slower behind him deep in my now anxious thoughts. Quickly recovering, I picked myself up and started rubbing the back of my head.

"Sorry," I apologized sheepishly. "You're deductive skills are still a little mind blowing sometimes. I just can't keep up." Light just scoffed and chuckled a bit.

"Well I suppose that's to be expected what with your current grade point average."

"What!" I retorted, my voice cracking as it jumped an octave. "Leave my grade point average out of this! I might not be a super genius like you but I can still kick your ass in karate smart guy!"

"Oooh, I'd like to see that battle," complimented Ryuk. In the peak of my embarrassment, I turned without thinking and shouted,

"Shut-up dammit!" Light seemed taken aback.

"Woah, where did that come from?" he asked bewildered. I think my face was on fire or at least that's what it felt like when the blush had completely filled it. I tried to speak but nothing worked.

"Where did…I mean, that um…I didn't really…words… not coming… out…right…" and with that I did a Tarzan sort of yell while grasping my head then I grabbed Light by the sleeve and started dragging.

"Hey, what're you doing…Lila what's gotten into you all of a sudden, where are you taking me?"

"To that milkshake bar downtown," I stated, thinking immediately of the rich creamy liquid with whipped cream and a cherry on top, running down my throat to calm my nerves.

"But we're supposed to pick up Sayu," he protested.

"We can do that too, on the way," I growled.

"But why…" he began.

"Because I'm menstruating and mamma needs sugar! Any more objections?" I snapped back before he could finish. Realizing he couldn't sway me he stopped resisting.

"No," he sighed. Still dragging him practically by the arm now, I began heading in the direction I wanted to go.

"Good," I said in false sweetness, "Because your wallet's buying."

"Wait, what?!" he exclaimed but before he could protest further, I just tugged him harder and began dragging him along with more force. Meanwhile Ryuk floated in the background muttering, "Poor guy".

After we had picked Sayu up from her after school club, I practically dragged her and her brother down to the milkshake shop where Mrs. Yagami had taken us to celebrate Sayu's birthday before heading to a movie a few months ago. After we'd placed our orders, Sayu and I sat in a booth with our shakes while Light payed for them at the counter. Then we sat down and ended up having a conversation about the latest movies coming into theatres and Light's upcoming entrance exam into the college of his choice.

Afterwards, having been calmed down by the sugary drink, we made our way back home where Mrs. Yagami had been waiting for us. Light had apparently called her while I was dragging him along behind me. I went upstairs and threw my stuff on the bed afterwards and began to wash up for dinner. I wrote a few more names in the notebook, ones I'd collected a while ago and then threw it in my bra and underwear drawer inside its lockable box. After which I made my way to the dinner table.

"And how was everybody's day today?" Mrs. Yagami questioned us while we ate. Mr. Yagami for once since receiving his new case, sat beside his wife eating quietly. Sayu was all too happy to talk about her day first. She talked about how in her world cultures class they'd started talking about Canada and how she wanted to visit there when she got old enough to travel because of the rumors of it having so many trees and how most of them had colour changing leaves in the fall and a bucket load of snow in winter that sometimes lasted through spring. She even went on about how there was a discussion about an end of the year class trip for when she finished the last grade of middle school. I couldn't blame her; I had come to miss the beautiful autumn colours of the country I'd grown up in, in my original world. In fact I missed the country all together.

Next it was Light's turn. He went over how the finals were coming up and how he'd scored highest in his class again but as he spoke it came across less arrogant and more like nothing out of the ordinary had changed anything. I could still remember how Mr. Yagami had reacted when Light had finally told him about the man who'd tried to kill him last week. He hadn't been brimming with worry as much as Mrs. Yagami but he had given Light a lecture on the matter of keeping secrets like that from family.

Then it was my turn as Sayu and Mrs. Yagami looked to me. Mr. Yagami and Light just returned to their dinners but I could tell they were still listening to the side of their ongoing thoughts.

"Well, um, nothing really new in school happened. We went to the milkshake bar downtown near Sayu's school and then came back here. So yeah, nothing much really happened for me today. So how about you guys?" I asked Mr. and Mrs. Yagami to quickly change the subject. Mrs. Yagami laughed lightly.

"Oh, I haven't really done anything besides go grocery shopping and whatever else a house wife does all day. After all, what else is there to do?"

"You could always go have a day to yourself mom," Sayu pointed out. "After all the delicious meals you make us, you deserve it." Mrs. Yagami blushed at her daughter's words. Then Light spoke up towards his father.

"Is everything okay dad?" he asked. "You look tired," he commented. Looking up at Mr. Yagami I could see some dark circles under his eyes indicating that he must've been working really hard on the Kira case which only I secretly knew about currently. Mr. Yagami sighed as he continued eating. After he swallowed he spoke like the tired old man he was.

"Yeah," he started. "I'm not able to say too much about it but this case I'm working on now is really tough." And he left it at that. Darn, I thought to myself. He hasn't told us about it yet which means it hasn't gotten that far into the series yet. However, some things don't add up. Why not now? Is it because Ray Penber and the FBI agents haven't been taken care of? Maybe…or maybe it's also because it's near the time where L is suspecting that Kira is a Student. What should I do?

"Is something wrong?" Light asked suddenly, pulling me out of my reverie. I looked up to see Light, Sayu and Mrs. Yagami looking at me. I'd probably been making a face again, the one I made when I was deep in thought.

"Oh yeah," I quickly spluttered nervously. "I was just thinking about something is all. Nothing too important." I returned to my meal, trying not to seem too nervous. Afterwards, it was Sayu's turn to do the dishes and Light went upstairs to get ready for cram school. I on the other hand trudged up to my room and plopped down on my bed both physically and mentally exhausted. Ryuk meanwhile just floated nearby, munching on the apple I had snuck him. I had snuck one for myself as well and so I began to munch on it.

"So, what's going through your mind now? Is something big supposed to happen?" he asked as he took another bite. I swallowed my own bite of apple and thought before I spoke.

"Well, I'm going to have to start killing at different times now because now that that conversation is out of the way, I know that L is beginning to suspect a student. At least that's what I hope he's suspecting because anything else would become too confusing."

"But don't you sometimes take your death note to school?" he asked curiously.

"Yeah but now I have to apply the time management rule. In the original series, Light deducted that one could write down not only the cause of death in the allotted time given before the death becomes a heart attack; but the details of the death including the time, which means, I should be able to do the same thing. So if I write down every person's death and the time it's meant to happen, then I don't need to worry about having to even take the death note to school. I can just get up early every morning and write down every name before-hand. Does that make sense to you?" I looked up at Ryuk who was finishing his apple core in one gulp.

"Yeah, I guess so," he agreed as he sighed then became more relaxed after having swallowed. He floated closer to the bed where he sat down on the edge. "So what else is supposed to happen, do you know?" I shifted uncomfortably as I took another bite of my not even near completion apple. Damn, Ryuk was a fast eater!

"Well, after the timings of the deaths began to change after they started suspecting a student, L. began investigating the police because it had meant that Kira had access to police files. However, I don't know how to hack into Mr. Yagami's network files so how could I possibly know other than the knowledge I've already been given? Nevertheless, L. begins to investigate the police while the police become suspicious of L and begin to investigate him as well because he refuses to be truthful with those he doesn't fully trust. That gives us a time window.

"Then L. will bring over the FBI from America and one of them started following Light around. Because of that, it led to the agent's untimely death at Kira's hands only this time it's going to be different. I'm not going to kill him but I'll make it seem as though I have."

"And how exactly are you going to do that?" questioned a curious Ryuk. I sat up on my bed in a similar posture that L. would use to "Increase his deductive skills" as he would put it but instead, I leaned my back against the headboard because it was uncomfortable unless I did so.

"I've been thinking a lot about that and I think I've come up with a solution," I stated. I started twirling and playing with strands of my hair which was a habit I'd never been able to get rid of. "Simply put, instead of killing the FBI agents and anyone just doing their jobs and are trying to catch Kira, I was thinking that while Kira is a mass murderer, he or I could also become a kidnapper."

"A kidnapper eh?" Ryuk scoffed. "And how exactly are you planning on kidnapping a bunch of people without resistance?"

"Well that's the thing, there would be no resistance. I would make each of their kidnappings seem like accidental deaths and then nobody would go looking for them. I'd just have to find a way to get them to fall unconscious and such and then you'd have to help with carrying them. You are strong, right I mean physically speaking?" I asked eying him.

"Of course I'm strong but why would I want to help you?" he sneered in reply. I sighed knowing it would come to this.

"Look I know you don't care to join any side and that you're just here for entertainment purposes but if you don't help then I can't exactly fulfill that request now can I?" I reasoned. Ryuk seemed intrigued by this line of thinking. "Anyway, if I get caught too early, there goes your show and you won't have liked it as much as you could've. Besides didn't I already tell you that getting involved in this would provide you with more fun? Also you kind of owe me for dropping the stupid notebook in the first place and making me into a mass murderer here." I pointed out.

"Actually, the whole mass murderer thing was all you. I just dropped the notebook and didn't even know where it would end up," he retorted.

"Exactly!" I exclaimed. "And that's why you owe me because you were careless with one of the most dangerous weapons of mass murder in history and because it was me who picked it up. Plus all of the apple treats I've been giving you is another thing!" Ryuk huffed in annoyance.

"Fine, let's say I do help out, what's in it for me?" he demanded. I grinned maliciously, the way I usually did when making a deal with the devil aka my younger brother from my world.

"Why you get the promise that I won't kill you Ryuk." Ryuk tilted his head curiously. "I've already told you that I know how to kill a Shinigami and since a Shinigami isn't human, I'll have no problem killing you off using your own death note to do it." I watched him carefully to see how he would react. He scoffed again.

"Are you so sure that you can kill me?" he inquired. I didn't back down.

"Of course!" I assured him. "I remember just how to do it from watching this world from my world. I won't hesitate to do so either especially if you try to betray me and write my name. I'm pretty sure I can still kill you before I myself die of a heart attack or whatever else you could cook up in your twisted imagination. Besides, if you don't help me, you'll end up going home before I can give you more apple related desserts and dishes. Oh and don't think the whole extra lives thing will save you either," I finished. I looked straight at him as he finally sighed and shrugged.

"Fine then I'll help. But remember this Lila, I'm no one's lap dog. I don't do tricks and I don't follow orders from anyone. I'll only be helping you because it suits my fancy alright?" I grinned holding out my hand for his.

"Then we have an accord?" I questioned using one of my favourite lines from captain Barbosa from the Pirates of the Caribbean. Ryuk was hesitant at first then reached out for my hand with his abnormally warped one. I didn't even shudder when we touched even though his was evidently colder than mine.

"A deal," he replied nodding. I sighed and relaxed into a more comfortable position with my legs sticking out but my back still up against the headboard of my bed.

"Good," I said beaming. "Then it's settled. I'm not going to kill the FBI agents or anyone else who're going to get in my way. I'll just simply remove them and put them somewhere else. Now all I have to do is figure out where."

"Oh yeah, you definitely aren't going to get caught," Ryuk said sarcastically. My face immediately turned into a childish scowl. The Shinigami just shrugged then made his way to the window where he opened it. He looked back over his shoulder.

"I'm going out for a while. I'll be back a little before morning, goodnight!" he started to leave when I stopped him.

"Wait, Ryuk!" I called. He sighed turning back again.

"Yes?" he asked.

"Finish this for me, I'm full," I said tossing him the apple I'd been eating. I hadn't eaten much and now I was just tired of holding it. The Shinigami caught it gratefully and said, "Sure," before taking it in his hand and taking off out the window. I closed the window again knowing he could just phase through once he got back. I went over to my desk and finished my homework.

Afterwards, I pulled out my blue notebook from my desk with the collected names of people I'd already killed. I passed the many pages where I had crossed out the already dead people's names and even though I had been doing it for a while, I still shivered internally at the thought. I also realized that I hadn't written out how anybody else would die and had just been letting them die of heart attacks. I guessed I really wasn't as cold hearted as the original Kira.

I opened my laptop then started browsing through the internet for criminals in both Japan and New York just because I wasn't feeling too risky in changing anything like locations and such too drastically yet. God, I really wished I had the help of a super genius. I finished writing down the names I would write in the morning and the timings of their deaths.

Next, I went and took another shower, cleansing my body of the stress it had gone through during the day and wouldn't you know it, while I was sitting to take a leak I actually did start menstruating. I sighed in annoyance and fixed the problem with a pad for the night then washed up again and went to bed. As I laid there, trying to fall asleep, I wondered just how I was going to able to kidnap Ray Penber and where on Earth I was going to put him and the others when it was time.

I decided not to worry about it so much until after a good night's sleep which I'd already managed to neglect two nights in a row. I finally let the confines of sleep take me and soon fell into complete rest unaware that the answer to my problem was looming just around the corner and would be visited this coming weekend.

"Aunt who now?" I asked incredulously. I was still reeling with shock from the sudden change in atmosphere from the bombshell that had just hit.

"Aunt Ajisai. She lives in the country near mountains," exclaimed Sayu excitedly as she started hauling her more than likely over packed suitcase out of her room and down the stairs. "We haven't seen her in forever and mom got the call about her fall down the stairs this morning. Man I'm glad it's the weekend."

I followed her downstairs with my backpack swung casually over my shoulder along with my duffel bag full of clothes and whatever else I would need for the trip.

"Yeah okay but to spring it on us as we're coming in the door from school like this…it's kind of unexpected."

"Yeah and it's also awesome," Sayu countered, now trying to lift her bag over the threshold of the front door. "Just wait till you meet her. She's an awesome cook and she can make any kind of herbs into medicine. She's so cool!" I smiled at the girl's admiration of her aunt and at her struggle to carry her bag.

"Cool?" Light asked coming down with his own bag. "She sits alone in her cottage all day and does nothing but clean. Plus she's ancient and crazy."

"Oh come on Light, knock it off. You love her just as much as I do. I've seen the baby photos," Sayu pointed accusingly. Light just sighed and scoffed.

"Yeah before I knew how creepy she was," he muttered.

"Come on, I know she might seem that way to you but she's still family," I persisted. Mrs. Yagami came out with her own suitcase.

"That's right Light, so why don't you show some respect this time?" she suggested as she helped Sayu heft her bag into the trunk of the vehicle. Then she added her own as I added my duffel bag. "Oh and due to your father's work, he won't be able to come with us so we'll be going with just us and no Light, you can't stay behind."

Ryuk and I snickered in unison at Light as he was stopped by his mother before he could speak. Light shot me the annoyed glare however as Ryuk remained invisibly floating by my side. He placed his own bag in neatly beside the others in the trunk and finally closed it with a slam.

"Alright troops, are we ready to set off?" Mrs. Yagami asked with enthusiasm.

"Yeah!" shouted Sayu, jumping up in the air.

"Not sure but okay," I replied nervously.

"Anything but," Light groaned.

"Great then let's hit the road. Light you called your night school and told them it was a family matter emergency right?" Light nodded solemnly. "Okay then, everybody in." and with that we all piled into the car and buckled up. Then we were on the road, headed towards the Yagami's aunt's place located god knows where that I had had no clue about.

Aunt Ajisai had never been in the series whatsoever and I had barely known anything about Light's mother's side of the family. In fact, I was sort of freaking out now that we were headed into unknown territory by my standards. I sighed and watched out the window for most of the ride down as it got ever darker outside. Meanwhile, I would glimpse about to see if I could see Ryuk following the car or just his looming shadow. Thanks to the written excuse from Mrs. Yagami and the phone call from Light, the night school Light was supposed to be attending had excused him from the one class.

We drove for hours either listening to the radio or stopping by a coffee shop for a drink and some treats. As we went along, it reminded me of the car rides I used to take with my own family from New Brunswick to Nova Scotia with my siblings and me in the back of our minivan with the dog, and my parents up front talking to one another. We would stop at the Tim Hortons restaurant at the pass over in Sussex then sometimes a second time in Oxford. We would watch movies in the back on the flip down screens and sometimes get into the worst possible fights that would drive our parents insane. Every memory of practically every trip we'd taken together came flooding back in a wave I wasn't ready for.

There was the time when I had been stupid and had eaten potato chips for breakfast just before leaving despite my motion sickness then me later yelling at my dad to stop the car on the side of the highway so I could upchuck in the ditch out the window. Not the most pleasant memory but still one I had laughed at time and time again with my family whenever we got into the line of conversation. I sighed as I remembered it all, a small lump forming in my throat as the realization once again hit that I was never going back to them, that I was stuck here in a world I didn't really belong to playing the part of someone, some people had actually played because they were fans. But if they had really known, I thought to myself.

"Hey, are you okay?" Light asked softly beside me. Sayu had fallen asleep on the other side of the back seat on his shoulder and he was looking at me with a sort of look that I'd used on my own younger siblings from time to time.

"Huh, what do you mean?" I choked out, surprised with how difficult it was to speak. The lump in my throat had shifted to a more uncomfortable position and then I felt something wet on my cheek. Reaching up with my hand to feel it, I realized I'd started silently crying. Light sighed and raised a hand to my face.

"You have something weighing on your mind," he stated as he wiped away a tear. I could feel my nose going runny and I silently cursed at myself for that because I hated mucus. "Do you want to talk about it?" he asked sincerely. I was shocked that this was coming from Light who used to be the Kira I'd known before coming to this world. It didn't seem natural and yet at the same time, it did. Then I had to remind myself that despite all of what had happened in the original series, Light was still a human being. He was no longer the fictional anime character behind the screen. I thought about his question a while before turning away to look back out the window at the starry sky.

"I'm sorry, it's just…this whole road trip experience just stirred up some old memories is all," I said after a while. "I mean, I remember going on trips like this all the time cross country with my family. The thought of never seeing them again whatsoever…" I stopped midsentence. I'd been trying to act tough and seem only nostalgic but the truth was I had only made matters worse by talking out loud. The lump in my throat grew larger and I had to keep myself from turning around so he wouldn't see my tears. However, it didn't stop him from seeing my shuddering and hearing my sniffles.

"You know we're here for you right?" he asked. His tone was definitely that of an older brother figure, the one that he should be. It was comforting to hear because it was also another reminder that not only was he human but he was a teenage kid just like me. Just then we hit a bump in the road and the glass of the window that'd been where I was resting my head and hiding my feelings, smacked me back on the forehead. I sat up holding my new sore spot.

"Ow! Just great," I choked on my words again. The sudden bump on the head had left me embarrassed and vulnerable. "This…this sucks!" I started hyperventilating while I sobbed and the sudden memory of how I had had a heart attack afterwards the first time came back. I started getting scared. Then from out of nowhere, I felt a hand land on my shoulder. Shocked, I turned to see Light looking at me with concern. His eyes were able to calm me down; they told me I wasn't alone. He sighed and pulled me gently into a hug.

"Like I said, we're family now so we're here for you. Me, mom, Sayu even dad. We didn't bring you into this family to make you feel like you were all alone, we did it so you wouldn't be alone," he stated truthfully. The sincerity in his voice and the hug were definitely what I'd needed. The warmth of the hug had calmed me down and now I was breathing regularly.

"You know he's right honey," Mrs. Yagami chimed in from the driver's seat. Apparently she'd heard the whole thing. "We all agreed when we adopted you that you would be a part of the family not just some lost puppy we took in from the street. You can think of me as your second mother, Sayu is your little sister and Light is your brother. Whether older or younger depends on you though I suppose but nonetheless you're a Yagami now and you're definitely not alone." I looked up at her surprised then looked to Light then Sayu sleeping next to him. In a way I supposed they were right. However, it was different, especially since I had once upon a time watched them live their lives from the other side of a television or computer screen. And yet, I sort of did feel like I belonged with them in an odd way. I just decided not to think about it then and that I should rest after the trauma of the day. I blamed part of my emotional state on the unexpected pop quiz my teacher had thrown at us that day. Since I'd been unprepared via doodling, I got a zero out of ten.

I continued my silent tears unable to stop the flow, but at least I wasn't blubbering anymore. I leaned into Light's hug, completely worn. "Thank you," I whispered as I snuggled down and closed my eyes. The motion of the car, the sound of the wind passing us by outside at the speed we were travelling and the warm hug I was enveloped in with my older brother; that's right, I thought, he's my older brother; with all of those combined, I finally drifted off into a peaceful slumber, exhaustion taking away my consciousness.

"Welcome back sister. What took you so long to come over?" Ajisai questioned as we approached the front door of the house. We had been driving practically all night and it was near morning now. I was rubbing the sleep from my eyes as I dragged my suitcase out of the back of the car.

Aunt Ajisai was standing before us in the front door of her little house. She looked like Light had described her, ancient with wrinkles on her wrinkles. I honestly had to wonder how much younger than her sister was Mrs. Yagami.

"Oh well you know us, we're as busy as ever these days what with Soichiro and Light now working so hard at what they do best," Mrs. Yagami replied with a tired smile. I felt bad for the woman having to drive all night and now that we were here, she looked about ready to collapse like I usually did whenever I never got enough sleep.

"Yes well that's hardly any excuse now is it?" he sister accused in a pouting manner. She turned her eyes towards Sayu. "And looky what we have here, my you've grown quite a bit since the last time I saw you and your brother too," she commented. She gave Sayu a hug and then took Light's reluctant face by the chin with her index finger and thumb to get a better look at him.

"Would you cut that out!?" he protested annoyed. Aunt Ajisai just scoffed.

"Heh, your size has grown but so has your ego," she complimented. "You'd do well to remember I don't accept backtalk under my roof mister so clean up your act!" She let go of Light's chin then turned to me.

"And who'd this little cutie?" she queried. "Is she your girlfriend?" she turned back to Light causing both of us to blush. "Because let me get one thing straight, there'll be no passionate encounters under my roof either, you got that? Oh but kissing is okay occasionally I suppose." The both of us tried to explain but our words came out all at once.

"What no way! We're not in that kind of a relationship!" I squeaked defensively throwing my hands up in protest.

"Where did you pull that idea from anyway?" snapped Light. "You can't just assume something like that!"

"It's not like that at all Ajisai," Mrs. Yagami intervened. "This is Lila Ranger. We adopted her after Soichiro found her near death after a terrible plane crash over Tokyo. She had nowhere else to go and so Soichiro decided he'd take responsibility for her. Of course he asked us first so it wasn't forced." Ajisai just looked at her sister with an unamused look on her face. Clearly something was disturbing her but I couldn't figure out what.

"She could be a terrorist!" she suddenly stated. I felt like I'd been stabbed somewhere. Everyone looked at Ajisai with their own choice looks. For Sayu and Mrs. Yagami it was looks of confusion then for Light, a look of anger and disgust. For me, well let's just say I looked like I'd either been tasered or slapped in the face. From her tone, we knew she wasn't joking.

"Ajisai, how could you say such a terrible thing?" Mrs. Yagami wondered.

"Simple. A plane crashes over Tokyo and she just happens to be the only survivor. Sounds like a terrorist attack to me and what's more, she's been deceiving you poor people as well ever since. It's all a part of their plan to get what they want. That's how a terrorist thinks."

"Ajisai," Mrs. Yagami began, sighing. "I don't believe Lila's a terrorist. If she had been, don't you think she would've attacked us by now?"

"That's exactly what she wants you to think. They always play you for fools so they can get their way, she's a liar. Don't you see? She could be plotting against you right now. Get rid of her!" She pointed a bony finger me and even though her claim of me being a terrorist was completely insane, I couldn't help but flinch at the accusation. It was clear that this woman didn't quite like me all that much upon first encounters and now I was beginning to see why Light might not like her either.

"That's enough!" Light shouted. "Lila's not a terrorist and she's not a liar, she would never lie to us like that! Why don't you go tell your deluded fairytales somewhere else? C'mon Lila, let's go inside and unpack. I'll show you to the bedrooms." He took my hand and began dragging me, suitcase and all towards the house and across the threshold. All the while Aunt Ajisai was shouting at our backs.

"Light you damned idiot! You bring her back here I don't want her in my house! She can sleep in the ditch for being a dirty little witch you hear me. Her aura's all wrong and she reeks of death!" My eyes widened at the last part as she disappeared from my sight. Ryuk was right there behind us.

"Yeesh, she gives me the willies!" he exclaimed. "I mean she can sense me."

"She can?" I replied bewildered.

"What was that?" Light asked from the front. I quickly backtracked.

"Oh nothing, I was just muttering to myself." Light thankfully hadn't heard what I'd said before so I sighed in relief. After a while, he let go of my hand and showed me to the room I'd be sharing with Sayu. There were two beds in it, set up across from one another and each side of the room had its own wallpaper. One side was darker in the other and I don't know if it'd been what Ajisai had said before or because I was a death note user but the darker side held more appeal to me than the brighter side. So I trudged over and dropped my bags on the bed.

"Just ignore what she says," Light told me from behind. "She's always been like this and believe it or not it gets on everybody's nerves even mom's." He paused a moment and sighed. "I guess I'll let you unpack and get settled now. It's almost daybreak but you should still get some more sleep. I'll see you when you wake up again." And with that he left me alone on the darker side of the room.

Not too long after, Sayu came in and took the lighter side of the room as I was unpacking my things. She began to unpack as well, getting everything in just the right place and not too soon after that, we were both in bed snoozing soundly. The light of the new day reaching through our window was what finally woke us up and with it we trudged downstairs to the breakfast table.

I noticed as we walked in that Aunt Ajisai was fairly quiet. Meanwhile her younger sister, Mrs. Yagami was sitting with her chin resting on her hand and Light was quietly sipping a hot drink from a mug. I decided to go the safer route and sit by Light instead of Mrs. Yagami because she was right beside the crazy old woman. Sayu took a seat by her however, not afraid of her at all.

"So what's for breakfast?" Sayu asked excitedly. If she had been a puppy, I could imagine her tail would be wagging. Aunt Ajisai sat up smugly and turned to her niece.

"Why pancakes of course with maple syrup and all the good stuff," she replied smiling. Then she turned to me, expression cold as ice. "You know how to make pancakes don't you girl?" she asked menacingly. I couldn't help but shiver.

"Um well, my dad taught me how to make them when he was still alive," I explained. Then the cold look turned into a cold smile or rather a grin.

"Good get to it then," she ordered. I was a bit taken aback by the sudden demand. "Get in the kitchen and make our breakfast. I'd do it myself but I've already decided that I'm not going to cook for the likes of you while you're here and my sister is exhausted from the long drive in. Sayu doesn't know how to make pancakes and it would just be a waste of Light's time to help you with such a trivial matter. So that leaves you. Go and make us some pancakes but don't burn them. God help you if you burn them." I flinched at her harsh words. Light obviously didn't like her forcing me to do it so he snapped back at her.

"Make your own damn pancakes Ajisai!" he barked. Then he composed himself and sat back in his chair drinking his hot beverage. "I for one am not in the mood for pancakes, I'll just have cereal."

"You're having bloody pancakes boy and don't you tell me what I'll be doing in my own house. Your mother ought to teach you some manners," she replied strictly. I could tell that besides me, Light was her least favourite amongst the four of us so I stood from my seat.

"It's okay, you don't have to fight. I'll make the pancakes. Light, I'll even pour you cereal if you want, just let me know which kind you want." I smiled at him, masking my unease and fear of the woman sitting across from me.

"But Lila…" he began.

"No, don't argue!" barked Ajisai. "We're all having pancakes this morning and you're going to like em if she does them right. So sit down and zip it. As for you," she turned to me. "Get your rear in the kitchen already and get started. Now!" she snapped at me. As if she was my drill sergeant and I was a cadet, I was immediately at attention.

"Yes ma'am! I'll go as fast as I can!" and with that I ran into the kitchen where she couldn't see me to begin making pancakes for the rest of the Yagami family.

At first I didn't know where to start. Her kitchen was a complete and utter mess of things here and there and I could barely see the cupboards. Eventually though, I was able to find all of the materials I needed and I thanked god that the ingredients needed for pancakes were all present and accounted for. So I began the procedure.

Pulling out a mixing bowl and aligning all the ingredients like I usually did when I baked, I began by staring at the bowl, completely unsure of myself. Meanwhile Ryuk was floating behind me looking on curiously.

"So are you really just going to let her push you around like that?" he asked. I shrugged unsure.

"I dunno, I guess so, maybe," I replied, completely distracted.

"Heh, that's not a reassuring answer. You shouldn't let people like that walk all over you the way she is already. We haven't even been here that long and she's already grown to hate your guts just from looking at you."

"Yeah well I'm not going to cause trouble here if I can help it and besides, she's suffered a fall down the stairs. I'm not going to hate her guts for that."

"But you will hate her guts for treating you like a servant," he countered. I flushed red in the face.

"Well excuse me," I retorted. "In my world I grew up a sheltered life and so I didn't really feel comfortable going against adult authority. I may have taken karate but I was still taught to respect my elders."

"Heh, whatever, I still don't like her. She can sense my presence and if I'm right, I think I've seen her before and that if she finds out about the whole death note thing, you'll be in more trouble than you bargained for."

"Don't be ridiculous," I stated. "She might be able to sense you but I doubt it's a threat. If she bugs you that much why don't you just hang out outside? Now if you'll excuse me I have pancakes to make." Obviously realizing that the argument about Aunt Ajisai was pointless to continue, Ryuk skulked away somewhere where he could be alone and left me to my cooking. At first, as I stared at the bowl, I was lost on where to start. Then I took a deep breath and began to work as the memories of the old Ranger family recipe for pancakes revised itself in my mind.

After a while, I had finished two and half batches of pancakes, putting each one on a large serving plate just like my father would've then I grabbed some tongs so that the others could dish themselves up some breakfast. All the while, I'd also spent the time cutting up some fruits and placing some vanilla yogurt in tiny bowls as a side dish. When I entered the dining room and placed the food in front of the hungry family of Yagami's, a sigh of relief escaped my lips.

"Bon apatite," I said.

"Wow, it looks amazing! You never told us you could cook!" Sayu exclaimed in surprise.

"Well, you never asked," I countered.

"Fair enough," Sayu replied as she began pouring syrup on her plate of pancakes.

"It really does look very lovely," Mrs. Yagami stated.

"Thanks," I replied again blushing. Light meanwhile just smiled in my direction. I nodded acknowledging his thanks and praise. Meanwhile, Aunt Ajisai stared at the stack in the middle along with the yogurt and fruit with skeptical eyes. Then she stood and headed into the kitchen.

"Something the matter Ajisai?" questioned Mrs. Yagami.

"Hmf!" she replied. "I don't trust her. Enjoy your pancakes and hopefully they aren't poisoned. I'm having cereal." My heart sank a bit as I watched her go then she spun around again and glared at me. "You're not allowed to eat anything until you've cleaned this entire kitchen witch. That goes for any other meals today and snacks as well." Once again, I flinched at her words. They felt like a slap to the face.

"Now Ajisai," Mrs. Yagami began.

"Don't you now Ajisai me sister," Ajisai interrupted. "If this witch wants to stay within this house, she'll be working her ass off doing as I tell her to do. This isn't your house, it's mine!" Mrs. Yagami looked like she'd obviously been shut down and she still seemed too tired to argue any further. Light however seemed ready to do so.

"Screw you and your rules!" he shouted at her. In all honesty, I'd never seen this side of Light before. "If you're going to treat Lila like crap the whole time while we're here than we'll just leave and you can deal with your own broken leg. The point is whether you like it or not, she's a part of this family now so you're just going to have to deal with it!" I was taken by surprise by Light's sudden outburst, but I also appreciated him standing up for me. However, Aunt Ajisai felt differently.

"Well if you feel so strongly about it…" she began. "I'll just have to put you to work as well young man. Now I don't know how well you are with a hammer and nails but my roof needs repairs and nobody around seems to be willing to help me out with it. So if you're going to continue to back talk your own aunt then you young man will be heading up onto the roof after breakfast and repairing the damage with your own bare hands."

"Did you ever consider nobody wants to help you because they don't like you? You should start treating others with respect instead of acting like such a bitch!" he countered angrily.

"Light!" shouted Mrs. Yagami. Light looked towards his mother who was giving him a look that said, "don't piss off your mother", and it was the first time I'd ever seen it used on him. I'd seen it used on Sayu many times when she was being stubborn with her school work or wanted something she'd already been told no about. Light continued looking at his mother, shocked by her raising her voice with him.

"That's quite enough out of you young man. I thought I raised you to respect your elders. Now when you're done your breakfast, you can go to your room and think about ways to tame your tongue. Then you can help your aunt by fixing the roof," then she turned to her sister. "And Ajisai, would it really be a crime to let Lila eat her breakfast before she cleans the kitchen. At least with food in her belly she would be able to do a more efficient job because she would have energy." Ajisai thought about it for a long while and finally sighed, giving in to her sister's request.

"Very well," she said turning to me with a very harsh glare. "Eat your breakfast girl then get your butt in gear. I want this kitchen finished before lunch and then you can make lunch and clean up before you're allowed to eat. Then I want you to meet me in the living room, got it?" I nodded sighing internally with relief.

"Yes ma'am. I'll do the best I can." I bowed my head then as it had become my habit to do so even in my old life as a show of respect towards those who held the authority to boss me around from teachers to older people in general.

"No you won't," she snapped. I looked at her in surprise. Had she already changed her mind? "You're not going to the best you can, you're going to do the best I tell you to do or you won't get so much as another scrap of food until tomorrow's dinner!" I nodded quickly.

"Yes ma'am!" I said again, once again bowing. With that, she left to get herself some cereal and I sat down to eat my own breakfast. I hadn't done that bad of a job actually, they almost tasted just like my dad's but I guessed I hadn't added enough salt or was it I had added too much? Either way they were pretty good and the fresh fruits Ajisai had had in the refrigerator had tasted just as good and with the yogurt too. In fact, I was surprised she'd asked me to make pancakes and not some form of Japanese meal. However I was somewhat glad since my memory only held Ranger family and Canadian recipes. A lot of them I was planning to use for Ryuk so he could try some other apple delicacies from other parts of the world.

After breakfast was done, I collected everyone's plates and headed towards the kitchen while Light headed upstairs to his room where he would probably spend his time on the school work he'd brought with him so he wouldn't have to think about other things. Aunt Ajisai, who'd joined us after getting some cereal, got Mrs. Yagami and Sayu to follow her to the backyard garden where they would spend time tending to it and cleaning things up.

When I was finished with the kitchen and Aunt Ajisai approved of its cleanliness, she brought me into the living room where we sat down across from each other. It felt uneasy as I was alone with her and everybody else was performing their duties. As we sat there and she stared at me, I felt inclined to look anywhere else but her eyes. However, I couldn't help myself from staring as my eyes came upon her leg cast for the first time. I had known she'd fallen down the stairs but at her age I'd expected that she'd have broken more than just her leg.

"Can I help you?" she asked drawing my attention immediately elsewhere as I didn't want to get on her bad side any more than I already had without doing anything. However this seemed to only make her angrier. "Look at me when I'm talking to you girl!" she snapped. I immediately turned to face her as I was told.

"Sorry," I squeaked. She just rolled her eyes. Now that I was looking at her I could see that she was writing on a notepad with a pen. She seemed to be finished. Then she handed me the piece of paper.

"There, here's the list of things I need you to do today and don't think you get fed or can go to bed until it's all done. If I catch you slacking off, I'll make sure you sleep outside. Oh and tell anyone and that'll become a promise." I gulped as I nodded and took the paper. "Good then get started already and get out of my sight!" After that she stood leaving me alone in on the couch across from the one she'd left. After she was gone, I looked back at the list and groaned at the work load she'd given me.

The list was made up of practically every other chore that wasn't occupied at the time. Light was still upstairs getting ready to fix the roof and Mrs. Yagami and Sayu were still outside in the garden. Ryuk had flown back in, fazing through the wall of course, and was now looking over my shoulder.

"Sheesh, not even here for one full day and you've already become her house maid," he commented. My eye twitched in annoyance at his statement of the obvious.

"Yeah well I don't see you picking up a broom or a mop!" I pointed out.

"I'm not really sure that would work out so well what with her keeping a watchful eye on you and all. Besides, what would everyone think if they saw a floating mop? The others would think there was a ghost around and the old woman's witch theory would be settled. If anything at all, she definitely wouldn't shut up after that." I growled in annoyance once again.

"Look, if you're not going to be helpful then just leave me alone while I work because I know I won't be able to concentrate with you floating around and chatting it up in my ear."

"Aww, I'm a little hurt Lila," he replied mockingly. I ignored him and headed towards the staircase. "Huh? Where you going?" he questioned. I turned back, an unimpressed look on my face.

"Upstairs of course," I said holding up the paper. "First on the list is the bathrooms." And with that I spun on my heel and made my way upstairs.

I spent the majority of the day inside cleaning every nook and cranny as I was instructed. Aunt Ajisai would come in every now and then to check on my progress and thankfully she wasn't as heartless as Cinderella's evil step mother although she was quite close. Finally as the sun began to set, I came to the last item on the list. She wanted me to go deep into the woods behind the house and look for some kind of berry that was common in these parts of Japan. As was prescribed, I didn't tell anyone where I was really going and just said I was going exploring. Mrs. Yagami said it was okay as long as I was back in time before it got too dark and late. I promised and was off with a basket hanging off my arm. Boy didn't I feel like little red riding hood.

As I walked through the woods, using Ajisai's directions to find my way, I stumbled through much undergrowth and many other things as well. It wasn't the typical Canadian forests I'd grown up around, no it was a Japanese forest and it held many wonders within so I wasn't too sour towards Ajisai for forcing me to do her chores. At least this way I'd be able to see something neat.

After a while, I finally came to a large clearing with a huge lake in the middle and in the middle of the lake was the island that Aunt Ajisai had described. I made my way over to where she'd told me in the note that there was a wooden bridge that would allow me to cross and then on this island I was supposed to find the berries she'd wanted. Ryuk floated behind me as he'd decided to accompany me on this journey. Luckily for me, the bridge was sturdy and I wouldn't fall through. I made my way across.

"So you don't find it the least bit suspicious that she sent you to a secluded island on a lake that only she knew about?" he asked warily looking around. Some fog was beginning to from and it was getting slightly darker. It'd taken me an hour at least to find the place.

"She must be very specific about where she gets her berries," I tried to explain although I didn't feel too safe around the area either. Ryuk didn't believe me though which I suppose was fine since I didn't believe myself. "Look, we'll just get the berries and be out of here. Then we can go back and hopefully be done for the day." We heard a sudden snap behind us. I whirled around to try to see who it might be but I couldn't see through the fog. "Probably just an animal," I said to myself.

As we set foot upon the island, we found the bushes with the berries immediately. I was the one who did the picking though. Ryuk just floated behind me. Halfway through picking the berries, I noticed something about the island that I hadn't before. I stood, leaving the basket on the ground and began walking deeper into the trees on the island.

"Hey, shouldn't you be focusing on finishing your berry picking?" Ryuk asked as he followed me.

"Yeah, I know. I'll finish after I see what else is on this island." As I went deeper into the trees, I pulled out the flashlight I'd brought with me and turned it on. As I came out into a clearing, I gasped as I beheld a big building standing before me. There was what looked like electric fencing surrounding the place but it looked like it was inactive. I got closer, finding a hole in the fence and crawling through without really thinking. Ryuk fazed through the metal and came to float beside me again looking around curiously.

"This looks like a cool place. I don't sense any life around though so I doubt we'll have any problems with people as we poke around," he commented.

"Heh, aren't we intrigued," I accused. Ryuk just shrugged.

"What can I say, I'm just as curious as you." We made our way around to what looked like the front door. I was able to open it after a few tries as the door came off its hinges. I had to lean it against the other door. We entered, my flashlight leading the way. Looking around I saw an information desk of some sort and some chairs that were supposed to be set up beside it but were all over the place. The tiles looked fairly new but also aged a bit as well. I noticed a set of double doors to my right.

"I wonder what's in here," I said aloud, drawing Ruyk's attention and we both pushed our way through. It was easy despite there were electric card scanners beside it. We walked down the hallway behind them and through another set of double doors into a room with little office like areas set up with a screen of glass between one side and the other. There were phones on either side as well and on the other side I could see two sets of doors on either side of a wall. They were labelled with letters and numbers. Immediately I made a hypothesis.

"Hey Ryuk, I think this could be a prison," I said as I looked around more.

"Eh? What makes you say that?" he question.

"Well based on its remote location and the layout of the inside so far, I doubt it could be a bank. Let's keep looking around. We might find some cells."

"Yeah sure, whatever you say," replied Ryuk not really that amused. We made our way to a door on the side which took me a while to budge open. As soon as I was through, I made my way to one of the side doors and pushed through. We walked down the hallway and came to an elevator shaft next to a stair case. Taking the stair case we walked or rather I walked, down the stairs and came to a lower floor. It was way too dark to see anything with just a flashlight. I looked around for anything that might help but still couldn't see. Just then my flashlight flickered and died.

"Damn it!" I said aloud. "I should've changed the batteries!" I felt something move behind me all of a sudden and shrieked.

"Jeez it's just me, no need to get so jumpy," Ryuk stated. I silently cussed under my breath embarrassed as my heart beat started returning to normal. "I don't know if it'll help but I can actually see in the dark so I can help you out if you need it but I'll only do so until we get to the power switch on that wall," he spoke again. My ears perked up.

"Power Switch?" I questioned. "Are you sure?"

"Yeah, It's over there in the big power booth in the center of this place. It's actually a really well made prison." So I'd been right about it being a prison. I sighed and nodded before realizing that he probably wasn't paying attention.

"Yeah, lead the way Ryuk," I said. I felt the hand of the Shinigami in mine and the tug as he began pulling me through the pitch black. I didn't know why but for some reason, I trusted Ryuk with my life already despite him being a Shinigami. I heard the click of a door and he led me inside of another room. It smelled of must and other things I didn't even want to think about. Ryuk placed my hand on what I hoped in my mind was the power switch. I got my answer as I pressed it and all of a sudden I heard a hum begin throughout the place. Then all of a sudden all of the lights came on at once and I could hear the electrical energy flow through the facility.

Looking around I was in a room that seemed to be the central hub of the overlooking of the many prison cells down below. All in all it was a bird's eye view of what was below and there was a panel of monitors that showed the blind spots of the lower levels. Now there was definitely no doubt; definitely a prison.

"This place looks so cool," I commented excitedly.

"Yeah and it could solve your little crisis of where to put your kidnapped victims," Ryuk pointed out. I hadn't even been thinking of that but now that I was it was all too obvious.

"Of course!" I exclaimed. "This place would be perfect for them. there's even an underground courtyard!" I spoke excitedly as I pointed to one of the pictures on the monitors. There was also a small cafeteria as well and some kind of work out area in the courtyard. I looked at the control panel and saw many buttons with numbers on them. Out of curiosity I pressed one and jumped as the sound of moving metal began echoing out throughout the prison. I tried to calm my palpitating heart again as I realized I'd opened a cell door.

"You're really getting yourself worked up today aren't ya?" Ryuk asked.

"Oh shut up!" I shouted back. However, before we could get into another of our fights we heard a louder sound down below on another prison floor. We paused and looked over the console where we thought we'd heard the noise but couldn't see anything.

"Someone's here," Ryuk stated. "I can sense them." I shivered suddenly becoming cold.

"You sure it's not a rat?" I asked, trying to calm myself down a bit.

"If it were a rat I wouldn't have said anything," he replied. I bit my lip.

"Well, there's nothing left to do but go and check it out I guess," I said swallowing my fear and turning tail towards the elevator which was now operational across from the central hub. We went down to the level we thought was the level whoever it was, was on. I looked around cautiously and listened for any more noise. There was nothing but an eerie silence for a while then the grinding of metal happened once again. I whirled around to see that the elevator was heading up a floor.

"They're going up!" I shouted realizing I'd just stated the obvious like an idiot. I began running towards the staircase when I felt something whiz by me near my cheek. I stopped in my tracks looking around for the culprit.

"I'm afraid you're only half right girl," said a voice seething with bitter resentment and malice. I looked up slightly shaking as I realized I recognized the voice. Not too soon afterwards, the figure of an elderly woman with many wrinkles and a cast on her leg appeared. I stared at her in horror as her face came into the light. "I was right," she said. "I knew I was right about you." The face that matched the voice was none other than Aunt Ajisai herself.

My blood turned cold as I realized she'd thrown a knife at me. I felt something dripping down my face and reached up with my free hand only to pull it away again and see my own blood on my fingers. My heart began racing thinking she'd really flipped her lid. Nevertheless I tried to get an answer out of her.

"Aunt Ajisai, what are you doing here?" I asked shakily.

"Don't call me your aunt you witch!" she screeched. "You have no right to be with them, no right to be accepted by them after what you've done!" She limped closer, her broken leg obviously causing her pain but not slowing her down. I myself began backing away.

"What're you talking about? I haven't done anything!" I tried to reason.

"Lies!" she screamed. "You can't lie to me, don't even try. You're a terrible person, not even a person, a witch, a murderer, a cold blooded murderer!"

"No," I continued to protest. "You've got all wrong I haven't murdered anyone," I said putting my hands up defensively and twinging in guilt as I knew it wasn't entirely true. Sure I'd been writing down names in the death note, but it wasn't like I'd made it bloody murder. All of my attacks were heart attacks; I hadn't used any other methods. She started getting quicker despite her leg and I started getting more anxious.

"Don't pull that crap with me," she growled. "I know what you've done and so do you. It's clear as day, why it's written in these very pages!" she held up something rectangular and black and I didn't even have to see to know what it was. My heart dropped into my stomach as I froze in terror. She was holding my death note in her hand which meant she was able to see Ryuk right behind me. I was at a complete loss for words which was perfect for her to take the initiative and continue speaking.

"That's right, I know all about your little notebook. What's more, I know what a death note is and how it works although I can't say I'm personally too proud about that. Nevertheless, I made a vow that I would never allow another human to wield its terrifying power. I vowed I'd save them if they weren't already too far gone but now that I've seen how many names you've written down in your book there's no way in hell I'll let you live. An eye for an eye and a life for a life!"

"Wait, can't we talk about this? I'm not a bad person really, I've only been using it on condemned criminals and…"

"Excuses! Your victims being criminals doesn't make it right!"

"I Know, I know," I cried out. "But I don't have a choice. I have to do this."

"No more words from you girl, time to pay for your transgression!" And at that she lunged at me closing the distance quite efficiently with her broken leg and swinging another knife at me. I began using my self-defense skills to duck and dodge the blows. However, it seemed that she was able to keep up. Honestly I began to wonder if her leg was actually broken. Eventually I ended up slipping and the knife cut deep into my arm. I yelped in pain.

"There, you see," she started. "If you keep moving around how can I make it quick and painless? But wait, perhaps this is what you want. You know you're right, you do deserve to suffer. Allow me to help you with that." I decided I didn't want a fight. Sure I could defend myself but if I had learned anything in life, or rather my old one, it was to never get too engaged with an opponent completely out of their flippin mind unless backed into a corner. And so I turned and ran in the opposite direction.

"Where do you think you're going? You still have to die!" she said mockingly. I ignored her. I wasn't one who was easy to bait with words for I knew my way around them and better yet to ignore them. I held tightly onto the wound she'd inflicted earlier as I ran in the opposite direction. After a while, I could only hear my own pounding heartbeat and feet on the floor. I dared to look back, seeing she was no longer behind me. I slowed to a steady walking pace to catch my breath and mentally cursed myself for not keeping up with my physical fitness more than I should.

"Oh my, this could be a problem," stated Ryuk with what I was defining as a smirk. "Where do you think she went?"

"How should I know?" I retorted. "It's not like I'm an expert at keeping track of a crazy person!" All of a sudden I felt a sharp pain in my leg as a knife hit me in the back of my calf. I stumbled backwards onto my rear, yelping in pain and surprise. I looked towards the direction I'd been running.

"Oh goody," she commented, clapping her hands together and approaching. I quickly pulled the knife out of where it was lodged then quickly regretted it as more pain washed over me. "Well that was stupid," she chuckled. "That could've very well damaged the nerves in your leg although in all honesty it would help me out greatly so I don't really care. Now all I have to do is finish the job." She grinned evilly and I could almost see which side of the family Light would've gotten his dementedness from in the old series. I slowly backed up, unable to move my leg too well. I still had the knife she'd thrown at me and the only thing I could think of was that I needed to defend myself. I was that scared and that desperate. I just hoped I wouldn't start hyperventilating again.

She followed me as I backed up and with each limped step she got closer and closer. My heart hammered in my chest louder and louder and there was a voice in my head screaming at me to get up and run while the other voice yelled back in the same panicked tone reminding the other that I couldn't. Eventually I became cornered between a beam and the railing that kept me from falling downward to the lower levels. She licked her lips much like I'd seen many predatory anime characters do before, before the final strike and kill.

"Oh no," I thought to myself panicking. "This is it isn't it? I'm really going to die, I'm going to die again and I can't do anything about it like last time. I knew I wasn't cut out for this, I knew that it was too good to be true. I…I'm going to die!" She lunged at me with her other knife I was able to dodge an effective distance but shivered when I heard the metal knife clang on the beam. She reeled back ready immediately for the second strike, one I didn't think I could dodge this time. My eyes were wide with fear. Then all of a sudden a familiar voice hissed in my head.

"Don't be so stupid girl. You're not allowed to die here so I suggest you do something about it and stop whining!" There was no mistaking the voice even though I hadn't heard it in a while; the voice of the Cheshire cat. Immediately, I reacted. I lunged forward without really thinking, out of fear and desperation I slashed out with the knife.

"Just leave me alone!" I screamed. I missed but it had made Ajisai step back in shock. However, the only leg available to do so on was her badly wounded one. She immediately seized up in pain and stumbled into the rail while yelling out in pain. The railing however wasn't securely fastened to the floor and her weight made it come loose. I watched in horror as she and the rail fell over the edge. My heart pounded in my chest as everything happened quickly afterwards.

I had noticed an emergency stretcher in a broken case for first aid nearby; in fact there was probably one on every floor in case of emergency. It was yellow and reminded me of the ones we'd use for practice back in my lifeguarding course. It was lying next to some conveniently placed ropes. I swiped it and the ropes (tying them effectively to the beam first and the stretcher) and jumped still not thinking about what I was doing, straight over the edge. I faced down, adrenaline rushing through my veins and out through my knife wounds. Ajisai was screaming her head off yet still had time to throw another knife which missed its mark and only grazed my ear.

I straightened my body to make myself go faster so I could catch up to her. Finally I was able to reach her flailing body then maneuver her onto the stretcher. She still tried to kill me but I was able to fight her back and buckle her securely into it using the straps. Suddenly we jolted as the rope had reached the end of its length and I was thrown off, tearing my nails on the back of it in the process. I looked up, seeing that the ropes were holding and that she was now caught in midair instead of falling, dangling sideways instead of headfirst over the rest of the drop. I also looked down seeing how close I was now to hitting the ground. My mind and body still pumping adrenaline allowed me to catch the railing of another floor instinctively. Despite the fact that I banged into the rail bruising myself more and nearly ripping my arm off, I couldn't help but give a sigh of relief. However, I was too weak to pull myself upwards. The knife wounds hadn't been too fatal but I'd already lost a lot of blood.

I looked up again and saw that the stretcher was still swinging slightly, an expression of utter shock enveloping Ajisai's face as she tried to comprehend what had just happened. Then I saw something else. Ryuk flying down, the lights surrounding him and outlining his deformed gothic figure. It was both beautiful and terrifying. He passed the stretcher and came to a sort of hover right beside me.

"That was a really gutsy move," he commented. "Now look at you, you're a complete wreck. Why go through all of that trouble and risk your own life for someone who just tried to kill you?" he asked. I smirked, holding on to the railing and praying I had the strength to hold on a little longer.

"I don't know really. In all honesty my body just moved and my mind followed. I guess I just didn't want her to die because it wouldn't be right," I replied.

"Uh hello, she tried to kill you," Ryuk pointed out again.

"So what," I retorted. "Just because it saves my life I should disregard someone else's? I'm not a murderer, at least not a blood thirsty one and I'm not about to change that now just because my life's in danger." I had to stop for a few minutes as I could barely breathe since the whole ordeal had left me practically breathless. "Besides…at least a heart attack is more merciful than falling to your death and this is nothing. I've been in a car accident already and I've been shot at. Then I had my own heart attack and died. I'm pretty sure I can live through this." A sharp pain in my side made me wince and I nearly let go of the bar of the rail. I tried to reclaim the grip I had had but to no avail. Tears filled my eyes.

"I never wanted this, I never wanted to be a murderer and I still don't. I also don't want to be responsible for someone else's death because they hate me. Aunt Ajisai clearly has had her own experience with a death note and so because she's known the pain and agony of being in contact with one, she's liable to hate me for doing something like taking lives. She doesn't deserve to die. If I were in her shoes, I'd probably do something like what she did too.

"It's human nature Ryuk. We don't like pain and most of us don't like pain inflicted on others because of something we did or something we know is hurtful. Those of us who feel that way will either try to run away from the problem or try to do something about it. Sometimes it's that fear that creates villains and people who make bad decisions in the first place. We're not gods, we're only humans." I looked down as I contemplated the fact that Ryuk probably didn't care about humans that much despite they were now providing him entertainment. That was probably all they were to him, entertainment. I finally lost my grip on the rail and began falling to my second death. I closed my eyes.

Then I felt my body beginning to rise upwards. I opened my eyes again and looked up in surprise as I saw Ryuk was my savior and was taking me back up to the level I'd jumped from.

"You know, the only reason I'm saving you is so I don't have to go back to my own world too soon. Plus I'm really interested to see how things are going to play out. And then there's the matter of our little deal with the apples. I'm not letting you slip away from me that easily. Besides you're the only who can pull it off and I'm not one to mess with the will of the Cheshire." I chuckled lightly to myself.

"Wow, lucky me to get a Shinigami who's so caring," I said sarcastically. I looked up at him again and thought I saw something else playing across his features but I had never really been one for reading faces so I couldn't really tell if it was a shift or just the dizziness setting in from the loss of blood. Ryuk just scoffed at my retort.

Once back on the floor, I took a moment to breathe and glanced to the side to see that the ropes holding up Ajisai were tied to the beam. I was surprised to see that they'd been reinforced with more ropes and even some chains. Nonetheless she was stabilized for now. I sighed and groaned aloud as I moved towards the ropes.

"Hey what are you doing now?" Ryuk asked.

"Well I can't just leave her hanging. You might be opposed to helping out human beings but it's something I need to do." And with that I began pulling the ropes upwards straining to make sure I didn't tip her the wrong way. After a while of pulling as hard as I dared, I had worked up quite a sweat and I had grown even weaker than I had been before. The image of my surroundings swayed in and out of focus. It felt like I was on a boat rocking in the waves of an ocean. I could feel my whole body shaking, about to give way to the fatigue.

Then I felt the load lessen. I didn't argue or try to comprehend what was going on, I just kept pulling finding the strain on my muscles less and less unbearable. Finally the stretcher made it onto the same floor as myself and Ryuk. I couldn't even think clearly anymore. I quickly undid the straps once she was safe and with that I collapsed, running now a high fever. Ryuk came to hover over me.

"Now you're a real mess," he stated with a huff. "Now that the two of you are on the same level and she's free to roam about, there's nothing stopping her from killing you here and now so why even bother unbuckling the straps? Better yet, why not just use the death note to finish her off, put her out of her misery and send her beyond the loony bin? Or if you won't I could always write her name down," he suggested with a wide grin. I was immediately back; in my right, although it was still swaying, mind.

"No!" I shouted, my voice cracking painfully in the process. It had surprised Ryuk and I believe it also surprised Ajisai because I sensed she'd jumped nearby. I'd also surprised myself.

"I told you before," I continued. "I will never use the death note that way; never for my own personal gain or if it's to save my own life. And if you so much as try to write her name, keep this in mind. I know how to kill a Shinigami and I promised you before that I would not hesitate to kill you if you did something against me or my wishes!" I finished, breathing hard and wavering a bit on my hands and knees.

Ryuk seemed to shrink back. "Heh, whatever, it was only a suggestion. No need to get moody." He floated back towards the shadows. However, I was unable to keep myself in the position I was currently and ended up collapsing again, my consciousness fading. However, I did manage one last message.

"I don't blame you for wanting to kill me," I indicated towards Ajisai. "If I were in your shoes, I'd probably try the same thing. I can't imagine how much you've seen regarding the death note but it must've been terrible if you're trying to kill me. I just want you to know that I've never seen myself as anything more than human and I've always known the power of the death note is a curse. I also don't believe that people even though they're mean and cruel should have to die they're only human after all so they can't always help it. Oh and I'm sorry that I'm a murderer but apparently what I do now is whatever the cat says…goes." And with that my head gently landed on the floor and I fell unconscious.

Ajisai

I stared at the girl for several minutes. The Shinigami floated off to the side not knowing what to do. Finally I gave in and sighed as I moved towards her. This apparently caught the Shinigami's attention.

"Woah, hey what're you doing?" he questioned, some slight panic clear in his voice.

"Relax Grimm, I'm not gonna kill her," I huffed annoyed and rolled my eyes. It was true. I didn't have the drive to kill her now, not after I'd gotten closer to her aura. That moment when we'd been embraced after the girl had leapt foolishly with no concern for her own life and had caught me; that brief moment was when the girl's aura which had set me on edge and high alert from the moment of her arrival had finally become clear to me. It hadn't been what I'd thought and I'd over reacted I now realized. The guilt weighed heavily upon me. However, I'd been right about the death note and that a Shinigami had been nearby. Only after I'd broken into her things and touched the death note could I actually really see it.

Then there was the cat. She'd mentioned the cat and if she knew the cat then there was something else going on that I either could or couldn't get involved with because I too knew the cat and I knew he had his own way of doing things. Turning a girl into a murderer would be one of them.

"That sick twisted bastard," I muttered angrily under my breath as I knelt down beside her and began turning her over onto her back. I glanced guiltily at the wounds I'd inflicted and then at the swollen looking side and arm which had probably been injured in the rescue attempt. Once again I marveled at how fearless she'd been in the moment and now that I was sure about her aura I knew that she truly wouldn't have wished me dead. And after all I'd put her through like and evil step mother figure. Of course my younger sister could never have understood. None of them could but maybe, just maybe she could. And maybe I could understand her. Nevertheless, there would be two stories to tell when she woke up, hers and my own but that could wait until after I'd tended to her wounds.

"Hey Ryuk!" I barked out. The Shinigami seemed startled by my sudden outburst. Without turning around I said, "Go fly up to the central hub and bring down a first aid kit will you?" Once again I could tell he was shocked.

"I beg your pardon," he started. "But since when do I take orders from you human?" I wasn't in the mood for his lip.

"Since now!" I snapped back. "If you want your precious girl here to be made better, then do as I say or else I'll whack you one and yes I know how to hurt a Shinigami too. Now get a move on!" The Shinigami grumbled a bit but he took off nonetheless just as I knew he would. Despite him being a Shinigami, I could sense within his aura that he was genuinely frightened for the girl's life. While other Shinigami would've definitely brushed it off, he was different somehow and I knew he wouldn't want to write her name in his book. Auras never lied and that was a known fact. It'd been one of the things the cat had taught me that had been useful.

A while later, Ryuk the Shinigami had come back with the big first aid kit and placed it down next to me. I rummaged around, pulled out some things, then began to go to work not only using the kit's bandages but my own hands as I used my own aura, hers and the natural aura surrounding us to begin healing some of her wounds the best I could.

Aura! It never failed. Aura was basically life energy and it was everywhere, in life and death. The term aura actually referred to the atmosphere of energy surrounding a person but there was more to it than that. It could be used to heal, it could be used to lift things and it could even be used to create and to destroy. The art of mastering one's aura and the aura that surrounded them was called aura weaving. In fact the reason probably for my earlier fear for the girl was that she had an aura that was not only sincere to her character but terrifyingly powerful. I had no doubt that she could use it to become stronger in the future.

"So what's that?" wondered the Shinigami. "Some kind of human magic trick?" I snorted a bit.

"I suppose it would look somewhat magical to human eyes but I never imagined a Shinigami such as yourself would be so clueless," I commented. "Back in my days you Shinigami were more aware of your significance in the universe and now you just kill to maintain your own rotting lives. You don't even know why you exist. This is aura, life energy and it's everywhere surrounding you and I and Lila here. It's the very reason you were given death notes in the first place."

"Oh is that right?" questioned the Shinigami now intrigued. I rolled my eyes and went back to work. I had fully sealed the deep cut I'd inflicted upon her leg and now I was moving on to her bruised side. It took a while but finally, after a hefty work out, I was finished and she was healed to the point where her own body could take over and she wouldn't die. The next thing to do was to get her back to the house. Boy Light was sure going to blow a fuse when he saw her like this. The boy really did care for her. There was only so much an aura weaver could do before she had to allow the natural aura to take over.

As soon as I was done, I turned to the Shinigami just floating there with a dumb looking expression upon his face.

"Well are you gonna help out or aren't you?" I barked.

"Help with what?" he wondered with confusion.

"Oh what do you think?" I asked annoyed. "I'm old and have a broken leg and if you want her to recover we need to get her back to the house. So are you gonna carry her or not?" Something about the question caused a reaction from the Shinigami I hadn't expected.

"Carry her?" he questioned shocked. He looked about ready to have his own heart attack and his aura shifted to match his new and sudden mood. So Shinigami can blush too, was all I could manage to think as I saw him. He seemed really bothered by it.

"Yes carry her," I snapped back. "I can't very well do it myself now can I?"

"But, but, but…she's human and I don't touch humans let alone human girls. They're disgusting and I have no need to come into contact with them."

"Can't be that bad if you've spent this long with her and you saved her life earlier. You didn't exactly look squeamish then and if that's the best excuse you can come up with then I don't wanna hear another word. Now are ya gonna help her back to the house or not?!" There was a long pause before the creature finally gave in with a long exasperated sigh.

"Fine, I'll do it!" he said like a defeated pouting child. He then moved reluctantly towards the girl lying peacefully unconscious on the floor.

"Be careful with her now," I told him as he surprisingly was tender picking her up as though she were a new born babe. And with that the three of us began to ascend the prison. I made a quick stop in the hub to turn off the power to the lower levels and then entered the elevator and arrived on the top level to turn off the rest of the power from the security desk. Then we made our way out into the woods.

As we got closer to home, I had Ryuk put Lila down so I could drag her to the door myself without causing suspicion or panic. I didn't get far though before the search party came looking for and found us. Light was the first one to emerge.

"Mom, they're over here!" he called. He rushed forward then stopped as soon as he saw what condition she was in. I'd bandaged her wounds and seeing those, he became furious with me. Who could blame him?

"What happened?" he demanded to know. I ignored him.

"Help me drag her inside," I said. As the others approached and took in the same sight, Light repeated himself.

"Ajisai, what happened to Lila?!" He said, raising his voice. I heard the gasp from my younger sister as she covered her mouth in shock and little Sayu looked on in confusion. I sighed deciding it best to continue playing the mean old aunt for the time being.

"Well I realized I hadn't given the girl enough instructions on how to properly pick my berries and what not so I followed her in about to give her a talking to as soon as I got close when all of a sudden this hole opened up beneath me, mind you a big one at that and that damned stupid girl…" I had raised my voice as if I were about to blame her for something but found myself telling the partial truth next in a calmer tone.

"That damned stupid girl leapt after me using a tree root for support and done gone and saved my wretched old life!" The others became surprised as I finished. First at the tone I had used and the new softness in my eyes then at the girl who was covered in bandages in wonderment.

"Lila saved your life?" repeated my sister still a little shocked. I nodded solemnly.

"That's right Sachiko," I replied. "She leapt in without any regard to her own safety throwing the berries away while she was at it. She got herself injured too and even though she was on her last bit of strength, she pulled me up and out. I was so surprised, I asked her why she'd go so far as to save an old grouch like me after everything I'd put her through today and you wanna know what she told me?" I asked looking them all square in the face. Sayu leaned closer.

"What did she say Aunt Ajisai?" She asked sweetly. It was at this moment tears began forming and falling from my eyes. I just couldn't help myself. I found myself repeating what she'd told me in the prison.

"She said she doesn't believe that people even if they're mean or cruel should have to die. She said that humans can't always help themselves in that manor," I sobbed a bit. My younger sister was suddenly there to help console me as a wave of painful memories from the past that she didn't know very well came to overwhelm me.

"Oh Aji," she said using my nickname and wrapping me in her arms. The waterworks came out now and I couldn't stop spluttering words.

"I…I know I haven't been fair to her. I even gave her the longer chore list, she practically did all of the work today while you n' Sayu were in the garden and Light was either in his room or on the roof. And…and she did such a wonderful job and I wish I had tried her pancakes this morning, I bet they were wonderful….and," it continued on. Sachiko held me and comforted me while I held Lila up beside me.

"Light," Sachiko said to her son. "Could you please take poor Lila up to her room? The poor thing looks exhausted and could use a warm bed to rest in." Light didn't hesitate. Apparently my shifted mood had confused him. He didn't seem to know what else to think or believe at the moment. He lifted Lila up off my shoulder and began to carry her through the wood and back inside as Sachiko began to lead me home as well.

"Sayu," she continued onto her daughter. "Go run inside and put on a kettle of Ajisai's favourite tea now won't you?"

"Yes mom," she replied eagerly. She really wanted to help oh God bless her little soul. And Light's and Lila's too. And then there's my sister, bless her too won't you?

After I was lead inside, Sachiko sat me down in my big comfy chair in the corner of the living room. It was cold out, so she had Light fix a fire in the fireplace as soon as he came down. After the tea was done, Sayu brought out little cups with saucers on a small tea tray for all of us. We sat by the fire in silence, listening to the classic music my sister had put on. Eventually I began to drift off and soon, consciousness slipped away for the night.

Lila

I woke up back in my own bed at Ajisai's place and was greeted by the warm smell of breakfast wafting up the stairs. I sat up in bed a bit surprised that the pain I'd felt before was only in minor twinges now. I looked down at myself and saw that I was covered in bandages. They smelled fresh and I assumed I must've been bandaged before but someone had recently been in to switch my gauze. I continued looking at it curiously when all of a sudden it kicked in that I was still alive. Ajisai hadn't, even though she'd had plenty of opportunity; killed me. I continued staring at the bandages in bewilderment.

"That crazy lady fixed you up," said Ryuk, startling me suddenly from my thoughts. I whipped around to see him floating carelessly over my bed. "My, aren't we jumpy this morning?" he chuckled.

"Only because you're too damned quiet when it's convenient to you," I snapped back, blushing in embarrassment. "Don't startle me like that."

"Sorry," he apologized. "But anyway it's true. That woman, Ajisai was it, didn't try to kill you again. She used some kind of healing magic or whatever she called it to make you better than you were. You should consider yourself lucky to be alive."

"Yeah, yeah," I replied waving it off as I slipped out of bed. I stood up and stretched expecting a sudden stitch in my side but nothing came. Then I slipped on my slippers and made my way out the door and downstairs.

I looked into the living room to see that Mrs. Yagami and Sayu were sleeping soundly on the couch. Meanwhile, Light was resting on the other comfy rocking chair in the corner. I laughed to myself as I saw his position which reminded me of my dog when she used to curl up on the comfy chair back home. Then I made my way into the kitchen where the wonderful smells were coming from. Ajisai was standing in front of the stove making breakfast.

"Good morning," she said absent mindedly as she sensed me coming in.

"Morning," I mumbled. Then there was silence as we just stood there not knowing what to say. She glanced over her shoulder.

"I'm making breakfast this morning," she said. "It's white rice, miso soup, a rolled omlette and some spinach salad with sesame sauce. I hope you like it." I nodded.

"I'm sure it's delicious," I replied reassuringly. Sometimes I kept forgetting I was in Japan. The only reminders were that of the harsh schooling and the cuisine. I wasn't complaining though.

I entered the kitchen deeper with caution. There were so many questions on my mind that I couldn't figure out where to begin. Ajisai seemed to be reading my mind.

"Could the questions wait until after breakfast dear?" she asked. Her attitude surprised me. Just yesterday, she'd been snapping at me as though I was a soldier and she was my commanding officer but now she sounded like her own age and like she cared for me. I was genuinely confused but nonetheless, I agreed.

"Yeah sure," I replied. Then Sayu came into the kitchen rubbing her eyes and yawning.

"Good morning everyone," she said. Then she glanced up at me. "Oh Lila, how're you feeling this morning?" she asked.

"Um good I guess," I said.

"Oh that's good. Mm, hey what's that smell?" she wondered.

"Aunt Ajisai is making breakfast this morning," I replied.

"It smells good," she spoke again this time taking a long deep sniff of the aroma surrounding the kitchen. I giggled a bit causing her to smile. Then she began giggling too.

"Hey did you see the way Light's laid out on the chair in there?" she asked a wide grin on her face. I grinned wide too at that and snickered.

"Yeah, I saw him on my way down. He looks like a little baby curled up for a nap." Ajisai suddenly snorted.

"Well I'm not so surprised. That's been the boy's favourite chair since he was a young one. We'd always find him curled up and sleeping sound as the night whenever he was here." She chuckled to herself. "In fact, I have a family album full of pictures from when Light was just a wee one. Would you like to see?" We both nodded with excitement. I was so not passing up a chance to see a picture of baby Light. That was just too tempting since it was never shown in the series.

"Good then why don't you two sneak back into the living room and get my book down from the top shelf. Careful now not to wake anyone," she said with a whisper. We nodded vigorously and then tiptoe ran into the living room and since I was taller, I was the one who pulled out the book and thankfully didn't rouse Light or his mother in the process. We made our way back into the dining room and set it down on the table. A while later, Ajisai came in with the breakfast all ready and laid it out at the separate places for me, Sayu, Light, Mrs. Yagami and herself. Then we delved into the family photos.

A while later Mrs. Yagami entered the room and sat down to eat then started going over the photos with us happy to see me and Ajisai getting along for a change. Our laughter was what woke Light up and when he registered what we were doing at the breakfast table his face turned a different shade of red close to that of a poppy.

"What are you doing with those?!" he exclaimed embarrassed. Sayu and I giggled a bit while Ajisai just smiled.

"Why we're just taking a look at you taking a bath and reminiscing about the old days," she said smugly. His face reddened more. I went back to looking at baby Light Yagami trying to climb out of the bathtub while his mother was trying to rinse him off. Meanwhile Sayu had claimed the one of their father trying to teach Light how to be a cop while Light coloured in his police manual was her favourite. Truthfully I thought that one was funny too. I only wish I had baby photos of myself to show off so Light wouldn't feel so embarrassed. I remembered one of me covered in birthday cake at my first birthday and smiling gaily for the camera.

The rest of breakfast went on with Ajisai and Mrs. Yagami switching to pictures of Sayu's childhood days then flipping backwards to when they were young and mischievous girls. Once everyone was finished breakfast, Ajisai gave them more jobs to do. Today Mrs. Yagami and Sayu would be going down to the market in the nearby town to pick up some groceries while Light dealt with cleaning up the basement. I was surprised that hadn't been on my list yesterday. I was assigned to help Ajisai tend to her own room which I could understand why it wouldn't be on my previous list either. Once in she locked the door. Ryuk had floated in too as Ajisai had told him to join us and I watched as she set something on the dresser where there was space. She jabbed a thumb towards it.

"There, I understand you like apples so I baked you an apple pie. Go ahead try it," she gestured to the pie again. Ryuk floated to it looking slightly suspicious.

"What's the catch?" he questioned.

"There is none," Ajisai replied. "Just eat and enjoy. I promise it's good." Ryuk floated nearby reluctantly for a while longer but then just shrugged and dug in. Ajisai turned to me.

"Jeez, with the way he eats you'd think he grew up in a barn," she whispered to me. I giggled a bit. Ajisai led me over to a pair of chairs and got me to sit down. Looking around, there wasn't really much to do since she apparently kept her room clean on a regular basis. She sat behind me and picked up a brush from her dresser which was mine I realized and began brushing my hair. I didn't know what to think.

"Um, what're you…" I started.

"I was young when it happened, very young," she spoke cutting me off. "I believe I was about ten or twelve years old. Anyway, if you'd ask my sister, she would say I'd run away and hid for a few months. However, I was gone what seemed longer than that and not by my choosing." I became immediately confused.

"Uh, Aunt Ajisai what're you talking about?" I asked cautiously.

"It's the story of when the Cheshire chose me as his game piece," she replied. My eyes widened.

"You knew the cat?!" I exclaimed in surprise, my voice rising.

"Yes," she hissed. "Now keep it down. Light's still in the house. Now let me finish."

"Sorry," I whispered back. she continued brushing my hair and telling her story.

"Anyway, I was out exploring one day when all of a sudden I fell down a well. I had hit the bottom rather hard and knocked myself out. I'm pretty sure I had broken something as well. Well the next thing I knew I was waking up in a different place, a different time and a different world. If the magical creatures hadn't been enough to convince me it was the meeting with the cat that did. He followed me around and I was the only one who was able to see or hear him and I'll tell you he made me look quite the fool at the best of times. It was the same for every world I visited."

"Wait he sent you to more than one?" I asked a bit of panic rising in my voice. She nodded.

"Indeed he did. He sent me to worlds I'd never imagined before and worlds I'd only read about in stories and heard about in fairytales as a girl. My ages and the bodies I used were always my own yet altered in some way depending on where I would end up and in those places I had read about, I was able to change the story, not always for the better, I never got to always make the right calls. It was hard and by the time the cat was done with me, I had ended up back at the bottom of that well, injured but still able to climb out and go home.

"When I had seen my family again, the family I thought I'd never see again, I wept tears of absolute joy and all of a sudden I saw my life in a whole new perspective. The entire experience I'd gone through was never entirely bad but it was never entirely good either, in other words, I'd done some things in those worlds I'd regretted. Now listen to me, is this the first world you've visited by way of the Cheshire?" I was thrown off a bit by the question because quite frankly, I'd been quite worried after hearing her story.

"Y-yes," I answered. "This is the first time."

"I see," she replied. There was silence as Ryuk had already finished his apple pie and was licking his fingers and lips.

"So does this mean…that I'm going to be taken to other words too?" I asked frightened. I didn't like the idea of it. Already this world was enough to bear alone. I glanced over my shoulder to see Ajisai had stopped brushing my hair and had a faraway look in her eyes. For the longest time she didn't answer.

"Quite possibly," she finally said softly. And for once her age, the true age of going through so many worlds and spending who knows how much time in each, showed in every wrinkle collected upon her face. She continued on as if it was evening and we were supposed to be quiet to respect others trying to sleep around a campfire.

"Lila," she said, using my name for the first time since I'd been here. "This world is more than likely only the beginning of the cat's plans for you. He does this to more than enough souls you couldn't even count but when the time comes and believe me it will…you'll die and move on to the next world regardless of whether or not you're ready. Chances are you'll meet others who've been the cat's play things as I have in my travels and they will tell you the same story. But once you do die in this world, you'll be forever marked by the Cheshire's mark and in new places that will mean you'll be a target wherever you go. I'm not sure if there will be any in this world but there are some out there who despise the cat and some who will work for the cat's siblings, the other deities."

"You mean there are more?!" I yelled my voice shrill.

"Yes and not all of them like the cat and the cat does not like all of them. However, if there ever comes an affair where you'll have to be shared amongst them, it will probably be to take down one of them who they've ganged up on or a deity of their own kind but not at all related. The important thing to remember is this," she paused to make sure I was paying attention. "At times it will seem like we're nothing more than pawns in their game but we're just as important as they are. I can't say I agree with everything they do but whatever they do they do in the name of balance. I know It's hard to understand but it's one of the lessons you'll come to learn as you go along." I stood up then and began pacing about the room. Ryuk and Ajisai watched me as I went trying to put things together, trying to think.

Balance, death every time, every time a new world? It was too much, too much. Why did my afterlife have to be so damned complicated. I started throwing my arms around, beginning to speak then cutting myself off short. Finally I was able to say something.

"This is…this is just great! I mean every kid who's ever seen an anime, who's ever read a good story wishes he or she could be there. It runs in adults too doesn't it? That one wish where they could visit another world that wasn't their own and meet their favourite characters; have a nice little chit-chat." I threw back my head and laughed out loud. "Well I've got my wish haven't I? I've always wanted to be the villain, I've always wanted to play along with the storyline of one of those worlds and now here I am in one of those worlds I used to watch on the internet in my spare time. Did you know I devoted my entire life recently to watching anime's, reading manga? And all because I couldn't step outside of my shell around other people. I used to be so sheltered, I used to hide away from my siblings because to me they were just annoying little pests who I couldn't be bothered with and yet here I am in one of my favourite worlds, that's right I said favourite, nothing wrong with loving a story about a deranged serial killer as long as it's only cartoons, as long as it's not real life right?" I had to stop for a moment because I was beginning to hyperventilate again and I needed to calm my breathing.

Ajisai offered me a glass of water which had already been in the room. I drank it gratefully. My little bout had brought about tears which were now beginning to well up within my eyes and overflow. I took a deep breath. All the while Ryuk had remained quiet, not saying a word. I continued pacing.

"And now I'm here," I went on calmer now. "I'm here and every wish I'd once had of visiting someone else's world is a far away memory, in fact it's the exact opposite. Now I wish I could go home to my world, now I wish I hadn't allowed myself to be dragged out to that damned party when I should've been at home like my parents had wanted. I shouldn't have left them without saying goodbye at least, could that have been too much to ask for? And my siblings…they may be pests at times but they need me, I'm their older sister and…and I should've been there for them.

"You never know what you truly have until you've lost it do you?" I laughed again, a dry chuckle. "You know everyone's been so nice to me; they've even said that I'm a part of their family now. But how could they understand? I already have a family; a family who probably think I'm dead and it's like that nightmare you can find yourself in where you see the person you need to talk to but you have no voice. It's only different this time because I can't even see them either…but I know their alive. I just know it." I paused and before bursting into tears, I plopped myself face down on Ajisai's bed and sobbed, "And I'm the one who's dead!" I began sobbing uncontrollably.

The next thing I knew, Ajisai was crawling onto the bed and pulling me into a much needed hug. I continued sobbing for quite some time during which Light came up and knocked on the door to see if things were alright and to inform Ajisai he was done with the cleaning the basement. She sent him away to make lunch and brew some tea for me then afterwards, she sent him out to tell his mother and Sayu about something she forgot to put on their shopping list. Once he was gone and I'd cried for quite some time, I finally calmed myself down, breathing steadily instead of rapidly. Silence followed.

"So," I finally said. "Is dying how you were transferred every time?" Ajisai nodded.

"Yes, it was. Every time my time in a world was up, I would die." I swallowed.

"And when exactly does one die in a world?" I questioned. Ajisai thought for a moment before answering.

"When the task that has been set to be done is completed by the one chosen by the cat and the one knows how that one shall die." I took it in and tried to think.

"So even though it's not my choice, I'll have to know when it's time for me to die and how?"

"More or less," she replied.

"Well that sounds a bit morbid," Ryuk commented. I hadn't expected him to still be there. I'd assumed he'd left the room when I'd begun my episode but he remained where he was just floating and watching. I looked up at Ajisai.

"Do you know what my task is?" she shook her head no.

"As I said that information is only known by the cat and the one. It's not always known from the beginning but the one sooner or later figures it out. I speak from experience after all." I nodded.

"Then I guess there's no avoiding it," I started. "I was put in a position where I would be the one who picked up the book and now it's up to me what happens in this world. For better or for worse, I am now the main character. Speaking of which…" I looked up again at Ajisai now with a serious look on my face. I took a deep breath. "I know of many people in this world that would have been killed by the first Kira I saw on screen for getting in his way. However, I'm Kira now and I'm doing things my way. I want to just nudge them aside rather than throwing them off the board permanently so I was thinking…"

"Say no more," Ajisai lifter her hands. "I have no problem with helping a fellow Cheshire candidate. That prison block out there was originally built by the government to hold lab experiments prisoner. However the project was cancelled when the government of Japan found out what it was really for and he had it shut down and taken off the grid. Thanks to a friend of mine working on the inside I soon discovered that they'd completely destroyed the files of the place trying to forget what they'd almost done and so it was just sitting there collecting dust until I bought it from the government for myself.

"My friend helped me hook it up again to a natural power source I had created some years ago and so I've been going about, tidying the place up trying to figure out what I could do with it. I had been planning a private home or tomb for when I die again for real. I see no reason it can't hold a few innocents to keep them off your back and out of harm's way. It's better than offing them though anyway. Hell I'll even be the warden."

"You'd do that?" I asked surprised and yet relieved at the prospect that I didn't have to be completely alone in this anymore. She nodded.

"If you're planning to keep prisoners for a long amount of time then you'll need someone to keep a watchful eye on them and I know that prison like the back of my hand inside and out. I've got the blueprints. Not to mention they'll need exercise and they'll need food and water, fresh clothing and such. You can't just throw them in a cage n' leave em. That's how irresponsible kids kill their own pets." I smiled again and moved in for another hug. Then I pulled out.

"Thank you so much for everything," I exclaimed. She shrugged.

"Meh, it's the least I could do after getting us started off on the wrong foot." I nodded then turned to Ryuk.

"And you'll be helping out too right?" I asked hopeful. He scoffed at me.

"Heh, of course, you already made me swear I would and I want those apple delicacies you promised." I nodded once more. I exchanged glances with both of them smiling now and wiping a stray tear from my eye.

"Alright then it's time to get to planning because I already know who our first batch is gonna be." And with that the three of us began talking and writing out plans for the rest of the day. Aunt Ajisai even made time to start teaching me something new and rather useful. We ate dinner with the rest of the family and Ajisai gave me a special cellular phone in private that she'd managed to hang onto from her travels that would allow me to contact her and only her. She also assured me that she knew people who could help us who used to work on the dark side and knew how to keep their mouths shut. I agreed to trust her and after dessert, we departed leaving Ajisai's cottage home behind. There wasn't much talk on the way back as Light was still recovering from an earlier incident that day and we all needed sleep for school tomorrow morning.

Thanks to Ajisai's knowledge and brains, I'd gotten my own homework done in no time with her help during our time together so I had nothing to fear from the teacher in the morning. I also felt confident that now I could do more than I used to when I'd been restricted to just working by my lonesome as Kira alongside Ryuk. Now with her help, maybe I actually did stand more of a chance against L. Time would only tell and what Ajisai had taught me in those few short hours spent together in her room with Ryuk never leaving, I felt like I was finally ready for what was coming. In all honesty despite my better judgement, I just couldn't wait.

The day had started ordinarily. Ryuk had already told me about our follower the other day and when I'd ducked into the alleyway to check something out and told Light to continue home, I realized he was following Light more than me. That could be a problem, I had thought.

The night before I had begged Light to take me to the amusement park and now I was waiting for him at the bus stop to hurry up with the purchase of our tickets. I finally saw him just as the bus turned the corner.

"Alright," he said. "I've got the tickets. Now remind me again why you all of a sudden wanted to go somewhere like Spaceland out of the blue?" I huffed a bit annoyed.

"To get away from all of the pressures of society and school work duh!" I said rolling my eyes. "Besides, you've been cooped up in your room practically all week since we got back from your Aunt's place last weekend and I thought you could use the fresh air. And it was either go with me or I would've convinced your mother to force you out." I bounced around anxiously on my feet as the bus pulled up beside us and Light gave a hefty sigh distinctly similar to a groan. I glanced up and could see that Raye Penber was following us just as I'd known he would. We boarded the bus and found our seats, Mr. Penber slipping in behind us as the bus started moving.

In retrospect if this had been following the original death note storyline, Light would've called up one of the girls from his school and took her on a supposed date. However, I'd felt this plan didn't need a third wheel and I definitely needed to be on the bus. I already knew that Raye Penber was souly following Light and not me which was really disconcerting considering the fact that he wasn't Kira this time and that he was innocent. I'd spent this week doing my homework in school on my lunch breaks and other breaks including the ones I took for the bathroom. Then at home I would finish the remainder and then move on to writing in my death note. Two days before this had been the day I'd written down the names of the inmates and had used the death note to control their actions before they died. However, I hadn't gone about it the same way Light had in the original series.

Instead of getting someone to draw a pentagram in blood which I myself couldn't draw, I had them draw just a random doodle with a marker swiped from a guard because I'd gotten bored of waiting for a better idea to pop into my head and had just drawn the first thing I'd come up with. Plus I hadn't liked the idea of blood writing on the wall. Nevertheless it would have the same effect of being completely useless. For the second guy I had gotten him to write the first nonsense letter with the secret message being, "Hey L, guess what?" as the first portion being readable horizontally across the top. I would give him the second portion to decipher later after the FBI incident had occurred. Finally with the third guy, I had him escape his cell and the prison he'd been in to roam around free and not get caught until I needed him. And as for the other three, they just simply died of heart attacks.

Although I had been opposed to it, the playing around with people's lives bit, I had secretly somewhat enjoyed it and had had no choice. Although it would initially be easier to just go after Raye Penber I felt I had to follow some of the original storyline. I had to get L thinking on new things to keep him from catching me faster. Plus the whole bus jacking incident which was soon to take place would be something I could use in the future if I needed it.

The bus soon slowed down after a while's drive to the stop where the hijacker would get on board. He came on casually, hands in his pockets but also with the look in his eyes that indicated he wasn't entirely in his right mind mostly due to the death note and my other method of control. Light tensed beside me; he was near the window since I needed to be on the isle side. I looked over at him and whispered, "What's up?" He was looking straight ahead at the man.

"Nothing," he paused. "I dunno, it's just, I thought I saw that guy a while ago on the news. He's supposed to have escaped a failed bank robbery and the cops after killing three people in the process." I tensed too, not because I was scared but because I hadn't expected him to notice. I could hear his heart begin to beat rapidly beside me. After what he'd been through in the past what with me getting us involved in a fight with thugs, him being jumped by a guy who had had a heart attack soon after and then last weekend while I'd been in Ajisai's room and he'd gone out, it'd been dark on his way back; a crazed man with a mental disorder who'd escaped from the mental institute had attacked him and grazed and cut him several times with a kitchen knife. Finally, even after the one farmer had tried to help, he'd ended up shooting the poor man accidentally in the head. Light had been splattered with the blood. That man was now facing trial in Japanese court and I already knew that he wasn't going to die on my watch even if he did end up in prison.

It seemed that all of a sudden me getting the death note instead of him had put him into harm's way more than once. At least in the original story he would've stood a chance, not that he hadn't tried to outsmart the mental case, but now it seemed the universe was out to get him because he'd been the original Kira. I knew right away that this was definitely going to faze him but I had no choice, the plan had already been set into motion. I glanced over at the man as if taking him in and turning back to Light.

"Oh come on," I said trying to make it sound like no big deal. "I'm pretty sure he's just an average citizen who's just here to ride the bus like everybody else." However, despite I was trying to calm him down and I already knew it was coming, I was still surprised when it was that moment the hijacker had chosen to start his little scene. I heard his gun click.

"Stay in your seats unless you wanna die!" he said in a loud voice while he pointed the gun at the bus driver's head. The driver tensed up as the passengers surrounding us began to panic including Light whom I could see begin to perspire as he glanced at me with an angry yet panicked glare that seemed to say, "You were saying?". I shrunk in my seat.

"Or maybe not," I squeaked out nervously. Despite the fact I had to keep up an act of innocence, I also had to keep up my concentration so I could effectively control the man's actions. I hadn't been able to write down exactly what Light had in the old series because it had never been clearly shown until after and it wasn't something I remembered. So I was also using the bus jacking incident as a test of my aura weaving abilities.

Back at Ajisai's she'd taught me some of the basics claiming I had a natural knack for it, that I just had to dig deeper and find it within myself. She'd explained to me aura natures and other techniques and she'd gotten me to practice with her late into the evening before dinner. I'd gotten fairly good with the practices she'd given me to work on over the week which was the other reason I did most of my homework in school. Mostly, my aura controlling abilities were controlled with my senses which meant they were still pretty weak at times but I was making progress. In fact I couldn't believe how easy it was to control another person's aura close to me once I'd infected them with my own. So now I was controlling a hijacker with my aura and the powers of the death note combined.

The man turned to look at the back seats. "Everybody shut up!" he shouted. "If anybody moves I'm puttin' a bullet in their head." I could hear the previously gasping and worried passengers quiet themselves down. Light was shaking next to me, probably still shaken by what'd happened last weekend. I eyed the man and watched as he turned to make his demands.

"Alright driver," he said. "You listen to me. I know you got the number for Spaceland's office on ya. Call em!" he ordered. The driver shakily reached for the phone nearby and did as he was told.

"This…this is Sasaki," said the bus driver nervously. "I'm calling from bus one seven four."

"Tell them what's happening," ordered the man. "Tell them what's going on and no tricks either!" The bus driver shook as he spoke.

"My…my bus has been hijacked…and he's holding a gun to my head." It was at this point the man reached forward and took the phone from the driver.

"Gimme that!" he growled as he took it. "You heard what he said now you listen up. Have a female staff member bring all of Spaceland's cash from yesterday. I know it's there!" he shouted into the phone. "Have her meet us two bus stops from the park and don't make me wait. If you mess with me at all, or try to get the police involved, I swear I'll kill every one of these passengers!" And with that he yanked the cord from its place so the driver couldn't use it again and threw it on the floor, smashing it with his foot for good measure. Light was still shaking beside me and I could hear him mutter something under his breath.

"Please, please don't let this be happening. Oh god what have I done to deserve this streak of misfortune?" I placed a comforting hand his and looked at me, trying to pull a mask of no emotion on so as not to frighten me but on the contrary it wasn't I that wasn't so frightened as him.

"Hey, it's okay," I whispered, loud enough only for Mr. Penber to hear me in the back. "I've got this." Light looked at me alarmed.

"What the hell are you thinking Lila?" he asked panicked. I lowered my voice some, causing Mr. Penber to lean in closer to listen without drawing attention to himself. I looked up at the guy pacing and made sure, using my aura against his that he wouldn't look this way. I looked back to Light.

"It's simple. I'll cause a distraction and get him close to me then when he least expects it I'll jump him and take the gun. Then I can beat him up karate kid style." He paled at the idea.

"That's a beyond stupid idea Lila," he whispered. "You'll get someone killed if he fires in anxiety after you jump him. That's not smart."

"Well it's better than just sitting here," I argued. He tried to come up with something else to say but Raye Penber beat him to it.

"Hey, I think you should listen to your friend here," he stated quietly. "It's not only stupid no offense but risky. If it should come down to that, I'll take care of it." Light and I gave each other a look. Then he looked back at the man with a strict look of accusing on his face.

"And why should we trust you?" he asked quietly. "For all we know you could be an accomplice." I was surprised he made the same accusation as he had before. But I couldn't think about that so I just played along.

"Accomplice?" I questioned unbelieving. "How on earth could he be an accomplice?" Light turned to me and explained in a serious tone.

"I've read about it before," he paused giving Raye another look then back to me. "The first hijacker comes in like he's working alone while meanwhile the second one pretends to be a hostage sitting in the back seat just in case something goes wrong." I rolled my eyes. A little boy who'd been sitting in front of us turned around with his sister to look at us with worry. I made sure the man didn't notice.

"Is that true mister?" asked the boy, scared out of his mind. He looked like he could be maybe six or seven. The girl shifted beside him then looked back up to the man and hid some behind the back of her seat.

"Then is he a bad guy too?" she wondered. Raye looked like he was about to be caught. I knew that wasn't the case. I rolled my eyes again.

"Oh please, he's not an accomplice. Leave the poor man alone." Light looked up front again at the man walking around like he owned the place and scaring some of the other passengers in the front.

"How do you know?" Light asked skeptically. I sighed.

"Yeah, do you know everything or something?" taunted the boy in the front. I huffed again.

"No, I just know that you're all paranoid," I said pointedly at Light. Light just looked the other way. Raye Leaned forward.

"Here, if it makes you feel any better, here's my proof," he said passing up his identification. Light took it looking a bit surprised and let me and the kids see it too.

"Wow," the two said in unison as they took in the badge. I looked at it letting a naturally quizzical look come over my face as Light handed it back to Penber.

"Okay," he sighed. "So you're not an accomplice but what's and FBI agent doing on a bus to Spaceland in Japan?" he asked suspiciously.

"Uh duh," said the boy up front. "He's here to take that guy to jail." He pointed up at the hijacker. His parents noticed.

"Hey you two," I heard a female voice hiss. "Turn around and sit down before you get yourselves killed!" The two listened to their parents with an "Aww," and did as instructed. I looked over at Light.

"Personally I don't wanna get involved with the FBI and their affairs because who knows what they'd do to us if we found out something top secret? Can't we just accept he's on his way to work or something and let it drop for the time being regardless of how suspicious it is he sat behind us?" I begged Light. He caved and sighed. He glanced back over his shoulder.

"I'll trust you for now okay, but after I want answers you got that?" he spoke briskly. Penber nodded. "And," Light continued under his breath to me, "I'll be reporting this to my father." I felt a bit uneasy at that but I'd talk to him as soon as it was over.

"Shut up you old hag!" I suddenly heard from up front. The hijacker had made his way to the elderly couple sitting just a few seats in front of us diagonally. The old woman was shaking as the gun was pointed at her and she leaned into her husband for safety. "Do you want me to shoot you right now!" he yelled. Now's the moment, I thought. I placed my hand into my pocket and drew out a pen and paper and began fiddling with it, seeming nervous. Then I "accidentally dropped it and went for it using my aura to turn the guy's attention on me. He reacted immediately.

"Hey don't move you little bitch!" he shouted at me. He came at me and I froze and I could feel Light do the same beside me. Although I knew what would happen, my heart still pounded with adrenaline and my face turned red.

"What the hell is that!" he yelled coming up closer. He bent over and picked it up as I slowly eased myself up a bit my arm still slightly extended. I was shaking with adrenaline now which helped with the act. He turned to me and Light.

"Ah, smartass!" he exclaimed glaring. "You bastards were planning something back here weren't ya!" he stated accusingly.

"No we," Light tried but the gun was pointed at him now and he tensed again.

"Shut up wise guy!" the man yelled back. Light looked to me for help but I made the guy notice with my aura by accident and he began switching back and forth from the both of us with the gun. I timed it just right as he went to point at Light again. I jumped him, grabbing his hand with the gun in it.

"Hey!" he shouted angrily. "What do you think you're doing!" I loosened his grip on the gun using my own strength and aura and let it drop to the ground. Then I rode him around like a bucking bronco with him yelling at me, threating me and trying to throw me off. In a way it was actually kind of fun. However, I couldn't hold on forever or so it could be seen despite all of the cheering that was coming from some of the passengers. As he turned around again I shouted out.

"Now would be a good time for some "Special" help!" I shouted as I was tossed around like a rag doll. Taking this as his cue, Raye Penber approached us quickly but carefully as possible. Then he yelled at me to jump off and I did as he performed a perfect axel kick to bring the guy's feet and legs out from under him. The hijacker hit the floor hard but not so hard as I still needed him conscious. He started standing up and I began prancing back and forth on my feet.

"You…you can't win," he stuttered out of breath. I smirked.

"Well maybe next time you shouldn't try hijacking a bus with a black belt and an officer on board." I turned to Raye Penber and winked. He gave a half -hearted smile. We both approached him as he backed up, I could see he was about to go for the driver again but unfortunately for him as it had been written, he started seizing up and his body started acting strange and lifting into the air, with a little help from some aura weaving I hadn't expected to be capable of. I was now in full control of his aura.

After he was up, it was hard to look surprised and stay focused at the same time. Everyone watched as the "Mysterious force" threw him about for a while then finally dropped him back in front of the piece of paper he'd dropped after I'd jumped him; the same paper I'd had him pick up earlier. As he tried to get up, he watched as the paper began to unfold in front of him by itself. The girl who'd been sitting in front of us pointed.

"Look mommy," she said. "Magic!" her eyes were filled with wonderment. After the paper unfolded the picture I'd drawn became exposed and the man began to freak out a bit.

"What…what's happening!?" he cried out. The picture I'd drawn was the image of and apple with a face grinning maliciously, devil horns and a pitchfork. That was Ryuk's cue.

"Why hello there mister," he said casually from the back of the bus. The man jumped back in utter horror.

"Who the hell are you!?" he shouted out. I swore I could've seen Ryuk's grin widen.

"My name's Ryuk," Ryuk said. "I'm what you humans would call a Shinigami, that is to say, a god of death."

"A…a god of death?" the man stuttered. Everyone who heard him became utterly confused. I leaned over to Raye with a hand cupped on the side of my mouth.

"So um…who's he talking too?" I questioned pretending to be confused like everyone else. Raye leaned over to respond.

"I'm not sure. A god of death according to what he just said but I assume he's just hallucinating." I nodded accepting that as an answer. Ryuk continued speaking to the man.

"That's right," he confirmed. "I'm a god of death. Don't think you can get any help by the way. After all, we only appear to those who're about to die so nobody else can see me; nobody else can hear me. If you want proof of that then look around at all of the people. They're more terrified now because you're practically talking to air. Nothing's scarier than a crook gone mental." He snickered and I could tell he was enjoying this all too much. The man looked on in fear, shivering before the monster before him.

"However I'm not here to make fun of you no," he went on. "I'm simply here to deliver a message from my master. I believe you've heard of the world's newest celebrity Kira no?" The man glanced his gun then in the next few seconds, he'd swiped it up and was on his feet pointing it at Ryuk. Ryuk looked amused.

"What're you doing there champ?" he questioned mockingly. The man trembled and backed away some. I followed Penber's lead as we moved in to grab the man slowly.

"Look, I don't care what you are an' I don't care what you're buddy Kira wants. I'm not dyin' today!" At the mention of Kira's name everyone tensed up. It was almost Taboo. Ryuk snickered.

"I'm afraid you can't escape it. Things have already been set in motion, your name has already been written." He began to approach the man just as we'd planned and that was when he lost it.

"St…stay away," he stammered. Ryuk continued forward. "I said stay away!" And he raised his gun. Recognizing danger, Raye shouted out.

"Everybody down!" Everyone ducked as the bullets went flying. They didn't work though, they just when through Ryuk and hit the back window until it broke. Ryuk still moved.

"The message from Kira is this," he stated. The man yelped then pulled the trigger again but realized he'd used up all of the ammo. Too frightened to do anything else, he decided his hijacking attempt was futile and fled to the bus driver ordering him to let him off. The bus skidded to a halt and hit the curb as it stopped and he ran out the open doors as Ryuk finished his message with a wide scary grin.

"Kira says your time has come. Die!" And as the man's feet hit pavement, a car skidded, trying to stop. It hit him in the side and flung him sideways and spinning on his rear and before her could get up, his hand went to his chest as the heart attack finally kicked in and ended his life. Despite the fact that I hadn't been as unforgiving as the first Kira and had sent him flying rather than the car hitting him in the head, I still couldn't bear to watch. This time I had been present at the actual death and it was like my three friends in the car all over again. I turned away.

I waited a week before I made my move on Raye Penber. I hadn't really needed to see his ID but it'd still worked out the way it was supposed to although, as I'd Predicted, Light was a little more than shaken after the whole incident. In fact he was also on fire with new ideas that could possibly lead to capturing of Kira. Despite the fact I'd made him promise not to tell his mom or dad because of the FBI agent and my own "paranoia" of them busting into our house to take us away for questioning, he'd still kept at trying to solve the case privately in his room. If anything I could tell he really wanted to be a policeman someday.

On the day before I had called Aunt Ajisai and told her it was time so she was in the city by the time I had already made my way down to the subway station. I stood casually swaying to and fro waiting for him to show up while Ryuk discreetly downed an apple.

"So," Ryuk started through bits of apple. "Are you positive he'll come through here?" he asked casually. I rolled my eyes.

"Yes, this is the place he came through in the series and I know how to handle it. Just wait until it's your cue."

"Heh, fine!" he snapped back. "You don't have to treat me like your servant."

"Actually yes I do," I replied annoyed. "Remember that's the whole angle we're playing here if we want it to work." As soon as I finished I spotted him coming down the stairs to the terminal, a briefcase in his hand. I clutched the envelope in my right hand.

"There ya see," I said to Ryuk. "No worries, he's here. Now stop griping and let's get going already. It's time for the show to begin." I pulled up my hood over my head then a scarf which hid a voice disruptor inside, up over my mouth. It would make my voice sound male and that was what I wanted. If I could keep them guessing Kira was a guy without suspecting Light then it would be a win for me. I would only show my face to those who were in my prison when I decided to make an appearance. For now though, the art of deception was one of my biggest weapons. I put on some sun glasses too and some gloves.

After he walked pass me I took a deep breath and followed up close behind him. Then I spoke, my voice gravelly through the distorter.

"Mr. Raye Penber," I started; my voice sounding masculine. He stopped as though to turn around but I stopped him from doing so. "Turn around and you die!" He froze instantly. I grinned slightly adrenaline beginning to pump through my veins.

"What's going on," he said. "Who are you?" I grinned more. The part of me that had always wanted to do this before began bubbling up but I kept it together.

"I'm glad you asked," I said smugly through the distorter. "I'm the one who's taken on quite the attention in the world. Some would call me injustice, others a savior. Some would call me a murderer, others a righteous judge of the people. But allow me to make myself quite clear, I'm neither a god nor a devil, I'm merely a human who possesses the power to kill with just the flick of my fingers by only needing to know someone's name and face." He tensed, I grinned. "I am the one and only Kira!"

In front of me, I could tell he was beginning to sweat. And I could tell his heartrate was picking up as his eyes widened. I licked my dry lips, a habit I had when I was slightly nervous. My own heart was beating faster.

"That's right," I assured him. "I am Kira and I know both your name and your face Mr. Penber. Turn around or reach for a weapon concealed anywhere on your person and I won't hesitate to kill you right here and now. You wouldn't want your fiancée to find out you've been killed do you?" I questioned with a sneer.

"How'd you know about her?" he asked frantically.

"Who, Naomi Misora?" I said teasingly. "Why I make it a habit to make sure I know all about the people hired to try and find me Mr. Penber. That means I know about all of your family and hers. If you so much as make one wrong move, not only will I kill you but I can hurt them as well. Your fiancée used to work in the FBI correct?"

"What…what are you getting at?" he asked. "What do you want and how do I know you're not just pulling my leg?" He was desperate to find an opening but I wouldn't let him.

"What am I getting at?" I repeated mockingly. "What do I want and how do you know? Why it's quite simple. What I'm trying to do is to cleanse this world of all of the trash that lives in it and what I'm getting at is that I can really kill with just a face and a name." At that precise moment, a shout came from behind us as a man ran down the stairs into the terminal being closely pursued by security. It was the same man who I'd had escape from prison earlier and he was running at us now. I grinned again.

"As to prove that, see that man coming at us now?" Penber was hesitant in answering.

"Y-yes. I see him." Then he realized something. "Isn't that the man who escaped prison when you…"

"Yes it is," I confirmed. "You see all I had to do was write down his name and then every event leading here. He's going to die soon just you wait and see. While his buddies died in prison, I adjusted the time of his death to be today in this very underground terminal." Penber got anxious.

"Wait a minute, don't do it!" As soon as he said those words of protest the man before us seized up and had his heart attack just as the security guards and police now caught up to him. However, he was dead before he hit the ground. I had closed my eyes still disturbed at the sight of death before me and took a deep breath.

"What the," Penber started. "How did…what did…" he couldn't form the words. He was too much in shock. He now knew I was for real and there was no escaping that. Finally he said something.

"I have a question for you," he began. I was curious with what he had to say.

"Yes?" He took a deep breath.

"Last week, there was a man who died in a bus jacking incident. He was a burglar who wanted the money from Spaceland. Before he got off the bus he had a hallucination and mentioned something about a god of death and your name. Then he got off the bus and got hit by a car. Tell me, was what happened your doing?" I paused before continuing.

"Why of course. The circumstances for his death were similar to this man's." I nodded indicating the man who now lay dead on the floor. "However, I don't recall a god of death. Perhaps it was all just a hallucination." He nodded accepting that as my answer. I then tapped him with the envelope in my hand. He looked down.

"Take it," I ordered. He did. "Good, now inside you'll find a transceiver. You're to put the earpiece in your ear. I already know you don't have the information I need at the moment so for now you'll follow my instructions from a distance. I'll explain what the papers are for later. Now just continue on your merry little way." With that I slipped away and watched as he made his way to the lower train terminals. He'd already put the earpiece in his ear. Once he was on the right level, I began phase two.

"Mr. Penber," I started, speaking into my own transceiver. "If you can hear me then reply but make it discreet. No one can see you." I watched as Ray put the mouth piece into his coat, walked a while then spoke back to me.

"Yes I hear you." He confirmed. I smiled at Ryuk as I followed him.

"Good then listen closely. Board the Yamanote line either the inner or outer route, it doesn't really matter. Make sure you get the seat nearest the door. If it's occupied then wait until it's free then sit. Remember I will be close by and watching you at all times. Any slip ups, any looking around for my whereabouts and your girlfriend is first. Understand?"

"Yes," he replied straight forward. He boarded the train and I followed making sure to conceal myself in the car ahead of him. I hid myself in the corner as I'd seen Light do before, watching him from my position. I had to wait until the seat was occupied by Penber in order to start. Once I was sure he was seated and not looking about. I began.

"Good, we're doing great so far aren't we? Now I'm going to ask you a question and you're going to give me an honest answer because if not, I have Naomi's name right here. Now how many FBI agents are currently stationed in Japan? Speak clearly, discreetly and quietly." I watched as he brought his coat collar up to answer.

"I believe it's four teams, three agents per team for a total of twelve agents," he said sternly.

"Okay, good," I replied coyly. "Now take the papers out of the envelope." He did, looking a bit puzzled at the blank slots. No doubt he was asking questions mentally.

"Now of those twelve agents you just mentioned, write the name of the one heading the investigation at the top in the space provided. Then pull out your lap top. You should receive an email with a file attachment containing the information regarding every FBI agent stationed here in Japan and in New York City."

Raye's eyes widened as he realized I'd been right. I'd already assumed since L. had promised already to investigate both Japan and New York although Japan was his safer bet, he would've stationed agents there as well.

"Now wright down every name you see there. Then on the extra sheet, write your access code to your laptop and email address password and user name. Place the papers and transceiver back in the envelope and the envelope into your computer bag along with your laptop. You're to leave both on the rack above your head." He held a questioning look on his face as he did so.

"Okay, now stay in your seat and ride the train for another thirty to forty minutes. You're not allowed to leave the train until after you're certain no one will notice you getting off without your laptop case." He sat there and I stood in the other car waiting for a little while longer. Almost an hour had gone by when it was finally time for us to disembark. As soon as he was off the train, I followed grabbing his laptop along the way. I waited until we were in a place with no cameras to come up behind him again.

"Good job Mr. Penber," I said. He tensed once more. "You're really good at taking orders. Now it's time to say goodbye. Ryuk…take him away." At this Raye Penber whirled around to see the hideous deformed Shinigami before him. His eyes widened in fear as he backed away in shock. He ran into the wall. He glanced at me but couldn't see my face clearly through the sunglasses and the scarf and hood. My clothes were too baggy for him to see my breasts and so were my pants and my sneakers looked worn and torn. I placed my gloved hands in my sweater pockets. Ryuk approached him.

"Mr. Penber," he said in his gravelly voice. "It'd be best for everyone if you followed me now. Don't try calling for help though; no one will believe you because right now the only ones who can see and hear me are you and master Kira himself. Come quietly and no harm shall come to you or your loved ones." Penber looked frantic.

"How…how do I know I can trust you?!" he shouted.

"If I were you Mr. Penber I'd keep my voice down," I said with the distorted voice still activated. "We wouldn't want to attract any unwanted attention now would we?" I paused a moment then sighed. "Look I'm not going to kill you or your girlfriend or family. Sometimes you need to push someone to the edge before they'll do what you want and in this case with an FBI agent such as yourself, special measures had to be taken. You have my word no harm will come to them but in the meantime, I need you to disappear. Your death has already been faked and recognized by the police by one of my other partners. That same partner will be taking you to a safe and secure location. You'll remain there until my mission is complete and the world cleansed of the rot that has collected within it and…of myself." With that I handed the laptop to Ryuk and turned swiftly on my heel and walked away. "Farewell Raye Penber!"

"Wait!" Penber yelled after me but Ryuk moved in. After a while, I glanced back to see Raye Penber followed Ryuk. He would follow him to the place where Ajisai was waiting in the car. There he would be handcuffed and blindfolded then taken to the prison. Ajisai would put him in with a guard posted, someone working on our side from the town and then throughout the rest of the evening, Ryuk and Ajisai would take all of the agents including their bosses from their places of residence and lock them up. Ryuk would personally fly over the ones from New York City. We were lucky he didn't tire easily. All I had to do now was wait.

L.

I sat in my usual crouched position, eating my favourite kind of cake while thinking about the only thing that was ever on my mind these days. Kira! He'd begun killing criminals not too long ago and was clearly an amateur; at first anyway.

Recently he'd proven very difficult to read, getting into the police secret files and causing my suspicions about the task force already assembled. However, I had already had many suspicions since the beginning. Then there was the bus jacking incident. Bystanders say the man had been hit by a car after running off the bus but beforehand the people on the bus had said he'd been speaking to an imaginary Shinigami and had mentioned Kira's name. Then when the test results came in from the autopsy, they'd said the man hadn't been really that injured from the car since it only hit him in the lower regions but rather he died of a heart attack soon after.

Then there was the incident with the FBI agents from both Japan and New York at the same time only this time the results of the autopsy although declared sufficient seemed questionable when I'd seen them and when I'd asked for a re-run they'd all said the bodies of the agents including their commanding officers had disintegrated leaving behind no trace of evidence. The question I'd asked myself was why Kira would need to disintegrate these bodies of FBI agents when he hadn't done so with the other victims. Could it be because they'd been officers in the line of duty and deserved a proper sendoff in his mind's eye? Or was it some other motive. Either way, it was a big change in the recent patterns.

I finished my cake then went back to looking over the photos sent in from the men's deaths at the prison and the one that had occurred outside. There had been a randomly drawn cartoon cake with devil horns, a maliciously grinning face and a pitchfork. I tried to put the two together but couldn't. The note was a bunch of jumbled up song lyrics and nothing more. I sighed heavily and twisted my head sideways to scratch an itchy spot that had formed on the back of my neck. That's when I saw it.

The message. It said, "Hey L guess what?" then the second note which had just come in earlier from Watari. My eyes widened as I read it and I broke out into a cold sweat. The entire message put together said, "Hey L. guess what? I love cake too!"

"Um, so what's with the family meeting dad?" Sayu asked her father. We were all seated around the table as Mr. Yagami had called us all to a meeting. I sat beside Sayu and our attention was on Mr. Yagami. He sighed and got right to it.

"I figured you're going to find out sooner or later so I might as well tell you now," he began. "I don't want you to be alarmed. I'm sure you've heard of this Kira investigation." He took a breath. "Well I'm currently in charge of it." Sayu immediately sat up.

"What are you serious?" she asked eyes sparkling. "That's totally awesome dad. You're the best cop ever!" she said excitedly. Mr. Yagami sighed again.

"That's not quite the point I'm trying to make," he stated. "You see the truth is the FBI sent twelve of its agents to Japan to assist us in finding Kira and all of them were killed yesterday." Now the whole family looked at Mr. Yagami with the utmost concern including me. I glanced at Light who had tensed up and turned slightly pale.

"Are you saying they were all killed by Kira?" he questioned. While in the original series he would've been putting on an act, I could see that Light was genuinely concerned for his father. Of course this time he didn't have the reassurance from himself because he was Kira nor did he have the knowledge of the fact that those same FBI agents were all going to be locked up and cozy in a secure prison. I felt sort of guilty. His father nodded solemnly at the question.

"Yes, all of them…and the ones who were working on finding Kira in New York City." I sat back and wondered at that, at how Ajisai had pulled off the fake deaths in New York and Japan at the same time. I supposed I would ask her when I saw her next.

"At any rate," Mr. Yagami continued. "What I'm trying to say is that there's a chance Kira will actually try to kill anyone who comes after him. His crimes are ruthless and more frightening than anything we've ever seen in all our years. Many Detectives have already quit as it is."

"Dad you should quit too," pleaded a now worried Sayu. "I don't want you to die what if he gets you?" I decided I better not be quiet through all of this. In truth I actually was worried for him. I didn't know what the future held for any of us. All I had was the knowledge from watching the anime.

"Sayu's right Mr. Yagami, you shouldn't have to put your life at risk. This act shows that Kira's serious about whatever he's planning to do. He might already be planning his next move."

"Yes, that's true. Your life is so much more important than some job," agreed Mrs. Yagami. She placed a worried hand on her husband's arm. I watched and waited to see what would happen.

"I can't," Mr. Yagami said plainly. "I could never forgive myself if I walked away from this. I will not sit back and let evil triumph!" I winced slightly at being called evil. I could agree that what I was doing was evil but I wasn't an evil person.

"But dad you…" started Sayu.

"Please dear?" pleaded Mrs. Yagami. Light looked down hard at the table while I just looked away. From out of nowhere Light slammed his fist down on the table catching everyone by surprise, especially me.

"Light," Mrs. Yagami tried to scold but Light cut her off.

"Let me help you," he demanded looking straight and determined right at his father. His father looker even more surprised. "Please dad," he continued. "Let me help you on this case. I've helped you and the police before so let me help again. You shouldn't have to be the only one risking your life!"

"Light," his mother said again, this time as a mother trying to calm down her baby. Mr. Yagami meanwhile had regained his composure.

"Absolutely not!" he replied flatly.

"Why not, is it because of me almost dying four times, is that it? Because I'm fine dad I really am and I've never felt more sure of myself than I do right now!" I was glad that I was sitting on the opposite side of Sayu instead of right next to Light. He seemed rather tipsy like he might go off at any moment. Sayu could sense this too and edged away from him slightly every few seconds.

"It has nothing to do with that," Mr. Yagami assured him. "It just has everything to do with, you're my son and I don't want anything to happen to you or anyone else in this family."

"And so we should just let it happen to you instead? Do you know how serious this is? The other day Lila and I were on a bus that got hijacked and we were already threatened by the guy who did it before he went loopy talking about Shinigami and Kira! There was an FBI agent named Raye Penber on that bus and he died yesterday, a week from that day!" Mr. Yagami stood up as his son had done, now a new sense of worry on his face.

"Why didn't you tell me about this when it happened?" he demanded.

"And why wasn't I informed either?" Mrs. Yagami joined in. The two weren't just eying Light now, now they were eying the both of us. I shrunk into my seat wishing that Light hadn't just brought that up.

"Lila persuaded me not to because the man didn't want us to give away his identity. The point is Kira could've been watching that bus, could've gotten information on the one the FBI agent was following which was probably Lila and me. The FBI were hired by L. the great detective weren't they to investigate the police force. I've already seen that Kira's been suspected of being a student."

"You've hacked into my police files!" Mr. Yagami was raising his voice now. "Light that was the reason for bringing the FBI in, in the first place because Kira had access to police files, do you realize this puts you on the spot for being a suspect?" he roared.

"Well how else am I supposed to search for my own leads? How else am I supposed to make sure you're safe? I've seen what Kira can do dad, twice! It's never been good and I know just how scary he can be."

"So you've already been "helping" without permission, is that it? God damn it Light, you're not supposed to put yourself in harm's way like this!" Mr. Yagami threw his hand up and pinched the bridge of his nose trying to think.

"And why not? I've already said I've almost died four times. You already know about the punks me and Lila encountered then the guy who tried to jump me and then the time at Ajisai's place and now you know about the fourth. I know this Kira is a serious man dad but so am I and I will not rest easy until this case is solved!"

"Light you're supposed to finish school and move up the ranks first before you can take on this kind of dangerous responsibility. You've got a promising future ahead of you and you want to throw it away on a whim? I won't allow it!"

"Dad I," Light tried to begin again but his father cut him off with a wave of his hand.

"No!" he said firmly. "You're not allowed to work on this case and that's final. Now I want you to go upstairs and transfer everything from the Kira case from your computer back onto mine. I'll be changing up the codes so you can't breach it again and if I find you have, you'll be grounded longer than you are now."

"But…"

"Now!" Mr. Yagami yelled. Then there fell an eerie silence that rested what seemed forever on the dining room scene. Finally Light already risen from the table due to the intensity of the fight, pushed in his chair and turned on his heel.

"Goodnight," he said bitterly and stalked out of the room and up the stairs. The sound of his closing door was all that could be heard in the silence that followed. Finally Mrs. Yagami turned to Sayu.

"Sayu dear why don't you head up and get ready for bead? It's late." Sayu didn't argue against it even though it wasn't her bedtime yet.

"Okay, goodnight mom." She leaned over and hugged her mom. Then she went over and hugged her father. "Goodnight dad." Mr. Yagami wrapped one arm around his daughter while he still held the bridge of his nose thinking.

"Goodnight dear," he replied distractedly. Sayu left and went upstairs. Mr. Yagami all of sudden turned to me still slightly peeved. "And what about you?" he snapped. I winced.

"Dear!" Mrs. Yagami tried to scold. I looked up at Mr. Yagami still standing above me. He ignored his wife.

"Have you anything to say for yourself about this new development concerning the bus jacking and FBI agent?" Although I knew he didn't know I was Kira and the whole thing had been my fault, it sure felt he was demanding an explanation for just that. I just sat up and decided to tell him what I could.

"Well, I didn't expect it to happen," I tried. He sat down again, diagonally across from me.

"Nice try," he said. "Let's try again. Tell me everything." Silence followed then I gave a long sigh and settled into my chair again. I told him everything as he'd requested from the moment we got on the bus and Raye Penber had sat down behind us to me jumping the hijacker and then finally the hijacker, after being swung around the air like a rag doll and totally losing his mind; had mentioned a Shinigami and Kira's name then jumped off the bus and into the way of an oncoming car that had hit him and sent him flying.

"Afterwards even though it didn't look that bad and he could still sort of move somehow, he just upped and died right there. It was surprising for all of us. Then the FBI agent told us not to tell anybody of the incident because he was supposed to be undercover. So I made Light agree even though he wanted to tell you because I thought if we made the wrong move, they'd end up towing us away later and questioning us underground or something." I shrugged, not really sure of what to say next. Mr. Yagami just sighed.

"Alright Lila, that's all I needed to know. Next time though, tell me about these things sooner and don't keep secrets. With a Kira incident being that close to you, I'd hate to see what would happen if he started taking hostages related to the task force." I nodded with understanding. Mrs. Yagami came up behind me and patted me on the shoulder.

"Maybe you should go up to bed too Lila," she suggested. "That way tomorrow morning you can get an early start." I nodded again and headed up the stairs. I groaned and reached back to rub my neck.

"Man this whole thing is a pain," I complained as I went up remembering that Ryuk was still out busily helping Ajisai secure the prisoners. I knew he wouldn't come back until he'd eaten his fill of payment she'd prepared for him after lugging a bunch of humans across the ocean. Luckily he was able to go supernaturally fast otherwise he would've gotten bored already and given up.

I reached my door and sighed to myself as I turned the handle. "Oh well, once everything is finally settled here, I'll finally be able to put this nightmare behind me!" I exclaimed.

"And what nightmare would that be?" Said a cold voice from across the room. I snapped my head up and saw that Light was sitting across from me in my own room, in my computer chair. His legs were crossed and he didn't look too happy. In fact he was giving me the same look he would've had if he'd been the Light who was Kira. The look made me really worried but that was nothing. The lamplight was on behind him on my desk and it illuminated his back and what he was holding in his right hand. I froze when I saw what it was in the utmost horror.

At that moment of one fact I was perfectly and horrifyingly aware. Light Yagami was in my room and he had found and was holding my death note.