A/N: Hello there!
Soooo... Long chapter is long? And it is full of sappiness again! Seriously, if this story had a Cute-O-Metre, it'd probably puke rainbows by now!
And aside from that... Intense Emotions! Crappy School Systems! Violence! Beach Scenes! AND a totally not-badly-impromptu explanation for the usage of 'L'! Yay! Realistic as hell! And I want to punch Soichiro in the face.
-GenoVera :D
P.S: As always, thanks to everyone who read this far! You're awesome!
Chapter 3: The Way Life Teaches Lessons
"Light? Light, are you excited?"
Light had hardly paid attention to what was said to him, but now he snapped back from his dreamland into reality. He didn't quite know what was going on, so he tried to give a casual, general response.
"Why should I be excited?" he asked.
Sachiko clasped her hands in a playful chide.
"Light, the day after tomorrow is your first day in school!"
Oh yeah. His first day in school. How could he have forgotten? Some time has passed since he turned six and soon he would be a student. Ryuuzaki of course already had the privilege to go to school, but he didn't take it seriously. In fact, Light and Ryuuzaki hardly met since Soichiro's outburst, and the only thing Ryuuzaki had to say was that "school was too boring without Light-kun, therefore he preferred staying at home with private studying".
That didn't harm Light's motivation, however. He knew that the autistic was easily bored and Light was sure that school couldn't be that bad. It was an institution for education purposes, after all.
"But I'm sure I'll be fine", Light announced with typical confidence. Sachiko beamed.
"Of course you will"
Both Soichiro and Sachiko sat a moment in silence, imagining their perfect son fitting perfectly in the new environment and behaving perfectly well. It was an image that went well with Light, nobody could deny it.
The moment was ruined by Sayu, who abruptly woke up and let out a series of tremendous screams. Well, not every child could be as silent and well-behaved as Light.
"Honey? What are you doing?"
Sakura stood sleepily in the threshold to Ryuuzaki's room and watched a swirl of black hair rummaging through an enormous backpack.
"I'm packing", a muffled voice announced. Ryuuzaki's head was currently stuck in the depths of his bag.
"It's 11 pm. You should be sleeping by now."
"I plan to attend school tomorrow. Therefore I have to pack a few things in order to prepare myself."
"You're going to school? I thought you wanted to wait until…"
The clog that enfolded Sakura's brain lifted and was replaced by sudden understanding.
"Light's going too?"
"Yes!", Ryuuzaki beamed, finally emerging from his satchel. His hair was even more ruffled than usually and his cheeks were dashed pink from childish eagerness. It was a sight that made Sakura's heart melt. She enfolded her arms.
"Come here"
Ryuuzaki checked one last time whether he had forgotten something (Ryuuzaki and forgetting something? The mere thought seemed to be ridiculous) and threw himself in his mother's arms. He snuggled his fluffy hair against the young mother's shoulder and yawned. Sakura wrapped her arms tightly around the human bundle. Ryuuzaki was always clingy when he was tired, although the boy needed remarkably little sleep for someone his age.
Sakura carried Ryuuzaki to her bedroom, where she laid herself and her son down. Almost instantly Ryuuzaki cuddled close to her and soon fell asleep. Sakura, now fully awake, would need a little time to calm down again. Until then she would simply think and plan, both things she liked doing. Despite her young age, she was a very independent and well-organized young woman, sometimes a bit messy, but never really sloppy. She intended to build her two-headed family a cozy little life in the little Japanese suburb.
The closeness to Light Yagami was certainly a good sign and Sakura really wished for her son that he'd loosen up a bit, that he'd find friends, play with them and do all those silly things children were supposed to do. Because, although Ryuuzaki was pretty childish, it seemed rather that he was an adult sticking in a children's body who tried to be a child. The thought seemed to be dubious, silly even, but that's the impression Sakura was given. And she was pretty good at observing people. Such as the Yagami-kid's parents.
Sakura had tried her best, really. She was nice, demanding, fawning, strict and even a bit aggressive in order to convince the Yagami seniors of her son's harmlessness, but all in vain. They were as stubborn as Light was, only not as analytical, but clouded with emotions. Even Sakura could see the little boy's desperate attempt to be the featured son, although he wanted to be a little imperfect from time to time.
She relaxed a bit as she thought about what would happen. There was only one acceptable elementary school in the direct surroundings, therefore Light and Ryuuzaki would see each other every day in school.
It also eased Sakura a bit, since she used to leave Ryuuzaki by himself when she was working at the little bakery around the corner. Of course, sometimes Ryuuzaki would tag along, but he was quickly bored and was content only getting hold of a few sweets Sakura would give him. After that he'd return to his room, doing his little games and strange hobbies Sakura so admired.
And Sakura always had to work long and hard, since she was the only source of income their little household had to exhibit. But then, she couldn't think of a life more perfect as long as she and her son had each other.
With a smile on her face, she fell asleep.
Light made sure he looked as presentable as possible. He wanted his first day in school to be memorable, so he spent an hour combing his hair, fixing his tiny suit with a red tie and polishing his shoes. Sachiko watched her son's effort with a smile that literally spelled 'Light is so sweet when he plays adult'. But Light by no means intended to 'play adult'. He was now one step closer to adulthood and that's what he wanted to show himself and the world.
The school was nearby, so Light walked together with his family. The family radiated an aura of peacefulness and pride. A picture-perfect image.
Light was bidden farewell quite dramatically, with his mother pecking his cheeks several times and his father patting his shoulder and giving him a 'I know you won't disappoint me'-look. Light endured it all, until he was released and could enter the building.
Inside he was greeted by a small hallway and a woman who smiled at him warmly. She waved slightly and greeted Light. Light bowed and the woman's smile intensified. Of course Light had this effect on adults. He was then led to his future classroom at the end of a hallway. Since it was a little school, there were only about ten children sitting on their chairs and their chit-chattering ended abruptly when Light stepped in. The auburn haired boy immediately appreciated the warm colour of the walls and the tidiness of the room.
"Hello, children, I want you to welcome your new class mate, Light Yagami"
Several muffled murmurs resounded and Light gave them his best smile. He was led to a single table between a brown-haired boy and an empty desk. Light briefly wondered if there were yet more new pupils to come.
The boy next to him mustered Light and grinned gleefully.
"Did ya mother clothe you?"
"No, I'm quite capable of dressing myself. It's a skill you don't seem to possess, by the look of it"
It was true, the boy next to Light was obviously a slob. Not the kind of slob Light knew from Ryuuzaki, but the bad one, with sweaty hair and bad teeth.
Wait, Light thought immediately, there are good slobs? Ryuuzaki certainly had a bad influence on him.
"Yeah, whatever, mommy's boy"
Light graced the nuisance with a cold glare and paid then attention to the teacher, who was about to start the class. Their first lesson would be Japanese, and Light was looking forward to it. Right now he knew many complicated kanji, but he hoped he could increase their amount in school.
However, he would soon be disappointed. The teacher made it clear after only fifteen minutes that they weren't about to get to the really advanced stuff. Light sighed heavily and sunk back in his chair. Ryuuzaki was right, school indeed wasn't sophisticated. Had Light to wait three more years to learn something interesting? The thought was highly discouraging.
He snapped out of his thoughts when suddenly the door was opened silently. Strange, Light hadn't heard any knocking.
He then got to know why, because the one that entered was a familiar figure. Black, messy hair, pale skin and a muffin in one hand… Yes, the figure was quite familiar.
Ryuuzaki shuffled to the empty chair next to Light without a word, he didn't even look at the teacher. The whole class had stopped in whatever activity they were doing and gaped at such a disrespectful scene.
"Good day, Light-kun. Anything interesting so far?", Ryuuzaki asked between two bites of his sweet.
Light could only stare. Then the wheels in his brain began to turn and he regained his composure.
"No. I think you were right"
Ryuuzaki stopped midway in his movement and gazed at Light with his big, black eyes.
"Is there a time I am not?", he asked and Light couldn't tell whether he was joking or not. It was always the same with the owl-like face.
"Ahem"
Both Light and Ryuuzaki turned their attention to the teacher, who stood with a piercing gaze in front of Ryuuzaki.
"I'm sorry for interrupting your little chat but I'd like to go on with my class"
Light noticed how her friendly face was now wrinkled in badly disguised anger.
"Ryuuzaki, you're late. Under normal circumstances I'd be pleased if a pupil like you actually attended my class, but your behaviour is highly impudent and you disrupt my lessons constantly. If you have trouble reading the clock then at least I expect a decent apology from you"
Ryuuzaki returned the glare sent his way without looking in the slightest bothered. He wriggled his toes (which made a few children giggle) and began his speech.
"I won't apologise. Quite the contrary, I think you, as the authority, should know better than giving in to the level you're right now representing and better start respecting my individuality such as I'm supposed to admire your authority. I only attend your classes for entertaining purposes and since education is far more often required in this nation than actual intelligence. Which you don't seem to possess if you are unable to fulfill my intellectual cravings. And yes, you should be glad about me attending your lessons since I am by greater means a better educator than you are."
The teacher looked deadpanned and angry at the same time.
She seemed to contemplate her possible actions, but found none since conversations with the brat's mother also turned out to be utterly useless. Had to be a family thing.
Sighing, she admitted defeat and returned to her place in front of the class. She luckily didn't notice Light and Ryuuzaki exchanging victorious smiles. Otherwise she sure would have contemplated running away.
The day marched on and Light and Ryuuzaki surely didn't give the teacher an easy time. They were constantly competing with each other on subjects far too complicated for six-year-olds and they started picking on the other children, especially the slob and his friends Light came in contact with earlier.
However, making fun of other people wasn't as easy for Light as it was for Ryuuzaki, since he could see the hurtful expression in his victim's eyes which Ryuuzaki seemed to completely dismiss.
At the end, Light packed his back but was held back by the teacher.
"Light? I'd like to talk to you for a minute" She glanced at Ryuuzaki standing next to them and hissed: "Alone"
Ryuuzaki, however, didn't stir until Light nodded and said "Wait for me outside".
The two made a silent agreement to share what would take place here. The teacher had no idea exactly how well the two boys understood each other.
Ryuuzaki left the room and the woman became serious.
"Are you two close?"
"We're friends", Light answered truthfully. The teacher nodded, more to herself than to Light.
"I don't think he's the right company for you"
Wait, what? Light had expected her not to be pleased about his friendship to Ryuuzaki, but he'd never think she'd be that blunt about it. Why was it that everybody tried to separate them?
"Look, Ryuuzaki certainly influences you in a bad way. Although I've only seen him here a few times, I have enough experience to say that he isn't the lovliest person on earth. I'd even go that far to say he doesn't care for anyone except for himself. You seem to be a caring and social person, I've seen it in your dealings with others. This whole thing can't do you any good."
Light nodded. He was already bored. This adult was as dumb and superficial as all the others. Light could deceive them with his appearance alone. They thought of him as superior to Ryuuzaki, as more decent and more socially accepted. But that was an illusion. Ryuuzaki and he were almost the same inwardly, they both sought a purpose in life, a valve for their minds. Ryuuzaki would rely on drastic measures to fulfill this goal, as would Light. But of course, while Ryuuzaki had the excuse, the right, to turn his dark inside out, Light had to be perfect for his family and friends. That was okay for him, as long as people wouldn't give him this moral nonsense.
So Light promised to take care of himself and to be more critical with Ryuuzaki. He didn't intend to do it. He just wanted to get out of this room, this school, this society.
So he returned to Ryuuzaki and told him everything that had taken place. The pale boy nodded, such as he had expected something like that. He was also seemingly unperturbed by Light's fake promise. He simply tilted his head and proceeded then to leave the building.
Light followed, but a surprise awaited him outside. His family stood there to accompany him home.
"Light-kun, your family is here", Ryuuzaki announced unnecessarily.
"You don't say", Light muttered back. He then walked towards his mother, who didn't have the frown in her face like his father had after seeing Light together with Ryuuzaki.
Light was greeted by a straight forward "How was it?" and he explained with acted excitement what they did today and how easy it was for him. His parents seemed satisfied, whereas Ryuuzaki watched him with a serious dullness in his eyes.
Sachiko put a hand on her son's shoulder.
"Let's head back then."
Light nodded. "I'm sure I'm going to find the way alone tomorrow"
Ryuuzaki realised that this was Light's way of saying 'I am not a baby anymore, please stop spoiling me'.
The black haired child was about to simply stick along, when Light's father turned around and gave him an unwelcoming look which would have put off any other kid but Ryuuzaki.
"Won't your mother come to get you?", he asked and it sounded like 'Are you sure something like you should walk around unaccompanied?'.
Ryuuzaki shrugged it off.
"My mother is working. I thought I could escort Light back to his home"
Light laughed.
"It is more like us escorting you, Ryuu!"
Ryuu then pouted. He didn't like the nickname Light would pull out every time when he randomly met his parents only to point out their closeness. It was a strategy that didn't seem to affect Soichiro anyway.
Maybe Ryuuzaki should finally start the tactic he hadn't relied on yet, simply because it was Light's strategy: Using one's cuteness.
But Ryuuzaki never liked the idea of manipulating people's feelings by not being earnest about his own personality. It was a kind of honesty that, although it seemed to be strongly rejected in this society, was very important to Ryuuzaki.
So he went straight forward like always.
"Yagami-san, why do you hate me?"
The question took everyone off-guard, including Light and, of course, the person in question himself.
"Wh… I do not hate you, Ryuuzaki. It's just…"
"I am not good enough for your son?", Ryuuzaki interrupted.
Soichiro coughed uncomfortably.
"Well… I'd prefer it if he had other friends beside you"
Ryuuzaki didn't even think about that. It was obvious to him that this was far from the truth. Soichiro was avoiding direct questions, like adults always did.
"So it is not my association, but the lack of others. That's interesting, since it meant that my friendship is accepted as long as Light sought other friends. But you are clearly disapproving of me under all circumstances. Why, I must ask?"
Another cough.
"You… it is really nothing personally, but…" Soichiro's voice trailed. True, he didn't like Ryuuzaki, but he couldn't tell a six-year-old in the face that he thought of him as emotionally incapable of forming serious friendships.
Ryuuzaki meanwhile looked to the ground.
"Ah. So it's due to my autism? You won't allow me any social contact since I'm having a hard time having social contact?"
Soichiro's eyes widened. It sounded horrible if you put it like that. But, of course, Ryuuzaki had hit the nail right on the head. That was basically what Soichiro was thinking. Even Sachiko looked repelled at this moment.
"But I assure you that I really want to be Light's friend! It is the first voluntarily formed relationship that feels nice. Spending time with Light-kun, I can simply be myself without constantly being judged! And that is why I'm as earnest about this as Light-kun is. So please, do not take away such a thing from both of us! It is not only me who struggles with your restriction, but also your son! He has to endure enormous pressure to prove he is worth of a friendship he has the very right to have under any circumstances! You make both of us miserable. It isn't only about me. Not this time."
Ryuuzaki had nearly screamed during his speech, but at the end his voice trailed off and he looked to the side. It wasn't like him to raise his voice, or, God beware, show such human emotions. He couldn't recall a time something like this happened. It was only the fact that it was about Light-kun and… he had suddenly felt anger building inside him, so he had let it out, before it could boil inside of him, like his mother once advised him to do.
At least, this is how people dealt with feelings, right? They let them out.
Ryuuzaki raised his head and found everyone looking at him with various expressions. Soichiro looked downright guilty, Sachiko surprised, and Light… Light looked absolutely impressed. Ryuuzaki noticed how his caramel eyes glimmered with pride. Was he proud because he had made Ryuuazke lose his cold demeanor? That would be typical for the young narcissist. Ryuuzaki had regained his control and looked Soichiro expectantly in the eyes. The father sighed in defeat.
"I have to apologise. I think I was biased and unjust towards you. I will no longer forbid you seeing my son"
Light's eyes sparkled right then, only due to joy and not, as Ryuuzaki had expected, due to pride. The pale boy gave him a small smile. Light then jumped forwards and threw Ryuuzaki into a hug. That boy sure liked hugging, Ryuuzaki thought to himself. At least hugging him, who right now suppressed his usual dislike for physical contact and endured Light's cuddle attack. He sure would have punched any other kid who dared doing that.
After Ryuuzaki had freed himself from Light, the group started finally moving again. They reached their goal in silence, only interrupted by a bit of chit-chatting.
They separated and Ryuuzaki went to his house alone. As much as he wanted to, he couldn't cope with too much Light-Kun-ness at once. Not to mention the other social interactions he had had that day. Humans were pretty exhausting. He marched into his room and placed himself on the favourite spot on the bed, reading another one of his books. That should calm the introvert inside him down, he assumed. And Ryuuzaki was always right.
The days passed without any incidents, except that the teacher in school seemed to be seriously contemplating an early retirement, until, ten days after the wonderful moment when Light and Ryuuzaki got the permission to officially meet, Sakura was invited by Sachiko, whom she met at her workplace, to a picnic in the park together with the children. Of course the confectioner couldn't say no.
It was a wonderful day in February and the weather in Japan was warm and sunny. Soichiro drove them to a little, comfy park with a lake and trees surrounding it. They stopped and the children immediately jumped out and ran towards the water.
"Be careful, you two!", Sachiko yelled, but the boys didn't even bother responding.
The women unfolded the blanket and prepared the food. Sakura brought pastries and other sweets whereas Sachiko took care of the healthy part. The three-year old Sayu was placed comfortably in a toddler's chair. Soichiro, Sachiko and Sakura sat down and began to talk like adults always did when they gathered.
"Do you think there are any poisonous fish in here?", Light asked excited.
"I doubt it. The climate isn't typical for said species and your parents most certainly wouldn't let us go near the lake if they were any dangers"
"What a pity", Light pouted.
"We could buy some piranhas from an animal store and try settle them here". Ryuuzaki proposed upon seeing the disappointed look on his friend's face.
"Only if you explain this to Greenpeace", Light countered and poked one finger in the water.
Ryuuzaki was slightly disgusted, he could practically see all the germs floating around in the water.
"I want to go swimming! What about it?", Light exclaimed after feeling the perfect temperature of the water. There weren't any other kids, either, so the lake would be for them alone.
"Of course I won't prevent Light-kun from his bath", Ryuuzaki said and watched his reflection in the water. It was still the same pale face with those big, black eyes. They looked disapprovingly into the dark depths of the lake.
"Don't be silly, I wanted us both to go!", Light announced and turned to face his friend who sat in his usual perch in front of the shore, looking gloomy.
Swimming alone wouldn't be any fun, so Light needed a plan to get Ryuuzaki into the water.
"Oh, don't tell me you cannot swim", he teased with a smirk.
"Of course I can swim. But there's no need to prove it"
"So you don't like swimming?", Light asked
"Not particularly, no. However, if Light is that eager about having company while swimming, I shall bath my feet."
"I don't want to be accompanied by your filthy feet."
"That's the furthest I will go."
Light thought about that. What would be the most effective way of making that little bullhead go into the water?
Light smirked. If there wouldn't be a psychological way, then…
"Don't be a coward, Ryuuzaki! I promise I will hold your hand"
Ryuuzaki wasn't impressed. The two bickered back and forth a while, then Light finally gave in.
"All right! I am going to swim by myself before our time here is up! You are so stubborn!"
Ryuuzaki was satisfied. The two wandered a little to the right to reach a deeper place of the lake, since Light wanted to jump in all at once. Light got rid of all his clothes except his trunks which he'd worn under his clothes already.
After the first minute in the water. Light could indeed confirm that the water was perfect. Ryuuzaki paddled his feet around and seemed to be lost in thought. That was Light's chance! He could dive quite a long time, so his plan was to swim to Ryuuzaki in his secret-agent-mode, pull his feet and let him fall into the water! Maybe it wasn't brilliant, but it would work. Once in, Ryuuzaki would be furious, but surely he'd get over with it. And since he'd be in the water anyway, why not stay?
Light inhaled deeply and disappeared under the surface. He swam carefully and slowly, so that Ryuuzaki couldn't possibly see him. He almost reached his goal, when…
When he suddenly hesitated. It was too easy. Too mean. It wouldn't be a victory for Light, but a loss for Ryuuzaki. And… surely Ryuuzaki had let his guard down because he expected Light to play fair. Because he trusted Light. Could that be?
Light re-emerged and took a few breathes. He rubbed the water out of his eyes and once he could see clearly again, he found Ryuuzaki sitting in front of him, feet still dangling and eyes widened from curiosity. One thumb was stuck between his lips.
"Light-kun didn't want to pull me?", he asked.
Light's eyes grew large. So he knew.
"It would be unfair, wouldn't it? To take advantage of your naiveness…"
Ryuuzaki didn't feel insulted.
"Light-kun was kind", he observed cheerfully and rotated his legs.
"I wasn't kind!", Light contradicted. "I was merely playing fair!"
"No. The game is not important to Light-kun, but the victory is. You forwent your victory due to kindness."
Light's eyes narrowed and he looked slightly dangerous despite his young age and the freckles adorning his face. He quickly took a hand full of water and splattered it across Ryuuzaki's badly-fitting shirt.
"That was childish", Ryuuzaki mumbled, and then he did something Light wouldn't have expected: He undressed. He too wore trunks beneath his trousers, blue ones with white cupcakes on it, and he even took off his shirt.
It was the first time Light saw him without his over-sized clothes, and Ryuuzaki was even thinner underneath them than Light had thought. He had such a small frame that Light didn't even wonder about the big clothes anymore. It would be hard to find anything that really fit.
"Light-kun, staring is impolite"
Light snapped back into reality.
"Sorry, it's just that you're that thin. How do you do that with eating all the junk food?"
"Sweets aren't junk food, Light-kun. But beside that, I have a very fast metabolism. The thinking process requires a lot of calories."
Light snorted, but didn't say anything in return.
Ryuuzaki then carefully poked the water with one finger, as to confirm it hadn't turned into a flesh-eating monster since the moment he had removed his feet.
"Are you going to go in now or not?", Light remarked with a raised eyebrow.
"Light-kun shouldn't be that impatient. It's a very bad character trade"
"Yes, you're the one to know", Light murmured.
Ryuuzaki finally let himself glide into the water. It felt strange for him at first, his over-sensitive skin being surrounded completely by a cool, wavering liquid and it felt like an impulse overload, but soon he'd adjusted somewhat.
"Is Light-kun content now?", he asked, still not quite knowing what exactly to do with his floating body.
Light started laughing. Ryuuzaki looked like he was utterly overwhelmed by such a simple thing as water. Really, it was ridiculous. Ryuuzaki shot him a warning glance, which encouraged Light's laughing fit only more.
"Oh, before I forget…", Ryuuzaki began and quickly splashed some water directly in Light's face.
"An eye for an eye", he announced satisfiedly as Light coughed and tried rubbing drops of water from his eyes.
But Light clearly didn't understand the concept of 'an eye for an eye', because he then returned the action Ryuuzaki had performed one minute ago, and due to both genii's competitive nature, he started one of the greatest water battles two six-year-old boys could have, including some foul tricks from Light and some cunning tactics from Ryuuzaki. Not far away from this little display, the adults sat contently around the blanket, but paused when they heard yelling emitting from the lake. They turned their heads and saw the two boys in the water, seemingly absorbed in their little game.
Soichiro then didn't regret his change of mind; seeing his son carefree like this wasn't a sight he'd retrieve often. Now that he'd come to think about it, never. Maybe the boy really hadn't have any real friends up until now, as Sachiko suspected.
Soichiro looked to his wife, who wore a expression of pure motherly love and joy. Sakura next to her wore a similar one, only mixed with a little bit of incredulity. It made sense to Soichiro, seeing a child like Ryuuzaki behaving like this would of course be more of a surprise than seeing Light behaving like this.
"It's so nice that Light has found such a good friend", Sachiko beamed. Sakura could only nod. She still didn't know what her son could have done to provoke the sudden change of mind Light's parents were performing; but that he refused to answer when she had asked him about it surely wasn't assuring.
"Yes, one can really tell they like each other", Soichiro acknowledged. "I mean, they even said this themselves "
Sakura cocked her ears.
"Ryuuzaki said this?", she asked in disbelief. Sachiko's browns wrinkled.
"Yes! He has come up with a pretty impressive speech on boot! Didn't he tell you?"
"No…", Sakura responded thoughtfully. Now that she knew this, there could only be one possible reason as to why Ryuuzaki didn't want to talk about it.
"Was he very passionate?", Sakura asked.
Sachiko rubbed her round chin.
"One could say so, yes. He seemed to be very emotional"
Yes, Sakura was right. There was only one thing she knew of which made Ryuuzaki ashamed: His feelings.
He simply wasn't good at displaying them in public, and whenever he did, he contemplated for hours whether he'd said something that could ruin whatever he was currently up to.
But of course, it was a great revelation. If something was important enough to Ryuuzaki that he would let his emotions overtake, then it meant a great deal. And that he did it for a friend could even be seen as progress, as 'normal'. Although Sakura viewed her son as generally normal. He just had his oddities.
Sakura smiled.
"That's nice", she whispered and Sachiko nodded affirmative. Only Soichiro could partly grasp the true meaning behind this single sentence.
They were then suddenly distracted by two soaked, water dripping creatures standing in front of them. Light, with his glistening hair and eyes seemed to have become even more shining, whereas Ryuuzaki with now pitch-black hair spluttered around his face, created an even more distinct contrast to him. With his hair being straightened by the water, only leaving one big eye to look beneath this curtain, he looked even younger. Soichiro would have guessed him as four, hardly old enough to even stand, but there he was, competing with his son both physically and mentally. This equality was the foundation of their bond, the family father assumed.
"We require some towels", Ryuuzaki said, voice stable again, nothing compared to the yells he'd expressed a few moments ago.
"Of course", Sakura said and unfolded a towel in front of her. Now, normally Ryuuzaki isn't too fond of showing affection in presence of others, but at the moment he simply didn't seem to care. Instead, he snuggled himself cozily in his mother's lap and let her ruffle him with the towel. Light watched this scene with amusement as he dried himself without any support.
Ryuuzaki then even snuggled closer and Light realised that Ryuuzaki really was clingy if he'd found a person he could trust. That was the real Ryuuzaki under that cold, arrogant surface. The one who sought human contact. The fact Ryuuzaki had showed this to Light had also meant a great amount of trust. Light was flattered. His freckles suddenly seemed to dance and Ryuuzaki, upon looking at the boy, knew quite well that he had realised. It was a silent form of communication between them, the kind of one nobody else could understand.
"Shall we eat then?", Light proposed.
There it was again. Light returned the favour to Ryuuzaki by allowing him to eat his precious sweets and at the same time he made clear he'd acknowledged what Ryuuzaki had done.
"That's a good idea, Light", Sachiko said and the six of them, including the surprisingly silent Sayu, began to eat.
"Why won't you try some of mommy's sandwiches, Ryuu?", Light asked after having observed Ryuuzaki's sweet devouring for a while. Seriously, the boy had to eat something aside from sweets and evenly sweet dishes? Right now he was munching some sugary rice balls his mother made and looked pretty satisfied while doing so.
"Thank you, Light-kun, but I prefer something with actual nutritional worth.
"What? That's completely contradictory! You're not really claiming that your sugar-trash does more benefit to your body than real food, are you?"
"I am. And will always be doing, by the way"
Light sighed exhaustedly. Sometimes the supposedly genius could be that exasperating.
Light hadn't an slight idea back then exactly how right he was with that statement.
It was the first test they'd write in school, and it was a math test, on top of everything. Math was both Ryuuzaki's and Light's favourite subject, though Ryuuzaki had a secret passion for languages and that being said, it was therefore unavoidable for them both to get into some kind of silent challenge.
Who would be done first? Who would score higher? Who could look better while writing? (a cathegory in which Light was pretty sure he'd be victorious, and yes, it was an official category, dammit!)
The sheets were handed out and Light began to scribble down his knowledge instantly. So did Ryuuzaki, but he kept his cool emotionless façade even in the heat of the battle.
The time the class was given were exactly 45 Minutes, and after 5 minutes Ryuuzaki raised his hand.
Oh, no, he couldn't, Light thought. He himself was only one task away from his goal, that couldn't be it!
The teacher noticed Ryuuzaki, who stared at her patiently.
"Yes, Ryuuzaki?", she asked, expecting him to make some snappy comment or ask her for a toilet- and/or sweet-break, but he didn't.
"I'm done", he said and the whole class jerked their heads up. They weren't even remotely finished!
"Me too!", Light announced suddenly, which made the class to turn their heads like they were currently watching a tennis match.
"It seems like Light-kun is also finished", Ryuuzaki said unnecessarily.
The teacher finally grabbed Ryuuzaki's and Light's sheet and missed the heated glares Light sent Ryuuzaki's way. That show-off never raised his arm before saying anything during normal lessons, so Light assumed that was his way to pronounce his victory loudly and in front of everyone. How pathetic! Light wouldn't even think about stooping that low. At least, if he had won…
He clenched his teeth. He could of course still hope that the freak had made some kind of super stupid mistake, but…
"Congratulations, you two! You finished this in an amazing time! And without a single mistake, both of you!"
Why had he even hoped that would happen? He could see Ryuuzaki with some sort of smug expression on his face, corners of his mouth turned up slightly.
"May we go then?", Ryuuzaki asked nonchalantly. The teacher seemed to seriously consider this. But then she got up and said:
"I will be back shortly, so don't even make an attempt of cheating!"
She then left the room. Light found it incredibly stupid of her to leave an entire class unobserved, during a test above all, only to occupy two participants of said lesson. Though said participants being awesome and intelligent. Especially him.
And, as expected, a fuss arose.
The pupils almost pounced Light and Ryuuzaki on their search for answers.
"Light! Light! What's the answer for task 3?"
"Light! Is that correct?"
"Can you explain that to me? I'll pay you!"
Light enjoyed the attention he was receiving, although he tried to ignore his admirer's requests. Never would he think about helping those foolish creatures.
Ryuuzaki on the other hand didn't seem to appreciate his temporary popularity, he didn't pay attention to the flocking crowd at all, but he scratched his feet using each other. It was a sign of nervousness, Light had learned through careful observation and four month of knowing the human enigma.
And, of course, Ryuuzaki didn't have a chance of escaping his misere, since he couldn't possibly drown the scatter with his low voice. And Light knew Ryuuzaki disliked being loud or performing emotions in general. Only in company of his mother and, to a certain extent, even Light he'd loosen a bit up.
"Alright, back off, I won't tell you anything!", Light yelled and the children plaguing him partly withdrew, looking disappointed.
But Ryuuzaki still seemed to be overwhelmed by the situation, since a few boys now thought they could get their answers by threatening the pale and seemingly shy boy.
Ryuuzaki felt stressed, incredibly so. The stupid children wouldn't leave him alone. He had no chance of vocal transmission and he couldn't flee either. Now, if the stupid authority would return… but it was hopeless, some people now began harrassing him, he noticed through his thinking cloud.
So, if every other logic failed, he had to resort to simple logic. What did he have? A book. Anything else? A chocolate bar in his pocket. That couldn't be used, of course.
So, a book be it then. What to do with it? Reading. Usually. And now? Ryuuzaki's dark eyes darted to the big boy in the front row who was the most aggressive. Ryuuzaki's facial expression did not shift an inch, as he told himself the answer. And now?
Teaching.
And he pulled back and smashed the book at his harasser's nose.
Light needed a while to comprehend what he just saw: He was just about to get through the crowd, as Ryuuzaki came insight. He had this thinking-look, the one he got when he blanked out and tried to find a solution to his current problem. And, apparently, he did find a solution. A rather disturbing one.
He looked Ryuuzaki in the eyes as he raised his math book above his head and he was surprised that they were as emotionless as always. And then he did it. The book flew down, a crack was heard and blood suddenly spilled upon Ryuuzaki's bright blue Sweater.
Light flinched and the class turned completely silent. For about one second. Then the panic started, as the children stumbled away from Ryuuzaki as if they had burnt their hands on him and the sobs of pain emitted from the hit boy who was unsteadily brought back to his feet by his friends.
Now Light expected the hurt classmate, whom he recognised as Teko, the class troublemaker, to stand up and hit Ryuuzaki in return (Light had already prepared himself to jump between them), but said boy just stood there a bit dazed, unsure what to do. He held a handkerchief pressed against his bleeding nose, which couldn't cope with the blood stream, though.
"I suggest somebody gets the teacher", Ryuuzaki's calm voice announced. The ones supporting Teko looked at him with badly hidden disgust, which failed to impress the apathetic boy.
And, as the door opened and the teacher reentered, Light found himself thinking the one thing Ryuuzaki didn't seem to grasp yet:
"Oh God, he's in trouble"
One hour later, things slowly settled down. An ambulance was called, as were Teko's and Ryuuzaki's parents.
Sakura had to stop dead track as she was informed of what had happened, left everything as it was and hurried with a mumbled apology out of the door. Worry was written all over her face as she entered the school, worry not over Ryuuzaki's well-being (she knew the boy could take care of himself), but the consequences he had to face.
At the head teacher's office she found Ryuuzaki already perched up in a chair. As he noticed her, his face relaxed a bit and he gladly accepted the short pat on his head Sakura gave him while sitting down.
The adults introduced themselves, while Ryuuzaki nibbled furiously on his thumb. He didn't seem to pay attention, but overheard every single word spoken. It didn't look good for him, the head teacher was not pleased, to say the least.
The debate went for and back, though both sides refused to acknowledge Ryuuzaki's presence. Ryuuzaki finally thought he at least should have a say in that matter.
"Excuse me?"
Both parts of the conversation stopped abruptly and two eyes averted to the little child who had interrupted them.
"I'd like to justify my actions, if that would be appropriate"
The blue eyes of the head teacher narrowed, but she gave her permission expressed by a nod.
"Very well then. First of all, my actions can be taken as highly necessary self-defense. Said victim of my supposedly violent action was already known as a trouble maker in class, however back then he invaded my personal space and threatened me in the most impudent way. I'd even go so far as to say I was blackmailed in order to spread my knowledge.
Secondly, I did it to prevent further harm caused by that subject. If one teaches him a lesson using physical interference, the effects of learning will be greater and he may even become a respectful member of our class society.
Thirdly, but not less importantly, I thought since life was too busy teaching him a lesson, it was then up to me to take on the role of justice."
The head teacher was stunned, whereas Sakura smiled to herself.
But, unfortunately, it wasn't long until the bickering started again. This time, it was also discussed whether Ryuuzaki should receive private lessons, which Sakura dismissed vehemently, since her son needed the contact to other children, but it was clear that Ryuuzaki's motifs were somewhat understandable. Teko was already well kown for his troublesome behaviour, and lastly, it was decided that there shouldn't be further consequences as long as Ryuuzaki would remain peaceful without causing further turmoil. The teaching methods of Ryuuzaki's and Light's class teacher were also taken into account.
All in all, Ryuuzaki was pleased. He didn't have to apologise, imagine that! And so, everyone got what they earned and justice had prevailed.
A/N: Yeah, so this was the probably the most unrealistic school system I've ever read about. Every other teacher would have behaved completely differently! But you can always blame it on L's undeniable charm. Right? Right. See you in the next chapter.