A/N: There are some references to music pieces in this chapter. Here are youtube links if you're interested:

Rondo alla turca- watch?v=Yomi0-WL5Pg

Moonlight sonata- watch?v=nT7_IZPHHb0

Chapter 4

Two years later

Light Yagami stared at the ceiling of his 3rd floor bedroom. He had it decorated with actual scale models of star constellations, and was pleased with the job. His room was huge, and the fake stars glowed in the dark. Sometimes, when he had nothing to do- which happened more than he'd like to admit- he would simply lie down on his bed and look at them, losing himself in the beautiful sight. The big fan in the center of the ceiling somehow managed to make them appear almost as if they were moving- they'd appear and disappear quickly when covered by moving fan.

Suddenly, his bedroom door burst open; whoever the intruder was didn't even bother to knock. Annoyed, Light sat up to look at the uninvited visitor. There was a tiny girl standing by the foot of his bed. She had silky, perfectly straight golden blond hair that reached the middle of her back. She wore a nicely fitted red dress with black tights underneath, and was holding a matching black wool coat with one hand, a purse with the other.

Misa.

Light sighed. No matter how many times she visited, he couldn't get used to her. She was overly familiar with him, like she'd known him all her life, when in actuality she'd only moved into his neighborhood about a year ago. He didn't really mind her company, since she was one of the only few kids that lived near him. They lived in high-class apartments in Washington, close to his father's headquarters. Misa was only two years older than him, but he found her strange-looking. She was like a miniature model, a life-sized doll. She always painted her lips bright red and wore clothes made for older women. Light wondered if she had them specially made for her. She was often complimented by adults, but to other kids she was rather scary- like a talking doll. Light simply couldn't understand why she would paint her face like that. He understood older women used makeup to hide their wrinkles, but Misa was just a 9-year-old child. She sometimes reminded him of a clown.

Light sighted again.

"What is it, Misa?"

"Come shopping with me"

Light laid back down on his bed. He really wasn't in the mood to go anywhere, particularly not to be dragged around at the mall while Misa tried countless of clothes on. Anytime they went in public together, people would point at them and smile or go "awww, adorable!" Everywhere Misa went, people would stare. Even more so when she forcibly held his hand so that he wouldn't get lost. As if that would ever happen. He suspected the only reason she wanted him to come along was so that she could gain more attention. He hated it.

"I'll buy you whatever you want, so come"

That certainly was an appealing offer, and Light knew she would follow through it. Her father was a wealthy politician that gave her absolutely anything she asked for. He thought about it for a moment before finally replying,

"…I want a new computer"

"Sure! I'll buy you the most expensive one in the store!"

Light was a little surprised. He didn't think she would agree so easily. Nonetheless, he nodded and headed out with her.

Misa's mother was outside waiting for them. They drove in silence for a while, until Misa's mother spoke suddenly, looking at Light trough the rearview mirror,

"Oh! That's right. Your mother told me you'll be attending Misa's school starting January, and you'll be in the 4th grade with Misa! Are you scared?"

Light considered the question for a second. This would be the first time in two years that he'd be interacting with other normal kids (he didn't consider Misa normal). He was admittedly a little nervous, because everybody in his new class was bound to be a year or two older than him, not to mention the differences in culture, so he didn't know what to expect. He'd spent the last two years home schooled, working with personal tutors to teach him English and all other subject areas. Light preferred learning this way, because he could go at his own pace without being dragged down by other kids. He was, however, overcome with boredom. The only other person he interacted with other than his parents was Misa.

His parents noticed this and finally decided to place him in a proper school. He'd be attending a private one with a rigorous program for the "gifted and talented" that only a select few could get into. Light was not only easily accepted, but he was placed in the fourth grade, two years ahead of other kids his age. He was enrolling right in the middle of the school year, so he'd probably be labeled as the new kid, bringing unwanted attention his way.

"Light?"

"Oh, right. Yeah, just a little nervous" he answered honestly.

"Good thing you'll have Misa there with you!" She smiled affectionately at her daughter, who beamed in response.

"Yeah, Misa-Misa will protect you!"

Truthfully, Light couldn't figure out how Misa had gotten into the program. He had no doubts the program was difficult to get into, because he'd taken the entrance exams himself, and even he had found them quite hard- nothing he couldn't do of course. Either Misa was actually very smart, despite her behavior, or her parents had somehow bribed the school board to let her in. As much as it disgusted him, he found the latter much more probable. The thought brought a question into his mind, what if there were more Misa's in his class? He was starting to get a headache just thinking about it.

They soon arrived at their destination, the Mazza Gallerie, where Misa was warmly welcomed at every store she entered. She was apparently a regular customer. Light simply followed, already bored.

"Hello there Mrs. Misa, how may we help you today? Oh! What do we have here, your boyfriend?"

At the word "boyfriend", Light looked up to a store employee, looking down at them with a red-lipped smile that was a little too big to appear natural. This was the first time anybody had called him Misa's boyfriend. People usually just assumed they were siblings since they both looked so young. But really,

Boyfriend?

How could she say that? It was… absurd. He couldn't think of a better word. Just… impossible. Nobody even had boyfriends or girlfriends at their age, what could that woman be thinking? Giving Misa ideas like that. Sure enough, Misa squealed and wrapped her hands around Light's small figure.

"Yeah! He's my boyfriend! My boyfriend!" She even pecked him on the cheek.

Misa is such an idiot. Get off me, stupid girl. You're too loud. Now everyone is looking at us.

Light was beyond embarrassed. He felt the blood rushing to his face as curious faces glanced their way. It was all too much. Some raised their eyebrows in surprise, as if to say 'what are kids up to these days?' while others smiled genuinely, finding the scene rather cute. Light didn't know what to do. He wanted to push Misa away but he couldn't do it in front of all those people. He wished the earth would open up and swallow him whole. He wanted to disappear that very second.

"Aww! He's blushing! How cute!" exclaimed a second employee, emerging from behind the counter. She walked closer to them and pulled a phone out of her pants back pocket. Light's blush only deepened with the remark. He knew it wasn't helping the situation but he had no control over it. The situation was unbearable. He looked down to hide his face with his bangs, and was about to walk out of the store when the counter girl spoke again,

"I'm going to snap a picture of you two ok? Kiss him again!"

Misa did not lose the opportunity that presented itself, she loved all the attention. They'd even be taking a picture of her! To please the gawkers, she gently put a hand under Light's chin as she often saw couples do in movies and forced him to look up. She used her free hand to brush his bangs away from his eyes as she brought her face closer to him slowly, mimicking a scene she'd seen repeated on TV.

Light froze in place, his eyes were wide open in shock as they followed the living doll's face getting closer and closer to his. For some reason, he recalled a moment in a horror movie he'd seen some time ago, when a murderer was slowly closing in on his prey- a useless woman that was so scared she couldn't move. She was aware of her death arriving, but she couldn't even move. She simply waited there with her heart pounding out of her chest, beating louder and louder and louder until…

…he could hear them too. The hearbeats. He could feel them. Coming back to reality, he felt the pressure on his chin increase as the doll's face continued to grow until it filled his entire vision. His heart furiously pounded, screaming to be heard. He felt a strong urge to run but he couldn't. His body wouldn't listen. It was locked in place like the useless scared woman in the film. Something bothered him about the comparison. He was frozen like the woman… the scared woman. Was he scared? Scared of the living doll Misa? Ridiculous! He wasn't scared, he just hated the sight of the doll slowly approaching him with such an evil aura. Again he recalled the moment the woman's heart stopped pounding in the film, the moment when her head came in contact with the murderer's ax in a single move. He shuddered at the thought at exactly the same time he felt a cold sensation in his lips.

The ax met the woman's head.

The doll's lips met his own.

The ax met the woman's head.

The doll's lips met his own.

The ax met the woman's head.

The doll's lips met his own.

The doll's lips met his own.

Loud laughter erupted in the background.

"Did you see that? He looked so scared! Hahahah! Poor child!"

"I know! I recorded it all!"

"Put it on youtube!"

"Is he going to cry? Hahaha!"

Ax…Head… Blood… Doll… Lips… Blood... Ax… Blood… The gruesome scenes kept repeating in Light's head. The two merged in one and he couldn't tell one from the other anymore. He felt as if he'd been hit with an ax himself and was now dead.

Disoriented, he looked around and found the living doll standing awkwardly beside him.

"…Did I scare you, Light? Sorry, it's just that they-" Light cut her off with a shake of his head.

"…can we go?" he asked coming back to his senses, clearly uncomfortable. Misa eagerly agreed and they walked out of the store without looking back at the workers.

"I'm really sorry Light, I didn't mean to scare you." Light's cheeks reddened a little. He was embarrassed that he'd acted so childish in front of so many people. He was embarrassed that he'd been kissed. He was embarrassed that he'd been scared with a little kiss.

"I was just surprised. You don't scare me or anything… where is your mom anyway?" Light wanted to change the subject of their conversation, but he feared Misa would never let go of this.

"She said to meet her in front of McDonald's… "

Before she'd even finished talking, Light was already heading to the dining area of the mall. He was annoyed and wanted to get away from MisaTheLivingDoll. He'd been around her too much today. She whined and caught up to him, walking silently by his side.

There were only a handful of people in the McDonald's, including Misa's mother. She was sitting in a corner table, sipping from a large cup of coffee and staring interestedly at the TV screen mounted on the wall directly across from her.

"Light, you play the violin, don't you?" said Misa's mother, finally turning to them after they sat on her table. That woman seemed to be informed of everything, Light thought.

"A little" he responded. Over the last two years, he'd also taken violin lessons after his parents suggested it, because he had quite a bit of free time and schoolwork didn't give him much of a challenge. Truthfully speaking, he enjoyed his violin lessons more than any other school subject, because it required a lot more concentration and practice than anything else he'd ever come across. He found it frustrating at times when he couldn't play a certain note, but after he got it the satisfaction he obtained was irreplaceable. If he was being honest, he was rather obsessed with the violin. He loved the sound it created, the beautiful melodies that resonated throughout his whole body. He could probably spend all day playing without ever getting bored.

"Why don't you join a competition? You play classical music right?"

"…I don't know if I'm good enough…" Light answered honestly. He hadn't even considered joining a competition. He considered his playing sort of a hobby, nothing serious. He thought he was a decent player for someone his age, but he wasn't sure how good other kids played.

"There's going to be a competition in New York soon for piano and violin players. It's international" she pointed to the TV as she continued talking "… there's a Japanese boy coming to enter it. Look, he's performing, isn't he good? Speaking of which, aren't you Japanese too Light? You may even know him!"

Light turned his eyes to the TV, disinterested. He couldn't believe what he'd just heard. Did she seriously think he would know the random Japanese kid? Just how small did she think Japan was? Either way, he followed her gaze to the TV, where a small figure sat in front of a beautiful grand piano. He hadn't been paying attention before, but now he instantly recognized the piece- Mozart's Rondo Alla Turca.

The tempo was a little off, but he still did a good interpretation of it. Light didn't think the kid could win the competition the way he played now though. But he supposed the fact that he was so young drew attention from crowds. Light listened to the piece contently, but there was something bothering him, he just couldn't quite put his finger on it. It wasn't just the tempo, there was something else, something…

"Well, that's enough of that. Let's go home kids" Misa's mother stood up, signaling the kids to do the same.

On their way home, Light couldn't get the boy pianist out of his mind.

What was it about that boy? Why can't I get him out of my head? Is it just because he's Japanese? No… I'm not even sure if he really is Japanese. Misa's mother may have just assumed he was because he looked Asian. She really is kind of ignorant, telling me I might know him... but really, what was it about the boy? Think, think… he sat at the piano, moving his hands quickly… Oh! His hands! Yes, yes that must be it! His hands were placed strangely on the piano, sort of awkwardly bent at the wrist. How could he even play like that? Wasn't it uncomfortable? Yeah, that's probably it, the thing that was bothering me. Then there was also that way he slouched. Most people play piano with straight backs, but the boy slouched a bit too much. Oh yeah. And he kept his head down too, almost like he wanted to hide his face. I never did see his face. His hair was too long and unruly to see it. Oh yes, that too. The boy had wild hair! Unlike anything he'd seen before. It was almost like, what is it that people call it here?... that curly poofy hair he'd seen some Americans wear…Afro! Hahaha! Yes yes, the boy had his own kind of afro hair style- a little long and straight, but poofy, pointing out in all directions like he'd been electrocuted. He probably had never touched a comb in his life. How embarrassing. He was representing the Japanese population looking like that…Why didn't I notice how bad he looked until now? Did he play so good that I forgot to pay attention to him? I can't deny he played well, but I've heard better. He's just a child. I wonder how old he is… Well, I guess I just wasn't paying enough attention.

"Light! We're home!"

Light looked outside the car window. They were in the parking garage of Misa's apartment building. Internally sighing, he followed them as they entered their home. He was sick of being around Misa all day. He just wanted to go home and stare at his fake stars. He watched them carry their shopping bags inside. He didn't offer to help- he was tired and hadn't even gotten the promised new computer. Pouting, he threw himself on a white leather couch, waiting for the women to finish bringing everything in. After a couple of minutes, he distantly heard Misa excitedly telling his mom something about a kiss.

That stupid kiss!

Light had completely forgotten all about it. At the mere mention of it, he reddened furiously and groaned. Misa and her big mouth. The voices grew louder. He did not want to face Misa's mom- she'd laugh at him too for the rest of his life. Not knowing what to do, he turned around and laid face down on the couch, hiding his red face. He would pretend to be overly exhausted.

"Light! How many times do I have to tell you to take off your shoes? You are dirtying my sofas!" Light had the urge to stand up and jump repeatedly on all her sofas, just to piss her off, but he instead sat up slowly and smiled.

"Yes ma'am"

"You are such a good boy Light. Misa, why can't you learn from him? You're always jumping on the sofas with your dirty feet. Light won't marry you in the future if you behave like that"

Marry?

…Marry… Misa…

He'd gone from being Misa's neighbor to her boyfriend and now future husband all in one day. Absurd. Ridiculous, ignorant people they were, Misa and her mother both. He hoped they weren't serious with the marrying thing but he couldn't tell with them. He really hoped all Americans weren't like that- shallow, stupid, and selfish. Misa wasn't so bad when she wasn't clinging onto him like a piece of gum, but she and her mother together were a little too much for him. Perhaps he would meet better people in school. He prayed he would.

"Light, why are you so gloomy? Do you hate me because I-"

"You said you would buy me a new computer" Light said quickly, before Misa had a chance to bring up the stupid kiss again.

"Oh, I forgot"

Of course you did, stupid girl.

"Misa, it's not good to make promises if you won't follow up on them. Light, what kind of computer did you want?"

Light had expected some kind of remark about promising to buy something expensive, but Misa's mother didn't even blink. Light wondered what the limit of her "kindness" was. How much would she be willing to spend on a mere neighbor?

"… well, I'll play games on it"

"Then a gaming computer it is. Let's go. There's an electronics store close by"

"Right now?"

"Yes, I need a new tablet too anyway"

This woman isn't so bad at all. Stupid, selfish, shallow people aren't so bad at all.

Light was delighted. He'd gotten a $2000+ desktop with many features that he didn't even know how to use. If he was being honest with himself, the only difference he noticed from his old computer was the sleek design and speed. This one was much faster than his old one. When he said he wanted to play games on it, he only meant the average computer game, not those that required a fancy computer like this. He wasn't complaining of course. He was grateful to Misa and her mother. They even paid to have it installed in his home.

He now sat in front of it, staring at the wide screen, trying to get used to it.

He was humming the piece he'd heard earlier. When he realized this, the image of wild black hair came back to his mind without a warning.

Almost instinctively, he opened the default internet browser and typed in 'Japanese boy playing piano', but the results were unsatisfying. He tried again with 'Japanese boy playing Rondo Alla Turca'. Once again, he received a million results of Asian kids playing crappy interpretations of the piece. Frustrated, he was about to give up on the subject when he remembered something Misa's mom had mentioned- the boy would be competing in New York. He tried one last time: 'Japanese boy piano Rondo Alla Turca New York competition'.

"There he is!"

He clicked on the first youtube link, leading him to a replay of the performance he'd partially seen in McDonald's. He glanced at the video suggestions on the side. There was one that particularly caught his attention. It looked to be the same boy, in casual clothes this time, playing one of his favorite pieces- Beethoven's moonlight sonata.

Click.

The camera followed the boy as he walked down the stage to the grand piano. He wore blue jeans and a white shirt, with his unusual messy hair. As he sat on the bench, Light noticed something he overlooked before- the boy was barefoot! Not only that, but he was sitting in a sort of squat-like position, with his knees pulled up right under his chin, and slouching like usual.

Then his hands started moving.

The sound he produced was so soothing Light forgot about everything that had been on his mind before. The music vibrated deep within him and consumed him whole. He felt as if he were on the ocean, floating in the water with no worry whatsoever, just staring at the beautiful night sky. His heart ached, yearned, and danced all at once. He closed his eyes to drink in the sweet melody, to engrave it in his mind. Behind his eyelids, memories he'd stored away in his mind came flowing. His last birthday, where his dad surprised him with a trip to Disney land despite his busy schedule, the time he went to the beach for the first time with his parents- the beautiful, bottomless, pure sea with its immense waves dancing along with the wind, reflecting the moon and the stars. He remembered the time he was in Japan with his best friend L- that overly bright boy that rarely smiled, always tried to suppress his tears and acted awkwardly around everyone. Light smiled at the memory. He remembered the nights he spent with L in his home, playing past midnight- how L would sometimes sit in that annoying way of his, with his feet firmly planted on the chair, barefoot, knees pulled up to his chest. He could sit like that for hours, pressing keyboard buttons with those unusual long fingers of his. As if proud of his large hands, L would annoy Light by keeping his wrists up in the air while he slowly typed with one finger until Light got fed up and pushed him out of his chair. He remembered how they'd always fight for the silliest things, only to make up for it a minute later. Light yearned to see his best friend again, those large black eyes hidden behind his unruly deep black hair. The melody continued as Light lost himself in his memories, until a lightning struck him.

At least, he felt as if it did.

He sat up in his chair quickly, bringing his face as close to the computer monitor as he could. Openmouthed, he stared dumbly at the partially hidden face of the boy. His skin was paper white, pale like a ghost, a great contrast to his shiny black hair. The camera zoomed in on the boy's face as if answering Light's request, revealing long eyelashes and a small nose. His hair actually wasn't that bad up close. Yes, it was fluffy, but did not resemble an American afro at all. The boy moved his hands swiftly, seemingly lost in his own world. Light watched with amazement, half believing what his brain was loudly screaming.

He waited eagerly, holding on to his desk with his nose only a few centimeters away from the screen until the boy's name was announced. He was growing anxious.

Finally, the boy stood up and bowed at the audience. Light cursed him for not looking at the camera. He was dying to see his face!

As if in slow motion, the pianist turned to the camera, completely revealing his face just as his name was announced.

"…There you have it folks! Piano sonata no. 14 in c sharp minor! By the promising young man…"

Unable to contain his anxiety, Light fell out of his chair.

"…L!"

A/N: In case you didn't notice, words in italics are just direct thoughts from the characters (Light in this case) rather than 3rd person view.

Can you tell I'm into classical music? :D Don't worry, the story doesn't revolve around music.