Alright guys, the time has come! Story's getting serious and in a few chapters, we start with all the real death note shit. But wait! Where are the shinigami? Ryuk won't be joining us for a while, but I can't say the same for the death note anymore.

Enjoy!


"So what exactly do your parents do, Ryuzaki?" Light asked during P.E. that day.

They were both sitting aside, watching as everyone in their class continued to play basketball. They had already finished their turn, with both Light and Ryuzaki having been on opposite sides. Light's team had won, but he suspected that if Ryuzaki had been more used to stretching his back to its full height, that the results would've been the other way around.

"They're owners of an orphanage." Ryuzaki said around the lollipop that he was sucking.

Light narrowed his eyes. There was something wrong here. Ryuzaki had come from England because of his parents work, or so he had claimed. Did that mean that they were expanding their horizons? Building more orphanages, this time in Japan? But an orphanage is a charitable institution. In that case, why was he so rich? Why did he have connections with loan sharks? Every day, Light became more and more convinced that not only was Ryuzaki hiding something, he was hiding it specifically from Light.

"Both of them?" Light asked. "That's cool."

"Is that so?"

Light waited for Ryuzaki to say something more, but apparently, he was done. His friend was quite good at keeping things to himself. It didn't feel fair most of the time.

"I'm just going to get some fresh air." Light said getting up from their seat on the floor. "Are you coming with?"

"No, I'm fine."

Light shrugged and found the exit of the gym. Ryuzaki was too mysterious, and the sooner he found out why, the better. Light looked up at the sky, and it as then that he saw something fall down. He looked at it in shock – it didn't look like a bird that fell.

The brunet glanced at his P.E. teacher who was busy lecturing Suzuki on how it was a violation of rules to hold the ball for five seconds and do nothing. They wouldn't miss Light right now.

Cautiously, he crept towards the area that the object fell in. It was through a thick shrubbery and Light couldn't help but wonder why the school kept this place here when they could've developed it into something. Pushing aside a stray branch, Light finally made it to his destination.

And he knew something was wrong.

This happened before; something told him. It was bad news, he could sense it. It was the work of something evil, mischievous, unforgiving and utterly uncompassionate. There was something about it though that just kept making him draw closer to this thing – this was the Pandora's Box. He knelt by it and looked at it.

It was a black notebook, the words Death Note were written across it in gothic letters. He reached out his hand, and suddenly, he could reach no further, because Ryuzaki was there next to him. Not the seventeen year old boy that he had befriended, but the man from his dreams. He wore the baggy white T-shirt, his loose jeans, barefoot, his dark circles more pronounced, and his eyes more gentle.

No, he shook his head, thick black, unruly locks of hair swishing around ethereally, and Light hesitated. When he looked back down, the book was gone.

Panicked, he turned his head from side to side trying to find it, and finally looked up where a dark-haired boy was staring down at him, holding the book. Light had seen him before, around the school. He was a timid boy with large glasses and a weak constitution. He was always a target of bullies and on more than one occasion, Light had saved him from them. Right now though, timid was not what he'd use to describe the boy. His eyes were wide, pupils moving manically from side to side. His mouth hung open in a silent scream and he had an air of madness around him. For a moment, Light could swear that the boy's eyes flashed red as he looked down at Light before he turned and ran in the opposite direction.

Light stayed there, unmoving, one knee still on the ground, baffled at what had taken place. Then he heard scream from the general direction of the gym. Still unsure about what had happened, it took Light a bit of time before he could make himself go back.

"Give him some space!" The teacher cried when Light had gotten back. There was more commotion now, than when he left. And it the middle of it was…

Light's eyes widened as he saw who had collapsed.

"Ryuzaki!" He yelled, rushing over to his friend's side.

"Kurogami-kun, please stay aside –"

"He's my friend!" Light disregarded his teacher as he knelt beside his pale friend whose skin had taken on an ominously grey tinge.

The brunet's heart beat quickened with the realization of his friends still body. He put his head down onto the other boy's chest and listened. His heart beat was there, but it was inadequate – not to mention he was barely breathing. Thinking quick, Light took of his jersey and made himself comfortable in the simple white T-shirt beneath it. He unzipped Ryuzaki's jersey jacket as well and loosened his collar as much as possible, then tipped the boy's head back with one hand and pinched his nose with the thumb and forefinger of his other hand. Light knew that people were watching; he knew they would twist the meaning of what he was doing in their heads, but he couldn't bring himself to care much.

He covered Ryuzaki's open mouth with his lips and exhaled. There were gasps, of course, but the teacher was keeping them in line, Light could deduce, with the background shushing. He lifted his head and waited a moment for the recoil of Ryuzaki's lungs before repeating the procedure. He had to do this for a whole minute before Ryuzaki started coughing.

"Ryuzaki!" Light exclaimed as the other boy slowly opened his eyes through all of his haze.

"Light... kun…" He gasped.

The brown-eyed boy leaned forward. Ryuzaki had often called him by his first name ever since that day at Light's, but never in public. Usually only when it was the two of them and sometimes with Watari hanging behind.

"You… aren't… smiling." Ryuzaki whispered, looking relieved.

Light's heart almost stopped. An image entered his head; the one from his dream, where he was holding Ryuzaki as the man closed his eyes and somehow he knew what he didn't before. He wasn't actually sad in that dream as his friend's heart stopped. As the other man's blood drained from his face. As his eyes glazed over. Light was smiling.

Light covered his mouth with both his hands, feeling the bile rise up his throat. He swallowed, willing himself to calm down, but it was no use. The memory, the nausea, and the smell of sugar in the air… everything was disgusting.

Then he fainted.


I won't lie, this chapter was pretty exciting. The whole cardiopulmonary resuscitation and dropping of the death note *squeal*. Who's the boy who ran away with the book in the end though? Some of you definitely have ideas. What happened during the time Light was out that Lawliet had fainted? I seriously hope you guys are thinking on these questions.

Anyway, review if you want to. Next chapter will be up in a few days.

Oh, and viridet? Not really sure about Ao3 yet. Maybe once I've completed the story.

xoxo Hina~~~