A/N: Hello, here I am again!

This chapter took a while since it is a little bit different from the others. We're slowly getting into the section of character-development, oh my gosh. And this one was re-written various times, so I hope you don't mind this new direction we're going.

Apart from that, it is more like a little foreboding regarding the next big event. And mentions of Mello, Matt and Watari. Yaay. Also, more bitching from Yagami senior. I'm sorry, is anybody else getting tired of this shit?

Anywayyyy, enjoy!

-GenoVera

Disclaimer: I do not own Death Note. And I also do not own Light's hair (but neither does he anymore , muhaha...ha...ha...okay, I'll shut up)


Chapter 6: The Blooming Cherry Blossom

Two month later:

"We need more excitement", L mused and nibbled at his thumb. Light glared at him from his position on the swing set.

"Yeah, as if we didn't do a whole bunch of ridiculous bets already.", Light grumbled and ruffled his short hair. At least he wasn't bald anymore.

"That was two months ago. Does Light-kun not feel the urge to undergo this kind of thrill again?"

"No. My hair isn't even fully grown back and you want me to repeat something like this?"

L smiled slightly.

"I was not aware that Light-kun's aesthetic feeling was disrupted that deeply. Though it went relatively well apart from that, don't you think?", L said and formed a little sandhill with one of his hands.

Light jumped from the swing set he had been sitting on until now and stomped over to L, who was crouching in the sandbox.

"Relatively well?", he exclaimed, "I was grounded for two weeks and we had to buy a wig! My parents even forbid me to see you until now!"

"Such peaceful times", L sighed and glanced over to his mom who was sitting on a bench with Light's family.

Light generously overheard this comment. They sat next to each other and the short haired boy silently watched L as he stuck a green leaf in the pathetic hillock of his.

"Speaking of my aesthetic feeling, this really disrupts it."

L put on a sulking face.

"How very mean of you, Light-kun"

Light sighed and looked his oh-so-dear friend in the big, round eyes.

"Here, let me help you", he finally said and got down on his knees (L should better appreciate the dirty marks on his trousers) to help the raven with his… sand blob…whatever that was.


Sakura observed this little exchange of friendliness and secretly thanked Light for this. When it came to apologises, Ryuuzaki really sucked. Though it was clear to both Light and her that Ryuuzaki was indeed grateful that his friend overcame possible hard feelings that quickly, also he didn't show it.

She herself had had a hard time appeasing Light's parents, especially his father, though it had gotten better by now.

Sakura was then distracted by Sayu, who had finished eating her piece of cake Sakura had brought with her (cake as bribery always worked, that she knew from experience) and was now pulling Sachiko's sleeve.

"I wanna go play with big brother!", she demanded, being used to having Light around after the last two month, since her brother had no other choice as to be content with her as a playmate. At least until his parent's wrath would fade and he could meet L again.

Sachiko petted her head and smiled reassuringly.

"Why don't you go over then and ask the boys if you can join them? I am sure they will welcome you"

Sayu looked down to her feet and drew little circles in the gravel.

"Don' wanna", she mumbled, hardly audibly.

"Why not, darling?", Sachiko asked, her voice calm.

Sayu still inspected the gravel of distraction and refused to answer. Sachiko took her hand.

"Shall I go with you, then?"

The little girl nodded fiercely which made her pigtails jump up and down.

"Fine."

Sachiko still wore her motherly smile, which was in many ways similar to Sakura's, and accompanied her daughter to the two boys in the sand box who were discussing something while building a sandcastle together.

Now it was just Sakura and Soichiro sitting on the table on that nice Sunday afternoon. Sakura felt an uneasiness developing in her stomach. Maybe cake would help.

Just as she was about to devour a spoonful of her sugary goodness, Soichiro cleared his throat and began to speak.

"Our boys are playing well together, don't they?"

Sakura nodded, slightly alarmed about just were this would be going.

Light's father straightened his back slightly.

"Let me make this clear, I do not have any intentions to forbid their friendship for I know exactly how good it is for my son to have somebody intellectually equal. But as far as this goes, I cannot help but notice that Ryuuzaki is also a bad influence on my son"

Sakura raised one eyebrow but remained silent.

"And I can also understand how difficult it has to be for a young single mother to raise an intelligent child as yours, but I'd nevertheless like to ask you not to spoil your child too much and let him dwell in this dreamworld of his too long, for children need rules and also social norms.

To sum it up, I won't accept the usual kind of behaviour from your son under my supervision. That way, we both can gain something from the friendship our sons have developed"

Soichiro looked at Sakura expectantly, who was still a little dumbstruck. Did Yagami Senior just suggest that she sucked at raising her child properly? And that she should let this man influence her son since he was spoiled? That was really one way to ruin the cosy atmosphere of one trip to the park on a Sunday.

Sakura put away her spoon. The cake atmosphere was utterly ruined as well.

Before she could even open her mouth to reply, her attention was drawn away by raised child's voices.

She turned her head and looked at the scene in the sandbox. She then immediately stood up and rushed to the three children who were, more or less, yelling at each other.

"What happened?", she asked, noticing her son sitting in a curled pose, not exposing his face.

"They had an argument", Sachiko said, sounding strained.

"Sayu kicked sand in Ryuuzaki's eyes!", Light accused his younger sister, who instantly defended herself.

"He started it!", she screamed and pointed at Ryuuzaki who was still not moving nor speaking.

"No, you started it by provoking him!", Light retorted, a furious glint in his eyes.

"Why are you defending him?", Sayu asked desperately, feeling tears streaming down her face. "You should be on my side. He isn't even part of the family!", she screamed, now hiding her wet face as well.

"Well, I wish he was. He'd be much better as a sibling.", Light hissed.

Though the moment he saw his sister's appalled eyes peeking through her hands, he knew he'd gone too far. One moment later, Sayu was reduced to a whimpering, sobbing mass on the ground and it seemed that not even Light could calm her down.

Finally, Sachiko took her in her arms and hushed her as best as she could. Seeing that his sister was now receptive again, he got down in front of her.

"Sayu, I'm sorry. You are my little sister and I'll always care for you, alright?"

Sayu sniffed and stared at her brother with big, brown eyes. Then she nodded and smiled vaguely at Light. Light returned the smile and petted her head, mimicking his mother's former action.

Meanwhile, Sakura had still a hard time helping Ryuuzaki. The boy just sat there compact and ready for delivery and completely unresponsive.

"Ryuu, come now. We have to wash the sand out of your eyes"

Ryuuzaki shook his head, not removing the pale hands from his face.

"Don't be unreasonable. It will only get worse if we don't remove the sand now"

Ryuuzaki mumbled something in his hands.

"Honey, nobody could understand that."

"I said, my bodily liquids will wash the foreign bodies out eventually"

"And I will wash them out right away. Now stand up and take away your hands"

At this moment Light walked over to see what the problem was, intending to help his friend.

"What's wrong?", he asked Sakura, who sighed in response.

"He refuses to let me rinse his eyes."

Light nodded and got down on his knees (again).

"L, seriously, let us help you. You are being a wimp and if you don't stand up right now, I will find a way to get you in one of Sayu's dresses"

L grumbled.

"Mom, I hear annoying people", he muttered. Light rolled his eyes.

"And I see stubborn persons. Now get up and we'll get you cake"

Sakura gazed at the boys. Did they just quote a horror movie? Maybe she should pay a little more attention to their pastime after all.

"Only if Light-kun pays."

Light looked at Sakura who shrugged. She would definitely repay him later.

"Alright, I pay for your stupid cake."

"Strawberry cake"

"If you insist, princess"

L, now seemingly content, rubbed his eyes with the sleeves one more time and stood up. He blinked and then looked at his friend.

"Such a coincidence. It looks like my injury mysteriously healed just now. Thank you for your patience"

Light then probably would have tackled the bastard, but L still had tears on his face, making him look too much like Sayu with his big eyes. And Light didn't hit girls as a matter of principle. Later, he could always say that L looked like a girl which certainly would be enough to restore his self-confidence.

Ryuuzaki took his mother's hand and led her towards the now abandoned table.

"Let's go, mummy. I think there's still cake left to eat"


The rest of the day was surprisingly very nice, apart from Light occasionally sending death glares in L's way and Sayu ignoring said boy completely, giving him an excuse to steal her piece of cake when she wasn't looking.

When the sun finally set, Sakura was on her way home. She had come to the park by car, since she had to transport all the food they'd devoured. Her son was sitting next to her, seeming quite content. But why wouldn't he be? He received plenty of attention, the double amount of cake and a victory over his friend (at least from his point of view). Sakura, on the other hand, felt quite miserably. Soichiro's words still stuck in her head and the day's incidents didn't help one bit. Maybe she really failed as a mother. What would happen if her son got seriously injured and she couldn't help because he'd deny her assistance? And what if she really did everything wrong with her way of raising Ryuu and she was just thoroughly messing him up? She was young and inexperienced after all, and she often felt more like a friend for her son than a mother. Was that bad? Did she miss the authority a good mother needed?

Sighing, Sakura parked the car and made a decision. Maybe it was time to call an old friend again.


Quillsh Wammy was surprised when he heard his mobile phone ring. It had been a long time since somebody had called him at that time.

The little blonde clutching his leg looked up as well.

"Your phone is ringing! Who is it? Who is it?", the small toddler wanted to know. A redhead, not much older than the blonde, looked up from his picture book, disrupted by the noise.

"Mello, calm down", Wammy said and managed to remove the eager boy gently.

He then answered the phone.

"Is it someone important? Do I know him? Is it a 'She'? Do you like her?", Mello babbled and tried desperately to listen to the voice which was at the other end of the phone.

"Mello, just be quiet, I can't understand a thing. Why don't you join Matt?"

Mello sulked, but then heard soft female laughter emitting from the mobile phone. He began beaming.

"Matt! Matt! I knew it, Wammy has got a girlfriend! And she sounds nice, too!"

Matt hardly looked up.

"Wammy's too old.", he said, taking a piece of crayon and colouring shamelessly some of the figures in his book. It wasn't even a colouring book.

"Your mom is too old", Mello said and stuck out his tongue. Then he turned to his caretaker again who was leading a conversation with that mysterious woman, also known as Wammy's girlfriend.


Sakura immediately relaxed when she heard Watari's voice. And that of a loud boy screeching in the background, but it was soothing nonetheless.

"Sakura!", he exclaimed when he apparently was able to hear again. "It has been some time. How are you?"

Smiling slightly, she replied: "I'm fine, thanks, Watari."

"I'm glad to hear that", he said, followed by a "Mello, let me just lead this conversation! I'll play with you later. No, I… where did you even learn this word? Please… ah, thank you, Matt"

Sakura snickered when the background noises faded and she heard the elder man sigh.

"Still rather busy, aren't you?", she teased.

"The children are a bit… demanding. Though I cannot claim that I would want to have it otherwise. They are little geniuses after all. Ah, speaking of which, how is Ryuuzaki? The last time I saw him he was barely as tall as my knees. He must have grown a lot"

His voice was filled with some kind of nostalgic melancholy and Sakura was once again affirmed that Watari really had conceived a great affection for her son.

"He's fine", she stated, sounding proud and loving at once. Wammy was glad she hadn't changed since the last time she'd phoned him.

"Good to hear that. And his friend? How did you call him… the 'Yagami-kid'? Are they still fine?"

"Yes. Though there is something I wanted to talk to you about actually. I…"

Sakura inhaled deeply.

"Do you think I am a good mother?"

Wammy raised his eyebrows at this, but remained calm and collected.

"Well, last time I saw you, you were without a doubt an outstanding mother. And from what I've heard, you most certainly didn't change much. Why would you even ask such a question?"

"I had some arguments with Yagami senior about my way of raising Ryuu. Again."

Wammy frowned.

"What could he say against you raising your son the way you do?", he asked.

"Raisins? I hate raisins!", a voice sounded from faraway. "Shuddup, Mel", another one said and the voices disappeared again.

"I'm sorry for the intrusion", Watari said, "So, where were we? Ah, yes, the older Yagami and his ridiculous accusations. Don't worry, Sakura, as long as you love your son, you'll both be alright"

The worried mother sighed.

"No, I think… I think he's right in some aspects. I can't be a perfect mother to my child, because I just don't see myself as a mother. But if I am not in the slightest authoritative, how can I raise him properly?"

"Your son is very intelligent. He doesn't need strict rules or punishments, he just needs somebody who is there for him all the time. And you accomplish this with flying colours"

Sakura bit her lips, now discovering a new aspect of her parental failure.

"I work full-time", she breathed, realisation hitting her.

"Sakura, don't. You provide money for both of you, and you do it all on your own. Ryuuzaki really has someone he can look up to"

"But what if I won't be able to pay for everything we need? When I can't afford the school fees anymore? And I already work that much! I could have done so many things wrong! No, even worse: I could have done nothing to help my son! I should have gotten him a nanny! Or a tutor! I cannot be both father and mother, can I? I probably have seriously failed him!"

"Sakura!", Wammy interrupted, noticing that his old friend was about to snap. The young mother went silent.

"Sakura, now please listen to me. From what I've heard, you did an excellent job. Your son seems to be happy, he even has found a friend, and you are a very strong and independent woman. The fact that you question your motherly skills only proves that you are a good mother. Nobody is perfect, but you give Ryuuzaki what he needs. This is all you need to worry about, did you hear me?"

Sakura sniffed slightly, bowing her head in shame.

"There's something more.", she admitted quietly.

"Just tell me. I am sure we will find a solution. We will talk your problems away."

"It's just, that… ever since I moved here everything went smoothly for Ryuu. He gets great marks, adepts well to his surrounding and has won a friend. But for me everything was just about raising my son, making him happy. Now I am not only accused of failing at this, but I also realised that nothing really good happened to me. Apart from getting insulted by Yagami senior, I was dumped, I haven't met one single person apart from my co-workers and strict neighbors and I have a hard time settling my accounts. I have even lost contact with the majority of my old friends from England!"

Sakura paused and took a deep breath. Then she continued.

"Truth is, I am unhappy. Not always, but more often than I'd like to admit. But aren't mothers supposed to be happy when their child's happy? Then why do I not feel this way?", Sakura demanded to know, tears now shimmering in her eyes.

"I see", Wammy mumbled, "but why haven't you invited somebody over already? There have to be some nice co-workers or other neighbors than the Yagamis."

"There are. But our house is constantly a mess, my son is different from other children his age and I am single. I didn't want them to get the impression that everything was out of control, you know? I wanted to prove that I could handle this, but I think I can't. I constantly feel bad about myself, then I get reminded that I should be happy which makes me feel even worse and then everything repeats itself. The only time I truly can be careless is when I'm with my son. But he won't be there forever, will he? You said it yourself, he is already very mature. I will be there for him until the end, but eventually he will leave me. And then I will be alone. That's the thing I am scared of the most."

Silence followed as Wammy took in every single word. Finally, he made a decision.

"Alright. When the time comes and Ryuuzaki lives his own life, you can return to England and take over Wammy's House"

Sakura gasped and the mobile phone almost slipped from her hand.

"And I think I will come over and visit you. It seems to be centuries ago since we last met and I want to take a look at Ryuuzaki myself. Do you agree with this?", he asked and Sakura nodded. Then she remembered that Watari couldn't see her so she said "Yes".

They talked a bit after this, until Watari bid her farewell after being interrupted by a boy who asked: "When you cook chocolate, is it bad when the knife gets cooked as well? Because I think it is just melting" and Sakura simply stood on the same spot for a while, contemplating everything that has been said. Or, more precisely, everything that hasn't been said. She would inherit Wammy's House, Watari's famous orphanage for gifted children? The mere thought sent shivers down her spine. He really had great confidence in her abilities, didn't he?

Sakura smiled slightly. Then she looked at her phone, typed a number and waited until the other person answered.

"Mari? Yes, it's me. Do you mind going out for a coffee someday?"


A/N: Yes, so to anybody who is about to complain about Sakura's (apparently) sudden change in character, she has got a lot of stress, dammit! And I'm sure not even the strongest person could pull off what she does without any support. So this seemed to be like the ideal time to introduce Watari. I mean, in the Manga, he can endure L's craziness every single day, so if there is a person in Death Note one could rely on, it is certainly this man.

And Mello and Matt. They're crazy. I mean, how old are they, five? (Rhetorical question, I know how old they are in this fic) And they can already swear like a boss.

Also, Sayu has something against L as well. No surprise here, L is a little ass from time to time. And in the Manga, Sayu appeared to be very claiming (in my opinion).

And, yes, Light was wearing a wig for the time he was bald. Nobody mentioned that he had to show his shaved head around.

With that being said, I hope you forgive me that it took a little bit longer. This one was difficult to write.

-GenoVera

P.S: Mari? Who's Mari? I don't know and she won't appear in this fanfiction. I think she's a co-worker of Sakura or something. Maybe she'll be mentioned sometime in the future. Or not. Meh.