A/N: Enjoy Light Without The Dark! This story updates on Wednesdays.
―
"Light," her voice was little more than a soft moan as he recaptured her lips with his own, drowning in her kiss.
Her hands ran up his chest, buttons all undone, and his moved along the smooth expanse of her leg as it hitched around his waist.
Her shirt was gone, lost to the carpeted floor, and he massaged a lace covered breast, pinching a hardened peak, while plunging his tongue into her mouth, swallowing each and every noise she made...
He woke with a wild gasp, lay still trying to shake himself from the dream. A first of it's kind. It was bound to happen someday, kind of strange it hadn't before, but Light supposed he'd never had someone he wanted to be with.
He'd never given himself much time for thoughts of that nature; usually, his dreams were school-related, utter nonsense, or some mixture of both. Rarely were they any kind of serious and certainly nothing like the one he'd just woken from.
Slightly unnerving, but not unexpected. Ever since the heated, embarrassingly interrupted kiss he couldn't stop thinking about her. Wanting her.
Their whole conversation was crazy. Wonderful. Insane. How could they be seriously discussing marriage like it was a done deal? That wasn't how things worked. They were supposed to date for months before even considering an engagement and then they'd wait until they were properly settled into adult life.
But who had time for all that?
He sighed and rolled over, arm beneath his head. It was too early in the morning to be thinking about life, death, and shinigami.
Honestly, he'd much rather dream of Rin.
―
L arrived in Japan on Sunday, December 17, 2006.
―
She couldn't help staring into the building. She'd never set foot inside Victoria's Secret, but groups of giggly girls were entering and exiting rapidly, adults were in out at a more leisurely pace, and she'd been thinking about Light lately and-
"Are we going in or what?"
She jumped at the sound of Mei's voice, shook her head as her heart calmed. "No way."
"Oh come on! You obviously want to! That's totally normal. You've got a boyfriend now and, duh, you'll move in that direction eventually."
"He's about to start college, I'm still in high school, so that's not a very... smart risk to be taking."
Eyes rolled, "Whatever. That doesn't mean you can't start preparing." She grabbed Rin's arm and pulled open the door. "You like preparation, right? Being ahead of the curve? Let's go!"
"Are you out of your mind?! Don't you find it weird to be shopping for lingerie for me? Especially when I don't even want to do it!"
"It's not weird, you do want to you're just embarrassed, and I'm helping out a less experienced friend so it's a good deed." They were inside by then, Rin red as a tomato as the implications settled in her mind. "You want to be a housewife? You'll need to keep your husband happy at home." A horrified gasp was ignored. "He'll drop dead at the sight of you, trust me. We're doing this."
"What if I don't want to be a widow?!" A horror-stricken whisper.
They were on a school approved day out. Every month the students of Hana's were released to the world for the purpose of replenishing their stocks of things like socks and deodorant. During that time they were allowed to spend their money as they wished, so it wasn't technically against school rules, but it still felt scandalous.
"Oh my gawd! Look at this! You have to have it! He'll die!"
Thirty minutes later and Rin felt like she'd gone through all her spending money. Purchases were held in discreet bags, buried among less shocking items, and she was trying very hard not to burn down to ashes.
"Calm down, Rin," Mei hit her companion on the back. "It's fine! Normal and fine. In fact, it's kind of unusual you're so-"
The words were cut off as a young man with glasses, perhaps Light's age Rin guessed, knocked his shoulder into Rin's as he hurried past. Nothing in her grasp was dropped, but he lost hold of a notebook. Black, she noticed, and when she bent down to pick it up he snatched it away.
That was a little strange but she apologized anyway. "I'm so sorry, are you alright?"
His silent nod was jerky and he pushed his glasses further up the bridge of his nose.
"Oh, well, that's good..." A moment of awkward silence. "'Bye then."
Another unsteady nod from the boy and she walked on with a small wave. A few steps beyond him, however, Mei sneakily glanced back and then muttered, "He's still watching you. I hope that wasn't some weirdo."
"What? Don't be stupid. How likely is that?"
"Doesn't matter how likely. He still could be and he's still watching."
"Well, is he following?"
"No, but-"
"Then it's okay. No one can stop him from looking, but as long as he doesn't do anything there's nothing to get upset about, right?"
"Tch," a click of the tongue. "I guess. Still creepy though."
"Yeah, well, there'll always be people like that around."
It wasn't until hours later that Rin realized there'd been English writing on the front of the notebook dropped by the passerby. When she thought back to the way he so quickly snatched it, to keep her from even touching it, she had a startling moment of clarity.
Upon that realization, her heart froze with fear.
―
"What?!"
"Shh!" she admonished.
He brought down the volume, but his tone was still dismayed. "What did he look like?!"
"I really can't remember, I'm sorry! All I can think about is that notebook and I didn't read what it said, just saw the letters and recognized them as English. I could be wrong-"
"You could be, but considering his actions I don't think so," he interrupted with an aggravated sigh.
When she called him he was glad to talk, but the conversation was immediately serious. To Light, it sounded like Rin had a run in with the user of the Death Note. A black notebook, perhaps leather bound, with English letters on the cover. A notebook the owner didn't want her to touch at all.
In any other circumstance that wouldn't be so strange. People could be defensive about possessions, but his mind jumped ahead to the worst case scenario.
"Did you ask your friend if she remembered more about him?"
"Yes, but she wasn't really looking at him, you know what I mean? She was seeing if he was being strange and, I mean, I guess he kind of was."
He tried to sound calm. "How so?"
"Just watching us walk away."
"You mean watching you, right? Don't downplay it now, this is too important."
He heard her deep breath. "Yes. Fine. Watching me. He had glasses and I thought he was about your age. He was skittish, but that's all I remember."
"And neither of you noticed him before that? Like, following you around earlier?"
"No."
Another heavy exhale. "That's something I guess. Would you please be on the lookout? And be careful!"
"Of course! I'm not going out again until break starts anyway and that's only with you. I finished my internship last week. Since I won't be continuing next school year I wanted to open up a spot for someone else to get a head start."
"Charitable of you," he muttered, distracted.
"Not really. I finished my pieces for the open house and there's no point going anymore."
They lapsed into silence. What was there to say? At least he had further clues about the murderer; he wore glasses and wasn't very smart about keeping the Death Note private. Why in the world would he carry it around like that? The chances of exposure rose exponentially.
"Anyway," he said after near five minutes of quiet contemplation. "Stay safe. In general."
"You too," she spoke softly. "You're the one possibly seeing that person day in and day out."
―
On Monday Light met the user of the Death Note.
"Uh, Light-san!"
The voice called out to him from behind, nervous, shaky and distinctly male. That alone was cause for suspicion, but he tried to put it aside as he turned to face a lanky teen with glasses.
"Oh, Akira-san," friendly tone. "Was there something you needed?"
Gotou, Akira. Looking at him now, Light could see all his opinions falling into place and he wouldn't have called him by given name normally, but it would be rude to use his surname when he'd been called out with his given. Ridiculous formalities, but he couldn't be sure what kind of mental state he was dealing with.
Twitchy. Eyes darting.
Whatever he was about to say might not be honest.
"I'm sorry!" The words were blurted hastily and without context.
"Pardon?" he kept his tone light.
"I- I mean... It's not really an apology to you, but I guess..." Looking at the floor. To the wall. Face turning red. "I mean, I bumped into your girlfriend!"
"Did you?" It was a struggle to keep his eyes from narrowing.
"Yes! But it was an accident!" Hand-wringing. "I couldn't apologize to her so since I saw you I just-"
"Ah," he interrupted, gently. "I understand. I'm sure it's fine, you don't need to be worried about it."
Fast nods. "Right, stupid of me, huh?"
"No, not stupid. You did the right thing." He stepped forward, put a hand on his shoulder. Truly, Gotou looked far too awed by the gesture. "I'll make sure to tell her you apologized, I'm sure she'll appreciate it," a small smile as he stepped away and said, "Sorry, I've got to get home. My sister always needs help with homework. See you."
A wave goodbye as Akira stuttered a similar farewell and Light disappeared down the corridor, mind moving a mile a minute. He'd not seen the notebook or the shinigami, but that didn't mean he was wrong.
Gotou, Akira might not be the murderer of multiple classmates, but he fit the profile. Sort of. He'd retained a nervous nature and he didn't seem like a bad person. Awkward and clumsy, but not bad.
What Light failed to notice was the change in Akira's posture as he walked away.
―
Gotou, Akira was insanely jealous of Yagami, Light. The boy had everything going for him! Good looks, intelligence, a respectable family. Yet he couldn't hate him for it. Jealousy was one thing, hatred another. Light was always a nice guy. Hard working. Helping others. The kind of person he looked up to and wanted to be like.
But that was impossible.
Once upon a time, it was because he was so timid, a doormat. Bullied, used as a wallet. Now, he would never be like Yagami, Light because Yagami, Light wasn't a murderer.
Gotou, Akira couldn't be like Yagami, Light, so he would have to be someone else.
