Sayu and Matsuda stood on the stoop waiting for Sachiko to answer the door. As the door opened, Sayu smiled to her mother's face. Sachiko enveloped her daughter in a hug. "Oh my! Sayu! It's so good to see you!"
She then caught sight of Matsuda. "Dear, what's he doing here? I think you're perfectly capable of visiting me without his supervision."
Sayu sighed. "Oka, can it. Are you going to invite us in or not?" Sayu hadn't meant for the words to come out so heartless; the mood swings must be starting.
Sachiko stepped aside wordlessly and allowed the two to set foot into her home. Everyone sat right down on the living room couches. Sayu and Matsuda sat together on one, and Sachiko on the other. Sayu saw the framed picture she had given her mother for Christmas hanging on one of the walls. She smiled. At least her mother hadn't cut Matsuda's face out of it. "So tell me," Sachiko pressed, "what's the occasion? I mean it's not that I don't enjoy your company, Sayu... but I get so little of it."
"Well," Sayu inhaled a deep breath, deciding to just let the news out, "I'm engaged."
Sachiko's face lit up with excitement. "Really?!! To who?! Did he get you a ring?! Oh! Let me see it!!!"
Sayu extended her hand to her mother and Sachiko examined the diamond ring on Sayu's finger. Sayu didn't say anything, so Sachiko tried to pry more information from her daughter's mouth. "Who gave this to you? Who's your fiancé?"
The Yagami girl beamed with delight as she spoke her lover's name. "Matsuda Touta."
Sachiko's mouth dropped. She couldn't believe her ears. Did Sayu just say she was engaged to Matsuda??! Hadn't her daughter told him once before that she wouldn't date him because he was too old for her? Now she was engaged to him?!! Not only this, but Matsuda was a cop. Mrs. Yagami highly disapproved of the choice her daughter had made.
"Sayu! What on Earth are you thinking?!! He's a cop! I thought I told you before that I would never permit you to marry someone who was part of the police force." She turned to Matsuda, "And Matsuda, I am absolutely ashamed of you! How dare you even think of asking my daughter... Soichiro's daughter to marry you! The mere idea sickens me!"
Sayu saw how Matsuda flinched at every word her mother shot at him, but he did not deny or argue any of it. He simply sat there and accepted every pirecing word she threw at him. She narrowed her eyes in her mother's direction. "Mom. We didn't come here to ask for your blessing. We came here to tell you, because we thought you should know... no other reason. Whether you like it or not, Touta-kun and I are going to get married and that's final."
"Touta?" Sachiko breathed his name like it were a disease.
They sat there in silence for a long time before Sachiko spoke again. This time her question was aimed toward Matsuda in a soft... gentle... even appologetic tone. "So... when's the wedding?"
The two hadn't even thought about wedding plans yet. They were so preoccupied with everything else that was going on that they didn't even have time to plan out their wedding. Matsuda answered, "I'm not sure... actually... some stuff has come up, so the wedding may have to be sometime... er... next year."
"Next year? Why wait so long?" Sachiko asked skeptically.
Here came the BIG news. Sayu dropped the bomb on her mother. "I'm pregnant, that's why."
The fury was evident on Sachiko's face. Sayu could tell she just wanted to drag Matsuda into a dark alley and beat the living shit out of him with a board covered in sharp, rusted nails and then just leave him there to die a slow and painful death. Her glare did not waver from Matsuda's face. "I knew it was a bad idea to let you stay with him."
Sayu stood up from her spot on the couch, her hands balled into fists. She had an equal glare portruding from her eyes centered on her mother. Sayu hated her mother's irrational predjudice toward Matsuda. "C'mon, Touta... we're leaving."
He looked over at her slightly confused. He wasn't sure if her hormones were just getting to her or if she was actually serious about abandoning her mother. Either way, he stayed seated. This didn't go unnoticed by Sachiko. She reached for her daughter's hand, but Sayu slapped her away. Matsuda didn't think all this stress and anger could possibly be good for Sayu. He wanted her to calm down... then maybe the three of them could sit and work this whole ordeal out somehow; compromise. "Sayu, we can't-"
"Well, fine then! You don't wanna leave? FINE! I'll be upstairs if anyone needs me! And I'm NOT coming back down until you two can just GET ALONG!!!" Sayu shouted, storming up the staircase.
Matsuda sighed, running his fingers through his hair. It wasn't his fault his mother-in-law-to-be was so adamant about keeping him out of Sayu's life. He guessed she thought something similar about him, like 'it wasn't her fault he'd chosen a career as a cop' or something. He wanted to go check and see if Sayu was all right, but he'd have to pass Sachiko in order to get to the staircase. Was he willing to risk it? For Sayu... yes.
Matsuda began to get to his feet when Sachiko held up a hand, "Wait... she's right. We need to talk about this."
"Someone has to go make sure she's okay."
Sachiko moved her head back and forth. "No. Let's give her some time to calm down."
xXx
Sayu stopped at the top of the staircase. She stood rooted to her place as she glared at Light's bedroom door. She grabbed the handle and turned it in her anger, shoving the door wide open. Suddenly all her fury was swept out from beneath her. She stood in the doorway of her now deceased brother's room... her brother... the mass murder Kira. The room before her eyes was dark, the bed was made and somehow everything seemed... still. As if time was halted when you passed from the hallway into the room.
She took a step forward, placing a hand on her abdomen. Was that instinctive? She didn't know. Sayu kept walking into his room... slowly. She was able to make it to his computer desk. She sat herself in the chair facing the computer. She looked over all his writing utensils and everything that was sprawled out across his desk in no particular order. She felt as though she was taking up space in a domain that didn't belong to her. She could feel tears rushing to her eyes, but somehow she was able to hold them back.
She caught sight of a magic eight ball in the corner of Light's desk. Hesitantly, Sayu reached out for it. She smiled inwardly. The eight ball had originally been her father's, but he had given it to her after she found it packed away in a long forgotten box in their attic. The sphere had been a gift to Light from her when she was in the second grade. It was hard for her to imagine Kira asking the magic eight ball if all of his plans and killings were going to succeed or not. She chuckled at the thought.
"Magic eight ball... Light... Light really was Kira, wasn't he?" she shook the superstitious sphere from the 80's.
'It is certain'
"Then... is Kira really dead?"
'Maybe'
"Maybe?" Sayu read, unsure of what that could mean, "But Light is dead, right?"
'Yes'
"So then by default Kira must be dead!"
'No'
Sayu's brow furrowed. She knew that the magic eight ball was only a toy, but for some reason the responses she was receiving from it rang a bell of truth. She heard footsteps heading up the staircase. Sayu was quick to put the eight ball back into its place on Light's desk. Her mother's voice came from the doorway, "Sayu! What are you doing in here?!! This is Light's room!!"
"Light's dead, Mom." Sayu told her mother without any emotion.
Sachiko led Sayu out of the room and shut the door behind them. She had her daughter rejoin them downstairs, but Sayu wasn't as interested in what they were discussing so much as she had an interest in the enigma between Light and Kira's deaths.
As Sayu sat down Matsuda rubbed her arms, asking her if she was all right. She smiled at him and told him she would be fine. "Look, Sayu," Sachiko told her daughter, "We've been through a lot of loss recently, but I think it's time for us to move on and start to regain that which we've lost. Now, no one can replace your brother or your father, but... I think a few new additions to the family might be a good idea."
Sayu was in utter shock, and she could tell that her mother felt uncomfortable admitting such things. A wide smile spread itself across Sayu's face. She lept from her spot on the couch and flung her arms around her mother. Sachiko returned the gesture, hugging her daughter back. The three sat and talked for a good long while before Sayu glanced at the clock above the television. It was almost five in the afternoon and Aizawa got off of work at seven on Fridays.
She gave her mother a hug as she headed through the doorframe. "Sorry we have to leave in such a hurry... I honestly lost track of the time." Matsuda appologized over and over again.
Sachiko smiled in the traditional mother-like fashion before giving Matsuda a hug as well. "Stop appologizing... you're going to be a father, Matsuda.... grow a backbone!" She teased as the two headed for the car at the streetside.
"Er... okay." He said, apparently at a loss for words.
Sachiko laughed to herself as she watched her daughter and soon-to-be-son-in-law drive away from her porch. He has no idea what he's gotten himself into. She chuckled at the thought, moving back into her house and closing the front door behind her.
xXx
Matsuda held each door open for Sayu as they walked into the station. Matsuda checked his watch every couple of minutes to make sure they hadn't missed Aizawa yet. He motioned for Sayu to follow him up to the front desk. A woman with blonde hair pulled back into a messy bun and bright blue eyes was sitting behind the desk. Matsuda greeted her with a smile, "Hey, Tomoe-chan!"
She blinked and looked over at the two standing in front of her desk. "Hm? Oh! Matsuda-kun! Hey! How're ya doin'?! I haven't seen you in awhile."
"Yeah, well, I'm still working third shift..."
"Ah. Yup, that would be why! How are ya?"
"Pretty good. Oh, I have someone I wanna introduce to you." Matsuda grabbed Sayu's hand and pulled her closer to the desk, "This is Tomoe Kushina. Tomoe, this is Yagami Sayu."
Tomoe squealed with delight, hurrying around her desk to shake Sayu's hand. "Yagami Sayu!!! Oh! Matsuda has told me ALL about you! It's great that I'm finally meeting the girl whose 'touch is like the Autumn breeze'!!" Tomoe winked at Sayu, "That's a direct quote you know."
A furious blush ran across Matsuda's face, "Tomoe-chan!"
Sayu giggled, changing the topic, "Ms. Tomoe, is Chief Aizawa still here? We really need to talk with him."
Tomoe was silenced from her attack of laughter as Sayu changed the subject. Her voice swiftly changed to 'all-business', "Hm? Chief Aizawa should be in his office right now, but if you wanna catch him he's due to leave in six minutes."
"Okay, thanks, Tomoe!" Matsuda said, attempting to race off to Aizawa's office.
Tomoe grabbed his shirt collar, "Oh n-n-n-n-n-n-n-n-n-n-no. You and dear Miss. Yagami have to sign-in, Mr. Matsuda. You know the drill."
She pushed a clipboard with a roster of names toward him. Tomoe handed Sayu a visitor's pass as Matsuda scribbled their names and the time on the sheet of paper. Tomoe nodded and he grabbed Sayu's hand and hurried off down a hallway of the police station, leaving Kushina at her desk smiling.
The two were relieved when they saw the light was still on in Aizawa's office. Matsuda stopped in front of his office door to straighten his tie and fix his messy hair as best he could to make himself more presentable. He knocked thrice upon Aizawa's door. Hearing a muffled, "Come in."
Matsuda told Sayu told stay outside the office for a moment. She nodded and watched him enter. Aizawa straightened a few papers before looking up at the person in his office. Matsuda. He raised a brow. "Matsuda? What're you doing here? You don't have a shift 'till Sunday night." He motioned toward one of the two chairs in his office, "Please, have a seat. Coffee?"
"Er, no thanks, Sir."
"Very well, let's get this over with... are you here to try and persuade me into changing your hours again?"
"No."
"Is it a promotion or raise you want, then?"
"No, Sir."
Aizawa let out an exasperated sigh, "All right, then, Matsuda... let's hear it. What do you want to ask me for this time?"
Matsuda strained his neck to look around at Aizawa's office door. Aizawa followed his gaze. Matsuda called out, "You can come in now."
Aizawa was surprised to see Yagami Sayu walk in through the door. She closed it behind her, not wanting others passing by in the hallway to eavesdrop on their conversation. She took a seat in the open chair in front of Aizawa's desk. She smiled at him, "Hello, Aizawa."
"Sayu-chan? Matsuda, what's the meaning of this?" Aizawa demanded.
Matsuda shifted uncomfortably in his seat, "Well, Sir, uh, you see..."
Sayu butted in, "Usually it's none of the Boss's business what the employee does in his personal time, but I decided that you should know, Aizawa."
"Should know what?" Aizawa asked in a softer tone.
He wasn't really sure if he wanted to know, but he would listen if this really was Sayu's idea. After Yagami Soichiro died, Aizawa promised himself he would look after Sayu as if she were his own daughter. As he looked at her on the other side of his desk he asked himself, When did she become so beautiful?
She gave him the biggest smile he had ever seen her wear. She was finally happy. Aizawa curiously wondered what Matsuda did to restore the old Sayu within the girl. It was obvious that the woman sitting across from Aizawa was not a little girl, but only when she was a child did she smile like the way she was smiling now. "I'm getting married!" Sayu told him happily.
Aizawa smiled, "Sayu, that's wonderful. Congratulations."
"Wait, wait! There's more!" Sayu told him excitedly.
Aizawa waited, as she had asked. She continued with a smile even bigger than the one she had previously been wearing if it were possible, "I'm pregnant!!!"
His face remained stoic as she said those words. He had practiced the feat for many years, and now, more than ever, it was imperative that he keep his mouth shut. It was not his burden to bear if the Yagami girl was pregnant, but he didn't know if she was quite ready to be a mother yet. "Well, that certainly is some news, there." Aizawa stated, maintaining his cool demeanor, "Does your mother know?"
"Yes, I told her before coming over here to the station." Sayu told him with a smile.
He figured that if there had been a major issue with Sayu's pregnancy then Mrs. Yagami would have certainly taken care of it, however, considering Sayu's excitement, it seemed Sachiko was all right with the arrangement. Therefore, Aizawa smiled, again giving his congratulations. His attention then shifted back to Matsuda. "Now, back to the original conversation, why are you here, Matsuda?"
Matsuda looked to Sayu for help and she gave him a warm and comforting smile. He smiled back with a little more courage. "Well, you see, Aizawa, I just wanted to let you know that because I'm getting married, I'll be taking more time off than usual."
"Wait, you're getting married as well?"
He smiled broadly, "Yes."
"Now who in their right mind would marry you?"
Sayu crossed her arms, "I would."
Aizawa's eyes widened and he looked back and forth between Sayu and Matsuda. "Then Matsuda is also....?"
Sayu grinned, "Yep!"
"I'm going to be a father." Matsuda confirmed.
Only as he said the words did he really understand them. The sudden realization hit him square in the chest, like a giant weight had just toppled on top of him. He was going to be a father. His own eyes widened and wild excitement spread across his face, "Aizawa! Aizawa! I'm going to be a father!!"
He jumped out of his seat and began happy-dancing all over Aizawa's office. Aizawa glared at him. "Matsuda... Matsuda. MATSUDA! SIT DOWN!!!!"
Matsuda immediately stopped and slinked his way back to his chair. Aizawa let out a long a frustrated breath of air. "All right. I'll let you take a little bit of extra off-time, but try to let me know before hand so I can send Mogi out with Ide on patrols, got it?"
Matsuda nodded hastily. "And Sayu..." Aizawa turned to face her as he spoke, "I don't want to see you get hurt again... please be careful."
She nodded and they were dismissed so he could finish packing up and head home to his own family. As the two exited the station Matsuda made a couple comments about the whole conversation, saying that it would have been much worse for him if she hadn't of been there. Sayu smiled at that as he opened the car door for her. She sat in the passenger seat of his little black four door car. She laughed remembering something from earlier as he entered the car. Matsuda raised a brow, "What's so funny?"
She leaned over and pressed his lips against her own, touching the side of his face with her fingertips. With a light chuckle, she whispered, "Like the Autumn breeze, huh?"
I just wanted to say thank you so much to all my reviewers, I know it's been one hell of a long time since I last updated, but reviews definitely help in motivating me to write more chapters. Now, I also wanted to take this opportunity to say there will be a turn for the worse in the next chapter, and in the chapter following that we'll finally get to see some Death Note action!! Whoo!!!
So let's see some reviews, please! :D