Kay and Light sit side by side with their heads ducked in concentration as they fill out their exam. The only time they are pulled from their thoughts was one the exam administrator was getting onto another student for sitting weirdly.

"Time!" the teacher calls out after two hours.

The two put their pencils down and stand up, stretching, before they leave the room.

"Do you want to grab something to eat or just go home?" Light asks.

"Let's go home. I'm tired and have a killer headache."

They walk home in silence, Ryuk hovering above them.

'L Lawliet...this should be interesting!' the shinigami thinks to himself.

"How'd it go, you two?" Sayu asks when they walk through the front door.

"The usual."

"That's my big brother and sister for ya!" she says.

Light notices the hitch in Kay's breathing but doesn't comment on it.

"I'm gonna put on a kettle of tea. You want any?" Kay asks.

"Yeah," Light and Sayu say at the same time.

Light settles onto the couch and switches the tv channel from some show that has to do with Hideki Ryuga to the news.

"Hey!" Sayu protests.

"Has Dad been home today?" Light asks, ignoring her whine.

"No."

Kay walks over with three cups of steaming tea and sits next to Light.

"Thanks, Kay!" Sayu exclaims, taking her cup.

She nods in turn and slips into her own little world.

'Raye is dead along with the rest of the FBI agents that were in Japan. Naomi Misora should be dead by now, too. We've moved a lot these past few weeks...did we mess up anywhere?'

Light shifts slightly beside her and her thoughts drift to something else.

'We were careful, and yet...what do I do? What can I do? This is probably the worst timing for us...do I tell him or just take care of this quietly?'

"Kay?"

"Mm?"

"You're nodding off. Maybe you should go lie down for a bit."

Kay nods and stands up. She quickly puts her cup in the sink before heading upstairs. Not bothering to climb into her hammock, she collapses onto Light's bed and falls into a dreamless sleep. Light soon enters the room and quietly walks over to the desk, turning on the computer monitor.

"Hey, Light?" Ryuk says, crossing over to the bathroom and picking something up from behind the toilet.

"Mm?"

"What's this?" the shinigami asks, holding up the object.

Light turns around in his chair, an annoyed expression on his face that switches to surprise when he sees what Ryuk is asking about.

"Where did you get that?!" he whisper-yells, shooting to his feet.

"Kay was looking at it in the bathroom-"

Light doesn't hear the rest as his eyes drift over to Kay, still asleep on his bed.

'What the hell do I…'

Kay counted the money she had been storing away for the past two years by working at McGronalds; she needed it now. She wrote down how much she had saved along with what she gets on her bi-weekly check, putting it in her pocket alongside a list of addresses, before she sneaks out of the house.

'109,945 won't be able to get me far…'

"Follow her, Ryuk."

The shinigami follows Kira's orders and trails behind the girl, making sure that she doesn't see him.

Light has only known about Kay's little secret for one day, yet the tension between them was obvious. Neither of them admitted to each other what they know, and it was making both of them upset and frustrated.

Ryuk followed Kay to an apartment complex, but doesn't go inside. A few minutes later, he sees her along with another woman through a window a few stories up. He hovered just below the glass, and was able to hear what they were saying.

"This studio apartment is just right for your budget!"

"It's a bit small…"

"Yes, but there is plenty of storage in this unit, so it can be a cozy fit if you can stay organized!"

'Why is she looking at apartments?'

"Any discount if I'm attending To-ho University?"

"While it may not seem like much, a fifth of the rent can be negotiated off if you can continually prove that you are a student at any nearby university."

"That'll actually help a lot. I need to save as much money as I can."

'Does this have to do with that thing she had been holding? Light never told me what it was. Why isn't he looking at somewhere else to live with her?'

The shinigami flies off back to the Yagami house to report his findings.

"Should we head back downstairs to put together a contract?"

"Well, there were a few other locations that I wanted to look at, but…" Kay trails off, looking around the small studio, "Yeah, actually, let's go back to the lobby."

"Perfect! Our other tenants will be happy to welcome you into our community!"

Kay gives a weak smile and follows the woman out of the room.

Kay sneaks back into the house a few hours later and sighs in relief when she doesn't see any shoes by the door. She takes off her coat and walks up to her room, deep in thought.

'I can move out a week from Friday. How do I tell the Yagamis? They welcomed me into their home and it's going to seem like I'm ditching them the first chance I get...what do I tell Light?'

Ryuk flies in through the open balcony door and perches on Light's bed.

"Kay, hey."

"Hey, Ryuk. Where's Light?"

"Out. He wouldn't tell me where he was going, though. How about you?"

"Huh?"

"Where'd you go?"

Kay swallows hard as she glances at the closed door.

"You can't tell anyone."

"Who would I tell. The only humans who can see me are you and Light."

"Then don't tell him," she says with a frustrated sigh.

When Ryuk doesn't comment further, Kay continues.

"I'm moving out...on my own."

"Wait, then how are you and Light going to be Kira if you don't live together anymore?"

"Light's the owner of the Death Note and he is fully capable of carrying out Kira's law."

"Wait, why are you doing this? I thought you would be the one by Light's side no matter what!"

"Because…" Kay trails off, glancing around again.

"Does it have to do with that thing you were looking at in the bathroom?"

"Y-yeah, Ryuk. It does."

A tear rolls down the girl's cheek and she opens her mouth to continue. However, at that same moment, the front door opens. She quickly wipes her cheek with her sleeve before Light walks into the room. The two eye each other without saying anything as he crosses the room towards the desk. As he sits down, Kay notices that he had been holding a shopping bag.

Failing to fight her curiosity, she's the one to break the silence.

"What's in the bag?"

"Why've you been crying?" he replies, purposefully dodging her question.

"Because…"

'I want to tell him. I want to tell him so bad! But...I know that Kira is his first priority. I've fallen into second, and this would-'

"Kay, just...tell me what's been bothering you."

Light turns around his chair to look at her as a lump forms in his throat.

"I-I…"

He stands up and walks over to her, getting down on his knees beside the hammock so that he's eye-level with her. He takes her hand and gives it a reassuring squeeze.

"Say it."

"I'm...moving out," she says, deciding to not tell him at the last second, "on my own."

"What?" he asks, surprised at not getting the answer he was expecting.

"I can still write in the Death Note if you want, but I need to live by myself for awhile."

Light's expression becomes unreadable as his hands drop to his sides.

'She's really not going to tell me? Why? Is she afraid of-?'

"The studio that I've leased will be ready for me as soon as a week from Friday."

"Kay."

"I'm sorry, but I believe that this is for the best. We'll still see each other at To-ho and when Kira needs to meet up…"

"Kay."

"What?"

"I know that's not all that's been bothering you. And it seems so out of character for you to suddenly decide this."

'Does he already know?'

"What's in the bag?"

"Tell me and I'll show you."

'He already knows. He just wants to hear me say it. But how did he find out-Ryuk…Damn you, shinigami.'

"I'm…"