EDIT: Oh shoot! I can't believe I updated the wrong chapter! Here's the REAL update! (So sorry! *begs forgiveness*)

(A/N) First things first… (sorry for the long (A/N) coming… it contains some important stuff so pretty please read it)

I SCREWED UP MY OWN CHARACTER'S NAMES! *writhes in pain and then dies on the floor*

Thank you to PhoenixPhlame for pointing that out. (It was great to read your whole review, actually, you're quite perceptive. ;) Thanks for the compliments, too!)

Actually, I'm really confused. Did I really say that Jane's bro's name was Jeremy? I know that the next door neighbor hitting on her was named Jeremy, right…? Yeah, I know that… I think I intended to change Daniel's name originally, because I know someone named Dan… but… but I didn't think I'd actually changed it! So… ignore it? Jane's only got one brother, and his name is Daniel.

I will be editing the whole story soon (IN PREPERATION FOR THE START OF PART 2!), so… yeah. It'll be fixed as soon as I get around to that.

Thank you a thousand times to invisible-gurl, "abbyflourite," AnimeRANDOMNESS, Izlye, PhoenixPhlame and CocoBunni96! I'm sorry I didn't get around to replying and giving you the hint that I promised… my brain died. x_x It still means so much that you reviewed, thank you all! *blows kisses*

Without further ado…

Oh, and I don't own Death Note. ^^

Jane was woken by a tremendous racket from her bedroom ceiling.

Sitting up groggily, the girl rubbed one eye in an attempt to shake off sleep. Another thud drove her from her warm covers to investigate; as she climbed the stairs, shouted curses reached her ears, and the haze of sleep vanished completely. Taking the steps two at a time, she flung open the door to her brother's temporary room.

Daniel and Ryuzaki appeared to have each other by the throat, the former atop the later. As Jane paused in shock they rolled over several times across the floor, her brother managing an elbow in the other's face and he, in retaliation, a kick to the gut.

"St… stop!" Jane cried suddenly, as soon as she had regained her power of speech. The two men broke apart and froze, their gazes switching from each other to the very peeved sister/girlfriend. "Stop it, both of you!"

"He started it!" Dan spat, jerking his thumb in Ryuzaki's direction. "The idiot was snooping around in my stuff!"

"Did you give him a reason to?" the girl asked calmly, and her brother shook his head furiously.

"No!"

"Ryuzaki?" Jane inquired, turning to the other.

"He's suspicious," the ex-detective grumbled, looking away. "Old habits."

"Suspicious?" Dan raged, and Ryuzaki glanced up shrewdly.

"Of course. Everything about you screams 'illegal activity.'"

"And everything about you screams insomniac freak who wants to jump my sister!"

Both men simultaneously launched themselves at one another once again, Ryuzaki twisting his body gracefully to kick the other in the chin. Dan rapidly countered by grabbing the upturned ankle, pulling his opponent off-balance and straight into his fist.

"Stop!" Jane cried again, louder this time; both, however, ignored her in favor of tearing the other's throat out. With a scowl, Jane stormed forward and forcibly dragged Ryuzaki off to the side, one arm firmly around his narrow ribcage. She felt his chest heave and vibrate with something akin to a growl, and tried not to be unnerved.

"Let… me… go…" the raven-haired man said in a perfect monotone, his eyes never leaving Dan.

"Obey your master, little one!" the other taunted, and Ryuzaki's feet dug into the carpet, straining against Jane's hold.

"Both of you will shut up and listen to me!" the girl exclaimed, stamping one foot, although to get attention and not out of temper. It was quite uncanny, a girl dressed in kitten-and-paw print pajamas, complete with nightcap, commanding the attention of both boys so instantly. "There will be no more fighting so long as you are both under my roof, do you understand?"

"It's technically my roof," Dan countered. "And since when does the little sister tell the big brother what to do?"

"Since the big brother started picking fights with the little sister's boyfriend!" Jane snapped back, not missing a beat. Then, with one more look at her brother, she turned and quite literally dragged Ryuzaki out of the room, closing the door loudly behind her. Then, releasing the panda-like man, she turned on him. "Do you have any idea-" Too late she realized that he, dreading the impending lecture, had taken off down the stairs, vanishing into his room with a fearful click of the lock.

Sighing resignedly, Jane trudged back downstairs, all but giving up any remaining sleep that night. And so she stationed herself at the foot of the stairs, between the two boys' rooms, intent on keeping watch.

… … …

Jane didn't know when she had fallen asleep, but the liquid white surroundings told her that she had. And, as if she needed more verification, the red-winged boy approaching confirmed it.

"I thought you'd never fall asleep. Do you know how boring it gets, being dead?" They had met enough times that neither of them flinched at the word 'dead' anymore.

"It must be fantastic compared to the web of tension at my place," Jane said, and Light nodded solemnly.

"I've been watching. Can I… speak freely?"

"Always."

"Well…" Light began hesitantly, " L… he values your opinion more than anyone's; he values it more than he valued mine. I don't think I need to tell you how many times he's compromised his own instincts, his own logic." The Winged paused before continuing, his wings flicking nervously. "But… with this Dan issue… I don't think he'll give ground. He's treating this seriously… like, life-and-death seriously."

Jane sighed. "I… suppose you're right."

"And… one other thing" Light began hesitantly. "… About… Kira…"

The dream vanished abruptly as Jane was tripped over. Both brother and sister cried out in surprise as they went rolling across the floor, much to Victoria's alarm.

"Jane?" the elder yelped, and the younger pushed out from under him crossly.

"Who else, you oaf?" she snapped angrily, brushing herself off.

Something… about Kira…

… … …

That morning, tension reined at the kitchen table. Although it didn't come from the direction that one might have expected.

"… I think she's mad at us…" came the furtive whisper, and Ryuzaki nodded.

"She didn't make breakfast," he told Dan mournfully. "She always makes breakfast." He pouted, poking dejectedly at the slice of leftover cake he had unearthed in the fridge.

"She shouldn't be mad at us," the brother commented, casting a furtive glance across the table.

A sudden chill crept across both boys, and the hair on the backs of their necks stood on end.

"You two… have something you'd like to say?"

"Uh… nothing!" Ryuzaki yelped, bolting out of his chair. "I… I'll be in my room!"

"Don't leave me…!" came Dan's squeak, but Ryuzaki disregarded it, bolting into his room like a frightened animal to its den. Sighing with relief, he flicked on his computer.

"Ryuzaki?" came Near's somewhat worried voice. "Are you alright?"

"Not at all," the other confessed, glancing furtively at the door. "Jane is angry, and Daniel… I get a bad feeling about him, Near."

"I'll try to get what information I-" Near's voice was cut off mid-sentence, and the computer screen blinked dark. L, in a moment of uncharacteristic panic, rose from his chair.

"Near?" he yelped, although it was pointless as the other could not hear him. a moment later, however, there was a rapping at his door.

"Sorry about that," Jane's voice filtered though the wood, "but the… internet connection went down."

If it really went down, shed ask me to fix it, Ryuzaki thought with a twinge of resentment, and then added, she must be really mad… With little else to do, he heaved a sigh and struck out onto the street hoping that, maybe, if he let things be, they would calm down. As he opened the door, Victoria let out a questioning mew, and he paused to stroke her.

"I'll be back," he murmured. "Try to convince your mistress to be reasonable, hm?" The following meow sounded like an affirmative, and L shook his head slowly. Talking to a cat… and actually thinking it understands me.

… … …

Sometime later, Ryuzaki could be found exiting an ice cream store; the customers were few and far between, as the winter air was enough to make even the most avid ice cream lover seek a warmer snack. So the raven-haired man was alone, in more way than one. That was when the pamphlet fluttering on a street light caught his eye; more specifically, its headline caught his attention.

HOLIDAYS WITH YOUR SWEETHEART NOT GOING AS PLANNED?

And so, against his better judgment, L approached and peered at the advertisement, his eyes widening as he read the words there.

Or maybe you just want to seal the deal? Either way, bring her on down to the Holiday Ball, held annually in Town Hall. Formal attire; 9pm-1am; Christmas Eve. The most romantic night of the year.

And that was all it said.

Even so, Ryuzaki found himself tucking it thoughtfully into his pocket, although he had no experience in such matters.

(A/N) Yep. Climax coming. Two more chapters and then that's the end of Part One! After that I might take maybe a month off to line up the next part, for the sake of being able to update more often (it'll streamline the process if I have an outline to work with, trust me). I'm really looking forward to these next two chapters, and those to come, so please stay tuned! Review for hints, I swear I'll get to it this time! *begs forgiveness*