Runaway

Light looks up from his laptop; glancing at the Rolex on his left wrist, it is just after four o'clock and his daughter Noriko should have already been home by now. She is never late anywhere, and this worries him.

"L," he says, now looking over at his husband, "did Watari pick Nori up from school today?"

L's dark grey eyes lock with Light's amber eyes, the detective puts his index finger in his mouth and gently bites down on the tip, a habit from long ago and Light can tell he is thinking critically. "Yes, I believe he did," replies L from around his finger. "Perhaps I should call him and see why he and Nori are delayed this afternoon."

"Please do," says Light with slight concern. He knows his daughter can take care of herself in a difficult situation but she is still a child and thinking of her in danger puts him on edge. Light watches as L pulls out a silver cellphone and presses a button before holding the phone up to his ear with his index finger and thumb. Even across the room Light can hear the sounds of ringing on the other end.

"Hello Watari," says L in his usual calm and monotone voice. "I was wondering if you had collected Noriko yet, the hour is rather late given when school lets out."

There is silence on the their end and Light cannot make out what Watari is saying to L, something that infuriates him greatly. He tries to read L's face as his father figure speaks on the other end, but as usual it is impassive to all hints of expression save for placid indifference. The detective gives nothing away about the safety of their daughter.

"Alright, thank you, Watari," says L and he closes the phone, looking away from Light as he does. "It would appear our daughter has decided to run away from home." Light is about to speak but L presses on, ignoring the other man's reaction. "Don't panic, Watari is following her in the car, he believes she's going to the park nearby though he cannot persuade her to allow him to drive her there. He suggested that we go down there ourselves and convince her to come back home."

Light buries his face in his hands; he feels it is both a blessing and a curse that his daughter is so high-spirited. On one end, she is probably one of the most imaginative people he knows, her intelligence seemingly surpassing his own and she is only eight; but on the other, she can be incredibly stubborn and when she sets her mind to something, she is rarely dissuaded. Like now for instance.

"Fine, text Watari that we'll be there in ten minutes," sighs Light as he stands and reaches for his suit jacket hanging on the hook behind him. "I hope to heaven she's in a slightly more cooperative mood when we arrive."

L chuckles warmly as starts texting on his phone. "She certainly is our daughter."

Autumn in Japan is normally mild, with mid-range temperatures and slightly cool breezes that blow periodically throughout the day, but this particular day is colder than average. This fact does not stop L from leaving his home without a jacket nor does it slow Light's pace as he storms off in the direction of the park to talk some sense into their daughter.

"Can you believe we're actually going to negotiate with an eight year old?" he asks L as they round a corner. "I thought negotiating with criminals was difficult, but that was before we had a kid, of course."

L shrugs his narrow shoulders, barely trying to keep up with his partner. "There is a sixty-eight percent chance that we'll have to bribe her back home, possibly with a new piece of technology or a new doll."

Light rolls his eyes as he stops and waits for L to catch up to him. "Yes, and then we'll take it away from her as punishment for making us worry about her and having to leave work in the middle of an intense case."

"You don't mean that last part, Light," says L knowingly. "You know you'd drop anything that you were doing to be by Nori's side, and so would I, that's what being a parent is all about. We might be frustrated with her now but we'd never put a case above our daughter."

Light nods and lets out an exasperated sigh. "I know, I know. You know if I could, I'd give that little girl the world on a silver platter. It's just frustrating like you said."

L smiles slightly as he slips his hand into Light's, squeezing it reassuringly. "And it will continue to be as frustrating as it is rewarding. We just have to have some patience with her."

"I know," says Light calmly, his brewing temper cooled by L's words. "Come on, let's go get our daughter."

When they arrive at the park, they see Watari sitting with Noriko on a park bench close to the playground; her arms are crossed against her chest as the older gentleman attempts to speak with her. It is all in vain, she is not listening to a word he is saying to her. Watari looks up and sees Light and L approaching their position, he breathes a sigh of relief and silently indicates that he is going to wait in the car parked nearby. Light and L nod their understanding and continue to walk towards their daughter, neither one sure what they are going to say.

"Noriko, it's good to see you," says L as he and Light sit down on either side of her. "I hear we might not be seeing you much anymore, is that true?"

Noriko nods firmly, the gesture causing strands of her light brown hair to fall in her face. "That's right, I'm not coming home. I'm running away forever."

"I'm sorry you feel that way, Nori," says Light, picking up the cue from L. "Did we do something to make you want to leave home?"

"No," says Noriko quietly, her honey chocolate eyes clouding with unshed tears though she is quick to dry them. "But you can't make me come home, nothing you say will change my mind."

Light and L share a concerned look, their daughter is as stubborn as they are and when her mind is set on something, she is difficult to reason with. They will need to approach this tactfully.

"You know Papa and I would miss you terribly if you left us, Nori," says Light gently, indicating himself and L. "We love you so much and we'd be heartbroken if you didn't come home."

"Your dad's right, little star," says L kindly. "We wouldn't be much of a family without you there."

Noriko shivers slightly, from the cold or her anger neither man can tell exactly but they wrap their arms around her regardless. She does not push them away as they expected her to do instead she snuggles more into their arms, tears now freely flowing down her cheeks as she allows her fathers to embrace her. They do not ask why she is crying right away; instead they simply wipe away her tears and hold her, hoping she will tell them why she is upset when she is ready.

"I can't come home," she says quietly. "You'll just make me go back to school and I don't want to."

"Why not, little star?" asks Light, kissing her temple. "You love school."

"I know," she sniffles. "It's just . . . they made fun of me today. I drew a family picture in art class: it was of you, Papa, Grandfather, Dad's family, Misa, Hideki and me. When I showed the class . . . everyone started laughing and saying that I have a weird family. I got so mad I threw an eraser at one of them and the teacher kept me after school while everyone else was allowed to go home."

Light and L look at each other after Noriko finishes speaking, both absolutely stunned by what their daughter said. Both are keenly aware that they are hardly a picturesque family, what with their lifestyle, occupations, and friends but they had no idea that it might hurt their daughter. In their efforts to try and give Noriko some semblance of a balanced home life they neglected to remember that the outside world was not going to be as accepting of how they lived.

"Nori, if you don't want to go back to that school, you don't have to," says Light and L nods in agreement. "What your classmates and teacher did was wrong but your reaction was just as bad, you can't attack someone just because they treat you badly, you have to be above that. Do you understand?"

"Yes," says Noriko and she put her small hands in theirs. "I don't think you're weird, I think I have the best family in the world." She looks up at them with eyes full of wisdom beyond her years and they smile at her, proud to have her as their child.

"Does this mean you'll come home with us after all?" asks L and Noriko nods enthusiastically.

"Now that that's settled," says Light and he suddenly stands up and scoops Noriko into his arms, making her squeal with laughter. "I think we should go home and have some hot chocolate and cookies, what do you say?"

"I say yes!" says L and the other two laugh as they head over to the car where Watari is patiently waiting.

Raising a child had proven to be the most arduous challenge of their lives but at the same time, they would hardly wish it any differently. Their little star is the one bright spot in their lives, shining brilliantly whenever they forget that the world is not as dark as it seems, banishing all demons from their souls.