SHOOT. Shoot, shoot, shoot.

I'm sorry. I feel rather idiotic now, because I forgot to update yesterday. Flarp. At least I have an explanation... I was with my nieces. So- Argh. At least there's a double update. '^' Sorry.

Random: Pshh, don't be sorry. But... is it really? That... Aw... I feel special...
Hm. Perhaps he does need to learn personal space. But then it would be harder to kill people. Hmmm. As for your question about Misa... Haha, NOPE.

Amy: ...The way you put that just amused me so much. xD

Reader: Awww, you don't know Jeffie? To put it as shortly as possible, Jeff the Killer is a creepypasta (like Slenderman) serial killer with a smile cut into his face. He says "Go to sleep" before he kills his victims, thus BB's similarity in the last chapter. Perhaps you should Google him if you're curious. I can't help but love the guy.
Fluffy, eh? That's an... interesting name for a spider. Ahaha... Also, I can tell you now that at this point in the mind sync, L does not know she had that dream. There comes a point in the sync where you can share dreams...but... L wasn't sleeping, so... Yeah...

Now. Double update this week; yes. And why? Because I'm off this week. :3 Yay.

...And to make up for the fact I didn't update the right day. Blarg.

"Sierra, this is Sophia. Sophia, this is Sierra," I introduced with a hearty smile.

"Hi!" Sierra squeaked brightly.

"Hi," Sophia responded in turn, then cocked her head to the side. "But you were kidnapped by Mello, right?" she asked.

Sierra nodded. "Uh-huh!"

"Then… why are you here? I mean, is Mello in prison, or dead, or what?"

"Oh… he got arrested," Sierra explained. "But—but this is still so cool! I mean, we're meeting another one of the people who went missing! Do you think we'll meet Max? That would be awesome!"

"Maybe we will," I replied with a shrug.

"Well, how long ago did you come here?" Sophia inquired.

"We came here April sixth, 2004," said Sierra. We both looked at her. "…Matt helped me figure it out…," she explained.

"So, that was six years ago, right?" asked Sophia. "I came here late 2001; that was nine years ago. Three years apart; did I disappear off Maxey Island three years before you did?"

"Yes," I replied. "So that means we share the same time pattern as our original world, and therefore Max would be, maybe… twenty-five, now? Something like that. I'm sure he'd still be alive."

"Well, he can't have died of old age," Sierra remarked.

"That's true," Sophia agreed as the door opened.

Anna came in the door. "Oh, hi Sophia!" she greeted happily. "What're we talking about?" she asked, plopping herself down on the couch beside me.

"Max… and Mello…," Sierra responded. "Oh, Natalie! How is Mello? I'd ask him through thought, but I don't wanna annoy him…. And I'm afraid of what I might have done to his mind when I took him through the portal."

I shook my head. "He hasn't said anything since he's been locked up."

"Nothing?" asked Anna. "He didn't start swearing profusely or anything?"

"But he didn't say a single word?" Sophia put in.

I nodded. "He just sits in his chair all day, his elbows on his knees as he stares at the ground…. But he did say one thing on the first day."

"What did he say?" asked Sierra.

"We tried to feed him, and slid the food tray under the door. He walked over to it and said, 'This isn't flipping chocolate,' then kicked it away and sat on his chair again. We've been feeding him chocolate ever since."

Anna laughed. "And I guess he didn't actually say 'flipping,' right?"

I nodded. "He said a word that was far worse."

"You'd think he'd be more irritated about it," Sierra remarked with a frown. "You think he's okay?"

"I'm sure he is," I replied with a shrug.

"He's being a little out of character, though," Anna pointed out. "Maybe someone sprinkled OOC powder over him."

"OOC powder?" Sophia asked curiously. "What's that?"

"It's a powder that makes someone act out of character," Sierra explained. "It didn't actually exist in our world, but it would be awesome if it did…." She laughed. "That'd be so amusing!"

"I'm sure it would," Sophia agreed.

"I'm bored," Anna stated.

"Story of my life," Ryuk remarked, floating in from the ceiling.

I chuckled. "Of course you're bored, Anna," I smiled. "What would you like to do?"

"Natalie," said Ryuk, "I need to grab your Death Note; Light told me to get you to rip a few pages out…."

I waved him away vaguely as I listened to Anna's reply. "I don't know… maybe… Shark Attack?" she suggested.

Sierra sighed, sitting down on the floor. "I'm sorry, but I don't feel like playing a game I don't know about right now."

Anna huffed. "Fine. How about a stuffed animal war?"

"Stuffed animal war?" asked Sophia.

"Like a snowball fight," said Anna, walking towards the stairs, "but with stuffed animals."

"That works," I replied, then looked at Sierra.

"Sure!" she squeaked, jumping to her feet.

"I'll pass," said Sophia with a wave, walking towards the door.

"Meanie poop!" Anna barked after her, and Sophia closed the door behind her with a call of farewell. "C'mon!" Anna gestured for us to follow her up the stairs, and we followed her readily in our quest to keep amused.

When Sierra and I walked into Anna's room, Anna was already prepared, and chucked a stuffed animal at Sierra's face. "Hey!" Sierra yelped, throwing it back. Anna laughed, and the stuffed animal fight commenced. There were flashes of fur through the air and squeals of enjoyment as the troubles of the world were forgotten. And, for a moment, we were home again, and we were just three friends having fun at a simple and mundane yet fun war at a sleepover party. I didn't have a job to think of. There was no household to keep, no bills to pay. Kira didn't exist. It was all a blissful peace that could, at least, last for a little while.

One of the stuffed animals – a monkey, if I remember correctly – flew at me and hit me in the eye. "Ow," I remarked, lobbing it back at Anna. I put my hand to my eye and laughed. "Whoever just did that hurt Light, too!"

"Ah, sorry Light!" Sierra yelped. "Right, the mind sync is farther with you…." She grinned. "This is to Light!" she exclaimed, hurling a bunny at me.

I dodged it. "This is to Mello, for being a chocoholic!" I responded in turn, launching a teddy bear back at her.

"But Mello and I aren't that far in the mind sync!" she cried.

"Who cares?!" Anna retorted jokingly, then threw a dog at Sierra. "To Mello, for being number two!"

"Meh!" Sierra snapped, flinging a cat back at Anna. "To Near, for being a cheater!"

Anna ducked and stuck her tongue out at her sister.

Thus, the fight continued, now, apparently, with three other guests. Only Light, of course, knew he was involved. Ha. And every time a stuffed toy was thrown, a remark would be thrown along with it, directing its hit to a specific person.

"To Light, for chasing me up the maple tree!"

"To Mello, for being a meanie poop!"

"To Near, for always winning!"

"To Light, for being mean to Misa!"

"To Near, for nearly being the death of Light!"

"To Sierra, for letting herself be kidnapped by Mello!"

"To Anna, for liking Near, of all people!"

"To Natalie and Anna, for thinking you understand when you don't!" Sierra exclaimed, launching a cat in either direction. Anna made a bad dodge and ended up flipping over, hurting herself. I ended up not dodging at all, somewhat surprised at the sudden turn in tone. There was a pause. "…Sorry," said Sierra. "I'm done now."

I blinked. "Sierra," I said, "I want you to know that I know I don't understand. I can't. And… I'm sorry for that."

She shook her said. "I said I'm done. Let's move on."

"Mehhh," Anna moaned, holding her head. "Ow…."

"Are you alright?" Sierra asked tenderly, going over her to her sister and kneeling beside her.

"I'm fine…," Anna replied, then rolled away and jumped up, pelting Sierra with the monkey stuffed animal. "Ha!"

"Hey!" Sierra cried, and the war resumed.

This got me thinking, though, about all of things I couldn't stop, even as Kira. Kira couldn't erase past things, true, but it was for those who were already harmed that I did this for; that we did this for. It was in the honor of those who'd already suffered, for them. We were preventing more suffering; we were stopping it from happening to others before it happened. We were preserving innocence. And all of this made my resolve ever stronger.

Well, we soon grew tired, and it came time for sweet slumber to blanket us in its restful warmth. Anna asked me if we could all camp out downstairs that night. I'd glanced at Sierra, who nodded, and agreed. (I didn't want any disagreement, and would rather have everyone happy.) Down to the living room our pillows and blankets went, and Anna was soon curled up on the floor as Sierra and I readied our makeshift beds.

"I still miss Baby and Blankie," said Anna, looking up at us.

I smiled as I laid out my blanket. "Of course you do. It's too bad they didn't come with us."

"Yeah," Sierra agreed.

"Yeah…," Anna sighed. "Hey, you know how we always wonder what L's past is?"

"Mm-hmm," Sierra responded as she and I lay down.

"Well, what about Near and Mello and Matt? Why don't we ever wonder about them? What are their pasts?"

"I don't know," I said as Sierra shrugged. "It makes me wonder, though. Hm…."

"I wonder too…," Anna replied quietly.

"You know," said Sierra, "this is a lot like the night we slept on the floor in the house on Maxey Island."

"Yeah," I agreed. "Now we just need Sam. And potato chips."

"If only Sam were here…."

"Well, she's in America with L right now."

Sierra furrowed her brow. "Don't you think it's kinda weird that L and Sam are practically living together?"

"I guess so," I replied.

"Don't you think so, Anna?" she asked, turning to Anna. No response. "Anna?" She poked her younger sister, and received no reaction. "She's sleeping."

I took a glance at the clock. "Well, I'm not surprised. It's one o'clock, after all, and she's not a night person…. Light's asleep, too."

She pursed her lips. "That's still weird that you know these things."

I shrugged. "He's pretty much a part of me now."

"Yeah. And that's the creepiest part."

"That's true, I guess…. It's not so creepy when you're the one experiencing it."

"Well, I don't really want to experience it anytime soon."

"It'll happen eventually," I shrugged.

"So, wait, does that mean… like… half of you is sleeping right now?"

"Technically, yes."

"Weird…." There was a pause, whereon Sierra started poking Anna again. "Anna? Anna? Are you awake?" Nothing, again. Sierra rolled onto her back for a moment, then turned to look at me. "Natalie, I have a question."

"Yes?"

"Are you Kira?" It was blunt and to-the-point.

Another pause, and I sputtered in surprise, quiet laughter shaking my frame. "Are you serious?"

"Yes," she replied, all too serious, in my opinion.

The smiled faded. "No, Sierra, I'm not. How could you think that?"

Sierra sat up, and I followed her lead, facing her. "Mello and Near and even L think so," she said.

"Sierra, I'm not—"

"No, I get that you don't want to say you are, because I am, after all, working with Mello. But I support Kira now."

"Sierra—"

"I want to judge with you."

And there was silence. Utter silence. Then, "Sierra… I've told you; I'm not Kira. Everyone seems to think that, but I'm not."

"Natalie, I'm serious!" Anna stirred in her sleep, and Sierra lowered her voice, looking at me with an intense, unwavering gaze. "I want to get rid of bad people. I want to kill people like Tony; people who deserve to die."

I looked at her and shook my head. "Sierra, has it occurred to you that maybe the geniuses are wrong for once? I'm kinda sick of being accused. No one has said it straight out, but they've given hints, and that just makes it worse. I can't let you judge because I don't have a Death Note. I'm sorry."

She stared at me for a moment longer, her eyes searching my face. But eventually the gaze was broken, and she looked away. "Sorry," she mumbled, then lay back down. "I'm sorry."

I lay back down again, too. "No, Sierra, it's alright. All the facts point to me, after all, don't they? It's only right to assume I'm the culprit, but…. I can only think Kira is trying to do just that."

"Yeah. We should get to sleep; you have to wake up early."

"Oh, yeah," I agreed as she rolled over to face away from me. "Goodnight."

"Goodnight."

"That was a close one, wasn't it?" asked Ryuk amusedly. "Whoo, I guess they all suspect you. This'll be interesting. Hey, you're supposed to give me the Death Note, by the way. Keep some pages, that's all. I need to give it to Light…. He says you already know all this, though…."

I rolled over so my back was facing him.

"Oh. Okay. Sleep now; do stuff later. That's fine."

I closed my eyes and ignored him. This exchange with Sierra really got me thinking, but as I was also trying to get to sleep, my mind wandered. And, of course, I could actually let my mind wander, because Light was already sleeping and thus my mind could not wander to his consciousness. Who would have thought I'd be Kira? I wondered. I mean, only a few months ago…. Yet, here I am. Still, it was only for Light that I did it… it was only his pushing that got me into this. Would I have done any of it on my own, on my own choices? Probably not…. So then… where do I truly stand? Am I just following whoever I happen to be loyal to at the time, relying on them like a child? Like Mikami…. I have to wonder, though…. Who am I?

There's Light, the boy raised in a fine home with good parents, living a good life, for the most part. He's intelligent and empathetic – has a strong sense of justice – and was saddened; sickened by the problems of the world and the horrible things done by fellow human beings. He only wanted to help….

Then there's L, the boy whose past is a mystery. All we know here is that there was pain. But he went to Wammy's as an orphan and was taken in by Watari, eventually working on the cases he so enjoys solving. He works not for justice, generally, but merely for his own fun. But we have to wonder what his past was….

Mello, always second, working so hard and never winning despite it all. He lived through constant almost-wins, never being the best, never winning, always losing…. He started to believe he just wasn't capable, no matter how hard he tried, and thus resorted to criminal actions to beat Near, to finally reach number one. And he would do anything for his goals….

Near, a sensitive and dependent genius. He works well and can deduce almost as well as L, but without people to back his views, he's hopeless. He needs people to carry out his plans; he can't do them on his own. All of this is a game to him; a puzzle to solve. He doesn't mind bending the law, and often lies if it means his success. If he sees a route that is beneficial, he takes it, which often means waiting for others to make a move before striking himself, so the enemy is already weak….

Anna is pure, the picture of innocence. Sierra is a child, stripped of her innocence far too early in life. Samantha is a girl with a strong heart, love as her strength, hatred tainting her being. And then… who am I? I tend to be inconsistent, really…. I like peace; I, too, am generally untainted, but I cannot be at rest with suffering still in the world, yet…. Are my views just Light's views? Is it that I don't really have a character, that I am simply a blank canvas that can be painted upon by pretty much anyone? This mind sync is meant to make us equal, right? Well… Light has given me confidence and logic and a whole new frame of mind. His views became mine; it was him that first judged as Kira, not me. So if this was true, then am I merely the recessive being in this? Where did I go, or did I not have a character in the first place?

God, I'm questioning the reality of everything right now, aren't I?

And then… this whole 'relationship' or whatever with Light I have…. Not the mind sync, but… that…. Well, it all began from the other Light. The Light that used Misa and Takada and Mikami and everyone else. The one that, quite frankly, isn't capable of real affection. Does this mean, then, that that beginning was an act? But what was it, after he lost his memories? If the other Light hadn't faked it, which I'm assuming he did, then would any of this have ever happened? Probably not. So what is this than a fake altogether? It was that other Light, too, that pushed me to be Kira. Would I be Kira if he hadn't done that? Probably not. So… what is this story? That other Light is still a puppeteer of this life! He's still manipulating us! But….

No… it doesn't matter. What's happening now is what it is, no matter how it started…. So many things in life happen because of one little thing. Who cares whether it was originally fated? It is what it is. And after these words, my thoughts dispersed, soon merging with Light's subconscious once more as I fell into slumber.

Whelp. That's where the name of the story comes from.

And Sierra. What are you doing.

Fun Fact: Sierra, Anna, and I once had a snowball fight that was a lot like that stuffed animal war that occurred in this chapter.

Review? For stuffed animal wars? :D