"Something seems off about tonight."

Yoru and Kyoko looked at me in confusion.

"What are you talking about?" Kyoko asked, taking a sip of her coffee. Her breath rose up in spirals, creating a white mist that rose above her head.

I blinked. "Did I say that aloud?" I asked the pair. Kyoko smiled.

"All that studying has melted your brain," she said. She adjusted her position and leaned back on the bench, taking another sip. Yoru curled up between us as I lifted the plastic cup to my lips. The coffee was bittersweet and burned my throat as it went down, but I didn't mind.

"I'd best stay on the top of my game during my investigation," I replied, smiling. "After all, I find Light fun to tease, especially when it comes to school."

"Speaking of which, don't you have cram school in a few minutes?" Kyoko asked.

I checked my watch. "I suppose I do," I said. "But it's only a couple of blocks from here. I bet I'll be able to make it with plenty of time. Besides, since I'm at the top of the class, you could say the teachers are more than lenient."

"Wait, so you've actually beat Yagami?" Kyoko asked.

"Well, we're tied," I reply. "But technically, we're both at the top of the class."

Kyoko leaned back. "You're working too hard," she said, tucking a strand of strawberry-colored hair behind her ear. "All you have to do is infiltrate the Yagami household, find out where the guy hides his Death Note, and get rid of it. The longer he has the Death Note, the more Wraiths will be born from it. Get the job quick, and there'll be less of a cleanup."

I clenched my fists. "You really think this is just about the Death Note?" I asked, looking at her from the corner of my eye.

"Yes, but this case is different," I said. "That L guy . . . I want to investigate him."

"What for?"

"I-" Biting my lip, I turned away from my friend. "I feel like I've met him before."

"What?" Kyoko bolted up. "You've gotta be kidding."

"I don't know from where," I muttered, "but I've heard of this guy."

Kyoko looked at me. "You are one complicated girl, Mika."

I smiled. "That may be, but complications add up to a solid foundation. Anyway, enough about me, what about you? How's that one cousin? Didn't you say she was getting married sometime?"

"Yeah," said Kyoko. "She's already engaged to an FBI agent from America. I think his name is Raye Penber."

"What do you think of him?"

"He's pretty nice. I've only met him once, and it was through a video call. But apparently he's here in Yokohama visiting with my aunt and uncle. Naomi says I should come over sometime. She says she'll pay for my train ticket. Heh, I guess she doesn't know that I'm not in Matsumoto anymore."

I give a short laugh. "And your parents are okay with this?"

"They don't give a crap," Kyoko replies. "Heck, I bet they don't even know I'm gone. I don't have the luxury of being an orphan like you Mika, but it sure feels like I'm one."

Coughing slightly, I checked my watch again. "I should get going," I announced and stood up. "Thank you for the talk."

"Already?" Kyoko complained.

"I'm a highschool student in a prestigious program now, Kyoko," I said with a smile. "I have to prove my worth."

Yoru jumped off the bench and stood behind me, his tail curling around my ankles.

"Want me to walk you there?" Kyoko asked.

"No, it's fine," I said, picking up my bag and slinging it over my back.

"That Wraith you fought the other day wasn't all that strong," said Kyoko, "but it could still hurt you if you're not careful. So don't go running into another one, alright? If you do, give me a call."

"I'll keep that in mind," I said. "But the same goes for you."

I turned around, taking out my phone and clicking on a maps app. Even though I've been going to cram school for a while now, I still get confused in the dark.

"Mika?"

A soft voice reached my ears, and I turned swiftly.

Light Yagami stood a few feet in front of me, surprised. Ryuk floated beside him, a clownish grin stretched across his face.

I pretended not to see Ryuk and gave Light a little smile. "Hey Light."

"Are you heading to cram school?" he asks.

"Uh, yeah," I replied smoothly.

He looked over my shoulder, and my heart started racing as I could feel his presence next to me.

"You need help finding the place?" he asked, noticing that I have the maps app open.

"Pretty embarrassing," I admit, taking a few steps away. "I've been going here ever since I've moved into your household, but I still can't manage to find it."

Light gives a small laugh. "That's okay," he said, smiling. "I get a little lost too. It's not held at the highschool after all. Wanna walk together?"

"Sure."

We walked together in silence. Light looked like he wanted to talk to me, but didn't have the right words to say. Ryuk floated behind us, oblivious to the fact that I could see him making funny gestures at me and Light.

When we reached the library where cram was being held, I didn't sit in the back like I usually did. Instead, I sat next to Light, near the front. He seemed surprised when I plunked my bag down on the seat next to him, but smirked as I whipped out a mock test.

"Wanna compare answers?" I asked, brushing back my hair.

"Why not?" Light asked. "Maybe this time you finally slipped up and we don't end up tying again."

"In your dreams," I challenged back, but this comment genuinely caused his eyes to flash.

I gave a small smile. Guess he still hasn't forgotten about that dream I sent him before we'd met. I suppose the idea of my return doesn't appeal to him.

"Huh?"

The rough voice of the Shinigami standing at the front of the classroom suddenly caught my attention. Ryuk's eyes were staring ahead, suddenly focused on something. He got up, and started walking among the other students. When he passed our table, Light ignored the Shinigami, but I didn't. Looking at Ryuk, I watched as he made his way to the back window, his eyes trained on something outside.

"Mika?"

Light jousled my arm, and I snapped my head back around.

"What are you looking at?" he asked, looking at Ryuk then back at me.

"Nothing," I reply, a little too quickly. "Just thought I saw something out the window."

Light watched me for a couple of seconds, then shrugged and continued on the problem we were working on.

The rest of the night was drenched in silence; the only sounds were the scratching of pencils against paper. When the class let out, I was pretty tired, and ready to head back to the Yagami household.

That was before my cell phone rang.

When I picked it up, I could hear Kyoko's frantic voice on the other end. I couldn't quite make out what she said; the reception was extremely poor. Calmly, I asked what the matter was, while Light eyed me suspiciously.

"Wraith . . . powerful . . . assistance would be great . . . west side . . ."

I signed. Again? How in the world does she get into things like this?

"Understood," I replied, rolling my eyes. "I'll be there in a second. Just hold it at bay."

Looking down at Yoru, who had stayed silent throughout the night, I gave him a little nod.

"Hey, Mika?"

"Yes?" I asked, not looking at Light as I passed him.

"Are you okay? You seem annoyed."

"Oh, yeah, I'm fine," I called over my shoulder. "My friend just ran into some trouble. I'm going to help her before I go back to your house. If you could also tell your parents that, it would be great."

Before Yagami could say anything else, I waltzed out of the classroom. It was only when I was outside that I began sprinting to the west side of the city, Yoru hot on my heels.

I shouldn't have been surprised that when I ended up in the general vicinity, that the Wraith decided to turn its sights on me. The city faded into a mess of colors as I slowly walked forward, slowly drawing the gun from my bag with ease. It felt as if I'd walked into a black hole, the only light coming from mixed colors as the city washed away like wet chalk.

"Kyoko?" I called into the general darkness of the area I was in.

In response, I heard a shout as footsteps echoed all around me, courtesy of the Wraith's illusion torsion.

Then, Kyoko burst from the shadows, running straight towards me, twin guns drawn.

"Better watch out Mika!" she hollered. "I kinda aggravated it before you showed up."

Planting my feet, I stood my ground, pulling out the gun and aiming at the area Kyoko was running from. Kyoko stood beside me, taking up the same position.

From the darkness, a wash of color and light suddenly emerged. A hot wind flew around us as the Wraith appeared from the darkness, its tangle of grotesque limbs reaching out to us with headache-inducing effects.

"Get ready," I shouted at Kyoko. "This one might be tougher than we thought."