Chapter 3 - The Bet

*Disclaimer: I do not own Death Note or its characters.*

Time. Time is what I hate the most. It's so unforgiving. Proceeding only forward, never stopping. No matter how hard I tried, time wasn't slowing or picking up it's pace. It's the most precious thing in the world, yet many people take it for granted, including me.

December 9th

Light scratches his head in annoyance as he explains to the redhead for the third time how to divide improper fractions. At this point, he was ready to call it quits. They still had a few more days before they had to take the mock exams and he figured moving on to something else and returning to the topic of fractions with a fresh perspective would do the redhead some good.

"Can't we just finish this another day?" The redhead complains, her brain hurting from straining to pushing herself to actually understand how to solve the equations.

Light lets out a sigh of relief and closes the textbooks. "You read my mind, Alexandra."

The redhead laughs and starts packing her things into her school bag, feeling relieved she didn't have to sit there any longer listening to Light explain the same thing over and over again.

Lights phone rings and he reaches into hid pocket to pull it out. He puts the phone to his ear, "Hi, mom." "I'm at the library. We were just finishing up." "Yeah, I'm with Alexandra." "...Yes." "Okay. I'll ask her. I'll see you soon, mom." He hangs up the phone and slips it back into his pocket.

"What was that all about? What do you need to ask me?" She questions.

"Well, I told my mother I was with you and she wanted me to ask if you wanted to come over for dinner. She's very insistent that you do."

The redhead shrugs, I guess I could eat."

An hour later : The Yagami Residence

Light and the redhead finally make it to his house. After heading upstairs to his bedroom he puts away his belongings. Sayu bursts into the room. "Light! Would you mind helping me with some of my homework, we just learned it today and I'm still a little confused." She asks innocently.

"Sure, Sayu. He looks over at the redhead who plopped herself on his bed. He was happy that she was more comfortable being in his house this time. "You don't mind, do you, Alexandra?" He asks.

"Of course not, go ahead. But I do mind you calling me by my full name." She rolls her eyes with her last statement and Sayu laughs along with her brother.

As Sayu and her older brother sit together at Light's desk, the redhead sits on the edge of his mattress. She observes as Light tries to explain to his sister how to work out a few math problems, Sayu scratches her head in confusion every time she's asked what she thinks the correct answer is, then Light writes down the answer for her anyway. This process repeats a few times before the brunette boy finally puts his foot down. "So, do you think you're ready to try a few on your own now?" He asks.

Sayu hesitantly answers, "Yeah, I guess so." As much as she would like the genius brother to help her with all of the math problems, she knows it would probably be best if she does a few on her own. Fortunately, the sound of a door bell comes to her rescue. "Sounds like dad's home!" She gets up out of her chair and rushes past her brother, leaving her notebook and pencil behind.

"Hey!" He calls after her. "Why don't you at least try the last problem by yourself?"

"Maybe after dinner!" She yells back and heads downstairs to greet her father.

Ever since Mr. Yagami had started working on a difficult case, he's been home less frequently. It's not uncommon for him to miss family meals every now and then due to his job, but he's almost never around anymore. Sayu misses her father and Light understands this, so he lets her off the hook, for now. Though he's doubtful she would finish the last few math problems by herself later anyway.

"You're pretty good with your sister." The redhead speaks up.

"Of course." Alex was sure Yagami was talking to her, but for some reason he was staring directly behind her. He focuses his attention back at her. "We should go downstairs too, I'm sure my mother has dinner prepared already and I'd like to see how my father is doing with everything that's going on right now."

Sayu decides to place an extra chair in between her and Light for her brother's friend. She waves the redhead over, "You can sit here! Next to me and Light." She calls out excitedly.

As Light sits down at the dinner table with Alex, an almost unnoticeable shadow is cast on the wall behind them. Once everyone is situated, Mr. Yagami is the first to speak. "So Light, tell me, how are your studies going?" He picks up a piece of food with his chopsticks and puts it in his mouth.

Light tries to hide his smug expression, but the tone of his voice suggests he's just trying to be modest. "Everything's okay I guess."

"Whatever! He's at the top of his class! My big brother is a genius!" Sayu chimes in. Alex thinks she sees a small smirk forming on Light's mouth until he stuffs it full of food. "And he's been helping her study for the To-Oh entrance exams too!" She points to the redhead.

"I'm just helping out a friend. Besides, it's nice tutoring someone who can actually keep up." Light mocks his sister.

Knowing that last sentence was a direct insult toward her, Sayu decides to embarrass her older brother. "Don't you mean girlfriend.?"

The redhead bites her lip out of reaction as her cheeks being to flush. "Oh, um... we're not-" She tries to correct the brunette girl but Light ends up cutting her off instead.

"Sayu, don't go saying stuff you don't know anything about." He scolds.

"Oh come on! Mom told me all about how you were pacing around-"

"Sayu!" Light exclaims through clenched teeth, startling his sister at the sudden pitch change in his voice.

"Alright Sayu, enough teasing your brother. If Light says they're just friends then they're just friends." Mrs. Yagami comes to her son's rescue. She covers the side of her face with her hand and winks at her daughter, making her giggle.

Light and the redhead roll their eyes. He averts his gaze to his father. "What's wrong, dad? You look tired."

Alex feels sorry for Light's father. Surely working on something like the Kira case would take its toll on even the most dedicated police officer. The worst part of it is, as far as she was aware, it hasn't even been that long since this Kira murderer surfaced. She wonders just how long the chase to catch Kira would go on before they find him. She remembers Light mentioning to her something about enrolling into the police academy after he finishes school; Will the Kira case still be going on a few years down the line? Will Light end up like his father, completely sucked into an investigation without any regard for his own well-being? She almost laughs out loud at the thought of Light looking all unkempt and messy. Yeah right, Light would never forget to get a good night's rest or shower and make sure his hair falls perfectly and evenly on his pretty head. She can't imagine Light ever looking anything less than handsome and presentable. Handsome? Jeez, did I really just think that? She puts her fork down and takes a sip of her drink.

"Yeah…" He plays around with a few pieces of food on his plate. "I'm not able to say too much about it, but this case I'm working on is really tough."

"Well, I'll listen to whatever you have to say, Dad." Light adds. Sorichiro looks over to the redhead sitting in between his children. "Trust me, she won't say anything to anyone, she's a good friend." He reassures his father.

"Alright then." Mr Yagami sighs deeply before continuing. "It's basically a goose chase. Today, the person in charge of the investigation said that judging from the estimated time of death, the killer is probably a student."

The redheads' eyes widen. A student? It could be anyone... She turns her head to look at Light who looks calm and unsurprised. In fact, she thinks the look on his face is similar to how he looks when he knows he's right about the answer to a question. Satisfied.

Mrs. Yagami cuts her husband off, "I don't think this is something we should discuss at the dinner table you two." She places a caring hand on her husband's back. "Sayu, how are you doing in school? I'm sure your father would like to know."

"Oh... Same as Light I guess." She answers.

...

After dinner, Sayu, Alex and Light help Mrs. Yagami clear the dinner table and Mr. Yagami wanders upstairs to seek the comfort of his bed for the first time in days. "Geez, he's going to bed already huh?" Sayu looks at her mother, a little disappointed she doesn't have the chance to spend more time with her father.

"I'm sorry, dear. We all miss him but he has a very important job to do, Sayu. I'm sure he will make more time for us once his schedule starts clearing up a bit. Be thankful that we were able to have him here for dinner tonight." She softly pats Sayu's head and walks toward the sink. "Why don't you help me dry the dishes? That way your brother can make sure his friend gets home safe."

"Sure, Mom!" She jumps to her mother's side, a bit perkier then she was just a minute ago.

Light carefully places a few plates on the counter for his mother, "I guess we better get going then. I'll see you when I get home, mom." He gives his mother a swift kiss on her cheek and guides Alex through the kitchen to the front door. They slip their shoes on their feet and grab their jackets, throwing them on before they leave the house.

The pair start their journey to the train station. "Thanks for inviting me tonight." Alex smiles at the brunette. She was happy to be surrounded by a family, even if it wasn't her own. Part of her missed sitting down for meals and talking about each other day.

A cool, crisp breeze of December air passes by, making the redhead cross her arms and bring them closer to her chest in a shiver. Light laughs. "I would offer you my jacket, but I get the feeling you would tell me no anyway."

The redhead squints her eyes at him and blurts out, "Fine. I'll take your jacket Yagami."

"Wow, that was easy." He smiles and happily unbuttons his jacket, takes it off and places it over the redheads shoulders. "Thanks." She says under her breath.

"You should really get yourself a warmer coat. It is Winter you know."

"What's the point of that when I have you around to lend me your coat?" Light's eyes brighten. This is one of the things he likes about the redhead. Her sarcasm.

…

By the time they arrive at the station, the sky is painted with a thousand stars and a glowing full moon softly illuminating the world below it. Light and the redhead walk up the stairs to the platform.

"So, are you ready to take the mock exams in a few days?" Light asks.

"As ready as I can be I guess. Make no mistake though, I have every intention of winning the bet and getting free cheesecake for an entire month." She mildly threatens.

"We'll see about that, Alexandra." Light replies cooly. While the redhead was trying her hardest to score higher on him on the mock exams, he had every intention of winning the bet as well. He figured just coming right out and asking her on a date would be too easy, he liked having a challenge. He thought the redhead might even be smart enough to come close to winning the bet. The brunette shivers as a gust of wind quickly passes by.

"Oh! Your jacket. Here, let me-"

Light stops her from taking off his jacket. "No, keep it. You can give it back to me in school tomorrow. My house isn't far from here, I'll be okay. Besides, you still have to take the train back to Tokyo and walk home from there."

"Why are you so nice to me, Yagami?" The redhead looks up at him.

Light looks back into her green eyes, captivated by them, as they seem to sparkle under the moonlight. The freckles on her cheeks just barely visible in the darkness of the night, her skin flawless and glowing, her soft pink lips enticing him, making him want to feel them against his own...

The redhead waves her hand in front of the brunettes face. "Hello? Are you still there?"

The brunettes is brought back to reality. "You asked me why I'm so nice to you?"

The redhead shrugs. "Yeah." She was genuinely curious. Out of all her time at Daikoku academy she had never witnessed Light treat anyone else they way he treats her. During the few days she spent studying with him, he has been extremely patient with her, even taking the time to explain the same thing over and over again until she understood it. She just figured he was trying to be nice since he was the one who signed her up to take the mock entrance exams in the first place.

"Well, if I'm being honest... I've never met someone quite as unique as you. You're an interesting person to be around." He says directly.

"Unique? In what sense?" She wasn't trying to fish for compliments or anything, but she was curious as to how Light Yagami, the top student at Daikoku academy, thought she was unique.

Light chuckles. "Well, the red hair and freckles for one. And two... You make me feel like I can be open with you, and honest, and just generally be myself. Which to me, makes you unique because I rarely ever find myself wanting to be in someone else company. I really enjoy having you around, Alexandra."

Unable to control herself, the redhead flings herself into the brunette and wraps her arms around him, pulling him into a hug. "Do you really mean that, Light?" She whispers.

"Of course I do." He whispers back and squeezes her into a tighter embrace.

They stand like that, embracing each other for a few moments before the deafening silence is interrupted by the sound of metal scraping loudly against the train tracks. The headlight of the train shines brightly at them as it approaches the platform. Once the train comes to a full stop in front of them, steam wooshes out from the top and the doors slide open. The redhead pulls away from the embrace. "I should get going."

Light hesitantly speaks up, "Yeah. I'll see you again soon. Have a safe trip home."

"Goodnight, Yagami." The redhead says as she steps onto the train.

"Goodnight Alexandra" He says back.

Light watches as the doors of the train slide closed, silently wishing she didn't have to go, or that he could go with her. He sees the train swiftly pick up speed and take Alex away along with it. Now more then ever he was counting on the redhead losing that bet.

December 12th : A hotel room in Japan

L stares puzzled at the new information on the Kira case he's just received. The past two days, a total of forty-six criminal died of heart attack, every hour on the hour. Kira was testing him. No, Kira was telling him something. Not only can this 'Kira' kill criminals just by knowing their name and face but he can also manipulate the time of death. It wasn't a huge clue, but it was something. The detective wondered just what else this murderer was capable of doing. He presses a button with the a gothic letter 'W' on his microphone. "Watari, please patch me in to the NPA investigation headquarters."

After explaining the situation to the Kira investigation squad, he slams his laptop shut. Just what are you planning, Kira?

A few hours later, Watari arrives back at the hotel room, greeting L with a delicious strawberry cheesecake in hand. He happily sets it down on the table next to the detective along with a fresh cup of coffee and a small plate of sugar cubes. L drops 13 cubes of sugar, one by one, into his coffee before taking a sip.

"The FBI is ready to assist you, sir. They want to set up a meeting to discuss the case with you before sending their agents to Japan." Watari explains to his detective.

The raven haired man shoves a mouthful of cheesecake into his mouth, not caring to swallow it before he speaks. "Good. Set up a time to speak with them tomorrow." He gulps. "We have much to discuss."

"As you request, sir."

End of Chapter 3