Chapter 2: The Bet

It was funny how fast time flew by. In a blink of an eye, July had faded into August and soon enough, September would be starting.

Despite its briefness, Heri still felt the summer was too long. Normally, he would be glad to have some time off his academics and would spend time with his siblings. This summer, his admittance to the Institute had made that impossible and was making his home life very uncomfortable. His twin brother glared at him whenever possible, which was a lot considering they lived in the same house.

Heri had taken to going on long walks in the summer heat, wandering the neighbourhood. Today, however, was the first time he had ended up In the heart of the city. Heri gasped as he spun on himself, taking in the breathtaking view of downtown Tokyo.

"Bloody Hell," He muttered under his breath, watching the city move in ways that were as familiar as they were unfamiliar. It was exactly like London from what he'd seen of it but at the same time, it was completely different.

He wandered around, looking wistfully into shops as he contemplated his new school. In his nostalgic and somewhat disorienting daze, he did nothing but stare as a group of young teens raced past him, knocking him flat. His fall caused a chain reaction of people stumbling and tripping around him. The pavement had certainly not been made with crowds the current size in mind.

Everyone regained their balance, but not before a much older teen, perhaps on the cusp of adulthood tripped over Heri, bags flying through the air before landing on the ground with a sickening splat.

Eyes widening, Heri scrambled up and offered a hand to the fallen teen who was staring at his bags as though they had broken his heart.

"I'm so sorry! Are you alright!" He asked, going over to pick up the fallen bags when his hand was rejected. Peeking in it, he grimaced, seeing smashed pastries and candies. The teenager stood, snatching his bags back and looking into them as well.

The teen scowled at him through a curtain of dishevelled hair causing guilt and amusement to bubble up inside him.

"I really am sorry about your sweets," He said, smiling "I'll make it up to you though," He told him, grabbing his sleeve and pulling him back towards the confectionary store.

"Hey!" The teen spluttered indignantly as he was dragged along the pavement by a ten-year-old. He looked anxiously over at the black car that was waiting for him at the end of the street. He did not even need to see through the tinted window that Wammy was laughing at him.

Heri stopped in front of the store momentarily to glance back at his unwilling companion before marching into the store and grabbing a basket.

"Is there anything you particularly like?" he asked the teen who was brushing off his white shirt where Heri had touched it. When he received only a glare in response, he grinned widely and began to drag the boy all over the store, placing one of every single item in the store in the basket. The teenager's eyes widened the more he grabbed and when they finally arrived at the checkout, Heri's admittedly puny ten-year-old muscles ached something fierce.

The lady working at the counter glanced at him suspiciously as he walked up with the basket full of sweets but said nothing as he presented the required amount of money.

"Thank you, Miss," he told her politely as she bagged his purchases. She simply nodded her head and handed over the bags. Heri took them gratefully and dragged the still nameless teen out of the store with him.

"Here you go," he said cheerfully, handing over the bags. After being dragged in and out of a store, the young man seemed to compose himself. The shocked look fled his face, replaced by a blank mask. While he didn't straighten completely, he hunched slightly less. He stared sceptically at Heri for a few moments before seemingly finding what he was looking for.

"Thank you," he said solemnly. He glanced over to the car where he knew Wammy was waiting. "I'll be on my way now then,"

He was a bit uncomfortable. He wasn't very good with children or with people in general really.

L's young companion smiled at him, a knowing and disconcerting smile.

"Yagami Heri," He said, extending a hand. L's smile thinned as he realised that he was required to give a name back.

"Anderson. Anderson Yoshio," he offered, refusing to shake the germ riddled hand of a ten-year-old boy.

I slight dip and an "Enjoy your sweets," was all he got from the young boy before he took off back the way he had been heading before he had tripped. Tilting his head, the world's greatest detective contemplated Heri's retreating back. 'A strange child' he thought 'And surely very interesting,'

As he turned away and walked back towards the car, he thought that he might not mind seeing that young boy again if only to learn more about his strange tendencies.

xxx

The sweet-toothed teenager Heri had met earlier had already drifted from his mind as he walked home, stomach rumbling. twisting his key in the lock on the door and opening it, he was met with the smell of beef and rice.

Heri sighed, inhaling it deeply before toeing off his shoes, shutting the door and venturing into the dining room. There, he found only his father, tapping away on the computer. Good. He was not late for dinner then.

"Heri? is that you? His mother called from the kitchen.

"Yes, mum," He replied, wandering towards her voice.

"Good, we were waiting for you. The table needs setting,"

"Yes, mum," He said again, already collecting cutlery and dishes to place them on the dining room.

Once the table was set, plates were filled and set down and everyone had been called, the Yagami family was eating. As always, with the twins at odds, it was a stiff affair. Although Light's anger seemed to have calmed, he refused to apologise and Heri had long since given up.

As soon as he was done, Light excused himself. He practically ran back to his room where he had been camping out since he had found out about The Institute.

Soichiro let out a heavy sigh. As loathe as he was to admit it, Heri's departure to his new school could not come soon enough. With the pressure his job put him under near constantly, he had trouble putting up with the twins' antics. Heri stood, picking up his plate and moved to put it in the kitchen sink before slinking out of the room with grace no one else in the family seemed to possess.

As far as black sheep went, Heri was certainly the oddity of the family. Instead of the dark brown hair that ran through the family, his hair was a pretty straw colour like his brother. He had decided very early that he didn't much like the colour and dyed it black at his earliest convenience. His features even now were soft but aristocratic. He had green eyes that had puzzled the elder Yagamis when the colour had first appeared. They even held a strange sort of glow. With his long hair, he was very reminiscent of an elf.

Heri stepped out of the kitchen through the back door and strolled towards their small garden. While it was mostly maintained by his mother, he had a small corner to plant whatever he wanted. Inhaling the scent of Tuberoses as he wandered towards his garden, he smiled softly. The next day, he would be departing for the Institute and he wouldn't be able to sit in his small garden.

Inhaling deeply again, he stared up at the stars, grinning widely when he found Ginevra's favourite constellation. Camelopardalis shone like the rest of the sky, it's four stars unremarkable in the veritable sea of them. Ginny had never really told him why she loved it so much, only dragged him outside to admire it with her.

He fondly recalled the very serious discussion they'd had before the birth of their first child. Ginny had wanted to name him Camel or Pardalis after the stars she loved so much. He had snorted at the notion of naming his heir after a desert animal and they'd had a very passionate conversation that might have ended in blows had they been anyone else.

Smiling slightly as he recalled his wife. She was still alive in this time, fighting fiercely against the dark lord and his fanatics. His old age seemed to catch up with him for a few moments before he relaxed again. As much as she loved Ginny, she was in his past. She belonged with Harry Potter and only fools rob themselves of happiness.

Heri tensed as he heard a pair of feet walking towards him. He had no weapon with which to defend himself and since he got his acceptance letter, he would not be able to use magic outside of school until he turned 18 again.

He relaxed only slightly when his twin brother, Light, walked around the corner.

"Hello Heri," he said sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Light," Heri returned cautiously.

"We both owe each other an apology,"

Heri's eyebrows rose. "How do you figure?"

Light crossed his arms. "I was being an idiot. I shouldn't have reacted like that,"

Heri sighed, unsure if it was an exasperated sigh or an amused one.

"I'm sorry for getting a scholarship I didn't apply for," He responded. It seemed his pettiness had not faded with time.

Light's eyes widened. "You didn't apply for it?"

Heri shook his head. "It just appeared in the mail one day," It was as close as he could get without breaking the statute of secrecy.

Light contemplated that before a grin spread across his face.

"Oh, it's on," He pushed his finger into Heri's chest, causing him to stumble back as the smaller of the two "I'm going to be smarter than you,"

Heri gaped at him. He had expected Light to get more upset or accuse him of lying. This was nearly the polar opposite.

The finger retreated from Heri's chest and a hand was offered.

"The first to graduate wins," He said deviously.

"And what will I be winning exactly," Heri teased, relieved that Light had returned to normal.

"Don't get cocky now," Light smiled, "How's the title of better twin?"

Heri grabbed Light's hand, shaking fiercely.

"Get ready to lose Yagami," he said, still sporting an enormous grin

"Eat my dust Yagami," Light responded.

He pulled on their clasped hands, pulling Heri up from his seat in amidst the flowers.

"Come on, you'll need to get some rest before you go off to genius school tomorrow," He said, his expression dimming a little bit.

"I suppose so," Heri said, disentangling his hand from his brother's.

They made their way back into the house where their mother sat, sipping on a glass of wine.

"So, you boys have made up?" She asked

"It's amazing what a bit of healthy competition can do," Light told her

"Good. Now off to bed with the pair of you," She smiled softly at them before returning to her previous activities.

They climbed the stairs leading to their bedrooms, creeping past Sayu's door.

Harry had passed Light's door only by a little when he was suddenly pulled back and into a hug.

"Woah," he said, confused as Light hugged him tightly, nearly cracking some ribs.

"I really am sorry," Light whispered.

Heri awkwardly patted his back. "It's alright Light, really,"

Light sniffled a bit before releasing him.

"Goodnight Heri,"

"Night Light,"

Light retreated into his room, shutting the door quietly.

Heri stumbled to his own room and collapsed into bed, too tired to change. Walking all the way downtown took quite a bit of energy.

xxx

"Typical, he's not even awake," A young voice said somewhere above him.

"He's WHAT" A different, muffled voice screamed, "That idiot. What was he thinking, tiring himself out like he did yesterday?" The voice demanded, getting closer.

"He's still in his day clothes too. At this rate, he'll never get to the school,"

"WHAT," the second voice screeched, now directly beside his ear. "YAGAMI HERI, YOU WAKE YOUR GENIUS ARSE UP RIGHT THIS SECOND,"

Heri groaned, cracking his eyes opened to see Light and Sayu's faces floating above him.

"What are you two doing?" He moaned as he turned over, trying to get just five more minutes of blissful sleep.

"Oh, no you don't," Light told him, grabbing his elbow and dragging him out of the bed. Heri didn't even have a chance to try and stand up as he was dragged down the hall and thrown into the bathroom.

"You." Light threw a pile of clothes handed to him by Sayu into his twin brother's face, "Are going to get in that shower," He pointed at the shower, "Get dressed, and GET TO YOUR GOD DAMNED BOARDING SCHOOL ON TIME"

Heri peeled a shirt off of his face before staring wide-eyed at his brother.

"I refuse to win our bet by default because you didn't get to school on time," He explained flatly before turning on his heel, slamming the bathroom door behind him.

Not willing to risk Light's wrath, Heri showered quickly before dressing and grabbing his thankfully already packed bags. He made his way down the stairs, Fumbling with his hair as he tried to plait it with one hand.

Light snorted when he saw the state of his hair. Sayu was infinitely more helpful as she raced over to her older brother and quickly braided his hair for him.

"I honestly don't know why you keep your hair this long," She told him as she braided and he shoved a shoe on his foot, "It's not like you attend my tea parties anymore,"

"There aren't any to attend," He pointed out as he shoved his other for in his shoe, "Besides, I like it,"

Sayu tied a ribbon around the end of the plait and he stood, grabbing his luggage which was not very much as the school was taking his uniform and school supplies out of his possible tuition? He was still a bit confused on the whole tuition issue but he figured he would cross that bridge when he got to it.

"Mom, Dad, I'm off!" He waved, ducking out the door.

"Heri, catch," Light called and something small and red sailed through the air.

Upon catching it, Heri realised it was an apple. He shot a quizzical look at Light who just shrugged and told him that 'Breakfast is the most important meal of the day' before shooing him out the door.

Heri felt like he had just walked through a whirlwind and stood there for a moment before walking out the front gate and down the street.

Once he was far enough away from his house, he ducked into a dark alley and waited for his magic to apparate him where he needed to go.

After a few minutes, he felt a little tug at his nasal, his only warning before he was squeezed through space, a feeling that resembled what toothpaste would feel while it was being squeezed out of the tube. He tightened his grip on his luggage, ready for The Institution.

xxx

So I just read Rebirth by Athey for the first time and damn, I honestly wish there was more. But I also realised that we used the same alias for Harry! Heh, sorry 'bout that Athey. But really, Rebirth is definitely worth a read if you haven't read it already and if you have, a reread never hurt anyone.

Also, I feel like this story is just slowly becoming crack. I've really got to reign Light in (That snarky little shit).