STORY SUMMARY: Being reborn into a Japanese story was bad enough. Being reborn as the twin sister to a certain notorious mass murderer, was another thing entirely. Told in a series of drabbles. Warning: Mild incest themes.

Rating: T (Subject to change)

GENERAL DISCLAIMER: It's not my sandbox. I'm just playing in it.

AN: I am so sick of shoveling snow, I might actually die. Outside, there are buffs taller than my waist...*grumble grumble* Anyway, enjoy this new chapter-it's longer than most. Also, I'm so thankful for all the positive feedback I've been getting lately: they really have me trying to up my game. :)

Destroy She Said

Chapter Fifteen : Overkill

"I'm home," called a voice as recognizable as my own; spoiler alert, it wasn't Sayu. My heart skipped, stuttered, and then came to a screeching halt and in a split-second my mind went from throbbing pain to all static.

Not good. How was he back already? A speedy glimpse at his digital clock justified my doubts. Light wasn't due home for another few hours—and didn't he have one of those student superlative meetings every other Friday? Evidently, the universe, once again, had a hand in plotting my demise. Ugh, never mind that. If my twin discovered me here, now, he'd—nope. I didn't even want to consider the consequences. Especially, now that I was fully aware of his homicidal propensities. Negative. I chose life.

My only option was to run. Thankfully, my limbs were in motion before the command had even fully resonated. And to appease my climbing blood pressure, I recited the Kimigayo from memory whilst performing my nerve wracking escape. Thousands of years—mad sprint out the door—of happy reign be thine—down the deserted foyer—rule on, my lord, till what are pebbles now—veer on the second turn to the left. The final stair was just creaking as I somersaulted through the air, onto my mattress, knocking my skull against my nightstand in the process.

It required every ounce of my will power to resist crying out at the unexpected collision. But even that couldn't prevent the involuntary tears from leaking. Dear god, was there a lot of pain. Starting at my temples and radiating all the way through my hair follicles. I tucked my head between my knees and cursed the builders of all small-scale bedroom furniture while, inwardly, I hissed a mantra; Ow ow ow ow ow.

"Minori, are you alright?"

My eyes darted up. Oh right. Him. Light…or...Kira. Either way, I promptly decided that he was wholly to blame. One way or another, no matter how you looked at it; I was in agony because of the bastard. Once my vision cleared and the world ceased spinning, I was going to...I was going to...do something unpleasant.

"Minori?" He repeated, approaching slowly.

"Yeah, yeah. I'm just dandy," I muttered, fisting at my eyes.

He stalled, seemingly more entertained then anything, by my display. Oh, just you wait, buddy. I don't care if you are Kira. I'm gonna demolish you.

As if reading my mind, Light smirked and continued to stand above me. "How did you manage to hit your head again? You were supposed to be resting."

"Who's to say I wasn't?" I said defensively. Light leaned down to prod my bandages. I flinched and slapped him away. "Ouch—knock it off!"

"Hmph. Let me guess: you were conducting indoor aerobatics again."

Huh? Out of all the explanations in all the world, that's what he comes up with? So much for deductive-prodigy. Sure, I was known for jumping on beds—occasionally—but that was hardly anything that could be classified as airborne gymnastics. He was clearly making fun of me. Whatever, it wasn't like I had a better excuse. Aerobatics is was.

"Not that it's any of your business." I replied, eyeing the brown paper bag and steaming cup that I just now noticed he'd carried with him. "That's not what I asked for." The aroma said it all.

Light nodded, handing me both, before gathering the first-aid kit and pealing off my giant, gauze-like band-aid. A bit of an overkill, if you asked me.

"Too much milk tea is bad for you, Minori; you get that instead. And the cafe was selling rye bread today. Dango is out of season, you know."

I wrinkled my nose and took and experimental sip. Herbal blends were never my favorite, but the warmth soothed my nerves. "Dango is never out of season."

Light sighed and took a seat beside me. As I focused my attention on some deliciously toasted whole grains, he cleaned and reapplied antiseptic. It took about that long to address the elephant in the room.

"It's barely past noon." I stated nonchalantly. "Ditching?"

"Weren't you the one who mentioned the Jap. Lit test? Students that finished early were permitted early dismissal."

"And your elitist meeting?"

"It's called the Student Board, and they'll get along fine without me."

"Doubtful."

It didn't elude me how frighteningly easy it was to interact with Light—despite my latest discovery. Could a little black notebook really devastate all that? Would it really turn my twin against me?

Light was still pressing the sticky edges of the medical tape against my skin when he softly inquired, "Minori. Were you in my room today?"

I froze. But no, hesitation wasn't a bright idea.

"Hmm...what? No."

"You left my door open."

Of course I had. Because I was stupid and let panic overrule my good sense. Silently, I cursed. I was up against the human lie detector. No way was I going to get out of this one unscathed. New plan: buy time.

I pursed my lips. "An amateur mistake."

Cold appendages traced my ear lobe. "Indeed. What were you looking for?"

"Uh—Narnia?"

Before I could so much as blink, my chin was trapped between two icy fingers and Light was pulling me within breathing proximity of himself. In doing so, I received a close-up of his face. It was smooth and flawless, as was his standard; but underneath dwelt the seeds of mistrust. Perhaps I'd overlooked it previously because I hadn't known about his whole secret identity thing, but now it made my stomach clench. When had Light become a stranger?

"Porn stash?" I tried again.

His expression grew darker. Crud.

I tugged on his wrist, hoping to loosen his grip. This had the opposite effect—causing the vice to tighten further. Double crud.

"Unfair. You're not giving me enough time to come up with a decent lie."

"That's because I want the truth."

"Yeah well, the truth is busy. Come back later."

Without warning, I was flipped over, lying on my back—Light hovering overhead. My beverage and snack had been faeried away during the brief scuffle, which I think made me more upset than the potential bruises he was creating. "What the—hey! Get off of me, Light!"

He declined. Instead dodging both of my half-hearted attempts at smacking his dumb face and pulling out his hair.

"Minori, we both know my patience has limitations."

Wordlessly, I scowled—thus initiating a full-out glare off.

My corneas were just growing unbearably dry when we were interrupted. "Light? I thought that was you. What are you doing home so soon—" Sachiko paused, appearing at my door, brown eyes widening at the sight us.

I saw my chance and snagged it. "Mom. Make him get off, he's suffocating me with his fat."

There was a long break where everybody just stared at everybody; but then Mom stepped up to bat like a pro. I felt oddly proud. "Light, release your sister. Minori, don't say such things about your brother." My twin faltered but reluctantly obeyed. Meanwhile, I inhaled dramatically and pretended to inspect my rib cage for lasting damage. "You two haven't fought since you were children. What's all this about?"

"Light's wrongfully accusing me of invading his secret sanctum because his door was ajar."

Brother narrowed his gaze and remained quiet, but the look he sent my way spoke volumes. 'You admitted to it.'

I arced a brow. 'No, I just didn't deny it.'

Mom blinked slowly. "Well, of course Minori didn't. I was doing laundry today, I must have left it open"

And just like that I had a get-out-of-jail-free card. I probably should've felt bad for using my mother so shamelessly, but if it spared me from death-by-Kira—then so be it.

Grinning, I nudged Light with my elbow. "See? You nearly killed your better-half for no good reason. Good luck explaining that to the court," and because I didn't think he'd murder me with a witness, "—don't you know it's an unhealthy time for criminals right now?"

oooo

Out of the corner of my eye, I thought I saw a huge, lumbering figure sweep past the door frame—cackling.

AN: So a slightly different format this time around...but conversations are hard to write in segments. Please let me know what you think!