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'm working off a schedule now and it seems to be doing alright. Just a casual announcement: until things mellow out, expect updates about once a week. (fingers crossed) Also, once more, thank you everyone for your amazing comments! I love you all :)

Destroy She Said

Chapter Twenty : Appearances

I was just pulling a night-shirt over my head when a gentle knock resounded from behind the door. Three guesses who that was.

"Imouto, we need to talk."

Slanting my eyes in the direction of Light's voice, I chewed my lip and strongly contemplated just ignoring him. Apparently, the odds weren't so much in his favor because I was dearly tempted to follow through with that impulse.

"Open the door, Minori."

Mentally, I was grumbling, but because I knew things had to be settled between us sooner or later, I chose the mature option and begrudgedly turned the lock. Or maybe not so mature because when he entered, I accidentally (purposely) grazed (jabbed) him in the ribs with my elbow. Admittedly, he withstood the assault with dignity, only flinching a little.

I went to sit on my bed as Light wordlessly closed and readjusted the lock. I fought the urge to roll my eyes—which I failed at—but in doing so, I caught a glimpse of Ryuk whom had followed his human retainer into my territory. I grimaced. His presence was sure to make our upcoming conversation only that much more stilted. And thinking back, the shinigami had been present during the kiss debacle as well. Great.

Light cleared his throat, returning my attention to the matter at hand. He'd chosen to remained standing, and was presently wearing an unreadable expression whilst watching me watch Ryuk (not that he was aware of that last part). Crud, better get this train moving. I swiftly decided it was best to be on the offensive during this confrontation. Keeping that is mind, I crossed my arms and leveled Brother with my signature narrow-eyed look.

"The next words out of your mouth better be: 'I'm sorry for being a colossal ass', Light."

I tried not to dwell on the fact that I'd just referred to Kira as an ass. Nepotism only goes so far after all.

"Heehe-hee. This is gonna be good."

Light's eyes flashed dangerously towards his companion and then back to me.

"I'll admit, I behaved rashly."

I snorted in a truly unlady-like manner. But when he didn't elaborate any further than that I unfolded my limbs and angrily tossed my hands skywards. "That has got to be the worst apology in the history of forever. Don't I deserve something a bit more sincere?!"

My twin paused thoughtfully, before approaching and settling beside me—his shoulder pressed firmly against my own. I had to work especially hard to deny myself the pleasure of shoving him off again.

"Can you tell me why what occurred earlier upset you so much?" He questioned.

Was he kidding? "You kissed me!" I exclaimed.

"Yes."

I waited.

"On the mouth!"

This time Light forwent speech, choosing to nod.

"Without my permission!"

"And which part of that strikes you as disagreeable?"

I scowled. "All of it!"

"I don't see why. I regret if I made you feel—" pause, "—uncomfortable. That wasn't my goal."

I pulled my knees up and scooted away, craving distance. What was going on? I'd already pre-calculated how this conversation was supposed to go—but Light was hijacking it and steering clear off the tracks. He was supposed to act contrite, or brush the kiss off as a misunderstanding. So why the hell was he justifying his crazy? This doesn't make any sense.

Suddenly, I felt the skin of his palm brush the contour of my ankle, freezing me in place. Such a casual touch wouldn't have even registered with me in the past, but now it set my every nerve ending on edge. I could only compare the sensation to the moment before lightening strikes.

"A kiss will only represent something if you want it to."

I sputtered. "W-what the heck is that supposed to mean?!"

Light's eyes gleamed maroon. "What that means, little sister, is that just as your encounter with Kurosawa, meant nothing to you—it likely resonated quite deeply with him. Intent is the basis of all action. If you'd reacted to any boy as you had me this afternoon, they might not have been so eager to watch you leave—and if one of them had chosen to give chase, what means of protection would you have had then? The point I was trying to instill upon you is that physical contact with other men shouldn't be taken so lightly."

I stared, my mouth slightly agape. Where had that come from? Playing the protective brother card was a clever approach, I'd give him that—but for some reason, his explanation seemed plausible—and maybe even genuine. Perhaps Light was being honest—or rather—half honest, because I was positive he'd also aimed to set me off balance. But maybe, he'd been concerned for my safety equally as much. I had treated the whole incident pretty brazenly.

I wondered whether or not I should just fess up and admit that the diary had been a ruse—but I slammed the door on that sentiment right quick. Nope, that was about as smart as poking a hole in a sailboat. Once Light caught me in a one lie—doubt would start trickling in like sea water. Then where would I be? Probably drowning.

However, that didn't change the fact that a baser part of myself still wanted to believe his (fabricated) motive. And in that moment, I even teetered on the very precipice of belief—but then Ryuk interrupted the elongated silence with a ghastly chuckle.

"Wow, Light—I'm impressed. You sure came up with that excuse pretty fast."

And just like that, any margin Light might have attained got chewed up, swallowed, and regurgitated.

He almost fooled me. Even knowing everything I did about Light, he'd still nearly managed. If I hadn't been so damn annoyed, I might have actually congratulated the jackhole. Nevertheless, I had the sudden urge to rip out all his perfectly coiffed hair—something I'd been meaning to do since the discovery of the death note. Not that I would. I wasn't supposed to hear Ryuk—thus I was required to act accordingly. Nothing new there—after seventeen years, I'd gotten quite good at pretending. I still wanted to hit him though—and after some brief deliberation, I did just that—because I was playing Minori Yagami, and punching her bastard brother was something she'd be liable to do.

Light frowned, rubbing the shoulder I'd selected to unleash my anger upon. (Undeniably, with a tad more force than what could be considered strictly playful)

"How many times do I have to tell you?" I huffed in exasperation. "I can look after myself. I don't need you slobbering all over my face to prove a point."

For a split-second, Light looked about to argue—but then my final jibe registered and his expression darkened considerably.

"Aah, don't get mad, onii-chan." I teased, "I'm sure you'll get better with practice." His jaw twitch was my only forewarning before he lunged. Squealing, I attempted to scramble away. I didn't make it far before he caught hold of my T-shirt and used it as leverage to haul me backwards. I wobbled and then fell into him sniggering all the while—and maybe—just maybe—I was a little bit happy.

oooo

Those happy feelings died a cruel and horrible death as reality made a reappearance that next evening when Light switched on the television, and the news anchor informed the audience of a worldwide message about to be broadcasted via cable. Only problem was that I wasn't ready—because just to clarify—I hadn't even figured out how to save Lind L. Tailor's life yet much less deal with L. Double crud.

AN: So there you have it-L has entered the building. Things are bound to get interesting from here on out, right? *wink wink-nudge nudge* Leave a comment please ;)

Time for some shameless self-promotion: I was recently ambushed by a hoard of plot crocodiles (because bunnies aren't a ferocious enough comparison) which resulted in the conception of a new story. So for anyone who is interested in Black Butler (Kuroshitsuji), be sure to check it out! :)