Time seemed to pass in a blur for the new little family, as days with a newborn often did. Both Light and Misa were thrust into the world of parenthood whether they were ready for it or not. In their case, it was more on the side of not. They'd read the books, they'd taken classes, and they'd gotten advice from many people, but nothing could ever truly prepare them for the challenges they were going to face.
Despite Heiwa being a rather placid baby, she still managed to throw her parents quite a few curveballs. Ear infections followed one another like cars on a train, leaving her inconsolable for hours on end. A bout of colic did not help to remedy this, and oftentimes both Light and Misa wondered how on earth their daughter hadn't lost her voice from all the screaming she did. The lack of sleep for both of them was beginning to wear them down, and more often than not they found themselves not eating properly in an attempt to comfort their daughter.
The first few weeks of parenthood were often a cold riptide that sucked both Misa and Light under. Lack of sleep pounded in both of their heads and scrambled their thoughts as they tried desperately to stick to a schedule with their daughter. It was particularly difficult when she cried almost nonstop. When Misa went out shopping to get more supplies for Heiwa and saw a friend, they always asked how she was enjoying motherhood. She'd smile every time, and give the same response: It was the best thing that had ever happened to her. It was even true. But the little voice in the back of her head always laughed at her for saying it when she knew sometimes it wasn't. Her beautiful little girl was more than a handful, and she'd lost count of all the times she'd sat in the rocking chair in her daughter's nursery, quietly crying because she felt so overwhelmed.
Despite all of both of their struggling, however, they both fell more in love with their daughter with every passing minute. The day after she'd been brought home, Misa had found herself unable to picture life without her. It was incredible how absolutely vital this little person had become after only being in their lives for a few short days. For every sleepless night she gave her parents, for all the struggles they faced on her behalf, there was always a greater reward when the crying ceased and they had moments of peace to enjoy the little angel that had come into their lives.
Light often found himself feeling like a ship without a rudder in those first weeks. He was being pulled in a hundred different directions, trying to juggle his daughter's needs, his wife's needs, and his own needs, all while trying to keep Ryuk from talking about the apples he forgot to buy at the market. He'd never felt such a lack of control in his life since obtaining the death note, and it was more than a little frightening. His thoughts tangled up in one another like cords in an electronics facility, until he couldn't think straight at all. In fact, he'd had to ask Ryuk to read him the names on the computer of criminals because he couldn't see straight enough to do so on his own. Ryuk, amused, had complied.
This abrupt change had not gone unnoticed by those at Task Force headquarters. Kira seemed to be killing less, and they all wondered what might have happened to cause such a change. All of them spat out theories ranging from Kira's powers weakening to Kira getting ready to stop to Kira being on vacation somewhere. None of these theories were provable, but the break in pattern interested them all. They would have never guessed that Kira was actually a struggling new father who was trying to survive on little sleep and even less food.
As time went on, things improved greatly. By her sixth month of life, Heiwa's ear infections had gone down dramatically, she was beginning to grow out of her bout of colic, and she'd begun sleeping through the night after her parents spent three nights letting her cry it out so that she learned when sleeping hours were. Misa and Light had managed to find their way in the world of parenting, nailing down routines and schedules once they'd gotten some decent sleep and eaten properly again. Without an endless cycle of sleepless nights weighing them down, they had time to truly appreciate the little miracle that they had been given and enjoy every moment with her.
Ryuk had bore witness to every moment of their trials and struggles, and found it fascinating. How they didn't collapse from lack of sleep or lack of food was astounding- and how he himself didn't pass out from the smell of both of them when they forgot to shower or couldn't find the time to do so was even more amazing. Truly, however, he found himself interested in the baby.
Such a tiny little thing and already spreading so much chaos through two lives. It was rather impressive, as these things went. He often spent his time watching over the little girl as much as Light and Misa did, and despite himself, found that he was growing attached to her. He recalled a conversation with Rem from so many years ago, having asked her what it felt like to fall in love with a human the way she had with Misa. Rem had told him that it felt like a change in how you saw the world. Suddenly it wasn't the death note or following the rules that mattered, it was that one person that did. They became the center of the universe, the point at which all events swirled. Despite himself, Ryuk found that he felt that way about Heiwa. He would never let her parents know that, of course, but often times when they were asleep, he found himself gravitating toward the nursery, watching over the little girl.
One little girl had flipped all of their lives upside down, but they wouldn't have traded it for anything.