Heyy everybody! I'm back :P! Sorry this chapter took so long to get up, and sorry it's so boring, but it was a pretty important chapter for various reasons . . . heheh, I am mysterious! XD! I'm gonna get the story really going soon, I promise.

Happy reading!

Disclaimer: I do not own Death Note or any associated characters and settings

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2108 hours,
07 days since my life ended.

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I sunk into the couch tiredly, one hand blindly reaching for the light switch. My fingers made contact with worn clay, and I pressed down. A click later, the living room illuminated, warm light shinning from the lamp beside my couch. It was a surprisingly comfy couch. Faded, saggy and ugly to look at. But when my body slouched onto it; I considered that couch the most comfortable piece of furniture I'd ever come across. Just as well for Ryuk, because it was his only piece.

The living room was small and surprisingly empty. Ryuk didn't have a TV. Or parents, as far as I could tell. A small frown graced my face.

"Stop worryin' babe. He looks like you did before you woke up."

I looked up at the door, frown deepening. Ryuk had a funny lilt to his voice; always missing the 'G's on the end of things. I reached out my hands and accepted the offered cup of instant noodles.

"That's not my name."

"I know," Ryuk chuckle-laughed.

I blew on my steaming noodles silently. I saw no point in hating Ryuk anymore. That was before. This is now. His laugh wasn't really that terrible; just part of who he was. I glanced at him out of the corner of my eye. In typical teenage-boy fashion, he was wolfing his noodles without a pause, stopping only, and briefly, to gulp another mouthful of cider.

"I wasn't worried about Light."

Ryuk met my gaze unconcernedly.

"What were you worried about, then?"

I leaned my head back, noodles forgotten in the absence of hunger. I lost track of the stunted conversation, no answer falling from my lips. Ryuk took upon himself to continue it alone.

"I suppose you have lots to worry about, eh? Dead parent, life or death mission . . ."

"Actually, I was thinking about you."

Ryuk raised one thick eyebrow, and smirk curling on his lips. I narrowed my eyes in reflexive disdain and sneered down my nose at him.

"Not like that. I was thinking about how I hated you and now I'm confused."

Ryuk tilted his head, snub nose twitching. His smirk was still there. Telling me he didn't care and he was only asking out of boredom and I did remember why I'd hated the jerk but what would be the point? What was really the point of all this?

I still didn't know.

"Why are you confused?"

"Because you helped us. You hate me, you know we're trouble, you look like your life is hard enough and for some reason you're attached to Light. I want to know why."

I continued to stare at him, ignoring his suddenly closed-off expression. Maybe I was just a little bit too tired of not knowing what was going on. Ryuk was going to explain. Light was going to explain, and then I was going to help. I was going to help instead of being rescued all the time. Instead of hanging on the end like a mascot.

"I don't have parents, in case you've noticed. Just me."

I didn't show my reluctant pity. Shit happens. As life's demonstrated for me in the past couple of days. Ryuk took a swig of cider.

"I'm not a bad kid. I earn my living with hard work. I don't do drugs, or drink, or steal. I work."

Ryuk met my stare, sarcastic humour still hovering within his words.

"Light knows that. Or, he believes it. And that's what matters."

I bit my lip, fighting a rising wave of guilt. That was all, huh? Just believing he wasn't a bad guy won Ryuk's loyalty. Pretty deep stuff. I lifted my eyes to the roof, tracing the cracks and blemishes across it. One section looked like it was about to cave in, I noted idly. The cracked light bulb didn't work, but I liked the lamp better anyway. It brought a bit of warm, homely light to a cold, empty house. A very cold and empty house.

I stretched my open hand out in the direction of Ryuk without looking.

"I'm thirsty."

I heard a brief chuckle-laugh, and a smooth glassy surface pressed against my palm. I tightened my grasp around the neck of the bottle and took a swig without waiting for my thoughts to catch up with my actions. It tasted like shit, and fizz. There was no apple in it at all. I choked and shoved the bottle back at Ryuk shakily.

He watched and chuckle-laughed and drank more of the poison while I choked, until eventually, I looked up through accusatory, watery eyes. Ryuk chuckle-laughed again. Fucking sadist.

"What kind of a person drinks that?"

"The kind who can't afford real apples."

I shut my angry mouth and stared. Ryuk seemed to regret saying anything. For the first time, his dark eyes shifted away in discomfort and I saw he wasn't just an untouchable jack-ass with an attitude problem. I sighed inwardly. I still didn't trust him. If he was bought by Light so easily, he could be bought by anyone else just as easily.

Light. Once again I was reminded of how much I loved my brother. So nice and non-judgemental. He really was perfect.

I relaxed into the silence when I saw no point in talking to Ryuk further. Some things had changed, others hadn't, but as I'm learning; I won't get another chance like this for a while.

"Sayu . . . Ryuk?"

A shuffle at the door had me jumping to my feet and pelting straight towards it. Sore muscles or no.

Light didn't need help standing anymore. His pale face no longer shone with sweat and I took a deep breath. Relief shot through me. My brother recovered quicker than I. I pressed a hurried hand to his forehead and sighed when it came away cool. Light caught my hand as I pulled it back.

"The backpack," he said with eyes on the verge of confused panic.

I smiled weakly.

"Under my pillow."

Light sighed, and relaxed, one arm going around my shoulders. I leaned into the embrace.

"I'm sorry. I'll explain."

I tensed silently. The absence of Ryuk slurping and swallowing was like a thunder in my ears. I clenched my fists. Suddenly, I wasn't so sure I wanted to know. I caught Ryuk's expressionless face out of the corner of my eye and flicked my tongue over my lips. They were so dry, and cracked. I wish I hadn't lost my pretty gloss.

I slowly moved away from Light and took a few steps back. Ryuk was still staring at us emotionlessly and suddenly Light seemed to realise. Tension like that of a stretched and taunt wire crept into the air. I felt my panic rise with it and cursed my pathetic, emotional self. Light had a measured look on his face as he considered Ryuk. I backed off again and continued until my retreating heel bumped the living room wall. I leaned against it and waited.

"Thanks, Ryuk. For helping us."

The boy nodded slowly. I looked away from his gleaming eyes.

"You've helped me before too."

Light nodded himself in acknowledgement. I worried my bottom lip with my teeth again, desperately wishing I had my lip gloss. The air was still harsh, for some reason I couldn't place. I felt like I was missing something. But then again, what else is new?

I was always missing something lately, and quite frankly, it seemed a lot easier than knowing what was going on all of a sudden.

I laughed, and it sounded so out of place that I just laughed louder. It had been ages since I'd laughed, but all I could really register was that I missing something again and I thought I should be worried. I registered Light and Ryuk looking at me like I was mentally disturbed and for the moment, I agreed that I so was.

Blood and death and rats and hunger and fever and cold and being hunted can do that to a girl.

I stopped laughing when my stomach felt hollow and leaned back against the wall again, my grin receding into a small amused smile. Enough with all this sadness. Ryuk had a broom, and a dust-pan, it was time to clean my shit up.

"You know Light? It breaks the mould to know anything now. I'll do my best to help anyway. Tell where we're going and what I need to do and we're good."

Light pursed his lips briefly at me, and then sighed. A reluctant smile crept onto his face.

"If you're sure. The map's in my bag if you want to check. Technically where we're going doesn't exist."

"And that'd be why they're chasing us."

Ryuk chuckle-laughed unexpectedly, taking our attention back to him. I tilted my head and looked at Light. What was going on here I still kind of wanted to know.

Light contemplated his grinning 'friend', or whatever they were. Ryuk took a swig of cider and raised his eyebrows, his squashed nose wrinkling with his smirk. He really was a freaky-looking person. A little bit uglier than average. I flicked my gaze back to Light when he exhaled loudly.

"I'm not going to tell you that you can't come, but I'll warn you that you don't want to get involved."

Ryuk said nothing, but grinned wider. Light frowned.

"I mean it, real bad."

"Dirt and death and hunger and pain and cold and a lot of running," I murmured quietly. I had only half-intended to say that out loud, and caught myself after it slipped out. I avoided Light's gaze when he switched it briefly to me.

Ryuk just took another swig of cider and swallowed with a chuckle-laugh.

"Because I've never seen any of that before. Besides, it sounds interesting."

And I felt a smile creep into my lips because I knew we had an ally. And we had camaraderie. And though I sort of hated Ryuk, nothing seemed to touch him and he was going to help us.

Light grinned almost as though he couldn't help it and I was reminded that Light and Ryuk were friends. They both turned to me and I pouted almost because it was expected.

"Whatever. But you'd better not be a dick about stuff."

Ryuk chuckle-laughed and pretty soon, Light had joined in and I smiled again.

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"But why does he have to come Onii-chan?"

"Because Ryuk's my friend, Sayu."

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Until next time my readers . . . O.O (lol creepy eyes)