Oh, thank God…thank the Heaves above…thank anybody who is listening…

Soichiro Yagami was thanking whoever was good enough to listen, because his son was not Kira.

No matter how many times L had suspected him, no matter how many times he, himself, had suspected Light, there was proof: Light was not Kira. And now Soichiro could rest in peace because he knew this.

My Light…I am sorry I ever suspected you. I'm sorry I was suspicious.

Goodness knows Light was smart enough to be Kira. But the fact that Soichiro could see Light's life span (the Death God had told him that you could not see the life span of a human who owned a Death Note) was proof enough that Light was innocent. He was safe.

My boy…

You are not Kira.

Soichiro Yagami was watching his wife birth his first born.

It was definitely something to watch. It was hard, though, to watch someone you love go through so much pain. But both him and his wife were smiling the whole time; they knew this was a good thing, that this baby son of theirs was going to change the world. And they were ready to accept this newcomer into their lives; ready to let him make it happier.

His wife screamed again and the doctor yelled, "Push!" and there came the baby boy they were waiting on for nine months. Soichiro turned to his wife and took her hand. She was sweating a waterfall.

"Next kid you birth," his wife said sardonically, and Soichiro couldn't help but laughing at her humor. Even in a time like this, she could put a smile on his face.

"A baby boy," the doctor confirmed. "Would you like to snip the cord?"

Soichiro was afraid that he would mess something up, but he did want to do that for his son and his wife. So he hobbled forward and took the scissors the doctor offered (shouldn't they have something better than this rusty thing?) and cut the umbilical cord connecting his two lives together.

"A baby boy," his wife repeated.

"The light of our world," Soichiro announced proudly.

"Light," his wife whispered, her eyes glossy. She looked tired. "Light."

And then she slumped back and fell asleep.

Light was wonderful.

He could do anything. Normally, three year olds weren't as smart as Light was. But here they were, Light and his mother and father, watching Light put together the 500 piece puzzle they had gotten him for Christmas. Light seemed to like putting things together (that is, after he demolished them apart). He seemed to like remaking things to fit his needs.

"Mommy, Daddy wook- itz dun!"

Light pointed to his puzzle proudly, his face full of accomplishment. His mother and father cheered and ran to him, picking him up and nuzzling him into their bodies. Soichiro looked up at his wife and saw her eyes full of tears; why was she crying? But then Soichiro felt it too, and he sobbed for joy- their baby was a genius. That was very clear.

He's going to grow up to be wonderful, he thought in his head as Light got down from them and stomped on the puzzle, making the pieces scatter all over the place. As he ruined everything he worked hard on, he was grinning.

Soichiro was watching Light graduate from kindergarten.

His wife sat beside him, holding the video camera up, pointed at Light's direction. Soichiro held the roses that they had gotten Light as a present, as well as their passports. Light was too smart for America (even if America has schools for the accelerated) so Soichiro and his wife found a different plan- they would move to Japan. Soichiro knew Light would be very happy about this.

Now Light was walking toward the microphone, his eyes sparkling with delight. If it's one thing Light liked to do the most, it was controlling a room. When he was at a microphone in front of lots of people, he was the most comfortable.

"Hello Mommies and Daddies," he announced proudly, and Soichiro heard a chuckle erupt from the audience, including some people who said hello back. "I'm Light Yagami, and I'm here today on behalf of the graduating kindergarten class."

Soichiro heard some parents chatter about how well this little boy talked. But he was used to it by now. Light was on a whole different level. He could figure out things and see things that others couldn't, especially at his age. He was best at strategy games, and he liked being the center of attention. Soichiro had dreams of his son becoming a famous scientist or something. Maybe follow him in his detective dream.

"We would firstly like to thank everyone for coming and helping us progress. So thank you, parents. Next I would like to address the kids who get special awards for the things they did well in this year, and the kids who progressed the most…"

Of course, Light got many awards. He got the Color in the Lines award, and the Sharing award, and the ABC's award. To Soichiro, all of this seemed trivial. Light was far beyond this point in his learning. He knew the ABC's already, and sharing was no big deal, even though he didn't have siblings. Light liked pleasing people. After it was all done, Light ran to the parents, proudly holding out his awards. Soichiro laughed and smiled for Light, but on the inside, he was bugged by something that had been on the back of his mind for a while now.

If Light keeps progressing, when will he stop?

Now Soichiro was watching his wife, son, and daughter play in the sandbox.

Light was too old for such activities- he was ten, now- but that didn't matter. He loved his little sister with a passion. Light said he loved the way she was so "full of innocence." Soichiro liked this quote, and kept it in his mind.

"Hey Dad, look- a bunny!"

Light pointed toward the bunny running across their yard. It stopped at the vegetable garden that his wife had been playing with for the last few months. Light got up slowly, with a rock in his hand, a severe look in his face.

"Light Yagami, what are you doing?" Soichiro asked, his eyebrows knitted together. Light didn't turn back to see his father's expression, however; he kept staring at the rabbit as if it was his prey, as if he was going to attack it.

"The bunny is eating our carrots. The justified thing to do would be kill it, right? That's what you're teaching me now…justice. If the bunny is eating our carrots up, I should punish it. That's justice."

"No, Light, no…" Soichiro was visibly shaken. He curled his finger's around Light's wrist, the one that was holding the rock. Light turned around to face his father, confusion painted on his small innocent face.

"Is that not justice, Daddy?"

"Killing the rabbit for eating some carrots? Would you kill a human for breaking into a house?"

"Did it hurt anybody like the bunny is hurting Mommy right now?"

"Oh sweety, the bunny isn't hurting me…" Light's mother was shaken too, looking at Soichiro in a way that said, Do something, now! But he didn't know what to do. He was scared, and he wasn't sure why. Maybe it was that defiant look in Light's eyes, the strict way he thought he knew what was right. But…killing a rabbit for eating the carrots? That wasn't justice, not really…

"A criminal is a criminal, Daddy," Light said, dropping the stone and sitting back down in the sandbox. "If someone does something bad, they should be punished. That's justice, right?"

"Yes, but…" Soichiro had nothing to say to this. Light was now playing in the sandbox with his new sister, looking as innocent as ever. The little boy is just trying to please you, a voice in his head said. So Soichiro only smiled and patted his son's head. "Yes, son, that is justice."

"So you're L."

Soichiro was staring at this man who was L. He was eating something, but he paid no attention to that. He noted the way his eyes looked alert and tired at the same time. And that strange way he was sitting….

"Yes, I am L." Soichiro nodded and took up his tea cup, sipping it casually. He wanted to leave now. He wanted to go home to his wife and kids; he was so tired. But Light would probably be doing homework in his room- he was never around now- and his wife was probably asleep already. His daughter, too.

"Kira," L said mindlessly, shifting through some files. "We're going to find this criminal, and we're going to stop him." Soichiro nodded. He was too tired to think right now. He agreed with anything.

Now Soichiro was looking at Light in a different perspective.

L suspected him of being Kira, but could he really believe this? His son, his only son, being the one man he was hunting down, ready to kill? He hated Kira with a burning passion- how could this same man be the son he loved? How could those two personalities coincide in one body?

No, Light was good. He had a good education (the best, Soichiro amended) a good heart, a good head on his shoulders. Sure, he'd done some odd things before, but what boy hadn't?

And then Soichiro remembered the nagging thought he had in the back of his head since Light was in kindergarten:

If Light keeps progressing…

…will he ever stop?

But that made no sense. Light just couldn't be Kira. He raised this son. His wife, who was full of innocence and love, birthed Light. Light came from both of them. There was no way in Heaven or Hell that Light could be the killer they were looking for in every crack of darkness. There was just no way.

So why, then, did Soichiro feel uneasy?

And now L was dead.

Kira had killed L, and he was dead.

He was dead.

And Light was shaken up. Visibly. So why…

Why did it feel fake?

But now there were no more suspicions.

Everything felt right again. Soichiro was reassured that Light, his Light, his only son, was not Kira. As Soichiro felt Light's tears fall on his chest, he smiled. Even though he was dying and leaving this world, he was assured with one thing:

His son was not Kira.

If there's two things in this series I hate, it's the death of L and the death of Soichiro. I hate the death of L because, well, the series got a bit worse after it. And I hate the death of Soichiro because he is all, "Oh my son, thank the Heavens you're not Kira." And the thing is Light IS Kira!

Stupid Light.

So I put in some random things in the story that hinted toward the future Light. See if you can find them?

Thanks for reading. :D