It was a night from hell.

Light was trying to fight a nasty headache which suddenly but unsurprisingly formed behind his eyes. He was sitting at his desk with his head in his hands. It was currently past 9 p.m. and the boy was at a loss. So much has happened that day. So many things that he couldn't understand.

And Light hated what he couldn't understand.

For the past two hours, He's been trying to get himself together since dinner, and even though he knew that he was failing miserably, he wouldn't admit it to himself.

After getting out of the bathroom and denying that anything was wrong with him, they had all sat at the table and ate. He had put on his mask to ease his parents' worries, but inside he felt like clawing at anything he could his hands on.

Despite the cheerful mood everyone was in moments ago, the atmosphere shifted as soon as they sat at the table. The air had become heavy with something unidentifiable, holding down conversation and making even initiating small talk awkward between people who knew each other for their entire lives. For a long time, the only sound that had hung in the air was the clinking and clanking of plates and eating utensils.

Then Soichiro had said something Light was both expecting and dreading.

After clearing his throat, and after his face contouring pitifully in pain, Soichiro had talked to them about how he was not gonna be able to be home more until the case was over, how he was the head of the investigation and that he was doing his job, how it was his responsibility, how he had a duty to fulfill. How even though he spent most of his time in work, he still loved them and was doing his best to get the case over with to spend more time with them.

Light was not surprised that his father's words sounded like a goodbye more than anything else.

And then his father had started talking about how the dangerous the case was. The brunette teenager actually started listening to him then. he noted that his father made sure to stay vague and avoid spilling any details, which only increased Light's feeling of disquietude.

"Forgive me, all of you, for discussing this over dinner, but there just isn't any other time,"

When Sachiko and Sayu had started acting the way a mother and a daughter would, Light allowed himself to close his eyes and rub his temples – a rare display of distress.

Their voiced concerns and unspoken worries were hushed when Light had excused himself from dinner. He put away his dish and headed towards his room. He paused at the doorway.

"Dad, if anything happens to you, I'll make sure to put whoever responsible behind bars myself."

And now Light, after making such a statement out of pure anger, realized that he had no idea how he was going to do just that.

He didn't even know who was behind this or what they wanted. Of course, he would've had some idea now about the case had he bothered to check his father's computer through his own, but after dinner, and after letting everything settle in, he really couldn't get himself to do anything.

Light was at a loss.

He'd never been at a loss since…

…Well, since he was born.

The headache was only getting worse, he still hadn't done his homework, he had school the next day, and there were some despicable criminals out there who were probably scheming and planning to kill his father and probably targeting himself and his family as well.

Light might have been feeling a bit stressed.

He sighed for the third time in less than an hour. He knew he needed to get himself together and start acting, but the foreboding feeling in the pit of his stomach refused to go away. His brain decided to start sending horrific thoughts to him earlier and he had been on the verge of losing his dinner, and after finally somewhat calming himself down, he wasn't ready for another round of that.

After a few more minutes of trying to collect himself and regaining composure, Light Yagami made up his mind, demolished all irrelevant feelings and thoughts within, and started up his computer. He needed to learn everything about the case, and now.

Hacking into his father's computer took mere minutes. But the strong feeling of nostalgia when he hovered over the files slowed him down. It brought back so much memories. All the pictures imprinted in his mind of murder and gore and blood. The pain in his head was almost unbearable now, but Light opened the files nonetheless.

Avoid the faces, just avoid looking at the faces.

The boy became dimly aware of his breathing growing heavier as he navigated through the files. It was never a nice experience, and it reminded him of all the nightmares he got as a child after seeing hundreds of victims' faces. This curse of his was affecting him psychologically and physically, spoiling every moment of his life and clinging to his being like the plague, not allowing him to enjoy much of the short span of his existence. Sure, it had its benefits, sometimes, but…

But Light hated it.

He had vowed he would use this curse, or whatever it was, for the better or this world. He knew only him could extract something make use of something so rotten and sinister. He was cursed? So be it. The line of work he had chosen since childhood fit perfectly for the uses he had in mind for his ability.

Growing up, he had entertained himself by thinking of all the possibilities and scenarios that could happen and all the situations he'd be able to use his ability in. No criminal would be able to throw him off with fake identities and aliases, and the thought would actually brighten up the young boy's mood.

but now, now that he was grown up, he knew these childhood floating thoughts and imaginations wouldn't benefit him or the world around in any way. Even though he knew that he would find a use the enigmatic ability to his advantage, someday, somehow, he couldn't help but sometimes wish that he had never possessed it. Albeit subconsciously, of course.

Light was not weak.

He could handle anything.

Absolutely anything.

he turned his attention back to the computer monitor and started reading about the case. At first, he expected to find details and pictures unimaginable, if what he heard so far about the case was anything to go by. To his surprise though, he didn't find anything worth any more attention than any other ordinary case and didn't make him feel the need to be alarmed.

..which definitely raised a lot of questions…

He kept reading anyway.

He learned that there were only 3 victims so far. Well, he'd encountered cases with way more victims and they hadn't had that effect on his father. In fact, he'd never seen his father as stressed as he was now. The three incidents took place in the Kanto region of Japan, near where he and his family lived actually. Despite the stressful situation Light was in, he couldn't but feel a rush of excitement wash over his body at the thought of a serial killer being close by. He was well aware that this petty criminal threatened the safety of the people involved in this along with their families, but Light was sure he'd get caught.

The police reports Light went through mentioned nothing about evidence or suspects, which only intrigued Light more. Now that he thought about it, it was unusual that the police kept these incidents confidential and hid it from the public. The number of victims was small, and, with the exception of the nonexistent evidence or suspects, it seemed to Light just like any other case he'd read about in the newspapers or heard on the news. So why all the secrecy…?

The air in the room was getting colder, but Light was too occupied with his thoughts to notice. There were so many unanswered questions. And yet…

He suddenly remembered what happened in the street on his way home. Could he possibly be a stalker? If so, this definitely had something to do with the case.

Was Light and his family being watched…?

Then that meant…

His train of thought was interrupted by the sound of knocking on his door. His sister poked her head through the door.

"Hey, Light, Dad's leaving so you should come down and say goodbye to him."

Light quickly closed the window he was looking at and stood up. "Uh, yeah, sure. He's leaving already? I guess I lost track of time."

"Well, we didn't want to bother you because we know you have important exams coming up. I sure want my big brother to stay at the top of his class!"

Light smiled fondly at his sister. Yes, he'd protect his family.

Meanwhile, five thousand miles away, someone who went by the alias Ryuzaki finished his third piece of cake, leaned back in his armchair chair, and started nibbling on his thumb. It was raining that day, so he chose to sit by the large window and enjoy watching it while he waited.

He'd been waiting for updates on the case he was currently working for more than half an hour. He didn't like waiting.

"Watari."

"Yes, Ryuzaki?" The old man replied. Even though he was like a father figure to the young man, during cases, he would act as Ryuzaki's assistant. And sometimes, his personal chef.

"has there been any updates to the case? And about the information I requested, did you receive it yet?"

"Yes, the Japanese police sent me the latest reports. There has been one more victim, just like you said there would be. It's a pity that couldn't have been avoided. I have sent the details to your computer. And regarding the information you requested, I have just received them."

"Well, whoever that is, he's not leaving any clues behind. It was unavoidable indeed. May I please see those first?" he stood up and walked towards the other man, interest finally finding its way back to him. He reached out and took the small pile of papers offered to him. "Everything is here, right? Containing the information about the police officers currently assigned to the case, and all related information about their families as well? And have they kept all information secret as I instructed?"

"Yes," The older man nodded his head. "But, may I ask why you need this information? I thought you already reached the conclusion that the killer was from around here. You don't think It's an organization carrying out these murders, do you?"

Ryuzaki sighed, not out of exasperation, but out of apprehension.

"Yes, I do think the killer's from around here, or at least used to live here, since this is the place the killings started. I cannot say with certainty that this is true, but I have a feeling the killer will try and target the families of the NPA. I know he hasn't done this here in England, but…"

"But your feelings never led you wrong, right?"

The young man chuckled briefly. "Right."

Ryuzaki went back to his comfortable chair and sat down, with his legs drawn to his chest. Wammy's House was definitely a place he liked to stay, and his suite here was more comfortable than luxurious hotel suite in his opinion. It was late November and the weather was cold, but the young man didn't mind. He was thankful he could eat cake any time of the year. And that was really what mattered.

He started reading the words on the papers in his hand, his brain processing the information at a speed almost inhuman. The detective hoped that at least the investigators who were working on the case didn't have families, for it could complicate things…

"Watari, the highest ranking member is Soichiro Yagami, is that right?" The older man answered affirmatively.

"Then the probability of him and his family being targeted is highest.." he murmured mostly to himself while biting his nail. He had a wife and two kids. The younger one was a female named Sayu in junior high.

The older one was a male, and his name was Light.

The name struck him as odd, seeing as how it wasn't of Japanese origin, but he pushed the thought to the back of his head right away, due to its unimportance.

If the detective had done the calculations right, which is the case, all the time, then…

"Watari, please contact our pilot. We leave for Japan tomorrow."

"I'm home," Light called once he got inside his house. He felt so out of it, due to his lack of sleep for the past few days, and the exasperation he was so full of for not finding any useful information on the case at all on his father's computer. He'd been hacking into his father's computer every day after school, in hopes of finding any new information, but to no avail.

His stalker hadn't appeared ever since that night. His father hadn't gotten home yet, and he'd never gotten a chance to ask his father to help the police on the case. He kept any eye out for anything unusual or anyone that seemed suspicious. But nothing was out of the ordinary.

In short, nothing at all happened during that week.

And instead of easing the boy's worries, it only increased his anxiety. But what infuriated him was his inability to do anything about it.

"Welcome home, Light," his mother's voice drifted from the kitchen along with sound of running water and dishes being washed. "Go change and wash your hands, dinner will be ready soon,"

The boy sighed, long and empty.

"Yes, mother,"

"Hey, Light?"

"Yeah?" He half turned and glanced at his mother from behind his auburn bangs.

"I noticed you've been stressed out lately. Are you alright?" Light's eyes widened slightly for a split second. It was a given that Light didn't guard his expressions and feelings inside his home like he did outside, but he'd never thought his mother, Sachiko, out of all people, would suspect something wrong with him.

Usually she would just say she knew it was because of the stress of having upcoming exams, or him studying all the time and encourage him to go out or entertain himself one way or another, but this time she openly and directly questioned his emotional wellbeing.

He faced her directly now. "Yeah, I'm alright," he smiled lightheartedly for good measure. "It's just the upcoming exams. I'm alright." For the life of him, he couldn't figure out why he felt the need to repeat that statement, but he quickly let it go and started climbing up the stairs.

As soon as he entered his room, he locked the door and collapsed on his bed.

Am I alright?

He didn't know what triggered the question, but he had a feeling he knew the answer.

the star student closed his eyes – and sighed again.

For some reason, he felt that things weren't right. Of course, things indeed weren't right, seeing as how there a murderer our there probably already planning his next murder, but…

…but this feeling…

It was quiet and normal and the sun was setting and the streets were full of people coming and going and the earth was spinning and absolutely nothing was out of the ordinary for that moment, but Light couldn't figure out why he was feeling like something precious inside of him was breaking.

Brows knit together in what resembled inscrutable woe, the distressed boy fell asleep.