Woohoo! I would like to dedicate this chapter to vampirenin, who practically wrote up the end of the story for me! No kidding. Thank you so much, and hopefully you got the message I sent you.
And, as we near the end of this story, I would like to tell everyone that I am currently taking requests. Any pairing, any anime/manga. Just send me a PM if you're interested! Also, I'm a registered beta! Grr…GIVE ME SOMETHING TO DO! …just kidding! I wouldn't eat you, really.
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Naeko and Light walked hand-in-hand down the snowy sidewalk, shivering in the cold mid-evening weather. Naeko decided that today was definitely a bad day to wear her light jacket. Light's cheeks were tinged pink, and the tip of his nose felt numb.
"We're almost there," Naeko said, her breath creating little puffs in the air in front of her face. Light nodded, his hand tightening on Naeko's.
"Why won't you just tell me where we're going?" Light asked after a minute of silence.
"That would ruin the surprise."
"So?" Naeko snuck a peek at Light. He had a frown on his face, and he was staring straight ahead.
"Hey, Light, are you pouting?"
"No!" Naeko laughed at Light's immediate reaction, and Light was glad that the cold had masked his slight blush.
"Oh, hey, right here." Naeko dragged Light through a patch of bushes, scattering dusty snow over their pants in the process. "It's just down this trail."
The "trail" was really just a path cut into a batch of trees and bushes, trampled and beaten upon by hundreds of feet.
"Wow," was all Light could say. The lake that Naeko had been so excited about was in front of them, but he couldn't really call it a lake. It looked more like a glacier, stretching across the land until he saw the tiny fringe of trees on the very far side of the lake.
"It's usually swamped during the summer with students going for swims and the like, and there's tons of bonfire parties on a strip of beach over there," Naeko pointed to their right, talked faster with excitement, "but during the winter there usually isn't thick enough ice to go ice-skating, and it's really peaceful, so I like to come here and sit."
"You sit in the cold snow?" Light asked, bemused. Naeko nodded, almost shamefully. "It's sounds like something you'd do."
Naeko smiled and grabbed Light's other hand with hers. "I love you, you know that, right?" she told Light, who looked more than a little surprised. But then the teen softened, and he pulled Naeko into his arms.
"Yeah, I know. I love you too," he replied, muffled by the strands of her hair that got caught between his lips as he nuzzled into her chocolate locks.
"I know we haven't talked much since we came here, and I've been acting like a total bitch," Naeko said guiltily, and rested her head on Light's shoulder, relishing in his warmth, "so I'd like to catch up now. Anything happen in school today while I wasn't there?"
"I can understand why we haven't had much time to talk. I was busy when we were in my town, and now you're busy in yours. You haven't been acting like a bitch, either," Light said heartily, slowing down a little when he got to the B-word. "And no, nothing of significance happened at school. How about you?" Light look loving down upon Naeko's head and starting stroking her hair.
"Hideki and I talked all period. You won't believe this!" Naeko suddenly thrust herself away from Light and held him at arms length, excitement shining once more in her hazel eyes.
"What?" Light, affected by her excitement.
"Hideki said he didn't know why he had suspected me of being the second Kira! He might still suspect you, though, so we might have to play it safe a little longer. But he also wants to invite us to a party he's hosting." Naeko dug around in her backpack until she found a crumpled invitation, handing it to Light.
Light's eyes scanned the paper, and then he looked up at Naeko. "Why don't you go?" he said, crumpling the paper with one fist.
"You aren't going? Not even to check this Ryuuga guy out? What if he's the real L or something, or from the Japanese police? He does look Japanese, even though he swears he isn't!" Naeko latched onto Light's arm, trying to convince him to go to the party.
Light sighed at curled an arm around Naeko, pulling her close once more. "Look, there's something I need to tell you about." Naeko nodded and trained her eyes on Light's face, letting him know he had her full attention. "The other day, I got a call from my mother. She's arranged for me to visit back to Japan for a week. My father died of a heart attack while he was sleeping."
Naeko covered her mouth with a shaky hand. "No way…that can't be! I'm so sorry!" Naeko hugged Light tightly and the boy returned the embrace, a few tears leaking from closed eyes.
"So, you aren't going because you'll be in Japan that week?" Naeko asked softly, and Light nodded. With tender love, she drew her fingers through Light's baby soft strands, massaging his skull in an attempt to comfort him.
After a period of time where they stayed like that, Light crying softly on Naeko's shoulder and Naeko running her hands through his hair, Naeko asked, "What should I tell Hideki? He's going to wonder why you aren't going to the party."
"Just tell him the truth. I don't care if he knows little personal facts." Light stood up to his fullest and wiped his eyes on his sleeve. "God, I feel like a huge baby," he mumbled to himself.
Naeko stood beside him, looking out at the lake. "Maybe we should go home now," she muttered to herself, but Light heard her.
"Your parents won't notice if we're home before they are?" he asked, just to make sure.
"Nope. We usually arrive home around the same times anyway, so if we're a little early it shouldn't matter. Wanna go?" Light shrugged, so Naeko took it as approval and started back up the path and onto the street. "It'll be nice to take a walk anyway."
Suddenly, Naeko stopped short. "Actually, I just realized how long a walk it is to my house. Can we just go back to school and hitch a ride on the school bus?"
Light laughed and nodded. Naeko grinned and said, "Race you!" taking off in the other direction. Light was surprised, but he quickly recovered and was on Naeko's trail, feet splashing in puddles of slush and dirty water.
THENEXTDAY--
For once, Naeko was itching to go to 4th period. She was tapping her fingers on the lunch tables, and even Light was confused by her behaviour. The bell couldn't ring fast enough.
Rushing to grab her books out of her locker, Naeko gave Light a quick peck on the cheek before abandoning him in the busy hallway to continue on to the classroom.
Mr. Hawnes had already started class by the time Naeko burst through the door, despite the fact that only half the class was there.
"Menshi, get to your seat!" the annoying teacher yelled, drawing attention to the young Asian girl. Naeko thought about sticking her tongue out at the idiotic teacher, but decided against it. As she was hurrying to her seat, the man continued, "We have to hurry today. I want everyone to push the desks to the sides of the room, and then separate with your group-member into the respectable sides: left is Kira-supporting, and right is for those who are against Kira. Chop chop, this is a shorter class. If we get done in time we can all have free time."
The students hurried to do Hawnes' bidding, as the big man himself lectured the students who had been later than the rest of the class. Most of the class was on the left side, with only a few remaining stragglers hanging out on the right side. Naeko allowed to desk to be slid away, but she till stood leisurely in the middle of the room, Hideki slumped over beside her.
"Menshi, choose a side!" Mr. Hawnes boomed. People on the left side of the room glared at Naeko, daring her to defy them, while the few pairs on the right side gazed hopefully at her, wishing for her protection and awesome debating abilities.
Despite the controversy, Naeko just tapped her foot idly and coolly replied, "This is my side. Well, our side." The girl rolled her shoulders and slanted her body to indicate the teen beside her.
Hawnes wouldn't have any of it. "Stop being such a troublemaker and just go along with the class for once, Menshi," the giant man growled.
"I am," Naeko nearly growled back. "Hideki and I both agree that there are things that Kira is doing right and doing wrong. So, with that, we'll start. Remember, we have limited time this class period." Staring straight into Hawnes' ugly face, she tapped an invisible watch on her wrist. "Chop chop, we don't have forever teacher."
Hideki glanced up through his bedraggled hair to regard Naeko with a respectable gaze. Naeko just smirked and switched her weight from one foot to another. "Well? Shall we move on?"
-43 minutes and 26 seconds later-
"Good GOD, I thought that man would never shut up!" Naeko whined as she pulled her stuff out from under the pile of desks. "Wasn't it our time to debate? But he just talked half the time!"
Hideki rummaged in the mess beside Naeko and nodded to himself, possibly agreeing with Naeko. Not that she was paying attention. "And he's wasn't even talking about Kira and the Japanese police's progress in finding him! Gosh, I hate that guy…can't they just fire him? Maybe I'll use photoshop to doctor photos of him and call him a sexual harasser." Naeko was quiet for a moment, and then laughed. "Nah, wait, I can't use photoshop! I'll need to hire a pro to do it…"
"Naeko?" Hideki asked very quietly, and Naeko turned to him, smiling brightly.
"Yes?"
"Have you talked with Light about the party?"
Naeko's face fell, and was instantly replaced with one of regret. "Light's dad just passed away, so he's going to visit his family in Japan for a week. He just told me the other day. I don't know why he's waiting so long to go, though. Do they usually wait for a few weeks before having the funeral?" Naeko kept rambling, but realized that she was being inconsiderate. "Um, well, anyway, he can't go. I'm sorry. I'll still be going, though!" Naeko managed a half-smile, and Hideki returned the smile with an air of disappointment.
"I'm very sorry," Naeko commented, and Hideki shook his head.
"No, no! It's okay!" Hideki flashed a smile that showed off his perfect teeth, and then turned to head down the adjacent hallway. "You better get to class though, Naeko. You'll be late."
"Huh?" Naeko looked around and realized that Hideki had led her out to her locker through the conversation, and she hadn't even realized it. The corridor was almost completely deserted, as the students had but a minute to get to their classes before being marked tardy.
"Talk to you later," she mumbled before pivoting on her heels and heading to her next classroom, making it just in time.
PAGEBREAKPAGEBREAKPAGEBREAK (We're skipping ahead about a week and a half, the day of Light's departure and 4 days before Hideki's party…)
"Bye-bye," Naeko said as she placed a chaste kiss upon Light's cheek. "Come back soon. Tell your mother I said hi!"
Light smiled and ruffled Naeko's brown hair, making the topmost layer frizz and stand up. "I will. Don't have too much fun here without me."
Naeko mocked an indignant face and replied, "Fun? Fun?! Who has fun?" Light laughed and bent down, leaving a small kiss on Naeko's forehead. Standing back up to his fullest, he nodded his head to the board mounted on the wall behind him and shrugged.
"My plane's leaving in a few. I'll call you when I land, okay?" Light smoothed down the hair he had previously ruffled and placed yet another kiss on Naeko's forehead, fully aware that the girl's parents were standing only a few yards away. "Behave, alright?"
Naeko puffed her cheeks out and pouted. "Mou…you think I'm a little puppy that needs to be obedient, huh?" Light smiled lightly and shook his head in negative.
"Bye, see you in a week." Light gave Naeko a brief hug and the girl had to keep her hands at her sides to stop herself from wrapping them around Light's neck, entrapping him so that she could beg him to stay with her. But, Light needed to be with his family at a moment like this. She shouldn't stop him.
But it still hurt.
When Light was a safe distance away, Naeko's parents walked over to stand by their daughter, each putting a comforting hand on her shoulders.
"He'll be back soon…"
"I know." Naeko sniffed and watched as Light walked through the small door, effectively cutting off her view of him. "I suppose we should go home now; no reason to stand around the airport like a bunch of bums."
Naeko led that way out to the car so that her parents couldn't look back and see the tears glittering in her eyes, brimming up and threatening to fall.
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Okaaaaayyyy…well, good news first.
Thanks to vampirenin, I now know how the story is going to end, so updates should be much quicker from now on!
(By the way, vampirenin, I didn't know if you got my message or not, but basically you ROCK and I love you sooooo much for helping me! You get cookies, pies, ice cream…name it and you shall receive!)
Um, so…no one's gonna kill me for, like, taking a month to update? Actually…a month in two days. Hmm, speaking of days…my B-day is on the 26th! Someone please congratulate me for turning 14!
Anyway, the next update should take less time, especially if I don't goof off and stuff. Reprimand me in your reviews, if you please! Maybe it'll whip me into shape! XD