Disclaimer- I don't own Death Note, k?

Chapter 9

Debates and Dates

Two weeks had past since the broadcast that had started the now infamous battle between Kira and the detective known as L. It was the hottest topic everywhere. No matter where you went all you would hear was some gibberish about Kira and L and who was right and who was wrong. Of course, out in the open most people would say things like 'killing is wrong, Kira needs to be stopped,' or something along those lines. Few people would actually stand up for Kira, at least in public.

In the time since the broadcast the killings of criminals had continued. There didn't seem to be much of a pattern to them, none that the public was aware of at any rate. Criminals, no matter where they were, were dying of inexplicable heart attacks. They were dying in prisons, on the streets, in their homes, even in public parks.

Noriko lay on her stomach with her feet up in the air and her chin in the palm of her hand. She was on Light's bed internet surfing on her laptop while he worked on homework at his desk. Her bright green eyes studied the web pages before her with something close to disgust.

She made a soft snorting noise when she read the information on the web page she had just pulled up.

Light glanced over at her from his desk, a curious look in his eye. "What is it, Nori," he asked.

"Can you believe this," she replied, her voice was a mix of disgust and disbelief.

Light's brown eyebrows rose slightly at her little outburst."What," he asked curiously.

"All these web pages dedicated to Kira. It's rather disturbing. I mean the word Kira is derived from the English word killer, yet all these pages are praising him, some even call him a god," she replied still not looking away from the screen of her laptop, her face twisted into a disgusted frown.

Light sighed softly.

Noriko cocked her head up at him."That was a rather annoyed sounding sigh," she observed.

"I'm not annoyed," he answered, now sounding annoyed and glancing away from her and to his right.

Noriko tweaked a brow at him. "You sound annoyed."

"It's just all I hear about is Kira and L and quite honestly it gets a little old."

Noriko nodded in agreement. "Yeah, I can see that, sorry."

"Don't worry about it. So I take it you still think that Kira is wrong in what he's doing?"

"Well yeah. He's a killer and a killer is a criminal. Criminals are bad," Noriko replied bluntly, feeling like a child who had just been lectured about right or wrong.

"Maybe he's trying to protect something," Light suggested with a shrug of his shoulders.

Noriko eyed him for a moment, trying to figure out just what he meant. "Protect something, like what?" she asked rather curious.

"Like what little goodness there is left in the world."

"Light, do you support this Kira person," she asked seriously.

Light seemed surprised by her question. "What gave you that idea?" he asked.

"Well, you seem to defend or make excuses for why this person is doing what they're doing. You've never said anything against what's going on."

He shrugged noncommittally. "I guess I don't have much of an opinion. Or maybe I'm just torn. Depending on how you look at things Kira is trying to help the world by getting rid of the evil people in it, but at the same time he must kill to do so."

Noriko looked thoughtful for a moment.

"Understandable... Are you alright?" she asked as Light swatted at the air near his right shoulder.

"Yeah, just a bug," he answered as he cast an annoyed glance over his shoulder.

"Uh, ok," Noriko replied slowly.

"How has your ankle been by the way," he asked nonchalantly, easily changing the subject.

"Oh, pretty good I still need the brace as you can see," she said as she glanced at her offending ankle with annoyance.

"No more crutches though, huh?"

"Nope," she answered with a smile.

"Too bad, I kinda liked having to help you all the time," he said with a small smile.

"Is that so," Noriko replied innocently.

"Yeah, it is," he chuckled.

Noriko pushed the laptop aside and rolled on to her back. She tilted her head back and looked at Light.

"You've been kinda distant lately, Light," she said sadly.

The smile on his face disappeared and he seemed to hesitate at her words, unsure of how to respond.

"You're all I've got, I just want to make sure you're not..." she trailed off not sure what to say.

"Not what?" he asked, encouraging her to finish her thoughts.

She sighed quietly and stared up at his ceiling, folding her arms over her stomach.

"I don't know really. I guess I'm just being insecure."

Light stood up from his desk and walked over to his bed that Noriko was sprawled on. He sat beside her and looked down into her eyes.

"You have no reason to be insecure. You're mine, and that will never change," he told her as he pulled her up into a hug.

She rested her head against his chest and never saw the smile that passed over his features as he looked towards the corner of his room.

"I'm glad," she replied softly. "I know I'm not the best girlfriend, even though it's you, I still feel awkward whenever it comes to expressing how I really feel."

Light rested his cheek on her head as he reassuringly squeezed her tighter. They stayed like this for a few minutes before Noriko pulled away.

"I think I should head home," Noriko said with a quick glance outside.

"Alright, I'll walk you."

"You don't have to."

"I want to," he said giving her a warm smile.

After packing up her belongings, the two made their way downstairs and out into the darkening night.

They walked hand in hand to her house, neither one saying anything. Just enjoying the company.

When they reached the gate to her home Noriko sighed.

"What," Light asked.

"It's just..It was nice spending time with you again. You've been so busy lately, I was beginning to feel you had forgotten about me," she said with a sad smile.

"I could never forget about you," he pulled her into a tight hug and kissed her forehead tenderly. "It's just with all the exams coming up, I've been studying constantly."

"I know, I'm just being selfish. I guess I want you all to myself," she replied teasingly, poking him softly in the shoulder.

"Since when did you get clingy," he teased back.

"Oh you know, today," her eyes sparkled happily as she looked up at Light's handsome face.

"You can be such a pain," he teased.

"Oh, whatever," she responded as she leaned forward to kiss him lightly on the lips before flashing a quick smile and disappearing behind the gate.

"That's cheating," he mumbled after after her.

He heard a small laugh in response.

"Good night," he called.

"Night," she called back as she walked to her door.

"She really is an interesting human," a raspy voice said.

Noriko froze, her hand hovering above the knob of the wooden door.

'Did I just hear that,' she thought on the verge of panic. 'Why does it sound so familiar?'

She looked behind her, but there was no one there. In the distance she could see Light about to turn the corner of her street, but aside from him the street was deserted.

Shaking her head she finally opened the door and stepped into her house.

'I'm hearing things, that's all. Or maybe it was just the wind,' she thought as she slowly made her way up the stairs and in to her room.

"That wasn't the wind."

"Ahhh! What the...uhhhhh...Dad," she asked the shadowy figure standing by the window uncertainly.

"Yup," he replied cheerily.

Noriko blinked her eyes a few times before frowning at the figure that she could still see.

"What, aren't you happy to see me little one?"

Noriko walked to her bed and dumped her things next to her desk before plopping down on to her bed. She lay back and raised a hand to her head.

'No fever, so I'm crazy. Yup, that's it,' she thought.

"You're not crazy," her father stated.

"Uh huh, then explain why I keep seeing my dad, who might I remind you is dead," she asked skeptically.

"Easy, I'm a ghost. Boo," he answered, raising his hands to wriggle his fingers at her.

She stared at the figure of her father incredulously. "I've absolutely lost my mind," she mumbled.

"Whatever you want to believe, dear," her father replied with a shrug.

'Stupid ghost thing, sounds just like dad, but ghosts aren't real.'

"I assure you ghosts are real."

"Are you reading my mind? Because that's just creepy."

A look of confusion spread across her face as her father began to laugh at her.

"Oh, great, now the imaginary ghost of my dead dad is laughing at me like I'm the crazy one," she grumbled stubbornly.

"Sorry, it's just that your facial expressions, they're so readable.." he trailed off as he started chuckling at her again.

"You must be my dad, because only he would find humor in this situation."

"I already told you that sweety," he answered as he stopped laughing at her.

"Ok, so why do you keep popping up? You're dead." Noriko stated bluntly.

"I just want to make sure you're ok, so I'll be popping in as much as I can," he replied easily.

"And you just expect me to be ok with this?" she asked.

"Well, yeah."

"Let me get this straight dad. You're dead. You're a ghost. And you're haunting me?"

"When you say it like that it sounds so freaky," he answered thoughtfully as he put a finger under his chin.

Noriko resisted the urge to smack herself in the head.

"Of course it does dork, because it is," she answered haughtily.

"Don't call your father a dork, it's disrespectful," he said with a small pout that was an exact replica of her own.

She rolled her eyes in exasperation. "So only I can see you and hear you, right?"

"Right," he replied with a nod.

"K. And how does this not make me crazy again?"

Kiyoshi rolled his eyes at his daughter. "Such a nonbeliever. I didn't teach you to be so closed minded."

"No," her voice sounded sad now, "You didn't. You didn't teach me a lot of things."

Her father's eyes softened as he regarded her sadly.

"I'm sorry I left you. I never meant for any of this to happen."

"Well, of course you didn't dad, but still it's not like it's easy seeing you all of a sudden. Especially as a ghost, it's a little strange."

"I'm sorry."

"Eh, it's ok, whatever," she replied as she wiped at her eyes that had grown moist with unshed tears.

"Just think of this, at least I get to watch you all the time now. Even if you don't see me, I'll be there."

"That's creepy, you know that don't you?"

"What?" he asked, confused.

"You sound like some crazy stalker."

He smiled brightly at her before turning back to the window.

"I'll let you get some rest now. Good night."

"Night."

Then he was gone the only sign of his presence was the light breeze that momentarily filled the room with a scent like the smell of fresh rain.

"I'm crazy." Noriko sighed as she rubbed at her eyes.

Noriko lay burrowed in her blankets sleeping soundly when her phone began to ring.

"What the heck," she mumbled grumpily as she reached over and plucked it off her desk.

Without looking at the caller I.D she flipped the phone open and brought it up to her ear.

"Hello," she grumbled.

"Hey Noriko."

"Light, what the heck? What time is it?"

"It's a little after nine. Were you still asleep?"

"Yes," she answered grumpily.

"Well wake up."

Noriko groaned. "Why, it's the weekend."

"I'm taking you out," he informed her cheerily.

Noriko was silent for a moment as she rubbed the sleep from her eyes in a daze.

"Wait, what?" Noriko asked.

"Get up, get dressed and I'll meet you at the bus stop by the park at eleven."

"That's the stop that goes to Spaceland, isn't it?"

"Yes, now get moving," he ordered.

"Yeah, yeah," she grumbled, even though she had a big smile on her face. "See you then."

"See you then."

She hung up her phone and dropped it on the bed next to her before stretching and yawning.

"This should be fun, I haven't been to Spaceland in years," she said as she made her way to her dresser to get clothes before heading to the shower.

After showering and cleaning up, Noriko put on dark blue jeans that were somewhat fitted until they flared slightly before touching the ground. She then slipped on a silvery tank top and a long sleeved black v-neck sweater. Her cross dangled just above the top of the tank top, glittering in the light. Grabbing her brush she brushed out her long hair before gathering the hair above her crown and pulling it back and pinning it in place, so that most of her hair was down but not in her face. Satisfied with her appearance, she smiled and went back to her room.

She looked at her shoes before deciding on a pair of black slip on sneakers that had white soles. Taking a quick glance out of her window she also grabbed a black and red plaid pea coat.

"Ok, I think I'm good," she said casting one last glance in her mirror before grabbing her bag and heading towards the bus stop.

She reached the stop just as Light was walking up.

She looked at him strangely as he approached, it looked like he was talking to himself as he walked towards her with his hands in the pockets of a beige coat.

"Hey Nori," he said as he gave her a quick hug.

"Hey," she replied before shivering slightly. She had the same foreboding feeling that she remembered from a few weeks before just before her dad began to show up.

"Are you cold,"he asked, concerned.

"Huh, oh no, I just got a weird chill," she answered with a small nervous chuckle.

"If you say so."

The bus arrived a few minutes later and the two got on and took seats near the back of the bus. She noticed another man get on the bus right after them and take the seat behind them. She didn't really think much of it but she kept getting a strange tingle in the pit of her stomach that made her feel like she was being watched.

She shifted slightly in her seat and glanced behind her but the man wasn't looking at her. He was staring out the window looking bored.

'I'm just paranoid,' she thought to herself.

Light was sitting in the aisle seat while she sat by the window. She watched as the scenery rolled by, and didn't look up until the bus stopped to pick up another passenger a few miles down the road.

The man that got on the bus looked almost familiar to her. He was short, with dark hair, a mustache and beady eyes. It was then that she recognized the man.

She let out a small gasp of surprise. It was a man who had been all over the news a few days before. He had attempted to rob a bank and had killed three people in the process.

"Light," she whispered frantically to him as she grabbed on to the sleeve of his coat.

"Huh," he said as he looked over at her, "What's wron-"

"Alright, this bus has just been hijacked people!" the man yelled as he pulled a gun out of his coat and waved it at the passengers on the bus.

"Oh my god," Noriko said in a quiet panic.

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