Ayame was shaken after her interaction with Light. After all these years of friendship, she had never seen him react like that. She made it home safely and shut the door behind her, taking a deep breath to try and relax her nerves.

"Hey, honey! You aren't studying with Light tonight?" Her mother asked when she walked into the kitchen. The petite redhead shook her head and sat down at the table and began taking books out of her backpack.

"No, not tonight. He's helping Sayu with her math homework." Ayame told her mother, who smiled wistfully at the thought.

"He's such a nice boy. I'm glad you two hang out together." She said, finishing up the rice that was on the stove. "Honey, dinner!" She shouted for Ayame's father, who was currently in the living room watching television.

"Just one second!" He retorted, and Ayame's mother huffed. The mother and daughter sat at the table and waited until he finally entered the kitchen.

"What took you so long?" Her mother asked, scooping rice onto his plate.

"The craziest thing just happened on the news. You know that detective, L? Well, apparently, he's taking on the Kira case, and they're classifying these deaths as homicide. Then, this criminal was posing as L on the news, and Kira killed him! Live, on television!" He exclaimed, and Ayame's mouth went dry. Goosebumps appeared on her arms, and she tightened her jacket around her body.

"Is this really a good conversation to be having at the dinner table? Look at Ayame, you've upset her." Her mother scolded, gently placing her hand on her daughter's arm. "Ayame, L can handle this. Light's dad will be helping, I'm sure." Ayame resisted the urge to scoff. What could the task force do against a murderer like Kira?

The family continued to eat their dinner in mostly silence, with Ayame's parents making small talk. Once the meal was finished, Ayame volunteered to do the dishes while her parents went into the living room. Her mind was racing with thoughts of Kira. How was he doing this? Sure, he was only killing criminals right now, but that could change in a heartbeat. How long would it take before he started killing innocent people?

Ayame finished up the dishes and went into the living room with her books, surprising her parents. "You're not studying in your room tonight?" Her dad asked, and she shook her head with a grin.

"Is it so shocking that I'd like to spend some time with my parents for a while? Geez, if you don't want me around, all you have to do is say so." Her parents shared a laugh at that, and the family sat in the living room for the evening, joking and laughing, while the thought of Kira was still burning in the back of her mind.

The next morning, Light was waiting outside of his house, looking up at the sky. Ayame chewed her lip nervously. Should she wait until he left? She decided against that. She had never had a reason to fear Light before, there was no way that he would ever hurt her.

"Good morning, Light." She said, trying to sound upbeat. Light could hear the difference in her voice, and he gave her a soft smile.

"Ayame, I'm sorry about yesterday. You know that I would never do anything to hurt you," he told her, "I just got caught up in the conversation and overreacted a little." Ayame was quiet for a minute, pretending to ponder what she was going to say.

"I forgive you. But only because I can't resist that face." She said jokingly, but a swell of pride filled Light's chest. He knew that he was handsome, but he was glad that Ayame noticed it as well. "Let's get going, we can't be late for class." She told him, rushing him along.

Ayame noticed that Light seemed distant. He was staring off into space, not really focusing on where he was going. "Light? Light, hello?" She said, waving her hand in front of his face.

"Oh, uh, sorry. I wasn't paying attention." He said, chuckling at Ayame. She dramatically rolled her eyes.

"I noticed that. I was wondering if you had any plans tonight? We can grab some dinner and study?" She suggested. Light hesitated, and she raised her eyebrows. "Or, do you have other plans?"

"It's nothing personal. I'm just going to help Sayu with her homework again and then study by myself tonight." He told her casually, trying to avoid hurting her feelings. However, he failed. Ayame felt a pang in her chest at the rejection from her best friend, but she tried to brush it off.

"Don't worry about it, it's no big deal." She said, giving him a smile that didn't quite reach her eyes. They reached the building and he grabbed the door handle, preventing her from entering.

"Ayame, I mean it, it's nothing personal." He reassured her, and she just nodded. He opened the door and let her enter first, and she sat down in her usual seat behind him. She didn't speak to him for the class period, and when the teacher dismissed them for lunch, she gathered her books quickly and walked out.

She wasn't heartbroken that she was rejected, and she didn't harbor any romantic feelings for Light Yagami. However, she really didn't spend time with other students because she's usually by Light's side. The change in their friendship was startling, and she was concerned that by the end of this, she wouldn't have him as a friend anymore.

That evening, Ayame walked ahead of Light. He refused to let her walk home alone in the dark, but she wasn't feeling up for a conversation with him. What she didn't notice was that he was having a conversation behind her with someone else.

"Light, you got a second?" Ryuk asked, his voice gruff.

"I already told you, you can't talk to me in public. Especially when I'm with Ayame, she'll notice that something is up." Light was obviously irritated.

"I'm not on your side or L's side. I'm not going to tell you that what you're doing is right or wrong. It's not my place. But as your roommate, I might have a few things to say every now and again."

"Why are you telling me this? This isn't like you." Light pointed out.

"I'm not ally of yours or Kira's, but this is starting to creep me out. Ayame might like to know this as well." Ryuk said, and Light groaned.

"Get to the point." He told the Shinigami.

"You're being followed by another human. He's watching you right now." Light stopped dead in his tracks, swallowing nervously. He watched as Ayame continued the usual route home, not realizing that he had stopped. "I know that he can't see me, but since I'm always walking behind you, I'm feeling like I'm being watched." Ryuk continued.

"That's a problem, we'll have to get rid of him as soon as possible." Light told Ryuk in a hushed tone. When Ayame reached her front step, she stopped.

"Thank you for walking me home, Light. Have a good night." She said, unlocking the door.

"Ayame, wait." He said, and she paused for a second, but when he didn't respond, she pushed the door open and shut it behind her. Light sighed but didn't linger outside. He quickly went upstairs to his room, peeking out of the curtains slightly. He didn't see anyone, but that didn't mean that they weren't there.

He was going to have to do something about the man that was following him. Especially with Ayame walking home with him late at night. He couldn't let anything happen to her.