Ayame avoided Light for the next few days. Since she didn't have school on the weekends, she had an excuse to stay home and spend time with her parents or stay locked up in her room. But the avoidance didn't go unnoticed by her parents, and Light's mother questioned it as well.

"Ayame, is everything alright between you and Light?" Her mother asked as she washed the breakfast dishes.

"Yes, mom, everything is fine." She retorted. "Light is just busy. I'm not his only friend." She said. Light was one of her only friends though, and she had to admit, she was getting lonely.

"I was just wondering. Sachiko had asked me when I went to get the paper this morning, she said Light had been locked up in his room for days." Ayame shrugged.

"I can call him if you really want me to." She offered, and her mom smiled.

"That would be good, honey. Something might be bothering him." Ayame grabbed her cell phone off the table and went to set on the porch, dialing Light's cell phone number.

"Hello, Ayame?" Light asked when he answered the phone.

"Hey, Light," she said, her voice quiet, "How's everything going?" She felt awkward talking to Light, which was an odd feeling for her.

"Good. Are you okay? I haven't seen you for a few days." Light said, and she rolled her eyes. He could've came next door and checked on her if he was that concerned.

"I'm fine. I was just wondering, are you busy today?" Ayame asked, and he was silent. "Light?" She asked, thinking that maybe the line was disconnected.

"I actually have a date today. With Yuri." He told her.

"With Yuri? You're kidding me! You just told me the other day that you thought she was annoying!" Ayame said, her voice exasperated.

"It was a spur of the moment thing. It's not a big deal. Why, did you want to do something today? Because I can cancel my plans." Light offered, but Ayame refused adamantly.

"That's rude, you would hurt Yuri's feelings. Don't worry about it, I'll see you before school. Bye, Light." She said, hanging up after he said his goodbyes. She wasn't jealous that Light was going on a date, but she was annoyed that he would ask Yuri to hang out with him before he would ask Ayame.

Light was annoyed as well, but for a different reason. Now that Ayame had called him, he wanted to cancel his plans with Yuri and spend the day at Space World with Ayame. He regretted calling Yuri as soon as he picked up his cell phone to do it.

"Hey Light, if you don't want to go out with the girl, why don't you just cancel?" Ryuk asked nonchalantly, as he threw a juicy red apple up into the air and catching it in between his razor-sharp teeth.

"It's too much of a pain to have to cancel, she would never leave me alone if I did that. Besides, I need to look normal. What's more normal that a teenage boy going out on a date with a pretty girl?" Light said, grabbing his jacket off the back of his chair and leaving his room, making sure the door shut behind him.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Ayame stepped onto the bus and smiled at the driver. Her mom had sent her to the market to pick up a few things for dinner that night, and she sat down against the window. The market was across town, and it was easier to catch the bus. She opened the book that she had brought with her, immersing herself in the pages.

A loud giggle caught her attention, and her eyes flickered up to the bus door. Light and Yuri were stepping onto the bus, and she was holding onto his arm tightly. Light didn't look irritated, but she knew that the smile on his face wasn't sincere. She turned her attention back to her book, but that didn't keep the pair from noticing her.

"Ayame, hi!" Yuri said, giving the girl a smile. She smiled in return and gave Light a brief head nod. He looked at her with what looked like panic in his eyes. She groaned internally when the couple sat in the seat across from her, Light closest to her. He kept glancing over at her, liking the way her red hair was falling over her shoulder and the way the color looked with her purple jacket.

"Light, I thought you said that you weren't going to date anyone until after the entrance exams?" Yuri asked, looking at Light and batting her eyelashes.

"That's before I scored number one on the practice exams." Yuri scoffed at that.

"Ewh, you're such a nerd!" Ayame continued to read her bus until it was time for her stop, but another commotion caught her attention. Light's eyes glanced over at her, trying to gauge her reaction.

'Seven passengers on the bus, excluding him. But, I didn't know that Ayame would be one of the passengers.' He thought.

The man up front cocked his gun and held it against the bus driver's head, making Ayame gasp.

"Stay in your seats unless you want to die!" The man shouted. "Everyone, shut up! If anyone moves, I'm putting a bullet in their heads!"

Ayame was trembling with fear, and she looked over at Light. He didn't seem to be frightened, but Ayame was too scared to question it. He looked straight ahead, eyebrows furrowed as he watched the man. Yuri clutched his arm and gasped, squeezing her eyes closed. There was an old couple a few seats ahead of her, and she watched as the old man wrapped his arm around his wife.

The bus driver called the number for Space World, and the man took the phone from him, giving them instructions on how to bring him the money from yesterday. He crushed the phone under his foot and Ayame jumped at the sound.

Ayame saw Light show Yuri a note, but she couldn't read it clearly from where she was sitting. The man in the seat behind him read it over his shoulder and leaned forward. "Don't be stupid, that's risky. If it comes to that, I'll take care of it." Ayame scooted over from her spot against the window to peek at the note, and she sighed.

"Light, don't be the hero." She told him in a whisper. He gave her a small smile. Then, he averted his attention back to the man behind him.

"How should I trust you? How do I know that you're not his accomplice?" The man handed Light his name badge after a moment's hesitation, revealing his FBI badge. Ayame raised her eyebrows. This man was official. She was surprised that he showed them his information so easily. Light's eyes widened as he looked over it before handing it back to him.

"Shut the hell up, you old hag!" The man yelled at the old woman, and Ayame felt her bottom lip tremble. "Do you want me to beat you to death right now?" His voice was angry and he got in the old woman's face.

Light dropped his note, which caused the man to yell. "What the hell is that? Don't move!" He yelled at Light, who calmly sat back up. Ayame felt tears well up in her eyes as she looked at Light, and when he made eye contact with her, there was no trace of fear in his eyes. "You guys were planning something back here, weren't ya?"

Ayame's heart was beating loudly in her ears. The man opened the note and skimmed it, before walking away. "Plans for a date. Stupid kid." The redhead sighed, relief filling her body. That's when the man spun around, his gun cocked and ready.

"Who the hell are you! How long have you been there?" He shouted, and Ayame turned around, confused. "Don't mess with me!" The man seemed genuinely terrified. "Keep away from me, you freak!"

"Everyone, get down!" The FBI agent shouted, making everyone gasp and duck down. Light wrapped his arm around Yuri and pulled her down, but he maintained eye contact with Ayame the whole time. He held a finger up to his lips as she let out a whimper, and she nodded, trying to calm down. The man took a few steps backwards, his eyes wide and scared.

"Get away!" The man screamed, shooting his gun. The bullets busted through the glass window at the back of the bus, and Ayame covered her head to protect herself from flying glass. 'This man is insane!' She thought to himself.

He pulled the trigger again, but there were no bullets left. The FBI agent stood up and ran towards the man, but he demanded that he get off the bus. As soon as he hit the pavement, a car slammed into him, ending his life suddenly. Light pulled up his sleeve slightly, glancing at his watch.

Ayame leaned back in her seat, a tear falling from her eye. Yuri was shaking and crying, as well. "The cops are going to be here soon." Light told them. "I can see if my dad can give us a ride home." He told the girls.

"I was supposed to go to the market for my mom." Ayame said, her voice trembling. Light pursed his lips.

"I think it would be best if you went home. Your mom would understand. Maybe my mom has what you need at home, I'll check for you." Ayame didn't argue, and Yuri nodded her head in agreement. The three sat in silence until the familiar sounds of sirens were heard.