It was five in the morning when I practically fell asleep while writing this. D: So, I didn't get to keep the updating plan that I'd promised, but... Please don't hurt me! *ducks and covers*

I'm continually confused when I somehow pull of longer chapters with prompts I had barely any ideas for. I honestly thought this would be a mini one, but...oh well. I guess there's no need to complain, is there? Oh, and Merry Christmas! I'm still determined to get the 25th up before Christmas day actually ends. XD We'll see how that goes, eh?

And finally...I got the complete box set of Death Note for Christmas. Excuse me while I explode in happiness.

Finally, the moment we've been waiting for...sort of!

I don't own Death Note, or the lyrics to the Katy Perry Song below.

December 22
Date-Nut Bread Day


As he did every morning, Light began his morning routine by preparing his toothbrush with toothpaste. Back and forth, up and down he moved his brush for each section of teeth, starting on the left side and gradually making his way right. Still in his zombie-like state of consciousness, he stared blankly into the mirror with his eyes only half-open. This was the point of his day where he was the least aware and that if something out of the ordinary occurred –

"You're so gay and you don't even like boys. No, you don't even like. No, you don't even like – "

Sweet baby Jesus! His toothbrush was practically tossed into the mirror, toothpaste flying every which way. Where was that sound even coming from?

"I can't believe I fell in love with someone who wears more make-up than – "

Something was making a distinct vibrating sensation in his pocket. A scowl quickly spread across his face. Sayu must have changed his ring tones the last time he saw her…again. He fumbled to get the thing out and stop the accursed song before he would seriously consider writing her name down.

"…You're so gay and you don't even like boys –"

"SAYU, FOR THE LOVE OF ALL THAT IS HOLY!"

A snicker was heard on the other end. "I thought it was fitting." Oh, she had just been lying in wait for that moment… "Anyway, mom wanted me to ask you if you planned on coming over for Christmas. I mean, I know you're busy with studying and all, but in all honesty…you need to get a life, Light."

Doing his best to hold in his boiling rage, he responded, "Yes…I will come for Christmas. I'm not sure when during it, but…"

"…but what?"

"Sayu…would you happen to know where mom keeps her date-nut bread recipe?"

"Uh, yeah…. Why do you want that?"

"No reason."

"Right. As if she'd let you even lay eyes on it. You know just as well as I do that it's totally kept secret and only when guests come over will she ever –"

"Fine."

"Fine what?" He could hear intense confusion and disbelief in Sayu's tone. Had he given up, she wondered? No, impossible…

"Tell mom that I'm coming over with a friend from college. I've been wanting some of that bread, and –"

"Ooooh. A friend, huh?"

"Sayu, you should stop talking now before I unleash my rage and raze the city."

"Moooooom~!"

He was done for. It was unquestionable. Light could do little else but keep the cell phone firmly attached to his ear, waiting for his sister, or perhaps the spawn of Satan, to return to her own cellular device. If he didn't show up, not only would be barred from ever eating his mother's date-nut bread again…but he would have to face the wrath of his mother. Didn't that one English poet say something along the lines of 'hell has no fury like a woman scorned?' Yes, that sounded about right.

Sayu scrambled to pick up the phone, creating a rustling sound into the receiver. Her excited voice pierced his eardrums. "Mom says to be here in two hours! Also, I rearranged all of the clothes in your closet."

"DAMN IT, SAYU!"

"I love you big brother, bye!"

Sadly, all that was left to talk to was the dial tone which, upon further contemplation, was probably preferable to his sister. Making sure to turn the volume on his cell phone OFF, he trudged out of the bathroom to find L. He was in his usual spot by the door when Light would begin his morning ritual each day, going at that Tetris game on his phone. Sensing a disturbance in the Force, the detective paused the game and looked up.

"…is there any particular reason why you were screaming? Moreover, I'm confused as to why that particular song began to play which had to do with – "

Light snapped, "We're leaving to go to my house in less than two hours."

L frowned. "Light-kun, I'm afraid that cannot happen seeing as though we have a calendar to follow."

"My mother is making the date-nut bread and we can't get it unless…she gets to meet you."

"…excuse me?"

Light fought the overwhelming urge to just crawl back up in bed and sleep for the remainder of the day.

"The only time that she'll ever make it is if a guest comes over. I mentioned that I had a friend from college to my sister and…well…"

"Ah. I understand."

"Wait…you do?"

"I knew it was only a matter of time before you finally introduced me to your family. Surely they've been harboring suspicion…"

And that was when L received a punch to the face. Light stormed back into the bathroom to prepare himself for the torture that lay ahead. The detective nursed his injured jaw and went back to his game.

Sayu, of course, was the one to greet them at the door. Light could barely keep himself from crashing to the icy ground when she leapt on him, arms tight around his neck. L discreetly moved over several feet to avoid the two flailing individuals. He did not plan on getting smacked by any more flying limbs. A very long minute later, the younger man managed to peel his sister off of his body. His breathing was ragged from the exertion. What was she now, the She-Hulk? Wonder Woman?

Now her maniacal look switched to L, whose eyes widened just a fraction. Light certainly noticed his sense of unease, but Sayu most clearly had not.

"Oooh. So you must be Light's college friend." She then proceeded to look the man over, a look of scrutiny on her face.

"…can I help you, miss?"

In the blink of an eye, his sister had managed to get within only a foot from L. The man fought not to jump back or react in some way, not used to having anyone in his personal bubble. Well…except Light-kun, which was a slightly troubling thought. When had that happened, anyway? His hands twitched at his sides, but his thick mittens were able to hide most of the nervous movement. Sayu stared directly into his slightly-wide eyes…unblinking. For a brief moment the possibility that she could somehow see into him crossed his mind, though L pushed the thought aside. As eerie as she was, he highly doubted Light's little sister had supernatural powers.

L momentarily broke the semi-staring contest to glance over at the older sibling in an attempt to find rescue. Light was shifting his weight from foot to foot, looking incredibly unhappy with the situation. Could it be that he was…? No, that was just silly. He was just feeling typical brother-sister hostility. Yes, that was it.

Sayu took quick note of the glance he took at Light and let a strange grin spread across her face. She took several steps backward – this action greatly relieved L – before opening the front door.

"Well, that settles it then. You guys can come in now. Sayu approves of…" The girl paused, scratching her head in thought. "I'm sorry, I never got your name."

"You may call me Ryuuzaki, miss."

"Oh, okay. Sayu approves of Ryuuzaki-chan, Light. Nice choice." Cue an obnoxious thumbs-up.

While L tilted his head to the side in thought, the older Yagami child was practically fuming.

"And what the hell is that supposed to mean, beloved sister?" he hissed.

"Nothing, nothing at all!" She twirled around, about to bound into the house, before she looked over her shoulder to her enraged brother. "It's just that the only time dearest Light-chan has ever brought people over for date-nut bread is when they're…how should I put it…romantically involved?" Her devious grin only widened, but upon realizing the thin ice she was skating…the grin quickly disappeared along with Sayu herself. She'd narrowly escaped death enough times with her brother's anger to determine whether or not she could keep her life, and this would not be one of those fortunate situations.

However, the scarlet color on his face had said it all to her. Countless romantic television show series prepared her for moments like these. Even if he didn't think he had feelings for the strange man with the wild black hair, it was as plain as day to Sayu. Had he not gotten as flustered as he did, it perhaps would have been an uncertainty in her mind. But the facts were the facts: Light did feel something for this Ryuuzaki character, and that thought absolutely thrilled her. The details about Misa were a little concerning, but….

Light kept his arms straight at his sides with his eyes closed. Breathe in. Breathe out. That's all that mattered. Don't kill your sister, Light. That's a bad thing. You love your sister. You really do…despite the fact that she's a conniving, malicious, bratty, little –

L blinked once or twice after the departure of Yagami Sayu. Well then. He hadn't even met Light's mother yet. He turned his gaze back onto Light, who looked as stable as a sample of pure Francium.

"Light-kun?"

"WHAT?"

"Inside-voice, Light-kun."

He shot a glare at the detective after finally opening his eyes.

L continued, "Are we romantically involved?"

The look of horror on Light's face was National Geographic-worthy. Really, it was. It took everything L had to keep a straight face and refrain from bursting out laughing.

"Well?"

"N-no, we are most certainly not!" he stammered. "Get inside already!"

The detective felt a smirk creep onto his face. He began to shuffle through the door. "Your mother may think so, and then we will have to play the part…."

Another signature Light Yagami Death Glare of Doom™ was shot his way. Oh, he'd shut up for the time being, but when the perfect opportunity arose… The poor boy wouldn't know what hit him.

All Light really wanted more than anything else in the whole world (at least for that day) was to just eat a slice of bread and leave with his dignity intact. But clearly, that was too much to ask. If his mother wasn't bombarding L with questions, then Sayu was. And, if Sayu wasn't asking L questions, she would give them "looks" and kick Light's shins from under the kitchen table. The bread was still in the oven and would remain there for another half-hour, so they got to converse. Wonderful. Light felt as though his face desperately wanted to become acquainted with the kitchen table, in fact.

"Oh, it's wonderful to hear that you two have become such good friends, both with flawless scores on the entrance exams!" Sachiko gushed. "I had always hoped Light-chan would befriend someone who'd have an intellect to challenge his own. He's always talked of how bored he was…"

"So, Ryuuzaki-san…what classes do the two of you share?" Light kicked his own sister this time.

The detective brought a thumb to his lips. "Oh, there's criminal psychology…mythology…and chemistry."

Sachiko suddenly paused, her eyes stopping on the item attached to L's wrist. "Pardon me, Ryuuzaki-san, but why is there a handcuff on your arm?"

Not glancing at the thing, L merely continued, "Ah, that. It's a rather unfortunate turn of events. You see, I planned on pulling a prank on Light-kun but it wasn't until after we became chained together did I realize I had lost the key. So, until we can have a new one made…"

Sayu tried to cover her mouth and keep in a fit of giggles. Sachiko gave her a pointed look.

"I'm terribly sorry to hear that, and I have to apologize for Sayu."

"No, it's quite all right." He shifted his position slightly, sitting precariously on the chair as he normally did. "Tell me, would you happen to have any tea? If it's not too much trouble, I would like some…"

"Of course! I should have asked the both of you if you needed anything to drink, silly me." The woman quickly pushed away from the table and headed to the cupboard. "Light-chan, would you care for any tea? I have you favorite on hand – orange spice." She shook the said container of tea.

He sighed. "I suppose so, yes. Thank you."

"Ryuuzaki-san, what kind would you like?"

"Orange spice sounds nice. I will have the same as Light-kun."

"I'll be back with you all in just a minute, then. Behave yourself, Sayu." With that, Light and Sayu's mother went to work at preparing the two cups of tea. Sayu quickly stuck out her tongue as soon as the woman's back was turned.

The teenage girl's attention was focused on Light and L right after her brief act of rebellion. Her gaze switched from one to the other in silent contemplation, biting her bottom lip slightly. Oh, gods. She had her thinking face on. He knew it so well that he could reproduce that look with pen and paper any time of the day.

A soft smile settled upon her face. "Light-chan, Ryuuzaki-san, while we're waiting for your tea, maybe you'd like to see our Christmas tree? It's covered in tons of lights, ornaments, candy…"

"Shall we, Light-kun?"

Did L even realize he was playing into her hands? True, Light couldn't properly think of what was going on anymore, but the prospect of looking at a tree didn't sound all that sketchy. Worst case scenario, L would stuff every single candy cane into his pockets by the time they left the house. He sighed in resignation.

"Fine. We'll check out the tree."

The trio made their way from the kitchen, through the halls, and finally to the living room. Sayu led the pack; it was the only way to hide the stupid grin she had on her face. She could barely hold in her excitement at her brother's impending mortification. He'd thank her later.

Sure enough, a fresh pine tree stood in the middle of a comfy living room in all of its Christmas-y glory. It was decked out in countless lights with a hodgepodge of ornaments the children had probably gathered over the years. And underneath sat an enormous mass of perfectly wrapped presents, each with an enormous bow. L had to admit, he was impressed. His eyes, perpetually wide, examined some of the ornaments more closely after shuffling over to the tree.

It was then that Sayu's giggles finally erupted from her mouth. Light whipped around, roughly yanking the chain and L's arm. The detective was forced to turn around, displeased by the fact that he couldn't continue to study the features of a particularly well-crafted glass panda ornament. Light sent a glare to his sister.

"Sayu…" he said dangerously.

"I think…you…should look up…dearest brother," she managed to say in between spurts of giggles.

Confused, he turned his gaze to the ceiling…and froze immediately. He was going to kill his sister twelve times over for this one AND return all of her Christmas presents. It was official. He was partially hoping that if he stared at the clump of mistletoe tacked to the ceiling for long enough without blinking, it might just spontaneously combust. Maybe.

L's eyes traveled to the ceiling as well upon Sayu's suggestion. "…I see."

Sayu somehow finally managed to calm herself, not wanting to raise suspicion with her mother upon returning. "Now, I'll just leave you two alone. You still have plenty of time before tea is done." Winking, she turned on her heel and practically skipped down the hall.

Sighing, Light finally tore his gaze from the accursed plant. As soon as Sayu was out of earshot, he said, "Let's just don't and say we did, all right?"

"Light-kun, do I need to refresh your memory?" the detective asked in his familiar monotone.

"On what?"

"During the month of December, it is absolutely necessary that we abide by the practices of all holidays."

"But…it's not Christmas or anything!"

L rolled his eyes at the desperate man before him. "It's a general December holiday practice. I fail to see why you're so flustered."

"You should know perfectly well why I'm flustered!"

"Can you cease talking, if for just one moment?"

"But-!"

Faster than he could say "ramen noodles," the detective straightened out his back, thus gaining a substantial amount of height, and gave Light a brief peck on the cheek. Light could only stand there, stunned, with his face rapidly going through practically every shade of red in existence. He couldn't bring any words to his lips that wouldn't immediately dry up on him. Turning around, the raven-haired man returned to his typical, slouched posture, and began walking down the hall that Sayu had passed through only moments before. Light stiffly followed once the chain began to tug at his arm.

Light, having gained his composure after their trek to the kitchen, took his seat by again. However, he made a point not to look at the man. His mind was still utterly frazzled from the information overload. He could practically see the words "DOES NOT COMPUTE. DOES NOT COMPUTE" flashing in front of his eyes in red letters. Sayu continued to watch them closely, even as Sachiko set the two cups of tea before the men. L, acting as though nothing out of the ordinary had happened at all in the last five minutes, proceeded to pour sugar packet after sugar packet into his cup.

Sachiko found herself having to stare after the ninth one. "Are you…all right, Ryuuzaki-san?"

Shaking the tenth one briefly and tearing it open, L replied, "But of course. I have a fondness for sugar, I forgot to mention…"

"More like an unhealthy dependence…" he could hear Light mutter.

"Ah, well…that I can't argue with."

"Anyway, Mom," Sayu piped up, "can we eat some of the bread already? I've been dying smelling that stuff bake all morning!"

"Oh, right! Just a moment, please." The woman practically jumped out of her seat once more, going to retrieve the baked good.

When it was brought to the table, L leaned in ever so slightly to observe it. Instead of saying anything to the socially-inept man, Light found that the spoon in his hand was far more preferable to look at for whatever odd reason. Each person at the table received a small plate with a slice on each along with a fork. Still, L stared, but at his slice this time.

Sayu didn't even hesitate, tearing into the bread at once. "Mom, it soooo good. Ryuuzaki-san, you have to try it!" she said, great chunks still in her mouth only partially chewed.

"Sayu! Don't talk with your mouth full, especially in front of our guest!" Sachiko scolded.

"Sorry, mom…"

After one last moment of deliberation, L took hold of his fork and acquired a bite of the date-nut bread upon it. Light still sat while lost in his thoughts, not even realizing there were even plates on the table. L sniffed the sample of bread briefly before finally sticking it in his mouth. Chews were very slow and hesitant…and, in a very short time, picked up the pace and L was already on his second bite.

"It's amazing…" L said softly, staring at the bread with awe.

A smile spread across Sachiko's face. "Why thank you so much, Ryuuzak-san! I made sure that it had extra – "

"…and here I thought it was going to be disgusting."

"…."

Okay, now Light was back in the real world. His gaze shifted from L to his mother with lightning speed, quickly assessing the situation. He had to act, and fast.

"What he means, mother, is that he's not used to seemingly healthy foods tasting so delicious. I mean, with his diet consisting only of sugar and sweets, as seen with exhibit A: his tea…"

Sayu snorted.

His mother appeared to understand the situation finally, causing Light to breathe a large sigh of relief. It was official. Christmas would undoubtedly end up in disaster as long as his sister would be around and L would continue to be almost totally devoid of social skills. He shoved some of the bread in his mouth to drown out his sorrows.