Thanks for being patient and waiting for the next installment, though it took quite a ... long while. Hehe, well, I'd like to thank animeangel2798, Animenerdperson12367, and tahere for following this story :). I would also like to thank snow642 and tahere again for adding it to their favorites list ;). Thank's guys.
Please review if you like this story and to encourage me to write more :). Oh, and I don't own Death Note, because I'll admit that I absolutely suck at drawing, so even the thumbnails wouldn't work for me DX.
Uggh… is it morning already?
My head rolled to the right as I craned my neck to look out the window on the wall.
…
This weird feeling of… realization?... came over me and my body suddenly jerked upright and I gasped loudly. My heart was beating fast as I scanned the room, looking for something. I relaxed when I didn't find some terrifying monster standing there with me. What is wrong with me? Why am I looking for a monster?
I did an eye-roll, stepping out of bed in my pj's and heading towards the closet. I grabbed something plain to wear: calf-length pants with a brown belt, a brown tank-top, and a coat that was darker. Picking up some underwear from my drawers, I then went to the bathroom for a much-needed shower. The water felt nice against my skin, and I cleaned my hair thoroughly before stepping out and getting dressed. I left my hair surrounded with the towel while I went to go make myself breakfast.
It was around 10:00 in the morning, which meant I must have stayed up pretty late last night. I sighed, having forgotten just what had happened. It was amazing I even had anything to do. There wasn't much left that I could do ever since my parents had died a few years back. Chichi Notsuki and Haha Notsuki had been in a car accident with a drunk driver. Chichi, my father, had been an accountant for some major stock company. His good looks always helped him advance in his career, but he denied such accusations. He had nice wavy black hair, with a cleft chin, deep brown eyes, and a square jaw to make any woman swoon. Haha, my mother, had the same sky-blue hair I did, and her face was plain, having a more feminine jawline, a regular mouth, and a regular nose. What really made her stand out and made my father absolutely fall for her, was her large, golden eyes. They were always so radiant and lively that she came off younger than she actually was. Sometimes, I wish I had inherited them, but I guess it just wasn't meant to be.
Ever since the accident, I had been put into this apartment by one of the sponsors running a special program for orphaned teens. We were each assigned a special social worker who came to check up on us three times a week. My social worker was Sai Kyara, a woman with navy blue hair, pale purple eyes, a straight nose, and a regular-sized mouth. She was like a second mother to me. She always brought some form of food with her on visits, and she talked with me like I was another person like her, not a victim of a tragic loss. Her smiles were easy to come by, and she wasn't too harsh when I did something I wasn't supposed to. I thought of the odds of her becoming my 'guardian', and I was relieved that I had been assigned to her. She was the closest person I had in my life.
My parents' deaths had also made me a bit antisocial. My friends had gradually left me behind, and there weren't any going-away parties when I had to move over here in Japan. I didn't mind too much, so long as I had Ms. Kyara. Other than that, I had also grown an unhealthy obsession with anime. Naruto inspired me when I was feeling in the rut. Natsu made me feel smart. Haruhi made me feel normal. I never went so far as to wish I was in their universes, messing with things, but I admired how they could change my mood so quickly. I was weird like that. Even my name was weird: Orijinaru Notsuki. If I had been Ms. Kyara's daughter, I knew it would have been much weirder.
Getting back from my train of thought, I reached up in the kitchen cabinet and grabbed the box of Chex. I grabbed a bowl from inside the clean dishwasher and began to pour myself some. After I poured the milk in, I began eating it hungrily.
It wasn't until I had finished scrubbing my dirty dishes that I got this weird feeling. Looking down at my wet hands… I couldn't help but think that they looked so… flat. I couldn't explain it, but it was like I had lost a dimension. It also felt like I was missing something important about my social worker. My head continued to be pounded with the notion that she was more important than she already was to me. Gripping the countertop, I forced the emotions I didn't like out of my head, and the thoughts that came with them. Because, come on, I already know I'm crazy; there was no need to take it any further than that. It's probably because I was just thinking about Ms. Kyara, and I don't have my necklace on yet. Sometimes I feel uneasy if it isn't around my neck.
Knowing that, I marched back to my bedroom to retrieve it from the computer desk where I had left it the night before. It was made out of metal, with a beautiful, silver heart pendant attached to it. I'd had it with me ever since eight years ago, when… I shook my head; I didn't want to think about it right now.
Another strange sensation came over me, like I had forgotten something really important. But it wasn't like before, with all of these alien emotions just flooding into me. I walked into the living room, with modern furniture that was all an icky shade of green. Even the TV was set atop a lime-green cover that just looked horrendous anywhere near it. I might have redecorated it, but I only had so much money, and I needed to save up for college and stuff like that. So, my living room was just going to have to suffer being gross until the next orphan who stayed here decided to change it themselves. I strode up to the calendar on the right side of said television, looking at the date.
Hmm… it's November 28, so… HOLY SHIT! I forgot my appointment! If I don't go, I might not be able to land another scholarship so hefty. Damnit!
I ran like a bat out of hell to do my hair and grab my bag and keys, running out the door in the hopes of making my 11:10 interview with some To-Oh University representatives. They were giving away special scholarships for orphans with low funds, provided they had a good record and the grades to prove they were 'worthy' of being in university. My feet pounded the ground as I rounded corner after corner, racing to the bus-stop. It took me a few minutes to get there, and I was exhausted once I did. The people around me looked concerned, though they didn't ask if I was alright, just continued to board the bus in front of them. I quickly got in line, attempting to control my breathing. I took a seat near the back since the front was already packed, and I discreetly sniffed myself, checking to see if I reeked from body odor. I was glad that it was only minor, and a few sprays from my handy cheap perfume would fix it.
It was 11:06 when I was walking up to the open door in the administrator's office. It shut behind me, and I was faced with a woman in her late fifties. She told me to go through another door on my right, and I thanked her before leaving. It might have been my imagination, but I thought I heard her say, "Teenagers, humph, always showing up at the last minute. Back in my day…"
Once I entered a large, bleak room, I closed the door and walked to the center of it, facing a table filled with strict-looking individuals who each had a sharp glint in their eyes as they looked me over. This is going to be a long day.
…
I exited the room around four hours later. I was exhausted, especially in my legs, which had been shaking nearly the entire time. I stuttered with numerous answers, and watched as their faces grew more disapproving as each word got another syllable. It was absolutely mortifying, though they said I still had a shot considering my high test scores. I was apparently the sixth top student in the country, and that was when I was too lazy to do all my work. But there was no way I was going to brag. I hate those types of people who feel the need to put every major achievement they'd ever had out there for people to compliment. Besides, if I was too lazy to do the actual work all the way, there was no point in fooling myself into believing that I was smarter than I was. Intelligence is not limited to what you know, but what you do along with it, or so I always thought. Well, it didn't hurt to be sixth in the country, especially not today, when I could've been out of the running with the little performance I was giving. I thought at one point that they had even started to believe that I was trying to be funny with them. Yeah, 'cause a high-level student can't be nervous or anything.
I hung my head. There was nothing I could do but sit around and wait for the results. After that, then I could mentally skin myself alive for being born chronically tongue-tied. Perhaps if I had worn something black that day, I wouldn't have felt so out of place. But then I dropped the idea, since I was beginning to pick at pieces of hay.
I strode towards the bus stop, ready to go home.
When I got there, who else should be on my couch but Ms. Kyara? She quickly stood up, revealing casual sweats and a t-shirt. She must have been on her afternoon jog.
"Hello, Ori." She greeted me with a wide smile, and I smiled back at her nickname for me.
"Hey Ms. Kyara. How's it going?" I deposited my bag on the couch and sat down next to it and her.
"Hmm? Oh, everything's fine. But I do have to ask about how your interview went." Her eyes were expectant as they took me in from the side.
"It went… well enough."
"Well enough? What do you mean by that?"
"Umm… well, I practically stuttered through the whole thing."
"Ouch. Are they still considering you though?" She looked worriedly at me as she turned her body to face mine.
"They say my grades and performance are good enough to keep me in the running… but I don't think I'm a complete shoe-in." I ran my fingers through my hair in frustration. "I just hope I can get into some kind of college. I don't want to end up a hobo."
She laughed. "Yes, that would be rather unfortunate. Then you would have to move all over the place, and I wouldn't be able to find you to give you some of my delicious home-made fudge balls." Smiling knowingly, she pulled a back from next to the couch onto her lap. I could already smell the chocolaty goodness wafting from it.
"Hmm… It would be a shame if I was denied this simple pleasure in life." My mouth watered, and I waited for her to open it and hand me a piece, which I plopped into my mouth. "Ahhh…" I sighed in pleasure, sticking another in as Ms. Kyara did the same.
"So…" she opened her mouth to ask me another question. "You got anything else you're up to?"
I thought about that for a bit. "Uhh… no. I am going to go look for some more black clothing at Hot Topic later on. They have some new jeans and skirts that I might want to check out."
"Uggh." She rolled her eyes and smiled. "Your Gothic store."
"It is an amazing store. I even get some of my screamo music from there. It's the only place I'll buy clothes from." I stared at the ground for a bit in concentration of nothing.
"Did you hear about that… umm… what's his name? Oh yeah, have you heard about that Kurou Otoharada?"
"No… can't say I have." Even so, the name rang a distant bell in my mind.
"Well, apparently he held an elementary school teacher and her students hostage. He was probably after money. But then he suddenly collapsed and the kids came rushing outside. It was strange, I've never seen someone have a heart-attack in the middle of something like that."
"That's pretty weird. It was probably just a coincidence, but at least those guys weren't hurt." My hands unconsciously started fiddling with the heart of my necklace. The event was abnormal, but not much. Still, these stupid feelings I recently acquired were spiking my paranoia levels.
Ms. K closed the lid and handed it over to me. "Sorry, I have something to do now. I just stopped by to say hello." Oh yeah, I forgot that she was supposed to be visiting in a couple of days. "Now I've got to go check up on some of the others." She gave me an award-winning smile as she stood and brushed her hands on her sweats. She started heading out the door, only stopping to turn back like she had forgotten something. "Oh yeah, and Ori? Don't go wandering the streets late at night. There's been a spike in crime lately, and I don't want you to get hurt."
"Alrighty boss." I used a sarcastic tone and mock-saluted her.
She threw a worried glance over at me before shutting the door. I'll be just fine. She just worries too much for her own good. Pretty soon, she'll start getting wrinkles from all that concern. I laughed at the thought of my attractive social worker looking like a grandma with a hot body.
I looked at the clock again, and saw that it was 4:37. It would lessen my boredom if I went to Hot Topic right then, so I decided I would.
I spent hours just looking at all the new stuff lining the racks and counters. There were new wallets with captions depicting the middle finger on them. Others held more dark themes concerning different types of flowers. I especially admired the one with roses on it. It looked really pretty to me with its red and black coloring. I almost bought one, but then I remembered that I didn't have enough money to splurge at the moment.
I needed a better job. I was currently working as an engraver at a trophy factory. Each work day, I would come in and carve whatever message was needed into five-hundred plus trophies. It was not fun, but I needed the cash, and they needed the work. I was thinking about getting a job more in the probability field. I found I was good at predicting things… but I could just be a little cocky at the same time. It didn't matter; I just needed to get a serious occupational upgrade. Until then, it was sticking to sweating scholarships, no splurging, and putting food on the table and water and electricity in the house.
So, most of my trip was spent looking around and buying a few cool jeans and a lot of new shirts. By the time I was done, it was really dark outside.
Considering that the store wasn't that far away from my apartment, I just walked home. My shopping bag with my purse inside was carried in my right hand, and my left just dangled at my side. My eyes were straight ahead as I pondered whether or not I could possibly get into To-Oh or anywhere else if I applied for another scholarship.
Because I was so wrapped up in my own thoughts, I didn't register the sound of motorcycles speeding towards me until one shined its bright lights on me and I heard a ragged voice say, "Hey
baby!"
I turned towards the lights, gasping, and one of the vehicles drove up behind me, another blocking the path in front. My legs began to shake as I looked at the man wearing sunglasses with a space in-between his front teeth. His eyes leered at me from behind those dark shades.
"Where you going? Come have a little fun with us. A blue-head like you should be pretty exciting." He leaned slightly towards me as he said this in an appreciative voice.
"That's our Taku for ya," the guy behind me spoke. "This guy could spot a hottie a mile away."
"What's up little lady?" He lowered his glasses a little bit so we were now staring at each other's eyes. "The name's Takuo Shibuimaru. What do you say? Come hang out with us pretty lady." Takuo's voice grew loud as he talked to me. He was wearing biking clothes with fur on them and a white helmet.
I didn't know exactly where this was going, but I didn't want to stick around and find out either. "Please," I began, "I don't want any trouble."
Another of this guy's lackeys spoke up to my right. "You hear that? She doesn't want trouble." He mocked me in a degrading voice. What a jerk! No, I can't egg them on. I need to get out of here, that's all I need to do.
"Whoo, isn't that cute?" Takuo's voice began to sound more and more annoying as I had to listen to his continuing words. I turned around, hoping to try and duck out around the guy behind me. But, fate would have it that Takuo put a metal pole around my neck and was pulling me backwards so that my body was half leaning back, half standing on the pavement. What the…? WHEN THE HELL DID HE GET THIS POLE?! I don't remember him having it on him!
They all laughed in my ears at my vulnerability, my defenselessness. I was angry. I was pissed… But I was also scared, of what they would do to me, of whether I would be able to fight back or not. The latter was probably the truest, since Takuo seemed to have a steely grip, and I couldn't budge the thing around my neck an inch.
"Let's go boys! Strip her down right here." FUCK NO! I don't want to be raped, I don't want to be stripped!
"Are you sure?" The guy who had been on the motorcycle previously behind me asked this in an eager voice. He didn't even wait for an answer to move his hands to the belt around my waist. He unbuckled it like a pro.
"No!" I stopped trying to push the tube off my neck and lowered my hands onto his to keep him from going any further. We struggled for a bit. "Stop!" I pleaded with him. They merely chuckled lowly. "Please, help me!" I screamed to the streets around me, though there didn't seem to be anyone there. The shops around me were lively though, the occupants of which I so desperately cried out to for help.
But no one came to my aid. Instead, I felt Takuo's grip loosen as he bent over to watch with lusty eyes as the guy in front continued to try to pull down my pants. I used the opportunity to use my neck and one hand to shove the pipe as hard as I possibly could. I gasped in relief when it came off, and quickly ran to the side of the sidewalk, gasping as I hastily redid the belt and took in air greedily.
"Hey, wait up!" The supposed leader's voice came from behind me, and I heard his engine rev to life. I began to cross the street in a hurry to get away from these low-life bastards. I had dropped my bag when they had started the assault, but I wasn't too concerned with getting it back. When asked if I would prefer rape to losing some clothes… yeah, I think I would go with the 'losing some clothes' option. So I ran as fast as my legs would carry me.
"Takuo!"
"Look out!" His lackeys seemed to have noticed something he and I hadn't, but I didn't care.
I heard his motorcycle getting close to me… And then…
Craaashh…
The sound of metal on metal, breaking glass, and … something else being ripped reached my ears as a strong wind rushed right behind me.
"No…." I huffed as my body stumbled, my hand reaching towards the ground to push my torso back up so I could keep running. "No….." My voice came out scared and small as I realized what must have happened. Then, I screamed.
It was ear-piercingly loud and just as scared sounding. I was scared alright, scared shitless.
I stumbled once I got to the sidewalk, breathing hard, with tears streaming out of my eyes. I was still screaming as I looked back at what had once been a lust-filled biker. I finally stopped screaming, and just retched on the side. Once I was done with that, I moved on to hyperventilating.
What the… What the… WHAT THE FUCK JUST HAPPENED?! I was barely capable of coherent thought. Oh God, Oh God… He just… and I… Oh God, OH GOD!
I retched again.
My body was shaking, with fear, with understanding… but also, with recognition. And that just freaked me out to the point that I didn't register anything… nothing… except the face of the boy looking out a window in a magazine store across the street. He had nicely done brown hair, beautiful brown eyes, and clothes that looked like they would die if they ever encountered a wrinkle. He was staring incredulously at the scene. He was scared, too. I could tell, but there was also a look of confirmation, and guilt, in his eyes. His breathing came fast.
I didn't know who this guy was, but suddenly, a name popped into my mind: Light Yagami.
My mouth dropped in horror at the thought. Oh God, now I'm imagining that I know random guys. I… I need to go home! I need to get away from here! I should have listened to mom… er, Ms. Kyara. Now I'm messing up people in my own head!
I stood up on shaky legs, walking home as fast as I possibly could in my condition. I stumbled four times before running into my door and taking out the keys. Once inside, I slammed the door behind me and crumpled to the floor, just sobbing as hard as was possible. Eventually, I fell asleep in that position, and my dreams were haunted with games of chess and pieces that had faces on them, like that guy at the magazine store's face.
Thanks for reading ^^.