I do not own Death Note or its characters, except for my own.
Darkness and hate flooded Shiko's dreams. All she saw was her brother and her mother, just standing side by side in dark suspension. Why are you still alive? She questioned.
But before they could answer, B pulled her away and sat her on the ground. Don't talk to them, talk to me. He said, though, it was more of an order than an option.
Shiko awoke very early the next morning, cuddling with a... box? She grabbed the box and rest it on her stomach. It was perfectly wrapped with a bow on top, matching the color of her eyes.
With a confused look on her face she took off the lid and stared inside. They were clothes and they were actually pretty nice. Clean too. She took them out one by one and smiled at the when she reached the bottom of the box.
There was a small card attached to a real kitten. The tips of its ears were tan and the rest of its body was white. It mewed softly, lying on its side with a purr. But Shiko only smiled more when she read the card. I'm sorry. -- B.
"It's okay." she whispered, tucking the little kitten into the blankets. She slowly stood and dressed herself in the new clothes B had gotten her. Over a black T-shirt she wore a long, trench like coat and a pair of skinny jeans, along with a pair of sneakers. She stared at herself in the mirror, pleased with the gifts. And so she skipped off and out the door, tackling B in his corner with a smirk.
"Hey..." he groaned, "I was sleepi- Oh. Shiko." He immediately perked up, rubbing his eyes with a short yawn.
"Thanks." said Shiko, giving B a hug.
B sniffed a bit, shoving the raven away. "I don't like hugs." he said. He was actually cranky in the morning.
Shiko merely shrugged it off. "Come on, let's play." she said, trying to pull B up.
But the small boy growled and refused to cooperate. "Stop..." he whined, pouting and pushing Shiko away.
With a sigh, Shiko nodded. "Okay. You win." she said, stepping inside to bump into a short blond.
His hair just touched his shoulders and he was wearing a long sleeved black shirt and some black pants. And a chocolate bar fell from his hands to the floor. His blue eyes narrowed and glowered at Shiko. "Watch it." he hissed, picking up his chocolate bar, "Are you kidding me!? This is all dirty now! What the hell is wrong with you!?"
"Me?" Shiko twitched a bit, "What's wrong... with me!? Me! What's wrong now, huh!? What the hell did I do to you!?"
"You made me drop my chocolate, you meanie face! You're so mean!" The little blond's eyes started to well with tears, "M-Matt! I want chocolate!" He ran over to a thin red-head who sat in a chair farthest from all of the children.
Matt never glanced at the blond, only pat him on the head. He was too busy playing his Game Boy. Kirby was apparently in these days.
"Can we please go get some chocolate!?" the small blond whined, tugging at Matt's arm.
"Sh. I'm playing right now, Mello." replied Matt, "I'm almost done with Green-Greens. Then I'll get chocolate for the both of us to share, okay? And I'll even get those little graham crackers. I don't think the chef's in today so we can sneak anything you want."
Mello sniffled a bit and made a small nod, sitting beside the red-head. "Promise?' he asked childishly.
"Yeah, sh." Matt ordered, keeping his gaze on his game.
Shiko rolled her eyes and walked into the kitchen, taking some of the left over vanilla frosting and scoffing it down. She was a mess by the time she was finished.
"Shiko!" a voice called.
The small girl turned around, seeing June in the middle of the doorway. "Yes?" she asked, gently tilting her head to the side.
June smiled a bit. "You're a mess." he said, gently picking Shiko off of the floor and setting her on the counter. He next grabbed a napkin, dampened it with water and wiped her mouth and hands. "I have to give you your schedule."
"Schedule?" Shiko asked, staring up at June.
The brunette nodded, a brighter smile upon his face. "It's mandatory that everyone takes at least three classes here." he said, giving Shiko a seemingly short list.
Shiko took a mere glance at it and pointed to three things: Criminology, Algebra II, and Technology.
June blinked, but simply nodded at the choices. "Anything else you'd like to take?" he asked.
The raven pointed yet again. And it wasn't a normal choice.
"Pyrotechnics?" asked June, "Do you think that it's right for you? Are you sure you want to take this?"
Shiko answered with a simple nod. After all, she loved playing with fire, explosions and anything of that sort.
"Okay... I'll give this to Roger then." June smiled.
But Shiko winced at it. It burned her very soul. That smile was the same as her brother's and she absolutely hated it. Despised it. But it made her miss him more and regret his death. "Onii-chan..." she whispered, giving June a hug.
The brunette was startled by the action, but softly hugged her back, which made her start to cry.
"I'm sorry, O-Onii-chan... I didn't want to hurt you. B-But you're killing me inside..." Shiko sobbed, "W-Why did you have to die!? Why did I c-call the stupid cops!? I could've left m-mommy dead, b-but you – Why did I d-do this t-to you!?
"You t-talked to me and hugged me a-and loved m-me when no one e-else did! I miss y-you so much, Onii-ch-chan... I really do, and I-I'm not lying! But y-you probably hate me n-now cause I killed you, h-huh?"
June stared down at the girl, patting her head. "You... killed me?" he asked in a soft tone.
Shiko sniffled and nodded. "I called the c-cops and they came and sh-shot you when I blamed you f-for killing mommy, remember?" she whispered.
"Yeah... I remember." June said, playing along with it. He hugged Shiko tighter and sat down in a chair in the dining room, wiping away the tears from Shiko's cheeks. "Do you mind telling me what happened? I don't remember too clearly."
Shiko nodded and had spent more than an hour telling him her life story. About how she was abandoned and tossed to the side. About how her brother always played with her when she was lonely and how he made her happy when she was sad. Her brother was her role model. She would always look up to him for advice or attention. June understood that.
"What was hi- my name?" asked June.
"Taro." Shiko answered, nuzzling close to the brunette, "Can you sing me the song?"
June looked down. "Song?" he asked.
Shiko made a small nod. "Y-You know... The song you always sung to me when I was l-little..."
"Can you sing it for me? I don't seem to remember it all too well." June answered.
Shiko nodded again, sitting back against June's chest. "Gathering stars to build my castle of sand, smothered by small steps turned to dust. So dear to all of us. As time flows past us, it will hurt at nights. But my little bell will be fine. It will never die. Just chime and chime.
"In a secret place, locked away past space. Where the moons are made of blue butterflies, and where the bells will never die. In those vast, icy skies. No, my little silver bell won't cry.
"It's eyes sparkle like a starlit sky. Fluttering like thousands of dragonflies. Those smothered stars turn to ash. But our memories will never be forgotten. And we endlessly crash, my little Suzu.
"And we cannot separate like we have before, for my heart will always chime for you. Chime and chime. For a sister sweeter than raspberry wine. And we dance and dance under the light of the moon, singing this icy, endless tune. That will go on until the light disappears from my little bell's eyes."
The little raven was silent for a while, then said, "You wrote that for me... Can y-you sing it for me now? Please? I miss hearing your voice..."
June gulped. "Can you write down the words for me so I can sing it to you?" he asked, giving a small notepad and pencil to Shiko with a nervous smile.
Shiko made a small nod, grabbing the pencil and starting to write the lyrics down. And once she was done, she gave the notepad to June, staring up at him, wanting to hear him sing.
The brunette made a sheepish smile and stared down at the lyrics, starting to softly sing to Shiko as he rocked her back and forth in his arms. His voice was as smooth as silk and was as soft as cashmere. It lulled Shiko to a dreamy state. For once in her life, she wanted to sleep.
Since June was so warm, she decided it was the best thing to do at the moment. Her eyes slowly closed. She listened to the soft words that emitted from the boy's throat and slept peacefully for once in her life.
---
"...Onii-chan?" Shiko's shocking violet eyes opened to stare at the wall. She was in her bedroom, under several blankets that she knew weren't originally in there. With a small sigh, she rolled over to spy a very tiny, white haired child holding a kitten in his lap.
"Hey... H-Hey, that's my kitty." she said, frowning a bit.
The boy looked up. "...C-Can I pway with him?" he asked, holding the kitten up to his face.
Shiko thought for a minute, then sighed and nodded. "Just don't hurt him." she said, taking a pillow and stuffing her face into it.
"I see you've met Near."
The little raven slowly put her pillow to the side. "Onii-chan."
June smiled and set Near in his lap as he sat on the floor, ruffling his hair. "He likes to search around Wammy's. Curiosity always gets him, and he apparently found a friend." he said, looking down at the kitten.
Shiko only shrugged. "B gave him to me." she said, yawning and rubbing her eyes.
"B? Really?" June asked. He then remembered the cruel, torturous punishment he had received from the boy and quickly shut the thought away, wincing a bit. "He's a nice kid..."
Shiko shrugged again, yawning once more and lying down on her bed, grabbing June's hand with her own. Her hand was so tiny compared to June's. "Onii-chan?" she asked, "Are you making breakfast like you always do?"
The brunette bit his lip. "I... really don't cook much." he answered.
"Of course you do! Remember? You always made breakfast for me, how could you forget?" Shiko said, a bit of amazement upon her face.
"Oh... Right." I'm apparently her brother... "I remember now, thanks for reminding me."
Shiko smiled and asked, "Are you making french toast today? It's Thursday, isn't it? That's french toast day!"
Damn... I can't cook, even if my life was on the line. June sighed. "I don't remember how to cook it." he replied lowly.
"I knew you'd say that. Come on, I remember how to cook it. I'll teach you! Let's go in the kitchen!" Shiko stood up and tugged June along into the kitchen, looking around. Everything was dark and sickly looking. She turned the light on. The atmosphere was a little better. It was warmer, more welcoming.
"Okay. I'll need some bread, milk, three eggs and cinnamon." said Shiko, watching June grab all of the ingredients, "And now a bowl, a plate and a pan to cook it in."
June fetched the required kitchenware, already out of breath. Was cooking always this tiring?
Shiko smiled and hummed a low tune as she cracked the eggs into a bowl and mixed them up with a fork. She next climbed up onto the counter and grabbed the milk, pouring just a tiny bit into the egg mixture, mixing it up well.
"Okay. You can put on the top of the stove now." she said.
And June got right to that, turning on the stove top and placing the pan over the fire. "Is this the right heat?" he asked, pointing to the fire.
Shiko nodded and looked around. "Is there any vanilla?"
On the floor, Near chewed at the top of a bottle of vanilla he took from the refrigerator, thinking it was a bottle of milk. Either way, it tasted good.
June searched the refrigerator and cabinets, but found no luck. "I don't think there is an- Hey, don't chew on that." He took away the small bottle from Near's hands and placed it on the counter, watching him slowly seep into sadness.
"Moo!" Near whined, again searching the refrigerator for his bottle.
"Oh, right." June grabbed a clean bottle from the cabinet and filled it with milk, giving it to Near with a smile.
Near was satisfied.
Shiko made a face as she picked up the bottle of vanilla doused with drool. She slowly unscrewed the cap and poured a little into the egg mixture, again mixing it. "I think this will be our best batch ever!"
"Why do you say that?" asked June.
"You always forgot to get vanilla, and now we have it!" Shiko cheered, "Now, just dip the bread in on both sides and put it on the pan, okay?"
"Got it." replied June, doing exactly as he was told. And he suddenly smiled as he realized he was actually cooking. I really can cook!
Shiko peeked over June's shoulder. "Watch it, it's gonna burn if you don't keep an eye on it." she said.
June made a small nod, flipping the bread over as it turned a golden brown color. He smiled. It actually didn't burn.
"See? You do remember how to cook!" Shiko said happily, taking the clean plate from the counter and setting it on her lap, "Now put it on the plate when it's done."
The brunette took a peek at the bread and gently picked it up with the fork he had in his hand, placing it on the plate. "How's that?" he asked.
"Perfect!" Shiko chimed, "See? These are the best ever!"
"Yeah, they really are." June said softly. He cooked what ever was left of the bread and placed the pan into the sink, washing it with a smile. "We have powdered sugar and butter if you like that."
Shiko nodded, placing the full plate of french toast to the side. She grabbed the jar of powdered sugar from June and struggled to open the top, resulting it to fly everywhere. "Is it snowing?" she asked, trying to push away the sugar dust with her tiny hands.
June quietly laughed and shook his head, taking some powdered sugar and patting it on Shiko's nose.
"Hey..." The little girl smiled and took some sugar in her hand, throwing it at June.
The brunette sneezed in reply. And a sugar fight had begun. It flew across the kitchen and covered counters and floors. Near was even whiter than before, if that was possible. He blended in so well with the sugar; and he was peacefully sitting on the floor with the kitten in his lap, silently watching the two and drinking his milk.
June laughed and took the container of cinnamon, dumping it atop Shiko's head.
She giggled and laughed happily. And they threw the powder and cinnamon back and forth at each other, having such a wonderful time.
She's really such a sweet girl... June thought, All she really wants... is a brother and attention. I'll do both for her... I can't see how she threatened Tanna and A like that. It couldn't possibly be her...
"What is the meaning of this?"
June froze in place, shivering a little. "Oh... Roger... We were jus-"
"Just fooling around and making a complete mess in the kitchen?" interrupted Roger, crossing his arms across his chest.
June ducked his head and sighed. "Yes, sir." he mumbled, "I'll clean it up."
Roger's gaze shifted down to Shiko. "And you. You are not permitted into the kitchen any longer."
"B-But..." Shiko frowned, jumping down from the counter and hiding behind June. For the first time in her life, she felt fear take over her. "Make him go away, Onii-chan..."
June bit at his lower lip and sighed. "I'm gonna have to clean this all up." he said sadly, bending down to meet Shiko's gaze, "You run along and play with the other kids."
"B-But they don't like me." Shiko whispered, "And I don't want to lose you. Ever. Please, Onii-chan. Stay with me."
The brunette thought about it for a moment, gave her a gentle hug and replied, "Okay. I will. After I clean up this mess."
Shiko smiled and clung to June's leg.
He carried her about the kitchen as he cleaned up. He smiled as he watched the fragile little toddler in the corner, licking the sugar off of himself. He was completely clean. "That's one less person to wash." he mumbled, laughing a bit.
With a small sigh he washed the floors and counters, stepping back as the place slightly sparkled. "Okay... Time for your nap, Near." he said, picking the little boy from the floor.
"Meow, meow!" he cried, pointing at Shiko's bedroom.
June grinned. "I think he wants your kitty." he said.
"Okay... He could have him. But only if he doesn't hurt him." Shiko answered, hugging June's leg tighter.
"He's only two, he can't do much harm. He's actually quite content and gentle around things." replied the brunette. He carried Near into his room and placed him in a small bed, taking the kitten from Shiko's bedroom and resting it beside the tiny boy. "Nighty, Near."
June smiled and turned to Shiko. "Ready to eat your breakfast?" he asked.
Shiko nodded excitedly, following the boy into the dining room, where June had set the plate. "We're eating together again!" she cheered, sitting right beside June.
They silently ate at the children all played together outside. All but one. A sat alone on the old swing set, staring down at his feet. He actually looked a little depressed. "I'll be right back..." Shiko said. She jumped from her chair and stepped outside, walking over to the small, light haired blond. "Are you okay?" she asked.
A slowly shook his head, a few tears escaping his eyes.
"Wh-What's wrong?" asked Shiko. She was actually concerned about a person she barely knew. It must have been his aura that she liked.
"T-T-Tanna was b-being r-real mean t-t-to me!" A sobbed, wiping his eyes with the scarf that draped over his shoulders, "Sh-Sh-She p-push-shed m-m-me a-a-!"
Shiko clamped a hand over A's mouth. "Calm down, then speak. I can't understand a word you're saying." she mumbled, removing her hand.
A sobbed a few more times then held his breath, wiping the tears from his eyes once more. "T-Tanna pushed me and said I-I wasn't her friend anymore... And th-then she ignored me and didn't want t-to play with me... She's so m-mean to me, even though you think she's nice and happy... She's r-really mean..."
The young raven's shocking violet eyes narrowed and glowered at the bubbly brunette across the yard. "I'll be right back." she growled, sneaking into Wammy's kitchen and taking a knife. She traced her finger across the blade. It sparkled almost as brightly as her eyes..
With a malicious smirk, she crept along the shadows of the building, making her way over to the fiend. She was with a group of two other girls.
One was named Luna. Her hair was long, very light brown and her eyes a pale blue. She had slightly tanned skin. She wore a pair of bleached jeans and a light green T-shirt. In her hands was a tin of mints.
The other girl was named Ida. She had bright red, pin straight hair that jut touched her shoulders. Her eyes were as dark as pure cocoa and they shone brightly in the sunlight. She wore a purple shirt with some sort of flashy design and a pair of jean capris. Her pockets were stuffed with jelly beans.
"Excuse me."
Tanna fluttered her eyelashes and turned around, raising an eyebrow. "Look, girls. The weirdo is here." she said in a bit of a mocking tone.
Shiko was not amused. The knife was stuffed into her back pocket. "I heard you hurt my friend." she mumbled, "That doesn't go well with me if you hurt one of my friends..."
"Hey, don't talk to our leader like that!" Luna snapped, literally snapping her fingers right in Shiko's face.
The raven smacked her hand away with a growl, turning her attention back to Tanna. "Go apologize now before I get really mad..." she hissed.
"What are you gonna do about it, huh? Are you gonna tell your mommy?" Ida said, her annoying high pitched voice ringing in Shiko's ear.
The young girl smirked and grabbed Ida's shoulders, pushing her right to the ground with an unbelievable force. She next took out the knife, holding it to Tanna's throat. "Ten seconds until your head is severed." she muttered.
Tanna stuck out her tongue. "It's just a stupid plastic knife." he replied.
"Wanna bet on that?" Shiko growled, placing the tip of the knife right to the brunette's neck, just cutting the skin.
Tanna's eyes widened. The knife was real. "Are you crazy!?" she screamed.
"Why, yes I am. Thank you very much for that lovely comment. And guess what! You're time is UP!" Shiko snarled. She rose the knife high above her head and Tanna screamed as loud as she could, running away.
Shiko gave a cackle of laughter and stared at Tanna as she ran, chasing after her with wild eyes. "What's wrong now, huh!? Scared of an instrument of torture that could easily tear apart that soft, delicate waste of skin you have there!?" she shrieked, lunging the knife forward, just missing the brunette's shoulder.
"Get away from me!" Tanna screeched, sobbing loudly as she tried to escape Shiko's wrath. But there was no escape. She was trapped. No one could save her, not even Luna or Ida, because they had already ran inside and locked their bedroom doors.
"Come here! Let me re-arrange that horrid face of yours! I'm the perfect surgeon! Get back here!" Shiko hissed, letting out another cackle of laughter as she lunged the knife forward. But instead of hitting Tanna, she accidentally hit herself. She stabbed herself right in the arm. She slightly twitched, but smiled some sort of sinister smile. "Onii-chan!!" she cried, running inside the Wammy House and clinging to June, "I got huuuurt!"
June's eyes widened a bit. He took the knife from Shiko and placed in the sink, lifting up the sleeve of her shirt. It was a bloody mess. "Let me clean you up, then I'll let you go, okay?"
Shiko nodded, noticing that January was also in the room, but she didn't mind him. They were practically friends already.
"W-What is the meaning of this? I just saw Shiko chasing poor little Tanna with a kitchen knife!" Roger yelled, walking into the room, "Were you trying to kill her?"
January rolled his eyes. "She wasn't murdering Tanna, they were just playing. Right, Shiko?" he said with a smile.
Shiko slowly nodded, giving Roger a cute pout.
He frowned in reply.
"Okay, you're all cleaned up. You can go play again." said June, giving Shiko her knife back.
The little raven smiled and gave the brunette a big hug. "Thank you, Onii-chan!" she cheered, skipping out of the building with a deadly smirk.
"N-No running!!" Roger yelled.
"I'm not running! I'm skipping!" Shiko yelled back.
Roger sighed, "What's the use... They barely listen these days..."
End of Chapter Two. Wasn't that lovely? Such a touching ending...
I wuff you Winter Poison~! You are my hero forever and ever!