So, I haven't gotten any reviews yet, which is rather upsetting, but I figured it would just take another chapter or two. I really do believe that this story will turn out great...hopefully....
In this chapter, hints of who Luna's cousin is are dropped...well, pretty much not even a hint, seeing as how he'll be talked about. Probably won't show until the third or fourth chapter, though, so blah! Blah to you all!
Author: Sethrine
Title: Too Close For Comfort
Chapter Title: The Keeper of the Death Note
Chapter Summary: It's been a week since the cafe incident, and Luna's forgotten about the whole ordeal, being too absorbed in her studies. When she runs into Light once again, however, unease settles over both. All the while, a plan to figure out Luna's secret begins to take form.
Disclaimer: I own nothing of the Death Note kind, else everything would be completely different!
~Only those that can see beyond the human eye
Can see where unbidden emotions lie~
"See ya Monday, Atara!" Luna exclaimed with a bright smile and a wave of her hand as she left the closing cafe to her boss. Though the blonde had offered to help the carefree woman lock up, she declined the blonde and insisted that Luna go home and rest. She had been working double-shifts for the passed few weeks, not to mention studying for her exams that were coming up that Tuesday afternoon. With the stress of her job and constant studies, she more than deserved a break.
With her book bag slung over her right shoulder and Skies fluttering beside her, Luna made her way around the corner that led towards her favorite little grocery store, the last rays of the golden sun lighting her path the whole way.
As she walked, Luna couldn't help but think about what had happened just a week ago at the cafe. One week ago, she was taught about the Death Note and what it meant for a human to be holding it. It was that same day a week ago that she realized that Light Yagami, one of the brightest students at To-ho University, the same college she was also enrolled in, was an owner of the murderous notebook.
Perhaps he was just holding it and not actually using it? Maybe he was planning on giving it to someone else so that he didn't have to bother with the burden that came along with the Death Note. Whatever the case, she knew that the notebook was very dangerous, especially in a human's hands. There was a nagging question, however, that kept popping up in the back of her mind, one that she was hoping had nothing to do with the usually polite, role-model worthy, straight-A college student: Was there some kind of connection between him and the murders that had been happening for the passed few weeks?
Once at her destination, she shook her head of her rather disturbing thoughts and entered the glass double doors, instantly beeing greeted by the owner who, as he always seemed to be when she came by, was working the register at the time. She smiled politely and waved with her greeting before grabbing one of the dark blue hand baskets, moving carefully through the aisles in search of her food items. With the amount of time she spent in the store, it was a wonder that she didn't know where everything was by this point!
First, she went ahead and grabbed the milk chocolate and white chocolate chips, making sure they were already sweetened and ready to melt, then headed straight for the milk and orange juice. She would have to wait to get her father's wire whisk; this store didn't have one. When she got to the tiny fruit stand to look for some fresh strawberries, Luna paused and straightened a bit, feeling a wash of unease slide across her skin. Skies seemed to notice the feeling and began to look around, keeping on high alert in case something were to go astray.
Though neither being knew who it was or why, someone was watching Luna, and rather closely at that.
Luna forced herself to ignore the feeling as best she could and quickly shifted through the containers of strawberries, finding three that were to her liking and placing them in the basket as well. As she made her way to the register and was quickly checked out and back on the streets with her bags of groceries, she noticed that she didn't feel as uncomfortable as before, though the feeling was still there.
"Tell me, Luna, now that you have the weekend to yourself, what do you plan on doing?
Luna gave a small smile at Skies' attempt to distract her from the strange feeling of being watched, knowing that the fairy Guardian was trying her hardest to figure out who the person was and where he or she was lurking.
"I was thinking about hanging out with my dad and Matsuda(1), if they don't have to work too hard. Haven't seen my cousin in a while. I was also thinking about looking up a few things."
"Are these things 'Kira' related?"
Luna gave a sheepish smile at being caught. "I'm still very curious, Skies. If anything, I want to know more about this Kira person ; how he thinks, how he operates, his motive that drives him to killing...It's all very fascinating to me, yet at the same time, it scares me to death."
"It better," Skies stated gruffly, crossing her arms and moving to sit stiffly on her human's shoulder. "I do not wish to have you involved in such disdainful acts of incompetence. Whoever this Kira is, they are foolish."
"I don't want to get involved, Skies, I just want to know, to understand even more than the police probably do. Although, I wouldn't mind having a go at it, actually being within the police, getting straight-to-the-point informa-"
"Shush."
Luna's eyes fluttered a moment, taken aback by her Guardian's harsh whisper. "I didn't mean to upset you, Skies, I was just-"
"Shush, Luna, there is unwanted company around us. They have been following you for a time now."
Luna's breath caught in her throat at the mention of her stalkers, and she was instantly quiet. She was so lost in thought that she had almost completely forgotten about her little dilemma. There was, strangely, no one around on the darkened, street lamp lightened sidewalk were the blonde was at, which meant that whoever was following her had to be behind her. Hesitantly, she stopped walking and gave a slow but sharp turn, her grocery bags swinging with her as she made the swift movement.
"Luna, no! Turn back around and continue home!"
Startled at Skies' words, Luna turned back around quickly, only to give a startled yelp while dropping her bags in the process. There, standing before her with a wide, smirking smile and nearly glowing eyes, was the Shinigami she had seen floating behind Light at the cafe nearly a week ago.
"Hey," it whispered in an eerie, raspy voice, giving an almost gleeful chuckle at Luna's stunned face.
"Run, Luna," Skies whispered harshly, fluttering up to eye-level with the Shinigami in a defensive pose.
Not waiting for a second command, Luna gave a sharp turn, attempting to run in the opposite direction, only to run into a warm, hard body. Startled, Luna looked up to see the calm, slightly smirking face of the one person she was hoping to avoid entirely: Light Yagami.
One of his hands seemed to take a firm hold of her wrist almost instantly after the run-in; Luna was nearly in hysterics.
"L-let me go," she stuttered in a rush, tugging at her captured arm at a sad attempt to get him to let her go. "My cousin's a cop; if you don't let me go, then so help me-"
"Wait," Light whispered calmly, relenting on his hold a bit as he gave a small smile, one that made Skies's skin crawl and Luna doubt her earlier assumption of the young man. "No need to get so riled up. I just want to talk to you."
Though still unsure of his intentions, Luna gave up her struggling, seemingly much to the Shinigami's delight. "Wise choice!"
Luna jumped at the raspy voice coming from behind her. She had not expected it to actually be able to speak to her, so it was still shocking and rather odd to hear it's unusual voice.
Light made a small sound of approval at her reaction as if he had just discovered proof of a known fact. Again, there was unease on Luna's part, finding its way into the air to cause a sort of tension between her and Light. Oh, how ridiculous all of this was becoming to the young woman!
"So, you can see and hear Ryuk, can't you," he stated more than asked, releasing Luna from his grip and walking a few steps forward to pick up her dropped grocery bags. Luna made a move to get them herself, but Skies, who was still staring the Shinigami, Ryuk, down, gave an automatic command from her position.
"Do not move from your place, Lulu."
Luna stopped at her childhood nickname, wincing as Ryuk began to chuckle wholeheartedly. Light stood with the bags in-hand, giving the Shinigami a strange look before moving back to Luna.
"Ryuk seems to have taken a liking to you, though I don't really understand why. Nor can I understand how you can see him. Tell me, just who are you really? There's certainly more to you than meets the eye."
Luna looked hesitantly to her Guardian, seeing that Skies had abandoned her post from in front of the Shinigami to flutter beside the blonde.
Dark Skies, needless to say, was beyond pissed with the situation.
"Do not answer anything he asks you, Lulu. I will not have you involved with this pair."
Luna then glanced at Light who was looking in the general direction of Skies. For one slow, heart-pounding second, she thought that he could actually see and hear Skies floating and talking there beside her. It was with relief that the blonde remembered only she could see the fairy Guardian unless she wanted otherwise (2).
"What's wrong? Are you afraid of me? I'm not here to hurt you, if that's what you're thinking. I just want to talk."
Light's voice was unwavering and as calm as ever, even after a long moment of silence and hesitant looks from the blonde young woman. There was a small smirk playing up his features, yet there was the tiniest bit of hesitance that shown in his eyes that had even Skies wondering.
"Perhaps I'm being too forward. Why don't we start with introductions? You haven't even given me your name yet...."
"This young man is just temping me," Skies all but growled, her voice seething with anger. How dare he begin to even try to play these games with her...with Luna! "He has a Death Note, Lulu, do not forget that."
Luna gave a hurried glance at her Guardian with a somewhat doubting look, the notion not having gone unnoticed by the rather observative young man.
"You...haven't given me your name, either," Luna stated despite already knowing who he was, her voice cracking with her nervousness. She was no longer scared of the situation, just rather uneasy and a bit on edge. It wasn't helping that the young man standing before her kept glancing at her side where Skies was still angrily floating.
Light gave the seemingly empty space beside Luna one final glance before staring straight at the young woman. His eyes were brighter than before, filled with a new resolve of the situation the two had driven themselves into, and in a confident voice, he gave his name.
"Light Yagami."
"Luna Deril."
Skies's head snapped to the side to look at her human in bewilderment, glinting eyes wide and unbelieving. Luna was deliberately going against the fairy's wishes and giving her name to the one person who very well didn't need it.
"Luna...you look familiar, like I've seen you before the cafe, yet your name doesn't ring a bell."
"I attend To-ho University, same as you; we have a few of the same classes." Luna's reply was quick and to the point, something that neither Skies nor Light had been expecting. She had been keeping to herself for the whole meeting, and now she was just giving out information willy-nilly; it was a rather strange turn of events.
"You don't seem to be of Japanese decent," he pointed out nearly out-of-the-blue, hinting at her rather pale skin, a characteristic uncommon among the Japanese. "If it wasn't for you speaking Japanese to me, I would have automatically assumed you were an American."
"That's because I am American, as is my father. I was born in America, but my birth mother died when I was at a young age, and my father remarried my Japanese mother not two years later. We relocated here after the marriage; it wasn't that hard for me to learn the language."
Luna paused to look at Ryuk who now had his eyes focused on Skies. The fairy was purposely ignoring him while at the same time seething over Luna's incompetence. It looked like the Guardian would have to work extra hard to keep her human safe from now on.
Satisfied with her answer, he moved a bit closer and held out the grocery bags that he had been holding since the conversation became serious. Luna hesitantly reached out for the bags of food content, giving a sharp gasp when her wrist was grabbed in a firm grip in the process. The sudden grab at her was meant to catch her attention, not to hold her captive.
"Why are you so suddenly compliant with my questions? You were so hesitant before; your change in demeanor surprises me."
Luna gave a shuddering breath as she took hold of the bags in his hand and pulled away from him rather easily, taking a few steps back to distance herself from the increasingly charming and dangerous man, her eyes darting to stare at the ground.
"I know that you are the owner of a Death Note, a notebook that can kill others with just their name. Perhaps I'm over thinking the situation, but if I'm not mistaken, you'll kill me first thing I decide to leave. The fact that I'm still alive at the moment is surprising. I know your secret, yet I am far from dead."
She glanced back up momentarily before forcing her gaze back down, afraid that her eyes would be caught by his.
Light continued to stare at the young woman, his mind in contemplation. There was just something about her that didn't add up, didn't really make any sense. She was smart, that much was evident in her choice of word-play, yet at the same time, she was mysterious, almost incompetent in his eyes, and it was both aggravating and intriging at the same time.
Luna looked up, startled when Light gave the faintest of laughs as he moved closer to her once more. The blonde was all but stunned in her spot, unable to move away from the advancing young man.
"Why would I kill you when you pose no immediate threat to me? You don't seem the type to underestimate a situation, so you must have already thought of the police not believing a word you said. It would seem almost childish, wouldn't it, to try explaining that someone has a killer notebook?"
He smiled at the blonde as he stood right in front of her, his eyes slightly narrowed, yet still as calculating and clever as ever.
"No, you're much smarter than the average person. You're a very interesting young woman, Luna, someone I would actually find worthy of my time to pursue. I believe we'll be seeing much more of each other in the near future."
He smiled then, an almost knowing smile that had Luna's stomach doing flips and Skies' nerves on end.
"I will figure you out, Luna Deril, as I am sure you will understand me very soon. Until that day comes, I will enjoy getting to know you."
With that, Light brushed passed the confused and struck young woman, Ryuk following close behind him, chuckling as the human he was bound to walked casually down the still surprisingly empty sidewalk. Luna watched them move away for a long moment before quickly turning back around and running home, feeling as if her limbs would give out on her at any moment.
~*~*~*~*~*~
"Well, Light, you sure seem interested in that girl."
Light smirked at Ryuk's words as he slid his hands into his pockets, having moved back onto a busier sidewalk that lead him home. He paid no attention to those around him, however; his mind was wrapped up in more important things.
"I am, Ryuk. She's hiding something, and I want to know what it is. I don't suppose you would tell me, seeing as how you can see whatever it is that's attached to her ?"
"No, sorry. I don't work that way."
Light closed his eyes momentarily and smiled to himself. "I thought as much. It's much more entertaining to do it my way, anyways. I've already determined that she doesn't have a Death Note, so, therefore, she doesn't have a Shinigami, either. Still, the thought of her having an advantage over me doesn't sit well in my mind."
He looked up at the sky with mock fascination, his mind reeling with his new information. Oh, yes, he would figure out Luna Deril. After all, he was Kira.
(1)– If you haven't guessed, Matsuda is Luna's cousin.
(2)– This will be explained a bit later in the story, but it's an important part, so be looking for it in later chapters.
Alrighty then! I finally got my second chapter up! Let me know what you think!
Reviews of all kinds are welcome! I want....no, need, to know what you like/hate/want more of!
NEXT CHAPTER: Test of Heart