Death: I think this story is coming along nicely. I mean plot wise, so hopefully I can finish this story before the summer ends. I already have major plans in the next few chapters xD

Disclaimer: I will never disgrace Tsugumi Ohba-sama and Takeshi Obata-sama, the real creators of Death Note. So, therefore, I own nothing. Though I wish I had Light's panda that he's attached to. But I do have a White Mokona! xD

Chapter 2 A Name Is Who You Are

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Names are what a new born baby is given by their parents. They are what set one person from another, the very definition of that person. Therefore, every name has a meaning of some sort, whether it is something simple or complex, it was chosen by the parents for a reason.

Light often wondered why he was named 'Light'. Why would his mother, a Japanese woman who grew up in Japan, give him an English name? No, it wasn't a name. It was actually a nametag of something.

So, why would his mother name him after an inanimate object?

Actually, light isn't an object, but something that gives people hope. Each day that the sun shines, humans take advantage of the light that helped them survive. In the very beginning of civilization, humans realized that the sun was the seed that helped them live. It was the sunlight that fed their crops, and through their crops the humans advanced, and began to learn how to survive on their own.

And, gradually, over a long period of time, the humans didn't seem to appreciate the sun. Over the thousands of years humans became too comfortable with the dangerous planet that was their mother. With technology advancing, and light bulbs lighting up the starry skies, humans had forgotten that the light was their sole reason for living. It was the beginning, the light.

Sachiko Yagami always had a dream, a dream that stayed with her since she was a young girl. She had a dream, that someday she will grow her own garden. She was one of the few that woke up in the morning with a smile, because the sun gave her hope. Hope that she will live this day. She never took advantage of the sun and its powerful light.

When she gave birth to her first child, she and her husband, Soichiro Yagami, they smiled at their little boy. Although Sachiko wished for a little girl, she was still happy with the boy. When she first discovered that she was pregnant, she instantly fell in love with the child. And so she wanted to keep the gender of her first child a secret until they were born.

She wanted to name the child Hope.

However, as soon as she held the little boy in her arms for the first time, she knew that the name didn't suit him. Sachiko could tell, just from the first few seconds of knowing her son, that the boy was too stubborn. A few hours later she had evidence to back up her theory, for the boy didn't want to take a nap, even though he was only four hours old.

Sachiko smiled at her husband lovingly.

Why don't we name him something special? Those were her words, and her husband nodded. Soichiro could see that his boy was special too, and he would agree with anything that his wife wanted to name him.

And so, Sachiko named her little boy Light.

It's not like he hated his name, no not at all. But the first day he went to school with high hopes, some of the other kids didn't understand his name. And so, Light was immediately the outcast. The lone wolf, the weird one, the quiet one, the one who always knew what the answer was, and later he would be known as the smart kid.

It was because they casted him aside without even knowing him, that Light began to learn how to fend by himself. He learned to leave the greedy kids who wanted all of the toys, and to ignore the bratty kids who did nothing but gossip. Through the first year of his life, Light was bored.

But, that all changed when the teacher began to teach the class how to read and write. Suddenly, Light wasn't so bored anymore. He caught on how to read and write faster than the others, and so he started visiting the school library to expand his mind. Through the library, Light visited places that he'd never seen or heard of.

And because of this, Light started to advance in school subjects just out of plain curiosity and boredom. Since then, the boy began to appreciate the name his mother had given him. And the more he appreciated his name he gained enough confidence to accept himself the way he was.

Now, however, Light was being forced to give up his name. The name that his mother had given him, a name that made him to what he was today.

To throw away his name, Light Yagami, did not suite him. The boy hated doing this, but he had no choice in the matter. He had no home, no family, and no country. To rebel would not only be rude, but it would accomplish nothing but failure.

So in time, the boy will learn to accept this new name, Kinship. However that doesn't mean he won't cast away the name his parents gave him. No, Light will not do it. He figured that it was enough for him to keep his family close in mind, to always remember those days that were filled with warmth.

Instead, the boy was going to lock away his name. Lock it away in a safe, and never open it. Light Yagami is a name which will never be forgotten by him. But it will never be whispered, or said in a loving way. That was what hurt the boy the most.

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The boy wasn't sure what to think of his new name. He understood the meaning of his new name, but he wasn't entirely sure if the name suited him. But still, Light kept hold of the name as if it was an extension of him. To the boy, Kinship was nothing but a new piece of clothing.

As he followed Butler Man into the grounds of the orphanage estate, he could feel the stares of the other children that were playing outside. Light didn't like to be stared at, and picked up the pace to be as close as Watari as possible.

Although he wished not to show any weakness, he was alone. The only person Light could trust at this moment was Watari. And he knew that Butler Man had enough influence to decide whether a child would be brought into Whammy's or not, so no one would dare make a move towards the old man.

A low chuckle sounded from Watari. Light frowned, but didn't complain.

"It's all right, they know better than to come onto a newcomer. They're merely curious about you. We only receive about five newcomers every three years or so as the oldest children move out and live on their own. You're the first newcomer in about four years, so they're eager for a new face." Watari smiled thoughtfully.

Light didn't respond, but he still soaked up all the information he was given. He made sure that the panda bear was tightly close to his chest. Light noticed that a few of them were starting to grow curious about the stuffed animal. If they were as highly intelligent as he was, they would try and use this against him.

Soon they had arrived at an office on the first floor. Light glanced a little around the office with curiosity. The office was neat with a lot of bookshelves. The bookshelves were stuffed with books of different sizes.

'It feels more like a personal library than an office.' Light thought as he continued to stare at the books.

"Ah, you must be the new boy Watari has told me about." A voice snapped him out of the staring.

Light lowered his gaze on another old man with receding hair and small glasses over a big nose. At the same moment the boy wished he could run out of the office, but knew that would be rude.

"My name is Roger. I am manager of Whammy's when Watari isn't around." The old man turned to Watari. "Have you already given him a new name?"

"Yes. I've decided Kinship should be a good one." Watari gently patted the boy's shoulder.

"That is a good name." The old man smiled.

"However, I think this boy should be evaluated during his stay here."

"You want him to stay in that room when he first arrives?" Roger frowned.

"No, not that room. He'll immediately stay in his roommate's room like any other child here. What I'm saying is to have the teachers keep an eye on his behavior. He's usually quiet, but the cause of it is the emotional trauma. And if he's provoked enough he will fight." Butler Man elaborated.

Roger nodded in understanding.

"I'll get to work on informing the teachers. Do you have a roommate in mind, Watari?"

"From the start I was thinking of a couple but now my mind is set." Watari smiled.

Light did not like the smile.

=3=

"Your roommate goes by the name Music, Mu for short. He's ten years old, and he's currently the closest one to your age. Everyone else is either five and under or thirteen and up." Roger told the boy.

Earlier Watari had to check up on someone, so he left Light with the other old man. The boy didn't mind too much. What he did mind was why both men were so hush hush about the reason why Watari had to leave. Light didn't bother to pest them with questions. If they didn't want to tell him then there's no reason to ask questions.

Plus, Light had other things to worry about.

'My roommate is called Music? Really? What kind of orphanage is this that renames the children with simple names? And I thought Kinship was bad enough already…' Light frowned.

"During your stay here, you must speak in English. You must not speak in your native language, not while you remain here at Whammy's anyway. I know you have some difficulty with English, which is why we're going to fit two English classes in your schedule. Your roommate, Music, should inform you of all the information about the daily schedules." Roger explained.

'Two English classes?' Light absolutely hated the idea.

=3=

"Music, I've brought your new roommate." Roger knocked on a door.

From the other side of the door Light heard some rustling as if someone was desperately trying to clean the room in four seconds flat. After a few moments the door opened to reveal a boy a little taller than Light.

The boy had dirty blond hair and green eyes. Normal, Light thought, until he saw the rather large headphones draped around his neck, and a faded out 80's rock band shirt. Light didn't understand the words, for they were faded and it didn't help that he had trouble reading in English. Hearing wise the boy was ok, however he had difficulty reading and understanding the language seeing as how he had thrown the English test Watari had given him to the floor.

And there was also the fact that he'll be given two English classes. Although Light thought it was absurd, but he had no say in the matter. Plus, maybe he could bear with it and learn as quickly as he could. The faster he learned, the quicker Light will advance and two English classes will no longer be needed.

"Hello! I'm Music, some call me Mu." The soon to be new roommate grinned.

Light didn't reply. He just stared blankly at the other boy.

"Music, this is Kinship. Kinship is still healing from some emotional trauma, so he doesn't talk much. I was hoping that you will be able to help him out of his shell." Roger introduced for Light.

The grin Music wore disappeared. He no longer seemed as carefree as before.

"…He's not violent, is he?"

"No, so long as he's not provoked. From what I've seen so far Kinship is shy, and he's a little scared of his new surroundings. Oh, don't look at me like that. I've been managing this place for many years. I know how to catch all the little details." The old man smiled kindly at Light's mock glare.

The small boy huffed and looked away, as if he was letting the matter go. Music's smile came back.

"And he's cute too. At least he knows when to give up." Music reached forward to ruffle the shorter boy's hair.

Light pouted, but didn't complain.

"I trust you will tell him all that will be expected of him?" Roger pressed.

"Sure, sure, I've been wanting a new roommate for the past year now! It's been so lonely without anyone to talk to when I'm cooped up in here." The blond laughed heartily.

Inwardly the younger boy knew that this was going to be a long day.

=3=

"So, you're Kinship? That's a unique name. You must have been something special that you'd be given a name like that." Music commented.

The boy shrugged.

"Huh, Roger wasn't kidding. You really are quiet." Music tilted his head. "Don't worry I won't talk you to death. Oh, and I'm sorry but at the moment Whammy's is going through some financial issues. So there's only one bed in every room in this entire estate. It shouldn't be a problem now, since we're both still small, but it will if we have any random growth spurts in the future."

Light blinked.

"Trust me, there are a couple of roommates on the floor above us that have this kind of trouble. They're older, somewhere in their late teens, and rather tall. With this small bed, well, they fight every other night." The blond sighed with frustration.

"So…why won't we move to a different room?" Light suggested.

Music grinned. "So he can talk! And I've been barking up that tree for months, but there's hardly any room for me or those boys above us to be moved. Before I start explaining how this place works, you can sit down if you'd like."

Light nodded in thanks. The young boy sat down in a chair that was next to a desk covered in never ending stacks of paper.

"Oh, don't mind those. They're music sheets I've printed from the computer room. I'll have to move them somewhere else." Music said.

"Anyway, the rules here are simple. Don't wander off the estate, treat others with respect yadda, yadda, yadda, all of those lame rules. However, there are a few that are absolutely important. One, we must never ask others their background information such as where they lived, who they lived with, what their names used to be, and how and why they arrived here." Mu started with the simplistic rules.

The shorter boy nodded to show that he understood.

"Next, I have to tell you how our school system works. We have two semesters, one fall one spring. Just like a normal school, right? Well, there's a catch. Each semester, depending on our grades and all, we'll be taking classes that suit our needs. For example, I'm advanced in the music class. Therefore I'll be attending the Advanced Music, but then the next semester they'll switch music class with, let's say, a language class. They usually give us four classes in the winter, then six in the spring. I have no idea why they did this, but it's their rules."

Once more Light nodded for the other to continue on.

"Then, during the summer, we only have one or two classes. The one we have to take has to deal with criminology. I'm sure Watari told you what exactly this orphanage is doing, right?"

The younger boy nodded.

"Good, I don't feel like explaining all of that complicated stuff. So, depending on what the teachers say what our specialties are, we'll take classes of criminology that helps us hone our special skills and help us get better. Meanwhile the extra class is something you can choose, so long as you never allowed your grades to slip lower than a C. If your grades do slip, then you have to retake that class that you were struggling with. That includes others if you were slipping in more than one class."

Light frowned at the thought. It would be tough luck if someone was too overconfident and didn't do anything with their low grades and had to pay for it in the summer. Not that he had anything to worry about. He always had good grades with little effort needed.

"As you can tell by my name, my specialty is music. I love any kind of music from the good ol' rock an' roll with Elvis, the classics of Beethoven, the ever awesome Beetles, to Red and whatever you can think of in the orchestra. I love any kind of music." Mu grinned widely.

Light was tempted to ask if he ever heard of Sairin: Kata Tsubasa No Tenshi.

"So, Kin, you wouldn't mind if I called you Kin right?"

The shorter boy contemplated. Kin was already better in his mind compared to Kinship, so he nodded in acceptance.

"Good. I was gonna call you Kin even if you did mind. So, what's your special ability?" The blond tilted his head.

Honestly, Light had no idea. The confusion must have been shown on his face when Mu continued on.

"Oh, so you don't know? How'd you do with the tests Watari gave you?"

"Passed."

"With good grades and timing?"

Light nodded.

"Then that's probably why. But the longer you're here, they'll be able to notice where you're strongest at and they can work from there on what to do with you. You'd have to be incredibly smart or have some strong talent they needed in order to get into this place." The blond shrugged. "I can't really give my opinion on what they saw in you until the scores of the tests come around. This, luckily for you, won't be until late December. You've just narrowly missed the summer testing."

'That's good I guess. It means I won't have to take another English test…' Light almost felt like smiling at the thought.

"Now that that's all and done with, shall I give you the tour of your new home?" For whatever reason Mu seemed rather excited, but it didn't bother Light too much. He did live with a little sister, after all.

However, the young boy didn't like the term 'new home'. Eventually Light will feel comfortable enough in this odd place, but he'd never call it home. Especially when they forced a new name on the boy as if they just bought a new horse from an auction.

Light was not their property, nor was he a tool for them to clean and sharpen for their own uses.

Even so, the boy held back his enraged emotions and curtly nodded.

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Death: And the plot slowly thickens! Trust me, the next chapter will be much juicier. L will make his appearance after all xDD And there's gonna be some interesting plot twists, so expect a few things that you'd never think would happen (sadly, yaoi isn't one of them. For a while Light is gonna be a kid)

1) Sairin: Kata No Tenshi is translated into One Winged Angel, its an epic theme song of Sephiroth from Final Fantasy VII. There are essentially two versions, the orchestrated and the metal. If you're curious about listening to either of them, look them up on youtube.

So please help this bored writer to continue by clicking the lovely Review button and worship this story! Or...just give me your opinion and if you'd like, guess what's gonna happen xD