Death: I apologize for the wait. To make up for your patience I added a surprise or two to this chapter xD

Disclaimer: I own nothing

Please enjoy!

Chapter 3 Fight or Flight

=3=

Fear is a subconscious tug in the human brain. The mind becomes more aware and cautious of their surroundings and events. There are many causes of fear: trauma from past experiences, watching horror movies while the parents stepped out of the house, or a friend was playing a joke with over exaggerated facts.

Some people worry too much over their fears and within a week their life has already gone downhill. Thus the doctors categorize each fear, calling them phobias and prescribing strange pills to their patients if their phobias are too extreme for the body.

However, fear isn't necessarily a bad thing. It's natural to be afraid of predators that can easily kill humans such as lions, tigers, elephants, crocodiles, pythons and sharks. Being afraid is the key to adrenaline, the body's survival tactic to take a stand or run away.

To say Light had never been afraid is an outright lie. The boy may never admit he'd been afraid, he holds too much pride in showing weaknesses. Some say he's too young for such a high amount of pride, but considering the circumstances of his high intelligence, how can a boy not hold a lot of ego?

In a world of competition, Light had to grab a hold of something that gave him the advantage. He was a small boy, rather scrawny, not so great in strength compared to the other boys at his school. So Light became the lone wolf. A lone wolf that would bite if provoked, but had the advantage of curiosity.

Curiosity was what drew Light to books in the first place. And thus, his knowledge expanded. With such a high understanding of how the world worked, Light started to relay such information to anyone who tried to bully him. His tactic was to talk them to death and get them bored enough to leave him alone.

But being afraid of bullies was not what Light called true fear. To him it was like taking care of a pest problem in the house, only the house was the school playground and the insects were the bullies. And sometimes Light had to keep up the act for several days on end before the bully has had enough of his talking.

Even then some of the other students began to realize that he wasn't talking nonsense. Not only was he alone with no one to call as a true friend, Light was smart. He was years ahead in education compared to the others, and he didn't have any help from teachers.

The other kids became jealous. And the most common events that come with jealousy are more bullying for being a nerd or the brats who try to force him to finish their homework. As if Light would tolerate the brats, let alone do their homework.

What really bothered the boy though was being branded. Everyone would leave him alone because of his name, and his hair being auburn brown had been another slight issue. Once word got around that Light was smart, he'd hear whispers from the other kids when they thought he couldn't hear them.

They'd call him the nerd or the cheater. Being branded such things while at the same time Light was the son of a very well respected detective was not something that a boy like him could recover from. To make a living while he was branded by society Light thought that being called a nerd was true fear. He understood with the extreme cases that those who were called nerds would continue to live alone and misunderstood.

No, true fear was that day. It was on that day that Light learned a harsh lesson. The world was violent. And anyone could be a victim, even if a family of a chief detective would be the least likely to be targeted.

At least, that was what Light had thought. But now the boy realized that people have a taste for revenge, and the family of the person who caused havoc to their lives was the easiest target.

From then on, Light saw the world as a fragile place. A lonely, dark place where there was no room for love. This was why Light took his little sister's panda with him. So the memories of that life would remain fresh with him, to keep all the love his family gave him close to him.

He had nothing else to hold on to.

=3=

It had been about a week and a half since Light first moved into Whammy's. At first the boy was tense. He was in an unfamiliar territory, and in a country with different manners and culture. The others had realized early on that Light wasn't in any condition to make friends or polite conversations. They each had an understanding what he was going through, so most of the other children left him alone to give him time to adjust.

Mu, however, made sure to check up on Light as much as possible. The blond knew that the lone wolf types were always easy targets by the older children. To Mu it didn't help matters if his roommate rarely talked. It was an impulse for Mu to step in for the victims, no matter the situation or who the victim was. In a way the blond was doing what any heroes of justice would do, but to Light it would someday be Mu's downfall.

But the hero complex was an admirable trait, one that Light couldn't ignore. Although the boy criticizes his roommate's impulses, it is still something to admire. If someone caught Light's attention, then there was a good possibility that person would become a friend. This was probably Watari's and Roger's intentions, but Light couldn't blame them.

What the boy did despise were his first two classes. They were English, with the same teacher and classroom. So Light wasn't only stuck with the most hated subject, he also couldn't go anywhere when it was time to leave for the next class. This didn't help the boy not liking English one bit.

The schedule is four classes as Mu had explained, so the day starts with two and a half with the first two and then lunch. After two hours of free time and eating lunch are the last two classes in the schedule. By the late afternoon the day is over and the children can do what they wish.

Light actually looked forward to these classes after lunch. Third period was chemistry with a nutty science professor who made the class fun. Although Light had already taught himself chemistry, it was still noted that he had some trouble in the test Watari had given him. Plus the boy had never put his knowledge to the test with labs or from a proper professor than a complicated school book in the county library.

As an added bonus Light was the only child under fourteen in the class. None of them had given him trouble yet, but they all kept an eye on him to see if he could keep up with them. So far they've seen a nice surprise in him. Some of them had admitted to taking a liking to him in the class.

Then fourth period, this was Light's favorite class. This class didn't have an actual name yet, it was still in the experimenting stages. But on his schedule paper it said Self Defense Class. At first Light was confused, but on the first day he was told that each month a professor that specializes in certain self defense techniques teaches the class.

This was a class assigned to the children who were still exploring which they were best at in the physical education realm of the orphanage. There wasn't much property on the estate for major sports, so both Watari and Roger decided to try a more controlled setting for a while. Apparently this class had been one of the few that had survived.

And this month concentrated on jujutsu, a generic martial arts from Japan that use indirect force. The most common techniques are joint locks or throwing their opponent down. However Light understood that jujutsu was to use an attacker's form against him or her and then attack at their weak point.

Jujutsu was a simple means of knocking a number of opponents out of your way without causing too much damage. A good example of this is in one of the popular super heroes, how Batman easily knocks down thugs without breaking bones or any damage to the surrounding area. Although Light would rather use direct techniques, he still had fun in this class. And it was a way to vent out all of his anger from the English classes.

However that still doesn't mean Watari or Roger will get away with his schedule. The whole reason why they gave him two English classes in the morning and then two fun classes at the end of the day was so he wouldn't be angry when school hours was over. By the time the Self Defense Class has ended, Light is too tired and sore to be angry at them.

Oh well, one day. One day when Light has the chance he'll take it. Maybe he could fling food at them or something. Now that brought a smile on the boy's face. That'll work.

=3=

Today was a regular day, and although Light had gotten lost a number of times he was starting to get a feel around the orphanage. So the boy was loosening up a bit, not so tense or sending glares at anyone who came too close for comfort. He was even starting to feel a little normal in this still strange place.

Light had already dealt with the English classes, so the worst part of the day was over. Now that it was lunch, the boy headed off to the kitchens in the first floor. It was a routine he built up. Go to the kitchens for his lunch, eat what the cooks gave him and then head to the library down the hallway. The cooks were all women who had a soft spot for cute things, and the first sight of Light they awed him anytime he came by.

They treated him nicely, and they didn't seem bothered that he didn't talk much. In fact they were the ones who did all of the talking while the boy just nodded and accepted their free lunch and small treats. Many times they compared him to a little lost kitten (which didn't bode well in Light's opinion, but he didn't want to be rude about it and lose the free lunch deal).

Light entered the kitchen as usual and one of the cooks gave him a bright smile.

"The little kitten is back!" One of the women announced.

"Hello there, hun! How are you today? I hope you like sandwiches. We've got a bunch of them today." Another woman cooed.

Light only nodded with a small smile. The women awed at his adorableness while one of them gave him a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. The boy accepted it with a bow to show his gratitude, at which the women cooed at him more. The one closest to him patted his hair. Light pouted, but didn't protest.

Once they stopped giving him their attention Light quietly left the kitchen. As he made his way to the library the boy ate his sandwich. He had to say – it wasn't half bad. Although the boy had sandwiches that had lettuce, tomatoes and other strange stuff served from the cafeteria at his previous school Light had never eaten a peanut butter and jelly.

'I guess I could get used to this, however odd their choice of food and beverages are.' Light thought as he finished the last bite of his sandwich.

And just in time. In front of the boy were the doors to the huge library. Light eagerly walked in and headed straight to the foreign language section. Even though he couldn't speak in his native language, there were no rules about reading the language he was most comfortable with.

Besides, reading books in Japanese helped Light grow accustomed to this new environment. Combined with the books in Japanese with the panda bear, brought a strange sense of calmness to the boy. It was as if he hadn't left home whenever he took a book into his hands, or went to bed cuddling the stuffed animal to his chest.

Of course there had always been a slap of reality once it was time for third period or waking up to start the day. The first few days were exceptionally hard for Light to adjust. However with a little nudge to the right direction from his roommate, the boy was slowly and gradually getting over it.

But today was different. Light knew something was off however he couldn't identify what it was. So he brushed it off as a bad feeling, or just him being paranoid again. Once he grabbed a book and sat down in his favorite chair and began reading the bad feeling went away.

Or at least at first it did.

It came to no surprise that a few minutes later, someone sat in the empty seat next to him. Light ignored the newcomer, not even granting the stranger a side glance. The boy grew accustomed to people randomly sitting next to him in an attempt for small talk. Light didn't care in the slightest, and never spoke in return to the curiosity of others.

"So, you're the new kid everyone's been talking about." A rough, male voice spoke. "You're quite small for being eight. Then again I have abnormally long limbs for my age."

Alarms went off in Light's head. The screams and scent of blood started to flood his senses. Light tensed as the episode began, doing his best to remain as calm as possible. Slowly the boy raised his gaze from his book to the older boy.

The coppery aroma invaded his nose like a tidal wave. It hit him with so much force that his calm façade faltered. The calm, collected mask he had carefully sculpted was cracking from just one look at an older boy. And a rather odd looking boy at that.

Just as the elder said, he had extraordinarily long and thin limbs. He had a plain long sleeved shirt with a pair of pants possibly two sizes too big and obviously made many trips to the washer machine. The elder boy had pale, almost unhealthily, pale skin that contradicted with his unruly dark hair.

What really got to Light, were the eyes. The scent of blood became unbearable, and the screams seemed to grow a higher pitch in his head when his honey brown met crimson.

'Those eyes aren't human…' Light cringed when the other leaned closer. The boy wanted to scream and run, but the other's gaze made him freeze like rabbit being cornered by a starved wolf.

"Yue."

For a few moments Light didn't respond. It took some two minutes for the boy to realize that the teenager had whispered, almost too quietly into his ear, in Japanese. He could practically feel the other's smirk next to his ear.

"Yue. That is your name, is it not? Certainly beats Kinship, in my opinion." The older boy chuckled, a sound that sent shivers down the boy's spine.

Abandoning all rational thinking, Light threw the book he had been reading straight into the other's face. Somehow the creeper fell to the floor with a loud thud and an undignified yelp. The boy took his chance and ran to the entrance of the library.

"Hey! Get back here! I only wanted to play with you, little robin!"

'Robin!' Light didn't have time to dwell over the nickname as he nearly skidded into the wall opposite of the library doors. He was so frightened that he hadn't realized he was running so fast.

He heard another shout from the older boy, and the screams in Light's head increased in volume. Frightened and confused the small boy darted out of his attacker's lunge. He was pretty sure other children nearby were shouting, but Light wasn't paying any attention. All he wanted was to stay away from that boy. He wasn't one to believe in the supernatural; however the boy believed that there was seriously something inhuman in that strange boy.

Light was just about to turn a corner when he was suddenly grabbed around the waist. The boy let out a shrilled scream that echoed throughout the building. A pale, spidery hand immediately covered his mouth. Upon contact the boy bit the palm of his attacker's hand, now thrashing with his arms and legs.

"Ow!" The older boy withdrew his now bleeding hand, his hold around the smaller boy's waist lessoning just a bit.

But the weakening grip was enough for Light to squirm and wiggle his way out of. The moment he fell to the floor, the boy sent a hard kick to the other's stomach. The teenager flew back into the wall with a grunt.

From here on, Light didn't know what was going on. Suddenly hands came out of nowhere and grabbed him. Still in his blind panic the boy struggled, biting into flesh if hands or arms came too close to his face. Light didn't register the words that were whispered to him, the words of comfort were not taking effect in his brain.

It was as if someone turned off the sound. Light couldn't hear anything beyond the screaming. He wasn't sure if it was his screaming, but the screams that haunted him was all it took to keep on struggling. The scent of the older boy's blood mingled with the blood of his parents, the scent that had never fully gone away. The combination of his attacker's blood and Light's screams confused him from reality and the horrors he had witnessed.

Then he felt a pinch in his neck and within seconds his world went black.

Watari hated to resort in using a sedative drug on a promising student, however he had no choice. It didn't take a genius to figure out that there was no sense of calming the frantic boy down using words or comforting gestures. Something had set the boy into a blind panic, and being grabbed by other children to prevent further injury to both himself and the older teenager didn't help matters.

The elder man cradled the eight year old into his arms, mindful to be gentle in case Light had any unforeseen injuries. Once the boy was secure, Watari sent a worried glance to one he suspected was responsible for all of this.

"Beyond, I want you to head straight to the nurse's office. Once you're patched up, stay there until I come and get you. We can discuss your punishment with Roger later." Watari stated firmly before taking his leave without giving the trouble maker a chance to protest.

=3=

Light woke up several hours later. It took his groggy and slow mind to realize he wasn't in the bed he had grown accustomed to the past few weeks. This bed was softer, more comfortable compared to the one in his bedroom.

The boy lazily opened his eyes to the sight of a medium sized room. To Light the room seemed bigger than his own, but not by much. There was certainly more space for the queen sized bed he was currently occupying.

Slowly Light sat up. His limbs felt heavy, and even though whatever was given to him wore off he still felt calm. However this type of calm seemed somewhat forced. It wasn't the kind he felt whenever he read a book in Japanese, or cuddling with his panda.

"Welcome back from the dead. You were in such a deep sleep I've wondered if you would ever wake up." A smooth voice spoke.

It was then that Light realized he wasn't alone in the room. Sitting with his knees tucked awkwardly to his chest, sat another teenager. The younger boy tilted his head, he recognized this stranger as the one who frightened him. But there was something different about this young man.

"…Who are you?" Light asked, not immediately realizing he had spoken in Japanese. One couldn't blame him, for he was drugged with a sedative and probably something that made him calm. Although his mind was fuzzy, Light was still able to conclude that this side effect was not from the sedative.

The other boy finally turned his gaze at Light. Instead of an intimidating red gaze the boy stared into a pair of soft, yet still firm, dark grey eyes. For the first time in weeks Light felt secure. It seemed as if those eyes were looking straight through him, and for once the boy felt that he was finally being accepted and understood.

"Oh? You saw right through me, it seems. Many thought I was Beyond, he's the rude one you met, while others thought he was me. It's a game, you see. No one has been able to see right through our playful and harmless scheme. So tell me, how did you know I wasn't the one who attacked you?" It was the older boy's turn to tilt his head curiously, eyes unblinking.

Light blinked. He could name a few reasons, but it was probably expected of him to back them up his logic with evidence. But the elder misread his silence as stubbornness.

"I've heard you hardly speak. I suppose now that I've met you in person, I can see that it's true. How about we switch to your native tongue instead? Judging by your class schedule, you have trouble with English." The elder concluded, thumb now lazily tracing his lower lip.

To say Light was surprised was an understatement. He had been itching to talk in his first language, but was forced to refrain due to Watari's rules.

"E-eh? A-Arigato…" Light furrowed his eyebrows when he realized he didn't know the other's name.

"Eru desu. Hajimemashite! Soshita anata wa…?"

I'm L. Nice to meet you! And you are…?

The boy's eyes widened. He wasn't hearing things, was he?

'Eru? Could he possibly be…?'

"Eh! D-demo…nai…watashi wa anata ni watashi no namae o iu koto ga dekinai! Soshite, anata wa hontōni Eru desu ka?"

Eh! B-But…no…I can't tell you my name! And are you really L?

"How rude." The teenager pouted. "Of course I am L, I don't lie. And at least you're showing some promise. You guard your name well."

Light was now officially confused. What was with the sudden change of subject? And what did he mean, 'some promise'? That hurt. It was a low blow to the boy's pride.

"You still haven't answered my question. How did you know that I wasn't B?" The supposed L pressed.

The boy nervously bit his lip. He wasn't sure if there was any way out of this other than telling the truth. What bothered Light was opening up to this teenager, when he hardly knew him, and was calling himself the L. It was the most well known name in Whammy's, a name that was looked up to with admiration among the other children.

"I…I don't hear the screams, nor the smell of blood. You don't remind me of the horrors I saw." Light answered truthfully now switching back to English.

"And that's what you thought of, when you met B?"

The younger boy nodded. He thought that by now the questions were over, but L surprised him with another.

"Dakara watashi wa anata o omoidasa seru nodesu ka?"

So what do I remind you of?

Although Light felt safe around this young man, he felt his protective walls building up around him. He did not like to be questioned, not when he feels like he's being poked and prodded as if he was some new specimen. These questions made him feel uncomfortable and he didn't understand why L kept switching between two languages randomly.

"Anata ga…Anata wa panda omoidasa seru."

You…you remind me of a panda.

Another pout made itself known on L's face. But this pout was different, sort of more like a kicked puppy. Something bubbled up inside Light's chest, starting first in the chest. The bubbly feeling then worked its way up to his throat. And then he was unable to stop a smile being formed, soon went into a giggling fit that was followed by laughter.

It was the first time he had laughed in approximately two years.

=3=

Death: I am unsure if the grammar is correct, I kinda had to use Google translate in order to get those sentences. I just wanted to experiment with writing a different language in a fanfic. I doubt this'll happen again though, unless I feel like throwing in more Arigato, which means 'thank you'. And maybe even Ashiteru, which means 'I love you'.

Anyway, yes, Beyond Birthday makes an entrance. His part is probably a bit rushed, however I feel that it still works somehow. But I get the feeling most people would be more excited that L has met Light xDD After all, this is only the first step for these two to fall for each other x3

Oh! Before I forget, L's name in Japanese is Eru, since he only goes by a letter it's short and if said really fast it sounds like L. Also, for those of you who don't know what Yue means, it means 'Moon'. And initially Light's name in kanji is written as Yue. If you have seen Death Note the Movie, with the part where Misa tilts her head cutely when she first sees Kira and asks, "Moon?", that there is a perfect example. Which makes me wonder how they read Raito from Yue...

So! Please leave a review! I appreciate the feedback, comments and opinions x3