After L made his first appearance on TV, despite withholding almost all details about himself, the internet went into a frenzy. Some were cheering him on, others found his public stunt rather cool, and plenty were cursing his name and his attempts to thwart the increasingly popular figure known as Kira.
Shinoska tried finding all she could on the man, but of course, came up empty-handed. While her curiosity and eagerness to learn of how he's strengthened his logicality continued to grow, the young woman knew she still had school to focus on.
Merely pursuing his capabilities and methods won't do her any good if she doesn't get the top grades necessary to get into law school. So, for the past few days, she's for the most part resumed her daily schedule.
On this particular day, she decided to pay a visit to Light's house after school. The two have just finished their walk home, the familiar sight of the Yagami household bringing a cozy warmth to Shinoska's chest as she approaches her second home with her childhood friend by her side.
Light unlocks the door and holds the door for her as he lets Shinoska inside first, then shutting it behind him. The two slip off their shoes, the light clunking noise doing little to mask the patter of footsteps approaching them.
"Ahh, Shinoska, it's been so long since I've seen you!" Light's mother greets as she smiles warmly.
"It's wonderful to see you again, Ms. Yagami," Shinoska greets politely as she bows a bit, the aged woman donning a doting smile as she adorns an admiring smile.
"Oh, you! You're always so polite, Shinoska, but you know there's no reason to be. I've known you all your life, you know," the woman says, Shinoska nodding in return.
"That isvery true," she responds as she thinks fondly of her memories with the kind woman.
"So…how's Light been treating you?" Light's mother asks with a teasing grin, Light holding back the urge to roll his eyes.
"Mother…" He says with exasperation, the woman laughing in response.
"You know I'm just teasing! I already know you're treating her well," the woman says, able to see her son's feelings for the girl for quite some time, "In any case, don't let me keep you two. I'll be preparing dinner if either of you need me."
With that, she gives them a small wave before turning and heading back toward the kitchen. Shinoska lightly sniffs the air, the smell of a savory stew filling her nose.
The two walk up the stairs and toward Light's room, the door remaining open as Shinoska sits on his bed and Light takes a seat in his chair. He makes a note to not cast his gaze toward the top drawer of his desk, thoughts of his house potentially going up in flames if she gets a bit curious.
Thankfully, she doesn't, instead opting to pull out a textbook and a notebook from her bag.
"Alright, we may as well get started now," Shinoska says, Light humming in agreement as he pulls out his studying materials as well. They begin pouring over the contents of their materials as they study for their next test for about an hour, occasionally breaking the silence to quiz each other on the subject.
Of course, they both have already studied even before their little meetup, so they answer the questions with relative ease. If anything, their studying session is more of an excuse to just hang out together, their lives lately consumed by nothing but their academics.
Just as they finish for the night, Light's sister Sayu bounds into the room. Her eyes light up a bit as she spots Shinoska, the young girl taking a seat next to her as she plops a few papers into her own lap.
"It's good to see you, Shinoska!" Sayu says, Shinoska smiling brightly in response. "It's good to see you too, Sayu. How've you been?" She asks.
"I've been okay. I've made some new friends this year. The work also got a bit harder, but it's not too bad since I have Light here to help me," she says, motioning toward her brother with a jokingly grand hand gesture.
"Based on that paper in your hands, I'm guessing that you're here for some more help?" Light questions with a cocked eyebrow, Sayu sighing in response.
"Yeah…" She says dully, not at all excited to do her work, "But, beside that! Why haven't you been coming over lately?"
While it's mainly an attempt to redirect the focus from her work, Sayu's still actually curious about the answer.
"School, honestly. With school, cram school, and club activities, things have been a bit busy. But hopefully soon I can start coming over again, I've missed you guys," Shinoska answers honestly, Sayu hugging her in response.
"I've missed you too," she says before looking over at her brother a bit teasingly, "And, even though he sees you everyday, I know Light has too."
"Do you want help on your homework or not?" Light asks, his tone light but with an ever so slight hint of impatience to it.
"Yes!" Sayu replies quickly, bounding over to show her brother her homework.
Shinoska muffles a laugh as she absentmindedly watches Light help his sister with her work, the young woman's mind drifting toward the past few days.
It's odd, but she feels as if he's grown even closer to her over the past few days, which is saying something considering their relationship.
Despite not being her boyfriend, he's always been rather protective over her. Lately he's been even more so, any hint of a boy even looking her way and it seems Light's quick to move to stand by her side or block her from view.
She's reassured him that she can handle it herself just fine, but he seems intent on continuing to do it. While she won't admit it aloud, the overprotectiveness is somewhat comforting.
For a minute, she was beginning to wonder just how long it would take for things to change between them, but something has clearly motivated Light to take action. Her resolve to wait until college begins to slip away ever so slightly, the girl beginning to wonder if seriously dating would really be such a burden on her academics.
'I mean, he's not the type to try and distract me from my studies. He's just as focused as I am andwestudywelltogether.Iknewitwasonlyamatteroftimebeforeourrelationshipchanged, but I was planning to hold off until later. But…maybe now is a good time for us.'
Her thoughts are interrupted by the clinging of keys and the sound of the door opening, Sayu's head raising in response.
"Oh, Dad's home!" She says.
The three then head downstairs to greet the man, Light's mother already beginning to set the table for four.
"Long time no see, ," the man says with a slightly gruff voice. There are slight bags beneath his eyes, Shinoska's lips pursing as she thinks about how tired he must be. As such an important figure in the police department, there's no doubt in her mind that he's working on the Kira case.
"It's good to see you, ," she greets with a bow.
"Shinoska, you simply must stay for dinner!" Light's mother says and it's an offer Shinoska clearly can't confuse, not that she even wants to.
"Of course! Thank you so much for the meal," Shinoska says with a smile as she takes her seat.
It doesn't take long for everyone to begin to dig in, the casual and calm atmosphere of the dinner easing Shinoska's soul.
Time passes quickly, though she hardly notices as she finds herself feeling right at home. She only realizes once she looks over toward a clock in the kitchen and holds in a sigh, standing up to help Light's mom clear the table.
Once the dishes are clean and the table is clear, Shinoska begins to gather her things as she prepares to leave.
"Dinner was lovely. Thank you for having me," she says, Light's mom positively beaming. "Of course! You know that you're always welcome here anytime," the aged woman says.
Light moves to stand beside her, intending to walk her home for the night. Sayu and Light's parents bid Shinoska goodbye, the young woman offering a small wave as her and Light finally begin their late night walk.
The two are relatively quiet as they move side by side, the faint sounds of the night filling the air around them. After a few moments of comfortable silence, Shinoska decides to speak up.
"Your family is always so kind to me," she says.
"Of course," Light replies simply, "You're my childhood friend, why wouldn't they be?"
"That's true, but still. It's always something I'm in awe of, hanging around you guys. You all just seem so close," Shinoska says, a faraway look in her eyes.
The two arrive in front of her home, no cars in the driveway.
"Working overnight again. They're probably both staying at hotels or something," Shinoska mumbles as the warm feelings from tonight begin to sink and fade.
"They are both lawyers and are rather dedicated to their jobs, so it's expected they work long hours," Light says.
"Yeah, I guess so," Shinoska says with a faint smile, but it doesn't reach her eyes. Light gives her a glance out of the corner of his eyes, studying her features in the low light.
"What's wrong?" Light questions.
"It's nothing. Don't worry about it," she says as she shrugs and avoids his eyes. "Shinoska," Light says firmly as the two reach the door of her home.
There's a beat of silence as he looks down at her, Shinoska's body stiffening as she feels as if she's been caught doing something wrong. She lets out a sigh before she speaks.
"You're right. I don't know why I ever thought I could lie to you," the young woman says, a slightly broken laugh coming from her.
"Tell me what's wrong," Light says.
"I just…I know that my parents are busy doing important work, but sometimes I wish they were home enough for us to actually spend time together. But even when they are, it's like we don't even know each other. I guess I'm just feeling a little envious of what you have," she admits, pouring her heart out.
Light goes quiet for a moment as he takes in her feelings. Then, without another word, he wraps his arms around her and pulls her in for an embrace.
"Shinoska…You don't have to keep suffering alone. I'mhere for you," Light whispers, Shinoska curling into his embrace as basks in the feeling of him.
For a while, the two just stand there, neither of them wanting to move away from another. As it begins to get a bit cold outside, Shinoska finally speaks up to break the silence, her voice muffled against his chest.
"Thank you, Light. That really means a lot," she says sincerely.
"You don't have to thank me. Just know that I'll always be here for you," Light replies, his voice uncharacteristically soft and gentle.
With that, the two of them finally pull away from each other, Shinoska feeling rather comforted, if a bit flustered at how close they were. She gives Light a small smile before unlocking her door and stepping inside.
"Goodnight, Light. I'll see you tomorrow," she says. "Goodnight, Shinoska. I'll see you then," he replies.
She then slowly shuts the door, her eyes lingering on him as long as possible.
As he hears the familiar sound of a lock and a few of the lights begin to turn off, an obsessed and treacherous grin graces his face.
'Everything'sgoingperfectly!Ididn'twanttogotoofarandpushheraway,butthingsaregoing exactly as I wanted them to.'
He takes in a deep breath and then quietly lets out a satisfied sigh before turning and beginning to head home. As he walks, a familiar presence makes itself known to him.
"What are you going to do about that guy that's been following you? He's clearly gotten a good look at that special little miss of yours," the Shinigami says plainly.
"...I'll deal with him. Permanently."
Light's expression goes stoically cold as he speaks. He has no intention of letting anyone get in the way of what he and Shinoska have, so such a solution is clearly the only logical answer.
Ryuk hums as he looks from Light to the single dimly lit room in the Mimiki household.
'Interesting.'