It had been two days since the night Light and Shinoska had embraced.
Light had been busy coming up with ways to get the police off his trail. After learning that they suspected him to be a student, he began manipulating the times of death to happen while he was at school.
Otherwise, he'd kept up his usual routine of attending school and prep school, while still making time to see the apple of his eye.
Shinoska's daily routine had also continued, the young woman juggling school, prep school, and her duties as Historian of the Student Council. Though, at the back of her mind, she couldn't shake the memory of that night.
Their relationship hadn't progressed since then. It left her feeling a mix of emotions, the young woman wondering what exactly Light was planning. One moment they'd act as they always did, then in the next, they would dip into more unknown territory.
She wouldn't exactly say she enjoyed the feeling of being toyed with.
Still, she had been the one to convince herself college would be a better time for a more serious relationship. But the more she thought it over, the more she began to question if she'd really had good reason to wait. What was holding her back?
The question had potential answers that she was unsure if she was ready to confront.
Frankly, once their friendship from childhood only continued to strengthen past their middle school years wherein such relationships would often disintegrate due to "cooties" or simply wanting to fit in. But Light wasn't like that at all.
He was exceedingly mature; always had been. While she'd see other boys chatting about unsavory things or simply being childish for the sake of laughs, he'd always been focused on his education and dedicated to maintaining himself.
His difference is part of why he was so popular.
But to Shinoska, why Light held such a special place in her heart was far different than his image of being a genius student.
His intelligence and maturity were no doubt a point in her attraction toward him, but even more so was the fact that he'd been there for her when no one else had been. Even his family almost essentially took her in and treated her like one of their own.
And he'd shown he cared for her more than others several times before.
Aside from his possessiveness to shield her from any stray boys who no doubt saw her for only her looks, he'd also always made it a point to come to her whenever he needed something.
When he wanted an opinion, he'd go to her. When he wanted to go do something, he always asked her first.
It was small actions that, over time, built up and made it hard for Shinoska to ignore her feelings. Even so, she hesitated. And if his delay in asking her out meant anything, then to her it appeared he hesitated too.
'But why?'
As she settles back into the present of her situation, she finds her thoughts running in circles to the point where it was impacting her concentration, her studying for the night going absolutely nowhere.
'Maybe this is why I've been putting off my feelings for so long.'
She sighs to herself as she sets her pencil down and closes her book. While she's certain to pass her upcoming tests with flying colors, she can't help but admit the racing of her heart comes with some unwanted side effects.
'Having my head feel so unclear is…unusual. I don't like it.'
Shinoska turns off the lights and heads upstairs, preparing for bed. Once she's done, she climbs into her sheets and settles her head on her pillow, staring up at the ceiling as she rests her hands on her head.
'The way he held me that night…It was obviously more than platonic, but I didn't push him away. Obviously, I didn't even want to. And he was being so kind, even more than usual… But if we were to begin dating, what would that change between us…?'
Shinoska feels her heart quicken, yet tighten at the thought.
Her mind only wanders to the reason her house remains empty, night after night. She wonders when her parents stopped wanting to share mornings and evenings together.
She can't pinpoint it. It was around the time late night talks together stopped. When her mother and father stayed out night after night, rarely coming home. Even if they did, it was even rarer that they'd do so at the same time.
Shinoska is no fool. She knows they are not that busy.
'...Maybe this whole about focusing on my education thing hasn't been anything but an excuse. Maybe I'm just scared.'
She turns on her side and shuts her eyes. She doesn't want to think about it anymore.
Sleep eventually comes to her, though it's hardly a night of well-rest.
The next morning comes without delay, Light already awake and about to execute his next move.
"While I can concede that having Shinigami Eyes would help me to use the Death Note better, I cannot accept," Light says firmly.
"I have things I cannot leave unfinished," he says to Ryuk as he explains his reasoning.
The idea of ending his reign of purifying the world is not one he can accept. His mind also drifts toward Shinoska, the idea of leaving her sooner than he's fated to leaving an awful taste in his mouth.
He would have her for as long as he was fated and no shorter. The idea of leaving her in a world without him, even if he purifies it, leaves him unsettled.
"You would give up the chance to use Shinigami Eyes for her?" Ryuk asks.
"Of course. Who's to say what kind of men would be left, eager to pursue her after my passing?" Light says with a tone that indicates his answer is an obvious one.
"And if she is to die before you?" Ryuk asks and the room goes cold as Light's expression drops to an eerily calm.
"That is simply out of the question," Light says firmly and he leaves no room for further discussion.
Ryuk looks him over silently, finding his obvious attachment to the girl to be quite curious considering his detachment from nearly everything else. His humanity and morals seem to be swept away quite easily, but his love for her?
Not a chance.
The silence eventually unpauses when Light begins to go over his experimental killings of inmates, eager to share the plans he finds to be so genius.
"Right now, L is probably trying to decipher those symbols I left, but they are entirely meaningless," Light muses to himself with an amused grin.
He then opens his laptop and begins to search up the face of a convict, the man's unstable expression rather unsightly.
"Kiichiro Osoreda. A drug addict who tried to rob a bank, but managed to escape after he failed. I'll use him as a bait of sorts," Light says as he jots down a note in his lethal notebook.
"I'll have to set my plan in motion sooner than I'd wanted. My shadow clearly needs to be under the impression that I'm nothing but a normal high school student and I can think of one way to convince him of that," Light says as he flips open his phone and scrolls down.
His eyes settle on the familiar name and Ryuk peeks over his shoulder to see.
"The little miss?" Ryuk questions, "What does she have to do with this escaped bank robber you're talking about?"
Light doesn't answer as his phone begins to ring, the man pressing it to his ear as he waits for her to answer.
Back at home, Shinoska looks over in confusion as her phone suddenly begins to ring. She sets down the cloth she'd been using to clean the counter and picks it up. Once the caller ID shows up, she's less confused, but now a bit curious. And while her tumultuous feelings from the night prior slowly creep up and make her steady heart feel a bit of unease, she can't deny she still wants to hear his voice.
"Light. Good morning," she says with a greeting tone, sounding a bit happier than she anticipated.
"Good morning, Shinoska," he says before he takes a small pause to clear his throat, making it clear he has more to say, "I know this is sudden, but I wanted to know if you'd like to go with me to Space World."
"Space World?" Shinoska questions, taken aback by his proposition.
"I've finished up my work for the weekend and thought it would be nice to take some time and relax. I know you've been working hard too, so I wanted to go with you," he said plainly, his words hard to misinterpret.
'So…he's asking me on a date?'
"Oh. Well, taking a break sounds lovely," Shinoska says as her heart and her cheeks grow warm, "I can be ready in the next 20 minutes."
"I'll be there to pick you up. See you then," Light says.
"See you," Shinoska bids him goodbye before hanging up and slowly setting her phone down and letting out a breath as she slowly took a seat on her couch.
'So this'll be our first date,' Shinoska thinks to herself in slight disbelief, 'He hasn't even asked me out yet. That's so like him.'
She chuckles to herself, still reeling from the sudden turn of events. She begins to wonder if she was simply overcomplicating things last night. He doesn't seem to be showing much hesitation at all about their relationship, already asking her out on a date.
"I feel a bit embarrassed. Getting so worked up," she mutters to herself as she grabs her phone and heads upstairs to get ready.
'If he's already comfortable enough to do something like this then…there's no reason for me to worry. Not with him.'
Shinoska feels her worries about their relationship slowly begin to melt away. She decides to trust in him. Trust in herself.
Trust in them. As they are, together.
After quickly hopping in the shower, Shinoska feels refreshed as she brushes her teeth and washes her face. She finds herself spending a bit more time on her makeup for the morning, the look still subtle, but flattering.
Just then, Light steps out of his home and locks the door behind him as he sets off to pick up Shinoska. Ryuk trails behind him, intrigue clear in his protruding eyes.
"So, you're going on a date?" Ryuk asks. "Yes," Light replies simply.
"But it's not a normal date, is it? You said you found out a way to find out the name of your shadow, but… what exactly do you plan to do? And why involve this special little miss of yours? Wouldn't any girl do? I recall you saying you're considered quite popular, and I also remember you saying the last thing you want to do is get her involved," Ryuk said as he shot off a barrage of questions.
He finds the whole thing entertaining; like a particularly riveting drama. He can't help but be at least a bit curious.
"I've got it under control. Shinoska is sharp, but there's no potential way she'll be able to connect what's about to happen to me. If anything, what I do might even pull her closer to me," Light says as a pleased smile spreads across his face.
His expression then suddenly turns blank, but eerily so.
"Right now is a crucial time for us. If she hears word of me going on some thoughtless date with another girl, it'll cause too much of a setback. I need her to understand how much we belong together," he says with a tone that rises ever so slightly in volume, not loud enough for his shadow to hear, but enough to demonstrate how truly serious he is.
"So, you've made quite a few plans about your future together," Ryuk comments, though it's not something he needs confirmation over. He's been the audience to quite a few rants that entail the new world being reigned over by Light and his beloved. That is, once he manages to convince her to do so.
"But of course. While her idea of justice is too pure for this world, it's an ideal that I think will set a powerful standard for when I rise to the top. But, as of now, she's simply not ready to hear the truth so I have no choice but to play this game exactly right," Light answers firmly.
His dedication (to be frank, his obsession) with Shinoska is something Ryuk can sort of view as impressive. Perhaps not admirable, but most certainly impressive. But it wasn't as if morals were much of a concern for the Shinigami anyway, so he didn't spend much time dwelling on it.
"And so what is your plan for today?" Ryuk asks, circling back to the first part of his question that Light had ignored in favor of talking about Shinoska.
"Ryuk, did you really not see what I wrote in my Death Note?" Light question. "Nah. It'd be too boring to just peek," he replied.
"Well… Then just be patient and see what happens," Light said as he finally arrived in front of Shinoska's house.
Finished getting dressed, she heads downstairs. Just as she slides into a cozy jacket, she sees her phone light up.
LY: 'Here.'
Walking toward the door, she holds her hand to her chest, the feeling of her racing heart a slightly unfamiliar one. She's become quite used to simply feeling comfortable around Light, but the sudden direction of their relationship has her feeling a bit flustered.
She takes a deep breath in and out to calm herself before she steps forward to set her hand on the knob.
"Hi," she says simply as she opens the door, looking up at Light with soft eyes.