Despite the situation at hand, Shinoska notices that Light's expression remains calm.
Her panic is only somewhat soothed by his disposition, the young woman's eyes darting between him and the criminal as the man unfolds the paper.
"You were passing notes back here and planning something, weren't you?!" The man accuses as he unfolds the note, his eyes quickly scanning over the paper before he scoffs.
"Just some date plans. How stupid," the man mutters before tossing the paper in Light's face and walking away.
Each step he takes further from their seat's rings in Shinoska's ears, the young woman attempting to steady her breathing as she takes some solace in the fact that Light wasn't hurt.
Her slim comfort is broken when the man immediately whips around, his gun drawn out and his pupils blown wide with rage.
"You in the back…Who the hell are you?! You better tell me what the hell you're tryin' to pull and do it now!" The man threatens, his expression then suddenly shifting to that of unadulterated fear.
'His eyes…they look terrified.'
"I'll shoot! Don't come any fuckin' closer!" The man yells as his finger settles on the trigger of his weapon.
Shinoska's feels herself begin to tremble in fear as the reality of the situation begins to set in. All the videos and studies and notes in the world fall away as she realizes she can't fight what's about happen:
He's going to start shooting.
She's terrified of what will happen to Light. She's terrified of what will happen to the people on the bus. And she's terrified of what will happen to her.
'No more chances to see my parents. I won't get to see if they ever make up. I'll never get to college. I'll never take the bar exam or experience what it really feels like to be a lawyer. These people's lives will be cut short. Their friends and their families will miss them dearly. And… Light. If he's…Oh my God.'
"Everyone, get down!" The man behind them demands, but his voice is hazy as Shinoska feels her mind begin to numb.
Then she feels a sudden warmth.
Light's arm wraps around her, pulling her close to him as he ducks them down to take cover.
His touch brings her back to reality, tears welling up in her eyes and falling down her cheeks as her emotions finally spill over.
"GET THE HELL AWAY FROM ME!" The man screeches wildly as he begins to fire his gun.
Shinoska leans against Light, the young man holding her even tighter as the louder, thunderous sound of gunshots fills the bus. Screams of terror soon follow.
The man continues to fire until the bus' back window shatters, Shinoska flinching as a few shards land by her feet. Light comfortingly squeezes her side, Shinoska glancing over at him with a quiet appreciation despite her debilitating fear.
Things then become deathly quiet.
Click after click sounds as the man continues to press the gun trigger, but nothing comes after. No yelling, no loud noises, no gunshots.
Shinoska's body slightly untenses as she realizes that nothing is happening. A quick glance at the deranged man merely shows that he is standing there.
It is now his turn to tremble in fear.
Just then, the FBI agent from behind them rushes from his seat toward the man. The criminal stumbles away from him, then falling next to the bus driver as he begins to plead.
This time there's no intimidation behind his shaking voice. "You! Pull over and stop the bus!" The man says.
The bus driver is quick to comply, the passengers being jostled as he suddenly pulls over and hits the brakes before opening the door.
Light holds on tightly to Shinoska as this happens, the two ending up even closer together due to the thrashing nature of the sudden stop.
The hijacker then stumbles from the bus, landing on the street as he pants heavily. Just as he turns his head up, his world slows for the last time.
The sound of screeching of tires fills the air, a dull thud and a loud crunch following shortly after. Then it's nothing but silence.
As passengers slowly get up, morbidly curious about what has just happened, Shinoska finally sits up as Light's grip on her loosens, but still remains.
Her window is in an unfortunately prime position to get a good view of the man's body.
The car that struck him passed over his body, the man left behind as his being is splattered on black asphalt now stained red.
She cups her hand to her mouth, the abruptness of it all leaving her mind reeling.
Light doesn't move from his seat as he merely looks on with an unreadable expression. Shinoska simply can't bring herself to move either.
The other passengers filter out of the bus. When the police finally arrive and dusk has set in, the other passengers are eager to leave, no doubt wanting to get away from the awful events of the day and return to the comfort of their homes.
'Home…'
Shinoska thinks to herself, dreading the idea of an empty house now more than ever.
Once the police leave, Light moves his hand and slowly takes Shinoska's into his, looking over at her. Shinoska weakly nods in understanding as the two finally get up from their seats and head out of the bus.
They immediately bump into Raye, the man looking at them with pursed lips.
"I'm here on a secret mission. So, if you both understand the situation…" He says, his implication clear.
"We won't tell anyone," Light confirms, Shinoska nodding in agreement.
"Thank you for your help today," Shinoska says, Raye offering a slightly appreciative look before turning and walking toward a car that's pulled up to pick him up.
Light and Shinoska end up calling a taxi, the ride home being awfully quiet as Shinoska's is still reeling from the events.
They eventually arrive at her house, the two of them stepping out of the taxi once Light pays. Their walk to her door is slow, Light looking over at Shinoska with a quietly perceptive gaze.
"I'm sorry about our date. Today ended up being rather grim," Light finally says as the two stop in front of the door.
"It's okay. You couldn't have known, Light," Shinoska says with a weaker voice than usual, the change slight, but noticeable to his keen eye. The fight in her eyes is a bit dimmed.
How wrong she was about him.
'Perhaps today was a bit too much on her psyche. She's never faced such a situation before and I'm sure she really was convinced either of us could die at any moment,' Light thinks to himself, determining he should try and be more empathetic to her feelings, even though he knows the situation was always under his control and there was truly nothing for her to worry about.
"I'm at least glad no one on the bus was hurt. And that you're safe," Shinoska says with a small smile, though it's a bit unsteady.
Despite the idea that his actions show that he is nothing but cold and calculating, his heart warms a bit.
'She is truly what it means to be someone who believes in justice. Her innocence, her understanding of others, her lack of selfishness, her commitment to doing and believing in what is right, even if her way can be naive… She is simply wonderful.'
And he'll do anything to be the only one to savor her wonder.
"Well…Goodnight then," Shinoska says as she slowly turns around, her hand unsteady as she reaches out to open her front door.
"Shinoska. You're shaking," Light says with practiced concern to his voice. "I…I suppose so," Shinoska says, her lips pursing as she holds back tears. "Shinoska…" Light says as he rests his hand on her shoulder.
That's all it takes for her walls to begin to break.
"Can you…come inside? I don't really want to be alone right now," she says honestly. "Of course," Light says as he gives her shoulder a comforting squeeze.
"Thank you," Shinoska whispers as she opens the door. The two step inside, Light shutting the door behind them as they move to the living room.
Shinoska takes a seat on the couch and Light sits beside her, the young woman looking toward the floor as she digs her nails into her leg, tears beginning to spill onto the ground.
"I'm sorry, I just…" Shinoska says, Light then gently grabs her head and rests it against his chest. Her eyes widen for a moment before she relaxes into his touch.
Shinoska then begins to quietly sob as she tightly grips his shirt.
"I was so scared. I thought…I thought I was going to lose you, Light," she admits as she begins to pour her heart out, "When he grabbed the note off the floor, all I could think about was how it may have really been the end."
"It's okay, Shinoska. I'm here," Light says as he begins to stroke her head.
"But what if something really had happened?! Why did you even say you'd try and fight him?!" Shinoska asks, her voice raising with concern twinged with anger.
"I didn't mean to worry you. But I wanted to protect you, Shinoska," Light admits.
"I wanted to protect you too. But what you did was reckless, Light," Shinoska says as she pulls away a bit and looks up at him.
She then casts her eyes down, voice barely above a whisper.
"I have no idea what I'd do if something happened to you," Shinoska says as she thinks of how much they've shared together and how it had almost disappeared in an instant.
Suddenly, her worries and frustrations and concerns about their relationship felt insignificant. What she was sure of was that she cared about Light; wanted to remain beside him more than anyone.
"I wouldn't let anything happen to me, Shinoska. I don't ever want to leave your side," Light says, a flash of conviction in his eyes as he pulls her close.
He was being sincere. He had no intention of leaving Shinoska behind. Their eyes meet and the two go quiet.
The sounds of the home become muted as a tension sets in. Shinoska swallows as her eyes glance down.
Light slowly grabs her chin, tilting her head up.
She lets out a quiet gasp, the tears on her face long since dried. Her eyes flutter before falling closed, Light then leaning down and taking her lips in his.
The kiss is gentle, but passionate. Her lips shift over his as she finds comfort in their closeness.
Shinoska finally pulls away after some time; breathless. "That was…" Shinoska mutters, her cheeks now flushed.
"Shinoska," Light replies in kind, his hand then moving from her chin to cup her cheek, "You are precious to me. You always have been."
"Light…" She whispers, her heart full as she looks up at him.
"I love you, Shinoska. Will you go out with me?" Light finally asks.
'I can't believe it… I can't believe this is happening,' Shinoska thinks to herself as tears well up in her eyes.
"You're crying?" Light asks with slightly widened eyes.
"They're happy tears," she admits with a small chuckle, then slowly wrapping her arms around him as she looks up and gives him her answer.
"Yes, I will."
Light smiles before hugging her in return, Shinoska now happily tucked against the divot connecting his neck and shoulder.
His expression contorts into a wide and eerie grin as he laces his fingers in her hair, quietly sniffing her locks.
Ryuk looks on at the display of affection, his expression unchanging.
"This whole thing was meticulously planned out. I'm impressed, really. Getting the shadow's name and the girl? I've gotta give you credit where it's due," the Shinigami said.
While Light couldn't reply, he still felt his ego grow in size as he relished in the success of his plan. He'd obtained Raye Penbar's name and even managed to use fear to expeditiously attract Shinoska to his side.
'Everything's gone exactly as planned! I just need to work on killing the FBI agent, then I can continue my cleanse of this world, now with Shinoska finally at my side.'
Shinoska is none the wiser as Light continues to gently stroke her head, his actions betraying the contents of his mind.