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Nobody moved for a moment. The clocked ticked each second that Nadine and the other kids stared at Light in shock. The cheetah could not move. His heart was at the tip of the cliff. This was it; either these people would turn him into the police or not. He hoped that he did not make a big mistake telling these guys his second deepest darkest secret. So what if they turn me over to the police? Light thought to himself. They're doing illegal activity too; it's not like I won't keep my mouth shut if they tell. Although, these kids were hackers; Light assumed they knew how to erase IP addresses and all that technical junk to cover their tracks. His heart beat. The clock ticked without a care in the world. Light kept his breath steady; he was seeing the wheels in Nadine's brain go into overdrive, not knowing what to make of this new information.

Finally, Nadine looked at what Light wrote into the Note for a third time. Fourth. Fifth. "So..." The vixen exhaled slowly. Her tail curled around her leg. Light noted a lack of fear in her voice. Not that she ever had any in the first place. "You are the one doing all this," she said. It was not a question.

Light nodded. He felt as if fear was gripping his heart and thought his chest would explode right then and there. "Yes. I'm Kira. I killed that train bomber," he confessed. Some pressure lifted from his chest, but not all of it. Another minute passed by. Or was it an hour? Light did not dare look at the clock. Nobody said anything. Not the kids, who should be running around screaming their heads off at what they saw, or Nadine, who would probably hand Light over to the police immediately. The cheetah was waiting for anything. Even for Nadine to say that she secretly taped the whole conversation and had proof that Light was in fact Kira. "Well?" he finally said. "Say something."

Nadine gave him a stern look. "What is there to say? Other than why? Why do any of this?" she asked. "And how exactly can a book kill someone?"

Light took a deep breath and explained everything. How the Note works, how it came out of the sky (literally), and how he had been using it for the past few days. "Originally, I was not planning on using it at all," Light said. "But after I saw that it worked, I figured that perhaps I can use this after all. At first, I only used it for my own selfish needs. I... killed my own father with this thing." Nadine's jaw dropped. Probably not the best way to word it. "He abused me ever since Mother left years ago. I can't tell you how many bruises and scrapes I have gotten from him."

The vixen's face loosened up a little bit, into something more understanding. "You did something hardly anyone would have the balls to do. I can respect that a little bit. But is death always the answer?"

"You sound like my aunt."

"Perhaps I do," she said. "What would your aunt say if she found out you were Kira?" Simple answer. She'd disown me. Or at least throw him out of her house. When Light didn't say anything back, the answer became clear for Nadine. She sighed. "You know, you're not the only person who'd gotten fucked over before."

"Oh?" Light raised his eyebrow.

"It's true. My uncle killed himself three years ago. Until I found out it wasn't a suicide. Our neighbors accused him of being a child molester. Only using a hunting knife to cut off a training bra because it got stuck isn't exactly rape, wouldn't you agree?" Light nodded. "Well, the story got twisted around to my uncle fondling me with a knife to my neck. People started bashing on him, telling him to kill himself. A week later his body was found at a nearby riverbank." Nadine took a second to wipe her eyes. She didn't look teary, at least not that Light could tell.

"I'm sorry to hear about your uncle," he said out of sympathy. "Do you recall who exactly pushed him to his death?" Nadine nodded her head.

"It was a whole group of people. But they were all lead by this bitch's with crooked teeth and a Confederate flag t-shirt. She made me sick all the time. Why?"

Light clicked open his favorite pen. "Well..." He pushed the Note towards the vixen, an insane idea already popping in his mind. "... if you help me find L's real name... perhaps Kira and the Underground could make some sort of... arrangement." The kids watched as Nadine took the pen and looked down at the blank page. It was practically begging for her to write a name down. Light wondered if she would feel the same satisfaction as he did as he wrote Nate's name down.

The vixen looked down at the cheetah in her chair, looking between him and the blank page. Light could see the gears turning in her mind. She's going to do it. "So... you're willing to share the Death Note with us?"

Light shook his head. Then reconsidered. He didn't want these people being in his book; he was the one that found it. Plus he still didn't exactly trust these kids either. At the same time, he needed Nadine on his side if he was ever going to discover L's identity and stop this investigation. "Maybe we can compromise," Light said. "You help me, I will let you use the Note as long as I'm there too."

Nadine smiled. It was an evil I'm-totally-on-board smile. She took the book and scribbled down a name. When she was done, she handed the book back to Light and he read what she wrote. It was a long and fairly detailed death too. Pretty painful as well. But this was what he wanted; to be able to listen to the wishes of his followers.

***

Light grabbed his backpack and left Nadine's office. By the time he got up the stairs out of the basement of the school, it was nearly time for second period. The bell rung, and the halls soon flooded gradually with other students. Light walked casually to his next class, thinking about the deal he just made. Nadine could not be trusted one hundred percent. However, it did not seem as if she would turn him in, so Light would keep her around if need be. And if anyone in the Underground wanted someone gone, who was Light to deny them what they wanted?

His tail swished around a bit. The cheetah could picture it in his mind; a world where nobody has to live in fear of someone breaking into their home, or be afraid of overseas terrorists taking over the world and mercilessly killing the innocent, or become frightened of gangs, rapists, muggers, and everyone on the planet who makes life a living hell. Light pictured the perfect world, a utopia if you will, where everyone can live peacefully.

Light looked around at his classmates. They were all living beings with hopes, dreams, and fears. Everyone wanted to live out their lives without fear. Light wanted to give that to them; he wanted to inspire hope that things can actually change for the better, even if it meant drawing out a few sacrifices.

As he turned the corner to a different hallway, someone bumped into him and their stuff fell to the ground. Light was about to tell whoever it was to beat because they interrupted one of the greatest fantasies he's ever had, until he saw the red fur, the vixen body, and the big blue eyes of Mikayla. "I'm sorry," she said. Light forgot how bubbly her voice is. Was it only yesterday that they met?

Light knelt down with her to pick up her books. "It's okay, I didn't look where I was going," he said, actually smiling. This up close, he could smell the shampoo she used for her fur. Calm down, Light, don't be creepy. Just be natural. "You're the new kid, aren't you? Mikayla?" He liked the way her name sounded when it rolled off his tongue.

She giggled. "Yeah. Turner. Mikayla Turner; that's my full name." That giggle made Light's heart melt a little. The dark emotions stirring within him were shoved to the back of his mind. "And you're Light, aren't you?"

He nodded, trying not to smile too wide. Did I brush my teeth this morning? "Mhm. Light McAlister. It's nice to formally meet you, Mikayla." He gathered her books and handed them back to her.

"Same to you, Light." She accepted them and sighed. "So, how come you weren't in class this morning?"

Shit, think of something, quick. "I slept in late by accident; forgot to turn on my alarm clock. I'm still used to the new house."

"Oh? You're new here too?"

Light chuckled. "No. I've been going here for four years. I just recently moved houses because my father recently... passed." Light conjured up enough sad images in his head to make a tear show up. Most of them were of his father, but not of happy memories like Mikayla was probably assuming. She gave him a side hug because her arms were still full. "I'm okay. My new guardians are very nice."

"You'll have to introduce me to them sometime," she said.

"Maybe I will. You don't mind that I have two aunts do you?"

"Of course not! Light, this is 2017, not everyone is judgemental about that." Another bell rang and the vixen quickly said her goodbyes. Light watched her walk down the hall and up the stairs. She even looks good walking away. The cheetah walked dreamily to his next class, which he knew he was late for, but he didn't care.

Next to him, Ryuk snickered until he burst out laughing. It was more sinister than an average leopard chuckle. "I know what you're thinking, kitten," he said, "and don't even get your hopes up. She is way out of your league."

"Do you ever shut the fuck up?" Light asked. Nobody turned their head his way, even though it looked like he was talking to air.

"Nope," Ryuk gloated.

Light floated through the next few classes without even thinking. His mind was too busy up in space. His math teacher repeatedly had to bring him back down to Earth, so Light daydreamed at the front of the classroom. While everyone else was doing away with the math problems, Light scribbled one thing over and over in his notebook: LM + MT. He eventually balled the page up and threw it in the garbage bin. He sounded cheesy, he only knew her for a day or two. Light never thought he would fall in love. He was that pussy who got beaten by his dad all the time and once took an entire eight ounces of soda to the face because he scored the highest on an essay once.

The point was, nobody at school truly liked Light until this weekend. Or at least, they're hiding their dislike for him behind a wall of sympathy for his dad's death. Mikayla, on the other hand, was new, and she was a sweetheart based on first impressions. She didn't talk to Light as if she had no choice or was caught doing something he shouldn't, she spoke to him simply because she wanted to. And knowing this shed a little more light in the cheetah's world.

Mikayla was all he could think about all day until Jessie-Belle came to pick him up. This time, there were no creepy snow foxes or wolves joining them so Light took shotgun. As he rode him with Jess, he asked her if he could get his driver's license soon. "Sure! How come Nate never took you to get your license?"

"He wasn't particularly trusting," Light said. He never mentioned the huge scar on his back he really got when he asked Nathaniel McAlister for his license. After that, it was not worth bringing back up to him.

They rode the rest of the way in silence. Light was still disoriented a little because of the new way home. Seeing the edge of the city near the back fields is very strange. Until the big house comes up into view. Jessie-Belle parks at the end of their driveway, and Light heads up the porch steps. "Oh! You should know that that L guy and his friend is here. He wanted to speak with Natalie in private so you should probably head on up to your room."

Light opened the front door and saw Natalie and that fox in the kitchen with a giant whiteboard next to the table. They look up when they see him walk through the door. Natalie's ears fold back when she sees him. "Light, honey. Would you mind going upstairs for a moment? L and I were talking privately about the Kira case."

He looked across the room at L. He was sitting in that weird pose on the chair next to Natalie. He didn't like how close he was to his aunt, not one bit. The idea of leaving these two alone together was insane, and Light wanted to avoid that at all costs.

Tossing his backpack to the side, he smiled and said, "Actually, I want help you guys." He pulled up a seat across from them. Natalie was giving him a look that sort of looked like pleading for him to leave. Instead, L smiled as well with that smug look foxes usually had.

"Fine with me."