Chapter Text
Light knows that it shouldn’t be possible, but he thought that you were perfect. Perfection was a state of being that no one could ever hope to attain or possess, but you somehow embodied that trait with an ease and grace that would have made any other person jealous. However, with such perfection came with an unfortunate side effect of kindness and compassion.
It was unfortunate that others—the scum of the earth, like criminals—could take advantage of your spirit. To see such a soul such as yours become corrupted by the common folk who had ill intentions towards you… that was unforgivable.
And as your god…
Well…
What kind of god would he be if he let such an innocent lamb such as yourself fall into the slaughterhouse of the damned?
“Light,” your voice, lilting with curiosity, but still with the every present kindness that seemed to pervade your every action, asked. “Are you all right? You’ve been staring into space for a while now.”
Light startled out of his reverie once he realized that he had focused his gaze on one person: you. Making sure that a smirk was not present on his face, the young man cleared his throat and once again graced your presence with his full attention.
“Ah! I’m so sorry!” He rubbed the back of his neck in a show that would have put the most famous movie actors to shame. “Were you bothered by my staring?”
Light looked at you, his eyes pleading in feigned forgiveness. Silently, he watched you, how you glanced away in what he could only assume was embarrassment for the continued attention.
How cute!
Such an innocent human like yourself should be protected from all evils.
“N-not at all!” Almost immediately, you tried to applaud yourself for a quick and mostly smooth recovery. Although the both of you had been friends since you were children, Light had this... untouchable quality about himself that made it hard for you to interact with him sometimes.
With Light, there was this distance that you could never hope to surpass. He was the son of an acclaimed police officer, the best scholar in all of Japan, and the kid next door that could do no wrong. Perhaps a bridge could be drawn between the two of you years ago, but now that you were both on the cusp of adulthood…
Your paths were bound to split soon.
A part of you felt the telltale taste of bittersweet sadness coat your tongue, but the other part knew that it was for the best.
Light was aspiring to be part of something greater while you…
You just wanted to live life as peacefully as possible.
It was just unfortunate that the side effects of what most people would perceive as common courtesy could be misconstrued as everlasting kindness.
And speaking of paths that would have to split so soon—
“Thanks for the help with my essay,” you thank your childhood friend politely. As you begin reorganizing the contents of your backpack, you didn’t notice Light staring at you, his eyes awestruck as he watched your facial features contort into a relaxed, easygoing smile.
Light was far from religious, but even he knew that such an angelic smile could fit no other person.
In a world that was filled to the brim with filth and rot, how lucky he was to have someone so pure and good right by his side? It was a near miracle and for that, he almost believed in an all loving deity.
“You’re quite welcome,” he replied. Steadily, he rose from his chair and placed a hand on the small of your back, easily guiding you out of the school. “Shall I walk you home?”
You roll your eyes at him.
“You can save the romantic theatrics for your future girlfriend, Light.”
He hummed in reply, not seeing the rush in telling you that you were his and that he had every right to enact his ‘romantic theatrics’ for you.
For a while, the both of you walked down the street and towards your neighborhood. Normally, during such a walk, you would have expected Light to take a turn down his street or to finally lift the hand that he placed on your back. Yet, he did neither of those things.
Instead, you could feel his thumb gently rubbing circles on your back, the heat of his hand warming you gently. Honestly, it felt like an intimate moment, but you supposed that a longtime friendship like yours would merit touchiness such as this. Even though you would have liked to question Light for his behavior, you found your attention was diverted by a young mother carrying a squirming child in her arms.
Like most young mothers, she bore a tired, but fond expression on her face as her child continued to struggle. You could hear her coo soothingly, her words unintelligible but reminiscent of when you were a child. As the child started to sofen, the mother accidentally dropped something—a blanket—onto the ground.
Without even thinking, you immediately picked up the cloth and handed it back to the mother who thanked you graciously. After wishing her well, you immediately started going back home. Unfortunately, it didn’t take long for you to once again feel the warmth of Light’s hand on your back, but this time, it was raised much higher, almost touching the nape of your neck.
It was unsettling, but you paid it no mind.
“What?” You questioned, when you felt his gaze settle on you.
Chuckling, he ducked his head low so you couldn’t see the fond grin on his lips, of the manic gleam that burrowed in his eyes.
“You’re so kind.” He paused for a moment and then—
“You would be surprised to find that not many people would act the same way. It’s commendable, really.”
On any other day, you would have laughed it off or simply thanked him for his observation. You knew that your friend had high moral standards, so it was a given that he would have said something, but the way he said it… It was almost as if…
It sounded as if you were put on a pedestal with no way of getting down.
“You know, I bet that’s why Kira is killing all the criminals, the scum of the earth…” His dark brown eyes met your own and you couldn’t help the shiver that raced up and down your spine, how you wanted to lean away from his touch that seemed all too unnecessary and possessive. “It’s to protect people like you.”