The Aves of Maria

In Omnibus Requiem Quaesivi, Et Nusquam Inveni Nisi In Agulo Cum Libro or "Everywhere I Have Searched For Peace And Nowhere Found It, Except In A Corner With A Book."
***

Sachiko went out for lunch with Maria that Tuesday, four days before Soichiro was to be released from the hospital. Light was more than a little bit thankful that his mother got out of the house, she'd been cleaning non-stop all week, even though there was not a speck of dust or dirt or so much as a stray eyelash left in the house. It was her way of de-stressing, he knew. But that didn't make it any less irritating: to see the table being stripped of varnish or Sachiko trying to take his shoes off for him as if he were a child all over again, simply to keep dirt off the carpet.

Months ago, before he'd picked up the Death Note, he probably would have relished in the attention. Not that his parents didn't praise him all the time, but they always had such high expectations. And while they never really kept anything from him, deliberate pampering and spoiling was as rare as Light falling ill. Once upon a time, he would have enjoyed his mother's attention; now, he just found it irritating.

On Wednesday she was doing better, though not by much. He managed to wriggle out of downing an entire tray of sugary treats by assuring her that, no, he wasn't really hungry an apple was more than enough; no, he wasn't interested in watching the news with her right now because he had homework to do; and no, being hunched over his homework all evening wasn't hurting his shoulders, so he didn't need a back rub (even though his shoulders really did feel quite tense).

Feeling oddly ruffled, he went straight upstairs and knocked on Sayu's bedroom door.

She poked her head out, wearing a garish pink shirt. "What is it?"

He didn't allow himself to scowl at her clothes. "Would you mind going downstairs and keeping Mom company?"

Her lips puffed out in a pout. "Onii-chaaaan! She's been coddling me all day; it's your turn! Besides, I'm going out to a movie with my friends!"

"I have homework I need to do. Why do you not just invite all your friends over here? I doubt Mom will have a problem with it and it will give her something to do other than clean. She has already got an entire tray of sweets made, and you know she will let you girls watch whatever you want on TV."

"But…" her shoulders drooped in defeat. How could she argue against that? "Oh, alright. You win, as usual." She sighed before poking him in the chest with her forefinger. "But you'd better use the bathroom and get any snacks you want now, because you can't come out of your room once they get here! It's a girl's night, not 'watch my friends ogle and drool all over my brother and ignore me' time, got it?"

He smiled at her. "I understand."

She continued. "In fact, it's probably best that they don't even know you're home at all. So I don't want to hear a peep out of you!"

Light placed a hand over his heart. "I will be as quiet as a mouse on Christmas Eve."

Sayu giggled at his mild theatrics. "Good. You owe me for this."

"I know. I will take you out for ice cream soon." He promised, but what she said next gave him pause.

"No, I don't really want ice cream,"

Light looked back at her over his shoulder, eyebrows furrowed somewhat. "No?"

"No."

"Well, what do you want then? I am not treating all your friends to a luncheon. The media may say otherwise, but I know you girls eat more than salad and water."

She giggled again and clasped her hands behind her. "I want you to clear your schedule and spend an entire day with me at the mall."

Light pressed a hand to his temple. "What an evil, manipulative sibling I have! I have other things to do than spend an afternoon carrying your shopping bags, Sayu."

"Oh, come on, Onii-chan!" She insisted, latching onto his arm. "I want to spend time with you; you spend all your time holed up in your room and at school, I feel like I never see you anymore!"

"I have school work, essays, reading to do, I…"

"Oh you know full well you'll ace everything anyway! You always do!"

"Sayu…" a last ditch attempt at getting her to back down. It was an act, of course. He knew he would go with her and his homework could easily be finished tonight. Soon she would pull out her last card…

"If you don't come with me, I won't go keep Mom company! I'll go out with my friends and let you deal with her weeping and smothering!"

And there it was. Light sighed in resignation. "Fine. I will go shopping with you."

She squealed in delight, leaping upon him to deliver a passionate hug. "Thank you, Onii-chan, you're the best!"

Rolling his eyes, he ruffled her hair, knowing how much it would irritate her after spending so much time fixing it up. As she always did, her cheeks puffed out and she glared half-heartedly at him, leaning into his touch like an attention-starved kitten.

"Yes, yes, now leave me to do my homework and try to get it all done tonight so we can go tomorrow." He said, pulling away.

Sayu cheered again, pumping her fist into the air. "Tomorrow? Yes!" Thoroughly excited, she bolted off down the stairs. "Hey, Mom! Mom! Can I invite my friends over tonight?"

As silently as death, Light slipped into his room, closing and locking his door behind him with a soft click. He exhaled through his nose, allowing his shoulders to relax. His mother and sister were out of his way and he could stay in his room for the rest of the night without worrying about being bothered. His cheek bulged as he smirked, striding over to his desk, turning on his television.

On his bed, invisible to all but Light, sprawled the Death God, Ryuk.

"Oi, Light, did you bring me an apple?" The gangly-limbed shinigami asked.

Almost lazily, the college student tossed the red-skinned fruit over his shoulder, removing his notebook its hiding place. Ryuk bit into the apple noisily, crunching and smacking with gusto.

On the television, the news reporter spoke in smooth tones.

"… was apprehended earlier today for the murder and impersonation of a government official. His partner was also apprehended and was discovered to be the person who broke into Tokyo National Museum six months ago, removing and damaging a number of priceless artifacts from the 'Art of Tea Ceremony' Exhibition. The stolen tea artifacts were…"

Light opened the thin, black notebook in one smooth movement, pressing a pen to the otherworldly paper. He pictured the men's faces in his mind clearly, their names echoing in his ears.

Ohba Tsugumi

Gamo Hiroshi

Forty seconds later, the two men would be dead.

The news topic switched over to mediocre information about an upcoming singer's rising popularity and Light switched the television off deftly. He leaned back in his chair, hands cupping the back of his neck, and stared at the ceiling for several moments. Ryuk finished his apple, sucking the excess juices off his bony fingers.

Light smiled and picked his cell phone up from its place on his desk, punching in a number with his thumb. The dial tone beeped into his ear canal like a cat's purr.

"Moshi moshi?" A woman's voice, bright and smooth.

Light felt his heart thud just a bit harder. 'Mary, Mother of God…' "Mashiro-san? This is Yagami Light."

"Ah, Yagami-kun! How can I help you?"

"I was hoping to be able to meet with you sometime this week. To talk."

"Of course! It is about your mother? Is she alright?"

"Mother is clingy, but fine. Thank you for asking after her. However, she is not what I want to talk to you about."

"That is fine. It would have to be before Sunday, naturally—"

Naturally. Sunday was for church, after all.

"—What did you have in mind?"

"Coffee. Maybe even a light lunch."

He could practically hear the gears working in her mind. "Ah, I have a client to meet with on Friday. Is tomorrow alright?"

The curve of his lips widened. "Tomorrow is great. I… oh, no, I almost forgot," lie, "I promised to take my sister out tomorrow. I do not suppose I can get away with asking you to dinner instead, can I?"

He heard Maria giggle, a soft, chirping sound. "What about Saturday?"

"No good," he said quickly, but not too quickly, "Dad comes home from the hospital Saturday. To be honest I would like to speak to you before then, if you can."

"Does he? That's wonderful, I can't wait to see Soichiro-san. I suppose you can get away with asking me to dinner, Yagami-kun. But just this once, alright?"

"I understand." He closed his eyes briefly, shuffling through the various restaurant options. 'Nothing too fancy, but I can't just casually take her into something as childish as a takoyaki bar either…' "Have you ever been to…"