Trapped

Chapter One – Introductions
Her name was Amara Ryo.
Light rolled the words on his tongue. A-mar-a Ry-o.
He was not in love with her, per se, but her incredible intelligence astounded him. She was younger than him by a year but seemed to be on the same page as him at everything. He was now a sophomore at To-Oh University, and Amara had been the Freshman Representative, as he had been last year. They had had the same scores.
She wasn't supposed to be a part of his life. She wasn't on the task force, she was merely the girl next door. But he had been watching her ever since her father had been one of Kira's victims, a man who had murdered his wife and tried to kill his children before running off with his mistress. Amara had made the news, and that was when Light had seen her for the first time with actual care.
The funny part to Light was that she didn't care either way about Kira. Even though the mystery person had killed her father, she didn't seem to feel one way or the other. In fact, as she appeared on screen, full name announced and face shown, she hadn't had a hint of fear in her eyes. Not that she should have, really – there was no way she would know that Kira used these two factors to kill. But nonetheless, that's when her face caught Light's attention.
Just as Misa had fallen in love with him at first sight, Light had felt what he expected to be the same feeling when he saw Amara's face. She was beautiful; long, dark hair but unique violet eyes that he immediately was infatuated with. The girl—actually, more so a young woman—had captivated him instantly with her knowing eyes that still seemed to be so innocent.
She had a small, perfect nose and pouty lips, but they were not the kind of pouty that Misa used when she was trying to get something from him; rather, they were sensual and, oddly enough, a pair of lips he could imagine never growing bored of kissing. Unlike Misa, he wouldn’t have minded spending time with her or doting on her. It was almost to his chagrin that he admitted to himself he liked this girl. This girl…who had never been consequential in his life before Kira. She was the girl he had always ignored—but had also always ignored him. For all the fame he got for his position as captain of the tennis team and star student of To-Oh University, she had never batted him an eyelash. Sometimes—no, often—Light wished Misa and Amara would switch places. He would never regret having Amara hanging on his shoulder the way the blonde did.
Light frowned at the thought of Misa. Being the second Kira, she could never know about his secret admiration for Amara. She would kill the girl in an instant, and Light would never forgive her for that. She would have to know that, but she was selfish and would not see Amara as anything other than competition.
It was quiet that night and Light found a reason to pull out his Death Note. However, the first broadcasting of the day had passed and there wouldn't be more news until 10 pm. Light sighed in frustration and felt that a walk was necessary.
Just in case, he tore out a sheet of the notebook and tucked it in his pocket – no harm done, right?
The night air was cool and relaxing. He walked aimlessly for what felt like a long time, until he found himself standing in front of the Ryo residence.
He wondered vaguely if the 18 year old would be living alone in her deceased family's house or if she had put it up for sale and was living in an apartment now. He had heard from some friends that there were apartments for lease near the university. It would be too bad if she had moved; he would have even less of a chance to talk to her, then.
Light wasn't sure what his real infatuation with her was. Perhaps it was the fearlessness in her eyes, or the way that she carried herself in such a dignified manner. He had been there as she'd given her speech as the Freshman Representative. There was something pure and clean about her, something he really admired. It wasn't just that she was beautiful – Light was sure he could have any girl he wanted from To-Oh University, or really any girl at all for that matter.
He was handsome, he knew, and smart. He was athletic and fit. What was more, he was Kira. It wasn't like he would tell anybody that, but should they know, they would want to be on his side, not L's. It was common sense; who would want to be on the losing team?
A nearby door clicked open, stirring Light from his reverie. He glanced toward the noise and found that it was from Amara's house. He quickly stood behind a tree, giving himself enough room to see but not be seen.
She stood out on the porch, wearing nothing but a long t-shirt and girl boxers. Light wondered about the appropriateness of the outfit, but instead of thinking poorly of her, he took the chance to observe her body from a distance.
Amara was a full B-cup from what he could see at that distance and she had wide, womanly hips. Her legs were thin but her thighs were curvaceous, and her buttocks curved nicely. He wasn’t used to appreciating a woman’s body, even though he was far from a virgin—popularity got him at least that much. However, seeing her so scantily clad, yet so innocent, and then so intelligent, Light could feel this infatuation from afar growing. Even his best attempts as self-control were squandered by Amara.
He had only taken his eyes off her for a split second, straying to the streetlight to deduce how much it illuminated and whether or not he’d be noticed. Light didn’t want to be caught spying on her, even though anyone who saw could be easily offed if it grew necessary…but he was sure it wouldn’t come to that. He didn’t want to hurt innocent people.
Light was taken by surprise when he heard and quiet but definite sobbing. He had never seen another girl cry so softly; it was only barely audible. Sayu bawled and when he turned down girls they screamed and sobbed loudly, but to Amara's credit, for everything she had gone through, she was only crying a little. He was lucky the tree was so close to the side of her house or else he wouldn’t have noticed it.
He took this as an opportunity. Sneaking out from the shadows, he positioned himself so that when he walked by her house and 'would find her crying', it looked like he was merely on a night's stroll.
Light began the best acting he'd had to perform so far, excluding his encounters with L.
“Hey, are you alright?”
Amara's eyes shot up from her lap and she looked around in the darkness. When her eyes finally found him, she quickly wiped her tears away and put on the best smile she could muster. It was a good try, he noted, to be strong.
“Oh, I'm fine.” Her lips curved into a slight smile, only barely quirking upwards even though it was obvious that she was straining it. He applauded her lie, although it was flimsy at best, because he was impressed that she cared to keep things to herself. However, it didn’t leave much to continue the conversation with.
It was awkwardly silent, but Light refused to give up. “Was something the matter?” he asked again, gently and politely, coaxing her to open up to him. He took a few steps closer, edging towards the side of her lawn. It left several yards between them, still a safe distance for her to feel good about.
She didn't fall for the bait.
“No, no, I'm fine.” She sniffled softly. Amara stood up, as though to go inside, and Light felt a significant need to keep her there with him. It was consternating that it was so difficult to get her to open up to him. While he didn’t mind it because it was Amara, the fact that she wasn’t opening up to him instantly like most girls would have—even going to so far as to flirt with him—was a bit frustrating.
“Really, you can talk to me,” Light continued. This wasn't like him, and the approach wasn't going as planned. He usually let the girls call the shots, do their thing. They were always so eager to talk to him, spill their guts – but Amara seemed to have no interest.
She giggled appreciatively, but it was hesitant. “I don't even know you...”
He loved her laugh. It was soft, like a dove's coo.
“You don't know me?” He tried not to sound like a cocky jackass. “We've met before. I'm Light Yagami. We go to school together.”
Recognition flared in Amara's eyes. “Oh, yeah!” She blushed, red coloring her normally pale skin. She was decidedly embarrassed and Light found another thing he liked about her: she was polite. “I can't believe I didn't recognize you. Aren’t you…that model’s boyfriend?” Suddenly her eyes looked somewhat suspicious. “Wait, weren’t you dating Takada just recently?”
Shit, he thought. If she were to only see him as Misa’s boyfriend, or even worse, the player spent time with both the popular college girl and a celebrity, he knew that he would ruin his chances. Amara didn’t seem like the kind of girl who was going to be readily used.
“Well, you see, it's complicated.” Light didn't dare to divulge further—it was too dangerous for their tentative conversation. He knew that he was already on thin ice and this first impression meant a lot.
“I understand,” Amara said slowly. She regarded him carefully and Light knew this really wasn’t going well. However, she wasn’t making a move to leave, so he pressed forward.
“I asked about you, though,” he continued at last. “Are you sure you’re okay? You seemed upset when I first saw you.”
Amara looked at him hard before softening slightly. “I don’t really want to talk about it with a stranger,” she replied, giving him an apologetic look. “But thank you for the concern.”
Light nodded, but found nothing to say. Silence lapsed, and Amara made no inclinations whether she was going to sit down again or leave. She simply observed him, not critically, but simply assessing him. He was pleased that she was paying him the attention he had paid her previously behind the tree.
Finally she spoke. “What are you doing out here, anyways?” Amara asked. “It's pretty late. Aren't finals tomorrow for the sophomores?”
Light shrugged impassively. He felt a distinct feeling of triumph that she had continued the conversation. “I spent all night studying, so I thought I might take a little break. What about you?”
Mimicking Light, Amara shrugged. “I wasn’t feeling too good and I thought I might get some fresh air.”
“Why were you crying?”
He realized he had said the wrong thing as soon as he finished saying it.
Amara's eyes grew defensive. “I just told you I don’t really want to talk about it.”
Light raised his hands, showing her than he meant no harm. “That's not what I-”
“But if you must know, my boyfriend has been so busy lately, I think he may be cheating on me.”
Boyfriend?
Light felt his chest well up in anger. Of course she had a boyfriend.
But he might as well played on the strong suits of the conversation. “Your boyfriend? Do I know him?”
“Maybe. He told me you guys were friends before the whole Kira thing got out of hand. His name's Hideki Ryuga.”
Light's insides froze and he tried to play it off. “You mean—the singer?”
Amara laughed, pleased. “No, no, the guy at To-Oh. I think he's much more handsome than the singer, don't you?”
He was fuming. How on earth had L beaten him to this beautiful girl?
“Oh, that guy. I know him...he's okay.” Light wasn't sure how much this girl liked 'Ryuga' so he didn't want to say anything that might offend her.
“Well, I think he's amazing. He's smart and funny...a little weird, but I love him.”
The star-struck gaze in Amara's eyes told Light that she was truly in love with his worst enemy. He silently raged, but nothing showed on his face. In fact, he flashed her the best, most sympathetic smile he had.
“I’m sorry to hear that.”
Amara looked sad. “Me, too. But I’m sure he’s just busy...I just miss him, that’s all.”
It seemed her affection for L ran deep, which was more than infuriating. However, that would not deter him. He would steal L's lover, and then he would kill him after his arch-nemesis had nothing to live for. Suicide wouldn't be too far off from the truth, would it?
“Anyways, I'd better get going. It's really late, and tomorrow I'm meeting Ryuga for coffee.” Amara smiled, but it was a sad smile. “I just hope there's nothing wrong between us. I love him so much...”
Light realized he could play this to his advantage, but said nothing, his mind calculating.
“Well,” he said, smiling again despite his anger, “I guess I'll see you around, then?”
“Sure!” Amara smiled genuinely and Light's heart fluttered as she did so. “Maybe at school or something. I don't know.” She waved at him. It irked him to see how animated she got over the detective he knew so well. He wondered vaguely why L had never mentioned him to Amara before. He wondered what their relationship truly was.
He headed back home, frown on his face.