Fate's Deception

Hello, Goodbye

The sun sets on the classroom as gossip and chattering fills the air, the low droning of the teacher's lesson doing little to muffle the noise. One way or another, most of the students find a way to do anything but pay attention to the lesson, and the soon to be relevance of the passages go over their heads as they indulge in ignorant bliss. "Listen to the voice of God and then follow it. Know that in time you will find your salvation..." Shinoska focuses on the reading as her eyes follow along the text with her teacher's voice. While the lesson is a bit different from their usual ones, she finds herself intrigued by it enough to pay attention, though even she'll admit that her teacher is making it a bit hard to do so. 'It's a shame, really. The text is actually not too bad once you get a good look at it...' She thinks to herself. Her eyes then trail over the classroom before they fall onto a familiar face, her lips turning up ever so slightly as she notices that Light is hardly paying attention at all. "Mr.Yagami, are you still with us?" The teacher asks. Without missing a beat, Light responds and, when prompted to continue reading the passage, he does so with ease.

"Follow the teachings of God and receive his blessings. And so it shall be that the seas will then become bountiful and the raging storms will subside." Shinoska isn't surprised that he was able to read so smoothly despite his lack of really paying much attention. It's something not unusual for his abilities, though she'll be sure to ask him about what was so distracting to him later. Even if practically all school subjects come easy to him, it's still not a bad idea to at least try and listen during class. Sometimes the supposedly obvious can uncover things not yet clear.

"And... Ms. Mimiki, can you continue?" The teacher says, fully confident that his other top student was listening well. "Of course," she answers as she stands to her feet, clearing her throat before she speaks. "Once the seas become bountiful and the raging storms subside, the earth shall renew. On its return and with the upbringing of mankind, beware of kindred false teachings and cursed blessings that preceded the chaos. Falsity shows in the face of deceivers. Recognize their fruits for what they are."

Light's eyes don't leave Shinoska as she speaks, his attention drawn to her. As per usual, the definitions and context of the text doesn't escape the boy, but any deeper analysis is tossed aside in favor of his own pride and adoration for the familiar speaker.

And thus is the beginning of his downfall. The school day finishes uneventfully, Shinoska preparing to head outside to meet up with Light to begin their walk home together. She slides her school slippers into her designated cubby, then slips on her sneakers back on and grabs her bag only to come face to face with some guy standing by her. He's unfamiliar, but the behaviors he's exhibiting are far from it. The slightly too quick blinking, the almost undetectable fidgeting, and the way his eyes focus on hers—he's here to ask her out. "Hey, Mimiki! I'm, uh, in your Chemistry class," he starts off a bit formally, Shinoska offering a small smile as she nods. "Yeah, I remember. Obana, right?" She says, the boy's face lighting up in response to her remembering him. "Yes! So, I know we haven't spoken to each other that much, but I was just wondering if..." He starts, but he's quickly interrupted as he feels a leering presence from behind him. Light stands there, looking between the two of them with a calm, yet analytical gaze as he shuts the book that he was reading and puts it into his bag.

"Shinoska, are you ready to go?" He asks, practically ignoring the presence of the boy before him. Obana looks between the two, his mouth a bit agape as embarrassment fills his body. His confidence all but withers away in the face of the most popular boy in school being so obviously close to Shinoska. "E-excuse me," he says, his voice cracking a bit weakly as he scurries away. Shinoska feels a bit bad as she watches him run off, almost wanting to offer an apology of some sort, even if she'd intended to turn him down in the first place. Besides, based on the look on his face, he presumed the two were a couple of some sort and that just simply wasn't true. Though, Shinoska can't exactly put her finger on why that is the case. "Shinoska?" Light asks, snapping her from her small daze. "Oh, sorry. Yes, I'm ready!" She replies and then the two are off. Their walk is quiet but comfortable, the two quite used to each other's presence. The hustle and bustle of the city does little to sever the obvious connection between the two, Light sticking close to Shinoska as hurried members of the crowd rush around them. The two pause at a crosswalk, Shinoska glancing up at her longtime childhood friend with thinly veiled curiosity. "What had you so distracted in English class?" Light wets his lips as he glances up at the light changing and the two begin to walk once more, his mind in more places than one. "It's kind of hard to explain..." He says, trailing off as the sound of the news fills the streets. "Today at approximately 11 a.m in Kanagawa Prefecture in Yokohama, the body of a man appearing to be about 30 years old was found in an apartment covered in blood. Kanagawa Police have opened a homicide investigation. In other news..." The onslaught of gut wrenching news continues to fill the air, Shinoska's lips pursing as she listens intently. 'Things like this happen every day, but it doesn't get any easier to hear. That's why I want to do something; be a part of some real change...' She thinks to herself, her promise to Light coming to mind as she does so. 'Together... He promised that we'd change the world. I wonder if he still thinks about that promise?' She turns her attention toward him, his expression unreadable as he begins to speak.