I Know Your Secret-Death Note

First Impressions (Edited)

       'Breathe.' She told herself. 'Just breath; it's no big deal. You're making it worse.' She stared at the dreaded beast in front of her, unsure of what the best course of action should be.
'Dammit...' She thought miserably. 'I suck at math.'

       Orien Nanase wasn't stupid, far from it, but there was something about math that made her skin crawl. Even just saying the word left an unpleasant taste in her mouth. Yet here she was, suffering in the middle of her math test.

       She'd gotten a tutor, but they gave up after the first day. Ori tried not to feel helpless and pitiful, but after her tutor ran out after just twenty minutes, the feeling crept up behind her like a creepy doll in a horror movie.

       Time was up. The teacher came down the aisles, collecting the tests. When his eyes locked on Ori, the familiar disappointed look on his face made her roll her eyes. 

       "Yeah, yeah, I know." She muttered as she handed him her test. She looked out the window as the humid July air made the leaves on trees curl slightly. Ori found herself wishing she was a tree. She wouldn't have any responsibilities except for taking in sunlight and carbon dioxide and producing fresh air, and the best part was Ori doubted she'd even be aware she was doing it. It would be as natural as breathing.

       Then she'd met Raito Yagami, though he preferred to be called Light. He was smart, a boy genius, really. He was charming, good-looking, and got along with almost anyone. Ori never thought that a guy like him could truly be nice. When she had first met him, talking in front of the class like it was a chore to be smarter than everyone else, she hated him. It wasn't fair to judge someone based on appearances, Ori knew that. It was something her mother had often throughout her childhood, but here, where looks could make or break your life, it felt more like a survival instinct.

       "Excuse me." A masculine voice next to Ori made her turn. It was Raito Yagami. Teen prodigy and quite popular with the ladies. His light brown hair fell neatly over his chocolate-colored eyes. He was pretty tall, standing at around 5'10.

       'That's probably why all the girls like him so much. Because he's tall and smart.' Ori thought in annoyance. She watched him lazily with her hand holding up her head as he stared at her.

       "Do you need something?" She asked. 

       Raito smiled sheepishly. "I couldn't help noticing you were having trouble on the math test. If you'd like, I could tutor you." Instantly, Ori picked her head up. Raito tutoring her would be a huge benefit. He was the smartest guy in their grade. Heck, probably even their school. She quirked an eyebrow at him.

       "If you want to keep your sanity, walk away." Ori was aware of the girls watching her with a glare that would scare anyone, but Ori ignored them the best she could. Raito, on the other hand, had put on an easy smile that had the girls growling. 

       "I think I'd be fine." He said. 

       "You sure about that? My last tutor went running for the hills after merely twenty minutes." She replied with a smirk. A small of sweat began to bead down Raito's temple. 

       "I could at least try." He countered, still maintaining his smile, though it seemed to have cracked, becoming a little more forced than before. 

      "All right, " she gave it. "I'll take you up on that, but only because I want to see how long it'll take for steam to start pouring out of your ears." Ori stuck out her hand for him to take; he shook it with long fingers. 

       "So what day works for you?" Raito asked. "I've got cram school during the week, but Sunday or Saturday is just fine for me." Ori retracted her hand once she felt like the physical contact had gone on for a bit too long. 

       "How about Saturday at around noon?" She asked. Ratio flashed a dazzling smile that made Ori itch to hit something. Preferably Raito's face, but she ignored it. 

       "Perfect!" He said. Just then, the bell rang and everyone was dismissed.

       Long story short, he made math a lot easier. His patience was almost limitless, which only annoyed Ori further. He was just so perfect! It was infuriating. 

       After thirty minutes of torture, Ori was sure Raito would crack, but everything clicked. Equations made sense. Formulas were easier to remember and put on paper. 

       Ori was furious. 

       She had figured that once Raito saw that she was a lost cause, he would leave her alone and she'd have an excuse to never talk to him ever again. 

       Clearly, it hadn't worked. 

        It was a slow process, but Raito began to grow on Ori. They became friends and she even formed a little crush on him, but it didn't last long once she realized she looked up to him like a brother. And that's what they were: friends, sibling-like. At least, that's what it was like for Ori, she had no idea what Raito was thinking half of the time. The guy was almost like a brick wall.

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       Whoo! How was that for a redo first chapter? This was actually posted a full hour after what I had originally promised, so my apologies. I hope you guys like this series, I know that I have a lot of fun writing it so I hope this all pays off and I'm not writing this out for no reason. I would also like to add that I do not own Death Note or any of the characters except for Ori Nanase and her mother Vivian, thank you.

       Doragon-Chan out!
       "Every secret of a writer's soul, every experience of his life, every quality of his mind, is written large in his works."
-Virginia Woolf