#AND IF HES BEEN AVOIDING THESE ISSUES THEN HES BEEN AVOIDING CONFRONTING WHAT TERU DID

[m00ngbin]

JUST FINISHED THE SECOND SEASON OF MP100 AGAIN AND SOMETHING THAT I LOVE IS THAT MOB ISNT ALWAYS JUST NICE ON IMPULSE. HE HAS TO MAKE AN EFFORT. HE *CHOOSES* TO BE KIND

[secretshinigami]

The Kira Squad

Author: realtruesuccessor For: serahne Pairings/Characters: Light Yagami, L Lawliet, Misa Amane, Kiyomi Takada, Teru Mikami, Kyosuke Higuchi Rating/Warnings: Teen and Up Prompt: Breakfast Club AU with Misa, Light, Takada and Mikami ( + someone else if you want ) Author’s notes: I decided to go full Kira squad on this prompt and drag Higuchi into it! I tried to keep this as in-character as possible while still retaining the powerful and relevant themes of The Breakfast Club.

Misa Amane’s shiny black shoes clicked against the dull gray sidewalk as she walked toward her high school. Well, it wasn’t her school. She didn’t own it - not legally, anyway. But Shermer High School was her domain, her kingdom. Where she skipped class, hung out with her crew in bathrooms and locker rooms, smoking cigarettes and other drugs that made the day more bearable. Today, she wasn’t heading to Shermer for a normal school day. It was a Saturday. Detention day. As Misa walked, her hips swayed back and forth to the music in her mind.

A dark shadow in the vague outline of a woman followed Misa everywhere she stepped, hanging over her shoulder like a black cloud. The shadow was barely noticeable; you would only see it if you were looking very closely at the spot where it lingered.

Misa was wearing her usual style - a black gothic lolita dress, dark stockings, and even deep red lipstick which was almost black. Everything about her screamed goth. When she reached the clear glass door of the school building, Misa stopped to examine her reflection, which stared back at her from the surface of the door. She ran a hand through her dyed blond hair, then pursed her lips. Reaching into her black handbag, which was always by her side, she retrieved a thin purple tube. With a quick pop, twist, and swish, she adjusted her make-up, making her lips an even darker shade of red, if that was possible. After a quick glance over her shoulder, Misa opened the door to the school and stepped inside.

Immediately, Misa was surrounded by an ugly lobby. There was no one in the lobby, or in the offices on either side of her as she entered the building. She glanced at some blue ink on her hand and then quickly made her way down a bland white hallway in the direction of the library.

~~~

Police chief Soichiro Yagami’s car pulled up in front of Shermer High School just as Misa stepped inside the building. The chief himself sat in the driver’s seat. He was an older gentleman, appearing to be somewhere in his late forties or early fifties. Gray hairs had already begun to grow where it had once been black. His dark brown suit gave the impression of a professional man, one who took his job seriously. Once he had stopped the car in front of the school, he glanced toward his companion in the front passenger seat.

Sitting in the passenger seat was the police chief’s son, Light Yagami. The young man looked nothing like his father. With pretty brown hair that swept over his forehead and reddish brown eyes, Light could easily be a model. He wore a dark blue button-up shirt and gray jeans. Like his father, Light gave off an air of professionalism, even when he wasn’t dressed up for the part. While Soichiro was looking at Light, the teenager only had eyes for the school building, his lip curled in disgust.

“I can’t believe I have to be here on a Saturday,” Light complained. “I could be studying.”

His father nodded, only half-listening. Soichiro’s mind was elsewhere, focused on work, as usual. “Well, Light, you can use the time to your advantage,” he said, still looking at his son.

Light sighed, and rolled his eyes while facing the car door window, so his father couldn’t see his face. “Dad, we’re not allowed to study in there. We’re just supposed to sit there and do nothing,” he said, his tone bitter and disappointed.

“I’m sure you can figure out a way to study,” Soichiro said. “Have a good day.”

Light gave his father a quick nod before getting out of the car. He walked briskly toward the school building, not even bothering to look back at his father; Light could hear the car pull away almost as soon as he had closed the car door. The young man didn’t even stop to look at his reflection in the mirror-like glass door. Light knew he looked presentable. He pulled open the door and stepped inside the school.

As usual, Light was faced with the architectural disaster of the school lobby. Sneering at the empty space around him, Light reached into his bag and pulled out a bright red apple. He appeared to hand it to the faint shadow floating beside him. After he had done this, he headed in the direction of the library.

~~~

Silence is deafening.

Kiyomi Takada stared down at her hands. They were clean, smooth, and perfectly manicured. Both hands lay curled up in her lap as she sat in her father’s new car. She had no clue what he had been thinking when he bought it. It’s not like he could afford it.

Her father sat next to her. Takada was a large man with rough hands and a stern face. He was dressed surprisingly well for a man who could barely afford his car payments. “Kiyomi, we all make mistakes. I made mistakes when I was your age,” he said. “There’s nothing wrong with mistakes.”

If he said the word ‘mistakes’ one more time, Kiyomi was tempted to sock him in the jaw.

Kiyomi’s father paused for a moment to gather his thoughts and plan out what he was going to say next. “Your problem is that people noticed what you did wrong,” he said, looking at her earnestly.

The young woman didn’t look up. She was the perfect image of a dutiful daughter. Head down, freshly-washed short black hair, not too much make-up, a clean purple sweater that her mother had bought her last Christmas. “I know, Dad,” she said patiently, although her heart burned with words that went unsaid.

“You can’t mess this up, sweetheart,” Takada said. “Your future is important. You can’t lose it because of some silly mistake.”

Kiyomi shook her head, a small frown forming on her face. “I won’t. I won’t lose it.”

There was another moment of awkward silence before Takada spoke again. “You just need to work on your…discipline.” He sounded rather pleased with himself at having found the right word to express his thoughts.

Both of Kiyomi’s hands tightened into tense fists. Her father did not notice.

Before Takada could say anything else, Kiyomi opened the door and stepped out of the car. She straightened out her sweater, took a deep breath, and closed the door behind her. Her father didn’t say a word.

She approached the school as her father drove away. Kiyomi didn’t even think to look at herself in the glass door to the school. At home, she had made sure she looked her best, and after all, this was just a day in detention. There wasn’t any need to look good, so there wasn’t any point in double-checking her make-up work at the door. She had much more significant issues on her mind, anyway.

Kiyomi headed straight for the library without pausing in the lobby at all.

~~~

Ms. Mikami pulled her car up to the curb outside Shermer High School. A frail woman in her late thirties, Ms. Mikami looked like she had seen too much. Her brown eyes were round and wide, as if in a state of constant surprise. The loose gray shirt she wore hung feebly around her torso. Long strands of dark hair reached her shoulders, unwashed for the past few days.

Her son sat in the front passenger seat right next to her. He was an average-looking boy with long dark hair and glasses. There was nothing particularly special about his face or his features.

“Teru?” His mother asked softly as she stared nervously at her son. His eyes were focused on the school building and he appeared stern and tenser than usual.

Slowly, thoughtfully, Teru turned around to face his mother. “I shouldn’t be here,” he said.

His mother nodded. “I know, Teru, but the school says you need to go to detention. Regardless of what is right and wrong, good and evil, you broke one of their rules.”

Teru bristled at that statement. He opened his mouth slightly, ready to correct his mother and justify his righteous actions. However, it occurred to him that now was probably not the best time to confront his mother about issues of truth and morality. He closed his mouth. “Yes, mother,” he uttered through clenched teeth as he opened the door and stepped out of the vehicle.

Relieved at Teru’s decision to avoid confrontation for now, but still obviously nervous about something, Ms. Mikami stared after him as her son approached the school building. She watched as he stepped in front of the glass door and carefully adjusted his glasses.

After he went inside, she pulled away.

~~~

An old car with blacked-out windows pulled up to the school. A young man emerged from the back seat of the vehicle. He had brown hair and a short stature. The car pulled away almost as soon as he had closed the door behind him.

For a few moments, the young man stared after the car with a look of longing on his face. He shook his head and frowned.

Strolling confidently toward the school building, the young man opened the door and went inside. He didn’t hesitate in the lobby; he went straight for the library.

~~~

Teru Mikami entered the familiar school library. There were six tables in the center of the room, two rows of them with three tables in each row. Each table had two chairs facing the front of the room. When Mikami walked in, there were already a few people sitting around.

An attractive young man whom Mikami recognized as Light Yagami, the local police chief’s son, was sitting at one of the front tables. Light was quietly chatting with the girl in the seat next to him, Kiyomi Takada. Directly behind them, Misa Amane sat in a chair with her feet up on the table. Mikami sneered at her, disgusted at her lack of respect for school property. She noticed his expression, flashed him a small smile and winked.

Repulsed by Misa, Mikami chose a seat in the other row of tables, physically distancing himself from the rebellious teenager.

A few moments after Mikami took his seat, another young man walked in. Mikami recognized him as Kyosuke Higuchi, a wealthy kid whom no one at school was particularly fond of. Higuchi walked in and glanced at the four other students in the room. He sauntered over to the seat directly behind Mikami and sat down.

At that moment, a teacher walked into the library. He was holding a stack of papers in his pale hand. Mikami had seen this teacher around in the halls, but had never had a class with him. At the sight of this professor, Light tensed up.

“Well, well, well,” the teacher said as he glanced around at the students, his gaze lingering a little too long on Light. “I would like to congratulate all of you for arriving on time this morning.”

There was an awkward moment of silence when no one said a word. Then, Mr. Lawliet continued. “It is currently seven-oh-six. You have exactly eight hours and fifty-four minutes to write this essay.” At this point, Lawliet began to hand out blank sheets of lined paper and pencils.

Misa shot up out of her seat, planting her feet on the ground with a loud stomp and gripping the table in front of her with both hands. “Essay?!” She exclaimed. “Is this a test?!”

Lawliet sighed. “Sit down, Miss Amane,” he said. “This is not a test. It is merely an exercise designed to focus your attention on why you are here today.”

“Oh,” Misa muttered, obviously still not completely understanding. “So…what is it?” She did not sit down.

Kiyomi turned around in her seat to face Misa. “Think of it as an in-class essay, Miss Amane,” she said, her tone dripping with disdainfulness.

Misa glared at Kiyomi, but slowly lowered herself back into the chair.

The teacher continued to shuffle around the room, giving each of the five students a blank sheet of paper and a yellow pencil. Mikami was a bit shocked at Lawliet’s appearance. He knew that this teacher was notorious for wearing casual clothing in the classroom as opposed to the usual professional clothing worn by most teachers. However, today, Lawliet seemed to go above and beyond to give the impression that he had just rolled out of bed. Lawliet’s black hair stuck up in all sorts of odd directions; his hair looked like it had been slept on. There were dark bags under his eyes. He wore a plain white shirt with long sleeves; it reminded Mikami of his pajama top. Lawliet’s baggy jeans almost hid the fact that he was not wearing shoes or socks, but Mikami could see the tips of his toes sticking out from under the blue material.

Once each student had a piece of paper and pencil, Lawliet stood facing them at the front of the room. “This assignment requires you to write an essay telling me who you are and why you’re here today. It must be no less than one thousand words. It can not be a single word repeated a thousand times.” Lawliet looked around at each of them as he said this, his eyes piercing into their souls. Mikami swore that he saw Misa Amane shiver under the professor’s intense gaze. “My office is right across the hall,” Lawliet said, raising one of his thin arms slowly to point with one long finger toward his office. “Feel free to call upon me if you find that you are in need of something. Any questions?”

For the second time since Lawliet entered the room, there was a notable moment of awkward silence in which no one spoke.

“Alright.” With that last word, Lawliet left the library and returned to his office.

~~~

Only a few seconds had passed since Lawliet’s departure when Misa heard a soft groan from one of the other tables. She turned to see Higuchi leaning back in his chair and sneering at nothing in particular. “Ugh,” he uttered again. “I can’t believe we have to be here so early in the morning.”

Mikami nodded. “Yes, it’s quite inconvenient,” he responded.

After that, no one said anything for a while. Misa saw Mikami fall into a sort-of trance while staring at his paper. Higuchi glanced around the room, first at the ceiling, then at the table in front of him, then at Kiyomi Takada, who was facing away from Higuchi. Finally, Higuchi’s eyes settled on Misa. He flashed her a large grin that reminded Misa of a shark. Misa turned away.

She looked at Light and Kiyomi at the table in front of her. Light was tapping the pencil on his chin and appeared to be deep in thought. Kiyomi was already writing away. Misa couldn’t tell if Kiyomi was already working on the paper or if she was still in the planning stages.

Misa glanced down at her paper. It was still blank, the pencil untouched, the task daunting. “Ugh,” Misa exclaimed loudly. “I’m so bored!”

As quick as lightning, Light turned around in his seat and glared at Misa. “Will you be quiet? Some of us are trying to think,” he snapped. Apparently, he hadn’t been as deep in thought as Misa had initially perceived.

“Okay, okay,” Misa said, putting her hands up in surrender. “I’ll be quiet.”

The library was silent again. After a few minutes, Misa heard a chair move in the next row. She turned her head to see Higuchi standing up and wandering around the library. He made his way down aisles of books, picking one up every once in awhile to read the cover. After reading the cover, he would shove the book back into the wrong spot. Misa noticed that Mikami was also watching Higuchi.

While Misa and Mikami stared at Higuchi, Misa heard Light and Kiyomi whispering to each other.

“What are your plans for tonight?” Kiyomi asked Light sweetly. Her tone made Misa’s skin crawl.

Light shrugged and looked at Kiyomi with his beautiful reddish brown eyes. “I’ll probably spend tonight studying.”

Kiyomi let out a soft giggle that made Misa want to fly into a rage. “Any dinner plans?” Her lips curled into a small, perfect smile.

For what seemed like an eternity, Misa waited on the edge of her seat to hear Light’s answer. “Usually, I eat dinner with my family, but I’m sure they would understand if I wanted to spend a nice evening with you. Especially after such a long and boring day.” Light flashed her a cute, lopsided smile.

Misa leaned forward abruptly and barged into their conversation. “Won’t your family be mad that you’re ditching them for some stuck-up bimbo?” Misa almost cringed at her own voice. It sounded so loud and shrill. That’s just how it got when she was angry.

Kiyomi and Light turned around simultaneously to glare at Misa. “My mother and sister would absolutely understand that Kiyomi is an excellent and worthy young woman to spend time with,” Light countered.

“Uh huh, and what about your dad?” Misa asked.

Light turned away. “I doubt my father would even notice I was gone.”

Simultaneously, Misa and Kiyomi let out tiny gasps. Kiyomi, with her eyes already beginning to water, placed a gentle hand on Light’s shoulder. “Oh, Light, I’m so sorry,” she said, sounding incredibly genuine, although Misa could see right through her.

“It’s fine,” Light said, as though he was trying to convince himself as well as Misa and Kiyomi. “He’s been really busy with a certain case lately. I thought the nature of the case would make his job easier, but instead…” Light trailed off, seemingly lost for words.

Kiyomi rubbed comforting circles on Light’s back. “You mean the Kira investigation?” She asked.

Light nodded. “Kira is taking care of criminals so my dad shouldn’t have to, but instead, my dad has been obsessed with catching the same person who’s trying to help him and people like him.” Light sounded disappointed in his father.

Misa glanced at the shadow hanging over her shoulder that only she seemed to notice.

~~~

L Lawliet sat in silence. His office was a small, cramped room with barely enough space for the desk. On the desk in front of him was a gray laptop. He sighed at something he was reading on the computer. Quietly, Lawliet closed the laptop and stood.

The pale man shuffled out of his office and into the hallway. His bare feet suffered a little bit on the cold floor. He walked aimlessly down the hallway, deep in thought.

~~~

Kiyomi watched as Misa peeped quickly outside the library. “The coast is clear,” Misa whispered loudly to her fellow students.

“How do you know L is gone?” Light asked, his arms crossed over each other in front of his chest. His posture was clearly defensive, and Kiyomi could tell just from looking at him that he was nervous. But apparently, Misa either didn’t notice or didn’t care.

The blond girl stepped cautiously out into the hallway.

Light’s eyes darted from Misa to Kiyomi, and back again. Fear radiated off of Light in waves. “What if L comes back?” He snapped at Misa.

Misa shrugged, her lower lip pouting. “I don’t know, but it doesn’t really matter,” Misa said casually. “He hates us all anyway. Why else would he make us write an essay on a Saturday?” That was almost the dumbest thing Kiyomi had ever heard anyone say, which was impressive considering who she had for a father.

A tap on the shoulder distracted Kiyomi from her mental Misa hate session. She turned around to see Mikami standing next to her. He had a curious expression on his face. “Why are we leaving the library?”

Kiyomi sighed. “I have no idea. Miss Amane needs to get something from her locker, and apparently, she needs a babysitter.” Her tone was the same as it had been earlier, dripping with superiority.

Misa glared at Kiyomi, who was still standing in the library. “I don’t need a babysitter!” She whisper-yelled. “You just don’t trust me to go to my own locker!”

“Of course we don’t trust you!” Kiyomi matched Misa’s volume and tone. “You’ll get caught by Lawliet and get us all in trouble!” The pretty young woman put hands on her hips and glared, for the umpteenth time, at the goth girl.

Misa rolled her eyes. “We’re already in trouble. We’re in detention, in case you hadn’t noticed.”

From next to Kiyomi, Mikami cleared his throat. “It would not be wise to risk getting caught,” he said, his glare matching Kiyomi’s, both of them focused on the offending Misa. “Best to do as you’re told and stay here, Amane.” Mikami reached up and adjusted his glasses as he said this.

After a beat, Misa sighed. “Fine, if you’re all too scared, I’ll do it alone!” She scampered off in the direction of her locker.

Light, Kiyomi, and Mikami shared a troubled exchange of glances. Then, they followed Misa quickly, sticking together in a tight group as they made their way down the hall after her. None of them noticed Higuchi following after them, although some deep part of them must have known he was there.

Finally, the five students reached Misa’s locker. Light, Kiyomi, and Mikami ran up to Misa as she was putting in her locker combination. Higuchi showed up a few seconds later. Misa flung open her locker, but fortunately, Light was able to catch it before it clanged loudly against the nearby lockers. Kiyomi took a deep breath and tried to restrain herself from physically lashing out at the foolish Misa.

After a few moments of rummaging through her belongings, Misa emerged from her locker with a small black book in one hand and a pen in the other. Light stared at the book, his face draining of every bit of color it once had. That little black book was definitely not the Bible. “That’s a…” Light’s sentence remained unfinished as he stared in surprise.

Kiyomi glanced from Misa to Light and back again. “That’s a what, Light?” She asked softly.

Misa grinned. Cold shivers flew down Kiyomi’s spine. “You’re about to find out,” Misa said cryptically.

~~~

Back in the library, after the students had returned from their adventure to Misa’s locker, the five of them sat in a circle on the second floor of the library. Light had just finished telling the others about his personal views on the nature of Misa’s book.

“I’m inclined to agree with Light,” Kiyomi said after a brief moment of hesitation. “This notebook would be best put to use in the extermination of criminals.” Light was delighted to hear that Kiyomi agreed with him, and grew even more happy when Mikami gave a decisive nod. He could sense his support growing with each passing moment.

From her position next to Light, Misa hummed quietly and clenched the notebook tighter in her hands. “I don’t know,” she said, avoiding the gazes of her fellow students. “That’s a really great idea, but I would use this notebook to do whatever I could for the person I love.”

Light heard Kiyomi laugh harshly. “You would kill someone just because your lover wanted it? That’s pathetic and weak.” A sneer warped Kiyomi’s pretty features.

Misa visibly blushed and held the notebook to her chest as though it was a passionate love diary. “Excuse me for wanting to keep my loved ones happy!” She snapped, tears welling up in her eyes. “I can’t afford to have anyone else abandon me!”

Light winced. “Misa,” he began, making sure his voice was soft and gentle and understanding. “I’m so sorry. I had no idea, and I’m sure Kiyomi didn’t, either.” A quick glance at Kiyomi revealed that she didn’t look very sorry. “Do you want to talk about it?”

After a few wet sniffles, Misa nodded. “Exactly one year ago, my parents were killed in a robbery,” she said, her eyes closed. “I was home with them at the time. It happened right in front of me. My parents abandoned me. I know it wasn’t their fault, but they left me all alone.” Misa wiped a fat round tear that was rolling down her cheek.

Her companions were silent. Higuchi’s mouth hung open in shock and his eyes were wide.

“I have no one else. If I ever find another person that I love, I want to make sure they stay with me and never leave.”

For a few minutes, the five students sat in silence and contemplated Misa’s reveal. Light’s brow furrowed and he frowned, staring at the ground, glancing up every few moments to observe how his classmates were reacting. Kiyomi seemed unfazed by the news of Misa’s status, as did Mikami. Light didn’t even bother to check Higuchi’s reaction. In hindsight, he probably should have.

“If I was gonna use that notebook, I would use it to give myself more power in society,” Higuchi chimed in suddenly.

Mikami glared at Higuchi. “You already have enough power. You’re wealthy and privileged. If you used that book to make yourself even more powerful, killed innocent people to raise yourself up even higher, you would be the ultimate bully,” Mikami stated. There was no hesitation in his voice or demeanor. His eyes flashed with righteous anger.

Higuchi returned Mikami’s glare. “Hey, if no one else cares about me, I have to care about me. And if that means killing a few people, then that’s what I have to do.”

“You’re greedy, selfish…” Mikami got cut off when Kiyomi put her hand on his shoulder. He grew quiet, restraining himself.

“Enough,” Light said. “Regardless of our differences, we are united in this secret. We have to keep it from everyone, including our parents and friends.”

Kiyomi chuckled softly. “That shouldn’t be too difficult. My father isn’t exactly the brightest man.”

Across the circle, Misa tilted her head to the side in confusion. “Isn’t your dad a journalist?”

“Yes, he is. But he’s also a failure.” Kiyomi shook her head. “He’s terrible at his job, and sees my natural talent for writing as a way to live vicariously through me. He wants to know what being a quality journalist would feel like.”

After a moment, Misa smiled. “This morning, I would never have imagined all of us bonding like this. We’re all so different. But now I see that we’re more alike than we realize. We’re, like, a Kira squad! On Monday, we should totally hang out together at lunch!”

Mikami and Higuchi exchanged a tense glance and Kiyomi looked like she was holding back a laugh.

Light cleared his throat. “Misa, I don’t think that’s a good idea. We should stay apart.”

Misa pouted, her red lip sticking out dramatically. “Why?” She asked, her voice reaching a whining pitch.

“We don’t want to be caught. Don’t worry, Misa, we’ll always know about the Kira squad deep down, in here.” Light put his hand over his heart.

“I guess you’re right.”

At the end of the day, the five students left the school building, each returning to the vehicles they had left earlier that day. Except for Misa. She walked back the way she had came, the shadow behind her more prominent than ever.

Light glanced back at her through one of the car mirrors as his mother drove away from the school. He could make out the shape lurking behind her and shivered.

This new development was going to change everything.