Keys quietly turned in the lock of the familiar house, barely making any noise as the door was softly swung open to reveal a (h/c)-haired woman as she looked in tentatively with a small, playful smile on her lips.

Almost silently stepping in, bringing her suitcase to a stop beside her, she quietly shut the door behind her, cringing at the slight sound it made in the otherwise silent house.

It was the lack of noise that finally brought her to attention, causing her to knit her eyebrows together, furrowing them. Slipping off her shoes, she peered deeper into the house with a frown.

"Mom?" the woman called out. "Sayu? Light? Anyone home, or did my surprise just go to waste?"

When nobody answered her calls, she placed her hands on her hips, blowing a bit of hair away from her eyes. "Alright, so my surprise is not going as planned," she muttered to herself, turning to grab her suitcase once more, preparing to haul it up the stairs.

Unbeknownst to her, elsewhere in the city, two men were watching her through the secretly installed surveillance cameras in the Yagami household, and their reactions differed understandably.

Soichiro couldn't contain the surprise that came with seeing his oldest child drop in for an unannounced visit all the way from the other side of the Pacific. He smiled reflexively at the sight of her, fondness rushing through him as he watched her plans to surprise the family go to waste, glad that not everyone had drifted away from the familial roots even though (Y/N) was the one who had been living on another continent for the last six years.

"That is your eldest daughter, correct?" the man crouched in his unusual sitting position in the chair beside him asked, and Soichiro nodded in confirmation.

"(Y/N) lives in America," the older man added. "I didn't know she would visit."

Humming in acknowledgment, L didn't remove his gaze from the screen showing the woman enter her old room, smiling fondly at the familiar walls. "That much was evident. What does she do?"

The Chief glanced sideways at the man beside him, swallowing the discomfort that came with him watching his daughter, feeling particularly disconcerted since he guessed they were quite close in age. "She's a criminal profiler," he answered at last, and although he didn't show it outwardly, L's interest was spiked regarding the unassuming woman on screen.

"The FBI?" the genius questioned, and Soichiro nodded proudly, straightening unknowingly. "I doubt she's been working for long," L commented, skeptical despite his monotone.

"She graduated early with her Masters degree, so she's been working with the Behavioral Analysis Unit for over a year now. Her IQ had her immediately noticed, so once the basic training was done at Quantico, they had her working under a mentor and she's been with the same team since then," Soichiro explained, and L raised an eyebrow slightly.

He hadn't looked too far into the eldest Yagami child since she hadn't been in Japan for over six months, but it seemed as though he would have to get a background check done on her as well. "It seems to me that you have two genius children, Mr. Yagami. You must consider yourself lucky," he remarked, bringing his thumb to his lip in thought.

Soichiro remained silent, unsure on what could be said to that and not really wanting to continue the conversation in case L decided to make it weird. He didn't like having his family under surveillance, and it had him secretly wishing that his eldest daughter had stayed in the USA, if only to have at least one member of his family away from the mess created by Kira.

Meanwhile, (Y/N)'s shoulders stiffened due to the strange tingling at the back of her neck that made her feel like she was being watched. Pretending to be busy with unpacking, the young woman examined the room, eyes narrowing by the barest fraction at the strange metallic glint she caught inside the vents of the air conditioner in her room.

She knew of the twelve FBI agents that had been dispatched as per the mysterious L's orders to investigate the families of certain Japanese police officers and of how they'd been killed by 'Kira', as the public was referring to the unknown subject. Her guess was that they had enough reason to further the surveillance within the houses of the suspects and that she was being watched through the lenses that very second.

A quiet sigh of mild annoyance escaped her as she deposited the folded clothes into her wardrobe, shutting the door just in time to catch the faint sound of the front door opening and closing.

Momentarily ignoring her disdain at the idea of being watched 24/7, she crept down the stairs to find her younger brother slipping off his own shoes in silence.

"Hey, Light," she called out, smiling at the obvious shock on the male's handsome features as he stared for a disbelieving second at the sister that climbed down the rest of the stairs to come to a stop in front of him.

A genuine smile broke out on his face when it finally registered, and he ignored the presence of the intrigued Shinigami in the room in favor of embracing his older sister. "I didn't know you'd be here," he spoke, his voice slightly muffled by her shoulder as she patted his head with a chuckle.

Light was always sincerely happy whenever he saw his older sister. She was more than smart enough to keep up with him, and he respected whatever she had to say because it was always well thought out and meaningful, unlike the kind of harebrained chatter he had to listen to when he hung out with people his age.

Besides, (Y/N) was never fazed by his cynicism, and Light enjoyed being able to drop the facade of perfection that had been ingrained in him around her, even if it was only momentarily. He was interested to know what she thought of Kira, but he supposed it would be the same as her stance on the criminals of the world- she wouldn't care unless personally affected.

Still, he worried about what she might do if-- or when-- she figured out that he was Kira. Would she sell him out, or would she support him?

"You look older," she noted when they separated.

Stepping around her to get to the stairs, he shrugged. "That's expected," Light stated. "I've gotten taller since you were here last year."

He was sure that his sister was rolling her eyes behind him as she followed him up the stairs, and her tone of voice only confirmed it.

"No kidding, beanstalk, but I meant as a whole. Is it stress because of your entrance exams?"

He came to a stop in front of his door, pursing his lips at the door handle that was at a right angle when Light always made it a point to leave it a little below. Someone had been in his room.

"Of course, I'm nervous about how I'll do, but I didn't think I was stressed enough for it to show," he answered his sister, partially honest with his answer. Half-truths were a personal specialty.

Opening the door, he noted that the slip of paper was in place, but the mechanical pencil lead in the hinges of the door lay in unnoticeable pieces on the floor. (Y/N) followed him in, and he saw her briefly glance at the pencil lead, but she didn't bring it up and he was grateful once more for her passiveness.

His sister caught his eye meaningfully, glancing at the air conditioner in his room nonchalantly, hinting at what he had already guessed. The house was under surveillance.

"Well," (Y/N) carried on conversationally, "don't work yourself too much, or soon enough, you'll be looking like the eldest sibling instead of me."

In response to her statement, he rolled his eyes, simultaneously dropping his bag by the foot of his desk. "That's just exaggerating it," he pointed out, and she shrugged unashamedly.

Slipping her hands into the pockets of her jeans, she examined his room absentmindedly. "I'll tell you what isn't exaggerating," she looked at him sideways. "I'm so hungry, my stomach lining is going to dissolve itself if I don't eat soon. Would you like to join me?"

"Aren't you tired after your flight?" But even as he asked this, he was following her down the stairs to slip his shoes back on.

He knew his sister well enough to guess she wanted to talk about the surveillance installed in their home, and in all honesty, Light wanted to get her opinion on Kira to grasp whether or not he could trust her. If anyone was capable of helping him realize his ambition of creating a new world and making sure he stayed on the throne without wanting it for themselves, it was (Y/N).

With her help, he was sure he'd be nearly impossible to defeat. But, first, he had to figure out her stance on what Kira was trying to do.

They stepped out of the house, back into the chilly air of the dying winter. Rather than paying attention to Ryuk's incessant whining, Light chose to concentrate on the shifts in dynamics between (Y/N) and himself. She stood a respectable distance away from him-- courtesy of the manners that had been grilled into them since they were kids-- but there was a sort of tension in her muscles, like she was waiting to dive right into action if needed.

Was it because of her job? He knew she worked in the BAU, but he doubted that required all that much physical prowess. Something must have happened then, and judging by the bags under her eyes, Light would guess it was enough to keep his reputedly unshakable sister up at night.

"So, what's with the sudden visit?" he asked, carefully watching her reaction in his peripheral vision.

But (Y/N) didn't do anything drastic aside from shrugging. "My mentor insisted on my taking a break," she spoke, burrowing her chin into the collar of her buttoned up coat.

The information, however, had Light furrowing his eyebrows in concern. "Did something happen, (Y/N)?" he questioned slowly, worried that she might get irritated by his prying.

"Cases go wrong all the time, Light." The woman sighed. "We aren't always able to catch the criminals, or save everyone, even if we wish we could. I guess, it just...it takes a toll on you."

With an understanding smile, Light wrapped an arm around his older sister, mentally resolving to asking her at a later date exactly which criminals she was referring to so he could bring them to justice. He'd make sure they would pay for their crimes, and for possibly causing his sister some form of PTSD-- because he may not be a professional psychologist, but if he had to take a guess, it would be that.

Shooting him a small smile of gratitude, the older of the two returned her gaze to in front of her, (e/c) irises looking almost bored even as they missed barely any detail in what they were seeing. When he was younger, Light had always been secretly amazed by how often (Y/N)'s natural disinterest let her get away unnoticed even with her remarkable intelligence. She noticed everything, but you would think she'd rather be asleep at the very moment.

"Enough about me." She shrugged his arm off easily. "Let's talk about why the hell there are cameras all over our house."

At the question, he could only sigh. "You know about the twelve FBI agents who had been sent here for the Kira case's investigation?" Light began, ignoring the deadpan she shot him because of course she knew. "Our family was among the ones being investigated for ties with Kira, and I think that after the agents' deaths, they got even more suspicious."

(Y/N) snorted derisively at his explanation, shaking her head. "I know this isn't the FBI's doing, so who is it really?"

There was a short silence, and Light could practically see the gears turning in her brain, making him nervous for some reason. If she figured it out, would (Y/N) expose him?

Then he almost laughed at himself. His sister wouldn't do that even if she wasn't particularly approving of his actions. Their family was above everything else to her, and she would be the last person to tear it apart like telling on him would undoubtedly do.

"L?" she wondered out loud. "I must admit: I didn't think they would go this far, but I suppose as the best detective of our generation, he does have enough weight to throw around and be able to pull this off. They must be really suspicious of our family, huh?"

He didn't respond, pressing his lips together into a thin line, thinking on just how he wanted to direct the conversation.

"(Y/N)," he began, deciding to just go for it, "what do you think of Kira?"

She glanced at him quickly, and he caught the slight frown marring her face before she turned back, using the time in which they crossed the street to think of her answer. "Why the sudden question?" she inquired instead, and he swallowed his frustration with her careful evasion.

"I don't know," he lied, shrugging to illustrate. "I guess, I just like knowing your opinion since I value it, and I enjoy hearing all the interesting thoughts that people have on the biggest case right now."

She shot him a dubious look, looking unconvinced and not bothering to hide it-- something that he could never bring himself to do when he knew that it would probably displease his companion. "You know what, Light? I'm interested in hearing your opinion on the Unsub."

Although being referred to so carelessly as the Unknown Subject irked him, he pushed past the unintentional dig to think very carefully of his next move, knowing it could very well give him away. "Well, Kira is a murderer," he recited, trying not to sound mechanical as he did. "What he's doing is inhumane and he needs to be stopped."

"Sure," she snorted quietly, smiling in amusement, "that's the conventionally correct answer given that you are the son of the man heading the investigation against the Unsub, but I want to hear what you really think, dear Otouto."

Her skepticism with his answer actually pleased him since it showed that his sister still knew him very well, but in the small probability that she didn't support him, it could also prove incriminating for Light. "I know that I should hate him, and it should be as simple as that, but I can't help but agree with some of what he's doing," he admitted, playing the part she expected of him. "The world really could use some cleansing, and since it's only criminals, he isn't really doing that bad of a deed, right?"

(Y/N) nodded-- not in agreement, but acceptance. "Alright," she considered, pushing the door open to one of the cafes that the two of them tended to frequent whenever (Y/N) was in town. "In all honesty, Light, I wouldn't be surprised if you turned out to be the Unsub."

The ease with which she said it had him freezing in his tracks behind her. (Y/N) shot him a look over her shoulder, impatiently gesturing for him to follow her to an empty booth on the side.

Was he really that obvious?

"Why would you say that?" he asked, sliding in opposite her, forcing himself to stay calm while Ryuk laughed hysterically in the background, momentarily forgetting his apple withdrawal symptoms.

Glancing at him in something akin to amusement, (Y/N) browsed through the menu, unbothered like she hadn't just accused her little brother of potentially being one of the most wanted people on the planet.

"I've known you since your birth, Light," she stated. "I've seen you grow and I've seen the very formation of your honest opinions, so I know what you really think of things rather than just buying the garbage you try to feed people via that exhausting facade of yours. Your way of thinking is alarmingly close to this Unsub and the kind of intelligence needed to evade the police-- and even L-- is something you naturally possess."

When he didn't respond, she looked up completely, calmly placing down the menu and folding her hands on the table top. "You know, I've been keeping tabs on the case, and the FBI does get all the intel relating to itself," she dropped her voice conspiratorially. "Naturally, I knew of each update as it came, and I also watched footage of Agent Penber's death, knowing he was the first to die out of the twelve federal agents. With barely any digging, I uncovered the families that he was tracking, and since I know you better than anyone else, clever Otouto, I couldn't think of a better candidate for the world's most undesirable than you."

There was a deafening silence in which (Y/N) leaned back, looking quite pleased with herself even as a waitress came for their orders. To Light, the world felt muted somehow.

He was vaguely aware of Ryuk's annoying cackling, and his sister ordering both of their usual orders, but he could only really focus on how easily she had circled him out. He couldn't believe that he was this sloppy. L would catch up to him in no time at this rate.

"You're panicking," (Y/N) observed dully. "Well, at least it proves I'm right, but you don't have to be worrying about anything for the moment, Light. You have too much a perfect porcelain image for anyone else to figure it out. Like I said: I know you better than even our parents, so it wasn't that hard for me to guess, and even then, it was all mere speculation."

"You don't think what I'm doing is wrong?" he blurted out, reverting to his original question. There wasn't anything he could do other than convince himself that she wouldn't sell him out or use this against him, and he still wanted his older sister's approval.

It wasn't a sister complex (regardless of what the damn Shinigami was singing in the background). Light had grown up knowing he was more intelligent than anyone he knew in his age group. His parents were always suffocating about it, and at the young age of three, he found solace in the company of his quiet and equally brilliant elder sister. She was more perceptive than he could ever hope to be, and he was more creative in how he used his intelligence to get the upper hand than (Y/N) could ever be.

They were gifted in the same way, but were still different enough for him to be in awe with her massive view of the world as a child. It had followed through even when they both grew up because (Y/N) never sought to constantly remind him of his remarkable brain like the rest of their family, but still respected his intelligence, and in turn, Light respected hers.

She was an unsuspecting genius with a gift for observation, and consequently, predicting usually accurate outcomes. Light could recognize that with her skill of sense on his side, he would stand even better chances than he did now, and one could never do too well.

"Honestly, Light,