The Hardest Puzzle || Death Note

5-Au Revoir

Chapter Five * Au Revoir -
Your eyelids fluttered weakly.
"Was that-?" you heard someone say.
"Yeah," another low voice said. "She's waking up."
"What do we do?" the first voice asked.
"We should keep our distance, but not stay too far. She's been through a traumatic experience."
The voices fell silent, and you became aware of a faint clacking sound, alongside several beeping sounds.
You also discovered that your right shoulder felt odd and sluggish. It thumped, as if it had a heartbeat of its own.
Out of fear and mild curiosity you opened your eyes.
It took awhile for them to fully open, and longer still for them to adjust to the bright, white lights of the room.
Once your eyes were fully usable you tried to sit up.
"No, don't do that," someone said irritatedly. It was the first voice, and it belonged to a young, female nurse.
The second voice appeared to be from a huge man who was very muscled, and looked like he was with the police. He was definitely not the type of person you wanted to mess with.
"Hey."
You felt a twinge of both surprise and pain when the nurse gently forced you to lay back down.
"What-no-" you gasped, shoving her away. You couldn't trust any of these people for sure. You didn't know them. You weren't-you might not be safe where you were.
Where you were...
"Where am I?" you rasped in a scratchy voice. "How...how long have I been here?"
"You're at a hospital, sweetie," the nurse said cheerfully as she began to check up on the various tubes attached to you.
"You've been here three days," a new voice spoke up.
You craned your head to see the white-haired boy on a plastic chair. He was looking down at the puzzle he held, which made the clacking sound you'd heard.
"You were attacked by your parents and got shot," the big man spoke up. "The surgeons removed the bullet. You drifted in and out of consciousness ever since."
You looked at the man. When you heard him mention your parents you recognized a similarity between the man and your father.
The man's large build and wide shoulders stayed the same, but for a moment it was your father's face.
You shrieked and backed up in the hospital bed.
Then, whimpering slightly, you lay back down (as the nurse made you yet again).
"I don't think she'll answer many questions while you're here, Rester," the teen spoke again. "You do bear a slight similarity to her father, in build and height."
The nurse and the "Rester" guy left.
Once the two were gone you looked nervously at the boy in the chair (if you could really call him a boy).
He didn't look up; hadn't looked up even once the entire time. He just calmly kept solving his puzzle.
"______ ______," he finally said after a moment of uncomfortable silence. "Seventeen year-old junior; lived in San Diego, California with your abusive parents."
"Th-they're not abusive," you stuttered.
The teen finally looked up, revealing large, intelligent, gray eyes. He reached out and lightly brushed your cheek where your father had slapped you, and then touched a fading bruise on your arm that your mother had put there the week before.
You shivered at the unknown boy's touch, and drew away from him nervously.
"Abusive," he said simply, gesturing to the bruise and to your face. "And murderous."
You paused. "What?!"
"Your parents murdered at least five different human beings, and have participated in multiple crimes. They have been working underground for years, even as Kira was killing multiple victims," he stated monotonously.
You shook your head in denial. "No...No! That can't be possible! They didn't-they wouldn't..." You choked up.
After a moment, you said quietly, "Where are they now?"
"In prison awaiting trial."
A puzzle piece clicked into place.
You felt a soaring joy. You were free from your parents...Free from the suffering you'd gone through for the last seven years of your life. You could do anything; they weren't going to hold you back anymore.
But how would it feel, being without them? They were your parents, after all.
Your spirits fell lower.
How could you make it on your own? You had nowhere to go, and nobody to take you in.
You couldn't do it.
Here you were, a ticket to freedom in hand, and all you could do was let it flutter out of your hand and fly away in the cold, harsh wind. You didn't know how to use it, so you just wouldn't.
You put your head in your hands. Your shoulders started to shake as great sobs tore their way through you.
The white-haired teenager put another puzzle piece onto his thousand-and-something piece puzzle.
"Why are you crying?" he inquired softly and apathetically.
"I'm...happy," came the muffled reply.
"Oh."
Another piece clicked into place.
"But..."
"But?"
"I'm-I'm sad, too."
The next puzzle piece stopped in midair.
"I...I don't know why, but I-I'm just...sad."
Maybe it was because one part of your life was over, and you knew you couldn't ever go back.
You didn't necessarily want to go back, of course, but you couldn't help but remember the few times your father had smiled and asked how school had went that day, and the even more few times your mother had to talk about girl stuff with you, and how you two had giggled behind your father's back.
When had it all gone so wrong, you couldn't help but wonder. Was it your fault?
You hiccuped, your breath coming in unsteady gasps.
"I'm sad, too."