Precursor || Death Note [ON HOLD]

Chapter Twenty-Five: Flashback

Author's Note:
Teehee. I'm so proud of getting to chapter twenty-five!!! XD
...
Only two-thirds to three-fourths of the story left to write....
(Asks self: Ye gods, WHY DID I DECIDE TO WRITE SUCH A LOOONG STORY?!?!
Self: It's your own fault, you know.
ARGH)
OH. This is the second part of my triple update, by the way. :P
Enjoy! I worked my butt of to finish it in around thirty minutes to an hour, JUST for you guys. Aren't I sweet.
:3 Read on!
End Author's Note
***
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE: {Flashback}
It was August.
The summer had been highly enjoyable for jut about every single child at the Wammy House, filled with laughter and games and candy and good food and trips into town and puzzles (for Near and L, of course) and everything. The kids had even gone to the beach for a day or two towards the end of July, though it had been a bit too cold to swim and had mainly been because there was a case down there that Wammy wanted L to look at.
But the summer wasn't all fun and games, of course. Most of the activities they all did had some hidden lesson or training in it, and they still studied from around three to five (or six) in the evening daily.
By the time summer started to wind down and come to a close Kay was nearly on fourth year everything and fifth year maths, still wondering how she even managed to get there in the first place. (L said it was because they didn't actually teach anything much in elementary school other than reading and simple adding, subtracting, and multiplying.)
On this particular day, there was about one or two weeks of summer left until school began.
"L!" Kay screeched, running as fast as she could down the hall and towards the young detective's room. Her small feet all but tore up the blue carpet beneath them as she raced to the plain door at the end of the hall. "L! L! Guess what? GUESSWHAT?!?!"
L opened his door and poked his raven-hair-covered head out.
The poor boy was nearly bowled over by the overexcited six-year-old, who rebounded off of him and went sprawling across the carpet. Luckily, he managed to only stumble a bit, and didn't end up on the floor with the girl.
"Erm...yes?" L asked, not showing how peeved he was. He dusted himself off and offered a hand to Kay to help her up.
Kay had other plans, though, and had already sprung back up, as if she were a spring, or a basketball bouncing off the backboard of the hoop.
"I, I, I," she panted, proving A's theory about her never tiring wrong. (The boy mentioned was watching, and sighed, visibly disappointed. He now owed Beyond both money and jam.)
Kay regained her breath and continued to speak, having minute trouble collecting her thoughts. "I got-I passed-I'm on fifth year maths now!" She beamed and puffed her chest out proudly. "And I'm on, uh, fourth year everything else! Yeah!"
L smiled slightly and ruffled her short brown hair.
Kay's eyes lightly fluttered shut, and she grinned as if there was no tomorrow.
"Good job." L paused. "And how are everyone else?"
"Matt needs to get better at English," the young girl said sternly, making a bystander (Beyond) laugh. "But everything else for everybody is good."
L stared down at the eager-to-please Kay. He opened his mouth, probably about to say something about them all doing well and to keep trying, but nobody was to ever know, for then Quillish Wammy came down the hallway.
"Kay," he called to the bright-eyed girl. "May I speak with you in my office?"
Kay frowned slightly, but complied and followed after the man.
"Poor puppy," sniggered one of the ruder boys. "Didn't get praise enough from her master!"
L frowned, but Beyond beat him to it.
"Shut up," the L lookalike growled at the boy.
The boy shrank back slightly, and hurried away. He'd heard bad things about the red-eyed Beyond, and had no interest in finding out if they were true or not.
L sent a glance Beyond's way, a glance that said thanks.
Beyond half-smiled. "Anytime."
---
"If this is about the stain on the couch in the rec room, I didn't do it," informed Kay as she followed Wammy into his office. "Mello left his chocolate there yesterday and it melted."
"No, no," laughed the orphanage founder. "I jut bought that there was someone you might want to speak with." He handed the curious young girl the phone that usually sat on his slightly cluttered desk.
Kay took it, blue eyes wide, and cautiously held it up to her ear. "...Hello?"
"Kaori, is that you?" asked the crackly voice of her father.
"Daddy?" she asked, astonished. "Daddy!"
"It's me, all right," he said. He paused. "It's so nice to speak with you again, darling."
"Mm-hmm!" Kay responded cheerfully. "Guess what, Daddy?"
"What?"
"I'm on fifth year maths now!" She grinned widely, even though her father couldn't see her.
There was a pause on the other end of the line.
Kay frowned slightly. Was t a bad thing? "...Daddy?"
"Fifth year?" her father finally said.
"Uh-huh!"
"Wow; good job!"
Kay grinned at her father's praise. The one person who she adored more than L was the man on the other line, despite barely remembering what he looked like anymore.
She didn't seem to notice his forced tone of voice.
"So," her father continued. "You're going to be starting school, right?"
"Mm...yeah."
"Well, how would you like to come live with me in Japan and go to school here? Daddy's got enough money, and he's not going to be traveling too much anymore, either!"
Despite her father's happy, enthusiastic tone, Kay's wasn't so excited.
"...I...Well...," she said softly. "I...guess." But her heart was screaming no. She didn't want to leave, not so soon!
"Great!" Her father paused a moment. "How about I come and get you in a day or two?"
Kay frowned sadly. "Hang on." She covered the mouthpiece of the phone, as she had been taught to do. "Uncle Wammy," she said inquisitively, "how long before do you usually get plane tickets?"
Wammy knew what was going on; Kay's dad had talked it over with him already.
"About a week," he responded carefully. "That's what the airlines suggest."
Kay realized, in a rare moment of completely pure genius, that this meant her father had most likely reserved the seats already. He wouldn't have given her a choice!
Kay's lip trembled. "Um," she said softly into the mouthpiece. "It...might take longer than that. Unc-Mr. Wammy said that it takes a week to buy a plane ticket. Right?"
Her dad may have noticed this was a silent plea for more time to stay at the Wammy House, but if he did he chose to ignore it. "Oh, but Daddy bought them already!"
Kay tried not to cry. Her daddy would surely notice if she started to cry, and then maybe he'd come sooner....
"Okay," she said in a small voice.
"I'll see you soon, baby!" he said cheerfully to his daughter.
"...Okay, Daddy."
"Bye-bye!"
"...Bye," she whispered quietly.
Once she knew her father had hung up she thrust the phone back at Quillish Wammy, and ran out of the room.
Wammy smiled sadly. He'd known the day would come, and he'd known that nobody would take the news well, much less Kay herself.
---
Sniffing, Kay held back the tears brimming in her eyes. She refused to let them fall. She had to get outside first, had to get lost out in the old back garden first.
Unfortunately, she ran into Beyond, A, and L first.
"Hey," Beyond said to the small girl as she tried to silently and invisibly pass them.
She refused to look up, and continued walking.
"...Kay? Are you all right?" Beyond continued.
A reached out and gently grabbed for the girl's arm, but only got a bit of her sleeve.
"I'm fine," she said, head still down, as she turned, broke into a run, and hurried off and towards the back door of the Wammy House. She then opened it and began to slip outside.
Beyond and A visibly frowned, wondering what was going on, while L merely watched, thoughtful as could be, as Kay loudly shut the back door.