Ryoko's POV

The next morning, I woke up feeling a bit sore. But then, I remembered I kind of got jumped last night. I also smelled breakfast coming from the kitchen. I got up and made the bed before heading towards the kitchen. "Rise and shine, Sleeping Beauty." Kenji greeted.

"Morning." I greeted back. "Did you sleep well?" He asked. "Yeah. Hey, thanks for letting me spend the night here. It was really sweet of you." I said. "No problem." Kenji smiled. "What are you cooking?" I asked.

"Pancakes and some eggs. Sit down and I'll give you a plate." Kenji said. "Okay, you're way too nice." I mentioned. "It's a gift." He replied. I took a seat at the table and he set of plate of pancakes and eggs down in front of me, along with a flass of orange juice.

He sat next to me with his own plate. "Do you mind if I turn on the TV?" I asked. "Not at all." Kenji answered. I grabbed the remote that was on the table and turned on the TV. "This is an important message." The TV announced as I saw Light's father on the screen. 

"We're looking for a girl by the name of Ryoko Taizumi. She is 19 years old with black hair and gray eyes. If you've seen her, contact the police immediately. She is moderately dangerous, so be careful." He announced.

"Wow. What do you think she has to do with the police?" Kenji asked. "Don't know." I lied. I have to get to the house before they catch me. After breakfast, I helped Kenji clean up the kitchen and wash the dishes.

When we were finsihed, Kenji wanted to watch a movie with me. I sat with him, watching Spirited Away. "Hey... You know you can stay here as long as you want. I don't mind the company." Kenji mentioned

"Oh, there's no way I could do that. That'd be way too nice of you." I said. "Please, I insist. Besides, I don't mind one bit." Kenji smiled. I smiled back and kissed his cheek. "Have you always been this generous?" I asked.

"Maybe." He said with a chuckle. I guess it wouldn't hurt me to stay here for a while. I could use a break from the hiding.

(Time skip, A couple months later)

It's been a couple months since I moved in with Kenji. But today, I was going to have to leave so I could find Kira. These deaths can't keep occurring. But first, I had to revive Rem. I felt her die a few weeks ago, but I'm not sure of the reason.

"Kenji, can I talk to you for a sec?" I asked. "Sure, Kiku. What's up?" He asked. "This isn't easy for me to say this. Kenji, I appreciate all you've done for me, but I have to get going." I said. "Aww, right now? Why?" He asked.

"Something came up. There's a family emergency that I need to attend to." I lied. "Oh, I'm sorry to hear that. But can't you stay a little bit longer?" Kenji whined. "Believe me, I wish I could. But I have something to do. But thank you so much for everything you've done for me. It was really, really sweet of you." I said, then kissed his cheek.

Our faces were just inches from each other, as if waiting for one of us to kiss each other. Kenji made the first move and kissed me. I slowly closed my eyes as I began to kiss back. I wrapped my arms around his neck as his hands wrapped around my waist, pulling me closer to him.

We broke the kiss, both of us blushing. "Is this... goodbye?" Kenji asked. "No... I don't think so. I'm sure we'll see each other again... someday." I said. I kissed his forehead before going to the guest bedroom to collect my things after I revived Rem.

When I was packed and Rem was good as new, I was about to head out the door until I stopped. "Thanks again for everything, Kenji." I said. "No problem. I guess I'll... see you around?" He asked. "Sure." I smiled. I kissed him one last time before heading out the door.

"Aww... True love." Gelus said. "Shut up." I said with a blush. "Do you love him?" Rem asked. "No, I don't love him. But I do have a crush on him. Besides, I don't believe in "love at first sight" like in those kid movies. It sounds too easy. And I'm pretty sure relationships aren't supposed to be easy." I said.

"But you like him though, don't you?" Gelus asked. "Yeah, I like him." I admitted.  I went to Aunt Chie's house and the door was unlocked, so it was easy for me to get it. I noticed the place was still a mess, which is my fault, seeing how I was the one who trashed it.

I went to my room and noticed my art supplies were still there on the desk. "Hmm... I don't think there's anything in here that will help us out. Let's go to Mom's house." I said to Gelus. "Right." He agreed.

We left the house, locking the door behind me, and went to Mom's house. To be honest, I was a little nervous going there. It's been 13 years since I've been to that place. I was afraid I'd see my Mom's corpse there.

I know the police removed her body, but every time I close my eyes, I pictured my mother lying there dead on the couch, blood everywhere. Thinking about it now brings back memories and gets me thinking if I should've done more for my Mom.

Maybe if I had done more for her, she wouldn't have killed herself. When I got the house, I got the key from underneath the flower pot and unlocked the door. Giving a shaking breath, I walked inside the house, heading towards the living room.

There was dry blood on the walls as I noticed a dark stain on the couch pillows. "Are you okay, Ryoko?" Gelus asked me. "Yeah... I think so." I said. I walked over to the couch and I saw my mother and my past self. "Goodbye, darling."

Those were the last words my Mom said before she killed herself. "I'm sorry, Mom." I whispered. I went to go to my room until I noticed what looked like a piece of paper sticking out from under the floorboard. "What the...?" I mumbled.

I got on my knees and pried off the floorboard, taking out a folded piece of paper. "What is it?" Gelus asked. "It's a note... from Mom!" I said, shocked. The note was definitely written in her handwriting. I stared at note in shock before reading the note out loud.

"Ryoko,

If you find this note and if you are reading this, then that means I'm already dead. Darling, there's something I want you to know. You are a wonderful, the most gorgeous daughter in this whole world. When I gave birth to you, it was the happiest moment of my life. You were my everything and I wanted to always be there for you. But there was something about me you didn't know. I had Bipolar Depression Disorder. I didn't want to tell you because I didn't want to worry you. I tried to cope with my depression while trying to take care of you, but I couldn't. I stopped taking the medication my doctor prescribed me, and that only made my depression worsen. I'm so sorry I failed you as a mother, and I'm sorry for not giving you the life you deserve. I know I should've told you, but I was afraid I'd be failing you as a responsible parent. Oh, I wish I could see how much you've grown. I'm sure you've grown up to be a beautiful young lady. But remember this, Ryoko: I will always love you, and I will never give up on you. You are not the reasom to why I committed suicide and it's not your fault why I left you, so please never thing that it's your fault. No matter what people may say, no matter what people may think of you, you'll always be special in my eyes. Never forget that. I love you very much, dear.

With all my heart, Mom."

"Oh my God... Mom..." Tears ran down my cheeks as I crumpled the note in my hand, holding it to my chest. "Oh, Mom... I wish I could've helped you back then. You never failed me as a mother. You were perfect, the greatest mother any kid could ask for. I just wish you were still alive for me to say it to your face." I whispered.

I stood to my feet and wiped my eyes. "Let's go, Gelus. We have stuff to do." I said. "Right." He replied.

"Let's see... The First Kira passes judgement on those who have sinned. Misa Amane is the Second Kira, so the First Kira would have to be... Wait!" I thought back to when I was in Light's room. The Death Note that was in his room had a lot of names written on it.

Almost too many. "Ryoko!" I glanced behind me as Light stood in front of the doorway. "Looks like I left the door opened. How'd you know it was me?" I asked. "A random person wouldn't come in here unless it was their house." Light said.

"Even when looking like this, you were able to tell it was me. I gotta say, you're a lot smarter than you look, Light. Or should I call you Kira."