Disclaimer: I do not own Death Note and any of its characters. All rights go to Tsugumi Ohba and Takeshi Obata.

I

I was born in the family of a man, who was yakuza clan's leader, and a woman, who tried to stay as far away from the criminal world as it was possible, given the circumstances. My mother was terrified with father's business, but knew she couldn't do anything with it. What she could do, as she thought, was to save me from that world.

We used to live in father's mansion on a seashore in Osaka. I was raised as a normal child, or at least mom tried her hardest to make me feel normal. Normal, like all of the boys my age.

I was only 12 years old when I saw him for the first time. Tall, fit, strong – he was spellbinding from the very first sight. The bangs of his auburn hair were almost covering his eyes, but one could still see playful sparkles that were shimmering in the caramel-colored irises.

I ran out on the porch to look at my father's guest. That was the first time we met. Yagami Raito was the first yakuza oyabun* who I met face to face, well, with the exception of my father. That moment I didn't bother to pay attention to his torn to shreds and soaking wet garments – even while wearing them he held himself proud and didn't show a sign of weakness.

[*oyabun] - Head of a Yakuza family, basically a Japanese counterpart to a don (head of Italian/Sicilian mafia).

From bits and pieces of conversation, I learned that he only just managed to ran away from a gang that had captured him on a yacht he had been sailing at with a small group of his people. None of the crew survived and the yacht had gotten blown up and sunken too quickly. It was a good thing that the happenings had been taking a place not too far from the land and Yagami had had a chance to swim his way to the shore.

Father met him cordially, like an old friend. He dragged the unbidden guest into our house and immediately told my mother to take care of clothes and supper for Raito. All that time I was watching him. Just couldn't tear my eyes off. Yagami, when he noticed my staring, smiled and winked at me. Because of that I, for some reason, turned very red and fled into my room, accompanied by his laughter.

It didn't seem to be my fate to sit there for long. Soon enough my mother called out to me for supper. I was feeling, to put it mildly, awkward to show up again, because my earlier behavior towards Yagami could only be referred to as "strange". I was afraid that he would think something weird of me. When I came down and quietly sat at the table, my agitation reached its peak. Because while answering to my mother's question, yakuza was at the same time scrutinizing me very carefully. His gaze was embarrassing me more with each passing second, but I couldn't really go anywhere. That's why I chose to simply stare at my absolutely empty plate while melting from the greatest of confusions under that gaze.

"Akio-san, have you already thought of giving your boy to the forces?" Raito asked my father out of nowhere, finally taking his eyes away from me. I jerked upon hearing such unexpected question and looked up at him with wide open eyes.

"What forces, Raito. Police? Army?" dad smirked, taking a sip of wine from his glass.

"Funny. I'm talking about yakuza family."

My eyes widened even more, and my mother dropped her plate that hit the table with a loud thud.

"Hell no, Raito!" she exclaimed, indignant. "Lawliet won't be yakuza, I had enough with his father being one."

"But he is the son of the head of yakuza, even if Akio decided to keep aloof from business. And then again, what will he do with his life anyway? Somehow, I don't think he wants to become a lawyer or some other office plankton. And I am in need of new people," Raito replied calmly, glancing at me every now and then.

"Personally I'm not against the idea of Lawliet becoming a yakuza," my father uttered after a minute of silence. "I've hoped that he would follow my steps. But before I agree, I lay down the only condition: you, Raito, must be his mentor."

"Akio!" mother exclaimed, but father hushed her with a simple gesture of his hand.

I looked at my dad with despair. At that moment I felt torn by a great battle between unearthly bliss and hopelessness inside of me. I did want for such a man to become my tutor, my mentor. But on the other side... I got morbid just upon thinking that I wouldn't cope. I was terribly scared that I would fail in Yagami's eyes, even though I knew close to nothing about the man. Of course, father had told me about him. And the only thing I'd learned was that Yagami was a valiant man who had no match. But even that smallest bit of information was enough for him to become an authority for me.

"I'm not against teaching your son everything I know," Raito smiled kindly and turned to look at me. "And what's your opinion on the matter?"

At first I didn't even realize that the question was actually addressed to me. It dawned on me only when I got aware of Raito's questioning look. And I was only able to nod my head awkwardly, because for some reason my throat suddenly got very dry. Raito's smile widened.

"Lawliet! What are you thinking? I won't let you go anywhere!" my mother's voice sounded again, full of anger.

"Calm down, dear. He is a big boy, it won't do good for him if he keeps sitting in his room before a computer. Time for him to man up," father said with reconciling notes, smiling at me, quite pleased. And I once again didn't know what to do with myself...

"He's only twelve, Akio!Twelve."

"That's a great age," Raito supported my father. "When I was his age, I..."

"Don't you compare my son to yourself, Yagami," mother cut him off mid-sentence. "You had absolutely different childhood."

"Then why not make his childhood resemble mine, Daliah? Before it's too late. I'll vouch for your son with my life, I guarantee you that I shall stay up for him. He can't spend his whole life here."

"Yes, he can!"

"No, dear. I didn't know a thing about the world till I was sixteen. Let him taste the life," father said.

"But what about school? He can't simply leave everything!" mother continued to fume.

"I am sure Raito will take care of that question as well," dad glanced over at the young oyabun.

"The next six months or so, I will be busy with searching and dealing with the scum that got me today. As I've said, I also need to find new people for the family and that might take awhile. I'm saying this just so you know I won't be taking him anywhere tomorrow. But when I will come back, be ready to hand your son over into my charge," with these words Yagami turned his head and winked at me again. I choked on tea.

"I sincerely hope that after six months you'll forget about this crazy idea of yours and won't come for him," my mother said grudgingly and walked out of the room. "Clean up after you're done, I got laundry to deal with."

My father and Yagami held up their glasses and drained them, toasting to me. I was left to sit there quietly, clutching at my cup of tea so tightly that my knuckles gone white, and silently cheering, knowing that my life was going to change drastically after just a half of year.

Six months later

That morning it was not a steady roar of the ocean or birds' chirping that woke me up. I heard people's voices coming from the seafront nearby, saying "This one must cost hundreds of thousands!", "Who are these guys? Bandits?", "Hush, if they are bandits, don't let them know that we know about them".

I hastily darted off my bed and rushed towards the window. Flinging it open, the first thing I saw was a big schooner with snow-white sails. It looked so odd and proud among modern motorboats and cutters, almost as if it'd sailed here straight from a fairytale. One glance at the schooner was enough for me to understand who was ought to be on board.

Hurriedly, I ducked under my bed and dragged out a small bag with clothes and few other personal things in it. I'd prepared it long ago, right after the day I had been given a hope to change my life. And even though I'd known the chance was feeble, still I'd hoped that Yagami hadn't lied when promising to come for me.

Yes, all this time I had been counting the days till Yagami Raito's arrival. I' been anxiously awaiting for this moment and it finally came. At long last.

After putting on my sneakers, I rushed out of the house and into the yard, trying to catch up with my father who already was heading towards the seafront.

"Oh, Lawliet, you're here. And I wanted to call for you later," he smiled, ruffling my already mussed hair. "You can't wait, can you?"

I smiled happily and nodded my head.

"Oi, Akio!"

Father looked towards the side the cry came from and waved his hand. Yagami grabbed a rope, pushed off the side of the schooner and landed adroitly right before us. I almost gasped and looked up at the young yakuza's face with admiration.

He'd changed after those six months. His hair now wasn't as long as I remembered it. On his face I noticed two scars – one across the bridge of his nose, and one down his chin. He was dressed in white shirt and black slacks, on his belt I noticed holsters for guns, and beneath the sleeves of his shirt I caught a glimpse of something that looked like bracers. Maybe those were some kind of a hidden weapon, I could only imagine. To say that in that particular moment I was rapturous toward Yagami wasn't enough. That moment I saw in him not just a brave yakuza who survived his enemies' attack: before me stood a real head of a clan, firm of purpose and sure of himself. Ideal mentor and commander.

"Raito! What the hell with this pompous arrival?" father asked, taking a good look at the schooner.

"And what's not to your liking? I think it looks rather elegant," he answered, taking a proud look at the almost-ship. "Plus I have to take care of a small affair in the sea before I can take your son to his new home. Nothing too serious, don't worry."

With these words he looked at me and smiled. It'd been a long time since I'd last seen that gaze and I'd already forgotten how it used to embarrass me. But Yagami gave me the opportunity to remember everything.

"Are you ready, Lawliet?" he asked me, placing his hand on my shoulder. I got taken aback and nodded my head, rather confused. "Relax, boy. No one's going to hurt you."

"I relay on you to make a man out of my son, Yagami," father said in a rather threatening tone.

"He will become a legend, I promise you this."

"Lawliet!"

I turned to look towards where the cry came from and saw my mother, who was running up to me.

"Lawliet, dear, perhaps you will change your mind? Being a yaku... being like Raito is not a joke, you have no idea what kind of risk and danger you're willingly putting yourself under..." she jabbered nervously, clasping my hand.

"Mom, I made up my mind long ago," I told her in a confident but for some reason quiet voice.

"Finally," Raito smiled crookedly. "I was beginning to think you were mute."

"I'm not," I mumbled, hanging my head.

"Lawliet..."

"Daliah, don't," father tried to pull mom off me. She tore herself away from his hands and pointed a kitchen knife, that she pulled out of nowhere, at Raito's throat.

"God forbid something happens to him. I've heard enough of your irresponsibility, selfishness and love for danger. My child must be safe and sound whatever happens. If I ever learn something's wrong with Lawliet, I will find you wherever you might be and I'll end your life then and there, got it?"

I, my father and Raito watched her in surprise and fear. The latter was barely breathing at this point.

"Darling..." my father began cautiously.

"Your answer, Yagami," she ignored him.

"Got it," he uttered and let out a sigh of relief as soon as the knife's blade was at a safe distance away from his throat.

"Boss, we don't have much time!" someone yelled from the schooner. Yagami nodded his head and looked at me.

"We have to go."

I turned to my parents. Mother, wiping away a tear that rolled down her cheek, hugged me tightly.

"Be wise, dear. You are all I have," she wanted to say more but couldn't because of the tears that welled in her eyes.

"I won't disappoint you, mom. You and father will be proud of me," I said, taking mother's hand and wrapping my fingers around it tightly.

"May gods protect you, Lawliet..."

I awkwardly pulled away from mother's embrace and turned to my father.

"Make me proud, son. I'm sure you have it in you to make a great man. Trust me, you won't find a mentor better than Yagami. Whatever he tells you – don't ever doubt his words, implicitly obey any of his orders. And you'll score a big success," father smiled and tapped me on the shoulder. "Raito."

Young oyabun turned to look at him.

"Do not fail."

Raito gave a short nod and gingerly pulled me closer to him.

"Boss!" a cry was heard again.

"Coming!" he cried back and looked at me. "Ready?"

"Ready, boss," I pulled myself together and answered him firmly, bringing a pleased smile on his face.

"Then let's go."

With these words he turned and started walking towards the schooner. For the last time I hugged my parents and rushed after him. Before taking a step on board, I turned around to take a final look at my home. After waving to my parents, I made a step forward and finally stepped on board.

That's how everything began.

A/N: Well, here's the first chapter, hope you enjoyed reading it. I felt a little bored with Death Note canon, so I had this idea and decided to give it a try c: