The road to Hell is paved with good intentions

~however~

The road to Heaven is paved with tragedy

(Which do you chose?)

The are several people in this world. Thus, it is only natural for there to be several personalities out there.

Several reactions to the same incident.

In the case of a child's birth, one might feel overjoyed, sad, distressed, relieved, excited, disappointed, scared and so on.

In Sachiko and Soichiro Yagami's case, the day of February twenty-eight will forever be marked as a day full of joy. As gods blessed them with a pair of healthy twins.

Hope and Light were truly the best possible names to sum up their emotions from that day.

•

'Such a terribly boring world,' she thought, staring at the sky. 'They could have at least let me be reborn in a more interesting place,' how ungrateful.

"Hmm, I should leave in twenty minutes—aah," she yawned, blinking slowly, very much imitating a lounging cat.

'Everything is so repetitive.'

•

"Nee~chan, oy, nee~chan, are you even paying atten—ouch!" the youngest Yagami loudly complained, as her cheeks were stretched out by her older sister.

"You really need to learn to be more patient Sayu," Hope teased, releasing the girl's cheeks and lightly pinching the girl's nose when she pouted.

"Stop teasing your sister and help me set the table Hope," their mother berated.

"Make Light help out too," the older girl moaned, going to help nevertheless, sticking out her tongue playfully at Sayu when said girl did the same and pulled at her lower eyelid.

"Unlike you, I am much more mature and responsible," said boy said as he came in the kitchen, flicking Hope's forehead as he passed her on his way to sitting down.

"Yeah, yeah. You might have everyone fooled with your goody-two-shoes act; but I've know you since conception," Hope said, grinning at him as she took her own seat after placing the last plate on the table.

"Honestly you two," Sachiko said, shaking her head in exasperation, a fond look on her face nevertheless as she looked at her children.

"Stop giving your mother trouble," Soichiro said, arriving in the kitchen, fixing his tie as he walked.

•

"Listen for the voice of god and never guess your will…" the teacher droned on in english, his accent obvious. Though that was just her being mean.

"I haven't done anything but he said that he wanted to split up with me," a pair of girls were gossiping. 'I know this is boring but you could at least have the respect to be quiet. If not for the teacher at least for the rest of us not interested in your gravel,' she thought in irritation, sighing at the pointlessness of it all.

"Yagami-kun, is there anything wrong? Can you translate the previous sentence in Japanese please," the teacher's voice called and she couldn't help but jump to alert. After all, there were two of them in this class and the teachers had a habit of not differentiating between them.

For a moment both her and Light were quiet, trying to gauge which one of them their teacher was referring to.

Not that it mattered much. They were both equally bored with the whole thing and equally able to do as instructed. Light turned around for a fraction, making eye contact with her as she shrugged. It made no difference either way.

Sighing, the boy got up, posture perfect, book in hand and he did what he was instructed, his voice carrying out throughout the class in flawless Japanese. 'As expected of my brother,' she thought, leaning on her desk, eye going back to looking outside. 'I wonder if it will ever show up.'

•

They walked back home together, as they did each day. Taking the same route. Walking by the same places. Seeing the same faces that were usually out at this hour.

Everything was the same.

A woman's voice echoed from the speakers sharing with the world today's news: a thirty-year-old man found covered in blood in his apartment in Yokohama, a twenty-five year old woman was gagged and killed by her live-in partner in Shibuya.

'God,' she thought. 'Day after day, it's always the same news,' no wonder her brother felt so apathetic towards the world; no wonder he became what he did.

'This world is rotting,' she thought, looking at the people going about their daily lives.

•

"…another is the extinction of many species of life on this planet…" the teacher continued to drone in the same monotone voice he always did. Or was it just her that thought so?

"You seriously want to see that shit?" a boy whispered to his friend in surprise. 'Nope, not just me.'

"It was a complete waste of time," he continued to say, 'your existence is a complete waste of time,' she thought in irritation.

"…species are becoming extinct at a faster rate…" a familiar taping sound drew her attention towards the front; more specifically, in front of her desk where her brother sat in his chair.

She couldn't help a small smile tug at the corner of her lips. It wasn't something unique to them, it wasn't even something others couldn't learn if they only bothered to do something other that waste oxygen.

Morse code.

The two learned it when they started grade school. Their own way of communicating without getting in trouble. Raising her pen she was prepared to answer back when movement caught her attention from the corner of her eye.

She didn't notice when her pen slipped between her fingers, rolling onto the floor. Though Light noticed and turned towards the sound.

She was too transfixed to care or notice. A notebook, a black notebook feel from the sky, landing behind the bench in the inner courtyard. 'It's here,' she thought, 'it's here.'

"Yagami-kun…Yagami-kun," her teacher's voice snapped her out of her musing. Its unusual accentuating catching her attention. And from the way her whole class was looking at her, it wasn't Light he was calling this time.

"Yagami-kun is everything alright?" he asked, fixing his glasses. 'No.'

"I'm sorry sir, my stomach is hurting extremely badly. I promise to try not to space out too much," she said bowing her head lightly, a touch of redness of her cheeks, just the right amount of embarrassment in her voice.

Light was looking at her in surprise and she couldn't quite tell if her little act fooled him or not but it didn't matter. He was not the one she needed to fool.

"A-ah, if you are not feeling well you should have just said so earlier. You may go to the nurse's office if you wish. I'll hand your brother a spare copy of the work," the man said, fiddling with the rim of his glasses.

Bowing her head in gratitude she quickly gathered her things and quietly exited the classroom, her face contorted just right to look as though she was on the verge of being ill.

There was nothing overly odd about this performance.

After all, she was Yagami Hope, not Yagami Light.

A good student, always did her work and achieved high scores but she wasn't her brother.

She didn't get one hundred percent on every test, in truth, her grades were all over the place. Wasn't always composed and pleasant to people. She was more prone to random outbursts. More emotional.

She was a much better actor than her brother she thought though. Almost everything controlled and displayed just so. Never got full marks so people didn't expect her to always keep it up and wonder what was wrong when she didn't. More vocal and emotional so nobody would bat an eyelash if her behaviour seemed odd. "It's just Hope," they would say.

Always one step behind her perfect brother.

Good, but just not Light. And that was exactly what she wanted.

Once out she hurried her step. 'It's actually here,' she could deal with an annoyed Light, it was more important she got to that notebook before he did.

It was a stroke a luck that the office was not on the same side of the school, she could just say she cut through the courtyard to get there faster and for some fresh air. She should you the latter excuse even if that were not the case but it helps make it more believable.

Slowing her step so as to not look too excited, she made it look like she dragged herself to the other side, stopping every now and then to take a couple of deep breaths. There was always the chance someone could see her from the window. There was always a chance Light was watching as well.

Her steps were nevertheless purposeful, taking her to the small black patch in the grass. Once close enough, her bag, which she was carrying off her shoulder 'slipped' through her fingers, falling next to it, her pencil case falling out.

Bending to pick it up, she took both pencil-case and notebook off the ground, stuffing them both in her bag.

Hope need to will herself not to get the notebook out and make sure it was the real deal. Resist the urge to look around, hoping to spot the shinigami who dropped it.

This had to be the real thing. It had too. She wasn't born to a family who just happened to have a son named Yagami Light. Didn't witness the notebook falling from the sky for it to be fake. Therefore it had to be the real deal.

'It really does exist.'

•

She made her way to the nurse office, put on her practiced ill act, received a couple of pain relievers and told to lie in bed till the effect kicked in.

Once the lessons were over Hope waited till Light politely knocked on the door and inquired about her. After listening to some more instructions from the nurse and warnings to be careful on the way back the twins left.

"Are you alright?" he asks and hope thought she detected genuine worry in his voice.

"I'm better," she confirmed, giving him a tired smile. In response he sighed, ruffling her hair before parring on. The entire journey keeping a more careful eye on her.

Really, for all that he could (and still could) become a high-functioning sociopath, Light was, at the very least, a good brother to her and Sayu. Moments like these did make her wonder if his will to achieve his goals would have ever surprised his love for them. And if he would have ever been willing to sacrifice them in exchange.

'Oh well, it didn't happen and if things were to go as I wanted them to…he never will have to make such a decision.'

•

Back home Sachiko fussed over Hope once Light revealed she was sent to the nurse's office. It took some reassuring, tea and a bit to eat before she was able to go upstairs and 'rest.'

'That's the last thing I will be doing.'

Locking her door, on the off chance someone [Sayu] wanted to barge in, she pulled out a couple of magazines, threw them on her bed and opened some of them at random pages. Then she got out what really interested her.

The Death Note.

The words were written in white font on the cover of the notebook and she took a moment to admire them before climbing in her bed.

She opened it to the front page, the first few rules written in white on a black page and she truly had to fight off the urge to grin. Well, she could be permitted to act the way she truly wanted. Especially in the confines of her room. Before things became more interesting.

At first glance it didn't look like much. Just a stylised notebook you could buy from a shop. It had thirty-eight lines per page and seemingly endless pages if the fact that every time she went at the end there was still one extra page. Even when the notebook didn't change in size. Hope really could barely hold in her laugh.

But she did.

Wouldn't want her mother or someone else coming up to see what was up.

"How to use I: the human whose name is written in this note shall die," she read out loud, low enough so as to not be overheard.

"This note will not take effect unless the writer has the person's face in their mind when writing his/her name. Therefore people sharing the same name will not be affected. If the case of death…"

'It was real. She was holding in her hands the real deal,' though testing it, just to be extra sure might be the right course of action after all.

Grabbing the remote from her nightstand she turned on the television to the news channel, 'there are bound to mention someone.' And wouldn't you guess it, the news station was abuzz over a man holding several kindergarten students and their teacher hostage.

'Pity, you chose the wrong time and place to do this Otaharada Kurou,' she though as she finished writing the name.

One second

She kinda wished it was instantaneous death.

Twenty seconds

The reporters were still talking.

Thirty seconds

She was tapping her pencil impatiently.

Forty seconds

Things were the same.

Forty-five seconds

The children and teachers were exiting the building.

Sixty seconds

Otaharada Kurou is declared dead

'The notebook is real.'

•

Now, contrary to what some might think, Hope didn't just start obsessively writing names in the book. She had a plan.

Ever since she was born and the name of her brother began ringing bells in her head, Hope wondered. When she recalled why Yagami Light was a familiar name she started to scourge her brain, looking through memories she shouldn't have possessed in order to figure out her situation.

Or attempt to.

Hope simultaneously cared and didn't about the whole thing.

She was born, so she was going to live, and then die. Simple.

The girl was more concerned over the memory of the man who was her brother, dying, like a dog, more than anything which was the sole reason she decided that if the note was real, she would get to it first.

Which of course led to thoughts such as 'what if?' If the note was real, if the note came to be in her possession…what would she do. What if Light still got his hands on it? What was she to do?

The latter was the easiest to answer.

She would help him. If only to prevent him from dying.

Though the details of how exactly she would do that were yet to be decided upon. She wasn't certain you could tell someone with a God complex that they are not one.

As for whether or not she would use the notebook is she got her hands on it…Hope was willing to admit she was torn on this front.

At first, she thought of simply destroying it and be done with it, but as the years passed, as her view of the world turned more grey…she decided to use it.

Death didn't scare her, life was progressively becoming duller and she genuinely believed the world would be better off without some people.

So her thoughts turning to using the death note was an inevitable.

She would sometimes find herself making lists, keeping tabs on the criminal activity around the world. Watching the news far more than was healthy. Listening to her father and Light discuss cases.

Prey.

She shuddered the first time she realised that is what she thought off in those situations. It wasn't that she didn't understand the value of life. She frankly thought herself fairly knowledgeable on the topic, which was more her narcissism talking than anything else.

It wasn't even that she thought the idea of riding the world of criminals particularly exciting.

What excited her, what got her blood pumping and heart racing was the thought of the chase. The police would take notice, the world would take notice. She didn't need past memories to figure that out. Then, undoubtedly people will be sent to find her. To put a stop to her crimes because murder was murder regardless of reason.

Nevertheless, Hope didn't possess any fancy thoughts of installing herself as a new Messiah. Didn't even particularly cared if the world grew so rotten it fell to pieces. (Though it did cause a bitter taste in her mouth. 'It would be such a waste.')

She was bored.

Utterly so.

Devastatingly so.

And that was the only reason she would use the death note. Because she was bored.

Sure, Hope took up hobbies: martial arts, piano, skating, 'bloody pottery'; learnt a whole new language and started on a new one (because why not) and could eat so much cake while maintaining her figure that her mother and sister actually cried.

But that did nothing to alleviate her boredom. She already lived once. True, not for a terribly long time and not a particularly exciting one either, but she already had a shot so why was she here?

Because some God got bored and thought this will be amusing. She was willing to bet on it.

She wanted something more exciting than this.

'Maybe I should go see the world,' which wasn't a bad idea but did not appeal to her nearly as much as the thought of having the whole world gunning after her.

God she was messed up.

Maybe more so than Light.

Maybe it ran in the family. He sure as hell wasn't a happy and fully sane pickle.

•

The twins walked back home, greeted their mother and Sayu and when up to their respective rooms to prepare for cram school. Where they would pretend it was oh so helpful and that: "my, I now understand this!" It was so pointless.

If she wanted a hundred percent on the test she would get a hundred percent. If she wanted ninety percent then you better damn well bet that was what she would get. It didn't mean she never studied, there was always things to learn and that was one of the few things that alleviated the itch known as boredom that was always nearby.

It just meant she didn't need some cram school to get what she needed to pass and stay at the top on some standardised tests.

Light didn't need them either and it genuinely boggled Hope's mind that her parents spent so much money on this.

Though she was also grateful they cared enough to do it and in a good enough financial situation to afford it.

Nevertheless, once there, the twins took their seat, pulled out their books and supplies and prepared for the next hour of utter boredom. Not that it showed. They were the picture of a model student.

Although, maybe spacing up wasn't the greatest idea Hope ever had. Especially when the teacher called her out on it in front of the whole classroom. 'Seriously twice in one day? I need to get my act together.'

"Yagami-san! You might be part of the top but I better see a hundred percent on your next test! I won't be satisfied till you enter To-Oh like your brother will!" and of course people snickered, she pretended to be abashed about the whole thing and apologised and everyone was happy.

She really just wanted this to be over.

'I can't wait till I enter college,' she thought grumpily. And whether it showed on her face, or it was one of those twin things, Light must have caught on to her feelings. It wouldn't be hard. They were of one mind and soul on this issue.

So they spent the rest of the time talking with each other through morse rather than words. Tapping with one hand while they wrote with the other.

If anyone else caught on to what they were doing or the teacher knew…well, nobody called them out on it. That was their thing. Theirs. Let anyone try tell them otherwise.

•

As they were about to leave cram school Hope was genuinely trying to restrain the sign which escaped her at the group of boys cornering the, whatever-his-name-was-glasses-guy, bulling the boy into giving him money.

Really, if Hope was to write about one of the most prominent issues in the education system of Japan it would be about the seemingly excessive bullying.

Turning around, she didn't pay attention to Light as he rolled his eyes before following her towards the group of boys.

"Oy shit-for-brains," she called and Light might have whispered the name Mogami. Not that it mattered, the whole group turned around either way.

"What did you call me bitch?" on of them, indeed the one she dressed, though it was an apt name for them all, hissed.

"How did you know I called you unless that is your name?" she mocked and felt Light grab her shoulder. A warning for the others to back off because she-was-his-sister, while simultaneously a reminder for her to behave.

"You bitch," one of his friends squawked —she kid you not— and aimed a punch at her face. 'This is why the world is so boring,' she thought, easily catching the fist and pulling. Dragging the boy close enough so she could knee him in the groin.

Predictably he crumbled to the floor, the others inhaled sharply, watched, floundered around for a moment, before anger flooded their veins and they turned towards her again. Only to freeze at the combined glare of the Yagami twins.

It was a thing of beauty is what that was.

"How about you stop being such wastes of oxygen, get your own damn part-time jobs, use your own money and leave what's his name alone?" see, she could behave, is what she wanted to tell Light but her twin's sigh was enough of an answer.

The bullies eventually scrambled when two more kids came to ask what the commotion was about, 'after it was all over of course,' and the two finally left.

Hope didn't believe this to be normal, she certainly didn't recall encountering so much trouble in one day, but the fact that barely ten minutes into their walk back they were nearing near a biker gang harassing a lady really shouldn't be the norm.

She wasn't sure how much of it was instinct on his part and how much it was conscious thought, but almost immediately after entering their area of action, Light placed an arm around her middle, pulled her closer to him and entered the nearest store, which, coincidentally, was the one in front of which the whole scene was taking place.

The woman was crying, asking for help and Hope felt the way her lip pulled back in a snarl at how people just walked past her.

"This world is rotting away," Light said, echoing her thoughts exactly and with a look in his eyes that was hard to decipher. He had his cellphone in his hand before she could even blink, already calling the police.

'It might be too late,' she thought in horror as they tried to get her on a bike. So she broke off from Light, ignored the way her called out her name as she marched right up to one of the guys and punched him in the face. 'This is how you punch,' she thought in satisfaction, avoiding another as he attempted to grab her. Pivoting to the right she elbowed him in the throat, knocking the breath out of him.

The distraction was enough for the girl to escape his grasp and get away, running towards the shop, her cries drawing the attention of several people, even though none responded to the situation presented.

'She looks like she can deal with it herself.' 'I don't want to get hurt.' 'Scary.' 'They shouldn't be doing that.' 'I wonder if someone called the police?'

Hope could practically hear their thoughts.

"Hope!" she knew her brother will come. He never left her, thought he had enough sense to finish his call with the police first.

She ducked underneath another swipe and had to admire the ease with which Light grabbed the guy's arm, using it to hold him in place as she knocked him off his balance.

Hope wasn't the only one that took martial arts as a kid, she was just the only one that saw the whole thing through.

Sirens were blaring in the distance growing in intensity and she thought for a moment the would get away before the police arrived, seeing as they were not stupid enough to not hear the distinctive noise.

One of them did get back on his bike and attempted to flee, only to be forced to spot when said police car cut him off. Another came from the side a moment later and the girl had to wince as her father made an appearance.

"I'm definitely getting scolded," she muttered, yowling when she got hit over the head. Looking up she saw Light's glare and knew she won't be receiving any help from him on this. ]

"Light! Hope!" 'Ugh, why is he a police officer,' she bemoaned mentally, watching as Soichiro made his way through the cops towards his children.

"What if the meaning—Are you both alright? What happened?" He said quickly, the last question directed at her brother.

"They were harassing a woman," Light said, voice deceptively calm, 'oh he's mad.'

"—Hope intervened and a fight broke out," he finished, seemingly casually glancing at the crowd till he spotted the woman who was originally attacked.

"Do you understand how dangerous that was?" Hope wasn't paying much attention to her father, too focused on the crying woman who was speaking with one of the officers. "Are you even listening!" Soichiro barked, grabbing her shoulders and forcing her to face him.

His face was slightly red, his pupils dilated and…he looked like a mess. A worried mess and for the first time today she felt bad about it.

"I'm not going to apologise for helping her otōsan. But I apologise for making you and Light worry," she told him calmly. The man for his part seemed torn between further berating her and hugging her but he held it all in. This was neither the time or place.

"I-I'm sorry to interrupt," a new voice added, drawing the Yagami trio's attention. It was the woman being harassed. Her eyes were still glossy from tears and her hands were shaking but she took a deep breath before bowing.

"Thank you very much for helping me. If you didn't—I—thank you," she stuttered, still bowing and Hope reached out a hand to touch her shoulder. An action which made her look up and the younger girl gave her a smile.

"It's alright. Everything turned out for the better in the end and I'm glad you are ok," she said, charm turned up to max.

The woman thanked them all a couple more times, spoke with their father for a bit, and then the two teenagers were ushered inside the car.

"I'll drive you home," and that was that.

Once home they were greeted by Sayu and Sachiko, both surprised at seeing Soichiro home so early.

"Dear are you staying?" she asked, coming over to kiss his cheek as Hope snuck up the stairs.

"You are so impulsive," Light commented, causing her to jump as she was about to open her door. "Blo—damn it Light," she hissed, glaring at her unimpressed brother. "What did you want me to do?"

"Be less impulsive," he answered immediately, opening her door and going to sit on her bed, leaning back on it with his arms behind his head. Looking as though he owned the place.

"It was a completely thought through decision," she retaliated, dropping a bag on the floor and flopping belly first on the bed, disturbing Light in the process.

Sighing, her twin switched positions so he could grab her and pulled her closer. They stayed like that for a moment, both just enjoying each other's company.

"Don't go doing something like that again," he ordered, tightening his hold on her. "If something were to happen to you—you're the only bright thing in this world," and what could she say to that?

They have always been like this. Always.

From the moment she set her blurry vision on his form as he dragged himself closer to her for warmth when they were barely hours old. She knew from the moment his chubby cheek touched her own that regardless of the why, he was hers and damn anyone who said otherwise.

So when the need for sleep hit her she didn't fight it, regardless of the fact that she hasn't changed or washed herself. Those things could wait till the morning.

The notebook could wait till tomorrow.

Right now she was too tired to care about anything else but the lulling effect Light's heart beat had on her. Although she feel asleep with a nagging thought.

They were twins. They shared everything with one another from their mother's womb to their darkest thoughts as they grew up. There was never any need to pretend with one another. Never any pressure to behave in a certain way.

But from tomorrow Hope knew that will change. Because she will put in motion something which she would not be able to share with Light.

They might have still had secrets they didn't share with one another. But this would be different. And if Light didn't become Kira then he would likely become someone that will hunt Kira.

Because from tomorrow, Light will be one of the people hunting her.

A/N:"Are you kidding me? Another one?" Yup. This is the original setting of my death note fanfic, "Hope" is an alternate version where she never got the notebook. We will see which one I enjoy writing best. Right now I am still finalising the timeline for this story but if you feel like leaving a review with your input I would really appreciate it!