Ajin Nou had always been a creature of impulse.

She knew it wasn't the most ideal character trait, and indeed, it had gotten her into a fair amount of trouble more than once. With an explosive temper and little compunction to hide it, she'd earned herself the unlikely reputation as Daikoku Academy's resident hothead along with the title 'Bakuhatsu no Ajin'—which took most by surprise, because no one would guess at a first glance that such a blatantly feminine person, not to mention an exceedingly small person at that, could harbor so much reckless anger. The Japanese, as a general rule, were not tall people. There were exceptions, of course, but Ajin, being half-Korean, was even shorter than your average pure-blooded Japanese. She was teased for both of these things mercilessly all throughout elementary and middle school… But she did her best to bear it with a sort of stoic dignity ingrained into her by her Japanese mother, tamping down on her knee-jerk instinct to let out her rage and wreck everything in sight…

That was until the accident, during the summer before her first year of High School…

On the first day of term, Ajin Nou walked into class a completely different person.

She no longer tolerated the bullying—not to herself, nor to others. Whenever someone was being harassed, it was like something just…snapped. A reptilian part of her brain took over, and Ajin's body took on a will of its own. At first, these moments were like black holes in her mind, awakening with swollen knuckles, standing over prone, whimpering forms, not knowing how she got there. But that dissociation didn't last long. Bullies were people who liked to hold power over others. She quickly decided she hated people like that. Eventually, Ajin was willfully punishing those of her classmates who dared to torment her and others, and she did so with extreme prejudice.

To her dismay, this tactic did not make her many friends—not even among those she defended; indeed, they avoided her like the plague. And for the life of her, she just couldn't understand what she was doing wrong… It got to the point where she was starting to feel anger for not just bullies, but everyone around her. It started with just little things that bugged her—an overly contrived laugh from a female student, petty, cliquish behavior in others—but the more she thought about it, little by little, she began to feel alienated from her peers. She was truly different from everyone else, she realized with a bitter taste in her mouth.

That's why they avoided her.

But then there was Light Yagami…

Her adjacent seat neighbor was the last person she ever expected to acknowledge her. He was always oh-so poised and courteous, with an easy smile, and well-liked by just about everyone who encountered him. Not only that, but he was the top student in their year, and just about every subject seemed to come easy to him. He had a good reputation, a good family, the son of a distinguished police chief… For all intents and purposes, he lived a charmed life, or so it seemed…and to her own self-disgust, Ajin couldn't help but hate him a little for that. Whenever he offered her that superficially polite smile, and the habitual 'Good-morning, Ajin-chan,' she'd return it with a bad-tempered sneer and turn away.

That day started the same as any other day.

Ajin sat down in her assigned seat next to Light Yagami and made an unpleasant face at his perfunctory greeting as per their tried and true routine. Though she generally hated his guts on principle, Ajin could admit she found comfort in the familiarity at least. She could do worse for a neighbor. Hell, she could be assigned next to Sudou, (that would just be cruel and unnecessary), so she counted her blessings. Light was never anything but distantly polite her. In other words, he treated her just like he treated everyone else… And it annoyed her how desperately grateful she was for that paltry act.

The day looked to be starting off as well as it could have, given the general circumstances of things. Ajin was called upon once during English class and was even able to impress her teacher. If there was one subject she genuinely excelled in, it would have to be linguistics. Ajin's dad lived and worked in America for a good part of his life before being transferred to Japan for work, and after he met Ajin's mom, they both ensured Ajin would grow up speaking a mixture of Japanese, Engilsh, and Korean. She was no super genius, but it was nice to have an edge over her peers in at least one thing. Not only that, but languages truly fascinated her. To think that language influences how people think, how cultures develop, grow, connect… Her dad always said she'd be an Anthropologist, while her mother argued that she should set her sights on the UN as an interpreter for international government affairs. And though they bickered over her future a lot, they'd always agree on one thing in the end.

Ajin was going to accomplish great things…

And though her parents were gone now, she still aimed to prove them right.

She had to.

Things started to go downhill that day when she spotted ominous clouds rolling in through the window beyond Light's head. They were the only two left in the classroom for lunch, as the students were given leave to visit other classes and the schoolgrounds during this hour. Ajin didn't see the point, seeing as everyone but Light appeared to be actively avoiding her, and the boy in question appeared too busy revising his notes to give anyone the time of day. But then he turned to look at her, misinterpreting the direction of her gaze for a moment before turning to the window and noticing the approaching thunderheads himself with a slight frown.

"Looks like a storm is coming…" he pointed out.

He didn't seem the type to banally state the obvious, or trade small talk over the weather, so it must have been some attempt at an actual conversation. But Ajin didn't like where this one was headed so she just shook her head at him with a sigh and returned to her tasteless packed lunch. Her aunt had sent it with her, and though she appreciated the effort the woman went to…it just didn't taste the same as the lunches her mom used to pack for her. And with that, her appetite all but evaporated…

She could feel Light Yagami's eyes on her periodically throughout the rest of lunch period.

The storm approached rapidly and by the time Maths Class had arrived, it was right over them. Their poor teacher was unable to hold the swiftly decaying attention of the class or make himself heard over the tittering of squealing and overexcited students. And if that didn't drown out his voice completely, the crashing of thunder did the rest. Ajin scowled and leaned back in her seat with her arms crossed over her chest when the girls of the class screeched and hugged each other in terror. One of them was actually crying. Their reactions were much too contrived and melodramatic to be genuine in her opinion.

"All this fuss over a little rain…" she muttered in disgust. "What is it with this mass hysteria all the sudden? This is high school. Grow-the-hell-up…"

The lights flickered, and Yuno Amamiya let out a deafening shriek.

Ajin Nou flinched.

Light Yagami noticed.

Losing her patience in classic Bakuhatsu no Ajin form, she stood with a sudden screech of her chair and shouted, "SHUT THE FUCK UP!"

Yuno Amamiya joined the other girl in useless tears.

It only served to fuel Ajin's anger and her scowl deepened by several degrees.

"Settle down, everyone, settle—" But Mikazawa-sensei's voice was cut off by yet another crack of thunder.

The girls let out a chorus of shrieks again, making Ajin want to pull out her hair in frustration as her anxiety steadily mounted.

"I told you all to SHUT UP!" she reiterated, balling her hands into fists. "It's just thunder! Don't act like you've never heard it before! It's not scary! Stop acting like a bunch of kids!"

It was then that Sudou—her arch enemy—stood from his seat, where he'd been watching the spectacle the girls were causing, utterly amused by it all. He swaggered over to stand in front of Ajin with an arrogant smirk.

"What's the matter with you this time, Nou?" That bastard. "If I didn't know better, I'd say you're the one who's a scared kid."

Ajin's nails dug halfmoons into her palms so sharply she thought they might draw blood.

"Say that to me one more time, bastard…" she grated out through her teeth. "See what happens."

Sudou leaned in with a shit-eating smirk and uttered one last thing.

"Scaredy-cat."

The power went out.

This time, the person who screamed wasn't Yuno Amamiya.

Sudou was sent to the nurse's office, covered in bruises with a split lip and an icepack affixed to his head with medical tape.

School was let out early due to the disruption of the students and the unruliness the power outage caused among them. What was more, the storm wasn't supposed to let up until at least midnight, and the school's director gave it up as a bad job. Ajin thought the whole thing was ridiculous, and by the slight, dissatisfied glint she caught in Light Yagami's eyes, she thought he might've agreed with her. But despite the early release, Ajin was still forced to stay behind and clean the classroom. Mikazawa-sensei was appalled at her behavior, as was just about everyone else.

Even Ajin was appalled at herself.

She had no idea Sudou would get that kind of reaction out of her. But then…considering her parents had died in a storm not so dissimilar from this one, it wasn't so far fetched to postulate that she might be suffering from some form of post traumatic stress. She wasn't having nightmares or anything so drastic, but…the blackouts, the excessive violence, the impulse control issues… Hell, she'd bashed stupid Sudou over the head with a desk chair for something as infantile as name calling! For the first time since the accident, she wondered if there was something truly wrong with her…

She let out a sigh, clutching an eraser futilely, eyeing the chalk markings above her head while cursing her diminutive height. She could get a chair, but that was just degrading, not to mention too much effort for something she didn't even care about. She was just about to give up and leave when a familiar voice spoke up from behind her, making her flinch in surprise.

"Need a hand with that?"

Light Yagami offered up his signature polite smile, but Ajin was certain she spotted some mischievous amusement at her expense hidden in it. She wondered what his deal was today.

"You don't have to," she muttered, tossing the eraser over her shoulder to fall to the floor in a cloud of dust. "It doesn't matter anyway."

"Sensei will be upset if you leave things like this…" Light verged as she went to grab her bag and vacate the premises.

"Like I care…" Without turning around, or setting down her bag, Ajin suddenly stopped, and asked, "What do you want, Light?" At his innocent, shocked expression—which she didn't buy for second—she pointed out. "You've been acting weird all day. First, you try to strike up a conversation about the weather of all things, with me of all people, and now—this." She turned to look him in the eye then. "What is this?"

Eyes narrowing slightly, Light leaned against the back of a desk with a casual air about him and said, "I was merely concerned… You're the one who's been acting out of sorts lately."

Mouth twisting into a habitual scowl, Ajin muttered back, "You don't know a damn thing about me, Light Yagami."

"You might be surprised," he said as she began to walk away again, halting her again with his voice. "You might not remember, but we attended the same elementary school."

"You're right," she answered flatly. "I don't remember."

"That's a shame," he murmured, and for a moment, she almost believed he meant it. "Because you made quite an impression on me—the first thing you said to me, particularly. I remember it very clearly. Like it was yesterday…"

She turned to face him fully, curiosity winning out over the desire to leave and go sulk somewhere.

"I have a terrible memory, Light," she pointed out, giving him a flat look. "I'd probably forget my own name if my relatives didn't stop screeching it at me. So you're just going to have to elaborate."

He laughed a little, though the humor seemed a bit off as he divulged, "You were utterly convinced that I was going to become the world's worst mass murderer. There was nothing I could say that would change your mind about it either…" With a slight upturn to his lips, he added, "I just wanted to point out the irony that the one most resembling a murderer here…is you."

Ajin blinked.

Once.

Twice.

Then an honest laugh bubbled up inside and burst out of her.

"Are you seriously being petty right now?" She held her middle as she swayed slightly with offbeat mirth. "You're telling me you—you've really held a grudge for all this time?!"

"Well, it seems silly when you put it like that…" Light laughed as well, running a hand through his lighter hair. "It felt good to get that off my chest though."

Ajin laughed and laughed.

"You're seriously still mad about something I said when I was five?"

"It was a very serious accusation," he insisted, amusement dancing in his eyes, though he kept his face comically stern. "I was hung up over it for months."

"Oh, I'm so sorry!" She grinned, the picture of sincerity. "What can I possibly do to make it up to you?"

The seriousness suddenly leaked back into his eyes as he suggested, "You could try being a little nicer to everyone… It's no good if they're all afraid of you. You won't make any friends that way."

He could have physically struck her, and it would've hurt less.

"You…you're right." Ajin's head hung low in silence for the longest moment. She bit her lip suddenly feeling the sting of tears. "I think… Light, I think there might actually be something really wrong…with me. I—" She couldn't believe she was about to admit this. Clutching a hand to her chest, as if she could actually feel the wrongness inside, she murmured, "It just keeps getting stronger…this hate and-and the anger. I…I don't know if I can control it anymore."

Instead of seeming put off by this disturbing confession, Light drew closer, looking down at her even as she refused to look up at him.

"Who is making you so angry?"

Ajin shook her head slowly, finally realizing, "I don't know…"

Gradually, she lifted her head as it dawned on her.

"It's…it's this world…" Her voice wavered, her nails digging into her palms again, reopening the cuts that were already there. "Everything…it's all…" her eyes clenched shut as, true to form, the emotion exploded out of her, "it's all so FUCKED UP!"

Her voice still rang out in the empty classroom as her knees wobbled and she collapsed into a nearby chair, her face falling into her hands. She inhaled sharply, and the breath stuck in her throat in a short, dry, hiccup-like sob. She felt like she was finally at the end of her tether.

"I-I don't know what to do anymore," she murmured brokenly, muffled into her palms. "They-they're gone and I…I'm still here. Everything's fucked, and I… What am I…supposed to do now?"

She felt a hand come down softly on her head, carefully smoothing her hair back.

"They'd want you to keep doing your best, to try getting along with everyone else, right?"

She peered up at him through blurry eyes, insisting, "What does it matter? It still doesn't change anything!"

"I know." Light's hand returned to his side, and he turned to look out at the storm. When the lightning flashed, Ajin could've sworn she saw his eyes change color. "I know how you feel. This world…"

"It's fucked," she said again.

Light frowned.

"I was going to say, 'rotten'…"

Ajin shook her head.

"You're one of those people who get hooked up on semantics, aren't you, Light."

He looked at her then and asked, "What happened to your parents, Ajin?"

She stared steadily at a scuffmark on the floor.

"Drunk driver. Head-on collision. Dead on impact." She pursed her lips once to try and control her expression and added in a shaky whisper, "We were going out to celebrate my birthday…" She looked at him, as if hoping he somehow had answers for her. "Why am I not dead?"

As it turned out, Light Yagami didn't have answers for her.

Instead, he held out his hand and said, "Come on. I called a cab earlier. I'll take you home."

She laughed shallowly.

She didn't bother telling him that a house, with relatives that tolerated her only out of a sense of obligation, did not constitute as a home. But Light let her hold his hand the whole way there, and it made the reality of things seem less daunting, somehow…

"I'm sorry I called you a serial killer when I was five," she told him before she got out of the cab.

He smiled at her.

"I'm sorry I ever took you seriously."

Ajin smiled back.

"Not a shred of evidence exists in favor of the idea that life is serious. You should've known better."

And that's how she became friends with the worst mass murderer the world would ever know.

The world's greatest detective came after.

'Bakuhatsu' means 'explosion' in Japanese.

I hope you all bear with me on this one.

It's gonna be a doozy.

Just to clear things up, this isn't a Light/OC fic. That would be too easy—not nearly enough conflict—and may quite possibly verge into fluff at some point, and fluff is not allowed in the main pairing of this story. Sorry, Light. Or maybe not. In many ways, Ajin is actually worse than Misa, so he might be getting the better end of this deal when you think about it.

This is a very morally ambiguous story, so if you're not into that kind of thing...then, come to think of it, why are you even into Death Note? That's kind of what it's all about, haha.

(Doug, if you're reading this, please don't judge me. I had to do it. They made me do it.)

I love hearing what you all think!