Part 7

As the day crawled by, Oki prepared the meal she and Light were going to share.

“Almost seven o’clock. Light should be here any minute now,” Oki said to herself as she looked up at the clock. She wiped her forehead quickly before running around the kitchen finishing up on the last few details for dinner. After a few minutes, a timer rang and Oki leaned over to take her creation out of the oven.

“Mmmm... I hope Light likes cheesecake. This smells so good,” Oki said closing her eyes and taking in the aroma of the freshly baked cheesecake.

“It does look very good, Oki,” Amaterasu told her.

Oki looks over at Amaterasu. “Thank you Ammy. It has been a long time since I have made this, so I am hoping it is as good as it smells.”

“I am sure it will be,” Amaterasu looked toward the front door, “Light is here.” Just then, a knock at the door echoed through Oki’s small apartment.

“Could you get that, Ammy?” Oki asked her as she walked to the counter to set the dessert down.

Amaterasu nodded and walked to the door. She opened it slowly to reveal Light standing on the other side.

“Ammy!? I was not expecting you to answer the door,” Light exclaimed.

“Oki is busy with your dinner so she asked me to let you in,” Amaterasu told him.

Light stepped past her and into the apartment where the aroma of dinner took over his senses. “Oh Wow! Something smells really good.”

Oki stepped around the corner wiping her hands on a towel. “Thank you Light. I just hope it tastes as good as it smells.”

She gave a small chuckle.

“I am sure that if it smells this wonderful, it is going to taste just as good if not better.”

Light smiled at her and Oki reached up to give Light a kiss on the cheek.

Light was surprised at this, but pleased all the same, and kissed Oki on her cheek in return.

“I missed you these past few days,” He told her softly.

“Well then we should make the most of tonight. We never know when we might be seeing each other again,” Oki told him as she took his hand and led him into the kitchen.

“Dinner will be done shortly.”

“Good, I am starving. L has been a slave driver lately so I have not had a really decent meal in days.”

As they entered the kitchen, Light paused in the doorway, shocked at the food Oki had prepared.

“You made all this for us?”

Oki turned, looking at Light. “Well of course I did. Did you think I could not cook?” Oki asked him.

Light blinked a few times, still trying to get over his shock of seeing the wonderful spread of food. “Well… I was not sure. After all, the only things I have ever seen you eating were instant foods.”

Oki giggled, turning back to the counter. “I guess I should eat better with my illness, but with just me living here I find it hard to do so. It just takes too much to cook a good meal for one.”

Light took a seat at the small table set for two. “Yes, I know what you mean.”

Oki turned and set the food down on the table for them to eat. Once she was finished she took a seat across from Light, folding her hands together. She propped her elbows on the edge of the table, resting her chin on her hands, she smiled across the table at Light. Light smiled back.

“Well, help yourself Light. After all, I made this for you.”

“You’re also going to eat, right?” Light asked her. He was a little daunted by the idea that he might be expected to eat all the food she had prepared for him.

Oki nodded, “Of course I will. I was just resting for a few minutes.”

Light smiled and started placing food on his plate. Oki sat and watched, once he had finished Oki started on hers.

Light took the first bite, his eyes lit up as he looked up at Oki.

“Are you ok, Light?” Oki asked, slightly worried by his reaction.

Light smiled, “this is great, Oki. You are an excellent cook.”

Oki blushed and looked down at the table. “Thank you Light, I am glad you like it.”

Light nodded again and continued to make noises of delight with each bite he took. Oki giggled as she watched him eat.

“So what did you need to talk to me about Light?” Oki asked him.

“Mmmm…” Light replied, his mouth full of food which he quickly swallowed.

“It is about the Kira case. So you know…”

“Yes I know. Whatever you tell me goes no farther than you and me,” Oki said, interrupting him. She had heard this line many times before.

Light took another bite. “Well as you knew L had me pose as Kira to draw out the second Kira.”

“Should I take this to mean that the plan worked?”

“It worked too well,” Light stated, with a hint of agitation.

“Too well?” Oki asked.

“Yeah. Not only did it draw out the second Kira, but she also came looking for me.”

“She?” Oki exclaimed.

“Misa Amane…” Light said, before taking another bite of food.

“Misa A… The Misa Amane?!” Oki asked in a shocked tone.

Light nodded and looked up from his plate. “Yeah, that Misa Amane. She also has a Death Note.”

“Wow! I would have never guessed,” Oki said, shaking her head in disbelief.

“It doesn’t end there,” Light said, “She has the Shinigami eyes, and from what she told me she is also in love with me.”

“In love with you?” Oki exclaimed, while inwardly feeling a hint of jealousy.

Light shook his head, and waved his hand as if to say, ’don’t misunderstand’.

“Kira… Sorry third person here. Remember she thinks I am Kira. So you might catch me saying ‘me’, when I mean Kira.”

“Oh… Ok,” Oki said with a confused look.

“Light, don’t you think this might be a little dangerous? After all if she has the Shinigami eyes…”

“We have nothing to worry about. I have her Death Note,” Light interrupted.

“How did you pull that off?”

Light sat and ate his dinner as he explained everything to Oki. Oki picked at what was on her plate and listened as he told her everything about what had happened over the last few days. When Light was finished explaining everything to Oki, she looked confused again.

“So, let me get this straight; you are keeping from L the fact that she is the second Kira so that L will not suspect you even more of being Kira? And you have her Death Note because you do not trust her with it? And the reason she is in love with Kira is because Kira killed the man that killed her parents? And we have to keep our dating activities under wraps because…?” Oki paused, shaking her head, “Light, I am confused over all this. I do not understand why you just do not hand her over to L and tell him that she is the second Kira.”

“Because if I do Oki. L is going to wonder why she sought me out to begin with. I mean Misa knows that I am a carrier of a Death Note, and right now she also believes that I am Kira. I want to keep it that way for now. I know that is not fair to you or me, but if L finds out she is the second Kira, he is only going to suspect me more of being the real Kira.”

“But he is the one that had you step up and send her the message which made her believe you were Kira,” Oki said.

“Yes he was, however, after that message, they had me drop the Kira act. My father said it was too dangerous.”

“And he is right!” Oki exclaimed. “Light, Misa has the Shinigami eyes and she is the second Kira. This means that she is not like you and I… She is dangerous.”

Light got up from his seat and walked to Oki’s end of the table. He knelt down next to her and took her hand. “Oki, I know that Misa is a danger, not only to me, but to you and L as well, that is the reason why I agreed to be her boyfriend. I can keep a better eye on her like this. Even if she learns your name or L’s, she cannot do anything with it.”

“But…”

Light placed his fingertip over Oki’s lips.

“It will only be for a short while until I can find the real Kira. Until then everyone has to think she is my girlfriend or nothing is going to go as I have planned. I promise I will come see you whenever I get the chance. Believe me… in Misa’s company is the last place I want to be.”

Oki smiled. “I guess as long as it is all aimed at capturing Kira, I can go along with it, but please promise me you will be very careful around her.”

Light took his hand from Oki’s and made a cross motion over his heart.

“Cross my heart. I will be very careful around Misa.”

“Thank you,” Oki said.

She then leaned forward and kissed Light on the lips and gave him a hug. Light felt his heart sink as she kissed him. He knew he needed to tell her that he was Kira, but with everything that was currently happening, he knew that this was not the appropriate time to do so.

“I am sorry Oki…” Light whispered under his breath.

Oki pulled slightly from Light, “Sorry? Sorry for what, Light?”

Light looked into her eyes, “For dragging you into all this, I know you have enough to deal with.”

Oki smiled, “I am fine. There is no need to worry about me.”

Light smiled a weary smile, “I hope you are right.”

As dinner drew to an end, Light wiped his mouth and hands before dropping his napkin to his plate.

“Oki that was amazing, I do not think I have eaten that much in ages. Everything tasted great.”

“Are you finished with your dinner? I have made my favorite dessert for us if you are done.”

Light looked at Oki from across the table, “Really and what is that?”

“Cheesecake…” Oki replied.

“Cheesecake?” Light said. “Where did you learn how to make that?”

“My mother taught me, and a neighbor in America taught her,” Oki told him before getting to her feet.

“America?” Light asked, slightly confused.

Oki looked over her shoulder at Light, “Yes, America. I lived there for about eight years. My father traveled with his job and America was one of the places he moved us to.”

“That’s something you never told me,” Light said. “I am guessing from the research I have done that that is where you picked up your illness.”

Oki turned away from the counter and looked at Light, “why would you say that?”

“Well, from what I found out about Malignant Pericardial Mesothelioma, the only way you can get it is from coming into contact with Asbestos. Asbestos is not something you find around these parts. But in America they used it for a lot of different things, including their buildings and the homes where people lived.”

Oki smiled at Light, “you have been doing your homework… on my illness anyway.”

Light tilted his head slightly, “well I want to know what is going on with you Oki. I want to be able to help you however I can when ever I can. By knowing your illness better hopefully I can be of more help for you.”

“I wish that was true Light, but with what I have there is no help. The doctor’s have done everything they can for me.”

“So do they know where and how you got it?” Light asked.

“They have a good idea. With moving to America when I was only a few weeks old and living in the apartments we were living in, they are certain that that is where it came from. There was Asbestos found in the walls and ceiling after the apartments were torn down.”

“Was the place that bad?” Light asked.

“Oh no. The place we lived was very nice. It was just old and from what my parents told me, in America it was common practice to use asbestos to insulate their homes and buildings in the years when the apartments were constructed. After researchers discovered that it was not a good thing to be around the government started using different materials,” Oki explained.

“But by then it was too late for the people that were struck down by its affects,” Light stated, angrily.

“I guess that is what they call ‘Trial and Error’,” Oki replied, nonchalantly.

“How can you take this so lightly Oki? I mean you are dying because of this.”

Oki stopped what she was doing and rested her hands on the counter in front of her. “We all die Light. It is part of the grand plan God has set before us. Some of us just do not get to live as long as other‘s.”

“And you are alright with this?” Light asked her.

Oki’s expressions softened. “Of course I am not alright with it. However, there is nothing I can do.”

“How old were you when they found out you had it?” Light questioned.

“I was four…” Oki told him as a tear dropped onto the counter. “It was one year before I started school there. But because of my illness I was out of school more often than I attended, so my mother ended up home schooling me for my first few years. Then, once the doctors discovered nothing they tried was helping me, they decided it was better to stop treating me altogether.”

“So they just stood back and watched you die,” Light said angered.

Oki turned to look directly at Light. “It was either that or I lay in a bed sick from their treatments even though we knew that they were not even working. I am glad the treatments were stopped, it meant that I got to live a somewhat normal life, regardless of my illness.”

“But there has to be something out there that can help,” Light said.

Oki shook her head. “There is nothing that can help. Any treatments that are available will only prolong the suffering and I want a normal as possible life. The treatments do not allow that and so I don’t want them.”

“But the pain you suffer Oki. L told me about the time at the café when you fell ill. He said you looked to be suffering from a pain he could not even begin to imagine.”

“The pain is the hardest part for me, but the rest I have come to grips with,” Oki told him.

Light got up from his seat when he saw a tear roll down her cheek. He walked over to her and placed his hands on her arms before looking into her eyes.

“I do not want you to suffer from any pain Oki.”

“Thank you Light, but that is something you will never be able to stop.”

“As long as I am by your side I will at least try to keep the pain to a minimum. I may not be able to stop the pain from your illness, but the pain of everyday life I am sure I can be there for you.” Light told her assuredly.

He touched her cheek and wiped away her tears.

“That’s sweet of you Light, but you are not always going to be able to do that.” Oki said as she touched the hand he had wiped her tears with.

“I will do my best. That is all I can promise,” Light said. He then leaned toward her for a kiss.