[private]

[siafukira]

The capital of the Japanese Autonomous Oblast is a sprawling city of not quite a million people - and almost all of it is tents. Everyone in it knows how important it is never to be cornered, to have as many exits available as you can find, or make. June is shading into cool, melting subarctic summer, and along with the endless mosquitoes - at

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[smallpackaging]

So, a door opens. Out of nowhere, it looks like; just a hole in the sky. A woman steps through, looks around, and tries to step backwards as fast as she can. This isn't the kitchen.

It doesn't work, needless to say. Sayu is stuck here, and she's freezing cold already. This isn't going to be a pleasant one.

[siafukira]

Fortunately, Light is staring at the textbook in his lap - unseeing, but still staring at it - and doesn't see her appear out of nowhere. It's Ryuk who sees her, and her name, and boggles, drifting over to her all invisible.

At the same time, Light hears the scuffle of frightened feet on a dirt floor. Thinking she came through the flap of door without him noticing - how did someone get in here without me hearing them? - then he sees the sari, and doesn't quite stare. He's rail-thin, hollow-faced, and she is not. She looks healthier than anyone he's seen in years, with no sign of the strained, shared insanity that's common to the camp

[smallpackaging]

"Woah, oniichan. You look awful."

Her voice is different; much deeper, and faintly hoarse, but fuller, like someone who's used to screaming for attention and being able to command it, shouting orders across a hectic room.

"Someone needs to feed you a samwich."

[siafukira]

The ground opens up beneath him. The voice is so different, but it's also the same, and now he can see it's her - but old, too old. She's dead and she's back which means it can't be her and yet she's talking without understanding and she's alive and glowing with health and that's impossible-

Has he finally snapped, lost his mind entirely? Because there are people who do that, who see them coming and don't notice the moan and the slack, grey features and torn flesh; who lie down for death like it's a lover. Or is he hallucinating his sister over someone else entirely, probably because of-

Helpless, his eyes meet the shinigami's, who's watching Light crumble internally as if it's a rare treat. "Well, this is interesting, isn't it? Didn't think I'd see her name again. Don't do anything stupid, Light." To an outside observer, it looks as if he's spotted a spider weaving in a high corner, before looking back to her. She's not dead, not if Ryuk can see her name, not if he'd go to the lengths of warning him