Locked
Prologue
Ryuuzaki had felt it in mid-sentence. "The reaper-" The slow stirring in his heart as something within his body began to go wrong. His heart was constricted by a supernatural, invisible hand as he became short of breath. A thick feeling of dread washed over his body, licking and tearing at his flesh.
His seemingly precarious grip on the spoon loosened greatly, and the tinkle of the spoon on the ground was an ominous signal of what was about to come. Ryuuzaki felt the loss of control spreading over his gripping toes, and with a slight groan the chair began to tip over, and Ryuuzaki spiraled out of control along with it. He landed sideways on the carpet, the chair slapping along his feet. He stared through glassy eyes at the horrified investigators, and finally gained the confirmation that Raito had indeed been Kira. He closed his eyes, weakening, resolve useless against the Death Note's powers and passed on into the next world…
Near curled a lock of hair around his finger, a paroxysm of fear creeping up his neck. Had he made mistakes? Of course he had. He had been too careless. He had allowed the second Kira a glance at his face. He absently scrawled a name on his piece of paper. Near looked up, in final acceptance as the truck bore down on him. It would be a sad ending for another prodigy of the world.
Mello was studying the case files, a deep burden already growing in his heart. Near had been killed by Kira. It was all up to him. Mello didn't realize that Kira had utilized the Death Note to control Near to write Mello's true name. So his imminent death was inevitable. Mello felt the familiar grasp on his heart as sweat poured down his neck…
And all this while, the real L was staring, watching the deaths of his protégées. He had fiercely believed that he never had any need to step out into the world. His sole act against Kira had been enticing him to kill Lind. L. Taylor. L's long hair curled at the edges, pressing gently against his neck. L was angry, exasperated, and most of all, grievous for the deaths. Ryuuzaki had taken on the task as the final step as his apprenticeship. L had not expected him to die, rather the opposite, that he would catch Kira and bring him to justice. L knew how close the young man had been. It appeared that Kira had proven himself a powerful foe and only the real L could handle him. L had received all the notes on the mission to root out Kira, and he was determined to do so. L had even received the Note. Kira had cast a shadow over his life. L swept the blonde locks out from his eyebrows and stared into his computer, his fingers playing over the keyboard like a well-trained pianist. It was time for vengeance.
A few miles away, Yagami Raito was smiling. A deep evil smile, one which he had not shown since the death of Ryuuzaki. He believed it the end for L, for N, for M. They had all died. Somehow, a single shard of conscience and longing pierced through the mask of evil. Ryuuzaki…it echoed. Raito had almost been sorry to kill him. If he were not Kira, things might have turned out differently. Ryuuzaki was gone just like that…a broken shell of existence, a broken husk of once brilliant tennis skills and godly intuition. Raito shoved the thought away from his mind. Ryuuzaki had been too troublesome, probing. He had almost reached the truth, but Raito's last stroke of genius had saved him. The fake rules…they would be a souvenir to remember L when Raito had become the new god. Ryukku had thought nothing interesting would happen again, when L had died, but Raito had killed off his protégées with great effect. Raito was patient. But even he did not realize…the mastermind behind L was actually safe, and hunting Raito down from a laptop on a wooden floor. And there was a difference. This L had experienced grief and pain, and was all the more determined to capture the killer of his friends. L was alone and tortured, a voice in the darkness looking for justice. It was justice that had started all this. A warped sense of justice from a madman -- albeit a very smart one – and the true sense of justice coming from the world's greatest detective. L had been very selective about his cases, but this was not merely a plaything anymore, an outlet to release frustrations. This was a time…to show the world the true meaning of justice.