The Messenger
By SebastiansCreed
"But why do I have to be the one to tell them?" Touta Matsuda muttered angrily.
Near gave him a blank stare over his Lego model of Tokyo. "Because," he stated flatly, "You were one of the closest to the Yagami family, and it would be better hearing this news from you than from someone like Aizawa or me."
"B-But," Matsuda began slowly, searching for the right words, "They're women… and… and first they have to lose a father and husband, now they've lost their brother and son, who happens to have been the cause of the first death!" He paused and crossed his arms. "And… um… And women get really emotional… and-"
"Matsuda." Aizawa looked up from the desk in Near's temporary office where he had been sitting. "Just do it… please."
Matsuda frowned but turned to Near. "Fine." He dropped his arms to his side. "Fine! I'll tell them that the leader of the fight against Kira in Japan was Kira himself. I'll tell Sachiko that her own son orchestrated her husband's death." He stopped for a moment, and when he continued, his voice was sad and quiet. "I'll tell Sayu that her beloved older brother killed thousands." He raised his voice again. "I'll tell them that Light was Kira, a murderer with a God complex. And I'll tell them that he's dead, too!"
Near didn't even look at him as he continued constructing Lego Tokyo. "Please do so." He kicked his legs idly as he contemplated where to place the next brick. "Either way, will all of you please leave now? I'm getting tired."
XXX
Two days ago had the epic battle between Kira and justice ended, and although justice had prevailed, it didn't end quite how they had anticipated. The shock of Light going so far as to call his deceased father a fool, and his sobs and pleas before his own death were shocking and slightly traumatizing. As such, the men who had known the Yagamis and had been present at Light's demise were deeply disturbed, some to the point of tears.
Light's last few hours on Earth kept replaying in Matsuda's mind as he was driven out to where Sayu and Sachiko lived, a cozy house in the country. Was there anything he did that could've alerted me then? He wondered. He remembered his final speech, saying how he had made the world a better place. Huh. There had always been a place in his heart where he felt that what Kira had been doing was right, that he would've felt comfortable alongside those who called him God. And after Light had explained his entire reasoning, that tiny place had been calling to Matsuda, nagging him, telling him what he could've done to prevent Soichiro's death and save the world with Kira. He knew it was wrong, just as Light had said, but people do wrong things for the greater good all the time. Or, they had, before Kira came into power. I guess they'll go back to that, he thought remorsefully. Killing. Killing. Killing. All this death for more death and destruction for more destruction. This endless cycle of death and destruction and death and destruction. It only stopped when we had someone controlling it… it only stopped with Kira. He shifted uncomfortably in his seat. He felt as though his driver could hear his thoughts. Was Light right? Were we really hurting the world by going against him?
Yes, the tiny voice that was his doubt said. You should've left when you had the chance and gotten involved with Kira. Matsuda frowned and shook his head, trying to get rid of the doubt, at least for now. Think about Sayu, he thought. It didn't help, because all he could imagine was her face lighting up when they discussed the Kira case.
XXX
Matsuda knocked on the white door of the Yagami's home. Sachiko soon answered.
"Light? It's about ti…" She trailed off as she registered that it wasn't Light at the door. And upon seeing Matsuda's mournful expression, she her eyes brimmed with tears that she hid with a smile.
"Matsuda!" she said genially. "Come in! Come in." She ushered him into the small house and directed him towards the kitchen. "Would you like anything to drink?" she asked.
"No, thank you," Matsuda replied quietly. She's trying to pretend she doesn't already know what it is, he thought sadly.
"Mom?" Sayu's voice called from another room. "I hear someone. Is it Light?"
Heavy footsteps announced her struggled arrival. Poor Sayu, once so beautiful and full of life, had lost her spark. She was an elder in a young woman's body. The captivity had messed her up more than originally thought, Matsuda thought. She came outta there without a scratch on her, and she turned into this…
"Matsuda!" she cried when she saw him. She hurried over to where he was standing and threw her arms around his neck in a hug. He blushed. "How are you? How's Light?" She drew back. "Why so glum?"
Matsuda stepped back and ran a hand through his untidy hair. "That's what I came to talk about, unfortunately." Sayu frowned. She trailed one hand down his arm and grabbed his hand to drag him with her.
"Sit down before we do anything," she said, laughing slightly. How unnerving. She acts like she's fine, too, but underneath it all she's still… lackluster?
Sachiko laughed. "My apologies, I should've had us sit down long ago." She sat on one end of the L shaped sofa that had come with them from their old city home. Sayu sat Matsuda down, then went to sit near her mother. They looked at him quizzically.
Oh God, Matsuda thought. How do I do this? "Um… Well, Mrs. Yagami… I have some bad news." He paused. Sachiko's eyes were about to overflow. She knew. She could tell. Even before I came here she knew he was dead. He resolved to make it was quick and business-like as possible. "I regret to inform you that Light has passed away."
Sayu's eyes glistened with tears. She prayed she had misunderstood, somehow. Sachiko's tears still never left her eyes, though she looked down for a moment. "I see," she murmured. She looked back up at Matsuda. "How?" she asked.
I'm screwed now, he thought. "This is the bad news. Your son was Kira."
At the mention of the deadly "K" word, Sachiko's eyebrows met in a deadly V and she glared at Matsuda. "That isn't even funny. Tell me right now how he died."
Sayu, on the other hand, understood completely. Tears began rolling down her cheeks. "Mom…" she muttered. "He's telling the truth. Light always said he wanted to change the world. He wanted to be remembered, and-"
"Sayu!" Sachiko turned to her daughter. "Don't compare my son to that monster. That horrible monster that killed my husband." She began crying. She looked back at Matsuda, pleading now. "Please," she sobbed. "Tell me how he died."
"He was Kira. He was the mass-murderer. He admitted it himself." Matsuda sighed quietly. He felt so guilty, as though this was his fault. "As for his death, cardiac arrest."
Sachiko's eyes widened. Oops. "AH! Don't you get it?" she cried. "Kira's still out there, and he killed L because he knew too much and he killed my husband because he knew too much and he killed Light because he knew too much!" She stood up abruptly. "Catch him. Kill him. Kill that bastard Kira."
Sayu gave up on trying to convince her mother that what Matsuda said was the truth. At this point, so did Matsuda. He stood up, thanked the ladies for having him, and let himself out.
Outside the door, he fell to his knees, held his head in his hands, and cried.
XXX
Two weeks later, the news reported that a small country house had burnt down in the night, killing both of its inhabitants. Neighbors reported that it's inhabitants, a mother and her daughter, aged 20, hadn't been getting along recently, and that the mother had seemed very depressed in the two or three days before the accident. Local shopkeepers had sold her several gallons of gasoline and lighter fluid, as well as many boxes of matches.
The house had belonged to Sachiko Yagami.
Author's Note: I feel like a horrible person… *is shot* Obviously, I hate Near, love Matsuda, and worship Kira. Seriously, though. This has to be the darkest fic I've ever written… I've written a few things other than A Demon's Tale, just never published them. But… whao. What does everyone think? I guess it had to be dark, because it's Death Note.
I've been thinking about this one for A LONG TIME, meaning, since I watched Death Note over winter break in December. Basically, I started writing this one now because I have Writer's Block on A Demon's Tale, but still felt the need to write. And I spent way too much time with my Death Note obsessed friend Zoë~ :3 love you
So, what does everyone think? I love your feedback.
If you guys like this One-Shot, there might just be an AnoHana or FMA one in the works. We'll see ;)
Does this prove that I can end a story? I never feel like I can end anything…