Disclaimer: I do not own DeathNote. It belongs to its respective owners.
A/N: This is a quick oneshot of how I think Light would view the personification of "Lady Justice", considering how much he cares for Justice in the plot.
Note: This is only one representation of Justice that I am using for the purposes of this fic. Individual opinions and representations of her may vary.
~Enjoy!~
Lady Justice...
The personification of justice and judicial law. She arose from ancient Greece and Rome as a combination of Fortuna, Tyche, and Nemesis; goddesses of fate, luck, and vengeance respectively. She carried a sword in her left hand and a set of scales in her right. She was also blindfolded.
The scales represented balance. With them she carefully considered the causes and consequences of the law. If the scales were tipped or uneven, the judicial system was corrupt, and needed to be set right.
The sword, depicted as double-edged, represented her ability to evenly wield the dual responsibilities of Reasoning and Justice.
The blindfold was said to be a mark of her impartiality. She would never sway from her final verdict, regardless of the powers or favour she was to sentence.
... At least, that was the easy version to believe.
Light, however, thought differently of her.
He had learned about the personification of Lady Justice early on in his life while diligently studying law on his own time; poring over shelf after shelf of his father's vast collection of books on Law, Justice, Punishment and Order. She was a Western concept; a simple figure created out of complex ideas and left to stand steadfast, judging all of humanity through the countless millennia that have passed overtime.
Light saw this Lady Justice, and pitied her.
She was a figurehead. She was carved out of the vast morals of the universe, forged in firey vengeance and steely determination, and fashioned with the ideals of mankind: stern, and steady, and strong. Ladylike? You could say that.
However, no matter how perfect she looked, she was still a figurehead.
Why was she blindfolded? It suggested that her sight, a vital sense to possess when percieving the world around her, was taken away by force. Placing a blindfold over her perceptive eyes muted her natural talent of seeing, done for the good of everyone else.
For the good of everyone else...
This bothered Light. Why should the very humans she convicts have the power to take away what she rightfully possessed? Would it not, in a poetic sense, ring clearer to enhance her vision instead of defacing it?
What were they preventing by doing this? For that matter, who were "they"?
Lady Justice had no race. As a single metaphor it was impossible for her to be any genetically similar or different from anyone else on Earth. If that was untrue, shouldn't each judicial system have an entirely separate being to represent it?
On the surface, she was strong, whole, and undivided.
Underneath, she was suffering.
Lady Justice carried every responsibility burdened to her by others on her own. She had no one to shoulder the burden alongside her. She was always alone.
Light lay awake thinking of her more often than he wished. Why was it something that he wouldn't just let go of?
It wasn't long before the Death Note became of utmost importance to him. Light put every one of his carefully implemented plans into action, one after another. Perfectly timed, perfectly executed.
However, he would come back to certain questions about her over and over again. Why does she remain a symbol of Justice when every ancient empire that created her had failed and passed on into history? What sacrifices has she made for humanity, weilding that double-edged sword? Has it seen blood? Who were the mysterious forces that blindfolded her? Why would humankind force such a burden on a metaphorical image?
Was humanity too afraid to weild Justice on their own? Light looked over the bustling masses of downtown Tokyo, reflecting on their busy lives without concern for any such responsibility. It concerned him, to say the least.
This world needs a god... Why should Lady Justice have to stand alone? I am not weak. I do not shunt away the power and responsibility demanded in this world to a single, desolate figurehead to bear it alone.
Light knew the troubles he faced could not be overcome without constant vigilance and effort on his part. He could not afford to be lazy; unlike those around him who chose to ignore the state the world was in, in favour of manipulating their own, fragmented lives.
The scales have been tipped off-balance by blood and apathy in this world, and Light would correct them. Using every strength and edge he had in his power, he would remake this world as he designed. It would be done as tribute, recognition and atonement for neglecting the burden that Lady Justice bears for millenia.
Light would serve Justice as he was meant to do. It was his destiny, his fate. He would liberate Justice from the chains and blindfolds that the world has placed upon her.
In the end Light Yagami will stand beside her as an equal, and take up the responsibility alongside her as the reigning force of Justice in this world.
With the Death Note at my side, Justice will prevail. I am Justice.
~End~
A/N: This was inspired by my own musings about justice and things. The general description of Lady Justice I got from Wikipedia. Thanks for reading!~ :)