Title: Lasting Effects

Rating: K+

Warnings: Spoilers for the end of the series.

Summary: What if Mikami had followed orders? What if Light had won? What if Kira is going insane?

NOTES: This is an AU set in a world where Mikami didn't screw up, and what would have happened. I love Mikami, I really do, but it's entirely his fault that Light died. Near himself said that he fell for Light's plot, but when Mikami revealed the real notebook everything changed. So...on with the fic.

"Well Near,"

Light's voice was laced with a condescending drawl that burned the ears like poison,

"Looks like I win."

As Mikami yelled 40 in jubilation, Near began to smirk, confident that Light had just given himself away, that Light had just fallen for his trap. The shooting pain in his left arm begged to differ. He was having a heart attack. Near began to cough desperately, knowing that the delay strategy might give him a few minutes. The spasms along his throat caused by the coughing pumped a meager amount of blood up to his brain, a stall tactic. Light began to laugh as the members of the SPK dropped like flies, their leader still clinging desperately to life. Light bent down and looked Near in the eyes, not bothering to hide his gloat.

"I know what you did, and you replaced a fake. It's a pity, being the 'true' successor to L I would have thought you'd be more of a challenge to kill. Oh well."

As Light straightened up he turned and realized he was now staring down the barrel of Matusda's hand gun. Matsuda's face was streaked with tears, and he was shaking, either from rage, sadness, shock, or fear, it was hard to tell. Aizawa had already collapsed, Mogi was feeling for his pulse. Matsuda screamed,

"Light! How could you, your father…he, he…L was right, you are a monster! I'll kill you right here!!"

The broken fragments and half formed declarations echoed around the large room. Matsuda's hand tightened on the gun. The trigger started to move, but Mikami lunged forward, screeching, nearly unintelligible,

"GOD!"

His body collided with Matsuda as the gun went off, causing the bullet to veer off to the side. In the background Mogi had died as well. Matsuda and Mikami were wrestling on the ground fighting over the gun. Soon enough though, Mikami found himself tangled with a corpse, deathly hands refusing to relinquish the cold steel weapon.

"Mikami, leave him. It's over."

At the sound of his idol's voice Mikami tossed the dead body aside, and kneeled at the young man's feet.

"As you wish God."

They were now the only two living things in the abandoned shed. Ryuk's wheezing laugh pierced the cold air like a knife.

"Well played Light. Very well played."

Light's smile was sickeningly innocent as he surveyed the surroundings. All his enemies…dead. At last the new regime could begin. At last he would be renowned as the savior he was.

"What can I say Ryuk. Everything went exactly as planned."

Years Later

The world was his. Now using his powers as L and Kira unhindered by L's wannabe successors, Light had united the world under the banner of Kira. All it took was suggesting, through his new spokesperson, Mikami, that the nations that truly support Kira should create a new country. They could keep their individual governments standing as states, but borders would be dissolved, and The Declarations of Kira would be the supreme law. Light had written The Declarations of Kira, and had Mikami read them on international television, as well as mailed copies to all the major world leaders. Little by little, everything had fallen into place. And now the world was his. Crime had all but ceased to exist, it was a perfect world. Today was the five year anniversary of the day he had beaten Near, now celebrated world wide as a holiday. Still, somehow Light managed to find himself visiting an unlikely spot. Ryuzaki's grave. He gazed happily at the marble cross inscribed with nothing but his rival's signature letter. As was his custom, Light started bragging. Or maybe he was trying to justify all of this to himself, or maybe he was having regrets, mourning the loss of the closest thing he had to a real friend, or maybe he just missed the challenge of the chase and veiled conversations they used to have, or maybe he was finally going insane. Whatever the cause he found himself talking to L's headstone.

"You see L? I did it. No help from you I might add, but take a look around. See the utopia I have created. I have to say though, I was highly disappointed with your rear guard. Nate River and Mihael Keehl, such a let down. Near fell for one of the oldest tricks in the book, and Mellow practically killed himself, I barely had to do anything. Now the perfect world exists. And I am a god, The God, of the New World."

"Then why are you talking to a dead man?"

Light felt as if someone had replaced his brain fluid with a block of ice. This must be an auditory hallucination brought on by the stress of ruling the world. That was the only explanation. Never the less his head whipped around to look for the owner of the voice, but found no one. Light shivered, and mumbled to himself,

"It's not real. Just stress. Nothing to worry about…"

"Is that really what you think? Honestly, Light, Gods do not go insane, so which is it? Am I a hallucination, in which case you are going insane, and are therefore human, or are you a God, meaning you are not insane, thus I must really be talking to you, even though I am quite dead."

"You aren't real. I asked Ryuk, it isn't possible for dead people to return to the human realm in any way shape or form."

"Ahh, so you admit you're going insane? Not a god after all?"

"I am the God."

L's voice sighed, and Light tuned in fright when he felt the breath on the back of his head. L's face was inches from Light's. He gasped and fell over backward, gaping at the pale, hunched, barefoot man now standing above him.

"You are being contradictory Light. You say I am not real, correct?"

"Of course not, you…you're dead. I killed you."

"So I must be a hallucination, and sane people do not have hallucinations. But, you also believe yourself to be a god, and as I have previously stated, gods do not go insane."

L's words were met with silence. Light seemed to have gone into mild shock. L crouched down so he was once again face to face with the mass murderer. L sighed again, deeper this time, and Light tensed feeling the warm breath wash across his face.

"But that is beside the point. I would like my original question answered please. If you have achieved your 'perfect world' then why would you be visiting my grave? The Light I know, even the Kira I know isn't desperate enough for validation that he speaks to a piece of stone. Perhaps you are feeling regrets, but are to emotionally crippled to express them in any way other than self praise? Hmm, no not quite. Maybe that's a factor, but only about 17 at most 3 at the least, Light Yagami is not one to second guess himself. I would say that you feel you have won the game, but like the immature child you are, can't keep your attention focused and are now searching for a new game."

If there was one thing Light hated, it was hearing the truth. L leaned in even closer, his eyes probing the depths of Light's convoluted mind. Light could actually feel his body heat, but that was crazy. L was dead, and even if he was a ghost or hallucination or whatever, weren't they not supposed to have body heat? If anything ghosts were described as cold. So did that mean…no it couldn't be. Light's mind rejected the evidence. In an attempt to regain his personal space, Light threw a punch to L's head. But his arm hit nothing. Light blinked in confusion. L was gone. He had disappeared. Light shook his head to clear his mind, then stood up and brushed the dirt off his pants from the fall. He pivoted, intending to look at the grave one more time before leaving, but found himself once again face to face with L. He jumped and ended up on his back, on the ground for the second time. However, this time, he jumped up immediately, and swung his arm hoping that L would evaporate again. He would have no such luck. L caught Light's arm by the wrist, and deftly sidestepped, twisting the caught limb behind its owners back. Light's second arm flew up, but was trapped in a vice like grip a moment later. Light winced in pain as L twisted his arm even further, and dug his nails into the soft skin of Light's wrist, breaking the skin. From over Light's shoulder, L put his lips a hair away from Light's left ear, and whispered,

"You are childish, and hate to loose, so am I, but what is one thing that children hate even more than loosing? Boredom. So enjoy your godhood, but know that you killed your only true companion in this world, so where does that leave you, Kira?"

Light cried out as he felt his arm break, then the sensation was gone. L was no where to be seen. Light gingerly moved his right arm, but nothing was wrong with it. It wasn't even sore. A second ago it had been burning in agony, but now…He inspected his left wrist carefully, sure he was going to find marks. He had felt the blood running down his hand, but no traces were found. His arms were fine. He shuddered, and brought his hand up to his left ear, the accusation had burned, the words caustic against his skin. Later he found he had gone deaf in this ear. Upon examining him doctors would say that nothing was wrong with the ear, it must be a completely psychiatric problem, physically it was in perfect working condition. None the less, Kira felt the impact of L's final words until the day he died.

NOTES: Chilling…at least I hope so…:( Some parts came out better than others, and about the deafness thing I totally didn't plan on it, it just sorta happened. You can decide for yourself wheather or not Light went insane.