Disclaimer: Death Note, as a series, could never belong to me. It is under ownership for all eternity of human beings gifted with nice, ethereal connections namely Tsugumi Oba and Takeshi Obata. Death Note, as itself, might've belonged to me- if only I paid attention to what is falling now and then across the field during class hours. Oh the irony.
Summary: Kira could be so near... Raito only needed to drop hints every so often so that L, the famed top-rated detective could grasp his identity. Even at the last minute...
Author's Notes: ich bin es wer wünschen meine Kunst weiblich zu sich entpuppen als grandios! (It is I who wishes my art to turn out to be grand!) This is the first installment and I hope it's to your liking! ich wahrheitsgemäß schatzen Kritik weiblich! (I truly appreciate criticisms!) A special note for people-who-just-LOVE-to-flame! Please consider that flaming, when done impolitely is a form of degrading the literary piece. I will accept them and would gladly reply, however, I would like you to be considerate not only to me but also to other writers. Oh, and I am open for any suggestions and requests. However, these are thought over a great deal and if they don't really fit, I'm sorry but these will be rejected. I'm taking up too much space! Gomen, minna-san! Pray, read on and enjoy!
At the Last Minute//Final Deception
1: Trickster Visage
Do you know that Shinigami eat only apples?
My original message; the only one I wanted L to understand was that. I should've known, however, that he would use this to trick me into giving a hint about me, Raito Yagami, being Kira. That bastard... L...
I eyed the grim-faced Shinigami and I knew he wasn't at all happy. Me being within the investigation team and all, I had to hang around the headquarters long enough to kill any suspicions pertaining to my unknown identity. Ryuk, ever complacent with the rules of the Death Note, had to follow me around all the while, receiving not one filling, juicy apple for hours and hours of boredom enough to drive a person insane. Or in this case, a Shinigami to death.
As the Matsuda guy raised a report of three more heart-attack cases I had written into the note a week before, I couldn't help but look distressingly upset over his shoulder towards the direction of the god of death. He was already standing on his head- a long, lithe, bony arm supporting his body weight and another rubbing his stomach while his bloodshot eyes were directed strongly towards the fruit basket behind me, obviously watering over the single apple displayed. I flashed him a knowing look, telling him to be more patient.
"Raito?" My father asked, addressing me and my diverted focus. Unfazed, I said, "So far, basing on what Matsuda-san has said, Kira is slacking off with his act. At the start of this case, even before it was given a certain recognition by the mass, he had a record of going as far as twenty three deaths a day... I only have to think that something is preoccupying him, enough that he would slack off, in a sense that he would suddenly drop the numbers of those he kills. There is a huge possibility indeed that Kira is a student, or even perhaps in the working population. However, he still keeps on killing so as to remind us of the fact that we're doing a pretty bad job of looking for him." I finished before scanning the wide-eyed faces of my companions then diverting my speculative gaze to L. He was grinning slightly, his thumb at his pale, parted lips and his toes still abused as ever. He shifted his black, insomnia-evident eyes towards mine as I returned the favor and stared back with retaliating fierceness.
"We have to only double our efforts then, Yagami-kun." I nodded at his remark and grinned inwardly as he stood from his seat and padded towards the curtain covered windows. He lifted one fold slightly and looked longingly outside. The image of the detective, bathed in the dusk light and shadows made me have an uncalculated intake of breath. I assessed the feeling, and it was definitely not of fear nor anything that has to do with it. It was a new one and I wanted to thoroughly understand it. Perhaps letting L into one more clue about my identity would help. "Everybody, it's about time we ended this meeting. I'll call it a day. Watari, if you must..."
Everybody filed up to go and as soon as I was the only one left behind in the room besides L, I winked towards Ryuk, indicating he could finish off the apple. I made sure that L would see the disintegrating apple, floating and slowly disappearing piece by piece as I was already about to close the door of his room.
Do you know that Shinigami eat only apples?
Darkly shaded eyes widened at the sight of an apple, floating up high and slowly disappearing slowly into nothingness. L kept his confusion suppressed as he went back to the furniture and sat down, the same way as always, and started deducing the previous occurrence. 10... Raito Yagami being the notorious serial killer Kira had already an imposingly high probability of 10. "Could it really be possible?" Yagami-kun... he would really make the perfect Kira, the detective thought. The intelligence, the cunning personality... everything just screams of him being Kira. "But then..." L thoughtfully slid his thumb across his lips and bit it lightly. "...we would've then asked Kira to come and kill us all."
L stood up from the easy chair and padded once more across the room; towards his room's door this time. In his room, he kept an archive of every single data collected during the expanse of the investigation- every last one. He also had an LCD screen and an incredibly adaptable media player device configured to play almost every kind of media storage device. He propped himself infront of his collection, took out another lollipop, popped it inside his mouth and began to pull out nearly a dozen of tapes- including those gathered during the more or less trivial start of their goose chase with Kira.
"If ever Yagami-kun is indeed Kira..." L was missing something very significant to complete his theory of 10 percent probability. In a surge of slight frustration, L bit his lip and soon after regretted his decision. The taste of his rather salty blood mixed with the lollipop still inside his mouth and the combination wasn't good at all. He stood up, went inside the bath and opened the medicine cabinet. He took out some cotton buds, a disinfectant and some tissue sheets. Using his nimble toes, he took hold of the rug, pulled it then propped himself on it as he prepared to treat the wound.
All of his pent-up frustrations were behind the wound, as it seemed, since it was bleeding rather badly for just a small bite. L took one sheet of tissue and used it to wipe the trail his blood left on his chin. That's right... Kira's strong points included that he could kill without touching the person. There would be no trail to follow. No murder weapons, no blood, no fingerprints, no nothing. Just the victims, their written, allegorical testimonials and their almost pitiful, constricted form as they die by cardiac arrest. "Which brings us back to..." Raye Penber. He was one of those who died in a rather populated area- the trainstation- and the only one who seemed desperate to have a look back- inside the train. "Something inside the train." L corrected himself, sliding another thumb across his lips, the wound completely forgotten. "Or perhaps, even someone." L, excited with the realization, rushed outside the bathroom, notified Watari through the cellphone and asked if Watari could make a pass through the supermarket. He needed a dozen, juicy red apples and a new fruit basket. "No make that a barrel, Watari." he hurriedly told before hanging up and collapsing on the floor, rolling and laughing exuberantly.
Do you know that Shinigami eat only apples?
How about proving the existence of Shinigami first? L wheezed rather painfully as he sat up, stopped laughing and relaxed. He couldn't afford to miss this. L admitted he had a lot of work to do and this required a lot of his official 'brain food'. He removed an ice cream container from the refrigerator and sloshed away with the scooper. "By tomorrow, the cameras should be ready..." Kira, I'll be extra closer... extra careful and extra generous... and even perhaps, so will that Shinigami who's been helping you out. "You're mine for the taking... Only mine...Raito "Kira" Yagami." L licked his lips using his tongue leisurely, more curious than ever how Kira's defeat would taste. Like apples perhaps? The detective could not help but anticipate.
Fortsetzung folgt! (to be continued)
Author's Notes: Uhm... reviews? This is my first story here so definitely! Reviews are a must! Think of them as a social obligation to the writer! Am I being too harsh? Nah! Just review, minna-san: )
