AfterLife
Prologue
----L----
November 3rd, 2007
The door slid open quickly with a hiss, and L stepped inside the dark room, his bare feet slapping lightly on the linoleum. An eerie, bluish glow emanated from the many computer screens along the far end of the wall. Wammy looked back, turning in his chair.
"What's the matter, Ryuuzaki?" Wammy nodded slightly, brow crinkling, as he took in what seemed to be L's normal appearance. The same dark circles under his dark eyes, same loose white shirt, same awkward posture. Of course, L knew that Wammy would be able to tell that something was wrong. The old man spun his chair all the way around to face him. The edges of the room were shrouded in darkness. "What is it?"
For a long time, the only sound was the faint hum of the computers and their whirring, internal fans. Finally, after the white noise had become oppressive, L took a breath.
"Watari," he said, his eyes locking onto the man and his aged face. "I have decided to use the notebook." He paused, waiting for some kind of response from his caretaker. Wammy settled back into his chair, his frown deepening, but said nothing. "I know that Light is Kira. I am certain that he will try to kill me soon." L raised his thumb to his mouth, looking pensive. "No, what I mean is that I believe he will succeed in killing me soon. He has been trying to kill me for quite some time now." L let his gaze drift elsewhere, towards the security cameras that were shifting constantly, keeping Wammy informed of the going-ons in every centimeter of the building. "I have been studying the rules in the murderer's notebook and speaking to the death god…and I have learned some things that I believe can be used to my advantage.
"If a name is written in a Death Note, or multiple Death Notes, then the first one written will take effect, regardless of when the actual death occurs. Also, the death can occur at most 23 days after it was written down. Finally, a human can write his or her own name in the Death Note. What this means, Watari, is that if Kira is going to kill me in the next few days as I believe he will, as long as I write my name down before he does, I can prolong my life until those 23 days are over."
The old man stood in shock. "But, Ryuuzaki, surely you cannot think that—"
"Yes, Watari, I can think that this is a viable option, and one that has a 62 percent chance of succeeding. But I will need your assistance in order to convince Light that I am dead." L's black eyes stared into Wammy's, the youth's face still emotionless. L pressed his thumb against his lower lip. "If Light believes that I am dead, it is likely that he will become careless. It is then that we will prove that he is Kira."
"This means that you only have 23 days at the most to watch Light for some kind of carelessness," Wammy said solemnly, shaking his head.
"Yes," L's voice broke in quickly, emphatically agreeing with the older man. He could not keep the tinge of excitement from his voice. "I will also have to guess when Light will kill me, and in what fashion I would die." Wammy's eyes opened wider than L had thought possible as he lowered himself carefully back into his chair. L's thumb entered his mouth and he pushed on his front teeth, thinking of the coming challenge, removing his thumb only a few centimeters to speak again. "I am almost certain that he will use a heart attack. Anything less…well, it would not be that hard to simply poison me or push me down the stairs. No, for Light's pride, he must kill me by using the Death Note."
Wammy shook his head and took off his glasses. He used his free hand to massage the spot where they had lain across his nose. "L, how will you know when Kira will kill you?" He returned his glasses to their usual spot on his wizened face.
L chewed on his thumb as he pondered Wammy's question. Truthfully, he did not know why he was still alive at this moment. He had concluded that for some unknowable reason, the death gods preferred Light Yagami over all other humans, and therefore had no qualms about doing Kira's work themselves. He also knew that the death gods had eyes that could see the names of every human, granted that they saw the human's face. He also knew that there was a death god in the very building, one that was probably lying to them in order to help Light.
For all of Rem's nonchalant denials of the claim, L knew that there was some kind of hidden communication between the god of death and the young son of the ex-chief. The pieces to the puzzle of the Kira case all fit together if only the thirteen day rule was false. But the monstrous, white death god had assured them of its truth. So either Light was not Kira, or the death god was lying. However, L believed, with only a shadow of doubt, that Light was Kira. So the death god was helping Light. The death god wanted victory for Kira.
Victory for Kira was death for L.
So why had the death god not killed him yet?
He looked outside of himself again, back to Wammy and the unanswered question still hanging in the tense, air-conditioned space between them.
"I do not know, Watari, and I can only hope that when the time comes, I will recognize it." L's eyes searched the darkness in the corners of the room. He could faintly hear the bells, chiming solemnly in the church near the orphanage. He smiled, barely, and yet sadly.
In its purest form, it was simply going to be a matter of whether the future held one funeral, or two.
----L----
November 5th, 2007
Three funerals, he thought, his black eyes opening wide as he begged the screen to come back to life. "Watari!" he said quickly, his voice hardly raised but full of fear. The room glowed a sinister red, and L knew that it was now.
He was supposed to die now. Right now. Quickly. L felt the adrenaline hit his system, and wished it had not. The adrenaline would counteract the sedative Wammy had prepared, making it more difficult for L's heart and pulse to slow to a deathly pace. His tongue rolled the tiny capsule from its hiding spot near the back of his jaw, but he did not crush it yet. There was no Wammy to protect him in such a weakened state anymore.
All data deletion, read the computer monitors. A clear, high beep bled through the speakers incessantly. L could feel himself begin to panic, but pushed the feeling away, knowing that he needed a clear head.
"Deletion of data? What's happening?" asked Aizawa nervously.
L did not turn to look at him, but responded automatically. His mind was working on a different problem, as usual. "I instructed Watari to delete all of the data if something were to happen to him." He continued staring at the screen. He had not thought that the death god would go so far as to kill Wammy. But this also meant that L could be certain that the death god did not have knowledge that L had already sentenced himself to death. Why kill Wammy and alert L to the appropriate time to fake his death?
Aizawa's voice broke through the surface of his thoughts. "'If something were to happen to him?'" he echoed L's words in confusion and fear.
"Don't tell me…" Matsuda said in horror as the investigation team rushed to gather around L, perched in his chair in front of the wall of computer monitors. Light was behind him, on his right. L suppressed a shiver. Since when had he known where Light was without looking? He explained the feat to himself as a combination of an acute sense of hearing, wide peripheral vision, and a highly developed subconscious mind. He glanced round at all of the screens in front of him, allowing the aforementioned wide peripheral vision to take in Light.
Light's hands were clear of pen, pencil, paper, or anything else. They were in plain sight. Which meant that L had been correct to assume that the god of death would help him. But to kill Wammy….
Rather than show a look of hurt to Light, L instead looked to his left, to ex-chief Yagami. He would give Light a little hint, a guess that he knew exactly what was happening. "Where's the death god?" L asked quietly.
"Now that you mention it…" Souichiro began, looking towards the darkness behind them, "I can't see it."
The investigation team seemed to go crazy for a moment. There were gasps as everyone glanced around the room wildly, as if they expected the hulking mass of bony white to be hiding behind some piece of furniture or lurking unnoticed in the corner. L debated his next move.
"It's not here!" Mogi informed them, trying to maintain a level tone.
L had never been one to waste a chance, especially one such as this one, when it came at the price of a man's life. Especially a man such as Wammy.
"What does this mean?!" asked Yagami, as the rest of the team continued darting their eyes around, hoping the death god would reappear and tell them what was happening.
L would not let Quillsh Wammy die in vain. He would not let himself die in vain. He would never get a chance like this again.
Now. L crunched down on the capsule, quickly swallowing the liquid sedative that oozed out. "Everyone, the death go—" he attempted, feeling his mouth go numb. He dropped his spoon, and felt the world spin.
Fast-acting indeed, he thought as he heard the bells chime. The red haze of the room evaporated, leaving whiteness. He vaguely wondered what Wammy had put into the small pill, puzzled by a feeling he associated with falling.
"Ryuuzaki! What's wrong?!" Mastuda yelled, though his voice echoed strangely and seemed to come from far away.
L hit the floor, and images of his childhood ricocheted through his skull along with the sound of church bells. The great, stained-glass windows of cathedrals blurred together as he tried to maintain consciousness. Someone was crying, and being drowned out by the bells and their incessant ringing. He saw heavy gears turning, grinding along and creaking in protest. He was swathed in the scent of English wildflowers. L stared upwards, through the bare branches of a tree, towards a white winter sun….
The sunlight broke into darkness and it was Light above him, the red glow curling around the worried expression on his young face. L's thoughts slowed, and he felt the sluggishness of his own heart and lungs, the panic from before completely smothered by the drugs. He watched Light, and carefully noted the transformation of innocent boy to mass murderer. With a wicked grin and a narrowing of the eyes, Light became Kira.
I won, his killer's eyes taunted, gleaming demonically in the dim, crimson light.
L's eyes slid shut… and all was silent.
"Oi, Ryuuzaki…" Light began, his voice trembling. L felt a faint pressure on his shoulder, and assumed that Light was gripping him tightly. "What's the matter? Get a hold of yourself!" L knew his arm was flopping as Light shook him, although his senses were indeed dulled.
"What?! What happened?!" That voice belonged to Light's father. He sounded worried. L felt suddenly empty, and not like a human being. He waited for his heart to beat again, patiently, although it felt like he was sinking deeper under the water, simply waiting for a breath of air.
An anguished cry cut through L's peaceful drowning, kicking his mind back into gear. The heavy pieces of metal turned once again, creaking. Light was screaming. Souichiro Yagami was yelling for his son to calm down. The noise cascaded over L, overpowering even the echoing of the bells.
"We're going to be killed!" Light answered his father, shaking as he held onto L's body tightly. "Watari, Ryuuzaki…"
A sudden clarity possessed L, and he almost drew in a quick breath. Clearly the sedative was still in effect, but even with next to no oxygen, L managed to hold onto something: Light had fallen for his trick, and now believed him to be dead.
"… and next it's us!" continued Light, pretending to be stricken with fear.
The room echoed with Light's words. Either L's sense of hearing had finally quit on him, or the rest of the investigation team had gone silent, fearing an attack by the death god. L felt his consciousness recede again under a tide of silent ringing, and he struggled to make sense of what was going on around him. He heard faint footsteps and quiet gasps.
"Fuck!" Light yelled again, convincing them that from his fear had sprung anger. "Where's the death god! Show yourself!"
"L-Light…" ex-chief Yagami began as Light began to let go. L felt someone else replace Light's arms, keeping his limp body from entirely collapsing onto the floor. He realized then that Light must have caught him when he fell….
Light stood. "You must know something about this! Show yourself!" L heard footsteps echoing away, and had to force himself not to get lost in the echoing taps as Light walked away.
"We should look as well," Yagami suggested. A bell chimed, once.
Mastuda's reply seemed hesitant. "… Yeah." Instead of darkness, L saw a white light….
L heard footsteps and Yagami's voice again. He clung to the voice, wrapping his attention to it to keep himself from fading. "Mogi, we'll leave the rest to you."
"Okay," came Mogi's voice. L felt himself being passed off to the man like a doll, then what must have been Aizawa's retreating footsteps. He began counting them, one, two, three, four, five…six….
The room was silent for a long moment. The footsteps had stopped echoing, Light had stopped yelling, and even the bells had stopped pealing. Mogi's steady breathing and warm arms were comforting. He could probably go to sleep now, except….
L forced his dark eyes open, and drew as deep a breath as he could muster. Mogi stared in shock, his sudden and unconscious intake of breath deeper than L's.
"Not dead…" His voice came out in barely a whisper. L struggled to keep eye contact with the man, hoping in vain that perhaps some last vestige of adrenaline would burst into his system. Mogi's eyes opened wide. Suddenly, everything was in slow motion as the large man raised his head, widened his mouth into a smile, tilted his head to the side, opened his mouth to yell to his colleagues….
"No!" L hissed, the sharp exhalation causing him extreme dizziness. L suddenly felt more sick than weary. Mogi lifted his head up, keeping it from lolling limply towards the linoleum.
The red glow of the room faded… and with it, so was L's chance to defeat Kira. If he could just get Mogi to….
"Secret…" he whispered to Mogi, closing his eyes because he could no longer keep them open. His brain was pausing, and he knew there was something he was saying. "Light…." It was hard to focus on the words when he had no breath. "Kira…." What was the important message? "Don't tell…." Was there an important message? "Alive…."
What?
L faded.
----L----
November 16th, 2007
L walked out of the stairwell, followed by the investigation team. Mogi had done well, had kept him and his secret concerning his "death" safe. Only moments before, L had revealed to Yagami, Matsuda, and Aizawa the truth of the situation. Most of them still watched him as if he were a ghost.
Light Yagami stood by the edge of the building, facing the busy city and its glowing lights. There was a flash of thunder, which illuminated the youth's figure. One arm was raised high, holding a large pen as if he were conducting an orchestra of death. His hand lowered, he leaned forward….
L looked away, to the four men behind him, and brought a finger to his lips. Yagami was staring in shock, Matsuda in disbelief, and Aizawa in fear. Mogi was looking away.
The young detective turned back around, and walked slowly towards Light as he stood feverishly writing.
"Light."
Light stiffened, and ceased writing. L continued forward, wondering what was going through the murderer's mind. The young criminal leaned forward, putting pen back to paper. L spoke again, forcing Light to acknowledge his presence as more than a ghost.
"Light Yagami."
There was a pause, and then Light stood straight. His arms went to his sides, and he slowly turned around. The wind whipped through his auburn hair as his face became visible, the light from the city below giving his features a sinister luminosity. He wore an expression of slight, curious surprise, as if L had returned from the store five minutes earlier than expected, rather than from the grave.
He watched Light's eyes as they gazed, almost condescendingly, at him, at then moved to take in the members of the investigation team behind him. L watched as Light picked his plan, his excuse for killing from the rooftop of L's building.
"Ryuuzaki… is it really you?" Light's voice was thin, trembling. He acted as if he was too afraid for it to be true, which was probably not too far from the reality. Light was probably indeed heading into fear, as he struggled to comprehend how his nemesis had not only escaped the grave, but had led the team to catch him in the act.
"Yes," L answered. He gave Light a pointed look as he finished his response. "Kira." L wasted no time as he started walking forward, not directly towards Light, but around him, towards the open Death Note on the music stand behind him.
"Kira?" Light asked in confusion. Even though L knew beyond a doubt that Light was Kira, it was still difficult to see through his acting. Light's face slipped to surprise, and he almost smiled. "Oh, I see how you could become confused," Light began lightly. "This is a black notebook, but it's not a Death Note." His hand flicked out to the notebook behind him, and L saw the twitch of his fingers as he casually—seemingly accidentally—knocked the music stand off the edge of the building behind him.
"Shit!" yelled Light suddenly, turning around and grasping for the stand. The notebook went sailing for the edge as L rushed forward, and then suddenly stopped himself, just over a meter from the edge. He did not want to be so close to the edge of a building with Light Yagami.
Light was leaning over the low edge, one knee on the ground and one arm outstretched towards the falling music stand and the fluttering Death Note.
"Mogi, please go fetch the notebook. I would like the rest of you to remain here so we may apprehend Light now." L backed off, keeping his eyes on Light's back.
"Oh no, Mogi, don't bother yourself with it. It's just my personal journal. I'll get it myself." Light stood and turned around, maintaining a smile. He looked a little sheepish for having knocked something off the edge of a building. "After all, I'm the one who was clumsy enough to—"
"It is a Death Note. Get it now, Mogi," L said sternly, knowing he could trust the man. He heard the heavy footsteps of the man as he went down the stairs and then the sound of the door swinging into the doorframe. "Yagami, Mastuda, Aizawa," he addressed the remaining three, "please attempt to arrest Light now." L took a few more steps back, knowing that he should allow the police-trained men to do as he had instructed.
"Surely that's not necessary, Ryuuzaki," Light tried, his smile looking more and more forced. Aizawa took a hesitant step forward, and L knew that they were all waiting for their ex-chief to make the first move. "I know nothing I do will make you stop suspecting me, but you've already said you can no longer keep me as your prisoner. I've passed all your tests. We all know I can't be Kira. Why don't we celebrate the fact that you are alive instead, Ryuuzaki?" Light's expression became warmer as he looked towards L. He took a step forward, and L almost expected him to reach out a hand. "I can still hardly believe my eyes."
"I have disproved the thirteen day rule." L stated bluntly. "In moments, Mogi will return with the proof."
"Proof?" Light asked, his brow crinkling. "What kind of proof would he have?"
"You and I both know that it was another Death Note." L watched Light's expression carefully, realizing that he did not know what the cat might do, once he was cornered by the mice. His own face remained impassive. "Yagami, I am sorry. However…." L trailed off, hoping the man would understand his implied command.
"Yes, I understand," Light's father said gruffly, taking a deep breath.
"I can't believe it!" cried Mastuda abruptly. "Light is Kira?!"
"Don't be silly; of course I'm not Kira," Light continued to reach for excuses. He turned to his father, and L knew that he was becoming desperate, if he was trying to play on family bonds. "Father, after everything I've done to help with this case, you certainly don't believe Ryuuzaki either, do you?" Light looked wounded as his father turned his gaze away, to the distant rooftops and the dim, blinking red lights on the edges of L's building. "Father?" Light queried tremulously.
"I am sorry, Yagami," L said, though it sounded more like a curt reminder rather than an actual apology. He needed someone to move, to get Light in their hands before he attempted to do something rash.
Suddenly, L's phone vibrated and began chirping. His right hand flew to his pocket and he pulled the small silver device out. It was Mogi.
"Yes?" L asked into the receiver. His eyes returned to Light, who had turned around to act utterly hurt and innocent. It was, however, suspicious, and L wished that the men around him had already confined him. Did they not realize that their lives were at stake? As a team of investigators trying to find Kira, they had been on his list for quite some time now. Perhaps Light would transfer that list onto a page of the Death Note.
"You were right, Ryuuzaki. It's a Death Note." Mogi's voice crackled through the speaker.
"Yes. Please inform Yagami of this. I am handing the phone to him now," L said wearily, holding out his arm after he finished the last word. The cell dangled from his fingers, swaying gently in front of the ex-chief's face.
Light turned back around, his face holding a strange mixture of pain and curiosity. He watched L closely as his father took the phone.
"Hello?" Souichiro Yagami asked hesitantly. "Mogi?" There was a pause as he listened to Mogi. L wondered what kind of face the man was making, but he did not dare take his eyes off Light.
The cat was completely cornered now, and L wondered how exactly he would hiss and claw and bite.
He heard Yagami gasp, and then saw him pass the phone to Mastuda with his peripheral vision. Light was now watching his father. Mastuda gasped and L heard the plastic clatter as his cell phone hit the cement of the roof. There was a soft thud, which L assumed to be Mastuda's knees.
"Light…why?"
The man sounded pitiful. L could hear the betrayal in his voice. He did not move his eyes from Light. Now, when they all knew the truth… Light was either going to confess, or try to kill them all. L knew that the higher percentage lay with the latter option.
"Oi, what's—" Aizawa began, and then he suddenly paused. "Mogi?" There was a long pause, during which the only sound was Mastuda's labored breaths and the wind whistling across the rooftop accompanied by a distant rumble of thunder. L watched Light's eyes, knowing that his expression would only hint at his true thoughts. He was undoubtedly going over his options now, trying to find another excuse. He was probably going to try to kill them now.
L's eyes narrowed slightly. He would not put it past Light to carry hidden pieces of the killer's notebook with him everywhere. Perhaps he had already given Light the opportunity to kill? Light had turned around before and hidden his hands from view… perhaps it was already too late?! Light might have already written the investigators' names down, and was simply waiting for them to die so he could physically push L off the edge of the building, as accidentally as he had pushed the music stand. He opened his mouth to hurry the ex-police officers forward.
Light's father broke the near-silence with the tapping of his shoes before L could with his voice. The man walked in front of L, towards his son, stopping directly in front of the boy. L silently cursed him for obscuring his view of Light's hands, but remedied the situation by stepping sideways. Light was staring up at his father with a look of hope.
"Light… I'm sorry," Yagami said heavily. He produced a pair of handcuffs, and lifted one of the metal circles to Light's right wrist.
L watched carefully as Light flung his arm out of the way as if the steel would burn him. He appeared to be beyond wounded. L lifted his thumb to his mouth, and pressed gently against his front teeth.
"F-father?" Light cried out. Yagami flinched back from the outburst, and Light's nearly tearful eyes. L could see the older man's resolution wavering. Did he believe his son, or a man who had faked his own death only days before?
There was the creaking of hardly-used hinges behind him, and then a deep voice, panting slightly. "Ryuuzaki…." It was Mogi. L continued to watch Light, but held out his hand to receive the Death Note. Yagami turned around to look at the doorway, and must have seen the notebook, because his eyes widened only a moment before L felt the smooth cover of the Death Note in his hands. A streak of lightning split the sky.
Light looked afraid, and in that instant L remembered that he was only eighteen, still a boy. How curiously innocent Light seemed, in his fear.
After a long moment of rolling thunder, L removed his eyes from the boy and looked for the death god. He found it crouching on the top of a higher section of the roof, its wings splayed out in the likeness of an eerie, living gargoyle. It was as large as the previous one, but darkly colored, except for his face, which was a ghastly white around large, grinning purple lips. The death god stared back at L with large yellow eyes and crimson pupils, his lips cracking open to reveal sharp, pointed teeth. It raised a hand as if waving.
"I have found the death god," L said, his eyes locked on the hulking figure looming to his right. He moved the Death Note to his left hand, holding it carefully by one corner, and he raised his right hand to point to the death god. His dark eyes slid back to focus on Light, who was beginning to look panicked.
He was indeed still a boy, not quite an adult, and probably too young to truly comprehend what he had become. L felt an unfamiliar surge of pity for the Light, and the hand carrying the Death Note slowly lowered to his side.
Movement from Yagami caught L's attention, and forced him to acknowledge the world beyond Light's peculiarly innocent face. The older man had taken a step, and then hurried to take the Death Note from L's fingers.
Yagami's breath caught as he gripped the notebook and stared over L's wild black hair. The father choked back a sob of horror. Again, L felt the strange sensation of pity for another. Is this what it meant to show his face to others?
"Too bad, huh?" the death god's voice rasped out. "It looks like our partnership is over." L wished he had two sets of eyes, one to watch the death god, and another to watch Light. He opted to watch who he considered the most dangerous of the two and kept his gaze fixed securely on the human in front of him as a gust of wind raced across the rooftop.
Yagami shook and held the Death Note out to L with trembling fingers. The ex-chief slid to his knees, horrified at the implication of the death god's words. They now held more than enough evidence to prove that Light was Kira.
"What is it, chief?" Mastuda's voice rang out shrilly. L felt the Death Note move as someone touched it, and then the sound of Mastuda stumbling back in fear as he perceived the death god.
L continued watching Light, feeling sorry that this had happened, although he had planned the entire thing. Light literally had no place to go; he already had his back to the edge of the tall building and the only exit lay behind the team of investigators. His eyes were wide in a mixture of shock and terror, and L could see his chest rising and falling rapidly. If the boy had not been fixated on the movement of the Death Note among his enemies, L was sure that those eyes would have been darting around, seeking an escape.
L felt another moment of pressure on the black notebook, and assumed that Aizawa had touched it. Now everyone on the roof was aware that the item in L's hand was the real thing, the powerful and supernatural weapon known as the Death Note.
Light stared at the investigation team, his face contorted with a nightmarish expression of terror. Lightning flashed and thunder boomed across the stormy black sky. When the darkness returned, Light's face had relaxed and hardened at the same time.
He was looking at them from Kira's eyes, and L saw no sign of the frightened boy. His black eyes opened wider in surprise. Had that also been a mask? Perhaps, and this was the true face of the murderer, the one L had seen towering over him with an evil grin as he had succumbed to the drugs from Wammy. Those eyes stared directly into his, daring him to look away, yet keeping him from doing so at the same time.
Light's voice, when it reached him, was low and strong, imbued with its own sense of power and justice. "That's right.
"I am Kira."
L could not help himself. His corners of his mouth turned upwards into a smile as he heard Light's confession. Light was turning this into a different challenge, one which pitted their forms of justice against each other. It was L versus Kira, in the open at last, the last battle of their intellects, taking place on the top of a windswept tower in the dead of night.
L would win, and he would have his victory over Kira. He narrowed his eyes and stared through the fringes of his black hair as it danced across his face in the wind.
Light turned, and looked down on the city below him. His voice, still carrying the taste of power that Kira so craved, filled the night. "So… what will you do?" he asked, turning his head slightly to watch L. "Kill me here?"
L pondered the idea, and a second later discarded it. He waited for the killer to continue speaking, wondering how far he would go, to what lengths he would try to convince them of his righteousness.
"Listen…" Kira spoke quietly this time, but with no less intensity. Thunder roared across the heavens and retreated deep into the distance, and the figure on the edge of the rooftop turned suddenly, facing his audience. L found that he was indeed listening, leaning forward to hear the words as they escaped his enemy's lips. "I am Kira… the God of the new world."
L held his breath, his heart pounding as tension crackled through the air. Finally, he was getting inside of Kira's mind. He was going to find out exactly what Kira believed he was, and why he indulged himself in such arrogance.
"In the world we live in today, Kira is law and protects order," he began, his voice low and seductive. "Soon I will be justice," Kira continued in a direct challenge, "the hope of all mankind." He spread his arms wide as if he were an angel offering them the hope he claimed to hold. "Are you going to kill me?" he asked, and L understood his posture to be also an expression of vulnerability. Kira wanted to be everything, power and weakness combined, God and the Devil both. "Is that really okay?"
"During the time Kira has existed, wars have ended and violence has nearly vanished." Light's arms fell to his sides as he explained his reasoning, returning to the logic of men rather than the righteousness of the divine. "But this world still needs help. There are still so many immoral people. Someone had to do something!"
L's smile returned as he recognized the bit of Kira that was also himself. There were so many criminals, and so few able to catch them, to stop them, to punish them, and thereby protect the innocent. They both tread the fine line between legitimate and vigilante justice. Kira was playing up the common ground he shared with those present on the dark rooftop, attempting to sway them to his cause. L knew that Kira had no chance; they had been chasing him for far too long for his words to have any effect. L's victory was inevitable.
"When I was given the notebook, I realized it had to be me." L caught the hint of Light's arrogance and the dark attraction of the notebook's power in that voice as it gained momentum and rose above the wind. "Only I could do it. Even though I know killing people is a crime, there was no other way to make the world safer. That was the purpose given to me. Only I could do it… who else could have come this far?"
L did not dare to answer Light's last question, though it had been rhetorical. Instead, he let himself continue smiling eagerly, waiting for Kira's monologue to come to a close. It was already too late for him to coax and persuade the investigation team to Kira's cause. They had already killed whatever similarities they shared with the mass murderer when they chose to risk their lives to fight for L's justice. All that Kira could raise now were ghosts of those feelings.
Kira's voice floated serenely, almost tragically, across the wind. "To create a beautiful new world… only I could do it."
For L, the last piece fit into the puzzle. He understood Light—Kira—and his complex personality that led him to believe he was performing the utmost self-sacrifice for the betterment of the world. It would be not an indulgence, but his rightful payment, to therefore become the God of his new world. As its creator, he did not only desire, but deserved to be its all-powerful ruler. It was arrogance masquerading as righteousness. Cruelty pretending to be justice. Kira was man believing he was God.
And he was wrong.
"No, you are just a murderer," L told him ruthlessly. "You are mistaken to think that you have become a God."
He heard the team gasp and shuffle around him. L had destroyed Kira in the eyes of those he had vainly tried to convince of his righteousness.
A scream of fury echoed throughout the night air, startling L and causing him to turn away from Kira to find the source of the noise, as the death god broke out into a harsh laugh.
Mastuda stood with his arms raised, a gun in both hands, pointed towards the lurking figure of the cackling death god. The man's expression was a mixture of betrayal and hatred, and L perceived that Mastuda had tipped over the edge when faced with the treachery of the youngest member of their team. He fired a shot towards the supernatural monster before anyone could hold him back. Aizawa grabbed Mastuda's arm roughly, forcing him to release the gun with at least one hand, and held him tightly as the death god laughed even harder. L knew that the bullet would have passed straight through the creature without harming it in the slightest.
L also knew that Mastuda was aware of that fact, which meant that the situation had suddenly deteriorated into something quite dangerous. If Mastuda's frustration was not quickly quelled or silenced, the young ex-policeman might turn to Light, the source of his bitterness… but this time armed with madness and a gun.
L needed to take control of the situation, and quickly. Mastuda needed to be completely subdued, and Kira needed to be captured. L whirled around suddenly, remembering that no one was watching the murderer on the far edge of the rooftop. Light was standing with his back to everyone, his hands and wrists out of sight….
"His hands!" L yelled suddenly, drawing the attention of the team back to the real problem at hand. He wanted to rush forward, but did not dare putting himself that close to the edge of the tall building when Light had already confessed to being his most aggressive and dangerous enemy.
The rest of the team was startled at L's sudden outburst. Yagami rose to his feet as Mogi and Aizawa rushed forward. Another shot burst forth, and it was immediately accompanied by a sudden falter in Light's right leg.
L felt like giving the man a backhand across the face. Of all the stupid things for Mastuda to do….
Light fell to the ground, his back flat against the cold concrete. L violently swung up an arm to bar the anguished Mastuda from rushing to the fallen Light. Yagami, Aizawa, and Mogi would be enough, especially with Light having already been shot. The fool next to him was lucky that he had not sent the suspect spiraling off the edge of the building to fall to an unpleasant and undoubtedly messy death with that bullet.
A shriek of pain escaped Light and he suddenly convulsed, clutching at his leg. Yagami's stride hitched, but the man managed to reach his son's side first despite it. Light was glaring with unabated anger at Mastuda as his father bent to crouch next to him. Yagami's arms extended to lift up Light's head and cradle it gently in a gesture of fatherly concern. Light writhed and gripped his father's arm with a bloodied hand, pulling himself into something closer to a sitting position. The two other investigators stood over him, panting for a moment, until Mogi suddenly shouted and pointed to where Light was seizing Yagami's arm.
"It's his watch!" Mogi yelled, diving for Light's wrist and pulling it forcefully from its position over his father's arm. Yagami was startled and gave a wordless cry of protest at the intrusion. Light tried to jerk his hand back, but the large man kept a firm grip on the boy's wrist as he unclasped the silver watch and slid it off the crimson-stained hand.
A small piece of paper floated down from the watch, catching in the breeze. All eyes were suddenly riveted on the seemingly innocent flutter of the paper as it swooped low to the concrete… and Aizawa stomped on it heavily, trapping the evidence beneath his foot.
L gave Mastuda a rapid and deadly look, then dropped his arm and walked unerringly forward. As he came closer he could hear more clearly Light's labored breathing and the small choking noises in the back of Yagami's throat. Light's eyes met his, and they glazed over with terror. He struggled against Mogi's grip on his wrist and Yagami's firm hold on his head and shoulders, as if he felt compelled to run or hide from the approaching detective.
A deep, rolling thunder permeated the clouded night.
"Ryuk!" Light's voice came out strangled this time, and his glossy, fear-stricken eyes flicked towards the structure where the god of death crouched. L followed the quick gaze and saw the god rise to its feet before stretching its thin black wings and flying down towards the cluster of humans.
Aizawa stumbled back in fright and Mogi dropped Light's wrist as if it had suddenly caught fire. The two stepped away as Light thrashed about, breaking free from his father and rising to his feet as the death god landed next to him. L took one step back once Light returned to a standing position, although he doubted the killer could push him off the edge while leaning so heavily on his left leg.
"Write their names down!" Light yelled in a voice filled with desperation. He looked wildly at the death god, and L suddenly stiffened. Would the death god kill on Kira's command? L knew that because he had already written down his own name, he would be spared a heart attack on this lonely rooftop, but the rest of the investigation… would he be a spectator as they shuddered and died as Kira's victims?
L watched in horror as the death god reached a hand into a small pouch at his waist. From it, he pulled a black notebook and a bony white pen carved as a stack of skulls. All was silent, motionless.
Strange, maniacal laughter bubbled from Light's lips as the death god opened the death note and raised his pen. The investigation team began to scurry away from the death god, and the sound of the door slamming behind Matsuda echoed across the open rooftop. This time Aizawa fell over as he stumbled away, his eyes locked onto the towering form of the death god. Yagami was shaking, unable to lift himself from his position where Light had left him to stand at the death god's side. Mogi continued backing away fearfully towards the exit.
L stood with his bare feet planted to the concrete as the death god's pen descended to the paper. He clearly heard the scratching of the nib on the paper, although the wind should have been enough to make the sound inaudible. As the pen withdrew, slowly, Light began trembling.
L was in shock. He had not expected the death god to go this far. He had not meant to let the investigation members die at those claw-like hands. He knew that it would probably best for him to move, to leave the building and call for some kind of reinforcements with masks, to save what was left of his own life before Light managed to shove him over the low railing of his own building.
The death god's wide, purple smile disappeared as he looked at the young human next to him. "You've lost, Light," said the god, flipping the notebook around to show Light what he had written.
L caught a glimpse of the black lines on the edge of the page and the Japanese character for moon. Tsuki. Also read as "Light."
Shock and pity flooded through the detective as he slowly turned his head and staring black eyes to Light. Light Yagami was going to die.
The boy's father choked back a real sob this time, and crumpled to the ground. The door to the stairs clunked shut as Mogi left the rooftop.
Light did not move.
"Didn't I tell you that when you die, the one who'll write your name down in a notebook will be me?" the death god reminded Light softly. L continued staring, almost without seeing. Light had known that the death god would eventually betray him. Light had known all along that he would die the same death he had dealt criminals and those who opposed him. L thought again of Light's belief in his own self-sacrifice. He had known that his choices would result in his death…. He had known that he was becoming something worthy of his own punishment.
"That is the deal between death gods and the first human to get their hands on the note in the human world," the god continued, grimacing in Light's direction. It appeared that the god truly did not care about Light's well-being or his plans to become something greater than what anyone had ever become before.
Light nodded, and L wondered if was actually listening. Time was moving forward… for both of them. Light was going to die soon, and L… L was not sure that he wanted him to.
"Well, it was good while it lasted and we killed some boredom, didn't we?" the death god went on, and L felt an instinctual surge of anger at the hulking creature. The disregard for life, for a life that belonged to someone so brilliant… so misguided…. "We did some pretty interesting things, huh, Light." L had never viewed a death this unfair, and yet so fitting. But Light had known that this would happen, and yet… he had continued, striving to become Kira, the God of the new world.
It was pathetic. Pitiful, really, but L would miss his first friend. L knew that his own life would cease to have meaning, once Light's heart stopped beating and his eyes finally closed. There was nothing else left for L after this… only his own death waiting, patiently.
L watched as Light took a deep and steadying breath. He steeled his visage and looked to the forlorn detective.
"Ryuuzaki," Light said, his voice ringing out strongly for the last time. L watched him resolutely, determined to hear these last words. He felt as if they were finally facing each other, not as Kira and the detective trying to catch him, but simply as two people, Light Yagami and L Lawliet.
Light gave him a slight smile, which he returned sadly. They shared something, after all, and were probably more alike than either really wanted to admit. If only…. L pushed the thought aside, knowing it was wasted and far too late. In some kind of ultimate irony, they were both going to die at their own hands because they had risked all to kill the other.
Was this the only way for the game to end? A stalemate?
"I only wish you could believe as I do. I would have you as my successor as I was nearly yours." Light was being honest, L knew. His eyes widened at the sudden confession, which in a way was more important that his previous one. "Ryuuza—wait, L Lawliet," Light continued, and L was surprised to hear his true name on Light's lips. He found he did not mind the sound, nor the look of something like appreciation, or perhaps even affection, that was directed towards him as their eyes locked. "We are justice."
L could not speak. He could only nod.
"And don't forget…" the gravelly voice of the death god interrupted, "a human who uses the Death Note cannot go to Heaven or Hell. After you die, you'll see… nothing."
L watched Light spasm, and felt his own chest constrict. Nothing? He had not known… but Light, Light had known, and he had continued regardless.
Light's arm went to his chest, pushing firmly to try to relieve the pressure he must be feeling. The dying boy looked towards the limp and sobbing form of his father. Light's stance, already unbalanced by the shot to his leg, faltered dangerously. The death god spread his wings and lifted into the air, and Light's gaze seemed to be following it, except his head tilted back further, towards the cloudy sky. L hardly realized he was moving until after the fact, when he was holding Light's shoulders, sinking slowly to the ground beneath the boy.
"Dad…" Light gasped weakly, staring up towards the sky. His head was in L's lap, and L could feel the slight flutter of Light's heart as it weakened.
Light's eyes seemed to focus on his own for a moment… giving him one last glimpse into the mind he had longed to understand. Light's face wavered and became blurry, and a single teardrop fell onto the boy's cheek.
It rolled downwards as Light slowly closed his eyes.
----L----
Author's Note: Wondering what Ryuk was saying before L touched the notebook? If you enjoyed this story, please read anja-chan's fanfiction of the same title (AfterLife). It follows the same plot, but is written from Light's perspective.
Please review if you liked it, and especially if you did not like it. Thanks for reading and I hope to hear from you again after gasp the next chapter is posted.