I Bite My Thumb At Thee
The characters involved in my story are the artistic creations of either Kishimoto Masashi (Naruto) or Ohba Tsugumi (Death Note).
To my knowledge so far, none of the characters belong to me. I have tried to keep all the characters as close as they can to their original personas, although there may be some moments where they seem to be completely new characters due to being out of character. Hopefully that will not be the case in this chapter or the ones before or after it, but I'm a poor judge as I am biased (and if they were truly in character, these situations are very unlikely to occur).
Just to inform you, the title of this chapter may change, as I am not completely satisfied with the naming of this one. If I am able to think of a better one, I will change it (:
That's all from me now, so enjoy this chapter, although it seems to lack action due to me not planning ahead and setting chapter 1 too early in the anime. If you're bothered to read this far, I will continue my rant at the bottom.
Oh, by the way, one last note. Thankyou for all those who read and enjoyed the story! Your interest has really made me happy!
Chapter 2 – Incertitude
That wasn't a question requesting confirmation for his identity; it was more of a statement.
Like 'I know who you are so don't bother running.'
As if Shikamaru would have bothered running anyway.
With a sigh, he uttered out his practically trademarked catchphrase.
"How troublesome."
Slowly opening an eye, all he could see was the lone ray of sunlight that entered his room, illuminating the objects in its path.
From that moment on, he knew his day was going to be horrible.
*BEEP*
*BEEP*
*BEEP*
And there it went. He was right – like always.
Whilst most people would have sprung up from bed upon hearing that horrendous screech coming from the tiny electronic, Shikamaru wasn't most people.
And so, he began his Saturday morning complaining.
"Urgh. Great. What's the point in setting the alarm if I'm going to wake up before it goes off? What a total waste. Now I've gotta shut it off but I don't feel like moving. But if I don't shut it off, it will just keep ringing and ringing. It makes me tired just thinking about the whole thing. Some mornings are just too troublesome…"
Already feeling devoid of energy, he let the beeping enter through one ear and straight out the other. Closing his eyes, he almost went back to sleep.
Almost.
"NARA SHIKAMARU! TURN THAT ALARM OFF AND GET UP THIS INSTANT YOUNG MAN!"
But as if his dearest mother would let him.
Unwillingly hauling himself off his bed, Shikamaru turned off the alarm, and quickly went outside, not wanting to provoke his mother further.
As he entered the living room, the scent of grilled mackerel filled the air and his senses.
"Eat your breakfast, then get changed and we'll go outside and tend to the herbs, and you can take a shower after that."
With a quick nod and a grunt, he began eating, shoving in mouthful after mouthful.
Changing into a comfortable loose shirt and a nondescript pair of pants, Shikamaru uncharacteristically went outside to the garden, and began to weed.
"Morning, dad."
"You too Shikamaru?"
All his father got in response was a wistful sigh.
Whilst the two Nara men laboriously worked their way through the unending patches of grass, the matriarch of the family watched over them with a faint smile, tending to the herbs.
Looking up at the azure sky, Shikamaru could not help but think back to the events of yesternight.
"What is it that you want, Watari-san?"
Mildly startled by the boy's knowledge of his identity, Watari began to see the reason for L's interest in him. It was starting to rouse his curiosity as well, for instance, how the boy knew who he was, and that the note was going to be picked up by him specifically.
"How is it that you seem to know that who I am, Nara-san?"
With a shrug and a sigh, Shikamaru replied to him, without trying to give away any unnecessary information.
"I don't know. I guess... my intuition? And logic?"
"Is it logical that I would be looking for you?"
"L wants to know who the hell I am. The reason, I can guess enough. But let me just tell you this; I'm just your average high schooler."
Watari remained silent, prompting Shikamaru to continue.
"What is it that you want Watari-san? Or, more likely, what does L want? I've already told you all I know."
"How did you know?"
"How did I know what?"
"That Kira is a student. And more importantly, how you knew that note of yours was going to find its way to L."
"It's frankly quite obvious that Kira is a student. I mean, look at all the deaths of criminals by cardiac arrest for the past couple of days. It's pretty darn straightforward."
"And how did you acquire all this information?"
"What information?"
"When the criminals died by cardiac arrest. It's not something you can get over the Internet; no matter how informative it may be these days."
"Tch, it was announced all over the world through the news; and don't underestimate the Internet, I'm pretty sure it's all there somewhere."
"Over 50 murders by Kira were announced through the news, and on top of that, other murder stories were all broadcasted."
"We have the news on non-stop at our place."
"That does not explain much."
"How troublesome. Watari-san, it was nice chatting with you, but I really need to get home."
"There is still some information I require from you Nara-san."
"What other questions are there for me to answer? I don't know anything regarding the case, other than the fact that Kira is a student! I sent you that anonymous tip so you guys could hurry up, solve the case, and catch Kira. Not so that you can waste your time interrogating a high school student who doesn't know much more!"
Without waiting for a reply, Shikamaru pushed past him, and continued his journey home.
Nearly 20 hours after their moment of encounter, Shikamaru squatted amongst the grass, wondering exactly why he got so riled up the night before.
What he said to Watari was all true; he did not know anything besides the fact that Kira was a student. He wanted them to find out who Kira was, and make sure he couldn't ever commit a murder again.
"Shikamaru, do you hate weeding that much?"
"Huh? What are you talking about dad?"
"Oh, nothing. I just thought you were sighing so much because you hated weeding... see? You just sighed again."
"I don't mind weeding that much. But it's too troublesome."
"Spot on with that one, son."
"Dad."
"Yeah?"
"Do you think that killing criminals is a good thing or a bad thing?"
"Is this about Kira?"
"Yeah."
"Killing a criminal as punishment for their crimes... it's not something upto another human being to decide."
"If you could stop Kira from killing, would you?"
"Shikamaru, do you even need to ask a question like that?"
"Do you think he will eventually start to kill innocent people?"
"Yes. Innocent people who want to arrest and execute him."
"Ah... thanks dad."
"Glad to be of any help son."
"WILL YOU TWO STOP YAPPING AND START WEEDING? OTHERWISE YOU'LL BE THERE FOR THE REST OF YOUR LIVES!"
"YES HONEY!"
"Dad, isn't honey supposed to be sweet?"
"So are women."
"Oh."
"What is it, Watari?"
"A little while ago, some heart attack victims different from what we have seen before were discovered."
"Different from what we've seen before?"
"I'm sending pictures of the drawing and note left at the scene of the deaths."
"Thank you."
A quick succession of beeps indicated the arrival of the said evidence.
The first photograph was one of a pentagram drawn in blood.
The second was of a convict who escaped from prison, only to die of a heart attack in a toilet.
The third was a note, which contained the message, 'Looks like whatever I do, I'll be executed. Or, like you must suspect, I know I'll be killed by Kira.'
This note greatly baffled the world's greatest detective, leading him to wonder whether this was written due to the criminal's fear of Kira or Kira's manipulation.
As soon as the police started suspecting that Kira was a student, Kira unmistakably contradicted the theory, practically shouting out that he had access to police information.
He did this through 23 murders set exactly one hour apart. This was a demonstration by Kira, showing his ability to control the time of deaths of his victims.
Was it possible that he could control someone's actions right before they die?
Coming to a realisation, L brought his microphone closer to him, enabling him to relay his thoughts to the police force.
"Chief. About these most recent victims… please don't announce to the press anything other than the fact that they died of heart attacks. It is possible that Kira is using these criminals in some sort of test. If that is the case, we'd just be going out of our way to tell him the results."
"I see. Understood."
The mere thought of using the lives of criminals as test subjects disgusted a vast majority of the men.
"Using criminals as test subjects?"
"How horrible."
The chief made his contribution in the vehement discussion.
"He's using people's lives like they were something in a game. Unforgivable!"
Uninterested in the police's conversation, L tuned them out and returned to his thoughts.
Feeling his knee go numb from the prolonged contact with the floor, again L sought something more comfortable.
Exactly what was Kira after by experimenting with these criminals?
Was it to start something? If it was, the FBI might notice something.
Was the picture and the note some sort of a message to him?
Unbeknownst to L, he was doing precisely as Kira predicted.
"L. There has been another victim who left a dying message."
"Send me a picture."
The dying message was written in the same format as the one previously, where if you took the first character of each of the lines, it formed a new word or sentence.
The one beforehand said 'L, do you know' and it seemed that this one continued from where the previous one left off, confirming the theory that Kira can control someone's actions right before they died.
'Shinigami' was the word that came next in the message from Kira.
Shinigami. Gods of death.
Again, L squatted in front of the computer monitor, fiddling with the loose strands of his sleeves wondering what this meant.
Did Kira believe that Shinigami existed, or was he delusional and believed that he was a Shinigami himself?
Without another note, even L could not piece together this absurd message.
"Watari. Please tell the police to watch the prisons carefully. There may be more notes like this."
"Understood."
And soon enough, there was.
It seemed that Kira's message came in three parts, for this last once was 'only eat apples?'
Which, when put together, led to a ridiculous sentence, 'L, do you know Shinigami only eat apples?'
There was only one word in L's mind – bastard.
It had been over a week since his encounter with Watari.
And while he appreciated not being badgered, he was starting to feel uneasy.
People were still being killed by Kira.
It was with this feeling a week and a half ago, that Shikamaru was bothered to send a note to L, although it was so troublesome, and didn't seem to have done much.
But the satisfaction he gained from the thought that he could have possible aided in the capture of Kira, thereby protecting all his friends and family, was indescribable.
Spinning his pen between his fingers, Shikamaru admired the clouds slowly drifting through the sky.
"I am currently in a room at the Teitou Hotel. From now on, every few days, I will move to a new hotel. I would like to make that hotel room the actual investigation headquarters. If you can agree to these terms, split up into two groups and come here by midnight, with at least 30 minutes between each group."
His ally, the Japanese Police Force, was reduced to five men.
The FBI agents should never have been killed.
They knew that Kira needed a face and a name to kill.
So, how Kira came in contact with them was unknown.
But somehow, they were all killed by Kira, leading to the director of the FBI pulling out on the investigation and telling the Japanese Police Force about it – which they never knew about in the first place.
It led to the discovery of L's suspicion towards them, and they declared that they could not trust him.
It also led to the resignation of the majority from the case, for they realised that Kira would kill all those who are against him, whether they were innocent or guilty.
However, L preferred this.
Instead of 30 odd men who he did not trust and vice versa, he now had five people whom he trusted, due to their willingness to risk their lives to fight Kira.
*Knock*
*Knock*
And so, for the first time as a detective, he was showing himself to others as 'L', and not some proxy which he communicated through.
"Please, come in."
That's Chapter 2!
It does lack a lot of action doesn't it... that was the reason it took me so long to write it...
However, although I haven't written the next chapter yet (it's sort of forming in my mind), I can promise some plot changes and deviation from the canon, albeit minor.
If you have any criticism that I could take under my wing to improve this story, feel free to contact me!
PS. I really hate spelling mistakes and grammatical errors, so if you're bothered, let me know if there are any.
Now. You know that button a teensy bit south from here, I am madly in love with it :D
Till next time,
xoxo paperdress