Title: Boredom Draws the Curtain over Precious Finis
Full summary: If Mankind's last hope and saviour died alone and helpless, would anyone made a sound? Would anyone care, and who would care the most? A collection of one-shots dwelling over the beginnings and ends of the world's most notorious murder case. SPOILER WARNING: Whole series/ character death spoiler. Interestingly mind-bending concepts and What-Ifs. A dedication to the 28-01-10 date.
Disclaimer: I do not own Death Note whatsoever. If I did, it would have been a very different series than what we know now. The concepts and ideas of this series displayed in this work of fanfiction were pulled out of my own ass, no one else's, and were written down to give you something to think about as the Real World Ending Date comes and goes again, and to present a new angle for those of you who need a new one. I do not wish to shove these down your throat, but merely to show them to you and let you think about them what you will…perhaps start interesting discussions?
All in all, it is a fanfictional tribute to no one in particular, and shouldn't be taken completely seriously.
And here we are back again, exactly one year after the Real World date – more precisely the Real World Date for chapter 108 dated January 28th, 2011 (which we can now confirm is a Friday). By this point, the world had indeed returned to the state it was in seven years before, on November 28th 2003. Thinking about this, it makes you wonder why Light had even bothered with all that effort, if six years of work could be undone in one year of supposed absence. I have tried to answer this in chapter 1, but of course, the theory behind this is completely up to you. Then again, it shouldn't be that surprising, as, if you remember in volume 5 of the manga, it's mentioned that in the first week of no killings by Kira, the criminals previously keeping a lid on their behaviour had actually started committing crimes again, only with their being about triple the amount of criminal activity noted than before Kira's first appearance.
Still, one can dream, can't they?
I should be apologising really about the lull in updates on this piece, and for being such a lazy-ass. Considering that these three chapters were first written down during institutional-activity, it's not surprising, especially with all the exams and settling in involved lately. Still, I will persevere, if just to avoid the title of 'Back-Out Queen', perhaps? I would use this space for talking about chapter titles, but considering the circumstances, I won't bother – you as the reader should expect more from me, the writer, and for short-changing you as I have been doing is not acceptable any more.
Once again, before I go, I would like to remind you that if you feel the need to flame this piece, then please don't go too overboard and technical with your death threats, as most of us don't understand nonsense.
Boredom Draws the Curtain over Precious Finis
(One For the Million)
Touta Matsuda cared, he had always cared, no matter what his workmates had said. "You're too impulsive, Matsuda!" "You change your mind quicker than the Emperor changes suits!" "You're just dense, how did you get on the force?"
All his life, people had been telling him things like that, making out that he was only worth enough to fetch the tea and coffee, and, occasionally, clean shoes. Even when he'd helped Light to make a breakthrough with the case of the Third Kira, no one had taken any notice of him, instead praising the perfect newcomer, commenting on how proud his father should be of him.
Come to think of it, it wasn't much of a stretch to suggest that Matsuda cared too much, and that, in his rush to care for all that he saw or touched; he usually lost sight of the original goal, effectively putting others in danger.
And to think that, of all the things he had cared for, and the danger he'd put his subordinates in, the one thing that he'd cared for the most and for the longest time would be responsible for the deaths of so many.
Light Yagami.
He had always had feelings for Light, from the day he'd come over to the Yagami household on Light's 16th birthday, to even after the young man's death, despite everything he'd done. For no one else had Matsuda ever felt such a strong connection, and so when it became obvious that their chances of being a couple were next to none, he had felt compelled to find someone else who would substitute… perhaps Misa-Misa, a girlfriend of Light whom Light himself felt nothing for?
No, she was too good for him, always had been, always will, and when Light suddenly decided her worthy of cohabitation with him, Matsuda soon turned to Light's late-blooming sister, who was soon turning out to be as smart, as beautiful, and maybe even as perfect as her older brother.
But it wasn't to be: To date Sayu, he'd have to get past the Chief and his wife, and neither of them wanted for Sayu the same tragic life as a copper's wife that Sachiko had endured for decades. Light had always wanted to be a cop, and after the fake fight between light and Soichiro over Misa, there was now stopping him… but it wasn't too late to stop Sayu in her post-teen tracks, and with Matsuda's age, there would be nothing to persuade her otherwise. It was doomed before it'd even begun.
No, no one could replace Light, no one could hold a candle to him. Yet, until Light woke up to the fact that Matsuda loved him, Matsuda would have to settle for subtlety: Showing his appreciation for him, by supporting him at every turn of the clock.
But even the ever-observant Light Yagami hadn't noticed, and the dedication fell on deaf ears. Then again, even that wasn't surprising, as Matsuda had always shown dedication and enthusiasm – or what his workmates liked to call his impulsiveness and stupidity – in his job. He was there to capture the bad guy, there for the greater good, after all, and there could be no higher honour for him.
He'd always wanted to be a cop, ever since he was in Elementary school. Having watched cop shows with his mother since he was very small, some of his earliest memories involved her smiling down at him. "You'll be in the Force, I know it." She'd say, grinning, "You'll be the best police officer around, even better than the chief. You'll always get the bad guy!" And so Matsuda tried hard throughout his school career, determined to make it into the police academy that would fling him right into the NPA where he belonged.
But he'd never in his whole life realised until the moment that he fired the gun at Light, that the line between protecting and cherishing the one you love and taking down the bad guy had – and could be – blurred.
He'd cherished Light as any man would cherish his true love, but walking down the road exactly one year down the line, exactly one year after that very man's death, watching the world pass by as it had returned to the state it had been in the seven years before, he couldn't help but realise the truth of the price that he'd have to pay – that everyone would have to pay eventually – for the rest of society, for the world at large.
Yes, he'd loved Light so much, cared so much, but he'd been taught a long time ago that getting the bad guy was far more important, that protecting the world was far more important than heart ache, that he had to – that he must kill the bad guy, pull the trigger and never look back. He had to think about the millions that would remain safe at the expense of just one, and if it had to tear him up inside, bring internally the pain and trauma that he'd cause Light externally, then so be it.
And if it would cause Light to admit his knowing of Matsuda's love for him, that simple acknowledgement, then that would just be the icing on the cake for him, right?
Yes, Matsuda cared so, so much, even allowing himself to break down in emasculated sobs for this, and yet he'd thrown this all away willingly for the Justice that L and his Chief had fought to preserve, even if it meant going against Kira's 'Stick-Up-For-The-Little-Guy' principles, giving away the Meeks' entitlement to inherit the Earth, and even against his true love.
He must seem selfish to say it, or even to think it but, when it came to love and war, one must always think of the bigger picture.
That's just how much he cared.
And that was, finally, the third chapter. I know it took forever, but I did promise it, didn't I? And, after all, this is a very suitable time to update it, considering the date. Thinking of these Real World dates, it's going to be rather odd, no? I mean, you celebrate for 2010, the first date, then for 2011, the one year later date, and then it's missing out 2012 before celebrating 2013 and 2014 for the anime versions of the Real World dates. It's like that rhyme, "One, two, miss a few, ninety-nine, a hundred" – also known as the perfect way to count hide-and-seek.
Still, to make up for this lapse, this chapter is especially long, just for you. And yet, there is something I must do… like, I don't know, keep a track of which perspective will come next? So, working off a bat, here's a list that I've not-so-carefully compiled just for this purpose:
4th Misa Amane
5th Soichiro Yagami
6th L/Ryuzaki
7th Aizawa/Mogi (a double-Wammy, just to keep us all happy).
8th Commander Rester/ Teru Mikami/Kiyomi Takada (a triple-wammy…)
9th Near
10th?
Yes, this may seem like a spoiler, but as the art of Burlesque will teach anyone, the whole point is the journey, not the destination, hmm? Still, there is always looking forward to chapter 10, when it is released, of course.
So, yes, you can all expect the next chapter to be about our dear Misa Amane, the Girl With Issues… no, I'm kidding, but seriously though, please stay tuned for her next time… believe it!
And on that note… Please stay tuned for the next chapter of 'Boredom Draws',
Please R&R,
Ruin Takada.
P.S. There will, from now on, be a competition for who can correctly guess the subject of chapter 10, the prize being the chapter being dedicated to them, and even a Death Note one-shot written for them, its subject being of their own choice. Aren't I generous?
Thanks again, and See Ya!
