Matsu-tan: Chapter 4

Disclaimer: I do not own Death Note.

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Inside the wharf, Near explained his switching of the notebooks. Matsuda began to panic. They would see both Light's and his name in the fake notebook! Should he shoot Near now and help Light? But… the rest of the task force… No, surely Light had thought up another plan, right?

On the other side of the door, Mikami had arrived. Mikami scanned the people in the group. He saw the one God had told him not to kill… Matsuda. And then his eyes finally rested on Light Yagami. God! But what was so special about this Matsuda…. jealous feelings boiled inside him. Why would God single out such a cute, young, attractive male? Actually… the most attractive male present, besides God. Certainly not just because he was useful!

Delete, delete, delete! He began slashing names down with his pen. Nate River. The rest of the SPK. But he lost it. He became obsessed with deleting. Delete, delete, delete! Ide. Mogi. Aizawa. He wouldn't rest until every name was written down except God's. When he came to Matsuda's name, he slashed it down with particular vengeance, almost tearing through the paper. DELETE! He pitched backward with glee, thinking happily of 40 seconds later, when it would be just him and God.

He fantasized for several seconds, until he heard God asking him to come! And come he did! God asked him how long it had been since the last name he had written down. He counted off the seconds. After 39, Light said, "Victory is mine, Near." And then 40. Nothing happened. Mikami was handcuffed and the notebook was taken.

Near showed everyone the notebook. Matsuda gasped when he noticed his name was also written and slumped down. "Light-kun… why?" he moaned.

Light shot him a sharp glance that was meant to mean 'I told him not to! I swear!' but it probably only made matters worse. Light was pissed. He said he didn't know who the hell Mikami was and was satisfied with the agonized gurgle that emanated from the horrible creature. But Light soon cracked. He finally admitted his identity as Kira and gave a self-righteous speech. But Near shot down his speech.

Matsuda was in tears. You idiot! Why did you trust Mikami not to write down my name… or did you tell him to kill me also? Am I not useful to you anymore? Kira was a selfish liar, but he thought he could trust Light Yagami, his lover!

Suddenly, Light opened his watch and began writing on a hidden piece of death note, but Matsuda's emotions were quicker and he snapped off a shot at Light's hand. Light's eyes screamed wide in betrayal while shrieking at the layers of skin taken off by the grazing bullet. Matsuda sat on one knee, shaking and crying from his own betrayal and anger.

"Matsuda! You of all people should understand! Kira is justice!" Light's eyes were wild with disbelief at Matsuda's actions. His thoughts were too messed up to understand why Matsuda had shot him. His only thought was: Kill Near. "Matsuda! Shoot them!"

Tears streaked down Matsuda' face. Damn you, Light! Why are you putting me in this situation?!

"Matsuda! Matsuda, what are you doing?! Shoot! Shoot Near!!"

The rest of the task force noted Matsuda's trembling arms and the tears still rolling over his cheeks despite his eyes being shut tight.

"Matsuda…," Aizawa approached him softly.

Matsuda swung his gun back up and leveled it at the task force. "Back! Just stop! Please!" he begged.

Light cackled with glee. "Yes! Yes, Matsuda! Do it! Shoot! NOW!"

Everyone leveled their guns at Matsuda with alarm. "I-I can't…" Matsuda's face fell, and he dropped his gun to the floor of the warehouse with a clank. And with it he dropped a pen. With his shoe he skidded the pen towards Light.

"Light! Hurry!" he screamed.

Before anyone could crack off a shot at Light, it had been done. Nate River's name had been written on the scrap of Death Note. Not thinking, everyone turned toward Near. Light used that time to flip the scrap over and write the names of the rest of the SPK. It only took 10 seconds. He had plenty of seconds left to gloat over his victory. "Near," he sat up. "I've won."

All everyone else could do was stare as Near's eyes grew wide with the shock of cardiac arrest.

"No, Kira. I won… first."

Near gracefully pitched forward into his pile of finger puppets and lay still like a sleeping child. Light clenched his teeth at Near's last remark. Seconds later, the rest of the SPK pitched forward. Mikami, still handcuffed, wrestled his arms free of the bodies and dove for Light. "God!"

"You wrote his name, fool!" Light snapped at his worshipper. Another pitiful gurgle escaped Mikami as he stepped back in shame.

"Light, you dirty bastard," Aizawa growled and raised his gun. Mogi and Ide followed suit. "Just give it up. If you or Mikami make a move, we'll shoot. Just surrender yourself."

"No!" Matsuda interjected, running to Light's side, throwing his arms around Light. He looked at the task force pleadingly through his tear streaked face. "Please! Light doesn't serve this!"

"What's gotten in to you, Matsuda?! Light's a murderer!" Aizawa growled.

"No," Matsuda shook his head. "Light's not a bad person! He's only trying to create an ideal world!"

"There's no such thing!"

"He only wants what's best for everyone! Are you saying the world hasn't changed for the better?!" He began sobbing again. "He's been our partner for so long, how can we just ruin his life like this?" Matsuda muttered in a hushed voice.

"I see…," Ide lowered his gun. "Have you ever been in love? Matsuda, you are in love… right?"

Matsuda sniffed back some tears, his normal goofy smile shining through a bit. With more confidence, he appealed again. "If we kill Light, or imprison him for life, the chief will have died for nothing!"

Aizawa felt his heart twitch a bit. What Matsuda was saying… he glanced at Mogi. The usual stone-hard face was semi-contorted in grief at this truth. Aizawa knew he was going to regret this… "Light, Matsuda… we'll give you 40 seconds to leave. But if we ever cross paths again, there will be no mercy."

Matsuda broke into a smile with his face glistening with tears. "Light-kun!" he squeezed Light's body against him in relief.

Light was also relieved, and his countenance was fresh with determination and excitement. "Matsu-tan…," he grinned back.

"Let's go, our new world awaits us!"

With that, they left in a hurry, with Light pulling his Matsu-tan by the hand.

"I'd like to see them try without the notebook," Aizawa raised an eyebrow after they were gone.

"Aizawa-san!" Ide called out. Mogi had noticed it too… the notebook was gone. Real… fake… all of them.

Aizawa looked around. "Where's Mikami?!"

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Outside, Light and Matsuda slid into the front seats of the police car. But before Matsuda could start the ignition…

"God! Wait for me!"

Light turned to see Mikami outside his window. "What the hell are you doing here?!! Go to hell!"

"But I have them, God," the man offered piously in a weak, yet hopeful voice.

Light's eyes widened. "Into the car! Hurry!"

Mikami quickly slipped into the back seat as Matsuda started the car and drove off. "I have all the Death Notes, God. Both of the real ones and the fake!"

"You mean one real one and two fakes. At least, if we can assume Near brought the real notebook." Light turned to Matsuda. "You did make the switch, right, Matsu-tan?"

"Of course, Light-kun… I am useful for some things, you know," he smiled cheerfully. The only indication the man had been crying minutes earlier was the dried tear stains on his face and red eyes.

"You've done very well, Matsu-tan. You have both done well. Our view of a bright future, a world ruled by justice, is clearer than ever!"

Matsuda felt Mikami's jealous eyes on him. But he knew Mikami was no threat now. Mikami wouldn't do anything to upset his god now. He was only a servant. Matsuda was Light's true partner. "Light, I'm sorry I shot you," he said softly.

Light grinned sexily with his Kira grin. "You can make it up to me tonight."

Matsuda smiled. He was the TRUE successor to L.

End.

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This concludes Matsu-tan. Thank you for reading and I hope you enjoyed it!

Light/Matsuda is my favorite pairing in Death Note… the world needs more!