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Chapter 3
Theme: Pendulum-Watercolor
On Ice
Ichirou walked to the metro station, and took the bus to the Tokyo Police headquarters. Since it was a weekend, most of the office workers were gone. However, the front still had an officer to take care of anyone who came in.
"Excuse me. I'd like to talk to the Chief of Police."
The young cop gave Ichirou an odd glance. He looked about 25.
"What do you want to talk to Chief Yagami for?"
Ah...so Soichiro Yagami was still Chief of Police.
"I have an important lead in regards to the Kira case that he may wish to know about."
"I'll tell him about it."
"I'd like to see him in person."
"That won't be necessary."
"It is of the utmost importance, I assure you."
The young officer sighed and picked up his phone. He dialed a number, and waited for whoever was on the other side to pick up.
"Yes, this is the front desk. There's a young man here, by the name of... Ichirou Carson who wants to speak to you in person, sir. He says it's very important, and has something to do with the Kira case. Oh. Okay then. I'll show him the way to your office. Okay."
He hung up.
"The Chief says you can come in. His office's the fourth one on the left."
"Thank you very much, Officer-San."
Ichirou knocked lightly on the door.
"Come in." A weary voice growled from the inside of the office.
Ichirou opened the door slowly. The office was of moderate size, not very fancy. The desk was covered with folders, notes, and stacks of paper. It had a computer monitor and keyboard off in one corner. The man sitting at the desk looked exhausted. He had medium-length brown hair that was slicked back with a few strands dangling over his forehead, a thick mustache, soft brown eyes, slim glasses, and a rough, chiseled face. He had a solid build, and was quite muscular. If not for the glasses and office wear, he'd look more like a karate sensei than a police chief.
"What do you want?" He said gruffly.
"I have some information regarding the Kira case that I'd like to discuss with you."
"Go ahead."
"I suspect the killer is in Japan. His first victim was the Shinjuku Slasher; he kills using heart attacks with no physical contact. However, he still needs at least a name and face to kill. His capability to kill is most likely supernatural, which is ample reason to be careful with suspects. He hasn't been ostracized by any particular group; he's killing criminals without regard to race, gender, or age. Whoever he is, he has a strong, but twisted sense of justice. He's most likely a well-educated young man, with some sort of access to police criminal databases. His sense of justice may originate from having relatives in the force."
"You're saying one of us might be Kira?"
"No. Not necessarily. It might just be someone who has delusions of grandeur and a big ego. But...from his pattern of killing only dangerous criminals, there is a fair chance that his sense of justice has been formed due to exposure to relatives in the police."
"I am beginning to suspect that you may be Kira. The description certainly fits, for the most part. You know how he kills, and claim that he uses supernatural means. What else do you know that you aren't telling me?"
Ichirou tensed. He didn't think the calm, collected Soichiro Yagami would be this confrontational.
"Yagami-San. Please calm down. There is no reason to shout at me. Now...Please listen carefully. Kira is killing using a Death Note. A notebook which, if a person's name is written into its pages, said person will die due to a heart attack."
Soichiro shuddered as Ichirou leaned forward in his seat. There was a cold blue light in his eyes, and the Chief's heart suddenly clenched. His breath was heavy. He had never felt this terrified before. Was this man...Kira? There was a subtle sensation of chilliness creeping up on him, and the hairs on his neck and body stiffened.
"Death...Note?" Soichiro whispered, as if he was afraid that saying it aloud would incur the wrath of God. His heart pounded in his ears, fear filling his chest, cold and icy, like Arctic water.
"Yes. A Death Note."
"How...do you know...?"
"I have a Death Note."
Time slowed for a moment.
The only thing Soichiro Yagami could hear was his heartbeat.
And then that biological drum ceased to be audible as well.
It was a strange sensation, when he thought about it. He had forever to think, it seemed. An icy sensation, a sharp piercing pressure in his heart, and silence. Of all the ways to die, this wasn't all that bad.
Then his brain registered what was happening to his body.
His eyes widened. He opened his mouth in a desperate attempt to scream, and nothing came out.
He clutched at his heart, sliding off his chair, his lifeless body slumping onto the floor, glasses falling away from his face with the gentle tinkling of glass and metal.
"Yagami-San! No!" Ichirou shouted. He checked the Chief's pulse. Nothing. Dead silence.
He slammed the door open violently, his own heartbeat pulsating in his ears. It reminded him of the effect used when the player was near death in video games. He could hear only his heartbeat and breaths.
How could he think of video games now? A man just had a heart attack right in front of his very eyes.
"The Chief...he had a heart attack! Call an ambulance!" Ichirou shouted at the bewildered receptionist, whose expression shifted through fear, anger, and pain, until it settled on determination.
"There's a defibrillator over there! Try to revive him!"
Ichirou nodded, grabbing the life-saving device and rushing back to Soichiro's office, tearing his shirt off, placing the cold paddles on his still warm chest.
He pushed the button,
The Chief's pulse came back; it was very weak, but it was definitely there. The paramedics rushed in, hefting the Chief's lifeless body onto a stretcher, moving him to the ambulance, which took off towards Tokyo General Hospital.
Ichirou remained crouched over where the Chief had been, sweat beading up on his forehead. Had he just given the Chief a heart attack? Or...was it Kira? Weren't Kira's heart attacks immediately lethal? Was this just stress? He hoped it was. He didn't want the Chief to die. His father would probably be called out to deal with the situation; he was one of the best medics in Japan, after all. Not a single patient had died under his care, ever. People who'd been shot, stabbed, hit by cars, had strokes and heart attacks, lost massive quantities of blood, you name it, he'd fixed it. Ichirou prayed that his father would be able to help Soichiro. He didn't want the man to die. He regretted telling him about the Death Note. He shouldn't have interfered with the investigation; he should've just let the Chief figure it out on his own. And now...he might be accused of being Kira. And, in a way, he was. He had a Death Note. So he was technically a "Kira".
He felt a hand lightly touch his shoulder. He looked up to see a young, raven-haired man with a gentle face, dark brown eyes, and a sad countenance.
"It's Yagami-San, isn't it?" The young officer asked.
Ichirou nodded, standing up.
"He had a heart attack. He's still alive, though."
The cop looked at his shoes.
Suddenly, he raised his head, staring Ichirou in the eyes. His melancholy gaze had transformed into a piercing, deadly stare. He raised his Desert Eagle .50 Caliber, and leveled it at Ichirou's head, taking a few steps back.
Ichirou gulped. What was this man doing? Was he insane?
"Don't shoot. Please." Ichirou pleaded.
"Kira. Kira! I'll kill you...you bastard! You killed the Chief!"
"I'm not Kira! Please! I was trying to help him catch Kira! I care about him as much as you do!"
"No. No...You are Kira. He had a heart attack. You are Kira. You must be. I'll kill you!"
"Think about it! If I was Kira, why would I go to all the trouble of going to the police headquarters and risking capture when I could just kill him from afar? And why would I kill someone like Yagami-San?"
"No! You're Kira! I'm sure of it!"
"If I were Kira, you would be dead, Matsuda Touta."
Matsuda's eyes widened.
"How do you know my name? Did the Chief tell you? ANSWER ME! OR I'LL SHOOT!"
"Let's not do anything rash. I am not Kira. However, I could very easily kill you right now. Don't make me do that. Put your gun down."
Matsuda lowered his weapon slowly, his arm trembling, his breath shaky. He wanted to shoot. He couldn't. He just couldn't bring himself to shoot him. He seemed truthful. He wanted to know who he was, how he knew his name. How he could threaten him with such impunity.
"Who are you?" Matsuda asked in a trembling voice.
"I am a person with abilities like those of Kira's. I wish to aid you in your investigation of Kira. I have a suspicion of who Kira is. And I know exactly how Kira kills. He only needs a name and face. So I could have killed you when you leveled your weapon at me, and you'd never have a chance to fire."
"But...you don't know my name..."
"Oh, I do. Matsuda Touta, age 25. An investigator in the Tokyo Police Department. A crack shot with a pistol, but somewhat clumsy and inexperienced in detective processes. You idolize the Chief and want to be just like him. He's your role model. Your parents weren't particularly caring towards you as a child, and you feel like the Chief is something of a surrogate father. You want to protect him as well. Is this accurate?"
Matsuda's mouth hung slightly agape. He was confused as to how this man could determine who he was to such detail. He never told anyone about his admiration for the Chief, how he'd been ignored as a child, how much he loved the Chief's fatherly demeanor towards him. And this guy had figured it all out in a matter of seconds. Who the hell was he?
"Are you some sort of...Shinigami? Or...an angel?"
"Not even close. I'm just a normal human like you or Yagami-San. My father's the best medic in Japan. His name is Hans. A real hero. He's most likely taking care of the Chief right now. My mother's a librarian. Loves to read. I'm as normal as can be. I've just been cursed with the misfortune of obtaining powers like those of Kira's. Nobody but you and Yagami-San know of this. Nobody else should know. Don't tell the rest of the investigation team about me. It will be a secret between the three of us. And if you expose my secret...trust me when I say death won't be the worse thing you'll have to go through."
Matsuda quaked in his boots as he saw an icy light glowing in the young man's eyes. He knew he'd better listen to this guy. He didn't want to know what would happen if he disobeyed his orders.
"Death won't be the worst thing..." The words echoed through Matsuda's head. This was a dance of life and death. One false move, and he or Yagami-San or maybe both would be dead. Just a name and a face. That was what they were to this...murderer.
Matsuda despised this feeling of weakness. He wasn't in control. He couldn't walk out. This guy was holding him and the Chief hostage. He was at least as bad as Kira, if not worse. Why would he do something like this? What kind of person was he? He seemed pretty cool and level headed. Pretty damn smart as well. Was he...L? The legendary detective? No. L would never reveal his face to anyone, even under alias. This kid probably wasn't L. Plus, L didn't threaten people like this, did he?
Ichirou sighed inwardly. He hated playing with people's minds; he was no better than Light if he manipulated people like this. But...it was a necessary evil to keep the talkative Matsuda from revealing him to the real Kira. That would be the end of him and the rest of the investigation team. In any case, he wasn't going to actually follow up on his threats. He just needed to keep the crazy cop under control until he got to Yagami-San. The big guy would probably keep his subordinate from doing anything rash, like telling Light about all this.
Ichirou's eyes widened as he realized that he wasn't even sure whether Light was the real Kira or not. Since he'd found the notebook instead of Misa, he couldn't be certain of Light having picked up the note. Damn. This was getting to be tricky. Anybody, even Matsuda, might be Kira. The cop did support Kira's actions to a degree, after all. But he didn't have the strength of will to kill so many people without going insane. It wasn't the Chief, either. Ichirou knew that for certain. A man like that could never damn himself to that kind of torment; that guilt of having killed so many people, destroyed that many lives, so many families. He worked entirely above the table, in the open, he didn't use tricks like that. No. It wasn't Soichiro Yagami or Matsuda Touta. He was mostly safe for now, as long as those two didn't reveal him to anyone else.
"So. Matsuda-San. Shall we see how the Chief is doing?" Ichirou asked nonchalantly.
An expression of surprise appeared on Matsuda's face. He was actually concerned for Yagami-San's well being? What was this guy thinking?
"How come you're so worried about him? Huh? You were just threatening us. What's with the sudden change?" Matsuda huffed.
"Despite what you may think, I have your best interests at heart. If you reveal my abilities, the real Kira will use the two of you to identify me, and then kill us all. He will become unstoppable. A reign of terror over the entire world. That is the fate worse than death that I spoke of. I never threatened you directly. I do not wish to see any harm befall you, Yagami-San, or any of the other members of the investigation. Especially not Yagami-San. I care for him at a personal level, like you do. He is truly an incredible man, a hero. I want to make sure he's all right."
Matsuda mulled over this new piece of information. It seemed that the kid was just bluffing. He wouldn't have killed them anyway. Matsuda relaxed a little bit. This guy was certainly smart. He needed to keep on his toes when he was around him. He couldn't entirely trust this guy. He might just backstab both of them at the last moment, when he could replace Kira as a world power. Who knew what he might do? Matsuda tensed up again. He didn't trust this kid any more than when he'd first met him. Despite his claims of caring for Soichiro's well-being.