The temperament of the room had almost changed, at least in Mikami's opinion. The surreal nature of the entire scene of the First Kira and the true Second L playing together had begun to wear off. The pair only played for a couple of minutes, they both seemed to have understood the true reasoning for their game together. Mikami, in a rare moment of clarity, realised something. This realisation disturbed him immensely.
"This is just a game for the both of them; this entire struggle is just a massive battle of wits. Both care about justice, but both care about winning more than the justice they want to protect."
This realisation made Teru sick to his stomach; he could feel himself starting to retch. It was an extreme reaction, but he often reacted badly to things that disturbed him. Near took notice of the prosecutor's strange behaviour and reached out to query if he was ok.
"Are you alright?" asked Near his voice full of interest, the boy was intrigued. He wanted to know what was ailing the Fourth Kira.
Near had removed himself from a conversation he had been having with Light, a debate on the best methods to catch a criminal. It seemed the two were trying to break whatever tension there was between them, Near had yet to tell the Kiras what he called them for. Light took notice of his disciple's odd behaviour as well.
"Are you alright Mikami?" asked Light, his voice was full of concern. It wasn't concern for a friend however; it was concern for a tool that could break.
Light had unintentionally calmed Mikami; he completely forgot his previous worries and focused on his God. Light had this effect on Teru, by speaking he caused the prosecutor to completely focus on him. With Mikami's full attention he could now find out what was troubling the lawyer. After all, Light couldn't afford to lose Mikami at the moment. Mikami was indispensable at this point in time, Light was incapable of finding a replacement in his current situation. He had to maintain Mikami until a replacement could be found, then and only then, would Mikami be obsolete.
"Are you sick Teru?" Light pressed, he was a bit worried. He couldn't afford Mikami being sick. The trial was imminent, and he was certain Near had called the Kiras to inform them that they would be heading to Wammy's house shortly. Now was not the time for Mikami to fall ill.
"No, my Lord!" exclaimed Teru "I am completely fine, I just had a bout of nausea nothing more."
Light nodded "Alright, tell me if you feel anymore nausea."
Mikami nodded, he was thankful that his God had so easily accepted his explanation. He composed himself, and took a deep breath. He could easily play it off as him trying to stop his supposed nausea. He would keep quiet for a while, and let Near and his God speak. The two geniuses were very perceptive, but easily distracted by each other. By the look on Near's face, the boy was about to say something.
"Well I suppose I shouldn't put it off any longer," Near began "as you might have guessed we are moving the SPK and you two to Wammy's house today. In twenty minutes in fact." To confirm his statement Near gestured to the clock which indicated it was twenty minutes to seven. "We will be leaving at seven o'clock, we will board two vehicles. You shall be separated, with one in the first vehicle and the other in the second. Once you reach the plane, you will be placed together in a section of the plane to hold you two."
Light nodded, confirming that he understood what Near was saying. Mikami didn't saying anything, but nodded as well.
"Light, you will be riding with Agent Lidner, Agent Hall and Agent Giovanni." said Near "They will convey you onto a plane we have prepared, this will take place over the course of twenty minutes. Please do cooperate, there is no point delaying the trial."
The three agents nodded affirmatively before Lidner spoke "Don't mess around with us."
Light laughed "I wouldn't worry Near, I am looking forward to this trial as much as you are."
The Third L nodded disinterestedly before turning to Mikami "Teru, you will ride with me."
At that moment a bustle of conversation and protestation occurred, many agents could be heard voicing their disapproval of a child being placed with a "monster". Mikami looked uneasily at Near, why did the boy want to ride with him?
"What could he want with me?" thought Teru "I thought he was interested in God! What if he knows that I wasn't really sick? I thought that they had distracted each other!"
To Mikami's credit, despite his inner turmoil, he kept a completely straight face. After listening to the arguments for a minute Near spoke up to silence the room.
"Everyone, please calm yourselves, I assure you Mikami will be fine with me. I will get his word. You needn't worry yourselves over me."
An agent in the room spoke up "How can you make sure he won't lie, how can your guarantee his word?"
Near looked up "That is simple; everyone knows how to guarantee anyone's word. It is one of the most basic of human gestures."
The agent looked confused "Well, what is it?"
Near walked up to Mikami and looked right into the prosecutor's eyes before raising his right little finger. "Teru, do you pinkie promise not to hurt me?"
Mikami's right eye twitched, it was so very easy to forget the Third L was a child. As funny as Near asking him to pinkie swear was, it was actually quite depressing as well. The child was basically thrusted into adult life, but he didn't finish his childhood. So now he was stuck acting like an adult, but also like a child. He seemed to truly believe in the pinkie swear. Mikami was many things, but he wasn't heartless enough to deny Near this.
Mikami placed his right pinkie around Near's struggling to keep his face straight "I won't hurt you, I pinkie swear."
Near turned around to the agents who had by this point given up "See, I will be fine. Don't worry about me."
Light was silently laughing at Near's mannerisms, it reminded him a lot of how L used to sometimes act. Specifically the time he offered a strawberry to keep the Kira team quiet about his identity as Coil and Deneuve. He truly was his successor, honestly, Near sometimes acted as if he was L reincarnated. And in many ways he was, he was L's ideals reincarnated.
Near gestured for the agents to take Light to the first vehicle while gesturing for Mikami to follow him. Mikami sighed; it was going to a long day. He followed the child who walked by his side the entire way. The boy kept looking behind his back, checking if there was anyone there to hear him. After making sure no one else was present he spoke.
"You aren't really sick are you?" the Second L asked knowingly.
Mikami seized up, this wasn't good at all. The boy did know, he would pick him apart if he wasn't careful. He took a breath before putting on a passive face. He knew he couldn't dissuade the boy's curiosity and suspicion, but he could certainly hold him at an impasse by being stubborn.
"I don't know what you are talking about." replied Mikami, not meeting the child's gaze as the two walked, "I am human, I do get sick."
At this point Mikami attempted to quicken the pace slightly; he couldn't outrun the child, as there was nowhere to go. However by picking up the pace, it would make it infinitely harder for the child genius to interrogate him. Unfortunately even the best laid plans of mice and men go wrong.
The boy grabbed on to Mikami by his sleeve, slowing the prosecutor down. He started tugging to stop him going any further. Teru was tempted to throw the boy off, but Near was waving his pinkie in the air with a smile of triumph. Mikami sighed in defeat and stopped, he allowed the boy to steady himself.
"You know, you are smarter than you realise." said the boy attempting to elicit a response. He stood by the lawyer who had perked up at the comment.
Mikami began fixing his tie nervously; it was uneven, having not been washed or ironed in a couple of days. However it certainly wasn't dirty, Mikami saw to that. Mikami stopped his fidgeting before looking at the boy as they walked.
"What do you mean?" asked Mikami, the boy had successfully piqued his interest. Unknowingly, Teru had been tricked into a conversation he didn't want to have.
"You think you aren't as smart as Light or I, don't you?" asked Near.
"I don't think, I know, Light is God. And you are his rival, how could I best you?" replied the lawyer.
"Your problem is simple Teru, you let your fanaticism limit your intelligence." answered Near, the boy looking at the lawyer with a mixture of curiosity and sympathy.
That was true to some extent, Mikami wouldn't have killed Takada nor taken the Death Note out of the bank had he not let his fanaticism control him. He hadn't really gotten anywhere for his fanaticism and loyalty, but he kept up hope. Blind faith would serve him well, at least he hoped it would.
The pair had exited the building by now, and climbed into the back of the vehicle that would drive them to the airport. It was a standard police van, fully armoured and enclosed. Near opened the doors and, after climbing in himself, made a motion for Mikami to get in with him.
As the lawyer sat down and the door was closed he was immediately attacked with questions, the Second L wasted no time in making use of their time alone.
"Do you mind humouring me with some questions? This section is soundproofed, you and I can speak with confidence." said Near.
Mikami nodded "You may ask me questions, but don't expect an answer for each and every one, I know you will attempt to provoke me. I swore not to harm you, that does not mean I won't ignore you. So ask me questions I will answer, lest this be a very silent journey."
The boy nodded before speaking "Thank you, now for the first question, why do you serve Light?"
The lawyer stared at him confounded "Because he is God, why wouldn't I serve a divine being?"
Near shook his head "He isn't God you do realise that?"
"He is God, he has ascended to Earth to delete those who would ruin our world. His ability to pass judgement is proof enough is it not?" denied Mikami fervently.
"Why would a God need your help?" asked Near, the child was beginning to ask the right questions, his plan needed to work.
Mikami faltered, that was a good point. Light was supposed to be omnipotent and omniscient, why did he need his help at all. How had the lawyer been outsmarted? If he had the favour of a God, logically he couldn't fail. He feebly tried to get rid of the disturbing thoughts.
Mikami raised his voice "Jesus needed his disciples, the same is true for me! God needs a loyal disciple, I fulfil that criterion."
Near once again shook his head "Jesus didn't need his disciples. Every miracle he performed was of his own doing. I don't remember Peter turning water into wine, so why does Light need someone to judge for him?"
Mikami couldn't rebut the child's answer; he kept quiet attempting to stop the child with noncompliance. Unfortunately Near only took that as reason to continue.
"Earlier you said to me that only Light has the right to judge who is evil. This can't be true, because you judged who was evil as well. Misa had the same power as Light, and she certainly wasn't near Light's or your intelligence. So why did she get to judge?" continued Near.
Mikami swallowed "That is because I was anointed by him to judge the criminals of the Earth. He blessed my deletion of scum. As for that girl, she too was selected to pass holy judgement. You wouldn't understand."
"Oh but I understand all too well, you see, I think Light isn't as holy as you want him to be. In reality he is just a young man with a God Complex, taking advantage of a vulnerable prosecutor who can't accept the evil of the world. So he looked for an easy answer. You looked to Light, because you saw him as a quick fix for the large problems of the world." said Near emotionlessly.
"I looked to God because he is the only solution to the world's problems!" roared Mikami outraged by the insinuations of the child, the heretic, before him. He had shouted so loudly that he thought even the driver could hear him.
Mikami's outrage had startled Near but not for long. The child continued his grilling of the lawyer. He knew that Mikami was a vital part of Light's plan of success at the trial. If he could turn the Fourth Kira against the First, then Light's chances of success went for fifty percent to just over thirty percent. It was vital that Near split the two.
"You said that if too many people were like God, he wouldn't be a God. But what if Light is too human, he makes too many human errors. He is smart yes, and incredibly intelligent. But if he were God, he would have known that the confrontation at the warehouse wouldn't have ended in his favour. The look of shock in his face proved that he didn't know what was going to happen. Even when you, his most loyal accomplice, tried to commit suicide he didn't bat an eye. What kind of compassionant and caring God does that? All Light cares about is himself. You think he has forgiven you for your failure? He is merely waiting until he can find someone he feels is more capable. You are expendable Mikami, and Light is no God." said Near, before preparing himself for the prosecutor's reaction.
"Shut up! Shut up you heathen!" thundered Mikami, who was absolutely incensed by Near's words "Light would never betray me, I am his greatest ally!"
"Really," asked Near "are you sure?"
Mikami wasn't, after the points Near had made, even he couldn't deny their validity. Light was planning to dispose of Misa, what about him? Was he his God's greatest ally, or was he his greatest pawn? The lines were so blurred, that he couldn't tell. However he still desperately tried to hold on to the notion that Light was God.
"He has to be God, for he is benevolent and merciful." said Mikami, with no conviction.
"Teru, this whole ordeal is a massive game for Light. You think he really cares for you or anyone else. He wants to create a world free from criminals that much is true, but he wants to rule the world even more. Why did he kill Lind L Taylor? Because his pride was insulted, don't you see? He isn't benevolent, he isn't merciful. He killed someone under the assumption that he was an innocent man. He rationalised this by stating he was justice. He will rationalise everything he does, he will rationalise killing you or disposing of you when you are no longer useful to him." replied Near, completely breaking Teru's faith.
Mikami was disorientated; he couldn't believe it, Light wasn't God? Such a notion had been inconceivable previously to him. Yet, he knew Near's words to be true. He had been blind to Light's ways. The man had deceived him, and he was a fool for falling for it. Mikami felt disappointment, in himself, how could he not have seen this? He had been the top of his class; he was a well-respected prosecutor who saw through the lies of career fraudsters. How had he been tricked?
Mikami fidgeted with his tie before speaking "You're right, Light isn't God. I was blind, I can see that now. Thank you for opening my eyes, no longer will I be controlled by him."
Near smiled in triumph "You can still atone for what you did, if you help incriminate Light in the trial, I could get you a new identity, a fresh start. I could even get you a place on my team."
It was at this point a decision would be made, a decision that would have irrevocable consequences. It would be a lie to say the Teru wasn't interested, the ability to get away from the prison sentence sounded enticing. Teru Mikami could have returned to his days of lawfully protecting the world from criminals. He could have made his mother proud. He could have atoned for his sins. But Teru Mikami wasn't truly there anymore; during his time with the Death Note he had changed, he had become the Fourth Kira.
Perhaps Light had not been God, but that didn't mean Kira's ideals were wrong. It merely meant someone else had to take the mantle; someone who wasn't corrupt and power-hungry, and luckily X-Kira was more than willing. X-Kira was merciless, unbendable, devious and conniving. Teru Mikami was merciless, unbendable, devious and conniving. Above all Teru Mikami and X-Kira are interchangeable terms, for they are the same person. Light and Near were now both obstacles in his pursuit of justice. But he would play them like marionettes against each other, both thinking they had his loyalty. In reality, neither did. The first step was gaining Near's loyalty.
"I will help you, but you must promise me that you will get me a fresh start." said Mikami, hiding his true intentions.
Near nodded "I promise, you'll get a new life Teru."
Mikami smiled before extending his pinkie finger "Pinkie promise?"
Near nodded seriously wrapping his pinkie around Teru's "Pinkie promise."
Nate River, in his pursuit of justice, had either helped it immensely or doomed it. Either way, he had made the biggest mistake in his career as the Third L. Teru Mikami wasn't to be trusted. He wanted a better world for everyone innocent, but he was willing to do anything to achieve that. The ends justify the means.
The van pulled to a stop, they had reached their destination. Near opened the van's doors, feeling very happy with himself. He didn't show it however. He stepped outside, before seeing the agents that would transfer Mikami. They immediately approached and began handcuffing the lawyer who had only just stepped outside.
"Sorry Mikami," said Near apologetically "but you still need to wear the handcuffs. You will be put back in with Light. I don't think it needs mentioned, but don't say anything about our conversation, is that understood?"
Mikami nodded, before allowing the agents to take him through a vacant terminal towards the plane. He kept his head down, allowing his hair to cover his face. This was essential, as it was the only thing covering his glowing eyes and maniacal grin.
Light was already on board the plane, the entire trip with the SPK agents had been very boring for him. However the agents had gotten him a change of clothes. Luckily they seemed aware of his tastes, getting him a brown suit with a red tie. Very similar to the uniform he had worn whilst in high school. High school brought back memories of his boredom; the boredom was what inspired him to become Kira. It was several factors really, boredom, his hatred of the world's current state at that time, and the idea of becoming a god.
Light looked around the section of the plane he was in, it was a locked from the outside, so there wasn't a chance of him getting out of the plane. Not that he wanted to; as the days progressed the trial became less daunting and more interesting. He wondered what the trial would bring. He would admit only to himself, but he didn't have any idea as to what exactly would happen in the trial. Would he be sentenced, or would the world embrace Kira? It was good entertainment for Ryuk anyways, speaking of which, the Shinigami had been sitting on a chair in the plane. Light had ordered him earlier to search for any cameras, he knew by the fact the Shinigami hadn't said that there were none. He hadn't said anything to him since. The Death God seemed to be waiting for Light to take notice of him. Light had been purposefully ignoring him, it wasn't often Ryuk was quiet.
Light decided to humour him "Ryuk, you are being awfully quiet, it's quite unlike you."
The Death God jumped up; glad to be finally acknowledged "You sure do take your time Light; I have been sitting here for five minutes. You shouldn't keep me waiting you know?"
Light shook his head "Maybe if you spoke up, I would actually speak to you. I thought you wanted to be quiet. It was quite a nice change, but it's very unlike you."
"But Light, you always want me to be quiet. And now you want me to speak? You are so hard to understand sometimes." Ryuk complained.
"That is more a result of your lack of intelligence Ryuk, than anything else." smirked Light in a teasing manner.
Ryuk grumbled to himself in slight annoyance, before continuing "So, what's the plan after the trial?"
"After the trial, if it goes in my favour, I will use the support of the world's people as leverage for myself. I will use them to instate me as God of the New World." explained Light, with a smile on his face as he was quietly confident in his success.
"And then what?" queried Ryuk, still curious of the First Kira's plan.
"And then I will rule over it as I see fit, the world will be glad to have someone like me ruling over them. After all, under my rule criminality will go extinct. If someone goes against me, well they are committing a crime. They will be disposed of. I will bring about a golden age for humanity. I will be the greatest ruler humanity has ever known." said Light, more to himself that Ryuk.
"There are no cameras in this part of the plane, I checked. So answer me honestly, what makes you think I won't kill you after you become God of the New World?" asked Ryuk, in anuncharacteristically serious manner.
"Ryuk, I know you won't kill me, because you love entertainment. That is your vice, while humans love drugs, sex and alcohol, you love entertainment and apples. I know there will be resistance, perhaps even a new L to try and stop me. Surely that interests you? To be honest, I hope someone will try to stand up to me, it would be anticlimactic to have no resistance to my reign." answered Light, smirking slightly.
The Shinigami nodded before sitting down again. It was true, he probably would let Light live. He had put on a tremendous show; the least he could do was let the man have his reign on Earth. After all, his reign on Earth would be far shorter than his eternity of nothingness after death. He would let Light have his reign, if he got it. Despite Light's confidence, even he knew that the trial wasn't clear cut.
Should Light lose Ryuk would take the notebook off him, he didn't have to necessarily kill him if he willingly gave up ownership. He wouldn't lose his memories a second time; he had used the Death Note far too often. The Death Note makes an imprint on the soul of whoever uses it. Needless to say, Light had been imprinted on massively, more than enough to avoid loss of memory. The Shinigami phased through the wall of the plane, in search of entertainment.
Light was content, everything seemed to be going according to plan. The only thing currently bothering him was Mikami's tardiness, where was the man? Light was a patient individual, but sometimes even he didn't like waiting. Mikami was certainly trying his patience; he supposed it wasn't the prosecutor's fault. The man was stuck with Near, which could never be good. He would have to see what the child had asked Mikami, it was obvious he wanted to speak to him.
The Third L had made sure he was alone with Mikami, the entire ordeal had probably stressed out the lawyer. He would probably glad to see Light after sitting with Near for about thirty to forty minutes. The man got annoyed sitting with anyone other than Light for longer than five minutes, he wondered what the man would be like when he finally arrived. He supposed he would have to relegate himself to waiting.
There was a fruit bowl on a table in the middle of the room. Luckily Ryuk had failed to notice the apple hidden under the pears; the Death God had disappeared anyways. Just as Light was making his way over to the fruit bowl, Mikami was brought in by the detectives. He looked vaguely annoyed, but was quickly released from his hand cuffs. The agents retreated from the section of the plane, locking the door behind them.
Mikami stood up tall and straightened himself, he scanned the room noting everything within it. His eyes fell on Light, who was smiling at his once loyal disciple. Mikami nodded respectfully at Light, before making his way to the fruit bowl and picking up the only apple. He bit into it before staring at Light, he was mimicking his former fanaticism for Light perfectly. Light Yagami was right about Mikami, he was glad to see him. He was glad to see him however, for all the wrong reasons.
Mikami continued eating the apple in his hand. He knew Light would start his questioning soon; he had to act as he previously did. He immediately began the act he would have to keep up; Mikami knew that deception was vital to his success. Neither Near nor Light could suspect that he was working with both of them, or else his plans would be ruined. It would be a difficult task to not arouse suspicion, both the people he was deceiving were hyper intelligent. But he was quite intelligent as well; he knew how he had to deal with them. He didn't need to be more intelligent than them, he needed one to be more intelligent than the other. One would leave themselves open in their effort to defeat the other. When that occurred Teru would capitalise upon it, but he was getting ahead of himself. He needed to deal with Light's questioning first.
"So Teru, Near didn't scare you too much?" said Light jokingly, he was lightening the mood before he asked serious questions. Not that he needed to, he was certain that he had Mikami's full loyalty. The man was at his beck and call, the perfect pawn. He was Light's eyes.
"Not at all my Lord, he was just asking me questions about the SPK agent I deleted." lied Mikami flawlessly, he could be an awkward man. That didn't mean he couldn't be articulate, lying was common place in his profession as a lawyer. He had never practiced it, but he certainly knew how.
"Tager wasn't it? I wouldn't let him get to you Teru, he is dangerous." warned Light, cautious of Near's machinations. "He will scheme and plot our destruction, while having a conversation about something different. He is using it to judge your character."
"I gave him nothing my Lord, I refused to converse with him." answered Mikami immediately.
"Excellent Mikami, make sure he doesn't play you for a fool," warned Light "because he will if he can."
"You played me for a fool because you could, didn't you Light?" thought Mikami to himself, enraged by the hypocrisy of his former God.
Mikami bit into his apple a little more forcefully, however he knew it wouldn't be noticeable. He was far too erratic in regards to his actions recently. Light would merely see it as Mikami getting annoyed thinking of the role Near played in their defeat.
"Of course not my God, I will remain at constant vigilance. He won't get anything by me." said Mikami seriously, but reassuringly.
Light nodded before sitting down on one of the seats in the room "Good, I am counting on you." He turned to look out the windows of the plane.
Suddenly an alert came on, it was announcement. All passengers were to take a seat, and buckle their seatbelts for lift off. There was a set of chairs. Two pairs with each pair opposite each other, Mikami would have normally sat beside his God, but instead he sat on the one opposite Light. He felt his ears pop as the altitude change, but he showed no discomfort. Light did, looking slightly uncomfortable with the feeling.
Mikami played the role of the concerned disciple "Are you alright my Lord?"
Light nodded his head "I am fine Teru, but thanks for asking. I know that I can count on you."
Light didn't count of Teru, he counted on himself, and the lawyer was but a pawn to him. He couldn't afford to let him become too autonomous, lest he fail Light again. Mikami needed to be guided, that was how he succeeded. With but a kind word, and comprehensive orders, the Fourth Kira could achieve great things for Light.
Light was counting on him, but Teru was counting something differently entirely. He was counting down until the trial, for that was his opportunity to start playing the geniuses against each other. They would see red for each other, giving him time to formulate a plan. He needed bail that much is certain. Chances are one person would get it, as the outrage of Kira not receiving bail would be damning. Equally the damage of both Kiras being allowed out freely would be damning as well. He needed to make sure that he got out, and not Light.
This was vital to his success; luckily he had the perfect intermediate with which to achieve this. Near. The boy would certainly hold some sway over the trial, if he could get the boy's approval to deny Light bail and give bail to himself. It would be infinitely useful. He would certainly try and stop Light from getting bail, the danger of the genius being allowed back to Japan was too high. Instead they would send the "subservient" Kira, the one who didn't do well on his own. If he could get bail, and Agent Barnes to watch over him, his success was all but guaranteed.
Mikami stared at Light, whom had fallen asleep on his chair. X-Kira straightened his tie before smiling deviously at the First Kira.
"If there is one thing that you should be counting Yagami Light, it is your days."
And with that, Mikami let himself fall into the abyss of sleep. He had plans to create, and foundations for lies to lay. But they could wait for now.