Hi! Wow, i'm really proud of this chapter: it's a lot longer than the other ones. I want to thank my beta who made this chapter make sense. I would also like to thank myself,because without me I couldn't have done it. I hope you like it.
Misa's POV
I let out an exhausted sigh as I stepped into my penthouse apartment. It took so much energy being a model! But the money made it worth the late nights. I kicked off my black platforms before locking the door. I set the safety latch and moved the full umbrella stand in front of the door as an extra warning in case of intruders, a habit I had picked up from when my parents had been slaughtered by a burglar a few years ago. (1)
I walked through the lavish living room to my bedroom, shaking my hair to rid it of the light raindrops. The door closed with a delicate snap. My bedroom was my sanctuary. It was a calm place where I could be myself. The curtains were thick black velvet, black blinds hung behind them. The carpet was also black, matching the bedspread, lamp shade and the one plush chair next to the unused desk. The only other colour was a neutral cream which clashed delightfully with the sombre furnishings.
My bed bounced lightly when I jumped on it, causing a mass of black feathers to erupt from one of the pillows that had thoughtlessly been left out.
"Oh, I'm so tired," I whined at the ceiling.
"Then why do you not quit?" Rem asked me. I opened a lazy eye to look at the bleached skeletal shinigami.
"Because," I sighed. Rem watched me silently before resigning herself to the likely event of not getting an explanation. My hand reached out to grasp a picture frame on my nightstand.
"Who is that?" Rem asked indifferently. I bounced on my spongy mattress so I was sitting up; delighted she had finally shown interest in something I was excited about.
"This is Raito-kun! He's my future husband," I squealed. Rem walked, or she seemed to float I wish I could do that I thought, her bones creaking as she went so she could look at the picture frame. The boy was looking forward, no hint of a smile on his face, in a plain black suit. However, despite Raito-kun's seems lack of fashion style in the photo it was obvious that he could look good in a potato sack. I would have preferred him smiling but the photo was from his university ID. It was amazing what you could find on the internet!
It was difficult for Rem to understand the attraction between Misa and this Raito-kun. When she first came to earth all the humans looked the same. From her world the only distinguishable features were their names and their life expectancy. However, Misa began to point out the differences to her. "The hair on our head varies in colour. In Japan it is usually black or dark brown. Blond people like me," Misa stopped to giggle, "are usually foreigners. Some people have hair on their chin", at my blank look she clarified, "the bottom part of the face. These people are always men, unless they're really ugly women."
When Rem looked at the photo of this boy she didn't see the attraction that Misa did. He looks ugly to me, she thought. He had a longish head, with light brown hair, a nose in the middle, two eyes above and a single mouth below. His eyes were an almond colour with two darker lines of hair above them.
"Oh, he's so handsome," I pined.
"Misa?" I dragged my eyes away from the photo.
"Yes, Rem?"
"What is a 'husband?" It must be one of their odd customs, the shinigami thought.
"A husband is a man who is married to a woman. When we get married I'll be Raito-kun's wife. The husband cares for and loves his wife." I stopped to look up at my ever-present companion. "Oh! You don't know what marriage is do you Rem? You poor thing..." Did that shinigami roll her eyes at me?! I carried on a little huffier than I meant to, "A marriage is when two people agree to be together forever. It must be so sad not to have anyone to marry, right Rem?" I looked up from under my eyelashes at the white shinigami. I had expected her to cry or something but she only seemed amused. She is so weird, I thought. All girls want to get married.
"Forever is a very long time, Misa. Why would you only want to be with one male?"
"Uhh! You're not getting it," I flipped onto my back holding Raito-kun's picture at arms length. I closed my eyes and imagined a real life Raito-kun. One that was warm, and smiling. One that was holding my hand and laughing at a joke I had made.
"Oh, Misa-chan," he whispered. I leaned into his chest inhaling the smell of him. "Misa, there's something I wanted to ask you," he pulled me away from him. I looked into his shining eyes. A blush dusted his cheeks.
"What is it, my love," I whispered back. He slowly sank to his knees, pulling out a black velvet box.
"Misa. Every second I'm with you I feel complete. I don't want that feeling to stop. I want to be with you forever. Will you marry me?"
"Yes! I will marry you Raito-kun!" My lips moved dangerously close to the picture of Raito-kun.
"Misa?" Rem said, popping my fantasy like a bubble.
"What?" I yelled, throwing an over plump pillow at the God of death, feeling disappointed when it went straight through her. "What is it Rem?" I asked more calmly, grieving at the loss of my fantasy.
"Isn't it time for your plan to air?" My eyes flicked open. I bounded across the room to turn on the plain black TV.
"Of course! Oh, I wonder if Kira will be watching?" I gently placed the picture of the brunet back on my nightstand. "If he is, I hope he's proud of me," I mused aloud. I wonder if Kira-sama is as handsome as Raito-kun.
I want to impress Kira-sama so much. It was he who punished the burglar that killed my parents. I owe him so much. L had made fun of my Kira-sama, now it was my time to punish him. (2)
I opened the window and put my binoculars to my eyes, glad for the first time that my apartment faced the Sakura TV building. From where I was now sitting I had a good view of the front door. However, I did hope I would never have to use that advantage.
"I would like to emphasize once again that these tapes are not being broadcast as a hoax or for purposes of sensationalism," the presenter told the nationwide audience.
***
L's POV
I took a shaky breath after plopping in my favourite chair, my arms tightly wrapped around my legs. I closed my eyes, just for a moment, to calm myself down, to 'find my centre' for lack of a better phrase. The shock of Raito-kun touching me in such an intimate gesture shocked me. To be honest, I was a little angry. What gave him the right, a boy who I hardly knew, to do that to me? Wasn't it obvious I was a little more than adverse to contact? I clasped my hands together around my knees, examining where Raito-kun had touched me.
"Why did I react in such a harsh way?" I asked the empty room. Just like everything I began to meticulously analyse my emotions and the reasons behind them. It was only yesterday when Raito-kun's father told me that the teen had fallen and hit his head. I had been so worried. Over coffee I thought Raito-kun seemed a little...off. So I decided to accompany him back home. I told myself that it was because he was my friend. But surely a friend wouldn't feel sick at the thought of their companion being hurt, would they? Seeing as I had little experience in this field I tucked this particular problem into the unused corner of my mind where I hid my few unsolved dilemmas.
I swiftly moved onto the next problem. Why did I react in such a way when he touched me? Was it because he was my friend and it seemed unnatural for a friend to touch another friend like that? Was it because I was unused to such intimate contact? Was it because he was my only Kira suspect? I should never have allowed myself to get into such a confidential situation with my suspect. Or was it because I liked it? I liked the intimacy of that one single touch. I absolutely loved the warmth of Raito-kun's hand on my own cold paw. After I felt that one touch I felt myself instantly clamour for more. I wanted Raito-kun to touch me, to hold me, to make me feel loved. I was scared by that. I've never felt that way about anyone due to my hermit-like existence. However, I had been a teenager like everyone else and on the rare occasions I allowed myself to imagine a scenario where I had a lover I never thought it would be someone I couldn't be with. I swear this was punishment for something I had done in a past life.
I champed savagely on my thumb. Raito-kun was so perfect. He was handsome to the point of being beautiful; his body was beyond compare and his intelligence only rivaled by my own. So why did he have to be my number one Kira suspect? My head felt heavy all of a sudden and so I laid it on my knees. This was bad. One part of me wanted to believe Raito-kun, and then we could maybe be happy together. However, another part of me, a larger part, wanted him to be Kira. If he wasn't I would have been proven wrong, and I was never wrong. It was this part that whispered 'Raito-kun is lying. It's not like Raito-kun to act that way'. No. It's not like Kira to act that way, I argued back.
I should have been helping with the investigation but all I could think of was that lovely man. I quickly made a decision that would ensure the investigation's smooth running just as my phone began to vibrate. I had to unlock my legs before I could fish inside my pocket for the blue phone. I flipped it open just as the vibration stopped. I sighed and listened to the voicemail, my eyes widening in response. It plainly said:
"Ryuzaki, you have to come to the headquarters now. It's crucial," Watari's voice cut out.
Did the others not realise I was back yet? I unfolded myself from the chair and strode across the thin cream carpet. My hand rested against the cool metal as I took a deep steadying breath. When I pushed open the door my ears were offended by the sound of Matsuda.
"Wow! That sure was quick L- I mean Ryuzaki," He smiled uncertainly in my direction before returning to the television which the other members of the task force were crowded around, Watari included. The others didn't look up at my entrance but Aizawa moved aside for me. What I next heard shocked me to the core. I ensconced myself into a spare chair in a daze and watched dumbfounded at the broadcast from Sakura TV.
Rain lashed on the window pane and thunder rumbled in the distance. The clouds had turned vengeful and black, quickly blotting out the sun in the short time I had been home. Another rumble, the pounding rain increased its assault on the window and yet, despite all the outside noise, the voice emanating from the plain TV screen could easily be heard.
"I am Kira," said the scrambled voice.
On the screen the word 'Kira' had been written in the same gothic style I had used with my first challenge to Kira. Was it on purpose....? It was a far too childish and unsubtle attack. Not one I had expected from Kira. A suspicious feeling came over me. (3)
"If this video is aired exactly at 5:59 P.M. on April 18th it is now 5:59 and, 38, 39, 40 seconds... Please switch channels to Taiyo TV. The news anchor, Mr Kazuhiko Hibima, will die of a heart attack at precisely six P.M."
"What?" Matsuda asked at the television.
"There's no way..." Aizawa-san mumbled. Yagami-san and Ukita-san stood in shocked silence. It seemed I was the only one whose brain was working.
"Change the channel!" I said impatiently.
The screen changed to a picture of two women, one was screaming and the other crying. Between the two a man was slumped over the desk. I presumed it was Mr Hibima.
"Switch back to Sakura," I ordered Ukita-san, who was in control of the remote. He complied quicker this time. "Watari bring in another TV in here...No, two more sets."
"Of course," the elderly man replied, hurrying out of the room, his hands clasped in front of him.
"Mr Hibima has constantly referred to Kira as 'evil' in his news reports. This was his punishment,"
I winced at this new statement. My stomach welled up with guilt at the thought of all Mr Hibima had lost. He would never see his family again, see his children grow up. Kira had just wiped his existence clean. I couldn't help feel that this was my fault. If only I had caught Kira before now. I bit my thumb, pushing down the never ending list of 'if only' that haunted my thoughts.
"But one demonstration alone does not serve as absolute proof. I will present you with another. My next target is a commentator who has also condemned me repeatedly. He is scheduled to be appearing live on the air at this time..." The garbled voice continued.
"Go to channel 24!" I ordered once more. The second horrifying picture contained a group of people surrounding a freshly dead presenter. Several more people were running from off screen, equipped with headphones. I took a second to process this information. No matter how many times I witness such indifference to human's rights to live, I am still human. I am still affected.
"Kira is trying to send a message to people all over the world..." I whispered, not quite believing it. "We have to make them stop this broadcast or something terrible is going to happen!" I continued more forcibly. I didn't need to specify what would happen to get the members moving, as they had been standing in a daze since the show started. So much for policemen's quick reflexes.
"I'll get Sakura TV's phone number!" Matsuda exclaimed as he dived for the phone. Yagami-san and Ukita-san stood around Matsuda at a loss for better things to do. Aizawa flipped open his mobile.
"I trust you now believe that I really am Kira."
"It's hopeless... every single number I've tried in the entire station's busy..." Matsuda mumbled.
Aizawa growled in frustration. "My friend who works there has his cell phone turned off!" The irate man slapped his mobile closed, but kept it in his palm. Ukita glared out at the wind soaked window before turning on his heel.
"I'm going over there to make them stop it myself!" Ukita ran through the door frame almost bowling over Watari has he wheeled in two TV sets on a tea trolley.
"Ukita!" Matsuda screamed after him.
"Please listen to me carefully. I do not want to kill innocent people."
"Bullshit!" Aizawa yelled at the screen.
"I hate evil and love justice. I do not consider the police my enemies, but my allies in my fight against evil."
Damn you Kira... I thought. I tasted metal and realised I had broken the skin on my thumb. Outside a police siren could be heard gradually decreasing in volume.
"My aim is to rid the world of evil and create a just society. If you will join me in this mission, it can be easily accomplished. If you do not try to capture me, no innocent people will die. And even then if you do not agree with me, if you refrain from publicising your views in the media or in public, you will be spared. And then, simply wait. In a short time, the world will be changed for the better. I'm sure you will agree."
Ukita-san gripped the steering wheel of his squad car tightly. Yeah right, you won't hurt any innocent people. What about the people who have already been killed because of you, you bastard! He thought.
"I can do it. I can change the world and make it a place inhabited by good, kind hearted people." The computerised voice emitted from the car radio. The dark-haired man screeched to a halt outside Sakura TV's office building. Not even before the vehicle had stopped Ukita burst from the car and ran to the door. Inside the lobby was a scared security guard.
"Dammit, it's locked!" Ukita-san exclaimed when he tried to open the door. He began thumping on the door, instead. "Police! Open up! I don't believe this-" He growled as the security guard shook his head. Ukita-san took out his hand gun, warning he guard to move back, unaware of the red eyes watching him from across the street.
Pins and needles struck his left arm. Ukita-san slumped to the floor, his heart unable to beat.
"This just in! Someone is reported to have collapsed in front of Sakura TV!" A reporter's voice informed the members of the taskforce. The small screen that Watari had provided showed the gruesome scene of their companion slumped on the pavement in front of the building. What a waste, I thought. "We are reporting live from in front of Sakura TV. For safety reasons I cannot stand in front of the camera, but what you are seeing here is live coverage!" The reporter assured the viewers.
"My God! Kira got him...?" Aizawa-san asked the room at large, gripping the TV screen, as if he didn't believe what he was seeing. Yagami-san patted Matsuda who had started to cry softly on his arm. Aizawa-san attempted to head out of the room before I could stop him.
Aizawa Shuichi – status: married to Aizawa Eriko. One daughter: Aizawa Yumi
I couldn't allow him to leave the hotel room. If he did his life would be lost just like Ukita-san's and how would his family cope without him?
"Forget it Aizawa-san. Where do you think you're going?" My calm voice seemed out of place considering the situation.
"To Ukita, where else? And I'm going to get those damn videos and bring them back here." Aizawa-san said through gritted teach, his hands itching to punch someone, namely me.
"If you go over there now, you'll get killed." I stated plainly.
"Are you trying to tell me to sit here and watch television, Ryuzaki?" Aizawa-san replied, his voice dripping with venom. I sensed it would be best not to respond but if I didn't Aizawa-san might interpret it as acquiescence of his actions.
"I'm trying to tell you to calm down and be realistic. I want to stop that video as much as you do." More than you can imagine. "And if we manage to confiscate the entire package, the way it was sent, there's a good chance we can track Kira down. But if Ukita-san was murdered by Kira, whoever goes there now will end up dead, too."
The message carried on regardless of Ukita-san's death. "Making this a world free of evil, free of crime, is..." It was momentarily drowned out by another reporter's voice keeping them updated on the removal of the corpse.
"This means his phony police ID didn't help him!" Aizawa-san pushed on referring to the fake ID's I had issued them when we first agreed to work together. "Kira knows our real names. Has to. There's no other explanation!"
"That might be true. But if you're right, it would make much more sense for Kira to murder everyone on the taskforce," I explained more to myself than the others in the room. Something about Aizawa-san's explanation didn't sit right with me. "I deduced that Kira needs to know someone else's name and face to kill them, but from seeing this, I'd have to conclude that seeing their face alone could be enough... All I can say for sure at this time is... Ukita-san was killed because he went over there. It happened before the other networks started reporting from in front of Sakura TV. And that means Kira is either inside Sakura TV, or someplace where he can see people entering Sakura. That or he set up surveillance cameras there in advance." The Sakura TV building was surrounded by expensive apartments. Anyone could be looking down from them...
"Well, if Kira's around there right now, that's all the more reason for us to go!!" Aizawa insisted. Why is he so intent on killing himself? Can't he see he'll be of more use to the investigation alive!?
"I'll say it again- If you go there now, you. Will. Be. Killed. Please understand." I allowed just a hint of the desperation I was feeling come out in my voice. It was a technique I had developed years ago, if I could slowly release my pent up emotions then I could continue the investigation with analytical detail.
"No, I don't understand...Ukita might've been murdered!! By Kira!! I thought we were risking our lives to arrest that bastard!!" Aizawa-san gripped my shoulder hard. I stopped myself from flinching away from the contact but I couldn't take the stupidity spewing out of Aizawa's mouth any longer.
Can't he see how important he is to the investigation? Can't he see I don't want any more loss of life?
"Risking your life and doing something that could easily rob you of your life are different. I understand your feelings, but please try to control yourself. Right now, Ukita-san is dead...if you go over there and lose your life too, Aizawa-san..." This isn't good. I gripped my legs tighter to stop them from shaking but the other members had already probably already seen.
Aizawa-san's breathing slowed down to normal, the adrenaline leaving his body. Matsuda, having stopped crying a while ago, gripped the man's shoulder in a mockery of the violent embrace Aizawa-san had gave me.
"Ummm, guys?" Matsuda asked. I lifted my heavy eyes to look at the man's confused expression. "Where's the Chief?" It seemed that during the confrontation Yagami-san had quietly left the hotel room. It was a testimony to the intensity of my argument with Aizawa-san that Matsuda was the observant one.
"Are the police ready to work with me in creating a just world? Their answer to this question will be announced in four days time, on April 22nd, at the top of the six o'clock nightly news. Starting at 6:10 P.M. on April 22nd, Sakura TV will air one of two videos-one if the police say 'yes' and the other if the police say 'no'."
A crunching sound emitted from the TV screen drawing the three men's attention. The image on the screen would stay in my memory forever. It was of an armoured police vehicle crashing through the glass doors of Sakura TV, the security guard diving out of the way.
"If it is an official police announcement no spokesperson has to appear on the screen." The garbled message concluded.
"We will report any new information as soon as... Oh My God! An armoured van has crashed into the lobby of Sakura TV!! It appears to be a police vehicle! The armoured van belongs to the police!" The excited reporter explained to viewers who didn't have eyes.
"What the hell?!" Matsuda and Aizawa asked in unison.
"Well..." I started, taking a breath, "that's certainly one way of entering without anyone seeing your face."
I'm really sorry that I had to steal a lot of the dialogue from the manga but I hope it was ok anyway.
Here are somethings that my beta didn't get. I thought they were kinda obvious but it might just be me being weird.
(1) The umbrella stand would make some noise if it was knocked over. I don't know how useful it would be in such a situation but this is Misa we're talking about and she's anything but rational.
(2) L 'made fun' of Kira when he challenged him before. This hasn't featured in my fic but it still happened.
(3) L's spidey sense is tingling!!
I hope you liked it! I would really like to know what you liked or didn't like so don't forget to review!
