Unity and Disunity – Ami Joins the Task Force

"Joining us shortly?" repeated a dumbfounded Soichiro Yagami. His mouth remained open but silent after he finished speaking, as if his vehement objections hesitated to emerge.

The entire task force had risen to its feet now, with the exception of Light Yagami. Their eyes were fixed on L, who sat, apparently quite placidly, with his back to his computer monitor. "Yes," said L. "Watari will screen her, and then she will join us here."

"Ryuzaki, I realize that you are in charge of this investigation," the elder Yagami began, having regained his composure, "but surely it would have been prudent to have-"

"I have already taken the necessary precautions and considered the alternatives."

"But you obviously haven't considered all of our opinions regarding-"

"I have not only considered your opinions, but I considered what you might say if I had informed you all that I had invited her to join us."

Soichiro scowled deeply. His hands balled into fists. "This girl is barely older than my own daughter..."

"Interesting," L observed flatly, turning in his seat back toward the monitor to see a camera feed of Ami Mizuno moving into the elevator. "I anticipated that you might find compare Mizuno-san's age and your daughter's. I also predicted you would find it offensive."

"That's not fair, Ryuzaki," spat Aizawa. He had moved to be shoulder to shoulder with his chief in this standoff with L.

Without turning to face the plaintiff investigators, Ryuzaki dryly asked, "Are you offended because you, too, have a daughter, Aizawa-san?"

"That has nothing to do with it!"

"Ryuzaki, this is getting off track," Soichiro refocused. "My personal sensibilities aside, I still think it's unwise to allow her to join this investigation. It is highly dangerous, and besides-"

"I think your personal sensibilities are exactly the problem here, Yagami-san, Aizawa-san." L finally spun around in his seat to confront them. His eyes were tightened slightly, his lips in a frown. "You object because you compare her to your daughters. You think she is weak. You think she needs to be protected like a child-"

"She is a child!" Aizawa snapped back.

"She does not need protection," continued Ryuzaki unflinchingly. "Ami Mizuno requires no more paternal guidance than Yagami-kun, and though you may have initially been hesitant to permit him to join the team, even you would acknowledge the tremendously important role he plays here."

"My son's is a different case," Soichiro objected. "He is older, more mature..."

"Male?" filled-in Ryuzaki, his head subtly cocked.

"That- that has nothing to do..." Soichiro's rejoinder trailed off. His face was now flushed, not with anger but with embarrassment.

"This place really could use a girl or two," Matsuda wistfully observed.

"Shut up, Matsuda!" Aizawa shouted over his shoulder.

Mogi and Ide stood by, sternly gazing at Ryuzaki.

As the exchange proceeded, with Ryuzaki accusing the task force of subtle misogyny and paternalistic attitudes and the task force retorting with objections that no matter their prejudices, Mizuno's presence was still unwise – Light Yagami sat with his body angled toward the two parties of the debate. The killing notebook was still in his hand from moments ago, when he had been pretending to examine its contents for new insights. This is getting out of hand.

"You're right, Ryuzaki. Maybe deep in my mind, I do compare her to my daughter. But to put another life at risk for no clear purpose-"

"I disagree that the purpose is unclear."

With Mizuno arriving now, I have no choice but to move forward with the plan. The longer she's here, the fewer opportunities I'll have. Ryuzaki will have a second set of competent eyes. He glanced down at his watch, in which there remained a hidden slip of paper from the notebook. I doubt there is enough room remaining on that piece, with Higuchi's name on it. His eyes shifted to the notebook, in his right hand.

There's no other option. It won't matter, as long as the plan works. They will never have the chance to notice the absence. With a swift and smooth motion, Light turned in his seat, angling momentarily away from Ryuzaki and the task force as he rose from the chair. As he did, he slipped his hand under the back cover of the notebook and pulled out the last page. By the time he had turned to face Ryuzaki, he had slipped the crumpled page into the pocket of his pants.

"I, for one, welcome the new addition," Light announced over the continuing arguments. Immediately, silence washed over the room. All eyes were now on Light. "Admittedly, I was skeptical at first." He began to pace forward. "Ryuzaki and I argued about this briefly earlier, and I voiced my concerns to him. As I thought about it, however, it occurred to me: We've been getting nowhere in this investigation, and it's possible that part of the reason we have failed to generate new leads is that we have grown too accustomed to thinking in particular ways about this case. Our minds might be too rigid to see something important – and that's a dangerous state in which to operate. If we spend too long like this, we may miss an opportunity to defeat Kira. On balance, permitting Mizuno-san to join the task force is worth the risk."

"I see your point, Light-kun," Matsuda said with a nod. "But what's to say that she'll be so helpful?"

"I can guarantee that she will be helpful," Ryuzaki interjected.

"I believe that," answered Light without hesitation. The other members of the task force seemed to have calmed since Light began speaking so pointedly on the matter. Perhaps it was the cool confidence he projected, or perhaps it was that the task force had become inured to conforming with whatever was said when both L and Light agreed. "After our conversation, Ryuzaki, I reviewed the file you assembled on Mizuno-san, and I conducted a short investigation into her myself. I think the two of us have arrived at the same conclusion: She can offer us a perspective we don't have."

Though neither his face nor body betrayed the slightest thought or feeling, L was momentarily baffled by this impromptu speech in defense of Mizuno. It may have been, he considered, that this was simply a minor part of Light Yagami's pretense of being a diligent and insightful detective working on the Kira case. Another, more insidious, alternative was that Yagami was making the opening gambit in a longer game in which he believed the strongest strategy would be to situate himself as an early ally to Mizuno. Doing so might permit him to better assess whether or not Mizuno was a genuine threat to him – or better counter any developments that might reveal him. There was, of course, the vanishingly slight possibility that Light was not, in fact, Kira – but one could not be confident of such grand improbabilities.

"Ryuzaki," Light said, interrupting L's deliberation, "before Mizuno-san arrives, I suggest replacing this in the safe." He held up the notebook in his right hand. "If she is to join us, we shouldn't introduce her to the investigation by abruptly disturbing her world with the revelation that something like this exists – or that something like shinigami exist."

Ryuzaki carefully eyed the notebook. "I agree." He rose from his seat and took the Death Note from Light. "I shall put this away. Everyone, please prepare to meet our newest team member. She will be here momentarily."

The task force stood in silence as Ryuzaki ambled out of the room with the notebook.

"Well, I suppose it's too late to object anyway," Soichiro conceded. "She's on her way after all."


"Rei-chan." The voice from behind Rei Hino was urgent and sudden. Her eyes widened and she gasped as she turned on her heels to see who was there. A cool breeze blew over the stone courtyard of Hikawa Shrine, and the sun, high in the sky, painted halos around two figures standing just a few feet from Rei: Haruka and Michiru.

"Haruka-san, Michiru-san, it's nice to see you," she said pleasantly upon recognizing them. Her tight grip on the broom handle in her hands relaxed. "You startled me."

"It's nice to see you, too, Rei-chan," Haruka said with a quick nod. Her face and Michiru's were stern despite their pleasantries. "We need to speak with you. It's important."

"Is this about what happened at the carnival?" Rei asked in a hushed voice.

"Yes, it is," answered Michiru. "We heard you found a shard of the Evil Black Crystal containing the spirit of an old enemy."

"I'm not sure that saying we 'found' it is the most accurate description, but yes, I suppose we did." Rei took a step closer. "I suppose you know we took it here."

"We heard that, yeah," said Haruka.

"We need to see it."

"See it? Why?"

Haruka's brow furrowed slightly. "We need to destroy it."

"As a precaution," Michiru explained in a voice calmer than Haruka's, as if to compensate for her abruptness. "We have sensed-"

"Now hold on," Rei interrupted. "Usagi- No, Sailor Moon decided already that we wouldn't destroy it. There's a spirit in that crystal, even if it is of an enemy. He's helpless now anyway."

Haruka's scowl entrenched itself on her face. "I'm sure he was helpless for a while before he possessed the body of that magician."

"We've sealed it away," defended Rei. "He can't escape."

"As I began to say," Michiru said patiently, "we've sensed a new threat from beyond the solar system. An enemy is rising."

Rei once again tightened her grip on the broom handle. "If you're so well informed about the Black Crystal shard, then you know that the Black Moon Clan wasn't a threat from beyond the solar system. It was a threat from within – and we, the five of us, took care of it just fine."

"If you call nearly dying 'fine.'"

"Haruka..." scolded Michiru in a sharp whisper.

"That doesn't change the fact that the Black Moon Clan wasn't your foe; it was ours." Rei struggled to keep her temper. "The crystal stays here, unharmed – by order of Sailor Moon."

"Rei-chan – Sailor Mars," Michiru pleaded. "We are trying to keep the world safe. A new enemy is gathering strength. Haruka and I have felt its presence. We don't believe it has gained enough power to reveal itself yet, but soon, it will have. When it does, that crystal may be more of a threat than it seems now, protected under your seal. We fear that the enemy may seek out its power for its own devices. You know – perhaps even better than we do – how much danger that tiny shard could pose if it were to fall into the wrong hands. Please, let us destroy it."

"No." The shrine maiden gritted her teeth. "Even if there is a new enemy on the horizon, the decision has been made. Sailor Moon spared his life – what little of it remains."

For some seconds, there was restless silence but for the rustling of the trees around the shrine in the wind.

Michiru shut her eyes and sighed. "Your loyalty is admirable." She looked to Haruka, and the two of them began toward the stairs out of the shrine.

"Let's hope it doesn't kill you," Haruka warned, her back now to Rei and to the shrine.


The task force sat on the couches in the main room, each member leaning forward attentively, with the notable exception of Ryuzaki who squatted on a plush seat with ostensible indolence. Her hands pressed together on her lap, Ami Mizuno seemed for a moment on the verge of tears, but she swallowed hard and looked up at Ryuzaki.

"That is when I decided."

Soichiro Yagami frowned and grunted in quiet acknowledgement of the story he had just heard. "Watching someone die is never easy," he said gravely, "but you acted bravely."

"But-" Ami began sharply but halted herself.

"I understand," Soichiro assured. "You must understand that you did all you could for him. His fate was already determined, unfortunately."

"But that's not it, Yagami-san," Ami politely objected.

"The chief's right," added Matsuda. "There really wasn't anything that could be done. I'm sure that's difficult to hear, but..." He trailed off.

"Matsuda-san, Yagami-san, you're trying to make me feel better, and I thank you for that," said Ami, regaining some strength of will. "But the futility of trying to save him isn't what bothers me. That does hurt – knowing there was no way to save him – but it isn't what hurts the most." She glanced at Ryuzaki for a moment and then looked back at Matsuda and the elder Yagami. "The worst is that it is easy to watch someone die."

In surprise and intuitive recognition, Soichiro sat up straight. "You mean..."

"Everyone around me watched him die," she explained, not coldly but calmly and quietly. "He writhed. He swore at Kira. He must have died with such hate in his mind. Only one person there called an ambulance. I think he only made the call because I cried out for someone to call for help. I think- I think he may have even been glad that Kira did it."

"Kira has supporters around the world, yes," acknowledged Soichiro. "I don't think all of them are evil – or even remotely bad. In fact, I imagine most of them are well-meaning, law-abiding people."

"And that's exactly it!" Ami's voice raised suddenly but then grew hushed again as soon as she realized the volume of her words. Her cheeks flushed for a moment before she continued to speak. "They probably mean well. They probably believe that Kira is justice. But what kind of justice is it to watch a man die in the street without doing anything to help? To watch him die and feel it's right? That cannot be the best justice can offer."

Along with Soichiro, the other members of the task force had straightened up in their seats, as if at attention. Only Light leaned forward more deeply. He stroked his chin and furrowed his brow. Ryuzaki remained motionless.

"I've heard some people say that when Kira's work is finished, only the kindhearted with survive," she continued. "I cannot believe that. I cannot accept a definition of kindness that would tolerate the judgment of Kira. The crime rate has dropped dramatically, all over the world. The machines of war are slowing in some countries. It's easy to watch people die, especially when it seems like only the deserving are executed. It seems like the bystanders aren't responsible. There is no need to be compassionate or kind when the judgment is absolute. Compassion is dead when forgiveness is impossible. And forgiveness is impossible when those who need forgiveness are dead. That's what the world is slowly becoming: not a place where only the kindhearted live, but a place without kindness at all. The world Kira is making is- It's inhuman."

A short sniffle interrupted her monologue.

"I want to help catch him. I want to help stop him."

A long and complete quiet overtook the room while the task force breathed in Ami's impassioned words.

"Wow, chief," piped Matsuda, breaking the silence. "Here I thought your speeches to us back when the investigation began were inspiring. She puts you to shame!"

"Matsuda!" growled Soichiro. He turned his head violently toward his subordinate, who immediately flinched. Then a grin crept across his face, eliding the grimace that was there a moment ago. "Well, you're right." The chief looked to Ryuzaki. "I see why you invited her. She has a sense of justice to complement a brilliant mind." His smile endured as he looked back at Ami. "You remind me of my son. I hope the two of you will get along. In fact, I know you will."

"I anticipate," Ryuzaki said abruptly, "that Mizuno-san will get along with everyone." He rose from his squatting position to stand upon the couch cushions, before stepping down to the floor. "Mizuno-san, welcome to the investigation. You are compelled by your conscience to catch Kira, and among this team, you shall."

The awkward young man extended a hand across to Ami, who rose and took it firmly in her own. His fingers were cold and bony. Hers were warm and softer than Ryuzaki had expected. With unblinking eyes, he studied the skin and shape of the hand in his. She watched his eyes as a fluttering sensation grew in her stomach. Their hands remained locked for many seconds – before Light Yagami stood from his seat and smiled welcomingly at Ami. Finally, she and Ryuzaki released each other.

"Mizuno-san, it's a pleasure to have you with us," Light said. "I'm sure you'll be of great help." He gestured past his shoulder, toward the rolling hills of documents, video tapes, and compact discs on the examination tables and desks. "Would you like to get started?"

In the corner of the chamber, nearly invisible in the shadows – and completely invisible to Ami Mizuno – Rem's one eye glared intently at the blue haired girl.

Although Ami was already familiar with much of the Kira investigation thanks to the information L had already shared with her, it still took hours to introduce her to all the material they had collected which L had not shared – documents in hard copy, geographical data, emails, letters, handwritten notes, even traffic and mass transit data. The task force, in desperation for leads, had amassed a broad trove of evidence, much of which probably pertained to nothing of any importance to solving the case. In a drought of ideas, however, even the slightest pattern might be worth examining more deeply. Ryuzaki, Light, Soichiro, and Mogi took Ami on a guided tour of the evidence the team had at its disposal. Aizawa and Ide has stepped out of the headquarters in order to make contact with the Japanese police, to explain to Director Kitamura that they would require some further time with L's team, under the pretense that L might have valuable information to share with the NPA. Matsuda would have been responsible for assisting with Ami's tour of the evidence, but after the first hour had passed and he found that he had not said a single productive word, he had taken to sitting nearby and simply listening to the rest of the team discuss the evidence, tools, and equipment the task force possessed.

After they had reviewed the case materials, Ryuzaki broke the rhythm of the discussion: "All of these sources of evidence, however, pale in importance compared to a single item now in our possession." Looking past Ami, Ryuzaki locked eyes with Light, who nodded in acknowledgment. "Please wait here." Ryuzaki walked quietly but quickly away from the group and out of the room, through one of the side corridors.

"What Ryuzaki is about to show you," Light began to explain, "will change your perspective on everything."

"You mean the case – all of the evidence you've shown me – will come into focus?" asked Ami.

"Yes, perhaps, but that's not quite what I mean," Light replied. His voice grew softer and deeper. "I mean that it will change your perspective on everything. You will not be able to view the world the same way again."

Ami said nothing in reply. She only took in a slow breath in preparation. It had only been a few hours since she had met Light, but she had already learned to regard his words with gravity. Behind her, Soichiro Yagami crossed his arms tightly over his chest.

In a moment, Ryuzaki returned. In his left hand, he held, by its corner, a small black notebook. "This is it," he said, approaching the group. He held it up for Ami to see its front cover and on it, the words "Death Note."

Ami felt a chill run up her spine. She was uncertain whether the sensation was the result of expectation and suspense or whether she had sensed something more tangible, albeit mystical, about this book. "What is it?"

"It is the murder weapon." Ryuzaki opened the book to its inner cover, on which the rules of the notebook were written. On the visible first page, names of victims were written. "This is the source of Kira's power. When a person's name is written in this book, that person dies. Kira can control the circumstances and time of death, within some restrictions – as you already know. He does this by writing the details alongside the victim's name."

Ami leaned in closer to examine the scrawled rules of the notebook and the handwriting in the book. "But if you have this..."

"Then how is Kira still committing murders?" Ryuzaki filled in. "The simplest explanation is that there is more than one notebook in the world. We recovered this notebook from when we apprehended Higuchi, who had been, until recently, acting as Kira. I am not, however, convinced that Higuchi was, in fact, the Kira we have been hunting. I believe he was a proxy of sorts, that the original Kira provided him with this notebook – possibly to draw our attention away from him."

"It's morbid," observed Ami, "but fascinating." She reached out with her fingers to turn a page of the notebook as Ryuzaki held it.

In a burst of motion, Ryuzaki yanked the book away from Ami and tucked it firmly against his chest. "No! You must not touch it!"

"I'm sorry," Light apologized, apparently on behalf of L. "If you touch the notebook, there might be grave consequences."

"Indeed, you must read these rules – but be sure not to touch the notebook." Ryuzaki produced the notebook again and opened it to its rear cover, on which two additional rules were written:

"'If the user of the Death Note fails to consecutively write names within thirteen days of each other, then the user will die,'" Ami read aloud. "'If a person makes this notebook unusable by tearing it up or burning it, all the humans who have touched the Death Note will die.' I see... Thank you for stopping me before I touched it, even if it is unlikely that the notebook will be destroyed."

"There is more," Ryuzaki began to explain. "If you touch the notebook, you will be able to see a supernatural being that seems to haunt the book."

Ami gazed at Ryuzaki in sudden shock. "A supernatural being?" A notebook that could kill was supernatural in itself – and was disturbing and surprising in itself – but the fact that something, presumably conscious and intelligent, haunted the notebook was even more disquieting than any of the previous revelations. If something did haunt the notebook, was it evil? Was it a threat to the world? If it were, why hadn't Ami – Sailor Mercury – or any of her friends sensed it before?

"Yes, a shinigami," he answered. "It is, in fact, right there." He pointed toward the corner of the room.

Ami turned and looked into the dull shadows of the corner. The place was empty but for some wisps of dust, barely visible. If there had been a god of death there, Ami indeed could not see it. Moreover, she could not sense its presence. There was an emptiness about the place toward which Ryuzaki's finger jutted; the emptiness was so mundane that its banality further unsettled Ami's stomach. Though she was never the strongest psychic of the Sailor Senshi, she felt confident she would know if there had been a dark presence just in front of her. "It is invisible and inaudible to anyone who has not touched the notebook, but I assure you that it is there."

"I trust you."

"You do?" asked Ryuzaki. "Even though it's such a preposterous claim?"

"It would be silly for me not to trust you," she replied with a small smile. "Besides, why would you make up something like that?" She did believe him; what she struggled to believe was that over the entire span of Kira's activity, none of the Sailor Senshi – neither the guardians of the inner solar system nor the outer solar system – had sensed the presence of this alleged death spirit.

Light stepped forward, bringing himself shoulder to shoulder with Ami. "It appears that the shinigami here was haunting Higuchi while he was using the notebook."

Ami's heart jumped, and she let out a gentle gasp. "Does that mean," she asked, "that the shinigami has information about the investigation? Does it speak? Can you talk to it?"

Though invisible to Ami, Rem had strutted forward. She was just a few meters away from the detectives now. Her eye was fixed on Ami.

"We can speak to it, yes," answered Light. "But it's been giving us cryptic and unhelpful answers, quite frankly. It doesn't seem to have any reason to help us, even if it does know more than it is letting on."

"Maybe I could speak to it and convince it to help us," Ami mused, gazing pensively in the general direction of the shinigami Rem.

"I cannot permit you to touch the notebook, Mizuno-san." Ryuzaki once again clutched the book to his chest. "Every other member of the task force has touched the notebook, which means that according to the rule, if the book is destroyed, we will all die. In that event, you must survive."

Ami now turned back to Ryuzaki, not perplexed but attentive.

"Though I suspect this is not the case, it might be that Kira's plan is to eliminate as many members of the task force as possible by arranging for this book to be destroyed. If that is the case, then it is imperative that at least one of us survive. So long as you are alive, the investigation can continue."

A realization struck her in a sudden ambush: It was not likely, but if that was Kira's plan – to kill everyone on the investigation – then she would be the last detective standing against Kira, possibly the last in the world. She quaked at the thought. "I understand," she responded quietly. "But what do you mean that you suspect that is not the case? It seems like it might be a good plan for Kira."

"There is still much to tell you." Ryuzaki loosened his grip on the notebook and studied, for a moment, the letters on its cover. "Allow me to begin with my conclusions and then I shall tell you how I arrived at them: I believe that the two rules in the back of this notebook are fake, designed to facilitate Kira's plans. And I believe that Light Yagami is Kira."

Sounds of spontaneous emotion erupted from around Ryuzaki: from Soichiro, a grunt of disdain; from Light, a growl of contempt; from Ami, a gasp of trembling surprise.


In a quiet meditation chamber of Hikawa Shrine, a thin wood and paper door slid open just wide enough for Sailor Neptune to peer through. Assessing the dimly lit room to be empty of people, the lone Senshi gracefully slid into the room and shut the door behind her. The square chamber held a small incense burner, several thin floor cushions, and an unlit lantern on the floor in the corner. Neptune scanned the tatami mats on the floor and skulked into the far corner. She knelt and began sliding her fingers beneath the edge of one of the mats. Earlier, she and Uranus had waited and watched Rei Hino from afar. They had seen her enter this chamber from the outside of the shrine, and they could just barely see her through the window slits that she had knelt down here – presumably where the Black Crystal was hidden.

Before she could lift the mat, her attention was drawn by a light thud on the floor behind her. She froze in place.

"I thought you would come back, but I thought you would at least wait until you had the cover of darkness."

Neptune rose to her feet and turned on the balls of her feet to face Sailor Mars. "Uranus was impatient," she said with a brief shrug. She looked up toward the rafters, which were snuggly fit against the ceiling. "You must be quite agile to have hidden up there."

"Save your banter for Uranus," rebuked Sailor Mars. "I suggest you leave. You reunite with Uranus and quip all you want. Where is she, by the way?"

Neptune watched as Mars slid her left foot forward to brace her stance. "Are you preparing to fight me?"

"If I have to."

"You're going to fight me alone?"

"What if I do?"

"I'm stronger than you."

Mars gritted her teeth. Was she goading her?

"Uranus is going to be very upset when she learns why I've been delayed."

"Sailor Moon will be upset when she learns you've tried to betray us."

"Betray?" Neptune snapped back, taking genuine offense. "I'm disobeying an order by the Princess, yes – but it's a foolish order. It's my duty to ignore foolish commands."

Mars inhaled sharply. "It's the duty of both of us to protect the Earth, though. Fighting each other makes no sense." As a sign of sincerity, she relaxed her posture.

"I don't suppose I can convince you to give me the shard of the Evil Dark Crystal, can I?" asked Neptune with a tone of resignation.

"No."

Neptune's brow tightened; her face grew stern. "I'm afraid it does make sense for us to fight, when one of us is not doing her duty."

Without warning, Neptune lurched forward and struck a hand overhead. Crackling arcs of blue energy formed around her raised hand. Before she could manifest the attack fully, however, she felt herself yanked backward. As quickly as she had gone on the offensive, her efforts were quashed, and her arms were bound at her sides by a thick golden chain of heart-shaped links. With an abrupt gasp and groan, the disoriented Sailor Neptune turned her head to see Sailor Venus standing in the now open door to the outside of the shrine. Firmly in her hands was a length of chain leading to Neptune's bindings.

Sailor Mars grinned smugly. "I never actually said I would fight you alone."

Standing on the wood planks of the shrine's perimeter walkway, Venus braced herself in anticipation for Neptune to struggle against the Love-Me Chain.

Mars took up a ready stance once more and stepped closer to the ensnared Senshi. "Please, let's not do this," she commanded. "I'd really rather not damage the shrine."

"You didn't say you'd fight alone." Shuffling on her feet, Neptune regained her balance and stood tall once more. "And I said I was stronger than you. I meant it."

With a quick flick of her wrist, the Deep Aqua Mirror appeared in her hand. As she brandished it over the line of the chain between her and Venus, a beam of bright energy sliced through the golden links. The chain shattered as if it were glass struck with a hammer. The mirror dematerialized from Neptune's hand after the beam dissipated. Seizing the brief opportunity, Venus released the crumbling shards of her chain and charged at Neptune with a flying kick. Venus inbound, Neptune slipped to the side of the attack and herself leapt into the air. With a blunt slam, Neptune's foot collided with Venus's abdomen. The force of the blow sent her soaring off course and into the tatami mats at the feet of Sailor Mars – who instantly sprung forward, bounding over the grounded Venus. She sought to maneuver within a fist's range of Neptune, but her target had dashed away already. Neptune was out the door and outside the shrine before Mars could take so much as a swing at her.

Not giving up so easily, the fiery Senshi gave chase and bolted out the door after her. By the time she had followed in Neptune's movements and dove over the wooden railing of the walkway, it was too late, however. An overwhelmingly loud sound swept over the shrine like a tidal wave: a helicopter flying low just over the trees. In a single bound, Neptune sprung from the ground of the shrine through the side door of the chopper. Just as soon as she had boarded the helicopter, it altered its course and buzzed over the roof of the shrine. The aircraft flew low enough for Mars to see Sailor Uranus in the pilot seat, giving her a chopping salute.

"Damn it!" swore Mars, balling her fists at her sides.

In a moment, Venus vaulted over the railing and sprinted to join Mars, too late to join the fight but in time to watch the helicopter fly into the distant horizon.

"Jeez!" Venus exclaimed. "Didn't their helicopter blow up a few years ago? Where do they get the money for these things?"

"Who cares where they got the money!" shouted Mars. Immediately, she regretted the outburst. "I'm sorry, Venus. It's just..."

"I know," Venus consoled, putting a hand on the shoulder of Mars. She looked up again at the sky. The helicopter was now completely out of sight. "Well, this isn't good."

"You have a talent for understatement."

Smugly, Venus rested her hands on her hips. "I have many talents."

"Venus," began an exasperated Mars, "that wasn't a compliment."


Ami Mizuno sat on the edge of the elevated helipad on the roof of task force headquarters, with her bare feet dangling over the rooftop below. The sun had begun to set. It was a serene sight to behold, but Ami took little comfort in the beauty. With the fingers of her right hand, she fidgeted with her shoes. Interrupting her quiet brooding, however, was the sound of footsteps on the metal stairs leading up to the helipad behind her. Light Yagami was approaching her.

"Good evening, Mizuno-san."

"Yagami-kun."

Light stopped a few meters away from Ami and looked down at the surface of the helipad as if he were inspecting an invisible line drawn between them. "Do you mind the company?"

"Not at all."

He stepped forward and sat down beside her. "We haven't had the opportunity to speak socially," he said – and then immediately smirked ironically. "Although you've probably heard quite a bit about me from Ryuzaki. If he's been sharing with you his thoughts about the case, I'm sure he's thoroughly explained why he believes I might be Kira."

"He told me many things about you, yes," she replied honestly. After Light had calmed his father's anger at Ryuzaki's earlier repeated accusation of Light being Kira, Ryuzaki had, in private, expatiated his reasoning about the case to Ami. She had received a thorough narrative of the events of nearly the entire investigation to date, including much information about Light Yagami.

"And what do you think?" he asked. "Am I Kira?"

"I don't know," she answered, again honest. "I can see why Ryuzaki thinks it's a possibility." She pressed her hands together on her lap and gazed into the distance at the now dwindling sun.

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have asked such a question," he apologized. "It wasn't fair to put you on the spot like that."

Ami continued watching the sun vanish under the city of Tokyo. "Really, it's okay. If we're going to work together, we should be able to talk to each other openly."

"Funny you should say that, given that we are working with Ryuzaki."

She turned, again, to look at Light. "What do you mean?"

"Well, the most straightforward way of putting it is that he's a liar," Light explained, without the slightest tone of resentment. "I don't mean that he goes out of his way to hurt people with his deception, but I don't think I've ever known Ryuzaki to be completely open or honest. He's always on guard, always scheming."

Meekly, Ami looked down at her hands and said, "I don't think that's true."

"You don't?" said Light, sounding amused. "You must have a different impression of him than everyone else who knows him."

"I don't think that's true, either," she said cryptically. "But Ryuzaki doesn't seem like he's always on guard to me. He just seems... lost."

"That's an interesting way to describe him." Light leaned back on his hands, looking up at the darkening sky. "Lost. Yes, sometimes he does seem lost. He's almost childlike."

"Maybe he's a lost child who grew up," she mused. "Like an orphan in a story for children. Have you noticed how orphans in stories often have an outsider's insight on the world and on people? Maybe that's Ryuzaki." Ami rubbed her thumbs together and spoke as if she were speaking to herself.

Light took notice of her whimsical demeanor. He studied her from the corner of his eye, with his head still tipped skyward. "You like him a great deal, don't you?"

Spontaneously, Ami emitted a brief yelp, and her cheeks flushed a subtle pink. "I- I respect and admire him, yes."

A broad grin spread across Light's face. "And you trust him, even though he's so enigmatic, don't you?"

"Yes, I do," Ami said with sudden confidence. "And I think – I hope – he trusts me, too. I don't think he would let me join the investigation if he didn't."

"He must trust in you tremendously," Light agreed, "to have invited you here, to have shared with you all of the information he has."

"Y-yes, I agree," she stuttered, half assured and half blushing. "I'm glad to have his confidence."

You do have his confidence, don't you? With calm scrutiny, Light studied Ami's face as if he could see through her, as if he could discern by her expression the reason L had trusted her. Whatever L's reasons, you are a problem.

"If I didn't know any better," Light said smirkingly, "I'd say he had a soft spot for you."

Before Ami could respond in any other way but to yelp yet again, a shout from across the rooftop interrupted them:

"Light-kun, Mizuno-san, Ryuzaki wants to speak to all of us," yelled Matsuda from the doorway to the stairwell. He then muttered to himself, "I can't believe Ryuzaki made me climb all the way up here to get them. Couldn't he have just sent them a text?"

"We'll just have to finish this conversation another time," Light said as he got to his feet.

Light and Ami joined Matsuda at the stairwell and began making their way back down to the central levels of the headquarters. They rode the elevator down several floors in silence and strode out into the corridor toward the main room. Halfway there, in front of the bathroom door, Light halted.

"Uh, excuse me," he said with a touch of uncharacteristic awkwardness and an apologetic smile. "I'll join you in a moment."

"Sure thing," replied a grinning Matsuda.

Light quickly slipped through the door. With a quick flick of his fingers, the bathroom door locked behind him. He drew the crumpled sheet of Death Note paper from his pocket and flattened it against the cold tile wall with hurried motions. He glanced at his watch – approximately seven o'clock in the evening. Seconds were flying by as his mind scrambled to reassemble his plan. His left hand held the paper to the wall; his right hand fetched a pen from his pocket. The scratch of the tip of the pen on the paper was the only audible sound in the room. Curt words now sat at the top of the page:

Hittori Yamaguchi

accidental death

dies at 7:15pm

Light slid the pen's tip down a few lines and hesitated. He had to be exact in his wording. He rehearsed the commands in his mind one final time before writing:

Ami Mizuno

gunshot wound

dies between the hours of 7pm and 10pm

Reviewing his work, he closed his fist around the page. The ball of paper was tight in his hand. The die is cast. Without further deliberation, he placed the wad of lethal paper into his mouth and swallowed. The murder weapon passed roughly down his throat and settled in his stomach. His throat still burned from the abrasive paper, but a smirk crept across his face. Farewell, Ami Mizuno.