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Chapter 9
You Can't Escape With a Name
Theme: High and Mighty Color-Ichirin no Hana (Bleach Opening 2)
It was raining. Hard. Ryo and Shijuro dashed for the car, trying to keep from getting too wet from the torrent that fell from the heavens.
"Crazy, huh...just an hour ago it was clear." Ryo noted.
"A rainstorm was predicted for tonight, you know." Shijuro replied.
"Hm. Doesn't make it any less strange."
"True. So, shall I drop you off at home?"
"That's very generous of you, Asahi-San. Thanks."
"No problem. You're not too far away from my home anyway."
The drive was mostly quiet, except for the heavy rapping of rain on the car's body. The drops made beautifully ephermal patterns on the glass of the windshield as they splashed and melded with one another. The streetlights shifting through the windshield made those varying droplets dance on the interior of the car, a shimmering orange tapestry of light that always changed.
People didn't appreciate rain enough, Ryo thought.
"Ryo..."
"Hm?"
"How do you... Know the future? You said I would've died in five years."
Ryo sighed inwardly.
"It's a long story. But, the gist of it is that all of these events were predicted in a manga several years ago. Once I picked up the Death Note, which was before Light got his, all references to that series disappeared. Only I could remember it. Nobody else. I know it sounds stupid, but...that's the truth of it. In the manga, L is killed by Light, and one of L's successors kidnaps Sayu, your daughter. He wants a Death Note in exchange for her."
At this, Ryo noticed Shijuro tense up, his knuckles white from his tightened grip on the steering wheel.
"Should I go on?"
"Continue."
"You give him the Death Note, and, later on, wracked by guilt, you and the rest of the task force raid the facility where the Death Note is, recovering it. You make a trade for the Shinigami Eyes in order to find out the Mafia boss's real name. His name is Mihael Keehl. But you can't bring yourself to write his name. One of his goons shoots you in the back. You die from bullet wounds in the hospital, Light begging you to write the name. You can see Light's lifespan, and so you die happily, believing that Light isn't Kira. You don't write the name. Your soul survives, I guess. I could never tell whether Light was truly saddened by your death or not."
He looked at Shijuro's face. He had on an emotionless mask. Nothing showed through.
"That's pathetic." The mustached man scoffed.
Ryo looked at Shijuro with bewilderment.
"Pathetic? You die a hero, and you call it pathetic? What's wrong with you?"
Shijuro gave Ryo a glance.
The young man could see a flame burning brightly within the police chief's soul. His normally soft cedar-brown eyes had a harsh red cast to them.
"I've changed, Ryo. Soichiro Yagami is dead. I am Shijuro Asahi now. I'm not naive or gullible. Neither Light or L will be able to play me for a fool. Back then...I was looking for a reason to die. Now...I've found a reason for living. You can't save me or stop me. You think you know me. You don't know me. Not in the slightest." He hissed.
Ryo was surprised by the vehemence with which Shijuro spoke these words. He had never seen this aggressive, angry side of the man.
"Shijuro... Please. Calm down. I didn't mean to provoke you."
"Provoke me? You haven't provoked me. I just want you to remember what I say. Here we are. I expect to see you tomorrow at the station, bright and early. 8:00 AM sharp. I'll have a badge and ID made with your alias on them."
"Thanks, Asahi-San."
"You can call me Chief now. I am your boss, after all. And don't expect me to tolerate slacking just because you're a friend. You'll be fired immediately if I catch you napping on the job, so get your sleep tonight. Good luck, Ryo Nakamura."
Ryo stepped out of Shijuro's car, which took off as soon as the door was closed.
He sighed as the rain poured on his head, pelting him with tiny cold bullets of water.
Ryo ran up the stairs to the apartment, running into his dad, who was walking down the same stairs.
"Ichirou? What's up?"
"Dad. Don't call me Ichirou. Call me Ryo. I need the alias. I'm investigating Kira, and I can't have him knowing my real name. My name from now on is Ryo Nakamura."
"Why'd you pick such a lame name? Why not...Raiden or something awesome like that?"
Ryo sighed.
"I can't pick a name that stands out too much. Something like Raiden would be so obviously fake, it would defeat the purpose of using an alias."
"But what about Nakamura?"
"Got that from a video game." He grinned.
Hans just scratched his head and looked confused.
"Well...anyway, I was just going out for a quick smoke. You should tell your mom about that whole thing. I bet she'd be really proud of you."
Hans continued walking down the stairs, then he suddenly froze.
"Wait...did you say you were investigating Kira?"
"Yeah."
"So that means...you're a cop now?"
"More like an investigator, but yes, I can arrest people, if that's what you're asking."
Hans' eyes looked like they were about to pop out of his cranium.
"I don't know whether to run screaming or hug you to death."
Ryo grinned.
"I'll just go tell Mom then. See ya, Dad. And...you should really quit smoking. Won't do your health any good."
Hans shrugged.
"Eh. I don't smoke any more than once a month. On the day we moved here. The 17th. I dunno. Guess it's just one of those good-luck quirks of mine."
"I think your lungs would beg to differ. See ya, Dad."
"Mmhm."
Ryo opened the door of the house, and noticed his mom sitting on the floor with her laptop reading the news.
"Hi Mom."
"Oh, hi, sweetie. How'd the interview go?" She looked up at him expectantly.
"Guess what?"
"What? You were rejected for being completely unskilled?" She said sarcastically.
"Actually, the exact opposite. I got the job, and I start tomorrow."
"That's amazing, Ichirou! I'm so proud of you!"
"Uhh...you can't call me Ichirou anymore, by the way."
"How come?"
"Well...you heard about how Kira kills with names and faces? I have an alias now. Ryo Nakamura. I don't want Kira to find out my name. Even if he knows my face, he can't kill me because he doesn't know my real name."
"I see. Did you hear about the riots happening in Kyoto? Kira versus anti-Kira protesters fighting. Twenty people got killed by gunfire when one of the protestors pulled a gun. Apparently he was a cop. Got killed by the mob when his weapon jammed. Poetic irony." She gave Ryo a disturbing grin.
"And...moral of the story?" Ryo cocked his head slightly.
"Don't take on too many people with a non-automatic weapon and a small clip size."
"I'll...try to keep that in mind..."
Ryo slowly backed away to his room, which was furnished with a bed, desk, and bookcase now. The bookcase was filled with magazines, books, and video game cases. The desk held his laptop, a lamp, along with a few pens, pencils, and a black writing notebook he used to take notes and sketch plans.
As Ryo changed into his kimono and brushed his teeth, he planned out how he'd catch Kira. He knew Matsuda would most likely have informed L of his suspicions towards Light. Ryo also knew that L would want to put both him and Shijuro under surveillance. He had a sheet of the note tucked away safely in a hidden compartment of his