I Have the Right to Destroy

Chapter 10: Strategy

(L)

Amane Misa got into an accident. Her body was not found at the crash site. There was a bloody set of footprints leading away from the scene, which faded before it reached her destination. In other words, she escaped from us.

The rider who died was a man without an ID. No-one knew who he was. It's likely that he was hired by somebody to kidnap Amane.

One of the suspects witnessed the accident. Could this be his doing? Could he have been the one responsible for the kidnapping of Amane? Or could he have been the one who killed the guy?

No, it's unlikely that he killed the guy. The face wasn't seen, the name was unknown. Furthermore, all he did during the accident was to watch. This 'watching' couldn't have been the method of killing, could it…?

"Amane's phone was destroyed during the crash. She also managed to find the tracking device on her body. She took it off somewhere along this area," reported Wedy. She pointed to a spot very near the scene. "Since nobody was able to notice her, she might have gotten some help, or she must have put on a disguise…"

"I see. Misora-san, did you notice where she could have gone?"

She shook her head. "I… I'm sorry, L. I thought that the suspect's behaviour was much more suspicious, so I tried my best to observe his movements rather than see where Amane-san headed…"

"What did you find out?"

Misora pressed some buttons to control the video that she took of the suspect's actions. She paused to a frame which showed him ducking behind a dumpster. "There. While people were contacting the police and an ambulance, he was hiding there."

I squinted. I pressed play, and the pause again. The image was very blurry. All of us in the team leaned in closer to the screen.

"What's that black thing he slipped into his bag?" asked Light.

"It's a bit floppy… it looks like a small envelope…" muttered Souichirou.

"It looks like a manual of some sorts," said Aizawa.

No. I zoomed in and enhanced the image in my mind. Amongst the mess of pixels, I guessed that there were horizontal lines on the white paper side of the object. "An ordinary notebook…" I said, after a long moment of analysis.

A notebook. So, it's true…

The members of the task force groaned. "That's it? He ducked behind the dumpster for an ordinary notebook? And he picked it up while there's something much more exciting going on! Gee, that guy's weird," said Matsuda in exasperation.

With that gleam of suspicion in his eyes, Yagami Light turned to me. "Ryuzaki. What do you think of this?"

I bit my thumb. There's no way that the suspect picked it up out of a whim. He may not be responsible for the death, but he must have witnessed the murder and not just the accident. "… that has to be it. That notebook must be related to the death of the motorcycle rider."

Everyone looked at me incredulously.

"A notebook… but how?"

"We have to get that notebook to know for sure. Wedy, can you steal it for us?"

She looked at me with unease. She hesitated as she said, "Of course I will try my very best, Ryuzaki. But as of now, we've lost him…"

"He's moving suspiciously fast," I said, nodding to her. "Steal the notebook if you can, but assume that he could kill you with just your face. It would not be good if he manages to kill you, as he can manipulate your actions before death and make you reveal things you shouldn't."

"You think that he has second Kira's powers? I thought he's a Kira suspect?" asked Light.

"Safety first, Light-kun. He might have gained second Kira's powers without our knowledge."

Everybody nodded. "A notebook related to death… what would you call it, a death note? It sounds like a terrible horror story," bleated Matsuda with a look of befuddlement.

"It has been a terrible horror story from the start, Matsuda," answered Souichirou in solemnity.

Well said, ex-Vice Chief.

Minotaur. You slipped. This may be the start of your downwards spiral.

Amane Misa has disappeared. There's a good chance that she'd been killed off by Kira already. In any case, it would seem that there's no way for us to find out where her body was.

Kira's killings were shameless. The numbers rose. More and more petty criminals and ex-convicts died from heart attacks, along with serious offenders. He seemed drunk with power. He might not be afraid to start judging those who aren't convicted of anything yet.

Misora and Wedy had so far done a good job of confirming our suspicions of everyone. I knew that I have to make a move soon. I have to reveal my face to Kira, and I had to make sure that it's truly him. I have to find out how he uses the notebook. Disable him. And make sure he never kills again.

Kira's goal was to kill L, and then everybody else by his method—any other method would mean that he lost. The other two's goal was to solve the mystery. Rub Kira's defeat to his face, and then "disable him. Make sure he never kills again."

If any of them succeeded, they would have beaten me. They would have surpassed L.

Well, I'm the grown-up among them. I'll give them a chance to beat me.

In any case, in order to solve this case, we need to find out all we need to find out about Minotaur's new notebook. Wedy had just told me that it was impossible to steal the notebook, even though he flaunts himself around... for some reason, Wedy thinks that it isn't with the suspect anymore.

I'll have to use another trump card, then.

I pressed a button labeled 'N' on my desktop and waited for an answer.

"L… I did not know you had it in you to call me like this," said Near. He seemed to be in a quiet place when he answered my call. When he spoke to me, he didn't feel the need to distort his voice in any way. "Am I finally off the Kira suspects list? A hundred percent?"

"From the beginning, you were the least likely suspect. I am confident now that you aren't Kira," I told him.

"I doubt that. But even if you still suspect me, it doesn't change the fact that I am not Kira, and that you would be wasting your time if you choose to continue on pressing me about it," he answered.

Typical Whammy's House student response. We were trained to assume that certain individuals always lie. You are a good student, Near.

"We had a deal about information sharing. That is, there's no guarantee that I'll give you the truth. Why did you contact me this time, L? I wonder if it has anything to do with the failed kidnapping of Miss Amane?"

"I know that you have better means of surveying Matt and Mello. On that day, were you watching any of them?"

"Unfortunately, no. We found trouble that day. I only found out about the whole accident afterwards through our spies. I was about to use another one of mine to dig out more information from you."

I rubbed my thumb against my gums. I never knew that he found that particular spy so… useful. I underestimated him. "No need for that. I will give you pertinent information about the Kira case, which was obtained from that incident."

"Really? And what do I need to do in exchange?" he asked nonchalantly.

"I doubt that you can, or you will do anything in exchange," I answered.

He fell silent. I heard a soft tapping noise. Perhaps he just put down one of his toys on the floor. "This is very unlike you, L. I don't know if I can trust you."

"This may surprise you, Near, but at this point, all I want to do is to stop Kira. Whoever can do it between the two of us doesn't matter. You always had the advantage because you knew Matt and Mello better than I do—you were much more able in predicting their movements. I think you will be the one to win in this game."

"Are you hinting at collaboration instead of competition, L? You know I'll refuse."

"So refuse. I'm the one with the information, not you. I doubt you can trust your spy with this," I told him.

Again, silence. "All right. I'll listen," he said after a few moments of thought.

I grinned and ate a sugar cube. "All right. You know who the suspect in question is, I suppose."

"That would be the person you labeled Minotaur, isn't it?"

"Yes. He was there when the accident itself took place. I will send you a video that my spy took of him."

I sent the file and allowed him a few moments to watch the clip. As he watched it, I heard more tapping noises. He was probably thinking really deeply when he saw his comrade's blurry pixels moving on the screen. "What's that he took from behind the dumpster? Do you have an enhanced still of this frame?" he asked.

I sent the file in question.

"A black notebook…" Mindlessly, he added, "I've seen that before…"

Near has seen it before?

"Yes, I'm pretty sure of it… both of them had notebooks like that," he answered.

"Both Mello and Matt?"

"Yes. I didn't put much meaning on it during the time. Everyone in this country has notebooks like that. But now that I think about it… I know that I've seen them holding those notebooks during different times," he answered.

"When?"

He paused in thought before saying, "Matt had one before Miss Amane's confinement, and Mello afterwards. Based on my spies' reports, none of them were seen writing things in it. The notebooks just seemed to be among their possessions."

"Were your spies able to take photographs or videos of them with the notebooks?"

"No. Like I said, there didn't seem to be anything special about those notebooks. I won't be surprised if Matt or Mello just happened to have them for no special reason. Back in Whammy's House, Matt always wrote his cheat codes in notebooks, and even during this Kira chase, he still played video games. On the other hand, Mello is the type who's meticulous enough to take note of important events and to write down his plans. Also, for some reason, even before he left Whammy's, he has a lot of contacts in the outside world…"

A-ha.

"L, if I may guess your theory, you think that these notebooks are related to the kidnapper's death. Either the notebook contains a message from the person responsible for the death, or the notebook itself is the tool for killing."

I smiled as I said without hesitation, "Yes."

Another moment of silence. I ate a banana to fill the void.

"If I may ask, L… what's your next move?" he asked. It wasn't obvious, but I could tell that there was some cautiousness in his voice.

"I plan to have a rematch, of course."

"A rematch?"

"Between myself and Kira. This is the main reason why I contacted you, Near," I told him. I tossed the banana peel over my shoulder.

"You're… asking me for a rematch?"

"No. I'm asking you to arrange it."

Whether Near is Kira or not, he would follow this particular order. He knows that it is necessary. His final victory depends on it.

But with Near, that little liar, I know there's more that he's not telling me. I'll have to wheedle this information out of Light-kun later.

(Near)

L just asked me to arrange his rematch with Kira. It means that I had to find a way to gather all of us together in one place, where we could meet face to face: L, Mello, Matt, and I. I knew that it was impossible that all of us be completely alone during that meeting. I would cheat if that were the condition. So we've no choice: we have to let Kira have his weapon ready.

"This confirms it, Commander Lester, Halle. Minotaur obtained another Death Note," I said.

Lester nodded at me seriously. "Do we do anything about it, Near?"

"Unfortunately, we can't. Stealing this new notebook would be too risky; even though the chances that he has them are low, we do not know if he has second Kira's powers. We also do not know whether he has other pawns or not."

Halle swallowed nervously and asked, "So, what's our next move?"

As I spoke, I continued putting dice one on top of the other. "We have to find out more about these notes through Mikami. That's one."

Giovanni was successful enough in tailing Mikami Teru, a To-Oh University student whom we believe is Minotaur's pawn. Thanks to his good spying skills, he was able to capture images of Mikami using the Death Note and its immediate results. Furthermore, he was able to capture all the pages. This is where I have an advantage over L, Matt, and Mello: I know all the rules of the Death Note by heart.

"Next, we have to find a way to let our intentions for a rematch known to everyone. L is right; it would seem that the SPK is the most able group to arrange this meeting. That's two."

Yes, it would seem that way. One among Mello and Matt was convinced that I am not Kira. And one among Mello and Matt was convinced that I am L's pawn. In any case, they would agree to such a meeting. As long as all of us are given enough time to plan our moves, this would not be a problem.

"Finally, using all we know about Mikami's Death Note… we set a trap for Kira. That's three.

"But, as always, our problem is time. To carry out this plan seems premature. Ideally, we shouldn't move unless we confirm how many pawns Minotaur has with him. Also, we have to know whether Amane Misa is dead or alive. We can probably confirm the first one, but as for Amane… it would be extremely difficult, if not impossible. There's a good chance that she's under the protection of the Death Note. But if she's dead, then it may have been manipulated in such a way that her body is not found. We have known Kira to be clean when it comes to this.

"If Amane or a pawn other than Mikami finds his or her way to this rematch… we're as good as dead."

I waved my hand towards the dice tower I just created. My little dice skyscrapers fell to the ground.

Lester nodded nervously. Halle had that silent, eagle-eyed expression on her face. I know what they're thinking: there's a really big chance that this plan will fail. If that happens, then the world will be at the mercy of Kira.

I turned around and looked at my guest in the eye, who was standing next to Halle. "So… Yagami-kun, it is thanks to you that we know of the Death Note. If you hadn't included Mikami on the list of suspicious Kira's Kingdom viewers, we wouldn't have had reason to tail him. Given that I've explained to you everything else you need to know about Kira—that is, Minotaur—what do you think? Should we go ahead or not?"

Yagami Light shook his head. When he spoke, his voice was uneasy. "Ryuzaki's fear is that if we let Kira have his way any longer, then he would find more pawns to manipulate. He would find it much easier to find all of us and kill us. And now that you've confirmed that he obtained another Death Note, I think he's right. We have to take this risk. We have to find a way to bring Minotaur down immediately."

I nodded. "Yes, I'll have to agree with L on this one too. It seems that we only have one shot at this. Commander Lester, let's show Yagami-kun our new place."

Yagami's face instantly looked perplexed. Lester pressed some buttons on his computer. The image of a warehouse flashed on the multiple screens.

"This may be the ideal place for the rematch that L wishes. Yellow Box, a warehouse located on the Daikoku Wharf. We bought the entire property just in case anything like this happened. There is only one entrance. With this and the right conditions during the meeting, we can be assured that Kira will not have many weapons at his disposal."

"How could you say that?"

I twirled a lock of my hair as I assessed Kira's personality and estimated his knowledge. Yes, I'm right about this. "Kira doesn't know our true names, and thus will definitely need Shinigami eyes to kill us off. I am sure, because he hasn't killed me or the other guy yet, despite seeing us face-to-face in different occasions. And I know that he would never make the eye deal. He would not give half his lifespan if he could manipulate other people to do it for him."

"You know Matt and Mello that well," Yagami said doubtfully.

"L thinks so. I think he would know," I replied coldly.

"So when do you plan to have this meeting?" he asked.

I looked up the ceiling in thought. "We'll probably need… three weeks."

"Are you sure that's not too soon, Near?" asked Lester.

"Giovanni needs enough time with Mikami to make this work. Three weeks is the minimum," I told him.

Lester nodded nervously. Yagami, on the other hand, had an incredulous look on his face. "Three weeks? I think that's a bit too long. It would be enough time for Kira to find another pawn. Mikami might just be sacrificed before that time, and we'd end up with no-one…"

"I doubt that those two, or even L, would agree to anything less. The best we can do is to keep surveillance. I think it's likely that Kira has noticed that we have eyes on Mikami—this is precisely why we need Gevanni to dig into the Death Note a little deeper. I wouldn't be surprised if there were lies in there to throw us off. If Mikami is killed off, it would just make it easier for us to track him down. No, we need to give even Kira enough time to create his game plan. We'll just have to make sure we outsmart him."

Yagami looked at me with unease.

"What's the matter? You don't think we can do it?"

"I… I'm sorry. I'm not as confident as Commander Lester or Miss Ridner. I… I really don't think we'll win…"

He looked so scared that Halle put an arm around his shoulder in an attempt to comfort him. I frowned. This is why I don't like people who aren't hardened by police work yet. They're too… emotional. I'll need to psych him up for this…

"I guess L never told you this line before…" I began.

"What line?"

With my usual deadpan expression, I pointed a finger at him and said, "The good guys always win."

I hated having to say that, but it certainly lifted their spirits. Yagami smiled at me and said with confidence, "Yes! L, I believe what you say. The good guys will also win this one!"

I can't believe they fell for that cheesy line. "Please don't call me L. I only borrowed his identity so that you'd spy on their investigation for me," I told him.

He shook his head. "I'm sorry, but to me, Ryuzaki is Ryuzaki and Near is L. I suppose I've just gotten used to it," he said.

With the same deadpan look, I said, "Don't look forward to the day that I become L. It would be the day that L loses."

And, sad to say, I didn't want L to lose this battle after all. Mello was right; Japan had softened me. I don't even recognize myself anymore.

- Chapter 10 end -

Notes: That's one suspect down. Near might have made a great Kira, but I doubt that I'm capable enough to write him as Kira. He's too damn smart, and he's a worse cheater than both L and Light. Haha. I also think that I made Light too much like Matsuda here, except that he's more insightful. Sorry for the character bastardization. That's to be expected of bastards like me. Hahaha!

So, which one is it, Mello or Matt? Place your bets, kiddos!

And, hurray for cheesy lines XD