Do I Want Friendship or Do I Want Your Love?
Chapter Twelve: The Second Kira
I stared at my father as he staggered in, barely on his feet. "Father! I told you, you needed to rest," I scolded as he was sat down.
"Ryuzaki," he said, ignoring me, "I'm sorry for acting on my own, but I got the tapes and everything Kira sent to the Sakura TV."
"No, don't be," he said, taking the bag.
"Father, you should rest," I said.
"I should," he said, finally showing he was starting to listen to me. I saw L was being thoughtful of what Soichiro brought in and then he handed them over to Aizawa.
"Aizawa, can you see if you can get this examined in the crime lab?"
"I have a few friends down there still. I'll make sure they go over every inch of this."
"Good." L turned to me.
"Night, will you look over these tapes with me so I can get your opinion on them?"
"Sure," I answered, clearly happy that he wanted me to help. Even if he was suspecting me of being Kira.
#
#
It was a few days after the second Kira (Both L and I had agreed it was another Kira. The Second Kira just couldn't be the real one) had attacked and we had just sent the fourth tape to Sakura TV to broadcast. L was supposed to come on television and I knew instantly that Kira 2 would kill him. I had already told him the night before the next meeting with the Task Force that he wouldn't do it.
"Ryu-kun," I had argued, "You can't do this. You can't get killed by Kira!'
"Nightana-"
"Don't start arguing with me!"
"I'm not going to. I have to figure out a way to get out of this and I have a pretty good one."
"You do?"
"Yes." He smiled his smile and shuffled over to a chair to sit in. I looked at him before nodding and sat down across from him.
#
#
"Ryuzaki, it's as you thought." Soichiro's voice brought me out of my thoughts and I looked up. "All of the police and detectives worldwide want you to show your face."
"Ryu-kun is not doing that! I'll do it before he would any time. I don't care if the Second Kira kills me. I can say I was L. It's not like the Wammy-" I cut myself off and saw L's startled expression and Soichiro's, Aizawa's, Matsuda's, and Mogi's horrified expression. "What?"
"Night, you can't go die for nothing," L said before anyone else.
"I won't be dying for nothing. I'd be dying to protect you, all the detectives, people's lives, and many others I can't think of at the moment."
"Night, if you keep talking like this," Soichiro said through clenched teeth, "I will take you off this Task Force." That got me to shut up.
"Fine, but you won't change my mind on it," I muttered, folding my arms in front of me.
"Night," Soichiro warned, getting me to shut up once more and I didn't comment again either.
"Night," L said, changing the subject, "I would like it if you could tell Light we want him to come to the Task Force." He must've seen the horror I had been trying to hide for I saw his eyes look more closely for anymore reactions.
"A-alright, I will," I stammered, getting to my feet. "Is this a good idea though?"
"It is." I shook my head still, clearly not agreeing with him.
"It's too dangerous to, Ryu-kun."
"I know what I'm doing, Night. Trust me." I hesitated still, but finally nodded and grabbed my cell phone off the table.
"Is it alright for me to use my phone?" I asked and he nodded. I pressed the call button once I found Light's number and it rang for a moment.
"Hello?"
"Hey, Light."
"Oh, Night, how are you?"
"Ryu-kun wants you to come work on the Kira Task Force. It's an open position if you want."
"Really? Ryuga wants me there?"
"Yeah, are you going to come?"
"Sure. Tell him I'll be over right away."
"'kay, call me when you get here and I'll get you from downstairs."
"That's fine. See you later."
"Yeah." I hung up and walked back over to my seat slowly, not quite sure how I was feeling. I sat down numbly when my phone began vibrating again. Startled, I looked down at the number and frowned when I saw it. It was Macie. I flipped open the phone. "Hello?"
"Hey, Night! Guess what?! My mom approved of it!"
"Approved of what?!"
"Didn't I tell you?"
"No," I answered, a little confused.
"Oh, I thought I had told you. Well, anyway, my mom said it was alright for me to throw an old dress up party. Isn't that awesome?! It's Friday!" Three days from now.
"Yeah, it is. How far back does it go?"
"As far as you want it to. And I want you and that Ryuga boyfriend of yours to come."
"I don't know if I can.... I mean I have work and stuff." I glanced over at L, who was looking at me and I bit my lip. "Plus, I don't know if Ryuga would want to go-"
"He doesn't have to dress up! Hey, could I talk to him?"
"Let me see." I put my hand over the reciever and looked at L. "Ryu-kun, do you remember Macie? My friend?"
"Yes, I do."
"She wants to talk to you."
"Let me see the phone." I handed it over and he put it to his ear. "Hello?" He was silent for a few moments. "That'll be fine... yes, I'll be there. Okay, good-bye." He hung up the phone and looked at me. "Nightana, we'll need to talk later in private."
"O-okay-" My phone went off and L handed it over. "Hello?"
"Night, I'm here," Light said into the phone.
"Oh, okay, I'll be down there in a sec." I hung up and looked at L. "Light's here. Do you want me to go get him?"
"Yes." I nodded and headed to the downstairs of the hotel to meet Light.
"Hey, Light!" I ran over and despite my suspicions about him, I hugged him.
"Night, you seemed to have changed." I looked at him.
"How?"
"You just seem different somehow. You seem taller." I laughed.
"Well, I'm not going to get any taller any time soon."
"Well, then maybe it's your hair, Night." I couldn't help myself this time when the Shinigami behind Light laughed and I jumped. "Night?"
"N-nothing. Come on, Ryu-kun's waiting for you." I took hold of his hand and pulled him along upstairs.
"Light, thank you for coming," L said as he took Light's hand."The pleasure's mine, Ryuga."
"Here, I'm going to have to ask you to call me Ryuzaki, if that's not a problem."
"That's fine."
"Now Light," L continued, getting right down to business after he had introduced everyone. I hid my smile as he continued. He had always been that way, not caring about a whole lot of getting to know each other, just getting right down to business and not a friend bases most time either. He had done it with me when I first came to the Wammy House; he had shown me around his room and then when back to whatever he had been doing. It took me almost a whole month to have him as an actual friend and then it was always talking to me... except when he had homework and that just sucked. As Light reviewed the tapes, I kept an eye on the Shinigami for any signs of reactions that he noticed I could see him. He glanced at me a few times and during those times, I had to stare out into space ahead of him as if I didn't see him. I thought I pulled it off pretty well. That's when something popped into my head; a flashback of something.
~Start of Flashback~
"I'll give these to you. Do you promise not to tell anyone about it?" a faded face asked and my younger self nodded, my pigtails bouncing.
"I promise. What is this for?"
"You can take revenge on who you wish and I'm giving you Shinigami eyes." I looked up at him.
"Shinigami eyes?"
"Yes, they'll show you a person's name and lifespan who don't have a Death Note."
"What's a Death Note?"
"Something similiar to what I'm giving you, except the Death Note can only take people's lives while yours can give someone more life. Usually, I'd take half your life span when I gave you the Eyes, but I'll give it back to you. If you do kill anyone with this Death Note I give you, you'll get their left over life span for yourself. You could be immortal." I studied him intently with my bluish eyes.
"I won't tell anyone Vincent."
"Good child," he murmured and I felt him place a kiss on my forehead as a notebook was slipped into my hands. "It won't hurt to put on the Shinigami eyes. I promise." I nodded and he put his hand on my face. The next moment I saw in red. He placed a hand on my head and ruffled my hair, smiling at me. "Be careful, Nightana."
"You know my name?"
"I have the eyes too, you know."
"Really?"
"Yes. All the rules are in here, but you'll have to test it out still, alright?"
"Yes. I'll do it when I get older though so then I know what I'm doing."
"Hide it while you don't use it."
"I'll hide it once I get adopted." I saw his sad smile.
"And I'll make sure that your mother pays."
"Will you? Oh, thank you very much, Vincent."
"I have to go. I'll keep watch over you and I'll come to you after your eighteenth birthday."
"I'll look forward to it, Vincent." He ruffled my hair one last time before he left.
~End of Flashback~
"Nightana, is everything alright?" I jumped as I found L in front of me. Light was already done with listening through all the videos.
"Oh, it's nothing. I was just remembering something when I was five."
"About what?" Light asked as he looked over at me.
"N-nothing, Light," I answered, smiling at him. My eyes once again darted up to the Shinigami and I looked above his head, hoping to see a name. Yes. Ryuk was up there. "Ryu-kun, what did you say a moment ago?"
"I told Light that we should make a fake Kira so we could control the Second Kira and all he does. I suggested that Light writes out a script for Aihara to read and we'd air it on tonight's news." I blinked; that was something I'd have to talk to L about.
"Alright, that's a good idea, Ryu-kun. I just wish you would've told me about it sooner than now." He turned his attention away from me for the moment to speak to the others.
#
#
"Nightana, can I speak to you?" I looked up from the papers I had scattered around the table of my different cases, a cup of hot chocolate in my hand.
"What is it, Ryu-kun?"
"Can we talk somewhere else?" His panda eyes searched into mine for a moment and I nodded, not quite able to find my voice at the moment. I followed him outside of the room and turned to him once he closed the door.
"What do you need, Ryu-kun?"
"It's about your friend's party this Friday." I felt my emotions fall. I was hoping that maybe he'd want to talk to me about our old past and that he knew me. "Nightana, were you expecting me to talk about something else?"
"Oh, n-no, not at all. What do you want to know about Friday?"
"I'm going to have to come, right?"
"Macie wants you to."
"Well, if that's the case, I won't dress up." I nodded.
"She said you didn't have to."
"Are you going to?"
"Of course I am."
"Yes, it wouldn't be you otherwise," he murmured, then raised his voice so he wasn't speaking under his breath, "That's perfectly fine then. I just wanted to check. Are you going to need some time off to get your outfit?"
"Would I be able to go tomorrow? Real early in the morning so I wouldn't miss anything."
"Of course."
"Thank you." L once again didn't make a move to leave the room and took a step closer."Nightana, how far have you gotten in looking in on her?" I felt jealousy build up in me; was she all he cared about?
"I'm working on it," I snapped, without realizing how harsh I was being.
"Are you jealous?"
"W-why would I be?" I stammered, blushing and I saw him studying all my reactions.
"You seem to be."
"Well, I'm not." I looked at the ground, my face getting warmer. I heard him move a little closer and felt his hands go on my face, making me look up at him. His hands felt like ice on my face.
"Nightana, I need to talk to you about something-" he murmured and was cut off.
"Ryuzaki?" I cursed Light mentally as L let go of my face and stepped back. I saw his face shadow over and then he left the room without a word to me. I bit my lip, frustrated and felt tears fall out of my eyes. I walked out, just as L said, "If we put in the part, 'you are free to kill L' then I'm going to die." Light laughed.
"Sorry, I guess I got carried away with my part. I was improvising; change it to whatever you want to."
"Alright." He turned to Aizawa. "Aihara, can you recite this?"
"Sure." I walked past them and heard L turn around.
"Night is something wrong?"
"Not at all, Ryuzaki," I muttered and glared at Light. "I'm going to go work on a few other cases in my room."
"That's fine," L answered and I went to my room. Once the door was closed behind me, I grabbed the closest container filled with my files and threw them across the room in frustration at Light. Once everything in that room was scattered (including the TV and DVD player in the room. The TV almost ended out the window), I fell to my knees and began crying.
"Why couldn't he just tell me first?" I sobbed and crumpled up some piece of paper in my fist. I slammed my fist into the ground and heard a door opening.
"Night? Is everything alright?"
"Everything's fine, Ryuzaki," I answered and winced as I said his fake name again. I had never said it like that; I had always called him Ryu-kun.
"Are you sure?"
"Yes, I'm sure." I began collecting papers when I found L's feet in front of me.
"Night, please look at me." I hesitated, then did and saw his face. It betrayed no emotion, but his eyes did. They were filled with frustration and pain.
"What's wrong, Ryu-kun?" I murmured as I stepped up.
"Do you need help, Night?" I winced; he was still using my old name.
"No," I answered in a whisper. "Can you go? I need some time to myself." He nodded numbly and left the room. I slowly collected up some of my crates when I found the drawings of L. My eyes slowly looked over the picture and I, then, pulled the picture to my chest, closing my eyes so I wouldn't cry. "I'll tell you first, Lawliet, I swear."
"What do you swear?" Startled, I looked at my door to see Light there. "What happened to your room?"
"Nothing, Light," I answered.
"Did you say something to L? There seems to be something bugging him, but when I asked, he said there was nothing." I bit my lip, hoping he hadn't heard me say L's name.
"I didn't say anything to him."
"Are you sure?"
"I would know, wouldn't I?" He nodded.
"My thing is on the news if you want to see it."
"I'll turn on my TV in here." He nodded and left. I got the TV set back up and turned it on to the news and listened while I picked up the rest of my papers.
#
#
"Ryu-kun, what's wrong?" I asked again as I looked at his face. He slowly registered what I had said and looked at me."Nothing, Night."
"You're brain is overly slow today. Why?"
"I'm just working on the Kira Case. Go enjoy your time, alright?"
"I'll be back at noon. Are you sure you don't want to come with?"
"No, I have to be here for the others so we can work."
"I'll be back soon," I said and then under my breath very quietly, I added, "Bye Lawliet." He went back to thinking and I sighed as I got on my ballet flats. I got to the store around eight o'clock and got myself a black dress that clung to my body above my waist and then below it billowed out below my waist in layers. I got some fabric which matched the dress material and then went by a sweetshop to eat something. I turned on my internet and began hacking through the Wammy House's computer. When my food got there, I had gotten through their security system and was able to look through files. I got my old file open. They simply put my name Night, my age when I was adopted, and an old picture of me with how my IQ had been when I was four through six. And then I saw the other lines. They had my old life and then who I had been adopted to. I bit my lip. I almost didn't want L to get this file, but… I sighed. I had to give it to him.
I arrived back at the hotel at eleven and saw L and everyone was busy working. I walked over to L, feeling a little nervous as I held the folder with my old information. "Ryu-kun?" He looked up at me and I saw he seemed to be fairing a little more. I knew detective work always cheered him up, especially when I had caused something.
"What is it, Nightana?" We were back on the field with our names again at least.
"I have her information printed out." His eyes widened.
"Do you now?"
"Here." I handed it to him and he took from me instantly. I saw he wanted to read the information so badly right there and then.
"Nightana, could you please fix that laptop over there for me?" I looked over at it.
"Sure," I answered and gathered it up, walking over and sitting next to L on the ground like I used to when I had been doing something and he was working on schoolwork. I had it fixed within ten minutes and when I turned it on and sat in front of L, a screen popped up with Watari's W.
"Ryuzaki, we have a reply from the Second Kira."
"Already?" Aizawa asked and I saw Watari already had everyone's attention.
"We intercepted it and I'll send you a video of the footage to you right now."
"Thank you," L answered as he sat the envelope next to his side and I waited for the video to speak.
"Kira, thank you for your reply," it began, "I will listen to you and do as you say." It paused again and I glanced at Light to see his reaction. I couldn't read him and I missed some things while trying to see his reaction. "I do not think you have the eyes." My eyes widened and I looked over at L as I saw his eyes widening. I knew what Kira 2 was talking about, but did L? B had had the Shinigami eyes and I had them and so did Ryuk. Could L remember that B had the Eyes? L's cry brought me out of my thoughts and he fell to the ground with his chair.
"Ryu-kun!" I cried, going over to him. He sat up and I saw his fearful expression.
"Am I supposed to believe this? Am I supposed to believe that Shinigami actually exist?"
"Of course Shinigami don't exist," Light answered and I saw L's gaze flicker over to Light. "That's completely absurd."
"He's right, Ryuzaki," Matsuda answered.
"It's just," L interrupted, "I remember that Kira had an inmate write the possibility that Shinigami exist."
"Ryu-kun, it's alright," I murmured as the rest of them began discussing what Shinigami could possibly mean since they began to think that it meant so reference to their killing powers. He didn't answer me and got up as he said something to the others, but I wasn't listening. I felt numb to the bone. Did L hate me now? Or did he think that by ignoring me he could get back at me from the other day?
I wrapped my arms around myself and stood up, hurrying out of the room before I could tell anyone where I was going. I left the room and fell against the wall in the hallway. I wrapped my arms around my legs and hugged them to myself as I began to give off silent sobs. "Nightana, is everything alright?" I looked up at Ms. Twilight and she got down beside me.
"Ryu-kun hates me," I sobbed, tears falling down my face.
"He doesn't hate you-"
"He's ignoring me! My best friend hates me, Ms. Twilight!"
"That's it, Nightana, I am going to talk to him-"
"No, you won't! Please!"
"Nightana, this is ridiculous."
"If you do, I'll-I'll run away." She sighed. "It's fine. Really, it is." I wiped away the tears from my eyes. "We wouldn't have even met each other if Kira hadn't shown up and the sooner Kira is caught then Ryu-kun'll leave me."
"Fine," she gave in finally, "If either of you have anymore problems though, I'll complain to both of you then."
"Alright," I agreed just as the door opened again and I saw Light and Soichiro both.
"Night, is everything alright?" Soichiro asked.
"Everything's fine," Ms. Twilight answered for me. He nodded and both of them said good-bye to me as they left. I got up with Ms. Twilight and I ran into Matsuda as I had went to open the door.
"Night, is everything alright? You've been crying."
"Everything's fine."
"Are you sure?"
"Of course."
"I'll see you tomorrow then."
"Bye." I walked past the others and L, but I stopped for a moment and looked at him once Aizawa and Mogi had left. He held my gaze and I saw Ms. Twilight looking nervously at us back and forth from the corner of my eye.
"Night, please make sure you know everything for tomorrow," L said finally.
"I will," I answered and stalked off to my room, slamming the door behind me. I fell on the bed and buried my face in the pillow before sighing and calling up Macie to ask her about the plans.
