I AM SO SORRY!! I have been so busy. Like I will now list all of the many things that have kept me from coming to the comp.

Skiing Vacation – We had no computers there, sorry.

I got a puppy – I LOVE HER!! Her name is Shelby and I've spent a ton of time with her because we've never had a dog before

Making my Anime Boston Costume – If any of you are going, I am in a Sakura Tsubasa costume. Ask for Lil1diva. If it's not me, then point towards the ceiling and scream. Why? Because it's funny. Lol.

Brawl – Do I need to say anything here?

So, yeah, I have been busy with homework as well, so I had NO time on the computer. This is my first time in… 2 weeks? Yeah. I'm surprised I haven't gone into withdrawal. On with the chapter!!

I lied, I have something else to say. I'm messing around with and changing the Death Note "How to Use" rules slightly to fit my convenience. Actually, I'm only changing one rule because it's hard for me to kill someone. NOW on with the chapter!!

All in the Past

Riku knew she was in trouble. Darkness covered everything except for a four-foot radius in front of her, which was the sidewalk. Her ankles hurt from jumping out the window, and she mentally kicked herself for being so stupid. Nevertheless, she was alive, and holding the Death Note. Riku didn't know what to make of the Death Note. She assumes that Ryuk knew how to use it, but at the beginning, Kira was testing his powers, so that could only mean Ryuk didn't tell him how. Moreover, that definitely meant that she wasn't going to get him to talk either.

Riku wanted to know why the streetlights were off; it was creeping her out. She began walking into the unknown before her. She walked slowly and steadily, holding the Death Note close to her heart. If Kira were holding this, that heart would have failed her. She didn't know how, but Kira had his sources; he could probably figure it out. It couldn't be too hard for him. He did have a Shinigami on his side that he could bribe. With apples, maybe, like the coded letter said. Riku vaguely wondered padding her way through the chilling darkness if maybe she could have bribed him. Probably.

Riku had been cautiously creeping along for not more than a minute, when she saw a small flashlight ahead of her. She could take a guess as to who held the flashlight. Riku crept up to the person, and found that her speculation was off; it was nowhere near the person she had thought it to be. In fact, the person holding the flashlight could be considered at that moment her savior. The person holding the flashlight was none other than a regular police officer. Just a regular police officer out on his normal rounds. Riku sighed knowing this comforting fact and hid the Death Note in her jacket so as not to arouse suspicion. (a/n, okay, right about here I threw away every single thing I had planned and switched to a totally new plan revolving around this, just to show you how much I change my mind. I don't plan details so when I make them, new ideas come to my head.)

Riku ran to the police officer and explained her situation in about eleven seconds. The light was here now, she was safe. The police officer had a handlebar mustache and had small, attentive eyes that listened to her as she came up with a careful saying that she got lost walking home. Riku was small compared to his large frame, but Riku wasn't scared and she asked him to take her home. He didn't understand what was really going on, but as a citizen, he had a duty to help helpless thirteen year-old girls that were lost. He took her to the police car that sprang to life and they began driving.

Riku knew she was lucky. Here she was in a nice, clean car safe. The darkness didn't scare her anymore and she no longer felt afraid. If she were back at that house, no doubt would she and Raito have a conflict she would end up losing. He was older than she was, and could overpower her if necessary.

Riku was going to hum to herself when she realized something. She hadn't told the large man beside her where she lived, yet he was driving somewhere. Riku looked through the window into the dark and found that they were going away from her home, or L's apartment place that she called home. When Riku informed him of this, his response was enough to get her on edge.

"I know. I'm not taking you home," he informed her, putting on the child lock on the doors. Riku stared at him and stopped to analyze the situation. She was being kidnapped. That was obvious. What wasn't obvious was why. Was the police officer beside her impersonating a police officer? She had been so desperate for help she didn't ask to see his badge. Even if he was a policeman, though, he could still be kidnapping her, but that still left her with the question of why. Since there was nothing that she could think of that would satisfy her, she decided to try to find a way out.

In the car were she, the police officer, and nothing else lying on the ground; this told her that the man was neat and organized and wouldn't likely stray from a set plan. That didn't mean however, that he had a plan in the first place. Both of his hands were on the wheel, and his eyes were faced straight ahead of him. Riku had no weapons in which to hit him with, so she would have to rely on herself and her wit. (a/n I know, I'm bothering you again, but my head is so logical right now because I just read a book called Evil Genius by Catherin Jinks, and it TOTALLY blew my head up with logic and planning. It did.)

A plan began to formulate in Riku's mind. The police officer watched as Riku bent down to tie her shoes, distracting him from the road. He immediately brought his head back up, now determined to keep his eyes on the road. This is what Riku was counting on. She coughed twice, and he brought his eyes off from the road again, only to realize he needed them on the road. He steeled himself not to look at her again. Riku knew he was a stone now. She was betting on that.



As fast as she could, she unbuckled, leaned over and unlocked the doors. By that time he realized that she was planning something, and this was confirmed when she opened the door to jump. Being a police officer, though, he had some experience in this. He grabbed her hand and pulled her back into her seat, still driving. Riku fought to break free, but stopped when she felt a pain in her neck, and darkness that engulfed her.

Riku awoke in a warehouse with her hands tied behind her back in the middle of the floor and the police officer sitting in a chair not too far away below her feet. Quickly she took in her surroundings. There was one small, barred window that she could see, and empty space. It smelled musty, but not of gas nor of gasoline. There weren't any explosives as far as she could tell, and no visible door. It must be behind her, and she didn't dare to turn her head to see. For now, she would feign that she was still knocked out.

Riku was wondering what the police officer was doing, but she got her answer when a door opened behind her. She saw a person walk towards the police officer and watched as the police officer left. Riku couldn't tell who it was for they were hooded. The person looked familiar but she couldn't tell. She hoped it wasn't Kira, she really hoped that it wasn't Kira. She prayed that it wasn't Kira. She felt that she still had the Death Note under shirt and planned to keep it that way. She also mentally cursed herself for not having a recorder on her anywhere.

"Why, Kari, why did you leave Raito's house so soon? Were you scared of him? Or did you want to go home to L to tell him what you found?" the malicious voice Riku knew all too well taunted her and her position. There was nothing she could do. No way out. She was going to have to face Kira.

Oh, how Riku hated fate.

Riku didn't bother to ask how he knew that she had the Death Note or that she was at Raito's house in the first place; he was supposed to be Raito anyway. If he was, though, then what kind of excuse did he make up? It was probably something like another date with Kari. The thought of it made Riku squirm under her bound hands. Most ordinary girls carried a nail file, that would come in handy in situations like this, but Riku was no ordinary girl. She was carrying a stolen Death Note from a mass murderer that wanted her dead before she even stole the accursed thing. Oh, yes how fate was hated.

"Don't try to feign being asleep, it quite easily spotted that you're not," Kira began, "so why put up this façade? If I were to untie your hands, would you give me the Death Note?" Kira spoke as if to a child. Riku was no child. Well, she was no ordinary child, and she certainly did not like Kira treating her as one. In response to Raito's question and his treating her like a child, she spit at him. Kira glared at her as she stuck her tongue out in a mocking tone. If he thought her a child, then that's what she needs to be. If she played her cards right, she may get out of this with the Death Note. In addition, hopefully alive.



"What makes you think I'd give a murderer a weapon in which to kill thousands with? I thought every person has the right to live," Riku said monotonously. She had been reading lately about John Locke and came across that he said that every human has the right to life, liberty, and property. Right now, she has the Death Note that technically belongs to the shinigami and not Raito, so she's not violating any of those things. Technically, anyway. Un-technically she stole the Death Note from Raito or Kira or whatever he calls himself.

Kira now moved so now he was sitting right in front of Riku. She flinched ever so slightly; a move not unnoticed by him. He was contemplating what he should do. The things he could do were numerous, but which would be the most efficient one? The easiest way would be to strangle her, but he was not some cold-blooded killer. This was also the sister of L he was thinking about. Whatever he did to her would reflect what could later happen to him. He had to plan carefully and quickly.

"I thought you were going to try to capture me and prove to L that you were his equal. Yet there you were running to him. Why would you do that?" Raito taunted talking with his hands. He was only emphasizing that she was at his mercy right now. Riku knew she was in a precarious situation. She had temporarily forgotten about the fact that she was supposedly in league with Kira and had rushed to go see L. She had no response and turned her head away from him. Kira had the advantage in the game they played.

"No response?" Kira smirked grabbing her chin so that she faced him. Riku had defiant eyes. She defied him in control. She defied the fate that she could die that night. All he had to do was write her name in the notebook, if he knew it. It was then that she saw something in the corner. A dark, shadowed figure with long wings. She had only seen him once before, but there was no one else like him. A smile played on Riku's lips as she saw him.

"Ryuk's here I see," Riku observed, "bet you're going to use him to get my name, aren't you?" Kira smiled as well, though it was hidden under the hood. For a kid, she was witty. True, that's what he planned on doing once he got the Death Note from her, but he wouldn't tell her that. Any advantage over her is an advantage to him. Any advantage to him is one that he's going to take.

"And what if I am?" Kira retorted. Riku knew he wouldn't say, "Yes, that is what I plan to do," but she expected something else. Her eyes reflected her disappoint in his answer. She internally sighed and decided to play along with this game he had going.

"If you are going to ask him for my name, I bet he wouldn't tell you," Riku tested her boundaries. She still used her childish voice to annoy him. Riku decided that Ryuk hadn't told Kira much because he had to test the limits. If Ryuk were cooperative, then he would have told Kira what the boundaries were. What she said was based solely on this fact, and she hoped he didn't figure that out.



"Hm," Kira thought, dragging out the 'm' and holding it as he formed the words in his mind, "if I were to do that, I'd need the Death Note, wouldn't I?" Riku was afraid of what could happen next. She had no idea is he was carrying a weapon on him and she could easily die without him having to use the Death Note. It's not like every person died by the Death Note; her mom didn't. "I'm not going to hurt you, Kari; I just want what belongs to me."

"Oh yes, she's definitely just going to give you the Death Note," Ryuk mocked the murderer. Kira shot him a glare that went through the Death God and left him unfazed. Ryuk let out a maniacal laugh and left Kira to do what he wanted. What Kira wanted to do, though, was a little bit against his code. Sacrifices must be made if he wanted his ideal world to become a reality. Defiant eyes returned as a smile assumed its place on Kira's face, barely seen through the hood this time.

"I could always search you for it, but I really don't want to, for you see that's illegal and I always follow the law." Riku's mouth blurted out a response before she could stop herself.

"That didn't stop you from killing thousands of people." Kira wanted to respond and argue, but there was no point. Hanabi, who was also Kari, is just as stubborn as he is and neither of them would get anywhere. He let the comment drop and disappear as he fought with himself on what to do next. He knew what he needed to do, but could he do it? The next sentence Kari said convinced him that he needed to do it, "what, Kira can't take a Death Note from a girl with her hands tied behind her back?"

Riku, still on the ground, realized the gravity of what she just said. She basically asked him to take the Death Note from her. Kira frowned, but only for a moment. The next moment the usual smirk was on his face, and this time Riku could see his expression change. He was close enough to her now that she could see his face, and guess whose face it was. It was none other than her good friend, Raito Yagami. She would have gasped at this, but that would show weakness and give Kira an advantage. Not a big advantage, but any advantage could tip the scale in someone's favor.

Proceeding with his plan, (a/n I would like to insert here it was very awkward typing this), Kira reached over to Riku and stole the Death Note from under her shirt. Riku shivered from his cold touch and looked up at him as he stepped back looking at the Death Note. His malicious smirk was wider than ever. He looked like he had something to say. Kira looked like he was hiding something he had been holding back. He opened the Death Note and showed her the last page he wrote on.

There, at the top of the page, was Hime Chousen, (Chousen being her surname).

Riku knew that was the end of it, but that wasn't all. Under it was 'accident' and a paragraph of letters too small to read. There was a time on the page; 9:30. She supposed, dreadfully, that was the time of her death. Twisting her body around, she looked at her watch. It read 9:23. She had seven minutes left to live. What was she supposed to do for seven minutes? Kira 

knew he had won. He had won all along. She didn't bother to ask how he figured out her name; there was no point if she was going to die in seven minutes. Oh, wait, it was six minutes now.

"Hey, Raito," Riku began gaining Kira/Raito's full attention, "I just want to tell you that I admire you right now. No one has ever come close to beating me in anything. For a while, I had you going, too. I guess all good things must come to end. One day you'll die, too. Oh, can I leave you with a mad gab puzzle? I'll write it on the ground if you give me a pen." Kira knew there was nothing that she could do, so he let her write out her mad gab. Her hands were tied behind her back and he was holding the Death Note.

"Ige iv upos se shunov thizno t buuck" Kira read from the ground on which Riku wrote it. It was puzzling, but Kira had no doubt he'd figure it out. He was having minor trouble with it, but Riku was going to die anyway. Riku only had twenty seconds left. Might as well die trying. Kira's eyes lit up with malicious delight when he figured out what it meant.

"I give up possession of this notebook," Kira stated with conviction, wagging the Death Note in front of him. Nothing happened. Riku had nothing planned, she never expected him to say it, but now that she did, an idea formulated. Riku didn't know if this would work, but she had to try; it could be her last chance. In a rapid succession of moves, too fast for Kira to read them and too soon after he last spoke to comprehend, Riku chomped her teeth on the Death Note and wrenched it to the ground and out of Kira's hands. Reaching over with her tied hands, she put the Death Note back in her shirt clumsily. It would have to do for now.

Kira's hands hung limp as memories faded from his mind and the hood slid back from his face. It was like an eraser wiping away the marker on a whiteboard until there was nothing left but the blankness. Riku watched in amazement as his eyes grew wide and innocent. No longer were they 'evil.' No longer were they the eyes of a murderer. No longer did they hold the intent to change the world through using a cursed book. They were the eyes of a teenager in college. Even though he was a teenager, he was a genius and as one would want to know, why a teenage girl was in front of him with her hands tied behind her back. Before Raito, no longer Kira the killer, said anything, Riku came up with an explanation.

"Oh my God, Raito are you alright?" Raito looked at her quizzically so Riku continued on, "a police officer wanted to give me a ride home after I left your house, but he wasn't a real officer, and I can't remember what happened from there, but when I woke up, you were here knocked out, and I've been waiting ever since." Raito seemed as confused as she was, and didn't really like her answer, but he had no other choice except to accept her answer because he could not come up with a better one.

"Here, I should walk you home." Everything happened in slow motion. Raito moved to untie her hands and helped her up. He led her to the door and they began walking home. The night was dark, but no longer scary, and here the streetlights were on and Riku could think. One thing she 

knew was that she was confused. Was that it? Was she really getting off the hook that easily? There should be more to it, her name was in the Death Note, shouldn't she be dead?!

No, her watch read 9:29. She would have to wait one more minute to find out if she would die. To find out if she would live to tell L of her discovery, that Raito is–was Kira. Would he go to jail? He had no recollections of what he did as far as Riku knows. Maybe he really was being controlled by Kira, but what then? She had the Death Note, so what is the next-

The thought was never finished. The last thing Riku remembers seeing is Raito's worried face outlining the darkness, like a ray of light, as she blacked out. He caught her before she hit the ground and put two fingers on her wrist. He couldn't feel a pulse there. He put two fingers on her throat. Still no pulse. Desperate, he put his ear to her chest; a faint pulse. Raito did the first thing he could think of. He screamed. After he calmed down, he took out his cell phone and called 911, (a/n if that's what the number is in Japan), and they told him an ambulance was on its way.

I'm so evil. First, I don't update and then I leave you with a cliffhanger like this. About Anime Boston, I didn't get this out in time, so don't worry about that. If you didn't, I recommend that you read the comments at the top other than the reasons why I didn't update. They may help.

C ya l8r!