Death Notes and Nobodies

Chapter 14

Disclaimer: I don't own Death Note and I don't own Kingdom Hearts or any of its characters.

Author's Notes:

This is where it ends… I might write another chapter to sort of tie thing up.

Read on!

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One Week Later

5:30 PM

"He's using the Death Note I tell you!"

"On what grounds are you claiming so?"

Roxas threw his hands in the air, "On the grounds that Kira is still judging people! While you were under surveillance, the killings stopped when you were first incarcerated, right? That's what they say. He probably did that to make it look like it was you! Now the killings are going on and you've been deemed a free man. Doesn't that look suspicious? The moment you're innocent the killings start to double. He's trying to make it look like it's you!"

"If he was trying to frame me, he would have done so long ago Roxas." Light sighed. Roxas was starting to get on his nerves. He'd been trying to convince him that L was using the Death Note every time the detective's back was turned. He was so damned persistent that Light was starting to think he was serious.

"Roxas, your claims are too biased. You have a grudge against L and it's going to your head."

"ACK! That's not it! Read my lips: I know he's using the Book of Death!"

"Until you can give me undeniable proof I won't believe a word you say. Your suspicions are all in your head. Now stop bothering me and get to work investigating."

Roxas' mouth shut and he made a point of glaring at Light openly before spinning on his heel and plopping down into his chair and typing angrily at the computer.

Light rolled his eyes. Roxas was starting to turn into a real pain in the ass. He just wouldn't stop.

The door to the investigation room slammed open and a surprisingly flustered L strode in.

"We have a lead on the case." He said brusquely.

The team's faces lit up.

"It's about time!" Matsuda cheered.

Mr. Yagami stood from his chair. "What do you have for us L?" He enquired.
"There are unusual death rates in Tokyo. The crime rates are highest there, but the ones dying aren't merely criminals. Instead it's young women found raped, but their cause of death is apparently heart attacks. A criminal has his hands on a Death Note."

The team, including Light, stood from their chairs knocking them backwards.

"A criminal has a Death Note?!" Light heard himself cry. How the hell did that happen? Did another bored Shinigami decide to drop a notebook and it ended up in the hands of some psycho rapist? His perfect world! He had to kill this idiot before he ruined everything Light had achieved!

L turned a solemn face to Light and nodded. "That's correct, Light-kun. A criminal has declared war on Kira with a Death Note of his own."

"Mogi," L said turning to the bulky man, "I will need you to patrol the downtown region of Tokyo. Set cameras along alley ways and underground parking lots only in the most popular areas of the city. This is where most of the victims have been found. Can you do this for me?"

Mogi nodded. "I'll start right away." He stood, walked to the door pulling his coat off the rack and walked out.

"Matsuda and Yagami-san, I need you two to do the same in different vehicles. Be inconspicuous. Yagami-san, you shall patrol the local parks and Matsuda will watch keep his eyes on the suburbs such as metro stations. Set up invisible cameras and use what we have."

Both men saluted and headed out the door after Mogi.

"And us?" Axel asked concerned.

"L, we can use Misa." Light suggested.

L nodded and Light called Misa right away. He didn't have to say two words before Misa agreed to be at HQ as soon as possible.

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Two hours later, L, Roxas, Axel, Light, Misa and Watari were setting up surveillance cameras in a few back alleys where L stated that a good number of victims had been located. Mogi wouldn't be able to cover all the alleys himself. After they set up the cameras strategically Watari parked the mini van at a near by out let mall to simply sit and wait. Everyone was connected by microphones and video. There were mini screens on the dash board to monitor each member of the team.

For hours they sat without one single exciting event. One hour passed, two hours passed, three hours, four, five, and still nothing. The group took turns keeping an eye on the monitors. At the moment, L was the one assigned to the front seat to watch the monotonous events unfold.

Suddenly the silence in the mini van was perturbed by a sudden screech from Matsuda's monitor. The whole group was jerked from their thoughts and turned their immediate attention to the monitor. Matsuda was screaming and clawing at an invisible enemy. His eyes bugged as he clutched at his throat and his voice became hoarse.

"MATSUDA-SAN!" L shouted into the microphone. Matsuda appeared deaf to the call. Then, all too quickly, his body fell limp in his seat.

"Matsuda-san! Come in!" Now Roxas had the mic and was shouting through. When there came no answer, a call came through from Soichiro.

"I'm heading over to Matsuda's location."

"No! Stay where you are. It's too late for Matsuda now, besides, by the time you get to him the killer will be far off. Stay and wait."

L pulled his knees to his chest.

"Misa, I'm afraid we'll be needing you soon."

Misa nodded straight faced and rose from her seat in the car. She wore black exercise pants, a long sleeved black turtle neck and a grey jacket with synthetic black trim around the neck and magenta gloves. She was ready for the weather.

"Alright. I'm ready."

Light stopped her with a hand on her shoulder and looked her in the eyes carefully. Then, he unexpectedly pulled her into a protective hug.

"Be careful." He whispered to her. He didn't mean be careful for her life, he meant be careful slipping the Death Note into his hands. If L caught a glimpse of it, that was the end of it all. Misa had the eyes and Light had the note. Misa would see his name and text it to him via celphone. Light had his phone on silent and would know when she sent him the name. The only reason he wasn't going to use his watch was because it might take too long to open and prick himself to write. This way he could easily tare a piece of the note and write immediately with the pen he'd brought especially for this. The moron who dared to challenge Kira, the God of Justice would pay dearly.

Once the note was safely hidden in Light's sweater, Misa pulled back and kissed him gently before getting out of the car. Light had to keep himself from grimacing. He had not authorized her to do that. But Light was pleased to see the familiar from of Ryuk hovering outside the car.

Just as Misa had stepped out of the car, there came a loud explosion over the speakers coming from Mogi's monitor. The car was suddenly in flames and Mogi was inside.

L's eyes widened in horror; "Not another one…" He breathed. His breathing was rushed.

"Yagami-san… please watch your-

But his words were cut as he turned his eyes to Yagami's monitor. He was slouched in his seat with his eyes rolled into the back of his head. The image burned into L's eyes and he tore his gaze away.

Axel and Roxas gaped at the images on the screen.

"Who is this guy?!" Axel shouted desperately.

"They're… they're all…" Roxas couldn't seem to find his voice.

"This is going terribly wrong…" L breathed and then turned panicked eyes to Watari. "Watari, please, let's leave. We've lost our team. At this rate, we have little to no chance of survival."

The cabin in the car went dead silent. L was pulling back? The great detective L was actually backing out?

"No."

Everyone turned to face the brunette. Light's eyes were dead serious. "We're not going to leave until we get this criminal and sentence him to death."

L's bangs covered his eyes and his shoulders began to shake; with fear? No… He was… chuckling?! He was!

L's voice came barely audible at first and then his chuckle turned to a shrill maniacal laugh.

Suddenly, Roxas and Axel were looking murderous.

"It's time." Roxas said with a voice so evil that he didn't sound like himself at all. In a flurry of black and red, Axel was outside the car with one of his chakrams at Misa's neck.

"Your celphone, if you don't mind." He reached into her pocket and dropped the technology to the floor then crushing it with his boot.

"You've lost, Light Yagami. I am justice now." L said as his blood curdling laughing ebbed away.

"Wha…?" Light was utterly confused, "What the hell is going on?!" He demanded.

"Don't you see, Light-kun? Can you not piece it together?"

Roxas now held a gun at the base of Light's neck. The cold metal of the barrel stung on his skin.

Light's mind was going all too fast for the events hitting him.

"Escort him outside the vehicle Roxas." L said in his usual stony tones.

Light felt the barrel dig into his skin and moved to the open door and out side. Roxas directed him to the opposite side of the alley from where Axel stood with Misa.

The detective emerged from the mini van with a small grin.

"You've lost, Light-kun. You were too cocky to see that this was all a ploy. Roxas was actually a distraction. His trying to convince you that I was Kira was to make you suspect just the opposite and that I was trying to make you spill something. Quite the contrary dear friend, he was simply acting to keep you at bay. I told him my cause, and he agrees with me. Axel is also in league with me and agrees with my ideals.

You were weak, Light Yagami. You were too proud and naïve. Your definition of justice was too black and white and could never create a perfect world. So when I met you and saw the Death Note for the first time, I started using it without your knowledge. The only one who knew was Watari. Indeed I used you to keep all suspicion away from myself, and I purposely made myself look obsessive so the team would overlook me. Roxas and Axel became middle pieces that happened to fall into my hands and were essential to my plans."

Light's eyes widened more with each sentence L spoke. Light had been duped. Big time. L had thought ahead the extra mile. The extra hundred miles that Light had not. If he didn't do something soon, he would be dead.

"You killed the team…" Light said just above a whisper.

L produced a black note book from under his coat and opened it to the most recent page letting Light read. Sure enough, there were the deaths of each member written in detail. Matsuda dies suffocated, Mogi dies in car explosion and Soichiro Yagami dies of a heart attack.

Light looked up at L with his mouth hanging open; his composure lost completely.

Then his lips turned up into a smirk.

"L, you wouldn't want to kill me, would you?"

"And why wouldn't I, Light-kun?" L asked tilting his head to the side.

Light's smirk grew into a grin.

"Imagine, the two greatest geniuses in the world working along side each other to create a better world! It would be OUR perfect world! No one could stop us ever, L! Don't you see? I am Kira, we both know it. You knew it from the start. This comes as no news to you. We can work together! We can cleanse the world together!"

L seemed to consider it for a moment and then after three minutes, he nodded at Roxas. The boy retreated and lowered the gun, but just as he did so, Light spun around and kneed him in the stomach and snatched the gun from him. He whirled around and held the gun at L's eye level.

"You fool! Now you can't lift your pen to write my name, or I'll shoot. You will stand there and watch me kill your precious allies!"

Light's last bit of sanity had completely shattered. What little control he had left was now gone.

"Axel-san," L whispered. The pyro heard the command and knocked Misa out with little effort. The girl fell limp in his grasp and he laid her in the back seat of the car. He closed the door and Watari drove off with the only way Light was ever going to get L's name.

Light screamed after the vehicle and screaming for L to tell Watari to bring Misa back. He cocked the gun and held a firm finger on the trigger.

"Since you took my weapon from me, you will tell me your name now!"

"Why should I, Light-kun? I can simply write your name down in my Death Note."

"You won't have time. I'll shoot you before you get the chance."

L lifted the note book and a pen and began to write. Light pulled the trigger and it connected. Red began to flood over L's white shirt as he fell back wards onto the concrete flinging the notebook forward and into Light's reach. Axel and Roxas were busy helping L and Light ceased the opportunity to grab the book.

"Now you'll die with him!" He screeched and brought the Note Misa gave him from the folds of his sweater and scribbled Roxas' and Axel's names into the Death Note.

"You have forty seconds left to live. What will you do?" Light taunted with his eyes glowing. They almost seemed to be a demonic blazing red; as though the very fires of hell blazed within them.

Axel laid L back on the ground.

"Well, I guess I'll wait." And he sat with his legs crossed next to L's corpse. Roxas sat next to him and closed his eyes in meditation. Axel simply sat examining his nails.

Light was confused by such easy behaviour. They weren't scared at all!

"How can you be so calm? Are you truly fools? You will DIE in less than 30 seconds!"

"Thing is," Axel said while still examining his nails for dirt, "it's kinda hard to die of a heart attack when ya don't have a heart."

"Twenty…" Roxas mumbled.

"No heart?!"

"Hyuk, hyuk, hyuk. Looks like you've really gotten yourself tangled this time Light." Ryuk laughed.

"Twelve…"

Axel still just sat there preoccupied with his hand.

Light swore and then laughed. They were just too stupid to realize that they'd lost. They were so stubborn that they were in denial.

"Eight…,"Roxas opened one eye, "seven, six, five, four, three, two, one…"

Instead of Axel and Roxas falling to the floor clutching their chests, L rose from his spot on the pavement rubbing his chest.

"Mental note, never play paint ball unless wearing heavy armour."

Axel and Roxas shared a grin and got to their feet as L did.

"But…BUT I KILLED YOU!" Light screamed in outrage.

L gave a little chuckle. "You couldn't kill much with a paint ball gun, Light-kun."

Light's mouth hung open. This was it. Light gulped, whirled around and ran for his fucking life.

"Well, I suppose it's time we put this charade to an end." L said finally.

"Yeah," Axel said stretching and summoned both chakrams. Roxas summoned just one key blade.

"Let's go." The Nobodies surrounded Light and easily tackled him to the ground. Axel held him still while Roxas searched him and retrieved the Death Note. Axel dragged Light kicking and screaming all the way back to where L stood and handed him the notebook. Along the way, Roxas removed Light's watch but not without a fight.

"Alright everyone, it's safe to come out." L called out around him.

Shadowy figured emerged from the darkness like evil spirits come to claim Light's soul, but as they reached the light of the street lamp, their faces became clear. It was the team. They were all solemn face, but none was so solemn as Soichiro Yagami's.

"You're a disgrace, son." He whispered.

"Don't disown him yet pops," Axel said with a smile. "This isn't really your son. This is what happens when a kid get's way too many privileges. This isn't Light, this is Kira."

"What do you mean?" Soichiro asked confused.

"Light was himself once he was released from surveillance. He was himself all the way up to the point when Higuchi was caught. He had lost his memories of ever owning the Death Note." L explained.

"What are you trying to say?" Mr. Yagami asked with his voice filled with hope.

"What we're saying is that we can save him quite easily." Roxas finished.

Axel opened his long black coat and produced the Death Note the team had since Higuchi's capture and threw it on the pavement. L threw down Light's in the heap along with the replica he'd made just for the plan.

"You see, Kira-kun," L said directing his words to the teen babbling incoherently, "Our plan was to make you think that Roxas was working for me, and that was correct, and then twist your understanding with our little skit here. We made you believe I had indeed taken Kira's place as divine justice distributor. We let you think you'd won if only to get a full confession out of you and record everything. Remember? We set up the very cameras filming you. You fell for the whole plan, line and sinker.

We knew you'd try to use Misa as eyes to kill the supposed Kira adversary we made up. The victims I talked about were all lies. No women have been found raped or dead. You might have looked into that, but we didn't give you enough time. You have no names and you have lost."

Light was already beyond understanding anything L had to say as his sanity had completely abandoned him.

"Axel, I think it's time you reduced these cursed things to cinders." L said motioning at the Death Notes on the ground.

"With pleasure!" With that, Axel relinquished his chakrams and summoned fire to his palms. He directed the flames at the place where the notebooks lay. The fire burst from his hands in a pillar of fire that consumed both notebooks in their totality. Everyone watched as they shrivelled and burned into ashes. The fire died out and remnants of the books were blown off into the cold night.

Light was out cold on the cold pavement floor with Ryuk hovering over him.

"Looks like your friends saved you Light. I guess that means no more entertainment for me." The shinigami shrugged and took off into the sky with extended wings.

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Light awoke on a soft surface with many faces above him. The whole team stared down at him with worried expressions on their faces. Light focused on each face and groaned. "Why does everyone look so upset? What happened to me?"

The whole room broke out in grins and Light was brought into a crushing hug by his father. Soichiro Yagami let tears fall freely from his squinted eyes.

"I'm so glad you're back!" He cried with his voice breaking. Everyone was smiling and happy.

"What?" Light had to ask again as he wrapped his arms around his father to comfort him.

Mr. Yagami stepped back. "You might as well know, but you're not going to like it."

Light's head spun as he was told of the night's events and shown videos to prove the words. He was appalled at the idea that he was Kira, but he was relieved that he was alive. When he asked why L even bothered to go to the trouble of saving him, L replied that too many people would be sad if he hadn't.

"You're pretty cool when you're not psycho killer," Axel said laughing.

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Epilogue

Light was accepted onto the team as an official member of the force. It had been five years since Axel and Roxas had left. They had come to visit regularly to keep in touch. They never really did explain where they came from, but everyone knew better than to ask. On their most recent visit they'd come in beaming and excited.

"We have hearts!" They'd exclaimed together. They said something about a Sora and a genie and wishing for hearts. In any case, they weren't lying. When checked for a pulse, they indeed had one.

Light and L would often reminisce about their first introduction to the strange characters who ended up as close friends.

L had changed. He'd go out to cafés with Light and the team on occasion, and he'd even go home to Light's for a home cooked meal. He now lived a normal enough life aside from the detective work which became twice as easy with Light at his side. Sometimes Axel and Roxas would help when they had time to spare. They even brought Sora and Riku along once to introduce them to the team as their "some bodies".

Life was good. Everyone was happy, and justice, in the end, had been served in its most perfect form.

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Author's Notes:

Halleluiah! It's done! I finished! I did it! It's done! It's finally done! I finished the whole darn thing! Fourteen freakin chapters of sweat and blood. Okay, okay, maybe not, but I really put my heart in this!

Well, I hope you enjoyed it. I had lotsa fun writing it. If ya liked the whole thing, let me know. I tried my best.

Over and out

Creep!

PS

I will now be continuing Wish! And then I'll be moving on to a Gundam Wing fic I've named Fallen Leaves

Taa taa for now!