Author's Note: Hope you guys are all safe and healthy! 3
Chapter 36
November 12, 2009
Near just told me.
I have to go see him. I have to make sure he's okay.
Light laid in bed, remembering the first time he picked up the Death Note. It had been a crude joke at the time when he said it to Ryuk: If something goes wrong, I might have to kill my family. He had never expected to follow through with it. He had never expected to manipulate circumstances such that those he loved would be in the direct line of fire.
"Light? Are you okay?" Misa asked, climbing on top of him and straddling his lap.
"Not now, Misa." He gently pushed her off him and turned to his side. He had barely slept in the last few days. Just as his eyes began to close his phone rang. "Hello?" he answered groggily.
"Light?" The voice stunned him. He hadn't heard it in so long and yet he recognized it immediately.
"Eva? Where are you? Are you okay?" He shot up, sitting on the edge of the bed, anxiously awaiting her response.
"Light, who is that?" Misa asked, walking closer to him. Light stood, quickly exiting to the suite's living room and shutting the bedroom door behind him with a loud thud.
"I'm fine. I heard about you father. I'm so sorry for your loss." Eva's voice was sweet. Hearing it again made him feel like a burden had been lifted off his shoulders. Even after all of these years, she was still thinking about him. She was still worried about him. She still cared about him. All of his doubts vanished in that moment. "Are you still in Japan?"
"Y-yea, I mean, right now I'm in Los Angeles, but I'm still living in Japan." Light explained.
"I'm in Los Angeles, too." A silence took over while Light worked up the courage to ask.
"Can I come see you?"
"Sure." Another relief. "I'm in West Hollywood right now. If you—"
"I can be there in thirty minutes. Just tell me where to meet you." Light hurriedly pulled on his socks and shoes, sandwiching the phone between his ear and shoulder.
"I'll send you the address. See you soon, Light." Light's smile covered his entire face. He quickly grabbed his keys and his wallet, stopping only when he felt Misa grab his arm.
"Where are you going?!" she demanded, tears in her eyes.
"It's none of your business!" Light snapped back at her, in no mood for her arguments.
"But Light—"
"Misa, just do what I asked you to do!" He slammed the hotel door behind him, feeling completely justified in his actions. Misa had no right. She was just the best of a bad situation. How she could even think that Light could ever bring himself to love her, when he had rejected her so completely so many times, was beyond him. Sure, he had told her a few pretty words now and again, but that's all they were.
Ryuk followed close behind as Light raced through the hotel lobby and mashed the elevator button impatiently. He fidgeted anxiously, trying not to roll his eyes in annoyance as the elevator stopped on a different floor than Eva's room.
"O…going up?" the man asked Light as he looked at the lit-up buttons on the side panel.
"Yea." Light was unable to hide his irritability.
"Alright." the man responded, stopping the doors from closing and stepping out.
"C'mon." Light sighed under his breath, starting to mash the 'close door' button. Ryuk couldn't help but to laugh. Light had been so calm and collected the last few years. It was unusual to see him so worked up. When the doors finally opened again, Light stepped out and briefly glanced at the signs. He jogged down the hallway until he reached her room and stopped.
"Aren't you going to knock?" Ryuk asked when the boy made no further movements. Light ignored him, hesitantly lifting his hand to the door. Three gentle taps…just like he would knock on her window when they were younger.
"O!" a gasp escaped the god of death when the door opened. Ryuk could hardly recognize the woman in front of him. Eva looked…healthy. Her skin was brighter, her hair was long and shiny, her eyes held a sparkle that Ryuk was sure died with L. She was not the thin frame he had known her to be. Yet, despite her visual improvements, the stark reminder of her diagnosis loomed over her head. Just under six years….
"Hey, Light." Eva said with a gentle smile. Light immediately pulled her into a hug.
"I was so worried about you." he whispered.
"I know…I'm sorry, Light." Eva held him, gently rubbing his back. "Come in, I want to introduce you to someone." She took him by the hand, leading him into the hotel room. Ryuk felt something strange happen to him when he noticed the small child sitting on the floor, constructing a city out of dice. He couldn't recognize the emotion, but he knew gods of death should not have felt it. It was dangerous. He contemplated Light's intentions, his capabilities, for a moment. Was he capable of hurting this child? Would it be wrong for Ryuk to stop him if he tried? Ryuk's eyes moved to Eva as she pulled the young boy into her arms and carried him to Light, making the first introductions. Your child will live a long, healthy life, Eva. But because of Light, Elliot Reyes will have no mother, no father. The people he has grown closest to will be ripped out of his life by a vengeful bastard. A smile crept across Ryuk's face, obscuring his previous emotions. And yet you still comfort Light in his moment of need. You selflessly rushed to his side. You probably still even believe he's not Kira. Humans are so interesting. Ryuk laughed at the circumstances, unable to hold it in any longer. I once told Light humans who pick up the Death Note and are followed by a god of death generally have nothing but misfortune. If I didn't know any better…I would assume there was a god of death following you, too, Eva.
Light watched Eva gently rub El's back as he drifted off to sleep in her arms. She was exactly as he had imagined her—except the child would have been his. The soft smile on her face, the love in her eyes, the comforting strokes of her hands, it should have all been reserved for Light and his child. That would have been his perfect family—his perfect moment. Instead, he was forced to sit there and stare from the outside. Even in death, L brought Light nothing but misery.
"Has it been hard?" he asked.
"What?" Eva ran her fingers through the young boy's hair and kissed his head.
"Being alone. Raising him alone."
"I…was lucky to have a good support system." Eva said. It had been like this all night. Light asked a question, Eva gave him an answer without exposing too much of where she was, who she was with, or what she was doing. It made him feel isolated.
"Let me help." he offered without hesitation.
"Light…." Eva started dismissively.
"I'm serious!" he cut her off. "Eva, you have no idea how terrified I was that something happened to you—that I lost you forever. Now that you're back, all I want is to make sure you're okay."
"I'm okay, Light." she assured with a weak smile. "Besides, you have your own things to focus on: the Kira investigation, joining the police force, it's a lot to do even without a child in tow."
"None of that is as important to me as you and El."
"What about Misa?" The question hit him like a ton of bricks. Misa had appeared in his life during the most inconvenient times. He met Eva's pale green eyes.
"Nothing is as important to me as you and El." he reiterated. Eva looked back at him with an unchanging expression—like she didn't believe him. It hurt.
"We have a flight early in the morning." Eva said, lifting El up as she stood and taking him to the bed. He stirred a bit as she set him down and tucked the covers in around him. Light stood as well. She gracefully made her way around the bed to him and pulled him into another hug. "It was nice seeing you after all these years, Light."
"When can I see you again?" Light asked, pulling her in closer. He took in every sensation like he might never experience it again: the smell of her hair, the warmth of her body, the softness of her skin.
"I'm not sure. I'll let you know." It was a bitter goodbye. Light couldn't quite put his finger on what he was feeling, but when he entered the empty stairwell of the hotel to make his way down to the lobby, his eyes began to sting with tears. Does she still love me? Would she hate me if she knew?
November 19, 2009
I feel like we're barely keeping our heads above water. How can we fight Kira if we have no governmental support, no authority, no help?
A part of me is almost glad you're not around to see this, L.
Eva sighed at the US press conference, muting the TV when the yelling of the reporters got to be too much for her.
"What now?" she asked, turning her attention to Near who was busy building a fort with El.
"It looks like we've been disbanded." Near explained nonchalantly, screwing the head off a toy. "Thanks to that chicken of a president. No, he's not even a chicken." The head of the toy clicked off, rolling across the floor to El. "He's less than a maggot."
"Near!" Rester called everyone's attention to the security cameras. Eva watched Halle Linder be led to the building at gunpoint. The man holding her hostage made the weapon extremely visible. "What should we do?"
"Let him in." Near ordered. Eva quickly pulled El off the floor, looking for a place to hide him. "He won't hurt him." Near assured, as if he could read Eva's mind. Eva set the small child down and kneeled down until she met his eyes.
"Whatever happens, stay behind me, okay?" Eva smiled, trying not to show any fear. El nodded and quickly assumed his position, safe behind his mother. Rester stood in front of Near with a weapon drawn, and Gevanni stood in front of Eva. The door clicked open, and Eva instantly recognized the boy from the picture, except older and with a burn scar across the left half of his face.
"Mello, welcome." Near greeted, not bothering to turn around and face the blonde-haired man.
"Drop your weapon!" Rester commanded.
"Everyone, please put away your guns. Having a shootout here would achieve nothing." Near said calmly.
"Sir, with all due respect, Mellos' the one who killed our partners." Gevanni objected, still taking expert aim with his gun.
"Please don't make me say it again. Remember, our primary objective is still to catch Kira." Near corrected. "Killing Mello right now will do nothing to benefit our investigation."
"Alright…." Rester begrudgingly lowered his weapon, still keeping it out, as did Gevanni. The pair carefully watched Mello pull the gun away from Halle's head.
"It seems like things have been going just as you planned, Near." Mello said sarcastically, pulling the hood of his black coat off his head.
"Yes, I take it you've already heard all about the second L from Lidner by now." Near confirmed.
"Lidner?" Eva met the blonde woman's eyes. She quickly looked away. "That's how he knew about the notebook…from our investigation?"
"I told you your assessment was good, Eva." Near stated with a small smirk. "I've mostly figured out exactly who Kira is, and it's thanks to everything you've done, Mello." The compliment triggered an inexplicable rage in the blonde man.
"Shut up, Near!" he yelled, pointing the gun directly at the back of Near's head. Rester and Gevanni immediately held up their weapons. "I'm not just a tool for you to use in order to solve your puzzles, you know."
"If you really want to shoot me then go ahead and do it." Near goaded. It was not a gamble Eva would have taken. Mello's blue eyes narrowed with intensity. She saw his finger tighten around the trigger. Eva moved to protect Near, stopping only when she felt two small hands tug on her leg.
"Don't go…." El whispered to her, holding onto her tightly.
"Stop!" Halle put her hand on Mello's gun and stepped between him and Mello. "If you shoot him, then the rest of us will have to shoot you. What will it solve if the both you die? That's just what Kira wants.
"You have a point." Mello admitted, lowering his weapon again. "Anyway, I just came here for one thing: I came to take back that photograph you have."
"Of course." Near agreed, holding up the photograph. Eva couldn't help but to think how much more light Mello had in his eyes back then. Everything seemed more optimistic back then. L…. "I got it from the orphanage. There was only one and no copies have been made. I've already gone ahead and dealt with everyone who knows your face both inside and outside Wammy's House. They'll keep quiet. I can't say a hundred percent for certain, but it shouldn't be possible for you to be killed by the notebook." Near threw the photograph at Mello, who caught it with just as much ease. "Is that the only business you had with me, Mello?"
"Near…." Mello glowered at the white-haired boy. "Let's get one thing straight: I have no intention of working together with you on this."
"Yes, I know."
"At the same time, I can't just take my photo and leave. That wouldn't be right. So, I'll settle my debt."
"Hm?" Near turned a bit, his interest piqued.
"The killer notebook, it belongs to a god of death. Whoever touches it is able to see it. The notebook I obtained had previously belonged to another god of death, perhaps even Kira himself."
"Unfortunately, you're not telling me anything I don't already know." Near turned back around, continuing to fidget with his toys. Mello moved his eyes from Near's back to Eva. Her breath caught in her throat. This man was so imposing.
"That's right…you had the benefit of—hm?" His blue eyes moved down to the small child poking his head out from behind Eva's legs. "…I heard rumors about L's child, but I figured they were just that." Mello returned his gaze to Near. "If you care at all about their wellbeing you should get them as far away from you as possible. You're a target for Kira, and they are by extension."
"I'm aware of that." Near reiterated.
"Are you?" Mello challenged. He turned on his heel and stopped before exiting. "Were you aware that some of the rules in the notebook were fake?" Mello smirked when he saw Near turn to look over his shoulder. "I guess not. That's all I can tell you for now. Which one of us is going to reach Kira first, I wonder." A genuine smile appeared across Near's lips.
"The race is on." Near looked up at Eva as the automatic doors closed behind Mello. Her face was pale, her eyes wide, her lip quivered. "Eva?"
"L had…I-I thought he was just trying to find any reason to incriminate Light." Eva stammered out.
"What did L have?" Near asked, standing up and making his way over to her.
"There was one rule that L was planning on testing the day he died: 'If the person using the note fails to continuously write names of people to be killed within 13 days of each other, then the user will die.'" Eva explained.
"Why would that incriminate Light Yagami?" Near pushed, moving closer to her.
"Light Yagami and Misa Amane were held in 24-hour monitored solitary confinement for more than fifty days. On their fifteenth day of confinement, a ton of criminals died all at once. That confinement was the main reason suspicion moved away from Light and Misa, and when we found the notebook with the rules, it only made us more confident that they couldn't have been Kira or the second Kira." Tears began to build up in Eva's eyes as she hastily explained L's suspicions. "Excuse me." Eva quickly stepped out of the room, taking a moment to breath in the hallway. It was suffocating—being in this place, being in this position. She desperately tried to regain her composure when she heard the doors open behind her.
"You never told me why you left without saying anything to Light." She turned to Near, with every intention of lying again, but only more tears and sobs left her.
"B-because it was too hard." Eva finally admitted through her sobs. "I loved Light! I loved him, even to the day that I left! I never for a second believed he was Kira. All of the patterns L saw, they were just coincidences to me. But I couldn't stop seeing them after he died. I loved Light…. If it turned out he was Kira…I don't…I don't know what I would do." Eva took a deep, shaky breath. "I thought…maybe if I could start living without him, separate myself from the Kira case, maybe I could just go on in ignorance and try to live a normal, happy life for my son."
"I see…." Near pulled on a lock of his white hair and began twirling it around his finger. "Was Light the jealous type?"
"What do you mean?" Eva asked through sniffles.
"You two dated briefly, correct?"
"Y-yea, but I don't think jealous…m-maybe just overprotective. He just didn't like strangers around me in general."
"Who were the strangers he didn't like around you?" Near pried.
"I guess the only two prominent ones would have been L and Reiji." Eva admitted.
"Jealousy could explain why every man that seems to hold your affection other than Light ends up dead." The accusation hit her like a ton of bricks. It was nothing she had ever acknowledged, even to herself. Light isn't Kira. "Eva, I'd like you to take El to your parents in Los Angeles temporarily and join the investigation here more actively."
"What are you planning?" Eva asked. A devious smile cracked across Near's lips.
"I'm going to back Kira into a corner."
