Chapter Eighteen:
"The Imposter"
Raito was checked out with a battery of medical tests after his heart attack and everything came out negative. Even an EKG concluded his heart was in perfect working order and there had been no damage to the arteries. It was chalked up to a severe bout of acid reflex that caused inflammation relative to that to chest pains attributed to the spicy ramen.
He knew better, however. The Evangelist had caused it. How, he didn't know yet.
He was tempted to call on Morph to help him find Light, but then decided against it. Morph had not gotten back to him since being dispatched by Light to find Demetre Draycott, so his supernatural ally was obviously busy. And besides, he could handle it alone. He was a god, after all.
Faking a message from Light, he tricked Soichiro Yagami, Light's father, to believe his son was fine, and had gone home by himself because he wasn't feeling well due to a very upset stomach. He apologized in the text for not telling anyone.
Soichiro insisted on driving Raito home to Light's apartment and Raito could not say no. It was also Soichiro's right as Light's father to check up on his son's well being. Raito couldn't stop him.
On their way, Raito thought of something he could tell Soichiro why Light was not in the apartment when they arrived. But he knew it would not be believable and Soichiro would insist on seeing Light anyway. Light was not going to be home.
Asumi Satou had slipped away when they were in the alley when Raito was getting medical treatment by the medic, and therefore could not be placed under police protection. Perhaps it was for the best. She knew the criminal underworld, hence she knew how to disappear. But he mentally thanked her for the information she provided.
He was told while he was in the hospital getting checked out that the police had apprehended six Yukaza gang-members that were about to storm Light's apartment building. They were arrested. They confessed they wanted to get the bounty on Light's head for the Yukaza leader Terrance Claw's death that Light was claimed to have killed.
It all happened within an hour.
When the car parked at the curb, they made their way to the front entrance to Light's apartment building. Light still lived in the Kanto Region, but he was on the outskirts. Soichiro had loaned Light money for the apartment at first, but after Light became independent and became a full-fledged member of the NPA, rising the ranks quickly, he started to pay his own way. It was an average looking building with a concrete exterior with thirty-four floors. Light lived on the twenty-eighth.
Almost immediately, Raito sensed something out of place and looked up to the twenty-eighth floor. Something—or someone—was probing his mental barriers he put up after the Evangelist's intrusion. The sinister force was inside Light's apartment. It was not the Evangelist, but it was something similar. It almost felt like the Evangelist had loaned this other his powers.
"Raito, is anything wrong?" Soichiro asked.
He looked over at Soichiro and produced a fake smile. "Nothing, sir," he said. "Just being retrospective about what happened to me. How did you feel after your heart attack?" He changed the subject.
Soichiro's eyes softened behind his glasses. He put a comforting hand on Raito's shoulder. "Scared. It was unlike anything I ever felt. I wasn't scared for myself, though. My only thoughts were for Sachiko and Sayu, and what they would do without me. And, of course, Light. Every boy needs a father, and to loose a parental figure at a young age is devastating. I should know. My father passed when I was too young. A few years later, my mother died of heart disease. I was nineteen and was enrolled in the police academy, but heartbreak can have a tremendous toil on one's mind. Luckily, when I had my heart attack, I was close to a hospital. Naturally, it was brought on by the stress of the Kira Case and having Light accused of being Kira."
"And yet, you still managed to have enough strength to steal a police van, smash it through Sakura TV Studio's main entrance, and retrieve the Second Kira's master video tapes sent to them for L to see. I can't imagine what you were going through, mentally and physically."
"Trust me, I paid for it later. But I was determined to clear Light's name and nothing was going to stand in my way. Sachiko watched me like a hawk when I returned back to the hospital and she was angry at me for being so reckless. In looking back, it was kind of funny. But at the moment it wasn't and she cried. I couldn't imagine what she was going through."
Raito thumped his chest. "I promise, no more spicy ramen noodles without a heavy antacid first," he said with a smile.
Soichiro nodded. "We know Kira kills by a heart attack, but we what we don't know is the full extent of his powers. I'm still shaken by Kira. I can't believe someone with his abilities can exist in the world."
"Yes, sounds like something from a manga."
"But Kira is real!" Soichiro said with all seriousness. "He isn't some character in a comic book. Kira has murdered good men and women, police officers, and some of my fellow comrades and friends; people I have worked with for years. Raito, if Kira thinks this is some sort of game, something to starve off their boredom with, then he dead wrong and sick in the head!"
Raito felt the metaphorical stab to his chest. He had come to the Human World and was pretending to be human to do exactly that. But Soichiro was right. With this new threat, the Evangelist was indeed a formidable threat even to him—if not to Kira.
"I understand," he said honestly. "And I agree this is no time for games. The influence of Kira is staggering to say the least. Why the world shows signs of criminality lowering, there will always be that one-percent that will try to circumvent the situation and take advantage—for example, that gang of Yukaza thugs."
"And that, Raito, is why the world still needs cops to take down that one-percent, along with Kira. L once said, 'Evil will always exist in one form or another.' I believe that wholeheartedly and I've always known this to be true. There is a battle to take Terrance Claw's place after the Dragon Sect fell. But even after you squash one cockroach, a dozen is there to take its place. I'm glad the NPA we're able to arrest those thugs so quickly after Asumi Satou gave us the information. I only wish she stuck around. But I'll tell you this, if anyone tries to harm my son they'll be hell to pay!"
"The same goes double for me, sir," he said with a smile. "I promise, I won't let anything happen to my cousin. Just call me his unofficial protector and overseer."
Just then, Raito's phone ring. He reached into his pants pocket. But when he saw who was calling him, he was shocked. He answered it. "Light?" he said a little weary. "Are…you okay? We were worried. We are outside the main entrance to your apartment building, your father and I."
Soichiro said, "Put him on speaker phone."
Raito did, and whoever it was sounded just like Light. "I'm doing a lot better, but my stomach is playing havoc with me. The toilet is my best friend right now."
Soichiro winced. "Sorry to hear that, son. Do you need any assistance? Any medication? I could go to a pharmacy."
"I'm good, Dad. Thanks for the offer. But I would rather just stay at home for the rest of the day and try to recover. I think that is for the best. Just in case it is the flu, and not the ramen, I don't want anyone else getting it. Just to be safe."
"Okay, I was just worried that you left without telling anyone. I was just about to put out a BOLO on you." He chuckled. "The main investigator at Hansel Dragoon's condo still has a few more questions for you, but I think they can wait."
"That's fine, but I'm not sure what else I can tell him and what was already stated? Maybe he can email me the questions? I can provide him with suitable answers to help the investigation along. Give the investigator my email address, okay?"
"That sounds like a good option. Get better soon, son."
"Thanks, Dad. I'll be in touch."
The call ended.
Soichiro produced a thin smile. "Light had me worried leaving so suddenly like that, but I'm glad he's okay. I'll tell the others not to go to his apartment for the time being and let him recover. Take care of him, Raito. But if he does have a bug, keep your distance. You don't want to get sick as well."
"Trust me, sir. I'll do just that," he said most assuredly.
When Soichiro got back in his car, he waved and then drove off.
Raito looked back up at twenty-eighth floor and continued to feel the unsettling force of whatever was inside Light's apartment.
Suddenly, Raito got a text. It was from the other who contact him pretending to be Light.
I know you can sense me, Astral God. I will be waiting for you…
Raito put away his phone and ventured up to Light's apartment, taking the elevator.
He armed himself the moment he reached the door, taking out his weapon from his right hip holster. But it would probably to do no good if what he felt was indeed what was true.
Reaching for the door handle, he turned it slowly and silently turned it. It was unlocked.
"Come in, Astral God," the Fake Light said. "There's no need to sneak in, I know you are there."
Raito opened the door fully and he was surprised.
Not only did the voice match Light Yagami, but so did the visual image he was now seeing. The Fake Light was standing in full view in the sitting room and the epicentre of the Kira Task Force.
The Fake Light was eating an apple which confirmed Raito's suspicion that he was dealing with more than a simple trickster. The other then ate the core, leaving nothing left. A human would never eat the core.
"I do love a juicy apple," the Fake Light said, wiping his mouth with a napkin. "But proper eating etiquette is equally important. It's improper to speak to a visitor when your mouth covered in juices. But an apple a day keeps me happy."
Raito gripped his gun and pointed it at the Fake Light.
The imposter just looked at it and laughed.
To be continued...