Chapter 9: Enemy of my Enemy

How could he be so foolish? He should have waited and come up with a better plan, but he was too impatient. Now everything was falling apart. Xen had gotten to the Death Note first and figured out that it was how he killed.

All he could do at the moment was run as he threw his improvised smoke bomb and bluffed about Ryuk actively helping him. Kalen hoped that would scare some of the huntsman seeing as Xen would not be fooled so easily.

He jumped out of the window he had broken into the tower in and fell to the ground below, grabbing the grappling hook along the way. His arm shattered on impact as his aura struggled to heal it. Wasting no time, Kalen continued running as the huntsman and huntresses noticed him.

Kalen refused to let himself be captured, and he also refused to die, though, at this point, things may be inevitable. As Ryuk watched the events unravel from above, Kalen ran to the edge of the cliff where he had entered.

With huntsman and huntresses closing in, he had no choice but to go down. Kalen hooked the grapple until it was secure and jumped, riding the rope down to its end. Along the way, it left severe burns on his left hand.

"Shit, I'm barely a quarter way down!" Kalen cursed.

As huntsmen and huntresses descended towards him both on the path and slowly down his rope, Kalen could only do one thing. Taking out a small knife, Kalen cut the rope and began a free fall towards the ground.

Kalen thanked the gods of both death and others that aura existed, taking most of the damage. But as he was not a trained huntsman, it broke his aura leaving him with two broken ribs and a broken leg along with his already broken arm.

Though with his aura broken, the pain was all there for Kalen to feel. The pain was so great that he had to pause for a minute before he could move once more. But his movements were now very slow.

"Dammit, I need to get out of here before the huntsmen and huntresses catch up." Kalen thought as he staggered through.

"Hehe, things got real interesting, wouldn't you say Kalen?" Ryuk questioned as he flew above him.

"Shut it, Ryuk, you're not helping!" Kalen hissed as he wobbled forward.

Kalen knew he needed a doctor, but he also knew that he couldn't go to a hospital because Xen would be expecting that. He would undoubtedly know that Kalen would need medical help after taking two large falls, so a hospital was out of the question.

But that being said, he needed medical treatment desperately, especially since his aura was now broken. Seeing no other choice Kalen took a short break behind a tree as he saw some lights coming from the distance, slowly shining through the blanket of darkness.

Taking out a page of the Death Note, Kalen began writing instructions before the name of a corrupt doctor he knew about. The doctor would constantly put bribes before treating the right people taking those who paid more than those who couldn't.

Hopefully, the instructions he wrote worked, and Kalen could meet up with the doctor to treat him before having him die of an accident. This way, it would be off the record, and it would take some time before Xen could even connect it to him.

Slowly Kalen made his way to a small clearing where he waited as he heard the sound of the search party coming for him. But his luck that night seemed to turn as a black van entered the clearing, and the doctor came out.

He helped Kalen up and, as instructed, drove off with him inside. But he wasn't out of the woods yet as the doctor went to a secluded area and treated Kalen. His arm and leg were both in casts specifically designed to come off once aura did its thing.

Once the doctor was gone, he got back into his van and drove off only to die in an accident in Vale. Now Kalen had to get himself home without getting caught. Thankfully the casts were compact, and he easily hid them under his clothes.

(AN: They have future tech, so better casts aren't out of the question is my thought process here)

Kalen hobbled back into Vale, seeing both police and huntsman and huntresses all over clearly searching for him. Taking off his mask and hiding it, Kalen took to the alleys and the dark to avoid being found.

He did come close to being found once, but Kalen managed to avoid detection. Kalen sadly couldn't kill any of the huntsmen to make it easier for him to move around for two reasons. One, he didn't want to leave a trail, and two, they all wore masks.

Before he got home, Kalen thought quickly for a second. The last thing he needed was to be caught by his mother or maybe even Xen himself if, for whatever reason, as he returned in the middle of the night.

So Kalen quickly convinced Ryuk to grab a bag of apples from the closed market to bring home so that he could have one. At least Ryuk would do these small things for him, or at least the Shinigami chose the times when he would or wouldn't help him as long as he didn't have to do any heavy lifting.

Though Ryuk's definition of heavy lifting was basically anything that involved interacting with physical objects. Unless he had to, Ryuk usually just stood around and watched though he would go around and talk enough because he got a good laugh out of it.

Eventually, he made his way home, and it was empty. No doubt, his mother was out to help catch him. But Kalen knew that overall he was lucky this night that he wasn't caught, but even so, he had been defeated.

Now he would need to be extra careful with how he moved forward and how he got the roadblocks out of his way. As he changed into normal clothes in his room, he turned on the television to see if they were reporting about what was happening.

Not surprisingly, the truth was being covered up to keep the populous from panicking too much. Instead of telling people that they were trying to catch him, they explained that they were searching for some White Fang members.

They also said that the reason the tower at Beacon was lit up was technological errors. The fact anyone would believe such an outrageous statement was baffling to Kalen as he sat down and turned off the lights.

He wanted to scream, he wanted to cry, and most of all, he wanted to kill. Kalen wanted to no needed to get rid of Xen and the White Fang's "Leader". This morning he had been back on top, having thrown Xen off his trail, but now he was at rock bottom.

No, he was below rock bottom and would continue to sink further and further. Now that Xen had access to his own Death Note, no doubt, he would slowly unravel its mysteries. Though Kalen knew that Xen wouldn't use it actively since he would definitely find it wrong.

Not only that, it gave Xen a hint that he used a proxy during the challenge, and it may even lead to show how he could control people. As things were for him now, Kalen was back to square one and would need to work his way back up.

With Xen…

Xen watched from the Beacon tower where he had encountered Kira face to face or, in this instance, mask to mask. He had escaped due to the delayed response of the huntsmen and huntresses when he claimed to be aided by a God of Death.

Though he confirmed that such a being existed with his semblance but it seems that it doesn't actively help him. Nevertheless, the bluff provided him with enough time to escape though not without injuries.

If they didn't catch their killer in a hospital, then they would out somewhere in Vale because there was no way he could hide his injuries. Surely they could find someone that matches his description with severe injuries like he would have.

But there was one person he would keep his eyes on in the next couple of days. Kalen Goodwitch. Though he had now believed to be wrong about him now, his suspicions for the boy came back as Kira clearly used a proxy for the challenge.

The new description for the serial killer better matched Kalen though the "New" Kira was slightly taller. Things were fitting into place in his mind, so when morning came, he was going to visit Kalen at his school for a special lesson.

"Let's see what you do, Kalen." Xen thought as he left, knowing that it would be pointless to try and use his semblance to track Kira's path of escape.

"That being said, there's no doubt that Kira is being aided by a God of Death, though not directly. After all, he knew the true name of the notebooks. Death Note." Xen thought as he pondered on the name for a little while.

Next Morning…

Kalen stared at the ceiling, trying to think of a reason to even get up. With bags under his eyes, Kalen had not slept a wink since coming home due to the pain of his injuries. Everything had fallen apart, and it would be hard for him to act like his normal self with all the pain and mental turmoil.

But if he didn't go to school, it would look suspicious of him. Eventually, Kalen picked himself up and put on fresh clothes hiding his casts. Though he still had one problem, which was his limp and odd movement due to his injuries.

The last thing he needed was for it to be called out and inspected for it, so Kalen took a few minutes to adjust himself. His movement was far from perfect, but it had to do as he left his home. Thankfully his mother still wasn't home, so he didn't need to get by her.

"Still going to school with all of your injuries, huh? I'll say this, Kalen, you are persistent." Ryuk laughed.

"Ryuk. We need to talk." Kalen spoke.

"Yeah, what is it?" Ryuk asked as he ate an apple from the bag they stole the previous night.

"I need you to stay here for today. I need time to think." Kalen requested.

"Fine, I don't mind. Besides, your probably cranky after such a rough night." Ryuk replied as he grabbed another apple

Kalen then made his way to school with only getting some odd looks from people who walked past him. The boy sat down at a seat and waited for his class to start resting his head in his arms, trying to calm his nerves after last night's debacle.

"Hard time sleeping last night?" Someone asked from behind Kalen.

Kalen turned around with the sight of Xen Domino himself sitting behind him, staring at him. Needless to say, Kalen was surprised, but he did his best to hide it as he looked Xen back in his unexpressive eyes that stared into his soul.

"What are you doing here?" Kalen inquired.

"No reason I do enjoy a lecture every now and again. But you Kalen, you look like you've been up all night." Xen pointed out.

"Yeah, I was up studying when the malfunction with the lights at Beacon occurred. Then with all the huntsmen and huntresses on the streets, it was hard to go back to sleep." Kalen lied.

"I see, but I didn't think much noise was made by them. After all, I had such an easy time falling asleep last night." Xen fibbed.

"Damned liar! He knows I can't call him out on that too. He just keeps getting more and more annoying!" Kalen seethed, trying his best to hold back his anger at Xen.

"Well, I guess you were lucky." Kalen retorted.

"I wouldn't say that I'd say that you are incredibly unlucky," Xen replied.

"Tell me, does something hurt?" Xen inquired.

"Hurt? No, why do you ask?" Kalen asked, now on edge.

"Because you look like you're in pain. I saw you walk in here slowly so as to not hurt yourself." Xen explained.

"I'm fine, just a little sore," Kalen said.

"How did that happen?" Xen questioned.

"It's none of your business," Kalen stated, not wanting to make up an excuse knowing, either way, he would seem suspicious.

"If you say so," Xen replied, giving Kalen a look.

"He's definitely here to watch me." Kalen thought as he turned around, not happy.

As the lecture started, Kalen felt as Xen stared into his soul. Kalen did everything he could to make himself look normal. Even as his body ached and stung from his injuries, Kalen pushed forward as his aura slowly came back and continued to heal him.

Finally, his first-class ended, and Kalen went to join a free period as Xen followed him. While Kalen knew that there was a good chance that Xen was going to follow him all day, he felt like he would leave sooner or later.

"Don't you have classes to teach?" Kalen inquired.

"No, because of the incident last night, most teachers were up and about, so we were given the day off to rest," Xen explained before he got next to Kalen.

"Tell me, Kalen, how do you think Kira kills people?" Xen questioned, causing Kalen to flinch slightly at Xen's directness.

"Something wrong?" Xen further pressed after seeing Kalen's reaction.

"No, I just didn't think you would want to talk about that. After all, who knows how Kira kills because it's definitely not poisoning or a semblance. It borders on the supernatural." Kalen responded.

"I couldn't begin to guess on how he does it without going into impossible scenarios," Kalen added.

"True the mystery has even the greatest minds scratching their heads. If you think about it too much, you'll get a migraine." Xen agreed.

"Bastard, he's trying to get a reaction out of me, and it nearly worked. I'm not ready for this shit, and I bet he knows it." Kalen thought as he and Xen continued walking.

For the rest of his classes, Kalen had to deal with Xen bothering him. When school finally ended, Kalen hoped that Xen would finally leave him alone, but no such luck. Xen was still following him, and Kalen didn't exactly know why.

"Do you have nothing else to do?" Kalen inquired.

"Not really, but I wanted your opinion on something, and now that you don't have anything to distract you today, it will be the best time to get your opinion," Xen answered.

"What could be so important for you to follow me around like this?" Kalen questioned as Xen took out a familiar black notebook.

"Tell me, what do you think about this?" Xen inquired as he showed Kalen the Death Note that he had hidden from him.

Kalen stood stock still unresponsive as he tried to think of a response. The very fact that Xen would bring the killer notebook before him at all was unexpected. It seemed as if everything else had disappeared as Kalen thought about his situation.

"What the hell is this? What do I do? What do I say?" Kalen thought.

"Damn, I have to say something, or else I'll look suspicious." Kalen realized as Xen inspected him.

"It's a notebook, what of it?" Kalen asked as he held back his sweat.

"This isn't any normal notebook. In fact, this is the very same notebook found by the archaeologist team." Xen informed.

"What are you doing with something like that?" Kalen questioned.

"I borrowed it for the day," Xen answered.

"So what do you think?" Xen inquired.

"He's definitely trying to get a reaction out of me, but I won't let him win." Kalen thought.

"It's very interesting that a notebook could be that old. Speaking of which concerns me that someone like you is handling such a delicate object." Kalen spoke.

"Oh, you think I'd damage it? Well, if that is how you feel, why not you hold onto it, maybe get a closer look if you'd like." Xen replied, shocking Kalen.

"This must be some sort of trap! There's no way that's the real notebook. It has to be the fake from last night." Kalen determined as he looked at Xen.

"It's fine. Besides, if I hold it, the last thing I need is for someone to get the wrong idea and think I stole it." Kalen declined.

"Don't be like that. No one would know. Besides, it's not like it's that delicate." Xen replied as he opened the notebook revealing to Kalen names in several different languages, not of Remnant.

"It's the real notebook!" Kalen realized as Xen fiddled with a page.

"Look, it's not that delicate. In fact, it's almost like a used notebook from a couple of years ago." Xen explained as he closed the notebook.

"So want to hold it?" Xen asked.

"I need to say no because the last thing I need is for him to watch me more as I hold it. Wait, but if I do, it may make me more suspicious because, after last night, I would be apprehensive to take it." Kalen thought.

"This is just like the game of chess. It doesn't matter what my choice is. The purpose of this is to see how I react." Kalen determined.

"No thanks, I'm not interested," Kalen responded, getting a small frown from Xen.

"Is something wrong? It's just a little notebook, don't tell me you're scared?" Xen inquired.

"I DON'T WANT THE DAMN NOTEBOOK!" Kalen snapped, having had enough of Xen for what happened last night and today.

"Oh, I see. Well, then that's fine." Xen replied in a calm matter as Kalen cursed himself for losing his cool.

"Well, I have to go anyway. See you later and make sure you get the homework I assigned done." Xen added as he left Kalen, who stood there.

"I'm losing my cool too easily, dammit! If this keeps up, everything I've done up to now will be undone!" Kalen thought.

"I need some sleep." Kalen sighed as he began walking home.

As he walked home, Kalen tried to think of a way to fix his current situation. Only a few days ago, everything was going his way, and now he was nearing rock bottom. Xen was getting closer to catching him while the person who led the White Fang in Vale was trying to take his power.

"Wait. That woman would do anything to get her hand on my power, and I'll never let that happen. However, there's now another notebook on the planet." Kalen realized.

"I can use that and her to get rid of the notebook and maybe even Xen," Kalen smirked.

"I just need to be careful about how I do this. First things first, I need to find a way to contact her." Kalen thought.

Hours Later…

Kalen looked upon his screen as he investigated potential members of the White Fang in Vale. He needed to find a way to contact the leader in Vale and, seeing as the number that called his disposable scroll was not going to work.

"This is going to be hard but maybe not impossible, at least not for me." Kalen thought as he scrolled through the list of arrestees.

Most faunus on the list weren't members of the White Fang or at least not confirmed to truly be part of the Fang. Kalen decided to abandon this search, knowing it was getting him nowhere. Instead, he decided to change his approach on how to contact her.

"There must have been something I missed about this. Something that I could use to find her." Kalen thought.

"Can't use security footage with Emerald and Mercury because she's not in it, meaning she was keeping herself secluded, so what else can I do?" Kalen wondered as he stared at his ceiling.

"That being said, she is looking for me too, meaning she should have done something to find me," Kalen realized.

"I can't wait for her to find me because that would take too long, and the last thing I need is someone like her knowing who I am." Kalen thought.

"I need to keep my cool and think this through. If I were her, how would I find me?" Kalen wondered.

"She knows that she is looking for a student of my description, and there was nothing that made me look like a Beacon student, so a likely place is my school." Kalen began.

"It would be pointless to check the cameras. She's not stupid enough to be caught by them or not to wear a mask." Kalen continued.

"But she may have slipped up with getting the information she needed. That is if she already got the information." Kalen thought as he pulled out another spare scroll.

Vale University Principals Office…

"I know we already bought the equipment, but the Vytal Festival is on hold, and we can't use it due to the situation with Kira, so see if there is any chance to return them for a refund." The Principal ordered as he hung up the scroll.

"Principal Shepard, I have the forms you requested." The Secretary informed as she entered his office and placed the forms on his desk.

"Thank you." Principal Shepard thanked as she left.

"Everything's gone to hell ever since Kira came." Shepard sighed as his scroll rang. He picked it up and noticed an unfamiliar number.

"This is Principal Shepard. How may I help you?" Shepard asked, believing it to be another concerned parent.

"Don't be alarmed, and do not draw any attention to yourself. I am Kira." Kira replied, causing Principal Shepard to go wide-eyed.

"Is this some kind of joke?" Shepard questioned.

"No, this is real, and if you want proof check out your window," Kira stated as the Principal begrudgingly obliged, seeing an empty courtyard.

"What am I supposed to be seeing here?" Shepard asked.

"In a few seconds, one of your teachers who have been repeatedly reported of sexual assault on your students will come out and die of a heart attack," Kira informed.

"Excuse me?!" Shepard yelled.

"Listen. I don't know who you are, but this little joke has gone too far, so listen here…" Shepard began before seeing a figure move in the courtyard.

"No." Shepard gasped as he watched the man Kira had told him about die then and there.

"Now that you know I am serious, I have something I need you to do for me. I need you to look at your computer's records and see if there is any unauthorized activity in the last month." Kira ordered.

"Why would you need that?" Shepard asked.

"That is not something you need to know. Just do it," Kira stated as Shepard began to work.

After a few minutes, Shepard found something odd. Someone accessed by an unknown scroll last night and downloaded student files illegally but neglected to notice that their scroll information was recorded. Thank goodness Shepard got the new security program installed on his computer.

"There was an unauthorized access from last night by a scroll. It doesn't have a name, but I know what the person downloaded and their number." Shepard reported.

"What did they download exactly?" Kira inquired.

"Student profiles, mainly ones that have high grades and…blonde hair," Shepard answered, confused at why the person would want that.

"I see. I want you to give me their number now, and our business will be done." Kira ordered.

"Okay," Shepard replied as he sent Kira the number.

"Thank you, farewell," Kira stated as he hung up, causing Shepard to sigh in relief before he clutched his chest and collapsed dead.

Kalen's Room…

"Good, I got lucky, but now I have what I need," Kalen smirked as he wrote down the number.

"Sadly, Shepard had to die. I can't take any chances with him." Kalen thought.

"Now then, time to make one more call," Kalen said aloud as he dialed the number.

With Cinder Fall…

Cinder scrolled through the list of students she obtained last night. She slowly read through the profiles trying to see the best candidates for who Kira truly was. That is until her scroll rang, receiving a call from an unknown number.

The Half Maiden rejected the call and went back to work before it rang again from the same number. This continued for over half an hour, irritating Cinder to no end until finally she couldn't take it anymore and answered.

"WHO IS THIS AND WHAT DO YOU WANT?!" Cinder yelled.

"Is that any way to speak to an old friend, so to speak?" Kira questioned, shocking Cinder.

"How did you get this number?" Cinder asked.

"That is not important. What is important is that I have a proposition for you." Kira replied.

"Excuse me?" Cinder questioned.

"Mr. X has become a thorn in my side, and you can help me take care of him. I know you won't do it for free, so I'll let you in on how I kill." Kira began.

"I'm listening." Cinder replied.

"How I kill is with an object known as a Death Note. It is a notebook given to me by a god of death. Whosever name is written within shall die." Kira continued.

"At Beacon, there is another notebook like mine, one which Mr. X currently holds. Kill him, and the notebook is all yours." Kira finished.

"What's the catch?" Cinder questioned, knowing that the offer was too good to be true.

"When we last talked, you wanted nothing to do with me, and now you want to work with me." Cinder pointed out.

"True, but you technically are also a target of Mr. X or, to be more precise, the higher-ups themselves and as the old saying goes. The enemy of my enemy is my friend." Kira began.

"As for the catch, there isn't any well, of course of than the fact that once this is over, you and I will be enemies once more, and I will kill you before you kill me," Kira explained.

Cinder thought about this offer. No doubt Kira was going to intervene to take this Death Note for himself and most likely kill her, so she needed a plan. Taking a quick look at the list in front of her, and she smiled.

"Fine, I'll accept. But do you know who Mr. X truly is?" Cinder inquired.

"Xen Domino. He currently teaches a class at Beacon." Kira answered.

"I see. Well then, how about this. I'll make my move during the Beacon dance in a few week's time." Cinder informed, seeing as the dance was still on to keep up the morale of the students.

"Good enough for me. Oh, and a fair share of warning, he knows that it kills people, so you'll have a little challenge when going for it." Kira explained.

"Don't worry, that won't be a problem for me." Cinder smirked as she created a small ball of flame in her hand.

"Good, well, that is all. I'll be in touch." Kira replied as he hung up.

"Death Note and a god of death." Cinder spoke to herself as she placed her scroll down.

"Interesting. I can't wait to play with my new little toy and kill Kira with it. As long as I have it, then it won't matter which one of these kids are Kira. I'll just kill them all." Cinder smirked as she looked at the list in front of her.

Kalen's Room…

"And that's that." Kalen laughed as he put his scroll on his desk.

"Do you think it was smart trusting her with the knowledge of the Death Note?" Ryuk questioned as he sat on Kalen's bed.

"She won't live long enough for it to matter," Kalen stated.

"I already know what's going on through her head at this moment. She has a list of students that include me, of which she suspects Kira and no doubt will use the Death Note to kill us." Kalen added.

"But doesn't that just make it even more dangerous?" Ryuk asked.

"No, in fact, I welcome it because it shall motivate her more to get her hands on the notebook. But while she goes to get it, no doubt she will meet resistance." Kalen began.

"That will be the perfect opportunity to not only kill her and Xen but to also destroy the second notebook. Once everything is said and done, it will look like both had died in a fight, and Kira had nothing to do with it." Kalen finished with a sinister smirk on his face.

"While Xen knows the Death Note can kill people, what he doesn't know is that it can also control them as well. All I have to do is make him be there." Kalen added.

"But what about that White Fang organization won't you miss the opportunity to get to them if you kill off the boss like this?" Ryuk questioned.

"True, but I have no doubt that she will bring some reinforcements. She wouldn't come and try this all alone. It would be safer in higher numbers." Kalen answered.

"Oh, I see, not bad kid." Ryuk laughed.

"No doubt she will still use a mask, but if I played my cards right, I'll be able to remove the mask and kill her." Kalen thought as he looked up into the sky.

With Xen…

"Kalen Goodwitch. I have no doubt in my mind now after today. You are Kira, and I will prove it." Xen murmured as he looked at security footage of Vale.

"When I probed Kalen today, he reacted in a way no normal person would, and no doubt he was still injured from last night. Now I just need to see if he had been using a Death Note." Xen thought as he looked through the footage.

Xen had footage playing from months prior where Xen had no knowledge of the Death Note. This way, it would be easier to find Kalen using a Death Note if he was Kira. Though that being said, it seemed that the boy was very good at hiding it.

"There's nothing that shows anything suspicious about him, meaning he still felt the need to hide it all." Xen thought.

"Maybe I should go into his room and see if I could find his Death Note. No, the last thing I need is Glynda yelling at me. Though it is still an option for later on." Xen determined.

"But thinking about it, how did Kalen get someone to stand in for him during the challenge? Could it be that there are uses to this Death Note that I don't know about?" Xen wondered as he looked at the killer notebook.

"Well, then Kalen Goodwitch, I wonder what will happen first? Will you kill me, or will I expose you? I, for one, can't wait to find out." Xen murmured.

"That being said, I should get something to protect myself." Xen thought as he got up from his desk.

Author's Note:

Hey guys, sorry for the wait. I had a bit of writer's block for most of my stories, and when I had a block for one, I would just go write for another. But I finally got this one done, and I am happy with how it turned out.

Now real quick on the timeline of the story, I'd say that we are past where Volume 1 would be and are almost in the break between semesters. I know the dance happened later on in the second semester, but a lot of things are changing in the world thanks to Kira, so I don't think it matters much.

I can't say when the next chapter will come out, but hopefully, it won't take as long as it did with this one. Either way, hope you guys enjoyed, and I'll see you guys next time!