April 5th, 2031
The Yagami Household
"What do you mean you're taking me?" Knight said, keeping a calm demeanor.
Kudo realized what he said and slapped himself on the forehead. "I don't mean I'm taking you away but I'm taking you in."
The message was still unclear and Knight made that clear by shaking his head 'no'.
"On the Kira case."
Knight exhaled a breath he didn't realize he was holding in. "I was going to say..."
"I know that you're a Kira supporter but we need your help on the Kira case."
He cocked his head.
Hayate saw an opportunity and jumped in. "I'm sure you're aware of the damage Kira did; the three massacres. You can't possibly like Kira after this."
"You're right," Knight said, "I could never love Kira if he turned over and let this psychotic vindictive scumbag walk all over him."
The four detectives looked at him.
"That wasn't Kira." He thought it was obvious but apparently, they needed a little education. "Didn't you guys actually watch the massacre? The people who died wrote the word 'Keiri' in blood on the walls behind them or on the frosted glass. As we all know, with the kanji characters it's spelled with, 'Keiri' is Japanese for 'Executioner'." He stepped aside and held an arm, gesturing for them to come in. "Kira wants to protect innocent people so why would he randomly kill innocent people? Especially when they see him as a savior? Not only that but why didn't he kill them with a heart attack? Why did it have to be suicide?"
The four cops nodded before walking into Knight's house. They quickly made themselves at home and headed over to Knight's couch.
"I had a feeling," Kudo said as he took a seat on Knight's couch, Hayate, Soma, and Yamane next to him. "I'm sorry for intruding in your home but I hope you understand."
"I understand," Knight said, "I've helped you guys solve crimes on my time off and I've cracked every case. It only makes sense you'd want my help to fight back against Keiri."
"You make me hopeful of our next generations of detectives, Knight," Soma said.
"I agree," Yamane nodded.
"So am I going to officially become part of the investigation or am I going to be doing my own investigation?"
"No, we just want you to give us a lead. You're still a teenager and you just entered college. Focus on schoolwork and when you're done, we'll bring you in as an official. Right now, we just need your help."
Knight laughed and patted his chest. With the couch full, he decided to pace in front of the TV with his hands wrapped behind his back. "To be honest, I was already going to do some investigation of my own then you guys came." He stopped near the window and put his index finger and thumb under his chin. "To be honest, I do feel some fear."
"What do you mean?" Hayate asked.
"Keiri." Knight stared out the window. "It appears that he has the same power as Kira and on top of it, all of his victims were Kira supporters. I am a Kira supporter, meaning that I am at risk. And they all committed suicide."
Soma raised his hand and asked, "Does that mean you'll help us with the Keiri case?"
"I will. It's obvious that this 'Keiri' holds some kind of grudge against people who support Kira. No matter what it is, a person should not die because of their beliefs. No innocent person should be made a martyr." He turns back to them. "I'll see to it that Keiri is captured."
The four detectives exhaled in relief and talked quietly amongst themselves.
Soma spoke up and said, "We're grateful to have you on our team, Knight."
"Anything you need," Yamane said, "We'll get it for you."
"You're like the smartest person in the room no matter where you go," Soma chuckled.
Knight shoved his hands in his pockets. "I have a few clues as to what is going on but I'm going to need some time." He watched their shock reactions and quickly spoke up. "This is what I need: I didn't record the documentary or the other massacres so I'm going to need a tape of all three massacres. Not only that, but I also have to make a few phone calls to confirm some suspicions. After I come to a conclusion, I will hand over all evidence to you guys and you guys can investigate on your own."
"Is that all?" Kudo asked. When Knight nodded, he turned to Soma and Yamane to say, "I need you to obtain footage of the massacres and bring them here. ASAP."
"Yes, Chief," Soma saluted.
"Right away sir," Yamane replied before leading Soma out the door.
Knight continued, "I'm going to need at least a day or two to investigate. Come back on Monday after school around 4:30; I should have plenty of information after that."
"Understood," Kudo said as he stood up, "We need those leads ASAP, Knight."
Knight shook Kudo's hand. "I will spend the entirety of tomorrow investigating."
AN: I just want to let you know that Iris Abernathy is British. I decided to give her character a British accent, which includes slang, and I'm not a British native and I had to look up these terms so I am sorry if the terms aren't accurate.
April 6th, 2031
Difficult, Iris thought in her head, This is absolutely difficult.
Iris Abernathy had been keeping an eye on Knight ever since January and she bought a home once she figured out where he was living (based on Misa Amane's memories). When she was living in Dublin for a short while, she told her guardians that she was traveling to Japan and they gave her British pounds. She then traded the pounds for the amount they're worth in Japanese yen. Once she arrived in Tokyo, she bought her own home and secured herself a job. She paid rent and despite being underage and unable to live on her own, bribed the landlord to pretend that she was born on August 6th, 2012 based on her fake ID. Even the name she was using was an alias (Iona Abernathy).
The home she was staying in was a simple two-bedroom, two-bathroom house that had been collecting dust before she swept up. Since she didn't have a lot of possession, the place was mostly vacant with space and that's how she liked it. Nothing for her to step on or trip on. On the 'bright' side, there was a beach chair she brought and set up in the backyard under the sun.
Maybe a quick sunbathe will hit the spot, she thought.
She went into her closet and dug out her bikini and sunglasses. Reaching in the top drawer, she remembered that her borrowed Death Notes were taped to the ceiling of the top drawer but she ripped out a few pages out beforehand and kept them in her wallet.
"Going out for another session?" Gilth asked.
Iris jumped in surprise, forgetting that he was limping behind her at all times. She looked at him nervously and realized she was about to undress in front of him.
"Can ya please give me some privacy?" she asked, her British accent becoming apparent in her voice. "I think better when I'm sunbathing. It's why I got my nickname in the first place."
"You have a job to do; the Death Note."
"I can't just write down names," she exclaimed.
Gilth cocked his head like a quizzical child. "Why not; your instructions were to kill criminals being broadcast."
"Criminals being broadcast are still common but are starting to happen less since Kira's reappearance six months ago. That and the rozzers are more sophisticated with cybercrime. There's a security camera on every street corner, tram, and a dashcam in cars and buses. Not only that but the rozzers have tabs on all cell phones, making it a doddle to track people down."
I can barely understand a word this British girl is saying, Gilth thought.
"I was told to kill criminals being broadcast but I now suss if I only kill criminals being broadcast when Kira has killed criminals whose names were in the computer, then it'll butcher suspicious. Detectives might ask, why is Kira now focusing exclusively on criminals being broadcast?"
Gilth stuttered before he comprehended her reasoning. "I see your point but I'm going to have to get used to your British slangs."
"I'm sorry. I know I'm supposed to kill criminals being broadcast but I have to keep up the consistent pattern of criminals whose information is online fancy Kira has done for the past six months."
She changed into her red bikini once she entered the bathroom and out of Gilth's sight.
She came out of the bathroom with sunglasses and towel in hand, a blush across her face as the male Shinigami looked at her.
This is supposed to be Knight's father, she thought.
"Someone as smart as Knight might figure out that I'm a different Kira with a different level access to criminals."
She heads into the backyard, lays her town on the chair, and sits down. Once she was secured she lays her back down after putting on her sunglasses. She angled the chair so she was getting a direct beam of sunlight and closed her eyes and let the warm feeling of the sun melt into her skin.
That's when she got into deep thought.
What if the police look into who has been googling criminals and if these criminals died almost immediately after. I have to kill criminals but if I butcher hook 'em up, then the police might track it back to my dog and bone or computer. The criminals being broadcast should be cushy since they can't track televisions but web searches are different. How am I going to kill criminals without looking up their names and 'em not being broadcast?
He crossed her forearms over her stomach.
I kill criminals who are being broadcast, but I have to find a way to kill criminals without looking up their names. But how?
An idea comes to her mind and her eyes shoot open.
I've thought of an ace plan.
She gets out of her beach chair and puts on her clothes. She checks her wallet for Death Note pages and pencil then walks out the door with yen in stock.
She hustles down to the nearest retail store with a 'shopping list'.
Gilth limped after her. "What are you planning?"
If I'm going to talk, better watch out for the street cams.
"I've figured out a way to kill criminals without looking them up," she whispered, "This method can't be traced back to me, especially if I go to a store that doesn't keep records of who buys what."
She went into the store to buy food for her kitchen, sketchbooks so she can draw, and a couple of movies for her entertainment. She bought movies of various genres, ranging from horror to romance to documentaries. The last item on her list was a small TV about the size of a box for storing small items. Once she paid for the stuff, she made a beeline home and set everything up.
She turned on the big screen TV, set up the mini-TV in the corner, and put on the first documentary CD she bought. The big TV was set to a news broadcast station while the mini-TV was playing a documentary of Japan's most infamous Yakuza serving life in prison.
"I get it," Gilth said, "Since you can't look up people on the computer, you're going to kill criminals who you see in movies and documentaries. It's practically impossible to track people being killed through a documentary and wow, you really are smart Iris. This is getting very interesting."
Absentmindedly, she opened the bag of barbecued-flavored potato chips and held them above her head. Gilth yelped in excitement and took the bag of chips, grabbing a handful and wolfing them down like popcorn.
"Masi said you love barbecued-flavored potato chips."
"What's Masi's favorite human food?"
"I have a feeling you'll find out soon. Or at least Knight will."
Iris took her wallet out and removed a paper of the Death Note.
The only thing I can do right now is right down the Yakuza's name and hope they die. As for the criminals being broadcast, I just have to wait.
She paused the documentary on a Yakuza being interviewed with their name being displayed.
If I write his name down, I'll be a murderer. Can I really do it?
She looked down at the pencil and paper and felt her heart start beating.
Can I really do it? Can I write a person's name down, knowing full well that they're going to die?
Her heartbeat began pumping louder so that she could feel the vibrations in her ear. Her eyes widened.
She was surrounded by a pink aura.
If I dither Kira's killings then I'll be in trouble. I have no choice. If I want Knight to have a chance then I have to help him.
He wrote down the Yakuza's name.
This documentary came out two years before Kira's return so they shouldn't be using aliases or obscuring the criminals' faces unless they wanted to remain anonymous. Not only that but I bought this in the used section so there is no chance with it being edited and altered by filmmakers to hide the Yakuza's identities.
Gilth looked at the Yakuza and noticed that his name and lifespan vanished.
"The only real problem is confirming if they are brown bread or not," Iris said, "Or if they were alive, to begin with."
"I wouldn't worry about that," Gilth said. "Also, what does 'brown bread' mean?"
Iris looked at him before answering. "It's rhyming slang for 'dead', a slang in the UK."
There was a criminal broadcast on the news. Iris wasted no time and wrote his name down.
This Iris girl is very creative, Gilth thought, So interesting.
It was then when she remembered something.
Knight's notebooks are full of names.
She went into her drawer to pull out the three hidden notebooks. She flipped through them and compared the names to the Yakuza's name written.
Perfect, I don't have to look up names; all I have to do is look up the names on the documentaries and then see if those names are in Knight's notebooks. Thank god he didn't tear the pages out beforehand.
April 7th, 2031
After Knight woke up early in the morning, went to school, had himself a good afternoon lunch, he made a few calls to confirm a few things and once he was done with everything, he paced around the room, his mind preoccupied with his thoughts.
Masi was pacing back and forth with him, eager to hear what he was thinking.
"Did you figure anything out?" Masi asked innocently, "Knighty-knight?"
Knight stopped in the middle of his living room and looked up at his mother. "Plenty," he said, "I think I've learned more than enough about Keiri." He started pacing again. "Yesterday, I spent the entire day investigating over the tapes the police brought me and I made a few phone calls under the guise of Detective Asahi. I called the studio at NHN, the studio that hosted the debate, and the filmmakers behind the Kira Worshippers documentary. I have more than enough information to deduce something about Keiri that he didn't want me to figure out."
"Can you tell me?" Masi requested, "I know you're smart and everything but I want to hear what your thought process is. Please?"
Knight considered this request before nodding, deciding it would be better if he cleared his head before speaking to the police.
"The NHN Massacre occurred at 12:04 PM at NHN and the victims were anchor Kyouki Deguchi and the cameraman. The word 'Keiri' was left behind in blood. Only the host and cameraman died. The host, a well-known Kira supporter, was talking to a guest brought onto the show. I made a phone call and discovered that the guest was using an alias and survived the massacre. The host, however, was killed on live air. Any normal person would turn the camera off but the cameraman kept focus until 'Keiri' was written in blood. I also found out that the cameraman died off-screen after the cameras stopped rolling, suicide.
"The Pro-Kira vs. Anti-Kira Massacre occurred at 12:05 PM on the Kira Debate Show, on a different channel, with 6 Kira supporters and one cameraman dying in the process. Like before, the word 'Keiri' was left behind in blood. The first person to die didn't die the usual way of suicide as Keiri would leave as his calling card but a heart attack. The victim knocked down the frosted glass and exposed the Kira supporters. They all tried to run away but they each committed suicide in their own way. Two of the Kira supporters tried hiding behind frosted glass hiding the identities of the Anti-Kira protesters but they both were killed and one of them wrote 'Keiri' on the glass in blood. It should also be noted that the cameraman died as well offscreen and he was being controlled by Keiri since he was still rolling the cameras and making sure to get footage of the Keiri name. This all happened in a span of thirty seconds.
"Last but not least, The Kira Worshippers' Massacre, 12:06 PM, taking place at Church X of Kira with two Kira worshippers dying. Instead of taking place at a news station, this massacre happened at a church where people go to worship Kira. The documenter and her cameraman were walking around the church, getting glimpses of the place, before they recorded footage of the Kira Worshippers praying to Kira. One woman killed herself by slamming her face repeatedly into the ground while another worshipper set himself on fire. The cameras shut off immediately. Unlike the first two massacres, the cameraman didn't die offscreen nor was the message 'Keiri' left behind in blood and there are only two casualties."
Knight looked at his mother and a smile broke out across his face.
"Based on these facts, I can only come to one conclusion: Keiri is not one but two people."
Masi's eyes widened. "How do you know that?"
"My reason is that the three massacres all happened in a span of three minutes. NHN: 12:04, Kira Debate: 12:05, Church: 12:06. Not only that but the people in the debate massacre were all slaughtered when their names weren't mentioned but faces shown. This would make me believe that Keiri needs only a person's face in order to kill but if that were the case then why did the guest from the NHN massacre survive and only the host die, especially when the guest was openly a Kira supporter?"
"Maybe he wanted to spare the guest," Masi suggested.
"But he still chose a program in which the names would be displayed before him. He didn't consider that someone would be using an alias, especially a Kira supporter."
Masi silently nodded.
"And then there's the third massacre that really gets me: The cameraman turned off the camera before he could get footage of Keiri's name being left behind in blood. It had only two people dead. In the first two massacres, the cameramen were under Keiri's control but why not the third cameraman in the documentary? For this reason, I believe that the first massacre, the NHN one, was being watched by the Keiri that needs a name and a face in order to kill while the debate massacre was obviously conducted by the Keiri who only needs a face to kill.
Masi tilted her head and smirked in admiration.
"The third one was also being conducted by the Keiri who needed a face but there was a backfire in his plan. I believe that he intended to control the cameraman for the third massacre but something happened. I looked it up and Yuri Ohashi's original cameraman was in a car accident and sent to the hospital, where he's been staying for two weeks. Just after the Keiri massacre for the church, he suddenly kills himself by choking on a piece of glass. I believe that Keiri intended for Ohashi's original cameraman to be there but since he was in the hospital at the time, he was unable to do as he was told but died of suicide anyway."
"Wow, Knight," Masi squealed, "You are so smart; you take after your father a lot!" She wrapped her hands around him and pulled him into a hug. "So we have two Keiris to deal with; one with Shinigami eyes and the other without." She pulled herself away and patted Knight on the shoulder. "How are you going to find them?"
Knight turned his back to his mom as he thought of the answer in his head.
"The third massacre strikes me as odd because the first two massacres were public broadcasts while the other one was a live documentary. I believe that the two Keiris have a connection to the people of Church X of Kira, otherwise, why would they target it? If it is supposed to be a public massacre for all of Japan to see then why target a documentary? Either way, this person or persons are ruthless enough to make innocent people die just because they support Kira or so they can use them as tools, ie. the cameraman but they're obviously motivated by revenge. Any attack against a church or people based on their beliefs is an act of hate and this type of hate is motivated by revenge. Revenge against Kira."
Masi sighed before saying, "There can only be six Death Notes in the human world. You own three Death Notes with Iris owning one, totaling four."
"That goes without saying," Knight rolled his eyes.
"But there's also the possibility that there could be three Keiris."
Knight looked at her with narrow eyes.
"What's that supposed to mean?" Then his eyes widened. "The maximum number of notebook owners is six, but you are allowed to share pages of the Death Note with other people."
"Smart as a whip and only the owner can trade for the Shinigami eyes. So the possibility of the accomplice borrowing the Death Note is not impossible."
Knight shoved his hands in his pockets as he looked out the window.
The max number of active Death Notes in the human world is six but based on what Mom said, it's not impossible that there are two Death Note owners and multiple borrowers or one Death Note owner and a borrower or two.
He made a fist in his pockets.
Nevertheless, it's safer if I treat Keiri as two individuals but on my own, I am outnumbered. I had no problem with Break, Roach, and Maroon but only because they weren't sociopathic and they operated within the law. Not only that but they didn't trade for the Shinigami eyes. Keiri is a duo of sociopathic Anti-Kira protesters who have traded for the eyes. If they know how the Shinigami eyes work, then they might figure out that they can't see the lifespan of humans who possess a Death Note. And I won't be able to tell which human traded for the eyes.
He put his tongue under his upper teeth but didn't bite down.
And because they have a grudge against Kira supporters, even if I forfeited ownership of the Death Note, they might kill me just for supporting Kira. I have no choice; I have to kill them before they kill me but that goes without saying. The one vital thing I truly need to win is the Shinigami eyes.
He listened to the sounds of his heart bumping, the sound echoing throughout the house.
Am I willing to die sooner just so I can save my own life?
He shook his head.
No, I will not cut my life in half. If I die sooner then I won't be able to continue my reign as Kira. I WON'T shorten my life. The only option at my disposal is Iris. I will get Iris to trade for the Shinigami eyes and after that, I'll find out who Keiri is and kill him. If the accomplice is a borrower then Iris shouldn't be able to see their lifespans. I should focus on the Keiri with the Shinigami eyes.
He smiles.
This is getting interesting, a real game of chess, and the winner annihilates the other entity entirely and obtains all remaining Death Notes in their possession. With all six Death Notes in one's possession, then they truly are a living deity of this earth.
Kira vs. Keiri.
The following situations are the cases where a god of death that has brought the Death Note into the human world is allowed to return to the world of gods of death
1. When the god of death has seen the end of the first owner of the Death Note brought into the human world and has written that human's name on his/her own Death Note.
2. When the Death Note which has been brought in is destroyed, like burned, and cannot be used by humans anymore.
3. If nobody claims ownership of the Death Note, and it is unnecessary to haunt anyone.
4. If, for any reason, the god of death possessing the Death Note has been replaced by another god of death.
5. When the god of death loses track of the Death Note which he/she possesses, cannot identify which human is owning the Death Note, or cannot locate where the owner is, and therefore needs to find such information through the hole in the world of gods of death
Even in situations 2, 3, and 4 above, gods of death are obliged to confirm the death of the first owner and write down that human's name in his/her Death Note even when he/she is in the world of gods of death.
AN: Yes, there are two Keiris (at the very least), and Iris talks with a British accent. I'm hoping to get the next chapter out sooner rather than later. Thank you for your patience and I hope you enjoy the rest of this arc. I also had fun with Knight's detective work; hopefully, in the next chapter, we'll get to hear Iris's thought process; she didn't rank second in the Wammy's House for nothing. To those who have watched Relight know the Debate Massacre is inspired by that film. I just want to point out that Light never kills innocent people without a good reason and to have Mikami slaughter innocent people just for disagreeing with him sounds out-of-character. When he killed Lind L. Tailor, FBI, and L, it wasn't cause they disagreed with him, it's because they were a threat to him. Thank you and until next time.