CHAPTER 19:
"Brother of Morph"
L kicked a small piece of rumble with a shoe as he readied himself to leave the area. He couldn't believe his childhood home was gone. It was shocking and it made him angry. But he calmed himself, because he knew only cool heads prevailed. He wasn't sure where he was going to go, but Nate had connections, and he would ask him for a place to stay until be could get settled elsewhere. Maybe a hotel for a couple of days?
With Light Yagami changing his name, because he knew he would be a hunted man with it, L, too, thought it may be worth while to don a pseudonym for a time, to get close to his prey. He would have to anyway, eventually. Everyone thought he was dead, and maybe, it was best the world thought so.
Nate—or N—now had his mantle, and he could help Nate whenever deemed. But as for L, the greatest detective, it was finally time to put it to rest. Retire it, per se. Out of respect for his mentor, Quillish.
He was told he had a distinctive look, so maybe a slight makeover, too.
Two young kids, a boy and a girl, approximate ages both, maybe ten years old, approached him, and stood next to him on either side. The boy had black hair, while the girl had blonde pigtails. He thought all the kids had gone on the school bus. Then he realized these weren't kids.
To play the part, both of them held L's hands to make it appear that an adult was in the care of scared children. Just then, he caught the eye of a photographer, and his picture was taken of the heartwarming scene. The average public wouldn't know who he was, and would think he was just some councillor for the school, and were looking after two children who had gotten separated from the pack. But if Light Yagami saw it, his cover would be blown.
Suddenly, the photographer swore, L heard. "Crap, error. Damn it!"
The picture had not been saved? The photographer seemed to try to rectify the problem, but then he gave up. He was the last one on the scene. All the other media had since left. He then left too without the picture.
L looked to the boy, he appeared to have been staring directly at the photographer when the error occurred.
"The Shinigami really did a number on this place," Clavis, the boy, said, blinking. He looked up at L, L looked down at him. "I'm sorry, this is all our fault. It's obvious who attacked Wammy House."
"Yes, it is Quindecim's fault," L said straightly, sparing nothing. He was upset, but kept it internal. "If Light Yagami was under lock and key, then these kids would still have a place to call home. Instead, they are being shipped to another orphanage an hour's drive from here." It was a harsh, but true. "Luckily, Watari built several orphanages. Wammy House was exclusively for gifted children."
For a moment, the situation with Quindecim reminded L of the justice system in basically every country, who released criminals back out into the public knowing full well that they will reoffend. Sometimes, the courts were stupid. And, all of a sudden, he thought of Kira, or rather Light Yagami, and how he dealt with criminals. He stopped criminality in its tracks by preventing the release and the reoffending from happening.
Light Yagami dealt with them on a permanent basics.
However, the same thing had just happened with Light Yagami. He had escaped and reoffended. No one had policed Kira, and now Kira was again a thorn in L's side.
The evil that was done here, Light Yagami deserved retribution. But L couldn't start thinking like Kira. That would go against his entire belief system and the purpose of why he was here.
He sighed. "I'm sorry," he said to Clavis and Castra, who had just been standing on either side of him, silent, perhaps in quiet reflection of events, or in guilt. Neither had responded to his blame of Quindecim failing to keep Light Yagami within. "How would you have known what would occur, and who would be involved?"
"No, you're right. Light Yagami is pure evil," came a young sounding voice from behind them.
They all turned at once, to see a young boy, say, thirteen years old, and just over four feet tall, with white hair, wearing black antiquated Roman attire, with sandals, a tunic, and, also, black fingerless gloves. He also wore a white belt that had a pouch on his right side. Inserted, was what looked like a black leather bound book.
"Greetings, Louis Lawliet, and company—both of whom are from the Quindecim realm," the boy said. "You are the only one's who can see me, much like the owner of a Death Note and a Shinigami." Before any questions could be asked, he said: "I know all about you, Clavis and Castra, and L. I have watched you from a far, for quite some time, even in my enmeshed state."
"Morph?" L offered a guess, although it was only that.
"Morph?" the boy replied the question with an inquiry. "Ah, no, but I can understand the confusion. By looks alone, my twin brother and I are alike, but we dress opposed and for good reason. I am nothing like my mischievous brother in both body and action."
The boy then smiled, and gave a respectful bow.
"Allow me to introduce myself properly. My name is Menace, and I am Morph's twin brother. He is the order one, by three minutes. But I am the more mature sibling. But by deeds, he is the more conniving."
"I find that contrary to your namesake," L expressed. "Menace: the word implies danger, hazard or threat. As in, the menace in his voice made her want to leave him—to use it in a sentence."
Menace tilted his head with a smile. "True, but I am not my brother Morph, who embodies those qualities. I am the polar opposite, and he stole the Life Note from me." Menace took the book from his pouch and showed it.
"That's a Death Note, I know it well," L remarked. "And it was responsible for the death of my beloved mentor."
"This actually belongs to Morph. Our father gave each of us a book. Morph was given a Death Note and I was give a Life Note, polar opposites of the existence spectrum. While the Death Note kills people, a Life Note restores them, with a limited time frame—seventy-two hours. Anyone killed by a Death Note can he restored back to life, as long as other injuries don't supersede their resurrection."
"Such as being shot?" L suggested, and Menace nodded. "Can it resurrect someone who has already passed on, the time frame expired, and who has passed to the after life, say, Quindecim?"
"No," Menace said to L's question. "Once a soul has 'crossed over', it can't return—unless under extreme circumstances. You may not believe this, but there are such creatures as Reapers who collect souls to take them to their final resting place. However, a Life Note does have the ability to heal wounds at the time of a resurrection, as well. If the user writes down the method of healing, a death by gun shot wounds can be reversed."
"Why did your brother steal the Life Note?" L asked.
"Simple: Jealousy," Menace said. "He was given this special Death Note to kill Shinigami and take their energy to use for The Brigade of Life, our people. We need energy to exist, so our father created this special Death Note to do such. It was taken by someone later on and sealed away in Quindecim, either for safekeeping or someone thought it was too dangerous to possess, and I was sealed away, too, believing I was a threat. Morph also uses the Life Note to take energy from beings to now feed the remainder of our people, who reside in him. He also started the war against the Shinigami, so this is his repentance, I believe is guilt."
Clavis's eyes widened. He then took an involuntary step back.
Castra noticed this, and asked, "Clavis, what is it?"
"You? You're the one that was sealed away in Quindecim?"
Just then, Clavis's appearance changed. Transforming from boy to man, he donned a complete black battle suit. His scars also returned. His true self emerged.
He then manifested a large katana by mere thought, then attacked Menace with it. Menace jumped back after the first strike, then bobbed and weaved, after subsequent attacks.
"Clavis, what the hell are you doing?" Castra shouted.
Then, with a downward thrusting strike, Clavis was pushed back by an invisible barrier.
Clavis then attacked again, ignoring any protests from Castra. Menace put up a hand, and caught the katana in his palm, stopping Clavis in his tracks. Clavis pressed on, pushing against Menace.
"You seem to be under some confusion, Clavis," Menace said seriously. "Your trepidation is unwarranted."
"He escaped!" Clavis clenched his teeth, pushing back. "He's the monster I told you about who was banished to the Void for unspeakable crimes!"
Menace repelled Clavis back, and Clavis staggered, losing his balance. He fell on his butt.
"A lie! And a foolish one at that! I was put in the Void, as you call it, because I knew too much. I know who the spy is in your realm, and who has been manipulating the path of humanity as long as time has been recorded. You have been fed misinformation. Most, if not all, is a fabrication."
"Then what part of it isn't a lie?" Clavis demanded, getting to his feet. Castra helped him up, now in her adult form.
"The part where I escaped once to go after my brother, to stop him from waging a second war against the Shinigami for the death of our parents," Menace explained. "The Shinigami known as General Anonl, who later became the Shinigami King, murdered our parents when they tried to reason with him after the Shinigami almost ravaged the entire human race to near extinction hundreds of thousands of years ago…"
"Pardon me," L suddenly interrupted. He noticed that no one around them had taken notice of the fighting that had occurred. He figured Menace must have hid them from sight when the fighting began—a branch of his power. He supposed a god-like being could do such things when the time was needed to avoid unwanted attention. But that was not what he wished to know at the moment. He continued, "Then how did you escape this time?"
"Good question," Clavis stated annoyed, but also a little confused. He lowered his katana slightly. "We would've known anything was amiss in Quindecim and then be called back to deal with it. Oculus and I are the glue that holds that realm together. If something occurred that disrupts Quindecim, I must return to assist immediately."
"Ah, yes, and perhaps this will clarify things," Menace said. He reached into his pouch. What he pulled out had been underneath the Death Note. It was small pod that fit into the palm of his hand.
Just then, with a wave of a hand, a miniature holographic image with a blue hue appeared of Oculus on its surface.
The image was pre-recorded:
"Clavis and Castra, I trust your mission is going well? There has been some developments since your departure that warrant me to get in touch with you. Certain things that have been brought to light, and they concern the sealed Death Note, and if you are seeing this, the young man who holds the holographic pod. His name is Menace. Don't let his name fool you. He was betrayed by his brother Morph, according to information we gathered. We also caught the spy who has been feeding humanity information about our realm. However, before we caught him, he used one of the time devices to restore a person back to life. We suspect Morph also had a hand in this. We don't know where the person has gone. But she does have a connection with Light Yagami, if that helps?"
Oculus went into a personal description of the person who was restored back to life.
After it ended, L gasped to himself. "Kiyomi Takada," L said.
The recording continued: "I don't understand why she is involved here. From my understanding of events in the Kira Affair, Light Yagami tossed her aside as just another pawn, and she burned in a truck fire after she was kidnapped by one of Kira's enemies. Since Light Yagami was resurrected, there has been some of abnormalities within the space-time continuum, for which we are attempting to fix. But, just so you know, along with Light Yagami, Louis Lawliet, and Kiyomi Takada, others are now being resurrected, and all with a direct or indirect connection to the Kira Affair, as if Light Yagami's resurrection is drawing them like a magnetic. I don't normally like to infer things of this nature outside Internal Affairs, but you must stop Light Yagami at all costs, and stop these rips in time. Good luck!"
The recording ended.
Clavis lowered his sword, it dematerialized. He could manifest it anytime he wished. It was a part of his supernatural arsenal, and it has been used against Morph when they had their battle.
He extended a hand to Menace, "Sorry, you are obviously not your brother," he said.
Menace shook his hand. "How could you know? Morph and I are twins. I am sorry about what he did to your family. Those scars on your face were caused in the battle you had with him?" Clavis nodded. "I can heal them for you?"
Clavis shook his head. "No, they are a reminder of the past, of my family. Your brother will pay for what he'd done!"
Menace accepted his decision. Then, as if they deflated, both Clavis and Castra returned to kid form, and the cloak and dagger of them being hidden was unmasked. Everyone was about to see them again. But Menace stayed hidden, who like a Shinigami, could only be seen by those who had touched a Death Note.
They all met up with Nate River, who was then introduced to Menace. They spoke in an area behind what was left of the rear wall of the church. The large cross remained standing, a beacon of hope in their plight against Kira.
Nate was angry, and he normally didn't let his emotions show, but he vowed that he would get revenge on Light Yagami for doing this.
"Only Yagami would instruct Shinigami to attack us like this!" Nate said angrily. "Doesn't he think about the consequences of his actions?" He clenched a fist at his side. "I'll deploy the SPK members to go after him, or this Shinto Izanagi. There are methods I can use to get results, friends in shadowy places who can be utilized."
"Don't become like Light Yagami, Nate," L said. "Focus, stay calm, and stay true to our cause. Stay true to you. Don't let Light Yagami change you. Now, tell me everything you know about Kiyomi Takada. I know she and Light were dating in university, but then things seemed to drop after Misa Amane was taken, accused in being the Second Kira. You said in passing when we in our roundtable, as I recall, that she and Light Yagami met up again?"
Nate nodded. "Takada and Yagami met up a couple of times during an investigation to coax Kiyomi to divulge information about what she knew of Kira's actions with the then splintered Kira Task Force, as she was Kira's official spokesperson at the time. She was a prominent journalist at the NHN news station. Originally, cameras and wiretaps were used, only for Light Yagami had all the cameras removed. He said it made Takada feel nervous, spied upon. Or, that's what I was told later by Touta Matsuda, the youngest of the Kira Task Force members. He is now a detective with the NPA, partnered with Shuichi Aizawa. I keep tabs on them from time to time."
L smiled thinly. "Yes, I know them well. Go on."
"During one of their meetings, Light and Takada got very close, I was told. According to information later obtained, Light Yagami said he needed to take the meetings to a new level, to get more information, and they had sex."
"Interesting," L mused. "I remember Light once saying that he would never manipulate a woman's feelings for personal gain. I guess that was a bold face lie after his true memories were restored. Go on," he then said.
Nate hesitated a moment. "I only listened to the audio, but the act lasted a good two hours, and was quite intense."
L smirked amused. "A wild stallion in the sack, the quiet ones usually are. But when methodology formulates into practise, it usually results in missteps. I suppose, with everything he does, Light Yagami is a quick study."
"They did it twice," Nate revealed. "And at one point, on the audio, Yagami even apologizes. He never told us why. But did reveal he didn't use a condom. I suspect, he may have got her pregnant, and he knew it, and had her killed, knowing full well that if he had a child, it would cause complications."
"Psychopathic bastard!" Castra said.
"My sentiments exactly," L said. "It is equivalent of someone having an abortion just for the sake of spite. Children are not asked to be born, but when they do, they must be nurtured. Before that, it is the responsibility of potential parents to oversee that they are ready. Although, people are never truly ready for the birth of a new life. I was adopted, my parents tragically died. There are some who lived in Wammy House that were discarded by their parents for their gifts. What Light Yagami did to Kiyomi Takada, if that was the reason, makes me ill."
He had been absent for a while, helping with clean-up duties, and aiding Roger Ruvie with administrative duties, so when he entered the fray, finding all them gathered together, Raye Penber was brought up to speed. He was introduced to Menace, as he had had touched a Death Note previous, and was told the whole story.
"Raye," L began. "I need you to do what you do best and be a detective. I need you to somehow infiltrate the Tsuku-Yoki Corporation and get close to Light Yagami/Shinto Izanagi. I have already spoken to his assistant, Mr. Tréy Cottré, and a meeting is being set up for business relations to occur. They will be expecting Kounna Aiueo, owner of Lucky Dragon Industries—I conducted some research on him before calling Tsuku-Yoki Tower to speak with its head—but I'll send them you instead. We can use your wonderful disguise device Quindecim has provided."
"I'll do my best. But I can't make any promises I won't try to kill the bastard!"
L smiled amused. "I understand. Just try to stay calm. It's time we conduct some gorilla warfare tactics."
He turned to Clavis and Castra. "I would like you two to see if you can hunt down Kiyomi Takada, whenever she ended up. Hopefully, we can capture her, and send her back to Quindecim before she mets up with Light Yagami." Both Clavis and Castra agreed. "Nate, I would like you with me. And I would a full surveillance team on the Tsuku-Yoki Corporation." Nate agreed.
L and Menace met eyes. "Stop Morph, and let's restore balance," L said to the supernatural Imp. "Whether things end up back to where they were, I being dead—as long as Light Yagami is returned to Quindecim—I will accept that conclusion. But I will not falter until Light Yagami is stopped. I will not allow Kira's reign of terror to sprout anew."
"Agreed," Menace said. "And my brother's reign of terror stopped! We are partners now."
"Partners in crime prevention," L said, with a smile.
To be continued...