CHAPTER 46:
"Death Note Island"
Weeks passed since Light Yagami's downfall and The Second Coming of Kira, as Near called it. They avoided a further uprising crisis and now everyone could sit back and relax for a little while.
But over these past weeks, several things happened.
One major thing that took place was Jasper Yuta adopted his son Braydon. But he used fake identification to do it, because his name would be red-flagged in a criminal background check and he was also officially dead. So, it would be very suspicious if a dead criminal adopted a gifted child from a well respected orphanage in England.
L helped craft a fake identity for him and Braydon Rise played along. He knew that Jasper was his real father and there was an instant connection and repertoire. L didn't know the exact term or extent of Braydon's "special gift", but it was some sort of precognitive ability or ESP. Human's only use three percent of their brains, so it would be unique that Braydon was able to tap into a special ability. How he would use it was up to him.
Along with being reunited with his biological father, the boy was also introduced to someone Near knew that helped people like Braydon develop their special gifts and to hone them. And it hadn't been the first time someone from Wammy House had been introduced to such training either.
Both Jasper and Braydon were also given money from Near's inheritance from Watari as a start-up. They would want for nothing and Braydon could concentrate on honing his gift. And the best news was the boy's arm had completely healed after the attack by the Shinigami on Wammy House.
And news also came back that Wammy House was being rebuilt, better than ever.
A second thing that happened was Clavis and Castra decided to return home to their realm after a thank-you celebration in their honour for all their efforts in helping finally capture Light Yagami. They stayed in the Human World for a little bit and used disguises to experience some of the wonders of humankind, visiting some famous landmarks and monuments of human ingenuity before they departed. And they even watched a movie in a theatre that was showing classics. Clavis even experienced his first bout of food poisoning when he decided to partake in a country's supposed favourite food and he got sick. He said he would never eat animal meat again.
L didn't return with them. He was assigned to bring Light back for punishment with Clavis and Castra—Light had been apprehended and was now being held in a Supermax prison facility—and it was best, with permission from Oculus, that he remain in the Human World to continue his detective work under the guise of others. Because there were other threats that needed his expertise.
Morph and Menace were gone. They had not returned after they disappeared from the warehouse. Where they had gone was a guessing game, but after speaking with Oculus before Clavis and Castra departed, it was confirmed both Imps were no longer in the Human Realm and all the spacial time rips had been sealed. So, no more 'abnormalities' were to be expected.
Aizawa and Matsuda returned to their duties with the NPA. And despite him missing all the action, assigned overseas temporarily, Hideki Ide was filled in. He was part of the previous Kira Task Force, but when Light was supposedly defeated, he took another assignment for the NPA that included being part of a special envoy for a special person who was travelling abroad to America. Shocked, didn't justify his reaction to everything.
But Matt was another story. He was now in jail after he attempted to rob a liquor store and after stealing a pack of cigarettes. It was tragic that Mail Jeevas came back to life only to lose his freedom to something so stupid. He was sentenced to nine months in jail with community service.
But the irony of it wasn't lost on L. Light Yagami had also come back to life and was now in prison.
As he walked down a long corridor and escorted by another, the Warden of this Supermax prison Light Yagami was now being held in, he thought about Nate Rivers, his successor, and now leader of The New Kira Task Force. Nate decided to fully repair ACT after it was nearly destroyed by Morph's temper tantrum, it was to be fully installed with state-of-the-art equipment. Near was still called upon by the ICPO for cases, so he needed a headquarters to work from. And the RV was perfect.
Raye Penber agreed to be his aid, much like Watari was L's. Penber exhibited abilities that Near needed, and along with other members of the old SPK, L knew Raye would fit in perfectly. L would always be available to consult on difficult cases if need be, but he considered himself semi-retired.
L had been brought to this Supermax prison by helicopter. It was on an island in the Pacific Ocean, similar to how Alcatraz was in San Francisco Bay, America, in the early twentieth century. It harboured some of the worse criminals in the world at that time. But prisons had evolved a great deal since then and now it was merely a tourist attraction.
Some years ago, a new small land mass had been discovered in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, in a pocket universe that could only be accessed through special methods—through a hyperspace gateway with futuristic technology, and similar to one island discovered in the Bermuda Triangle in the Atlantic Ocean.
It was quickly decided by governmental bodies that it would be kept from the public and used much like Australia had been years before to house some the world's most deadliest criminals. There was no outside communication and it was entirely self-sufficient thanks mostly in part to technology taken from the fall of the Savant Society.
The Death Note was known to a few deep in government circles now, so the island was a very close kept secret.
It used subspace technology taken from the Shinigami Realm that had been used against Shinigami to keep them tame and tempered when they were part of the Savant Society—like pets, their full powers severely subdued, so they couldn't attack their handlers. It had been given to them by a rogue Shinigami. L didn't know the logistics of the technology, only that it worked on the island.
The island was affectionally called "Death Note Island", because it only held Death Note users that had not been killed by their Shinigami, because of their attachment to each other. It was known that if a Shinigami killed a person for another out of "love", then they would die and turn to dust.
This also went for Shinigami who loved or liked their handlers. It was the same premise, despite the fact Shinigami could kill their handlers whenever they wanted. Yet, there was an exception to every rule.
The island, therefore, not only was inhabited by Death Note handlers, but also their Shinigami, whose powers were severely diminished by a subspace forcefield that surrounded the island, hiding it from special satellites. The Shinigami were basically projections of themselves and appeared as transparent spectres of their former selves.
And unlike only those who touched a certain Death Note, all Shinigami could be seen on the island—their Death Notes off-island and locked in a secret vault. Most of the handlers on the island were refugees from the Savant Society and they had been gathered secretly and brought to the island.
Much like Light Yagami.
L knew he still had some work to do, sharing it with Near, because Light's friend Demetre Draycott was out there, with the Death Note mouthguard's at his deposal; the "Death Ring" now destroyed. Ryuk had told the New Kira Task Force everything, because he wanted to, and probably out of spite, because Light wouldn't release him. This is what prompted a quick response to raid Tsuku-Yoki Tower to look for any Death Note items.
Unfortunately, they had been caught with their pants down and their efforts were foiled by the new Shinto Izanagi, the CEO of the Tsuku-Yoki Corporation, whom L suspected to be an ally of Light's, and using Quindecim technology to disguise his real appearance.
Jasper did mention that he had lost his Quindecim'ium device during his struggle with Geist. It may have been found and was used to trick Aizawa, Matsuda and the NPA, to disguise the real person behind the fake facade of Shinto Izanagi. And logic would dictate it had to be Demetre Draycott, the New Kira.
Therefore, the Kira Case would continue.
But both issues would be dealt with in time.
The Warden of the Supermax three-story prison walked with him to Light Yagami's cell, or Prisoner Number Thirty. It was at the far end of a long corridor that contained six other prisoners. Everything cell had one prisoner and was reinforced with heavy steel. The prison had many amenities and had fresh running water from a self-generating spring on the island with plenty of food to harvest, for which the prisoners picked themselves. And the island was completely isolated. All in all, it was the perfect place to house its thirty prisoners and other inhabitants.
The Warden was a very special man. L didn't know anyone else who would so such a job like this, but it took a person who had knowledge of the Death Note and its powers to know how to handle the prisoners. There was a previous warden, but he suffered a natural heart attack and died. Therefore, a new person needed to take his place.
And who better to fill the position than a man who was familiar with all aspects of the job and then some. Officially, he was dead, but here, he used his previous life skills to keep law and order. He had eleven others under his command, all with knowledge of the existence of the Death Note. They had fought against The Savant Society in another capacity and some even battled the forces of The League of Darkness, that Nate had told L about.
They all agreed to work here.
They stopped at Light Yagami's cell. All the corridors were a drab grey, but a prison was not supposed to be colourful. The Warden took out a set of standard metal keys.
L smiled. "You're a credit to your ethics, Mr. Yagami," he said. "Who else but you could do this job, especially…"
They both looked at the cell they stood in front of.
"Yes, well, someone has to do it. I want to be useful, even if I can no longer function in normal society as I did in my previous life. I'm just glad I have people like you who understand my hardships. I miss my family, but I must keep my son from ever killing again. All I can do is keep him and the other Death Note users on the island, and I'll leave the rest to you, Near, and the others. You must find Demetre, L. I mean, Louis. Find him and bring him here."
"I will, Mr. Yagami."
"Call my Soichiro."
"How about I call you Warden in present company," L said. "I don't think calling each other by our first name is warranted especially within earshot of those who need a face and name to kill."
"Agreed."
Warden Soichiro Yagami inserted the key into the cell lock and turned it, then took hold of the handle and shifted it down from a horizontal position. It was a safeguard and a double lock. Without the key, the handle would not work, and without shifting down the handle, the door would not open.
Inside, they saw Light Yagami wearing an orange jumpsuit and white running shoes, sitting, slumped over on his clot, his arms between his legs. His hair had grown longer since he had arrived and was now covering most of his face. He looked dejected and defeated. And why not, L observed. He finally lost the biggest battle of his life.
L paused for a moment, waiting within the door threshold. He wore the same thing he always did: blue jeans and a white, long sleeve shirt. It was what felt the most comfortable, he didn't care for suits.
"Hello Light," L said casually. "Enjoying your new accommodations? It's a far cry from your luxury penthouse apartment on the top floor of Tsuku-Yoki Tower. I enjoy the new look. It suits you perfectly. I brought you a present, and something I know that you'll really enjoy. Call it a souvenir from your time out in the real world. It was imported all the way from America, and when I saw it, I wanted one to give you."
He had brought a plastic bottle of Coke with him. On the label, was the novelty name of KIRA on it. The American's had this novel idea of putting people's name's on the label, as if it made the drink specifically for that person. When L saw a commercial for the drink just recently with the name label, he thought it would be hilarious to get one for Light with KIRA on it.
But Light didn't say anything, didn't move, and ignored him completely.
"Well, I'll leave it here for you, if you want to drink it. It's yours, and even has your name on it—Kira." L put it down on the floor near the wall.
"He hasn't spoken since he arrived here, very subdued, very melancholy," Soichiro said.
"Hmm, I find that very strange. Kira enjoys boasting about his exploits like the egomaniacal, megalomaniac he is."
Soichiro Yagami didn't defend his son against L's words. They were true.
L gaged Light's body language. But Light was never one to respond to such name calling tripe.
"By my estimates, under the umbrella of Kira, at last count, 33,902 people have been killed by the Death Note," L went on. "This also includes killings done under the Savant Society and the League of Darkness. No doubt, there'll be more, and Near and The New Kira Task Force will investigate. This includes Demetre Draycott, who, to date, has mysteriously disappeared. You wouldn't happen to know where he is, eh, Light?"
Light said nothing.
"There was a police raid on Tsuku-Yoki Tower just recently. They were investigating ties to the mafia, going on Intel provided by Near, lead by Aizawa and Matsuda, after a judge granted a warrant for the NPA to storm in. Penber and Yuta, disguised as police officers, also joined in. But, of course, the raid was merely a rouse to search for other items of interest—that pertaining to the Death Note.
"And do you know what the police found?" L paused for a moment for dramatic effect. Still, no reaction from Light. "Nothing," he said. "But they did speak with Shinto Izanagi and he showed them his face. Suffice it to say, the acid burn story is legitimate, according to eye-witness accounts of his unmasking in front of other police officers. It would appear, supposedly, by mere conjecture of course, Demetre Draycott has made good work of the Quindecim'ium technology Jasper Yuta said he had dropped when he tangled with Geist, Draycott's Shinigami."
Still, no reaction from Light. L was actually disappointed. He hoped to generate at least some sort of emotional response that would make this trip worth while.
He looked at Soichiro Yagami and shrugged his shoulders. L tried something else.
"Other information passed my way," L then said, turning back to Light. "Regarding Kiyomi Takada, who, seemingly, was also resurrected by Morph's influence. She is currently missing. We have no idea where she is after her involvement in driving the get-away car, after Geist rescued Draycott during the battle at the warehouse pier."
L suddenly saw a smile cross Light Yagami's face. He had hit the mark.
"And you'll never find her, L," Light replied with a low sinister tone. "It is falsehood what people say, this world is big enough for a person to get lost in." He cocked his head to the right, his left eye peering out from his long hair, his other covered, masked, as if hiding a secret. "She will elude you forever. I you think our battle has ended, L, then you're gravely mistaken. Kira—I—will rise again!"
And Light laughed.
To be continued...