CHAPTER 47:
"Where Is Naomi Misora?"
Light's laughter echoed his cell, then it dwindled to a sinister, amusing chuckle. He leaned back against the back wall where his clot was situated, and smiled. His hair covered most of his face again.
L saw Light Yagami desperately needed a hair cut. But he also thought he saw a red-tinge in Light's eyes, as if he was possessed by a sinister force and not just by the Death Note's influence.
He had an instant flashback to the time Jasper Yuta and his friends had invaded the Kira Task Force building before it became Tsuku-Yoki Tower. Jasper mentioned something to him that Light was possessed by a piece of the Shinigami King's Death Note that Morph had temporarily given him which also returned his memories for a short time. Could Light still be partially influenced by that tremendous and powerful force? If so, then L was thankful Light was here.
He didn't respond to the obvious emptiness of Light's threat.
L smiled curiously. "Speaking of lost," he began. "Before Clavis and Castra departed back to their realm—and they will be watching the Human World for any signs of Morph, by the way—I asked them a question. It was just something that popped into my head at the time. And they did something for me, used their vast resources in an attempt to find a solution. Guess what? They couldn't give me a definitive answer. So, I pose the same question to you, Light Yagami, since you were the last to see her alive…Where is Naomi Misora? Raye Penber's fiancée?"
Light turned his head fully, he gave an incredulous stare. "Dead, Naomi Misora is dead," he said. "I wrote her name in the Death Note. I told her to disappear, basically to commit suicide."
"Well, then that's puzzling, because Oculus says there no record of her passing through their realm. She's alive."
"How?" Light said interested, his attention grabbed. "No one can resist the power of the Death Note when directed."
"Apparently, someone has the ability. She was always a smart lady. I worked with her during a very difficult case in Los Angeles, The B.B. Murder Case, and she surprised me even then with her ability to overcome the odds."
Light shook his head. "No, that's impossible," he said. "I forget exactly what I wrote in the Death Note, but she should have walked away, completely grief stricken from the death of her fiancée, Raye Penber, and killed herself."
"Unless there was a moral conflict?"
Light cocked his head slightly. "When I was experimenting with the Death Note, if a person couldn't accomplish something written down, then they simply died of a heart attack. If Naomi Misora isn't the kind of person who would take her own life, then she would simply die of a heart attack, as simple as that. Therefore, she is dead."
"Unless, the trauma of losing her fiancée gave her such emotional stress, it gave her acute amnesia? It's a way for the brain to block out something so painful that they either forget about what caused the trauma, or themselves."
"So, Naomi Misora may be wandering around with complete amnesia?" Light wondered.
"Stranger things have happened," L replied. "Take us, for example. We're having a conversion about a supernatural notebook that can kill a person simply by writing their name in it. If you don't have any information, then I'm at a loss."
"Geist may know, he tells Demmy everything, every rule, about the Death Note. If anyone knows, he would."
"Thanks for the advise, Light," L said, and then went to leave.
Light jumped to his feet, and bolted towards the door. But he suddenly slammed to the floor, caught by the metal shackle around his left ankle that was chained to the back wall of his cell.
He slammed his fists to the floor. "Don't you dare leave me here, L," he shouted. "I won't spend the rest of my life in this god-forsaken prison! And one run by my father! It's unfair!"
L turned back. He looked at Light laying on his stomach on the floor.
L looked at his rival, their eyes met with an intense stare. Then he kicked the bottle of Coke to Light. Light looked at it as it rolled to him. He grabbed it and then threw it away, as if it was an insult.
L said, "Oh, I beg to differ, Light. What is unfair are all the lives you took as Kira. Life in prison is exactly what you deserve. You'll be servicing consecutive lives sentences, twenty-five to life. 'Kira' took 33,902 lives. According to my calculations…twenty-five times 33,902…that's…847,525 years, with perhaps some time deducted for good behaviour. As they say, death is not forever. It only seems like it. But if you're immortal, death will never come."
"You heartless bastard, I have rights! You can't abandon me here like some dog!"
L mused, then nodded. "You're right, you do have rights. You have the right to rot in hell for what you did. You murdered Watari. That is good enough reason to put you here!"
Then L walked out, took the edge of the door and slammed it shut, locking Light inside.
Light shouted and screamed, and threatened to kill him when he got out. L smiled amused.
Warden Soichiro Yagami made sure the cell door was fully locked and then banged on it cruelly, telling his son to shut up! Then they both walked down the corridor.
"Thank you, Soichiro," L finally said. "I finally have some closure. But Demetre Draycott is still out there. He needs to be arrested and brought here for punishment. I'll have Near amp up surveillance of the Tsuku-Yoki Corporation." He stopped, then turned. "Mr. Yagami, I know this is difficult for you…"
"Honestly, not really," Soichiro said. "What I'm really going to miss is my family."
"They were told that Light was inserted into a Witness Protection Program because of information he knew about the Yukaza. They know he's alive, but they'll never see him again. I don't know what Near will do when the time comes for them to know this. Maybe some tragic accident will befall Light and they'll be told—"
Soichiro gave him a hard stare.
"Sorry, that's cruel; Near will figure something out. But before Light died, he did have a substantial bounty on his head: five hundred million yen. Given the exchange rate, I would say that's almost five million American dollars for killing Terrance Claw of the Dragon Sect. And if they ever learn that he's alive, and he 'faked his death'—which he didn't— they'll go after your family and hold them for random. So, Light must remain dead, and here, forever."
"He will, I guarantee it."
Just then, a ghostly apparition appeared. It was Ryuk. He was so transparent that he was barely visible. Due to the subspace forcefield around the island, he lost a lot of his form and appeared like a spectre. All the Shinigami on the island were the same and roamed the island, unable to leave, but all were visible. They couldn't do any damage either. They tried, like poltergeists, but they couldn't touch anything.
"You two are acting very cruel to him," Ryuk said. "Without him, neither of you would be alive."
L cocked his head. "Do you care about Light Yagami, Ryuk?"
Ryuk produced a grin. "I care about being entertained and being stuck here is not my idea of fun," the Shinigami said.
"Don't blame us for your predicament," L said. "If Light cares anything about you, he should release you, so you can go back to the Shinigami Realm. What were you doing before Morph brought you back here?"
"I was a prisoner, sentenced to life, chained up like some dog. The Shinigami King took my Death Note away for all the mess I caused in the Human World. Morph managed to trick the Old Man and said Misa Amane and I still had a contract, which was a lie. Light and I then made another contract, and he killed Misa with the Death Note. We later learned she hung herself from her room at the religious convent. Being in this place is the same kind of boredom."
"Then you know what you have to do, you need to persuade Light Yagami to release you."
"So, I should pester him?"
"I'd encourage it. Pester him all you'd like."
Ryuk's smile broadened and he chuckled. "Sounds like fun," he said, then walked passed them. Ryuk walked through Light's cell door. L remained for a moment, and then heard Ryuk say, "Hey Light, I'm here to entertain you until you say those four words I want to hear. You wanna hear the most annoying sound in the world?"
The Shinigami made the sound. Light screamed in pain. And L laughed with a sinister glee.
"The fight against the powers that be that is Kira will continue," L then said, as he and Warden Yagami continued to walk down the corridor. "They are now transferred to Demetre Draycott, most assuredly. But The New Kira Task Force will have to be on their toes, for Light Yagami and Demetre Draycott are cut from the same cloth."
"What do you intend to do?" Soichiro asked.
"Anything I can. Kira will be stopped. At any cost."
x x x
Light clamped his hands around his ears as Ryuk made a god-awful screeching noise. He even grabbed a pillow and wrapped it around the sides of his head, but the noise continued to bleed through.
"Stttooooooooppp!" Light shouted.
Ryuk laughed.
Just then, what looked like a small Pomeranian dog in transparent form—obviously a Shinigami if it was in this state—walked through the wall. All Shinigami could be seen on Death Note Island, but their powers were severely reduced, almost nullified, by an erected 'alien' forcefield taken from the Savant Society and stolen from the Shinigami Realm. Light had no concept of the technology being used, only that it worked.
Light knew other Shinigami and their users were imprisoned on the island, but everyone was in solitary confinement. The handlers could not talk to one another, but their Shinigami could, allowed to roam free but powerless. And the forcefield prevented them from escaping the island in their weakened form.
Light put down the pillow and looked at the small Shinigami. The Shinigami 'dog' was light tan brown and looked like nothing more than a ball of fur with a small face. He knew some information on dogs, and knew the Pomeranian was a breed of dog named for the Pomerania region in north-west Poland and north-east Germany in Central Europe. They were extroverted, sociable and intelligent dogs. But who did this 'dog' belong to? It even had a collar.
"Aw, isn't he cute?" Ryuk remarked. Ryuk bent over and read a name tag on its collar. "Cer…ber…us, his name is Cerberus. Why do I know that name?"
"Cerberus," Light began, "was a mythological three-headed dog from Greek lore said to guard the gates of Hades. According to myth, Cerberus was dragged from Hell by Hercules as part of his Twelve Labours and paraded around, or so told within a series of Greek epic poems. It was a form of penance for Hercules murdering his family."
"This thing doesn't look like a blood-thirsty, three-headed vicious dog, looks more like what a big dog sheds," Ryuk commented. Cerberus barked. Ryuk took a couple of steps back. "But I better watch my ankles, just in case."
There was a camera in his cell. The CCTV must be recording the entire interaction with this other Shinigami, Light thought. But he didn't care. He didn't have to hide anything anymore.
"Never mind that, did you do what I asked you? That special project I gave you?"
Ryuk nodded. "Yup, just like you said. Sorry, never got a chance to tell you. All done, no worries."
"Good," Light said, leaning in his clot. "Now, to what do we owe a visit from this Shinigami?"
"Light Yagami," said the Shinigami telepathically. "Don't be afraid, I am speaking to you through my Shinigami. The power than holds us all Death Note users here on this isolated island has weakened our Shinigami, but it does not inhibit my ESP. Try not to react too surprised, for the cameras that are in each of our cells will capture it. If you understand what I am saying, then respond with a nod, do not respond audibly."
Light calmed himself, he nodded slowly.
"Excellent, my name is Adam. This is my Shinigami, Cerberus. We're refugees from the Savant Society, for which I know you are familiar with. Your friend Demetre Draycott aligned with the Savant Society, but then betrayed its sovereign members. In the end, he paid a heavy toil.
"We can be friends or foes, it is your choice, but I prefer the latter."
Light had no response. He wasn't sure how to yet.
"I overheard you speaking with Louis Lawliet, better known to L, about Naomi Misora, the ex-FBI agent. She didn't kill herself. She was rescued by one of our Savant Society agents by chance, and brought to us, then cured of her mental illness to commit suicide over the death of her fiancee Raye Penber, for which you murdered; the directive from your Death Note instructions nullified."
"How?" Light said out loud spontaneously.
"I told you NOT to speak audibly. Think of your response, and I will hear it. We have our ways to nullify the Death Note directives, you may know of some but I will not get into that right now."
Light struggled to mentally project his thoughts. Being human, there were several methods of communication to choose from, but telepathy wasn't one of them, at least, not for him.
"Raye Penber is alive," Light projected out.
"Really? How? Most of us have been here for a lot longer than you, captured by the forces that be—Death Note User Hunters, or simply The Hunters, they're known by, charged to hunt and capture us—and stripped us of our freedom. Since the fall of the Savant Society, and the destruction of The League of Darkness—for which I am grateful, the League abused their Shinigami; I never liked that—we have not heard anything from the outside world. This island is situated in a realm outside the natural one, so even if we got off the island, we are forever surrounded by water, an endless sea. Would you care to fill me in on events after my being here? You, Kira, were still fighting Near and the SPK, I believe?"
"For which, I still am, or were, before I was captured. However, I am not in a talkative mood. Please go away." Light laid down and turned over in his clot and used arm as a pillow, putting the pillow over his head, as if to shed himself from further communication. But he knew, if Adam wished to keep talking, he could telepathically, and there would be no stopping him.
"Very well, maybe some other time..."
Adam's voice cut off in Light's head and Light breathed easily. He was thankful that the Death Note User, whoever he truly was, had enough fortitude to know when it was time to respect another's wishes to be alone.
Ryuk suddenly responded audibly to an unheard question. Light listened in, curious. Was Adam, through Cerberus, now speaking to Ryuk telepathically? Obviously Ryuk didn't have the mental capacity to project his thoughts telepathically, or he would be. Instead, he spoke out loud.
Ryuk said, "Sure, I would like to swop stories with you. It will ease the boredom of being here with Mr. Boring, sulking 'cos he lost. He won't release me, so I have no choice but to stay here, limiting my entertainment. Bah!"
There was a sound of movement, a swooshing through a solid object like a wall. Suddenly, there was silence. Light turned over, and found that he was completely alone. Ryuk had left him, following Cerberus somewhere. This facility, or prison, was three-stories, so Adam could be anywhere.
Light looked at the Coke bottle L had brought him, now in a corner of his cell, tipped on its side, the face of it with the name label KIRA. The irony wasn't lost on him. The carbonated drink was all fizzle in the beginning, then it eventually falls flat. It was symbolic for himself, as well.
But while the drink had a limited lifespan, he no longer had one.
He was immortal now...
"I have no limits, I am Kira," he said quietly to himself.
But right now, he was nothing more than a prisoner of his own making. He was alive at least, and that gave him a fighting chance.
Kira will rise again!
To be continued...