CHAPTER 49:

"Final Message From Kira"

In the isolated snowy mountains of the Swiss Alps, there was a large Chalet.

She arrived in secret by dog sled. The team leader said that he had been paid to bring her here, that things had been arranged previously by someone calling himself Mr. Ryu, and then told to leave.

Later, his body would be found half buried by one of a staff in the snow from a heart attack, the dogs brought back as a further mode of transportation. There were skidoo's and a large snowmobile in the garage, but a snow dog team was often less conspicuous.

She had waited for the dogsled team to leave before she brushed off snow from her parka and knocked on the front door. The chalet was very large and was owned by one person. But she had been told that this was where she needed to go after arrangements had been made, if certain things happened.

An old gentlemanly man opened one of the double doors. He was dressed in a butler's uniform. Behind him, but standing at a distance, was another, younger man, with a towel draped over his left crooked arm, as if he was a French waiter, another servant to the Chalet. He also held a standard 8'10 envelope in his other hand.

There was a grand staircase slightly off-centre from the open vestibule leading up to the banister second floor with rooms, each door was closed at present. When she explored the Chalet, she would learn what was inside each.

The butler stood firm, said, "Good evening, sir or madam. We were informed someone was coming, but I was told to only allow this person to enter without the proper identification." She took off her left feather-stuffed glove and showed the butler her engagement ring. "Ah, yes, Ms. Kiyomi Takada," he said. "We were excepting you. My name is Darwin, the Chalet's main butler. Please come in."

Takada pushed back her parka hood and pulled down her scarf to reveal her face. The other servant handed Darwin the sealed 8'10 envelop and then proceeded to take Takada's gloves, scarf, and other items.

She was told to slip her snow gear over normal clothes and to take nothing else with her, that everything would be provided when she got to her destination. The snow gear had been thoroughly insulated, so she was hot. The towel helped her wipe off some of the sweat.

A maid servant then approached with a silver tray and a mug of hot chocolate.

She took the mug with both hands and sipped it. The taste was heavenly. Other than tea, hot chocolate was her favourite beverage especially on a wintery day.

She had told Light that she wanted to, one day, sit and enjoy a warm, wood-burning fire with him nestled at her side, sipping hot chocolate. It was kind of mushy, but every girl had her fantasies.

"Thank you, it tastes lovely," she said cordially.

Darwin then gestured beyond the grand staircase. She was escorted down a hall and then was lead to a large seating room with a widescreen television over a warm, wood-burning fireplace.

Darwin smiled at her, and then said, "I'm sorry the Master of the House cannot be here, but he wanted you to know he is sorry. And, wanted you to have this." He handed her the sealed 8'10 envelope. "He also has a personal message, and it is to be watched by only you. Once you are comfortable, please press the red button on the controller, and an alpha-voice prompt will come up, your voice will activate the message. I don't know the code for the message, but the Master said you would."

Darwin handed her a TV remote, and then let himself out of the room, closing the door.

Takada sat on the two-seater couch that faced the television, looked at the door, saw that it was closed, sipped her hot chocolate, and then pressed the red button on the controller. At first, nothing happened. Then, an alpha prompt came up with four empty boxes, each of similar height and width. A message was below the boxes:

SPEAK CLEARLY AND AUDIBLY FOR YOUR VOICE PRINT TO ACTIVATE THE MESSAGE,YOU HAVE THREE ATTEMPTS, FAILURE WILL ERASE THE MESSAGE.

HINT: Synonym: To discard.

She didn't need to guess. Light had given her the message already. Clearly this was his security feature for anyone else wishing to see the secret message that was solely for her. But the hint was his assurance that if she had forgotten—it was a long time to get here—that the hint would trigger her memory for the correct prompt.

But she spoke it clearly, so there was no errors. "Get rid of it," she said.

Light told her the story of when L had gotten too close and jailed him for being Kira. He used a code-phrase to erase his memory of the Death Note and Ryuk left his side. Before that, he had set things up, so someone else would use the Death Note in his stead until he got his memories back, tricking L into thinking Light wasn't Kira.

Light helped L track down the new user, and then killed him, regaining ownership of the Death Note. The four words used here was a humorous attempt to recapture that coup on L.

It was also the method, those four words, in which the security feature would be annulled for her to see the message.

The screen went blank, then suddenly Light Yagami, her beloved's face popped onto the screen. He smiled.

"Kiyomi, my sweet Kiyomi," Light began, obviously a recording, "I say this, because I love you. I've never been an affectionate person. Even in our university days I tried to keep my distance. I never wished to get close to anyone, for obvious reasons—and for which you didn't know about at the time. But with you, I can't deny my feelings. You make my heart skip a beat whenever we are together, that sometimes I feel like I was going to have a heart attack…"

Light laughed, Takada also laughed.

"When we were reunited, my mind was filled with the great times we had. You make me feel whole. That's why, if you are seeing this, then I am not be there, nor will I see the birth of our child. And that saddens me."

Takada put a hand to her stomach. Her baby bump was getting bigger.

"If you are watching this, then you are at the Chalet I purchased a while ago. It's staffed with people you can trust. They don't know about things from our past, only what I wished them to know. I had Ryuk send you the Death Note, and if you look inside, taped to one of the pages, I secretly asked Morph to duplicate the Death Ring that Demetre possesses. I foresee certain things transpiring, so I wanted to take precautions. Inside, you will find instructions on how to use the Death Ring. Each of the staff members have been subjected to its power, I asked Ryuk to do it for me and to tell them to expect you. The ring I will give you—a little future foreshadowing here" —he winked— "will be the identification that you are the genuine article, that you are the one they will be expecting—if things don't work out. I'm covering all avenues just in case. When you read up on the Death Ring, you will understand how it works. Unlike the Death Mouthguard's—which I see now have limited usage—the Death Ring, along with the Death Note, you should have unlimited power to control anyone, do anything—plus more—until we are re-united once more."

"I don't have you, Light," Takada said softly. "You're the one I want." She ripped open the 8'10 envelope and saw the Death Note, then quickly flipped through a series of pages and saw a golden ring taped to one. She took it out, but didn't put it on. She preferred the marriage ring Light gave her more. They had quickly said their vows just before they arrived at the warehouse to confront L. "Power means nothing unless I'm with you, a queen needs her king to rule."

Light continued, or rather the recording. There had been a slight pause. "In the meantime, I have equipped the Chalet with a sophisticated artificial intelligence system that will cater to your every need, apart from the human kind. It's only in the beta testing phase, so the name is weak. I call it YAIP, short for the Yagami Artificial Intelligence Program. It's wired into every ounce of the Chalet and the staff are familiar with its usage. It works on an autonomous protocol and it has a state-of-the-art surveillance and security system. I guarantee, no one can hack it. You are completely safe."

"Wherever they took you, Light, I swear, I'll rescue you—"

"In conclusion," Light said, interrupting her. "If things don't end on a positive note…"

Suddenly, his face came dark and sinister, and his eyes seemed to glower with a redness that was unnatural. Kira was about to speak to her.

Light/Kira said, "I want you to kill L. But not just kill him outright. I want you to humiliate him and crush his spirit! I know you can do this, Kiyomi. I have complete faith in you, my love. I have given you all the power you will need." His face returned to normal, and he smiled. "Good-bye for now, my sweet—I love you. Until we meet again."

The television abruptly went black, or rather the message suddenly ended.

Just then, a knock came at the door to the room. Takada quickly hid the Death Note under a cushion of the couch and slipped the Death Ring into her pants pocket. Then she answered it.

She opened the door, and was surprised to see the young man servant who had given her the towel to dry herself off, after taking off her snow gear when she undressed in the main vestibule. For a moment, she felt it was undignified to undress like that in front of the servants, but the gear was so hot, she had to remove it.

The young man smiled, she had not caught his name. He was dressed like a proper gentlemanly butler's assistant, with blond hair. Only Darwin, the main butler, addressed her.

"Hello Mistress Takada," the man said. He spoke with the hint of a German accent, but in English. Her language of origin was Japanese, but she understood English. "I believe we have something to discuss. A private confab between allies, per se; namely our contract." He put a hand to his mouth as if to mask his next words. "The Death Note," he then said. "May I come in? It would be best; so the other staff do not hear us speak about such a secret issue."

Takada was a little taken aback, but stepped aside, and allowed the young man to enter. Then she closed the door.

The young man smiled broadly and very happily. The smile somewhat reminded her of Ryuk and it unnerved her. To her, this man was a complete stranger, someone she had only met a few minutes ago.

He bowed respectfully towards the Madam of the Chalet, like a cordial butler, then stood up straight. Takada had to admit, the young man was quite handsome, but not as good looking as Light.

"Allow me to introduce myself…My name is Prevost, and I am your Shinigami now," he said openly. "For outward purposes here at the Chalet, I'm known as Vost. Please call me that. The moment you touched that Death Note in the envelope" —he eyed the couch, as if he knew exactly where it was hidden— "we formed a contract. It was set up that way by your husband, Light Yagami."

She retrieved the Death Note from under the couch cushion. She felt less nervous now that the subject of Shinigami had been broached, but still confused. "But I thought this Death Note belonged to Light? This is his new Death Note given to him by Ryuk when he escaped from…"

"In truth, that Death Note is co-owned by myself and Ryuk. It's a bit complicated, but in short, a way was needed to trick the Shinigami King to allow Ryuk to be free of his bonds in our realm, so a plan was forged. I was approached and promised the same sort of entertainment Ryuk enjoyed in the original Kira Incident, as we Shinigami call it. Are you familiar with a supernatural Imp named Morph?" —she nodded— "Good, then little needs to be explained. Suffice it to say, if I went along with Morph's plan, I would never be bored again. Therefore, my Death Note was used as a catalyst for things to later come." He smirked.

Vost continued, "The Shinigami Realm is rather a drab and desolate place to spend eternity, forging for scraps of lifespan from humans when needed. By request from your husband, Ryuk came to the Chalet, or rather Mr Ryu, his human form, and explained everything to me that Light Yagami had in mind. Light Yagami had purchased this Chalet about a year ago as an isolated getaway in case he needed to escape—Switzerland has weak extradition laws, so if his situation ever became dire, he had few worries here—and I agreed to reside here, to help, to eventually become your Shinigami. Your husband pre-planned everything. He's quite an inventive thinker."

"That is he," Takada agreed. "But if you are my Shinigami now, what happens with Ryuk and Light?"

Vost shrugged. "They have formed their own bond, a different kind of bond, the full details are unknown," he said. "However, they do have a contract similar to that forged between a Shinigami and human when it comes to a Death Note, but with a slightly different twist. You'll have to ask Light Yagami when you see him at a later date."

He continued, "While I am a Shinigami, this is my true form. I have all the powers one would expert a Shinigami would have, and more. Over time, I will show you my abilities. I'm a half-bred, my mother was a Shinigami, but my fatherr was a human," he explained.

"How is that possible?"

"I never found out, My Lady," PreVost said.

"Shinigami don't normally act like you," Takada remarked. "They're usually arrogant and self-absorbed creatures," she added cautiously. She wasn't sure how Prevost would react.

PreVost straightened up, then smiled broadly. "We are, indeed, My Lady," he said. "Most of the time."

He shrugged, and left it at that.

END.