Part Two:

"Shock"

After the meeting ended and the board members left the boardroom, not one of them shook hands with Nicolas Leandro, Shinto Izanagi, Tréy Cottré, and Nicholas remained behind. Tréy closed the door.

"You're a smooth talker, Mr. Izanagi," Nicolas Leandro said loosely. "And I love the mask, very revolutionary. You look like a villain from Dr. Who."

Shinto Izanagi sighed softly under the mask. He was aware of the cultural reference to a long standing British television show. He halted Tréy—Demetre—from correcting Leandro. It was not an insult, it was actually kind of flattering because 'Kira' was a revolutionary in his own rite. Demetre stood back with one look from Light. Demetre gave a slight nod in acknowledgement and let it go.

"You know the story behind it, so I don't need to explain why I wear a mask," Shinto Izanagi replied, his voice sounding mechanical because of the modulator voice box in the mask.

Nicolas Leandro nodded. "Some angry rival of yours threw acid in your face. He must have got the idea from a comic book." Leandro smirked. But then he appeared to regret the jest. He gulped as Shinto eyed him straightly. The subject was immediately dropped. "Two point five million to 'Freedom First!' is a lot of money, sir. What are you trying to do, fund riots?"

Shinto/Light touched the gold watch on his left wrist, almost as if to scratch an itch. A watch just like it had had sentimental significance to him once. This watch also had a piece of a Death Note hidden within, but it only for emergencies. "No, Mr. Leandro," he said flatly. "I'm trying to help."

"All the fires, looting, and property damage isn't 'Freedom First!'. They're the result of anarchists! All we want is social justice and to stop being targeted by idiots who see others as more privileged."

"You have the support of the Tsuku-Yoki Corporation. The money is to help 'Freedom First!' against these anarchists. I know something about anarchy myself. How do you suppose I came to wear this mask? Striving towards a goal can bring positive change, but one must be smart or it can turn ugly on you very quickly. One moment you can be a hero and then next a villain. 'He who fights with monsters might take care lest he thereby become one. When you gaze long into an abyss the abyss also gazes into you'."

Leandro blinked confused. "Okay. I've heard it before."

"Friedrich Nietzsche, a German philosopher," Tréy interjected, "and a monster in his own rite."

Shinto looked at him, nodded. "Aren't we all under the skin?" Tréy smiled back.

Among philosophers, Friedrich Nietzsche was most often associated with nihilism. For Nietzsche, there was no objective order or structure in the world except for what a person gave it. Penetrating the façades buttressing convictions, a nihilist discovered that all values are baseless and that reason is impotent. Light followed a similar philosophy, however, he also thought nihilism, despite Nietzsche regarding himself as a positive thinker, was just as contradicting, as was some of his undated theories about the human psyche. For this reason, Nietzsche was a monstrous mess intelligently.

"Okay," Leandro said, and shrugged unsure. "By the way, you speak English well for a Jap."

Shinto Izanagi reached out with his right hand and took Leandro by the throat, squeezed. Leandro came face to face with Shinto. Leandro put up his arms and tried to pull Shinto's hand away, but to no avail. "'Freedom First!' is a worthy cause," Shinto said resolutely, "but people like you are demential to the cause with ignorant comments such as that! People are not born stupid, but they learn to be through environmental factors. You obviously need to take a few lessons in precocity."

Leandro struggled as Shinto continued to hold him, but then Shinto released him, and tossed him back. Leandro staggered, coughed, and sucked in air. "I'm sorry, Mr. Izanagi," he breathed out hoarsely. "Please, forgive me. I don't know what came over me. My grandfather fought in the Second Great War and he used to tell me stories…and he used to tell me it was a slang word for your people."

"If you only knew the names we Japanese used to call you Americans." Shinto paused. He looked to Tréy—Demetre. He gave a slight nod. Demetre acknowledged it. That's where it ended.

Demetre was American, but even he knew his own people had committed speakable acts against the Japanese people after the bombing of Pear Harbour that history only begged to erase, including detention camps that equaled that of the Nazis against Jewish prisoners all because of their nationality.

Shinto took a step back both physically and mentally. He had just choked a representative of 'Freedom First!'. If that got out, it could be bad. But he refused to apologize, because that would make him appear weak. Besides, two-point-five million dollars bought a lot of silence.

"I appreciate this opportunity to work with you, Mr. Izanagi," Leandro said, standing up straight, clearing his throat. Izanagi looked back at Leandro with eyes of indomitability. "But I hope this isn't a way for you to hijack the movement for a personal agenda? You are an opportunist after all. All rich people are."

Shinto signed. It was exactly what Shinto had anticipated, Leandro was now emboldened after being chocked as if had the upper hand. He had to nip it in the bud. He saw Demetre out of the corner of his eye reach into the right pocket of his suit jacket and secretly pull something out, hiding it.

"We can all use a little bit of justice every now and then," Shinto then said, returning to the immediate subject. Tréy smirked tightly, an inside Kira joke between them. "However, we mutually benefit to establish a common goal, Mr. Leandro. Don't confuse charity with altruism. This is how the world works. Success comes collectively. Take that I know that someone has been furnishing 'Freedom First!' with weaponry. It's dumb to post such videos on web sites for sensationalism. Law enforcement monitors a lot of those underground sites, and can easily identity suppliers. However, that is not my concern. You can do whatever you want, post those videos. It only undermines the cause."

Leandro swallowed. Shinto knew he had the man.

"'Freedom First!' needs to defend itself from…we only use those weapons for…" Leandro's words unconvincingly came out of his mouth, a clear sign at deception. "We're not killers like the police! I don't know where—I mean, it's not us t-that's doing the killing!" The man was nervous now, stuttering.

Shinto definitely had him!

Shinto put up a hand. "Enough, and don't blame all for the action of a few. No matter what the world does to fight inequality, there will always be a fraction that oppose it. The police are only doing their job as instructed. I understand 'Freedom First!' and their plight, and the media is doing themselves and your cause a disservice, adding fuel to the fire, and angering a lot of people by vilifying you, comparing your actions to another regime that my lips will not speak. You must teach them who is superior."

With a nod, Nicholas Leandro agreed. "So, with your support, we'll drive the haters back!"

Shinto smiled under his mask. "But be careful, Mr. Leandro, because god is watching," he said, hinting at something else other than religion. "Ever omnipotent!"

"Kira," Tréy inserted.

Shinto looked at him. "Exactly," he agreed. "Kira's judgement is absolute. If Kira sees something he doesn't like, Kira will act accordingly. So, be absolutely sure that your actions are just."

Leandro nodded, rubbing his throat, almost with a slight indication of revelation in his eyes.

Shinto figured Leandro was more afraid of the mention of 'Kira' than the revelation that he knew of 'Freedom First!'s' illegal acquisition of weaponry to fight police. It was true, most of the protests were peaceful, pacifistic in nature, and only a few rogues caused trouble, but if the media got a hold of even a kernel of the information Shinto had in his possession, then 'Freedom First!' would uprooted. Without the media to fan the fires for sensationalism, the movement would die a horrible death!

Leandro swallowed. "Thank you for your support, Mr. Izanagi, and the position," he said, then he turned to leave. He reached for the handle of the boardroom door, but it was locked. "Um, sir? Can I leave? I wish to get started and inform my fellow 'Freedom First!' comrades of your generous offer."

Shinto smiled under his mask reverently. "There is one other matter that needs to be addressed, Mr. Leandro," he said, "and let's call it as an insurance policy."

"I don't understand, Mr. Izanagi," Leandro said, he looked at Shinto, and then at Tréy Cottré, who approached with something in his right hand.

Tréy Cottré extended a hand to Shinto and inside was a small white box. Shinto took it. "Let's play a game, Mr. Leandro. If you win, I'll add an additional quarter million dollars to my already generous offer, making it five million to 'Freedom First!', and I'll even throw in a bonus. Call it an incentive to work hard."

Leandro blinked. He looked at the box. "What kind of game?"

Shinto opened the box. Inside was what looked like a simple but translucent mouthguard one would wear over the upper teeth to stop from nighttime grinding. It was sealed in plastic. "Oh, nothing much—just a little game of 'truth or dare'," he said. "Just slip this into your mouth."

Leandro eyed Shinto strangely. Shinto knew Leandro wouldn't play the game without incentive, hence the reason for offering the additional money and bonus. He knew Leandro wouldn't be able to resist. Shinto knew the man, his kind. Thanks to Demetre, he had had a great deal of information on the man. Before he was hired, he had been thoroughly investigated. But it was only recently that something else had popped up just before board meeting. It had been too late then to stop things. Shinto went through the presentation with the Board even with this new information to save face because he had already informed them that his company would be donating money to 'Freedom First!' for their cause. As he told the Board about Nicholas Leandro even with this information, he told it with a straight face.

Leandro reached out for the box. He held it in his hand and looked at it. He unwrapped the plastic and ultimately slipped it into his mouth, unaware of any duplicity. The money being the driving factor. Suddenly, a small shock caused Leandro to put his hands to his mouth in pain. He went to pull it out, but Shinto put up a hand, halting him. "I wouldn't do that if I were you, Mr. Leandro."

"Ow! What the hell just happened? Why did it shock me?"

Shinto grinned balefully under his mask. "It proves that the mouthguard is working," he said. "Oh, and just as a warning, if you attempt to remove it by force, then you'll die by heart attack" —like Kira— " Now, let's begin! And just so you know, I never lose at this game!"

To be continued...