Part Three:

"Control"

After Nicholas Leandro had lost the game of 'Truth and Dare', Demetre shut the door to the Boardroom and locked it after the man left, or rather Leandro was instructed to leave. Demetre stood with Light.

Light had asked the man a series of questions and if Leandro didn't answer truthfully, he would die. The Death Mouthguard was still in the man's mouth when he left, Leandro was told to consciously ignore it. Besides, it wouldn't there for long—not with what Light had in store.

Leandro revealed a hidden agenda. Leandro had to tell the truth because once a Death Mouthguard was locked in, it had the power of instantaneously connecting to a person's neural and brain synapses—designed and crafted by Morph byway of a page of a Death Note. It was ingenious, an off-the-cuff way to control a person using the Death Note, while not killing them in the usual method. The Death Mouthguard had the ability to know if someone was being dishonest and it would shock them for lying.

Despite being with 'Freedom First!', Leandro was going to take the sum of money that the Tsuku-Yoki Corporation was going to give him and use it for other things. It was not that he didn't believe in the cause, but he knew things about it that money could not fix. A quarter of a million dollars (later five million; plus bonus) was a lot of money. Even Light knew money would not fix the injustices.

Light confirmed the greed of Nicholas Leandro, he had summed up the man perfectly, and judged him accordingly. Kira judged him!

"Everybody lies," Light said, removing the Alpha Mouthguard from his own mouth, after his mask. It was the master control guard he used to control all the secondary mouthguard's, and only Light had it.

"In that we both agree," Demetre confirmed, touching a ring on his left ring finger.

Light couldn't fault Nicholas Leandro for his beliefs, money could not buy happiness, especially political and judicial reform, but now Leandro belonged to him. The Death Mouthguard guaranteed loyalty, or if not, and if Leandro tried to take it out, or speak ill against the Tsuku-Yoki Corporation, or against Shinto Izanagi in any way, a command would be administered, and the mouthguard would fatally shock him.

And give him a fatal heart attack like Kira.

It was a risk, but with every use a Death Mouthguard—they proved very useful in getting what Shinto wanted—there was the chance of the mouthguard being discovered. They worked at short range, but once a suggestion was implanted into the subconscious mind of a victim, it was like writing a name in the Death Note. The person had to obey it without question. If they resisted, they would go mad, and die!

Leandro had left defeated, and said he would give all the money to 'Freedom First!' from the Tsuku-Yoki Corporation without complaint, or so that's what he believed he would do. Light knew better.

Most recently, Morph had given both himself and Demetre items that helped in controlling others. Light was given the Death Mouthguard's and Demetre was given what Morph coined 'The Death Ring'. The ring used, with a single touch of a person, neural-controlling stimuli to make them do anything Demetre wished. But unlike Demetre'e ring, there were a multitude of Death Mouthguard's, replenished at whim. They were an advanced technology far beyond the depth of any technologist. They stopped working the moment they were taken out to prevent external examination so their origin couldn't be traced back.

Alone with Demetre, Light used a white handkerchief in his jacket pocket to wipe sweat off his face. Unfortunately, the mask's he wore got very warm. His face was flushed. "Sometimes I really hate wearing these things," Light said.

"Domo arigato misuta Robotto," Demetre said with a chuckle.

Light looked at him and rolled his eyes. He was familiar with the American song reference of a robot wishing to become the representation of a modern man.

"Nicholas Leandro is right, Light, you are a smooth talker, and a real smooth operator," Demetre said with a short laugh.

Light smiled. Along with being the CEO of the Tsuku-Yoki Corporation, Light Yagami also moonlighted as Kira, a job he took seriously. But his role as Kira was now was different, because of the ever looming threat of the New Kira Task Force and Near. Shinto Izanagi had had several visits from them in recent months after some high profile killings were linked to "Kira'ish" like heart attacks that directly benefited the Tsuku-Yoki Corporation, similar to when the Third Kira worked an equal angle with the 'Yostuba Group'.

"Things are getting a boring again!" came a gruff-sounding voice.

Both looked in the direction of the disembodied voice. They looked upon the image of Geist, Demetre's Shinigami, who suddenly manifested through the wall, walking into the Boardroom.

Geist, a god of death, looked like a rock-n'roll groupie with thick wavy brown hair wrapped in a bandana, culminating an eclectic leather and futuristic steampunk look. HIs face was pale, death embodied it, with skeletal features, and his eyes sockets were as empty and as black as night—and yet he could still see. He also carried with him a Boneclub as a weapon in a holster on his back. He had a carry pouch attached to the right side of his pelvic belt, but his Death Note belonged to Demetre.

Demetre was in possession of Geist's Death Note as its owner, and had been ever since he picked it up in a dark alley years earlier. He had used it to kill a mugger who wanted his money and also his life. Over the years, despite reservations, Demetre had used it a couple of times—all of which he claimed were necessary and life-saving. And referring that necessary evils were for the good of civility.

Demetre'e only regret, and he voiced it often, was not being able to kill a single person. A person he considered evil incarnate! Zurn Wellington—the man who murdered his lover years ago! He often sent the Shinigami out to hunt Zurn down, but most often than naught, Zurn kept slipping through his fingers.

Demetre didn't have Geist's Death Note on him. He took a cue from Light and designed a watch that housed a small piece of the notebook in a secret compartment. In the time before he had joined Light at the Tsuku-Yoki Corporation, he earned himself a business degree in quick succession, hence he was qualified to be hired by the Tsuku-Yoki Corporation, and later became its Chief Financial Officer, personally appointed by Shinto Izanagi. He had also changed his name officially to Tréy Cottré, a French Nationalist. And Demetre spoke French like it was his first language.

Demetre Draycott was officially dead, he faked his own death years ago, if someone decided to investigate him, they could willfully. His entire past had been carefully erased. And as some said, everyone had a twin somewhere. He didn't hide his face like Light, and was seen in public as the Tsuku-Yoki Corporation official liaison, as well. If Near and the New Kira Task Force wished to question him, he had nothing to hide—officially.

Demetre stepped towards the Shinigami. "Where have you been? And where is Ryuk?" He demanded of the Shinigami. "You and he left together to search for Zurn Wellington over a day ago!"

"Ever since the League of Darkness and the Savant Society fell, he's been elusive." Geist grumbled. "Our lead on Zurn's last whereabouts dropped off."

Demetre sneered and he swore under his breath. "I really want that bastard!"

Demetre was angry, Light saw. Zurn had murdered Dana Chika, a woman whom, once-upon-a-time, both Light and Demetre had loved. Dana left Light during his Freshman year of high school and disappeared without a trace for five years until Demetre managed to find her hiding within the bowels of the Savant Society, her father a member. She told Demetre she was forced to abandon her life and couldn't tell anyone. She later revealed she secretly loved Demetre and had for as long as she knew him, even when she was dating Light. When Zurn turned up, he killed Dana in revenge for Demetre foiling an assassination plot against Light by a third party killer Zurn had hired.

They both wanted to make Zurn pay, but Demetre wanted it more. He didn't consider it revenge, he just felt Dana deserved justice and the ability to rest in peace. Light agreed with that.

"Last report had Zurn in Saint Petersburg, Russia," Light chimed in.

"Nah, he's long gone," Geist replied. "But he left something behind."

"What did he leave?" Light asked eagerly. "Show me!"

"Can't." Geist rubbed his stomach. "I ate it. It was an apple carved with my name on it. He left one for Ryuk, too. It was nice of him to do that."

"Nice?" Like meat to distract dogs. Ryuk once mentioned apples were like alcohol and drugs to humans, addictive yet not poisonous. Light scowled. "Goddamn Shinigami!" he muttered low under his breath.

Demetre looked at his watch seemingly resigned to events. Demetre had a strange ability to switch off his emotions at times which was indicative of sociopathic behaviour. Light admired him for that, but that also meant he bottled things up which was self-destructive. Light often found Demetre releasing his frustrations with martial arts exercises. Light joined him on occasion.

Demetre said, "Listen, I have a few things that I need to take care, if you don't mind, Light?"

Light nodded. Demetre left quickly without another word, closing the boardroom door behind him. If Demetre wished to fume about losing Zurn, then he would do so in private. But Light knew Demetre wasn't a person who upset so easily. This wasn't the first time Zurn had escaped.

Light eyed Geist, and said, "Well? Go with him, Shinigami. You are his protector!" It was a command.

Geist loomed over Light, his eyes glowering with an irritant gaze. Light wasn't intimidated in the slightest. He was protected in being killed by the Death Note thanks to Morph and his name written in the "Life Note" owned by the supernatural Imp. In fact, thanks to Morph—none of what occurred with the Death Note and subsequent events later on would have come to pass if it wasn't for him. Morph diverted the Death Note Ryuk dropped into the Human World for Light to later pick it up. It was all Morph.

Morph said it would have ended up some place in the United States of America if he hadn't changed its course. Morph said he did it because he had looked into the future and enjoyed the 'Kira Incident'. Light looked at it as a paradoxical event. The first set of events known as the 'Kira Incident' had an unfortunate result. But thanks to Morph, Light now had an opportunity reverse past mistakes. Unfortunately, he had to be someone else to do it. Light Yagami was dead, his own demise official—but not by Kira.

Touta Matsuda of the New Kira Task Force had shot him several times in a warehouse down at the pier when Light finally revealed that he was Kira. Near asked everyone to met him there where he said the Kira Case would finally come to an end. It had, but only for a short time. Light now had an opportunity to start anew—as Shinto Izanagi.

Geist snorted disgruntled, then disappeared through the wall after Demetre. Light was left alone.

Just then, Ryuk appeared by the way Geist had arrived.

"Yo, Light!" Ryuk blurted out, a thin arm raised.

The Shinigami was tall and lanky and had every comparison to that of a sadistic serial killer clown with a leather fetish, something someone would see in their more ghastly nightmares. Ryuk was a common sight to Light, and had been ever since that fateful day Ryuk appeared in his bedroom to tell him about the Death Note and its contractual obligations. Ryuk had also remarked with awe at how many people Light had killed with the Death Note in just the five days after taking possession of it.

"Quiet! My name is Shinto Izanagi now!" Light corrected him. "You know better than to just blurt out my real name like that! There are eyes and ears everywhere and who knows what Near already knows?"

"You sound a little panicky, Light." Ryuk chuckled. "It reminds me of that time we found all those cameras in your room, sixty-four of them, even that time when L revealed himself to you."

"Yes, I remember the latter humiliation quite well, still to this day," Light said with disgust. Light hated how he felt and how he reacted after the fact in his room. He tried to keep a strong front, but he was infuriated. He had shouted about it and he was curious why his mother had not come up to ask him what was wrong. He later learned that she had been outside for a moment and had not heard him.

"You know, I honestly can't fathom how L didn't find the notebook in your desk drawer, or even looked for it when the cameras were installed," Ryuk mused. "I wonder what would have happened if it blew up?"

"I'd loose all my memories and my house would have been destroyed," Light told him.

"Maybe that was the turning point that Morph told you about? If you didn't have the notebook then, maybe you'd become a police officer, then died in a shootout as rookie—like he told you."

"The thought had occurred to me," Light said. "Would you have killed me? Taken the rest of my lifespan?"

Ryuk shrugged. "Dunno, or I may have thought of a way to get you another notebook. I was having fun." He chuckled. "Why end it there? All your memories would have returned with another book." The Shinigami shrugged again. "Anyway, no dice on Zurn Wellington. He's a slippery human."

"Yes, Geist just told me. Zurn also left a calling card, I hear—apples. Did you eat yours, too?"

"What do you think? It was one of the most juiciest and delicious apples I've ever had! And it didn't have any of those pesticides, almost like he picked directly off a tree. You can't beat natural taste. And he carved my name into mine. How nice of him to do that," he said with a snicker.

"Indeed," Light said annoyed.

"So, when does the excitement start again? This new persona you have going on is boring. Things have become a little repetitive. And it's been too long time since the New Kira Task Force has paid us a visit. I need to spread my wings to keep me interested. I can't go back to the Shinigami Realm or the Shinigami King will put me in chains again. He's still furious with Morph, breaking me out of prison, and lying to him about me being attached to Misa, then breaking you out of Quindecim, and reviving you."

"I would have thought you'd enjoy being free rather than chained up, Ryuk? Do you regret it?"

"Nah! Even though it's boring here, I wouldn't want the alternative." Ryuk smiled. "So, what's going on? Anything new here? You said you had that big meeting with the board about that rebellious group of freedom fighters, you said you were going to make a deal with them or something?"

"The deal isn't going through anymore," Light said, looking reflective at his mask. "And I'm sure the board will be pleased when they hear about it. I decided it wasn't worth the Tsuku-Yoki Corporation's involvement after certain truths came out. The cause is a just one, just not the man who represents them. Other details have been finalized."

Ryuk cocked his head. "Huh? But you just said the deal fell through? What details?"

Light smiled tightly. "Just wait and see, Ryuk. You want to be entertained, then be patient."

Ryuk rubbed his hands together in a delicious matter. "Oh, goodie!"

"But I don't want to spoil the surprise. So, no hints."

"Don't tell me! I'm already getting excited!" Ryuk snickered devilishly.

To be continued...