Part Eight:

"Player"

Morph leaned back in Light's chair. He wiggled his back against the black leather and giggled to himself. "Comfy chair," he said. "My butt just seems to mold into the seat."

Light's eyes narrowed annoyed, unimpressed and unamused by the supernatural entity's sudden invasion into his private space. But he reminded himself that he needed Morph.

"Get out of my chair, Morph," Light said pleasantly enough, but phrased it like an order.

Morph looked at him with an arched brow. "Is that anyway to speak to me? If it wasn't for me, you'd be rotting six feet under and Kira would never have existed. So, I'd think you'd be a little nicer to the one who gave you a second chance. Or…is it a third chance? I allowed you to rewrite your destiny with the Death Note, I saved you from Terrance Claw (the Dragon Sect's Yukaza leader), kept you from the clutches of that bounty hunter…" Morph shrugged. He put a finger to his lips, musing. "There were even times you don't even know about that I was helping you in the shadows. Even I've lost count."

"I remind you that it was you who killed Terrance Claw by ripping his heart out," Light said snidely, "but I was blamed because no one knew it was actually you. I was then hunted by Yukaza gang members for months. Some of them were close calls and I nearly died on one occasion. I managed to get out of that situation by using the Death Note and killed them all."

"Well, you can thank me as your rescuer for your resurrection at the very least."

"Too bad you didn't help me out with Near."

"I brought you back to life, didn't I?" Morph said with a heavy huff. "No gratitude!"

"I meant before he revealed to everyone that I was Kira," Light retorted. "I wasn't finished my work."

"Well, that was my fault," Morph said. He clasped his hands behind his head and he gazed up at the ceiling in retrospect. He leaned back in the chair and put his feet up on the desk as if he owned it. Light grunted under breath perturbed but said nothing. "I was so 'in the moment' watching events unfold. I know I should have stopped Mikami from entering the warehouse, but, hey, I was curious how you were going to get out of that mess like you had with so many others. I was wrong and you finally met your Waterloo. You managed to attract a real piece of work with Teru Mikami. The man was an idiot."

"Takada found him," Light rebuked. "I had no recourse but to take him in much like I did Misa."

"You have a real problem controlling your subordinates," the Imp remarked sarcastically. He looked at Light, and a hidden rage twitched behind Light's eyes. "You're not much of a king if you can't do that."

Light slammed a fist down. Then whisked the Nietzsche book off the desk where it unceremoniously landed in a heap with its pages crinkled near the pieces of the broken mask on the floor.

Morph looked serious. "Temper, Light Yagami," he said. "You may be the head of a multi-national corporation, but you have a tendency of blowing your stack sometimes." Morph dropped his feet down and his hands from behind his head, sitting properly. "You need to relax more, take in some more of Draycott's relaxation techniques. I hear martial arts is a good way to bring down stress levels too."

Light took in a few deep breaths.

"Anyway, let's get to why I'm here," Morph said.

The supernatural Imp waved a hand across the surface of the desk, and with each pass, one small white case appeared. Twelve in total. Light immediately knew what they were and he smiled. Morph had come through for him. Each case contained a Death Mouthguard.

"Here you go, twelve new mouthguard's for you to use on whomever," Morph said with a shrug. "I was watching when you used your last mouthguard to play a game with Nicolas Leandro. The guy played a very convincing philanthropist. You almost lost millions to that swindler."

"And it would've looked very bad for the company if that occurred," Light said. "But he told me everything. And sufficed to say, the Tsuku-Yoki Corporation will not be donating to 'Freedom First!' after the fact."

Morph smirked. "But you almost did and that irks you," he said. "I know it does."

"Shut up!"

Morph continued to smile. "You saved yourself a lot of hassle thanks to Draycott. He complements you. And you were once bitter enemies."

"No one cons me! And yes, Demetre has been very helpful to me."

Light reached over and picked up one of the small white cases, popping it open. He was pleased.

The Death Mouthguard's were weaponized pages of his Death Note, and along with the Alpha Guard, the master mouthguard that Light possessed, he could command anyone to do anything he wanted, even if went against their own moral values and without having to kill them. He could also tap into a person's subconsciousness and give them acute amnesia to forget a certain events—a bonus.

"Why didn't you just kill Leandro?" Ritchie asked. "You could have just written his name in the Death Note and have him die at a later date so Near didn't suspect you? The 23-Day Rule states—"

"I know what it states, Ritchie," Light replied tartly. "But Leandro warrants something else entirely." He smiled sinisterly. "The Shinigami need to be entertained. Ryuk and Geist have been complaining a lot, so I've set something up. It'll all come to a head very soon."

"Can't wait to see," Ritchie said.

Morph perked up. "You've piqued my interest as well," the cosmic being said. "As you know, after bringing you back, I've not been able to see into your future. Your lifespan also keeps fluctuating." Morph looked just above Light's head. "I like a little mystery. On a separate vein, I don't like surprises."

Light smiled shrewdly. He finally had a one-up on the annoying little Imp. "Then enjoy the ride," he said, shutting the case of the mouthguard. He placed it back with the others. "I never dreamt that I would be the head of a multi-national corporation or have to adopt a new persona. I'm surprised myself. This time, I'll fulfil my 'Grand Agenda'. And nothing is going to stop me!"

"So when will 'Kira 2.0' emerge?" Morph asked. "You've been quiet lately, killing less people than before."

"I'm biding my time, staying cautious. Only when the time is right will Kira step out like never before. Like the saying goes: 'All the world's a stage, and all the men and women merely players'."

"Shakespeare?" Ritchie wondered.

Light nodded. "And Kira will be the director to the greatest play the world has ever seen!"

"I hope it's not one of those cheesy remakes?" Morph smirked. "You humans enjoy repeating the same old drab. Come to think of it, it's a lot like human history, and it keep repeating the same bad plot lines."

Light frowned. "People are always afraid of change," he said dryly.

To be continued...