A/N... Still don't own Death Note.
"We're still waiting outside Sakura TV," the reporter said, "as you can see a police car has just arrived."
"So we're not alone," Matsuda remarked in surprise and awe, "there are still other officers out there who are willing to stand up to Kira."
"Mr. Aizawa," L said sharply, "you know Deputy Director Kitamura's cell phone number, right?" Aizawa dialed the number and handed the phone to L. "This is L," he said abruptly. "There is something I need you to do for me. There may be police officers who will see this broadcast and move to take action in the name of justice. If you don't take control of the situation quickly, there will be a disaster." L paused for the Deputy Director's response. The reporter gasped and narrated as two officers fell to the ground, dead. The camera crew left the scene, fearing for their lives. L gave instructions to the Superintendent on what to do next. Then, Watari's phone went off.
"Detective Superintendent Yagami," the old man read.
"Call him back immediately and give me the phone," L ordered, holding his hand out to Mr. Wammy. "Yes, it's me," L responded to whatever Yagami had to say. "Mr. Yagami, so you're the one driving that police van." The question that came out sounding more like a slightly joking statement. In fact, it sounded almost casual. L paused again as Mr. Yagami answered. "But what about your condition? Are you alright?" He waited for a moment before asking for Mr. Yagami to wait for a second and turning his attention to the other phone dangling, pinched between two fingers on his other hand. "Deputy Director Kitamura, it was Chief Yagami who just drove into the building. Are your preparations complete?" L switched phones, "Mr. Yagami, listen carefully, in exactly five minutes I want you to come out the front entrance."
"Does he ever get tired doing that?" Matsuda asked me during another pause.
I shrugged, "You'd think he would." L hung up we watched as the police got involved and put up a wall of shields protecting their identities and Mr. Yagami. The news anchor reported the police's opposition of Kira and his own personal views.
The door opened and closed, and Mr. Yagami entered, assisted by Watari, "Ryuzaki, I apologize for taking matters into my own hands. I have to admit, I got a little bit carried away."
"On the contrary, Mr. Yagami," I said appreciatively, "that was brilliant."
The chief of police held out a bag full of evidence, "Here are the tapes and an envelope, everything Kira sent to the station is in here."
"I can't thank you enough," L said as he took the bag from Mr. Yagami. I quickly moved to assist Watari in supporting Mr. Yagami to the couch.
"How are you feeling, Mr. Yagami?" I asked after the man was seated comfortably on the couch.
Mr. Yagami offered me a smile, "Like I drove a truck through a wall."
I fought to hold back the smirk that threatened to show, "It was a van and glass doors, Mr. Yagami. Please don't exaggerate."
The sun finally rose an hour after Mr. Yagami arrived this morning. Aizawa had returned from taking the evidence to the labs, Matsuda and I had been on Mr. Yagami watch, Watari had disappeared into the kitchen, and L went over the Kira tapes. "Well, what do you make of these?" Mr. Yagami asked regarding the tapes.
"They were definitely interesting," L replied. "If the police had said yes and agreed to cooperate with Kira, Tape Number Three was supposed to be aired, Tape Four if the answer was no. Tape Three covers the terms of cooperation. Put simply, he's requesting that we broadcast names of more criminals. He seems particularly interested in those who have assaulted others or those who have hurt or somehow taken advantage of the weak and defenseless. Of course, Kira would play the role of the judge in all this. Furthermore, as proof that the police are willing to cooperate, he wants police officials and L to appear on TV, to make a public announcement that we plan to cooperate with him. He needs us to reveal our faces, that way he can kill us if the police do something suspicious. In other words, he'll hold our lives as insurance." Was Kira so foolish? L had played him before using Lind L. Taylor, who's to say he wouldn't do it again?
"I see," Mr. Yagami said simply. "What about the content of the fourth one if we were to answer no?"
"The wording was different, but he more or less says the same thing. Mr. Yagami, it should go without saying that the answer is no. Please have someone take Tape Number Four to Sakura TV and authorize them to broadcast it."
While I waited for the broadcast, I took apart a rubber band ball and began flinging rubber bands across the room.
Had it always been like this? I shot a rubber band.
Stressful and agonizing? Then I shot another.
And the helplessness, had that always been there? Then another.
I can't remember working on a case when I felt so useless. And another.
I don't understand why I feel like this. Another.
And Kira…just who was Kira? Another.
Who could possibly be so deluded to actually believe in the cause? Another.
Who could be so blinded by the idea of a perfect world born from murder and fear? Another.
And by what means was it all possible? Another.
You've gotten yourself wrapped up in something dangerous, E. My finger slipped, and the rubber band fell without momentum. His words worked their way into my head again.
So what if it's dangerous? I thought. There have been worse cases, right? What about the London Terror case in April of 2002? I had taken that case as a fourteen year old without any hesitation. No, this was much worse. Kira killed with only a face and a name, even only a face. Could it really have been worse?
L is going to offer you a way out. You know he is. I want you to take it. His voice whispered in my mind. The voice in my mind, the one that used his to speak to me, was right. L was going to tell me to get out of this while I still can. Light Yagami didn't know who I was. Kira didn't know I was even on the case. I still had a chance at a normal life.
I scoffed and shot another rubber band, A normal life? I'm an orphan, raised in a home for freaks and geniuses. My standards for normal are far from what others would call ordinary. Besides, there was no getting out of it, not for me.
"I can only say it's a shame that your answer is no," the broadcast finally began. "It's clear that the police wish to oppose me. This will not go unpunished. So, I'll start by either taking the life of Director General of the NPA or the detective known as L who is currently leading the investigation against me." I started chewing on my hair, glancing at the man crouching in front of me with the pad of his thumb in his mouth. How did Kira plan to accomplish that? Was it possible that Kira knew L's true name? I didn't even know L's true name. "The director general, or L. Who will pay the price for your refusal to cooperate with the creation of a peaceful world? You have four days to decide."
The next day, L had another meeting with the Task Force. "Ryuzaki," Mr. Yagami entered the room looking haggard from yesterday's escapade as well as his own task from earlier today, "I'm afraid it's as you thought. Several of our member countries have weighed in, and it seems they are in favor of having the real L appear on TV."
L took a loud slurp of tea, "I think that's the most appropriate choice given the options. Now, we still have three days before it happens. Maybe we can find some counter measures, after all this it would really annoy me…" He took a bite of cake…my cake. I glared at him and pulled the plate towards me, "If I'm killed by the first person to jump on the Kira bandwagon."
"Ryuzaki, what do you mean by that?" Mr. Yagami asked with wide eyes.
L finished chewing before he continued, "That there's a strong possibility that this Kira's a fake." So my thoughts had been correct. The mannerisms and the requirements to kill hadn't matched up. This wasn't the Kira the Task Force was after, but he or she was just as potentially dangerous. "No, we should think of him as more of a second Kira."
"Why are you always so sure that the killer is a he, Ryuzaki?" I asked with a twinge of annoyance before taking a bite of the angel's food cake.
Meanwhile the rest of the Task Force was in shock at the revelation. "A second Kira?" Mr. Yagami mused.
"I-I don't understand," Aizawa's eyes widened. "Why do you think there's a copy cat? How did you come to that conclusion?" Sometimes I forget people don't think the way Wammy's kids do.
"I don't really think it matters, Everest," L rebuked casually. "I simply perceive Kira as male. Do you think there are indications Kira might be female?"
"Ryuzaki, hey!" Aizawa called attention back to his questions.
"I looked to the victims he used for his predictions on Tape Number One. Their purpose was to prove to Sakura TV staff that he is Kira. Both their names were only mentioned in tabloids and daytime talk shows, so they weren't exactly hardened criminals. The real Kira has no need to prove himself using such insignificant criminals," L had gone back to his own serving of cake, his with strawberries, and played with one of the fruits with his fork, "but from the perspective of the second Kira, he wanted to make absolutely certain that he didn't predict the deaths of the criminals who could be killed by the real Kira first."
"Ryuzaki, if you had to put a number on it," Mr. Yagami said, digesting these new observations, "what's the probability of a second Kira?"
"E, why don't you answer this one?" L turned to me, "After all, you've been thinking the same thing."
He was right, I had been nursing my earlier theory of Kira being more than one person. Of course, when I proposed it, the probability of it had been low, a theory at best, but now… "I'd say over seventy percent," I decided, weighing in fact and theory. The gasps from the Task Force were actually starting to get quite unnerving.
"I really don't like how he operates," L remarked bluntly, "it's not like Kira."
"Not like him?" Matsuda asked cluelessly.
"In the past, he has traditionally avoided killing innocent people, with the exception of those who were trying to catch him," he added darkly, but his tone lightened as he continued. "Anyway, I think that if we can catch one Kira, he will provide us a lot of insight as to how we can find the other one. Mr. Yagami, I'd like your permission to ask your son to cooperate with us on this investigation." I can't say I didn't see that coming…I just hadn't thought it would happen so soon. L had instructed me to get close to Light, would he throw my efforts away now? Would I be forced to leave the Task Force in order to get closer to Light Yagami? It seems that everything I had anticipated would be put into action sooner than expected.
"If you want my son to join the Task Force, does this mean this you no longer suspect him?' Mr. Yagami clearly fought to keep the excitement out of his tone.
"Well, I can't say that he's been completely cleared, but his deductive abilities would be invaluable to us right now." And the better to keep surveillance on him, I added silently. It was still possible that Light was Kira, just not this second Kira. Or perhaps it was the other way around. Either way, Light Yagami would join the Task Force.
"If my son wants to cooperate with you, then I have no reason to prevent it," Mr. Yagami allowed.
"I appreciate that," I could see that look in his large, dark eyes. That mischievous excitement that only came with some sort of scheme or plot or tactic, "However, please don't tell him that we think this latest Kira might be a fake. I don't want him to know that yet. We want to make it appear to him that we're still chasing the same Kira." I didn't question it. Instead I got up and retrieved my laptop from my room. When I returned, L's excitement had died down, and the amusement in his eyes diminished. "Well, then, we need to ask Light Yagami to assist us. However, we cannot tell him that we are considering the possibility of a second Kira."
Matsuda leaned forward when he spoke, "Are you serious? But wouldn't that make working together a bit difficult?"
"He's right," Aizawa agreed scornfully, "why even bother asking him to work with us?"
"Well, I didn't mean indefinitely," L pointed out. He picked up a tape, "I'm curious to see what his impression of these tapes will be prior to knowing ours. Light's deductive reasoning skills are really quite incredible. He may suspect these tapes are the work of a second Kira, an imposter, or copycat imitating the original."
"But the basis for the second Kira theory is that the victims for these recent killings were minor criminals who don't fit the normal profile," Matsuda stated. "Without hearing our explanation, how would Light ever know that?"
"Yes, but there's more to it like that," L drawled with slight annoyance.
"Such as the requirements necessary to commit each murder," I suggested without looking up from my computer screen.
"Correct. The suspect that we've been pursuing up til now has needed both a name and a face to kill his victims, but there is something different happening here. Recall that Mr. Ukita was killed the moment he arrived at the station, and this Kira demanded only that I appear on TV but made no request for my name. This implies that the second Kira only needs to see a person's face to kill. So I'll ask Light to look over all of our information as well as our video evidence. If he comes to the conclusion that there could be a second suspect, then he'd be almost completely cleared of suspicion in this case."
"But how will that prove anything?" Mr. Yagami asked.
"Logically, if he's really Kira, he'll want me dead, seeing as I'm the one leading the investigation against him right now, and seeing the way things are going, if I comply with this new subject's demands and appear on TV in three days, there's a very good chance I will die. I can't see the real Kira jeopardizing such an easy opportunity to get rid of me." I caught him glance at me as he said that. I rolled my eyes and put my laptop on the table behind me, giving the conversation my full attention. I'm not surprised, L was much to cautious to completely overlook the chance that I could be Kira. Of course, siezing a golden opportunity did sound like me.
"Come off it, Ryuzaki. Just because it sounds like me doesn't mean I'm Kira," I rolled my eyes.
"Well, the chances that you are Kira just went up to eight percent," L pointed out. I scoffed, that was a lie. I was still at the six or seven percent I was at when the investigation began. He was also lying about his reasoning right now. Simply because Kira would know that there is a second Kira if he or she had not sent the tapes in themselves. In addition to that obvious factor, as Kira, Yagami, might realize exactly what L would be doing and tell him exactly what he needs to hear.
"Okay, but are you suggesting that if my son does not come to the same conclusion, there's an even greater chance that he is guilty?"
"No, in that case, there will still be only a five percent chance," L stated. "We'll inform him that we are investigating the possibility of a copycat and have him cooperate with us as planned."
Mr. Yagami's brow furrowed, and I wished that I could have offered him some reassurance, but I couldn't bring myself to lie to him. Instead I turned to L, "Why is there a three percent greater chance that I'm Kira?" I asked taking false offense to the incorrect probability.
Later that evening, I ran into L while trying to get my hands on some of Mr. Wammy's black cherry chocolate forest cake. I had the refrigerator open, and I removed the beautiful pink and dark brown dessert. "You should return to Wammy's," L's monotone turned up from nowhere. I yelped and fumbled with the cake. Once I ensured that I had a firm hold on the beautiful cake, I glared daggers at L.
"I would advise you to stop sneaking up on people," I said haughtily. "If I had a gun on me, you'd be dead."
"I mean it, Everest, go back to Wammy's House," L said sternly. "With Light Yagami joining the Task Force, your identity will be compromised, and with it, your safety. I must insist that you go home now. Light Yagami's deductive reasoning skills rival your own, he can easily take your place. I can have Watari make the arrangements…"
I raised a brow at him questioningly, "Now you're making me want a gun. I'm not going anywhere. I'll deal with Light Yagami. I can win him over, L. Have some faith."
"I am not convinced…" L followed me as I moved across the kitchen to retrieve a fork.
I took a bite directly from the delicious cake, "Then I suggest you convince yourself, L, because I am not going back there."
"Even if your life is in danger?" L continued to follow me as I walked back to my room.
"Yes," I answered simply. "I am a Wammy's kid, we laugh at danger."
"I am not joking, Everest. This is not the time for you to be stubborn. The Kira Investigation is not like anything you have ever seen before. It is unlike anything I have seen before. You understand that there is a very high chance that you won't make it out of this alive." You've gotten yourself wrapped up in something dangerous, E. His voice, it wouldn't go away.
"I understand, and I don't care. You have your reasons for not abandoning this case and I have mine. You understand why I can't leave until Kira pays for what's been done." Kira had yet to realize something about the people he killed. Despite what they had done, they were still people. They had families and people who cared about them. They had people who cared about them so much that they wouldn't rest until Kira met his or her end. People like Naomi Misora who had been engaged to Ray Penber, the FBI agent who had died in a tragic accident while investigating suspects for the Kira case. Of course, Penber's death was not directly linked to a Kira murder, but it was not impossible. Knowing Misora, she had probably begun an investigation of her own. The point, anyway, is that Kira didn't know that the people he or she killed had people who cared about them. People like Misora. People like me.
"Hmm, yes," L mumbled thoughtfully, "Well, then, E, I believe we have much to discuss."
A/N...I really hope this is uploading in order. Thanks to reviewers for your wonderful feedback. Keep letting me know what you think and review, please. Thanks ^.^ I hope you all enjoy.
