Chapter 4

Demetre folded his arms across his chest. He looked perturbed.

"Yes, we're aware of that, and I already have all the help I need," he said. "Now, explain to me what you're doing here? Your name is Valtros and you're Shinigami, who has taken human form. But what's your story?"

The time for fun and games was apparently over.

Valtros finished getting dressed. She wore a tight dark red bodysuit that wrapped around her body like a pair of skimpy leotards, knee high boots, a neck collar, seemingly for stylish purposes, and a black belt around her narrow waist that included a small pouch with a book, with her Death Note. Demetre thought of her just as pleasing to the eyes as she was naked. And his favourite colour was red.

She then told him everything that occurred onboard the CROSSBOUND yacht, and about Cameron Cross, the son of a movie mogul, and her encounter with Light Yagami. She also apologized for being so bold and playful and getting into bed with him. (Ref to my Novella: The Crossbound Incident)

Demetre mused. "So, you and Light, huh? I can see that he would find you appealing," he said. "But to have sex with you, that would make him a pervert and a necrophiliac, with all due respect."

She wasn't offended. "I can honestly say that he was wonderful and he thoroughly enjoyed himself."

"That makes it even more disturbing."

She frowned. "I thought Light loved me until I found out about that harlot he slept with in the underground Yukaza facility. She tortured him. She went by Mistress Tigressa, but her real name was Asumi Satou. She tried to get valuable information on police procedures. While I admire for his restraint, he seemed to enjoy what she put him through and did things to him only sadomasochistics take solace in."

"I don't need to know the details of that," Demetre said.

She agreed. "I followed him, watching from the shadows. But after a rough start, he did deal with the situation himself like some sort of secret agent." She then told him about Terrance Claw, the leader of the Dragon Sect, and his brute enforcer Nazareth. Both of whom were dead. "But he wasn't alone. There was someone else with him. He altered events. One moment Asumi Satou and another were dead at the hands of Nazareth—he broke their necks—then miraculously they were alive. Ryuk then arrived and rescued Light using his Death Note to kill Nazareth."

"Other person? Tell me about him?"

She told Demetre about the supernatural Imp that helped Light. He was unusual looking. He wore all white, similar to clothes worn by ancient Roman boys and looked about eleven or twelve years old. Chronologically he was much older. And he was the one that killed Terrance Claw whom he made a deal with. He also possessed a book like a Death Note, but called a Life Note—that brought people back to life.

Demetre's eyes widened. "It brings people back to life? Can it bring anyone back to life?"

She nodded. "Although the Life Note has rules like a Death Note," she said.

Demetre mused to himself. If Light knows this supernatural being, then maybe I can speak with it to bring back Dana? I hate Light, but maybe, we can strike a small accord? He was suddenly energized by this news.

"What kind of rules?" he asked.

"I'm not sure, all I truly know is they are different from the Death Note. But Morph is a trickster. If you do ever meet him, be weary."

He nodded. "Thank you," he said.

"Anyway, I want revenge on Light Yagami for how he betrayed me with that slut. He said he wished that I was his Shinigami instead of Ryuk. Now I know he was lying and said what he said to use me to get me to do something." She took out her Death Note and underneath it in the pouch was a small USB stick. She handed it to him.

"What's this?"

"Valuable information taken from a computer located in a lockbox in a Switzerland bank. It contains financial data from the future. Light Yagami instructed me to obtain it after our encounter. I went to Switzerland and retrieved it with the passwords he gave me. He said the passwords were given to him by another Shinigami who travelled from the future to give him the location of the hidden information. Light said he would use it to forge his brand new world, something he called his 'Grand Agenda'. It includes portfolio stocks, financial information—everything one would need to start up a new business venture with a secret bank account including capital—a few million dollars. In short, if Light Yagami got ahold of this information and invested wisely, he could make him a vast fortune."

Demetre looked at it. It was a duel USB Drive. He would ask Adam to transfer the information onto his computer since he had become the tech-savvy wiz of their operation. The kid was a genius with any computer and he wasn't even eleven years old yet. He had become instrumental in helping track Zurn Wellington movements. Even though Zurn kept slipping through their fingers, without Adam, and his computer skills, along with his special empathic gift, he wouldn't even be able to get close to the bastard. When he first decided to leave the Savant Society, he wanted to go out alone. Now, he didn't know what he would do without Adam or the others.

"Hmm," he voiced. "And you said a Shinigami gave this information to Light from the future?" He wanted more information.

Valtros nodded. "Light said the Shinigami's name was PreVost, but I've never heard of him. There are so many of us, and Shinigami of every type, that not everyone knows everyone else. The Shinigami Realm is such a vast place." (PreVost was first introduced in Death Is Not Forever and returned in The Twisted Kuzushi Affair.)

Demetre could only imagine it. "Geist, my Shinigami, told me about his world—he came from one-thousand years in the future through a time portal. He gave me valuable information about Light and the 'Kira Incident'. I suppose when I learned of things, I could have stopped Light then. Sometimes I wish I had. But dwelling on the past is detrimental. I may have been drunk at the time, but I can recall a person's powerful words to me that were inspirational. Even in the darkest times, if you have friends, there's always a light at the end of the tunnel."

"Friends like that are worth keeping."

He agreed. And he knew he would have to apology to them later for being such an idiot. They tried to help him and he pushed them all away. "I once thought I had a friend like that I could trust, Light," he said. "So, I have trust issues. But I do trust those I'm travelling with."

"I can understand that. I trusted Light, too, until I learned he was a lying bastard. Nevertheless, you may be able to use this information on the USB Drive to your own benefit. You may even be able to stop Kira's reign from spreading. Unless, for some reason, you decide to join Light Yagami in his plight? But I don't see it in your character to do something like that. From what I know about you, Demetre Draycott, you're a good-hearted person. And even though you were at odds with your friend, when we were together, he spoke very highly of you during a moment of sensibility as we were preparing things on board the CROSSBOUND for when the authorities were to arrive, and just before he relinquished my Death Note. He has a willingness to accept you to join him when you come to your senses."

Demetre snorted with a sardonic laugh. "Ha! Fat chance that ever happening, never in a million years would I ever join that psychopath!"

Then it occurred to him. Was he being too naive? He wanted the same thing Light did, world peace. The world was beginning to heal itself from all the onslaught of wars over the years. Kira was making society a better place. All he had to do was look around or watch any news media outlet. Crime was down seventy percent. Politically, Kira controlled the world. World leaders bowed down to him in fear of being killed or their citizens slaughtered for failing to capitulate.

But that was dictatorship, not peace. There was a difference.

Then why am I so conflicted? Demetre thought.

In the beginning, Light tested his power. And sometimes he made mistakes. But overall, despite acting like a sadistic megalomaniac, his friend got things done where world leaders and law enforcement failed. Sometimes results did matter.

That didn't make what his friend was doing was right. And yet, when he looked in his own religion's bloody past, he saw its own atrocities especially during the Crusades. This was Light's own crusade against evil.

The events that happened between Light and Jasper Yuta years ago could have had a contributing factor to what his friend was doing now.

Jasper Yuta's father kidnapped Light when he was ten years old and almost killed him.

Yoma Yuta, Jasper's father, known as 'The Child Butcher of Japan', later died in a cell, suicide by hanging, killed by Kira. Jasper Yuta then came after Light in revenge because of his involvement in the case. It was merely a case of guilt by association.

Jasper Yuta was later killed, supposedly by Kira. (Ref to my novella: The Case of Jasper Yuta)

But events of this sort had a deep psychological effect on a person that drove them to do strange things later on.

Did this make Light Yagami mentally ill? If he had been caught by L, who knows what have been done to him? Would Light have been put in prison for the rest of his life or secretly executed? Suffice it to say, Kira/Light Yagami was a free man now. And L was dead.

And when Dana left Light, the love of Light's life, disappeared for five years without a trace—later turning up at the Savant Society—did it also have a severe effect on Light's mental health? Some people were just fragile to some things. Any form of PTSD would probably trigger symptoms that Light was expressing in being Kira. Like a child with a child like sense of justice. Did that make Light a victim then?

If so, then Light was still in the wrong because he was misdirecting his anger at the wrong target for the injustices done to him. Demetre was not in a position to diagnose Light as a psychiatrist, but there had to be a way to help his friend. No one was completely without redemption.

Demetre still had hope for Light.

"Demetre?" came Valtros's voice.

"Huh?"

"Are you okay? You spaced out."

He blinked. His hand was unconsciously to his chest, not because his heart was pounding but because he was holding his crucifix for moral support. Whenever he had doubts, he put his faith in the Lord. Sometimes his faith wavered and he had serious deep moral questions about God's methods, but ultimately, it was God who always let him down the right path and back to salvation.

"Yes, I'm okay," he replied. "I was just thinking, reasoning things out. Listen, I want you to tell the others what you told me. We must all be aware of Light's most recent activities. We need to form a plan to stop Light from circumventing the world of its freedoms. Light is not a god. He's immoral with a God complex with the Death Note and he must be held accountable for his crimes. If someone can get the Death Note away from him, make him relinquish it, just maybe he may become normal again."

Valtros agreed. "After being attached to Cameron Cross, I was willing to join Light Yagami, and even handed over ownership of my Death Note to him for a time. I find him sickening in this state, and he must be stopped, or this world and my world will be irreparably damaged. But would taking the Death Note away do anything good? The damage has already been done. There are rumblings that the Shinigami King may begin restricting access to the Human World because of the chaos unfolding here. If that happens, we Shinigami will have a very difficult time extending our life spans if we can't kill humans."

Just like Geist said happened in his future, Demetre thought.

Demetre mused. "In order to stop Light, I need to put my own feelings aside and my hunt for Zurn Wellington on hold. Light must become top priority and I'll bait him with the information on this USB Drive. If he wants it, he's going to have to meet me and settle our score." And introduce me to Morph. "He killed my grandfather. My grandfather may have had terminal cancer, but Light took him before his time. I fractured his nose the last time I saw him. It's the very least he can expect from me after everything he'd done recently. I'm not done with him yet."

"I would like to get my hands on him, too…"

Valtros's eyes suddenly widened with shock and awe, and she pointed.

"Demetre! Look out!" yelled Valtros.

Demetre turned. Just then, he saw an abhorrent looking creature through the French window doors.

It over nine-feet tall and broad shouldered. The simplest way to describe him was that of an old time war relic that have been recently dug up, bones and all, wearing the same fatigues he was buried in, including a World War I pith helmet. The creature was also equipped with something else: an augmented, metallic left arm with a three-fingered claw for a hand.

Demetre immediately knew what the creature was, but he was surprised he could see him without touching its Death Note. It had made itself visible to the naked eye. Since it was in the thicket of the forest, it must not have feared exposure. And since Demetre was the owner of a Death Note, the Shinigami was obviously aware of him. Therefore, there was no point in hiding. Geist once told him Shinigami could make themselves visible to humans without touching the Death Note, but it was not recommended or risk exposing themselves.

The large god of death raised his normal hand, and inserted two boney fingers into its vacant skull eye sockets. Shockingly, it plucked his head off at shoulders and brought it down to its side. But that was not the half of it. The Shinigami was partnered with a symbiotic being in its belly, an ectoplasmic otherworldly creature, that then took control of the body.

"It's Rage and Quintor!" Valtros revealed. "What the hell are they doing here?"

When Valtros told Demetre the events that transpired on board the CROSSBOUND, she mentioned this Shinigami. Rage killed his handler who was assigned by the Savant Society to watch Light on the yacht after he served his purpose. And in quite a violent matter, his body ripped apart. But afterwards, he communicated civilly with Valtros and Light. Obviously back then, he was just hiding his true nature and had been under strict orders not to harm Light. Now, it was no holds barred.

To actually see them in person was like looking at some ghastly creature from a horror movie. And from what she described about them, Rage with Quintor were psychopathic killers like two twisted birds of a feather. It was like being attacked by death itself.

To be continued...