Death Note Story:
"Death Trap"

When the explosion happened, it was like a bomb had gone off. But after forensic analysis of the scene by the NPA, it was, in fact, a sophisticated and direct, targeted blast, meant to blow a hole through the door, inwardly, and into the sixteenth floor apartment itself, within the thirty-six level apartment building.

The device used was, of course, almost completely destroyed by the blast, save a few scattered pieces, but the genius behind it was only overshadowed by whose apartment it was—Light Yagami's, aka, the de facto headquarters of the Kira Task Force.

The police were already at the scene and taking photographic evidence, with witness testimony from neighbours whom had heard the explosion, and who called the police, but little else was seen after the creation of the massive, gaping maw hole in the door.

Cameras on the outside of the building only caught an unidentified male, dressed all in black, running away, his face covered, dragging a second person, self-conscious. Light knew immediately who the self-conscious person was, after seeing the footage. Since Riki had been the only one in the apartment at the time, and he was missing, Light needed no other cause for this attack, and the kidnapping. It had been a direct assault on him. They knew exactly what they doing, and why. It was to get to him!

So, either it was someone who had a beef with Light solely, as a police officer (although he couldn't see how), or it was someone who knew he was Kira—

If I find out it was you, Near, I'll hunt you down relentlessly!

Riki, his real name Hiro Wannabe, had come to live with Light and Misa, after a series of unfortunate situations involving the boy with both the Yukaza and the Evangelist, and later became their houseboy, and also Light's confidant*.

(*See: Hollow Victory and The Power of a God)

Light "adopted" the boy after his grandparents had thrown him out when they learned the boy had been involved with a torture/sex den within the Yukaza. He knew Light's secret and swore to keep it, so was natural for Riki to reside with him. Riki performed all manner of house work and chores, and even helped with Kira's exploits.

A germane officer was holding a small portion of the device used to blow a hole through the door, he stood out in the hallway with other police officers. Normally, there wouldn't be so many in attendance, but the attack was directed at a NPA police officer. Light was head of the task force, but he was also a standing member of the NPA, full-licensed.

After taking Light's statement, although he couldn't provide much other than Riki's disappearance, the main detective on the case took all available evidence with him, and a metal plate was screwed to the apartment door to plug to the hole.

It hadn't been the first time someone had threatened Light in the complex, knowing that he was a cop. But Riki's kidnapping took the threat to a whole new level.

Light was none the worse when he sat down at his computer station, which was untouched by the explosion—as if it was a warning—and his fingers worked the keyboard for any clues to his attacker, accessing surveillance cameras in the area. Aizawa told him to forget about the Kira Case for the rest of the day, the rest of the task force now in attendance, but Light refused to concede, believing his being "Kira" was an indicator for the attack, although he didn't say it out loud. He vowed to find the attacker, and kill him with the Death Note.

Light worked without rest for hours, hunting for the perpetrator of the attack. And eventually, he was alone. The Kira Task Force had left, the police gone—Light refused an armed guard outside his door as it would make the rest of the residents on the floor nervous—and it wasn't until 3am when a knock came at his door.

Light swiftly grabbed a gun he had stationed next on his computer desk and pointed it at the door. A second knock didn't come. He got up from his computer, gun poised, and walked to the door. He cradled the wall, then unlocked the door quietly. He didn't dare look through the peephole, that was a surefire way to get shot.

The door opened with a twist of the handle, and he quickly pulled the door open, his gun pointed to the knocker—

Who wasn't there! But there was a note now stuck to his door. He looked both ways down the corridor of his floor, then ripped the note off, and read it.

If you want your houseboy back,
you'll come alone to the following address!

—M

Who is…M?

An address and time was provided, one hour from now. Light crinkled the note. He told no one about it, and decided to go to the location alone.

Light made his way by his own means down to the wharfs, to a warehouse. Inside, it was empty and barren, dusty, and some places were still damp from a recent rainfall, with puddles of water. There were some signs of habitation if only by the homeless. Windows were broken and crates had been smashed, contains long gone.

Light stood alone, and carried a weapon. And Ryuk was with him. Looking at his watch. He waited fifteen minutes before annoyance set in. Had he been stood up? Was he being watched, just in case he had informed the police? He had been targeted, and now he had been dragged down here…alone. He wanted Riki back. He owned it to the boy.

He turned to leave when he heard a muffled voice. The assailant entered into view from an entrance elsewhere, but instead of the black clothes seen on the camera outside Light's building he had been wearing, he now wore black leather motorcycle gear. His face was covered with a tinted helmet, but he knew from the surveillance camera his hair was blonde. Ryuk confirmed he couldn't see his face despite a name.

"What's his name, Ryuk?" Light muttered out of his mouth.

"Not gonna to tell you," the Shinigami said. "But I will say is, the name's familiar."

A familiar name? Light mused to himself. That left so many possibilities that it wasn't even worth consideration. Light left it for the moment.

The individual had a thin, moderate build, and stood about 5'7" tall. He banished a small semi-automatic in his right hand.

"Throw away your weapon, Yagami, and take off your jacket," the man ordered.

"Who are you, and why did you attack my apartment? Do you know who I am!" Light demanded, as he did what he was directed, lowering his gun to the ground. But no answer came. Light had a piece of the Death Note in his watch, so he wasn't afraid of this person. After dropping his jacket and exposing his shoulder harness.

"Shut-up!"

A shot stuck the ground close to Light's feet and the sound echoed the empty warehouse. Ryuk moved towards this individual. Of course, the Shinigami could only be seen by Light. Ryuk walked right in front of the man's weapon.

The man raised his free hand, and then a second man, dressed in a strange, furry coat, and tinted goggles over his eyes, came out of the shadows with a beaten Riki, his left eye swallow shut, bruises battered his face. The boy was tossed to the ground, handcuffed in back. "Consider this a warning, Yagami," the first man threatened. "Your father died hopelessly trying to bring me in. Now your time has come. Near wants you, and I know the truth about you. Concrete proof is the only think I lack!"

"Mello!" Light cursed. But Light didn't know his real name, only his father did—and Soichiro Yagami died in an explosion trying to capture Mello, failing to write his name in the Death Note. "You're a dead man, Mello! I swear it!"

Mello laughed.

"Come on, Yagami—use the Death Note on me, I dare you!" Mello said. "You'll be dead before you can even write my first name, Kira. And I know your Shinigami won't kill for you. I can't see him, but I know he's here, somewhere, watching…"

Light smiled coyly, his hands up. "If you know the 'truth', then you wouldn't have been satisfied in just blasting my apartment door. I'd be dead right now. Bt you're mistaken, but you've directed your frustration towards me because of my father. I'm a police officer. Threatening a police officer comes with a hefty price. Let's settle this calmly."

"I know exactly what you are, Yagami! I survived the blast, your father didn't. Don't fake ignorance of what I am capable of, I'm a child of Wammy House. And you know what we can do, just ask Beyond Birthday—"

Light clenched his teeth, suddenly feeling humiliated by the sheer mention of other's name and audacity of what he had to go through with Beyond Birthday.*

(*See: Deadly Games)

"I've kept meticulous notes chronicling everything between you and the Kira Task Force, and L," Mello said. "I've gone through my own hell since beginning my own search for you, but it's been worth the sacrifice. Killing you here would be bittersweet, Yagami. Kira's fellowship is huge, and murdering their lord and saviour would only height you to martyrdom. The only way to take you down succulently is to humiliate you, to expose you, or to make you expose yourself. Even Near knows this. Consider this a precursor of things to come!"

Light chuckled under his breath, finding the very notion he would expose himself by shadowy tricks laughable. "To back Kira into a corner," he said, "a good plan. But, to say again, just in case you are recording our conversion, Kira would never fall prey to such cheap tricks, he;s smarter than that. And, to reiterate—I'm not Kira. I'm fighting to stop Kira. Hence, you and I should be fighting on the same side."

Mello clenched a fist. "The very essence of your existence sickens me!—Do it!" he said.

Suddenly, Light felt a burning surge of electricity throughout his body. His teeth clenched. He dropped to his knees and convulsed from the pain. Mello's partner had fired a taser gun at him, and two prongs injected themselves into Light's chest. The tasering continued. Light screamed, his voice echoing the warehouse.

"Oooh!" Ryuk's voice sounded. "A shocking twist."

The surge of electricity ceased. Light's eyes teared up. He twisted with clenched teeth as he tried to right himself from a fetal, humiliating position. He coughed, gasped for breath, his nerves, and entire body felt like they were on fire.

"You must pay for your crimes!" Mello's partner said stringently.

"I'm not—" Light started to say. Light managed to yank off the electrodes and crawl to his hands and knees, collapsing once out of weakness. "You have the wrong person!"

Mello's partner advanced, and Mello said, "Matt, wait!"

Matt? Light had heard that name before. Then he recalled the leader of the two-person assault force who attacked his family's cabin, that was six months ago.* Matt looked a little different, how he was dressed. But now Light could see they were one and the same, goggles included. He wanted Matt, and he was just as crazy as Mello.

Light owned Matt his own separate revenge for what he and his partner had done. And every once in a while, especially when the weather got colder, his left leg ached after the bullet his partner, Chastity, shot him with. Someday, she'll get her own justice—from Kira.

(*See: The Target)

"Just havin' a little fun, Mello," Matt said, then he approached Light, and kicked him hard in the ribs. Light gasped, inhaled air, and clutched his mid-section. "This is for everything you've done so far, you miserable, son-of-a-bitch! Time to get what's coming to you! You nearly killed Mello! This'll show you that you just can't just kill people for your own sense of justice! There is always more than one victim when Kira kills. So many people are hurt after a single person dies!"

"You kidnapped my sister!" Light said. "She had nothing to do with anything!"

"Oh, but family is very much involved, Yagami," Mello said. "You involved my family, you murdered my brother—L. So, it was only fitting that a member of your family suffer similar grievances. As stated, a user of a Death Note will suffer the pain and anguish of those that they 'touch' with it. Everything comes back around eventually."

"Bastard!"

Matt kicked Light again, and Light cried out. He folded into himself again, and went for his watch with a piece of the Death Note inside. If only he had their names.

Then, instinct took over, and Light scampered to his feet with an adrenaline rush, and tackled Matt. They struggled. Matt was stronger and kicked Light off. Light rolled away.

Matt pointed a gun to Light's head. "Matt! Not here! It isn't time!"

"Just let me shot him once for what he did to you!" Matt asked.

Light cringed from the kick to his ribs, but he fought back the pain. He felt sweat drip down the side of his face. He swore neither one of them would leave the warehouse alive, even if he shot them himself. But the option was removed when Matt picked up Light's gun. And Light forgot to bring his secondary weapon with him.

Light's hands went up a second time. "Don't hurt me," he pleaded. "I want answers, too. Why Kira murders, my father died because of that bastard!"

Mat let out a laugh. "Would you get him? He's still playing innocent," he said.

Light shifted away. Matt and Mello watched him, but didn't move in accordance.

"Looks like your back is up against a wall," Ryuk said. "What-cha goin' to do now?" The Shinigami stood above Light.

With his back turned, Light softly said, "Ryuk, don't kill them, but help me out here, and I'll buy you more apples than you can eat."

"Oh yeah? You did promise the same thing when we tangled with Matt at your family's cabin, and you delivered. So, I believe you. So, what's your plan?"

Light told him quickly.

Mello said, "What's going on? Matt he's muttering something to himself. He's talking to the Shinigami! Stop him!"

All of sudden, shocked, and startled, Matt was thrust backwards, and he rolled in the dirt. He huffed out breath, his hand to his chest. "Jesus Christ! It felt like a freight train just hit my chest!"

"Damn it!" Mello said. "Oh, what the hell!" He raised his semi-automatic. "It'll save me from the effort later. Damn, Near anyway! I'll kill you now, Yagami!"

Mello started firing at Light, but the bullets were suddenly caught in mid-air. While the direction of the bullets was close, the trajectory of them would not have killed Light—according to Ryuk—and thus, by Shinigami law, Ryuk was not actually saving Light. Merely catching a bullet, like a magician would in his teeth. He had caught a bullet before in his fingers, so it was child's play. The Shinigami caught them like with lightning speed, as Light ran away to safety.

Mello fired until his magazine emptied. Matt got to his feet, and then they both suddenly bolted for an escape, knowing they were outmatched by an invisible foe. Mello shouted, "Mark my words, Yagami. This isn't over between us!"

After they were gone, Light returned cautiously, and then kneed next to Riki. He turned the boy over, and Riki smiled. "I knew you'd come for me, my Lord. You have always been my saviour."

"Relax, and I'll get you to a hospital," Light said. Riki nodded, then shut his eyes.

Light's mind was suddenly filled with maddening fury, and he vowed he would eliminate the pair of Mello and Matt, one way or another.


Two days later, Riki returned home from the hospital.

Light told a far-fetched tale of a police targeted agenda to the task force members and the NPA, whereas an assailant kidnapped Riki for Light to bring a ransom to a designated location. He got flank for not informing authorities that he got a note, but he accepted it. He was to come alone or Riki would be killed.

He weaved a story of a someone who knew Light lived in the apartment building, and because Light was a police officer, and the son of the former police chief, was thought to have lots of money. The assailant had done his research.

The door detonation was part of the story, but it was insignificant overall. It was just a way to engage in a surprise attack. It all came down as a home robbery, Light claimed. Unbeknownst to the assailant, Light had not been home—so they took Riki as collateral, so Light would obey. It worked, but the assailant was not prepared for Light's response, and he overpowered the perpetuator with cunning and guile, and rescued Riki.

But they man fled.

All was true, to an extent. Light just left out all the details when it came to Kira.

Light's apartment door was repaired and reinforced with steel.

The death trap set by Mello had failed, but Light knew it would not the last time he would encounter him, he was sure of it.

END