(L's POV)

'I feel like I'm in a reality show, with all the crazy shit that's been going on lately. But after watching a few other anime in my spare time, you know what I think we need in order to fight Kira? We need Titans with friggin' lasers attached to their foreheads!'

'L! … L! … L! The meeting is not over! Your mic is still on!'

'…Oh, heh heh, right. What'd I miss, Q?'

'Well, a bunch of criminals died under suspicious circumstances. One died from exhaustion after taking massive crap in a nearby gas station, one summoned a demon, one asked Santa for a unicorn, one wrote some kind of suicide note and the last one escaped prison, ate at McDonalds and had a heart attack. I'll send over the exact details now.'

After pouring over the data for a minute, I share my thoughts.

'Given this information, I am unable to determine if the last criminal's fatal heart attack was caused by Kira, or by eating at McDonalds. Both scenarios are very likely.'

'So right after you beg me to get you McDonalds, you come out and admit that its food is so unhealthy that it can give heart attacks?'

'Well, I'm on that new diet where you eat everything and trust your plot armor. Now, if Kira used these criminals as a test, he's about to start something, and if he does make a move now, it's possible one of the probing teams will notice someone acting suspiciously. But if these deaths weren't a test, and had another purpose, then this note might be some kind of message.'

I closely examine every single aspect of the suicide note. It says…

Lord have mercy,

Do what I can, I'll either be shot or,

You know, killed by "Kira". I

Know about him.

And if I translate it the same way L did in Death Note it becomes…

L do you know

He's really doing the same thing as Light? Really? Wait, perhaps the rest of the message will be different. Like me, Kira's treating this like some big game, so really anything's possible. And what a game it is! I mean, without heroes, a bad guy has nothing to do. Well, before this I did play a vital role in organizations such as the Bilderberg group, but this is all way more fun. And the only way I'm going to win is by winning. And after that, I'll eliminate my competition. I will be the best. I don't care what it takes…

… Wait, after I catch Kira, and sentence him to death... would I become a Kira murderer? A Kira Kira?

(Indy's POV)

The street is empty as usual, although usually not this quiet. Then again, I'm not sure if I've ever been here at this time of day, after all the kids have returned home from school and all the adults have either returned from work too or won't be doing so for another hour or so. The location I'm scheduled to meet T within the next half-hour is an abandoned warehouse on an industrial estate, and while he says I'll just be meeting him with no backup, I know he requested that I arm myself for a reason. What that reason is, I have no idea.

A worn auburn fan identifies the warehouse in question, and I silently sprint up to the side of the door before peeking inside. The inside of the warehouse is just a single large, empty room, with a few crates of some kind in one of the corners. Small puddles of water dot the floor in the room's darker corners.

There's actually just one person in there, but he looks nothing like what I was expecting. I mean, even through the voice filter I could tell that T was young, but surely not like this! Other than his small size I can see that he has white hair and crystal blue eyes, and he's doing something on a laptop, the brand of which I can't identify. I alert him of my presence by kicking a rock through the door. He immediately looks up and closes his laptop.

'Indy?'

Walking through the doorway, the only one in the warehouse by the looks of it, I decide to play along with whatever he (or rather, whoever T is) has planned. First, I'll play the "Are you T?" card.

'So, you're T? I wasn't expecting someone so…'

'Young? Small? Weak?'

'… So who are you?'

'There are some who call me… Tom. Thomas Blackheart, to be exact.'

'Blackheart. That name certainly rings a bell…' I'm not lying, I do actually remember hearing that somewhere before.

'We actually have met before, once, but I doubt you'd recognize me.'

'Well, when was that?'

'January 28, 2015. You and your brother had been sent to rescue my sister, mother and I from a foreign crime syndicate, in what ended up being your last mission in the vigilante corps. It's almost ironic, one mafia fighting another.'

'… You're the son of the chief of ANPA.'

'That I am. Oh by the way, do you want me to tell you why I requested you weaponize yourself?'

Alright, this is the part where the guns are about to start blazing. But I'll still play dumb until that happens.

'… This is a trap isn't it?'

'Surprisingly not. I just really wanted to know how you'd arm yourself. And I see you've done a really good job at it.'

Well, if he's still keeping his mouth shut then there's only one way I can stop that. I slowly grab my AR-15 from my back and take aim.

'There are at least five different ways I could kill you right now, SO DON'T BULLSHIT ME! NOW TELL ME WHAT YOUR TRAP IS, OR I SWEAR TO GOD I'LL-'

'I'm not bullshitting. Of course, if you choose to believe that, there's nothing I can do to stop you from pulling that trigger. After all, in this world, the strong always triumph over the weak. It's such an obligingly simple rule, and one that traces back hundreds of millions of years. Every species has its own predator, and its own prey.'

I take a few seconds to absorb what he said, and lower the assault rifle. It's true, painfully true, and if this really is Thomas Blackheart then he'd have seen it first-hand when his mother was killed nearly two years ago. Although I don't quite understand that last thing he said.

'Man has no predators. We have nothing to be afraid of except... each other.'

'Exactly. The only "predators" of humanity are humans, and it's now up to one teenage boy to save our entire world… from itself. Just look at our planet today. Crime, War, Corruption, Murder, Fascism, Capitalism, Poverty, Balkanization, Greed, Oppression, Extremism, Nuclear Proliferation, Terrorism, all these things have come together to destroy what could have been a better world, a world where no-one has to suffer from blades, bombs or bullets. And your brother knows that. More importantly, he knows that the world will not change through mere talking.'

'So you're on Kira's side, despite your father-'

'My father does not define me anymore. I'll come to my own conclusions using my own thoughts and my own beliefs. What about you, do you think Chris is a bad person?'

'I don't like the terms "good person" or "bad person" because it's impossible to be entirely good to everyone or entirely bad to everyone. To some, you are a good person, while to others, you are a bad person. All you can ever change is the ratio.'

'I couldn't give a better answer myself. So, let's cut to the chase. Right now we have three options regarding what to do with your brother. Option one: we tell my dad everything we know, Chris is caught and killed, and this whole Fanfiction series abruptly and anticlimactically ends.'

'NO! NO NO NONONONO-NO NONONONO-NO NONONONO!'

'Care to elaborate?'

'BECAUSE… IF… IF WE DO THAT WE'LL BE KILLING HIM! AND IF WE KILL HIM HE WILL DIE! IF HE DIES HE WILL BE DEAD! IF HE'S DEAD HE WON'T BE ALIVE!'

'I was thinking the same thing. After all, he is my customer, your brother, and one of the people who kept a bullet out of my head last year. So here's the second option: we tell him everything we know and that we're on his side, and the three of us, well four if we include his Shinigami, team up against L and the police.'

'Not only is that idea stupid, it's also very dumb. We have no way of knowing how Chris or his Shinigami would react to knowing that we know about them.'

'Okay, there's nothing wrong with valuing your own life. So that leaves us with one other option.'

'Let me guess, you want us to just sit back and watch?'

'Pretty much. Of course, that can't happen either unless we trust one another enough to form an alliance.'

'Tom, I already have a boyfriend.'

'What? When did I say anything about that? No, I'm just suggesting that we cooperate on finding out everything we can about Chris, his Shinigami, and "Kira". Nothing more, nothing less. Besides, there is no "I" in "Mutually Beneficial Cooperation".'

…

…

'You know, I never thought I'd say this, but I like this idea of an "alliance". At this point I'd rather trust and regret than doubt and regret. So, I assume you already have a plan for how it'll work?'

'Mostly, yes. Both above- and underground I'm already known as one of Sydney's greatest hackers, and as such getting into my father's computer and getting vital information from there has been relatively easy.'

'You're a hacker, huh? Bullshit, a little kid like you can't-'

'How do you think I knew your name and birthdate? If you want I can also recite your kill count, score, and the number of missions you've been involved in during your three years in the mafia.'

'… You got into the mafia's database?'

'Yup.'

'… The amount of dedication you'd need in order to be capable of accomplishing that at such a young age is, well, I'm impressed. You got a cool backstory or something?'

'At first I only learned computer coding because it was fun. But after I first showed my mum what I could do, the smile on her face was all the motivation I needed to keep going. And when she died, I knew that I must continue to enhance my skills so one day I could use them to avenge her death. That's all there is to it, nothing too fancy.'

'Your mother's death was only last year, but you seem so calm talking about it.'

'Why shouldn't I be? How can I move forward if I keep regretting the past?'

'So, back to the investigation…'

'Apparently, the police have been pissing off L a lot lately.'

'How so?'

'Instead of investigating they keep playing Minecraft. Of course I could beat all their asses in that game on any day, but that's beside the point. So far they know that Kira's a student, he doesn't have access to classified information like we do, he needs a name and a face in order to kill, and that he was present either at the Justin Bieber concert on the 24th, or at Forbes High School on the 25th. Finally, L has already sent agents from multiple intelligence agencies around the world to shadow the above.'

'That means… why haven't I seen anyone following me?'

'The current number of suspects is probably a three-digit number, perhaps even four. It wouldn't surprise me if it takes over a week to get to all of them.'

'So where exactly are the agents coming from?'

'So far I know of the US, UK and Israel that are sending them in. But I've got unconfirmed bits of evidence suggesting involvement from various other countries, mainly in the European Union. With that information I doubt we have long until you've got someone on your tail as well, so we must use our time preciously.'

'But if we're just going to spy on my brother with a few cameras, what else is there to do?'

'I suggest we make it our goal to acquire a small portion of the Death Note so we can see the Shinigami. Unfortunately the Death Note is currently stored somewhere in your brother's room, so you'll need to be the one to get it. Remember, the Chris that is your brother is very different from the Chris that is Kira, so he can't find out that we know about him. However, no matter how careful we are there is one factor we can't control, and that is the being known as the Shinigami that Chris seems familiar with. If the lore of Death Note is as true as it's shown itself to be so far, then that means there is likely a Shinigami following your brother around 24/7, and when you find the notebook, there's no way of knowing if it will catch you in the act.'

Shit, I've only just started on the Death Note manga and I haven't even glimpsed the anime yet. For a moment I feel left out, being the only one amongst myself, Tom, Chris and probably L who hasn't read/watched the thing.

'… Alright, I'll do it.'

'Are you sure? I mean, this could be very dangerous, and I can do the action stuff too you know. I'm not just a massive intellect. Besides, I'm willing to risk my life for this.'

'Risking your life and doing something that could easily rob you of your life are exact opposites. I may not know a whole lot about Shinigami, but I doubt you'd stand a chance against one.'

'And you think you can? Spoiler alert, you can't.'

'Well, I can try. That being said, I'll do my very best to avoid directly confronting it.'

'Right. Let's value our lives. But even though I won't be there for backup, can we keep in touch throughout the operation via texting or something?'

'I'll decide on the day. Or rather, on the night, since that's the only time his room is left unguarded with the door open.'

'I think you should decide on these things now while I'm here.'

'I'll do things my own way, not however it's convenient for you. Look, I have to get back home, but I assume we'll be in touch again, like, tomorrow-ish?'

'Sure.'

Opening the door, I look back at Tom, and remind him:

'Just remember, there is no "L" in "justice".'

'Right. Let's show this "detective"... that the good guys always win. Just please promise me you'll never be kidnapped by a blond gay orphan terrorist.'

(Chris' POV)

'… And that, Rugo, is my plan for Syria.' I finish as I take another potato chip out of the bag.

'Yeah, you probably shouldn't piss off the Russians like that. I mean, Assad's regime was one of their closest allies.'

'Hey, I'm sure it'll be fine, especially with me wiping out all the anti-Russian terrorist factions as well. Not to mention what's going on in America. It's practically Putin's wet dream!'

'Oh yeah, I heard you mention that earlier. What's going on there?'

'Well, I can't say if it was Trump's victory in the election or my speech one week prior, but over three million people have taken to the streets demanding revolution and a return to democracy. A lot of the population is waking up and realizing that the system is rigged, and when those who claim authority act in contrary to morality, morality demands that the people act in contrary to authority. Of course, it's dangerous to be right when the government is wrong, and there have already been dozens of deaths resulting from the brutality of the militarized police and the use of unnecessarily excessive force.'

'That sounds intense. I mean, I knew their capitalist system was broken, but-'

'Broken? Where'd you hear that? The problem here isn't that the capitalist system is broken, the problem is that it's working exactly as it's supposed to!'

'But three million people is only, what, one percent of the American population?'

'Yeah, right now they don't have the numbers needed to get the ball rolling. But right now I'm not really worrying about that. So I've already told you my plan regarding my stalker, right?'

'Ja. So who are you going to use for the main event?'

'I think I'll go with this guy I saw on the news last weekend. Drug addict who tried to rob a bank and failed, shot two people and one vegan as he escaped. Now I'll just ring up my acquaintance…'

I turn on my phone and tap on the contact titled "VS"

*RING RING*

Huh, she doesn't have a cool ringtone? How have I just noticed that now?

*RING RING*

*RING RING*

[RINGING INTENSIFIES]

- Beep -

'THIS BETTER BE GOOD, IT'S 2 O'CLOCK IN THE FUCKING MORNING WHAT THE FUCK DO YOU WANT?!'

Yup, definitely her.

'Morning, Viper! Look, I need a favor.'

'If I say yes can I go back to sleep?'

'If you say yes, I may consider rejoining the vigilante corps.'

'… Chris? Whatever it is I'll do it.'

Well, here goes nothing…

'I'm being followed by a secret agent of some kind, as are several others from school. It has something to do with the Kira investigation, but that's beside the point. I want to know exactly who he is, or at the very least, what country and intelligence service he's from. Now like I said, he's following every step I take, and I have no way of knowing if there are cameras set up at school, so the only way you'll be able to identify him without raising suspicion is, well…'

'Yes…'

'Do you think we can, like, go on a fake "date"?'

…

…

'… If this is your way of asking me out, it's not working.'

'No, I'm actually serious. You really think I'd make up an excuse like that?'

'Alright… I'll tell you when I'm available at school tomorrow. But I can't make any promises.'

'Okay, see ya then! Bye!' I immediately hang up before she can come up with some excuse.

'So if she actually does find out who he is, won't the rest of your plan be kind of redundant?'

'She won't. Even with her high position in the mafia, she probably still can't do it, not if this is all being orchestrated by someone as powerful and capable as L.'

My answer is cut short by the door suddenly slamming open.

'HAVE YOU FORGOTTEN WHAT DAY IT IS?!'

'…yes, mum, I'll start cooking something.'

'And when I say clean your room, YOU CLEAN YOUR FUCKING ROOM!'

'Yeah, I'll get to that later.'

'And one more thing. You're test results have come in, and it looks like you got a passing grade, a D and a C. Definitely room for improvement, but still pretty good.'

'Thanks.' With that I jump off my bed and descend down the stairs to the kitchen, while mum's staying upstairs to put away clothes or vacuum or something. Closing the door behind me, I resume my discussion with Rugo.

'Now there's there's something else I forgot to mention, about the whole "Kira" thing in general. Even if I create a world free of crime and war, all that progress will be for nothing unless I can redesign society to continue to be as such even if Kira was to disappear. That way, if I die without an heir the world won't just return to normal like Light's did, like a loaded spring.'

'What makes you think Light's returned to normal?'

'Well, that's what the fandom thinks, at least.'

'You mean the same fandom that thinks Light is evil and L isn't? … Hey, Chris, are you even listening to me?'

'Rugo, if it says I have to cook it for half an hour at 200 degrees, does that mean I could just put it in for three minutes at 2000 degrees? Or for eighteen seconds at 20,000 degrees? Or for a bit under two seconds at 200,000 degrees? Or even… alright, I've got an idea. Hold my potato chips and watch this.'