Sooo… it's been a while. And I'm not going to lie, the time between updates will probably be consistently more than during the holidays, and there isn't a whole lot I can do about that. In the meantime, shoutout to Alexis Vance for favoriting and following I, Kira, and also for giving his review of the previous chapter:

Isn't a Death Note play in school going too over the top? I mean, I should've really told you when you said that sword can cut through titanium. Anyways, playing chess instead of tennis was kind of different but it wasn't that unique. My guess is that it's because you're making your Kira kind of Lelouch-ish, with the costume and speeches and all that.

I know, and as Chris' monologue implied, this play would NEVER happen in reality without Luci's powerful influence. As for chess, I only used it because it's a good game to use for both simplifying strategies and foreshadowing. At the very least it fits in better than tennis. And as for "the costume and speeches and all that", well I'd been planning to fully implement that side of I, Kirasince the beginning, and long before I even heard of Code Geass. So while stuff like the costume design was largely based on Lelouch's, pretty much everything else is less like direct inspiration and more like convergent evolution.

Now it appears that AV got bored waiting for this chapter and reviewed some of the earlier ones:

There is no such thing as "Completely immune to all types of tracking or spying". This is one of the unrealistic parts of the story that keeps bothering me.

You, sir, are right! But I'm still ahead of Tsugumi in that at least I acknowledged this, and while Light's overpowered intelligence no doubt could've found some solution to the problem, he should've at least mentioned it. So yes, Chris' solution to the issue may have been unrealistic, but at least he had one.

*'Hundreds in Iraq have been killed in a series of suicide bombings performed by the Islamic State. The exact number of casualties is unknown at this time, but it may well be over 9000…'*

I know that *It's over 9000!* is a meme, but shouldn't it start with *Thousands in iRaq have been...*?

Alright, this is an interesting one. The original wording was a more realistic "The exact number of casualties is unknown at this time, but it may be well over 500…", but when I changed it I kept the first bit the same for a simple reason: Casualtiesand Fatalitiesare two very different things, and in terrorist attacks the former is usually several times the latter. So while only "hundreds" were killed in this fictional attack, the total casualties (fatalities plus non-fatal injuries) could've easily reached the figures stated. Also your miscapitalization of Iraq makes it sound like an Apple product.

Oh, and by the way, if you think Tankukattā and Tom's IT skills are stretching reality, you have no idea what kind of stuff the future of I, Kirawill bring.

(Lauren's POV)

Adults will teach you to stand up for yourself and fight for what you believe in until what you believe in is different to what they do. Nowhere is this more visible than in regards to Kira. L, my father and a majority of the world's population may hate him, but I know what is right, and I understand that the correct path to take isn't always the one traversed by the most people. Besides, if it weren't for anonymous vigilante figures acting outside the law in the name of justice, well, I wouldn't be here today. I don't want anyone else to go through what my brother and I did on that day, so I cautiously support Kira. I keep a folder on my computer with saved screenshots from news articles and other websites, I avidly watch whenever he's talked about on TV and I've gone over his three appearances several times each. It feels good, but until now I was fine with no active part in it. My father's the chief of ANPA, so I can't join any rallies or even let anyone aside from my brother know my true thoughts.

I still remember that evening as if it were yesterday, well, that's probably because it was yesterday. I'd just come home after a particularly hard day at school and collapsed on my bed, and there it was. The Death Note. Or rather, one of them. At first I assumed it to be a simple prank of Tom's, but then-

*Creak*

Huh? Was that the fridge door downstairs? What the hell? I'm the only one home, so… fuck. I quickly grab my knife from its sheath under my bed and quietly descend downstairs. Turning to the kitchen I freeze in shock.

'Don't be afraid, I'm just-'

'YAAAAAA!'

…

I open my eyes to see the knife embedded about five milimeters into the white cupboard door. Did that thing just dodge me?

'Even if your attack was faster, I could've just turned intangible. So, how's it goin'?'

Pulling the knife out of the door, I reply on instinct. 'Fine… and you?'

'I'm great!'

'Oh, outstanding. May I ask something?'

'Sure.'

'Well it's nothing big, you know, take your time with it and all but WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU?!'

'I'm a Shinigami, and my appearance to you means you have touched the Death Note.' It extends its hand towards me. 'Dimina Corabelle.'

Unsure if it wants a formal handshake or just to help me get back up off the floor, I do an awkward combination of both. '…A Shinigami. Huh. Nice to meet you, Dimina, I'm Lauren Blackheart. I must say, I thought I'd get a Shinigami that looks more like, y'know, a Shinigami.'

It's only a bit over half my height, and if it weren't for the wings, the timing or the unnaturally red hair and eyes, I may have even mistaken it for a human. Its face looks like that of a European girl, English I think, of around fourteen or so years of age.

'Yeah, well, I'm about as human as they get. Still, I think I look very sophisticated. So from the fact you're not questioning my self-introduction, I assume you've already used the Death Note and know that it's real?'

'Yup. I had each member of 1D die in different ways so I'd be able to test my limits and abilities at the same time as I validated the notebook's power.'

'And where is it, by the way?'

'…Upstairs, in a secret compartment on the underside of my desk.'

Without another word she runs out of the room and up the stairs, and I follow.

'So… is it what Kira uses?'

'Yes, that boy has one like it. Another Shinigami dropped it and he picked it up. And that's why I'm here.' Well that- wait, did she say it was a boy?

[FANGIRL THOUGHTS INTENSIFY]

I take out the notebook, and stare at its white cover with the iconic words "DEATH NOTE" in black writing, like an exact inversion of the device wielded by Light Yagami.

'If I use it right… I can meet him. Not only that, I can team up with him! We can work together to defeat L! ...Just to be sure, it is a "him", right?'

'Yup, and he's about your age, too.' She continues, gazing out the window.

'Is he single?'

'I don't know.'

'What do you mean you don't know?'

'Well, the observation orbs back in the Shinigami world do have their limitations. For one thing, while they allow one to see what's happening in the human world, it doesn't detect sound, so the only way one can decipher dialogue is through lip-reading. Also, the orbs can't see through cloud cover, or ceilings for that matter. But aside from those restrictions, I've been keeping a constant eye on those two for months.'

'Two?'

'Him and Rugo. Rugo's the other Shinigami, and he's also the closest thing to a family I have, aside from my sister who I haven't seen in nearly a century.'

'…So who's Kira?'

'Not sayin'. Where's the fun if you already know?'

'Well, then let me ask one thing: the Death Notes, Shinigami, Shinigami eyes, is that all the same in reality as in Death Note?'

'I've only seen and read little bits of it, but so far it appears to be so.'

So the Shinigami eyes are a card in my hand. But cutting my life in half means I'll lose a lot. In any case, it's my life so I should be the one who decides what to do with it. But I'll think about all that later, after all I can barely take in what's happening now.

'So this is a real Death Note.'

'Yep.'

'And you're a real Shinigami.'

'Yep.'

'And you've come to the human world to protect your boyfriend?'

'What? No! How on Earth did you come to that conclusion?!'

'Well, that's what it sounded like.'

'Look, as far as he knows, we're just friends or something. I've never actually had a good chance to tell him about my feelings for him.'

'So that's why you're here?'

'Again, no! I just want to keep him safe, that's all. I can't protect him if he's down here and I'm up there, so I had to come down. I've already seen him die once and I'm not letting it happen again. Anyway, now that I'm here, let's play a game called "you bring me food and I eat it".'

(Chris' POV)

Once the waiter is out of earshot I begin.

'This is one of my favorite coffee shops. If we sit here in the back, nobody can hear what we're talking about.' I'm not lying, I do like this booth, hidden in the corner. It's so secluded I've even sometimes managed to talk to Rugo without using my phone trick.

'I can see why you like this place. It sucks. But it'll do.'

'Yeah, for one thing, back here nobody's going to be staring at you for sitting like that' I say breezily, no longer caring about politeness.

'I don't sit like this because I want to, I sit like this because I want to. Besides, I'm pretty sketchy looking either way, so it makes no difference. So what did you want to ask me?'

'That can wait until you're positive that I'm not Kira. So you go ahead and start, Lawliet.' I take a quick sip from my tea.

'Well as you know, I believe that you are Kira, but I also want you to work with us, but all the while keeping some distance.'

'Listen Lawliet, I'm telling you right now I'm not Kira.'

'In that case… I don't mean to be rude, but can I test your reasoning abilities?'

I nod. 'Sure, Sounds fun.' No doubt he's testing me to see if I say anything only Kira could know. But if I clam up, afraid of letting something slip, does that make me Kira too? Well, to earn some points for later, I need to show him that I do have some powers of deduction. The way things stand, he has no proof that I'm Kira (evidenced from the fact I'm still alive) and I have no way of proving that I'm not. I need him to trust me if I can work my way into the Task Force. I'll be fine. I know what's been reported, and what hasn't. Rugo and I have gone over it several times.

'To start… when's your birthday?'

'December 5.'

'What year?'

'Every year.'

'Okay… next, does the fact that I told you I'm L tell you anything?'

'Hmm, let's see. It indicates you have some hopes that my knowledge of your involvement in the case will help the investigation, and that, unless the real L is using you as expendable cannon fodder, which wouldn't surprise me, he's deduced that even if you tell a suspect that you're L, you won't be killed. And that would confirm the suspicions circulating in the public that Kira needs both a face and a name in order to kill.'

'Correct. Kira does need both a face and a name to kill.'

'…and the probability that you're really L is extremely low.'

'How so?'

'If I were L, I would reason that it's enough to have a subordinate approach a suspect and tell him that they're L. The real L needs to stay someplace safe at all times. Even when he's using the police or the military, he needs to do that from the shadows, out of view.'

'I see… you're right that anyone calling himself L puts himself in danger. And why would he come out into the open now, when he's never known to have shown himself before… It would be stupid for the real L to do such a thing. Yeah, I really should've thought this through.'

'Come to think of it, there's really no way of knowing if "L" even exists as a single detective. For all I know there could be a whole team of Ls, disguising themselves as a single entity.' As Lawliet silently takes in my deduction, he reaches his hand into his back pocket and pulls out three immediately recognizable photographs, setting them on the table.

'Now for the reading comprehension portion of the test. These are photographs of three notes, written by prison inmates while under Kira's control just prior to their deaths. You can take twenty seconds to look them over, please let me know what you think.'

Jeez, this is child's play. But first…

'Now are these the only three notes?'

'…Yes,' my opponent grumpily responds, no doubt originally planning to surprise me with some adaptation of the "fourth note" trick. I lean forward and pick up the three pictures in my hand, faking curiosity at their contents.

Now, he knows I know Death Note, and he should know that I'd remember the scene where L played this same card on Light, so if I don't show him what the message says that'll just imply that I'm deliberately dumbing myself down, or that I have something to hide.

'…It would be quite amazing to learn that not only can Kira kill others but could also kill his victims, now if you line these notes up side by side by side by side and look at the first letter of every line it reveals a message. Or rather, a question. The order that makes the most sense reads out as "L, do you know, my god of death speaks German?"'

'That's correct but, Kira or not, I didn't expect any less from you.'

'Well, either way I doubt these notes will lead you to Kira. I mean, we all know gods of death don't speak German.'

'That and they don't exist either.'

'Oh, yeah, that's what I meant.' I try my very best not to react to the fact Rugo's sitting right next to me and is listening to every word we say.

'Alright, now let's suppose you're me. If you came face to face with someone who might be Kira, how would you try to determine if he was?' The man's unmoving figure is still curled up on his seat. Now is he expecting me to give the same answer Light did when asked the same question by the original L, or should I come up with something new? Ah, I'll just go with the latter, because why the hell not.

'I'd disguise myself as someone else and at the most unexpected moment shout "Kirasayswhat?".'

Fuck, that's not what I meant to say. I quickly take in another gulp of tea to avoid saying something even more stupid.

'…That's the most ridiculous thing I've heard, but I still like it. I've asked countless detectives the same question, and most of them immediately thought of a scenario in which Kira is speaking to the investigator. But you took nearly a minute to even come up with an answer. It's incredible.'

'You make it sound like if I do too well, I'm under even more suspicion.'

'Indeed. Now it's up to forty percent. However, this also increases my desire to have you assist us in the investigation. Even if you are Kira, I'd like you to help us. Do you understand my logic?'

'…If I cooperate with you there's a chance I can help the investigation to move forward. And if I'm Kira I might cooperate with you, and if I cooperate with you there's a chance I can help the investigation to move forward. And if I cooperate with you and help the investigation to move forward, there's a chance I can reveal myself. But I think you've got me all wrong, Lawliet. While it's true I'm interested in the Kira case, and I'll even be willing to cooperate with you when necessary, I'm not Kira and I sure as shit don't want to get killed by him or one of his subordinates. I'm not going to help someone I can't even trust and end up getting murdered. I'd rather think about the case on my own for now. And anyway, you can't prove to me that you aren't Kira, either. So we're in the same position, basically. Think about it from my perspective. Is it fair that you get to question me but I can't question you? Anybody looks at us, all they see are two high-schoolers. In fact, most people would probably say you're more likely to be Kira than me. And the red contact lenses certainly aren't helping. Neither of us can prove we aren't Kira. But if you're L, or even just a stand-in for L, you should be able to prove that. I'm talking about having a reliable third party, for example someone on the Task Force or one of L's superiors, tell me straight out that you're L, or at the very least a part of this investigation. If you can't do that until I'm proved innocent, then I'll just have to investigate on my own.'

He seems somewhat surprised from my rebuttal. 'I never once said I wouldn't let you meet with the rest of the Task Force. I'm working directly with them all, in fact. Am I correct in understanding that if I take you to our de facto headquarters, you'll help us in the investigation?'

Wait what? What's he thinking? I life the coffee mug up to my face but am distracted by the sudden blaring of a familiar ringtone coming from Lawliet's other back pocket, said ringtone being L's theme soundtrack from the Death Note anime.

'Excuse me.' He says as he holds the phone up to his ear in a normal, non-L fashion. He then asks into the phone with an absent expression which turns to abrupt seriousness as his eyes widen in shock, and then go absent-expressioned again.

'…Alright, I'll be there ASAP.' -Beep- 'Well, this is convenient timing. One of our agents has been hospitalized, perhaps you can tag along as I go make sure he's okay.'

'You mean you can show me the Task Force today?'

'Sure, why not?'

Twenty minutes later the two of us, well four including Rugo and "Q", enter the room and I see one faintly recognizable officer pull up chairs for us and one completely unfamiliar face laying in the hospital bed. As soon as he sits down Luci breaks the silence.

'So no-one else showed up? It's just you two? And Blackheart, is it just me or did you get a haircut?'

'No, I got them all cut.'

'…'

'…'

'Chris, these are agents Wonder Waffle and-'

'Nigel Blackheart, chief of ANPA. I've heard about you. Since you've had some level of involvement in nearly every interesting case Australia has seen in years, I suspected you'd be in this investigation as well. After Lawliet told me he was L, I started doing some serious research into anyone who could be on the case, and, well, I didn't find much, but I did read about some impressive stuff that's been done by some officers.'

The man looks at me with a sense of curiosity. 'Hm, for a Kira suspect you sure don't act scared to talk about this stuff. If I were Kira I'd just act like I hadn't heard of anyone here-' Lawliet cuts him off with not a shred of emotion in his eyes.

'Before you ask, I've told the Task Force everything. Including the fact that I'm L.'

Lawliet and I both look back to the chief, who confirms, 'That's right, this is L. We've been calling him "Luci" so that nobody finds out, but this is definitely him.' If this is really L, or at the very least he's the L who's been giving orders to the police so far... Well, no need to rush things. If I take my time watching him…

Turning back to the comfortingly Japanese-looking man in the hospital bed, "Luci" asks, 'So tell me how exactly you got yourself landed in a hospital.'

'I found this white candy on the ground and popped it in my mouth.'

'Then what happened?'

'Well, it turns out it wasn't candy…'

'I'm not following…'

'Umm, it got stuck in my throat and I've had a stiff neck for hours.'

'Wait, then how'd you get out of being charged for drug possession?'

'Apparently if you score negative on an IQ test they give you a free pass out of everything!'

…

…

'So Luci, has talking to this suspect cleared away your suspicions?'

'No, Blackheart. I'll be honest, all his comments regarding the Kira case were just too on-the-ball. It's made me suspect him even more.'

'Well out of our four main suspects, I'd say he-'

'SHUT UP OKADA! WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU THINKING! YOU CAN'T SAY THAT!'

From the sudden simultaneous reaction from Q, Luci and Blackheart, I doubt he slipped up on purpose, so the Task Force probably does have four main suspects. Myself, Connor and Kallet are all certainly in there, but who's the fourth one?

'In any case, Okada, I bet you're only saying that because Chris is the only Japanese suspect. You people always tend to look out for your own kind.'

In his defense I confess. 'Well, I'm not entirely Japanese, and I haven't lived in the country since before I can remember.'

'…So which city were you originally from?' Agent "Okada" asks.

'Tokyo. You?'

'Sapporo.'

'Oh, I've been there once. A few years back my mum, sister and I did a big long road trip from the southernmost point in Okinawa to the northernmost point in Hokkaido. It was pretty fun.'

'Can we please just focus on Kira right now? I mean, you all seem to be forgetting that Chris here is a suspect, and a major one at that.'

'Well, Luci, then I'll prove my innocence by helping you catch Kira!'

Nigel objects. 'Kid, you're only 16. At your age you should focus on studying right now. You'll have plenty of time for catching criminals later, when you're in ANPA or a similar organization.'

'What're you talking about? That's still years away. And if there's any chance that my input can help move the investigation forward, then I'll help out. And why would you care about what I do?'

'Because… I have a kid who's around your age, and, well, I've noticed that the two of you act and think rather similarly. I dunno, maybe it's just my imagination.' Could he mean… yes, he could only be referring to Tom, or perhaps his sister who I know almost nothing about.

Luci changes the topic. 'Chris, what kind of person do you think Kira is? What's your image of him?'

'My image of Kira, well, I think Kira isn't just one person. I mean, I think that Kira is a group of perhaps three to six people, all working together while masquerading as a single entity. Just think about everything Kira's done so far, I highly doubt a single person could've done that, at least not at the age I think Kira is.'

'And what would that be?'

'To be honest, I understand why you'd be suspicious of me because even I imagine Kira to be someone around my age. If, as assumed, he can kill anyone with the click of a button just by knowing their name and face, if a human had that kind of power, using it to get rid of criminals whilst trying to play with the geopolitical chessboard is something only someone around my age would do. A small child would either be too scared to use the power, or they'd use it to kill people they knew, people they didn't like. Additionally, a small child would be incapable of assembling and leading the highly skilled team that I suspect Kira of having. If it were an old man, we'd be able to figure it out for similar reasons. Kira still has some purity in him. He's an affluent child with strong leadership qualities. I'd say he's probably a high schooler with his own phone, laptop and TV.'

'So, according to your profile, Chris, the most suspicious of our present targets would be, well, yourself.'

'Indeed, and that's why I really want to help you people however I can, to prove that I'm not Kira.'

I'm actually quite impressed at my explanation. Sure, I have Rugo by my side and Tom helped out a little in the beginning, but I've mostly been doing all this on my own. If I trick Luci into believing Kira to be a group of people as I've said, that puts me in the clear, or at least clearer than the position I'm in now.

'Atarashimono, Luci, Okada... Kira is evil, but lately I've been starting to think of it more like this: the real evil is the power to kill people. Someone who finds himself with that power is cursed. No matter how you use it, anything obtained by killing people can never bring true happiness.'

So the chief thinks Kira's doing it for his own happiness? He must really be clutching at straws if that's his best explanation for believing in an "evil" Kira.

'You're absolutely right, Blackheart. If Kira is an ordinary human who somehow gained this power, he is a very unfortunate person,' Luci agrees. Of course, even a moron would see that that statement has more holes in it than this plot, so I doubt that's what he actually thinks.

'Luci, I'm sorry about all this, but I'll be back at work as soon as I can.'

'No, Okada, you need to rest until you're fully recovered.'

'No. I'm not sitting here twiddling my thumbs with Kira on the loose. I'm going to get him if it's the last thing I do.'

Before anyone can reply, a knock on the door alerts us of the entrance of one of the nurses, and after she tells us that visiting hours have ended, the five of us leave Okada and exit the building in silence. As the chief speeds off and the rest of us go deeper into the parking lot, Luci turns to me.

'You know, Chris, I kinda like you. But if you're Kira, I still gotta kill you. It's my job.'

'…What can I do to clear your suspicions? Isn't there some way to make you trust me?'

'If you aren't Kira, you don't have to do anything at all, do you?'

'Stop yanking me around, Luci. Think about what it feels like to be suspected of being Kira.'

'…That would feel terrifying. But don't worry, if you're innocent, it will become apparent eventually. Just have a little patience and things'll turn out okay. Plus, watching you talking with Okada, I really thought you might not be Kira.'

As Luci steps into his black fancy-as-fuck car, I suddenly realize something.

'Oh, one more thing, can I get a ride home?'

Without a word he simply rolls up his window and the car accelerates into the distance, leaving Rugo and I out here. Alone. In the dark. Well it isn't that dark because of the light pollution, and once I have my bearings I can just get Rugo to fly me home. Still…

'Luci, he's the L I've been fighting all this time. By the way, forget what Luci and the chief said back there, I've never once considered finding that notebook and gaining this power a misfortune. In fact, it's the best thing that's ever happened to me, and it's made me more hopeful than ever. With it I'm going to become the guardian of the new world, and the fact that I've lasted this long despite being targeted by the whole world is proof that I'm at least somewhat capable.'

'Still, from personal experience I can say that humans with a Death Note suffer much misfortune.'

'You know, one day you will have to tell me your backstory. You can't hide it forever.'

'One day, when the time is right, I'll tell you everything. Maybe.'