The next time I saw Rem, it was at my university. It had barely been a few days since the Sakura TV incident, so seeing Rem loitering in one of the bathrooms on campus right after I'd gotten out of a lecture came as a shock.

"What are you—?"

"Misa is in danger," Rem said, voice filled with urgency. "She has been surrounded by men who wish to coerce her into going somewhere dangerous."

I swore under my breath. "Where?"

"A few streets away from here, in an alley. I would kill them myself, but—"

"But then you'd die too," I supplied. "Lead me there."

Rem didn't hesitate, untucking her wings and swooping into the sky as she weaved between streets to lead me to an alley closeby.

Just as Rem had described, Misa was surrounded by three guys who'd dumped their motorbikes on the pavement a ways off.

"What's going on here?" I demanded as loudly as I could.

All three of the guys turned to glare at me for my interruption.

Kimiko-chan, Misa mouthed.

"Well?"

One of them stiffened. "Dudes," he said slowly, "this is the chick who got Taku killed!"

This was that guy's gang? The guy Light killed with the Death Note?

"Shit, man, you're right! Whaddo we do?"

Incredulous, I asked, "Are you seriously asking that? There's only one choice: let her go and run."

"What's it to you?"

I narrowed my eyes. "You're talking to a law enforcement student with connections to the chief of the Japanese police. Do you really think you can get away with this now that I know what you all look like?"

One of them faltered. The other two stepped closer, as if they were trying to be menacing. Stall and distract them just a little more, so Misa can get away . . .

"Not only that," I continued, "but you're clearly forgetting who protects the streets from criminals like you. You know . . . I'm fairly sure the lot of you have various records that you don't want made public. Am I mistaken?"

All of them froze, looking at each other. "Wh-what would Taku do?" one of them asked meekly, distracting them just enough for Misa to escape.

She dove away, grabbed her handbag, and pulled something out.

"Dude, let's go," the first guy insisted.

"I dunno man, what if she reports us . . . ?"

"The longer we spend waiting—"

The guy choked, grabbing his chest, and the other two followed suit.

I turned to Misa—she'd taken out her Death Note and had, apparently, written down their names. The three men had seemed to have figured out what was going on just as they convulsed, keeling over.

I felt a little sick. "We should go," I said numbly. "Don't wanna be seen around dead bodies."

Misa, to her credit (or perhaps her damnation) seemed wholly unaffected. "Okay!"

"Oh, wait, before you go," I interjected before she left, "I need you to pretend this is the only time we've met, if someone asks." I lowered my voice. "It'll spell trouble for me if someone finds out I can't be killed by the Death Note . . ."

Misa nodded enthusiastically. "Of course! I owe you my life, so I definitely want to protect you!"

Does she consider killing those thugs . . . protecting me? She didn't even consider that their deaths would be linked to Kira because they were heart attacks . . . I bit my lip. "And . . . be careful with how you use the Death Note, okay? Don't let them trace any deaths back to you."

"I promise!" Misa gave me a playful salute, then skipped off. "Come on, Rem, let's go!"

Rem, who was still standing off to the side, turned to me. "Thank you," she said earnestly. "I appreciate you helping Misa like this."

I lifted a shoulder. "I . . . well, it was the right thing to do, I guess." I couldn't just ignore it and let Misa—or anyone, really—get kidnapped or assaulted.

"It is noble. Not many humans would do as you did." Rem nodded and then took off behind Misa.

As much as I didn't want to acknowledge it, Rem was right—not many people would have stopped to help Misa. I sighed, turning back towards the campus. Is . . . is it better that those men died? Misa left unscathed, but . . . at the cost of three lives . . . was it worth it? From their reactions, it was clear they'd all had criminal records, but . . . they couldn't have been that serious for them to not be in prison now—perhaps the records were actually just a slap on the wrist?

But what if that had been a murderer or abductor? Misa definitely wouldn't have been able to hold out until I came if that were the case, with nothing more than her Shinigami Eyes and Death Note to protect her against a hardened criminal who was likely to have years of experience in crime.

If one of them had to die . . .

Was Light really right, then? Killing off the greater of two evils so said evil wouldn't kill more?

Ugh, I'm tired of thinking about this . . .

Thankfully, I was spared from having to think about this stupid morality situation as my phone started ringing. "Hello?"

"Mikko, where are you? Class is about to start—"

"I'm on my way back," I interrupted. "Apparently there was a woman being harrassed just outside of campus, being ganged up on by a bunch of men with motorbikes. She was cornered."

"So you got her out?"

"Not exactly," I shrugged, even though I knew he couldn't see it. "I distracted them for long enough for her to escape. We both got away safely."

Light sighed, relieved. "You did the right thing."

I couldn't help but feel a little proud after Light had said it. "Of course I did. Anyway, I'll be there soon—"

My phone beeped with an email. "Ah, one sec," I mumbled, pulling the phone away from my ear to check it.

ERROR: INVALID SENDER ID
Yamada-san,
Please make your way to headquarters immediately.
Address.

I put the phone back to my ear. "Change of plans, if Professor Murata asks, I won't be in class. Ryuzaki wants me over there now."

Light sighed heavily, but didn't argue. "Alright. I'll take notes for you." Light may have muttered something about selfish and imposing detectives that didn't give a damn about anyone other than themselves, but I opted to pretend I didn't hear it.

. . . Even if it was a little funny to hear him get so agitated.

"Still, though," Light said, clearly this time, "couldn't you wait until we at least get training badges before you throw yourself into volatile situations?"

"You would have done the same," I countered.

Light couldn't refute that. "Well . . . yeah. Alright, you win. Just take care of yourself, okay? I wouldn't trust Ryuzaki as far as I could throw him . . ."

I couldn't help but laugh. "I'm pretty sure I was thinking the same thing the other day."

"Great minds think alike," Light quipped, ending the call.

Smiling to myself, I headed towards the address L had linked.

To my (complete lack of) surprise, there was a car waiting at the intersection L had sent me to, driven by none other than Watari.

So, of course, I got in.

"Miss Yamada," Watari greeted, smiling kindly. "I do apologise on Ryuzaki's behalf for removing you from your schedule."

"Kimiko," I corrected automatically. "And, um, it's fine, Light can take notes for me and explain my absence if he needs to. I . . . can't exactly say no to a summons from Ryuzaki." Lest he arrest me for obstruction of justice or something . . .

By the time we arrived and made it to the (new) hotel, L was already seated, poring over the already analysed data from the forensics labs. That was fast, I thought offhandedly. Then again, I suppose it is their job, and they would have to double down on a request from L . . .

I sighed, standing in front of him, quickly noting that no one else was here yet. Strange . . . "Why did you call me here?"

"Kira investigation," he said, lifting a cassette to his mouth, then paused to stare at it, before putting it back down and shoving a cupcake from his other hand into his mouth, all in one bite. "Make yershelf comfrrtbre," he said mid-chew.

"Sure," I said, not moving. Standing here was probably the most comfortable I could get.

"You didn't take much time to get here," L appraised.

"I was off campus already." I didn't elaborate—there was no need to give away that I already knew Misa.

"Don't you have a class now?" L asked, still not even looking in my direction.

"Don't you?" I retorted. "I don't think I've seen you there since the tennis match."

Before L could respond, though, the door flew open. "What was on them, Ryuzaki?" Uncle Soichiro asked, Matsuda and Aizawa close behind. Mogi must've been at the station, then.

L finally turned to face us, but he only turned his upper body, reminding me vaguely of an eel. "Very interesting videos," he mused, turning back to stare at the tapes. I was tempted to ask if he could tell what was in them just by looking at them.

"The instructions were to broadcast video three if the police said 'yes' to working with Kira, and if the answer was 'no', to show four."

"And they say . . . ?" I prompted.

L didn't bother turning as he responded. "Video three contains the details for cooperation. Basically, they were: to show more criminals on the news, and particularly to report crimes in which people were injured, or cruelty was shown towards the weak, even if those crimes were minor—and Kira will be the one to decide who should be punished. And, as proof that the police are sincere about working with him, to have top NPA officials and L appear on TV to make the announcement."

"It's completely out of character for Kira . . . they've usually kept in the shadows before. Besides, Kira seems far too proud to ask you to appear on TV." I sent a cutting glance at L, pointedly hinting towards the idea that it was a fake.

"You're certainly right about that," L agreed, but he didn't say more. Is he testing me? To see how much he thinks I'll reveal and how far I'll go to defend Light? Guess he doesn't realise that I won't say a word. "But the meaning behind his demands are simple: to make the top brass and me show our faces, so that if the police start acting suspiciously, he can kill us off."

"So he's taking precautions for the future, too," Matsuda mumbled.

"Again, there's the issue of 'only a face' that sets it apart. You had originally determined that Kira needed a name to kill as well, right?" I said, furrowing my brows.

"Then again, it's possible that Kira's powers have grown," Aizawa pointed out. "It has been a while since he first acquired them."

"That is true, Aizawa-san," L said, "but Kira would never even think of revealing that information. Anyhow, I'm almost sure that Kira knew very well that the police would never say 'yes' when he decided to take this step. Anybody could guess that the police would respond exactly as they did yesterday."

"So what about the 'no' video, number four?" Uncle Soichiro asked.

"Basically, it's the same thing, just expressed in a different manner. It'll be much faster to have you watch it than to explain it in words. Yagami-san, obviously the police are going to say 'no,' so please go ahead and give Sakura TV permission to air this video."

"Ryuzaki," I interrupted, "is there a specific reason you asked me to be here today? You're well aware that I'm meant to be in class, and that I would see these videos when they air anyway."

"Yes, as a matter of fact. There are matters regarding the case that I wish for your input on, and then some." L appeared to be completely unruffled by my acerbic comment. "However, this discussion will prove to be more fruitful once you watch the video."

Looked like I wasn't getting a choice. I sighed, actually seating myself on the couch this time as the video began to play.

Misa's filtered voice rang loudly through the speakers. "It is highly unfortunate that the police have said 'no' to my offer. However, I expect news reports to continue featuring criminals as before, or else I will have to pass judgment on people in the police and the media."

It was a complete one-eighty from how I knew Misa.

"But . . . since the police have decided to oppose me, that alone will not do. As a penalty, I will take the life of the Director-General of the NPA, who has formed a task force to find and capture me, or of the alleged mastermind leading this task force, known only as L."

Then again, perhaps it wasn't so strange, given how easily she killed that biker gang . . .

"The Director-General, or L—which one will it be? You have four days to decide who will be sacrificed for the loss of a peaceful and just world."

I felt sick again, but this time I let it show on my face—L and the others may as well believe that it was from the video.

"I know the face of the Director-General and can easily take his life. But if L is chosen instead . . . He is to appear on Sakura TV in four days, on the six PM news, and speak for a ten-minute period. I will be the judge of whether the person shown is L. If I determine the person is not L, I will take the lives of several police chiefs worldwide as compensation. Lying to me will cost you dearly." A slight pause. "I will say this yet again: I do not want to take the lives of innocent people."

Okay, never mind—even if I already knew the general idea of what was on the video, the way Misa was saying it was making me feel more queasy than I already was.

"You have four days. Think it over, and think it well."

The image of Uncle Soichiro collapsing on TV flooded my head; the stench of blood—Dad's blood—filling my house; the crashing of the motorbike as it hit that truck all those months ago; the raw fear in the eyes of the men Misa killed today; the cloying smell of sandalwood incense burning on the kamidana; a drawn image of L falling off his chair as Rem faded to dust.

"Yagami-san, please send this to Sakura TV." L said. Uncle Soichiro nodded, took the tape, and left, power walking towards the elevator. "Aizawa-san and Matsuda-san, you are free to go."

I stood up abruptly. "Excuse me," I said stiffly, making a beeline for the bathroom, then locked the door behind me and threw up.

I thought I was over this; over all the deaths and blood and—and—and—and—

Another wave of vomit hit. (Luckily, it wasn't much, given that I hadn't eaten anything since breakfast and it was already half past three.)

A few minutes later, my stomach seemed to have settled. Just for good measure, I tried recalling some of the imagery from earlier—the blood, the smell.

No queasiness remained.

I sighed, rinsed my mouth, washed my face, and stepped back out. "My apologies," I mumbled quietly in English to L as he turned to stare in my direction.

"No worries," he replied, turning his attention back to the cassettes.

Watari stepped out of the kitchenette with a glass of iced water and a plate of saltine crackers. "After your stomach settles a little, have these. It should be somewhat palliative."

"Thank you," I said quietly, watching him place both the glass and the plate on the table.

I sighed quietly, turning to L. "Ryuzaki," I said, making sure to address him by his 'new' alias, "you said there was something you wanted to discuss earlier, right?"

"Indeed," L affirmed, "but don't push yourself to talk just yet."

That was . . . a surprisingly nice gesture.

A short while passed, and I sipped at the water Watari had brought. The ice was still mostly solid, and the coolness of the water was soothing.

"So," I said, more confidently this time now that my stomach wasn't trying to turn itself inside out, "what was it you wanted to talk about?"

L met my eyes. "Earlier, you said that releasing these videos was 'out of character' for Kira."

Mildly surprised, I asked, "Do you disagree?" If he parroted my words, that means he doesn't want to give his own opinion away, right?

"No, I simply want to understand what you meant by that."

The ball may have been in my court, but he was forcing me to reveal my hand. "I mean," I said slowly, "that I don't believe Kira did this."

"But the men on television clearly died when Kira said they were supposed to," L countered. Devil's advocate, I noted. "And all of them were known to be against Kira."

"Kira doesn't kill for no reason, Ryuzaki. You've said yourself that each of their kills are a clue that brings him closer, and Kira has no reason to kill innocents who just oppose them. Kira's agenda is to kill criminals, and the only exceptions to that were the FBI agents, who posed a significant threat to them at the time. They've never killed people who've publicly denounced Kira either, save for Lind L. Tailor, who they assumed was you. This is a waste of lives that doesn't serve Kira any purpose."

L tapped his finger against the armchair. "You're capable of thinking quite clinically when Light isn't involved," he observed. "The two of you are much alike when it comes to those you care about."

"What's that supposed to mean . . . ?"

"It means that both of you—no, in fact, even the chief—are very good at remaining calm and detached, until your respective weaknesses are brought into the picture. For both you and the chief, those weaknesses are Light himself. And for Light, those weaknesses are you and his family."

It's not . . . it's not a weakness, is it? To get defensive of Light like this? "I don't . . ."

"You just referred to all those murders as a 'waste of lives'. Quite dispassionate, don't you think?"

"I'm trying to get into Kira's mindset," I objected. "It's clear that Kira's operating on some basis of justice, and doing so would mean that there's some motivation for the sake of innocents. It wouldn't make sense for them to want to randomly kill people who oppose Kira if that's what they're going for."

"What makes you so sure that justice is what Kira seeks?" L countered.

I stared at him in utter disbelief. "Because . . . Kira's only killing criminals?" What on Earth was he getting at? This entire time, the investigation on Kira's profiling hinged on the concept of a sort of 'twisted justice'. Hell, it was the main reason L suspected Light! "What else could be his motivation?"

L tapped the rim of a coffee cup (when did that get there?) idly. "World domination?"

Completely incredulous, I said, "You know, each time I'm here, I feel more and more like we're talking about a comic book villain." I sighed heavily. "Ryuzaki, why are you so vehement on playing devil's advocate for an idea you've already denounced?"

"You're remarkably perceptive."

". . . I wish that hadn't sounded so skeptical."

"I meant no offense. It just happens to be that not many people have been able to read me that easily."

"Huh? But . . . it's obvious that you don't believe that Kira could possibly be attempting world domination, just going off the entirety of the investigation so far. You wouldn't press for a pointless fixation on Kira's sense of justice, then focus on Light if you didn't believe it."

"Impressive," L nodded. "Another question. You refer to Kira with they and them pronouns—quite a contrast from the rest of the team. Is there any specific reason behind that?"

Right, there was another 2016 habit. "I just . . . think it's easier to refer to Kira without needing to assign them a specific gender as far as we're not aware of what it is. We don't know whether Kira identifies as male, female, or neither, so it doesn't feel right to refer to them with either in mind."

"Fascinating . . ." L appraised. "You appear to be quite abrasive, yet your interpersonal skills don't leave much to be desired. You're also deceptively modern and open for someone born and raised in Japan, especially in these times."

Me? Abrasive? "Instead of profiling me, shouldn't we be getting back to the case . . . ?"

"Good idea."

Honestly, I didn't know how to understand L at all. "As I was saying . . . aside from the whole 'justice' thing, I don't think Kira would risk the police getting evidence on them just to tell people that they're taking over and want you dead."

"But Kira can control his victims before they die. It's highly possible that Kira had someone make and send the tapes for him."

Hang on . . . "Ryuzaki, you never told me that Kira had the ability to control their victims." Nice try, though. I'm not falling for the oldest trick in the book.

"Ah, right." He brushed it off, then twisted around, angling himself so he could pull something out from his pocket. "These pictures," he began, "are all letters that were left by criminals promptly before they were taken into cardiac arrest. I believe that Kira controlled his victims, making them write these. Aligned, it says—"

"L, do you know, Gods of Death love apples?" I finished, taking the scans from him. "Of course, it's a taunt, plain and simple, but either it's ridiculously random or an inside joke to Kira . . ."

"Precisely. It's rather perplexing to anyone but Kira himself . . ." L agreed. "Though you can't deny the possibility of some symbolism existing here."

"You're saying that just the content of these notes is more than a prank?" I asked, looking at the note a little more intently.

"When you're a detective, even the way your suspect breathes is a clue."

I instinctively held my breath.

"That was a bad idea—your reaction makes it seem as though there is something you're trying to hide."

Dammit. "No, it's just a reflex to avoid doing something when someone else makes something creepy out of it," I argued.

"And now you're trying to make yourself less suspicious by countering me with a viable argument."

". . . Or maybe I'm just genuinely weirded out by your comment on paying attention to breathing?"

"I suppose that would be plausible," L said, taking a sip of his coffee.

Honestly, a coffee was exactly what I needed now. I didn't think L of all people would be so easily sidetracked.

"Coffee, Miss Yamada?" Watari asked in that exact moment, holding out a tray with a steaming cup of coffee on it.

"Thank you," I said, taking it off the tray and placing the saucer on the table. He's like a mind reader . . . Imagine if he was a mind reader. He could've taken one glance at Light and I, and we'd have been in jail.

"Don't worry, I'm not a mind reader."

Not convincing at all. Instinctively, I turned away.

"You've been staring at Ryuzaki's coffee for a while."

"Oh. Um, thanks." Awkward . . . "So, uh, gods of death. Pretty sure reapers don't exist. And if Kira had a reaper on their side, wouldn't both you and the investigation team be dead by now?"

"Not quite. Kira's powers have already proven themselves to be somewhat supernatural, so it wouldn't be too far fetched to believe that it did belong to some sort of death god. However . . . you're right in that if Kira had enlisted the help of a reaper, we would all be dead. I think that can leave us to conclude that Kira's powers may take some form of supernatural ability, but it's entirely plausible that these gods could be using Kira, myself, and the investigation team as some form of twisted entertainment . . ." L's gaze dropped, and it was impossible to not sympathise.

After all, god or not, Death Note had once been a means of entertainment for me, and now just the thought of my own thoughts, my own actions not being actually mine and instead scripted by someone or something else . . . It was uncomfortable.

Wanting to change the topic, I said, "Well . . . on the other hand, isn't it more likely that Kira is referring to themself when they talk about a god of death? Going by their apparent motive of justice and judgement, and the fact that history, philosophy, and mythology tend to associate death and the afterlife with judgement, Kira could be trying to imply that they're taking that role—trying to be a god of sorts by passing judgement?"

"That's quite an interesting notion. You're suggesting that Kira is trying to become a human god . . . it wouldn't be too far fetched."

"Yeah," I affirmed. "Since Ancient Egypt, deities of death have been the ones to represent judgment—Anubis in Egypt, Hades' Council in Greece, and Hinduism, which Buddhism is based on, has Yama judging the dead as per one's duties."

Of course, not that people killed by the Death Note ever experienced any actual 'judgment'. If mine and Kyoko's cases were anything to go by, they were just removed, and the rest of their lifespans were given to them in another universe.

Not that I could tell L that.

"Hmm," L said.

Talk about a problem with specificity.

"Could you elaborate, please?"

"That seems to be quite an interesting notion," L mused. " And I do agree with it. In fact, it's what made me suspect that Kira believed himself to be a god in the first place." L plucked a strawberry from the bowl, dipped it in the whipped cream on the cake, and ate it. "But it could also be a nod to the way Kira attained his powers."

"That's true. If Kira did get his powers from a reaper, then it makes it possible for another reaper to come into the picture. That means that there is a large possibility of it being a second Kira."

That got his attention. "A second Kira, you say?"

"Yeah. I mean, if one person got these powers, it wouldn't be impossible for another person to get them as well."

"But what are the odds that it would also be someone in Japan, who speaks Japanese and can send out a physical broadcast to contact the original?"

I shook my head. "Under the assumption that these gods of death Kira mentioned in these notes actually exist, and if I were to take into account your notion of them using this as a form of entertainment," I said, mostly making this up on the spot, "perhaps these reapers decided to give another person, this time one close by, to see what would happen by throwing another into the mix?"

L was silent for a few minutes, then said, "It is plausible."

"And that aside . . . this Kira and the Kira we know are both completely different. This one barely acknowledged the forces that are trying to capture him, or hid any subtler meanings within their message, whereas the original went so far as to give you a code for the sole purpose of mocking you. It seemed more like a call for attention, if anything."

"Indeed," L agreed. "I too find it difficult to believe that Kira would do this."

"Yeah, especially because they've remained in the shadows until now. Not to mention the difference in powers."

"Oh?"

"This Kira was able to kill Mr. Ukita without knowing his name. The Kira we've been hunting so far wasn't capable of that, or at the very least, they've been hiding it until this point. You yourself said that Kira wouldn't want to reveal a change in their powers that easily, because so long as we underestimate them, they have the upper hand."

"Quite impressive," L said. "But yes, that is exactly the conclusion I came up with. You've been able to draw out the information that I was hoping to go through over a few days almost immediately."

"It's . . . not that hard to figure out." I took another sip of my coffee—it was sweet. Of course, not nearly as sweet as I was sure L's was, but instead, it was prepared exactly to my liking. Strange.

"Perhaps," L said, "for someone of our calibre."

"Our" . . . ?

"Well," he said, finally lifting himself out of his chair, "that's all for this meeting. You can go now. I'll email you again when your presence is required."

"Alright," I said, making my way towards the door. "Thanks for your hospitality," I said to Watari, and left.

I'm gonna have to plan things more carefully . . . L was catching on to things very quickly, and I didn't trust how open he and Watari seemed to be around me. Hell, Watari knew how I took my coffee of all things. No 'lucky guess' could be that precise.

There's something . . . off about their attitudes, at least towards me . . . What are they playing at? And L seemed to know an awful lot about my parents and BB. But there's some connection I'm not making here . . .

I sighed, staring out the train window as I headed home. Maybe this runs deeper than the original canon after all? But where am I involved? How do I come into this?

What's my role in this story?

*.*.*

[A/N]: I know it's been a long while since I've updated, but school's really been driving me nuts! I've had a lot of tests and exams recently, so do bear with this long gap for just a little longer. I'm also going to be taking the SAT in a month's time (ironically enough, two days after my birthday), which would just about mark the one year milestone since I've started the rewrite of Ruling Child.

Thanks for reading, and for being patient~