Chapter 8: Leap of Faith
"I just can't sit any other way than this. If I sit the way other people do, my reasoning ability drops by 40%."
-L-
Watari had the body removed several minutes ago and the blood was already cleaned off the coffee table before Akane sat back down the dead man's corpse. "So it's Iwoa's family and contacts I need to look into. Shit... and it wasn't Kira who killed him either. He poisoned himself with a cyanide tablet after we discovered he was working for Kira... how crude. Luckily for us though he was only wearing a recorder rather than a wireless transponder bug. So no information should leave this room." Akane sighed as she pitched her nose before turning to L who hadn't moved at all other than to drink his tea. "To be on the safe side you should switch hotels right after this meeting, Ryuzaki."
"Yes, I was planning to do just that," L agreed as he sipped his tea while his eyes remained on her and her alone.
"Iwoa was right about one thing though," Aizawa said.
"What do you think he was he right about?" Matsuda inquired puzzled.
"I think he was right about being able to trust Tenshi for four years he's never showed his face once." Aizawa said as he turned to Akane. "Why is it so important for you to hid your face from us? It's not like we know you unmasked."
"After what I just happened I'm a bit less convinced about revealing myself and actually you all know me without a mask. I wonder which of you could guess who I am. It's easier than you think." She told them calmly. "I don't think the rest of you are working for Kira, but perhaps he was pushing me to reveal myself as well. Now that I think about it that does seem likely, but until I clear you gentleman I will not share who I am with you. That does not mean I think you are guilty in anyway, but I will over time reveal who I am to a select number of you like I plan to do with Ryuzaki later on tonight. However we have a conversation to complete first before anything else. That is unless you forgotten why we are here in the first place."
"How can you be so heartless?! A man just died in front of all of us, but you still want to talk business?!" Aizawa yelled at her.
"I suppose I do sound completely heartless, but he did shoot me unless you also forgotten that as well." Akane said her pointer finger rubbed against her chin. "Perhaps you are not wrong in at least some way, but anyone that works for Kira is my enemy... period. We do not have the luxury of having a heart right now. Kira won't care if you do or not and he'll just kill you if you get in his way he's proven that with the FBI agents and Lind L. Tailor, which one of them was a friend of mine. This is a game of the mind, Aizawa. It is not for the faint of heart as you seem to think it is. Kira brought me into this mess the moment he took away the one person in my life that meant everything to me. I am not heartless. I am heartbroken and I'm trying to put the pieces back together. It just happens that one of the main piece is in this case. For me and others the only way to move on is for Kira to be brought to justice and I'm doing this the hard way by doing what is right. Have I explained myself well enough for you, Aizawa?" By the time she had finished speaking... Akane had tears in her eyes that she had to force back. The Kira case was a painful endeavor, but even more so for she had chosen to it all the right way, but not using her Death Note as a weapon.
Naomi placed her hand on Akane's shoulder. Akane might not show it, but she was suffering more than everyone else. Maybe more than herself. What exactly did Kira take from her when he killed her fiance? Naomi couldn't help, but to wonder. "Are you sure you're okay, Tenshi? At such a close range you could have broken a rib."
"I know... I think it did. I heard it crack at least," Tenshi whispered to her. "I'll have it treated after this meeting. I have a friend at the hospital that can help me out."
Aizawa was quite, but Matsuda spoke, "I'm sorry, Tenshi we didn't have any idea and this is the most you've spoken to us in the last four years. I'm sorry for your lose."
"I understand and I also understand you are hurting Aizawa. I know the two of you were friends, but mourning him will have to wait and I am sorry for that. I think Kira may have threatened him to do this. Now sit down all of you." Akane said.
L had been quite the whole time. Mostly because he wanted to watch their interactions without his interference. When Tenshi mention that he had lost someone it made something click in his mind. Is Tenshi... Akane Yagami? There is a 32% of that being true. He wondered curiously. "Tenshi after we cover everything for today we will be speaking alone as you wished."
"Agreed, now let us proceed. We've wasted enough time with that interruption." Akane said firmly as the others sat back down.
"Now where was I... oh yes." L said as he picked up a marker. "He had access to all our classified information, but I do not believe Iwoa was his way in for he was a spy rather than anything else and likely threaten do be one as well. We know he needs a name and a face to kill and to some extent he can control the time of death and their actions before dying. We already know that much, please keep that in mind," L opened the marker and began to write something, "and listen carefully for what I have to say next. On December 14th twelve FBI investigators enter Japan. Here we are in December 19th using prison inmates, Kira conducts experiments, manipulating his victims actions before they died. In other words during this window of only five days Kira became aware of the FBI presence and obviously felt threatened. Because he didn't know any of their names or faces he was at a disadvantage. He needed to know how much control he had over his victims before he could use them against the twelve agents and as we all know on December 27th all twelve FBI investigators were killed by Kira. During this period to the best of our knowledge at least twenty-three individuals died of heart attacks, but these victims were different from Kira's previous targets. They where all alleged criminals, ex convicts, or suspects in on going investigations. So legally speaking they were innocent."
"That's true," Souichiro agreed.
"What this indicates is Kira had to manipulate these lesser criminals in order to kill those FBI agents. He killed that many people so we would be unable to tell decoys from the ones he actually used. In true he probably only need a few. He waited eight days so the FBI could investigate other suspects which there were no time line linking him to their deaths. I suspect Kira had to be one of the people investigated by the FBI between the 14th and the 19th of December. In fact I have no doubts." He said marking an X between the two dates before picking up a stack of papers. "These are files provided by the FBI and they contain additional information." L placed them back down so they could look at them. "You might find useful for obvious reasons you're not permitted to take these out of this room, but..."
"Amazing!" Matsuda said as he looked over a few files. "There might be only be seven of us, but with this much we should be able to cover a lot of ground."
"We'll split into two teams. One team traces FBI agents and the other looks into the heart attack victims." Aizawa said.
"There weren't that many people, who had access to information from head quarters and of those the FBI only investigated a small group in five days." Matsuda added.
Aizawa nodded, "Yeah."
"So do anyone have any questions?" L asked looked at them all with a bored look.
"Actually, Ryuzaki I do have one question for you." Souichiro piped up. "And it pertains to what you said earlier about how you hate to loss. Does the fact that you shown us your face mean that you've lost? By just being here are you admitting defeat to Kira?"
"That's right," L said. "By showing my face to you now and sacrificing the lives of twelve FBI agents. I have lost the battle, but I'm not going to lose the war. This is the first time I ever put life on the line. I want to show Kira we're all willing to risk our lives if that's what it takes. Hmm..." he smiled this cute smile Akane didn't think this bored passive face man was capable of and it raised her spirits more than he could know. "and that justice will prevail no matter what."
"Hey, yeah that's right," Mogi said in agreement.
"I like the sound of that,"
"We can do this!"
"Alright then let's do this Ryuzaki!"
"Well seems you raised their motivations with that little speech." Akane said a smile on her face. "Seems even as much as an odd ball as you are. You're quite the leader that's admirable."
"Says the one in black head to toe," he said back to her.
"You got me with that one," She gave a chuckle, Dear God tell me I just did flirt with him! Akane thought. Please tell me he didn't notice that! Ugh! Just get to work already!
L cleared his throat before speaking again, "Before we go any farther I have to be absolutely sure that none of you are Kira. So I'll need to speak with each of you individually before you leave today."
"I'm good with that," Akane said as she looked over more files and ignoring the rest of them as she did so while L went to the window. Can these at least have the pictures of the ones their investigating? It would go so much faster that way and what is that man even doing?
Things are going well just one clue. A single decisive factor is all I need, just one thing... L thought to himself.
….
"L... I mean Ryuzaki call me Shoko Maki for now on. I agree with both you and Tenshi about hiding my name." Naomi told him.
"Very well," L agreed as the three of them sat alone in a room together. "It seems Tenshi cares a lot about your safety. A little to much to be just an acquaintance I'm sure."
Akane laughed softly as to not cause to much pain, "It seems I let to much information about me be known."
"Of course this was your plan all along. To weasel out any possible spies and give me clues as to who you are at the same time." L said.
"Correct and I'm sure by now you know. Who I am and how much trust I've decided to place in you with that information," She informed him as she removed her hat, glasses, and mask. "After all I am Chief Souichiro Yagami's eldest daughter, Akane Yagami. Just what would father think of his little girl placing herself endanger ever since she only was fourteen years old?"
"How is your rib? Even I heard it crack," L said as he looked her over with his eyes measuring her up. Her skin had paled for the pain she was in as sweat dripped down her brow caused by the uncomfortable stabbing feeling alone that she chose to ignore at the moment.
"I'm fine for now anyway. I've had far worse than this. It's not the first time I've been shot." Akane told him with a weak smile.
"Watari could you get her something for the pain?" L asked as he looked up at the old man who looked like a butler, but something about him made Akane think differently. She had heard the name before, Quillish Wammy and something about an orphanage. He had brushed back white hair, a well groomed mustache, rectangular glass, and was always dressed in a black suit. This handler was seventy years of age and he may not show it, but he cared a lot for L or she could she the caring nature of his person in his well aged face.
"Of course, I'll be right back." he said before leaving the room. It didn't take him long to return with some pain medicine and handed it Akane along with water. "I'll leave you to your meeting. You have nothing to worry about your secret is safe with me, miss Akane. I would never betray Ryuzaki."
"Thank you," She said as Watari left the room and she took the medicine and a sip of water. I don't remember eating today... oh well or much all this well. It should be fine. I'll just get something after visiting the hospital.
"Ryuzaki..." Akane spoke after a moment as she sighed and sat up to get back to business even as a sharp pain ripped through her when she did that. "If Kira learns about me. He will kill me not out of principle, but out of fear. If that does happen you will inherit something from me. It will explain everything to you and help you find Kira if I fail to. You can't know how much trust that required of me to place in you."
"You believe your going to die?" L asked as he looked her over.
"I don't plan on dying for a very long time, but after what happened in the other room. I realize I must make a back up plan for someone to continue my work in this investigation if I fail. Naomi if something happens to L and myself you will inherit it. You two are the ones I trust to solve this case if anything happens to me. You two will avenged me that is a few aces I have in my deck for this game. My father would be the third person to receive it if Kira somehow kills us all. Other than that I do not know who else is worthy enough to receive such a responsibility in this live or die game of ours." Akane admitted. "Soon all my cards will be in place and Kira will fall."
"What exactly would be inheriting?" Naomi asked in a quiet voice.
Akane knew that question was coming, but she still couldn't decide how to answer it. Keeping it a secret or telling them. How should I lay these cards down and how should I play this turn? She knew if she told she'd have to prove her innocence and also prove she was not crazy. Maybe I don't trust them as much as I thought I did or maybe it's fear that keeps my mouth shut. Akane sighed, "Neither of you would believe me if I told you. It was something I inherited myself from a supernatural creature. For now I can not say more than that for not just my safety, but also for your own."
"You could just show them me, my lady. It shouldn't be a problem really, but that is completely up to you, of course." Donovan said as he looked through L's book shelves in this room. "Mystery novels. Sherlock Holmes... first edition. Nice and quite rare."
Akane smiled slightly, Perhaps, but being cautiousness is my strong suit. However being to cautious may be a weakness as well. To few people trust one another in this world... a pity, but it is wise not to trust so lightly with strangers. L is a stranger even if I know his true name and face.
"Even if I've placed a lot trust in the both of you. It does not mean I can share everything with you just yet. Even my trust has it limits." Akane said deciding to keep it quite for now... unless absolutely necessary.
Donovan lifted an eyebrow with a different idea in mind as he picked up the first addition of a Sherlock Holmes book and flipped to the first page, but knocking another book to the floor to get their attention. You alone can not stop Kira. Take a leap of faith my dear lady Akane... you must. If you wish to survive this game yours.
L just had to turn around right then and there. His eyes widen as he fell off his chair and crashed to the floor with a much louder thud than that of the book. "I... what is this?" he said pushing himself away from the flying book.
"Why is there a book suddenly flying?!" Naomi yelped.
"Donovan really? Do you have to scare them like that?" Akane asked him calmly, but she was boiling on the inside. What the hell man?! What do you think you're doing?! Their going to think I'm Kira now! Jerk! You've given me no choice now! You want to be seen that badly? Fine then! I'll tell them!
EDITED!