Austin
"Piss it..."
Austin Townsend glared at the monitor. Before him was a blue screen with text sprawled across the entire thing. Getting into this mainframe was much more difficult than he expected. He leaned back in his chair, trying to think of another path he could take—another algorithm.
There was a small blip from the phone in his pocket. He pulled it out and flipped it open with a flick of his wrist. It was from someone named Clyde in his contacts—a text message.
Found her.
Austin stared at the message for a long moment, his heart beginning to accelerate. He dashed his thumbs across the keys in a response: Where?
He only had to wait a few moments before Clyde replied: Email.
Forgetting the computer before him, Austin pushed away from the desk, rolling in his chair across the room to where his suitcase was. From it he drew out his laptop, swiftly pushing it open and booting it up.
Jack. That damned girl was impossible. Almost a full year ago she sent him an email saying she was going to leave. She stated her line of work was getting to be too dangerous, so she was going to cut herself out of everyone's life—including his, her own brother.
It infuriated Austin. His own job was just as dangerous, if not more. He couldn't even tell Jack what he did or who he worked for. So perhaps that's why she thought he was safer without her. She had no clue how he put his ass on the line on a regular basis.
Once the laptop was running, Austin opened his email and saw Clyde already sent him something. He clicked it without hesitation. It was a number of attachments—pictures, records, and a message from Clyde himself.
"A,
I tracked the names you gave me and also did a bit of research on the list of shows you provided. While I couldn't find anything with your current list of names, I did find records of a 'Nina Forner' traveling to Japan almost four months back. According to records, her passport was Canadian. There haven't been any records of her leaving Japan, but I did manage to get the picture of the passport from the airline's database.
If you need any additional assistance, let me know. But don't forget about the work we need to do for the agency. If that's late for any reason... even one as personal as this... I don't think they'd be too happy.
Best, C."
It was her all right. Her hair was black and shoulder length, but Austin knew his sister. That was a wig, and whatever was beneath was some wild color like pink or purple. Possibly both. Regardless of the different look, he'd recognize Jack anywhere. In addition to the photo, there was also the documents of her boarding the plane in LA and flying over to land in Tokyo.
Japan. Austin had a hunch, but he wasn't certain that Jack would go after the Kira case, especially with L working on it. Austin almost felt knowing the detective's real name was far more sensitive than anything he ever worked with for the government. L was powerful and had many, many contacts. If he knew someone out there was aware of his true name, Austin was positive he'd send all he had at that individual.
Which of course meant Jack could be in danger from more than just Kira. She had wanted to find out L's name because of a competition she'd gotten into with the detective. Austin only agreed to assist her because she was his sister, and he wasn't as cautious as he was now. Jack always gloated when she won at something. She always loved to showboat. She definitely would have told L she knew he name.
What in the world was she thinking? Even if she was trying to assist L from afar and by her usual methods of email, hacking, and text, there was a strong chance that L tracked down where she was in Japan. She'd been there four whole months... what if she met him? What if she realized how easy it was for Austin to give her L's true name?
Austin shook his head. He would not allow himself to think of that possibility. He glanced back at the blue screen glaring at him from across the room. He still had a lot more work to do for his current job. He couldn't exactly up and leave right now. But still... knowing where she was, finally...
"Piss it..." Austin murmured again.
Things never could be easy. Not when one carried the name Townsend.
Jack
I hated hospitals.
As we entered the main lobby at a slight jog, I wanted to advert my eyes from the blinding white floors and walls. I wanted to flee from the stench of rubbing alcohol and latex. However, there was no escaping any of that. I turned up my iPod in my pocket, centering in on the music in my right ear.
You're not here for you, you're not here for you, no one is going to poke or prod you, it's all right.
"Nina?"
I jumped, heart stammering in my chest. L and Light were over by the doors that led deeper into the hospital. They were a good way away from me. I must have zoned out and not noticed when they got the nurse's attention to lead us to Chief Yagami's room.
"Sorry!" I said, bustling after them.
It turned out that though Yagami suffered a heart attack, he survived. Which told me that Kira was not the one who did this—at least, I was fairly certain it couldn't be. I wanted to check with Nox to make absolutely certain first, but either way, when I first heard that, my first thought was: Then there's no way Light can be Kira.
And I was disappointed. I wasn't upset about the fact that Chief Yagami, who had been nothing but a pleasant gentleman to me, had been struck with a heart attack. No, I was upset because his death would definitely lower the possibility that his son was our target. We'd have to start all over to find the true Kira.
It honestly disgusted me. What kind of person am I to be more concerned about solving this case than the life of one of my fellow investigators? Was I that desperate to beat this challenge? To find and stop Kira? I'd like to think it was more noble—that my subconscious knew that the sooner Kira is stopped, the fewer lives would be lost.
But somehow I seriously doubted I was thinking that last one.
Then we found out Yagami wasn't even dead. He was in the hospital recovering, and seemed stable. I inflated with hope once more. My heart skittered with excitement because if this wasn't Kira, then Light was still very much a suspect.
We rushed down the hall for the Chief's room. Light looked out of it—distraught and flushed with anxiety. He seemed like he had no idea this was coming. Something in his eyes almost appeared fearful. If this was acting, it was damned good, I would admit that.
When we finally reached the room, Yagami was awake and lucid, and a woman that I could only assume was his wife was sat on a chair next to the bed. Yagami was hooked up to loads of machines—an oxygen tank, heart monitor, IV, the works. The reek of rubbing alcohol and rubber was even stronger in here. I parted my lips slightly to breathe as quietly as I could through my mouth.
"Dad!" Light cried in Japanese, rushing toward the bed. "Are you all right?"
Yagami nodded. He looked exhausted, sporting circles under his eyes that could almost rival L's. "I'm fine, Light. Thank you for coming. I see you've met Ryuzaki and Nina."
"Ryuzaki?" Light blinked and looked back toward L.
"Another alias," L explained with a wave of his hand. "Chief Yagami, is there anything we can get you?"
"Oh, my wife and the nurses have been quite accommodating, thank you," Yagami replied. "I'm sorry to worry everyone. To get a heart attack right now... I believe it was just the stress."
"Stress?" Light echoed, raising his brows. "Dad, Kira kills his victims by giving them heart attacks—how do you know he wasn't trying to kill you?"
"We've not seen a failure yet," I pointed out. "It seems whatever method Kira uses to kill is very thorough."
Light turned his head to eye me. "So what if we haven't seen a failure? My father could be the first! Maybe he's somehow immune."
"That's not something we should count on," L said softly. "It isn't worth your father's life to take such a risk."
"I suppose that's true," Light admitted. His eyes were still squinted and he appeared conflicted.
"To be honest, the same thing went through my mind when it was happening," Yagami said.
"As the head of the task force against Kira, it wouldn't be a surprise that he would want you dead," L pointed out. "We can't rule it out."
Sachiko Yagami, the Chief's wife, looked like she was about to cry. She was a pretty woman, with dark hair that reached her chin and beautiful eyes—Light's eyes, actually. Not to say Chief Yagami wasn't handsome in his own right, but it was easy to see where Light got his beauty.
"I don't think we've met." I said to her, hoping to calm her before the waterworks started. "You must be Sachiko. Ryu and I work with your husband on the task force." No point in hiding that fact from her, but she didn't need to know we were L and Jack.
"I see," Sachiko said. She managed to smile, though it was small. "Thank you for coming."
"Sachiko, Light's here now. You should go home and rest," Yagami insisted. "I'm fine. And please don't tell Sayu, I don't want her to worry."
"I... all right," Sachiko sighed. She stood up and gathered her purse. "I'll be back tomorrow with some of your things. Be sure to rest." She looked toward Light. "Keep an eye on your father, Light."
"Of course," Light said. "Don't worry, Mom. Just try to relax at home."
With that, Sachiko left the room. L, Light, and I settled ourselves in some fold-out chairs. L of course sat with his knees up to his chest. I crossed one leg over the other and draped an arm over the back of my seat.
"Do you think it was Kira, Chief?" I asked.
Yagami sighed. "No. I don't. With how many sleepless nights I've had thinking Kira could kill me at any moment... and all the stress of this investigation itself... I was practically asking for it."
"Having your own son under suspicion must be an emotional strain as well," L murmured.
Light blinked and snapped his head around to glare at us. "You've told my father I'm under suspicion?"
"Yes," L replied evenly. "We've told your father everything. Including the fact that I'm L and Nina is Jack."
Light looked back to his father, eyes wide and questioning. Yagami nodded.
"That's right," he said. "He is L and she is Jack. We've been calling them Ryuzaki and Nina, but... they are definitely L and Jack."
Light's eyes came back to us. His brow was furrowed. I grinned and held up two fingers: V for Victory. He sighed and bowed his head.
"So it's true then," he muttered.
"Ryuzaki... Nina... has talking to my son cleared your suspicions?" Yagami queried, his gaze hopeful.
"No," L and I said in unison.
Yagami frowned. "Can I ask why not?"
"To be honest, all his answers to my questions were a little too on-the-ball," L replied. "It has made us suspect him even more."
"Hey, saying that to me is one thing, but don't say that kind of stuff to my Dad when he's in this condition," Light grumbled. "Have some consideration."
"It's quite all right, Light," Yagami said, leaning his head back into his pillow. "An ambiguous answer would be even more stressful. I much prefer knowing the truth. And I understand that though you're under suspicion, it isn't enough to make you an actual suspect."
"That's correct," L said. "You seem to misunderstand me a little, Light." He shifted in his seat a bit, keeping his solid gaze on Light. "As I told you earlier, when I say suspicion, I'm talking about a very slight possibility. Let me explain again. Kira murdered the 12 FBI agents who entered Japan. This is clear from the fact that all of them died on December 27th, the same day they received that file."
"It's also a fact that Kira has access to task force information," I put in. "We don't know how, though; speaking from experience, the task force firewalls are not very secure."
"You've hacked into the task force database?" Yagami asked incredulously.
I shrugged. "I had to test it to see if an amateur would be able to bust in or not. I would say someone with adept knowledge of hacking could accomplish it—it wasn't very advance stuff. But... it's also possible that someone had access to a task force member's actual computer."
"There's also the fact that none of the task force members have been targeted yet," L said. "Which leads us to believe that there is a possibility that Kira is related to one of them."
"And you having a virus trap on your desktop doesn't help your case," I added.
Light glared at me. "So you're what happened to my computer."
I grinned. "Gotta admit, you got me. I didn't expect you to have that ready to go."
"It was in case Sayu tried to look through it," Light said, leaning back in his chair and folding his arms. "I... had some stuff on there she didn't need to see."
I chuckled. "Yeah, teenage boy stuff, I'm sure." I recalled how he was reading porn magazines when we were watching the cameras in his room. At least he never stuck his hand down his pants or anything. That would have been awkward.
"Then there's one of the FBI agents, Raye Penber. Some of his actions were quite noteworthy," L said.
"And now his fiancé has gone missing," I put in. I was still pissed about that. I'd never stop being pissed. Naomi... I would find and end Kira just for her. "She was a former FBI agent to boot."
"So that's how you narrowed it down to the Kitamuras and us," Light murmured.
"Yes," L said.
"My view so far has been that since Kira was operating in the Kanto region, he must be Japanese," Light said, lifting his gaze. "He couldn't bring himself to hurt innocent Japanese for that reason. But if those FBI agents were shadowing NPA personnel and their families, you're right that there is a good possibility Kira was among those they were probing."
Light let out a long breath and gripped his chin, propping his elbow on his knee.
"And I happened to be among those they were probing, too. So I can't fault you for placing me under suspicion..." He closed his eyes. "In fact, you're absolutely right. There are no other likely suspects."
I leaned in my chair, impressed. If Light was Kira, he was good at this. So openly admitting he was the best candidate didn't seem like something Kira would risk doing—unless he was trying to pull reverse psychology. I yearned to look at Nox to see if he was doing anything odd, but I knew I had to be even more careful about my Shinigami when Light was around than when it was just L and me.
"Your powers of deduction are outstanding, Light," L complimented. "You're always quick and precise."
"I'll help you with this investigation," Light declared, looking between me and L. "My father confirmed your identities. That's enough for me to trust you are who you say you are." He began to grin. "And I'll prove that I'm not Kira. Because I'm going to catch Kira for you."
"A bold vow," I noted, lacing my hands behind my head. "Guess it'll be a race, then."
"Light, you should be focusing on your studies," Yagami insisted. "There will be plenty of time to chase criminals after you join the NPA."
"That's years from now, Dad," Light said. "And besides, I made a promise to you. I said that if Kira ever hurt you I would make certain he paid the death penalty. I'm keeping to those words. Kira is responsible for what happened to you. If there is any way I can assist with moving this investigation forward, I'm going to do it."
I tried to stifle a laugh. What was this—some corny cop show? If Light was being honest and this wasn't just all an act, he was a try-hard for sure. Daddy's little boy through and through.
L seemed just as unimpressed by Light's display. He glanced at me with a look that seemed to say: "Can you believe this?" Before anyone could notice our exchange, L spoke up.
"Light, what kind of person do you think Kira is?" he asked. "What's your image of him?"
"Hmm..." Light's face grew pensive. "I think Kira is an affluent child."
There was a moment of silence. I stared at Light, startled. He would so blatantly declare that? It was exactly what L and I had figured Kira was like. Though, I honestly never thought to notate how there was a strong possibility that Kira was wealthy... spoiled, even.
"I like it, go on," L said, looking at Light from the corner of his eyes.
"If as assumed, he can kill people just by willing it..." Light said. "If a human being had that kind of power—using it to get rid of criminals, and at the same time making it an example of it to others in order to make this world a better place... It's the immature notions of a child. I would say he's anywhere between late grade school and high school. Anyone younger than that would be too scared or they'd use that power to kill people they knew and didn't like. And if it was anyone older, they would use it for their personal gain. You could think of thousands of ways to use that power to become rich."
It took a lot to keep my features neutral; that last sentence reminded me of far too much. I bit my tongue almost hard enough to draw blood in order to ground myself.
"The reason I say affluent is because Kira already has everything he needs," Light said. "Otherwise maybe he would be using this power just for personal gain. He has some purity about him... I'd say he's probably a middle school student that has his own cell phone and computer."
There was another silence as the room seemed to weigh Light's words. L began to raise his thumb toward his mouth but when he spotted me glaring he stopped short. He sighed and then his eyes flew wide.
"Your sister Sayu!" he declared.
Light stood up so fast it toppled his chair over. I was too busy trying not to let my laughter be too loud.
"What is the matter with you?!" Light demanded. "Did you come here to wish my father well or finish him off?!"
"I was only drawing the obvious conclusion from your own speculations, Light," L replied innocently.
"I mean, she is a little too adorable," I added, half giggling.
Light's glare fixated on me. I wasn't certain, but it seemed to be filled with more loathing than what seemed appropriate for my teasing—like he carried more hatred for me than he wanted to freely show.
"Stop it, all of you," Yagami groaned from the bed. "There isn't much you can say that would faze me at this stage in the game. And this might sound like the ramblings of a fond father, but I'm positive Sayu isn't Kira. If anything, she'd kill someone she knew and then bawl her eyes out it after."
"You're right," L amended.
I couldn't help but notice how Yagami defended his daughter, but not his son.
"Kira is evil, there's no doubt about that," the Chief went on. "But lately, I've been starting to think of it more like this... The real evil is the power to kill people."
I couldn't help but feel hyper aware of the Death Note in my satchel. My heart hammered and I leaned forward, locking my eyes with Yagami's.
"I couldn't agree more," I said.
I must have taken the room by surprise. Everyone stared at me for a moment. It could be because my voice held no smile or humor. It wasn't my usual lighthearted tone with a hint of warmth. It was ice, and I could feel my expression mirroring it. It was interesting; most people's rage ran hot. Their fury was fire and wild, but my anger was still. It was frigid and unmovable.
The Death Notes were the true evil here. Not that I was about to forgive Kira for taking advantage of such a power, but if the Death Notes were gone—if the Shinigami never came to the human world—so many more people would still be alive.
Finally, Yagami just nodded back at me. "Someone who finds such power is cursed. No matter how you use it, anything obtained by killing people can never bring true happiness."
"You're absolutely right, Chief Yagami," L murmured. "If Kira is indeed a human who gained this ability, he is a very unfortunate individual."
I glanced toward Light. He was staring at his shoes, his face unreadable. I had to admit, if he was Kira, this was the perfect shit to say in front of him. Perhaps L was trying to provoke him.
"Ryuzaki, Nina, I'm sorry to have collapsed like this," Yagami said. "I'll be back to work as soon as I can."
"What are you talking about, Dad?" Light exclaimed. "You need to rest until you're fully recovered."
"He's right, you know," I pointed out. "Overworking yourself is what got you into that hospital bed."
"No," Yagami snapped. "I will not sit on my thumbs with Kira on the loose. I will catch him if its the last thing I do."
"Excuse me."
A nurse stepped into the room before any of us could offer a rebuttal to the Chief's words. She stared at us down a long nose, her face severe.
"Visiting hours are over. You'll have to leave," she declared.
We said our goodbyes to Yagami and headed out of the hospital. I was quite pleased with the scent of fresh air when we stepped outside. The sun had fallen and the brilliant lights of Tokyo burned before us. There was already a black car waiting for us in the loading lane; L must have texted Watari at some point.
"Ryuga, Nina," Light said.
We both looked back at him. He was gazing at us with a fierce expression.
"What can I do to convince you that I'm not Kira? Isn't there some way I can make you trust me?" he begged.
"If you're not Kira, then you don't have to do anything," L responded calmly.
"Come on, quit yanking me around," Light ordered. "Think about what it feels like to be accused of being Kira!"
I considered for a moment then gave an amending nod. "It is pretty shitty."
"I was going to use the term awful," L said.
"See?" Light shoved his hands in his pockets. "How about locking me up for a month somewhere with no TV or anything. You both can watch me the whole time. Or something like that."
I shared a look with L. Would anyone really go through this much trouble to prove their innocence if they were innocent?
"I can't do that," L finally said. "It would violate your rights to privacy and freedom of movement. And anyway, it's nonsense to accept such a proposal from someone under suspicion."
"You've got a point," Light admitted with a heavy breath.
"It's totally fine," I assured him with a big grin. "If you're not Kira, we'll figure that out soon enough."
"Besides, after watching you with your father today, there is a chance you might not be Kira after all," L added as he opened the door and gestured for me to get into the car's backseat.
"Oh, what a gentleman!" I crooned before sliding inside.
L got in after me. He looked toward Light as he gripped the door to shut it. "Take good care of your father."
"Oh! One more thing!" Light said before L could close the door. "I said I'd help out with the investigation, but I don't think I'll have the time until after my father gets a little better."
"I know," L said. "Goodbye."
With that, L shut the door, and the car pulled away.
I leaned back in my chair letting out a long breath. "Well... that was fun."
"You find the oddest things fun," L murmured.
I glanced behind us. Nox was sitting on the trunk of the car, his one icy blue eyes piercing. I had a feeling that even though he was outside the car that he could still hear us. I faced forward again and closed my eyes. I knew I was pushing my limits with that Shinigami, but I wasn't going to let Kira catch up to us before L could know the truth.
"Ryu," I said, my voice low.
"Yes?" L looked toward me.
"Chief Yagami was not attacked by Kira." I made certain to keep my voice firm and absolute.
"What makes you so sure?" L asked. His gaze was searching mine.
I glanced back behind up again. Nox was still there—still staring at me. He smiled widely at me and slid a finger across his narrow neck before giving me a thumbs down. I got the warning well enough.
Twisting my body forward again, I let out a breath. "Trust me."
L was still staring at me. He glanced behind the back window for a moment.
"All right," he said. "I'll trust you."
His words brought a smile to my lips. Before I knew what I was doing, I reached over and squeezed his hand. L blinked, startled. I retracted swiftly, hoping to make my unconscious movement less awkward. It didn't stop my cheeks from heating up a bit.
"Guess this whole couple thing is turning into a habit," I said, rubbing the back of my neck.
"We'll keep it as our front when we're out in public," L said. He was staring out the window, not meeting my gaze. "We still don't know for certain if Light is Kira or not. If he isn't, I'd rather not have our cover blown."
"Sounds like a plan, then," I said awkwardly.
L was quiet for a moment before he darted his eyes toward me again. "Can I ask you something? It's driving me crazy."
"Uh, okay," I replied, frowning.
"At the tennis match today," L said. "I haven't had a chance to talk to you about it yet. You used the term 'give'r.' That's... a Canadian saying, isn't it?"
I let out a small chuckle and leaned back in my seat. "Are you asking me for a truth?"
"Weren't we past the game?" L said, tilting his head. "You don't have to tell me anything if you don't want to. I suppose I'm just curious as to if you're native to Canada or just lived there for a time."
"I don't know where I'm native to," I said. "But... my parents adopted and raised me in Canada. Victoria Island. It's kind of a tourist trap, actually, but beautiful."
L slowly nodded. He smiled a bit. "Thank you for telling me."
"Well, how can I ask you to trust me if I don't trust you?" I said. "Of course, some truths are harder to go over than others. Do... do you know where you were born?"
L shrugged. "No. But I spent my childhood in England. Of course, I think you know that part."
"I do. Sorry about that, by the way."
The detective looked out the window again. "You just might have something in common with Kira and me. You hate to lose."
I laughed. "I guess so."
It wasn't so much that I hated to lose... I hated not knowing things, and L's identity was the most alluring thing there was—at least to me. I still didn't know all of it, and itched to learn more. Of course, I didn't feel like I had any right to poke and prod for his information when I still couldn't tell him about my biggest secret.
With a soft sigh, I looked down at my iPod. I wondered if I could attempt to bring up the note and sneakily show it to L. However, Nox was still sitting right outside the back window, and I knew he could phase his head through the glass anytime he wanted to. I needed to wait until Nox was nowhere to be seen... though that didn't seem like it was ever going to happen...
The other option was to attempt to lure L into looking at my iPod and searching through its notes. I was sure he already looked through my night time iPod when I went with Watari to the family homes. A shame I didn't think to add the note to that one before.
Either way, I was going to figure out how to tell L the truth and make certain we both got out of this. Because... L was...
I looked at his hand again. It was now resting on his knee, which was up near his chin. His other hand was propping his head up as he stared at the cars whizzing by.
Maybe I was just kidding myself. Maybe I was a complete fool for even hoping. Yet if L and I could solve this case—if we could come out of it on top, triumphant—then maybe we could keep working together.
Maybe... we could...
"Jack."
I just about screamed when Nox's voice sounded in my ear. I turned to see him sticking his head in through the glass, grinning at me.
"I just have to ask..." he said with a sneer. "Are you actually getting the flutters from this guy?" He thumbed toward L, who was still staring out the window. The detective had no idea there was a monstrous death god mere inches from him.
I couldn't exactly respond to Nox, but my blush seemed to tell him all he wanted to know.
"Oh-ho-ho, this just keeps getting better," he said.
I shook my head, narrowing my eyes.
"Ah ah ah!" Nox waggled a finger at me. "Easy. Don't give me away, Jack... I'd hate to kill the both of you."
My face burned even hotter. It wasn't from embarrassment this time. Nox constantly threatening to kill me was one thing, but L? No. No way. L was off limits. I wanted to scream at him, and I even started to open my mouth to do so, but suddenly L swiveled his head to face me.
"Did I do something wrong?" he asked, his expression falling into one of bewilderment.
I clamped my jaw shut as Nox cackled and retreated back to sitting on the trunk outside. How did that Shinigami expect me to keep his existence a secret when he pulled shit like that? I shut my eyes tight and threw myself back into my seat, trying to think.
Then it came to me.
"It wasn't you," I said, my words slow. I tasted each one as it came out, hoping against hope this didn't kill me. "It was Nox."