Jack
The nice part was, when I woke up, my arm didn't hurt nearly as bad.
The not so nice part was that it still hurt a lot.
Groaning, I blinked my eyes open, trying to get the bleariness in them to go away. I could feel that something was encasing my broken arm and there was an IV in the other. A white ceiling stretched out above me, and there was the faint scent of rubbing alcohol in the air.
Ah. The hospital. My favorite.
The only sounds that greeted me were the dull drone of muffled voices and the squeaking of the ventilation system. My ears felt bare and vulnerable. Someone had taken my ear buds. I was already uncomfortable enough being in a place of poking and prodding with horrific sharp objects, but the lack of my music had my hands starting to tremble.
"Can I maybe get a radio?" I called as I began to sit up, careful not to put any weight on my busted arm.
"There's always the TV," a familiar voice replied.
Startled, I turned my head and felt a small skip in my heart. My face broke into a smile that I couldn't hold back if I wanted to.
"Ryu," I breathed. "You came to see me."
Even though I made that request to him about my iPod, a part of me didn't expect him to come. I thought I'd wake up in the hospital, get patched up, then head back to the hotel. Yet there he was, perched in a chair beside my bed, his feet bare and toes curling around the edge of his seat.
"Of course I did," L said. "How are you feeling?"
"Like I need more pain killing juice in this tube." I gestured to the IV. "How bad was it busted? Did you see it? Tell me someone took a picture before they put it back in place."
"I got here after they set it, stitched you up, and put it in a cast," L answered, a small grin coming to his mouth. "You'll have to ask the nurses if anyone took pictures. From what I know, your ulna bone broke completely, some of it cutting out of your skin a good ways. You lost a good portion of blood—they already gave you some. Now they're just getting your fluids up and were waiting for you to wake."
"Well here I am, good morning sunshine, the Earth says hello!" I said. "Now seriously, this still hurts."
"I'll get the nurse," L said, getting to his feet. "Oh, and I charged you iPod." He pointed to where my yellow iPod sat on the bedside table, a cord attached to it. "I didn't realize it had so many features. I hope you don't mind I fiddled with it... some of the settings might be different. Sorry."
To be honest, I almost forgot that I didn't have music playing. Typically, I didn't respond well to time in silence. My body would shake, and I would be manic until I found a source of music again. I would hear things besides just Nox that other people couldn't. But just now, talking with L, I was... okay. It was only when his mentioned it did the ringing start in my ears.
"It's okay," I said. His words held weight. My heart began to pound against my ribs. L kept his eyes on me for a bit longer than what seemed normal, then he turned and exited the room.
"Congrats on surviving one of the stupidest stunts I've seen a human pull," Nox's voice said.
I turned my head to see him leaned against the wall in the back of the room. He was staring at me with his one visible eye narrowed to an icy slit.
"Are you trying to get killed?" he asked.
"Not exactly," I said with a shrug. "Gotta admit, it was fun."
"Getting your arm shattered was fun?" Nox scoffed. "I'll never understand you."
I had to see if L put something in my iPod. His actions and words suggested he at least saw my note, and given Nox's usual attitude, the Shinigami didn't notice. I reached over to where the device sat on the bedside table and unlocked the screen.
Nox would expect me to be eager to get my music back on, so this shouldn't seem odd with how intent I was. I shoved an ear bud into my right ear and hit shuffle on all my songs. A sweet instrumental piece started flowing and my body instantly relaxed.
"Ah, he somehow managed to mess up the time..." I said, giving myself more of an excuse to head to my notes. "Nox, what time is it?"
While the Shinigami looked for the clock, I saw that there was indeed a new note.
Would messenger be possible to talk? When I ask you if you'd like some royal milk tea, if the answer is yes, agree, but ask for whip cream. If it is no, say yes, but don't ask for no honey. Then, when you get the chance, leave me another note here. Hand me the iPod under the pretense that you think it's broken and want to have me look at it. We will figure this out.
The messenger. It was a brilliant idea. It would be tricky, but Nox hardly ever had any interest in what I did on the computer. There were so many pretenses I could come up with to explain why I'm spending so much time on it too. This... this could work.
"Ten past one," Nox said, having found a clock. "In the morning."
"Gross," I said with a scowl. "This is totally going to throw off my schedule."
There was a small knock on the door and in came L, accompanied by a nurse.
My vitals were checked again, and much to my delight I was given more pain meds in my IV drip. While the nurse was still checking me, the doctor who fixed up my arm stopped in and gave me the run down. I would be given pain medication to take home, and I would be stuck in the cast for about three months. They had to stick a rod in it to help stabilize the ulna bone, so I would be setting off metal detectors for the majority of the foreseeable future. There was chance they could take it out at some point but that really depended on how my bone did during its healing process.
All in all, busting an arm to this extent is not recommended. Don't try this at home, kids.
I was going to be able to leave in a few hours. They just had to make sure everything was stable and I wasn't going to collapse or anything weird.
The doctor and nurse left us and I let out a long breath, shaking my head.
"Thanks for taking care of the medical expenses," I said to the detective. "I know it's not like the United States with medical costs, but still, fixing up that mess wasn't cheap."
"Let's call it workman's comp," L replied. He perched on his chair again. "I hope I didn't mess up anything on your iPod."
"Just the time setting," I replied coolly. "Don't know how you managed that."
L shrugged. "The controls with that little wheel make things complicated."
I let out a laugh. "You can't imagine how long it takes to type something in with it to search for a specific song or band. You have to wheel through the alphabet one letter at a time. It's a pain."
I figured that would be enough to get the point across that I'd seen his note. L must have put some things together to leave it for me in the first place. For one: that Nox was a Shinigami and he was the one keeping me from telling L the whole truth. Not to mention, he'd kill me if I tried. L was smart-—here was no question or doubt about that. So I knew I could trust him to be as careful as he possibly could be.
"I can imagine," L said. "While we're stuck here, shall I see about getting you some royal milk tea?"
"Oh yes," I breathed, smiling. "With some whip cream this time though. I think I've earned that."
L blinked. "Whipped cream on royal milk tea... you certainly have unique taste, Nina."
It was actually a nod to one of our conversations we had on the IM back during our first case. After we had our initial discussion about royal milk tea, I asked L if he'd ever had whipped cream on his. The idea had fathomed him.
Masayoshi: Whipped cream? On royal milk tea? Why would you do such a thing?
ButtNugget: Because sweetness needs to be added in all paths of life! Live a little! Oh, and if you add some flavored creamer too it's soooooo good. Perfect for snowy days.
Masayoshi: I'm not necessarily saying it's a bad thing. I just never thought of it. I'll have to try it.
The next day, L admitted to me that it was delicious. That should have been my first clue to how insane his sweet tooth was.
L got up and left the room once more. I looked at my arm cast with a frown.
"I need a sharpie so I can draw on this," I murmured.
"You humans are certainly interesting," Nox said.
"What?" I asked. "Might as well make the best of it and doodle obscene things all over it." I beamed.
"I guess I'm just impressed you managed to last as long as you did without passing out or just screaming in pain," Nox said.
"I've been on a similar ride before," I told him. "Adrenaline does wonders for the human body. And my pain threshold is decently high, if I do say so myself."
A wave of dizziness whirled around me. The meds the nurse gave me earlier had certainly numbed the throbbing in my arm, but along with it came a high that wasn't entirely fun. Still though, my arm not putting me in total agony was worth it.
L returned with the beverage he promised. I was surprised he found something like it this time of night. I took the warm mug in my good hand and took a mouthful of the whipped cream off the top of the delightful swirl that crowned the tea. L actually chuckled at me softly as I licked my lips.
"What?" I demanded before taking a sip.
"I suppose I'm just glad that you're not hurt worse than you are," L said.
"Tis but a flesh wound," I crowed. These meds certainly had me spinning. I felt light and giddy. The nausea was passing and giving way to a dangerous bravery.
"Nina, you have to promise me you won't do that again." L's voice grew stern as he stared me down. "You could have been killed. If you think it's best if we're on the scene somewhere, just explain it to me first. We can go together."
"Would you be my knight in shining armor, Sir Ryu?" I teased.
L sighed softly. He surely understood the effect the medication was having on me. His words were lost.
"I'd much rather be at your side than watching the TV helplessly," he said, voice soft.
"It was too dangerous for you," I told him, hoping to simply educate him how I was expendable but he was not. "We need—"
"You," L cut me off. "We need you, Nina. We need Chief Yagami. We need Aizawa. Everyone on the task force is needed. Even Ukita."
I felt something tremble and collapse within myself. Ukita... I closed my eyes tightly.
"Did they get him out of there?" I breathed. "Is his body..."
"Yes," L replied gently. "He was intact. He died of a heart attack."
I closed my eyes tightly. At least the broken arm wasn't received in vain.
"While I am still frustrated with you for what you did, it was commendable," L told me. "It's things like that that make me not want to lose you. So please, for me at least, don't do something so reckless again."
Something scuttled within me. That little frog that would hop now and then when L was around. When he looked at me a certain way. When he smiled. When he said something that showed he... he cared about me.
"Ryu..." I breathed. There were so many things I wanted to say to him in that moment, but the medicine wasn't letting me sort through them and pick just one. I laid back, my head hitting the pillow heavily. It was like my world was on low frame-rate. Finally, I was able to bring some words out. "Losing Uki... it... somehow it made this so much more real. I mean, I know it was before, but people I know have died. Naomi. Ukita."
"We don't know if Naomi is dead," L pointed out.
I let out a humorless laugh. "Yes we do, Ryu."
L didn't reply. I turned my head to see he was staring at his toes, hair shadowing his eyes.
"I think seeing it—seeing Uki just... fall like that... it hit me more than Naomi because there was always that small hope," I said. "But now I know. I know she's dead, Ryu. More people are going to die before the end of this. And you... Ryu if I lose you..."
Something warm slipped from the corners of my eyes, sliding down my cheeks and sneaking into the corners of my nose. Tears... I hadn't cried in so long... not since I first met Nox.
L was looking at me now. His eyes were wide and he appeared frozen. I didn't even see a hint of him breathing.
"Perhaps they gave you too much medication," he finally suggested, voice low and careful.
"Gah..." I wiped my nose on my sleeve. "I really hate it when tears get in the crease of your nostril, you know? It's so annoying... crying in general it just... it's so messy. It's already horrible that I'm crying—why does it have to be so messy?" I laughed and sobbed at the same time. More tears came flooding out and my nose clogged up.
"Nina..." L actually put his feet on the ground to lean toward me. He placed his hand on my cast. "It's okay."
"It's not!" I exclaimed, shaking my head feverishly. "Ryu—there is so much shit—this is so... so deep... this case is the most dangerous one either of us have ever faced. Uki... Uki died, Ryu. He's gone. Dead. Just like that-—just because... because someone..."
The medicine was doing something else now—morphing into something heavy. It swathed me in warmth and my tears slowed.
"Ryu..." I rasped. "When I was little, I had a home. It was with my Mom. My Dad. My brother. It was two stories and my room had a window seat. I would sit there and read and practice with my tech. Broke a few laptops. But there was... home. We moved away when I was nine and nowhere has ever felt like home since—even with all the traveling I've done and all the places I've been. Nothing was that window seat. And after my Dad died I didn't want to go back there anyway. It was tarnished with his memory."
I met his eyes as the darkness began to beckon me further and further away. He was staring at me, waiting, his brows tucked down quizzically. I was divulging so much to him and he didn't understand why.
"But I finally found it." I smiled weakly at him. "Ryu, nowhere can be my home anymore. But someone can. You. You're my... home."
And I was dreaming.
Now, as discussed before, I could lucid dream. Being on tough sleep meds for years on end did that—at least to me. Although it was still surreal that I felt more in control of myself here in my dream than awake and in my medicated body.
My surroundings were... interesting. I was on the sidewalk of a street I was familiar with—one near my childhood home house. It was on a hill, and several cars went by. My parents always scolded Austin and me to be careful near this road. There were leaves on the trees, and the sky was a overcast gray. Seemed like a storm was coming. Wind tousled my short blue hair, and I could smell rain.
"Did I just..." I was recollecting all I just said to L. All the sappy bullshit I just confessed to. "Shit, Jack, you might as well have said I love you."
Whoa. The words were out of my mouth before I understood them.
Love?
Had I fallen that far? Was I that deep? I knew I cared about L. I knew I'd give my all to keep him safe. I knew that the idea of losing him—of him being killed by Kira-—t took my insides and shredded them like tissue paper. It reached in and tossed a nest of snakes coiling a bee hive into my gut... and I was allergic to bees.
I leaned on the fence I stood by, watching cars go to and fro. This level of devotion was normal for close friends though, right? Sure. But feeling that little stinking frog in my center hop so much when he was around... no friend of mine ever caused that to happen.
I thought about his lips on my hand as he kissed my knuckles while we were in public. Such warm, soft lips. I recalled him suggesting we practice kissing on the mouth instead, the day we started practicing. I remembered how him being near me, touching me, holding me, it felt second nature. Like he was an extension of myself.
"Piss it, I do love him," I rasped, the realization slamming into me just like my arm slammed into the ground earlier.
But loving L? L who was just so... detached. Had he ever been anyone in that matter? After a bit of practice, he was excellent with all the courtesies and cuddling that couples typically did. Yet the second we were alone and no one could see us, he'd distance himself and slouch down once again.
He was smart, cunning, and oddly handsome, but romantic? Could there possibly be a future there? Could he—even if he felt the same way—connect with another human on that level?
Could I?
"I hate this," I muttered, slowly sinking down to my knees.
"What's wrong, booger-bear?"
I startled and turned my head to see my brother walking toward me. Of course it was him—he was the only one who used that nickname for me. He appeared like he did the last time I saw him. Tall, lean, long blond hair tied back in a pony tail. It was wavy and untamed. Some strands hung down in his face near turquoise eyes. He looked so much like our father that it hurt.
"Austin," I sighed, not bothering to get up. "Why are you here?"
"Am I not allowed to walk around our neighborhood?" He perked a brow at me.
"We're too old to be here," I told him. "We haven't lived here since I was nine and you were eleven."
"I guess that's true." Austin came over and sat down beside me, leaning back against the fence. "If this was real, we'd be kids and Mom would be yelling at us for being so close to Cherry Street."
"It is busy," I noted as more cars drove by.
Austin elbowed me. "So are you going to tell me why you look like you're going to throw up?"
"Boys, big brother. Boys," I replied.
"Do you need me to play the older brother role and beat someone's face in?" Austin grinned, making a dimple appear in his right cheek.
"Please don't," I said with a small chuckle.
"There's a smile." Austin pinched my cheek lightly. "Take some advice from the brother you hold in your subconscious. Love is one of the most painful things in life. But it's also the most beautiful. It's possible to make that beauty outweigh the pain. You just have to know what it is you want. What you deserve. What you need and who needs you."
"That's sappy as hell," I replied blatantly. "Now I know you're not Austin."
"He could get deep on some occasions. I think his little booger-bear finding love for the first time is important enough to warrant it." The Dream Austin continued to smile. "Maybe he could help you with this. All of this. The case. L. All of it. You don't have to carry this alone."
"I do," I said. "I just risked everything telling L. And I didn't even tell him all of it! I distanced myself from Austin because this Death Note... Shinigami... he can't be involved in this. I won't endanger anyone else."
"And you don't think he doesn't do dangerous things? Doing what he does?" Dream Austin asked.
I lowered my head, bringing my knees to my chest. "Nothing is as dangerous as this. We are literally dealing with death itself."
"You're already in this with other people," Dream Austin said. "Including L."
"L and the others wanted to get in on this," I retorted. "They decided on their own to step forward knowing how risky it was. Pretty sure L is actually having a blast with all of it."
"And you don't think Austin—if he knew how dire this situation was—would help?" Dream Austin tilted his head.
"Of course he would," I sighed, exasperated. "And that's the problem. He's good at what he does... but he's not as good as me." My eyes gleamed as I turned to face the dream counterpart of my brother. "He never was. And that drove him insane. Him knowing I'm working side by side with L? Him here in person—forced to watch as L and I take the reins of the case and drive us on?"
"So you're worried about a spat?" Dream Austin snorted. "That's... surprisingly childish of you."
"Austin is all I have left in my family," I spat. "Him joining this cause will cause him to die or just resent me even more than he already does. Either way, I lose him."
"Perhaps you should either rethink your ego, or check with him to see if what you think he thinks... is actual fact." Dream Austin grinned again. "The path ahead isn't going to be easy. You know that. Especially now that you've developed these feelings for your detective partner."
"I just don't get it," I breathed. "Why now? Why L? Of all the times to finally feel that ticker in my chest stammer all over the place like in the romance novels—why did it have to be with someone possibly even more socially detached than me, and during the biggest serial killer case of all known history?" I banged my head against my knees with a loud groan. "It's not fair!"
"Life rarely is," Dream Austin pointed out.
"Don't get all philosophical on me," I warned. "I'm in no mood. Just let me sit here and mope for a while. I can't even begin to think of what I'm going to do next."
"Get on that IM, I'd imagine," Dream Austin said.
I nodded. "I suppose so. And here starts a game of life and death that's even more close and threatening than Kira."
I leaned my head against Dream Austin's shoulder now. Fake brother or not, his presence was calming. A lot of me regretted cutting Austin off like I did. But when I avenged our father's death and put Victor Skor behind bars, I hadn't had many plans after that anyway. It would be better for Austin to just keep working with his agency. It would be better if he never tried to throw his weight against Kira.
Tears rolled down my cheeks as Dream Austin wrapped an arm around my shoulders.
"Austin loves you, you know," he whispered. "You're his sister, no matter what blood says."
"I know," I said, closing my eyes.
Light
With a small smile on his lips, Light observed the TV in his room, a hand on his chin.
"It is highly unfortunate that the police have said 'no' to my offer." The voice coming out was garbled with some cheap voice distorter. The quality of the video was horrific to say the least. A hand held camera aimed at the name KIRA in all caps in clearly hand drawn letters. It's font mimicked the same font L used for his insignia. "However I expect news reports to continue featuring criminals as before, or I will be forced to pass judgment on the people in the police and media."
Ryuk was snickering. Light's smile wouldn't fall away. This... this was perfect. This was a gift from a god. A god of death.
"But," the voice went on, "since the police decided to oppose me, that alone will not do. As a penalty, I will take the life of the Director-General of the NPA, which has formed a task force to find and capture me... or of the alleged mastermind leading this task force known only as L. The Director-General or L? Which will it be? You have four days to decide who will be sacrificed for the loss of a peaceful and just world.
"I know the face of the Director-General, and can kill him with ease. But if L is chosen, he is to appear on Sakura TV in four days on the six PM news and speak for a 10 minute period. I will be the judge of if 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.
"I say this yet again. I do not want to take the lives of innocent people. You have four days to think it over. And think it well."
With that, the broadcast ended. Light turned off the TV, not interested in hearing what the reporters of Sakura TV had to say about it. He'd heard all he needed to.
"It seems another Shinigami has come to the human world," Light said. "And whoever has their Death Note is a fan of mine."
"Seems that way," Ryuk said with a chuckle. "Who would have thought..."
"And I'm the only one who knows this Kira is a fake," Light went on. "The question is... is he a friend or foe? Either way... the real question is if I can use him to my advantage. The death of those two cops who arrived on scene later guarantees he has the Shinigami Eyes, which makes him far more powerful than me."
He got to his feet. Sunlight was streaming in through the curtains. It was the morning after the initial tapes had been aired on Sakura TV. Light had been glued to the station all night. His eyes burned each time he blinked; his body's way of telling him to get some sleep. But his mind was racing far too fast right now.
"If I play my cards right, I can prove that I'm not Kira and get rid of L in the same move," Light murmured. "But then there's also Jack to consider. It's clear that this fake Kira doesn't know she's part of the task force—and possibly just as dangerous..."
He wasn't a fool like the reporters on Sakura. When the "young man" showed up and hovered over that officer's body, he knew it was her. Same height and he recognized the hoodie she was wearing. But she was clever enough to cover the lower half of her face. Given the state of her shirt, she had to act quickly to make a mask. It could be L didn't appreciate her running off... which only increased the likelihood of Light's theory that they had a deep connection. L didn't want Jack putting herself in danger.
"This Kira is only asking for L to show his face," Light sighed. "Which will leave Jack as a problem... But even if I make contact with this fake Kira and tell him about Jack, they'll know it had to be me that informed him... I'm the only one outside the task force that knows Jack's a variable." He shook his head. "Regardless, I need to contact this fake Kira before he's caught and I need to do it without him knowing what I look like or who I am."
"That paranoid, huh?" Ryuk asked.
"It's entirely possible this fake Kira wants to take my place," Light pointed out. "I can't have that. But at the same time, he could prove invaluable. So... I know I have to find him first... but there's also one more piece. I need to figure out how to make it public knowledge that Jack is a part of the task force. And I need to do it without them realizing it was me." He furrowed his brows and sat on his bed. "Well... this certainly is an interesting new challenge." He grinned again. "But it's not one I'll lose."
Jack
"You've got to be shitting me."
I had been released from the hospital and sent on my way with L a few hours after I woke from my pass out. It had been slightly awkward, to say the least, when I first came to and remembered my cheesy declaration of L being my home. But luckily enough, it seemed he didn't want to mention it either.
"I'm glad you're awake," was all he said. "I've been getting dreadfully bored."
When we got back to the hotel room, the first thing we did was look over all the tapes. While the real ones were sent to forensics, we had the copies Sakura TV made. The second tape was making demands of the police to cooperate with Kira. If the answer was yes, it stated to play video 3. If it was no, play video 4.
Video 3 explained all the conditions and criteria that was to be met with the police accepting Kira's offer. It included the necessity of criminals being shown of TV, especially if the crimes involved injuries or cruelty to the weak, however minor. Kira would be the one to judge them—and as proof that the police fully agree to support him, the NPA officials and L were to appear on TV to make the announcement.
"Ha, yeah, fat chance," I told L. "He's just going to kill the task force."
L didn't argue that point.
But then came video 4. The one we ended up giving Sakura TV to air. I had to watch that shit twice and each time it made me want to throw the TV across the room. But now, with Chief Yagami returning from a meeting with the world leaders and giving us the news of what they decided, I was beyond furious. This was a new level for me—something of both fire and ice.
"After doing absolutely nothing to help with this investigation, they're condemning him to die?" I shouted. "L has saved their skin so many times, and not just with this case! What the fuck!"
"Nina, please, you're a lady, don't use such vulgar language," L replied calmly. He took a sip of his coffee. "We both knew this was the choice they'd make."
True enough. We never said anything out loud, but the moment Yagami left to speak with them we'd exchanged a look that said it all.
"Vulgarity is allowed even for women, thank you very much," I retorted. "Especially with this news. I'm going to hack into their next meeting and put Meat Spin on that big screen of theirs. I'll fine the 10-hour version of it too. And they won't be able to get it off until it's done."
"Meat Spin?" Matsuda asked uncertainly.
"You really don't want to know," L said. "In any case, their decision is both right and reasonable."
"How can you say that?!" I demanded.
L gently set his cup on the table. "It's simply unacceptable for the police to work with Kira," he said. "And if it's between me and the Directer-General of the NPA, of course it should be me. I'm the one who challenged Kira and said I'd capture him. It's the right decision."
"But you'll be killed," Aizawa breathed.
L didn't seem to hear him. "What bothers me is that even if I appear on TV, and I intend to, if he knows nothing about me, then even if it is the real me out there... how do I get him to believe I'm L?"
I rubbed my eyes with my good hand. L and I had been so busy with the tapes and everything we hadn't had a chance to get on our respective laptops and use the IM to talk. I still hadn't managed to tell him anything beyond the fact that Shinigami exist—and even then, I wasn't sure if he believed me. Certainly, he knew something was up and I had to be in danger, but that didn't mean he was convinced the gods of death weren't myth.
"If I fail in this, police chiefs around the world will die," L said as he cut his fork into a slice of cake before him. "I'll have to think of something to convince him. I wonder how he thinks he'll deduce if I'm really L." He took a bite of the cake, frosting dotting his lips. "I don't want to die either," he said through his mouthful. "Being killed by Kira is one thing, but being killed by the opportunist pretending to be Kira would really grate."
The rest of the officers let out verbal exclamations of shock. I folded my arms nodding. It was something L and I discussed while watching the videos—something I had a feeling about the moment Ukita died.
"What in the world makes you think that?" Aizawa managed to choke out.
"The postage marks the tapes were sent April 13th," L said. "Sakura TV received it the next day. Three days after this, the murders predicted on the first one took place. The first tape was never aired, it was designed to convince the staff of Sakura TV that Kira was the sender. They are the only ones who saw it."
"But I don't get it," Matsuda said. "Deaths being predicted three days in advance actually happening? I'd say that's pretty convincing."
"We were convinced it was Kira," L assured him.
"Then what changed?" Yagami leaned forward in his seat, brow furrowed.
"Ryu and I watched the video, and that was what made us start thinking about the possibility of this Kira being a fake," I explained. "The ones that were killed were 'criminals' but I'm going to use the term loosely, considering who Kira typically targets. And it wasn't just their minor crimes that were strange... TV celebrities caught with drugs seems more fit for a shitty woman's magazine to gripe about."
"I actually checked," L put in, cutting another piece of cake for himself. There was frosting on the corner of his mouth. "As of April 13th, the only television coverage it had received was on daytime tabloid shows. Doesn't that strike you as strange? Sakura TV air tabloid show stories all the time, so it probably didn't seem suspicious to them. But I'd say these victims are clearly unlike the rest."
"And it's not just the ones he killed in that first tape. This time around, Kira decided to kill reporters," I said. "Sure, they spoke out against him at times on TV, but that's hardly damnable is it? They never killed anyone, raped, maimed, stole, nothing. They were, for the most part, innocent. Now we know that Kira's killed innocents before—what with the FBI agent—but that was because he believe they were hot on his tail. Him killing news casters suddenly like this... it seemed terribly out of character for him."
"The real Kira has absolutely no need to prove himself with such small fry," L said. "He wouldn't even think of it. It would be much more his style to hold off killing one or two of his usual hard-core victims until the appointed time. That would be convincing. But if a Second Kira wanted to make people think he was the real Kira, he couldn't use a criminal that the real Kira might actually eliminate before the Sakura people saw his video."
"If he gave advance notice to a serious criminal's death, the real Kira might get him first," I continued, tapping my foot lightly to the beat of the song that pumped into my right ear. "That would screw up the time and date he predicted and then even Sakura TV wouldn't believe him."
"Well, maybe he deliberately used victims TV people would know," Matsuda suggested. "Ugh, I guess that's pushing it." He placed a hand on his chin.
"Yeah, but we surely can't just say there's a Second Kira just from that," Aizawa pointed out.
"Ryuzaki... Nina..." Yagami looked between us. "What's the probability of there being a Second Kira?"
L and I exchanged a look.
"Sixty-nine?" I wriggled my eyebrows at him.
L did not look amused. He took another bite of cake. "This time, I'd say seventy percent."
"Mine's still funnier." My grin was ear-reaching.
Regardless of our banter, the officers were clearly surprised by the number L dropped. All of them were wide-eyed and slack-jawed.
L put his fork down and his expression turned into a glower. He looked somewhere between disgusted and annoyed.
"I don't like his style," he muttered. "It's not like Kira at all..."
"What do you mean?" Aizawa probed.
"Well..." I said, folding hands behind my head and leaning back in my seat. "To put it lightly, this move was sloppy. Think about how Kira has acted up to this point: only taking the most horrific criminals, using some to send messages to L. In a sense, there was a level of elegance to all of it—a sense of..." I shrugged and cast a grin toward L. "Moriarty."
"Moriarty?" Yagami echoed.
"Sherlock Holmes, a series of tales written by Britain's Sir Arthur Conan Doyle," L explained. "Moriarty was his arch nemesis, so to speak. The only villain that posed a legitimate challenge to Holmes' intellect."
"Moriarty was also arrogant," I said. "He tended to do things in such a way that Sherlock was always able to tell it could only be him, because only he was that clever—aside from Sherlock himself of course. My point is, think about the quality of that video. The voice distorter. Not very fancy, right? And they relied on a station like Sakura TV to broadcast their tapes. Once again, we find that this is out of character for the Kira we've been facing so far."
"It was clearly recorded on a home camera and that was the microphone they used as well," L went on. "It's easy to tell that when outside sound got on the tape, it was rewound and redone."
"Even people with the basic know-how of computers and editing know that with a video like this, it's best to record the audio separate and splice it with the video. That way you can use a decent mic and there's no need to do so many cuts," I said.
L shook his head, eyes lidded with irritation. "It's all just so amateurish."
I sat forward again, folding my hands together. "And then there's the whole shtick using a news network to broadcast these tapes and use police chiefs as bargaining chips..."
L nodded. "It was obvious that doing things like that would arouse public hostility against him. Plus, as Nina pointed out, so far, aside from people who were after him, Kira avoided attacking innocent people. And yet those TV announcers that were killed were innocent victims... If I were Kira, I'd be furious."
The detective took up his cup of coffee again and took a long drink from it. He truly was annoyed. I could read it in his body language—the stiffness of his shoulders, the glint in his eyes. His toes had been curled tightly around the edge of the couch cushion ever since he started talking about how this likely fake Kira differed from the real one.
"Kira's method thus far has been to make his views gradually penetrate and change society," L said as he set the cup back down. "His aim is not a dictatorship based on fear."
Aizawa pulled up a small packet with a scrap of envelope in it. "So maybe these fingerprints are actually..." he began, eyes widening.
"Fingerprints?" Yagami prompted.
"The lab found fingerprints on the postage stamps that didn't belong to Sakura staff," Aizawa said.
"We thought there was no way Kira would leave prints," Matsuda added.
"So we though he made someone else handle his stuff." Aizawa looked up and around at all of us. "But maybe..."
"Hmm." L reached over and took the small zip-lock bag. "I'd say it's possible the fingerprints belong to the Second Kira. It would be wiser to leave no fingerprints at all, but... if there is a Second Kira out there, he's far less intelligent and methodical than the real one. It could be he didn't think about the videos and packaging being seized by the police."
"Rookie mistake," I sighed, shaking my head.
L held the bag up, examining the fingerprints. "We could restrict our search to Japan, but even if we did that, it's no small task getting the prints of everyone in the country." He frowned. "We'll have to catch him first then compare. It's odd though..."
"What?" Matsuda asked.
"These fingerprints are so small," L murmured. "Nina, look, will you?"
I leaned over and peered at the fingerprints that were visible on the envelope's paper. I closed one eye and held up my thumb to compare. "Huh. Yeah. They're a touch smaller than mine even. Kid maybe?"
"Or a woman even smaller than you," L said.
"It tallies with what my son told you two at the hospital," Yagami pointed out. "About Kira being an affluent child."
L's eye snapped over to meet the Chief's. Their dark depths gleamed. He set the baggy down again. "Whether it is Kira or the Second Kira, perhaps your son is right," he said. "In any case. Nina and I discussed it further on the assumption that there is a Second Kira. And even if they don't kill the same way, if we capture one it could help us find the other."
It was true we talked about this, but I had to watch my tongue the entire time. We had yet to get on messenger and we'd barely had time to breathe since coming back from the hospital. Others of the task force were around or we were too absorbed in reviewing the tapes. L and I both knew that if we put anything for the case that seemed like an immediate need off, Nox would get suspicious. So naturally, I couldn't talk to L about the fact that this Second Kira had Shinigami Eyes. Or how there were now three Death Notes in our world, two of which were in the hands of psychopaths.
I thought again of how I too had the option to have Shinigami Eyes. It would give me the ability to pick out both Kira and the Second Kira out of a crowd with ease. I could help end this bloodbath once and for all, given a little self sacrifice.
But Nox had always been right... this wasn't just about my soul. It wasn't just about the potential of being damned to purgatory. Taking the Eyes, using the Death Note in any way... it felt like cheating. It was cheating. I already had extra knowledge on this case—I knew the cause. Using the notebook was so quick and simple... and then what? Back to more dull and drab cases of theft and small-time murder? Of missing people and things? Petty complaints of the wealthy?
What if L didn't want to spend time with me after this case after all? What if this was it, and once it was over I'd no longer be able to spend time with him?
There were so many things to consider. So. Many.
That never-ending siren's call of a challenge was something I could never refuse and I wasn't about to give myself any more advantages than I already had. Perhaps it made me a terrible person—as bad a Kira—for allowing him to thrive in this world when I potentially had the key to stopping him in an instant. But I was selfish. I was a fool.
"It is our estimation that the real Kira is the smarter of the two," L went on, snapping me out of my inner turmoil. "And if I were him... I would try to find the Second Kira before the police do. I would gauge whether he sympathized with me, and if he did, I would make full use of him. Then ultimately, before the police closed in, I'd eliminate him."
"Basically, the race is on," I said. "Who can catch Second Kira first? Us or the real Kira? Regardless..." A wide smile stretched my lips. "It gives us an opportunity to catch Kira."
"So... both of you really feel this way?" Yagami asked. "That there is a Second Kira?"
"It's like we've been saying," I said, my arms going back up to cross behind my head as I stretched out, "this Kira imposter did everything completely out of character from the one we've been chasing. I think the thing that cinches it for me is using Sakura TV of all the news stations... I mean why rely on them to present something so lackluster?"
"Lackluster?" Aizawa exclaimed. "Ukita is dead. So are two other officers and several news casters. We're calling that lackluster?"
His words hit like a physical blow. I lowered my arms and cradled my head in my hands, elbows propped on my knees. "I'm not saying it like that. Please don't try and twist up my words." I glanced up at him, my voice soft. "We all feel Uki's death, Aizawa. We're all pissed."
Aizawa adverted from my gaze. "Sorry. I... didn't mean to snap. I just... this is a lot to take in. Wasn't one Kira enough?"
"I know," I said, raising my head again and letting out a heavy exhale.
Aizawa had been a bit more polite to me since Ukita died. When he first arrived today, he'd shot me a wary look and said, "Look. What you did for Ukita... just... you risked a lot. I know he would have appreciated it."
I think it was safe to say the relationship between Aizawa and me was on the mend. About time. I was getting sick of his piss poor attitude.
"Chief Yagami," L said, gracefully changing the subject. "Would it be all right with you if I ask your son to work with us when he has the time?"
Yagami's brows shot up. "Can I take that to mean he's been cleared 100 percent of suspicion?"
"Sorry, not exactly," I said. "Regardless if Light is Kira or not, he has pretty damn good reasoning abilities. We think he'd be a good asset in helping us catch the Second Kira."
Yagami bowed his head. "Well if my son says yes, I have no reason to stop him."
"We don't mind either," Matsuda put in.
"I'm pretty sure your son's sense of justice will lead him to agree," L said. "However... please keep it a secret from him that this Kira might be a fake. I want him to think he'd helping us track the same Kira we've been hunting all along."
"But..." Matsuda frowned. "Wouldn't that make it difficult for him to help us?"
"Yeah, why even ask for his help?" Aizawa agreed.
"We'll only keep it from him until he's watched the first video and given us his opinion," I explained. "After watching it, there's a chance he'll come to the same conclusion as us- that there's a Second Kira. We want to see his reaction to seeing all of our evidence and the tape."
"But this 'Second Kira' theory you two have is just because you think the victims were types of criminals that Kira hasn't touched, right?" Matsuda tilted his head.
"It's more than that," L said. He picked up the tape in question and placed it on the table. "Before now, Kira has needed a name and a face to kill. But when cops showed up at Sakura TV, they just died instantly. And this Kira seemed fairly certain he could kill me just from me showing my face on TV."
Him just saying those words shot ice into my spine. I bit my tongue, trying not to stiffen up too much. L still cast me a small glance before continuing.
"Given this, we can only conclude that this Kira can kill with a face alone," the detective said. "This is different from the Kira we've been chasing."
"What if our information was wrong, or Kira's powers changed?" Aizawa asked.
"Then what's stopping him from taking out major criminals whose names he hasn't been able to find out?" I countered.
Aizawa sighed heavily, hanging his head.
"After getting updated on our investigation and seeing the tape, if Light deduces that there could be a Second Kira..." L said as he poured himself yet another cup of coffee. "The suspicion Nina and I hold against him will be mostly cleared."
"What do you mean, Ryuzaki?" Yagami demanded, eyes wide with both hope and dread.
"Kira would want L dead no matter what," L explained. "That's obvious from the Lind L. Tailor incident. If I go before a TV and die in three days, then the number of possible suspects will spread throughout the world. I don't see why Kira would want to spoil such a perfect opportunity."
"Either way, it may not change the fact that you die," Aizawa pointed out. "Why would merely suggesting a Second Kira clear him of suspicion?"
"Stop." The word was out of my mouth so fast, I didn't register it was spoke aloud and not just a mere thought. Everyone looked to me.
"What's wrong, Nina?" Matsuda asked.
"You guys all talking like Ryu is going to die," I spat, tension building in my body. I was sitting bolt upright, my hands gripping my knees. "Even you're talking like it!" I shot L a venomous glare. "There's no way that's going to happen, we simply can't let it."
"We're going to do everything we can to avoid it, of course, Nina," Yagami said, his voice low and calm. He was trying to soothe me. "I'm sure everyone, even Ryuzaki, is just speaking hypothetically right now."
Something was roaring within me. A storm of some kind, but it wasn't one birthed from clouds, nor did it breathe with lightning and thunder. No, this was fire. Flames that spat and crackled and hissed. They coiled my core, making my hands shake.
"Even if it is, you all talk about it so lightly," I whispered. My eyes shot up, glaring at each of the officers in turn. "He's just a tool to you, someone to fix your problems. Would you even care about him if he wasn't heading this case? Would you care if he died if he was just some passerby?"
"Nina!" Matsuda cried. "Of course we would! Anyone here can see that Ryuzaki is a phenomenal human being—not just because of how smart he is, but for him constantly putting himself out there to save lives and solve crimes. He helps people all the time! Anyone would be devastated to see him die."
"Not the world leaders," I barked. "Not the rest of the whole stupid world when they saw that tape."
"We're just as upset as you are about that," Yagami insisted. "Nina, please, you must see that we're a team. A unit."
"Then stop talking about Ryu's life like it's just some variable in a math problem!" I shouted.
"Nina."
L's voice seemed to douse the flames a bit. I turned to see his hand was on my shoulder, and his dark gaze was fixated on me.
"Now is not the time for letting our feelings take control," he murmured softly. "I know that my life isn't something to just be thrown away. I already said I didn't want to die, remember? I do appreciate the sentiment, but let's just figure out what our next move is for now."
I knew what our next move had to be. I'd known it the moment that tape demanded L show himself on TV. However, I couldn't propose it to him until after we talked on messenger—until after I explained everything. Perhaps if I just kept that in mind, I could get through this. Letting out a long exhale I slumped back in my seat and closed my eyes.
"Sorry, guys, I didn't sleep save when I was drugged up on pain meds," I murmured. "I swear I'm still the happy-go-lucky twerp you've come to know, I just... after Uki..."
"I get it," Aizawa said. "And don't worry. We'll find a way to make sure Ryuzaki doesn't get killed."
I opened my eyes to see him smiling lightly at me. The expression alone made me smile back. Aizawa was actually being kind to me. Not just civil or polite, downright nice. It was enough to simmer the fire inside me to mere burning coals.
"Well, well, well," Nox said from the corner of the room. "So you really have fallen for your little detective friend."
I cast a look toward the Shinigami. He was grinning that ear-to-ear grin at me, the one that showcased his shark teeth. He'd been very quiet for the past few hours. He did show some interest when L and I initially discussed a Second Kira.
"Now wouldn't that just be a blast," he'd said with a laugh. "Three Death Notes—three Shinigami... how oh how has the Shinigami King not thrown a fit by now?"
His reaction told me that if there was a third god of death in the human world, he wasn't aware of it. But it was certainly possible.
"Careful, Jack," Nox warned me now, leering at me from across the room. "Emotions are a tricky thing. Keep this up and you might just use that notebook I gave you..."
I had no other choice but to ignore him. I refocused on the rest of the group and said, "Right so... back to the task at hand..."
L still had his hand on my shoulder. It was warm and comforting. He stared at me for a moment longer, his eyes gauging if I was truly over my outburst before he gently removed his grip on me.
There was something different in his expression as he looked away. Something I don't think I'd ever seen before. It was akin to conflict, but at the same time... was there color rising in his cheeks? His complexion was typically so ashen, I couldn't help but notice. A blush? Lord knew I was blushing—embarrassment was quite high on my emotional spectrum at the moment after my little episode—but for L to be embarrassed...
I looked away, turning my attention back to the officers. It had to have been a trick of the light. Or I was so stressed at the moment my eyes were playing tricks on me. They tended to do that. Either way, despite the rather sloppy execution, I meant what I said. L's life wasn't something to be tossed aside or spoken about so lightly. We had to come up with a way to ensure this Second Kira didn't get his way. And once I finally talked to L on our IM, I was certain he'd see the necessity in my plan.
Because if we couldn't figure out a way to get out of showing L on live TV, it couldn't be him that stepped in front of those cameras.
It had to be me.