xXFallen-Angel-Of-DarknessXx: If you like this story, you might enjoy Collide too. :)
Fiare: I'm glad you agree. I was quite pleased on the way I first wrote Kira-Light! It's only going to get scarier the worse Kira-Light becomes, including Ryuk being the creepy twisted troll that he is.
There's something more to develop with that device Sim Mari has. She may not discover something new until maybe two or three more chapters later though.
Since I started writing this during the month of Halloween, I figured I'd get my thrills and chills through writing another chapter of this story.
One final thing: in case any fans/readers of Collide hadn't figured it out already, about my Sim, AKA simulation of myself (something FreeWeirdGal had asked about), she's the same personality wise and background wise. The same would go for all other main characters. The point in time and circumstances are different!
Chapter Two
- You never thought I'd get this far beneath your skin. –
Marianne let go of the device onto the mattress she sat on. All the panicky and angry thoughts into the text that appeared on the blue screen, as soon as they came to her mind, were gone. The screen had gone black, as if it had been turned off the moment she moved her hands away. As she kept both eyes on it, the technology from the "god" or whatever it was that magically placed her on the floor by Light Yagami's bed, she waited for it to answer all her demanding questions. With a quiet and frantic desperation, she waited while she tried to regulate her breathing.
What felt like a few seconds had passed. Nothing happened. "Please," she heard herself whispering. She didn't know what else to do but plea to the one who abducted her. Maybe the being is trying to think of a way to explain.
She didn't know anything about this more mysterious captor of an even higher power than Shinigami and their scary notebooks; what it was, what gender it was, where it came from, or what the hell inspired it to do this to her. She didn't know why she was here, or why it had to be DEATH NOTE. Of all fandoms, why did this one have to be real?! If it had to be a very violently dark manga or anime, then why couldn't it have picked Darker Than Black?! One of the most remorseless and dangerous killers in that was essentially a Chinese Electric Batman, and he actually GAVE a damn about innocent people! Hei wasn't a cold and cunning hypocrite, or sociopath! Hei wouldn't have really threatened to kill her, or make her a hostage! He even had this awesome talking black cat for a partner in crime named Mao, who could hack into any computer. There was also the other one-a cute blind girl, Yin, who said little but could send out a surveillance specter by dipping a hand or foot into water... Oh, and there was no forgetting about the Gloomy Gus who often smoked and drank his sorrows away.
That fandom was her most favorite. Those characters would have offered more than just a tiny shred of mercy for her. It could have been a not-so-bad experience then, an adventure even. Everything would seem more tolerable if she discovered that fandom was for real-but noooo! She had to get tackled, pinned, and have her hair pulled by an insane rich kid who wanted to play God. She just had to wake up in a bedroom where that serial killer was sleeping.
She thought Light was going to yank her curls out by their roots! Damn, that hurt...
During those horrifying and on-stretching seconds, she knew that he almost decided to murder her. Yet, he didn't, because he realized she had been right. They both knew that killing without a Death Note would be really messy. Killing by knife, gun, or any other typical way for somebody to commit murder left behind evidence—either a little or a lot. Not that all of it would be cleaned up, because there would always be something for the detectives and forensic experts to find. (It would be typical for someone as clever as Light Yagami, who knew very well how the law worked, to know this. Anyone who watched a bit of prime time TV shows about cops like Marianne used to would know this too.) In using whatever type of evidence the police could get their hands on, it would trail back to Light Yagami if he had chosen to let his bad temper take over and have her die a horrible death.
Murder in Marianne's strong opinion was messy no matter how clean Light would make it look. There was also a weight that came with knowing you have taken someone's life away. Murder was a grisly and very risky business to take part in. Marianne knew she wouldn't have the guts to actually kill someone, a real living person. The concept of suicide scared her too. She'd even feel unhappy if she were riding in the car with someone when he or she happened to hit an animal in the middle of the road. Killing animals wasn't something she could bring herself to do either. Life was just too precious. There was also so much more to being alive than being dead. For herself, she would very much like to stay that way.
Provoking him or scaring Light to stall so she make room for any escape route that led to the outcome of staying alive had been a careless and near fatal mistake. It had been way too close of a call! Marianne honestly didn't want to have to go through another situation in which Light used pain and threats to make her talk. This wasn't anything like watching TV or reading a book. Being in what was a fictional world was something very different, and she would have to start taking Kira-Warden and their surroundings much more seriously. Otherwise, she would most definitely get herself killed.
Why did this Creep from Beyond have to pick on her, anyway? (Maybe that's what she should start calling the all-powerful creature who was doing practically SQUAT to help her out. That's what it really was to her, a creep.) Did she do something wrong? Did she do anything in particular to direct attention towards it...? No, that can't be it. NONE of this is my fault! How could it be?! I didn't hurt anybody, or anger anybody before this! Not that I know of!
What did the Creep from Beyond have to prove anyway by having her know that Light, the nasty murder notebook of supernaturally evil power, and all else she knew about the Death Note manga and anime was real? Was she some insane supernatural being's plaything now, similar to how Ryuk would soon see Light, AKA Kira, as a source of entertainment?! (What about the live-action movies she originally planned on watching after the anime all the way through? Was there some sort of equivalent from them somewhere in this, apart from her greatest misfortune of meeting Light as a very real and irate looking seventeen year old Japanese boy?)
Did the creep who let that horrifying encounter happen ALSO see Light as entertainment?! Was Light thinking about that right now?
The amount of questions without answers felt like this overwhelming pile of terror on the inside. Her brain at the same time hadn't stopped scrambling to find a way out of this dangerous trap of an arrangement Light had ensnared her in. Just as the jumbled up questions were restlessly making her feel so afraid, Marianne found herself unable to not think about how much it would bother her in having to deal with it all. She knew staying around Kira-Warden wasn't going to be any fun! She knew HE knew that he would keep writing the names of criminals while she'd have to stand by and do NOTHING ABOUT IT! The guilt and fear would be such a heavy burden for her.
The mystical sadist arranged for Light to give the device to her still wasn't sending anything back; no explanations, no taunts, no laughter. Nothing. (It had to be a sadist. Why else would her alien abductor allow Light to find her with the Death Note?!)
"Please..." The repeat of her innocent little plea had come out as a whimper. She didn't even try to hold back her tears and sobs as she felt her chest and throat tightening in terror once more. Her heart sped up and throbbed so hard inside its ribcage-as if it knew too well about how it could come to a complete stop if Marianne's real name was ever found out. It would be so obvious. Light would write it down into that nasty evil black notebook he had taken back for himself. He would do it at a time of his choosing, without having to think about it. (No, no, no-no-no she could NEVER let that happen!)
Panic swept over her so fast. Her mind screamed, I should have blocked the door! I SHOULD HAVE BLOCKED THE DOOR! I SHOULD HAVE BLOCKED THE DOOR!
Of all that slow and silent movement, of telling herself to not even breathe much, and to be very, very quiet to get the Death Note out of the drawer, slowly slide it closed, and ever so quietly turn the lock to the handle on the door and close it behind her did nothing. All those accomplished actions were in vain, because she didn't give herself any extra time to BLOCK his damn DOOR!
Marianne had failed. She had horribly, horribly failed.
Biggest mistake of my life! BIGGEST, MOST STUPIDEST MISTAKE OF MY LIFE! Is that how it's going to be?! Will he forever LAUGH at me for making it?!
Marianne's own paranoia from before, of waking Light up and what would have happened next had come true. The consequences she was facing would lead to her undoing, and she knew it! In the long run, once Light had pressed and threatened to get everything he'd want to know out of her, he would come up with the plan to kill her! He would do it somewhere unseen, and make her disappear forever. He'd dispose of her body somewhere, and then tell his family the most sensible heart-wrenching story to cover it up!
She wouldn't see her family and friends back in her world again. No one but that heartless and vicious kid would know of her demise. She would die due to not being careful enough, in tow with her lack of knowledge as to where the Yagami family kept something so simple and common as a box of matches.
The grim reality of her shitty situation was so painful, scary, and despairing that she didn't want to accept it. NO! She couldn't let Light DO THIS TO HER!
Oh God I don't want to be here. God, please. I can't be here! You know that! I need to go HOME! I DON'T WANT TO BE HERE! I DON'T WANT TO BE HERE! I DON'T WANT TO BE HERE!
Her heart was beating so fast and hard against her chest, and it was getting harder for her to breathe. As Marianne swore she could hear herself inwardly screaming earlier, she all of a sudden couldn't hear that anymore as she started to feel herself almost gasping for each breath. She was drowning in her own fear, in knowing that everything was going so wrong, and so fast. She could feel her the horror of her own life ending trying to suffocate her. Her ceaseless inner voice of terror synchronized with each sharp breath she took.
I. Don't. Want. To. Die. I. Have. A life. A home. I. Can't. Die. Need. Mom. Need. Dad. Can't. Die. CAN'T. DIE!
Just as she was beginning to hyperventilate, she saw him standing in the doorway to the room he had left her in; Light Yagami. Kira-Warden, the serial killer of warped justice.
Marianne's felt her breath get caught in her throat as she felt herself trembling uncontrollably. Through the glow of the moonlight coming in through the one window, she could see his irritated expression. A part of her so badly wanted to escape, but she sure as hell couldn't. Light was blocking the only way out for the moment—unless she wanted to try and open up the window. No, that wouldn't work! He'd grab or tackle her VERY fast, before she could even succeed in figuring how to get it open. He'd start pulling her hair and sound so menacing again.
She couldn't stop her body from shaking as she could recall everything that had happened between them up to the point he had left her to figure out the weird texting device.
He heard me. He must have heard my heavy breathing, or something. He knows I'm so scared. Shit, I'm probably going to die right now...
She wondered for a split second if she could fight past him-but no, she had already tried that when she had attempted to burn the damn Death Note! She couldn't fight him at all. What in this world did he eat? It couldn't possibly be a bowl of Wheaties! It had to be more than that, right? Did he ever get a chance to work out in between being at school and being at home? He had used his own weight to pin her to the floor, so he definitely wasn't light-weight. Of course, he had a really firm grip of her hair too. Bastard.
Light's death glare lessened as he walked in.
Marianne's mind, once more, began to scramble and stumble to find a way to stay alive. He wants information. He demands to know how I know what he knows. If I prolong that, maybe I'll have enough time to escape. Long enough for L, or his dad-SOMEBODY to help me get away from him! But if I'm to tell Light anything to keep living...
She gathered all the willpower she had, and held onto it. No matter what, she shouldn't run from him, for she knew that wasn't a good option. She stayed where she was, trembling so badly on the bed as she watched him walk over.
"Calm down," he told her. "I'm not going to hurt you." The calm in his voice was low, and she could detect the bit of razor sharp edge to it as he sat down beside her. Marianne was certain that tone of voice carried an unsaid, Not yet, or Not unless I have to.
She told herself to just breathe for a moment or two, before speaking. At this rate I'll definitely die, possibly in under a week.
If she didn't say anything to prevent that, then Light would feel pressured to kill her in that amount of time. "L-Look," she whispered. The tears still came, but she ignored them right now. "Understand. I-If you constantly threaten t-to kill me, there will be this... knee-jerk reaction. From me." This meant that if he tried to rush her or push her, then she would push back to defend herself.
"As long as you don't make this harder than it already is," Light reasoned, "then it won't come down to that." His brown eyes bored into hers as he still looked somewhat aggravated with her.
She could feel herself glaring at him a little in return. She couldn't help but feel so mad at Light. He was someone who'd kill everyone in his own family, even his father, to save his own skin if he had to—because he's KIRA! In fact, he was going to tell a story to his family just so he could keep her around. He lied to them behind their backs, constantly! How could Marianne ever trust him? How could she even tolerate being around someone like that? She couldn't stand him already as she felt differently toward his parents and younger sister.
Soichiro, to what she knew about him, was awesome and badass for two particular reasons. The first involved sometime in the not too distant future from now, when Misa was killing people at the Sakura TV station. Soichiro Yagami drove into the building in a van, after checking himself out of the hospital, just to get those tapes she made to broadcast all over Japan. He had a close call from a heart attack (a natural one, not from Light). The second reason was how he pulled it off to act crazily determined to kill Light then himself at a secluded spot in a car for a fake execution.
In reality, Marianne knew no father ever wanted to be put through that, or even have a mass murderer for a son!
As for the rest of Light's family... Sayu was just an innocent young girl who looked up to him. He did have a soft spot for her, but who was to say Marianne being here would change that?! At this time she was, what, in middle school? Sayu would be a much younger kid than him! If it ever came down to her finding out just what her older brother did in his spare time, would he write her name down into the Death Note?
His mom, Sachiko, was a normal and loving mother. Just like Sayu, she was completely innocent—and unaware about the horrible person her son was becoming. There wasn't a whole lot in the manga or anime mentioned about her, but that didn't matter much to Marianne anymore. Sachiko existed as a real person. That mattered so much more.
The fandom she enjoyed as only that has now become her worst nightmare, and possibly her own personal hell to boot! Light's family were very nice people—but it wasn't like he was going to let her rat him out to any of them!
Already, she felt so sorry for Soichiro, Sachiko, and Sayu. Marianne knew; trying to tell them of how terrible, selfish, and disrespectful Light was would be futile. Even if she managed to convince any of them, she would only cause him to hurry up to find some way to murder them all, and get away with it.
With all this rushing to mind, she felt some more anger returning. She was able to speak a little above a whisper. Her voice steadied along with her body. She wasn't trembling so much and shaking like a leaf on a branch in the blowing wind then. All the sharp and bitter resentment she felt toward the asshole was crafted into the words she spoke. The emotional levels of resentment spiked into key words along the wavy lines of her fear and anger. "The same to you. I know you'll find a way to get rid of me one day, with lots thinking and plotting involved. But if you keep reminding me of my borrowed time, that won't help anyone."
"You know the way I think, too..." His watchful gaze became a little more wary and observant than before. "Of course you do." He was dissecting her one piece at a time in his mind, and then filing away any information he'd view as valuable into his memory.
Those cold steel words, and the way he looked at her when he said that made her tense up a little. Shit. Maybe I shouldn't have said that. "That's right." Marianne stopped and stilled her tongue right there. She held her glare and stopped herself from saying anything along the lines of, And that's why I'm not someone you could really control. I'd likely be able to tell whenever you'll try to pull a nasty, sneaky trick on me. That would only tick him off.
At least he would know and understand she couldn't be treated like a pawn, at least not so easily. She also remembered him telling her she was a nuisance and a danger towards him. By now, he would come to realize why. Marianne knew he wasn't being happy about having a hostage who knew how his mind worked. She'd be able to see through the outer mask he'd try to slip on to fool her. All the visual illusions he'd attempt to set up? Marianne would be able to know they were just that, and only that.
From the current expression Kira gave her, she knew she was indeed a hazard to his plans of world domination. Marianne was one hell of an obstacle to deal with. Anyone he'd see as an obstacle eventually died. Dying by his hand was something she'd rather avoid at all costs.
"To be fair, I'll tell you how I know what I know, just to get it out of the way. A little less interrogation, stress, and shit for the both of us." You'll understand me more when I tell you why I'd rather not be here, stuck with you.
As Marianne continued to glower at him in so much resentment, Light on the other hand seemed to be half agitated and half interested. He kept his undivided attention on her, and waited for her to continue.
She wiped away her tears. "First, I'll say this. I come from a parallel reality, a world very similar to this one-but without death gods and Death Notes. They're not real, as the way they are here. The people there are the same way, as well as crime, and politics. All major locations and cultures in my Earth are the same as this one. The same holidays, too."
"Our worlds are almost identical... I already assumed that. You look and sound American. I'm assuming you must be from the United States in your world." Light frowned, not looking very interested to hear about such information. "However, none of that explains how you know who I am, about my family, and how the notebook works."
I'm about to get to that part, Kira. "How I know about that in mine is this; you, your family, the Shinigami, and Death Notes are represented in a fictional story there. It's a manga and anime titled 'Death Note'. There's some live-action films too."
Her captor lowered his head, acknowledging this information. "I'm a popular story character, then?" He looked directly back at her, his eyes making laser-like contact with hers, attempting to dissect her further, almost through her. It was intimidating, causing Marianne to squirm a little uncomfortably from where she sat. "It's my story, in your world?"
Marianne's gaze of loathing toward him wasn't as focused, or steady. "It's mainly your story, yes. There are other people, your family among them, but you're a central character... There's also the bored rogue Shinigami, named Ryuk, who drops a Death Note. It lands on the front lawn of your high school, Daikoku Private Academy. You notice it, pick it up, and take it home with you. That's how it all starts."
Light's rapt attention never wavered as he pointed out, "Ryuk. You mentioned him before."
"Yeah. He claimed ownership over it, for the purpose of dropping it to the human world. You just happened to notice it drop." She chose not to say that Ryuk stole it from another Shinigami, Sidoh. I might not get to live for that long, anyway, she sulked privately to herself. This sulk she felt lingered and came out through her voice as she added, "I guess we'll both see him for ourselves, eventually... Those who touch that notebook of death will be able to see and hear him."
"Is that right...?" Light asked the question with interest to his tone. He slowly blinked his eyes once, and a small smile emerged. Was that his ego inflating, or did he find Marianne setting herself up to be known to Ryuk funny?
From the way he paused and looked at Marianne, she shuddered a bit. I know what he's going to say next. So creepy...
"So, from the point I pick up the notebook up to right about now—apart from your sudden appearance—it's happened just as you read and watched it?"
"Just about," Marianne glowered.
She was refusing to let him disturb or scare her further. She'd rather be angry. Anger would fuel her to take action, or say something to get him not to scare her too much. She preferred anger over fear, because she refused to let herself cower, cave into herself, and act like a faithful servant, or Kira worshipper. Marianne was also so against acting like his girlfriend. No, she just would not turn into a similar version of the dumb and obnoxious blonde model of a girl who'd fall head over heels for him in the near future—Misa Amane.
Marianne never really liked her as a character in the fandom, when it used to be just that. Misa, in the manga and anime, became an overall sorry excuse for a young woman once she received a Death Note of her own. She lacked the brains to do as little as even suspect that Light would be using her for his own gain. Instead, Misa hoped he'd love her. She accepted and adored Light when he acted like he loved her. Of course, he never really did, or would in this reality. Misa would be seen as just a tool, a weapon of mass destruction. She would be useful to him for two main things; her Shinigami sight when she willingly made a pact with her Shinigami guardian, and her blind devotion to serve his cause as the Second Kira.
The only thing that was ever any good about that gothic bimbo Barbie was her Shinigami guardian, Rem. In Marianne's view point, she was awesome. Her overall desire to fully support and protect her led to her very sad end. Rem sacrificed herself to save Misa, no thanks to the awful plotting of the damn original Kira. She was also unlike most of the other Shinigami. Unlike Ryuk and most of the others up in their barren desert of a world above, Rem held a general respect towards humans, even though she had to write their names down to keep extending her own life-span.
Marianne knew all about Misa and Rem too well. It was common knowledge for anybody else who got into the Death Note series. She didn't have to think over anything. Acting like an idiot blind to the fact that she would only be used as a tool just wasn't the way to go, not for her. That would be degrading, pathetic, and foolish. She'd hate herself so damn much if she ever sunk that low! It wasn't any better than the outcome she let her alien abductor know about; becoming someone with a mental disorder similar to the Stockholm Syndrome around Light.
"I'm not sure if everything you explained is true, yet you have been honest on some obvious details. You recognized me for who I was the moment I found you." Light paused to glare at her coldly before he continued picking at her for answers. He wasn't hiding it at all that it thoroughly irritated him to know she knew him as well as the back of her hand.
Marianne could see and feel the suspicion coming from Light. There was no mistaking it, from the way his eyes looked at her.
"The story you know is obviously very memorable to you. You know all too well about me, and about the notebook. You know this Ryuk well enough-but you could be lying about some of this."
"There's the option of confirming some of those things with him," Marianne pointed out. Similar to Light, she didn't hide the agitation she felt towards him. The way she looked and spoke to him she was absolutely deliberate about; she resented, feared, and despised him. She knew she always would as long as she remained under his watch. "Ryuk won't have much to hide. I have no reason to lie about him, or anything else I've gone over. Not that I could hide it very well... I actually prefer not to meet Creepy Clown Face, but I know there's just no avoiding it." He'd find me hilarious. He'd troll me and creep the shit out of me at his own leisure.
Hell no, she was not looking forward to meeting that reaper creeper. There was nothing but complete loathing and hate about being sent to this alternate reality. She knew she was going to hate having to be around Ryuk and Light, Light in particular who could sleep soundly while the body count of criminals would continue to rise. As for Ryuk, she knew he loved chaos, violence, and death. He found it all of that to be FUN! He'd go into hysterics and enjoy the show Light would put on for him. He'd get all excited and feel entertained as he'd eat one juicy red apple after another. He'd be so entertained by Marianne too. More unsettling and upsetting conflicts against Light to survive and cling onto her sanity weren't far away. Ryuk would go into hysterics as he'd watch.
Why? Why her? What made the Creep from Beyond notice HER?! Why would it want to cause so much trouble in the first place?!
A trio of wickedness; she was going to feel surrounded by two supernatural beings and a wannabe supernatural being that deserved to be locked away forever in an asylum. The terrible ordeal of what was to come loomed over her. The darkest of storm clouds were heading her way as she covered her face with both hands. What her time being alive would come down to wouldn't be something she'd ever be able to break away from. How was she going to make it through the day or two, let alone a WEEK?!
The realization rushed and shoved itself to settle in Marianne's panicky yammering brain. She was starting to tremble in place again as she found it so hard to deny the miserable and terrifying times she'd have in the company of Kira and his Shinigami spectator-and an some alien monster who might also reveal itself later.
If only this could have been a bad dream to wake up from, then she would have been safe. She would have been back in her bed, in her own room within her Earth, her universe. Then she would have not gone back to sleep while she'd go do something to forget about it all!
There's got to be a way to have this stop, before it gets MUCH WORSE!
As she slowly lowered her hands, her eyes focused on Light again. He looked back-not saying anything. He was just looking at her, studying her. She was an unexpected and unwanted visitor of mystery, and she could feel herself shrinking inward knowing this. On the inside, she felt so small now. She was a complicated new virus under a microscope or something, to Light. That had to be it. She was a type of problem that needed to be carefully examined, picked at, labeled, quarantined, and then safely disposed of before anything would get out from under his control, without leaving any mess behind. He might also want to see what made Marianne tick before her time in captivity would be over.
As they both would progress through that procedure, he would continue his attempt to recreate this world, becoming more and more heartless-more insane-while doing it. Once L stepped up to set that broadcast, with that man who would be scheduled to face the death penalty, the intense battle of wits would start. It would be the most deadliest combination of chess and hide and seek, unseen and unknown to anyone but Light, L, the Kira investigation task force, and Marianne herself.
A gnawing pit opened up in her stomach as Light had an expression toward her she could read as, Aha. I see...
"You never wanted to know about me being real," he said. He sounded like he had received an interesting leak of information about what she thought and felt right now. "You never wanted to find out the Death Note, Ryuk, and myself-this world entirely—exists."
For Light to say so just as she knew what near future horrors awaited-that creeped her out. His words in that instant had cut her so deep. They gave her the ultimate chills as fear and anger meshed together to have Marianne look at the asshole with a fierce hatred. She felt enraged as her words came right out into a hissing whisper that sounded so loud to her. Her furious stream of words slipped out so fast in that knee-jerk reaction she had warned Light about. "No fucking shit, Kira. Are you amused? Do you enjoy watching me shiver, and suffer like this?"
An icy glare broke through his previous thoughtful expression of that self-centered discovery. To go with that, he spoke in a low tone of warning. "No, Mari. I don't. I don't take any delight in watching others suffer. That's not what I'm about, and you know it." His glare and voice intensified a notch. "I stand against that. Those who get pleasure out of that are scum. You know I intend to eliminate people like that. I'm not to be compared with them, or to be antagonized like that. I'll let it slide though, but just this once."
He sounded like he was halfway there to hurting Marianne again, so she didn't respond. She looked away from him. It didn't mean she was going to stop feeling so pissed off at him. She still hated him for the entrapment. She still hated how he had just gotten under her skin. Light wouldn't quit being scary, cruel, and verbally pushy toward her. This arrangement to have her stay where he would see her wasn't going so well right now.
Light wasn't finished in lecturing her, not quite. He calmed himself, just barely, as he continued. "I'm not keeping you here because I want to. We already came to a mutual agreement that you shouldn't be here. You'd rather be back in your world, but apparently your fickle god has other ideas. From the way it has set it for me to give you a strange device it prepared, it makes me wonder if there must be a reason, or purpose as to it brought you here."
She flinched, feeling herself glare so hard. PURPOSE?! No, no! There couldn't be a purpose for her being here, not really! In her own honest opinion, the Creep from Beyond was playing a sick, twisted joke on them! FUCK! I'M SO SCREWED! I'm...
AGAIN, with him calling that thing MY GOD! It came as another swift and heavy blow to her gut. Light almost sounded like he was telling her she ought to WORSHIP IT! She didn't! She felt the exact same way about her supernatural troll that plucked and teleported her inside this house—what could be called as her prison now—the exact same way she would feel towards the other supernatural troll, once he would come down from the Shinigami Realm.
Marianne took in a deep breath, and gained some self control. Snapping at him again would be reckless, and dangerous. Angering Light to the point of him hurting her was something that needed to be avoided. Her death would likely come sometime soon after that.
Her voice sounded like someone was pinching a little at her vocal chords. The tears streamed down from her eyes effortlessly in effect to Light pounding the cold and vile truth to her with his words. "I prefer to call it the Creep from Beyond. Or alien abductor. It doesn't even deserve such a title as god. I would never revere it as that. It may have god-like power, but I'm not its follower."
"No. You're more like its unwilling pawn." Light breathed out a sigh. From there, his mood lowered from dangerously angry to frustrated. "All right. Fine. We'll omit that word to describe it. Whatever makes you feel better... For some reason, it wanted to have you here and find out I'm real. All this..." She glanced at him to see him wave out an arm to indicate this world. "Real. Maybe it also wanted me to find out I'm a character in a manga in your world, through you. Why else would it decide to send you here?" He looked so agitated. "Whether or not more people like you will show up is something else we need to keep in mind."
"F-F-For both our sakes, let's hope not." Marianne shivered. "It's overwhelming enough..." Do you HAVE TO SCARE ME EVEN MORE?! She couldn't let herself think about that! A frightening and flashing vision of a possible scenario included Light's temper erupting and being so threatening towards any other unfortunate soul the alien sadist decided to deliver to him was mentally shoved away the moment it popped up into her brain. No, she didn't want to think about any of that!
Light nodded, and looked to her in cold annoyance. "I agree. One visitor from another dimension is more than enough." The bad mood he gave off sorely reminded Marianne of how terrifying and nasty he really was. Sorely, because her body still ached a little from all the pain he caused her.
The terror she felt was so cold and tight as she looked away from those brown eyes. The chill from looking into the windows of his dark abyss for a corrupted soul a little too long had caused it.
Marianne could hear her moaning thoughts. I can't let him go on like this. It'll get much, much worse overtime. It will get so bad. I won't last long. I might die before L does anything...
"There is so much that needs to be sorted out, including that mysterious device your alien prepared for you, but there's not much to discuss if we're constantly at each other's throats," Light explained. "As I contemplate your innocence, keeping your mouth shut when you must and toning down your attitude is something for you to do. Especially around my family. No foul language around them. I have no idea what kind of family background you came from, but my parents won't approve of that kind of behavior." She heard him lean over, bringing his face closer. He asked the question as a low threat, his voice so close to her ear. "Will you be able to do that?"
"As I said," Marianne whispered. An involuntary shudder came over her as she felt it was getting harder to speak. "I respect your family..." Don't worry Kira; all my angst and complaining is something I'll reserve just for you.
Light resumed to elaborate his own house rules toward her. "I know that you know my father is a police chief, but you're not to speak to him of the Death Note, or my plans for the new world. In fact, I don't trust you to be alone with him, because you'd probably take any chance you'd get to tell him. I don't trust you to be alone with my mother or Sayu either. I doubt they'd ever believe you, but then again, because you already know me so well..."
Marianne's reply came out as a very small and strained whisper. "I won't tell them. Don't kill them. Please." They're hostages too, aren't they? If someone finds out you're Kira, over here... Damn it, I won't go down knowing he'll go after his family too. No, I WON'T let him... Then she sniffled, and still avoided looking at him. All the crying was making her nose run.
"Kill them?" Light paused a second, before he sounded undignified. "No. I wouldn't allow you to say any wrong thing in front of them about me. I love my family. That's why we know we must keep this to ourselves."
"We both know..." She swallowed, her whispers breaking a little at a time. "If you had to... If I didn't cause any mess ups..."
Marianne glanced to Light, whose averted gaze was solemn. His answer was so disheartening. "You're probably right. If I had to choose between them and what I'm meant to do... Well, I don't need to say it, do I? Although I won't do it, unless it's absolutely necessary." Then he looked at her, curious. "You only know them as story characters, yet you worry about their safety very much. I suppose it's not just a story to you anymore..." His mouth twitched to form a faint wintry grin. "I think we can come to an agreement in protecting them."
That look he had unsettled her as she looked away. The fear she felt had robbed her of speech entirely, so she decided to pick up the device. The screen glowed blue—and to her relief, all those printed thoughts she had directed to Creep from Beyond weren't there anymore.
The interest and curiosity from Kira was evident in his voice as she couldn't bring herself to look at him right now. "Did you find out anything interesting on that?"
Marianne processed a thought-speak answer into the phone looking thing. With concentration, she made the text appear as plain text—no italics or bold print. The emphasis wasn't needed right this moment as she showed Light her response. Her careful sentences appeared as she thought them one at a time. "Yes I did. As I hold this thing, we both know what I'm thinking. I don't know why, and I TRIED to get Creep from Beyond to explain what's going on, thinking I could maybe communicate to it like that, but it didn't work."
"I see," came Light's response. He didn't sound very impressed, not that it mattered to her. "Maybe the alien doesn't like that nickname you came up with for it," Light suggested. "Whether or not it does, I think it's safe to assume it doesn't seem to care about you much. It sent you without warning, or a clue. Not even some clothes for you to change in."
She didn't let her mind wander as she enforced her brain to get a grip and do all the communicating for her. Her voice still wasn't coming back yet. "I think it's a sadist. It's probably laughing at us. It probably has the same personality Ryuk does."
A very brief pause came from Light. An accurate assumption told Marianne he didn't know what she was on about. "What do you mean...?"
"Ryuk is a Shinigami who enjoys violence, insanity, and chaos for entertainment. He'd get a kick out of me being so scared of you. Creep from Beyond I'm sure must like the same stuff, and finds us to be hilarious. They're both sickos." Marianne sulked about this, her additional thoughts and feelings leaking out to appear on the screen of the fancy messenger thing she held. "Crazy trolls. Crazy trolls with nothing better to do. Both of them must be bored."
Marianne glanced to Light for a second to see him looking at the white text on blue screen in shock, and then looked up at her, annoyed. "I wonder if they met each other."
As soon as he looked at her, she quickly looked back down at the device she held. The text read, "I wouldn't be surprised if they became best friends..."
She could feel her own body muscles stiffen, realizing that this might be a good time to try and get him to stop being Kira. Maybe she could warn him of what was to come, make him think if world recreation would be really worth it! Would it work, though? Was Light Yagami still in there, or had the kid who wanted to follow in Soichiro's footsteps for a career become just a mask to fool mostly anybody?
"I really have to ask; are you sure this is the way you want to go?" Marianne could feel her hands grip firmer around the texting gadget. She proceeded to send forth more emphasis the way she would type it up towards a friend on an instant messenger. "I'm not trying to interfere. I know that will push you to kill me faster, but there's something you have to understand... Ryuk is going to tell you that he will write your name down when he shows up. You, writing into the Death Note to rid the world of all evil and bad people, it's a death trap. Once he gets bored later, he will write your name down."
She stopped there, and hoped that would make Light wake up and see what he was doing was so very wrong. She reached him once! She got his attention before, so that was a little hope to cling onto.
In looking to Light, she saw a bit of her own terror being reflected into him. It was as if she could use the telepathic text in the machine to mirror their emotions.
That look flickered and soon went away as he sounded so calm. "Maybe the good I'll do for the new world will have him realize I can't die."
This, of course, had upset Marianne. She desperately resorted to capitalizing her words. "NO! That's NOT what I mean! Remember what I said earlier, about destroying yourself? I MEANT THAT! The MORE you use the Death Note to kill criminals and anyone who gets in your way, the crazier you'll become! It's a downward spiral waiting to HAPPEN unless you choose to STOP!"
"If it's at the cost of my own sanity, I will continue to wipe up the vermin that pollutes human society," he told her. He sounded so firm on this it was worrisome for Marianne. "As much as this terrifies and troubles you, I assure you; this world is not going to miss those people once they are gone. You don't even belong here. Why would you worry so much about me?" His tone was both sardonic and bitter. "Earlier you said you couldn't stand the fact I exist."
When she could feel one of his hands on her shoulder, she jumped to her feet. She moved off of the bed so fast she stumbled and landed on her knees. Marianne quickly turned around, and held out the device to him in one hand for him to see the text her thinking would produce. DON'T TOUCH ME! More tears spilled as she felt the mucus from her nose stop just above her upper lip.
"Mari, no matter how much I scare you, this needs to happen. It's not getting any better, out there. Why can't you understand that?" Light stood up. Through her blurry vision, she saw him gesture in a wave towards the window. "You hate murderers, right? You hate the rotten things people do to each other. So do I. I value life too, the lives of good and virtuous people. I'm only trying to make that happen."
She shook her head at him so fast as she still held the device out to him. She could feel her own inner voice build up to screaming at him on the inside as the digital limb had them spill out so fast. You stubborn-! No matter how clean you make it look, murder is still MESSY! And that's the TRUTH! LIES! DEATH! LIES! DEATH!SCHEME, SCHEME, SCHEME OUT SOME MORE OF THAT! HOW IS THAT ANY DIFFERENT FROM WHAT SOME OF YOUR TARGETS DO? HONESTLY! IS THIS REALLY SOMETHING A WORLD WOULD REALLY NEED FROM YOU?
Light at first looked so startled, for that instant. Her frantic voiceless way of getting the truth out struck him so hard. It was like a very hard slap to his face. Marianne could see that in his expression, for a split second until it changed to something very dangerous.
As he was moving off the bed to come at her, about to do her harm no doubt, Marianne pushed her brain to its limits to get another message sent out to him, as FAST as possible. She didn't need to read the screen to hear her inside voice scream so loudly at him. I'M TRYING TO WARN YOU! I'M NOT TRYING TO ANTAGONIZE YOU!
As he crouched to the floor near her, he stopped. His face was about a foot above hers as she trembled so much. Don't. Please don't hurt me.
Light stared down at her, and then let out a soft bitter laugh. "Warn me? Really? You truly want to save me?"
That was when she realized that he probably wasn't going to listen to reason. A thought she hadn't planned on sharing had escaped. No, I HAVE TO KEEP TRYING! Right now, she didn't care if he read that on the device as she looked up at him, desperate. She made sure Light could still see all the text on the blue screen. YES! I want to save you. I want to save the both of us! STOP and THINK about what I'm saying for a second, damn it...
Marianne was starting to wear out as she was on her back on the carpeted floor. She couldn't take anymore of this! It seemed as if she was about to either lose control, or pass out. A sharp pain was felt in her side, from when Light had knocked her hard onto the kitchen floor.
The intense surge of negative energy, all that anger and fear that built up inside from the very beginning, wasn't something she used to having for a really long periods of time. She was a positive person. She lived a laid back life. She lived in a safe suburban neighborhood with a very low crime rate. There weren't any mass murderers to worry about. For over a decade, she's never experienced a lot of stress. Her parents had been married for over twenty-five years. There hadn't been any stressful to the point of having to fight, swear, and beg for her life.
Why couldn't Light wake up and see the damage he was causing?! Did the power of the nasty murder notebook truly hold and bear itself so heavily in his mind?!
He kept looking down on her, speaking almost in monotone. "You want me to destroy the Death Note. No, you're begging me to."
Marianne slowly nodded up at him, her eyes indeed pleading. She wasn't so confident on her voice returning to her, so she trusted herself not to think the wrong thing as she still held onto the advanced telepathic texting machine. It was something that would have had to come so far ahead of her own time.
Although, before she could get another thought out to him, he took the device on of her hand. He held onto it as he looked to her seriously, from where he sat on the carpeted floor beside her. His voice came out quiet. "I can't do that."
Marianne didn't think it would be possible to widen her eyes any further than she already had. No, please don't say that. Please, you CAN'T! HOW am I not making SENSE to you?! She tried to test her voice. It came out so quiet, weak, and shaky. "L-Light. It's not too late..."
Light didn't let her finish what she was trying to say. "To stop now would mean it's all been a waste of time using it to make everything right. People are getting colder and more brutal towards each other, every day. The people who do their bad deeds to stop others from living happy and secure lives won't stop. I know killing is wrong, but that's just what the bad guys need to see, right? The fact that people are killing and hurting each other is wrong... It's all for a good cause, you see. I can't let anyone-not even the gods-convince me otherwise."
As she shakily inhaled and shivered, Light added, "I know; you'd want to ask why. Why should it be my burden to do this? I'm only one person, and the notebook is evil. Yes, I know that. You believe it will corrode my soul further. You're so certain it will." He broke off eye contact. "Maybe you're right. I wonder how much you really know-not that I believe I could ever rely on you." He looked back to her. "There's no one else who can do it. The Death Note is the one opportunity to make this world so much better than it already is. Nothing else will."
He had given up hope. He didn't believe people could change all by themselves. It was both so sad and scary for Marianne to hear. There were no words she could say that would get him to rethink anything. The Death Note had him! As difficult as it was to believe, it did!
It has him. Oh shit, he's lost it. Really lost it. He's... Ryuk will come and watch the murder games as they happen, and kill Light once it's over. I will be dragged along as it happens until Light finds a way to...
Was there really NO WAY OUT of this?!
Marianne found herself unable to move, or even breathe much.
"There won't ever be world peace, or any solutions to the problems if I destroy the Death Note. The new world must come, Mari, and I have found purpose to be its god for it, to guide it along," Light ego-stroked. "I'll see this through. It will happen... I've been thinking about it for a while, and you're the first I've ever admitted this to. Hopefully, not counting the Shinigami and your alien, you'll be the only one to know-as long as nothing else happens." Once more, Marianne found herself making eye contact with Kira's Dark Abyss for a gaze. She didn't want to peer into it. She didn't want those eyes to haunt and terrorize her again.
She didn't want Light to be the last person she'd ever see.
"Maybe you should think about what I'm saying. Do you seriously believe the human race will ever improve, and treat each other better? This question may apply to your own world, too... If they're so similar, I wonder if the very same wars and most memorable crimes have happened in yours. Is the law just as imperfect there? I'm sure you're bothered by all of that too, not just by my actions alone."
Marianne couldn't get herself to say anything or do anything but stare up at him, paralyzed in terror.
His hand felt almost ice cold on her cheek as he thumbed away one of her tears. "There are people who wouldn't hesitate to take advantage of you, looking like that. They wouldn't care about how you feel, no matter how much you'd reason or beg them to stop. They would show you no mercy. None. It's something that must go away. For good. Not everyone's had it lucky like you, to live someplace without having to lock their doors and windows at night..."
Light was just getting too damn close for comfort, almost to the point where his presence and what he stood for threatened to suffocate her. Moving his hand away, she began to sit up, and try to scoot away from Kira. She didn't want him touching her, not anymore. He HURT HER not long ago! He would have hurt her AGAIN if she didn't have to drain so much energy out of herself to prevent him from doing that!
This young man, this high school student-was so dangerous, and CRAZY! Delusional! He was SO, SO SCARY! She didn't WANT to hang around him!
She wanted so badly to run far, far away from this lunatic. How could a world be TRULY healed with MURDER?! How could such a thing be done by someone without any of their murders causing a negative reaction?! He seriously thought he could do horrible deeds to horrible people for the greater good. The very presence of him, who strongly believed in such logic, terrified her to no end. She would never agree to that logic AT ALL!
A cautious little thought reminded her, If I try to run though, he'll hurt me so bad...
"Unlike them, I can be merciful, Mari." Light rose a brow as he watched her scooting and inching backwards, away from him. "Where do you think you'll go, anyway? All you have are those night clothes you're wearing. You'll get sick, and probably freeze to death outside if you leave." There was something in sinister his eyes that hinted, Unless you really want to. I won't stop you...
Marianne stopped moving, knowing he had a point. The darkness in his eyes was something that bothered her, and another part to her decided she wasn't going to give him any satisfaction by willingly killing herself.
No matter what available angle there was to view this from, it was useless to try to get up, and run past him. She tried all she ever could to get away only to fail miserably. Light had her trapped, and he was going to have his way. He was going to keep her around him whether she liked it or not-or she would die, right now, right this very instant.
I want to go home. Can't I go home?! Why? Why?! Why did this have to happen? Why couldn't she just go back home?! She was sobbing, feeling so damn afraid of him.
"You'll need my help right now. We're going to have to help each other out. We're in this mess together, aren't we?" Light said this quietly, with hardly any anger present this time. "I know you're not a bad person. That's pitifully obvious. You don't really want to harm anybody," Light continued. "I'd prefer that we stop fighting. It's pointless... There are still some things I'd like to know from you. The warning about Ryuk is something to keep in mind, and I'm sure you might tell me more later." He held up the texting device, and glanced at it. "Also, this could prove useful...
"In return, I'll offer to do what I can to have Ryuk and the other to be focused more on myself than you. I'll help you however I can to lessen your suffering." His expression then shifted to a look that made Marianne think twice about what he was aiming to do. She thought he was trying to win her over by a convincing performance by saying false apologies, and promising to not hurt her, ever again.
No, he actually didn't go there,to her relief. (He would have angered her a lot if he did. She might have muttered a smartass remark about not winning an Oscar.) He was giving her a final warning, actually. "I'll say this one last time; stay out of my way. Those who do... Those who think what I do is evil when it's not try all they can to stop me-are people I'll have to consider as truly evil."
Marianne turned her head to the right to look away, already knowing that. She didn't say anything. No, she wasn't like L, Mello, or Near. She couldn't plan very ahead like them, or the crazy kid who was threatening her. She didn't even have their resources! She already tried all she could to get through to the maniac, and failed. Her wits and blunt honesty could not reach him-so she just sat there, crying and sniffling softly.
"If you drastically try to change things around from what you remember, who knows what could happen. You already tried to do that once by attempting to destroy the Death Note, and look where that got you. I don't believe I want to find out what the consequences might be if you try anything like that again. I'm sure you don't either." A hint of irritation over her attempt to burn the notebook was back as he moved around so he could look at her in the face. "So, with that said; are we going to have any more problems?"
Marianne didn't want to die. No, definitely not, most especially not now. In what remained of her thinking, she knew that it might be some time until she would figure out a way to reach L, or something. As much as she hated and absolutely dreaded it, there was no other way to stay alive. She would have to surrender, for now.
The answer she gave slid out in a choked whisper. "...No." Just like that, she gave in. Every bit of fight she had against him left on that delivery of that one little word-and what a horrible feeling that was! Oh god, oh god... She couldn't stop crying.
Light—no, Kira. Light Yagami was just a mask now. Who he once was had become a mask of the innocent ace student both of his parents were proud of was only there to fool anyone else that didn't already know the truth, or wouldn't be able to find out—unless they were smart as L, Near, and Mello. Kira was moving in and taking control, as he gave a curt nod that silently stated, Good. He started to relax a little. From his reaction, Marianne figured that he didn't want to have her dead right this instant either. No, of course not; it would have been a major inconvenience for him to have her killed now. He would have had to really wrack his brains to figure out how to get rid of her, and that would require him to improvise without a plan. That would have really, really irritated him. In knowing Light—Kira (Kira, damn it), she knew he wanted no stone left unturned. He didn't want to leave any room for mistakes, no matter how small. He didn't want to overlook anything and end up wondering if there was any interesting information she hadn't told him.
A tight knot was felt in her gut at the thought of herself proving to be very useful to him. No, she wouldn't want to help him rule the world. She didn't want to help him find a way to kill her either. Hell. No.
Just as she fully resented those options, something Kira had mentioned earlier popped up in her head again. The notion of the Creep from Beyond sending along anybody else his way was insane. That was still something Marianne couldn't begin to wrap her mind around! No, she was terrified enough. There was enough crazy shit going on right now, and she had to worry about her own sanity the longer she would have to stay near him.
Kira offered an open palm to her. "I'll show you to where a tissue box is."
Right; she might want to blow her nose, and wipe the mucus off her face. Also, making good first impressions towards the others that lived here were important.
Marianne hesitated, looking at his hand before taking it with caution. Clearly, he was offering to help her stand up. She still didn't want to touch him-nor let him touch her-but at the same time she didn't think he was going to let her object this time. The overall energy to resist and try and get away alive was all but used up anyway. The rest had to be reserved; to follow his lead, and let him introduce her to his family. Augh. She didn't want to lie about any of this to them, but she firmly reminded herself that she wasn't the only hostage in this house. What set her apart from his parents and sister was the fact that Kira-Warden would feel he must have her within his line of sight often.
He took her other hand as he helped her stand on her two legs that wobbled a little. Kira held onto her hands and wrists, and waited as Marianne managed to steady herself. Then he released her.
"The bathroom is across the hall," Kira informed in calm voice.
Marianne felt herself nod to him in a jerky head movement, and then turned towards the door of the bedroom they stood in. She knew better than to run-for she pictured him grabbing her arm very firmly and hissing at her not to. In wanting to avoid any scenario in which he would hurt her, she walked over to the door, and gently turned the knob. She heard and sensed Kira following close behind. She followed his instruction without any resistance, and walked across the hall. The door was open. She felt along one wall for the light switch, and flicked it on. For a few seconds, Marianne had to blink a few times for her eyes to adjust to the sudden bright light before going in.
Kira followed in right behind her and closed the door. She tried to calm down and quiet her sobs, but she couldn't help but feel uneasy over him following one step behind her, almost like a shadow... a shadow of death, similar to how Ryuk would start following him-them-around. That's right; she was certain that he was going to keep her close, as close to him as possible. He didn't trust her much at all, not that she could blame him. Marianne had gotten as far as to sneaking out of his room without making any sound to wake him as she took the Death Note. That must have made him really nervous, and on edge. As often as possible, she knew Kira would her where he would easily see her and catch her if she tried to run or call for help. This would would continue while Ryuk shadowed the both of them, watching the bitter conflict between them when no other person would be around.
If he hadn't dropped the Death Note, then there would be no Kira at all.
Light Yagami was gone, she reminded herself once more. He was lost forever in the dark abyss that was Kira, a very negative side effect of those terrifying powers of the Death Note after first testing it out. That had to be it. Otherwise, Light would have listened to Marianne to burn the damn thing.
Marianne wasn't going to end up like him though. No, she wouldn't allow it. She'd cooperate with Kira for now, but there was no fucking way she would succumb to him. She knew that.
It scared the hell out of her in knowing Kira was going to move in, and take over Light permanently. She would know he'd become more and more insane the more he wrote names down in the notebook... No, I don't really need to think about that. Shudder.
Marianne closed the lid down on the toilet, and sat down. This sucks, sooo bad. Damn Kira. Damn Creep from Beyond. Are you like what freaking Kira-Warden predicts? Are you buddies with Ryuk now? Are you going to show up with him? She startled herself with that thought, and felt a chill of dread on her back. Yeah. I'm going to hate that damn day, when it happens. However it happens...
She gave those unsettling thoughts a mental shove, and turned her head to watch Kira open up a wooden door to the cupboard underneath the bathroom sink. He brought out a light blue and white patterned Kleenex box, and handed it to her. She placed it in her lap, and removed the cardboard top with ease. The soft and silent consoling of tissues to her face soon commenced. She inwardly told herself to just breathe, and clean herself up. It wasn't easy, because she had the serious case of nerves with Kira next to her. At least her sobs had softened. It was a start-but this was going to be one hell of a tough adjustment, having her freedom pretty much taken away. Having to stay close and be obedient to Kira in Death Note Earth was something she would absolutely never get used to.
From the corner of her teary eyed vision, Kira stood up after closing the cupboard door underneath the sink. "You're the sole survivor of a fire. An apartment building not far from here had burned down, that part actually being true. A man had started the fire. Everything you ever owned had been lost, and the people you stayed with-family, or room mates-died."
Well, yeah. That covers everything, doesn't it? What a wonderfully tragic story to fool your folks with. I feel so much better, Kira. Marianne's hesitant response came out quiet and steady enough. "...My alibi. Right?" Ah. There you are, Voice.
Her eyes moved to focus on him. She saw the nod. "Yes, but not entirely. I saw you wandering out on the streets, scared in your pajamas. I felt sorry for you, and invited you in... We're going to get a blanket next. Then I'll make you a cup of tea. We'll have to make it look like you're getting warmed up." He blinked and looked to her in a dark and annoyed way that silently said, Do not be a pain for me. Just do as I say. "You're okay with tea, right? Or do you prefer coffee?"
It was, in a weird way, amusing for Kira to choose to be a little hospitable. He was playing nice now, sort of. Marianne couldn't quite bring herself to bear a grin though, because Kira-Warden was still overall in a bad mood that could possibly worsen again if she said or did anything he didn't like at all. She told him a quiet, simple, and honest answer. "I'm not a coffee drinker. Tea is fine."
What? No hot chocolate, with mini marshmallows? You'd make a terrible host to Mello. Marianne easily kept that snarky comment to herself. No, she didn't want to have anything leading up to getting herself hurt. An unmistakable break from the terror was available now, and she was going to take it. She would sip her warm tea while sitting down, wrapped up in a cozy blanket. She would calm down, and not complain. After all, she had let him know that there wouldn't really be any resistance from her. If Kira started to suspect her of going back on her word, then she would die. There would be no hopes or chances of contacting L whatsoever. Obviously, she wouldn't be able to do anything when dead.
"Come on then." Kira opened the door, and stood aside. He wanted her to leave first. He didn't trust Marianne to be behind him... or maybe he was just trying to be nice.
No, he still wanted her to move around in front of him. Marianne was sure of this.
Whatever, that didn't really too much matter to her (so she's told herself to not let herself freak out again). For now, she would do as she was told. She would do so once Kira introduced her to Soichiro, Sachiko, and Sayu.
She dropped the two clumps of mucus stained tissue into the trash bin, and then left the toilet as it originally been before taking the tissue box with her out of the bathroom. There would surely be a later time in which she'd start bawling her eyes out. Marianne had the feeling she would be crying, either a little or a lot, every day.
During her whole time in this reality, she knew she'd dread the horrible times she would have near Kira. She missed her home world so much already. She missed all her friends and family, among a bunch of other things she could name—the boardgame meetups, good prime time TV, her job at her bookstore... Did Kira even care? No, she didn't believe that, because he did corner her into a deal that mainly suited him. He claimed and threatened her about holding her life in his hands, and he had been rather cocky about that. But... that was before he realized I wasn't going to use the Death Note for anything at all. Right? Would he see me a little differently now?
Her sobs had altogether faded away as Kira directed her with a calm voice towards a hall closet. A very big plaid blanket had been given to her to carry. It wasn't heavy as all, and the cloth was smoothly soft to touch as she tucked it in as a bundle under her arm as Kira told her to turn around and go down the hall towards the stairs. "We're going to the kitchen," he added, from behind her.
On the way to the stairs, they stopped by what used to be Light's bedroom. It was Kira's now; a place where he slept, did homework, plotted, and killed criminals. He opened the door and lightly tossed the telepathic texting device onto his bed. Marianne stayed nearby, and tried to a suppress a shiver as she pictured herself having not so fun times sitting on the edge of his bed or in the black chair by his desk in the very near future.
Due to her always having to be in front of him for the time being, there was no chance of ever getting comfortable. From being inside, it appeared to be significantly bigger than the house she lived in. Wow, just how much was Soichiro's salary anyway? Everything was so spotless, too. The Yagamis, or at least Kira and one other family, were neat freaks. Maybe it was some sort of obsessive compulsive disorder type of thing. Anyway, if any of the neat freaks of the family ever saw what the inside of her house looked like, her own room especially, then they'd surely be surprised...
Marianne still felt very nervous and uneasy as she took her time going downstairs. The wood creaked places where she stepped, but Kira didn't say anything about avoiding them. He only told her where they were going, and what they would do as he kept shadowing her on the way to the room where they first saw each other.
Creepy scary Kira-Warden, Marianne thought. She didn't say anything to him until they walked side by side into the kitchen-the entry way being wide enough for two people to come over at once. "What flavors of tea do you have?"
Kira blankly gave her the list. "Ginseng, jasmine, peach, and lemon." He walked to a cupboard and opened it to show her. The boxes were all in kanji print, and Marianne knew she couldn't read Japanese writing. Kira must have assumed so, and that was why he had offered to make her tea. "The lemon juice is in the refrigerator."
She only knew some certain Japanese customs and cultures, as well as what certain words meant in English from not only anime and manga, but from video games too.
"Lemon, please." Marianne stood right be the center counter, the triangular island of wood and metal on tiled floor. She stayed put and watched Kira get a mug out from another cupboard. "Which kind do you like?"
"Ginseng," came his off-hand reply. "Why?"
"Just curious. Trying to start small talk or something, for when your dad comes down here..." Just trying to be a good, cooperative hostage for you, Kira. "What time do your parents get up?" She caught herself as she asked that, as she remembered once more that this wasn't really Light Yagami, not so much the nice guy he was before he started experimenting with that nasty notebook. Oh, god... THAT MEANS-no, this is Light's family. Not Kira's! If Light hadn't been corrupted and if Kira hadn't moved in, then Light wouldn't start thinking about having to sacrifice them just to keep on making the New World... I'M REALLY THINKING THIS THROUGH?! AUGH!
Kira turned his head to read the glowing green numbers of the digital clock on the microwave; three thirty-five AM. "My father should be up within the next twenty minutes." He looked over his shoulder, giving her a wary glance. "Of course, you can't talk to my father like you know him." He left another unsaid warning, just like from before.
I wonder; how the hell do you sleep at night, doing this to your own family?! Marianne remembered how very angry and uncomfortable she made him on the mentioning of his father. I'll bet you were real worried about your dad seeing you pulling my frickin' hair. Gave you quite a bit of a scare, didn't I?
"I've got my script ready. No worries," she assured him. She kept most of the snark out of that declaration. She didn't smirk or anything. No, she only showed him a blank and tired look. "I'm sure you do too." I'll lie real good for you. Don't you worry, Kira-Warden. Not that I'll like it. I just don't want Soichiro to end up dead because of me.
Kira moved over to the kitchen sink, glowering at her a bit as he did. He was filling the mug with water. "Of course... Would anything we've discussed be in yours?"
"No, there wouldn't be," Marianne said. The hints of unsaid warnings and threats he wasn't really trying to hold back was starting to annoy her. "The less you push or press at me not to tell, the more I'll be good and help keep your precious dark secrets." She managed to explain this calmly to him, more or less. "For the record; I really don't like having to lie to them, but it's for their protection as we agreed."
Kira finished with filling up the mug he picked out for her, and turned to face her again. A flash of a little smirk came to his lips, but it lasted for just a second. It was very much like the expression she recognized when Death Note was just a fandom. "I know that look... I still don't support you, by the way. I never will-and it's been that way since I read through the whole manga for the first time." A low level of resentment towards that egomaniac was coming back, yet she sounded very calm when talking to him.
"So, you do know how my story ends. It's just as I thought. I'm sure what you know must be a really interesting story in your world. After all, you mentioned three variations of it," Kira said. "And that's a shame, Mari. People like you are who I'm reshaping this world for. It's because I murder the murderers with an evil notebook that scares you so much. And, it's because of the arrangement that's caused you to act rebellious." There was a mixture of pride, casual, and creepy coming from his tone all at once-and that freaked her out a bit. He moved to the refrigerator after placing the mug with the water into what looked like a microwave that had more of those kanji markings on it. He closed the door, with what had to be the lemon juice. He then nodded to her. "I completely understand. Having to be here is too much for you to bear. It's not like I'd ever want you to know about me. However, you do."
He said all that so effortlessly.
"Making evil going away by doing evil. It's too unsettling for me to ever be okay about," she told him. Then she sighed, feeling very drained from so much emotion and scrambling in attempts to escape not too long ago. Add this to not sleeping at all. Ugh... I have to be very, very careful about what I tell him. How much I tell him at a time, and how much further into the future.
Even if Kira didn't believe all that she would say, he might still use what she knew as some form of leverage against L. No, she needed L's help. Sometime later on, she was going to figure out how to get in touch with him, without Kira being around to watch.
"I've got every right to be scared, knowing what you're capable of. There's no ignoring the resentment I have for you either, and that's not going to change... I'm just a traumatized survivor of a burning building right now. If I'm to be in character, then maybe I should focus on how to do that instead of going any further into this loaded, controversial topic." Because wouldn't that be out of character? I don't think I'd have the capacity to put that much effort into it, anyway. Gosh, Kira! You've drained me enough. I wonder when you'll tire of having to boss me around and be Kira altogether.
After Kira had set the timer for the microwave, he moved to stand in front of where he had placed the lemon juice on the triangular center counter, right in between where Kira and Marianne stood.
He didn't seem to like the way she was talking to him, because he told her, "True. We could go into it later... There's time, so we could hold off on that discussion. For now." He leaned a bit forward against his side of the counter. "Although, that's very wordy talk for a scared person to say. I thought we agreed there weren't going to be anymore problems between us, Mari..."
Marianne glowered at him. It was like he was trying to get a rise out of her. Maybe that was what he wanted. No, sorry, but I just don't have the energy. The way to go about it without Kira moving any closer to her was to state her words as calmly as possible. She found it impossible to completely tune out her resentment though. "I won't get in your way, and I don't want your family in danger because of me. No problems there... It'll still be hell for me though." She glowered down at the center counter. "Really hard times ahead, coming my way. This isn't going to be any fun on my end. I'll still be scared and miserable, even though you say you'll try to help make my stay less miserable. I can pretend not to be, around your family and anyone else. But I don't believe we'll ever get along when there's no one else around."
Kira backed down a little, and remained calm—more or less. "As long as you can pretend not to be around anyone else. I realize and acknowledge your resentment, but you should have better control over that attitude of yours." His amber brown eyes became a shade darker. "Going so far as to give me hell at every opportunity when it's just us? That won't help me, or you. Bitchiness is something I won't tolerate from you."
"I can do that if you don't scare me too much, or be so pushy. I don't do so well under that kind of pressure." She tensed up as her level of resentment rose up to a quarter of the way from the bottom. "Since we're going over terms and conditions of this deal, I may have a few more suggestions. I don't want to end up snapping at you, not again. Don't want you hurting me again either. I'm sure you won't want any of that."
Since she was going to be in his company for a while, much to her heavy dismay, she was going to have to negotiate with Kira-Warden. Losing her sanity and going insane from being in captivity here was a very important concern of hers. It would have to be the same for him too. Surely, it would cause him a lot of trouble if she would start to lose it. If she gave away any serious symptoms of going into mental breakdowns or depression, then Kira would no doubt feel the need to get rid of her—as soon as possible.
The microwave beeped. Kira turned to retrieve the mug and place it on the counter in front of her. "Go on..." He removed the top of the lemon juice container and started to pour some of it in.
"As you know, I'm very sensitive. I don't want to be in the same room you do as you write down more names..." Marianne felt herself shiver a little at that. To be in that bedroom while he was busy killing people, even though they were already bad and/or killed people, would drive her up a wall. She strongly believed she'd end up shaking, crying, or whimpering—or all of the above. Marianne believed she'd probably hear him scribbling and react like Kira killing her, over and over. "That'd be torture for me... I'm sure you might get distracted and frustrated over any distressful noises I'd make if I'm there while you're doing that."
Kira's lips pressed into the thin line at that, and then he nodded. "You could go into the spare bedroom, or wherever you want in the house when I use the Death Note. Just don't go outside, or say things you shouldn't to my family."
"'Kay. Fair enough." Marianne felt a twinge of relief at that. "If I need to be alone if it gets to be too much, then leave me alone. Bribe Ryuk with an apple or more, whenever necessary. Shinigami don't necessarily need to eat. Apples to Ryuk are like what drugs and alcohol are to people... As for Creep from Beyond, if that thing ever makes an appearance, we'll figure out what to do from there."
"I think we may need to think on what to do if your Creep from Beyond shows up. Anything relating to it, we'll need think ahead on. Agreed?"
Marianne felt a bit reluctant to nod. "Agreed... Also, I might need an outlet of some kind, just to cope with being stuck here, however long I may be here. I've got to have something to try and stay sane. Something to help keep me grounded, to at least block out this cruel reality temporarily." She lowered her head to think a moment, before looking back to Kira. She mentally grabbed at the first idea that came to mind. "Are there iPods or iPhones in this world? I don't really know if there are."
"There are," he replied.
"May I have either one with headphones, please?" She frowned. "If it's not too much out of your allowance money, that is..."
"No, it wouldn't be." He rose a quizzical brow. "Is that supposed to be your much needed 'outlet'?"
"Yeah. It's something you could do to help make this less... horrible. It doesn't matter what color it is, and it doesn't need to be too fancy. As long as I have music, and videos. Stuff like that. Just some sense of normalcy. Surely, this doesn't have to be like a full-on prisoner and warden thing, right? I'm as new as you are at this crap situation."
"I don't think that's actually possible, no," Kira told her. "You're not a prisoner, Mari. We don't need to call it that, do we?"
He looked fairly bothered by what she described the entrapment. Maybe Kira hadn't fully moved into the vessel of Light Yagami after all. The cruel and warped person still existed though, and he did not want to let go of the murder notebook. (He just wasn't going to LISTEN to her about burning it. The boy was too far gone into his self-deception in believing he could make the perfect, peaceful world he's always dreamed about.) In knowing this so well, Marianne looked at him pointedly. "I know we can't sugar-coat it. That won't work. Certainly not with me, because we both know I'm not exactly a free person either. And I've never had my life in danger before." It was hard not to be upset about that. As she watched him slide the mug over to her, she found herself lowering her head. "There's something very offensive about that... I hope you realize my problems are your problems too."
It's all a bunch of crazy shit we're going to have to live with. Live, and die with. If you think holding me against my will is going to be for the greater good of having a peaceful world, you are dead wrong. LITERALLY dead wrong, since you only have five more years to live!
The tide of bitter resentment toward Kira had risen to waist level now. Marianne's body began to quiver a little with it. Hey, you're not going to burn the Death Note. You don't even care about your own sanity! Why would you? You're just going to do every nasty, filthy thing you can think of to get your way, to impose your law towards everyone else! No matter what it takes!
Did he feel bothered by what he was doing to her? Did he feel any guilt? Did he really? Or was he just tired?
God, Marianne hoped he felt bad about what he was doing to her. Maybe that was something to build up on. What, is that what I'm supposed to do to get out of this? Sweet talk to him? Act like the way he does? Charm him to let me go? Deceive him like that? It would mean sinking right down to his level, wouldn't it?! FUCK THAT! I'm so much better than that. I'd rather have Kira regret his actions. At least it'll be more honest... I won't end up like him. I won't.
A little over a minute of uncomfortable silence had passed. Neither of them looked at each other, or spoke to each other for that long. Then, her captor told her, "You can bring over a chair from the dining room, if you want to. You don't have to stay standing there."
Marianne blinked to him, then glared. "Thanks..." They both did so. She brought one chair over to where her tea mug is, and Kira brought over his chair to sit across the counter from her. "How much longer until Mr. Yagami comes down?"
Kira checked the microwave clock. "Twelve minutes."
Her tea had cooled down, she figured. She first moved her chair close enough, and wrapped the blanket around herself. Then she picked up the mug by both hands, in which were trembling a little. Shit. I better calm down. Just breathe. Stop, and breathe... Marianne lowered the mug back down onto the counter, and took some deep breaths as self-advised. Slow, deep breaths...
I can't just blow up. Soichiro Yagami is going to come down in twelve freaking minutes! I might get thrown outside if I do something like splash this tea in Kira's face. I'll freeze to death, like he says. I won't be able to contact L, if that happens.
Wow, have I got a story to tell him, when I do. That is, if I don't go bonkers by then!
Soichiro. I wonder if I'll be able to save him. I don't want him to die.
No, I probably won't make it that far. I probably won't get to live long enough to meet Misa. But if I do, he could just tell her to kill me and Miss Second Kira won't even think twice about-
Marianne's next inhale came in a bit sharper. NO. I can't THINK like that. That needs to STOP! I'll DEFINITELY be dead if I keep that up! ...Maybe I shouldn't think that far ahead. Maybe I should just take it day by day, one thing at a time. Just focus on right now.
Survive. I must survive by putting on my acting skills. I'll have to do that first, if I want to save Soichiro, L, Sayu, Mello, Rem, Near, Matt, and all those others that are in danger...
"Just follow my lead," Kira suggested. He said this to her so calmly it distracted her from her thoughts. The way he talked made her want to pay attention. "Don't be nervous. If you can't find the right thing to tell my father, I'll say something for you."
Marianne nodded. "I'm just aiming to keep calm. Just putting my game face on here..." After one last deep breath, she realized she no longer felt like she was going to explode. That was very good-very, very good as she wrapped both hands around that warm mug. In picking it up, she focused on it, and not on Kira as she took a sip of tea. The medium warm and slightly sweet liquid slid past her lips onto her tongue as she tasted it.
Kira asked, "How is it?"
She lowered her mug, and held it in both hands. Little to no emotion came to her voice, in a calm tone that came with the pieces of a resolve she recently gathered. "It's fine... Should we get a head start on our little play, then? Build up character?"
"Yeah, let's do that." Just after that, the mask of Light Yagami was put on. Kira still looked just as tired, yet his emotionless look seemed to become something kinder. "So, it's just the way you like it? I hope I did a good job, Mari-san."
"Not too hot or too cold. Not too bitter or too sweet." She paused a moment to try and work on her own character. She was rather decent at improvising up something, in addition to her two years of drama class at the high school she graduated from. She was still angry at that stupid, ignorant, and hopeless fool with the god complex, so she didn't sound exactly cheerful. She mostly sounded tired. "Just right... Heh. Goldilocks tea."
The tired yet friendly mask, Light, smiled a bit. The expression looked real enough. "You seem to be feeling better now. I'm glad."
"More or less. I'm so worn out though. All that emotion, y'know." By saying so, she expressed some honesty. "The fear especially."
"Oh, I'm sure. I can't imagine what you've must have been through..."
Marianne's improv seemed to working. Kira seemed to think her performance was good enough. He didn't break character to tell her she was doing anything wrong. Together, they we're building up to what sounded like a normal conversation, more or less. It was all for the importance of staying alive. Never did she even have to consider to put her two years experience of high school drama class to use like this. No choice. I either do this, or die.
Distant creaks and distant footfalls were heard as Light asked, "How long has it been, since you first moved to Japan? Not that you have to answer that. I'm just wondering."
"Not long at all. A day or two," she lied to him in response. The bit of adrenaline seeping into her veins surprised her a bit—not for her nutcase captor to notice though. "Not the best life experience, being in a foreign country. The new friends I've made..."
"...I'm so sorry I asked." He looked so concerned and apologetic. It irked Marianne out. She knew he was faking, but damn, he was really good at it. This made her wonder if he ever took interest in taking a drama class at his school. Probably not... Not that he could be convinced to do so. His ultimate goal is his top priority.
"I'll live. I might end up losing sleep over it, but I'll live." She said this dully. I intend to live. I intend to do that by getting the hell away from you. I'll tell L everything I know. Maybe Ryuk will take your life much sooner than five years ahead of time.
Now to add in a little twist. Eat this, Kira! "Dang. You scared me so bad, when I first saw you. I thought you were a night prowler for a minute there."
Kira's eyes sent a message to her that could have meant, You better watch it. Then, like flicking on a light switch—heh, stupid pun, Light switch—the outer mask had returned. Light chuckled nervously. "I was lucky you didn't hit me."
"Yeah. Good thing I didn't scream either." She easily faked a sheepish grin, over what hidden resentment she still held. "Would have woken up the neighborhood."
An older sounding voice came from behind them. "...Light?" She got the thick Japanese accent of addressing his name. There was something else muttered in Japanese, but there were none of the terms she knew the English translation to.
Marianne put down her mug and slowly shifted herself around in her seat to see a very groggy looking Soichiro Yagami. She wouldn't have truly recognized him if it weren't for the glasses. His short dark hair was somewhat of a mess. He was wearing satin red pajamas and white socks as she watched him step past the door-less wide frame. He covered his mouth to suppress a yawn.
That flash of recognition and bit of excitement had left very quickly.
"Morning Dad," Light said to him, still speaking in English. He sounded tired, his smile weary.
"Oh. That's your father, then?" She showed Soichiro her own tired smile, and curtly nodded in greeting. She wrapped the soft blanket further around her. "Morning... Nice to meet you, sir. My name is Mari Broderick. Your son invited me in."
Soichiro blinked blearily a few more times, and looked from her to who she knew wasn't really his son anymore.
"I just found her. She had been wandering around cold and scared, in her night clothes. I couldn't sleep for some reason, and I saw her out my window on the street. The apartment building she was staying in had burned down." She glanced to him and saw the realistic look of worry on his face. "She just told me she was the only one who made it."
Soichiro was more awake now, and looking back to Marianne. He easily bought that alibi. Light wouldn't lie about such things. No, of course not, not his kind and generous boy. (Kira would.) "Are you all right?" He looked shocked and concerned by the story.
"I'm okay. Drained. Maybe a little shaky still. I didn't get burned though. It's a miracle," she fake assured him. I'm so sorry. I wish I could tell you. I so badly want to tell you, to warn you... but I can't. Your son that's not really your son anymore will kill us if I try that now. I'll save you, Mr. Yagami. Somehow, I will save you, Sayu, and Sachiko! L, Ukita, and hopefully more people too! Even Rem-someone you've yet to meet... and get a fright from, once you first see her.
"Yeah, it really is..." Light—who really wasn't Light anymore—had moved to stand next to her seat. "Do you want to tell him who you saw? You said you saw a man, running away." Marianne stiffened as her mortal enemy gently placed a hand on her shoulder. "It's all right. I told you, my father's a police chief and superintendent detective, you know."
"I remember." I don't want you touching me... Bastard!
Soichiro walked over to sit down in the chair his so-called heroic son sat in earlier. "What did this man look like?"
The younger man Marianne despised moved his hand away, before she would either push it away or squirm away from him. She tried to focus more on his father, who was a more considerate and reasonable man. He was an honest cop who would never become a murderer like Kira. She remembered in reading of his tragic end in volume nine of the manga, because she clearly remembered Soichiro telling Mello to surrender. No matter how much Light inwardly yelled for his dad to kill him... No, no. Stop it. FOCUS, Marianne. FOCUS!
Her hand ran through her hair as she slipped back into character, about as easily as Kira could. "I didn't really see what he looked like. He was running so fast..." She worked her nearly frayed brain to conjure up an image of an arsonist who probably did not exist. "Dark hair. I believe his hair wasn't brushed very neatly, and it was dark brown. He wore a leather coat. I couldn't see his face."
A weight of guilt was in her chest as she felt Soichiro's warm hand on top of hers. "How tall did he look?"
"Would you like a cup of coffee, Dad?" asked the mask Kira wore, still in the English language. It was the only language Marianne was ever fluent in.
"Yes, I would. Thank you, son," replied Soichiro. Then he turned his concerned gaze back to Marianne, who deep down was so deeply disturbed by being in the middle of what was just a kind gesture on the surface, between family members.
If she didn't play her part correctly, then she would endanger this poor man's life.
"Um, six foot four would be my best guess," she answered. "The maniac had to be at least that tall."
Light's father nodded, and patted her hand in comfort. "I'm terribly sorry you had to go through that, Miss Broderick. You look exhausted... There's a spare bedroom up the stairs, second door on the right. You should get some rest."
Tears would have come to her eyes if they weren't tired. "I don't think I could. I'm still restless on the inside," Marianne admitted. She glanced briefly to Kira, who was busy setting up the coffee machine. It's because of him that I feel unable to try and go back to sleep again. The guy's a monster. Soichiro, if I could somehow prove it to you, without him knowing... Augh. This is so damn depressing. "I might pass out in there later, thanks. My body will shut down from all the stress and lack of sleep eventually, Mr. Yagami. I'll be fine."
No I won't...
She almost wanted to hug Soichiro, right now. The sadness and concern he showed brought heartache. Then again, she wasn't up to breaking down into sobs all over again, even though it felt like her eyes were drying up from all the previous tears that escaped.
"Do you have any family or friends around here, Miss Broderick? Is there anyone I can help you contact."
Marianne sadly shook her head. "There's no one. My parents who lived in America have both passed on. I don't have any relatives, none I would want to be around. My uncle has issues I can't help him with. And those people I shared an apartment with..." She picked two random first names of anime charaters that came to mind. "Haruka and Kurama; they've been the closest friends I've ever had."
Is my story good enough for you, Kira? Are you happy about this? Are you enjoying any of this?
"Dad, can't she stay here? It doesn't seem like she has anywhere else to go," Light empathized. "She doesn't have any change of clothes, or money."
There was so much unspoken warmth and sympathy coming from Soichiro right then. She couldn't bear to look at him now. "Of course. It would be inconsiderate not to welcome her in. We both know your mother wouldn't allow that."
"Thank you," Marianne said. She was thankful to only Soichiro and the rest of the family alone. She wasn't thankful at all to Kira who saw her as a nuisance, unwanted company.
"What sort of issues does your uncle have? Why do you not want to stay with him?"
"He's a drug addict," she was quick to lie about. All she did was pull lies out of her ass, based from real people she knew who had problems. Of course she felt terrible about it, but there wouldn't be saving anyone from Kira otherwise—not even herself! Right now, she had to prove her worth to Kira to survive. As awful as it was, the other option she saw was much worse. "He's done some crazy stuff like borrow a neighbor's car without asking to go on a road trip, and pawn off their guitar for money. He's been in and out of jail before, too. The guy can hardly take care of himself..." Marianne took in a cue to breathe out a sigh. "I tried to help him before, as well as my mom and dad had—but I can't really trust him, let alone count on him. Not until he gets serious about changing for the better."
The story about her "uncle" was really referring two young friends of the family who were reckless and did things that were dumb. They weren't exactly the most considerate people, but they were still nice. They liked playing the collection of board games back home.
"I'm sorry to hear that, Mari-san," Outer Mask Light apologized. He may have said that, and sounded like he was genuinely sorry for her—but they both knew he really wasn't. She watched as he brought Soichiro a mug of coffee. Marianne avoided looking at him as she sipped her tea. "Is that why you moved to Japan? To get away from him?"
"That's one reason, yeah," she replied. "I've also been curious about this country, to see what it's like. Sure, there's other places to start anew, but Japan was the first that came to mind, and it's just about as far from the States as it gets... The only thing most worthwhile about being in Maryland was running my own bookshop. Once I learn to read kanji, I guess I could always find a place to start my business back up again."
All the talking, the lying, put a somewhat of a strain on her energy levels. I'm so draaained. Damn you, Kira. Damn you, Creep from Beyond. You're both to blame for it all...
Soichiro was listening in earnest while he drank the coffee his so-called saint of an only son had brewed for him. "I see. Well, I hope the best for you, Miss Broderick. Both of us do... Unlike your sorry excuse for a relative, no offense, you seem like a very nice girl."
"I like to think so, and no offense taken." One corner of her mouth upturned to reveal a half wry grin. "I don't hate my uncle. I'm just disappointed in him."
"I would feel the same if I knew someone like that," spoke her captor. "We'll do all we can to help you feel comfortable and secure here."
Marianne grinded her jaws a little at that, but said nothing. She just focused on finishing up the rest of the tea he made for her.
"The man who killed your friends and burned down your home won't be getting away," Soichiro promised. She inwardly moaned and felt bad about him chasing a murderer that didn't exist as she saw the determination in his eyes. Kira's the real murderer! He's not your son anymore! He's making me lie to you... Oh man, I wish I could send my thoughts to you and warn you that way. I know I can't with that stupid texting device, in which does shit for me. It's something Kira would make me use, so I won't be able to hide from him-DAMN IT!
She could only nod to him in response. Her anxiety, despair, and guilt gripped tightly at her heart and mind.
Once Soichiro had finished his coffee, he bid his farewells to the teen he didn't notice had changed—and herself. "Try to get some rest," he told her, placing his hand her shoulder gently before going up the stairs to get ready for a day at the NPA building. Over there, he might spend a portion of the day chasing ghosts. In predicting so, Marianne could feel her heart sinking.
Kira probably already killed the crazy guy who burned down that building by now. She wouldn't be surprised if he did-to cover up his tracks.
"That went well," Kira-Warden said. He took his seat back across the counter from Marianne. There was a hint of satisfaction coming from that remark.
Went well for you, she sulked, staring blankly into the empty mug she drank from.
"That bit about your uncle... Is that even true?"
Slowly, her eyes drifted up from the mug to scowl at him. "It's true about two family friends I know... Did I pass the test, then? With flying colors?" Her resentment came out half-hearted that time. It didn't matter if he could see her looking depressed or not.
"You're welcomed in, aren't you? You have a place to stay now... There's still my mother inform you about. It won't take long... After that, you could get some rest. We both know you're going to need it."
"Go ahead; say what you want to say," Marianne responded. There was a blend of grumpiness and depression in her voice, but she didn't really care. She just wanted some time away from the bastard right now. Out with it. Get it over with.
Kira looked at her very seriously. There was a strong You Had Better Pay Attention to Me vibe coming off him as he spared them both the building of suspense. "Later on today, I'm certain my mother will take you out to shop for clothes. Meanwhile, I'll be at school... I think we know what you should do then."
"No telling your mom you're Kira, no escaping, and ride with her back here once shopping time is all over." She sighed. "And blah, blah, blah, do that or I'll die. Got it. I don't have the energy to argue, and I'm not stupid."
As she scowled a bit in telling Kira about this, he in return looked a bit annoyed when she said the blah's. "I'm not implying that you are. Yet, you don't seem to fully think things through, and you get reckless. Don't think you can back-talk your way out of this." He glared. "You might try something, out of desperation. I'm telling you not to."
TCH! "I know it will be reckless of me to flee around that time. Push, push, push, push." She got out of her seat and glared right back. "Back off, please. I know very well that I'm cornered and trapped. I won't get very far." Certainly not NOW, anyway! "I know better than to make a near-fatal mistake like the one I did last time. I don't repeat mistakes like that." So stop. Pushing. Me. I'm angry at you enough as it is.
Kira in fact did back off as he replied, "I wasn't trying to be pushy, Mari. I'm just letting you know that you won't know any answers or recieve my help if you try to escape." He slid out of his chair. "Keep that in mind."
Marianne pictured herself running around him very fast, picking up the frying pan she saw behind Kira in the sink, and whacking him on the head with it. She didn't actually try to attack, knowing that would be very dumb. She only produced the mental image of the action. "In other words, I'm hanging on by a thread you could cut at any time. If I mess up."
"If you want to look at it that way, then yes."
She was too tired to give a damn about his egotism right now. "Is that it? Are we done, for now?"
"Almost."
This caused Marianne to roll her eyes. "Out with it then. The sooner the better."
"There's just one more thing I'm curious about..." Kira's smirk dimmed some. "Does everyone who knows about me in your world feel the same way you do?"
Poor Kira. Poor foolish Kira, fledgling of a mass murderer. He doesn't like the idea of being seen as bad. Do I bother you? You should feel bothered. You should feel guilty. You'll one day regret all the actions you've done from the day you been writing into that Death Note. You'll regret treating me like this.
"I'd say it's about fifty-fifty, Kira. Half wouldn't stand by your methods of cleansing the world, such as myself. The other half would support you all the way."
His face twitched a little. A sharp glare was directed toward her. "You do know my name is Light."
She deliberately ignored that remark. "One guy in a video online I saw once described you specifically as a 'tragic anti-villain'. Not that I remember all that he said... Everyone in this world who doesn't know what I know would share the same views, more or less." She looked to him in impatience. Now are we done talking? Will you get out of my face?
"Tragic anti-villain?" He frowned.
"You willingly sacrifice your soul and sanity to that dark power, for the sake of saving so many innocents," Marianne pointed out. "There's more than one reason why the Death Note is nasty... I think I already told you about that side effect."
Kira's eyes narrowed. "Because of what you warned me about, and all that you've explained to me about Ryuk, I might not lose myself. I won't get careless, because I know I'm worthy... If it's right to kill off pests, then what's so wrong about killing those who deserve it?"
"It's the fact you compare rats and insects to terrible human beings I find wrong. That kind of thinking is very dangerous. In the long run, you can't say I didn't warn you." She turned around, and started to head for the stairs, taking her Kleenex box with her.
"What would you compare the world's worst people to, if not disease spreading vermin?"
Not exactly a cheerful or positive conversationalist, are you? "I don't. I just call them as they are; murderers, rapists, terrorists, and so on.. People like that are dangerous and horrible, but I wouldn't go around thinking I'm better at doing the things they do..." She looked over her shoulder, showing Kira her sour expression. "Not that you'd care, but my biggest fear is turning into someone I wouldn't like." That's what makes YOU so damn scary. I'm nothing like you, and I don't ever want to be.
He asked the following question so seriously, with a dark edge to his eyes. "If your life was in danger, and you had to defend yourself or someone you cared about by doing something bad, would you honestly be unable to do it?"
Marianne spoke her answer very quietly as they were standing by the stairs. She still scowled at the damned fool who was well on his way to becoming the kind of person he would kill. "I'd rather die as myself, because the latter would likely be worse. It would be like a slow and agonizing death, or worse."
Kira's face looked so blank and observant it gave her the creeps. "The fear and guilt would pile on otherwise, causing you to want to tear yourself apart."
She refused to let him creep her out, even though that look sort of did. "Yeah. It would, and I won't deny that." She turned around, looking at the stairs that led upward. At the very end of the stairway was Kira's bedroom.
There were no more words exchanged as Kira-Shadow went with her back to her prison cell, AKA spare bedroom of the Yagami residence. "Sorry, but how old did you say you were again, Mari-san?" He had slipped the mask of Light Yagami back on. He did it just in case Soichiro would be around to overhear. At the same time, Kira was probably curious in his own self interest to know her age.
"Twenty-nine," she said.
"Oh. I thought you were a bit younger than that. You look like you're twenty five."
"Compliment noted... I'm getting tired." The last sentence she hinted out to him that she wanted to be left alone now.
"Yeah, you should get some sleep."
"That's right. Gotta recharge my brain batteries..."
They both caught a glimpse Soichiro in the hallway, all groomed and dressed professionally. "I might see you later on tonight. Sleep well, Miss Broderick." Then he nodded to his now imposter son. "Have a good day at school, Light."
"See you later," the younger man said.
"Good luck at work today, Mr. Yagami," Marianne told him, meaning that. Once more, she felt terrible about having to lie to him.
"Thank you," Soichiro replied, smiling. Then he proceeded to move past them.
Kira stood aside as she walked into the room he showed her that was right next to his. He kept sounding and appearing friendly as Light's father was leaving. "Is there anything I can get for you? An extra blanket, or something?"
Marianne glanced at the bed she sat on. "...Another pillow would be nice."
He soon returned with one, and handed it to her. He also had closed the door behind him. Then, he spoke in monotone for only her to hear. "I'll purchase an iPhone for you today after school, and pay for your phone plan."
She nodded, and didn't say anything at first. She didn't even look at him as she placed the pillow from Kira on top of the one already there on the mattress. He picks iPhone because he'll put in his cell phone number into the contacts. It'll be to his advantage later. Ugh.
Kira left shortly after saying that. She didn't look at him, but she could feel him watching her a moment longer before leaving and closing the door.
For the next few minutes she moaned, complained, and sulked to herself.
Maaaan... I'm exhausted. Can hardly think right now. Fucking Kira. I'm torn right now. I want to save L, Soichiro, Rem, Mello, Matt, Raye Penber, Naomi Misora, and Watari. They don't deserve to die by his hand. Now that they're real... But at the same time I just want Creep from Beyond to douse me in brain bleach and send me the fuck back home. It wouldn't be a bad alternative, to be back home and not remember any of this...
I don't know how I'm going to get out of this. I know I need clothes, and something to try and help me cope through this living nightmare, this hell.
Looks like I'm going to have to prove my worth to that asshole soon. I'll hang around Sachiko and not cause any problems. Although, I should try and sleep. Pssh, yeah, like that'll come easy.
I'm so fed up with Kira. Bossy kid. Pushy kid. Stupid kid. STUPID! He'll be sorry...
Augh. More scrambling to come later. Joy... I'm going to really take some time for myself later. I'm going to have to do a whole ton of careful planning, aren't I? I'm not his pawn. I'm not going to let him continue to boss me around like this. If I could find a way to get myself untrapped... If only his family knew what kind of horrible young man he is! If only L KNEW!
There's got to be a way out of this...
As much as she thought, and thought, and thought-all she ever accomplished there was thinking around and round in circles of frustration, anger, and despair. As those few minutes ticked away, Marianne altogether gave out to exhaustion, and never found any way to outwit KIra. Her brain eventually sputtered to a stop as she felt her body give out and go limp into a long dreamless slumber...
At some point, she eventually did wake up. None other pushy and crazy Kira was there. "Hehmn," she groaned to him. "What do you want?" No, she wasn't in the mood to be answering any questions Kira-Inquisitor would have. "Don't tell me you've been watching me sleep." Because that's totally not creepy, a sarcastic thought followed.
"No. I of course had more important things to do." He looked bored with her. "You've been asleep all day. I told my mother your alibi, and she felt so bad for you she didn't want to disturb you."
Marianne blinked open her blue-green eyes, suddenly wide awake now. She moved to sit up on the bed's mattress, shocked. "Holy crap. All freakin' day?"
"Well, most of today. It's early evening now." Her captor had lowered himself to her eye level. "I was about to wake you."
"Earlier had been too much..." Her taken back expression shifted to a mild glower.
"Too much for the both of us," Kira agreed. He sighed, and held up a small black plastic bag. "I have your iPhone, with headphones just as you had requested." He got out a cream-white colored iPhone with matching ear buds and a little dark AC adapter. He removed them out of the bag and dropped them onto her lap.
"This should hopefully be somewhat of a help for the both of us," Marianne said. "A temporal escape from all too painful reality, if nothing more."
"That's not the only thing that should help," he said. Apparently, he had something else to get out of the bag; a pair of silvery gray handcuffs. "Well, it's something to help put my mind at ease, anyway. When I go to sleep."
For a second, her eyes went wide, and then narrowed at him immediately after. "What the hell? Is this supposed to be some kind of kink thing?" Just as she finished asking, she grimaced then squirmed. To even think of that horrible, horrible Kira and herself getting into anything like... Ewww!
What Kira did in reaction was show her a scowl. His tone of disgust had just about matched hers. "Not at all. You know me better than that." It felt like his sour expression was burning through her. "Get your head out of the gutter. I'd never get into anything so animalistic and perverted, not towards anyone. Especially not towards you."
"Then what are those for, Kira?" She couldn't help but feel so suspicious at him. This seriously wasn't looking good on her end.
"To prevent you from sneaking around at night," he said. "I'd rather not have a repeat of what happened last night. I still don't trust you, so whenever you go to sleep-I'm going to have to cuff you to this bed. Understand?"
This got her mad and seething at him. "Oh please. I wouldn't go trying to take the Death Note again. That'd be suicidal."
"Yes it would. So would sneaking out the door, to talk to one of my parents about me in the middle of the night."
Marianne looked at him dully. "Paranoid much?"
"You know I have every right to be, Mari. I'm not happy about this either. But you might find a way to have my dad believe you, because you know the way I think. That's dangerous, and something I cannot allow you to do... I know you wouldn't want a repeat of last night either, so this is for your own good."
The urge was strong to hit or kick him, but she managed to hold back from doing so. GOD, you make me so mad..."What if I promised not to sneak out?"
"No," Kira persisted. "I can't trust your word, at least not until I know you won't try to do anything behind my back. Because I doubt you're going to give up fighting me or thinking up an escape plan any time soon, even when it's useless to."
More resentment laced into her words. "You think you got me figured out, huh?"
"Don't argue," he warned. "This is something you're going to have to get used to for a while. The more you fight or try to talk your way out, the more nights you'll have to spend cuffed to this bed." The corners of his mouth upturned into a relaxed smirk. "Yes, I do have you figured out Mari. You're a careful and clever woman, but you also have strong emotions that hinder your reasoning. You're somewhat intelligent, and would try everything you can to get away from me-yet you don't plan ahead very well when under pressure. You have your own world you desperately want to find your way back to, and don't want anything to do with mine... You made all that blatantly clear me already."
Marianne stared at him, both eyes wide with terror. It felt so indescribably scary to hear him relay all that back to her while showing her a self-assured, rueful little smile. He caused her to feel powerless and foolish. The way he seemed to make her feel transparent led her to feel an unmeasurable amount of dread over being constantly under his watch.
"I understand," he continued. "It's only natural, to feel the way you do, to hate and fear me so much." His gaze toward her held so much of his own hatred and loathing. "We both know you're going to continue to feel that need to fight..."
His alarmingly elaborate and cold-hearted statements gave her a sudden bitch slap to her face. Oh, fuck. He's going to-to BREAK ME!
Marianne, in her defense, snapped out of being shocked, and glared hard at Kira right then realizing this. She hoped he could feel the fire in her eyes reaching to burn him. "Not cool, Kira. Not cool at all." Her voice held and contained so much rage. She hated this monster of a kid, so very much. He was beginning to seem as nasty as his precious killer notebook.
"You haven't fully realized this problem," Kira said. "Right now, that rebellious anger of yours causes trouble for both of us." He slapped one of the cuffs on her wrist.
Marianne's voice became pitchy. "H-Hey!"
"Don't raise your voice," Kira hissed to her. "Do you want my family to overhear us?"
The anger in that threat was making her panic as she started to move away. Kira however was quick to react. With his own free hand, he gripped the side of her head and forcibly pushed it down onto the mattress.
Her heart rate had accelerated faster then she would want it to as she was trying to get up or move away, but she was unable to do so. She was unable to move his one hand away from her head. She couldn't use both arms to do that, for the one that was in a metal cuff wrapped firmly around the wrist was being pulled down. With a clink, she heard the other cuff lightly bang up against one of the poles of the bed. Then she heard Kira quickly snap the remaining open cuff closed around it.
Panic welled up into her chest as she felt it tighten. Her heart was pounding away inside her ribcage as she eventually willed herself to surrender, and not strike at him. She couldn't stop trembling as he released his grip on her.
Kira didn't speak for an entire minute then. She heard him sigh in aggravation though, in the middle of the unsettling silence between them. She couldn't bear to look at him as he sounded like he was straining to stay calm. "I know this isn't what you had in mind of gaining my trust, but your word won't be enough. I don't know what the deal is with your alien. If there was a way to send you back to your world, then you would have been back there by now."
Marianne didn't dare speak to interrupt him as he gave his piece of mind. He was clearly at his limits; his words at a low volume, promising to end her life if she would decide to protest further. All she had was a thread to cling to, a very thin one. She knew that he would snap if she didn't lay still, nod, and listen. Making eye contact was something she knew she couldn't do. She wasn't going to let herself become anymore paralyzed in fear than she already was, listening to a young mass murder under a lot of pressure. This very murderer could snap and be forced to hurry up and dispose of her. He sounded like he was going to consider it, before she could fulfill any of her earlier promises to the other hostages. (She was never really a hero-type to begin with, but she knew she couldn't just stand around! No, she just wouldn't be able to handle the guilt...)
"It's enough of a problem that you're here, knowing too much... It hasn't been twenty-four hours, and you try to put up another fight." She heard him sigh. "This must mean I'm more frightening to you than the thing who dropped you here. In that case it's you know rather than what you don't. Or, is it both?"
I'd better say something. This has to be a final warning from him. I can't mess up again. In gathering what little courage Marianne had left, she looked up at Kira's cold and penetrating contemplative expression. Her speech sounded so thick, as if something hard was getting stuck in her throat. "Both..." She averted from the abyss in those eyes, breathed in, and then out. Once her composure started to come back, she tried to speak again. "I feel... cornered." It felt really important and awful at once, to have to confess this.
She could see him process her short and broken answer. After a moment, he became calmer, and pensive. "You feel trapped in one place, between being here with me, and not knowing why your abductor decided to pluck you away from home. You're afraid of trusting either of us."
She could see him process her short and broken answer. After a moment, he became calmer, and pensive. "You feel trapped in one place, between being here with me, and not knowing why your abductor decided to pluck you away from home. You're afraid of trusting either of us. So much, that you get a horrible feeling of being backed up against a wall." For a moment there, the abyss Kira emitted seemed almost alluring, soothing as he understood. "When it happens, you feel you must defend yourself."
She timidly nodded to him. His reply sounded plenty accurate as to how she felt. Her calculative warden seemed to believe her then, which caused her to let go of a breath she must have been holding for a few minutes. "This must be tormenting, and overbearing for you..." He frowned at her, his eyes showing no sympathy. Marianne had the feeling she was being dissected at again. "This perfectly clarifies your motive toward what you failed to do." That comment was stated so plainly as he checked his watch, before turning towards the door.
He walked, then stopped, his hand resting on the handle as they heard a young female voice call out for the name of Light Yagami. (That had to have been his sister.) "I'm going to join my family downstairs. I'll bring you some leftovers when I return. We'll talk more then."
In that moment, Marianne felt she had to ask him something. In a slight stammer, her voice had returned. She was very careful to not raise her voice this time. "W-Where did you get the cuffs, anyway? Did you steal them from the NPA building or other police?"
Kira looked sullenly over his shoulder to her. His own look told her, you ought to know I would never do that. "The NPA building is too out of the way from school, and I'd get in a lot of trouble for doing something so idiotic. My father would be so disappointed in me..." His expression turned sour. "You don't need to know where I got them from."
If they didn't come from a police department, then that means...
There popped up sudden image of Kira inside something like that old Spencer's Gift Store Marianne's mother and herself had long ago had browsed around in, at a mall more than once in Waldorf, Maryland. That kind of shop had all sorts of unique things, some of them being erotica stuff.
All this came to mind so fast as she suddenly cracked a grin and began to sputter into snickering. She couldn't hold back, for the mental audio and visual images were irresistably funny. In knowing Kira too well, she knew he must have dreaded and loathed every moment while he was inside an erotica store. "Oh, I think I know where now," she managed to say. She found it hard to stop as she felt so suddenly amused over this.
Kira decided to try dodging the subject. He sounded annoyed. "So you do, but I'd rather not talk about it."
The snickers went away as soft giggles replaced them. "Oh, the awkward things you must have said. I can picture it..." Then part of a chorus from a Duran Duran song she knew came to mind. She softly sang it, going with the flow of joking at Kira's expense. "I saw the bedroom toys. Now I'm stallin'. I can't believe my eyes-" The other part of the chorus was completely lost in the giggling. She laughed harder from within. AHAHAHAHAHA! I wonder what Misa would say! Even better-I wonder what L would say! HAHAHAHAHAHA!
Kira replied in a mild scoff. "I'd appreciate it if you kept that to yourself."
"S-Sorry, but I needed that. I needed the laugh so bad," Marianne admitted. She soon settled down, her head resting back onto the two pillows she had stacked earlier. Although, the amusing thoughts and her grin didn't leave. "Maybe being here won't be all horrible. Maybe I won't go insane..."
Poor embarrassed Kira-if he ever could still be truly capable of feeling embarrassment-walked toward the door, and left. Clearly, he didn't want to discuss the matter any further. He closed the door behind him, leaving Marianne as she put a bit of a new spin on those old Duran Duran lyrics in her head. She snorted and snickered to herself as she did.
Oh my Kira, what's this?
I saw the bedroom toys. Now I'm stallin'.
I can't believe my eyes!
I saw the bedroom toys. Now I'm crawlin'.
I've learned to improvise!
Next, she tried her best to visualize what it must have been like for Kira to check out with the cuffs. As Light Yagami, he must have shown himself to look really awkward, nervous, and embarrassed. Or all of the above! Maybe he told the clerk he was buying something for a friend who couldn't be there, or something else that might have sounded sensible to him. It made Marianne giggle for a bit.
All these musings at Kira-Warden's expense made the fact of being cuffed to this bed much less scary and upsetting. She felt quite positive about him feeling so uncomfortable in a place like Spencer's. Whenever she tried to vividly picture him that way, she couldn't help but feel amused about it for a while.
In the very least, one could find the time to laugh or say some witty thing somewhere within all the scary dark times. Oh, thank God. THANK YOU! My sense of humor hasn't left me, so maybe it will help save me from the worst of things to come... Yeah, I hate it so bad here-but there are still things to laugh about!
I've had to edit this chapter quite a few times now, along with some minor edits with the first. (Also, I laughed towards the end of this chapter all over again!)
I simply MUST write about Kira-Light in the erotica shop in the next chapter. I just got it started, actually!