Authoress Note: All right folks, I think I'm starting to get into a writer's jam here, I think I may have to stop updating the chapters so quickly. Then again I can't not write them. It makes me feel like the story shall die if I don't. Meh. All right folks, it seems chapter 16 had a nice popular vote. I see the Notebook battle caught everyone's attention. I'm glad to know that everyone really liked the violent aspect of the battle. Heh heh, 'Rock
'em Sock 'em Notebooks!'
Okay then guys; let's line everybody up. Reviewer recognition time (again)!
Jillian Jiggs: Thanks for always being a self-proclaimed Keegan x Ryuk supporter, and the fact I've possibly given her a personal form of a mental crack pairing. Haha. Just kidding. I'm glad you like the battle of the notebooks! I do have to admit, best part in the last chapter. Thanks.
Sharnii Brooke: As my school song quotes (yeah my school has a song…it's embarrassing) 'Loyalty and love for thee'. That's Ryuk right there: 'loyalty and love to Keegan'. Though everybody knows he'd never admit he had feelings for her. I can just imagine a little therapy session going there. L is the psychiatrist with the little halo over his head in the chair with assorted sweets and Ryuk lying on the couch. Haha. Emotions do influence the Life Script.
It was made with emotions by a shinigami, so it's only fair that it feeds off the emotions of the user. Thanks.
Michi-nin: Thanks for laughing your ass off at Light suffering in chapter 16. I think everybody here will have to agree that the Notebook Fight scene was the best part of the chapter. I'm glad you thoroughly enjoyed that. So I think I might have the notebook fights happen more often. Thanks.
Sahxyel: Thanks for being my little grammar mole (I say mole because nazi is not a nice word I like to hear, say, or write) and always providing personal insight into the characterization, plot, and the story over all. It's always great to have you help me out with the story when I'm in a jam. I liked the idea you proposed with Light's Crazy Kira Cult; of course I think I might change it up a little bit but kind of follow that line of it in a sense. Don't worry Light manipulating people will be no problem at all. Also on another note: Keegan actually getting those names right was pretty lucky-ass coincidence. So the probability that Keegan will get names right again won't be big but then again…'divine' intervention could occur. (cough cough) L's ghost maybe, I dunno want to know what you think first. (cough cough). Thanks for all your help though.
Syrupdrip: Will review soon, whether it's for last chapter or this one, I thank you too!
Anyways guys, enjoy chapter 17.
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Disclaimer: I do not own Death Note. Death Note belongs to Tsugumi Ohba and Takashi Obata.
Disclaimer 2: The idea of the Life Script belongs to me. Please do not steal. Thank you. Any Original characters, Keegan Phelps (no relation to Michael Phelps) and others, belong to me. Thanks.
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"So, I got your text and it read 'bone city' for some strange reason when you were outside the door of my house." Keegan stated, holding up her cell phone to TJ a he presented her with a cup of Starbucks coffee.
"Oh yeah, I got booty last night." He grinned.
Keegan rolled her eyes, obviously displeased with his whole 'victorious' behavior. "Obviously it was mutual sex?"
"I used a condom! I don't want any diseases! You miss out Keegan. You never even got it on with Joe." TJ added.
Ryuk's head turned quickly to look at Keegan who glared at him from the side. "Guess Joe wasn't that special at all huh?"
She kicked at his legs from the chair he was sitting in, knowing TJ wouldn't notice.
"OW!" Ryuk hissed.
She shook her head and held her hand out for the cup of coffee. "Enough don't give me the details. I don't need to know that and let's not talk "
"I got you a Caramel Machiatto because that's what you usually get whenever we go there. Damn girl, you look like somebody beat the living hell out of you or something. What happened?" TJ asked, obviously concerned as he handed her the container of coffee.
"Well, my classes this morning involved one of the girls being a little more or less hung over. So when I disagreed with her on a certain note she flipped out, told me to eff off more or less and got into an altercation with me. Everyone knows I didn't start it. So she was given grounds to remove herself from the campus and I got off easily." She started sipping the drink slowly. "You even put sugar in it? That was nice of you."
"No, stop. Really, you love me. You know you do." TJ said, obviously hoping to bask in her good mood.
"Wow Keegan, I've got to hand it to you. You make up really believable lies. I mean that's the best one I've heard yet." Ryuk cackled from the chair he was sitting in.
'I'll kick you again. You know I will.' Keegan thought.
"So, you got morning classes now. It must suck." TJ frowned. "Sorry about that. I mean, seriously. You look like you have no life after your schedule changed. I don't see you leave our house anymore."
"I'm a very busy woman." Keegan explained. "I've got resumes to type, reports to write, articles to review, I'm a worker TJ. I think I'd prefer a job better. I have to finish school first though."
"How goes the still-life photography?" TJ asked, petting Lucil under his chair. "Mi familia, they say you're crazy to keep this black cat in your house. I mean, my dad went so far as to call it 'gato de diablo'."
"It's just because Lucil's an alley cat." Keegan frowned. "And your dad's not nice to me anyways."
"Because you're whiter than Asian white." TJ defended. "That weirds him out. That and the fact that all of these miracles are happening. You heard of that serial killer in Japan. He's got every criminal on his or her toes. And not just there in Japan: Worldwide too!" TJ sounded quite concerned. "Keegan…something's weird. I mean…really weird. This serial miracle worker that brings people back to life. I think someone's messin' with this serial killer, girl."
Keegan bit her lip. TJ was worried about her, as if he was her own brother.
"I'm scared you might get killed off next. This serial killer might stop killing criminals and start on real people this time. He's got my mom lighting every damn candle in our house, hanging up the Holy Mother pictures, and getting crucifixes in every room of the house."
"TJ…I'm not going to get killed."
"Keegan…are you going to tell him?" Ryuk asked.
'What choice do I have? I can't work all alone on this. TJ feels the same way about saving people too. He's Catholic but he's just…so against God when it comes to people dying.'
"Keegan, people are dying all around the world because of this guy. Even criminals here are dying…" He murmured softly. "Keegan…Polar Bear." He whined calling her by her signature 'white' nickname he had come up with for her.
"TJ, what if I told you…that Rico didn't just come back to life because of any miracle worker?" Keegan asked softly, pulling her chair in.
TJ gave her a skeptical look. "I'd say you were high on something and that the second coming of Jesus is happening."
'I have to…but…TJ would never believe me.' "Oh. Well, never mind. It's silly." She chuckled. "I was just kidding."
"Well damn girl, you sure did have me going there. All right, I'm rolling out." TJ pulled his car keys out. "I'll see you later." He patted her shoulder and strolled out the door. "Bye Keegan."
"Hey, drive home safely." She called after him.
He waved at her and closed the front door. Keegan looked kind of sad for a few minutes before Ryuk threw the chair he was sitting on and crouched on her table. Lucil went scurrying off meowing with fright after Ryuk had terrified him with the chair incident. "What the hell were you doing?!"
Keegan shook her head. "I thought I might want to get some help on this but…I can't bring TJ into this. He's got a big mouth and would blow it in an instant."
Ryuk smacked her in the back of the head. "You stupid girl!"
Keegan pounded her fist over his hand sitting on the table. "Ouch!"
"Don't hit me, Ryuk. I'll punish you. You know I can."
"Yeah, but every time you say it you never do it. What are you getting a soft spot?" Ryuk asked. "That's not like you."
"Look will you just-"
Keegan didn't get to finish her question because there was horrible crashing sound outside and she looked out her window to see TJ's hand-me-down pick-up truck hit broadside by Joe's Diesel Ford Pick-up. Joe obviously was screaming something at the poor unconscious Latino boy, because he was in the front seat of his car beeping his horn.
Her mouth opened slightly and Keegan suddenly bolted from the house, wrenching to door open. Joe had just gotten out of his car,
"Keegan! Thank god, I almost hit your house thanks to this-"
She suddenly conked her ex-boyfriend in the face with her fist. Joe hit the ground and Keegan rushed to the passenger side of the vehicle to yank the door open and shake TJ. "TJ! TJ! Can you hear me?" His air bag had deployed and he wasn't looking too well because he had a little bit of blood trickling down the side of his head.
Ryuk of course couldn't believe what he had just seen. That Hispanic kid had just left this house without provoking anybody and her stalker ex-boyfriend had just shown up like this out of nowhere and attacked him? Some how it felt wrong for Ryuk to care, but this guy had messed with Keegan enough. It had gone from annoying whining, the harassment, to stalking, and finally to attempted murder of one of her friends. That was the last straw. The next thing he knew, Joe would probably try and kill Keegan and Ryuk would be without an apple provider and someone to put Light in his place.
"I knew it…" Joe muttered from the passenger door. "You've been with this stupid kid this whole time, haven't you? That's why you won't get back with me."
She pulled out her cell phone. "Shut up Joe! Get out of here before I get the cops to arrest you."
His hand clamped on her wrist with the cell phone in her hand. "You're not calling anybody!"
"This is my friend, he's hurt!" Keegan snarled. "Get off or I'll make sure you'll regret it!"
"You left me for this stupid 'spic?!" He pulled her out of the car.
"He's my best friend! I'm not in a relationship with him you idiot!" Joe slapped her suddenly after her response.
Well, that certainly had done it. Ryuk's patience came to end. His blackened wings burst from his back and he bolted towards Joe with a snarl.
"Don't give me that!" Joe sneered. "You're a liar!"
Keegan sent her knee to Joe's stomach before she was able to get away, only to watch Ryuk suddenly slam him into the side of his own truck and draw back.
"Didn't we have this discussion pal?" The shinigami hissed.
Joe got to his feet, not knowing what had hit him until he saw Ryuk again. "Wh-Wh-What the hell!? You again!? I thought I drank too much that night! Are you for real?!"
Ryuk diddn't give Joe an answer, he just stood there glaring at him with red eyes before Joe finally took off.
Keegan of course, ignored the two as she rushed to TJ. "I need the Life Script. GET THE LIFE SCRIPT!" Keegan screamed at Ryuk from the passenger side as she called 911 on her phone.
She'd probably thank him later, but if she were as upset as she seemed about her friend here then he'd have no choice. Ryuk went back to the house to get the Life Script for her.
"911 what is your emergency?"
"I need an ambulance on West Eli Avenue in Jefferton, it's about 10 minutes away. I'd like to report an attempted murder by a Joseph Kindler. He tried to kill my friend in a road rage incident. My friend's unconscious and I need an ambulance ASAP. Please, I don't know if he has a concussion or not. He was just driving off in his car." Keegan explained.
"All right, we'll send an ambulance and police right away."
"Please hurry." Keegan closed her phone and tried to use a towel located on the passenger seat to try and wipe the blood from TJ's forehead. Ryuk was prodding Keegan in the back with the Life Script.
"Here, here. Just don't expect any pity if it doesn't work."
"Why wouldn't it work?" Keegan asked, snatching it from him as she started writing TJ's name down in the Life Script. "Take it back inside, I don't want him to see it."
--
About an hour later, TJ was being taken off to the hospital while the police searched for Joe. Keegan gave the officers pictures of him and he'd be run through the system. Despite the fact that he was going to school in Ireland, Joe was still here for a week and he wouldn't be able to catch his flight any time soon until this week was up. His behavior would give his University grounds to expel him and Keegan would never have to see him again.
Keegan waved to TJ as they closed the doors and he of course didn't understand how he was still alive. As Keegan turned back towards her house, Ryuk was sitting on the front step with a livid expression; he was gnashing his jagged teeth in agitation. "I take that back about him being a pansy Keegan. He's a freak."
She stood in front of him with a small frown. "TJ didn't deserve to be put in that situation. I hope Joe plans on spending a long time in jail because TJ's family will press charges. I know they will."
"…How did you end up with him in the first place?" Ryuk asked, not really wanting to talk about the whole 'Joe' situation but he'd figure to ask anyways.
"I don't even remember. I just know we graduated High school together and were with each other for a while. I don't know what happened to him." She shrugged.
"He got cocky." Ryuk sneered.
She nodded. "Yeah, probably." There was silence between them. "Hey Ryuk…thanks." Keegan said sincerely. "You know, for defending me."
"I did it for the orchard." Ryuk muttered.
"Sure you did." Keegan chuckled, going back inside to find the Life Script on the kitchen table glowing again. She opened it to see if anything was wrong with it and found nothing. "Hm. Must be my emotions it's feeding off again."
But it wasn't because of Keegan the Life Script was glowing-it was because of Ryuk.
--
"Wow Light, you look a mess." Aizawa pointed out as Light was drinking a cup of coffee on the office sofa.
"I didn't have such a great afternoon. I kind of got upset thinking about my father. To top it all off a pen exploded somehow on the carpet at home and I had to get a steam cleaner to get it out." Light explained. "The Kira case isn't getting any better either."
"You're telling me. Not only does it seem like the Kira killings aren't being deterred but it seems as though Kuro's gotten back into the game."
"Yeah. I mean, on the news a few days ago some criminals in the database in the cells started having seizures before they stopped. The police though that they were being killed by Kira, but they're still alive." Matsuda was changing the channels on the T.V.
"I wonder if N's trying to connect Kira and Kuro together somehow. It seems a little odd though. We can bring about that Kuro and Kira are two different people. There's no way that Kira would just want to bring back to life a bunch of criminals if he's that crazy."
"Even your father would attest to that." Aizawa lit another cigarette.
"Are you ever going to quit smoking?" Matsuda asked. "It's bad for you."
"I'd rather let cancer get to me than Kira." Aizawa chuckled.
"Well, maybe Kuro will bring you back to life." Matsuda laughed heartily.
"All right guys, enough joking around, these are serious people we're talking about here. I mean Kira, a serial killer and Kuro a serial saver." Light sighed. "I mean we've got to act professionally on this situation."
"Well, we sent the message to Kuro just a few days ago. It's only been 3 days tops, we should probably just wait. Kuro's probably busy, maybe even trying to keep N and the SPK off her tail."
"We still don't know if Kuro is really a woman though guys. That's just SPK speculation."
"Well until we figure it out, I'm just going to hope Kuro's a woman." Aizawa and the rest of the force chuckled while Light rolled his eyes.
"That'll be the day."
'You'll have to answer both Kira's message and the Task Force Message Kuro. How are you going to work that out without slipping up? You've been sly so far but you'll mess up this time. I know you will.'
--
"The miracles are in the U.S…mainly." Near murmured, playing with his puzzle set again, this time it was the blank all white puzzle instead of the one with the kittens. "So, we can assume that Kuro is located somewhere within the U.S, is female, and…has a profound sense of opposing Kira."
"That's correct." Miss Lidner explained. "Is it possible that we can rule out where the first miracle occurred?"
"Of course it is. We'll just run a name system through the database and find out the names and faces of the people that Kuro has recently saved. I want that done right now."
Gevanni gave a nod to Near and gave orders to begin database searches. Most of the saved people were in the hospitals. They were admitted there shortly after being brought back to life.
"What was the first miracle?" Near asked, looking up from his puzzle.
"An 8 year old girl. Name's Cameron Simpkins. She was admitted to St. Agnes Hospital a year ago for leukemia and bone cancer treatment." Gevanni explained as they looked at the smiling picture of the pale little girl with her blue bunny hat on.
"What state was this in?" Near asked suspiciously.
"Ahh…Ohio. Close to a little town called Jefferton."
"About how many people are in the population of this town?"
"A little over 3000 sir. Why?"
"This is the place where the miracles started originating from." Near murmured. He played with that little strand of hair by his ear in contemplation and gave a small smile. "Well, at least we know now that Kuro's definitely within the U.S."
"Do you actually think that Kuro lives in this little town here?" Miss Lidner asked.
"I do." Near nodded. "But as Kuro told us…she'd like to work alone. I still would like a chance to meet with her in person. I suppose we'll just have to wait and see where the next miracle occurred."
"I don't think we'll have to look far sir. Right in that very town on the street of West Eli Avenue two young men were involved in a traffic accident. Police are looking for the hit-and-run suspect while the other is in the hospital. When they got the victim to the ER their medical reports are in saying that he had no injuries that could be seen and was relatively healthy. He's recovering from shock right now." Gevanni explained.
"Any name for the victim?" Near asked.
"A Tito "TJ" Juarez." Miss Lidner said.
"Well then, I suppose we may just have to get a chance to speak with him about what happened. Otherwise I believe we're getting closer to Kuro." Near pushed his little chess piece closer to the Kuro Black Cat piece on top of the dice towers.
"Kuro's not hiding from anybody but Kira. So Miss Kuro is fair game for us to speak with."
--
"To my most hated enemy,
Hello Kira, I see I've proceeded to frustrate you even more in your endeavors to rid the world of all evil in it. Allow me to enlighten you on my agenda. See, by killing every criminal in this world you're potentially upsetting the flow of balance; the symbolism of yin and yang. You cannot live in a world without darkness and you cannot live in a world without light.
You're riddle is a waste of time, and does not interest me. However your answer is probably a 'vampire' while mine is the Schrödinger's Cat. How you ask? Well…since I am very much like a cat you really don't know if I am indeed 'alive' or 'dead' on the inside. My hiding place is like the imaginary box Erwin Schrödinger placed the imaginary cat in. You'll never know if you can or can't find me. It's a mystery.
As of right now I'm pretty sure that you're in a lot of pain after our battle between Life and Death yesterday. I'm surprised you're still standing. Know this, I'm not going to be down and out again for a good while. I'll make sure to keep you on your toes until then. For now, watch your back. When you think you're in the clear you be careful, for I am the cobra lurking at your feet waiting to strike.
This is Kuro bidding you, goodnight."
"Kuro's back." Matsuda stared at the screen with his mouth slightly agape. "H-Hey! Kuro's back!"
"Kuro's returned? Is this another joke Matsuda?" Light asked, taking another sip from his cup of coffee. "I'm serious, the last time you played a joke on us it wasn't funny."
"I tried, okay." Matsuda frowned, kind of bowing his head in epic defeat. "But I'm serious! Look."
They had gathered around the laptop to view the message before it had shut off. "Well, Kuro's certainly not too pleased about laying low for a while. I guess the plan to lure Kira out of hiding didn't work so well." Light said, looking at the screen in contemplation. It was taking a lot of guts to stand there and listen to Kuro mock him and bring in not only the answer Light had to his own riddle but also Kuro's own answer.
"Do you think that N and the SPK are getting closer to figuring out who Kuro is?" Aizawa asked.
"Of course they are. Even if they do find out who Kuro is, they certainly won't be giving out any names anytime soon." Light sighed. "I guess it's to protect Kuro's identity from Kira, it seems only right. Until then we'll just have to keep working closely with the SPK and N on Kira."
--
"Mister Juarez?" Gevanni said, looking at TJ's medical chart attached to the hospital bed.
Near was standing with Miss Lidner while there were police officers outside the ward TJ was in.
"I swear to god, I'm legally 18 and the porn on my computer isn't illegal!" TJ shouted suddenly taking much fear on his face as soon as Miss Lidner presented him with a business card.
"Oh." TJ calmed down as he took the card.
"Mister Juarez, we're with the local police investigation team on the events that occurred earlier today. How are you feeling?" Miss Lidner asked.
"Well I feel like I got hit my a truck ma'am. But now that you're here I'm feeling much better." TJ raised his brows suggestively before Gevanni gave him a stern glare.
"You're very pretty." TJ said, changing his words while fiddling awkwardly with the bed sheets. "Ah, yeah. What about it?"
"We're here to ask you some question son what happened." Near informed.
"I'm agent N." Near introduced himself to TJ before he was given a rolling office chair to seat himself in.
"Seriously, man?" TJ asked, looking at the fake business card. "Ohhh…I get it. You're all top secret and you must have been up late last night on a secret case so they brought you out here in mid-daylight in your jammies." TJ nodded with interest. "Okay, cholo. That's cool."
"Mister Juarez-"
"TJ, please. Everybody calls me TJ." The young Latino boy explained.
"TJ it is. Now I understand you were involved in a recent vehicle accident that could have claimed your life today." Near explained, staring at TJ's medical chart with interest. "You had no injuries when you got here."
"I don't remember what happened exactly, I know that I left my best friend's house after bringing her a cup of coffee from Starbucks. I walked right outside and got into my truck. I checked my mirrors, I buckled my seatbelt, I pulled out and I saw my best friend's ex-boyfriend in his huge-ass ford pickup come at me from nowhere."
"Your best friend? How long were you at his-" Gevanni was cut off in mid-sentence.
"She…It's a girl, dude." TJ corrected. "My best friend Keegan I think saw the whole thing. I know she was screaming at me to wake up. I could hear her voice yelling at me and then she was yelling at her boyfriend. I couldn't see anything, I was in too much pain. Next thing I know she's screaming somebody else's name to get something and I felt the pain go away. I think I passed out, but when I woke up paramedics were wheeling me in the ambulance and Keegan was waving at me." TJ explained.
"Does Miss Keegan have a last name?" Near asked.
"Are you guys really cops? I don't want Keegan to get in any trouble." TJ asked with concern.
"We'd just like to speak with her, I understand the police apprehended her ex-boyfriend?"
"Yeah, they got his ass locked up. He tried to kill me because he's a crazy mother fu-" The nurse tending to TJ gave him a glare from the other side of the room and he shut his mouth. "…He's crazy. He's been harassing Keegan for weeks. First through emails, then text messages and voicemails, and he even came all the way back from Ireland on break from the University to try and get back together with her. She tells me everything. Heh. She's like my mom."
"And you don't know how you arrived here with no injuries?" Near asked.
"No. I think that it's divine intervention though. I mean my parents visited me a few hours ago and my mom had lit every damn candle in her house and my dad was yelling at me in Spanish about being thankful I have a lot of faith in God even if I don't go to church all the time."
"Her last name…" Gevanni growled.
"Oh, Keegan. Keegan Louise Phelps. Now tell me, if I let you go to talk to her you will make sure that you have her call the hospital as soon as you get to her house because if I don't receive a call to my room, I can get some of mi familia to do some good work for me to make sure that she's safe." TJ sounded serious.
"Is that a threat?" Miss Lidner asked in irritation.
"It involves the safety of a girl that basically behaves like my mom. It's promise, ma'am." He pointed.
Near nodded. "We'll be sure to do as you've asked of us. No questions asked. Thank you Mister Juarez."
"TJ!" He yelled after them as they left the ward.
As they walked down the hallway, Gevanni had wrote down everything on TJ's medical sheet. "Nothing. Not even a bruise. Just a mild bump to the head and he seems fine."
"Miss Phelps must have been the only one to know how Mister Juarez was able to recover the way he had from this divine intervention." Near mumbled. "I think we may be getting closer to Kuro."
"You don't think someone we haven't met yet is…" Miss Lidner began.
"It's unclear…but I do." Near answered. "We'll need directions."
--
Her brows furrowed when she suddenly heard a knock on her door. "Put the game controller down." Keegan pointed to Ryuk as he sat with the Life Script under the couch cushions.
The shinigami dropped the game controller as Keegan approached the door. "Good god, more cops. How many more interviews do I need to give today?"
She opened the door to find the SPK agents standing on her doorstep. "Miss Phelps?" Near stated in a rather curious tone.
Her pulse sped up. 'Something's off here…' " Yes? I've allr eady given at least 14 statements today, TJ's parents are pressing charges and so am I. How may I help you?"
Gevanni's tone was firm as he stood by Near. "We need to speak with you about Mister Juarez's miraculous recovery."
'God I am never going to church again.'
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Authoress Note: Dun, dun, dun! Does Near know that Keegan is Kuro? Will she be in any trouble? Find out in the next chapter of The Life Script!