Los Angeles (Day Two)
I awoke this morning to the sun glaring in my face. I sat up in bed and rubbed my eyes. I heard the shower running and remembered JJ and I had shared this room. Ryuk was snoring on the couch. Apparently Shinigami slept. I guess you really do learn something knew everyday. I picked up my pillow and threw it at him. He jumped awake and screamed.
"Score one for humanity," I whispered. Ryuk stood up and glared at me. "I never would have guess it'd be that easy to scare a Shinigami." I laughed quietly. He continued glaring at me and looked like he might kill me. I picked up and apple that was in a bowl of fruit beside my bed and threw it at him. He eyes lit up as he caught the apple. Licking his lips he gulped it down in one bite. "And score two," I whispered.
"You are not a nice person," he whined.
"No I'm not, am I?" I whispered sarcastically. I chuckled quietly and Ryuk fell into a fit of laughter. I threw him another apple and he took his time eating this one, savoring the flavor.
"I can't be bribed," he said.
"You explained everything you and Light did before he joined the task force because I gave you a jar of applesauce," I whispered.
"That was a fair trade!" he said quickly. I covered my mouth to quite my snicker. "Hey, why are you being so quiet?"
"In case you haven't noticed, there's a completely normal person who has never seen nor even heard about a Death Note in the room over there," I said.
"So?" Ryuk asked, completely confused.
"If she's never seen a Death Note, never touched one, she can't see or hear you. She can, however, see and hear me just fine. Imagine someone you just met having a one-sided conversation with a wall."
"That would be a problem wouldn't it?" he whispered and crouched down as if in hiding.
"She can't hear you!" I hissed.
"Score one for the Shinigami," he laughed. I smiled and threw my other pillow at him. He threw them both back and I finally got out of bed. I walked over to the room's window and stared out over the city. Everything seemed so familiar somehow. But I had only been here for a few days at a time, and every time I always went straight for that prison.
B never wanted to hurt anyone. He just wanted to be acknowledged. After he was arrested I went to visit him as often as I could. At first he only ignored me, but after a few weeks he just fell apart. He confided in me everything he had been thinking since he and L had run from home.
He told me how he felt he was living in L's shadow. He told me he had always wanted me to praise him just as much as I praised L. He told me he was jealous of L. So he tried to outwit L. But in the end, he had lost to L.
My last visit to Los Angeles had been days before Kira found, and killed, B. The last thing B said so me was "I'm sorry."
He had been apologizing for all the pain he thought he had caused me. I had assured him I was alright and that he didn't need to apologize. I said that again and again but after he said, "I'm sorry," all I could concentrate on was the last time I had heard those words. Weeks before I took that last visit, L had died. His last words to me had been those. Seeing B, hearing him say those words, all I could concentrate on was L. Though they denied it, they could have been twins. Their appearance, manner of speaking, and personalities were nearly identical.
After hearing B say that, my heart began to rot. I knew I couldn't stay much longer without being reduced to tears. So I left. On my way out B said, "I'm sorry," one last time. And that was the last thing I heard him say. Four days later I learned he'd had a heart attack. He may not have been in the best of health, but I knew he wouldn't have just died. Not like that. I knew Kira had killed him.
By the time I had learned of B's death I was already back in England. Over the following four years I had been to L's grave several times. However, in that entire time I had never been able to visit B. Maybe it was because I blamed myself for what happened to him. I didn't know.
Now, looking out over the city, I could just barely make out the chapel of the cemetery B had been buried in. I made a silent promise to myself that I would go visit him.
A hand brushed against my shoulder and I spun around, adrenaline poured into my veins. I looked up and a wide-eyed JJ.
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to scare you," she said, "I've been trying to get your attention for awhile now. Are you sure you're alright?" The surprised had faded from her eyes and was replaced with concern.
"Oh, yeah. Don't apologize. I had a nightmare last night, that's all. I-I'm going to go take a shower now," I said quickly. I walked over to the bag I had packed and pulled out the first set of clothes my hands found and rushed over to the bathroom. Ryuk chuckled softly.
Today, when the team entered the station, the officers continued their daily banter. Like yesterday we headed towards the rear of the station where Hotch's board was still set up. Chief Tanner was waiting for us.
"Civilian found another victim," he said.
"Are you sure it's the same unsub?" Hotch asked.
"I'll be damned if anyone else did it. Same marks as before. Same bullet wounds, same sexual assault, same signs of torture. Ahh, but there was something different this time."
"Something different?" I asked. The others turned to look at me. I had hardly said anything yesterday, much less asked any questions. In fact, I had only spoke when directly spoken to.
But if something had changed, I wanted to know. Even if the press hadn't heard of these murders yet, there was still a chance someone may have learned of them. I wanted to know if Mikami had murdered again.
"A message was carved onto the poor girl's body," Tanner explained.
"What did it say?" I asked, stunning the team once more.
"We don't know. It's not in English. The symbol looks Asian to me. The body has been taken to a local morgue. You're all permitted to see it at anytime. Oh, one last thing. A few of the victims' families have showed up, just like you asked, Agent Gideon."
"Thank you, Chief Tanner," Gideon said.
"Ali, why don't you and Reid go look at the body? JJ and Morgan, I want you talking to families. Gideon, you and I should begin preparing a preliminary profile." And with that we split up. An officer drove Reid and I to the local morgue. Once there we were quickly shown to the newest victim.
"You guys will put a stop to this soon right?" Dr. Claire, the M.E., said, "I hate having to see such young girls being hurt like this." Dr. Claire was an older woman who looked like she could have had grandchildren the same age as the victims. A pang of sympathy struck my heart, but I quickly silenced it. I needed to focus on this job. That may sound harsh, but now was not the time for naivety.
We were taken to a small room clearly used for autopsies. In the room was a single metal gurney and a mass array of medical tools. Sinks and washbasins lined the walls. On the gurney, a small form could be seen under a thin white sheet. Dr. Claire removed the sheet revealing the pale body of the last victim. She must have been twenty-five at the most. Scars and bruises covered her body, but the two most glaring wounds were the y-incision Dr. Claire had made for the autopsy, and the deep gashes that carved out the message Cheif Tanner had spoken off.
Clearly, the message was not in English, or any roman language. To most likely any other member of the team the lines and dashes may have looked like a jumbled mess, but I could read the message loud and clear. The characters spelled out "Kaishi." This was definitely Mikami.
For as long as I can remember, "Kaishi" had always been a nickname for me. Although I'm not too sure where it originated from, seeing as it, in no way, resembles my true name. After the Kira case had begun I created the name Shinse Kaime for myself and based of off of this nickname. However, during the Kira case I never once used the name "Kaishi." I had even L call me Kaime. As a result, only those who lived in Whammy's house knew of that nickname.
Who still lives, though? Roger, he's still alive. He wouldn't leave the orphanage just yet. Near is still alive, he's still playing the part of "L." Mello and Matt are alive as well. Four people. Four people could have carved this…
No! I told Light about that name! When I had mistakenly believed I could trust him, I told him about my nickname. I told him many things. And he would have had any number of opportunities to tell Mikami Teru.
"Can you read it, Ali?" Reid asked.
"I can. It says 'Kaishi.' Mikami, what are you doing? Are you… looking for revenge?" I muttered.
"Um, Ali? You were just speaking… Japanese?" Reid said.
"I was? Sorry. Anyway, the message says Kaishi"
"What is that?" the Dr. Claire asked.
"Not 'what'. Kaishi is… was… a friend of mine." I tried to explain. I wasn't sure how, though. I couldn't explain who Shinse Kaime was.
"Was?" Reid asked.
"She… died. Six months ago."
"Ali…" Reid began, his face revealed pity but his eyes revealed confusion. "Do you know anyone who would do this?" His tone told me he didn't want to upset me, but he knew he needed to solve this case.
"I… I don't know," I said simply. To make myself appear preoccupied, I reanalyzed the wounds. My best guess said they were created by a simple kitchen knife. The bullet wounds were identical to the other victims. Seeing them now in person I confirmed that the positions were identical to the wounds I gave Light.
"Um, agents? I found something else. In her hand, the one that had been… shot, there was a note. It looks to be in the same language as the… message," Dr Claire explained softly. She walked over to a small table next to the gurney and picked up a small piece of paper. She walked over to Reid; then seemed to realize he hadn't been able to read the other message. She handed the slip to me. It was a piece of lined notebook paper. Lines of Japanese characters filled the page. The characters read:
Shinse Kaime Blood loss 20:30 July 14, 2005
Shinse will speak with a believed suspect.
Suspect will pull out a gun and act as if
He wishes to shoot Shinse. Shinse will reveil
A knife. This weapon will be used by
The suspect. Shinse will receive fatal wounds.
A Death Note entry. Or at least, Mikami wants be to believe it is. I've seen four separate Death Notes and while the front covers varied, the appearance of the pages had always been identical. Each page had half-centimeter spaces separated by black lines. This paper was from a standard college-rule notebook. Also, my true name was not written on the page.
That being said, Mikami seems confident this event will still come to pass. He is prepared to do whatever it takes to create this event. Tonight.
"What does it say, Ali?" Reid asked.
"It says, 'I will continue killing. You will not catch me. These women stained the world. I am merely doing a service.'" I lied. "We need to tell the others about this."
"You're right. Thank you for your help, Dr. Claire. Is there anything else?" Reid said.
"No, this was all I could find. B-but if I find anything else I'll be sure to tell you! You will find this man, right?" she asked.
"Of course we will," I said and smiled. Reid agreed and smiled too. The two of us then walked back to the waiting officer who drove us back to the station. When we walked in, Hotch was talking with the others. I noticed an old phone sitting on a table. The "Speaker" light was flashing on the base.
Penelope's voice sounded, "That's all I could find, Hotch. These girls had only recently moved to Los Angeles. Each had been previously living in Japan."
"Alright, thanks Garcia," Hotch said.
"Sure thing Boss, Garica out!" she said as Reid and I walked in the room.
"Garcia couldn't find much information on the victims," Hotch explained, "I hope you two found something."
"We did, actually. The message carved into the victim is… well, we weren't sure what that meant. But the M.E. found a note in the victim's hand. Ali, what did it say again?" Reid explained. It told the team what I told Reid. I hide the truth about the note. No one here knew what a Death Note was anyway. I doubt any of them would believe me either.
"This certainly does change things, doesn't it," Gideon said.
"JJ, I want you to go to the media now," Hotch said, "Explain the situation. We need possible victims to be aware of the unsub."
"Alright, I'm on it," JJ said. She asked a few officers to contact the local media and set up a press conference. Hotch explained details Penelope had found on the victims, and Morgan explained what he found out from the families. Basically all we now knew was that all four victims had barely set foot in America before they had been murdered. There was also no crossover in the reasons behind the victims' transitions. However, with what the team believed had been written on the note, Hotch decided he could deliver a profile, a basic description of the unsub as well as some main reasons for why he became a killer or why he continues killing.
While Gideon, Hotch, and Reid were explaining the profile, Morgan was working with JJ and me on a tip-line. During her press conference, JJ had asked the population of Los Angeles to call in with any tips or hints. Most of the calls were useless. Some people claimed to know who the unsub was, but when pressed it was revieled that these people had only seen shady looking chracters around Asian looking girls. Not a single call provided any hard evidence. At least, not until around 7:30.
Morgan received the call. He answered in the usual way but his tone quickly turned confused and concerned. He asked the call to repeat what he had said, but then he seemed to realize the caller was not speaking English. He caught my eyes and gestured for me to come over.
Placing his hand over the phone's receiver, he said, "I can't understand this girl. She sounds… Japanese. And she sounds hurt. Here," he pushed a button and the phone's speaker came on.
"Kai-chan, Kai-chan! You… have to help me. I- I don't know where I am. I… I think he wants to kill me." I heard a scream and the girl started yelling, "Kai-chan, help me!"
"I grabbed the phone from Morgan's hand and yelled, "So-chan! It's me, Kai! Please, answer me!"
"And so we meet again, Shinse Kaime," Mikami's voice came through the speaker. He broke out in a fit of laughter and I tore the phone from Morgan's hand. He gasped in surprise but did not have a firm grip.
"Mikami Teru! Where the hell are you? I swear, I will kill you if you hurt her! You know I can!" I yelled. I vaguely noticed the team questioning me. I ignored them.
"Yes, you could kill me," Mikami said calmly, "Could. However, this does not mean you can," he finished and begun to laugh again. I heard Soya scream.
"Mikami!" I yelled again. A faint click sounded and a dial tone filled the room. "So-chan…shit" I muttered. Once again, the team began to question me. Above the din of angered voices, I heard one that was concerned.
"Ali, you were speaking Japanese again." Reid. He was not angry, I realized. He may have guessed this case involved me, but now I knew for certain he was positive I was connected to the unsub.
"Have Pen- No, have Garcia look up the name Teru Mikami. If he's dead, look for an alias. He's our unsub. As for this latest victim, her name is Soya Miti. She was supposed to be in Russia. I have no idea what she is doing here," I explained, concentrating on speaking English. "I need some air," I lied.
I rushed from the building, barely noticing the time as I left. 7:46. The note had said 20:30. 8:30. That left me about forty-five minutes before Mikami forced his prediction. As I left the building, I saw Ryuk fly over me. I just had to make sure.
"Ryuk!" I called, "If Mikami had a Death Note, would you tell me?"
"Hmm… Well, if you died I would have no more fun. So yes, I would tell you," he said.
"Thank you." Though the name written on that scrape had just been an alias, Mikami knows my real name. He saw it that day six months ago. If he truly does not have a Death Note, then the scrape was just to scare me after all. It was not a warning or any such thing.
The city of Los Angeles is truly a large place. Searching for one person among the millions is impossible. Where would Mikami go? I asked myself. I thought of the victims. All but the last had been found in a shallow grave outside of a small suburb. This location had no meaning. In a flash, I knew where Mikami would be. He wanted revenge. He wanted me to feel the pain he's been feeling. This I knew. And if he wanted his revenge to be complete, there is only one place he would go. B's grave. I ran through the night, Ryuk flying over me as if he were the Grim Reaper, signaling death.
It did not take me long to reach the cemetery. It was not too far from the station. St. Marie's Memorial Cemetery was written in curved iron bars over the gates if the graveyard. I sign posted warned against entering between dusk to dawn. I hopped the fence and ran inside.
The graves were laid out in chronological order. The oldest plots were nearest the entrance while the newer ones were yards away. I ran down a paved road, causing nocturnal crows and blackbirds to cry out and fly away. Not a single bird flew within three feet of me. All seemed to be able to see, or at least sense, Ryuk.
I had been in the cemetery for nearly ten minutes before I found the plot containing graves from about five years ago. It hadn't been all that hard to find. The cemetery had been deserted, except for two figures standing beside a lone headstone. As I neared on figure turned his head up and looked at the sky, directly Ryuk. He chuckled.
"Mikami!" I yelled. The taller figure, the one how could see Ryuk, turned to look at me. A cloud drifted and the moon revealed his face. It was indeed Mikami Teru.
"Hello, Kaishi," he sneered and removed his hand from the shorter figured shoulders. Soya fell to the ground. It was impossible for me to tell if she was alive or dead, but for now I had to concentrate on Mikami. "8:23. Seven minutes to go," he chuckled.
