I Have the Right to Destroy
Chapter 08: Silence
(Light Yagami)
Amane Misa was confined and put under surveillance by the Japanese Task Force for four weeks. That is, she was put under extreme stress, mild torture, and blindness within that period of time, in an effort to get her to confess about her role as second Kira or as an accomplice of second Kira.
At least, the rest of the task force was hoping that she'd at least admit to being second Kira's accomplice—as I've said before, second Kira's messenger girl. If she had just confessed that much, then the rest of us would be satisfied enough to remove her from confinement.
However, we knew that Ryuzaki will not stop with just that confession. He'd only stop when he hears Amane-san's confession: I am Second Kira. And I killed the criminals in this manner… And after that, death penalty. Amane Misa would be the poster girl for cute, empowered criminal women on the death row. Ryuzaki is a cruel man, isn't he?
Anyway, it doesn't matter. Amane denied being involved with second Kira in any way. All she admitted to doing was being vocal about her support for Kira. She was awfully cheeky about it too: I love Kira! I don't love stalker-san… is that what you want? Well if you're Kira then I love you. But you're not… you're an evil man!
She'd been silent during the first four days of confinement, but after that, she'd been consistent with her answers and behaviour. It seemed to me that she wasn't guilty. Or at least, she's a very good actress.
Outside the second Kira investigation, the killings stopped for two weeks, starting the day before the body was found in Tokyo Bay. After that, the killings started again—a brutal series of criminal death by heart attacks began in the US, and then spread like wildfire to the rest of the world.
Ryuzaki, needless to say, was confused. "Maybe Kira is making fun of me," was all he could tell me. "But that two week silence… that has to mean something, don't you think, Light-kun?"
Confused may not be the right word. Dumbfounded, or up the river with just one paddle. Something to that effect. He probably got so flustered that he finally gave in to me and my father's demands to release Misa. She was released from confinement, but she was still under strict surveillance—she was forced to live in an apartment in Ryuzaki's tower, and Mogi-san acted as her manager.
"Maybe he went on vacation, Ryuzaki. Maybe he got hospitalized for two weeks and he couldn't get the names and faces that he needed. Maybe his TV got busted, or he ran out of money for the newspaper subscription…" I sighed. There were just too many simple and mundane explanations for the slump, and there was no way to prove anything.
Ryuzaki stared at me. "Light-kun… I keep forgetting that you have limited information about the true Kira case, and all you have are information about second Kira… perhaps it would be wise of you to retreat for now."
"Retreat again, Ryuzaki? You're short of hands now since the Japanese Police withdrew their cooperation. All you have now are my dad's team, a few of your people, and me. Heck, I think I'm being nice enough by helping you out with paperwork when I don't know everything there is to know about this case. Maybe you should just give me more information, then I could truly help out…"
He bit his thumb and smiled at me. Creepily. "I won't make it easy for you, Light-kun. I'm sorry. I will be the one to solve this case. I will make sure that you and the task force will see our victory."
Go figure. This guy may be a certified genius that even Dad thinks he's smarter than me, but I don't see it at all. He's got the competitive spirit of a third-grader, I'll give him that.
I shrugged and left him alone in his office. If you don't give the information to me, then I'll find an alternative.
I went home that night. For a while, my mom was concerned about my sudden leave from university, but somehow my dad smoothed things over with her. So even though I get smothered when I go home, I'm not asked any dangerous questions or anything.
When I went up my room, again I noticed that the doorknob didn't look quite right. When I went in, Sayu was using my weeks-old laptop to play Diner Dash 3. She saw me, and all she said was, "Hi, brother! Home from work? Haha, all you need is a suit and you're a salary man."
I frowned at her. "Sayu, sorry, but I need to use my laptop for tonight. I've got to do extra papers for the classes I've missed," I lied.
"Sure, sure," she said. She pouted as she left my room. She probably knew that I was lying. I guess I have to buy her a meal sometime to keep her from squealing.
I closed the door, locked it, and turned to my laptop. I had some inkling that something will happen to it, any second now, although it could just be me hoping for any contact, or any leads at all, from that guy…
Past 8 PM. Nothing from the laptop. I guess I should be relieved. At least I won't be destroying any laptops today…
At that moment, I heard the chorus of Bon Jovi's Living on a Prayer playing from my jeans pocket. I took out and flipped my orange Moto RAZR open and stared at the number.
Unknown Number
Uneasily, I answered my cell phone. "Moshi-moshi."
"Good evening, Yagami Light." That familiar distorted voice again. "It's been more than four weeks since we last spoke. I hope you recognize my voice."
"Yes, I do," I replied.
"We have much to discuss about the Kira case tonight. Speak with a low voice, for your family members might hear you talking. But do not hesitate to say exactly what you have to say. We have plenty of time for our discussion. I have taken measures to prevent anybody from eavesdropping into our conversation."
"All right."
"What have you found out so far from working with the task force?"
I took a deep breath and told him everything I knew: from Amane Misa's capture, her sudden shift in behaviour during confinement, the drowned man in Tokyo Bay, the pause in killings, and finally, Amane Misa's release from confinement.
After my report, he said, "I see…" and fell silent for a while. After the pause, he asked, "You worked with a man called Ryuzaki, did you not?"
"Yes. He's not a member of the Japanese task force, but he's the acting leader of the group," I said.
"Did you meet him in person?"
"Yes."
"Did he share his theories with you?"
"Yes."
"What did he have to say about the Kira case then?"
I paused. Ryuzaki, you arrogant guy, you. Despite myself, I smiled sneakily.
"Yagami-kun, that's a suspicious smile on your face," he told me.
I looked around my room. So there were bugs and cameras all over the place? I wonder how long this guy was watching my sister play Diner Dash 3 on my laptop.
"It's nothing. I'm just gathering my thoughts. I find some of the theories absurd, you know." The thing is, Ryuzaki, I probably don't need to repeat your own theories for you. But if you're contacting me like this, I have no choice but to play along. Why go through all the trouble with this voice distortion anyway? I already know what you sound like…
"Then, please," he said.
I put two fingers on my forehead as I tried to remember all that Ryuzaki told me. "First off, he said that Amane Misa is second Kira, and that second Kira cooperated with the first Kira after meeting him or her. Misa's confinement and the pause in killings are related in some way, but it is not yet apparent how.
"The death in Tokyo Bay was not a new message from Kira or Second Kira. Rather, it was part of the original message—that is, the death in Chiba. Second Kira's full message was that he or she can kill with just the face. Furthermore, he or she can manipulate events before the death, and he or she can kill with other means than a heart attack. This is confirmed because the autopsy report of the drowned man revealed that he died shortly after the Chiba victim's heart attack.
"Ryuzaki's third theory is… well, it's why I smiled to myself, I guess." I laughed vaguely. "The general assumption is that Kira and Second Kira kill using supernatural means. That's understandable enough, but I think his theory is just hard to swallow…"
"How do you mean, Yagami-kun?" asked Ryuzaki.
"It just… sounds forced. He thinks that Amane Misa was second Kira, but sometime during the capture, she gave up her power to kill, which is why her behaviour suddenly changed. This is also why she's not second Kira anymore, and why Ryuzaki agreed to 'release' Misa."
"… I see. Why do you think this is absurd?"
Ryuzaki was probably getting a bit defensive now. I shrugged to the hidden cameras and said, "It seems… too convenient. It's possible, but I'm not believing it until I see proof."
He laughed. With those damned voice scramblers, he sounded like a B-movie monster, or else a creature straight out of a Hannah-Barbera cartoon. "Ha-a-a-a-a-a!" As I listened, I can't help but put on an offended face.
"What's so funny?" I asked him.
"Pardon me, Yagami-kun. I understand why you think Ryuzaki's third theory is absurd. But personally, I'm more than ready to believe it."
"Really now," I said. Figures that he'd try to float his own boat…
"Ryuzaki wouldn't say anything absurd, unless he felt that it was necessary. I suppose we can drop the discussion about second Kira for now. Have you witnessed any investigations about the first Kira?"
I looked upwards in thought. "Come to think of it… all I've seen Ryuzaki do are all related to second Kira, up until the 'pause' in the killings. I don't know how intensely they're investigating Kira because I've been assigned with office work—statistics in the criminal deaths, surveillance in the tower, all that—and I didn't find anything out of the ordinary…"
"… as expected," he muttered to himself. (I wonder if he said that out loud on purpose.) "His behaviour about this case has been apt. And you saw nothing out of the ordinary."
"Yes. I understand that he's worried about leaks, but I don't think that's the only thing he's worried about," I told him. Ryuzaki, do you think I'm working for another person? Or are you just worried that I'll disprove all your theories, and you'd have nothing to go on anymore?
Or maybe… I'm wrong about you?
"That is true," he said, finally. "Yagami-kun, thank you for your efforts in this investigation. For that, I will give you more information about the Kira case."
Really? What kind of information? I waited for him to elaborate.
"Ryuzaki and the rest of the task force are knowledgeable about the primary suspects in this case, but of course they are not allowed to discuss these things outside their circle. Now, tell me, what do you know about Kira's identity? The demographic data, at least?"
"Let's see… all I know is that Kira is from England. I have no idea about the age, gender, or even occupation… but the general assumption by the public is that he's male. My guess is that if he has an unnatural hatred for crime, he also probably works in law or the police, or he has ties with them… maybe relatives or friends in the task force?" I shrugged.
"Friends with a detective?"
"Something like that," I said.
"Interesting, Yagami-kun. Sadly, it is more obvious now than ever that Ryuzaki has been keeping you in the dark about plenty of things. Well then, in return for your hard work, I will reveal some information about the Kira suspects."
Some? Just some, but not all? But it's Ryuzaki. I suppose I shouldn't complain. Considering his behaviour, this must be a great accomplishment.
"First of all, there are three suspects. All of them are male, and are aged 13-15 years. They were students and schoolmates back in Winchester, a city in England. Following the destruction of their school, they informally dropped out and separated some months ago. When second Kira made his first appearance in Japan, they transferred here. They are now scattered in different areas in Tokyo."
"They're… young," I said weakly. Kira is a teenager? I'm a teen too, but I can't accept that the world was put under the mercy of a guy younger than me.
"What do you think, Yagami-kun? Is it too… absurd for you?" he said.
I smirked. "I'll believe you for now. You'd be wasting your time if you're lying to me," I answered.
"But you're thinking something else, Yagami-kun. Please share your thoughts with me. They are important for the investigation," he told me.
Those cameras must be damned expensive if they noticed my behaviour to that extent. "If you say so, L. I have a feeling that you know these suspects personally."
He paused. "How did you come to that conclusion?"
"The suspects themselves are rather unexpected—I mean, who would ever think that Kira could be a thirteen-year-old? Also, there's the fact that they came from the same place. For Kira to do everything that he's done so far, he must not have been an ordinary student. These three must not be ordinary students—in other words, the school in question had to be unique in some way. The only reason why you would suspect them is that Kira did something that only these three children could have done, and it may be something that you yourself witnessed. It's the only reason why you are so sure about it. And that's what you're hiding from me, isn't it?"
"…" I imagined him tilting his head sideways and biting his fingernail in that creepy manner of his. "Brilliant deduction, Yagami-kun. I suppose it's useless to deny that fact now," he answered.
Bull's eye.
"Forgive me, but I do not wish to elaborate on the exact reason why these three are the suspects. Just trust me that Kira could only be one among the three of them."
"I understand. Who are these three, anyway?"
"Unfortunately, there are no existing images of them anywhere. Their names are also hidden—they go by the aliases Matt, Mello, and Near. I cannot give you any other information about them."
I frowned. Strange names, except for Matt. Who would call himself Near? I've never heard of anybody calling himself by a preposition.
"We have enough information to say that currently, all of them are in the Kanto region of Japan. For a time, it had been extremely difficult to track down their movements. We still have no clue as to how the killings are carried out."
For a time, they had difficulty tracking down their movements. So it means that it's been an erratic surveillance, and now it's less difficult? I wonder… "So have any of them made contact with Amane Misa?"
He didn't answer immediately. "Yes."
"Given that, you failed to make conclusions on which of them could be linked to her as Kira?" I asked incredulously.
"I have my own theories, Yagami Light, but even with Miss Amane's role in the Kira case, there is still no critical evidence against her or of those Kira suspects whom she had attempted to make contact."
Kira suspects?! She talked to all three of them?!
L elaborated: "My spies were able to find her in situations where she saw two of the suspects face-to-face. Furthermore, we have reason to believe that she made attempts to contact the other one, but it seemed that she failed. However, take note that it had been extremely difficult to identify these suspects because they constantly move, evade, and change appearances from time to time. We cannot say whom Amane-san had made most contact with."
There's more to Misa than meets the eye, apparently. No wonder you just won't let her go… I am sorry that I doubted you, Ryuzaki. "Why would Misa try to make contact with all three of them? Have you considered the possibility that these three are working together as Kira?" I asked.
"I've considered that possibility before, Yagami-kun. Let's just say that if all three of them worked as Kira, two of them would have died already, while the last one prevailed as the so-called god of the new world."
I guess I can trust him on that. They sound like crazy kids.
"As to why Amane-san tried to see the faces of all three suspects… I can only guess that she was following orders from one of them. If we assume that she is truly second Kira, all she needed to be able to kill them was to look at the suspects' faces—the fact that they hid behind aliases would not be significant anymore."
"Kira," I said. "So she was ordered to kill the two other suspects…"
"… yes," answered L. "It would have been the worst way to discover Kira's identity. We are fortunate that Amane-san seemed to have lost her power to kill now."
"I have another question, L. You said that you had difficulty tracking them down for a time. So does that mean that you're monitoring their movements more successfully now?"
"I am not sure if that's the way to put it, Yagami Light. Yes, my spies are successful in tailing them, but that in itself is suspicious."
"When did this happen?" I asked.
"During the pause." The distorted voice ended with an echo of apprehension.
(Kira)
Evening. As the last spots of orange in the greying sky vanished, I was engulfed in the deafening sound of crickets, the starlit darkness, and the cool evening air. In a small patch of forest by Tama River, the darkness seemed intimidating.
Finished with the hole I dug on the ground, I stabbed the trowel I brought with me on the soft earth.
"You're not used to things like this, huh, kid?" said Ryuk.
"I'm not too keen on getting my hands dirty," I told him. I took a flashlight from inside my jacket pocket and shone the light inside the hole on the ground. A brown shoebox sat quietly with bits of roots and small stones.
I took the box from its place in the hole. From the moment I lifted it and felt the lack of weight inside, I knew that something happened.
"… empty," I told Ryuk.
He cackled. "You were right, kid. As always. You even saw through the shinigami. I'm impressed."
I smiled and pushed my newest pair of spectacles up the bridge of my nose. The fake attachment of my nose remained intact as I did so. "It doesn't matter, Mr. Ryuk. Everything is going according to plan."
"That guy you saw in the university, huh," he said. "Just remember the rules, kid. One slip and it's all over."
"I'm not the type who slips, Mr. Ryuk. You've been with me for half a year now. Have I ever been unreliable?"
All he did was laugh in response: "Ku ku ku". His eyes flashed like the taillights of a car. His teeth glowed in what seemed to be anticipation.
- Chapter 08 end -
Notes: Heavy dialogue between Light and L. Take note of the details, kids. If you're serious about it, take down notes. You'll discover something interesting. Wink.
If you need a break from all the 'studying,' go to Youtube and look for Point Break's music video entitled "You". And together, let's dance the dance of death! XD