I never cared much for other people. What's the point? I can see their death date. I know when they are going to die. If I get attached and they die and it will hurt. Number one rule of self-preservation: make no room for weakness. Caring about someone else is a weakness. Being the intelligent man I am, I decided with those facts not to get attached. A was the only exception for me to that rule and look what happened.

Either way, since I cared not for these people, nor people in general, it didn't bother me as much to kill them as someone with 'a heart'. With 'morals'. Ha! As if such things truly exist. It's nothing more then the human nature of fitting into society. As may Kira supporters, conceited asses they are, they are normal people like you and me and hide by saying what he does is wrong when in truth they write things like 'Kill them all, Kira'. Well, maybe not normal like me, but you get the point nevertheless. I'm straying from the subject again...

Within the months that I had to wait I perfected my tactics (as if I truly needed to, they were practically perfect the way they were) until finally July 22 came about. Earlier in the month, I had saved enough money to buy a reasonably good laptop and had gotten the first clue sealed within it's memory. A crossword puzzle. A crossword puzzle I knew the police would never be able to conceive. Only L would be able to.

I had anticipated L's entrance at the beginning. I was anxious, I admit, but I had no true idea when he would enter the case. I had hoped he would come in on the first murder, that would have been much more interesting then after the third murder, but as long as he came in before my suicide I wouldn't mind. I would do my best to make sure he was welcomed with blood-stained hands shaking his sugar-coated ones. Hahaa.

I had saved more money and bought ten Wara Ningyo, a Japanese straw doll or ten Japanese straw dolls to be exact. I had set them in a hidden drawer in my 'home' and waited the until I could perform the first murder. The murder of Believe Bridesmaid. The murder that would turn L's world upside down, or so I had hoped. The murder that laid on the 31st of July. The first murder of the Los Angeles BB Murder Cases.

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I had made a copy of his key as soon as I possibly could and when the day came, I put it in a bag with four of the Wara Ningyo, a rope, string, a bottle of very strong sleeping pills, a book called Insufficient Relaxation and, unfortunately but necessary, volumes 1-3, 5-8, and 10-13 of my copies of Akazukin Chacha. I had to remind myself time and time again it was to make L pay, yet I still had a horrid time placing my precious manga in the bag, never to see again. I suppose that would be the only thing I would truly miss when I leave this place, this world, pathetic to admit but still true. My poor Akazukin Chacha.

I need to stop straying away from the point, I may not live to finish this if I do so. Now, where was I? Oh yes...

I admit I had my doubts that the key would work, I had made the copy myself. I'm not the best blacksmith though I have dabbled in the profession. I let out the shallow breath I had been holding while turning the key when the door lock clicked and I had succeeded in entering the house. The easiest part of the entire operation was over. I was in Believe Bridesmaid's home.

I locked the door behind me and walked to the bedroom I knew he was in. I laid the bag outside the room no not get any blood on it. Wiping blood off plastic is tedious. I took out the long rope and a bottle of strong sleeping pills, turning the doorknob so I could enter the room. When I entered he was sound asleep. I felt the need to wake him up for this, it was only polite. I walked calmly, quietly over to the sleeping 44 year old man and shook him gently after placing the pills in my pocket, not wanting to alarm him. He jumped up, very much alarmed anyway.

Stupid man.

He sat up and began speaking loudly at me. I suppose it could be considered yelling but it truly depends on your definition of yelling. Either way, that was what he was doing. Shouting profanities at me and telling me to 'leave before [he] call[ed] the cops'. I ignored him to the best of my ability and brought the rope level with my neck. He stopped mid-sentence. He began to back away slowly to the edge of the bed.

I remember the exact words he said to me. The first plea I had ever heard. Well, not the first but the first to stay with me my entire life. The words he spoke, they haunt me. His face, the face that uttered these words, haunts me. I believe both will till the end of my life. Both face and plea will run through my mind as I die. I know it will. It will be my last thought. I simply know this to be true, though I have yet to die.

"P-please...think this through son...what have I done to you?" I had thought this through and nothing, he was nothing more then a pawn in my plan, I thought as I placed my knee on the bed still going toward him. He kept backing away as I advanced him. "P-p-please...if it's money you want I have plenty, take as much as you want! Just don't kill me!" I had no interest in money, I still do not, all I care about was surpassing L, I thought as he spoke once more. "Please, sonny, I can't die..." Tears started to well up in his eyes. This caught me by surprise. I had never seen someone cry. "Please...I don't want to die...please...I'm begging you...please...." his voice grew softer, weaker. He knew he would lose. He knew I would kill him no matter what.

The tears started to fall. He looked quite pathetic, and then he said something that will haunt me for the rest of my life. "Please...why would you do something like this to me? To someone you don't even know? Please...please let me live...I'll do anything...just let me live." I stopped my advance. These words stung. I don't know why they did, but they went through my mind like an arrow can go through an apple. I didn't know what to do.

His numbers where running low though, if I didn't kill him something else would, and then all this, all my planning, all the trouble I went through, it would all be in vain. I would not surpass L. I would have failed. Not only to L but to A too. I would have failed. Epically. All because this man was pathetic.

I gritted my teeth together and jumped on him. I straddled him carefully and placed the rope to his neck. I wanted to wrap it around his throat and tighten it to where he died instantly. But that would ruin my plan. I shoved six pills into his mouth and forced him to swallow them. His eyes immediately began to droop. With his last conscious breath he said the most insulting thing anyone could ever say to me. "You'll be caught, if not by the police then by L, the greatest detective ever. I hope you rot in jail." He got his wish.

This statement though...this statement set me off. This statement is what drove me over the edge. This statement is what made me fall of the tightrope I was walking in between sane and insane. This statement is what made me go insane. I turned him onto his stomach before tightening the rope. I could have sworn I felt my eyes glow an unnatural red, though I know this to be impossible, I felt it.

I do believe Bridesmaid, though very much unconscious, could feel my anger as I tightened the rope around his neck much, much tighter. He began convulsing under me, spiting up discuting things that he had more then likely eaten earlier that day. My nose wrinkled at the sight and I shied away from the man's mouth and liquids as much as possible. His head lolled to the side, saliva dripping out in large quantities, and that was when I knew he was officially dead. The hardest part was done.

I had killed Believe Bridesmaid.

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I sat on top of Believe Bridesmaid for a long time, 30 to 40 minutes I would assume, just staring at his back. Contemplating what I had done. I thought about how I felt. Nothing. That's what I felt. Nothing. It was strange. I had read murder books in the point of view of the murderer and the case was always the same. They felt remorse for the first murder. I did not.

I wanted to touch the wound on his neck, but restrained myself. If I had to rub off my fingerprints on his neck the wound wouldn't be as presentable. I had finally gotten off him and picked him up, laying him face up on the bed. I left the room, knowing that Bridesmaid would, obviously, not leave his position. I grabbed a knife from the kitchen and walked back in. This is where the hints would begin.

I took the knife and began my work. I sliced through Bridesmaid's skin, having simply unbuttoned his shirt, and leaving long lines in the shape of letters. No, not letters, Roman numerals. As the murders go on they, they being that whore Naomi Misora and L, would figure out these slashes would prove to be the numbers 16, 59, 1423, 159, 13, 7, 582, 724, 1001, 40, 51, and 31. I smiled at my work then frowned. I had to wash all this. Shrugging, I threw the knife on the bed and striped Bridesmaid of everything.

He was, indeed, a tiny man.

I made my way around the small house until I found the laundry room. I threw the clothes into the washer and walked back into the bedroom. I hadn't expected this to be so much work. I sighed and carefully dragged the man of the bed then stripped the covers. I carried them to the washer and poured a fair amount of detergent in it. Blood is hard to get out, I was prepared to scrub the clothes and sheets. I made may way back into the room, having grabbed a wash cloth, a water filled bucket, and soap. I sat next to Bridesmaid's dead body, rolled up my sleeves, and began to gently caress the blood off.

After I was satisfied with the now clean body, I wiped invisible sweat off my brow. I wasn't done just yet. I soaked the washcloth and began to scrub everything in sight. I wiped everything clean of fingerprints. Everything. I took out the light bulbs and even wiped the light sockets, that was the hint to my desperation.

I went room to room cleaning everything, having already cleaned myself off. After I was sure I was done, I went back to the laundry room and got the clothes out. I was happy to see no stains were left, all the clothes and sheets were dark enough to hide any residue. I waked back into the room and, with pruny hands, made the bed, redressed Believe Bridesmaid, and placed him back on the bed facing upward.

Believe it or not, I was still not done.

I took out all the books in the shelve of books, second from the bottom. I put my precious Akazukin Chacha in the right side. I would have cried for the series if I was not as dignified as I am. After I was finished I placed the rest of the books back in their original place but added Insufficient Relaxation and taking some books away. The bookcase was jam packed.

Jam...I could use some right now...I haven't had any since the L.A.B.B. Murders...

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9:30 pm.

I looked at the red lights that read such numbers on the alarm clock next to Bridesmaid's bed. I was laying on the floor, completely exhausted. I had cleaned the entire house five times and made sure everything was perfect. I had made sure the Wara Ningyo were in place perfectly, the string attached and on the latch and everything. This was much more work then I had originally expected. But I couldn't turn back now. I had already gone through so much. I would not let A lose. I would not let L win. I would surpass L. I swore to it.

I stood up slowly, muscles acing, at midnight. I walked out of the house exhausted but quite proud of myself. I had started up the events that would lead to my victory. Or...so I had hoped. But I didn't know I would fail so I went home, very proud, and ready for some well deserved rest. Tomorrow I would have to convince this man's parents to work on his case. That would be another task on it's own. But as I had said earlier, I had charm and manipulation. I could handle two naive, distraught parents. It was all too easy. I simply couldn't wait for L to bardge in and make it interesting. Let us play this game together, L. You know you want to.

Catch me if you can, L.