An Alternate Note
Here rolls chapter three. Things are beginning to be shaken up a bit. We're getting more and more AU with every step. As always, reviews let me know where I can make improvements!
Tuesday:
A small part, a very small part of Light's conscience ate at her every time she glanced at the clock this day. For the past two days, every hour, on the hour there was a Japanese inmate dropping dead of heart attack courtesy of her Death Note. They suspect a student, well L, I hope you enjoy this new development. As if you'd ever find me. Besides, you're all under the impression that Kira is a man. Before it'd been about vengeance, now the murders were just a way to flaunt her power. She comforted herself with the thought that these people were already convicted criminals who the world could do without anyway.
L sat in front of his computer screen, going over all his most recent data on the Kira investigation. As soon as they had started suspecting a student Kira's method and pattern of killing changed. So Kira has found a way to access information from police headquarters. But what is his goal, his objective? He has to be someone connected to the police. Despite the fact that this is obviously what he intended me to believe, it is something I cannot ignore.
"Watari. Get me a list of everyone who has access to protected files regarding the Kira case. WE have a leak. Once we find where that is, we will have Kira."
"Very good." Watari's disguised image disappeared off the screen.
In short time L was given the list of police officers with access to classified police information. One hundred forty one people, their families included. That very same day he mobilized an FBI task-force to investigate them in secret. Alright Kira, I'm closing in on you. All I need is one key piece of evidence.
Thursday:
Light was walking home from cram school again, Ryuk floating along behind her. She wore her typical skirt and stalkings, despite the ever cooling weather. It was the beginning of December, but she'd never liked wearing pants.
"Hey Light."
No answer, she ignored the shinigami and continued walking.
"Hey Light, listen up!"
"I thought I told you not to speak to me in public." She was annoyed, even if it was unlikely anyone would hear her talking to what appeared to be thin air she didn't want to risk it.
"Fine, fine. If you don't want to talk, at least listen. You know I don't care what you do with the Death Note but there's something that's starting to creep me out."
This caught Light's attention and the click of her heels on the ground slowed in pattern just slightly, "What is it?"
"There's someone following you. He's been trailing you all day, and although I know he can't see me, it's making me uneasy since he's technically staring at my back."
Light stopped walking suddenly and the click of her shoes stopped right before she heard a footstep somewhere behind her. So someone really is following me. Has L already started suspecting the police? Could I really be a suspect? It's not like there's anything to connect me to the murders... still. I need to get rid of this guy. Or maybe I can just lay low and wait it out. He can't trail me forever. They have no evidence tying me to the deaths.
She continued walking, another plan already forming in her ever working mind. This would take a little experimentation.
Friday:
L received notification of three unusual inmate deaths. It looked like they had left behind messages. Is Kira trying to send me a message?
"L, do you know, shinigami... love apples...?" What does this mean? Damn you Kira.
Light went over the files she stole copies of from her father's computer. So it looked like the Death Note really could control people's actions leading up to their deaths, to an extent. It still had to be something the person would reasonably be likely or capable of dong. Fine, at any rate she had a plan for getting the name of the man tailing her. Just in case.
Saturday:
That morning Light picked up her phone and dialed a classmate's number. She'd need an alibi for why she would be on that particular bus this day.
"Hey Yuri, do you want to hang out today? I was thinking that we could go to Space Land."
Early Saturday evening:
Light was walking home, mind in a daze. She didn't even realize it had begun to pour out. How? How did I not think of all the variables? She should have been able to think of the one, worst possibility. The very unlikely possibility that ruined pretty much everything.
She went over the events of that afternoon again, and again. A broken record tormenting her mind.
First, she'd caught the FBI Agent's attention with her 'secret' note to Yuri. She'd obtained his name through him willingly showing her his ID to prove he wasn't collaborating with the hijacker. Next, the hijacker picked up the piece of paper from the Death Note that she'd 'accidentally' dropped. All perfect, but then that's when everything fell apart.
Flashback
The hijacker sneered as he crumpled up the small piece of the Death Note, "A shopping list? Stupid girl!" He threw the paper towards Light's head but his aim was off and it flew past her.
Light had no time to even panic as she watched it hit Raye Penber right in the center of his forehead.
Light looked horrified as she scrambled to pick up the offending piece of paper before it came into contact with anyone else.
At this point the hijacker was screaming at seeing Ryuk and Penber was shouting, shocked, for everyone to get down.
End Flashback
That was when it had become clear the agent could see Ryuk and was shouting at the shinigami to identify himself. Light had begun to write out the circumstances of Raye Penber's death even as the events of the hijacker's death were still taking place. There was no way she could let him leave that bus with information about a Shinigami, especially in a place where she, Light, had been. Not after the taunting message she'd left for L with her prior experimental kills.
Light grasped her long, soaking wet hair at the scalp. Dammit, dammit, dammit! How could I be so stupid?! She didn't witness Raye Penber's death but she had absolute faith the Death Note would come through. In it she'd written that he would leave the bus, speak to no one, head home where he would drink a cup of coffee, choking and dying of asphyxiation before ever bringing up that afternoon's events. He was likely dead by now. A benign enough occurrence, random asphyxiation, no one could really say that was Kira, could they? After all, no one other than L, especially not the Japanese police knew that there were FBI Agents investigating them.
Light paused and gasped for breath, rain streaking down her face in place of tears she absolutely refused to shed. She would need to calm down. If not she couldn't come up with a decent plan and she needed that now more than ever. No strings could be left loose on this. She'd never intended to kill the Agent, not unless it became absolutely necessary.
Light made it home and went straight to the bathroom, stripped and got into the shower.
Once under the scalding water Light let her mind wander again, going over every detail she knew about the situation at hand. For a moment, a small part of her started to feel guilty. This whole thing started out as simple revenge. A way to sate her need to vent frustrations at the world and stave off her unrelenting boredom with it. Now... now it's almost like a petty game. I'm becoming what I kill... but I have no choice...
She realized that she had to figure out how to get the names and faces of any and all additional FBI Agents still working on this case in Japan. If I don't continue and kill them now, it's quite possible they'll find me out in a matter of days. Light fought the urge to vomit, suddenly horrified at the thought of killing, and instead focused on shampooing her hair. All of her previous victims had been criminals. These people would be innocents. But, if this L is as good as everyone claims he is... damn. What have I gotten myself into?
