We discuss the detail more thoroughly for next few hours, and the pressure in my skull never lets up. By the time I'm climbing into cab to leave, I'm about ready to pass out from pain, though I do a great job at hiding it. "Okay," I say to Matsuda as I get into the car, "We'll talk more about our plans tomorrow," if I can get up to make my way over here, I mentally finish.
"Sounds good, Raito-kun," he agrees, "See you tomorrow! Be careful getting home," he adds, just as I shut the door. I reach into my pocket and pull out my music player, not even looking at it before I shove both ear buds into my ears.
The ride home is quiet, thankfully, and I close my eyes and lean my head against the cool glass window. I hear the back beat of the music, but not the words. The driver pulls up to my house and I see my father's car in the driveway. I pay the driver and get out, slamming the door, not looking back as he drives away. I pull my keys from my pocket and search in the dim light to find the right one. I find it after a second or two and shove it in the lock, turning it and pushing open the door. "I'm home!" I call, and my mother walks into the hallway, and smile on her face and a dishtowel in her hands.
"Hello, dear," she greets me, "You're back quite late today."
I look down and blink a couple of times, mumbling the affirmative, cursing how L made me keep my working with him a secret. I pull an excuse from my ass, mumbling how I was hanging out with a girlfriend I don't have. My mother blinks a couple of times, "Your -"
"Ah, hahaha!" Sayu cries, rushing into the hallway. She has a bag of chips in her hands, and she is practically screeching when she questions, "Raito, you have a girlfriend now? What's her name?"
"It's no big deal," I say, feeling the pain in my head intensify. I want them to leave me alone. Why the hell did I say I had a girlfriend? That's the worst excuse I could have given. "It's not that surprising, anyway," I add hastily, "I'm eighteen now, and I'm in University, of course I have a girlfriend." I try to make my way upstairs as I say this. Both ladies stare at me as I call, "And you should look for a boyfriend, Sayu!"
"Huh?" she demands, "A boyfriend? What's that supposed to mean?"
My mother calls after me, "Raito, aren't you going to have any dinner?"
Hell, no, I think. Just the thought of food makes my stomach roll. "Actually, I'm still full from room service at the hotel," I reply without thinking, my thoughts focusing more on the diary than the lie I'm spinning.
"Ah!" My sister cries, again, making my ears ring slightly, "I can't believe you just said that to Mom! So what's this about a hotel? Sounds pretty suspicious!"
I don't hear anything after that. I lock the door behind me and the darkness of my room makes the pain lessen a little. I walk over to my desk and start rummaging through the drawers; looking for the migraine medication I started getting behind the counter. The regular, classic pills aren't enough anymore. I spot the little orange bottle in the back of the top right drawer and pull it out. I hate that fact that it's been prescribed by an underground doctor I'm paying for myself, in secret, under an alias, but there isn't anything I can do about it. The migraines are much worse than they used to be, and I wonder if it's because of Kira, and this whole Shinigami business. I take two pills and swallow them dry, turning off my music and throwing the player and the ear buds onto the desk as I do so.
I lie down on my bed and kick off my shoes, not really caring where they land at the moment. I press my face into the pillow, inhaling the familiar scent - like home, I suppose - just as I close my eyes. It takes a while, but eventually the medication sets to work and I can fall asleep. I don't care that I'm still wearing my day clothes.
...
On the 22nd, I wait on a bench for Matsuda to show up at To-Oh so that we can go to Aoyama. I have my jacket on and pulled up over my head, and my music is playing some sort of folk music I downloaded a couple of days ago. It's quiet and gentle, which is good because my headache has not completely dissipated since we got the journal. I have a book open on my lap, but I'm not really reading it, instead watching the crowds of students for Matsuda.
For a long time, I don't see him. But then I spot him looking around in the middle of the walkway, passing over me a few times. I snap my book shut and walk over to him, tucking the story into my bag as I walk, my gaze fixated on him. He notices me almost immediately, but doesn't seem to know it's me. Why does a jacket make so much of a difference?
I push back the hood when I get close, pulling out my ear buds while I turn off the music. I wrap the wire around the back of my neck and shove my hands back into the pockets of my jacket. "Hey, Matsui-kun," I greet.
He opens his mouth to respond, but is interrupted but a loud cry of, "Raito-kun!" I turn to see Takada running towards me, looking slightly panicked. "Raito-kun," she repeats, "Do you have those notes on that math lesson a couple of days ago? I was sick, you remember, so I am completely lost."
Having anticipated this, I nod, and reach into my bag, pulling out a set of typed notes that I had taken in ninth grade. I remember learning something simpler in math that day, and was curious on how far the lesson could go. So I pulled it up on the Internet and found the lesson we had three days ago, and I took notes then, so I hadn't done so for a second time. She frowns at the date, but shrugs and reaches into her bag. Since we had gone to high school together, she knows my prices for notes. She gives me 3,500 yen, and I smile at her and pocket the money. I know I'm one of the most expensive people to go to for notes, but the people who got my papers understood the lesson on a much deeper level and learn it faster, which is why I can afford to be so pricey and I still get lots of students come to me. "Thanks," I say, and she smiles.
"No, thank you, Raito-kun. Honestly, you're a lifesaver," she replies. She gives me another wide smile before taking off, and I stand for a moment, counting the money. As usual, it's all there. People also know not to try and skip out on me.
"What was that about?" Matsuda asks, looking honestly curious. I look at him for a second before I turn around to leave the campus.
"A lot of times people come to me for notes. I'm the smartest in the school, since Ryuuzaki never bothers to show up, as he doesn't actually need to, so they have no one else to really turn to. Sure there are others with high scores, but not as high as mine, and they know it. Takada - the girl who paid for my notes just then - is one of the smartest people here. Nevertheless, she can miss lectures and what not and then end up horribly confused. Still, most people come to me for cheats and extra notes and in rare cases, answers for a test. As long as I'm paid, I don't really care who I'm giving the answers to or what they're using it for," I explain, not looking at the detective walking next to me. I stare straight ahead, not processing any of the names or life spans of the people around me. But the blinding red letters and numbers alongside the sun are building my headache.
Matsuda doesn't say anything for a second. Then, "Won't that get you into trouble?"
"I've been doing it for years. I've never been caught," I say. We enter Aoyama and start to walk around aimlessly. Neither of us says anything, and I'm ultra-aware of the cameras and Matsuda's not so subtle glances every few minutes. I figure L wants him to spy on me, while I spy on everyone else.
We pass by several different shops an restaurants, and I make sure to file away every piece of information I see - names, life spans, names of stores or diners, signs, and the layout of Aoyama that we pass over. After several hours of silence and 'browsing' through places and looking at everyone and everything, we head home, without an answer. I glance into a restaurant we pass on the way back, and this girl with dark hair and glasses smiles and waves at me from inside. I frown slightly and don't meet her eyes, looking towards the places in front of me instead. Matsuda notices and hisses, "You just ignored her, don't be so rude!"
I glance at him, then shrug. "I don't know her," I hiss back. "Why should I care?"
The police officer shrugs and we continue on, back to the University, where I will hail a cab to go home, and he will head to L's hotel.
...
I glance up at Aizawa through my eyelashes, seemingly fixated on my hands. L wants to know what happened at Aoyama and Shiuia, and I know that nothing happened in either place, and I figure that L knows it too, so the whole meeting is pretty pointless. Still, Aizawa reads from a card on the couch next to me, and I cross my arms across my chest while I listen. "So we were there both days," he begins, "at Aoyama on the 22nd and at Shiuia on the 24th, and we observed nothing of significance on either occasion. That leaves us with only the Dome on the 30th.
I sigh inwardly, tired of the whole Kira fiasco. I look towards the computer when it beeps, and a W appears on the screen. What does Watari want now? I wonder.
"Ryuuzaki, apparently Sakura TV has just received another message from the Second Kira." We all lean forward, gasps of shock and odd hums coming from the other Task Force members. I must admit, it's curious. Did they somehow meet without our knowledge? It's a scary thought. "It was postmarked on the 23rd." And the screen flashes before settling on the Second Kira's customary background and font.
"I'm happy to say that I've found Kira. To all of the people at the police department, I'd like to thank you very much." Huh? So they did meet. This is a problem.
"This is a disaster if he found him!" Aizawa announces, and I have to agree.
My father does, too. "This most likely means that the two Kiras are now cooperating with each other."
L picks up a spoon and his teacup and begins to stir the drink. "At this point I don't think we should jump to any conclusions," he says. "The Second Kira is only saying that he found him, nothing more. He may not have made contact yet," he adds, looking at me. But I'm still staring at the screen. He places the spoon on the table, and takes a sip of the sugar-filled drink. "But now that it's come to this, we have no choice but to communicate as the police directly to the Second Kira."
"You want to send a message?" Matsuda asks.
"Yes," L replies dryly. "The police need to reach out to this copycat to offer him a deal. We need to negotiate with him to see if we can get Kira's real name."
I glance at him, and wonder what he's thinking. Would the Second Kira actually play along with us? And if so, how do we know the information is reliable?
...
After leaving L and the Task Force, I walk back home and zip upstairs to my room as soon as I enter my house. I grab my medication and take one of the pills dry, then close the bottle and stuff it into the drawer before I can overdose. Sighing in annoyance, I drop into my desk chair and turn the TV on with the remote, which I then fling on the floor somewhere to my right. I watch the TV, wondering what the news and general media has to say about the current progress with Kira, and what L came up with from the police.
"If Kira doesn't yet know your name, it may not be too late for you, provided you are willing to cooperate. Whatever you do, you must not approach Kira out of curiosity. Make no mistake; Kira will kill you, if you contact him. You will be used, and disposed of. Consider your own life for a moment. Yours, like every other life, has an intrinsic value. Now is your chance to right past wrongs by sharing what you know of Kira. Only you can help us bring his reign of terror to an end."
A good speech, I suppose. All of it is completely true, from the evidence we've gathered. I sink further into my thoughts, wondering how the Kiras will respond to this. And, mainly, how Kira knew to find his copycat murderer in Aoyama. That's the most bizarre part of this whole thing - it just isn't adding up. There is some vital piece we're - I'm - missing. Every time I think I've got this case almost wrapped up something new will happen to throw me completely off track. It will force me to reevaluate everything - all the plans, Kira's past moves, evidence, the killing method…
The doorbell rings. I hear my sister shout that she's going to get it, and for that I'm glad. I don't want to go downstairs right now. Of course, with my luck at the moment, my wish is not granted. "Raito!" my sister shouts, and seconds later she's at my door. A horrible feeling sinking in my gut, the hairs on the back of my neck rising, I open my drawer quickly and switch on a voice recorder, turning it on. I then open the door hesitantly, and she plunges right on in with her explanation, "There's some girl at the door with a notebook you left at school today," she tells me eagerly. I know I did not leave anything at school today - for one, I wasn't at school, and second, I have everything in my backpack already. With this in mind, my memory rewinds to the journal, and I suddenly wonder if this have anything to do with that. And, if so, just who is at my door? My heart rate picks up at the thought. I dearly hope Kira isn't at my door.
I follow Sayu downstairs and gently push her aside to see the person on my porch. A blonde girl is standing there, two pigtails in her hair. She is wearing all black - a skirt, corset, and thigh-highs that are partially covered by boots. She has a black purse is front of her, dangling from her fingers. Her blue eyes betray nothing when I step out into the light to greet her. Even if she is the Second Kira, she is still a woman, deserving of some proper respect until she's proven guilty. I glance up quickly to see her name and life span, only to inwardly panic when I read, Misa Amane, and nothing else.
My mind rewinds again, and I thank the universe for my photographic memory for the first time in a long time. "I don't think you have the eyes," the message had said.
So that's how she found me. She thinks I'm Kira because I probably have no visible name or life span to her Eyes. I close the door behind me, and we stand in silence until she speaks. "Um, pleased to meet you," she says nervously. She bows low, far lower than she should when she only just meeting someone on the same place of the social ladder, and announces, "I'm Misa Amane, the Second Kira. I thought you might get worried if you saw that message on TV. I just couldn't take it anymore, so I brought this notebook," she tells me, and holds out a small, black book. On the front, it reads, Death Note.
What the fuck?
I step forward and take the book, feeling the shiver of freezing air coil around my spine, from the back of my neck, to my tailbone, once again. My heart beats faster and I know; this is the missing link. Now, I can prove to L I'm not Kira. I can also prove her to be a fool, mistaking me for that monster.
I look up, and my mistake comes with glancing behind Misa. I barely retain a cry of shock and fear. A huge - thing, is standing behind the small girl. It's a white skeleton, practically, with purple hair and one yellow eye missing. It has marks on its thin, almost gray face, outlining its bony jaw. It has fangs like a vampire in its mouth, pricking at the purple shade of its lips, and it seems to be staring at me with a predatory look.
Nervously, I grab to the door behind me, and push on the doorknob. With a soft click, it comes undone, and I'm able to open the door. "Please, come in," I tell them, and my sister and mother turn to face me.
"Uh, you're sure it's okay?" Misa questions. At least the bitch is polite, I think sourly. I nod. "Thanks." She steps inside, and I follow, shutting the door behind me.
"Mom, she came all this way to return my notebook, could you make us some tea?" I ask, a plan forming in my mind, involving the voice recorder. I know Misa has to be arrested soon, tonight, if possible. And I think it is possible.
"Sure, I don't see why not," Sachiko replies.
I begin to head up the stairs and Sayu gives me a questioning look. A brilliant idea coming to mind, I say, "I already told you about her." My mother and Sayu exchange excited glances. Are they really that desperate for me to have a girlfriend? I wonder in passing. It's almost too bad I really don't want one.
Misa follows me after bowing to my family, and I lead her to my room, shutting the door behind us. I turn on the lights - when was the last time I touched that switch? – and Misa stands there, awkwardly, in the center of my room. Annoyed and still a little afraid, but not showing it, I take seat from my desk and spin it in her direction, inviting her to have a seat. While I'm over there, I reach into my desk drawer and pull out my cell phone. She gives me a look, suspicious. "Oh, um, thank you," she says, and moves to the chair while I sit on my bed.
I lean forward, my plan coming into its final stages. "Tell me about the Eyes," I say. "I failed to receive any such information."
She nods eagerly, and starts explaining things I had already speculated. "The Shinigami Eyes are a way that you can see anyone's name or life span above their head, just by seeing their face. However, everything comes with a price, and it costs half of your remaining life span to get them. I did the trade, and now I have the Shinigami Eyes. They also allow me to know who has a Death Note or and who has the Eyes. With the Death Note owners without the Eyes, I can see only their name. If they have the Eyes, I can't see either. I guess I was wrong, though, about you not having them, since I had no idea what your name was when I saw you. I took a picture, though, and asked around. Apparently you're really popular in this area, Yagami Raito." She winks at me, and I feel disgust rise under my rib cage. This whole thing is a mess.
I can only assume that this 'Death Note' is the notebook she held out to me. It also has to be the murder weapon.
Misa has to be the only person in the world who knows I have the Eyes. Fortunately, I now have a little bit more information about them, including that mine are different than hers. I'm guessing a bit more advanced, since I was born with them, and had no need to trade my lifespan for eyes that don't show me everything I see now.
"I see," I say, and then thank her. "What exactly made you want to do this - become another Kira, I mean?"
To my horror, her eyes fill with tears. "A couple of years ago, my parents were killed in a robbery. I saw the whole thing, since I was home with them at the time. The trial went on forever, and eventually, speculation that the robber was being falsely accused began to circulate. Then it happened. Kira punished him; he died of a heart attack!" She sinks from the chair and lands on her knees, her head bowed in grief. Her voice is tight when she says, "So that's why Kira means everything to me. He avenged my parents, and I knew I had to meet him someday."
Uncertain, I say awkwardly, "I'm sorry about your parents," then, knowing this is a great opportunity, I stand. "I'll leave you a moment, and use the restroom."
She nods brokenly, completely unaware of my plans. I slip out and into the bathroom, closing the door and locking it as I flick on the light. I turn off the voice recorder, and redial the number that L usually has my dad call me from. It rings twice, and then I hear L's voice over the line, "Light-kun?"
My voice shakes when I spill the information. "The Second Kira is at my house. Apparently she mistook me for Kira using some supernatural power - the Eyes, you remember? – and now she's in my bedroom, crying on my floor."
There is silence for a full minute. "I think I need a better explanation than that, Light-kun," he tells me, and I growl in frustration.
"Look," I say angrily, "it's okay if you think I'm really Kira and she didn't make a mistake. I don't really care. The point is, I have a serial killer in my bedroom and she has my name and face, thus, she can kill me if she wants to. I'm fucking terrified, and I really need you and the Task Force here and arresting her!" My voice is still shaking, and I feel tears of anger and frustration as well as fear building behind my eyes, which flare red with my churning emotions.
I can just see L blink. The thought makes my heart race faster, and I know it can't be healthy, this much fear. "Okay, then, Light," L says soothingly, and I note the lack of honorific, filing subconsciously away for further examination later, though I doubt it means anything. "I'll have the police force down there soon. Do they need to cover their faces?"
"Yes," I whisper into the phone, relieved. "I'll knock her out with a lamp or something. By the way, her name is Misa Amane," I add.
There is a pause, then, "The model?"
I laugh slightly, "Yeah. Unbelievable, right?"
"Indeed. Oh, well. She confessed this?"
"Yeah."
"Idiot woman," L says scathingly, and I breathe another laugh.
"I recorded the whole thing, so I'll give the recorder when you get here, or I come to you, or whatever," I tell him.
"Alright. Good thinking, Light-kun. Expect us in about five more minutes."
"Okay."
The line goes dead, and I close my phone and slide it into my pocket. For show, I flush the toilet and wash my hands, then unlock the door, turning off the light as I step into the hall. I walk into my room and find Misa right where I left her. Good thing, too, that she's still curled up like a child. Quietly, I grab my lamp from my bedside table and creep up behind her. Guilt courses through me, but I close my eyes and hit her hard in the back of the head. She lets out a small noise of surprise before she falls forward, face first into my carpet. I lower my lamp and put it back on the table. I stare at the model curled up on my floor, amazed that she's a serial killer. Appearances can be deceiving, I think, L's picture coming to mind.
I pick up the Death Note and read through it, finding names written in neat little rows covering about two pages. In silver writing - not from any type of ink I'm aware of - there are rules of how to use the book. Each one makes me sick, knowing they're real, and that they work. I can only imagine that after the first use, depending on one's personality and the circumstances, they either are possessed by this thing, driven to kill, or they burn it, disgusted and afraid. I don't want to know what type of person would use this thing willingly, without prompt.
Two minutes later, I hear the sirens in the distance, coming closer. I drop the book by Misa. I cannot believe my plan went forward as flawlessly as it did. I had been counting on Misa's idiocy, and she did not disappoint. I glance up from her crumpled form to find the colored lights flashing down the street, getting brighter as they get closer. The sirens get louder, and I get closer to my window. I watch as nearly twenty police cars pull up on the curb just outside my house, followed by a limousine. L.
I turn and grab the Death Note from Misa's hand, then look at the Shinigami. She - it, whatever - blinks at me then follows as I race out of my bedroom, meeting Sayu and Mom in the hallway. Both of them look rather alarmed, but I just shrug and open the door. I spot L's figure in the back, and I leave my porch to meet him. The policemen glance at me, wary, as I push through their ranks.
"You won't believe how surreal this whole thing is," I tell him, stopping in front of him. The Shinigami stops behind me, but I ignore it. I press the recorder into his hand and say, "She's in my bedroom, unconscious." I hold up the notebook. "This is the murder weapon."
L stares at it, confused. "Beg pardon?"
"I mean it," I say urgently, opening the cover, "This thing is what kills. It's repulsive." He peers at the words written, then scans over the names. When he tries to take it, I pull it back. He looks at me, and raises his eyebrow. "The Shinigami thing Kira was talking about?" He nods slowly, and I continue. "Well, it's true. The Shinigami God is standing behind me. I just don't want you to freak, like before."
L frowns at me. "I can assure Light-kun that I will not 'freak' as you say." Then he takes the notebook and looks behind me. To his credit, he doesn't scream, or yell, or anything. His eyes widen, his grip on the book slackens slightly, and he seems fixated on the monster. After a second, he seems to come to his senses. He grips the notebook firmly, and announces quietly, "I am L."
The Shinigami chuckles, "I am Rem," it says, "And I know who you are, little one."
"I am not little," L reprimands childishly, and I laugh. No, L isn't little by any means, since he's probably about 6'3 when he stands up straight, but he's still smaller than the Death God.
Rem shrugs. "You're little to me," it replies. "And your friend Raito is even smaller."
I laugh again, relief still coursing through me despite the dire situation. After all, this isn't over yet, though we're close.
I turn away from L, facing my house. I see police dragging Misa; her head limp, facing the ground. She's handcuffed, blindfolded and gagged, and I feel barely any guilt. I look for Sayu and my mother, finding them next to my father near the back of the police force, not far from L and I. They look a little lost.
A hand lands on my shoulder, and I turn to see L. He stares at me, unblinking. This time, I cannot bring myself to break eye contact. "You realize, Light-kun, that this brings about many questions? You should know that we have to restrain you as well, since this whole scenario is questionable?"
I blink at him, and look down. "Yeah," I whisper, and he takes my wrists and binds them behind my back. It's uncomfortable, but I understand the reasoning behind it. I have some explaining to do.
My secret will be revealed.