Where we left off…
Tagoku Kairi had contacted Near (without Ryuuzaki's knowledge) and made plans to be picked up at the airport in Japan when she arrived.
(Kairi's POV)
I packed my bag early the next morning and ate a cracker to make Ryuuzaki worry less, then left with Watari to head to the airport. Luckily my passport hadn't expired yet.
"Watari-sama, keep an eye on Ryuuzaki for me," I said, giving him a hug. He nodded firmly and hugged me back. "Tell him to expect a video call when I get there."
"I will. Be careful. You have your hat and sunglasses, right?"
"I do. And I will be sure to wear them when we reach Japan," I confirmed. With that, I turned and headed to the plane I was to ride.
It was a long ride, most of which I slept through, but the plane eventually landed. I knew it was at least a day's trip, and it was dark in Japan.
As I retrieved my bag, I looked around the airport for the person Near was supposed to send for me. He said I would know her when I saw her.
And I did. It was my cousin, Light's sister. "Kairi-chan? Is that you?"
"Sayu-chan?" I replied. She smiled happily and ran up to me, giving me a friendly hug. "It's been so long since I last saw you!" I laughed, hugging her back. It made me nervous that her hands were resting over my spine, but when she let go and said nothing, I knew I was safe.
"How is it in America?"
"Not bad, but I missed my family," I answered, offering her a believable smile. It was great to see my cousin again, but I felt nauseous from the plane ride. "How did you know I was here?"
"My boyfriend sent me. He said I would know who I was supposed to pick up when I saw her. I never thought it was you," Sayu answered. I hadn't expected her either.
"Who is your boyfriend?"
"A cute red head." She leaned in and whispered, "He's a cop." I followed her out of the airport to a black limousine and sat next to her inside.
"So how has life been since I left?"
Her entire demeanor flipped as soon as the words left my mouth, and her thoughts seemed distant. "Kairi, how did you last all alone in America?"
"I didn't." She turned her head to me, confusion evident in her eyes. She didn't know about Ryuuzaki being alive, so I had to make an excuse. "I went to school and made a few friends, so I wasn't alone."
"Oh… well I'm glad my friend is back now."
"Here to stay," I said.
"Well, then we can do this together," she said, giving me a small smile. I nodded and hugged her. Even if she had no idea what her brother had done, she was struggling on her own.
"I'll be here for you. Always, Sayu," I said, letting her go. She nodded, wiping the tears I just noticed from her cheeks. "I won't be at your place, though. I have a job I came back to do."
"Just contact me once a week?"
"Definitely."
We eventually arrived wherever Sayu was supposed to take me after talking the rest of the ride and catching up on what's happened through the years we were apart. I used to visit and sleepover with her before my parents were killed.
I got out of the limousine and looked back at her. "Sorry, Kairi-chan, but I have to go. My break is almost over."
"See you then," I said with a wave. She waved and shut the door. I sighed and looked at the building she left me at; it was similar to where I stayed with Ryuuzaki in Georgia. I walked up to the door and into the small building.
As I walked up the stairs, hoping I would be able to figure out where to go, I noticed a blonde male following me from behind. He was wearing a navy blue suit and holding a brown briefcase in his left hand, his right hidden beneath his suit jacket. Whatever this man was following me for, it couldn't be good. I continued to act as if I didn't know he was there and reached the third floor, walking to an open area and taking a seat in a cushioned chair. The man sat down across from me and held out a pad of paper.
'If you know why you are here, look to the left shyly and nod.'
I did as told, not exactly sure why this man was remaining silent. He flipped the page and showed me the pad again.
'Is your name Tagoku Kairi?' I nodded. He flipped the page again and moved to the seat on my left, leaning close as if to whisper in my ear. He held out his wrist and let me read a note written there.
'This man will bring you to my location. I do not require you to trust him, but I need you to follow him. ~Near.'
I smiled and looked down as if the man had whispered something in my ear to cover whatever suspicions he was covering as well. I then nodded shyly again and stood up, taking his offered hand (and doing my best not to puke at the smell of alcohol).
He led me through a back entrance and down a flight of stairs, landing us in a hallway with no doors and a wall at the other end. There must be a hidden door somewhere. The man walked down the right wall, tapped on an area near the middle, and a passageway opened up. He led me through without a word, so I followed silently as well. When we reached the other end, I saw a black van.
This didn't seem right. Would Near really expect me to ride in a black van with a complete stranger? Or was he testing me?
"No."
"What do you mean 'no'?" the man asked, turning around to face me.
"I'm not riding in an unknown vehicle to an unknown location with a complete stranger. Both of you would have to think I was an idiot to expect me to do something like that," I stated.
"Too bad for you. Near told me to get you to him whether or not you liked the route," he said, pulling out a rag. There was absolutely no way I was about to let him abduct me with chloroform.
"Then Near is here." The momentary pause of the man's approach told me I was partially correct. "And he's in the back of the van."
"Near doesn't leave his location."
"Then open the back of the van. If he isn't in there, I will ride with you to wherever it is you have to take me," I stated confidently. He hesitated before turning towards the vehicle and walking towards the back. He reached down and opened the trunk, moving away a safe distance for me to view. The back was empty.
"You're wrong."
"Okay. I'll get in the back," I said, climbing in and shutting the trunk. He walked around and got behind the wheel. As the van started up, I pulled my knees close to my body and wrapped my arms around my legs, looking up into the hidden camera I noticed in the roof of the back as I got in. Straight into he lens that I knew Near was watching me from. And I smiled, offering a small wave.
(Near's POV)
I sent her cousin to pick her up through a cop. Sayu was dating my head police officer, Denoki Manhou. He also planted a microphone on her so that I could hear their conversation.
"Kairi-chan? Is that you?" Sayu asked.
"Sayu-chan? It's been so long since I last saw you!" Kairi replied. The two had seperated when Ryuuzaki left to America.
"How is it in America?"
"Not bad, but I missed my family. How did you know I was here?" Kairi would eventually find out, if she didn't figure it out herself.
"My boyfriend sent me. He said I would know who I was supposed to pick up when I saw her. I never thought it was you," Sayu said in reply. I was pretty sure these two were close enough to know each other even after a couple years.
"Who is your boyfriend?" Kairi asked.
"A cute redhead," Sayu began then continued in a softer tone, "He's a cop."
They then began walking, as I heard the ruffling of the microphone on Sayu's jacket.
"So how has life been since I left?" There was an easily sensible uncomfortable silence before the Yagami female spoke again.
"Kairi, how did you last all alone in America?"
"I didn't." I was a bit curious how she would explain her partnership with Ryuuzaki. "I went to school and made a few friends, so I wasn't alone." Lies, but I honestly couldn't blame her. She was sworn to secrecy since she found out about his faked death and history with her cousin.
"Oh… well I'm glad my friend is back now." It seemed Sayu bought her excuse.
"Here to stay."
"Well, then we can do this together."
"I'll be here for you. Always, Sayu. I won't be at your place, though. I have a job I came back to do." Ah, she came back to help me with the new Kira case. Ryuuzaki was busy with a case in America that kept him there.
"Just contact me once a week?"
"Definitely."
A large portion of their talk during the car ride was about Sayu's years without her, including her graduation from high school and decision to start college in a year.
"Sorry, Kairi-chan, but I have to go. My break is almost over," Sayu said as a door opened.
"See you then," Kairi answered.
I turned off the feed to Sayu's microphone and pulled up the security camera of the old hotel I had sent her to. Kairi was walking inside, my contact following her just as planned. She eventually sat down in a cushioned chair on the third floor.
The scene carried out just as I had planned; she nodded shyly while looking to the left, signaling she knew why she was there. She then confirmed with him that she was Tagoku Kairi. Lastly, my contact moved to sit next to her and leaned close as if to whisper something, holding out his wrist where I had written a note stating the following: 'This man will bring you to my location. I do not require you to trust him, but I need you to follow him. ~Near.'
She then smiled and looked down at her lap. It was almost as if he had truly whispered something. She caught on pretty fast, taking his offered hand and following him away. To anyone else, she would have just accepted an inappropriate invitation.
She followed him down the stairs into the passageway that led to my van, where she finally pulled out of his grip and stated firmly, "No," as my contact's microphone picked up.
"What do you mean 'no'?" he asked in return.
"I'm not riding in an unknown vehicle to an unknown location with a complete stranger. Both of you would have to think I was an idiot to expect me to do something like that." I hadn't expected her to argue. I smirked and turned on my headset to speak to him directly through an earpiece.
"Nemura. Repeat after me. 'Too bad for you. Near told me to get you to him whether or not you liked the route.' Then pull out the rag in your back right pocket and approach her," I said. He obeyed my orders.
"Then Near is here," was Kairi's response. Wrong, but a good false assumption. A great start to discovering the truth. "And he's in the back of the van." Continuing on her statement; her confidence was strong.
"Near never leaves his location," I said into my contact's earpiece. He repeated my words.
"Then open the back of the van. If he isn't in there, I will ride with you to wherever it is you have to take me," she continued.
"Open the back," I told him. He hesitantly obeyed. Kairi looked inside and, seeing no one, agreed to ride in the back. "Let her. Just get her here." He shut the trunk and got in the front, starting up the engine.
As I was watching her, Kairi looked directly into the camera, smiled, and even waved. She clearly knew I was watching her. I laughed softly and leaned back in my chair, shaking my head slightly. She was going to be a lot of fun to work with.
"Nemura, she figured it out. Give her the earpiece."
He obeyed without hesitation, removing the earpiece at a red light and handing it to her.
"So this is how he knew what to say. I noticed his hesitation every time I responded," she said after placing the communication device in her right ear.
"You knew I wasn't there, didn't you?" I asked. She nodded with a playful laugh. "You are a very interesting person, Tagoku Kairi," I stated.
"Why, thank you, Near. I do hope this man knows where he's going; his speed is making me quite uncomfortable," she replied.
"You're two minutes from my location. I suggest you put on some sort of disguise that covers your face so that no one recognizes you. Especially the new Kira." She nodded, pulling a hat and sunglasses out of her bag and putting them on.
"I will talk to you when I arrive," she said, removing the earpiece. Just as she turned off the device, an external breach occurred. She had pretty good timing; anything else spoken would have given them a way to find me. I turned off the feed and watched her the rest of the ride. She was singing, and it seemed that Nemura liked it.
'So you're fun,' I thought, watching them both laugh calmly. Fun was great, but I hope she had a more serious side.
They arrived just as expected; two minutes after we had spoken. Kairi stepped out of the van as Nemura opened the back for her, and they walked into the building. I was currently staying in the same location Ryuuzaki had started his Kira investigation.
"Welcome, Tagoku Kairi," I greeted as she entered the room void of windows and removed her disguise. "I assume you came to assist me with the Kira case."
"You are correct, though I must inform you; I am the direct cousin of the first Kira, Yagami Light. Ryuuzaki rarely allows me out of his sight. I don't blame him," she stated. I nodded in reply, nodding towards the chair next to me. She took a seat and set up her laptop, easily hacking into the police files and pulling down all the information I had given them, along with some information from the first case. "The current Kira has what is called a death note. Whether or not this book is truly the source of the deaths is unknown, but keeping an eye out for it is a good idea."
"So if we find the notebook, we will stop Kira?" I asked with an eyebrow raised in question.