Author's note: There are some Japanese customs and traditions mentioned in this chapter. I have done my best to present them as accurately as possible. Also, a virtual cookie to whoever finds the anagram.

December 25th, 2003

My last journal has been confiscated for reasons I cannot disclose.

It is Christmas day, and I have been given a Christmas gift by my new friend, Ryuuzaki. It is a German Shepherd puppy, and I am calling him Sherlock. Ryuuzaki has told me that this is a terrible name, but I am positive that he approves of it. My father finds it just as amusing as I do.

Ryuuzaki may have provided me with a puppy and the essentials for it, but I can't tell if he wants me to be happy or to see me struggle. The thing is a monster, with boundless energy and a high, yipping bark. As soon as we got him home, he barked for hours on end—and just when we got fed up with him, he collapsed into a sleeping little ball of puppy, and he became part of the family.

Guard dog, indeed.

Ryuuzaki was right. I will get him back for this.

December 31st, 2003

Gokoku-ji Temple, Tokyo

"Sayu!" Light had to raise his voice to be heard over the bustling crowd of people, even though his sister was right next to him. "We're going home after the ringing of the bells—Mom and Dad don't want us out too late, and with this crowd, it'll be hours before we can get in to say a prayer.

Sayu sighed in disappointment, a puff of white steaming up from her breath. "You're right," she conceded. "But I want to get buckwheat noodles on the way back!"

"Fine!" Light checked his watch. It was only a few minutes to midnight. Then they would ring the bells, and he could finally get out of this damned cold. He gripped tightly to his sister's hand, making sure she wasn't pulled away in the bustle of people. As midnight approached, the loud chatter faded to a low buzz as people counted down the seconds.

Midnight struck. The bells of the temple began to ring. So did Light's cell phone.

Sayu looked oddly at her brother. "Who would be calling you right now?"

Light had a fairly good idea. "Will you be okay if I take this? You can meet me by the gates once the bells are done."

"Yeah, yeah, go." Sayu huffed a little at being ditched, but waved him off with a smile nonetheless.

Light nodded and extricated himself from the crowd as quickly as possible, pulling his phone from his pocket. Unknown caller. Of course. Light flicked open his phone with a smile and put his free hand over his other ear to better hear the caller.

"You have no respect whatsoever for Japanese traditions, do you?" He asked instead of a greeting.

"As you seem to have no respect for traditional telephone greetings, I'd say we are even," L responded, and Light was very pleased to hear that he had not scrambled his voice.

"If you say so, Ryuuzaki," Light stopped at the large gates to the temple.

"I do have some respect for Japanese traditions," L said. "The importance that is placed upon the first actions of each year, for example. I am your first phone call of the new year. Don't you feel special, now?"

"I cannot explain in words how special I feel," Light responded dryly as the bells finished tolling. "I'm taking my sister for buckwheat noodles after this. Can I wish you a happy New Year now, or will I be receiving another call hours from now, probably as soon as I've fallen asleep?"

"You may do so now, although it is premature. Is Light suggesting that I would intentionally wake him from his sleep for my own amusement?"

"Accusing, actually," Light said with a smile. "Here's Sayu, I have to go. Happy New Year, eh- Ryuuzaki."

"Happy New Year, Light." Light clicked his phone shut and slid it back into his pocket just in time for his sister to take his hand again.

"Who was that?"

"L," Light said seriously. Sayu smacked the back of his head lightly, and he laughed.

"Seriously, Light, who was it?"

"Mom said to be back before 1:30," Light said, telling the truth in what he thought was the most cunning and deceptive manner possible.

Sayu swung their interlaced hands back and forth. "Figures. Still time for noodles! Come on, Light, the first noodles of the New Year!"

"Watch it, Sayu, or we'll give these people their first bruises of the New Year..."

January 1st, 2004

First journal entry of the new year. 2003 was... eventful. Difficult. Stressful. I look forward to this fresh start. The future looks very bright right now—I will be taking the To-Oh entrance exam on the 17th, and I will start college in April. I am no longer being stalked. My father is home more often with the resolution of the Kira case. I have a friend in Ryuuzaki, a companion in Sherlock, and my family is unified again.

Now if only I could shake the feeling that all of this is too good to be true.

January 1st, 2004

Willium Q. Shaym Institution for the Criminally Insane

"Who is that?"

"The new guy? I heard that's he's Kira..."

"What's a Kira?"

"I wonder what his insides look like."

"I wonder what his insides taste like."

Teru Mikami walked stiffly through the tables in the communal eating area, glancing around at the other 'patients' in varying states of restraint. Some, like him, appeared to have been deemed relatively harmless and were allowed the use of their limbs. Others were bound so tightly that they could not feed themselves and needed to be fed by one of the attendants.

"Teru Mikami," a male voice said in what seemed like wild delight. A hush fell over the room, broken only by nervous shuffling. Mikami turned to the speaker cautiously.

Tightly bound. Wide, dark eyes. Wildly mussed black hair. Dark smudges under the eyes. He looked remarkably like the detective who had placed him here in the first place. His eyes slid to the air just above the man's face, and his brow furrowed. Behind him, Ryuk chuckled.

"Beyond Birthday," Mikami replied, walking closer to sit across from the hopelessly bound man, eyes locked onto the air above his head. The orderly who attended Beyond looked highly unnerved, and very much like he wanted to sedate both of them and be done with it. "I can't see your life span."

"And I, yours," Beyond said lowly. "Tell me, Teru. Where'd you get them eyes?"

January 2nd, 2004

Yagami household

"It's January 2nd, and we're taking a look back at the year past here on Sakura TV!"

"I can't believe you watch this stuff, Sayu," Light said, eying the television with distaste.

"Lighten up, Light," Sayu teased. "They have good interviews."

"You mean, you watch it so you can ogle Hideki Ryuga."

Sayu blushed fire engine red and Light smirked. "I do not!"

"The last months of 2003 were marked by the rise of Kira, a seemingly supernatural vigilante killer who targeted criminals. Almost two weeks ago, however, the Kira killings abruptly stopped, and the world governments announced that Kira had been stopped."

Light made to take the remote away from his sister. "No way, Light, this is interesting! Besides, I thought you were following the Kira investigation."

"I was," Light said evasively. "But the investigation is over. Kira's gone. Let's change the channel."

"Uh uh. I wanna see if they found out why—they haven't given us any information." Sayu waggled her tongue at her older brother and shoved the remote in her shirt with a daring leer. Light fell back into his seat, defeated.

"You play dirty."

"Is Kira really gone? And why all of the secrecy? Why are the governments of the world hiding the details of the case from the public? Could the whole reign of Kira have been a hoax, invented by the governments and helped by the mysterious L? And where did this L come from, anyway? Here to comment is upcoming model, actress, and avid Kira supporter, Misa Misa."

"Thanks!" A cute blonde girl dripping in gothic jewelery and black lace appeared on the split screen.

Sayu giggled. "She's sooo cute. You should date a girl like her, Light!"

Light grimaced. "You mean a fan of an insane serial killer? She seems about as smart as the microphone she's talking into. Besides, all the lace makes her look too young. I'd feel like a pedophile."

Sayu huffed. "You don't need to be so rude about it. You could just say you don't like her."

"I don't like her."

"Misa Misa hopes that Kira is still alive and well, and that he's just taking a little break. Misa Misa is a huuuuuge fan of his—he helps the innocent and punishes bad people, and what could be wrong about that?" Misa smiled brightly, then pouted cutely as she continued, "As for L, he's just a big meanie who's angry because he doesn't like to lose."

"A very good point, Misa Misa," the announcer of Sakura TV praised. Light felt a few brain cells die.

"That's it. I'm leaving."

January 2nd, 2004

Willium Q. Shaym Institution for the Criminally Insane

Beyond Birthday ran his tongue across the inside of his teeth and contemplated all of the information he had gleaned from Teru Mikami—or, rather, Kira.

The foolish man had, at first, been unwilling to talk to B, being a filthy criminal, who deserved to be punished by divine justice, but he had been quite willing to talk once B told him that they both shared a deep desire to kill L.

Mikami had seen him. His sunglasses hadn't covered enough of his face, apparently, because Mikami had been able to learn the man's true name. B, who had only seen drawings of L, had relished the information.

L Lawliet.

"L Lawliet," Beyond murmured, testing the name on his tongue. "L Lawliet. L Lawliet." He paused. "Light Yagami."

Ah, yes. The whole reason Kira had begun to kill, and the reason Kira had been caught and placed in the Willium Q. Shaym Institute.

Beyond Birthday was very smart, and certainly smart enough to wade through the ravings of an obsessed madman to extract the truth of the events. Mikami had been a normal stalker who became a serial killer after he gained a supernatural tool, a Death Note. He had killed in the name of Light Yagami, whom he delusionally perceived as a God. L (L Lawliet) had found the connection and worked with Yagami to catch Mikami.

Mikami, of course, was unwilling to believe the worst of his God. He maintained that Light Yagami was a God who stood for justice, Kira's justice, and that he had been threatened and manipulated by L. B did not bother to correct him. Why should he, really? It fit him just fine to let the man remain delusional.

After all... L had revealed his face to Light Yagami. L (L Lawliet) would not do that for just anyone. This was a very interesting development, indeed.

Beyond smiled a sinister smile to his empty, padded room.

"I may yet surpass you, L Lawliet."