Hello guys! Let's pretend I wasn't gone for almost a year and act as if I didn't keep you all hanging with my sudden disappearance! Also, imagine that this chapter isn't as short as it looks. :P
Chapter Eight
Provocation
The door opened and the rest of the task force- Matsuda, Soichiro, Aizawa, and Mogi- entered, ending their seemingly animated conversation as they took in the cold silence of the room. Everyone stopped to look cautiously at the state of the computer screens. They were all containing the same message: ALL DATA DELETION.
Matsuda was the first to speak. "Hey guys, what's going on? All data deletion? What does that mean?"
No one replied. The atmosphere of the room was very cold and the aura surrounding the three original occupants was tense. The computers seemed as if they were screaming the message out, daring them to understand and to react to the situation.
"It means," L explained stiffly after pausing for a moment, "Watari is dead and he has deleted all the information right before it could happen. Those were my orders if ever such a thing could occur."
If it was even possible, the room temperature decreased several degrees. All eyes were on L, their minds processing the new information that was so sudden to have just arrived in a casual, unimportant day. Light immediately followed L's train of thought and glanced at Misa, who was still looking at the computer screens with a strange look in her eyes.
"Well, if that is so, we'll collect the body, Ryuzaki," said Soichiro softly, after a long silence. He started towards the hall leading to Watari's quarters. Matsuda, Aizawa, and Mogi followed to help. Only three remained in the room.
L frowned. Even if his back was on the other two, he knew at once who stayed and who left. His voice was smooth as he turned and gazed into his brown-haired companion's eyes. "I would like to speak to Misa alone."
Light clenched his fists. "And why is that?"
L simply repeated his request more forcefully. "I would like to speak to Misa alone."
Light shot one last glare at the detective and reluctantly left the two alone in the room. As soon as the door closed, L turned to Misa. She stared back at him uncertainly, with an innocence that proved she had no idea what he wanted to talk to her about. Or not. "You've caused too much trouble for me today, Misa Amane. The easiest way now is to confess. Otherwise, I'll have to resort to more desperate methods."
"Confess? What do I have to confess?" the blonde exclaimed, the light from the computers causing her eyes to shine brightly with anxiety. She looked absolutely harmless- as did every criminal in the world who was good at acting. "I'm innocent!"
"I am waiting for your real answer," L answered quietly, unfazed by the act. Suddenly, an inhuman laugh sounded behind them- Ryuk. The shinigami floated towards them, its wide eyes showing amusement. In its skeletal hands was the stolen Death Note.
Misa didn't react, most probably pretending that she couldn't see the shinigami at all. There was more of a chance that she could, anyway. L nodded to it. "You recognize it, don't you, Misa? Give it to me, Ryuk."
Ryuk hesitated, mumbling to itself. "Should I give it to him or not? If I keep it, then that's definitely not going to get us anywhere. If I give it to Misa, hmm… If I give it to L, then ahh... What's more interesting?"
After a few seconds of contemplation, the shinigami cackled and handed the notebook to L, who held it up in front of Misa. She stared more at the detective, looking at him like he had just talked to the air and named it Ryuk. L knew for a fact that she could actually see the death god and continued holding the Death Note in front of her. She seemed clueless. "What's that? What are you planning to do, Ryuzaki?"
His dark eyes pierced her like an x-ray machine. He tilted his head and said softly, "You love Light Yagami because he did justice to you with the Death Note. When Rem gave you her Death Note, you were able to become the second Kira, causing you to interact with Light soon afterwards. You both planned something, or at least he did, before your imprisonment."
"I don't know what you're talking about! If what you're saying has anything to do with Kira…" Misa said loudly, "Then you're accusing the wrong person here! Just leave me alone. Leave Light alone too!"
L scowled, realizing that Misa would still be completely dedicated to protecting Light no matter what. He continued, determined that he could provoke her. "Rem was already assisting the third Kira when she somehow encountered you and managed to get you back your memories. Then, I assume she tried to steal the Death Note from Watari, causing them both to die and the Death Note to just end up in my hands-" He held up the notebook. "-once more."
"No, you're wrong. You're wrong!" she yelled angrily.
"Why do you consider it justice, Misa Amane?" he asked coldly, putting a hand in his pocket. It was time for his provocation skills to be put to use- one hundred percent. "People die. Even though the justice system in this world is poor and flawed, humans try! Don't you see that? If Kira- any Kira!- wants to play god, then they picked the wrong time to do it because I won't let a mere insane killer murder millions just because of his or her poor concept of justice. It's pure cruelty, Misa. Pure. Cruelty."
Misa clenched her fists and screamed, "NO! We uphold justice the only correct way there is together- the Kira god and goddess. You're no angel! We are the right ones here! You'll never understand because all you do is solve crime after crime but you don't have feelings. You'll never understand that Kira gives hope to everyone! That's why I do it! I do it because it's honest and true. DON'T YOU DARE CALL ME CRUEL!"
She had managed to break the icy aura that emanated from L's voice using the burning passion that was released from her own outburst. The detective was completely unaffected.
"Is there anything else you want to say?"
She collapsed to the ground in tears. L couldn't help but feel slightly disappointed as he simply stood up from his chair and retrieved something from his pocket- a voice recorder. He waved it around in front of Misa. "Look at this, Amane. Look what I just did- no, what you just did. You confessed."
He looked down at her mercilessly as she shrieked, realizing her mistake, "NO! You… You MONSTER!"
"I turned it on the moment I started provoking you by using the concept of justice and cruelty. I knew I had finally and successfully managed to manipulate you to confess," he said cuttingly, despite the calmness in his voice. "It's sad, however, that you were able to keep Light out of suspicion from your outburst."
The door banged open as everyone else entered the room, hearing the noise. Aizawa and Soichiro carried the corpse of Watari while Light stomped over to L in complete rage. Matsuda gasped at the sight of Misa.
"Ryuzaki! What did you do to her?" Light asked furiously, grabbing L's arm.
L pulled away, ignored them all, and retrieved some handcuffs from his pocket, encasing them around Misa's wrists. "I apprehend you, Misa Amane, for being the second Kira, responsible of the deaths and murders of several victims all over the world. You are arrested for your crimes. It would be wise not to struggle."
Matsuda stepped forward in disbelief. "No! You're mistaken, Ryuzaki. Let her go!"
Misa stood up and laughed hysterically. She bended forward and threw her head back, laughter coming out of her mouth. "He's right! L's right! I'm the second Kira! But no one will ever be able to stop the others because all we're doing is justice! Kira is the true god! You'll never stop him!"
She had gone insane in desperation.
The police was promptly called and Misa Amane was arrested permanently for the rest of her life. The task force was gloomy right after that, not expecting L to be correct at all about the blonde being the second Kira. It was such a waste of talent after discovering her to be a serial killer. Besides, with a true, honest recording in L's hands, there was no way that Misa wasn't the second Kira.
Light was genuinely frightened. If his so-called girlfriend was Kira, did that mean he was, too?
A few hours earlier, back in Near and Mello's apartment a few blocks away, the two were arguing about their plans. The older boy just found out that his companion had already planned a set-up to arrest Kyosuke Higuchi, technically doing every single piece of work to be done behind his back.
Mello was enraged, to say the least.
"You fucking came up with a plan and started on it without telling me!"
The albino calmly looked up from his puzzle, twirling a strand of his hair. "That is both correct and incorrect. I merely set up the stage for a plan and now I'm relying on you to carry everything else out. There's no need to be angry about it."
"No need to be angry about it?" he answered, glaring at Near, "Listen to yourself, you sheep! You're making me sound like your underling. I'll never be willing to carry out your genius plan as long as I live!"
Near frowned. "Did I make it sound like that? Let me rephrase it, then. I've already employed Wedy to put surveillance in Kyosuke Higuchi's cars and apartment. I have him completely under my watch. Just now, I called the police to proceed to the Yotsuba HQ building and asked them to look out for the third Kira. All the members of Yotsuba except for Higuchi are currently there with the police, waiting for Higuchi to arrive and for things to be settled."
Mello nodded, counting to ten in his head to keep calm. "Yeah, I understand what you're saying. You want me to somehow fetch Higuchi from his stupid detour at the sale in the town square and bring him to the Yotsuba building, right? And, of course, find evidence that he's the third Kira along the way."
"Exactly," he replied, his light eyes staring at his companion's.
"Fine. Tell me the plan right now so I can carry it out. Before I lose my cool."
The younger boy shook his head. "That's what you don't understand. I don't have a plan for that part. I don't know how we can bring Higuchi from the town square to the building. I don't know how to find evidence against him as soon as possible."
"The fuck? You mean you already started on a plan that isn't even complete yet?" Mello exclaimed, mildly surprised, "Unless… You want me to go complete it right now."
"Yes. I didn't tell you about my first part of the plan sooner because I knew you'd just be bothered about working with me, so I went ahead and started it myself," he answered earnestly, turning back to his puzzle and fitting one last piece into a corner, "I'm leaving you to do whatever you want to arrest Higuchi."
The blond grinned. "Well, why didn't you just say so? Shit, finally, some adrenaline!"
He promptly stood up from his chair, grabbed the long distance walky-talky from Near's desk, and went outside, hopping on his motorcycle. He drove off towards the closest town square to their apartment and laughed into the walky-talky.
"I have a full plan mapped out in my head. I'm going to need your cooperation, though. If everything turns out exactly as planned, expect him arrested in thirty minutes, sheep."
Kyosuke Higuchi looked around him, alarmed. Rem had completely disappeared while he was fitting a new suit. He put it back on the rack and checked every nook and cranny of the shop, yet the death god was definitely missing.
Suddenly, his phone rang. He answered, slightly irritated, "Hello? Who's this and what do you want?"
The person who replied was clearly using a voice changer.
"I am L."
HAH. A CLIFFHANGER. Don't worry. I'm planning to update more often now, so you won't really have to wait long anymore to find out what's next. :D