Author's note: Between two to four chapters until the great revealing, be aware that the story will continue after this occurs due to an event that happens in this chapter.

Disclaimer: I do not own death note and I do not own the lyrics.

Another Detective

Chapter 19

Glaring at the list Raito had complied, Beyond grimaced. For his little scheme of making Beyond into some version of L's Watari, Raito had decided that Beyond needed to every language that old man knew and more. This list had at least twenty languages that he was expected to learn. Why couldn't Smile just kill him rather than torture him with such vile things?

Beyond decided that he was going to confront Raito on the matter, learning that many languages was a preposterous plan. The young detective was supposed to be coming back to the building today. The boy that Beyond had initially found fascinating was being to irritate him. Waiting for Raito to arrive, Beyond wondered if he should just leave since there was nothing directly preventing him from doing so but he discarded these thoughts because of the many possible trackers the detective had probably equipped him with.

Maybe he could just kill Raito, if he made it quick and quiet no one would notice. Beyond grinned at the idea of stabbing a blade through that smiling boy's heart or possibly burning him alive; the way he had originally planned to kill himself. Swiftly, Beyond began to act on his idea and charged towards the cabinet near a fireplace to search for a match. Foolish young Raito had left it in plain sight.

Laughing in an aggressive manner, Beyond grabbed hold of the small makers of fire and was happy to find the pack of matches full. A sound behind him interrupted his actions.

"What do you plan on using that for? Yourself? Me? By your facial expression I can assume it is me, that is unfortunate I thought we were becoming quite good friends," Raito remarked. Beyond was outraged, Raito had been testing him. He had been sitting in this room waiting for Beyond to try something like this so that he could vividly portray him as some type of idiot.

"You are just as pathetic as L," Beyond said emotionlessly.

"Was that supposed to hurt my feelings?" Raito questioned sardonically and placed his head in his hand in a condescending style.

"It is funny, I keep picturing you burning."

"Is that so?"

"Yes and after your dead, I will tape your language list to your ashes."

"So that is what this is about?"

"Torture is something I am talented at giving not receiving, Smile" Beyond was not surprised to see Raito smile at this statement.

"What if I was to learn the list along with you?"

"That might change the situation to an extent but you could not keep up with the speed at which I learn."

"Would you like to make a wager on that?"

"A wager sounds intriguing, as long as I choose the conditions of this bet."

"So it is a bet?"

"Yes Smile, this is a bet that I do not plan on loosing."

The two geniuses smiled cunningly at each other, each planning the quickest way to master the incredibly long list of dialects and tongues.

Strutting along the edge of the movie set, Misa let out a serious of dramatic sighs. Each noisy exhale made the men that were working with the cameras turn to the girl for an instant and give her the attention she was demanding. Misa knew she was being annoying to her coworkers but could not help the exasperation she felt from being ditched by Matsuda of all people.

From a distance, a shinigami examined her from the Yotsuba headquarters. Rem could not help but feel delight at the sight of the young blonde model. Everything Rem had done since Jealous's death had been for the girl and Rem loved every moment of helping Misa. Compiling mentally a list of the events of the last few months, Rem remembered threatening the Yagami boy and forcing him into a distressing position.

Rem detested the feelings that she might have been the antagonistic villain in this situation. If it was not for the attachment Rem felt to Misa, she would actually feel sympathy for Raito. When this plan with Yotsuba was finally over, Rem hoped that Raito would be capable enough to talk Misa into forfeiting the appointment of a Kira without compromising Misa's lifespan.

Raucously, a door slammed shut behind Rem and the foolish third Kira stumbled towards her in a distraught behavior. Watching the man, Rem found it peculiar for him to proceed in such an awkward approach. Higuchi Kyosuke had always been an individual composed of only greed and selfishness but now he seemed distressed in a compassionate way.

"I cannot be Kira anymore!" Higuchi shouted and grabbed the Death Note. Messily, he began to rip out the pages that had already been written on and shred them into tiny shreds that fell like a deathly flurry to the ground. His blatant display of disloyalty to his original intentions made Rem question what had lead him to such a change of heart.

Gradually, more strands of paper joined the others on the floor. Rem knew that she was not in the position to ask any questions from the crazed man but she could theorize what Higuchi was planning and act based on that. Higuchi seemed surprisingly sincere in his detestation of the Death Note so it may be viable to say that he had decided to send the notebook to L.

The fact that he was pulling pages with his handwriting out of the notebook contributed to this idea. If this was the case, Rem considered it necessary to caution Misa. Without foreknowledge of her position as the second Kira, the memories or Raito's actions might confuse her and cause her to reveal detrimental information.

Acting on this, Rem grabbed one of the shreds of Death Note pages on the floor and took off in flight towards Misa. Misa needed to be alone so that she did not cause a scene when Rem spoke to her. Taking out her own Death Note, Rem wrote down a small passage and the name of one of Misa's coworkers. All that was left to do was wait for the scene to develop.

Her eyes blank and filled with the dread of some divine control, a brunette programmer from the movie set tripped over a cord and splashed her iced coffee in a motion that covered the beautiful model Misa Misa. Absently, the girl pleaded with Misa to not invoke her rage. She asked to take the model to the bathroom and help her clean herself off. When the two reached the bathroom, the brunette clutched her chest and collapsed from an obvious heart attack.

Before Misa could let out the screech that was bubbling at the back of her throat, a small piece of paper graced the back of her hand and a skeletal form covered her mouth. Misa could see the entire form of the creature by peering into the bathroom's mirrors. The fiend was composed entirely of the skeleton structure except its face which was a reminiscent of the human form. Gazing at her attackers form, Misa observed the purple lips that seemed to be extended by permanent purple markings that extended from its lips down to its chin then lifted to disappear at its hair covered check bone. The purple lips opened and began to speak sensitively.

"Misa you're in a dangerous situation. Calm down and listen to me. I am your ally. Raito Yagami is Kira," Rem spoke all of the words slowly for Misa to be able to process the entirety of what was said. Once the last statement was made, Rem moved her hand from Misa's mouth but still held the girl.

"What are you? I know you're not a stalker but you don't look human at all," Misa stated in a timid tone.

"Of course, I am a shinigami. Misa, we once worked together."

"I don't know what you are talking about. You met me? Raito is Kira?" As she asked the questions, Misa's breathing speed up to an alarming rate in fear.

Rem decided to explain the entire situation to Misa, including the Death Note and the way that Kira came to power with the help of another Shinigami. Within the explanation, Rem told Misa about the shinigami eye deal that she had made and thus the fact that Misa had abilities greater than that of Kira. Throughout the explanation, Rem used the name Kira rather than Raito so that she would not slip and state the name Mikami instead. Rem finalized all her statement by asking if Misa's love for Raito was still intact.

"Shinigami-san, you really are the real thing. You know everything about me. I'll believe everything you say. Yes, I love him more than anything. Besides, it's really awesome that both Raito and I were Kira. I believe you."

"You have not changed at all Misa. Those feelings towards Raito will probably never change will they? I also believe that you will find happiness by staying with Raito," Rem replied with grief in her tone.

"Thank you, Shinigami-san".

"It's Rem." After making this statement, Rem let the girl go and then got on her knees in a humbling way. On her knees she was about the same height as Misa. "The current Kira is a crooked and pathetic human. He has come to the idea that he wishes to discontinue his killings and is planning on sending the Death Note to wherever L is stationed. Be careful because once you retain your memories Raito may not seem to act as Kira."

"I respect what you have said, Rem. Thank you for your guidance. What am I to do about my co-worker?" Misa asked and pointed towards the heart attack stricken body of the brunette.

"Wipe off your handprints and pretend to know nothing of the situation. Be careful Misa, the members of the task force have returned to the movie set," Rem said before taking flight to the building where Kira-3 was staying.

With a renewed sense of purpose, Misa skipped over the dead body of an innocent bystander and out the door of the bathroom to meet up with Matsuda. As Misa moved away from the bathroom, she increased the speed of her skipping so that she would be as far as possible from the sight that was left in there. Matsuda was at the spot where Misa had been around the time he went missing, along with him was the red and black haired detective from the investigation headquarters.

"Misa Misa! Where have you been?" Matsuda's speak seemed far too unrealistically bubbly.

"I went to the restroom; the better question is where you have been?" When Misa spoke her tone matched the animated cheer that had been in Matsuda's voice.

Deciding to not leave it to Matsuda to answer the question, Beyond intercepted the speech in order to answer. "We were never gone and you will tell Ryuuzaki and Raito we were not gone unless you want to once again be locked in a cell. Do you understand, Amane?"

"You're not very nice, meanie-san," Misa retorted in a display of her juvenile mindset.

"At least that name is slightly better than the one Misa gave Ryuuzaki," Matsuda said consolingly. During the time period in which Misa was locked in a cell, she had occasionally referred to L using the name pervert-san, which was far worse in Matsuda's opinion than meanie-san.

"It is not even faintly relevant to me what she refers to me as; I am only concerned with her restricted brain retaining the fact that we never left her alone. I believe it is time for us to be heading back to headquarters, do you agree?"

Nodding with acquiescence, Misa agreed to the fact that the three should be returning to headquarters. Although she did not want to return to the building and speak to the nerdy black haired Teru, Misa hoped she would have a chance to at least greet Raito.

Misa understood that Raito still did not know he was Kira but she wanted to him again after the realization that he was her idol. Ever since Misa found out Kira killed the man that murdered her parents she had an idolatrous love for him. Knowing that Raito and Kira are the same, Misa was filled with eternal devotion for him.

Without realizing the purely rhetorical nature of the question, Misa actually stated allowed that she agreed with Beyond. Matsuda, following her example, also answered the affirmative out loud. Struggling to resist the urge to point out the fact that the question was rhetorical, Beyond simply disregarded the duo and began to walk towards the car Matsuda had used to transport Misa to the movie set.

Raito was annoyed by the fact that L had been pulled away from their conversation by the absence of Beyond. Considering this annoyance, Raito realized that he significantly missed the time he used to spend speaking to L through the text messages of Smile. He had ample capability to converse with L now but he could cultivate a true friendship with the detective while still a suspect for being Kira.

Watching as L ate numerous objects of pure saccharin and sugar, Raito smiled. He imagined L eating the smiley face cake he had sent the few mounts ago, the mounts that had felt like they had been made up of years rather than days. Wishfully, Raito thought of what his current situation would be if not for the Kira case. If such a situation was possible, he would not only still be active as Smile and would no longer be suspected for the atrocities committed by Kira.

Eventually, L seemed to notice the fact that Raito was staring at him while caught up in chaotic thoughts. Could Raito's thoughts be associated with who he at once time was? Whether Raito's alias was Kira or Smile, L knew the boy was not merely Raito. The glitter in Raito's intellectual eyes made L feel almost completely obliged to not pester him but it would make the teen lose focus to be interrupted during deep thought.

"Raito-kun," L said softly and stared into the dilated brown pupils that were lost out of the present setting by thought. There was no response from the other. Pulling his wrist stridently into the air, L forced Raito to lose his stability and collapse from his chair.

"Hell," Raito replied and then softly shook his head to acknowledge his mistake, "I meant to say L."

"Raito-kun continues to deny that he is Kira, yet he blatantly disrespects the great detective L who is trying to bring Kira to justice."

"OK Misa, go ahead and speak in third person."

"Another disrespectful comment, if this continues the only proof of your innocence will be the repudiation of the fact that you are Kira and have killed hundreds of criminals."

"I would never be Kira," Raito stated plainly.

"Startling, I would have thought as a supporter of justice you would be supportive of the platform to remove mankind's slavery to criminals. Even I would be overjoyed to live in a utopian society were the judicial system is void because of the lack of crime."

"Something is never nothing, and thus everything has a reason. Crime and upset plague our society but crime is important. Through the eyes of criminals, the truth behind our entire serene environment is revealed. Each criminal has a reason for what they did, and if they have a reason then they should have a chance to prove their reasoning through peace. The world deserves redemption because all of us are something that will never be nothing."

"That sounds like utter nonsense," L replied. Despite his harsh reply, this statement reminded him of the fact that Smile had been the savior for Beyond and many other murders that would have otherwise had capital punishment. It seemed that L, Smile, and Kira were a triad of opposites. L was the reverse of Smile and Kira, Smile was opposite of L and Kira, and Kira was a criminal.

Remembering who had made the statements, L began to mentally increase the percentile of Raito being Smile. Their beliefs on the judicial system were similar, thus their morals were also similar and both seemed to have a deep compassion for the human condition. Raito seemed to be smiling at L's comment, he seemed accustomed to this harsh reply to his views.

"You think that I am saying is nonsense? The world is nonsense. Look at us, we are solving a case where someone kills using natural heart attacks," Raito said in a bland attempt at humor.

"That is very true, Sm-Raito-kun."

"What did you just say?"

"I was about to say Kira but found it inappropriate to call you that in our current conversation."

"Then why did you…never mind it is not important," Raito had been distracted from the utterance that sounded distinctly like the name 'Smile'. Beyond barged in asking where he could find duct tape.

"Perché?" Raito inquired; his tone soaked in amusement. Asking why in Italian seeped out of his mouth before Raito realized he was speaking the language. He always asked for explanations in Italian, possibly because asking for explanations led the Italians to renew the world's knowledge after a period of intellectual darkness.

"Che forza qualcosa chiusa su un determinato biondo'," Beyond said in the language of Italy. He wanted to force Misa's mouth closed using the duct tape.

In an attempt at preventing himself from laughing, Ratio turned his head away and pressed his hand against his smirking face. Beyond took the hilarity as a sign that he would not get his requested duct tape and left the room to silence the model in some other way. Raito glanced at a camera view of Misa's room, the audio was off but Raito could see the girl's mouthed words.

'Stop telling me to hush Teru! I am not going to stop screaming until meanie-san lets me see Raito!'

L could not seem to focus, too many suspicious proceedings had happened on the part of Raito. Speaking to Beyond, Raito had been fluent and without accent in Italian. Although L could tell what was said, it seemed as if half the conversation relied merely on the two's tacit agreement on a matter. All that Raito had said was why and yet the statement had seemed to satisfy Beyond and it made him leave the room.

Surely, any reasonable intellectual would say Raito is Smile but L was not reasonable, he was reason. Although based on the boy's actions he seemed to have similar views and a similar relationship with Beyond Birthday, there was obvious flaws that came with the knowledge of Smile's work. Working for the last five years, Smile had solved cases that the most trained minds in the world including L himself may not have been able to figure out.

The problem was five years ago Raito was twelve, barely out of the elementary process of education. To add to this objection was the fact that Yagami Raito had openly admitted that he had reason to believe he was Kira. Surely, Smile would not say such a thing in order to solve the case before him. If Raito was not Smile, then Beyond and Kira had become allies which could be an extremely unfavorable position.

Glancing at the monitor Raito was intently looking at, L saw the scene occurring between Mikami and Misa. This problem must have been the reason behind Beyond's request for tape to cover Misa's mouth. L wished it was as easy as using tape, her mere presence made a shrieking noise that could not be prevented by closing her mouth.

"L," Raito said noticing the detective watching the scene he was seeing, "can Misa just be told she can see me in the morning?"

"I suppose that would be acceptable," the black haired detective said impassively.

Send me a sign
Turn back the clock
Give me some time
I need to break out
And make a new name
Let's open our eyes
To the brand new day
It's a brand new day

It's a brand new day
I know it's a brand new day
Come on to the brand new day