A/N: And me, being the lazy person that I am, am now going to upload six or so chapters because I haven't in ... what, a week? I think. Oh well.
Some minor changes here. Got rid of a bunch of unneeded angst (frustrated me, that did). Some more character development.
And this, of course, is the point of no return, and thus the new chapter title.
- DW
Chapter Six - The Rest of My Life
Thunder crash and thunder roar.
Wind howling through the endless night.
Rain pounding on the drum of earth.
Sky smiling a wicked smirk.
I slowly open my eyes. It's dawn, and the light is streaming in through the window. With a groan I roll over and try to get some more sleep. L's interruption last night did not help.
The oddness of the situation is not lost on me, and honestly I think I'm having a hard time accepting that I've become a member of the Kira investigation. I mean, really, I went from a sort of normal person to an acquaintance of the greatest detective in the world. Shocker right there.
And then there's Kira. I wonder about him. When I think of taking down such a person tingles spread through my skin, and I'm filled with a sense of awe. This is the first day of the rest of my life, after all.
I sit up and lethargically rub at my eyes. Glancing in the mirror, I see that there are still black circles under my crimson eyes. What had Kakushin called them … Panda eyes? I don't feel like a bear of any kind honestly, but the thought is amusing and brings a smile to my face.
"Good morning," I startle at the words as Vile slips into view. He sits down on the edge of my bed and gives me a stare.
"What is it?" I sigh.
"Nothing," The Shinigami says.
"Kurai, who are you talking to?" Yae's tired voice moans from her bed.
"I'm just talking to myself," I say.
"That's weird …"
"Hmn," I shoot Vile an annoyed look – he laughs as per usual – and then get up to get ready. I have a lot of 'studying' to do. I know already that I'll get a good mark on the entrance exams (nearly got the top spot on the national practice exams, but I don't like attention so I missed a few questions on purpose). It isn't really a concern to me to study, but I need to keep up an image in front of my relatives. It gives me time to think and keeps me from pondering other things.
"You know Kurai, you seem different … somehow," Yae comments, looking at me from her place on her own bed. I blink at her confusedly.
"What do you mean by that?"
"It's like … you're happier, like you've found something to live for. I'm sorry about your Father's death, but it wasn't healthy to get lost in it, you know?"
I smile fondly at her. She's not so bad once you get to know her. "I guess."
"You're actually very pretty when you smile," she laughs, which I stick out my tongue to.
It keeps me from thinking of other things.
"Hey, what's up?"
"I got an update on the case," I say over the phone to D.
"I'm not sure if that's a good thing or a bad thing."
Over the past little while I've been starting to get to know Makoto. He's not that bad of a person either, and I'm starting to think that he's a friend: a person I can trust. Same with Kakushin, I guess. It's a nice feeling.
"Shut up. Anyway, Kira is testing the limitations of how he can outline the actions of a person before their death. He made a criminal run to a bathroom, another draw a pentagram in blood and a third write a suicide note. Three others died at the same time, so I am led to believe that whatever he wanted them to do didn't happen."
"So the notebook has limits …"
"Yes, it does, which honestly doesn't surprises me. I wish I knew what those other three were tasked to do though."
"Well, it's no use fretting over it."
"You're right. Have you gotten any updates on the agents' progress?"
"They haven't found anything remotely suspicious about any of the people they were trailing."
"Hmm … well, something inside me agrees with L that the suspect is close to the police."
"I believe that is what we normal people call a 'gut' feeling."
"You know what? You're almost as annoying as Vile."
I got a laugh from both of them.
"Okay. Make sure you're sleeping! Have a nap or something. I'll talk to you later."
"Alright, bye."
"Bye," D hangs up, and I am left in silence. What a day, but I can't sleep just yet. I still need to do some studying.
Eight days later I get a phone call. This was not something that I was expecting either. It's nearly midnight, and I am at the small desk in me and my Cousin's room. Yae is sleeping in her own bed.
It's not my regular Cell-Phone that's ringing. It's the small grey one that D gave me. I hope it's just him calling. I quickly head over to my bed and fetch the Phone from under it. Flipping the voice switch, I snap it open and answer it.
"Red," L's voice speaks.
"Oh, hello," I say quietly.
"Something has happened, Red. This is very important."
"Really?" I'm interested, and sit on the bed. Vile cocks his head to the side and listens in on the conversation.
"You remember the twelve FBI agents I sent into Japan, correct?"
"Of course."
"All of them died yesterday."
My hands go numb, and I end up nearly crushing the phone.
"How did this happen?" I ask in a grave undertone.
"Kira somehow managed to learn of their names and appearances, and subsequently killed them all simultaneously."
"Besides the obvious," I sigh, shaking my head. Kira's good, but this cements the theory of him being connected to the police.
"The Japanese Police will learn of this quickly, so I must ask you a favor."
The great L is asking me a favor? This can't be good. "What is it?"
"The Task Force will demand to meet me in person, so I have come to Japan. I would like you to come to this meeting, but I need to know if you are willing to risk your life to catch Kira. I need to know if I can trust you."
I pause for a moment, then smile, "Do you really need to ask? I have nothing to lose and all to gain. I will come."
"That is good. Do I have your word that you will not send a stand in, or will come in disguise?"
I pause again, thinking it over. If I show them my face, it won't take them long to learn my real identity; a matter of days, if not hours. Somehow, this seems okay to me. I am not going to back down. I will meet L, in person, and prove that I am as good as he supposedly thinks.
"Yes, but, there is something you need to know before I meet you."
"…"
"I lied when I said I worked alone. I have two others that are currently working with me. Both of them are trustworthy. One of them happens to be the hacker you are so familiar with. It was me you were talking to the first day, and it doesn't change the fact that I wish to help. They want to help too. I have nothing to lose, but they on the other hand do. I am reluctant to get them this involved."
"I see. You are the 'brains' behind the operation?"
"I have been the one in direct contact with you, so in a metaphorical sense, yes."
"I am glad I learned about this now, instead of later." I can hear the annoyed tone of his voice through the modifier, and wince.
"Forgive me for deceiving you in that way. It was in no way meant to harm you."
"I understand. I will contact you in the next few days."
"Alright."
The line goes dead, and I let out a long sigh, running my hand through my hair. I press the 'End Call' button and shut it closed. Kira is smarter than I would have thought. We might be dealing with some sort of genius. It's one thing to have the eyes and simply kill the person stalking you, it's another to plan the deaths of all the agents within the country when you have no idea how many of them there are or who they are.
Kira is as cunning as a fox, as sly as a snake and invisible as smoke. He thinks he has good ideals, good intentions, but he is a monster, and I want to see him gone. I want to see him behind bars where he can't hurt anyone anymore. Where he can't defy the laws of the universe and kill people before they expire. How can't he see how wrong that is?
What a fool.
"Kurai, how are your studies going?" my Aunt asks, trying to break the awkward silence that is probably my doing. I'm sitting down with them to eat, surprisingly. It's been three days since L contacted me, and I am on high alert for the call.
"Fine," I mumble through a mouthful of food.
"Are you alright? You've been a little uptight lately," Yae asks.
"Uptight? Who's uptight? I'm not uptight," I mutter in quick succession, stuffing food in my mouth so that I don't have to speak. I receive concerned expressions from everyone at the table, and a scolding one from my Aunt. She's definitely the one that I don't get along with the most.
And, of course, my phone rings, making us all startle and me internally groan.
"Excuse me," I say, and get up from the table and into the hall. I flip the switch to answer the call, nervously anticipating the following conversation. I know who it is.
"Red,"the detective greets.
"Yes. It's me."
"I want you to meet us at midnight, tonight. Can you do that?"
"Yes."
"Listen closely then."
L quickly tells me the address and name of the hotel that he is staying in, along with the room number. I find myself nodding.
"I'll be there then." Ending the call, I look over my shoulder to find them staring at me. Any smile that was on any of our faces is gone now.
"What was that about?" my Aunt asks.
"Makoto just needs some help with studying," I smile, trying to get them less concerned about me. They somewhat believe me, and I get a smirk from Yae. She can think whatever she wants about us. It won't make a difference.
At around 11:00 PM, I call a cab. It will take a while to get to the hotel (I know which hotel he was talking about) and I don't drive yet (too lazy/busy). Yae glances at me as I tell them where to go. When I hang up, Yae stands up from where she was watching television with her parents and comes over to me.
"You're not going to Makoto's, are you?" she whispers.
"Nonsense," I grunt.
"Don't lie to me. Where are you going?"
"Somewhere that you can't come, and I will go whether you let your parents know or not," I hiss, and she scowls at me, but doesn't argue.
When the cab comes, I quickly slip on a jacket and head out the door. Nobody notices me leaving. Thank god. And no, I am not referring to the God of Death floating behind me.
I tell the driver where to go, and we leave without a word.
I thank the driver and give him the money, then turn my sights to the hotel looming before me. It's certainly grand. This L is filthy stinking rich, isn't he? Well, I already knew that but it's easier to just see what kind of hotels that he checks into.
"This guy must be loaded," Vile chuckles, easily summarizing my thoughts.
I notice the lack of people as I cross the lobby to the elevator. Nobody really cares that I come in. I'm ten minutes late, thanks to freaking traffic. Going to a super top-secret meeting and then arriving late is rather embarrassing. The door opens up, and I quickly head down the hall towards the room I was told to go to.
And here we are. I am slightly nervous despite myself, staring at the door. It's an ordinary door. I can hear faint voices from inside the room. I have a bad feeling about this, but I'm also excited. This L person is sharp like a knife in wit, and it's refreshing to be able to express the full extent of myself. I enjoy speaking with him, even though the conversations we have are all focused on stopping a mass murderer, and that there's that underlying threat of being killed.
I knock, and all the voices go silent, then one speaks up loud enough so that I can hear it.
"You can let yourself in, the door's unlocked."
I open the door slowly, and find the room is empty. On a coffee table a bunch of cell-phones lie looking abandoned. I see an archway, so I head towards that, and when I round the corner the people sitting in the room give gasps of surprise.
This is, indisputably, the first day of the rest of my life.