Chapter Thirty-One - The World
History grows
And history lives.
Written in the ink of
Blood.
"Are you ready?" I ask, standing in the middle of my little gray room, looking out the windows at the moon.
My Shinigami lurks in the dark corner, watching me with red eyes. "Yeah, but you owe me."
"Vile, your reward will be staying with me after this is all over."
"I could kill you now, you know."
"You won't."
He bristles silently, and I only smile. It's been fascinating, learning what makes him tick. Shinigami are much different than humans, but there are a few things that we have in common. Or maybe it's just that I have so much in common with him. Either way, I've figured out how to get him to work with me.
"Let's go then."
L was stumped.
He had no idea what was going on. Something was happening right underneath his nose, just out of his sight. It had been happening the entire time, and he really didn't like it. How did he miss something so large and important?
She was one of them.
Of course, not in the sense that he had first thought of, he'd concluded; she wasn't Kira or an incarnation of the fiend. Instead she was just someone who shared the power, and that was how she knew things that he didn't. It was how the investigation had advanced in a direction that could lead to Kira's arrest.
She had known that Light was Kira the entire time.
Her actions were based on Light being Kira.
Was that message in March made for her specifically? When she had 'run into' him after the January exams, had they somehow identified each other as holders of the same power? And what was this power in the first place? She said she wasn't hallucinating, and he was inclined to believe her after the impressive display of ability she's demonstrated. She'd predicted the time of a man's death and had told him his own name.
She'd known that too.
… Light must have known that, he discovered. Kira knew that she knew his name. Obviously he'd threatened her somehow and … she had attempted to kill herself.
The thought was oddly humbling.
So what had she left for him? She'd said to ask Makoto for help …
"Hey, are you alright?"
A voice shook him out of his contemplation. L's gaze shifted over to the source of all his current problems: Light, or as he was better known, Kira. His eyes narrowed. The young man was watching him with a strange look in his eyes, something that L was having trouble identifying. He didn't like it.
"Donju," he suddenly called, turning his chair around to look at the teenager who was just walking into the building. He looked tired, with dark circles under his eyes and a sag in his shoulders.
"Yeah?" he replied, blinking tiredly and shaking his head before approaching the detective. L pulled his phone from his pocket, the one that Kurai had texted just before she tried to jump. He hadn't deleted it, not yet.
"What do you make of this?" he asked, showing it to the boy. Makoto took it in his hand and read it, frowning a little more.
"Did she send this right before …?"
"Yes."
"Are you looking for it then?"
"Yes."
Makoto scowled, re-reading it several times. He was deep in thought, and then suddenly, like the sun emerging from the clouds, Makoto smiled. "Oh, I see what she did. She's good, really good!" he laughed.
They'd captured the attention of the rest of the Task Force, who were now huddled around in a small circle. Makoto passed the phone around before turning to the detective. "Can I use your computer for a moment? I think I'll be able to find what she left."
Silence dominated the room.
"Left something, what do you mean?" Aizawa asked, confused.
"Yeah, I mean, we looked at her computer and stuff, there was nothing there," Matsuda added.
"She was under the impression that she was going to die, but from that message that she sent hardly a minute prior to her jump I can only assume that it's of vital importance. Niiro confirmed this theory when I spoke with her …" L said, looking Makoto right in the eyes.
"This is something that she'd do," the brunette chuckled, "She's way too invested in this case, so I guess the only reason she'd do that is if she had no other choice. However …" Makoto strolled up to L's computer as he spoke. The detective pushed his chair out of the way to give the hacker access.
It didn't take Makoto too long to find what he needed to find. "She'd never leave you without the solution to the problem. She's a quick learner, Kurai. I've been showing her a few things this past year, so she used that …" He clicked the final key with finality, turning around to present it with a flare. On the computer screen was a game of chess. It was set to a certain pattern, as if the game was almost finished.
Makoto then stepped aside to give L room, "She's written a virus attached to the program. Just enter the right combination and you'll have access to all that she left behind for you."
The Task Force's eyes, including Light's, widened considerably.
"That's incredible …" Matsuda breathed.
L evaluated the game for a minute; his eyes darted back and forth across the board, soaking in the positions and possible movements. He then made his move. Afterwards he made three more moves, and was declared the winner.
Everyone watched in surprise as windows started appearing rapidly, filling up the screen. L was stunned, watching as all the files suddenly appeared. There were more than he knew what to do with. They must have been all the evidence she'd collected, all for Light being Kira.
"Is that all evidence?" Mr. Yagami asked as all of them crowded around the computer, reading small glimpses of text and file names.
"She's dedicated to this case, so it's not really a surprise that she did all she could before …" Makoto said, wincing in memory. They all agreed.
And just when they thought they'd seen it all, one last window opened up, and a video immediately started playing.
There was some coughing and the screen blurred before Kurai came into view. Judging by her clothes the video was taken the same day that she attempted suicide. The Task Force watched in awe. "Alright, good job in finding the files. At this time it's about …" she checked the time on her phone, "seven hours until the deadline, though by the time you watch this I should be dead, because if I live it means that my plan failed horribly and we're probably all about to die, so no pressure there." She then smiled and laughed ruefully and ran a hand through her hair.
"I'm going to address you specifically, Ryuzaki, because all the information that I've included will be most useful to you anyway. Now, what I'm about to say will most likely make no sense whatsoever, but please bear with me, this could end the case."
Jaws dropped.
"I'm sure that you know by now that I'm a huge liar and I've tugged you along at some points. You didn't need to know at the time, but I've hit a bit of a roadblock and I can't get around it … so I'm going to sound absolutely crazy and I don't blame you for thinking that I've all imagined this."
She went quiet, staring sadly at her hands.
The Task Force was utterly confused at what she was saying. Brows were raised and others looked at the screen with suspicion. They waited on bated breath for her to continue.
"You remember when I told you that 'Shinigami' was only a code that Kira used?"
Yes, I remember, L thought, the memories of her smacking him on the head and telling him to get his act together still fresh. She looked so worried.
"Well … I lied. The Second Kira was speaking literally. They exist and fuck, are they lazy, which is why so few have ever come here, and I suppose that's a good thing. This isn't the first time they've come to this world with their power and it definitely won't be the last," she paused, her brow furrowed, looking as though she was formatting her next words. "It's how Kira can only kill with a name and a face without even having to see his victim die. It's also how he can control his victims and how he can kill in more ways than one. A heart attack is the default cause of death, it's not because he can only kill in that way. I think I may have proven that with Naomi …"
She laughed once again and shook her head.
"With the last little bit you should piece together the whole picture. I've practically handed you Kira at this point. Please don't show this video to Mr. Yagami, because he's going to be heartbroken when he hears this, but Light is Kira, and has always been Kira. He knows very well that I also have the ability, but am unwilling to use it. However, my … ah, other ability is more of a drawback at this time, and it isn't actually my fault that I have it, blame my father for that one, but it means that I have information that he wants, and he basically gave me the ultimatum. So I'm going to kill myself and leave you with what you need to end the case."
She knows my name.
Mr. Yagami collapsed onto the ground, but he thankfully wasn't having another heart attack. He was just majorly overwhelmed by the information. He didn't want to believe that Light was Kira; he desperately wished that she was wrong.
The other's thoughts were very similar.
"Oh, one more thing, it's about the Second Kira. I took care of them months ago. They have no memory of ever being Kira. That's the thing with this ability, and why it's a physical object. This power can pass from one person to another, and that's why humans can come into possession of it when a Shinigami gets bored enough and drops by our world. Light happened on this power, and when presented by the overwhelming possibilities he just sort of … well, I can imagine you know what that means. When I was presented with it I thought I was going crazy! Still, I've had the eyes for many years, and that's why I can't bear the thought of killing another person. I can tell when people are to die … but Kira … he can kill people before that time."
She was crying, and seemed to realize it. She quickly wiped away stray tears.
"So that should pretty much cover it … I've had loads of fun, even though that's pretty inappropriate considering the circumstances … Say goodbye for me to Kakushin, Makoto and the Task Force. I don't know if there's an afterlife, and he's really not helping at this point," she gestured over her shoulder, "so I'll take my leave. See you all later."
She leaned over to shut the recording off.
Everyone in the room stayed silent and still, soaking in the new information. They all experienced varying ranges of dismay to horror, just blown away by the revelations. They had no idea what to make of it.
L especially was dealing with inner turmoil. If anything, he was lucky to be alive. He turned around to face Makoto, who was in a similar state of shock at his friend's words.
"Donju, what do you know about this?"
They all focused on the teen, similar questions waiting. "More than I should, honestly," he admitted. "I don't know everything, but I know enough to answer some of your questions. It seems like she was okay with telling you …"
"Thank you," L said, frowning in thought. Things just got a lot more complicated.
"Hey, where's Light?" Matsuda suddenly said. Everyone startled before realizing that Light had indeed slipped away when they were all preoccupied by the video.
L's eyes narrowed.
Something was going to happen.
Something was very wrong.
I laugh gleefully, skipping down the hallway with the keys jingling in my hands. I've been bad … they could probably have me arrested for this! At the moment I have more pressing matters to attend to, so that's the least of my problems.
The fire alarm blares loudly, and in the other side of the building all the patients are being evacuated by the asylum's staff. I can feel the heat of the flames to my back. There's nothing that a mixture of household chemicals can't do, especially when I need a decent sized explosion.
It burns, and the bells are very loud tonight.
My chuckles turn maniacal when I burst out of the building, a chain reaction setting off in the hallway that I was just in. The door just protects me from it, but I can feel a little shockwave pass through the air.
"Fantastic," I shake my head and wonder why everyday can't be so exciting.
I begin trekking back to the city, whistling the whole while and twirling the key loop on my fingers. The coat that I nicked is too big for me, but still reasonably comfortable. It's a little chilly out, being how late in the year as it is. That's just fine and all, I probably have a chemical burn or two on my hand anyway, and my back feels roasted. On the plus side my injuries are not severe.
It's time to end this once and for all.
He was personified rage - completely livid. Even his Shinigami was scared now, and he didn't even care because he was so angry.
How dare that bitch defy god … defy me. She has to die. Evidence be damned, I'll kill L with my hands if I have to.
Light Yagami was on a fucking warpath. Destruction and decay were dogging his footsteps, his eye tainted with malice and mania. Lives meant nothing anymore. Anyone who got in his way would die instantly, and it would start with her.
Oh, but he wanted to see her die. He wanted her to know that he'd won as the life faded from her body. He wanted her to know that she was scum, and that he was God, and that her futile attempts meant absolutely nothing!
And as soon as she was dead he was going to drag her corpse back to the Task Force headquarters, where he would show his colleagues before he killed each and every one of them. They were all going to die in disgrace.
This was the day that the world would change forever.
Vile huffed, shivering. All his scales shifted to look like the ruffling of feathers when they caught the light. Drool slipped past the gaps in his teeth, dripping to the ground. His claws twitched, itching. He was so very angry, but he was so very entertained. He loved it, to be honest.
He hated that he didn't mind at all.
His human … she was the most interesting thing he'd ever seen. She was right, painfully so – he wasn't going to kill her just yet, and he was going to help her whether he liked it or not.
Damn her.
The climax had arrived.
It was his turn now.
Headlights of passing cars melted in the darkness of the night. Chill smog dampened bones. The grass was wet with dew and the beginnings of frost. Her breath was visible as she walked, an insane smile forming her lips. Her eyes were wide with wonder and imagination, but they had a brutal edge to them. The crazies walked that night.
She stopped in her path when she saw the distant glimmer of red – a name. Her grin grew. The girl couldn't read it, not yet, but she knew very well who it was. She could feel it in the very core of her being, in how her body shivered with anticipation and her breath caught in terror. The devil himself was approaching.
He stopped just far enough away so that she could see his face. Her heart pounded roughly in her chest, and she counted every thump. He watched her, fury and wrath and rage dancing in his gaze. A passing car sent a gust of wind in her face, ruffling her hair and illuminating the crimson of her irises.
"Red," he said finally, addressing the girl in question.
"Kira," she replied, her voice trembling with excitement.
The World was changing beneath their feet. They were writing history.