Strangness: Dude-bruh, whoever you are, I love you man. You make me feel good inside. Love ya bro.
Seriously, though, thanks so much for the review; it means a lot...! I cannot express well either-don't you worry-
It was a meeting day. The familiar coffee shop awaited Light today after work. Work was odd that day; I couldn't find Matsuda anywhere. After I noticed this I realized Ide and Mogi were nowhere to be seen either. I asked Aizawa about this, and he told me they were all doing work elsewhere; there was a case they were working on. I didn't question this, and merely went back to paperwork.
My job was an oddity among society, and I now realize I haven't really explained it. I never went to college, but L fabricated a degree for me and got me into the NPA. However, as I hadn't majored in anything and hadn't had any experience in any part of criminal justice save for my time in the Kira Task Force, I didn't have a specific job in the NPA. For the first year of my working, I would work in different areas of the NPA and see which one appealed to me, or which I was best at. After my year was up, I'd pick my official job, and that would be what I worked with until I retired or was fired. …Or if I died. But we try not to think like that.
I would be shopping for groceries while Light would head to the coffee shop, where Beyond Birthday would be inevitably waiting for him. Light stepped into the coffee shop door; it dinged upon his arrival as though it were welcoming him. Just like it always did, even before this whole Kira business. Some things never change. And you know, his familiarity of this place would always be a sense of vague comfort through everything.
As expected, BB was waiting for him. He was fingering a packet of sugar, frowning idly as he prodded at it.
"Hello, BB," Light greeted as he slid into his booth.
"They got rid of the real sugar," the black-haired man responded absently as he gazed at the packet in hazy distaste. "Hn." And he tossed the packet back into its miniature white basket. His grey-eyed gaze at last settled on Light, and his eyes seemed to sharpen. "Anything new, Light?"
"Well," said Light as he lifted his coffee to his lips (he didn't mind it without sugar so much), "I proposed to Natalie."
BB just looked at him with this dull-eyed, almost quizzical look. "I meant important new things," he said flatly.
Light laughed at that. "It is important, to us anyway. And if it's important to Kira…."
"No, not to Kira," Beyond said to Light, and Light looked at him. "To Light Yagami, and to Natalie Hester. Kira is different, isn't it?" He leaned back, an almost-smirk pulling at the corner of his mouth. "What, are you trying to prove to me you still feel? Or maybe you listened to me, and now you're trying to prove it to yourself? No, it's probably both."
Light frowned at him. "What are you getting at?"
"You know what I said last week. And it probably got to you, didn't it? You really aren't feeling much anymore, are you?"
Light's eyes were hard as Beyond sat up again and leaned his arms on the table. "Do you really have to turn such a good thing into something cold?" Light asked him.
"No." And he smiled a cruel smile. "You're the one who brought it up."
Light gazed at him with his hard eyes, frowning dully as he straightened up. "Alright. There's nothing new, then, if that isn't deemed important."
"Oh really?" Beyond inquired with a vague smile as he rested his head in his hand, cradling his cheek. "It seems you have a stalker."
Light blinked, but didn't look behind him. I mean, we shouldn't be surprised, really… we were just surprised we hadn't noticed. Then again… it had been Ryuk who noticed Raye Penber all those years ago, hadn't it?
"What, you didn't notice?" Beyond smiled. No, that wasn't a smile….
"No. I haven't learned that kind of thing in my time; it's my greatest apology."
"You shouldn't apologize to me, Light. The only person it jeopardizes is you." The not-smile dissipated. "Anyway, he shouldn't be able to hear us from here, and he probably doesn't recognize me."
"What's his name; can you tell?"
Beyond closed his eyes. "Stephen Loud."
Light nodded to himself. Stephen Loud; that was Gevanni's real name. Of course Near would send him out to tail Light…. But we already knew Near was suspicious. What, was he getting desperate? Light smiled.
"Shall we continue our meeting?" said Beyond, tilting his head. "Or would you like to call it off?"
Light chuckled. "Are you trying to see how smart I really am in this situation? It would be odd if I were to end this early. To that man, this could be just a casual meeting. Like you said, he shouldn't be able to hear us; that's why you picked this table in the café in the first place. Let's continue."
BB nodded, seeming satisfied. "Alright," he said. "I've begun putting together the system you suggested. It may take a few months to finish, though. I'll work on it to the best of my ability, I can assure you."
Light nodded. "Good. Although, I'd like to be able to keep in contact with you somehow. Do you have some way for us to keep in contact, like a cell phone? An e-mail address?"
"Ah," Beyond responded, "yes, I thought you might mention that." He began to reach into his pocket. "I recently got myself a cell phone for just that reason. It's untraceable, so don't worry about someone using your phone to track me." BB pulled a slip of paper from his pocket and handed it to Light from across the table. Light scanned the number for a second before sticking it in his own pocket. "We'll contact each other that way."
Light nodded again. "We should have some sort of special greeting in order to confirm we really are talking to each other; just in case." He smiled slightly. "It almost sounds silly, but it's better to be safe than sorry."
"Very true, Light Yagami. What'll it be?" He not-smiled at him. We knew he could have come up with it just as easily himself, but we supposed he just wanted to see what we would come up with.
The rest of the conversation went on without much said. The special greeting was made, communication had been stabilized, and with that, Kira and Beyond Birthday parted ways until next week.
"I know who we're going to kill."
Mello's voice was low and flat, that odd monotone he had used when he had first found out that Sierra had the notebook. Sierra already knew who it was she was talking about, so she toyed with her shoelaces instead. Maybe I can unlace them and their ends together so I can play Cat's Cradle…. I wonder if Matt knows how to play, she mused.
Matt, on the other hand, looked up. "Hm? We're killing someone, Mels? Who's that?"
Mello began tapping on the keyboard for the computer; he brought up an image of his victim. "Hideki Ide," he said. "He's the leader of the Mello Case. Killing him off will certainly give the police a lesson… not to mention it'll let them know for sure I have the notebook, if Natalie or Light haven't told the NPA yet." He smirked. "He's the perfect pick, don't you think?"
"Yeah," Matt agreed, "but do we really have to kill people with that thing? Honestly, I don't see how it's so important."
"It's not that it's important," Mello frowned in return. "We're just taking advantage of this tool we have in our possession."
Ryuk was snickering. Everyone else was ignoring him.
Matt held up his hands in peace. "Fine; fine. When're we killing him, then?"
"Today is Friday; we'll have him die on Sunday…." Mello already had the pen out; he was already beginning to write.
"Mello, you really want to become a killer?"
"I already am one," he said flatly, and finished writing the passage down. "Maybe indirectly, but I already am."
Sierra was staring at the ground.
Matt watched him write it down in the Death Note, sealing his poor victim's fate. "So I guess it's too late to stop you?" he asked, raising his eyebrows.
"Yeah."
"Oh, great." Matt rolled his eyes and leaned back on the couch. "Hey Mels?"
"What, Matt?"
"I just wanna let you know that I really hope you don't lose yourself just 'cause this notebook got to you. I bet that's what happened to the original Kira, too."
Mello looked at him, frowning. Matt didn't look back. Mello looked back to the screen. "I'm not like Kira."
"Okay, Mello. Whatever you say." He looked at Sierra. "Oi, Sierra…make sure he doesn't do anything stupid, alright?"
Sierra looked up at him. "…Okay," she said. He toyed with the unlaced shoelace in her fingers. "…Do you know how to play Cat's Cradle?"
He eyed her. "Yeah."
"Do you maybe want to play?"
He gave her a lopsided kind of smile. "Sure."
She smiled back, and they played.
Sam remembered having awoken late in the night again last night; the detective had had a nightmare. So when she awoke, it was no surprise to realize L was already awake and sitting at his computer. The Task Force was likely already out and searching the city for Mikami; as it was Saturday, they would be working all day. Sam blinked at the ceiling as she realized what it was L was looking up on the computer: it was a database for the residents of Axbridge.
He had gazed at the image of Beyond's first victim, Zoe Perdue, in the times she was alive. It wasn't in any stalkerish manner, just a measure of mourning and respect for the young, deceased girl. Sam never would have guessed when she was first joining L on that case that there was such a connection to him. Zoe Perdue was actually the daughter of the woman who had taken L in right after his father had died. She and L didn't know if B had known this connection, but it would make sense if he had chosen this girl because of it.
He looked at her mother, the woman who had taken him in, to find that she was still alive. It was a nice feeling, but also rather melancholy in knowing she had to watch her child be buried before she herself had passed.
He paused for a bit before he continued in his search for the information he had actually been trying to find. L wanted to know if his uncle was still alive. Still living in Axbridge. And if he was, he wanted to at last give himself closure after all these years; get rid of the remnants of those bad bits of the past.
He'd have to pay a visit.
That uncle of his had no power over him anymore, and he needed to prove his subconscious of that. He was ready to make it all end.
Of course, he wouldn't just do that immediately. He had work to do. Mikami needed to be found and caught; that would at least narrow down the suspects slightly. Then there would only be two notebooks in place, three counting the Note in Sierra's possession. Assuming Sierra was on the final stage or was at the very least close to it, she wasn't acting as Kira, or wouldn't be in the near future. That notebook would likely be used to further Mello's goals, and after all, Mello was against Kira. The Note was not the ideal way to attack the enemy here, but L logic stated that there was a common enemy and so there was no reason he should stop Mello for now so long as it didn't interfere with his work. Even if L didn't like Mello's methods, and even if L still really wanted to win this himself. No, for how long this case has lasted and with an outside mind now merged with his own, he had to say working together was best…
The objective was to end Kira and bring true justice back to the world. It wasn't necessarily just about winning anymore.
Although, he planned on winning this time anyway.
"So when'll the wedding be, Aunt Natalie?" Anna inquired, and my eyebrow twitched. I was making dinner in the kitchen that Sunday night; Light had already arrived.
"Really… must you people keep pestering me?!" I cried. "I don't know, why must I be the one to decide?"
"…Sorry," she muttered, and took a sip of her milk. Light, who was sitting at the kitchen table with her, was smiling pleasantly, of course. "Light, when will you guys be getting married?"
"Hmm… Well, if your aunt doesn't know, then I don't know," Light responded, "but I guess we should probably figure that out, huh…"
"I like the idea of doing it soon, a small little thing that I can get over with quickly," I said shortly. "I don't want something big, and I don't want to wait too long because then I might just get anxietal about the whole thing."
"Anxietal isn't a word," Light said absently.
"I don't care." Because if he knew, I already knew anyway, and if I already knew it wasn't a word and I still used it, well, of course I didn't care, now, did I?
Light chuckled a bit.
"Well, I want it soon too," Anna chirped. "Too bad Sierra probably won't be able to come. So how soon? I want it to be real soon. This weekend?"
"It can't be that fast, Anna," said Light, laughing slightly.
"Why not?" she pouted, and Light and I glanced at one another.
"Why not?" I repeated, and he ran his hand through his hair.
"If it's small, you can get it together all quick so it can actually be next weekend!" Anna said excitedly, knowing if I was repeating her questioning there was a possibility it could be this weekend after all.
"Mm…this weekend is the weekend of the fourth and fifth, huh…," Light mused, thinking on it.
"Oh, right, Tuesday is the last day of August, isn't it?" Anna inquired, blinking as she realized this. "Hmm…"
"It is," Light confirmed absently. I was silently hoping we could just get it done with this weekend. I think the Bond won my case this time. No matter how much he could want a normal wedding like he was expected to have, I would want a discreet one more. So ha. He agreed to the idea, and Anna and I cheered, a small piece of my old self shining through. Light was smiling.
Of course, we'd have to invite a few people…like Sachiko and Sayu and Anna. Sam and L. Matsuda. I guessed we should add Aizawa, Mogi, and Ide as well… Now, were we forgetting anyone…?
"It really is too bad Sierra won't be there," I mused. "Mello's rude to take her away like that."
"Meanie poop," Anna agreed. "I hate Mello."
"It's okay, Anna," I soothed with a smile. "I don't like him either."
She huffed in response, and Light chuckled.
For now, we'd be normal people; let that happen for a week, that's all. For this week we would be as we used to, we would be wedded and happy, and then the day after we could start worrying about deeper things again. Then we could think about how my older niece was stuck on the run from the law and against her aunt; then we could think about the inevitable future detonation of Anna's innocence as she discovered her aunt was a liar and a killer; then we could think about how my best friend was actually working as my enemy; then we could think about Mikami and BB and all of those Kira problems. But until then I wanted to be ordinary again. It was moments like these where I could actually remember what it felt like. And you know…
…I was really starting to miss it.
Fun Fact: This is where I started having major writer's block, actually...
(...So if the writing style is choppy or strange or anything, I'm very sorry. ^^;)
Review? For being ordinary!