October 15th (Twenty-one days until L's scheduled death)
"Who should we kill next?" I couldn't believe it. Little did Yotsuba know, they were practically confessing to being Kira- or at least being associated with him- on video. Our team of seven stood right in front of the screen, listening to their every word.
"You see?! It's just like I told you last week!" Of course Matsuda couldn't help but point out that obvious, yet unneeded, fact. Was he happy that this was true? No, of course not. It still irked me.
As the men continued discussing the distressing matter at hand, I didn't need L's urging glance to remind me what I should be doing. Squinting up at the screen, I scanned the circle of men, trying as best I could to read the space above their head.
Overall, the video feed was blurry, and half the men had either their backs toward me or most of their faces obscured, so I could only rule out three of the remaining seven. The lifespan of one of those men had to be gone. Someone there had to be Kira, right?
When Mr. Yagami and Light attempted to make a plan to use this evidence against Yotsuba in order to stop any of the scheduled killings the men made, L shot them down. So did Akari.
"What if it's just talk?" she suggested, arms crossed. "Let's face it: we have no solid evidence, just what they say. Who would actually believe us without any physical proof?"
"And what if one of them is Kira?" contradicted Light, slightly bitter that she was taking L's side. "If we just stand idly by and watch, those men they talked about killing might actually die. Don't you want to do something to stop that from happening?"
"I suggest we do something," Mr. Yagami urged impatiently. He whipped out the phone from his suit jacket. "I don't care which board member we call - I need to reach one of these men and have them stop all these murders."
Before they could do anything rash, L stepped in. "Please hold on." The detective poured tea into his empty cup. "That will cause suspicion. It would mean the investigation caught up to them three days after they were contacted by Aiber. Also, it would make it far more unlikely that we would be able to discover who the real Kira might be."
L and I had talked it over the day before. He would do all he could to catch Kira and stop him, just like he came to Japan to do in the first place. But now he had me. I was his backup plan. My eyes were the key.
But right now they weren't helping much.
"We can't afford such a huge setback seeing how far we've come. Akari's right; In order to catch Kira, we are going to need some solid proof."
Hovering behind L's chair, I silently studied Light's expression. Determined. Frustrated. Thoughtful.
"Ryuzaki… if one of these seven men is in fact Kira, would it be safe to say that if I tried calling one of them the odds of that person actually being Kira is going to be one-in-seven?"
Depending on which man he calls, I thought, it would at least be one-in-four, based on my surveillance.
"I'm thinking there could be more than one Kira among them," L answered, studying the brunet over his shoulder. "A probability of two-in-seven at most."
"If we're prepared to let them know the investigation is catching up to them, let's place our bets on these odds. Ryuzaki, I'm going to pose as L. Judging from their conversation so far, the one least likely to be Kira, but with the most influence, is-"
"-Namikawa."
"-Namikawa."
"Ooi!" Akari lightly smacked Matsuda on the back of his head. "Ow…"
L turned to me for silent confirmation. Namikawa… he was one of the men I could fully see. Reiji Namikawa. Clearly noted lifespan. I barely nodded so he could see.
Hesitantly, L allowed it, advising him to use the phone that couldn't be traced or tapped. Once Light had Namikawa on the phone, I quietly crouched to L's level so I could whisper in his ear. "Reiji Namikawa, Ooi Takeshi, and Shingo Midou aren't Kira because I could see their lifespans. I wasn't able to see if the others had lifespans or not. The odds are one-in-four."
Multitasking between the situation in front of us and listening to me, L processed the information and whispered back, "It may not be all the information we were hoping to get, but it is more than sufficient. Narrowing down the suspects is our best option at this point."
Nodding, I stood up and returned to the spot behind his chair. Throughout Light's whole proposal, I said nothing. I thought it best to keep my mouth shut for the moment.
In the end, Light's bold move was a slight success. Namikawa delayed the killings, giving us a month to find out who the real Kira was. Either way, once I was able to see the rest of the men, it would only take me five seconds to determine the culprit.
Due to disagreements on the way the rest of the investigation should go, we were split into two. Matsuda, Mr. Yagami, and Mogi moving their own direction, L, Light, Akari, and I going another.
While Light and L were conversing with the blonde in her room, Akari and I decided to step out for a break. Best place to go when you want to clear your head? Starbucks.
"Two grande Pumpkin Spice Lattes, please." The cashier nodded and scurried off to make the order. Akari selected a desolate booth in the corner right next to the windows. Both of us were total social introverts so it was the perfect spot. "Thank you," I said as I was handed our drinks.
Joining Akari at the booth, I slid the hot coffee cup across the table to her then proceeded to sip mine. We gazed out the bay window for some time, lost in thoughts. It seemed like both of us had something to say, but neither would speak.
Finally, I laughed, letting a smirk form on my lips. My best friend raised an eyebrow. "What's that look for?"
Meeting her eyes, I blushed. "Well, uh, yesterday…" Looking back out the window, I covered my red cheeks with my hands, long blue sleeves going up to the tips of my fingers. My loosely flowing silver hair covered most of my face like a curtain. "I told L about the lifespan thing." That was true.
Rolling her amethyst eyes, Akari deadpanned. "Alright… what else? You are not blushing just for that." Leaning across the booth, she yanked my hands away from my face. "Spill the details!"
Her suddenly loud voice attracted the attention of a few other customers which made me blush with embarrassment even more. Shoving her back on her side, I shushed the redhead. "Shut up you baka!" When I was sure everyone returned to what they were doing, I continued on. "Um, we may have, uh, kissed… "
"Again?" Smirking, Akari took a sip of her latte. "Isn't that the third time you've kissed him on the cheek? Color me impressed."
"It wasn't on the cheek…" Averting eye contact, I smiled at the memory.
"Oh?"
"..."
"YUKI!" Her elated voice made me jolt, my cup almost tipping over from the shake. This time everyone was looking at us. Head down, I wished I could throw her out the window. "Why didn't you tell me you had a makeout session with-"
"Shut up!" I snapped, slapping her with a napkin. "We're in public!"
"Alright alright, but still." Lowering her tone, Akari folded her arms and smirked at me. "You sly fox. Who knew you had the guts?"
She laughed, I rolled my eyes. As her snickers died down, we sat in a peaceful silence. One that was too rare nowadays. "Remember when we use to gossip about guys all the time?"
Akari looked up from her cup to smile sadly. "Those were the days, huh? When we were in high school. When we only had to worry about grades and how much anime we could watch in one weekend."
"Now we're chasing after a genius murderer with the world's greatest detective." I sighed. "Will things ever be normal again?"
No answer was needed for my question. The answer was simple - we don't know. We won't know until it happens. Our lives could go two ways, but we won't know how fate will play out until it's right in front of us. Until then we shouldn't waste our time worrying. We should take our destiny and do our best to guide it into the right direction. When the time comes, we'll fight to win. No matter what.
Little did I know that day, sitting in silence at Starbucks, that fate had big plans for me. Not only for me, but for the people around me. I would be- if not already- in the center of a battle between good and evil. Justice and injustice.
Life and death.
October 24th (Twelve days until L's scheduled death)
"It's too dangerous," L told me for the millionth time. "Haven't we already discussed this?"
I sat in the chair across from him, the coffee table in between us. Crossing my left over my right, I leaned back and sighed. "I had a hoodie on. There's a high possibility they didn't get a good look at my face."
"There is also a ten percent chance someone did," he reminded me, eyes narrowing. We both knew why he was being stern about this.
"Just for a couple minutes," I pleaded, hoping not to look too desperate. "In fact, it only has to be, like, thirty seconds. Just long enough to see the rest of their faces so I can determine which one is Kira."
Going back to Yotsuba wasn't my first choice, but now my only one. It's clear that the security cameras aren't HD, and most of the men have their backs turned and faces hid. That left this - just to see all their faces at a glance was all I needed.
"I said no." L stood his ground on the subject. By no means would he let me set foot in Yotsuba Headquarters in the off chance they recognized me from… the last time I was there.
I checked my watch, squinting to read the time in the darkness of the room. "Misa's leaving for the interview in fifteen minutes. This could be the only chance to get more evidence on them."
"Yuki, I've already told you-"
In a swift move, I hopped up from my seat to dart over to L, slip my hands around the back of his neck and tug him to me. Our lips connected, and once again I got to feel the sweet sensation of his lips.
He was taken back for a split second, but instantly he pulled me into his lap, dropping his unique sitting position to make room for me. My hands tangled through his black messy hair, gentle sifting through his soft raven tuffs. One of his hands were held firmly against my back, and the other found its way to my neck, his fingers gripping onto me tightly.
Suddenly I pulled away from him, but didn't get up from the comfortable position on his lap. "Please L," I begged, staring deeply in his obsidian eyes. "Please let me go to Yotsuba. I promise I'll be in and out - five minutes tops."
The hand that still gripped my neck tightened protectively. For a moment his eyes narrowed as if he was pondering the decision. Finally his dark orbs softened, but still held their caution. "I suppose I cannot cease your desire to leave. But I am only doing this because the sooner we identify Kira, the sooner we can close this case."
I smiled. "Exactly. Because you are justice." Pecking him on the lips one more time, I scrambled off L and rushed out of the room, just in time to join Misa and Mogi in the car.
"So why are you coming with us Yuki?" Misa asked me once we were on our way. I sat in the front with Mogi while she was in the backseat.
"L wants me to scope out the place," I lied. Obviously I couldn't just tell her I had the eyes. With her being suspected as the second-Kira and all, it wouldn't be wise to reveal exclusive info like that around her. "It'll only take me five minutes so I will walk back to HQ."
"Roger that!" Mogi exclaimed in his enthusiastic manager voice. I resisted the urge to roll my eyes as he kept the goofy grin plastered on his face.
About five minutes Mogi drove the vehicle into Yotsuba's underground parking area. I followed Misa and Mogi out of the parking garage and into the building. Pretending to go a separate way, I waited until they met up with two of the members, Ooi and Shimura.
Ooi had been previously cleared, but Shimura hadn't. Until now. The red numbers glowed above his head, along with his name. Now there were only three suspects left: Takahashi, Higuchi, and Kida.
Misa followed behind the men as they led her to the meeting room, and the moment they closed the door, Mogi dropped his enthusiastic arms to sigh with relief.
"Wow, don't looked so drained Mogi!" He jumped as I popped out from behind him.
"Yuki?" Glancing at the nearby cameras, he lowered his voice to whisper, "I thought you were supposed to be scoping out the building?"
Shaking my head, I went in the direction of Misa and the others. "Ryuzaki sent me for another reason, so let's just keep this between us, okay?" Before he could answer, I slipped through the door.
On the other side was a long corridor. From somewhere around the corner the faint, but distinct, voice of Misa echoed through, pounding against the walls and bouncing back to me. Cautiously I guided myself down the dim hallway, listening for Misa's squeaky voice and following that.
As I rounded another corner, I stopped myself as quick as I could when I spotted the three in the lobby ahead. Retreating to behind the corner, I peeked around and watched as they waited patiently for the elevator, Misa attempting to strike up random conversation by rambling non-stop.
Eventually the doors opened and they stepped inside. Ooi pressed one of the buttons and the doors slowly closed. I took the moment to prepare myself, patiently waiting until the numbers ceased to increased. They stopped on Floor 4.
Taking this small chance, I bolted up the steps, panting and wheezing by the time I reached the top of the fourth staircase. Miraculously I arrived just in time to see the slim silhouette of Misa slip through a doorway in the middle of the hall.
For a minute or so I rested my hands on my knees, bent over to slowly catch my breath. When my body finally filled with oxygen again, I crept down the hallway, stopping at the door they disappeared into.
Would they notice if I opened the door? Even slightly? Do I want to risk being compromised… again?
Remember what you promised L? In and out. This is expected to be a quick job.
But what if they catch me?
What if they don't?
The safest thing to do is to leave - maybe I can get some info somewhere else.
Seriously? What if this is your only chance?
...Somewhere else…
Wait… Don't do anything stupid. The battle going on inside my head abruptly ceased when a safer idea came to me. There should be a file room somewhere close. If I can get in there I'll be able to search through the Yotsuba men's individual files, see their picture, and learn who's Kira without taking any risks. One of the small benefits of my eye power is that I don't necessarily have to be physically around a person to see their real name and lifespan; looking at a person's picture is no different.
Yeah, much safer.
My hand retracted from the metal handle as I took soft steps away from the door. Continuing on down the maze of halls on the fourth floor, I kept a lookout for any file, employees only, or private rooms I passed by.
Having no luck on the fourth floor, my instincts told me that secret information would be much more difficult to find which meant I'd have to go higher up. Honestly it was a miracle I hadn't encountered anyone else - God must've definitely been on my side.
The first few doors on Floor 5 were locked like Fort Knox so I concluded that I'd discover what I needed on this floor. Soon after scouring through rooms that led to dead ends, I finally found it.
"File Room" Bold marks the spot.
Within seconds of sneaking into the arcane room, I collided suddenly with a massive tower of boxes. Stumbling clumsily in the dark, I managed to flip on the light switch without causing a major scene.
Boxes piled high with folders of information were stacked throughout the room. It was obvious that no one cared to tidy up at all - a thin layer of dust lightly coated some of the untouched boxes in the back of the room.
Hurrying down the aisle between two rows of storage shelves, I squinted my eyes to carefully read each description on the boxes. Most withheld info about banking statements, previous owners, joint companies, etc.
At the end of the row, I instantly noticed that one box had been recently pulled from the shelf and laid down on a nearby table. Evidence of a sloppy handprint lingered on the side of the box's lid.
Quickly slipping off the lid, I smirked when I realized it was the members list. They must have just acquired new employees which is why someone had to open it and put in new files.
The perfect opportunity. Without hesitation I flipped through each file rapidly, skimming over the multitude of last names. First on the list was Kida - picking his file up from the cluster, I flipped it open to see the surly image of the black-haired man. Masahiko Kida - 03904520. He was clear.
Next was Higuchi. At that moment I wouldn't have been surprised if Eiichi Takahashi was Kira. That blonde-haired grinch had it coming to him. But everything changed in an instant when I opened Higuchi's file. Kyosuke Higuchi. - His numbers were missing.
Higuchi was Kira.
Dun dun DUN! The truth has been revealed to our lovely OC! Hope you guys liked this chapter, and sorry it's been almost a while since I updated last. It will not take this long again!
Thanks for the reviews and favs/follows you guys! I'm glad people actually like this story, and I hope to keep you all entertained! :D I'm planning on making this fic 30 chapters long at the most, but not completely sure at the moment.
Oh, and HAPPY (ALMOST) HALLOWEEN! It's so close! I'm a mix of happy and sad at the same time because once it's over then it's a whole year until it comes again… Oh well, we still have Thanksgiving and Christmas to look forward to!
Hope everyone's day/night is going well… I guess that's it until next update. Goodbye~~