OKAY everyone strap yourselves in tight because this chapter is full of action!
Everything should have made sense. Higuchi was Kira. Case closed. I even grabbed Takahashi's file and glanced at his face just to make sure there weren't two Kiras in our midst. No… it was just Higuchi.
A greedy businessman, selfish, ruthless, doesn't care about the consequences of his actions as long as things proceed in his benefit. God-complex, obviously. He made the perfect Kira.
Almost too perfect. No one would hesitate to believe that he had been the twisted mass murderer all along. Was that how the original Kira wanted it to be? Was his intellect so exceeding that he had already mentally foresaw every outcome of this?
The only person that comes to mind with that description is Light Yagami. Why did I always come back to him? An invisible, seemingly impossible, magnetic force constantly drew me closer to him. Suspicion was rising at an immense rate.
But the MOs are different… At first Kira killed only criminals, and occasionally the people who got in his way. His methods switched to the murders of businessmen, too, and all for Yotsuba's benefit. This change in Kira's operations only occurred after Light had been detained under surveillance.
Or maybe I'm crazy. Maybe a part of me doesn't want me to let go of the brunet. My own pride just wouldn't let me get over the fact that maybe I was wrong and he was innocent.
Either way, I didn't have all day to ponder about it in Yotsuba's file room. Unless I wanted to get caught when I finally had the information that I needed, it would be smart to leave.
Shutting off the lights, I cracked the door open to peek down both directions of the hallway. Coast clear, I slid out of the file room and stealthily found my way back to the floor's lobby. Using the elevator was an even greater risk so I continued down the staircase.
At the fourth floor, I stopped. Instead of proceeding to the first floor and getting the heck out of here, I entered a door into Floor 4 where Misa and Aiber were having their meeting.
Part of me wondered how Misa was doing and if she'd cracked, made a mistake, or screwed it all up like I probably would. As I crept down the hall, I heard a sudden squeak. Not like the squeaking of a door, but more like the shrill squeaking of a girl.
It came from the women's bathroom. Reluctantly, I ventured closer to investigate, pressing my ear up against the door. Was someone getting murdered? Or had they taken one look in the mirror and realized how bad their makeup was?
From the other side, a muffled voice drifted into my eardrums. Someone was definitely inside, and they weren't alone. A gasp of air erupted from the girl inside as it sounded like they fell to the floor. Oddly I didn't need to hear the girl's voice to suddenly know who I was listening to.
"W-What are you?" Misa Amane. "I mean, I can tell you're not a stalker, but-but you don't look like a human at all!"
Doesn't look like a human…? Who the heck is she talking to? Either I was hearing things or she took too many pills this morning. Either way, I was staying put to listen because my curiosity was through the roof.
Silence lingered in the air, and I wondered if she'd passed out or something. The only thing I was able to hear if I listened extremely closely was Misa's light breathing, and the occasional gasps. Should I go in and check on her?
I was about to open the door when her voice broke through the unbearable silence once again. "What are you talking about? I don't understand. You know me, and Light is Kira?"
My entire body froze. If this wasn't a coincidence, I don't know what is. Light is Kira? Misa seemed to be having a conversation with someone, except I only heard Misa's side of it. Maybe it was a voice in her head? Did this voice tell her that Light was Kira?
I remembered L's previous theory: both Light and Misa lost their memories of being Kira, creating in them such an innocent form that was planned to throw the investigation off guard. Maybe it was her conscience that was speaking to her, her memories finally floating to the surface.
"Light is Kira?" Misa repeated again like she was asking for clarification. "And I'm the second Kira?"
I wanted to barge in the bathroom and see who she was talking to, but I knew that would be pointless now. Keeping my presence a secret was the safest option, at least until I got all the information I needed.
Whatever was going on, it seemed like one thing was definitely for sure: L was right. He had been right all along. About everything.
"Unbelievable," came Misa's now-relaxed voice. "You've gotta be telling the truth. You already know everything about me! I totally believe you know. And yes, I do love him. To death. Not to mention how amazing it is that Light and I were both Kira. Of course I'd wanna believe something like that! I only wish I could remember it!"
Only now did I realize that I was shaking. Light is Kira. Misa is the second Kira. Misa loves Light and would do anything for him - even kill. He must have used her when they were both Kira because she had the eyes. Yes, I think I remember seeing them once, briefly.
Not only did that mean L was right about them being Kira, but he was right about them losing their memories to make them look innocent. Only someone as intelligent as Light could have come up with something like that. So this was his plan all along. And Misa had gone with it because she's obsessed with him.
If what Misa previously said hadn't rattled me enough, what came out of her mouth next made me stumble backwards onto the hallway carpet. "Thank you… Shinigami." Scooting forward, I kept my focus on every word that came out of her mouth. "Okay, I got it. I guess I should just act normal in the meantime though, right?"
In the dead silence, I gulped. S-Shinigami? This wasn't the first time the word 'Shinigami' has popped up involving the Kira case. Before I had concluded that a Shinigami- and notebook, as the second Kira once mentioned- are involved in Kira's ways of killing. And now… Something clicked. Was Misa talking to a Shinigami? Since they're supernatural, do they have some power that allows them only to be heard by one person? Or, unless you're in the room with it you can't see it or hear it?
Nothing made sense, but, at the same time, everything made sense. L was right. Light is Kira. Misa is the second Kira. Shinigami are real.
And I was in the line of fire.
Footsteps from inside the bathroom made me realize where I was and that, if I didn't move my butt ASAP, I would be caught. Scrambling up from the floor, I bolted to the staircase and descended down the steps at the speed of light.
No matter how much I wanted to alert L as fast as I could, it was far too dangerous to call him. Lines could be tapped. My phone could be traced. Paranoia sunk into me like a ship, so I decided to tell him privately face-to-face.
It was only a couple minutes of jogging after I left the Yotsuba building when I realized I wasn't cut out for running- especially when I didn't exactly know the way back to HQ from where I was at.
Slumping over on the sidewalk, I had to catch my breath before waving down a taxi. Giving the driver directions to the coffee shop just a block away from Headquarters, we arrived in no less than five minutes. After paying him, I hurried down the sidewalk in a fast walk, then broke out into another run.
Finally when HQ appeared in front of me, I breathed a sigh of relief. Hurrying inside, I made it past security in a flash. Before I knew it, I was bursting through the doors of the main room.
Matsuda stood up at my abrupt arrival, Light spun his chair around to me, and Akari glanced up from her book to look at me. Out of breath, I was gasping for air as I stood in front of them, hands on my knees again.
"L," I said, breathless, "we need to talk. Now." The urgency and fierceness in my voice was hard to miss.
The detective carefully set down his teacup to unlock the handcuff around his wrist. Unsurprised, Akari held out her arm for him to cuff on the metal tool. Grimacing at the staircase, I grabbed L's hand and pulled him into the next room where Watari was running surveillance. Not like I cared Watari was there - he knew just as much as L did, maybe even more.
"What happened?" was the first question L asked, studying my breathlessness and extreme concern. Even Watari stopped what he was doing to flash a worried glance at me.
Letting my breath catch up to me, I lifted my head and stared L dead in the eyes. "What if I told you that you were right about all of it? About Light and Misa being Kira and the second Kira… Kira's powers switching… the two losing their memories… What if you've hit bullseye on every conclusion you've made and every suspicion you've had?"
His face didn't falter, but I knew he didn't expect all of this at once. Curiosity must have been killing him. "What if? Well, then I would ask to understand how you came to that conclusion. Tell me Yuki…" His voice lowered, eyes narrowed. The air shifted with an all-too-real seriousness. "What happened?"
Swallowing the lump in my throat, I tightened my fist. A mix of fear and anger and adrenaline all pumping inside me at once was hard to control. I wanted to explode with my own questions and propositions, but I needed to explain everything to L and Watari first. Besides Akari, they were the only people I could trust.
"First off," I started, glancing between the detective and Watari to make sure I had their undivided attention, "I looked through Yotsuba's files and found out that Higuchi is Kira. Or, at least, the most recent Kira. He's been killing for the benefit of his company."
L bit his thumbnail in thought, finding a rolling chair to crouch on while listening to me. "Very well- at least we can close up that mystery in the case. Now all we must do is recover evidence of his method for physical proof."
"That's not all," I continued, my hands suddenly shaking. L's eyes snapped back to me with interest. "I was walking by the bathroom when I heard Misa inside. It sounded like she was talking to someone, but no one else spoke. At first I assumed that she was just a little off today, but the things she said…" I recalled the sentences and words she'd used, how she used them, and my explanation behind it.
Temptation to fall out of his chair again hit L like a wrecking ball, knocking the wind out of his again, except this time I presumed he wasn't as surprised as the first time. "S-Shinigami?"
I nodded, twisting my fingers together. My brain was working non-stop with questions and solutions to the epiphany we just experienced. Was it true? Yes, it has to be. Everything is starting to actually make sense.
Watari's expression matched mine and L's with equal concern. "My dear, if what you're saying is true then here is much more going on than we know about. This is something we have never dealt with before."
For the first time in my life, as I observed L, he was at odds with the situation. For once, he wasn't 100% how to proceed. Neither was I. But this was L we're talking about. The world's greatest detective was now dealing with possible supernatural forces that were undeniably out of his control.
Blank expression now forming thoughtfulness, he slowly spun his chair a bit to face his mentor. "What do you suggest we do?"
I was in awe - the independent L asking for advice. Then again, I shouldn't be shocked. Every great mastermind has a mentor he looks up to. In this case, that mentor was Watari.
The elderly man leaned back in his chair, wise eyes filling with contemplation as he rubbed his rough chin thoughtfully. L and I exchanged glances, our minds frantically searching for an explanation, too.
"Well," Watari finally spoke, sighing, "I suppose the best alternative for us now is to do whatever we can to arrest Higuchi and detain him for questioning. He is the closest source we have for more answers."
"You're absolutely correct," L said, understanding his mentor's process. "If we have Higuchi in our possession then we will be able to extract information from him about Kira's procedures and tactics. From there we will use that information to decide on how to take action with Light and Misa."
I sighed with slight defeat, crossing my arms. "As much as I despise to concede to this, we can't make any moves on Light or Misa until we have more info. We'll just have to pretend that everything stands the same with them as it has before- something might go wrong if they suspect we're catching onto them."
As I finished, L stood up from his chair and shuffled over to me. The raven firmly wrapped his arms around me in a protective hug. My expression softened as I leaned into his warm, comforting embrace.
"I am pleased and grateful that you are safe," he admitted as I rested my head on his shoulder. "If anything would have happened to you-"
"Then you'd lose your eyes," I interrupted.
Pulling me away from him, he seized my shoulders in a secure hold, obsidian eyes staring deeply into my red ones. "Then I would lose my love."
Blushing, I cracked an affectionate smile. "There you go being blunt again." Pressing his forehead against mine, he continued to gaze into my red orbs with fondness.
Somewhere during this, Watari disappeared from the room, politely giving us both privacy, but we hardly noticed.
It wasn't long before his lips met mine and we kissed passionately. L Lawliet was truly the light in my dark world.
Misa and Mogi arrived just as L and I exited the back room. I swallowed my emotions to remain calm and collected as the blonde popped out from behind Mogi. "Hey!" Sighing with exhaustion, Misa trudge over to Light and collapsed on his lap, making him extremely uncomfortable. "I'm exhausted."
L took his seat across the table only after putting the cuff back on his wrist. Akari glanced at me with confusion, but I shook my head as if to say I'd explain later. "How'd it go?" L asked monotonically.
Mogi went on to say that Yotsuba agreed to hire Misa, which was apparently good news. I didn't care either way. Misa smiled proudly, stating that she already had them asking to go out on dates with her.
"So now I accept their invitations and investigate them, right? Oh it's going exactly as I planned-"
"No." Light's stern voice interrupted her. "The plan's getting canceled right now."
"But why?" Misa wondered. "Everything's been going so smoothly up until now."
"If we go any further you'll be in danger," he explained, gently pushing her off his lap. His expression was firm, almost protective, as he spoke. "You can still appear in their commercials, but from now on you should deny that you were suspected of being the second Kira and was detained by L. Mogi will continue being your bodyguard, but you'll be working solely as a celebrity."
I wanted to laugh. If that wasn't controlling then I don't know what is. Actually… maybe this would work in favor for us… "Why not let her?" I asked, trying to hide my amusement. "She seems capable enough to do it."
"It's too dangerous," Light justified, arms folded challengingly.
It's too dangerous… what isn't dangerous anymore? I was about to keep going when Misa straightened her back. "If that's what you want, Light, then that's what I'll do." I held my tongue. She thinks she's so in love with him, she'll do anything for him. Does she even know the things he likes to do? The food he likes to eat? His favorite color? Lust, obedience, desire… that wasn't love. That was obsession.
Thankfully Misa quickly retired to bed, leaving the rest of us feeling relieved.
October 25th (Eleven days until L's scheduled death)
I was asleep on the couch downstairs when my cellphone rang, playing one of my favorite MCR songs as my ringtone. Jolting up, I shot my hand to the coffee table and snatched my phone. Flipping it open, I yawned while answering, "Hello?"
"Yuki!" It was Mogi. He sounded frantic and frustrated at the same time.
"Mogi?" I sat up straighter, my voice catching Akari's attention from the couch next to me. "What's wrong?"
"I've kinda screwed up," he admitted, giving a nervous laugh. "Might not wanna tell Light that his girlfriend is on a date with one of the Yotsuba men."
I broke out in laughter, covering my mouth to suppress my hysteric giggles. L and Light looked over at me with raised eyebrows which only made me laugh more. Once I could breath again, I smirked. "Sometimes I love that girl. When did she leave?"
"Right after the shoot," he explained shamefully. "One second she was in the bathroom, the next she switched outfits with some other chick and was gone. You think I'll get fired for this?"
Shrugging, I hummed, glancing over at the suspicious Light. "You might not get fired, but you'll definitely wanna lock your room at night, just in case."
"Can you hand the phone to Ryuzaki?" He sounded nervous and embarrassed so I had to give him the pity. Poor Mogi.
Snickering, I hurried over to L, but before I handed the phone to him, I laughed and said, "This should end interestingly." Giving him my phone, I returned to Akari and told her what happened. She already knew about what I found out yesterday because I told her once everyone had gone to bed.
"Wow," she laughed, rolling her eyes. "Misa Amane is definitely a wild card. Who knows? Maybe this information will be helpful."
"I'm sure it will," I replied, lowering my voice. My eyes were secretly narrowed at Light, my heart swarming with mixed emotions. "We're getting closer and closer to finding the true Kira. And when we do, he'll pay for what he's done."
Hello everyone! Just to let you all know, this story has 30 chapters total. Yes, I finally finished it! Oh my gosh, I love chapter 28 by the way ;) Who knows, maybe I'll update the last chapter on the exact day I uploaded the first chapter... Hmm... This whole story has gone on for almost a year! How awesome is that?! Too bad it's got to end soon... Oh well, I've enjoyed writing this. Thank you for all the favs/follows/reviews! They make me smile! Thanks ~