Chapter 2: From the Shadows
He really wasn't surprised when three more police officers handed in their resignations just days after some of the others did — to the embarrassment and disappointment of Chief Soichiro Yagami. He'd watched silently via live feed when the men of the task force gave their reasons and when Chief Yagami had his brief outburst. The men had done it out of self-preservation and for the safety of their respective families. He didn't blame them — not entirely. But he also knew it was easy to come to this decision because they did not like him — the man currently leading their investigation from the shadows, speaking through voice changers and a single letter on screen, interacting with them by means of proxy.
No, it wasn't that they didn't like him… Perhaps it would be more accurate to say that they did not trust him. They had no inclination to place their lives in L's hands — not that he wished or expected them to.
These police investigators had very little to gain and plenty to lose, considering they were up against a serial murderer who could kill people just by seeing their faces and knowing their names.
He'd considered this event as one of the possibilities ever since this case began and ever since the first man stepped back from the investigation, but it was happening at a faster rate than he preferred.
And he had a sneaking suspicion that it would get worse if ever word got out that he'd brought the International Bureau of Investigation into the case secretly. Not to help them find Kira, but to investigate the police officers involved in the case along with their families.
It was a risky move, but it had to be done. Kira had found a way to obtain classified information from the taskforce headquarters, and it was a fact that he couldn't ignore — no matter how passively the police treated it.
Was that why Kira had deliberately changed the pacing of their killings after the task force had begun suspecting that Kira was a student? At first, he'd thought their criminal was being stupidly sloppy with their work — not even bothering to hide the fact that they were getting information from the police. If Kira truly wanted to evade capture, then why wave their own carelessness in front of L's face like a glaring traffic light?
The answer came quite simply…
Because it wasn't carelessness. It was deliberate.
Kira wanted him to know that he had access to police information, and now he was seeing the result of that deliberate "carelessness": criminals dying in prisons where they were sure to be discovered, investigators resigning from the case at a rapid rate, and him being goaded by an invisible hand to investigate the police because of the leak.
But the trap was a double-edged sword. He wondered if Kira had realized that when they set this up. In making it obvious that they had access to police information, Kira had effectively helped L narrow down his list of places to scour even further.
If he wasn't sure before, he was sure of it now… When the International Bureau of Investigation sent their agents to Japan, Watari had given him profiles. 141 people in the police force had access to classified information regarding the Kira investigation, and somewhere in that list of police officers and the people closest to them, that was where their suspect was skulking around.
And yet, that couldn't be the whole picture. This had to be nothing more than a stepping stone to an eventual conclusion. So what was this all for? What was the end goal?
=OoOoO=
It was ridiculous how one person alone was keeping him from fast-tracking his progress to recreating the world.
Nevertheless, with the way he'd set things up and if all was proceeding exactly as he'd planned, the resulting distrust he'd indirectly wedged between L and the Japanese police would keep them busy for a while and ultimately bring him closer to his true goal — getting close to the head investigator himself, see his face, gain his trust to acquire his name, and eliminate him. He considered that a minor victory against the adversary. The littlest steps had the biggest effects after all, and this was nothing more than just the means to an end. Honestly, things would be so much easier if the police could see things his way.
But of course, how could they ever hope to understand a god's thoughts and interpret his will correctly if they weren't willing to see things from his point of view? He'd expected this opposing reaction from the start and knew that it would take time to sway authorities to his side. The rate at which he could have done that would have been far quicker if not for some mysterious detective's meddling.
That was one plan: to let the police force uncover L's true identity for him. Another, was to convince his father to somehow let him help them on the case — which meant striking up a conversation that would give his father a reason to reveal the truth about "this case he'd been working on." He only knew about classified information because he'd been secretly acquiring the end-of-day reports from his father's computer, after all. If it all went without a hitch, maybe some of them working with his dad could even let him in on the informal side-investigation that involved unmasking L.
But that would take a long time… In the first place, the investigation only moved as fast as it had because of L, and because of his — Kira's — own naive mistakes. But he wasn't intent on repeating that again.
He needed to create a situation where he could directly involve himself with the Kira investigation.
It shouldn't be too hard… The police's paranoia and distrust towards L could be the door of opportunity waiting to be unlocked.
"Hey, you got a second?" The shinigami's raspy voice cut through his musings.
Side-eyeing the monstrosity hovering above the ground on flimsy dark wings, he made sure the death god could see his annoyance. Hadn't he told him this at least three times already? "I already told you, Ryuk. You can't talk to me in public. How many times do I have to tell you?"
The streets in his neighborhood were mostly empty thanks to the late hour, but who was to say that no one was hiding around or by chance heard him if he spoke too loud?
"In that case, I'll talk, you just listen. If you don't want to hear me, you can plug your ears or something. First of all, I don't have anything against you. I actually think the notebook couldn't have been picked up by a better person." He stopped short of rolling his eyes and if Ryuk noticed this, the death god didn't call him out on it and just kept talking. "I'm here because I have to stick around until the Death Note is finished, or I see you die — whichever comes first. But make no mistake, I'm not on your side or L's side."
It was pointless to hide his disapproval. It would have been so much more convenient if the shinigami was willing to fully cooperate with him and actively assist him. If it were that easy, L would be dead by now. "Yeah, well… I knew that much already."
"You'll never hear me say anything whether what you're doing is right or wrong. I'm not here to support you or give you my opinion. I'm just a spectator. But as your roommate, I might have a few things to say now and then."
"What's this about, Ryuk? Why are you telling me all this stuff now anyway? It's really not like you." As if he didn't already deduce Ryuk's true intentions. Still, it was quite annoying that he had to even verbally address this. The only reason he was letting this conversation slide in public was that he really was mostly alone. Nothing but lonely street lamps casting eerie light along the sidewalks.
"It's just that I'm no ally of yours — or Kira's, if you prefer. The only reason I'm going to tell you this is because personally, it's starting to creep me out."
"Get to the point already…"
Perhaps his annoyance was more amusing than he gave it credit for — bleeding through gritted teeth. Ryuk chuckled deeply and leaned closer ever so slightly. Pointless… Considering, no other human could hear the shinigami except for the owner of the notebook.
"You're being followed by another human. He's watching you right now."
He shouldn't have stopped in his tracks. He shouldn't have paused or hesitated. But… Shit.
He resisted the urge to turn his head and actually look behind him or to the sides. There was no need to give his stalker the idea that he was aware of another human being's presence. But all the same, the information rattled him.
The police couldn't have closed in on a suspect that fast, could they?
Was this L's doing?
He was expecting this to happen at some point, but not this quickly. This particular scenario was already on his list of events to prepare and make contingency plans for, but it seemed a change of priorities was in order. How could the police have known though? He hadn't done anything particularly revealing in the past few kills he'd made. Plus, he was sure L was still poring over the meaningless message he planned to send. That one wasn't even complete yet. In any case, L needed a lot of resources and manpower to mobilize a team of investigators to trail every single suspect.
And that raised yet another question: Had they narrowed down their list of suspects? How many people were being investigated?
It didn't matter… He had no idea how long this person was following him. He just needed to get home and think of ways to sort this out as quickly as possible.
"It's really starting to get on my nerves." Ryuk complained. "I realize there's no way he can see me, but because I'm always following behind you wherever you go, I feel like I'm constantly being watched. "
"That's a problem. I'll have to get rid of him as soon as possible."
=OoOoO=
"Surveillance video shows the last moments of a bus hijacker as he leaps out of the moving vehicle before dying in a car accident. We have the latest report. The bus hijacker, identified as Kiichiro Osoreda, died of a car accident at 11:45 this morning…."
The television news reporter continued droning on and on about the day's latest tragedies. As of late, if it wasn't criminals dying of heart attacks, it was other people dying for one reason or another, or suffering from horrible accidents they had no hope of coming back from.
C.C. withdrew her attention from the TV hanging on the wall of the cozy dining pub and to the frosted floor-to-ceiling glass windows. Chin perched delicately on the back of her hand, she stared as salarymen slowly trudged across the street, as pedestrians hailed public transport, and as loved up couples passed by with their hands intertwined. The view outside painted a deceiving picture of people living untroubled lives — complacent and not-at-all bothered by the ominous cloud of death that hung over them all.
Ever since this whole Kira business started, her world just seemed so… bleak.
She chalked it up to being awfully involved in the case. Really, Lelouch thought of nothing else these days. He was busy gathering leads, and thinking, and calling their connections to squeeze out every last bit of information that he could. He didn't exactly have the resources of the NPA, so he'd submitted himself to schmoozing with all the people they knew from Britannia's infamous International Bureau of Investigation and to the Black Knights' Criminal Investigation Division. Anyone who had so much as an interest in the Kira case had to hold some valuable piece of information. That and the internet… Although, the latter was a mishmash of sensationalist fiction and cold facts and sifting through data when it was just the two of them was more headache-inducing than she'd thought.
So when she'd received a surprise call from a close friend of hers — and one of Lelouch's regrettably estranged colleagues, C.C. didn't pass up the chance to say 'yes' and catch up.
Moving from one country to the next, often never looking back and only returning after decades or so left very little opportunities for someone like C.C. to have friends that would last an average person's lifetime — unless of course she wanted to let everyone know about immortality that shadowed her every step. And it wasn't as if she considered plenty of people as 'friends' either.
Although, C.C. did admit in the privacy of her mind that it was the people Lelouch had been close to that had left significant marks on her. Even after tumultuous decades and a nuclear war had passed, the impact that people like Kallen, Suzaku, Shirley, Nunnally, and many others from that time period had left on her was quite deep and it stuck with her to this day. Part of her liked to think that it was because of Lelouch's constant presence in her life from that point on, but to be honest, C.C. knew that she valued them all in her own way.
C.C. did not like ruminating on the relationships she liked to sustain throughout a certain time period, but lately, she'd had to make more considerable efforts — especially when Lelouch's rapidly skyrocketing career as a private investigator depended on it. Investigation and deduction did a lot to keep her partner occupied and sufficiently challenged, and a mentally-stimulated Lelouch was a happier Lelouch.
Marion Lamperouge did not have the impressive number of solved criminal cases to be hailed as one of the world's best detectives — the likes of L, Coil, or Deneuve — yet. But he was respected enough to be taken seriously — considering, he'd only been at this for four years. He had quite the reputation for solving criminal cases swiftly yet accurately. Finding the culprits always took up the most time. But pinning the suspects down and getting confessions out of them in the interrogation room was far too easy — all thanks to a secret power she'd granted him years and years ago.
C.C. hid her amused smile behind the rim of her coffee cup. How ironic that Lelouch first used the Geass to raise the banner of rebellion against an empire, and now, nine decades later, he was using it in the service of justice.
Her phone screen lighting up broke C.C.'s train of thought. She peeked at it over a sip of coffee and glanced up just in time to see the face of her dinner companion — delicate features lit up in a quiet yet welcoming smile.
Had she been so lost in thought she failed to hear the chimes jingling above the pub door or even hear her companion's footsteps?
"I am so sorry to keep you waiting, Cera. I—"
C.C. shook her head and returned the smile. "No, it's quite alright. I arrived early actually. Had errands in the city to take care of. It's wonderful to see you again, Naomi."
The other woman laughed and sighed as she claimed her seat opposite her friend. "Likewise. To be quite honest with you, I didn't expect we'd get to see each other again so soon. Considering Marion's hectic schedule."
"There's only so much an assistant can do, yet he still insists on the most impossible tasks every time." C.C. huffed, exasperation bleeding into her voice. Although, she was glad for the reaction it got from Naomi. "But on the other hand, I have yet to congratulate you."
C.C. never took Naomi for someone who could be fazed easily, but at the implication of her fiancé, she could see a slight hint of pink making its way to the woman's cheeks. "I'm sure it's nothing you didn't see coming."
"Regardless, congratulations on your engagement, Naomi Misora. Or should I just jump the gun and call you Naomi Penber?"
They shared laughs just as C.C. gestured for the waiter and engaged in small talk for a while as they waited for their food. After being cooped up indoors for the majority of the previous days, C.C. was actually quite happy with the chance to eat outdoors and watch the city's nightlife come to the fore. Absorbed in the humdrum of everyday life, it was easy to forget about the chilling public confrontation by L to Kira ten days ago. To the average person, the case was the farthest thing from their mind, but C.C. did not have the luxury of forgetting about the murders or the known details that Lelouch managed to glean about their current target.
Halfway through the meal, the small talk fizzled out, replaced instead with the ominous cloud of Kira's presence in their conversation — like some malevolent deity, though C.C. thought that notion silly enough.
"Given the cases he's worked on previously, is Marion looking into it too?" The Kira case went unsaid.
Everyone in Japan knew it was an ongoing investigation. To some extent, the rest of the world had a pulse on it as well. But for the most part, the NPA and L — who was supposedly leading the investigation — was quite tight-lipped about the details (far more than usual too). C.C. was sure that Naomi had her own suspicions and theories, but it probably wasn't as in-depth on account of the other woman resigning from her previous post as an International Bureau Investigation Agent.
"He has a keen interest and he's following it closely, even if he isn't directly involved. He is on-leave at the moment, but it doesn't matter because he'll work on things that interest him anyway."
Despite the sudden dip in mood, Naomi smiled and nodded once. "That definitely sounds like the Marion Lamperouge I worked with."
"I didn't get the chance to tell him yet, but he'd love to see you again when both of your time permits."
"I'd like that. Raye wants to meet him too. This investigation assigned Raye to Japan, but we both decided I come too, so he can meet my parents before the wedding."
"So what's bothering you?" In spite of the happy picture their conversation painted, Naomi's mood remained as pensive as ever — almost anxious.
"He told me today that he'd gotten involved in a bus jacking."
"A bus jacking?"
Wasn't there a report about a bus jacking almost 50 minutes ago?
Naomi twirled the straw of her drink around in the glass and shook her head. "He was already on the bus when it happened and apparently the man had an episode, jumped off the bus, and died in a car accident." The dark-haired woman inclined her head towards the general direction of the still droning television in the background. "Perhaps the news picked up on it already."
C.C. nodded. "And you think it's strange." It wasn't a question.
Naomi met C.C.'s inquisitive gaze and agreed resolutely. Raye had quickly dismissed her ensuing theories when she'd shared them, likely because he wasn't in the mood to keep his mind on the day's events too, but Naomi couldn't ignore the nagging feeling that something was wrong on top of the facts that Raye had presented to her.
"I know he was investigating someone as he got on that bus. And then the bus jacker hallucinates and likely ends up dead? I know it's a bit of a longshot, but the assumption that it could have been an elaborate plot can be considered. With the information given, the sequence of events is a little too convenient."
"An elaborate plot for what?" C.C. leaned back against her chair and put a finger to her lips.
"I wouldn't know. I would have asked him, but he didn't want to talk about it, and I didn't want to stress him out over something like that anymore. The job is probably taxing as it is already."
"Under normal circumstances, I'm sure others would dismiss that angle quickly too. A freak accident and nothing more. But… given that your fiancé is in the investigation, and there is someone out there who is killing people without the need to be present at the scene of the crime—"
C.C. trailed off as a knowing look passed between her and Naomi. It was plausible.
"Maybe I'll bring this up with him another time."
=OoOoO=
1 week later…
He'd gotten a hold of a file that listed all of the names of the International Bureau's agents currently investigating in Japan, and he succeeded at eliminating all of them. The best part? The only legwork he'd had to do was research and carefully instruct the true murderer on how to sign his colleagues' death warrants. Raye Penber wrote all of the agents' names — including his boss' — on the pages of the Death Note.
He wished he could see L's face.
=OoOoO=
L had listened and feigned absolute complacency when the Director of the International Bureau of Investigation had called to inform him that they were withdrawing their support from the investigation.
It didn't change the fact that this was utterly humiliating… Kira had toyed with him and like a fool, he'd walked right into the trap. In one fell swoop, the IBI's 12 investigators in Japan had died right under his nose while he had been too busy looking into the criminals who'd been manipulated before their deaths — leaving behind what he now understood to be meaningless clues. A perfect distraction orchestrated by the murderer.
Fuck you, Kira…
But he didn't have time to ruminate, did he?
"L, I have Chief Yagami on the line."
Without turning around, he knew the Chief's face would be wrought with indignance and frustration — just another testament of how masterfully Kira created this landslide of terrible consequences for L. And the worst part? Kira was not present to witness the results of their actions, but the outcome had played out the same — just as they'd willed it.
Damn them…
"L, I just got off the phone with the director of the IBI. According to him, it seems that you arranged for the IBI to come to Japan and investigate everyone here associated with the task force."
"Yes, I did."
"So how do you explain this? Are we now suspects in our own investigation?"
"I felt that it was necessary to uncover Kira's identity."
"I cannot accept that! I find it unbelievable that you would spy on us — the very people working with you on this case."
So much for catching Kira and embodying justice…
=OoOoO=
Lelouch's investigation saw him perusing through the latest collection of victims broadcasted on TV, and through the internet. He also kept an eye on several public internet forums that had opened up threads in support of Kira, where people from different parts of the world dropped the names of people they wanted dead (from criminals to what he presumed were some people's personal enemies) — treating Kira as if they were a killer-for-hire.
He was sure of two facts though: that their killer needed a name and a face. But this wouldn't be enough. Not enough to close in on a suspect, and not enough to get L's attention. If he was as brilliant and cunning as they all said he was, then Lelouch didn't doubt that the detective already knew the information that Lelouch pieced together. All that it managed to say was that he and L were coming to the same conclusions — presumably.
More importantly, if this was the work of a Geass, how was it functioning like this? In his and C.C.'s previous hunts, they'd never encountered a Geass that worked over such an astronomical distance. He'd seen and heard reports of popular high-profile criminals dying from heart attacks as far as Britannia and Europia before. His own only ranged as far as 270 meters, and even at that point, he was already stretching its capabilities.
From the moment L had confirmed Kira's existence and determined his killing methods on live TV, Lelouch had known that catching Kira would be more complicated than getting from Point A to Point B. No physical evidence on the victims' bodies except for a natural-looking heart attack made gathering leads more difficult than usual. Lelouch rubbed his tired eyes and abandoned the criminal biographies in favor of his consolidated list of connections in Britannia's infamous International Bureau of Investigation and to the Black Knights' Criminal Investigation Division.
He had thirty-three… Not as limitless, but considerable enough for his purposes. Twenty-two had previously worked with him during his four years as a private investigator. The others were connections of connections and had helped in a few of his cases thanks to C.C.'s masterful maneuvering.
And C.C. met with Naomi Misora not too long ago, didn't she?
Sighing, Lelouch abandoned his collection of profiles on the bed and left the room to procure something that would hopefully wake him up. Coffee would be a good start.
He had no right to feel so sluggish and tired at eight in the morning. The city itself was barely beginning to stir, just as rush hour would roll around. C.C. was sitting at the desk, busy filtering work-related emails. Still deep in thought, Lelouch didn't say anything as he navigated his way to the suite's kitchenette for morning beverages.
This most recent line of work meant he and C.C. had constantly been on the move for the past four years — moving from country to country, chasing criminals, and handing them over to the right authorities. The very first home they'd purchased in Switzerland was nothing more than a distant memory now. It had been a good seven years since they'd been in Europia, and even then, he and C.C. had left promptly after seeing the lasting effects of the war that had ravaged the world. Still, it wasn't presumptuous of him to say that perhaps they were overdue for a visit. Maybe when this Kira case was over and done with. They had lurked around the continent of Asia for far too long.
Shaking his head in a bid to get rid of intrusive thoughts, Lelouch returned to his latest fascination.
"Lelouch, you have a message from the Deputy Director of the NPA. He wants an appointment with Marion Lamperouge."
Only two weeks since L's public confrontation on live TV, and now he had the Deputy Director knocking at his virtual door. This should be interesting…
Lelouch could feel C.C.'s ever-vigilant gaze following him as he reentered their bedroom with coffee and tea in both hands. Setting the mugs down on the work desk, he leaned over her and read the details sent over through an encrypted email and furrowed his brows in confusion. He was confident enough to know that he had an impressive track record as a private investigator for the last four years, but he had nowhere near the influence that any titled investigator from Japan's police force had, nevermind L.
So why was Deputy Director Kitamura hoping to set up an appointment with him in the hopes of investigating an internal conflict?
"It appears your work on the Aoto homicide case was more influential than you thought."
It wasn't the first cold case he'd touched and eventually closed, but perhaps he'd underestimated the Aotos' influence over local politics and law enforcement?
"Remarkable what a rich man's gratitude can bring, isn't it?" He commented drily and ignored C.C.'s snort of amusement. "Let him know I'm available from 9-5 today."
In the end, Kitamura didn't reach out until five minutes after the normal lunch break. By then, C.C. had left to see their mutual friend. Had he not been expecting a call from a potential client, Lelouch would have gone with her. It would be nice to catch up with a colleague. He barely knew Naomi, but that could be remedied easily. He just wished he didn't have to reunite with her during such a devastating time. Her fiancé died of a heart attack yesterday in Shinjuku Station. The news reported the death of a man without revealing his name, but C.C. had her suspicions and received her tearful confirmation from Naomi when the woman called to deliver the tragic news herself. C.C. was on the phone with her until midnight last night as well.
Shaking his head, Lelouch shelved all thoughts of Naomi Misora and Raye Penber in favor of accommodating a confidential call from one of the big wigs at the NPA. Whatever that call was about, he was prepared to decline in favor of prioritizing his and C.C.'s hunt for this elusive Geass terrorizing the people of the world — though he had to give Kira credit for reducing crime rates.
"Am I speaking to Marion Lamperouge?" Kitamura sounded calm, collected.
"Yes, it's me. How may I be of service, Deputy Director?"
"Before I share details, I wish to know what are your terms for acting as consultant for a formal investigation conducted by the NPA."
"An investigation on what?"
A pregnant pause followed his question and Lelouch waited in silence.
Why was the Deputy Director so hesitant all of a sudden?
"To reveal the identity of L…"
A/N: I just want to throw this out there… I am 100% aware (or as far as I know) that 'consultant detectives' or whatever are not a thing in real life. They are an invention of Hollywood. And since this is (fan)fiction as well… fuck reality! XD
Thank you for the reviews, follows, and faves :) I appreciate your interest!