« June 1, 2004. Day one of confinement. Rem will kill you unless you can save Misa, so you need a way to backtrack her obvious guilt. Unfortunately, the physical evidence is against her. Misa no longer remembers being the Second Kira, so she can't give a confession, but there's more than enough for L to hold her on suspicion, perhaps indefinitely. You need to muddy the waters. You need to make L begin to believe that the "killing power" passes from one person to another, possessing them as it does. It adds a wrench into the perfect case L is building. After all… if both you and Misa were only being controlled by Kira the whole time, then you can't be guilty. L already knows Kira can control others' actions before death. And your very obvious innocence on the level of character—once you lose your memories—will make Kira-possession the only logical conclusion. Even if L doesn't want to release you, the moment more people start getting killed by Kira, he'll have to move on to trying to catch the actual criminal. The task force will insist on it.
And because you will blame Kira for your situation, and because you will want to beat L at his own game, there's no way you won't help to catch the Third Kira. Then, with the fake physical evidence you've planted in the Death Note's rules… you'll prove your and Misa's innocence once and for all. At least to everyone but L. Even if he still suspects you, he'll have to clear you both.
And then you'll kill him.
It's a long-term plan, but instead of relying on actions that have to occur in a certain order, it only relies on the players involved and their intrinsic motivations, so it has a high probability of working. After all, you know who you're dealing with:
L, who can never let a game go unfinished, but who is so obsessed with finding physical evidence to convict you that his own personal ideals will force him to let you go free, even if he knows it will mean his death.
Your father, who knows you're smart enough and the right personality to be Kira, but who will readily latch onto any evidence that exonerates you as soon as it arrives, because he cares about you as his son.
Rem, who will kill L the moment doing so would free Misa from all remaining suspicion, though it would mean her own suicide. Why? For love, of course. In that way, she and Misa are a good pair.
The "Third Kira," a greedy, powerful man who will continue Kira's kills, bribed by the knowledge that he can further his own monetary interests by doing so.
The rest of the tasforce, who want to catch Kira no matter what it takes, and will only react to the surface level "evidence," forcing L to act according to the logic of the majority or risk alienating them and losing his entire case, their respect, and maybe even his reputation. (If he's ever tempted to "make an exception" to his ideals for the sake of self-preservation, this will come in handy…)
Misa, who will do whatever you ask of her because of her infatuation with you.
And, of course, yourself. Through your own desire for perfectionism and your need to win… you'll lead yourself right back to Kira in your quest to destroy him. »
May 27, 2004. Matsuda escorts you into L's latest hotel. As always, he's chatting away with you, offering misplaced sympathy for your situation… I guess for anyone else, having to go to school and be part of a murder investigation would be a chore. When you enter the room, you see Ryuzaki seated in front of a TV, your father standing behind him, and the rest of the task force standing around in various states of interest and disgruntlement.
Another message?
"Light-kun," Ryuzaki says, vaguely turning his head at your entrance, "you've come at a good time. We've just received a video message from the Second Kira."
Bingo.
"Again?" you ask, putting your book bag down on one of the little side-tables. "That was fast."
"Yes," Ryuzaki agrees. "It says this will be the final one…" he clicks a button on the remote, and the Second Kira's sloppy, hand-written font shows up on screen.
The muffled, distorted voice begins to speak. "I have decided not to contact Kira," it says. "I thank the police for warning me. But I will help Kira and rid the world of evil until Kira accepts me. I will first pass judgment on the criminals that Kira hasn't punished. And then I will spread this power to those who deserve it, and make the world a better place."
You have an uneasy feeling listening to the message, but it's not until Ryuzaki speaks that the knot of panic actually forms in your stomach.
"Seeing this…" he says carelessly, plopping the remote on the coffee table in front of him, "makes me feel like Kira and the Second Kira have joined forces."
« No. It can't be. How did he guess? Damn it! Sometimes you hate that Ryuzaki is as smart as you are. »
Two days ago you met Amane Misa after she saw you in Aoyama, when she was looking for the real Kira. And she met you too. Somehow she found your name and stalked you home. You were pretty sure she'd met the real Kira as well… but if L is certain… that leaves two days, you think. In all that time, Misa got instructions from the real Kira as well as meeting me? It doesn't look good.
No. What are you thinking?
You're not Kira. You know you aren't.
"Why do you think so?" you ask, glaring daggers at L's back.
"You didn't feel it?" Ryuzaki asks carelessly, reaching for a donut. "I figured you'd get the same impression I did, Light-kun. First," he explains, grasping the pastry between thumb and forefinger, "after wanting to meet Kira that much, the sudden one-eighty. Also… the thing about passing judgment on criminals Kira hasn't, in order to be accepted. Why wasn't this done before? He just didn't think to do it?" The end of Ryuzaki's sentence is muffled as he takes a bite of his donut, but unfortunately, his words are still crystal clear. "Most likely, the person was told by Kira to do it. And Kira ordered that their cooperation be kept secret."
« Of course that's exactly what happened. All you were thinking about was how to quickly stop the police looking into the connection between the kiras. You had to make it look like you'd never met, or else Ryuzaki could only assume there was something else to be found in the diary entries, the fact that you went to Aoyama, and the Second Kira's reaction. But of course Ryuzaki would realize that if you were Kira that's exactly what you'd feel pressed to do. »
"I see…" you say, feeling wretched. « You have to find a way to spin this, and quickly. » "If that's true, then Kira's acting without thinking very much."
"Yes," Ryuzaki agrees. "Was the situation one where he wasn't able to put much thought into things…?" he muses. "Or does he want us to know they've joined forces to see how we'd react? —Since this is a serious blow to us," he adds offhandedly. "...Though this makes it even less likely that Light-kun is Kira."
"What do you mean, Ryuzaki?" Your father raises his voice, almost frantic; it's pitiful the way L keeps playing upon his heartstrings, tugging your percentage of guilt this way and that in front of him.
"If Light-kun were Kira," L explains, "then I think he would have the Second Kira threaten me again, to make me appear on TV, instead of sending a message like this…if we don't know if they're working together, then we'd just assume it was the Second Kira's doing. The Second Kira could just say 'I cancelled this the first time because Kira told me to. But now I no longer think that the warning came from Kira himself,' or something like that."
« If only I could have, L. That would've been a pretty smart move, except… »
"Ryuzaki…" you say, stepping closer toward the back of his chair, until you're looking down at the detective.
"Yes?" L asks.
It pains you to admit it, but your pride won't stand for you to let this one go. "I wouldn't do that if I were Kira," you say.
« This is something you need Ryuzaki to know. There's a perfectly good reason for what you did; you're as on top of things as ever and you didn't make a mistake. You certainly didn't miss the perfect chance to take L out once and for all. Kira is L's equal. »
"Why not?" Ryuzaki asks.
"If you're L," you say (he is, of course, but everyone still has to pretend there's the possibility otherwise… after all, there's no hard proof) "then I know L's personality."
He falls quiet and becomes very still, even stopping the constant fidgeting of his fingers and toes. He looks, you think for a wild moment, very like a prey animal, trying to keep unnoticed out of the eyes of a predator.
That's ridiculous, what am I thinking? You berate yourself. L's not really my enemy. I'm not really Kira!
(It's all hypothetical.)
"No matter the threat," you explain, "there's no way L would appear on TV. And there's no way he'd let someone take his place. You would definitely think of a way out of it."
It's an obvious jab. Who knows if L would think of a way out of it? You know he'd easily send someone else to serve in his place, the way he did with Lind L. Tailor, if he could get away with it. But now that Interpol and any number of governments know that Kira really does exist and can kill, it would be impossible for L to manipulate a criminal into taking the fall for him again without looking just like Kira.
« So why didn't I think of it? you wonder uneasily. Why didn't I force Misa to say something like that? It would have been so easy. Surely I wasn't that shaken up! …No. L would've thought of a way out of it. He always does. Sending a message like that would've been utterly pointless. »
L turns to glance at you with a slightly sheepish expression. He's noticed the undercurrent of implication in your words that no one else in the room has. He even laughs, a short, dry little thing. "Can't get anything by you…" he admits ruefully.
"Light," your father says. You look at him, almost startled. It's not that you've forgotten he and Aizawa and Matsuda were in the room, it's just that while you and Ryuzaki were talking, none of them had mattered. It was like the both of you were playing a private game, speaking in a code only the two of you knew. A place outside of the ordinary world.
And now you're dropped back into the ordinary world again, and it jars you.
"Even if you're just making a point," your father says angrily, "stop saying things like 'If I were Kira…' Even though you're not Kira," he explains, "it doesn't sit very well with me."
« But I am Kira. The thought comes to you with an unexpected resentment. I should be able to take credit for it. »
But somehow, when I think about being Kira… of taking credit for his crimes… I almost feel…
Nonsense.
"Yeah," you say. "Sorry, tōsan. But I want to be honest with Ryuzaki," you say, "in order to solve this case as soon as possible and clear my name. I only say things like that because I'm not Kira…" you sound upbeat and unruffled, just as you should be. "You're worrying too much, tōsan."
"Well…" your father admits, pained. "You're right, but…"
"Yes," Ryuzaki says quietly. "Light-kun isn't Kira…" he has a new cup of coffee. He dumps a handful of sugar cubes into it and stirs, and the clink of the spoon against the ceramic sounds almost like a bell. "Or rather, I don't want Light-kun to be Kira," he says. "Because…" he speaks with a nondescript kind of finality. "…I feel as though you're the first friend I've ever had."
He isn't putting on a 'normal voice' or a tone with any particular feeling behind it.
Is he telling the truth…?
Why do you feel so shocked? Why is it hard to breathe, and why can you feel a trickle of sweat down your back, as though he'd just announced a plan to murder you?
No. No, it makes sense… He's speaking as "Ryuzaki." "Ryuzaki" is "Yagami Light's" friend. There's nothing surprising about this confession. It doesn't change who either of us really are, or what we actually think of each other.
—And who are either of us… really?
"Yeah," you say, casually, putting your hands in your pockets. "You're a good friend to me too, Ryuzaki," you say, with a pointed smile. He's not looking at you, he won't see it on your face, but he'll hear it in your voice.
"Thanks," Ryuzaki says, as though he really doesn't care one way or another whether you feel the same.
He probably doesn't.
He probably doesn't even believe you.
Still, this confession isn't for him, it's for everyone else.
"I miss you at school," you say sweetly. "I'd like to play tennis with you again."
He turns his head to look back at you over his shoulder, and now he does see your smile, and he's smiling too; something small and self-aware.
We're just two ordinary college students who made friends with each other over tennis.
"Yes," Ryuzaki says. "Same here…" he turns back to his coffee, and though you can't see his face anymore, you can hear the satisfaction in his voice. "Kira and the Second Kira… once we solve this case and rid the world of them… I'd enjoy that." He takes a small sip. "I hope that day comes soon."
.
.
.