Ch. 11 - Lakhazor/Repeat

(A/N: I swear this fic isn't abandoned. I just fell victim to the "fanfic writer's curse." In April I got a phone call from my leasing office telling me they were planning to do some construction on my apartment building and I wouldn't be able to stay. So, I spent all of May packing and preparing to move in with my boyfriend.

I didn't have much time to work on this chapter until recently. This chapter was not beta-read but I proofed it to the best of my abilities. Please enjoy!)

"So - let me get this straight. You have a magical notebook that can kill people, given to you by…that." Becca said pointing at Zellogi.

"His name is Zellogi," Esther said flatly.

"You were given a magical murder notebook by Zellogi and you've been killing people including the guy who shot up our school - and that's why you've been acting so weird?"

"More or less."

The pause as Becca took a moment to think was unbearable. The sounds of the soccer team, the cheerleaders, and the track team echoed from the field to the underside of the bleachers where the two girls stood.

"Why the hell didn't you tell me sooner?!"

Esther let out a breath she didn't know she had been holding - and suddenly it felt like a weight had been lifted off of her.

At least a little bit.

At least somebody knew what she was going through. A somebody that wouldn't kill her.

"Seriously, Esther. Why didn't you tell me sooner?"

"It's not exactly the kind of thing you advertise! Especially in this day and age!"

It was Becca's turn to pause. "You- you're not Kira are you?"

Esther shot her a look.

"No. I'm not."

"Does Kira know about you?"

The weight fell back on. So much for that feeling of relief.

Zellogi let out a short kek. "Oh, Rebecca, you have no idea! Not only does he know -"

"Don't call me Rebecca."

Esther pinched the bridge of her nose and took a deep breath. She tried to convince herself that Zellogi had promised - however much a promise from a shinigami was worth - that he wouldn't kill Becca. Now, all she had to do was make sure Kira didn't find out that Becca knew. And that he didn't kill her.

Esther didn't know what she'd do if that happened.

The Task Force was arguing.

Again.

Normally, Light couldn't stand the petty squabbles the other members had. But this time, they were arguing about the possibility of a Second Kira - so he was more alert.

His father, Matsuda, and Ukita were vehemently against even considering the possibility that a young high school girl could have Kira's powers.

No doubt his father was reminded of Sayu - who was far too gentle for that kind of behavior. They were around the same age with soft, round faces. It wasn't hard to imagine them being friends; pen pals who met through a school program, or from frequenting the same fan websites.

Then there was the fact this mission would take them abroad. To America. They had a good relationship with the country - and conducting their own mission, secretly, could lead to trouble.

Nothing Kira couldn't handle. Just a bit of political tension.

Matsuda almost always sided with his father in these matters. So his attitude wasn't surprising.

Really it was Ukita that concerned him. That man wore his heart on his sleeve. No doubt he had sympathy for the girl after surviving what she had. It seemed he didn't want to believe a kid like her could be a Second Kira.

The others - Aizawa, Mogi, and Ide - also were against investigating the girl. But less seemingly for moral reasons - and more for practical. They wanted to focus on finding Kira first. And that was going to be a problem.

"Mhm. I understand your concerns - but I think we might be able to bring Esther onto our side and help with the investigation," L said.

Light perked up a little leaning forward.

"Like Kira, she has a strong sense of justice," L continued, "Unlike Kira, she seems to be more decisive in her targets. However, it's impossible, for now, to know who all her victims are. It's possible she could be using Kira to cover some of her kills - but I think that's unlikely."

The others stared at L. "And why is that?"

"Remember that cell phone Kira used when contacting the hacker?"

Light chewed the inside of his cheek. He had destroyed the phone, and gotten rid of the pieces. He had paid in cash and he hadn't even bought it himself. There was no way to trace it back to him.

"It seems Kira used another criminal to drop off the phone where he could pick it up. In a place where cameras couldn't see," L continued.

"You said you knew who it belonged to!" his father said standing up. "And then you had the nerve to implicate my son."

"Yagami-san. I said I believed I knew who it was. I only had a 3% suspicion…"

"Then why accuse him at all? He's proven time and time again he isn't Kira!"

Light had rarely seen his father this upset. And as much as this was a good thing - he couldn't risk his father quitting the Task Force. It would likely mean he would have to leave too. But as long as his father remained on the team and denied the possibility that he was Kira - there was only so far the investigation could go.

But he had to stay in L's good graces.

Unfortunately.

He put his hand on his father's shoulder. "Don't worry, Dad. I understand what Ryuzaki means."

He turned to L, "So, you think it's unlikely she's using Kira to cover up her kills. I agree…But it sounded like you found something."

"Perceptive as always Light-kun…I believe Kira and Esther, who I'll refer to know Second Kira…I believe may be in contact. Kira is very smart - so I would imagine he's recognized the pattern as well and has reached out to the Second Kira. Normally, I'd think the other way around but - our Second Kira doesn't seem to have the desire to team up with Kira."

"So why would Kira reach out?" Matsuda said. "Why not just let her do her thing?"

"Because it's obvious that Kira is nervous she'll expose him," Light said, standing up. "Kira was not prepared for somebody with the same powers to turn up - and since she doesn't follow him, she's a threat."

Matsuda scrunched his face in thought. "Then why not just kill her?"

"Two heads are better than one," Light said faking a laugh. "That's why Ryuzaki and I make a great team. I assume Kira believes that having a second person on his side, who shares his powers will be an asset…I don't think the Second Kira is as smart as Kira. And while it may appear she doesn't agree with Kira- he recognizes that they're more alike than she would think."

L nodded. "Yes - And since she doesn't agree with Kira, she may be willing to help us find him."

"So what?" Aizawa asked. "She could already be working with him and betray us."

"If that were true - Kira would have let us know," Light said. "Even though he has made contact, we have no idea how she responded. But if we reach out - we may get her cooperation, if we offer some kind of leniency."

L nodded finger in his mouth. "I do not like the idea of giving leniency to a murderer but I think Light-kun is correct in his assessment. Since I cannot give away Task Force information and I do not want to alert the American government - this is an investigation that will need to be done in close proximity."

"Meaning?" his dad said raising an eyebrow,

"Light-kun and I will be going to America."

Light's face remained stoic, unchanged; he wasn't entirely surprised. The decision to go undercover to spy on the girl made sense. But just him and L? How could he maintain his cover while still ensuring Kira acted as - No.

He could make this work.

No reason to panic.

"Oooh. We're going to go abroad! This is getting fun!" Ryuk said. "Can't wait to see which Shinigami caused all this chaos!"

Esther watched as Becca stared at Zellogi, mouth agape- as the god of death downed stale pastries in the kitchen.

"So - do you like…have a stomach?"

Zellogi nodded. "Yeah. Shinigami don't need to eat and there ain't exactly a lot of food in the Shinigami realm - so being in the human world this is a real treat!"

"Okay then…"

She was asking all the same questions she had when Zellogi first started hanging around; and honestly, Esther thought, it was great to have someone to share the utter insanity with. Though how Becca was handling this better than she had Esther had no idea.

Becca looked back at her. "This is really weird."

"This has been my life for a while now," she replied taking a pastry for herself. "I haven't gotten a decent night's sleep in ages."

"I've never slept better!" Zellogi exclaimed.

Her phone started to vibrate and Esther felt a sense of dread fill her body.

Please, please, please be Dad or Aunt Nikki or Uncle Jared…anyone, anyone except him, she thought. But as she glanced down at the phone, she saw the screen read Unknown Number.

Fuck.

"Spam caller?" Becca asked glancing at the screen. "I've been getting a lot of those too…"

"I wish…" Esther said. Her voice trailed off as the vibrating stopped. But before she could even let out a sigh of relief, a text message popped up.

She flipped the phone screen down.

Becca grabbed it.

"You promised. No more secrets."

She flipped it over and quickly typed in the passcode.

Esther had never thought twice about Becca knowing her code before. They were friends.

And maybe now that she had a friend to help…they'd be able to defeat Kira. Maybe.

Then she could rest easy, picking off Nazis and antisemites every once in a while and live the rest of her natural life in relative happiness. She may never escape the curse of the Death Note but she'd have Becca, at least.

"Esther…this text…it's a joke, right?"

Esther slowly shook her head.

Becca handed her the phone, slowly, as though it were a ticking time bomb about to go off.

Her hands shook as she took the phone back and laid it on the kitchen table. She mouthed the words keep quiet to Becca and clicked the speaker button. For a moment there was silence…then

"Hello, Esther."

It was the same, cold, distant, accented distorted voice.

"Y-yes?"

"I thought you should be aware that members of the Task Force are being sent to investigate you. They will be arriving within the next few days. I recommend keeping a low profile."

Esther looked up. Becca seemed confused and panicked.

"And how will I recognize them?"

"You won't. I expect you to be smart enough to keep your mouth shut around strangers. Even if you do recognize them, you wouldn't say anything. You have a mission. You have drive. A purpose…"

Esther wanted to throw up but she swallowed the bile and took a deep breath. "I already told you I'm not interested."

"But you don't want to end up in prison, do you? Or have a loved one get into an accident? You have family; I know your mother's gone, but your father's still there. Your aunt and uncle. Your cousins. Your friends…"

"You're going to be with them, aren't you?" Esther said, "The Task Force members coming here?"

There was no reply, just a moment of silence before the other line disconnected.

"Fuck."

(A/N: Please let me know what you thought! Constructive criticism is appreciated!)