The most powerful weapon on Earth is the human soul on fire - Ferdinand Foch
Light Yagami was not always a patient man. He was certainly good at acting like one, with a charming smile, a flash of his charm.
He was an intelligent man, too intelligent for his own good. But more so he was a prideful man, and even more than that a caring man, a man who loved humanity endlessly. His love for humanity was a dangerous thing, however. A toxic, cruel possessive desire. Humanity was his to protect, his to save, his to hold. And thus, he was an evil man, a cruel man, a dangerous, selfish man. He was a man who loved.
Light saw his actions as a necessary evil. Or so, that's what he told himself, the wicked smirk on his face, the satisfying euphoria he felt as his death note ravaged the world of sinners.
But he was doing this for humanity. He was saving the world. Everything he did, he did because he loved with his whole soul.
Gentle he posed, vicious he acted. The beast knew who and what to spare. There was… a deed he needed finished. A deed he could not complete directly. Logically, of course. No emotional attachment.
He wasn't delaying the inevitable. Oh, he loathed killing innocents. A person playing superhero. But if this girl was (whether intentionally or not) acting against him… then she could not stand. The Kingdom of Kira had no place for folks like her.
And a loving man knew what sacrifices he needed to make.
It was obvious to anyone that L was not an ordinary person.
Watari had judged this by the unusual behavior he displayed at the orphanage. He'd adopted the child genius, crafting him into a threat that could thwart any criminal. The other children learned from him, imitated him, and were determined one day to overthrow him.
It was safe to say L did not have an active social life. It hadn't bothered him, since he hadn't lived an average life in general. Yet, even he yearned for love. In his own way, of course.
He was calm and collected, at least on the outside. With a specimen such as L, his emotions were hard to read, a guessing game as mysterious as the puzzles he cracked. Well, it did not matter. Watari didn't pay close attention to such things. He was not a father to L, not really. The closest thing he could describe himself as was a mentor. That was what L needed more than family.
L was the brightest of Watari's adopted children, the top dog, and ultimately, the one who would stop Kira. Or, so he believed.
Watari was not foolish enough to believe L was a good person. He was not stopping Kira because it was the 'right thing to do'. Purely, he was looking for a good challenge. Much like the gods, he was bored, and he wanted to mess around. Kira was just the same. Perhaps, he wanted to hope that underneath, they did care for humanity, in their own twisted ways.
The Anti-Kira was not so discreet. She wanted to end the games forever. A little morality was a breath of fresh air. She meant well. A good person. A caring girl. A girl who loved.
It may not have been a foolish notion, but certainly a naive one. A good heart was easily tainted, and Watari couldn't help but worry for the child.
Matsuda breathed out through his teeth. He shivered, leaning into his chair. His heart was aching.
He was one of the youngest members of the police force, so more often than not, the senior members tended to overlook him. He had mixed feelings about Light Yagami. He was smart, maybe a little too smart. And terrifying, for that matter. He could say the same about L.
Light's sister, Sayu, on the other hand, he didn't mind at all. She was earnest, just like him. He wanted to protect her, especially since she'd been given such a horrible, awful fate. She was so young.
It wasn't like she needed another brother. Light and L were good enough. But they were the same - callous, cool, and aloof. Tenderness was rare. Of course they cared in their own way, but they were more worried about their battle with each other.
Maybe Matsuda wasn't as smart as them. But he did know a thing or two about compassion. When it came to keeping one's humanity, compassion was the most vital trait of them all.
Matsuda swore to himself he would keep Sayu down to Earth, no matter what. People like her were the ones worth protecting. They were the ones you died for.
An old man hummed and whistled, sipping his coffee, and closing his eyes. An old man who was a father of two children, two children who had the whole world in their palms.
Soichiro did not want this for his children, especially not Sayu, dear, sweet, innocent Sayu. She wouldn't stay innocent for long, not in this life. Soichiro cursed himself. Why his daughter? Why her?
Sachiko held him, soothing him, telling him it was ok it was ok it was ok.
No it wasn't. His daughter. His dear, precious daughter. His daughter, the most compassionate human on the planet.
And his son, his genius son, his son who he could not be more proud of.
They deserved better.
Guardian watched over Sayu, shaking their head. They could not protect her for much longer. But in the end, protection was not their ultimatum.
Light was not always an evil man. He was ruthless, callous, cruel. He was selfish, he knew it, he would never admit it. He would lie to others but never to himself.
But he was a loving man, a caring man. There were some humans who mattered more to him than anything else. His family.
He was Kira. He would protect Sayu Yagami, no matter what.
A/N: No more interludes, back to the regular story next chapter!