Light opened his eyes to find a worried Naomi hovering above him.
"Light, are you alright? You just collapsed," she said. Light stared at her, shocked. If he hadn't fallen asleep, then why was he having these dreams?
"I collapsed?" Light said, looking at Naomi as she helped him off the floor. When had he fallen to the ground, the last thing he remembered before the dream took over was sitting on the couch.
"Yes, your eyes dulled, and you fell. Did you hit your head on the coffee table before slipping onto the floor? Are you hurt?" Naomi said. Well, that explained the headache hammering through his brain.
"I had another dream," Light said, dropping onto the couch as Naomi disappeared into the kitchen before returning with a glass of water. Light took it gratefully, taking a large sip before placing the glass down.
"I thought you had to be asleep for those to happen? You were talking before collapsing," Naomi said as she sat beside him, wrapping her arm around his shoulders and pulling him up against her.
"I'm not meant to need a lot of sleep, but I've noticed that these dreams are becoming more regular. Messing with time, you experience consequences like these dreams, but maybe the longer I prolong finding Kira, the worse effects I'm going to suffer. Suppose I can't control when I get these dreams. In that case, we'll never be ready if I suddenly collapse in the middle of the road. I don't have a pulse or need to breathe, so if I have a dream in public, it will cause all sorts of problems," Light said. These dreams were a kind of inconvenience and painful to experience. Still, Light believed he was in control, and now that control was being taken from him. Was the Shinigami King behind this or something else? Was Time itself looking down on Light and laughing at the pain he was suffering from.
"We need to find Kira soon," Naomi said. Light nodded. The Shinigami King said that once Kira was apprehended, the first timeline would cease to exist, and the pain of his dreams and the effect on time would stop, but the problem was finding Kira. Light knew it would never be this easy, but he hoped his intelligence, experience of this timeline, and little involvement with the Kira case would help catch Kira.
"Yes, but we haven't made much progress between L and the Second Kira. All we know is Teru Mikami has a connection to Kira. Still, from the isolation he forced upon himself, there aren't many, if anyone, Teru talks to," Light said. Yet the fact remains that Teru knows Kira; he worked with Kira to get Raye's ID and shares similar goals and ideals with Kira. The profile between Kira and Teru should overlap, yet no one in Teru's life fits it.
"Maybe we're looking at this the wrong way," Naomi said, pulling away from Light. She grabbed a scrap piece of paper from the pile of rubbish on the table before writing Kira and Teru and circling each name. We know that somewhere, there is a link between Kira and Teru; however, what link they have isn't apparent. What if Kira is using Teru, knowing that people cannot find that connection because of Teru's self-isolation?"
"Okay, if we can't find Kira through Teru, then maybe we can do it in reverse and find Teru through Kira. Suppose we find a potential suspect who fits our Kira profile. In that case, we can look for links with Kira or their family, which connects to Teru, but to find Kira, we're back at the start," Light said. The investigation wouldn't have been that successful if you eliminated Teru.
"Not completely. We know that Kira is potentially a student; you know Kira's Shinigami, and using the Shinigami eyes, you can tell whether that person has a death note if they don't have a lifespan. We have that advantage over Kira. As long as his Shinigami is honest, Kira doesn't know anything about you or your eyes," Naomi said.
"But we can't canvas the whole of the Kanto Region looking for someone with no lifespan, it's not feasible," Light said. Let's not forget that L was looking for him, and being outside around cameras was a risk to their safety, especially with how long he spent out of the apartment with Misa.
"I know, but we can use your eyes to confirm who Kira is without finding their death note," Naomi said. Light nodded. He supposed that was a plus, but still, they were far off finding Kira, and they couldn't even rely on L and the task force with how focused they'd been on him.
Light sighed as he thought back to Kira's original profile. They're bright and have a god complex alongside a strong sense of justice with how they're only targeting criminals. However, that can quickly be dropped should they be backed into a corner and are forced to lash out, which he's shown with the Lind L Tailor incident and attempting to kill the FBI agents. Kira has some relation to the NPA to find out about the FBI agents in the first place unless something else tipped him off, but Light doubted that Kira just happened to stumble across the agents' existence, which was highly unlikely.
"I brought coffee and cake." Light's head snapped to the front door as Raye opened it, a bag in one hand and his suitcase in the other.
"Raye," Naomi said, "What are you doing here? I thought all agents involved in observing were kept in a safe house."
"I left. I can't help you much when I'm trapped in that place. You need me here," Raye said.
"Does anyone know you've come back here?" Light said the look on Raye's face was the confirmation he needed. Raye hadn't told anyone; he'd disappeared. This couldn't go well.
"RAYE!" Naomi said, rushing over to him.
"I'm sorry, but I can't sit there waiting for you to find Kira," Raye said. Light felt bad for him. He'd tried feeding information on Teru as he could without alerting his fellow agents or higher-ups to his actions. They were forbidden from helping on the Kira case, and Raye could've suffered if they had found out.
"I'm glad you're here and safe," Light said. Naomi shot him a look, but what else could Light do? Raye was here now, and it's not like they could send him back.
"Will this man help you find Kira?" Rem said. Light jumped a bit. He'd forgotten the Shinigami had been with them; she was so quiet.
"Raye is Naomi's Fiancé. He also works for the FBI and has been helping us with the case," Light said. Raye looked at him, confused.
"Who? Who are you talking to," Raye said. Light frowned before realising they hadn't told him about Rem.
"Rem, she's the second Kira's Shinigami," Light said. Raye looked at him before his eyes scanned the room, looking for Rem, his eyes glossing right past her.
"Light, Naomi. What's happened since I've been in America?" Raye said. Light and Naomi shared a look; this wouldn't be fun.
L had never experienced this type of frustration before; solving cases and finding the right leads and evidence he needed to track down the killer had come naturally to him with his intelligence. Still, this case was testing him in ways L hadn't been tested before (well, as long as it didn't involve his brother Beyond, then L's patience was shorter than a fuse). With this appearance of a Second Kira and everything surrounding the mystery of Light Yagami, L had gone back and reviewed everything. From the victims to the profile to every single report given to him by the FBI, L kept reaching the same conclusion: Light Yagami was Kira. Light Yagami had to be Kira; he fitted the profile exactly, but he wasn't; his actions had provided that to L.
So, he reviewed everything again and noticed one essential thing which pointed L in Light's direction - Raye Penber. Penber's message to his boss led to all FBI agents being pulled out of Japan effectively eminently; he believed he came into contact with Kira, which brought Light into the limelight. L studied the two families Raye Penber was tailing in detail. Still, no other person came close to Light Yagami and, with his flaky actions, disappeared from his family home and ran from Watari when he went to apprehend him; it all pointed to L being right: Light is Kira.
Now, L's confident that he's wrong (which was hard admitting to himself; he's never been wrong before). Light wasn't Kira, yet his actions and everything Light has done to avoid the police and L says the opposite whilst throwing so many unanswered questions into the mix. Where is he? Who is he staying with, or is he squatting in some abandoned building? Why did he run? What fuels his hatred for Kira? And lastly, how did Light know about the Second Kira's broadcast? Why did he stop it, and why hasn't the Second Kira done anything?
The Second Kira is infatuated with the first, and they desire to meet them. They will do anything to lure the First Kira out. The point of the broadcast was to announce their existence and tell Kira that they'll work towards the "ideal world" they believe they'll create by killing criminals. L suspects that the Second Kira must've been in the area to ensure nothing went wrong, but nothing. No second tape condemning whoever stopped the broadcast, no sudden increase in people dying as punishment for going against their demands. There's been nothing for three days since the broadcast; the Second Kira has gone quiet. There's been no increase in those dying; the task force has gone through each newly reported death and was able to link it back to the First Kira. What happened that stopped the Second Kira in their tracks?
"Ryuzaki, everyone has arrived," Watari announced. L turned around in his chair. The task force had only recently moved into L's newly built headquarters, and while most of the task force had agreed to move in temporarily until the Kira case was finished, Aizawa still commuted from his home every day.
"I have gone through the CCTV footage we received from Sakura TV and have found the likely… not the only candidate... to who took the tapes," L said. He returned to the computer and pulled the footage up on the main screen. "Please watch."
L played the footage, deliberately starting it at 5:50 pm before Light arrived. He studied the task force member's expressions as they concentrated on the screen. L heard the door open and watched as their expressions morphed, like L they weren't expecting Light to appear, Chief Yagami in particular, who stared at the screen in horror.
"As you can see, Light Yagami appeared at 5:55 pm, roughly 4 minutes and 45 seconds before Sakura TV aired the Second Kira's broadcast. Whilst I can't conclude and only suspect until my questions have answers, I believe Light Yagami had this information prior to being detained and knew that a Second Kira would appear and went directly to Sakura TV to shut down the broadcast," L said, letting them take in that information before adding, "I believe it is in our best interests to focus on locating Light Yagami, he holds information that is critical to our investigation."
"L, how can you be so sure? Light is a stupid child who's interfering in the investigation. It's probably the wrong place at the wrong time and not anything else," Chief Yagami said. L stared at the detective. Could he really be so dismissive of his own child? They have video evidence of Light entering Sakura TV before the broadcast; if he fast-forwards the CCTV footage, it shows Light leaving with a bag presumably containing the tapes. How can he be that blind?
"Could Light know Kira, or I guess only the Second Kira? He's not on their side, but he's close enough to use that information to stop them. It could be why we haven't heard anything from the Second Kira since?" Matsuda said. Chief Yagami shot him a cold stare, which made Matsuda shrink back into his seat, but he wasn't wrong.
"Yes, Matsuda," L said, "There is a high chance that Light has some connection to either Kira or the Second Kira to have such knowledge, which is why it's imperative we find him—for the sake of the investigation and also to protect Light should he be in harm's way."
"Ryuzaki, Sakura TV has received another message from the Second Kira. We're having the tape being sent over, but I'm streaming the video for you to see," Watari's voice said over the speaker. Now? The Second Kira was suddenly acting out after staying quiet for the last few days. Kira's name appeared on the monitor, the same font and background as before, but the Second Kira's new message surprised even him.
"I released a message as Kira on April 18th at 6 pm. However, I am not the original; the first Kira still walks among us. I once believed in Kira's new world, but I have had my eyes opened to the horror my actions have caused. The deaths were wrong, and I apologise for killing people for their opinion and not for a horrendous crime they never committed. We live in a world overrun by crime, and whilst I believe we should make this world a better place, using this power wasn't the right way to go and condemning the innocent to live their lives through fear isn't the paradise I seek. I cannot take back my actions and will spend the rest of my life wishing I did this differently. Thank you to my anonymous hero who risked their life to save others. I have learnt so much in my short time as a Second Kira, but I leave you all with a message: I want to warn people that following Kira and praising his actions is wrong, killing is wrong, and to save yourself, please keep far away from him. Your life is more important than some belief. I hate that it took these horrible actions for me to see it," The Second Kira said, "I have passed my power onto someone I believe will take good care of it. They will not use it for evil, and it may be selfish of me to run from this power and burden someone else with it. I know I am not strong enough to resist its temptation, and for the sake of our world and everyone inhabiting it, it's safer out of my hands."
The video ended, and L started watching the screen for something else, but the video stayed frozen before turning black. The Second Kira has given up their power, but why? They were so dedicated to Kira's cause, but what could've happened to suddenly change their mind, their whole perspective on Kira, and their own actions during the broadcast?
"It's Light, isn't it? He stopped the Second Kira and now holds their power," Matsuda said. The words rang through L's mind because who else would go up against Kira or any version of Kira and somehow come away with their life intact and the power of Kira in their hands but Light Yagami? The man is surrounded by mystery, which only seems to deepen with every action he takes.
"Yes, Matsuda," L said, "Only Light could've done this."
A week had gone by, and L was no closer to finding Light. Wherever he was hiding, the neighbourhood was either not covered by any CCTV cameras, or he hadn't left it since getting the tapes from Sakura TV. As each day passed with no progress in locating him, L was getting more frustrated. To the point, he was considering bringing Mello, Near and Matt into the investigation to get a fresh and unbiased perspective. The three were extremely capable, and L would appreciate any help from his successors he could get. Still, L hadn't contacted them, waiting a little longer before dragging them out from England to Japan and forcing them to be introduced to the task force; from experience, L knew that they wouldn't get along with them; hell, Mello and Near barely got along.
"L, the director of the FBI, is on the line," Watari said. L frowned. The FBI had pulled all support from the Kira Investigation and withdrew all its agents from Japan once Raye Penber reported that he potentially came into contact with Kira.
"Put him through," L said, picking up the phone on his desk. It had a voice modifier installed to protect his identity.
"L, a week ago, one of our agents, Raye Penber, left unauthorised from one of the safe houses where we're keeping the twelve agents. We have footage of him boarding a plane back to Japan, but we don't have jurisdiction to investigate on Japanese soil. Agent Penber brought his fiancee, Naomi Misora, to Japan during the investigation. From our inquiry, we've determined that she never returned to America when all our agents were recalled," the FBI director said. L's frown deepened.
"Miss Misora is a capable agent, but if she remains in Japan, then it is likely she's looking into Kira on her own," L said. He remembered working with Misora when his brother Beyond killed three people and then tried to kill himself in the LA case last year; she's smart and trusts her instincts, which led to Beyond being saved and suffering only minor burns. L hates his brother sometimes, but Beyond is his only family, and whilst his twin has done some terrible things, L does love his brother and doesn't want to lose him.
"We suspect Agent Penber has returned to Japan to assist Misora in her investigation going against the bureau's orders. We don't have jurisdiction there, but you are working with the NPA. We need you to find Agent Penber and return him to America," the director said. Misora's help would benefit their investigation, and if she found anything during her investigation, they could work together to locate Light and Kira.
"We will look into this," L said before hanging up. If Penber had returned to Japan, then it's likely he had come to Tokyo; he was based here, and it's expected Misora remained here when he left. The first place to look would be the hotel room he stayed in, but that was funded by the FBI, and it's unlikely Misora would've stayed there when Penber left. After all, if Penber had encountered Kira, he could've been followed back to the hotel and would no longer be safe.
So, maybe he shouldn't focus on Penber but instead on Misora. She's Japanese; she might own an apartment here or rent something out whenever she's visiting her family. Misora's smart; she's probably hidden herself from being tracked down, but she must have overlooked something L can use to get her address. Unless… they're pushy, and he doubts it would matter to them if she's not in Japan for most of the year as long as the subscription is getting paid. It's the largest broadcasting corporation in Japan; nearly everyone who's lived here would have one. It's worth a shot. L hacked into their servers, searching the clientele list before landing on Misora, Naomi. Bingo.
"I've located Misora. Penber will be with her. We'll bring them in; they could be a great asset to the investigation," L ordered as he stood up. To gain their trust, he'll go, too.
