His father's body disappeared, and Light's childhood home and the tons of waste vanished in a wisp of smoke. Light floated in the blackened void; there was no sound or light, and nothing could reach him. Even Light's head felt empty as if nothing could enter this endless space. Then everything hit him all at once: noise, light, thoughts and people. He stood in a large room with rows and rows of people shouting over each other. In front was a man hidden underneath a black coat and hat, and a laptop was sitting before him. On the laptop screen was L's symbol. Was this Interpol?
"I, Chief Sorichiro Yagami, is here to announce that we have arrested Kira," his father said. The room erupted in noise as they shouted question after question. Who is Kira? How do they kill? How did they get their power? Is it transferable?
"What Chief Yagami meant is we've arrested a suspect. We can't be certain he is Kira or how he kills, but we have a strong suspicion we have the right person," L said. The atmosphere shifted as everyone fell silent.
"We should execute him," One said. Light looked around the room but couldn't tell where it came from; there were so many people. Others cheered in agreement.
"We cannot execute the suspect until we are confident we have the right person," L said. Wait, what? L didn't just sentence him to death, but his father had said L and Interpol were on the same page about killing him. Light knew there was some peer pressure, but he'd assumed it was from L or the Interpol on his father and the task force, not the other way around. Light didn't know how he thought of this.
"Where is the suspect being detained?" a different agent said.
"In NPA holding cells waiting to be transferred," his father said. His voice sounded so emotionless like he wasn't talking about executing his son.
"Then he isn't in your custody, L," the first agent said. "In this meeting, we must decide what shall happen to the suspect. Further investigation to find evidence he is Kira, or we execute him and end the terror he has on the world."
Light saw where this was going; all agencies at this meeting would vote for his execution when L stood on the side of true justice. And they did. Each agency, from the FBI to MI6, voted to kill him, and L was powerless to stop it.
Everything shifted, the Interpol faded, and Light found himself in a hotel room with L huddled over his computer. L looked older; the bags underneath his eyes had darkened, and his skin looked sickly and thin. Light approached the detective, peering over his shoulder. Light was shocked to see himself restrained in the chair, waiting for his lethal injection. In Japan, criminals on death row were usually killed by hanging; however, in Light's case, Interpol decided he would die from lethal injection.
"Everything is prepared, L," the prison warden said. God, Light hated that man; he'd loved taunting him during his brief imprisonment.
"Any visitors?" L said. Light looked at him. Did he expect floods of people to come to see him die? Was the public even told when he was getting executed outside his arrest being leaked and the police making a statement after he died?
"One. A Takada," the warden said. Wait, someone was there. "They don't want Yagmai to know they are here."
"We will proceed with the execution. Send the nurse in," L said. Light watched as the nurse approached him and explained what would happen.
"Light Yagami. You have been sentenced to death for your crimes of mass murder under the name of Kira. No new criminals have died, which proves that you are guilty. Do you have any last words?" L said. Light felt a chill run down his spine; there was something worse hearing those haunting words in L's actual voice.
"Goodbye, L," Light heard his own voice, his whisper only just making L's ears. Then Light watched himself accept his fate; he closed his eyes as the needle was injected into his arm. In the next thirty minutes, Light's past self was declared dead. His body was collected and wheeled out of the room, the equipment taken, and the lights turned off, plunging the room into darkness. Yet, L still watched his screen.
"I'm sorry, Light Yagami," L said. Light looked at him.
"Why are you sorry?" Light said. He didn't get his answer, and the room changed again. Light was no longer in a hotel room; instead, it looked like an office. L was still hunched over his laptop on the desk, and he didn't look any better.
"You're still not working on the Kira Case, Lawlipop," someone said. Light looked over to the door to see another L walk in. Wait, he remembered seeing this person in that photo at Naomi's - Beyond Birthday. Light didn't even think about it when he finally met L. Still, to think L's twin brother was responsible for the Los Angeles Locked Room Murders last year, Light remembered reading about it. That must be awkward to know the man who shares the same face as you is a murderer.
"Something is wrong Beyond I know it," L said. Was L suspecting that they sentenced the wrong person?
"It's been nearly a year since Light Yagami died, and there haven't been any more murders. Kira is either dead or using Yagami's death to retire as Kira. Isn't that enough?" Beyond said, walking over to his brother and perched on the edge of L's desk.
"It seems too easy. Kira can control the time of death, and with someone as smart as Light was, wouldn't he have prepared for the chance he was arrested or hospitalised. Yet, a few days after the leak, Kira stopped killing," L said.
"Did anyone discover who leaked Yagami's arrest to the news?" Beyond said. Light moved closer.
"Sorichiro Yagami," L said. Light felt his heart freeze. All this time, Light believed some rookie detective leaked the information, but it wasn't. Light's own father hit the final nail in Light's coffin by revealing that someone had been arrested. It was worse than him announcing his arrest to Interpol. Had Kira not stopped killing, it would've thrown doubt on Light being Kira. Eventually, Light would've been realised, maybe even able to help the investigation find the real Kira. Still, no, his father leaked that information, Kira stopped killing, and Light died.
"If Kira is still alive, then why hasn't he done anything? If he was so dedicated to creating this new world, then what happened to keep him quiet for this long?" Beyond said.
"Kira is smart but childish. When he returns, he'll make the whole world fear him," L said, "I need to find him before that happens."
"You can't do this alone. Matt, Mello, and Near—they're your successors. We can help you," Beyond said. L looked at his brother, surprised.
"Beyond, you wanted nothing to do with being a detective," L said.
"Yes, but you're my brother, and I'd rather keep you alive, even if it's for spare body parts. We've all seen you when you get absorbed into a case, you forget to look after yourself, and while you might not accept it, you'll still be human L," Beyond said. L stared at his brother before agreeing.
Light felt as time sped around him; Beyond left L's office and later returned with three children - Nate River, Mihael Keehl and Mail Jeevas. Light watched them talking, arguing, following down leads and finding dead ends. He could no longer hear what they were saying, but from the look on their faces, Light could tell they weren't having any success in locating Kira. It made Light wonder, in this timeline, if Kira would ever be brought to justice or if his death played a part in helping Kira secure control over the world. Finally, time returned to its normal state, L was in his office alone when the door was thrown open, and Mihael ran in.
"Mello?" L said, looking over at the blonde.
"Kira's returned," Mello said. "Matt created a program that monitors any mention of the word Kira or heart attack on the internet or news feeds. It went off like crazy. You need to access Sakura TV. They received a message from Kira."
Light watched as L brought up the live broadcast of Sakura TV.
"Breaking News: Over 18,000 criminals have died in the last hour of heart attacks. Kira has returned, and we at Sakura TV were blessed to air this video to the world," the reporter said. Light felt sick to his stomach as the screen changed to display 'KIRA'.
"A year ago to the day, Light Yagami was executed for being Kira. The detective known as L, who swore to track me down, failed; he convinced an innocent. I used this to see whether this world had learned anything from me, yet everyone betrayed me. Crime rates soared, and those who considered themselves loyal to my cause turned their backs on me. The world moved on to forget my impact. Now, I return stronger than before; I sentence this world to its death; those who continued supporting me in my absence will live, and for the rest of the world, you will die." The video ended and returned to the reporter, who sat there stunned. Then Sakura TV went off the air.
"It wasn't announced that Yagami was arrested and then executed for Kira's crimes. How did he find out?" Mello said. L stared at his computer.
"It's been a year, and information could've been leaked since the case ended," L said. "We need to go back and investigate everything that's happened. Somewhere among the NPA, their families, and friends is Kira."
The scene changed again, but it was a familiar sight this time. Light stood behind L, who was kneeling before Light's gravestone.
"I am truly sorry, Light Yagami, for falsely accusing you and not stopping Interpol from executing you. My words can never change my actions, and I can't bring you back, but I promise you I will find Kira; he will not escape this time or set someone else up to take the fall."
Light opened his eyes and stared at the ceiling. He felt exhausted, not only physically but emotionally too. This vision had been long, longer than he usually had seeing his father's dead body, but everything that had happened from L's perspective. His execution, the doubt L had, how Interpol went above L to execute Light without actual proof that he was Kira and then for all that to happen only for Kira to rise again, set deep into his madness that he saw the whole world as his enemies were innocent and guilty people alike. Now all of that had ended, Light also felt numb; he wasn't sure whether this new information left him, his hatred for his father had deepened, and any savable relationship he could've had with him was gone; Light would never forgive him or what he had done to him even if this version of this father hadn't done it. Light knew deep down that his father was capable of many things, and throwing Light under the bus was one of them.
"Misora and Penber found you unconscious on the floor and carried you to bed. They seemed concerned but have kept L and your father away," Rem said. Light sat up, and Rem stood at the end of the bed. Light hadn't even realised he was on a bed; he vaguely remembered hitting the floor. Naomi and Raye must've heard him.
"I was having a vision. The Shinigami King said I was linked with the original timeline and would have visions until Kira was stopped. Then that timeline would stop existing," Light said. Rem stared at him.
"The visions you experience are not connected to your time travel; instead they…" Rem suddenly stopped.
"They what?" Light said.
"Nothing. It's nothing," Rem said before disappearing through the wall. Light stared at the empty space; what was she about to say? His visions weren't connected to his time travelling, but what else could they be from? That timeline still exists and will continue to unless they stop Kira; there's no other reason for them other than to force Light to suffer seeing the people he cares about as their lives fall apart after his death. Was Rem ever like this with Misa? Oh, Misa! He wasn't meant to message her before he was taken by his vision. Grabbing his phone from his pocket, Light opened it to see a message from her.
Misa-Misa:
Did I cause this? Kira's video and his attack on Sakura TV. If I hadn't given up the Death Note and released my message condemning him, he wouldn't have reacted this way and massacred all those innocent people.
What? Did something happen when Light was unconscious? Light stood up and left the room. All the other doors were closed, and Light could hear Raye snoring behind one door. Light stood outside of it for a few minutes, his hand raised in preparation to knock, but decided against it. This was probably the first time they'd gotten some sleep without watching over Light; even though they were aware that Light didn't need as much sleep as they did, they still neglected their needs to stay up late to be with him sometimes pulling all-nighters despite Light constant insistence to go to bed.
Light left his floor and headed down in the lift to the first floor, where Light found L hunched over a computer. Seeing L, Light expected to feel something, but he didn't. All the hurt and anger he had for the detective seemed to have faded away, and maybe that was a good thing; he'll never truly get over his imprisonment and death (and rightfully so), but now he knew what happened, he now had the opportunity to come to peace with it. This was the first step in working with L to find Kira.
"What happened with Kira and Sakura TV?" Light said as he approached L. The detective looked up at him.
"You should watch it," L said. He motioned for Light to grab a chair while he loaded something up on the computer and turned the monitor towards Light. On it was a row of people sitting at a long table. Light recognised Demegawa among them. He looked scared, clearly still scarred from Light's attack on him a few weeks ago, yet he still went ahead to broadcast another video from Kira.
"This is a message to the world. We at Sakura TV have been blessed to receive a tape from the real Kira. We understand that only a week ago, we aired a video from a fake who used Kira's name and couldn't handle the consequences that came with it. We first apologise to the world for daring to show a video like that so that people could believe and see their god, only to be disappointed in the lack of their actions later on. Yesterday, we received an envelope containing three video tapes addressed to one of our directors; the first tape gave us instructions along with names of criminals who would die that day and exactly as stated, four men died yesterday of heart attacks," the presenter said. Light moved his chair closer to the computer.
"The video instructed us to play the second video at exactly seven thirty, and once it ends, we are to open this sealed envelope," the presenter said before cutting away to an envelope. It didn't look like they had opened it. They must be scared to disobey Kira's orders after everything that had happened with Misa. "Then, we will play the final video after that letter. The time is 7:29. We will now play Kira's video."
"I am Kira. The true Kira, not the fake that appeared on Sakura TV a week ago, the same fake who claimed to help achieve my goals but got cold feet not a week after their message. It is my mission to make this world a better place for those I judge fit enough to live in it; those who look down and belittle my vision of a better world have no place in it. I see support from people, and I thank you for believing in me. I will create a new world for us all to enjoy in the ashes of this one. For those who continue to commit crimes against me, understand that your judgment is coming. I will crucify those who turn their back on my paradise and those whose mission is to hunt me down and destroy the world we all strive to create." Light had wondered how far in madness Kira was descending, but from the sound in this opening, it seemed he was already too far gone. Soon, Light knew that innocent people would die for not believing in Kira.
"Then your wrecking is soon. I will not tolerate anyone who helps my enemies, including this fake. Your place in paradise is now smoke in your hands, and when I find you, I will. I will show the world the extent of my power, and nothing will stop me." the screen went black before transitioning back to the panel. Light felt he knew where this was going, but he didn't like it.
"And now we will read this letter," the presenter said, picking up the letter before carefully opening it and starting to read.
"Now you have heard my message, and I want to show the world what I do with heretics. If I cannot yet execute the fake, I will punish those who help them spread their propaganda to the world. People of the world, watch as I punish everyone apart of Sakura TV, their…" the reporter stopped, his eyes widening in terror as he realised Kira's actions, "deaths w-will herald in a new world."
As soon as he finished his sentence, they started dying. One by one, everyone present on TV and Light guessed those behind it, too, were dying of heart attacks. Anyone and everyone who was linked to Sakura TV wouldn't escape Kira's persecution. The screen changed back to his video.
"Now, you should understand my power and the lengths I will go to get what I want. It is the time for war; it is time for this world to burn until all my enemies burn. Criminals are no longer my only target, but anyone who disagrees with my vision will die until no one remains. The fake, L and anyone who stands in my way will be destroyed."
"Did everyone die?" Light said, even though he was confident he knew the answer.
"Yes, from the directors of Sakura TV to the janitors. No one was safe from Kira's purge," L said. Light dropped his head into his hands. Light came back to save people; he stopped Naomi and Raye from dying, he kept the other FBI agents safe, and those police officers who initially tried to stop the Second Kira broadcast were still alive, but at what cost? These innocent people at Sakura TV might've worked at a scummy broadcast company that cared more about views than the contact they were airing, but that didn't mean they all deserved to die. Was any of this worth it? Should Light have refused the Shinigami King's offer and stayed dead, then came back and condemned more people to die.
"Light? Are you… emotionally stable?" L said. Light laughed as he looked at the detective.
"No, L. I'm far from stable, and neither is Kira," Light said. The longer you are exposed to and use the Death Note, the further it affects your mental state. He's descending into insanity fast. He's on his genocide mission, and as you can hear, he's ready to take the whole world with him."
"How long until Kira starts killing everyone?" L said. Light looked him in the eyes.
"From what he was saying, we're in the endgame now. If we don't track Kira down soon, anyone and everyone he's around will die," Light said.
"How long," L said again.
"Days," Light said. L and Light started working, and neither spoke any further for hours. The task force, Raye and Naomi, appeared at some point, but Light didn't let their appearance distract him. He needed to find something they'd missed, which would lead him to Kira. Later, he felt eyes burning into the back of his head; his father glared at him, ignoring Aizawa and Mogi as they talked to him. Light stared back; he wasn't letting his father's hatred for him get in the way of this investigation; if he couldn't accept that he was their best source of information on Kira's weapon, that was his problem. Light returned to his computer before remembering he had never replied to Misa. She's probably scared about what happened at Sakura TV and needs reassurance that this wasn't her fault. Light grabbed his phone from his pocket.
Light:
No, Misa, you're innocent in all this. The Death Note manipulates and distorts, but it can't change who you truly are. You're not to blame for Kira's madness or your own survival. The tragedy at Sakura TV was Kira's doing, not yours.
Misa-Misa:
It doesn't feel that way.
Light:
I know. Kira sees the world against him; this is always going to happen. The more he uses the Death Note, the more corrupt he becomes. The only way to save him would be to renounce ownership over the Death Note and his memories, and we both know he won't do that.
Misa-Misa:
If I hadn't released that message and disappeared quietly, would this have happened?
Light:
We'll never know. Kira could've been planning something from your first message, but he doesn't take it well with others using the Kira title.
Misa-Misa:
Okay, Light. If you're sure.
Kira was beyond pissed. Teru had failed him for the final time, first by failing to get his love's stalker's name, then by killing those three police officers, ruining his reputation, and now he's done this. One job he had one job to do, one simple job, and he failed. Protect the love of his life and ensure nothing happens to Light Yagami, and yet, Teru comes scurrying back with his tail between his legs because he lost him. He's finally had it, listening to Teru's pathetic excuses. He no longer cared that his parents worshipped the ground Teru walked on. He didn't care that Teru convicted his sister's murderer when it seemed he'd get away with the crime; Kira had punished that man anyway. He no longer needed Teru; he could do this himself. Bring his world into existence. He was Kira, and nothing and no one would stand in his way.
"Stay there," Kira ordered. Teru curled into a ball on the floor, his arms wrapped around his head. Teru didn't deserve the mercy of dying to the Death Note; no, Teru must die by his hand alone, and once that dead weight is gone, Kira will evolve to his final form.
"Ryuk, I want to make a deal with you," Kira said; he looked at his Shinigami, "Half my lifespan for the Shinigami eyes."
"Hyuk, sure," Ryuk said. Kira smiled. Now, no one in the entire world can hide from him.
"I will save you, Light Yagami, and then we will burn this world together."
"Now the task force has arrived. Light, Misora, and Penber, is there any information you gathered in your investigation that will help track Kira?" L said. Light looked over at Naomi and Raye. He'd wondered whether they had already discussed their information with L and the task force when Light was unconscious, but apparently, they hadn't.
"What do you know of Teru Mikami?" Naomi said. The task force shared a blank look.
"Is he a Kira suspect?" Aizawa said. Light shook his head.
"No, an accomplice. During Raye's surveillance, he was involved in a bus hijacking. Only eight other passengers were on the bus heading towards Spaceland when an armed assailant boarded the bus and took it hostage. He wanted the money from Spaceland and had failed to rob a bank a few days before. Now, the part where we believe Teru is connected to Kira is he tries to get Raye to reveal his identity, going as far as accusing him of being an accomplice to trick him into revealing his identity. Teru dropped a piece of paper, and when the hijacker touched it, he saw something, tried to shoot it, and when that failed, he ran off the bus and died when he was struck by a car," Light said. Even to himself, he could see the giant holes in his story, but how could he tell them about his Shinigami eyes and the time travel which enabled Light to know about these events in the first place.
"Using the Death Note, you can kill in other ways. We strongly suspect that Kira planned the hijacking to learn my identity, kill me and the other FBI agents in Japan and like you have seen, you need to touch a page of the Death Note to see the Shinigami connected to the notebook. Kira's Shinigami was on that bus with Teru, and the hijacker saw it and ran," Raye said.
"Wouldn't it have been more riskier for Kira to send someone else in his place? Why wasn't he on the bus?" Matsuda said.
"We're not sure, but Kira must trust Teru enough to give him a piece of the Death Note, and we know the Shinigami wasn't there to monitor him," Light said, then instantly regretted it. He didn't mean to bring up Ryuk; he didn't need the task force to freak out should the Shinigami turn up, especially considering how much entertainment he has when he's around Light.
"What does that mean?" L said. Light kept his eyes trained elsewhere.
"If Teru is connected to Kira, then we should arrest him and interrogate any information from him," Aizawa said. Light shook his head. It was too big a risk.
"We can't," Light said. "You've seen Kira's messages; he's slowly descending into madness and becoming more paranoid. If Teru disappears, then Kira could kill him to keep him quiet. For now, we need to find Kira and trace a link back to Teru before we can act."
"How were you able to locate the Second Kira?" L said. Light stayed quiet. How the hell was he meant to answer that? Oh, you know, after escaping your prison, I knew about the second Kira broadcast, so I headed towards Sakura TV to stop it. When I left the station after terrifying the staff, I saw someone leaving the building opposite who didn't have a lifespan. Yes, that would definitely go down well; half the task force didn't believe in the Death Note and Shinigamis if it wasn't for Rem's presence.
"It's complicated," Light said. He opened his mouth to explain when his father started shouting.
"Complicated? It's complicated! This is the Kira investigation. We are risking our lives to bring Kira to justice, and you're here hiding information and disrupting the course of justice! Do you have any idea how many lives are at stake? If we fail, thousands of people will die because of your ignorance. Those innocent people at Sakura TV died because of you. We would've saved more lives if you had given us this important information earlier." Light stared at his father. He understood what was at stake more than anyone here did; he was suffering the consequences of their actions, but that didn't matter did it because they got out of it. When the Shinigami King sent Light back, it erased their actions; they forgot everything when Light was forced to remember, to live with the memories of his arrest and death and the treatment of people calling him Kira. Then, when he finally should've been at peace, the Shinigami King stole that from underneath him and sent him back to relive it all over again. His arrest, the accusations, everything.
"Listen! Light's been doing his best with the limited information we're working on," Raye said, trying to defend him, but that wouldn't dissuade Light's father.
"No! Don't defend him. We have the right to all the information collected to aid our official investigation, not the pretend one you've been running," his father said. Pretend! I'm sorry but is his father even aware of the lack of evidence or information they have on Kira.
"Well, your official investigation has been focused on me this whole time. You didn't even know about Teru, so what does that say about your investigatory skills." The words slipped out of Light's mouth before he registered what he was saying. His father stormed over, grabbed Light's shirt with his hand and pulled him from his chair. No, his father wasn't pushing him around any further.
"Get. Off. Me." Light pried each finger from around his shirt as his body shook in rage. He saw his father's face morph from anger to confusion at the ease Light had overpowering him. He's been pushed around all of his life by his father, terrified to do anything wrong that would anger him, but now Light doesn't care. Light shoved his father back, the man stumbling from the force.
"You think you can intimidate me, to scare me like you've done my whole childhood. You think I'm scared of you, a pathetic, worthless man who'd rather save his reputation than protect his family. I've always wondered what you thought when L said he was putting cameras and wiretaps in our home, knowing that it would invade Mom, Sayu and my privacy, but know I don't think you cared because, for you, it would be worse to find Kira hiding among your family then to violate your wife and daughter like you did," Light said. He could tell from how the others around them shifted awkwardly that they wanted to stop them but weren't sure how to get between them without being hurt. It didn't matter anyway; Light wasn't letting his father get away that easily.
"You so desperately want to know how I know the things I do? It's because I already lived it, the stalking, the cameras, the second Kira, everything. I knew that should Teru get Raye's ID, then all the FBI agents would die. I know that after Raye's death, Naomi would investigate and later disappear," Light said. "You pretend to be so high and mighty, but you're just a pathetic excuse for a person, and everyone knows it. You want to know your future, you murder me, you lose your job, and you become an abusive alcoholic, which results in Mom leaving you after you push Sayu to her limits. She takes her life then you die. No one cares to come to check up on you, so your body will waste away on the couch for no one to find, surrounded by the one thing you are: trash."
"You bastard." His father didn't make it three steps before the black smoke shot out of Light's hands, hitting his father in the chest and sending him flying to the floor.
"You think I'm a monster, Daddy dearest?" Light said. "Well, you created this monster. You locked me up, accused me of being Kira, and leaked that information to the press; then shocking days go by, and no one has died of heart attacks. Kira sets me up, you kill me and then have the audacity to be shocked when Kira makes his comeback a year later. Unfortunately, this world hates me, so I don't get to rest after being murdered by your perverted justice. The Shinigami King wants me to find Kira. I'm sent back in time; I'm forced to remember and live through everything all over again when you lot get to live in ignorance bliss. You think you can cage this monster; you unleashed the beast, so you can suffer the consequences because no matter how hard you try, you can't kill the already dead."
