Naomi watched as black smoke poured off Light, hitting the floor and spreading out. People, objects and Shinigami were enveloped in its mist until they couldn't see anything but the shimmering swirls of the dark. Naomi heard the panicked shouts from the task force, but she let that wash over her. She knew that Light wouldn't hurt them; he wouldn't fall to the same level as his father and Kira. The black smoke slowly vanished, and Light disappeared along with it. She didn't understand Light's powers; they'd manifested on Sakura TV, and ever since, Light hasn't been able to use them at his will.
"What was that?" Aizawa said. The black smoke was almost gone; only faint wisps danced across the floor. This put her and Raye in a complicated position; Light told them everything out of anger, but how much would they believe or even take in with Light's powers taking centre stage? Should she even explain everything to them? Did they genuinely deserve to know the ins and outs of Light's tortured life, something they played a large part in? Perhaps not, but to protect Light, would it be better if they understood everything before he returned and he wasn't forced to relive his trauma?
"It's like Light said; he's from the future," Naomi said. All eyes were on her, but she didn't let that dissuade her from talking.
"Don't be ridiculous, he's delusional, and you're just playing into his fantasy!" Chief Yagami said. He'd stood from the heep Light had left him in and clearly wanted to take control of the situation, maybe even try getting the others to turn their backs on Light; well, Naomi wasn't going to let that happen.
"The only delusional one is you. There is a mass murderer who can kill people via heart attacks without being present, and you find Light's situation hard to believe," Naomi scoffed. "Listen, we've all seen the power of Kira; you've met a Shinigami, so how is Light's situation hard to believe? He died and was sent back in time to the rise of Kira in a half-state where he's not really alive but not fully dead. He has the Shinigami eyes; he can see peoples' names and lifespans floating above their heads; that's how he knew your name, L, Matsuda. That's how he found Teru and the second Kira. He's immune to the Death Note; he has visions of the future, which is why he knows what type of monster you will become, Sorichiro Yagami."
"You are a pathetic little woman. Do you really believe in that thing? He's not human but a failure," Chief Yagami said. Naomi's blood boiled; her hand was moving before she even registered what she was doing, and her fist crunched against Yagami's nose, followed by a satisfying snap and blood pouring down his face.
"Misora is telling the truth. Light Yagami was sent back by the Shinigami king, and the halfling was brought back temporarily in a half-state to capture Kira," Rem said. The Shinigami had stayed quiet, observing everything. Naomi stared at it. Had she heard that correctly? Light had been brought back temporarily? Did that mean Light would die when they captured Kira?
Light wasn't focusing on where he was going; he needed to distance himself and the task force as much as possible. He couldn't believe he'd spilt his secret; he'd been so angry with his father and L's constant questions that he couldn't stop himself from letting everything out. He needed them to feel the pain he'd been through, to understand that out of everyone there, he knew more about Kira and the Death Notes than anyone. Light hated being undermined and pushed aside his whole life, and his father looked down on him when he wasn't anything but perfect. He couldn't help what had happened to him; if he could go back and change everything, to remove his memories of being accused of being Kira and of his execution. If he could, he would do it in a heartbeat. There were so many different things Light would change if he had the power to, but there is no undo; he doesn't get a take two. If they find and sentence Kira, everything that has happened will be fixed. Everyone whom Light has saved will continue to live, and Light will always be grateful that he was able to save Naomi and those FBI agents, but at what cost? Those innocent people at Sakura TV, who were only doing their jobs, were massacred because of Kira and his bruised ego. Those deaths will always stain Light's hands; he's as guilty of their murderers as Kira was when he wrote their names in the Death Note.
He knew that out of everyone hunting Kira down, he was the only one who could confront him. Unlike everyone else, Light's immune to the Death Note, Kira can try to kill him over and over, but he won't succeed. Maybe this was a sign that working with the task force wouldn't help, and Light should do this solo. It would keep everyone safe; they'll never truly know who Kira is without Light there to confirm it. He doesn't want to put any more people in harm's way; if Naomi and Raye were safe with him gone, nothing should stop Light from leaving.
What was he thinking? They'd never let him leave, especially now they know that he's a treasure trove of information, and where would he hide? The only way he stayed under the radar for so long was because of Naomi. Light had nowhere to go, nowhere they wouldn't find him. He has no choice; he must work with the task force; he'll only ever be free when the threat of Kira is gone. Light stopped and turned back the way he came; he didn't want to face them yet, not so soon after his blowup, but maybe he could find a way to sneak back in without the others noticing him?
Light's head barely hit his pillow before he was gone. The world faded away from him, floating in the endless darkness before it slowly reformed. His feet touched the soft carpet, the walls from the ground up, brick by brick. Sunshine poured through the open window, and Light saw L hunching over his computer. The sound of his fingers smashing against his keyboard as he typed furiously. He looked mad, not only from his actions but also from his body shaking as Light slowly approached. Deep down, Light knew L couldn't see him; the only person who did was his sister, and that was only when she was at death's doors, but a part of him didn't want to disturb the detective, didn't want to be on the receiving end of his rath.
Peering over L's shoulder, Light looked at his screen. It was open on a news article with the headline: The world's famous detective L fails to catch Kira, our justiful god resurrected. The article seemed to go into detail about L's failure, convicting an innocent for Kira's acts, how all policing agencies now denied ever working with the detective, and how L went above them on the investigation and killed someone without Interpol's permission.
Light felt the anger pouring off L, burning against Light's skin, and who could blame him. Light knew he'd seen Interpol condemning him; they wanted Kira gone that bad they would kill any suspicious person, but the second their actions are perceived by the public and their mistakes aired for all to see, suddenly they use anyone as a scapegoat to save face. Unfortunately for L, that scapegoat was him. It didn't help that L's relationship with agencies was always strained; they didn't like how smart he was, that he could quickly solve cases they'd been stuck on for years and how he refused to show his face behind the computerised voice and L symbol.
"Every policing agency is now bowing down to Kira." Light turned to see Beyond Birthday step into L's room. "They're scared he'll turn on them after he massacred thousands of criminals to make his return."
"Kira will kill anyone he perceives as a threat. Anyone connected to the police, to me, will have the same fate. It's only a matter of time before he starts picking us off one by one," L said. Kira spent a whole year resisting the urge to use the death note; his sanity must've taken a beating, and any morals he did have were long gone.
"So we're trapped waiting for the next phase of Kira's massacre to start?" Beyond said. L finally turned from his computer to look over at his brother.
"Yes and no. We won't let Kira win, and I will fight him until I have my final breath. We don't know Kira's plan, but we can use the information we've gathered to track him down. We will find Kira, I will find Kira. With the policing agencies publically cutting all connections with me, it means that when Kira turns against them, they can't turn to me for help," L said, "and I still have something Kira doesn't."
"Which is?" Beyond said.
"Kira doesn't know my name and face. If he wants to kill me, then he needs to find me; anyone who tries tracking me down will be a suspect. I will track down Kira, one by one, until only he remains."
Light opened his eyes. The future timeline was falling to Kira, and Light feared that this world wasn't far behind. Kira killed everyone working for Sakura TV, showing that he wasn't afraid to use the death note on innocent people. How long would it take before the world feared his retribution and bow down to all his demands? How many more people will die until Kira wins?
The knock at his doors pulled Light from his thoughts. He looked over at it, weighing up the pros and cons of opening it before pushing himself up off the bed and shuffling over. He wasn't in the mood for socialising with anyone after everything that had happened today… or yesterday? What time was it? Quickly glancing over at the digital clock on the bedside table - 3:14am. Who wanted him at three in the morning?
Opening the door, Light came face to face with L, holding a tray with a mug of tea and a sandwich. Light looked at the food, then at L, then back at the food.
"I wasn't confident whether you required food and drink, but I didn't want you to go without anything should you need it," L said. Light stared at him. Resisting the urge to sigh, he stepped aside and motioned for L to enter. They should get this conversation out of the way before he has to face the task force later on.
"Thank you," Light said, taking the tray from L and settling down on the bed. There was a small seating area in his room, but Light decided that if he was going to have this conversation, he might as well be comfortable for it. L watched him before shutting the bedroom door and settling beside Light on the bed. "I know you came here with questions, so let's avoid any idle small talk and ask your questions."
"I don't want to overwhelm you with questions. There are many things you said I don't understand and would like some clarification, but I don't want to…" L started, but Light cut him off.
"Don't pretend to be considerate of what I've been through. You want to know everything, so ask your questions." L stared at him blankly, but Light ignored him as he took a sip of his tea and a bite from his sandwich.
"You said that you are from the future, that all this has happened to you before. What can you tell me about what is to come?" L said.
"In my past timeline, I died on April 30th, so I knew a certain amount of information about the Kira case before the Shinigami King sent me back. However, things played out a little differently than they do now. I wasn't involved in the Kira case; I watched everything unfold on TV, but somehow, I have a link to Kira. What, I'm not sure, but that link led to Kira finding out about the FBI agents being in Japan and killing them all. As you know, Raye was involved in a bus jacking and came into contact with someone connected to Kira. In the first timeline, Raye gave his ID to Teru, then days later, he and the eleven other FBI agents died. I believe that death brought your attention to me originally. You spent the next few months investigating me when the Second Kira happened, and days after that tape aired, I was arrested during the night and brought to the NPA holding cells," Light said. "By morning, my father announced the arrest of a Kira suspect and instantly, all criminals stopped dying. Apparently, that was all the evidence needed because five days later, I died."
"Kira's killing has upset some balance between life and death, and the Shinigami King got involved; he brought me back. Not fully, as he oversees death and not life, but enough that I can pretend to be normal, I guess. He sent me back in time to the Lind L Tailor incident, and I've been investigating it ever since. I knew I could stop Kira from killing the FBI agents by revealing myself to Raye and Naomi; they'd all had the police connection I needed should we track him down and needed help with the arrest," Light said.
"You weren't given the opportunity to defend yourself? You were executed at the small indication that you could've been Kira?" L said. Light nodded. The detective fell silent as he took in what Light had said. It must sound crazy to him, knowing that the mass murderer that you are after has a notebook which can kill is one thing, but then, on top of learning your previous suspect is actually a half-alive person from the future, is another.
"Then I must apologise for my future actions." Light looked at L. That was not what he expected to come out of the detective's mouth. There would be more questions, definitely, and maybe some denial, but an apology? Light believed he'd never receive one of those from L of all people.
"You don't need to apologise," Light said.
"I do. I tracked you down and arrested you in this timeline; that must mean I did the same thing in the future. You were only in custody for five days before your execution, which must mean I was responsible for arranging it. I sentenced you to your death and, in turn, condemned you to reliving the same pain all over again. Giving you an apology is the least I can do. There is nothing that can be said or done which will truly make up for what you've been through," L said. It was Light's turn to fall silent as he stared bewildered at the detective.
"My death wasn't on you," Light said. "I've been having these visions of that timeline; the Shinigami King said that as long as Kira is around, then that timeline will continue to exist, and I will remain connected to it. I've seen moments of my family's lives, of your life, and I now understand what happened to me. You might be responsible for initially pointing suspicion at me, but you weren't the one who killed me. Actually, out of everyone, you tried to save me. As I said, my father announced my arrest, which led to a meeting with Interpol. They wanted to get rid of Kira and didn't care whether you had ample evidence to convict me. They arranged my execution because I was in NPA custody, not yours, and you were basically powerless to stop them."
"For a whole year, Kira stayed quiet, and then, on the anniversary of my execution, he returned. He killed thousands of criminals and declared war on the world. The future has bowed down to Kira. We can't let that happen here," Light said. L fell quiet again. Light finished his tea and sandwich, placing the tray on the bedside table before looking over to L. He stared at his hands and then looked up at Light.
"I became a detective because I understood things others didn't, but I've always known that it was a matter of time before I killed an innocent person myself. It doesn't matter if I was the one to execute you or someone else. I still brought you to the attention of others when I started to investigate you, and that's enough. My investigation led to your death," L said. Light shook his head; after everything he'd seen and been there at that moment, both from L's perspective and his own, Light didn't believe it was entirely L's fault.
"L… I don't think there is a world where I'm not suspected of being Kira. I know that I fit the Kira profile and that there is a link between Kira and me somewhere. I would've been brought into the investigation somehow, whether through Raye or another link we don't know about. I feel like this is a point in my life that I'll never escape from," Light said, "But I do appreciate the apology."
"I have other questions if you are willing to answer them," L said. Light leaned back on the bed, looking up at L, who was staring down at him. Then L, too, lay down beside him.
"Go for it," Light said.
"Your protection of the Second Kira, what does it stem from?" L said. Light turned his head so they were looking at each other.
"Their family was murdered right in front of them; they saw the whole thing happen, the thief, their deaths, everything, and he still got away with it. Until Kira killed him. The thing about the death note is that it has a powerful lure to drive anyone to use it once; the issue was that they knew Kira existed, and now, in their hands, they had the same power as Kira. A mixture of the lure and their gratefulness for Kira killing their parents' murderer made the control the death note had over them stronger. They were determined to meet Kira, thank them, and use that power to bring in the same world Kira strives to build," Light said. "That was until they met me. When someone owns a death note and the Shinigami eyes, you can only see their name, not their lifespan. When I stopped Sakura TV airing their message, I saw them fleeing from the building opposite. In the original timeline, three people died outside Sakura TV, but with my intervention, I stopped that from happening this time around. I cornered them and arranged for them to meet with me the following day; I knew I wanted to stop them, to save them before the death note corrupted what was good about them."
"I met with them, and after a lot of convincing, I was able to talk to them from Kira's side; they gave me their death note and ordered Rem to stay with me to protect me when they left Japan," Light said, being able to save Misa will forever be worth coming back. Knowing that Raye, Naomi and Misa can live (hopefully) normal lives once the Kira case is finished because Light fought to keep them alive.
"You were not scared that they would try to kill you?" L said. Light shook his head.
"No. I can't die to the death note, which makes me the best candidate to confront Kira or anyone connected to it. No matter how hard they try, I'll never die to it," Light said. "I'm not going to tell you who the Second Kira is, so don't bother asking. I don't care if you swear to protect them; they're safer when barely anyone knows who they were, especially with Kira targeting them."
"I wasn't going to ask. I understand why you are protecting them, and I swear I won't go after them," L said. Light shifted onto his side, turning to properly face L.
"Thank you."
Ryuk knew he'd messed up. The massacre at Sakura TV had pushed the balance over, and like the stupid Shinigami he seems to be, he didn't notice until after giving Kira the Shinigami Eyes. What was he thinking? He wasn't thinking! Everything he's been doing has been from an entertainment stance then a Shinigami one. No wonder the old man sent Light back in time. If this version of Kira is anything like the future one, the balance will already break with no sign of stopping. Ryuk knew he couldn't sit back and watch anymore, he had to do something, maybe write Kira's name in his death note and end it once and for all. He should do it; he should kill Kira, and then this world would be free from his torture, but there was something inside him stopping him. He couldn't pull his death note out and write those two words down; it was like something was stopping him.
"Only Light Yagami will stop Kira; you will not help him." Kira's bedroom disappeared, and for the first time in months, Ryuk was face to face with the Shinigami King.
"The balance is dying," Ryuk said.
"And whose fault is that? None of this would've happened if you hadn't dropped the notebook into the human realm. Your boredom destroyed the balance, and only Light Yagami will fix it," The Shinigami King said.
"How can you rely so heavily on a halfling who can't control his powers? I saw what happened to him in Sakura TV, and I know what he will become. Do you really think we can sit back and do nothing as he struggles with everything that's being thrown his way?" Ryuk said.
"You don't have a choice, Ryuk. For as long as Kira is alive, you cannot kill him. You will not tell Light who he is or where he is? Nor will you tell the other Shinigamis that a new halfling exists," the Shinigami King said.
"You can't stop me!" Ryuk said.
"You have always looked down on me, Ryuk. You haven't been a Shingami for millennia yet. You will never comprehend the power I have over you. I wasn't made the Shinigami King for nothing. I will always be stronger than you, then all of you, and should I demand your silence, then I am perfectly capable of getting it. I decree that Light Yagami shall kill Kira; then that is how everything will be!"