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Chapter Text

Title: "Nobody Cares About the Receptionist"

Author: Sashocirrione

Spoilers: MAJOR Spoilers for everything up to episode 7 of the anime, chapter 15 of the manga. Some additional spoilers are contained in the author's notes as well.

Warnings: Rated T for some violence and death, including suicide. There is also a bit of discussion about rape (but no actual rape in this fanfic, not offscreen rape, not implied rape, not any other kind of rape).

Summary: Light thought he could manipulate everyone, but since some people were beneath his notice, a quick-thinking receptionist inadvertently puts the biggest clue of all right into L's hands. Light is unquestionably evil in this.

Pairings: None, except maybe a very, very slight LxNaomi

Additional Notes: All the canon events previous to this have occurred as normal, but from then on, things change. Alternate ending to the series. This occurs the day the investigation team met L in person for the first time; Light doesn't yet know who any investigation team members are other than his father.

Disclaimer: I do not own Death Note, and I do not make any money from these writings.

CHAPTER 1

As Kenta Nakahara politely argued with the woman in front of him, he was fully reminded of why he didn't like working reception. The people who wanted to visit NPA headquarters in person included so many of the belligerent people, the crazies, and those who were puffed up on self-importance, convinced that their minor tip would solve an important case and needed to be attended to immediately. Half the time, the "tip" amounted to nothing more than seeing some "weird guy" hanging around in the subway. And, the Kira case seemed to attract more crazies than usual. Thankfully, most of them were satisfied with calling the hotline.

This woman was even worse than just an overly persistent person who wanted to meet the Kira investigators. Nakahara was pretty sure she was using a false name. There had been the slightest hesitation before she'd said "Shoko Maki," very subtle, but Nakahara had heard so many people try to use aliases that he was practiced in hearing the difference.

Nakahara said, "Ms. Maki, I've now returned from checking the serial murders investigation unit a second time. Nobody is in there."

She said, "No matter what, I need to speak with the investigators."

Nakahara saw the chief's son, Light Yagami, coming in the front entrance holding a bag. Immediately the other receptionist, Naoto Tomonaga, perked up. Nakahara wanted to roll his eyes, but he kept his body language polite and neutral. Half the people in here were fans of the chief's charming son, a guy with good looks, top marks in school and who had already solved several cases in his free time at the young age of seventeen. Light Yagami was the guy everyone wanted to be.

The woman said, "I made an appointment to speak with the investigators. I can't believe nobody is here. They can't all be on a coffee break at the same time, can they?"

Nakahara said, "I can't send you into the interview room when nobody is there."

Why couldn't this woman just call the Kira hotline? Making an appointment in-person was almost the same thing. You sat in a room by yourself, while a voice over an intercom asked you questions and you answered. The only advantage was that the subject's facial expression and body language were recorded on video, which might help evaluate their answers.

The woman said, "Can't you contact them somehow? I have important information relating to the Kira investigation."

Nakahara picked up the phone and said, "Look, I'll call the headquarters one more time."

Then Light reached the counter, placed his bag on it, and said, "I'm Soichiro Yagami's son, Light Yagami. So my father's gone? I'll just give these to you then."

The other receptionist, Tomonaga, had already moved to intercept Light and he looked bubbly and pleased. Tomonaga said, "Oh, Light! I haven't seen you in a while."

Light blinked and said, "I'm sorry, I don't know all the receptionists."

Tomonaga said, "Well, there are a lot of receptionists. I was there last year when you solved the insurance case."

Light said, "Oh, I'm sorry. I'm terrible with faces. So I just sign here for the bag of clothes, right?"

As Light leaned down to sign the form, Tomonaga said, "Do you have any ideas for the Kira case?"

Light put on his most charming smile and said, "Well, if my guesses are right, I might have outsmarted L."

Nakahara gave up on getting an answer and put down the phone.

Nakahara turned to the woman and said, "You can trust us with your tip. Tell us the message, and we'll pass it on to the Kira investigators."

The woman said, "That's not good enough. I have to tell them in person."

Light said, "Um, my father is the head of the investigation. I can pass on your message. His cellphone is turned off right now, so it might take a little while to reach him."

Tomonaga said, "Light, you can't tell outsiders."

Light said, "Ever since the FBI agents died, many Kira investigators quit and there are only a few left. The remaining ones must be taking a break. The public is worried about these deaths, so they have a right to know something."

Tomonaga looked abashed and said, "Yeah, you're right."

Light said, "Besides, I feel like I can trust her. You can almost see it in her eyes. This lady is a wise and careful person. She heard about the deaths, and must have figured out the police had a leak of some kind. And that's why she wants to tell the Kira investigators in person."

The woman gasped and said, "You're right!"

Then the two of them began walking away together as Light said, "My father should call back after getting the message I left him. When he does, I'll give you the phone and let you talk to him."

That idiot kid! Nakahara wanted to strangle Light. Even Tomonaga had some sense about this issue, but Light had shut him up too quickly with his nonsensical justification. Nakahara had known geniuses like Light before, guys who thought they were so smart and then ended up shooting themselves in the foot over simple things. They were usually young and inexperienced; they were people who thought a high IQ and quick deductions were more important than common sense, and they loved to show off.

If Light was this talkative about the Kira case with everyone, leaking the name of the lead investigator and the fact that the investigation had shrunk to a handful of men, hard-working cops could easily die. Light needed to be reprimanded, and soon, but not by a mere receptionist or it wouldn't mean anything.

Nakahara kept his eye on Light and the woman. They talked in the lobby a bit and then wandered outside. Well, if the woman was one of the crackpots attracted by the Kira case, she might be one of the worst people to have secrets leaked to. Who knows? She might have a blog like so many crackpots did nowadays, and then she'd spread critical secrets over the Internet to everyone. This was bad.

Not too long after seeing Light and the woman leave together, Nakahara saw Shuichi Aizawa enter the building. He discreetly left his post at the front desk to follow Aizawa. Technically, nobody was supposed to know the identities of the Kira investigators, but it wasn't difficult to notice the few men who went in and out of the set of rooms reserved as the serial murders investigation headquarters, especially since office gossip had branded those few men who didn't quit as heroes.

As soon as nobody was looking, Nakahara said, "Aizawa, the Kira case has a big leak. The chief's son is telling secrets to everyone and we've got it on tape. Light Yagami just left a few minutes ago with a Kira crackpot who wouldn't even give her real name. He was spilling secrets nonstop."

Aizawa said, "Let's see it," and turned to follow Nakahara to the video equipment room.

After a quick viewing of the video, Aizawa said, "Make copies and put them in the evidence locker for the Kira investigation. Here's the key. I'm going after that woman."

Nakahara took the key pressed into his hand and bowed. As he turned to perform his duty, he felt slightly guilty. Everyone loved the chief and Nakahara knew Soichiro would take it badly to see his son behaving so recklessly. Really, some smart guys just loved to hear themselves talk so much that they couldn't shut up. But, lives were at stake here, and that was more important than keeping everyone in a good mood.

A/N (Author's Note):

I borrowed the names of the receptionists, Kenta Nakahara and Naoto Tomonaga (who are unnamed in the manga volume 2, chapter 12) from Armagnac's fanfic "Turn of the 8th Day" because I didn't feel like making up my own names for them and because I think it's nice to create or adhere to fanon sometimes. I have no idea if these guys have received names in any other fanfics at all.

Shoko Maki is the fake name Naomi gives to Light, so I assume she would use it with the receptionists as well.

I like to start a new chapter when the point of view changes, so the next chapter is in Aizawa's viewpoint. Will Aizawa save the day?

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CHAPTER 2

Aizawa rushed out the front entrance, going in the direction the outdoor surveillance video had shown the woman to be heading. It had been such a short time that it was extremely unlikely she'd made it to the subway entrance that was probably her destination in that direction.

Someone so insistent to talk with the investigators could easily be Kira's spy. Aizawa knew, if he were Kira, that's exactly what he would do: send people with supposed tips on Kira to try to get as close to the investigators as possible. That the woman had left as soon as she found someone willing to blab investigation secrets and then hadn't returned was all the more suspicious.

It was as if she'd reached her goal already: getting secret information on the Kira investigators. Aizawa briefly considered whether the woman might be directly controlled by Kira, paid by Kira, blackmailed by Kira, or acting entirely on her own, but decided it didn't matter. The same actions needed to be taken in any case.

Even if she wasn't Kira's spy, she was probably some nutjob who intended to sell the information to the media or to publicize it on a Kira website. At the very least, she needed to be talked to. At the most, she needed to be taken into custody. Aizawa slowed down when he noticed the woman some distance in front of him. He got out his cellphone and called Chief Yagami. It was still turned off from being at L's secret meeting, so he left a brief message explaining the basic situation and asking to be called back immediately.

As Aizawa put the phone away, he had a funny feeling, a foreboding, so he pulled the phone out again and left the same message on the recording machine at the Kira hotline. Only then did he remember the belt he was wearing. Two pushes on the buckle, and Watari would call his cellphone immediately, but Aizawa felt like taking some action instead of being on the phone a third time, so he slowly increased his pace to catch up with the woman. As he did, his heartbeat speeded up. If this woman was dangerous... but, no, he'd already decided to risk his life to catch Kira, and this could be a tremendous break in the case.

It was then that Aizawa noticed Light. The chief's son was still following the woman, albeit at a discreet distance and from the opposite side of the street. What was he, some kind of sexual predator or something? Hoping to catch the woman alone and rape her? Aizawa sighed. It seemed it was always the nice, clean-cut kids from good, well-to-do families who turned out like that. It was the exact opposite of what people expected, so the sexual predators could get away with it easily. Kira was probably innocent-looking too.

Aizawa tried to decide if he should go over to Light and tell him he was interfering in an investigation and should go home to await a scolding by his father. No, that would waste time and might alert the woman that she was being followed. The most important thing now was not to lose her. Aizawa agreed with Nakahara; Shoko Maki probably was an alias, and with nothing more than her face on video, they might never again locate her if she got away. As Aizawa drew close, the number of people in the vicinity started to slowly increase. The subway entrance was just a few blocks away.

Then Aizawa noticed the woman taking out her cellphone. If she was Kira's spy, this call might confirm it. He increased his pace yet more, just another worker anxious to get to the subway on time. Nothing to see here, nothing to worry about. As he passed her slowly, he heard her side of the conversation. She had already bought plane tickets to America, and was trying to get the date changed from a few weeks in the future to immediately. She was fully willing to pay any extra charges. Fleeing the country? Yes, this woman had to be Kira's spy, to switch so quickly from insisting on seeing the investigators no matter what to leaving Japan entirely.

Aizawa secretly pushed his belt buckle twice and at the same time pretended to receive a call on his cellphone. This way, he could fall behind her once again unsuspiciously. As Aizawa waited, the woman passed, and he also saw Light Yagami beginning to catch up, but still lurking on the opposite side of the street. Light was eyeing him in an odd way. Aizawa tried to ignore it and, a few moments later, his cellphone rang for real.

At hearing Watari's greeting, Aizawa said, "Put L on. I'm following a woman who is Kira's spy and also the chief's son, who is leaking information to her."

Then L's voice said, "You are following Light Yagami and, who else? Are they aware they're being followed?"

Aizawa said, "The woman gave her name as Shoko Maki, but I'm pretty sure that's a lie. Light was caught on video at NPA headquarters leaking investigation secrets to this woman, and after talking with him out of range of the cameras, she suddenly switched from insisting she needed to see the Kira investigators to fleeing the country. Light knows I'm following but I don't think the woman does. They are not walking together at the moment. I'm following the woman and Light is also following her at a distance."

L said, "Are you aware that Light Yagami was one of the people investigated between the fourteenth and nineteenth of December, when we concluded Kira must have noticed surveillance?"

After a flickering glance to make sure Light was still on the opposite side of the street, Aizawa lowered his voice and said, "Are you saying he's Kira?"

"He could be. Or, he might be controlled by Kira, either directly or through other means such as bribes or threats or even friendship."

Aizawa said, "Then, send back-up. We need to arrest both of them immediately."

L said, "I agree we need to arrest the woman, but we have no solid evidence on Light unless the woman dies of a heart attack soon, and we can't be sure that will happen. Please approach the woman and try to prevent her from entering the subway, by talking if possible, and observe what Light does. Try to convince Light to leave the scene if he approaches. I will have people there quickly to arrest the woman, but they will hold back if it seems you've got the situation under control."

"Just arrest them both now. Why wait?"

L said, "By acting too quickly, we could destroy valuable clues. One last thing. Does Light know your real name?"

Aizawa sighed. "I don't know. I've never talked to him in person, but we've both seen each other multiple times. There are so many faces at the NPA, but Light is smart. He might know everyone's names."

"I am grateful you've decided to risk your life for this case. If you decide you're in too much trouble, press your belt buckle twice again and officers will move in with no delay."

Aizawa put his phone back into his pocket with a feeling of foreboding. L was so difficult to trust. He was a freak, and his methods stank. Aizawa considered signaling with his belt buckle immediately. But, in this instance, Aizawa had to reluctantly admit it probably was best to try to get a few more clues before the arrests. Even if Light were Kira, how could you prove it just by arresting him and questioning him? Kira left no physical evidence; he killed from a distance with some kind of psychic power. How could you prove anything about that? And, if Light were just a friend of Kira or Kira's pawn, he'd die as soon as Kira realized he'd been arrested.

Aizawa got out his fake badge L had just given him, and ran up to the woman, holding out his badge, saying, "Ms. Maki, I'm from the NPA. We are ready to take your interview at headquarters."

The woman turned, an incredibly blank look in her eyes. Everything about her facial expression and body language was entirely different than it had been in the video. Either she had been acting, or, mission accomplished, she was now being controlled to return to Kira with the secrets she'd learned.

In a monotone, the woman said, "There's something I need to do."

Then she turned and was trying to leave once more.

Aizawa grabbed her arm and said, "I really must insist. It's a rule of the investigation that anyone who tries to contact us with a tip must give a full statement."

The woman replied, "There's nothing to say. I don't want to bother anyone."

"You wouldn't be bothering anyone by giving the interview. You'd be bothering us by not giving the interview."

With that, the woman agreed and let Aizawa pull her along the sidewalk back in the direction of NPA headquarters. Aizawa was surprised at the sudden change. Was this a trap somehow? Perhaps the woman had already informed Kira of all the secrets she'd learned, and her agreement to return was because she was hoping to assassinate the investigators.

At that moment, Aizawa saw Light Yagami crossing the street, and he tried to decide whether he should push his belt buckle right then, or not.

A/N (Author's Note):

Ai Aihara is the alias L assigned to Aizawa at the meeting Aizawa just left. It is the meeting where Aizawa received a fake police badge with that name. It is not yet at the point in the story where Light becomes a main suspect.

Light's description of Naomi's suicide specified a death two days later, in a place "only she knew" and with steps taken to make sure the body would never be found. I assumed that since Naomi was from the United States she would know a place there where the body would be unlikely to be found, and two days is plenty of time to go from Japan to the United States.

Also, what Light wrote on his death note paper to keep Naomi from telling others what had happened was that Naomi was "not to bother anyone" and this is why Aizawa's statement made her more cooperative.

Chapter Text

CHAPTER 3

Aizawa kept his grip on the woman's hand and debated what to do as Light approached. Could this kid really be Kira? Aizawa wanted to summon help immediately, but if Light weren't Kira, there was little danger in the situation and it was an excellent chance to gather clues. Conversely, if Light were Kira, Light shouldn't be able to do anything unless he remembered Aizawa's name, and if he did remember it, calling in help now would probably only cause a faster death.

Reluctantly, Aizawa kept his hand away from his special belt buckle. He'd have to deal with this himself. Light came close, checking his watch and getting out a folded piece of paper and a pen.

Aizawa held up his fake badge and said, "I'm Ai Aihara. Light, I think you should go home. You've done enough."

The woman pulled in the direction of the NPA headquarters building and, in an eerie monotone, she said, "I don't want to bother anyone. Let's get the interview done quickly."

There was something incredibly heart-breaking about her voice. It shook Aizawa, and he wondered if she were being blackmailed. Had Kira threatened to kill her entire family?

But then, Light was writing something down on the folded scrap of paper. Odd that he didn't at least have a pad of paper to use for writing down his notes. This must be a rather improvised "investigation" Light was conducting. Maybe he wasn't Kira after all, but just a hotshot kid running high on his own ego.

Aizawa said, "It's time to stop playing investigator, kid. You're risking other people's lives. You can't talk to just anyone about what your father does."

A dangerous-looking emotion flashed across Light's face and was erased very suddenly. It gave Aizawa the creeps.

Light said, "Anyone who wants to can investigate Kira. There's no law against that. What would you say if I beat L and caught Kira first? Wouldn't that be a great service to society?"

Light checked his watch again. What was he, an obsessive-compulsive too? Aizawa was liking the kid less and less. Light probably had nothing to do with Kira, but he was going to be a lot of trouble. Aizawa could just feel it.

Aizawa said, "This isn't an insurance scandal or money laundering. You're way out of your league. Kira is a mass-murdering psychopath and the slightest slip-up will cause the entire investigation team to be slaughtered, including your own father. Is that what you want?"

Light's face went very ugly for just a fraction of a second. It was so brief Aizawa almost didn't catch it. Then Light checked his watch again, his face cool and impassive.

Aizawa said, "Light, why don't you go home? Your father will arrive after a time and have a talk with you about leaking secrets."

Then, in a very quiet monotone, the woman said, "Light is Kira."

All at once, the hairs on the back of Aizawa's neck prickled and he was reaching for his gun instinctively. Light jumped back a few steps and said, "I've been following this woman because she's an obvious risk to the Kira investigation. She's completely insane and her behavior is quite erratic. I want to help my father."

Aizawa's hand closed over his gun, and he felt comforted by its firm weight. Light's story was plausible. This woman acted exactly like she must be Kira's spy, so why should she out the real Kira? Someone like that would only point fingers at a fake Kira.

Light smiled, all charm and innocence, and said, "I assume the investigation team will want a statement from me as well? That would be more efficient than just going home and waiting."

Aizawa agreed, though he insisted on herding both Light and the woman in front of him. He wanted to watch them, so they wouldn't try anything. Light's story made a lot of sense, but there was something very wrong with the entire situation. Aizawa could feel it. There was a terrible, lurking danger. Which one of them was the danger? Or, perhaps it was both?

Light was taking notes again, always being the investigator. Aizawa resolved that when they reached the interview room, the first thing he would do would be to take away Light's notes. And it was still the same folded piece of paper. Light must be writing on it very tiny to be able to fit things on it.

Aizawa felt things were reasonably under control, as good as they could be under the circumstances, so he didn't press his belt buckle. If an arresting force rushed in now, they might not get as good of answers when they interrogated Light and the woman.

Then, just as they were climbing the steps that led to the entrance of the NPA building, Aizawa saw Light checking his watch one more time.

Suddenly Aizawa realized that they were walking into a trap. Kira could control people's actions and their times of death. If Light were so concerned with the time, he either was Kira or had somehow sent a message to Kira to do something. And, Light knew the names and faces of many people inside the building they were about to enter. Anything could happen in there. Aizawa quickly pressed his belt buckle twice, cold sweat drenching his body.

Immediately, a black van pulled up and four men with face-obscuring helmets jumped out, holding guns, heading in the direction of Light and the woman.

A/N (Author's Note):

Well, a short chapter, but I usually make a new chapter whenever I change viewpoints and that's about to happen here.

Aizawa got smart, but did he get smart fast enough?

Chapter Text

CHAPTER 4

Sachiko was on her hands and knees, scrubbing the inside of the oven. It was only half-done, but she suddenly felt an urge to check on Light's room. She glanced in the oven. It wouldn't take that long to finish it. Just a little while. But, something was really gnawing at her about Light's room. Was it mother's intuition? It had been a couple of months since he'd asked her to stop cleaning it and to no longer go in there, and he'd started leaving his door closed all the time. Maybe it was a terrible mess, or maybe he'd started doing something bad in there. Would his shelves be full of pornography instead of books?

Sachiko felt naughty, but the curiosity was just too much. She took off her rubber gloves, dropping them onto the floor next to the open oven. Light might return soon, and if she was going to do this, it needed to be fast. Sachiko had a stab of guilt as she opened the door and saw a pristine room. Everything looked the way she'd always left it. She couldn't help but walk into Light's room in admiration. If anything, it was cleaner than when she had been in charge of it.

She stopped next to his desk, sat down in his chair and just took in the lovely sight. What a good boy! As her eyes swept over the room, her hands idly played with some pens in a container on his desk. Before she knew it, she'd taken one apart and had the plastic ink-case in her hand. She thrummed it idly on the desktop.

Just then, she became very curious about exactly how clean Light's room was. Had he gotten the dust out of every nook and cranny? Did he have wads of old gum on the underside of his desk? Sachiko knelt down, pulling open a desk drawer and looking at the underside. It was so clean it looked completely new. But, then, her eyes were drawn to a tiny little hole, something that looked like it had been drilled. Was there a missing screw?

Sachiko looked inside that drawer, but didn't see a hole in the bottom of it on the inside. Odd. There was a hole on one side, but not on the other. She looked underneath again, and then became aware of the plastic ink-case she still held. It looked like it would fit exactly in that hole. She should push it in. Maybe a loose screw would suddenly fall down from wherever it had lodged?

Sachiko inserted the plastic ink-case, and then there was a grating sound and suddenly it felt like the whole drawer had shifted in some strange way. Maybe she'd broken it? Sachiko quickly looked inside the drawer again, and saw that the bottom had come loose. She pulled at it, and it entirely came away, revealing a secret compartment with a notebook in it. The black notebook had something on the cover, written in English, she thought. It had been so long since her classes, she wasn't sure what it said. Something about a notebook?

She opened the front cover to find more incomprehensible English written inside the front cover, and then lists of names on the pages, or at least she knew the ones written in Japanese were names and assumed the others were too, though there were many different languages in there. Light was keeping records of some kind? Maybe it related to his amateur attempt to follow the Kira investigation.

Sachiko closed the notebook, and suddenly she had an awful feeling about it. Her son had been keeping this a secret, so it had to be bad. She didn't want her son to have secrets, to hide things. Sachiko resolved to destroy all evidence that showed Light had been hiding something in his room. If there was something imperfect about Light, it needed to be expunged. Sachiko left and quickly returned with two bags.

Into one bag, she put the false bottom and she pulled away all the wires and the bag of... gasoline?... that Light had put in the bottom of the drawer and placed them into that bag too. Now the drawer was normal again except for that tiny hole. She already knew she would throw away this bag far from home. Nobody would ever know about it.

As to the notebook, she placed it in the other bag. Then she went downstairs and left. She already had a plan in her mind. She would take the subway to a park where Light used to play as a little kid. There, she would bury the notebook. She would never speak of it to Light or anyone else. The notebook would simply disappear. Light wasn't allowed to have secrets, and this way he would learn his lesson. If he was going to do things, it must always be in the open. Devious hiding places were not allowed, and anything placed in them would quietly disappear, denied forever, erased and never spoken of.

A/N (Author's Note):

Well, another short chapter, showing Light's mother's viewpoint. I think you can guess what happened. Yes, Light is super evil in this fic.

Light is a pretty crazy bastard, even early in the series he says to Ryuk that he's already thinking about the possibility of killing off his entire family. I think Light has little respect for his mother, he thinks of her as a thing to be used rather than a person, and he has less love for her than for any other family member.

Plus, he knew she was home at the time and it's not like he could easily send a school chum to successfully get into his room and steal something when his mother's home and he isn't. Why didn't Light just go home like Aizawa told him to, and and move his death note's hiding place himself? I guess you'll need to wait until the next chapter to find that out.

Chapter Text

CHAPTER 5

Light had been gloating, sure he'd removed the last obstacle to keeping the Raye Penber incident secret.

He'd even said, "I'm Kira," to Naomi Misora after writing her death, and then claimed she could now talk to his father, and she'd merely replied, "There is nothing to say."

Yes, he'd written that she'd commit suicide without bothering anyone, and now, even knowing he was Kira, she wasn't going to say a word to anyone. She would just disappear and kill herself. It was so perfect, it was so unbelievably beautiful, that Light couldn't help following her at a distance from the opposite side of the street. He wouldn't see her kill herself, of course. She'd hide herself well first, and that was two days in the future, anyway. It wasn't like he could possibly follow her for that long.

But, she was his prey, his perfect victim, and he couldn't let the moment end quite yet. He loved watching her swaying walk in the distance, and thinking about how he had conquered her completely, controlled her destiny, and he'd done it without sacrificing half his lifespan for the shinigami eyes. He hadn't cheated or taken the easy way out. He'd outsmarted, flattered, used his charm and thought on his feet like a genius. Sure, he'd been lucky too, but it wasn't all luck. He'd really needed to put forth everything he had to pull off this feat. It wasn't easy.

But, he hadn't been too deep in thought to notice a man rushing toward Naomi from the direction of the NPA building, and then falling into step at the exact distance behind that would be perfect for following. Light was sure he recognized the man. What was his name? He remembered other NPA officers calling this guy "Afro" because of his hairstyle, but no other name came to mind.

More importantly, what would an NPA officer be doing following Naomi? The only answer that occurred to Light was that the surveillance video of them talking must have already been viewed, and it must have seemed suspicious in some way. Was it just because he'd leaked a couple of minor investigation secrets? Then why follow Naomi instead of approaching her directly?

Suddenly another possibility occurred to Light. He realized he should have controlled Naomi to talk with the investigators with a bunch of random lies to make her sound like a crackpot. Being so insistent and then abruptly leaving once a couple of secrets had been leaked to her must have made her seem like Kira's spy.

In any case, the investigators couldn't be allowed to talk to her. Light hadn't made it impossible for Naomi to speak at all, and there might be some way to get around his restrictions and trick her into saying incriminating things. Light resolved to watch the situation closely. If Naomi wouldn't go with "Afro" and the guy didn't forcibly arrest her, then the situation was still dangerous but not too bad.

Light knew he would need to find a way to destroy the surveillance video and kill everyone who knew about this, but as long as he did it intelligently and precisely, his plan would most likely be back on track. He had originally counted on the idea that the surveillance video would be considered of no consequence and taped over in a few weeks, but that was obviously no longer the case.

But, the other situation, if "Afro" could get Naomi to return with him, that would call for much more drastic action. Light hoped it wouldn't come to that but, in case it did, he started assembling several different plans in his mind, poking and prodding at each one for possible holes or weaknesses. If Naomi were able to tell her story, Light Yagami was done for. It would be completely obvious who Kira was. He would be arrested, and even if they didn't find his death note or inadvertently destroy it, the fact of Kira's judgments stopping once he was arrested, along with Naomi's story, would reveal his identity.

Then, Afro lingered near Naomi while she made a phone call, and shortly after that he took out his own phone. Even Ryuk had noticed by now. Ryuk said, "Light, are you sure you don't need the eye trade?"

Light replied, "Shut up, Ryuk."

Light could just barely catch a few words from the guy's phone conversation, but he was pretty sure he heard "L" and "Kira" and "arrest" along with his own name several times. This was incredibly bad, much worse that he'd thought, if suspicions were already so far along. Light tried to decide what to do. What was this guy's name? If only he knew it, he might, just might, be able to separate Naomi from him and send her on her way, and then mitigate the damage at headquarters. But, as Light thought it over, he had to admit that even that much was perhaps too much to hope for.

Getting that video destroyed and killing everyone who knew about it might be impossible now, if investigators were passing information back to L, and even if it could be done, it would only prove Kira's identity. Damn! The more Light thought about it, the more he felt there was probably no solution except one: Kira would need to come out into the open. But, before committing to that plan, he needed to at least evaluate the situation a bit. Light kept watch and, moments later, saw "Afro" hold out a badge and talk to Naomi briefly, and then she was coming with him in the direction of the NPA building.

Light crossed the street, neatly intercepting them. The look on the guy's face was scared, and that was enough to confirm to Light that, yes, he was a serious Kira suspect even though Naomi hadn't been interviewed yet.

The guy held up his badge and said, "I'm Ai Aihara. Light, I think you should go home. You've done enough."

Ryuk laughed.

Naomi tried to pull Aihara along and said, "I don't want to bother anyone. Let's get the interview done quickly."

So, that's what it was! Light had written that Naomi wasn't to bother anyone with her theories, but if this Aihara guy had convinced her she'd be a bother if she didn't do the interview, then he'd inadvertently found a loophole in the instructions. Light suspected that "Ai Aihara" was an alias, because Ryuk had laughed at the name and also because, if this guy worked for L, L should have been smart enough to tell his underlings to use fake names.

Still, Light wrote down a hiding away suicide death just like Naomi's for "Aihara" and waited to see what would happen.

Aihara said, "It's time to stop playing investigator, kid. You're risking other people's lives. You can't talk to just anyone about what your father does."

Light was angry with Aihara for treating him like a kid, and not like the intelligent adult he really was. Well, Aihara would likely die one way or another. If Kira came out into the open, there would be a massive offensive against everyone who had sinned against the god of the new world. People like him would be rounded up and killed. It really was better this way, to take over by force. Someone with Kira's power could bend entire governments to do his will. Nobody would dare to oppose him.

Light said, "Anyone who wants to can investigate Kira. There's no law against that. What would you say if I beat L and caught Kira first? Wouldn't that be a great service to society?"

Light checked his watch again. No, Aihara must be an alias. He should have suicidal despondence written all over his face by now, just like Naomi did, and he shouldn't be interested in doing his job at all.

The guy said, "This isn't an insurance scandal or money laundering. You're way out of your league. Kira is a mass-murdering psychopath and the slightest slip-up will cause the entire investigation team to be slaughtered, including your own father. Is that what you want?"

Psychopath! Light felt a blaze of anger inside him, just as when L had called him "evil" right after he'd killed Lind L. Tailor. Nobody had a right to treat their god this way! Light resolved that this guy would be hunted down and then would receive an exceptionally painful death as soon as the Japanese government was completely under his control. To hide his facial expression, Light checked his watch one more time, noting the time carefully, other pieces of his plan falling into place. He knew just how long it should take to walk back to headquarters.

The guy said, "Light, why don't you go home? Your father will arrive after a time and have a talk with you about leaking secrets."

Right then, Naomi said, "Light is Kira."

The guy was reaching for his gun! This was bad! Before he could stop himself, Light took a few steps back from fear. Then he said, "I've been following this woman because she's an obvious risk to the Kira investigation. She's completely insane and her behavior is quite erratic. I want to help my father."

The guy had his hand on his gun, but he wasn't drawing it. Light could see the guy's facial expression, conflicted at first, but then accepting the logic of the story. Of course an amateur Kira investigator would be concerned about a woman like this, who was so determined to discover secrets about the investigation team and had such erratic behavior. Light was obviously just a son fearful for his father's safety. It all made perfect sense.

Light knew he needed this guy to stay calm and not to call in back-up for just a few minutes, and then his plan would be in place. Light put on his most sincere, charming face and said, "I assume the investigation team will want a statement from me as well? That would be more efficient than just going home and waiting."

Yes! The guy was accepting it! Light was perfectly fine with walking ahead as the guy had asked both Light and Naomi to do. Let him think Light was being watched and couldn't do anything. He hadn't noticed the trick with the death note page before, so he wouldn't do anything now.

Light started writing, implementing his plan. He couldn't simply go home, grab his death note and run, because he was going to become the prime suspect very, very soon even if he wasn't already. The investigators would expect he might go home, and they'd have a force there quickly. Perhaps they were mobilizing already. What he needed was for someone to move his death note to a secret hiding place he would specify. Then, there would be no need to gamble on racing the investigators home. Light knew of only one person capable of doing that for him.

He wrote:

Sachiko Yagami Heart Failure

Goes to the upstairs bedroom on the east side of her house. Sits down at the desk in that room. Gets the plastic ink case out from inside the black pen. Pushes the ink case into the tiny hole in the bottom of the upper right drawer, pushing up the false bottom without triggering the trap. Takes out the false bottom and discovers the notebook inside. Takes two bags, putting the notebook in one and everything else that can be removed from the drawer in the other, determined to erase all evidence that anything was there. Throws away the bag without the notebook far from home. Takes the bag with the notebook to Bochi Park and buries it five paces past the east side of the largest tree in the wooded area behind the sandboxes. Never tells anyone about any of this. Never tells anyone about any monsters she might see or acknowledges them in any way. Dies 23 days after this is written.

Light had to write incredibly tiny to get all that and to leave room for the other things he needed to write. Now, he needed a big distraction that should produce enough chaos that he'd be able to get away cleanly. They'd be on his track right away, but he'd be a few steps ahead of them, and that's all it would take. He'd go into the NPA building all docile and cooperative, and then in the hell that would follow, he'd slip away, running to a place they'd never predict he would go, and then he'd go into hiding and take over all the governments of the world, starting with Japan. Nobody would ever stop Kira.

Light wrote name after name with precise instructions in tiny writing, making sure all aspects of his plan were in place, even with a few back-up people in case some weren't in the right places to act fast enough. As they ascended the steps to enter the NPA building, Light checked his watch. Yes, he'd timed it exactly. In thirty seconds, it would begin to happen.

That's when he noticed gunmen with face-obscuring helmets spilling out of a black van that hadn't been there a second ago and running his direction.

A/N (Author's Note):

I realized that, time-wise, I haven't gotten any further than the previous chapter, but I felt that the narrative wouldn't be complete unless this portion was shown a second time, but from Light's viewpoint.

Will Kira take over the world? Or did Aizawa's quick thinking save the day?

Chapter Text

CHAPTER 6

Aizawa saw that Light immediately noticed the four men with face-obscuring helmets running toward him and the woman, and in response Light sprinted the last few steps to the NPA building and inside. Aizawa had his gun out and was after Light in a flash. He wanted to shoot, but he hesitated because he still didn't know. If Light was simply being controlled by Kira, he was just an innocent kid. In that moment of hesitation, Light managed to get far inside the lobby, but he wasn't behind any cover yet.

Aizawa burst through the front doors, pointed his gun at Light and said, "Stop right there, Kira, or I'll shoot!"

There were gasps from the receptionists and from the few NPA officers who were also in the lobby. Aizawa didn't have time to explain the complexities of the situation, and this way at least those present would be on guard.

Light said, "There's been some kind of mistake."

Light stopped, raising his hands above his head, looking slightly smug. Aizawa advanced on Light slowly, trying to simultaneously keep an eye on the woman who had entered the building right behind Aizawa and was unconcernedly walking forward, toward the reception counter.

Light was still clutching that stupid piece of paper, folded up and mostly hidden in one palm. Aizawa's eyes were drawn to it for some reason. It seemed suspicious. A smart kid like that should have more than one sheet of paper with him to take notes, or none at all. Just one was odd. And, though Aizawa couldn't read the writing at this distance, it was incredibly tiny. How much was there to write about what had just happened? Was it evidence of some kind?

Just then, the four helmeted gunmen from the black van entered the lobby behind Aizawa, and at the same moment every NPA officer present except the two receptionists began shooting. Aizawa hit the floor, creeping forward slowly, but Light was running into a back hallway and the woman was walking nonchalantly through the hail of bullets, that eerie blank look on her face.

Aizawa shouted, "Get down! Are you suicidal!"

But then, he realized that all the NPA officers present were actually shooting at the walls, and they moved their aims away from the woman as she walked. Could Kira not force his controlled victims to kill others? Aizawa jumped up and ran in the direction Light had disappeared, bullets hitting near him but never on him. There were computers back there with names and faces on them, including his own, and if Light accessed those computers...

Aizawa saw Nakahara the receptionist come out from behind the front counter and follow after him, but the four gunmen from the van were still apparently bogged down in the fake gunfight in the front lobby.

Aizawa realized what he should have done, and belatedly yelled, "Kira can't force them to shoot you!"

He hoped they could still hear him in the lobby. As Nakahara ran beside him, Aizawa saw what looked like Light's foot just disappearing around a bend up ahead. He shot at it, but it was already gone.

Aizawa panted, "Go back and shut down the computer system. If Kira gets our names, we're all dead. L's men are the ones in dark helmets."

Nakahara ran back, but Aizawa could tell Light wasn't running for the computers just yet. He was running for basement... for the equipment lockers? To get what, a bulletproof vest? Light couldn't hole up here forever. For that matter, why hadn't he just gone home?

Gunshots and other noises could be heard in every direction, most of them sounding as if they were at least several rooms away. Aizawa could barely hear Light's footsteps ahead of him. Light was always around a corner, he was fast, and Aizawa couldn't shoot him. Just then, Aizawa saw another NPA officer step around a corner in front of him with a teargas gun, shooting it so the canister skittered along the hallway, leaking its smoky contents along the way. Aizawa ducked into a side room, an empty office with glass walls, and then he saw teargas filling up the hallway back in the direction he had come from as well.

Just then, the alarm went off, and a voice over the intercom said, "Kira is in the building. Please cover your faces completely and evacuate."

The intercom voice always sounded kind of unidentifiable, but this time Aizawa thought he could detect a hint of Light's voice, and the kid was now in an area where he could possibly have broadcast that message himself. Teargas and evacuating the building... suddenly, Aizawa had a picture in his mind of many NPA officers fleeing the building in every direction, some with gas masks, others with their faces covered with makeshift barriers such as jackets, and Light hidden among them. Aizawa pushed his belt buckle twice, cursing L for not having simply given him a phone number to call. L was so irritating.

Seconds later his cellphone rang. It was already in his hands, at his ear, and he said, "Light is using an announcement and teargas to get everyone to cover their faces and get out. I think he's trying to escape the building unseen. He has a piece of paper with him that I think is evidence. And, I'm pretty sure I saw proof that Kira can't force his controlled victims to shoot others."

L's voice said, "Understood," and then Aizawa could hear L giving out orders in the background, so he hung up. What was the best course of action now? L would probably seal the building quickly, trying to prevent anyone from leaving, but did L really have enough personnel to do that? And, what if Light created more dangerous distractions in the meantime? Aizawa suddenly realized that he had decided Light was Kira. If Light were merely Kira's pawn, Kira wouldn't worry about whether Light escaped or not, he'd simply kill Light. For all this effort to be put forth for Light's escape - Light pretty much had to be Kira.

Aizawa rushed out the back door of the office into another hallway that was free of tear gas, and tried to figure out what to do. He knew the room Light must have used for the announcement. There were three places Light could exit the building, and the front entrance was probably out because the opposition had already arrived there. That left the side entrance and the parking garage entrance.

Would Light want to leave on foot or in a vehicle? A vehicle would get him further, faster, but it would be more conspicuous and might lead to a car chase, which would probably get him caught. Aizawa imagined that most officers exiting the building would do so on foot, so it would be easier to leave the building that way, although getting very far from it might be a different matter. But then, if Light expected to be shot at, he'd want to leave in an armored vehicle. A bulletproof vest by itself wouldn't be good enough if everyone was gunning for him.

No, there was a better way to do this than intercepting Light on his way out. Aizawa ran for the room where he could send out messages over the intercom. He just needed to tell everyone to unmask. He encountered a number of officers fleeing in the opposite direction, all with faces covered. He had to act quickly. Aizawa burst into the room, and flicked on the switches for both the internal intercom system and the speakers at the entrances.

Into the microphone, Aizawa said, "Light Yagami is Kira. He sent out the previous message and is using it to try to escape in the confusion with his face covered. Everyone, uncover your faces and if anyone you see refuses to uncover their face, shoot in the legs to disable. Otherwise Kira will escape and kill us all."

Aizawa remembered that L's men were wearing those helmets, but he couldn't make a special exception for them or Light would likely escape wearing a helmet. He tried to think of Light's next move. Either he was already at one of the entrances, being arrested right this moment, or he was trapped within the building, trying to think of a new plan. What could someone with Kira's power do? Aizawa knew what he would do in this situation. Get more names and faces for a new plan. Had Nakahara truly shut down the computer system? In any case, Light might be able to turn it back on, especially if nobody was in there.

Aizawa rushed in that direction. He passed a few fleeing officers, but these all had their faces uncovered. In the middle of a major hallway, Aizawa suddenly ran into that woman again. She was wandering around unsupervised. She snagged his arm and said, "Let's do the interview. I need to go quickly."

What was wrong with her? An interview at a time like this? If she were on Kira's side she really should have been doing something to help Light, so why turn him in as Kira? Was she a controlled victim fighting against the control? Just then, Aizawa noticed that one of the elevators was pretty far up and continuing to ascend. The indicator lights were going right up to the top floor. Who would be going up when the plan was to evacuate? Light? Did Light think he could somehow get off the roof?

Aizawa pushed his belt buckle twice and said to the woman, "A moment please."

He flipped open his phone and held it to his ear, pushing the button to answer as soon as it rang, saying, "I think Light is heading for the roof."

L's voice said, "Is there any escape from there?"

"There are three helicopters, but I'm sure he can't fly them. He could be loaded with weapons and hoping to snipe from the roof. L, should I pursue him or just guard the elevators so he doesn't come down that way?"

The woman said, "L," in an amazed tone, and in the next moment she'd snatched the phone from Aizawa's grasp and was saying into it, "I'll interview now. I am Naomi Misora, Raye Penber's fiancée, he was on a bus hijacking with Kira where he was forced to show his identification. Kira can kill in ways other than a heart attack, and Light Yagami told me he is Kira. I really must go. Is my interview over now?"

Aizawa snatched back the phone and said into it, "I'm sorry. It's the same woman."

L said, "Don't let her get away. Guard the elevators and let me interview her. If anyone comes down on the elevators, tell me."

Aizawa handed the phone back to the woman. Naomi? Was that her real name or another fake one? He couldn't believe L's priorities. Light was almost certainly Kira, and was within reach, but L wanted to conduct an interview! Aizawa kept his eyes on the lights that showed which floor each of the elevators was on, but he was also listening to Naomi's quiet, sad voice relate her story of encountering Light, speaking quickly as if she wanted to get it over with but obviously being prompted by L into quite a bit of detail. Aizawa couldn't help but have a creeping spooky feeling come over him as he noticed how much Light checked his watch and took notes with Naomi as well.

Then Naomi held out the phone and said, "L wishes to finish my interview in a little while. You need to talk to him now."

Aizawa grabbed the phone and said, "What are you doing wasting time like this?"

L said, "He is trapped on the roof. He tried to fly away and our snipers injured him, so he flew back."

"He can fly a helicopter?"

"No, his body flies directly. Now, I need to hear exactly what he did."

Aizawa gave his own account of every event that had happened since he'd first seen Light, speaking as quickly as he could but trying to make sure he left nothing out.

When Aizawa finished, L said, "He uses that paper to kill. I expect that not just any paper would work or he'd have more paper on his person at all times. Since he does not seem to know your name, I would like you to approach him as part of a trick."

Aizawa had a sick feeling about this, but he wanted to help, to solve the case and catch the bad guy, so he said, "I'll do it. Tell me the plan."

L said, "We will use loudspeakers to tell him we are sending our unarmed negotiator with medical supplies to hear his demands. You will prove to him that you are unarmed even at first glance by showing up in your underwear. You will bring a first aid kit and attend to his wound if he asks you to. Bring this phone. I expect he will attempt to make demands, taking important hostages he knows the name and face of such as world leaders. When he is distracted, tackle him and get the paper away from him, or if you don't know where the paper is, simply pin his hands so he can't get it. I've tapped into the video feed at the roof entrance. If you tackle him within view of that, we'll see and send officers to help you subdue him immediately. Otherwise, scream loudly and we'll send officers."

"What is the point of that? We could overwhelm him now!"

"If we don't catch him unawares, he might kill another person or two while we're in the course of subduing him. Also, if he does verbally threaten hostages, it would be good evidence he's Kira, which we may need in court since we could run into a snag trying to convict him if he claims to be a controlled victim."

Aizawa said, "Yes. I'll do it."

L replied, "Good. In less than a minute I'll have someone there to take Naomi."

A/N (Author's Note):

Well, despite the anger and less-than-ideal cooperation involved, Aizawa and Naomi have helped L to deduce Kira's weakness and now there's a plan. Once again, Aizawa must save the day. In his underwear, no less. Will he be able to catch Kira?

Chapter Text

CHAPTER 7

Light noticed the gunmen from the van running toward him and Naomi soon enough to sprint the last few steps into the building and inside. He could hear Aihara or whatever-his-name-was hesitate and then rush after him. Light was pissed. Where had these other guys suddenly come from? He had been hoping to dispose of the Aihara guy in the confusion and be away before anyone was sure what was happening. Well, it would be harder to deal with additional people and L apparently being closer behind that he'd initially thought, but the plan would still work.

Light was immensely glad he'd made the judgment call to have his mother move the death note. He'd been right. L had been far too close for a run home to be anything other than a tremendous risk. Now, there was only getting away from here, picking up the death note, and going into permanent hiding from which to take over the world. Governments would not like to be forcibly taken over, and Kira's location would always need to remain secret, or Kira would simply be assassinated. Fortunately, Kira's power worked from a distance.

Before Light could get entirely through the lobby, the Aihara guy said, "Stop right there, Kira, or I'll shoot!"

Ryuk chuckled and said, "I wonder if they've caught you. It would be a shame for our game to end so soon."

Light said, "There's been some kind of mistake."

Light slowly turned, hands in the air. He could see some of his controlled victims already in place, and he was counting down the seconds in his head. The Aihara guy couldn't be sure he was Kira, or he probably would have already shot. After all, Kira could kill in some unknown way, possibly while his hands were in the air or while he was being restrained, so a docile-acting Kira was no guarantee of safety. The guy's words were a message, a warning, to the other people present.

Then the four gunmen from the van burst through the front doors, but at the same time the chaos erupted with the controlled victims shooting at the walls. Just like the hijacker in the bus incident, people would take them as serious threats even though they couldn't hurt anyone. Light saw his enemies hit the floor, and chose that moment to run for it. Just slightly around a corner and then nobody could shoot him.

Ryuk said, "So, hey, what's the plan?"

Light didn't bother to answer. He had no breath to spare and he didn't want to chance a surveillance camera picking up his plan anyway. But, Light could now hear the clatter of shoes behind him. He stayed off the main hallways, deliberately taking a twisted path so that they shouldn't get a clear shot, but still, whoever it was did shoot and just miss his foot. Light could hear a voice saying something about shutting down the computer system. It sounded like the Aihara guy's voice.

Well, the computers were not the goal. Light put all his effort into sprinting ahead. If only these hallways were carpeted instead of tiled, he probably could lose the guy easily. It was probably the sound of his shoes giving away which direction he was going. After running past a controlled victim with a teargas launcher, Light stopped just around a corner, shed his shoes, and continued silently running with his shoes in his hands. A few more twists and turns, and he was there. The office where the intercoms could be operated. Three workers looked up from their desks as Light entered.

The worker closest said, "Light Yagami! What are you doing back here?"

Light began writing on his piece of death note. Each of the workers had a nameplate sitting on their desk, and Light wrote down for each of them to leave without asking questions and then start causing trouble at one of the entrances, one worker to each entrance.

Waiting for the forty seconds to kick in, Light said, "There's a gunfight in the front lobby. I ran here because I didn't know what else to do."

One worker moved to speak through the intercom, but then suddenly stopped before saying anything and left. Another worker said, "Hey! What are you doing?" and then left himself. The third worker opened his mouth to say something, but then suddenly ran out.

Light moved to the central controls for the intercom system and said over it, ""Kira is in the building. Please cover your faces completely and evacuate."

Ryuk said, "You just gave yourself away! What are you doing?"

Light began rummaging through the storage locker of supplies, quickly producing a paper bag that fit over his head and poking some eyeholes in it. He said, "No, Ryuk, I'll easily disappear in the panic. Nothing is better than a panic where everyone's face is covered."

Then Light left the office, joining the stream of officers fleeing down the hallways toward the exits. It was fortunate he usually wore suits, just like NPA detectives generally did at work. He was indistinguishable from the crowd. There were only three ways out of the building. Light knew there were a lot of people around for New Year's. He just needed to get far enough from the NPA building that he could remove his paper bag and mingle with the flow of pedestrians, slipping away to the subway and then getting his death note. And, considering the chaos that was about to erupt at the entrances, there should be officers fleeing in every direction, not just clustered around a short distance outside.

Then, Light heard the intercom say, "Light Yagami is Kira. He sent out the previous message and is using it to try to escape in the confusion with his face covered. Everyone, uncover your faces and if anyone you see refuses to uncover their face, shoot in the legs to disable. Otherwise Kira will escape and kill us all."

There were four other people in the small hallway with Light, and he saw them beginning to remove their face coverings. Light darted into a conference room and then out the back entrance of the conference room into a small kitchen. The entrances were out, unless he could come up with some plan to fight his way out, and that didn't look good. Maybe, finding a really excellent place to hide, in the ventilation system or something, and coming out a day or two later? No, L would certainly order a thorough search. Going to the roof and trying to fly away in a helicopter? Light didn't think his chances of learning how to fly a helicopter intuitively were too good, and besides with a helicopter it would be obvious where he'd gone. They'd arrest him upon landing or simply blow the helicopter up. It's not like he could fly away secretly...

There were no surveillance cameras in here. Light said, "Ryuk, if I pay you with many apples, will you fly me off the roof to the next building? It's just a short trip. Nobody should be looking up so carefully as to notice something so quiet and small leaving the roof, and if I can just get to the next building I can hide there and slip away while they are searching this building."

"Yeah, but it'll cost a lot of apples."

Light waited a little for those evacuating to disperse. It wouldn't do to meet someone in the hallways who had orders to shoot if he wouldn't remove the bag covering his head and also knew Light Yagami had been identified as Kira. Then, Light slipped away toward the elevators through empty hallways, and rode an empty elevator to the roof. Light carefully walked toward the edge, keeping himself invisible from the ground but scanning the landscape. He pointed at a skyscraper that was far enough it shouldn't be on the list of places to be searched by L, at least not right away, but close enough that the few pedestrians who might look up wouldn't have much chance of seeing a flying man during Light's short trip.

Light said, "That one. And, take me off the west side of this building, where there aren't any entrances so none of these cops should be there, and even if they are they shouldn't be watching the roof unless they hear a helicopter or something like that."

Ryuk said, "Okay, but you'd better pay me soon, with a lot of apples."

Then Ryuk grew out his wings, grabbed Light under the armpits and took off. Light was only just past the edge of the roof when a shot rang out and he felt a burning, agonizing pain in his hip.

Light just barely bit back a scream and said, "Take me back!"

There was another shot, but it missed and then Ryuk was dumping him on the roof. Light collapsed in agony, staring in horrified fascination at the blood welling up from his left hip for a few moments before he realized he needed to do something and pressed down on it hard with his hands, trying to slow the blood flow. If he didn't lose too much blood, he could have it fixed later. It would be fine. He tore strips of cloth from one pant leg and pressed those to the wound. He felt dizzy but he kept pressing hard, and then he didn't see any more blood seeping out, but kept the wadded cloth there and tried to think.

He was woozy, and his blood was pounding in his ears, and his perfect plan had been so badly messed up by one guy, just one guy, who happened to be paying attention. What to do now? Light knew where his death note was. He just needed to get rid of pursuit and collect it. He thought about the helicopters. If he tried, could he figure out how to fly one? If he managed to not get shot down, and landed in a big crowd somewhere and slipped away... no, it was too risky. He probably wouldn't be able to fly it, and they'd just shoot him down even if he could.

No, the best plan was to take an armored van. It would likely be a desperate car chase at first, but Light knew he could mess up the pursuit, pull ahead, and then once they'd lost him ditch the armored van for a series of civilian vehicles. Light thought hard. He needed a way down to the basement parking garage without being recognized, and a way to make sure very few people pursued him once he was on the road. He carefully wiped the blood from his hands and withdrew the folded piece of death note paper from his pocket.

There were a few more places to write extremely tiny, probably enough to kill a dozen people yet. Light knew where he could get a gas mask on the upper floors. Then he just needed to make sure the lower floors were completely filled with tear gas. And, he needed a guy to slash all the tires on every vehicle in the garage except for one armored van, and to leave the keys in that armored van, ready for immediate take-off.

He'd come down with his face hidden, and he'd meet nobody or only other people in gas masks because of the teargas. And, he needed a new suit, something neither ripped nor bloody, so they'd assume he was one of them if he did get seen. That was the easiest part. Just have a guy go to a certain bathroom and take off his suit, then go elsewhere and add to the confusion.

So, three guys at least, maybe one back-up for each task in case the original three were prevented from accomplishing what was written. Light went over his plan once more in his mind before writing, looking for holes or weak points. He didn't want to waste precious paper space if he suddenly decided he needed a new plan. He could see it wasn't ideal, there were serious problems, but he couldn't think of anything better, and he was running out of time. Soon, they'd call in substantial back-up from elsewhere, and then even this plan would become almost unworkable.

Light began writing, but after he'd only finished writing two deaths, he heard a loudspeaker saying, "Light Yagami, we wish to negotiate with you. We know you are on the roof. We will send an unarmed negotiator with medical supplies to hear your demands."

Light stopped writing. Was this a better way to escape? They still didn't know how he killed, how easy it was to prevent him from killing. He could claim to have hundreds of hostages, important hostages such as the prime minister of Japan. Every officer involved in the negotiating process, and even L himself, should be afraid to mess up and have those sorts of deaths on their hands. That was a way to forever ruin your career and reputation. Kira was potentially the most powerful hostage-taker who had ever existed, and Kira's hostages didn't need to be anywhere near him.

Yes, this was a workable plan. He'd still need to go into hiding, so they didn't defeat him by simply dropping a missile on his location, but he could force them to give him whatever he needed to successfully slip away and confuse his trail. Light carefully folded the piece of death note paper, put it in the secret compartment in his wallet, and waited, thinking of what he should demand. It was not long until the negotiator appeared. It was that Aihara guy, in nothing except his underwear and shoes, holding a small first aid box in one hand and a cellphone in the other. He looked positively freezing in the January chill, but his face was set in an expression of grim determination.

Light let him approach carefully, then said, "Open the box slowly. You could have a gun in there."

The Aihara guy opened the first aid kit and used his fingers to shift the contents around a bit, showing that there was nothing inside except what should be.

The guy held out the cellphone and said, "L wants to talk with you. Do you want that first, or medical attention?"

Light said, "Medical attention. If you make any sudden moves, I'll start killing important politicians."

Light shifted uncomfortably where he was sitting on the gravel of the roof. The bullet wound really, really hurt, and he was afraid to take the pressure off it. He slightly eased back the hand that was holding the cloth to the wound as the guy knelt next to him, and was met with fresh waves of pain, along with a shock as the cold air hit the sticky, cooling blood. Light felt as if he might black out for just a split second, but then the feeling passed. He'd need to get a real doctor soon, but for now staying conscious and stopping the worst of it was the only thing to do.

The Aihara guy used little scissors to cut a hole in the side of Light's trousers just below his hipbone, right around the wound, and then painfully ripped away the bits of cloth that had stuck to the drying blood. Light gritted his teeth and hissed, seeing a fresh surge of blood leaking out. The guy quickly poured antiseptic on the wound, and then bandaged it tightly. In the next moment, the cellphone was being thrust into Light's hands.

Light motioned for the guy to move off a little bit, and as he did, Light said, "Light Yagami speaking."

L's electronic voice, just like the one on television, said, "I am L. I understand you have some demands, Kira."

Suddenly Light was afraid, his throat very dry. This was it, the big moment. He was openly admitting he was Kira, implicating himself, and there was no going back. He felt cornered. What if it were a trap? But, it was already almost completely obvious he was Kira, so it shouldn't matter to admit it, and also how was he supposed to get any demands met if he didn't claim to be Kira? Still, his mouth didn't want to say it, and he could at least try to be a bit obtuse about it.

Light said, "L, I want to escape from this place. You're going to help me escape. I think you're smart enough to know what will happen if you don't cooperate."

L said, "I'm afraid you'll need to be specific. Are you Kira? If you're not Kira, if you do not have the ability to kill with a face and a name, then we will simply take you into custody."

Light said, "You're still wondering if I am Kira or merely one of his controlled victims. Well, in either case important politicians will die if I'm not allowed to escape cleanly. I don't think you want to take that risk, L."

"What are your demands, then?"

"Take away this negotiator and send an unarmed helicopter pilot, some little guy, not anyone who could overpower me. Do it right away. If you delay, I'll know you're using that time to call in more police, and politicians will die. If there is anything about this on the media or the slightest sign of pursuit, politicians will die."

"Why don't you just fly away, Kira? Why do you need a helicopter?"

"Your snipers might believe they can kill me so fast that hostages wouldn't die. I need to get far from them before I fly on my own. And, if I'm in a helicopter, the helicopter itself will protect me, and also anyone who thinks of shooting it down will be reluctant to kill the pilot along with me."

L said, "A pilot will be up quickly. Please give this phone back to Aihara."

The guy took the phone from Light with a wary expression, and when he heard whatever L said to him, he looked very surprised, but he left.

Ryuk said, "Light, it will cost you plenty more apples if you decide to jump out of the helicopter and have me carry you, and I'll only carry you to the ground, not to anywhere special. I'd say unlimited supplies for about two months. You'll have to give me apples whenever I ask with no holding back."

Light said, "I haven't decided if that's the plan yet or not. However, I will pay you that much if I need to fly out of the helicopter."

While Light was waiting, he got to his feet, testing how well he could walk. His hip hurt like hell, but he could do it. Light placed himself as near to the helicopters as possible and resolved to walk normally no matter how much pain he was in. It wouldn't do for the pilot to think of him as a weakling and jump him.

But, when he saw the pilot they'd sent, he wanted to laugh. They'd taken the "small guy" part seriously. It was a skinny man who either was a teenager or not much older, and he didn't look as if he weighed more than about a hundred pounds. He was pale and sickly-looking, with a hunched back and bags under his bugged-out eyes. Though he had stringy, well-formed muscles rather than being flabby, he was incredibly slender and didn't look as if he could fight well. Just as the Aihara guy had done, he was wearing nothing except boxer shorts and some shoes, though his were untied ragged tennis shoes, and he was shivering slightly in the cold of New Year's Day. He had incredibly untidy spiky black hair that fell into his eyes.

Ryuk laughed too as the man began walking their way. Ryuk said, "Hey, Light, this guy has the most hilarious name. Are you sure you don't want to do the deal?"

Light said nothing.

When the man came close, he said, "I'm your pilot. You can call me Ryuzaki. These police helicopters only have enough fuel for a two-hour flight, so you'll need to pick a destination within that range."

Light said, "I'll tell you where we're going after we get some distance away. Go north to start."

Ryuzaki walked in his strange slouched manner to the nearest helicopter, and Light followed behind, determined to keep him in his sight at all times. Ryuzaki might just try something despite his slender physique.

A/N (Author's Note):

Well, I think you can guess what happened. L was hoping to get a real confession in case the evidence he already has isn't good enough, and since Light wouldn't confess but asked for a "little guy" helicopter pilot, a description that happens to fit L, L is now hoping to personally trick Light into confessing.

Chapter Text

CHAPTER 8

L studied Light Yagami as he approached him, mentally reviewing the facts in his head. Light had been just one of many suspects less than an hour ago, but L already had a file on him, and he'd filled in some of the details since by talking to Soichiro Yagami. Light was brilliant, particularly in school, but his actions lately had shown he was also a practical genius, someone who could think on his feet and fully apply his intelligence to real-world situations, a very rare type of genius. A person in the same category as L himself. And, Light had avoided the trap of confessing to being Kira on the phone, a trap that nearly anyone would be likely to fall into.

L knew they probably had enough evidence on Light already to get a conviction, but there was still a small amount of doubt. Even in L's own mind, he thought there was a chance of perhaps three percent that Light wasn't Kira, but in that situation, Light was probably more deeply involved than merely being a controlled victim, or else Kira should have killed him by now.

After hearing about the experiences of Naomi and Aizawa in detail, L was sure Light needed paper to kill, and that meant it was safe to continue fishing for clues because Light could be easily deprived of his power at any time. Furthermore, L was more than ninety percent certain that not just any paper would do. There was something special about the page Light was currently using, and since he was writing very small and had already used most of it up, there must be more of that paper in another location, or else there had to be a way of converting ordinary paper into killing paper. Otherwise, Kira never would have been able to murder so many criminals.

How did that paper work? Obviously, it wasn't anything within the laws of science, to kill at a distance with paper. Kira needed a name, and Light wrote while killing or attempting to kill. Did Light write the name down? Was that all he needed to do? Or was the paper perhaps a communication device to the real Kira? If Light wasn't Kira, he must have some way of sending messages to the real Kira, and he hadn't been seen using a cellphone or any other normal way of communicating.

As L drew close, he took in the physical details. Light was wearing a suit, and despite what he'd been through he still looked well-groomed. He was concerned with his appearance, concerned with perfection, just like the profile L had developed for Kira. Light's wound was obvious, on his lower torso just below the hipbone. Ukita was an excellent marksman; he probably would have got in a fatal shot, except that he'd been so surprised to see a flying man.

L could tell Light was trying to hide how much it hurt. If it came down to physically subduing him, it shouldn't be much of a challenge, except that such a fight could take place in the helicopter itself, producing a risk of crashing. And, Light might not care if the helicopter crashed, since he could fly. That's why L had a hidden weapon. He should appear obviously unarmed, being in nothing except his underwear and shoes, and Light shouldn't think to look for it.

L had already decided to call himself "Ryuzaki" since he knew Aizawa had never actually called him "Ryuzaki" on the phone, so it was safe to use that alias around Light. Anyone he might speak to during the helicopter trip had been instructed to call him that as well, though L didn't really expect that to happen.

L said, "I'm your pilot. You can call me Ryuzaki. These police helicopters only have enough fuel for a two-hour flight, so you'll need to pick a destination within that range."

Light said, "I'll tell you where we're going after we get some distance away. Go north to start."

L walked to the helicopter, noting that Light was deliberately falling behind, trying to make sure he wasn't unobserved at any moment.

L opened the door and said, "I think you should sit in the front. That way, you can clearly see what I'm doing at all times, and I can see what you're doing."

"Agreed."

Yes, Light was intelligent, and there was no way L would let him out of his sight for even a second. The additional evidence L hoped to get wasn't worth risking that Light would kill even one more person. The only reason L was even doing this much was because he was sure he could do it safely.

They both got into their respective seats, and L checked all the gauges, making sure things were in order. Then they lifted off and headed north. L could see Light looking out the window and downward on his side, checking for pursuit vehicles. L knew Light wouldn't notice any. They were civilian vehicles that wouldn't stand out among the other traffic, and they had been ordered to hang back quite a distance.

After L had waited long enough for Light to get settled a bit, he said, "Light, they tell me you're Kira, but that you can't kill me if you don't have my real name. Is that true? Am I safe?"

Light stared for a bit and then said, "You're pretty uppity for a hostage. If I said I was Kira, your bosses would use it as evidence even if I was just trying to keep myself alive by claiming so, and if I said you were safe, you might decide to attack me no matter what orders you've been given."

L said, "It's only natural for me to wonder if I'll live through this. Though, since this might be the last day of my life, I may as well satisfy my curiosity. Can you really fly?"

Light hesitated and then said, "Yes, I can fly."

"It must be wonderful. I became a pilot because I just couldn't stop daydreaming about flying, but the way you do it is what I really dreamed about, not being inside a bulky machine, but flying directly. Could you show me your flying? Just rise up from your seat a little bit?"

Light said, "No," and then his eyes flicked back to an empty space beside him and he said, "no, really."

What an odd mannerism, almost as if he's talking to someone who isn't here. Is he communicating with Kira? Is Kira somehow loaning power to Light?

L said, "If you're not Kira, then you must be a controlled victim, and I feel very sorry for you. Kira would be keeping you alive for a reason, such as bringing him information. Once your purpose has been accomplished, you would die. Isn't that how it works?"

"If I'm not Kira, how should I know how it works, and if I am Kira, why should I tell you?"

L put a hint of envy and admiration into his voice and said, "You're right, of course. I keep failing to think about what I say until after I've said it. Well, anyone would be nervous and curious in this situation. To think that I might be in the presence of Kira! If I live, it'll be something to tell everyone I know, a story to treasure and tell my grandchildren someday far in the future. Kira is going to be the biggest celebrity the world has ever known."

"You're a Kira supporter?"

"You're pretty smart! Of course I'm very unhappy to be Kira's hostage, but if I were not in personal danger, I'd be cheering him on, just as so many others do. People are afraid to support Kira publicly, but I'm sure many of those who criticize him in public secretly hope he'll succeed. How could it be any other way? Kira is accomplishing the secret fantasy that many people have, to punish evildoers so severely that soon none will be left. Isn't that kind of world worth a little chaos and some innocent lives? Still, I don't want to be one of those innocent lives. I don't support Kira enough to lay down my life for him."

L stayed quiet for a while, trying to observe Light without seeming to observe. Light's body language was friendlier; he was a little more relaxed. But, he was still suspicious, still stubborn. Pretending to be a Kira supporter wasn't working, or if it could work, it would require a long time period of gaining trust, or some specific act that proved the support was genuine.

L said, "Even without the police following us, it isn't that difficult to keep track of a helicopter. We're showing up on radar, and if I fly too low for radar there will be citizen reports coming in. I'm not sure how you hope to escape, but I know of a good plan."

"What?"

"You should have me land at multiple places, such as roofs or parks. They might think that you've exited at one of those places and then forced me to go on without you. To be sure, they'll need to search each of the places I briefly stop, and it will slow them down, especially in the case of large buildings."

Light said, "I will incorporate that into my plan. Don't land anywhere unless I point it out to you. You might have pre-arranged spots for an ambush. Also, start going west now."

L changed direction and said, "I understand. I also have some medical skills, more than Aihara. At one of the decoy stops I could remove the bullet and clean your wound better. That way, you wouldn't need to risk capture by seeking out a doctor right away. If the bullet is left in too long, it could be extremely bad."

Light got an angry look on his face and said, "I know that. I'll decide later."

Yes, Light was still considerably suspicious. It might be impossible to get him to confess. But, there was still one more trick to pull before resorting to threats, and L was sure Light would give in to at least the first part of that trick. Light needed to disappear quite thoroughly into Tokyo. He would need to flee far and fast, in a complex pattern, for perhaps a day or two in order to be sure he'd thrown off all pursuit.

Stopping for real medical treatment was too risky, but so was letting his wound fester with only the rudimentary bandaging Aizawa had given him, just enough to keep him from bleeding to death or getting a really horrible infection quickly. Light would be too tempted, and so he wouldn't turn down L's offer to remove the bullet and clean the wound better. Light would accept that much, at least. It would be quick and it wouldn't involve additional people.

Sure enough, on the fourth decoy stop, Light said, "I'll let you clean the wound, but don't try anything or I'll kill the prime minister of Japan."

L got out the first aid kit from the helicopter, never letting his eyes off Light for even a second. He carefully removed the things he'd need and explained each of their uses to Light and exactly what he'd be doing. Then he pulled off the old bandage and began applying a topical numbing agent on and around the wound. At first, Light's face was tightened in pain from having the area touched, but then the numbness set in and he relaxed.

L held up some forceps which he began sterilizing and said, "I will use these to grab the bullet. Despite what I've given you, it should still hurt, especially since it looks as if the bullet is lodged against your pelvis and anything that scrapes against bone is painful. I suggest you bite some cloth. Tell me when you're ready or if you need more numbing first."

Light struggled out of his suit jacket, rolled up the sleeve and bit it. Then he indicated with his head for L to grab the bullet. In a quick hidden movement, L palmed the tranquilizer dart he had previously concealed in his own underwear, and then in conjunction with the same motion that he used to thrust the forceps inside the wound, he stabbed the dart into the numbed area. Light shouldn't be able to either see or feel what had happened.

L twisted the bullet out roughly to add a bit of realistic queasiness to the whole experience, then began cleaning and disinfecting the wound. He had the dart palmed again and surreptitiously dropped it on the floor while his hand was below the level of the seats, where Light couldn't see. Light's eyes were already beginning to lose focus, his eyelids fluttering; he was fighting the tranquilizer.

A few moments later, Light slumped. L slapped his cheeks, calling to him, with no results. When L was satisfied Light was completely under, he said, "I've rendered him unconscious. I'm going to search him for the paper. We have perhaps twenty minutes maximum. Get here quickly. Do not communicate with me unless it is within the safe time and I've authorized you to do so."

Watari's voice came from a speaker in the helicopter, saying, "Are you sure he will trust you after this?"

L replied, "He won't trust me; he'll still be suspicious. I don't think he trusts anyone."

L began searching Light, continuing, "However, he won't have any reason to be particularly suspicious unless he realizes I've taken his paper, and he won't be willing to look for his paper as long as I'm with him, so he shouldn't know. If Naomi is telling the truth, he is overconfident and likes to gloat, so he might tell me he's Kira after he realizes he went unconscious in my presence and I didn't turn him in. If he doesn't confess then, I'll resort to threats."

A/N (Author's Note):

Will L find the piece of death note paper in the hidden compartment in Light's wallet? And, will Light trust L at least enough to gloat?

I guess you can figure out what has happened so far. Everything said in the helicopter is being recorded, and if Light had admitted to being Kira at any point, L would have slapped him with that tranquilizer dart right away.

Chapter Text

CHAPTER 9

Ukita paced back and forth, watching the roofline as he'd been told. He was the only one at the west side of the building, and he felt horribly vulnerable since L had told all of them to remove their helmets. It seemed Light Yagami planned to escape among a large number of people who all had their faces covered, so unmasking was the only way to go, or else their fellow NPA officers would be shooting them in a panic.

There had already been far too much shooting of friends. Mogi had severely wounded Yori Fukada during the gunfight in the lobby before they had found out that Kira's controlled victims merely shot at the wall. Did that mean if Light actually shot someone, it would prove he really was Kira and not merely a controlled victim? Still, that would be a horrible way to have it proven.

Everything about this case was awful. Ukita had thought it would take much longer than this to get close to Kira, and that they'd be mainly chasing a paper trail. After all, Kira killed from a distance so it made sense that the investigators might never encounter him personally. But it was a horribly depressing process even so. Each day the case wasn't solved brought in at least a dozen more deaths, and it seemed that each new clue required at least one death of someone other than a criminal, and L did not seem too squeamish about those deaths.

True, L had profusely apologized for the deaths of the twelve FBI agents, explaining that he hadn't thought Kira would kill them, or otherwise they would have had better protection, fake IDs, and additional undercover agents watching them as they watched the Kira suspects. By failing to do any of those things, L had doomed those FBI agents to death, and L had said he'd failed, that he was sorry.

But, Ukita knew L had risked further lives by not arresting both Light Yagami and the mysterious woman the instant that Aizawa had discovered there was something odd going on with those two. Perhaps it was justified because pinning down Kira securely with as much information as possible would prevent Kira from going on to kill hundreds or thousands, and if Light weren't Kira, then the real Kira might be very elusive and they'd desperately need every clue they could get from Light. L was the greatest detective in the world, and he'd never failed to solve a case, so he had to be right, didn't he?

Even so, it was scary to have everything going according to L's directions, and Ukita knew if he'd been in charge instead of L, he'd never have been able to hold off on the arrests, to make a judgment call like that. And, now look what was happening. Kira was controlling more people, and Kira's victims always died, didn't they? L's decision had brought more deaths.

Still, when disaster struck, L had changed his position about holding off. L had said Light was probably Kira, and if Light wasn't Kira he was somehow telling Kira whom to target. Since there was no way to be sure if restraining Light would stop his killing power or not, Light had to be killed on sight. Chief Yagami's face had been a terrible mask of despair and grim determination at that news, but the chief had told L he could still work on the case even against his own son. Chief Yagami was determined to see justice done; he admitted his son was most likely Kira and in any case, Light was too dangerous to be allowed to continue to operate.

So, Ukita was watching the roofline on the west side of the building, with orders to shoot to kill if he saw Light Yagami leaning over the edge. There was a chance Light had weapons and was hoping to snipe anyone he couldn't control, or that he would scan the ground for his best escape route. Just then, Ukita heard screams from the north side of the building, and someone yelled, "He killed himself! Hayashi killed himself!"

A sick feeling washed over Ukita. Was it Masato Hayashi? He was a good friend and an excellent cop. Kira really was a monster, a complete bastard, to force people to do things like that. Ukita wanted to rush over there, see if he could help, but he remembered his orders and kept his eyes on the roof.

Then Ukita saw Light, not leaning over the edge, but seemingly higher up, hurling through the air. Suicide jumping? Wait, he was moving horizontally! Yes, Light was... flying.

Ukita raised his shaking gun arm and shot, feeling prickles on the back of his neck and all the hair there standing on end. Just what the hell was Light Yagami? Would he sprout tentacles next, or shoot fire from his eyes?

Ukita thought he heard Light say something like "Take me back," but it was too high up, and the wind was blowing, snatching away the words. He couldn't be sure. Ukita shot again just as Light changed direction, and then was going to shoot a third time, but Light was already out of sight, protected by the roof.

Ukita pushed his belt buckle twice and when Watari answered, he said, "Light tried to fly off the roof. I mean, really fly, like a magical power. I shot him and he flew back."

Ukita could hear L talking to someone in the background, and then could half-hear Watari telling L what Ukita had just told him.

Then L said, "Stay on the phone, there may be changed orders soon."

Ukita could only wait, holding the cellphone to his ear with one hand, his gun in the other hand. What was L doing? Light was possibly going to kill everyone in the NPA that he knew, which could easily be half the people working in this building. Ukita hoped a force was being sent to the roof right this moment. He watched carefully, intensely, unable to rid himself of the prickly feeling on the back of his neck. His aim had been off, or this whole fiasco would already be over.

Ukita suddenly had a memory flash into his mind, of when he'd first told his mother of his intention to join the NPA. She'd made him promise that he wouldn't get killed. But, he just couldn't keep himself from joining the Kira investigation. What Kira did completely subverted the concept of justice, of even having laws and a constitution to decide how criminals should be punished. And, for anyone to have that much power, deciding who should live or die regardless of what the law said, it was terrifying. Everyone could be held hostage by Kira's whims. Ukita didn't want to die, he didn't want to imagine his mother's face looking down into his coffin, but Kira had to be stopped. There were so many cowards at the NPA.

Ukita heard a loudspeaker say, "Light Yagami, we wish to negotiate with you. We know you are on the roof. We will send an unarmed negotiator with medical supplies to hear your demands."

In the next moment, Ukita heard L on the phone, saying, "Ukita, how likely is it that Light knows your name?"

"I've never spoken to him or seen him close. Unless he got into the computers, I'm safe."

"He was unable to access that system. I need you to recruit Kenta Nakahara and Naoto Tomonaga, two receptionists, to help you control the chaos at the entrances. I am sure Kira does not know their names. Nakahara will arrive at the north entrance with Naomi Misora, the woman Light first talked to. Secure her in a cell and also subdue and lock up anyone who has been controlled. Find out who Light does know the names of and lock them up as well. Using only officers Light certainly doesn't know, search and secure the entire building, and then begin video interviews of Kira's controlled victims. They could die at any time, so we need their stories fast."

"The rest of the task force can't help? Have they died?"

"All of them are fine for now. We will be on another mission. Kira will be allowed to escape in a helicopter and they will chase him. Do not fire on the helicopter or let anyone else do so, and make sure the media is not notified."

Ukita said, "But, more people will die unless he's neutralized immediately. Isn't that what you said?"

"We have discovered his method of killing and we can prevent him from murdering even one more person. Pretending to let him escape is the only way to gather more clues. I am hoping we might be able to save those he has controlled who aren't dead yet, but getting more information is the only way to discover a method of saving them."

Ukita said, "Understood," and began running toward the north entrance. He could still hear screams, and there had been periodic gunshots from every direction. When he came around the corner, he saw a scene of chaos. Nearly everyone looked frightened, nearly everyone had a gun out, and there was a guy with blood running down his face who was jogging back and forth in nothing but his underwear, screaming out, "Kira is killing me! Kira is killing me!"

A shock went through Ukita as he saw that the dead body on the ground was indeed his friend Masato Hayashi, a gun in his hand, and his brains splattered across the concrete sidewalk. Ukita tried to put an authoritative expression on his face and said, "I work for L. Everyone, put away your weapons and calm down. Kira cannot force his victims to shoot others."

Nearly every face turned toward Ukita and some officers put their guns away. Ukita felt sick, overexcited and inadequate all at once. Nearly everyone here was older than him. Would they even listen?

One guy called out, "How do we know Kira isn't controlling you to say this?"

Ukita said, "We need to gain control of Kira's victims and secure the building. If even one of Kira's victims escapes, that victim could be controlled into giving out files with our names and faces. Then we'll all die. If you value your lives, you must be in favor of securing those who are already controlled or might be controlled. Everyone, raise your hands if you are completely sure Light Yagami does not know your name."

About a third of the people raised their hands.

At that moment, Nakahara and Tomonaga arrived, bringing a woman with them who had to be Naomi.

Ukita said, "This woman is the most important of Kira's victims to secure. L is working on a way to cure Kira's victims, so if you are one or think you could be one, please do not resist arrest. Your life may depend on having you in custody. Everyone who has their hands raised, please turn to your neighbors who do not have their hands raised and arrest them, along with anyone who is behaving oddly whether they have their hands raised or not. Put at least two people in each cell and watch for attempts at suicide. I will be there shortly with instructions for a search of the entire building."

To his surprise, Ukita saw nearly everyone obeying his orders, though some of the oddly-acting people were putting up strong resistance to those attempting to handcuff them.

Naomi said, "I've already told L everything. Isn't my interview over yet? I really need to leave."

Ukita said, "It will be soon. We'll need to arrest you for the moment."

Naomi tensed, and looked as if she might kick, but then she allowed herself to be handcuffed. Ukita made sure he sent three guys with her, since she was one of L's most important witnesses.

Ukita said to Tomonaga, "I'm going to the east entrance. You've heard what I've said here; can you go to the south entrance and give those same orders to everyone there?"

Tomonaga said, "I'm just a receptionist. Is Light really Kira? He's such a nice boy."

Ukita said, "Go, and give the orders, or we could all die."

Just then, Ukita heard the helicopter taking off and a moment later saw it. He said, "Don't shoot! This is all part of the plan!"

Several officers had their guns drawn already, but they lowered them at Ukita's words. This felt funny. Everything that was happening was so surreal, and all these much older, more senior officers were just obeying him easily, without much protest. Of course, it was really L's orders they were obeying, and they were afraid for their lives if even one controlled victim escaped, so their obedience made sense, but it still felt somehow wrong, not like things should be. Everything normal had been twisted or turned upside-down.

With one more glance to assure himself things were under control at this entrance, Ukita hurried to the east entrance and gave the same speech. Things were more chaotic there, with three suicides and two severely wounded officers, but it was easy to use the fear of Kira to establish some order over the chaos. Ukita was able to find two dispatchers he was sure Light didn't know the names of, and he sent them inside with orders to determine which people should be at work but had fled the scene, and to organize a system of contacting those people and convincing them to return, or, if they were unwilling, determining if they needed to be pursued or not.

Then he went inside and organized the small number of officers he trusted into a grid search of the entire building, and then while they searched began the long process of producing video interviews of every person who had been acting oddly during the entire incident. He really hoped L knew what he was doing, and that the rest of the task force members weren't heading to their deaths.

A/N (Author's Note):

Well, I hardly ever see anything about Ukita, let alone from his point of view, so I guess this chapter is a little treat for Ukita fans. Though, considering the job he's been given, it looks as if he'll be absent from the final showdown.

I figured L would want the more experienced task force members along for the Kira-chase, and Ukita is the second youngest (after Matsuda) but since Matsuda had actually been to the Yagami house a couple of times, L wouldn't want to risk that Matsuda might be under Kira's control and would let valuable witnesses like Naomi get loose. So, Ukita was the obvious choice.

Chapter Text

CHAPTER 10

When Light realized he was fading into consciousness, he lurched upward, ready to fight, but he was held in place by something - his seatbelt.

As Light looked around franticly, Ryuzaki said, "Ah, you're awake. I wasn't sure what to do, but I was afraid to stay on that roof, so I've been flying in erratic patterns."

Light continued wildly looking around. Yes, he was still in the helicopter, it was moving, the cityscape was spread out below but it didn't look familiar, it didn't look like any section of Tokyo he was capable of recognizing from the air. He glanced at his hip and saw a new bandage there. Before, it had been painful, but now there was an additional problem. The soreness, the long-term deep aching throb, was beginning to set in. If only that guy hadn't shot! Fleeing with a serious wound was going to be more difficult. No, it wasn't time to focus on the past, but on the present and future.

Light looked at his watch. It had been about fifteen minutes. Ryuzaki could easily have turned him in, but he hadn't. Was the helicopter pilot truly a Kira supporter? Something about the entire situation felt suspicious. What other possibilities were there?

Light said, "You're not from the NPA. Where did they get you?"

Ryuzaki said, "L brought in many experts from all around the world for the Kira investigation. I was present at the scene and smaller than any NPA helicopter pilot, so I was sent up to you."

Ryuk was laughing again. He knew something. Odd that Ryuk wasn't making comments about the situation as well as laughing. Ryuk normally couldn't resist a sarcastic running commentary at times like this.

Light considered the options. It was possible that Ryuzaki hadn't been able to get back-up to arrive fast enough, and since it was unknown how Kira killed and therefore restraining Kira would possibly do nothing to save the hostages, Ryuzaki had faced a choice between killing Light and letting him go. Many men would balk at killing, especially if they'd never received training to help prepare their mind to deal with that eventual possibility. Also, to kill someone you couldn't be completely sure was Kira, would also add to the difficulty and potential guilt.

Light scanned Ryuzaki's face for signs of emotional anguish or conflict. The face did contain emotion, it certainly wasn't blank, but it was very difficult to read. Light wasn't sure which emotions were being displayed; only that Ryuzaki was, indeed, feeling something. The eyes were worse than the face. They were deep and the pupils were very dilated, almost overtaking the grayish irises entirely, and the eyes were even more unreadable than the face. There was something going on in those eyes, though. In the depths, there was a spark of intelligence, like countless wheels turning, little calculations being made constantly, ideas being tested and either accepted or discarded.

Light said, "Am I supposed to believe one of L's employees is a Kira supporter?"

"It's easy to figure that one out. If L puts out a call to law enforcement agencies for people to work on the Kira case, anyone who supports Kira's mission will think about joining. Of course, there was a screening process to try to weed out such people, but there is no way to be completely sure of what people believe, regardless of how you test them. It was inevitable that Kira supporters would end up working for L."

Ryuzaki's reasoning made perfect sense. Light wanted to relax. It would be great to have someone on his side for once, and he knew Kira supporters were out there. But, something felt wrong, something warned him to watch what he said. Was it Ryuk's behavior that was tipping him off, or was it something about Ryuzaki? Ryuzaki seemed manipulative, more intelligent than he let on. Something in Ryuzaki was like a coiled spring, tensed and waiting, almost predatory.

Ryuzaki said, "You're in a position where you need my help, Kira. If I'm not on your side, then I'll report you as soon as I've dropped you off and the pursuit will be after you very quickly. I'm sure that you know your threats against politicians will only make the pursuit stealthy, not stop it altogether. It will be a difficult situation for you. But, if I pretend I still have you in this helicopter for as long as I can, then it will give you a tremendous head start."

Light knew Ryuzaki was right. Even with the plan Light had, it would be a close call to shake off the pursuit. If he could have an additional person on his side working to confuse the trail, it would be a tremendous help. But, it was too convenient, too much good fortune, and this guy was L's employee. Light had the feeling that L's screening process was very rigorous... still, L probably had hundreds of employees working under him, and he might not have thought a mere helicopter pilot would be the one person to have power over a vulnerable, injured Kira.

Ryuzaki said, "I will be helpful, but only to the real Kira, or to someone who has a partnership with Kira and is not merely a controlled victim. Otherwise, I will call in back-up the moment you leave this helicopter."

What was this guy's game?

Light said, "Well, if you're a Kira supporter and I'm a controlled victim, then you should be in favor of letting me do whatever I've been forced to do, since that would help Kira."

"No, I'll only give that much help to Kira himself or to someone in a voluntary partnership with Kira."

Light said, "You want something."

Ryuzaki replied, "If you're a victim, Kira probably won't listen to your requests. You probably don't even have a way of contacting him. In that case, I see no reason to risk my career by helping you for one second longer than I'm absolutely required to."

Light said, "You want Kira to kill someone for you."

"Not all criminals get arrested or appear in the news. There are plenty of criminals Kira has no way of discovering. My sister was raped by a highly prestigious United States senator, and it didn't even get a hearing, let alone a trial. Instead, she was found dead, an apparent suicide by gun, two weeks later. I know my sister, and she would never touch a gun. It was a staged suicide to protect a politician's reputation."

Light wanted to jump on this opportunity. It was so perfect. It was... too perfect. It was the best possible scenario for him. And, all he needed to do was admit to being Kira. It was like the situation had been designed to get him to confess. Light's gaze traveled up and down the underwear-clad helicopter pilot. Ryuzaki could still be wired. Bugs could be quite small, and there was room in his underwear, or in his shoes, or maybe even in that disorderly mass of fluffy black hair.

There was another possibility; so obvious it could easily escape the mind. The helicopter's dashboard was a huge panel that was full of a bewildering profusion of dials, switches and gauges. Ryuzaki could have simply turned on a communication link, and L's employees could have been listening to the entire conversation all along. Was it a confession they wanted?

The case against Light was pretty strong, but not airtight. The idea of being a controlled victim was a useful loophole. If it came to a trial, Light might be able to use that concept to avoid being convicted. Also, if they were waiting for a confession, they might pounce the moment Light confessed. Confession was too dangerous, even with the advantages seemingly available only to an admitted Kira.

But, if he could somehow get the pilot to pretend he was still on board even after being dropped off, that would be a tremendous advantage. It was not something to be tossed aside lightly. Light considered the possibility of doing the deal for the shinigami eyes. It would help with this situation and also with being on the run, since he'd be able to convert anyone he saw into a helper.

But, no, half his lifespan was too large a price to pay for something he could probably accomplish with intelligence alone. His plan was pretty good even if Ryuzaki snitched on him the moment he stepped free of the helicopter. It would work. It had to.

Light said, "I will consider your offer. For now, fly east."

Ryuzaki complied. Light continued directing the pilot in an erratic flight pattern, designed to throw off any pursuit and keep the pursuers from guessing the true destination. It was lucky this was a holiday. All the streets were more crowded than usual and it would be easy to lose himself, but Light was taking no chances and heading for the biggest crowd of all. The New Year's outdoor concert. It would be positively packed, a writhing, jumping mass of humanity where anyone could quickly be lost, and he'd timed his arrival perfectly. At the end of this next song, many concert-goers would disperse and only the die-hards would stay.

Soon, they were descending into the thickest part of the crowd near the stage. A band was playing, and the lead singer stopped, looking annoyed at having his voice drowned out. Surprised concert-goers were making way, creating a space for the helicopter to settle down. As the rotors turned off, Light quickly fled from the helicopter and into the crowd. Light heard the helicopter lifting off again, but he didn't look back, he just kept slipping between bodies in an erratic zigzag pattern, making his way mostly in one direction. Then, after he was sure the pilot couldn't see him any more, he doubled back and headed for a different exit from the park. By the time he got there, it should be a scene of massive confusion from all the people leaving at once.

A/N (Author's Note):

Well, Light avoided the trap of confessing, but L obviously has something else planned, or he wouldn't have let Light go.

Thanks so much to all my reviewers! I was afraid I wouldn't be able to do a good job with this, or that people wouldn't be interested in non-smut where Aizawa is a central character, but it seems people really like this! Thank you!

Chapter Text

CHAPTER 11

Aizawa showed his badge to bewildered office workers to let him into their high-rise building, Soichiro, Matsuda and Mogi at his heels. L had landed on the roof and he'd said Light was unconscious but would wake up before too long. The three of them had a very limited amount of time to get to the roof, but still, Aizawa followed L's orders and confiscated a number of random notebooks on their way up.

When they came out onto the roof, Aizawa saw the helicopter and ran for it. Was this it, the arrest of Kira? He wondered how the chief was holding up. Soichiro looked horrible, but there was a terrible determination on his face, and maybe that would see him through this event, give him the strength he needed.

Aizawa opened the pilot-side door and caught L deep in conversation with... who? Light was slumped unconscious in the other front seat. Aizawa glanced around, seeing nobody. Well, it was probably over a communication link, such as with Watari.

L paused and then turned to them all and said, "Chief Yagami, I'm afraid I have terrible news for you. According to what Light has written on his paper, Light had a killing notebook at home, and I'm sure that is where he gets his killing paper. He controlled his mother into moving it. Her death is scheduled for more than three weeks in the future. I'm hoping to find out if she and the others who haven't died yet can be saved."

That shit! Killing his own mother! Aizawa saw the chief's shoulders slumping hard, and a tremor ran through the man's body. In a surprisingly brave-sounding voice, Soichiro said, "What are we to do?"

L produced a folded-up piece of notebook paper mostly covered with tiny writing and, dangling it delicately in a two-fingered grip, said, "Aizawa, please look through the notebooks you have and find an exact match to this paper. I'm going to put a fake copy of it into the secret compartment of his wallet. And, if you see anything frightening when you touch the paper, try not to be too frightened."

Aizawa reached out and took the paper, then tried to bite back a scream and resist the urge to grab for his gun.

Ten feet tall, yellow-red eyes, bluish skin. Smiling, it's smiling and looking right at me. So many small, pointed teeth, filling that huge mouth.

It said, "You're surprised to see a shinigami, aren't you?"

L said, "Don't waste time talking to it."

Aizawa said, "Is it... is it safe?"

L said, "The shinigami appears to be neutral. It sees this as a game, and is concerned about not cheating. I think it won't help Light very much. Now, hurry."

Matsuda said, "What are you guys talking about?"

Aizawa ignored Matsuda and began comparing the killing paper to the paper in the notebooks they'd snagged. On this one, the ruled lines were too bluish, on this other one too thick... this was almost right, but the paper was too bright a shade of white. Finally, Aizawa obtained a match that was almost perfect. It shouldn't be possible to detect the difference except by holding the two papers directly against each other to notice the exceptionally subtle difference in hue.

Aizawa handed that notebook to L, and L immediately unfolded the killing paper and used a pen he snatched from Light's pocket to copy Light's writing. Aizawa watched the process, amazed. It seemed like an exact copy, the same handwriting and everything. Sadly, he noticed several men he knew well who had already died or were scheduled for a later death. The entire time, the shinigami hovered over L, making weird comments about death and destruction, but not saying anything that directly implicated Light.

Then L carefully studied the folds in Light's killing paper, and as he duplicated those folds in his fake, he said, "The shinigami does not admit Light is Kira, and even if it did I'm not sure it would be considered a reliable witness. What we have on Light already is probably enough proof to convict him as Kira, but there is a less than one percent chance that Light uses his killing paper as a communication device to the real Kira. I will make one more attempt to get Light to confess in the helicopter. After this incident, he may trust me, but if I fail to gain his trust we will let him go to see what he does. Whoever the real Kira is will retrieve that notebook. If Light tries to do so, the case is closed."

Aizawa said, "You're letting him go? Even if he doesn't have weapons, isn't that dangerous? We should arrest him now."

L replied, "If we have absolute proof he is Kira, then he will be forced to negotiate with us. This shinigami won't tell me if there is any way to avert the upcoming deaths, but if Light knows he is in a situation he cannot talk himself out of, he will be more willing to, for example, have a death sentence changed to life in prison for showing us how to save those people. Also, I have placed the tracking device within his bandage. We can follow him wherever he goes easily."

Soichiro said, "We can... we can save her?"

L said, "I do not know if that is possible, but we should try. Please do everything you can to take Light alive. Now, go to the park described on the killing paper as the place Mrs. Yagami will bury the notebook. It is possible she hasn't gotten there quite yet. Stake it out and place cameras there. If we can get video both of her burying it and of Light retrieving it, that would be ideal. Watch Light's location on your GPS monitors. If there is enough time, dig up the notebook yourselves and replace it with a fake that looks the same at least as far as the cover, but if Light is too close, don't bother. I will meet you at that location as soon as I can."

Aizawa looked at the shinigami and said, "Are you sure that thing won't just tell Light our plan?"

L said, "The shinigami might do so, however in that case there are only two possibilities. One is that Light will remove the tracker and run for it, but without any weapons and without any power other than flying, it will be easy to put every officer in the city to the task of finding him and he won't go far. The other is that Light will turn himself in and hope to negotiate for something better than execution."

Matsuda said, "How do you know he doesn't have a second killing notebook, or even a third?"

L said, "It is extremely unlikely. If the shinigami would simply give him another notebook, he wouldn't have killed his mother or gone to so much trouble to write tiny on this one page. He would simply ask for the notebook I see hanging around the shinigami's waist."

Soichiro said, "I would like to see the shinigami."

L said, "Touch the killing paper, but don't stand around gawking. I need to leave right now. Put the killing paper into an evidence bag and guard it carefully. It is the best proof we have."

Aizawa passed the paper first to Matsuda, who let out a yelp at seeing the monster, and next to Soichiro, who stepped backwards suddenly and stared bleakly. The helicopter was lifting off then, but the thing stayed a few more moments, leering at them as Soichiro handed the paper to Mogi. Mogi's eyes went very wide, but he had no other reaction. Then, some puffs of black feathers on the monster's shoulders suddenly grew out into long wings. It said, "My name's Ryuk. I guess I'll be seeing you around."

Then it crouched down and leapt into the air with considerable force, flying along after the helicopter. Aizawa stood there stunned, and then he looked at the death written for Sachiko Yagami and said, "We need to hurry to get to Bochi Park. I have no idea how long those two will be in the air and it isn't far."

Aizawa looked at the chief to see how he was doing. Lines etched his face. He looked like he'd gotten older just since this whole fiasco began, but his face was also angry, terribly angry. To have your son not only be Kira, but to also kill your own wife...

Aizawa shook off his thoughts and led the other three back to the roof exit and through the office building. Ten minutes later, they were at Bochi Park, trying to set up cameras. There was no obviously dug area in the place indicated, so Light's mother must not have arrived yet. Matsuda was on lookout for Sachiko Yagami while Aizawa, Mogi and Soichiro placed cameras on tree trunks to record the area from several angles, trying to make them as inconspicuous as they could. By the time they'd retreated away from the area, Watari had arrived in a black van full of surveillance equipment. They all went inside, listening to L's conversations with Light and watching the video from the park at the same time.

L's little story was so convincing that for a few moments Aizawa was sure this had to be it. Light would confess, and they'd simply arrest him. But, Light avoided the trap. How? Was he really that smart, or had the shinigami told him the plan? Aizawa wasn't sure if it would now be possible to hear the shinigami's voice through the communication link to the helicopter or not. Maybe that was something you could only hear in person. But, no, if the shinigami had told Light of the plan, wouldn't Light have tried to attack L and then flown away?

Aizawa said, "L is a genius. That plan he pulled off... it should have made anyone confess. But, I'm uncomfortable letting someone as smart as Light go free. If he didn't fall for that trick..."

Watari said, "I'm sure Light can't escape. He needs his weapon, and even if he thinks this park is a trap he really has no choice but to try to get the killing notebook and hope he succeeds against the odds. If he does refuse to come here and runs instead, we can put his face on the news constantly and he'll be caught in no time."

Just then, in a quiet, eerie voice, Soichiro said, "There she is!"

It was Sachiko Yagami, shown from several different angles. She had a bag with her. She studied the trees and, seeming satisfied as to which was the largest, measured five paces from its trunk and then began to dig with a little trowel she must have gotten somewhere.

Aizawa gazed at the chief and saw his face looking like it was about to crumble to pieces. The man's emotions were so raw, the pain shining from his eyes.

Aizawa said, "Maybe you shouldn't watch this."

Soichiro said, "I have to know. I have to know what my son is, what he's become. If I cannot save her..."

Aizawa didn't know what to do. Seeing your child and your wife pitted against each other, to the death. He couldn't even imagine it. If his daughter Yumi, well, an older version of Yumi, killed Eriko... it was just completely unthinkable, a horror beyond words.

Soichiro was going to lose at least one family member. Even if they could save Sachiko, Light would be gone. It was now virtually certain Light was Kira, so he'd be executed or in prison for life. Aizawa couldn't stand seeing the chief like that, so he placed a hand on the man's shoulder and a few moments later he felt a small amount of tension leave the tight muscles under his hand, but none of the pain left Soichiro's eyes.

As Sachiko buried the bag that must contain the killer notebook, L let Light loose in the middle of the worst crowd in Tokyo, the outdoors New Year's concert.

Aizawa hoped that Light didn't have any more killing paper that hadn't been found. There wasn't any way L had had enough time for a truly thorough search, right? What if Light had some paper in a capsule up his ass, or what if Light had some hidden in a location he could change course to and obtain if he thought Bochi Park was a set-up? Even one page could give enormous trouble, and then they could be right back to the situation of Light taking important politicians hostage.

L might be a genius, but he was also a risk-taker, and the combination wasn't entirely savory. L was too concerned with closing the case completely. If both Naomi and Light had been arrested immediately, the paper with Naomi's death written on it in Light's handwriting, with his fingerprints, probably would have been enough proof. Men had died, good men such as Masato Hayashi, because L wanted perfection.

Sure, L couldn't have known that Light had physical evidence on his person at that time, but, looking back, it hurt horribly to think at how things had played out, how they might have been different.

But, I went along with L's decision. I could have demanded an immediate arrest for both of them, L told me I could make that demand, but I didn't, because with the information we had then, I knew L's idea was the best. I could have stopped this, but I went along with L because none of us knew how Kira killed or if Light were a victim. If only we'd guessed that Kira might be using a weapon that we could easily take away...

There was no room to pace in the back of the van with all the equipment and screens, but Aizawa tried to do it anyway. Staying still just seemed wrong. He eyed the dot that showed Light's location on a map of Tokyo. It was slow-moving; Light was still on foot but very close by. Sachiko was almost done burying her bag. As soon as she moved away...

Aizawa said, "Watari, is there enough time to get the killer notebook? I don't want Light's hands on it for even a second."

Watari said, "It will be close. Matsuda, take this earpiece and the dummy notebook and go there and dig. We'll call you back early if Light moves in too fast."

Matsuda grabbed the proffered items and rushed out the back of the van and then it was just waiting, seeing that dot move closer. Matsuda might get caught, but he was slender and young and probably the fastest runner among them. If anyone could beat Light and switch the real killer notebook with the dummy notebook Watari had supplied... but they didn't even know what the real one looked like, unless it looked like a copy of the one that had been hanging from the shinigami's waist in a holder. L must have already given Watari a description before they'd reached the roof. Matsuda wasn't visible quite yet, though Sachiko had moved off.

Aizawa turned on the microphone that connected to the earpiece Matsuda was wearing and said, "Hurry up! He'll be here soon!"

Just then, Matsuda became visible on the video. He ran to the correct spot and began digging frantically with his hands.

Aizawa swore. This was too damn close! That dot representing Light was in Bochi Park already. Sachiko had actually buried her bag deeply, and though she'd loosened the dirt by the act of having dug it, Matsuda didn't have her trowel, just his fingers, and it looked like he was doing a rather incompetent job of it. Hadn't Matsuda ever dug with his hands before?

Just then, the doors at the back of the van opened and L jumped in. He took a quick look at the screens and said, "I think Light will catch him. I need to talk to Matsuda."

Aizawa pointed at the microphone, and L immediately pushed the button and began telling Matsuda what to do.

A/N (Author's Note):

Well, sorry to end on a cliffhanger, but I like to start a new chapter with each change in viewpoint, and the next chapter will be in Matsuda's viewpoint. In the epic battle of wits, Matsuda vs. Light, can Matsuda win, even when coached by L?

Chapter Text

CHAPTER 12

Matsuda was panting in frustration as he dug. Digging in the cold ground in January! What had he been thinking? He should have at least grabbed a flat rock or something but, no, now there probably wasn't enough time to get one. Every second counted. The dirt kept falling back into the hole and his fingers were numb. This was bad. With numb fingers, it might be very hard to shoot, if it came to that. But, L had said Light must be taken alive, so maybe there wouldn't be any shooting.

Then, Matsuda heard L's voice over his earpiece, saying, "You don't have enough time to switch the real notebook with the dummy notebook and push all the dirt back into the hole. Light should be coming into view in a few seconds."

Matsuda stopped digging and L's voice said, "Pretend you are trying to fill in the hole. Once Light appears, say exactly what I tell you. Please make sure your hair covers your ears so he doesn't see the earpiece."

Matsuda checked his hair and then started pushing the dirt back into the hole, scraping with the sides of his palms in an odd motion since it was difficult to do any normal movements.

Wait! I should tell L my hands are numb!

Matsuda opened his mouth, but just then Light became visible between two trees at a little distance. Light might hear. Matsuda said nothing but used the pretend-burying motions to continue pushing dirt back into the hole.

L said, "Keep your head down, as if you're watching the ground, and pretend you don't see him until he speaks or I say to notice him."

Matsuda kept making the scraping motions, lowering his head but trying to keep Light's direction in view. Light kept becoming briefly visible between trees, and then after a time Matsuda became aware Light was not approaching directly any more, but was circling around.

L said, "He's seen you. I think he'll try to sneak up from behind."

Matsuda whispered, trying not to move his lips much, saying, "My hands are numb. I don't know if I can shoot."

L replied, "Mogi and Watari will be there as back-up soon. Both are excellent shots. Please don't talk to me again. Light is fairly close."

Matsuda concentrated on his task, but it seemed forever, so long to wait, with everything slowed down, and each additional moment of contact between his hands and the ice-cold dirt increased the numbness.

Then, L said, "Spin around and yell!"

Matsuda turned around fast and screamed, "Ah!," seeing Light Yagami running toward him with a rock held in one hand and that thing, that horrid creature, floating behind Light on black feathery wings. This was so awkward, it was beyond awkward, and it was horrible and disgusting in every possible way. The chief's son just happened to turn out to be the most famous mass-murderer of all time.

L said, "Scream louder. React to the monster as if you've never seen it."

Matsuda pointed at the shinigami, that thing, that creature who had introduced himself as Ryuk on the roof of that office building, and he said, "What the hell is that!" in the most shocked voice he could manage.

Light came closer, silently, but did not drop the rock. Light looked very thoughtful, an evil kind of thoughtful. Light glanced around as well as he could without really taking his eyes off Matsuda. Matsuda glanced around as well. If Mogi and Watari were here, they were well-hidden.

L said, "Tell Light you know his name and you'll write it if he doesn't back away."

Matsuda said, "The notebook is tucked into my jacket. I'll write your name, Light Yagami, unless you back up."

Light stopped advancing and said, "Well, who sent you? Not the police. They'd never let you write my name, and they wouldn't send you alone."

Repeating what L's voice in his ear said, Matsuda said, "A friend needs the notebook for a purpose I'm sure you'll agree with."

Light's eyes narrowed and he said, "The helicopter pilot. Listen, he lied to you. He wants the death note for power, not for justice. Kira will use it to punish those who deserve it, to create a world free of crime, a paradise. Isn't that what you want? Your friend is pretty smart and manipulative, isn't he? You can't trust people like that."

Parroting L, Matsuda said, "Can Kira be trusted?"

Light said, "Kira's record stands for itself. Kira has only killed criminals and those who directly act against him. Those who merely criticize are allowed to live because Kira is a benevolent god."

Matsuda's face twitched a bit at the mention of a god. Kira thought he was a god? This was really, really awful. How was the chief going to take this?

At L's prompting, Matsuda pointed at Ryuk and said, "That thing follows you. What is it? That must mean you're Kira. It can't just follow all of Kira's victims, there are too many of them and they're too far apart."

Light hesitated and looked very suspicious, then said, "Give the notebook to me. I don't know your name, so you're safe. The notebook will go to Kira, and the judgments will continue."

L said, "Give the dummy notebook to him."

This was stupid! Light would have to be an idiot to leave without getting at least a good look at the notebook, and there was no way the dummy notebook Watari had prepared looked exactly like the real thing. Even if the outside were the same, the inside wouldn't have what Light himself must have written it in. And, if Light tried to test it...

L said, "Do it."

Matsuda reached inside his jacket, trying to trust that L knew what he was doing, and brought out the plastic bag with the dummy notebook inside, barely being able to grip it in his numb hands. Light cautiously stepped forward and took it from him, then paced backwards a little distance and slipped the notebook from the bag. Immediately, Light's eyes widened and he looked shocked.

Light took a few steps back and looked around hastily, then said, "This is a fake. Tell me where you hid the real one."

L said, "Refuse to tell him. Argue and stall."

Matsuda said, "No."

In a shaky voice, Light said, "Wait, the only reason... Ryuk, look for cameras."

Ryuk replied, "I already see five of them."

Light pulled out his wallet and in a few deft motions had L's forged paper and a pen. Light said, "Tell your superiors to back off right now, or the prime minister of Japan dies."

At L's prompting, Matsuda said, "Only Kira would know if the notebook was real or a fake. If you were a controlled victim, you'd have no idea if you'd been given the right notebook or the wrong one, you'd just deliver it to Kira regardless. You are Kira, Light Yagami."

Light said, "Yes, I'm Kira, and I can still kill a number of important hostages with just this paper."

Matsuda finally saw Mogi and Watari moving in from different sides at once, both with guns aimed right at Light. A second later, Light noticed them as well. Light was really starting to look insane, and sweat was running down his face as he gritted his teeth and his eyes became frantic.

Light shouted, "Stay back, or I'll kill."

Mogi and Watari just kept advancing. Then, a flash of insight passed across Light's face and he rushed to the hole and started digging with his hands. He was really good, flinging dirt behind him in great sweeping moves, like a dog digging. But, it was no use. Within a few moments, Mogi and Watari had closed the rest of the distance and both had their guns pressed almost right against Light from each side. They were yelling at him to surrender. Light still refused to stop, and suddenly he was dragging a plastic bag from deep below the chunks of dirt.

Watari raised his gun and whipped Light across the knuckles very hard, leaving a smear of blood, but Light didn't let go of the bag but was rather trying to open it. Then, Mogi kicked Light and Light's body actually spun a couple of times before Light's chin smacked into the ground and a dazed look came into his eyes. Matsuda saw the bag lying unattended and rushed to retrieve it. Mogi had pinned Light securely and Light was laughing.

Matsuda pulled out the real killing notebook, just to see it. It was black, like the dummy they had made, but the English lettering on the cover looked different. Matsuda backed up, getting further away from Light just in case he happened to break free.

Light screamed, "Do you want the game to be over this soon? I'm sure you haven't had enough entertainment. Kill them all!"

Mogi put his hand over Light's mouth.

Just then, Matsuda saw what nobody else was seeing. The shinigami had taken out its own notebook and was writing. Did that mean...

Matsuda screamed, "The monster is killing us!"

Watari and Mogi spun around at the same time and began shooting at Ryuk, but the bullets were having no effect. In the confusion, Light had wriggled out from under them and was running straight at Matsuda.

L said, "I think it may be killing Light instead. Tell it to stop."

Matsuda said, "Stop killing Light, Mr. Shinigami."

Light's eyes widened and he looked back at the monster. It said, "Nice try," and continued writing.

Light said, "No, Ryuk! There will be many apples if you stop, or these men will get you something too."

At L's prompting, Matsuda said, "Ryuk, we wish to make a deal with you. Light's life belongs to the police now."

Ryuk held out its notebook, showing Light's name written in neat, precise kanji.

Light collapsed into a babbling heap at Ryuk's feet, screaming, begging, pleading for a cause of death to be written, for his life to be extended to 23 days, and L was prompting Matsuda to ask Ryuk to let Light live longer, as Light had asked, but the monster simply grinned and then, and then, Light was spasming in the throes of a heart attack, all the life fading out of his eyes.

Matsuda didn't know what to do. He just kept thinking of the chief's face, of how unfair this all was, of how many people had died or were dying. Could they indeed be saved?

And then, the monster was standing over him and it said, "I'm your shinigami now. You were touching this death note when the last owner died."

Matsuda said, "What! I don't want a shinigami."

L said, "Matsuda, we need to talk with this thing. Don't send it away. Ask if it will come with you."

Matsuda took a deep breath, tried to get used to the idea of having a normal conversation with a creature like that, a creature who killed on a whim, for fun, and said, "Will you follow me?"

Ryuk said, "I'll follow you until you die or let me erase your memories."

Matsuda swallowed. That sounded very, very unpleasant. He wandered away from Light's corpse, toward the surveillance van. Some people had been drawn by the sound of gunshots and a very minor crowd was starting to gather just outside the wooded area. Matsuda began pushing through them.

Ryuk said, "You'd better shove the death note inside your jacket. Anyone who touches it will see me."

Matsuda did so clumsily, with his still-numb hands, and found his way at last into the back of the surveillance van. He couldn't meet the chief's eyes, he just sat, stunned, clutching the instrument of death that had been used to kill... how many? Thousands? All the while, Ryuk stood nearby and tried to make casual conversation, as if it expected to be Matsuda's new best friend, and various tasks were seen to by the others, and then the van was heading back to the temporary headquarters.

What does it mean, it will follow me until I die or it erases my memories? Do I have to choose between having this thing always hovering over me and being an amnesiac?

Matsuda finally worked up the courage to ask the most important question, saying, "Ryuk, will you force me to kill people?"

Ryuk said, "No, but I think you should try it. I'm told it's a lot of fun."

Soichiro went white at that statement, and Matsuda didn't have the courage to ask any more questions until they were all back in the hotel suite that was the temporary headquarters, and then he only asked Ryuk questions at L's prompting.

A/N (Author's Note):

Well, there isn't much to wrap up now, but there will need to be another point-of-view change for the very last chapter (or epilogue) for a reason that will soon become apparent, and so I like to start a new chapter whenever that happens.

When this is finished, it'll be my first uploaded, completed non-smut fan fic of a fair length. I've uploaded a few other non-smut or barely-smut pieces, but nothing this long before.

However, I do have some fairly long uncompleted non-smut fics that need a lot of work before I start uploading them. Hopefully it won't be too long a wait until those appear too.

Chapter Text

Epilogue

Yes, L thought, the case is closed, but there are still so many questions.

L sighed, clasped his knees to his chest, and started another questioning session with Ryuk as all the other task force members, even Ukita, sat and watched. They were all back in the hotel suite temporary headquarters, and every bit of evidence they needed to convict Kira was now in their possession, except that it was pointless, because Kira was obviously dead. L only hoped that this questioning session would yield better answers than the previous ones. He knew it as a good technique to use in interrogations, at least for human subjects. If you kept asking the same questions in slightly different ways, you sometimes got changed answers, or at least more information.

L held up the page Light had been using, now sealed in a clear plastic evidence bag, and said, "There are still seven people written here who haven't died, including Naomi Misora and Sachiko Yagami, and in the killing notebook there are nineteen criminals with deaths still scheduled for the future. How do we save them? If we destroy the paper where their names are written? If we erase the instructions and write that they'll live?"

Ryuk said, "There's no way. Once a name has been written, the human always dies. If you'd caught it soon enough, you could have crossed out the instructions and written a different way of death, but now you can't even do that much. If you can prevent the instructions from being followed, they'll die of a heart attack instead, but that's all."

L said, "Matsuda, he's your shinigami. You ask him. He sometimes tells more to you."

Matsuda repeated the question and Ryuk gave basically the same answer.

Aizawa jumped to his feet and said, "This is pointless. Either there really is no way to save those people, or it's lying to us and we'll have to experiment to see if anything we do will save them."

L said, "I believe it thinks the game is over and so it has no motivation to lie. We should experiment but we need more information first."

L turned once again toward Ryuk and said, "There are times when the killing notebook doesn't work. Am I correct?"

"Yes," Ryuk said, "the rules can't be broken. It doesn't work on babies, anyone 125 year old or older, anyone with less than twelve minutes of natural lifespan left, or if you write down the same person in two death notes at basically the same time, or if you misspell the name or think of the wrong face when writing the name."

Ukita said, "None of that helps us save those people."

L said, "I am interested in something else. If the instructions are prevented, such as a suicide being made impossible for the victim to perform, then it always reverts to heart failure?"

"Yes, I told you that before."

L said, "The officers Light controlled only shot at the wall, not at each other or at anyone who was not controlled. Why?"

Ryuk said, "You can't cause the deaths of others that way. If you try, the instructions become void and the original person dies of a heart attack, while the other person doesn't die at all unless their name is also written, and then they just die of a heart attack too."

There was a way... probably a way... to save the victims. To create a paradox, where one rule clashed against another rule. Then, either they wouldn't die at all, or something completely new and unexpected would happen.

L said, "So, if the death that is written for a victim would cause the death of one or more others, it reverts to heart failure, but what happens if heart failure in a written victim would cause the death of another person who wasn't written? Then it reverts to heart failure, but it still clashes with a rule, so what happens?"

Ryuk said, "How could one person's heart attack kill someone else?"

L said, "If the victim with a written death was completely sedated so they couldn't do anything, and hooked up to a machine that monitored their heart rate and would give a lethal injection to another person if their heart stopped."

Ryuk said, "Shinigami don't do things like that. I have no idea what would happen."

So, it was an untried experiment. There were only a few possibilities. The written victim might die anyway with the machinery to kill the other person suffering a coincidental failure at just that moment. Using a back-up power supply in case of an electrical failure and having the machines extensively examined beforehand should minimize that possibility. There was a chance the written victim's death would be completely avoided, which was the goal. There was also a possibility the written victim would die anyway, their death simply being delayed until the moment they were removed from the machinery. The last, and least likely, possibility was that both the written victim and the person who tried to save them would die.

L said, "From the criminal deaths written in the killing notebook, it seems that twenty-three days is the limit for death. If you schedule the death too far in the future, they die within the twenty-three-day limit."

"Yeah," Ryuk said, "Light discovered that. I didn't even know it."

L said, "For each written victim, we need someone to volunteer to attempt to save the person by being hooked up to a machine like the one I described. This would need to be from shortly before their death is scheduled until twenty-three days from the time of writing has passed. If that cannot save these victims, then I think nothing can. There is a small possibility the volunteers will die too, but if nobody dies within the first few days of this experiment, then we can conclude it is probably impossible for that to happen. I will volunteer for Sachiko Yagami. It is entirely my fault her death was written."

"No," Soichiro said, "I will."

"Then," L said, "I'll volunteer for Naomi Misora."

Suddenly, everyone was volunteering to save their fellow NPA officers.

L looked at Light's page and said, "Only Daichi Kimura written here and the criminals written in the notebook are left. I'm sure I can get enough volunteers to save them all by asking my contacts in the FBI, the CIA and elsewhere."

Ukita said, "Daichi Kimura is Ide's best friend. I'm sure he'll volunteer if we tell him."

L look at the paper once again and said, "Watari, some of these people don't have much time. Can you get the machines ready fast enough?"

Watari said, "It's a simple modification of existing hospital machinery. I could have ten of them ready within two hours if I start now."

Watari left to begin the arrangements for everything, and then, it was just a matter of deciding what to do with the killing notebook. L didn't want it to be handed over to Interpol or any government agency, or to anyone at all; it would only get abused. It was a terrible weapon of mass destruction that shouldn't be in human hands.

At the same time, he didn't want the shinigami to go away yet in case there would be more questions that needed answering. So, they made plans for burning it after the experiment was done with trying the save the victims.

Everyone, all the volunteers and the victims, were placed into a small hospital-like building reserved just for the experiment and they were all hooked up to the machines. The victims were sedated into drug-induced comas so they wouldn't be able to unhook themselves from the machines, but the volunteers were simply lectured on the seriousness of the situation and how, once hooked up, they should be willing to go through with it and never back out. Otherwise, they shouldn't even start in the first place.

Watari and a small medical staff ran the place. L was bored being in a hospital bed all the time, but he started working on a few new cases through a laptop computer he usually kept in his bed. Within a day it was clear the method worked at least as far as delaying the deaths, as several scheduled times of death went by with none of the victims dying. There was still no guarantee the victims wouldn't die of heart failure the moment they were removed from the machines, but L hoped that waiting past the 23-day limit should prevent that from happening.

Then, the day came. The day when the experiment would truly succeed or fail. L watched with a sick fascination as one medical worker unhooked Naomi Misora's unconscious body from the machine that monitored her heart rate and was also primed to give him a lethal injection, while a second medical worker was unhooking him at the same time.

L almost held his breath. This was the moment. Even sedated, she should look like she was having a heart attack if the experiment had failed. L hopped out of bed and stood next to her, holding her hand, placing one finger on her wrist to feel her pulse. Yes, she was still alive. The drugs would wear off soon. Would the control be gone, or would she once again think of nothing but suicide and try to kill herself? The medical workers left. They had to do this to each pair of victim and volunteer.

Then, after a time, Naomi's eyes were fluttering open. She looked at him, uncomprehending. She blinked twice more, and then said, "Ryuzaki? What?"

L said, "How are you feeling? What would you like to do?"

She pulled both hands up to her face and rubbed it, saying, "I have a terrible headache."

Suddenly she sat up and looked at him. She said, "That case, the Los Angeles BB murders. L never shows his face except to people who don't know it's him. You're L, aren't you? You have to be."

L said, "You no longer wish to kill yourself?"

Naomi said, "No, I... Raye is gone but... Kira made me do that. Light Yagami is Kira."

L turned to leave.

Naomi said, "Wait! What happened?"

L said, "We found a way to save you. Kira is dead. Most of the information on the case will remain classified. Please stay here. There will be a meeting to debrief you soon, to tell you which of your experiences you are allowed to tell others and which you aren't."

Naomi nodded, and then, as L turned to leave once more, she said, "Thank you. Thank you for saving me, L."

L replied, "We'll talk later. You did an incredibly good job, to help us catch Kira even while under his control."

And then he left, to check on the other victims and tie up the last loose ends in the case. Once L had assured himself that all the victims were alive and well, he went straight to the safe where the death note was concealed, took it out and set it on fire.

A/N (Author's Note):

Well, I hope this epilogue turned out to be a surprise to readers while at the same time not being too fluffy of an ending.

I hope this solution is something worthy of L's intelligence and also fits with the canon Death Note universe well. It's a struggle to do both of that at once while saving the lives of people whose deaths have already been written.

And still, no smut or romance in this fic, though I think if you squint the ending has possibly the tiniest hint of LxNaomi. I suppose in this alternate ending you could easily imagine them eventually getting together. Though, since Naomi is still mourning Raye it probably wouldn't happen quickly unless it was a rebound relationship, and if that happened it probably wouldn't last.

I suppose I could have done more with this epilogue with the surviving Yagami family, showing the joyful reunion of Sachiko and Soichiro and the after-effects of Light's death, but I chose not to because family drama isn't really my thing and I don't write Soichiro that well. I suppose you'll just need to imagine that part.