Chapter Text
Almost instantly upon giving up the Death Note, Yagami Light realised he'd just made a mistake. No, scratch that — he'd made a big mistake. Somewhere deep in the web of his meticulously-laid plan, there'd been room for two nasty surprises to sneak through:
- He hadn't lost his memories. On the contrary, they burned as bright as the clinical blue light that bathed the walls of his cell.
- Ryuk was still in the room with him, laughing his head off. Now, Ryuk loved to have a silent chuckle at Light's antics, but this was the first time that the shinigami sounded... oddly gleeful at his expense.
"Oh, Light — you really thought it was that easy?" Ryuk taunted. "You just say a few words and... what? I pick up the Death Note like an obedient puppy and hand it over to a new owner?"
Unable to communicate with the shinigami for fear of his actions tipping off L (who was no doubt eagerly watching his every move) to something untoward, Light just glowered.
"You see, that's not how this business works at all." The shinigami leant back, a giant black figure against the dull beige of the wall. "When a human picks up a Death Note, it's theirs. For life. That means the only way you get out of this mess," he gestured in Light's direction, "is if you die."
Light gave his head a small, but firm, shake. Did Ryuk really think Kira would just curl over and die like that? If he'd refused to give up half his lifespan for the shinigami eyes — a tool that would've been a great asset to his arsenal — then he wouldn't even entertain the possibility of going out before his time.
"Of course," the shinigami's eyes twinkled slyly, "there's always a hidden back door. A second option, if you will."
Locking eyes with Ryuk, Light arched one brow. The message was crystal clear: I'm listening. Make this worth my while. Inside, however, his heart was pounding a tense rhythm against his ribs. His plans had never fallen so far off the rails before and the thought of now being stranded in uncharted territory was terrifying — though you would never have guessed this from his almost stingy lack of facial expression.
"Well," Ryuk's grin widened, "you can choose to work for me."
It felt as if the shinigami had tossed him a large and particularly unpleasant pair of used underwear. Under the metallic glint of the cameras, Light was forced to swallow the angry interjection that had nearly made its way up his throat. Had Ryuk lost his damn mind? Kira-
"Now, I know you're incredibly stubborn and are all ready to say 'no, Ryuk, that's a stupid idea', but here's why I think you should consider it. Number one: we make a great team." The shinigami stuck out his long, bony thumb as he began to count the reasons off on his fingers. "Number two: working for a shinigami will give you, well... let's just say you'll get some special powers. Of course, you'll still have to do my bidding, but it's a sweet deal."
An electric tingle of excitement slid up Light's spine — and it wasn't from the cold, tiled floor he was sitting on. The thought of working for a shinigami and sapping his own freedom was... admittedly very unappealing. However, the allure of special powers did pique his interest. Power always held wiggle room — and, perhaps if he was lucky, even wiggle room to free him from a shinigami deal.
"And, most importantly," Ryuk said, sensing the other getting lost in their own thoughts, "number three: you're shit out of options and you know it."
That was becoming increasingly evident. The longer Light lingered in his cell, the more damning the evidence would be against him when no new Kira kills trickled in. But wait...
A sudden thought struck him. What about Misa? She had given up her Death Note according to plan and, if the information he had received thus far was correct, she was still very very much alive.
Light glanced at the shinigami. There was only one way to play this game — and he could thank his lucky stars he knew his way around the court. "Okay," he sighed, "I think I need a little information here."
He knew that seemingly speaking to himself, under the watchful gaze of L's cameras, was a move that'd raise too much suspicion. Therefore, the only option available to him was to talk to Ryuk, under the pretence of communicating with L.
With a beep of the intercom, L said, "You're currently our top suspect for the first Kira. Much to your father's displeasure, I now can't share details of our investigation with you."
"You didn't let me finish. I have a specific question I'd like to ask." Light glanced at Ryuk. "How is Misa? Is she still alive?"
The intercom beeped again. "She's still being questioned." L responded. "You may be pleased to note that I have, however, resorted to more comfortable interrogation methods for Ms Amane."
Light's eyes bore down on Ryuk. It's your turn to spill now, they said.
"Yeah, yeah — Rem killed her." The shinigami said this so nonchalantly that it almost sounded as though he were extolling the virtues of the juicy red apples that Sachiko was wont to buy.
"She's still alive?" Light probed, not taking his eyes off the lanky figure leaning against his cell's far wall.
"Errr... yes." L said, sounding somewhat confused over the intercom. "Why wouldn't she be?"
"It's because she absorbed Gelus' lifespan." Ryuk explained. "If a shinigami writes down the name of a human whose current lifespan exceeds that of a natural, human lifespan, well... they come back to life. Misa relinquished her Death Note by dying."
Light bit his bottom lip. Ryuk's explanation made sense — if the updates L had given him about Misa were to be believed. Rather unfortunately for him, that meant he was truly backed into a corner and the shinigami's offer was the only thing on the table.
"Thank you." He nodded at Ryuk. He was ready.