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Chapter Text

Realm of the Shinigami

No, Light, you weren't actually a god back then. You were something else. Go ahead, why not give it a shot? If you're lucky, some unbelievable guy might just pick up your notebook. Maybe you'll get to see something you'll never forget for the rest of your life. That's what I think, wouldn't you agree….Light?

The Human World

October 27, 2030

This world is rotten. This world is infested with vermin and people allow it to be infested. Where is Kira; we need him now more than ever. I would kill to bring him back. Who knows, maybe Kira will return and steer this world in the right direction.

The Wammy House.

Knight Yagami, Age: 17.

On the rooftop of the Wammy House, Knight Yagami sat on a beach chair with a chessboard set up on a table in front of him. He plays by himself and thinks of the next moves ahead for each side. Knight Yagami was known around the Wammy House for his orange hair, which was actually strawberry blond. He had blue eyes and fair skin. He wore a buttoned-up khaki shirt that was neatly pressed and a red tie. He also sported black pants and fancy brown shoes. He sat in his beach chair with one leg over his knee and he moved the knight up and to the right, checkmating himself.

From the sky that had been covered with gray clouds, a notebook fell.

"OW!" Knight exclaimed as he clutched his head. A notebook from above had fallen on his head and nearly put him in a coma. He winces and rubs his head before he clears his composure to study the device that had ambushed him from above.

Death Note

He picks it up from his lap and examines it carefully. He flips it open and reads the first page. "This Is A God of Death's NoteBook." He chuckled. "A Shinigami, it did fall from above so I wouldn't be surprised." He flips to the next page. "How to Use: The human whose name is written in this note shall die. This note will not take effect unless the writer has the person's face in their mind when writing his/her name. Therefore, people sharing the same name will not be affected." He read the next set of rules, which took about seven or eight pages and stopped when he read a rule that read, 'All humans will, without exception, eventually die. After they die, the place they go is MU. (Nothingness)'

He smirks. "I can believe that." He shuts the notebook. "If this is a prank, it's a well-thought-out one. I could've come up with this notebook if I wanted to." He flips to the first blank page. He takes out a pencil from his breast pocket. "If I just write a name, then the person will simply die of a heart attack while I picture their face in mind. This is beginning to sound like a prank the kids are playing on me because I'm the only one in this godforsaken orphanage who supports Kira."

"I knew it worked."

Knight looks up. He gasps as his mouth is covered with a mouth. His eyes widen as he gazes upon the monster silencing him. He calms down after a brief moment.

In front of him was a behemoth of some kind with a permanent grin across its skeletal face, red eyes, and spiky hair that had been tied back by a red headband that matched the color of the tie Knight was wearing. He also was carrying some kind of weapon made of bones on his back.

"You don't seem scared of me," the Shinigami said, "Are you not surprised to see me?"

Knight spoke when the Shinigami moved his hand away from his mouth. "This is a Shinigami's notebook," Knight smiled, "You're the owner of this Death Note, am I right?"

The Shinigami laughed. "You're smart, just as I knew you'd be. My name is Gilth and I've been watching over you for a long time, Knight Yagami."

Knight cocked his head. "How do you know my name? At the Wammy House, I am known as K, or 'Kip' as the others call me."

"Simple," Gilth said, "I can see your name and lifespan floating above your head and I must say, you have quite the lifespan, Knight Yagami."

KNIGHT YAGAMI, 16 4 5 31 3 9 1

Knight flips to a page containing rules. "You're not permitted to tell me my lifespan?" he asked.

"I'm not permitted to tell you that," Gilth answered, "But I can't tell you how happy I am that you found the notebook."

Knight narrowed his eyes. "What are you talking about? I didn't find the notebook, it fell on my head and you clearly said that you've been watching over me for a long time. The instructions are written in English, which means that you either had a contingency plan in case the notebook fell into a human's hands or you dropped this book on purpose."

Gilth tilted his head. "Smart," he praised before looking down at the chessboard, "You're calculative, I always knew. You're perfect for this Death Note."

Knight packed up his chessboard. He clutched the notebook tightly in his arm. "The notebook said that only the owner or people who have touched the notebook can see you."

"That's right," Gilth confirmed, "You're sharper and more observant than I anticipated."

Knight takes the notebook downstairs and he locks himself in his room.

Gilth limped into Knight's room as if he had been injured.

"How has the world been since the reign of Kira almost eighteen years ago?" Gilth asked, "Did they teach Kira that he is a hero?"

Knight sneered and started grinding his teeth. "Teachers, politicians, police officers, they all have taught us that Kira was the evilest mass murder in history." He clenched his fists. "I don't believe that."

"Why not?" Gilth asked.

"I was born nine months after Kira suddenly vanished. When I was growing up, the global crime rates spiked ninety percent. Terrorist groups became more dangerous than before, politicians became corrupt, thousands of innocent people suffered just when they had everything going for them. And it's all because of Near, who has taken the mantle of 'L'. There was one Kira killing old people that Near dubbed C-Kira and then there was A-Kira, who put a Death Note up for auction, the world has never been worse before."

Gilth's eyes lit up red.

Near...you ruined everything all those years ago. I'll make sure you pay.

He takes out a pencil. "If I knew what Near's real name was, then I would write it down. I know this Death Note is real, I believe it, but I still require an experiment. I want to see the power of God before me."

Gilth stopped him. "I have to warn you, Knight, the human who uses a Death Note can neither go to Heaven nor Hell for eternity. And when your time comes, I will be the one writing your name in my notebook."

Knight scoffed. "Humans go to MU when they die. Either way, I don't believe in Heaven, Hell, God, or the Devil. Religion is a waste of time and Kira is my one and only deity."

Knight, Gilth thought, You really are your father's child. You ARE Light Yagami's son.

"What you are holding in your hand is the very weapon that Kira used to rid the world of evil."

Knight laughed softly. "I already deduced that."

I still have my memories of my previous life, Gilth thought, I think I'll transfer my memories into my son.

Gilth chuckled before he grabbed Knight's shoulder. "You want to know a secret, Knight?"

"It better be worth my time, Shinigami," Knight said with a rude and condescending voice.

He whispers: "I want to tell you that I am Kira."

Knight froze.

Does this Shinigami expect me to believe this? Does he expect me to believe that he is Kira?

"Prove it," Knight challenged.

"Alright."

Gilth held out a hand and grabbed the back of Knight's head.

"Is this enough proof?"

Knight's heart dropped to his stomach. His eyes went wide. His breath was stolen from him.

Visions flashed through Knight's mind, the entirety of Kira's life passing through his mind, specifically, when Kira received the notebook, all the way to his end near the Yellow Box Warehouse. He saw the last of the flashes where it revealed that Light Yagami was Kira.

Light Yagami...my father...was Kira? And my mother was Misa Amane...the second Kira?

A smile crossed Knight's face and his eyes turned red. "I'm heir to Kira's throne."

He smiled, which gave him an uncanny resemblance to his father.

My father was Kira. I, Knight Yagami, son of Light Yagami and Misa Amane, am heir to Kira. This Shinigami claims to be Kira himself which could only mean one thing: Light Yagami was reincarnated as a Shinigami. He came back to the human world to see to it that I finish his work. And I won't disappoint my father, mother, or all those kind and gentle people who suffered because of Near.

He picks up the notebook.

With this tool, I will change the world. I will redeem the world back to Kira's utopia and I will make sure there isn't an L to chase me down. I'm going to kill Near and everyone involved in his death. This means everybody in the SPK and the Japanese Task Force that chased down Kira and killed him. I'm also going to make sure no inferior carbon copies of L chase me down; I'll write down the names of everybody in the Wammy House.

Knight prepares to write in the notebook before there is a knock on his door. He quickly hid the notebook in his drawer before he walked to the door. He puts his hand on the knob and hesitates.

"Don't worry, they can't see me," Gilth said.

Knight opened the door to find a girl standing there, blushing.

"Kip," the girl said.

Knight recognized her as a child under the alias of 'I', or 'Ice'

"Ice" Knight called her by her alias, "What do you want?"

She blushed. "I-was-just…." She reached into her jacket pocket and took out a yellow envelope. "I just...wanted to give this to...you."

Does she have to blush whenever she's around me?

Knight takes the envelope and tears it open. It was a paper with his test results. Gilth laughed.

"Number one again," Knight said, "Scored 2000 points on the Wammy House Exams."

"That's the highest score anybody has received in the Wammy House. You've been number one for three years in a row, Kip," Ice said, "If you keep this up, you will succeed Near in no time."

Knight chuckled. "Why would I want to succeed Near?"

"You're the smartest kid in the Wammy House and the test results prove it. You should be the one to succeed Near. The kids at the Wammy House are groomed into succeeding L and you are the most qualified candidate."

Knight turned and sank into his chair. "Step in and close the door behind you."

Ice blushed again but she followed Knight's command. "What is it, Kip?"

"Ice, I need your honest opinion: What do you think about Kira?"

Ice looked at the ground with twitching fingers before looking at Knight. "What do you mean?"

"What's your opinion on Kira? I know that we are groomed into becoming detectives to stop people like Kira out of duty but what is your personal opinion of Kira?"

Gilth watched the exchange between the two and laughed. "I can't wait to hear her response."

"Well," she began, "In my opinion...Kira is...evil."

Knight's eyes widened. Her fingers twitched. "What?" he whispered. "What did you say?"

You think Kira is evil?

Knight's fingers twitched. He looked down at the ground.

Iona Abernathy, you call Kira evil?

Knight opens his drawer without looking.

"Kira is justice," he growled under his breath. He slowly looked up at her with red eyes. "When Kira was law, global crime rates dropped seventy percent and wars have stopped. Criminals became fearful of Kira and stopped themselves from committing crimes and at the same time, discouraged people from doing bad. Six hundred thousand innocent people were saved from violent criminals every year for six years and people who did no wrong could live a cheerful life. Ever since Kira went dark all those years ago, crime has worsened."

"Knight," I said carefully, "Why are you saying this?"

He takes a pencil and presses it to the notebook.

"Let me ask you something, Iona Abernathy, if I rape you right here and now, I would be a bad person. I'm smart, so I can find a loophole in the system to get out of jail for free. Would it be justice if I rape you and get off scot-free?"

Ice gasped. "It...wouldn't be right."

"Of course," Knight said, "But that's what you are saying. You are saying that you would rather live in a world where I could rape you and get away with it then to live in a world where evil people get punished for their crimes."

"Kip," Ice said, "I know that you support Kira but what has gotten into you? Why are you saying this?"

"Because…"

He looks at his watch.

"I am Kira."

Ice's eyes widened and she gasped.

38….

39….

40….

Ice clutched her chest and collapsed to her knees. She falls on her side and gasps for air. She holds out her twitching hand as she gasps in horror upon realizing what was going on.

"Knight…"

Knight took out the Death Note and flashed the page with her name written on it. He smiles. "I'll see you in Nothingness, Iona Abernathy."

She slowly exhales her last breath of existence. Her eyes slowly closed as she drifted off where she could rest in peace.

Gilth laughed. "You are too perfect for the Death Note, Knight. I couldn't be more proud of my son."

Knight chuckles. "I know what I must do now." He slowly turns his head towards Gilth. "I will succeed where the original Kira failed. Once I get rid of Near and everybody at the Wammy House and Japanese Task Force, I will then become the God of the new world. Hell, I'm already God. I'm the smartest kid at the Wammy House orphanage and thanks to the memories you showed me, I now know the names and faces of everyone involved in the death of Light Yagami."

Gilth laughed again. "Do you have a plan for taking down the SPK and the Japanese Task Force or are you just going to write their names down? To tell you the truth, I want them to suffer."

"After all they've done in killing Light Yagami and restoring this world to its original rotten state, I do have a plan and they will suffer." He thrust the Death Note on his desk and put the tip of his pencil to the page.

October 31, 2030, Japan

"Are the rumors true?" Matsuda asked Aizawa as he sat in the passenger seat. "Is there another Death Note?"

"L," Aizawa began, "Said that he detected a large number of mafia families dying in Japan. He said that mobsters of the Matsuri gang started dropping like flies from heart attacks and before anyone knew it, this became the case for all mafia families in Japan. All except for one, the Hidan Family."

"So there's a good chance that the Death Note's been picked up by a member of the Hidan Family mafia."

"That's was L said." He contemplated.

"Ryuk," Matsuda said, "Could he have dropped another Death Note? It's been about five years since I saw him."

"It was with A-Kira," Aizawa said, "L dubbed this current Kira as M-Kira, for 'Mafia Kira'."

They see a man pass by their vehicle.

"Is that Haruki Haruno?" Matsuda asked, "The second-in-command of the Hidan Family?"

"That is."

Aizawa and Matsuda get out of their car. They trail Haruno but keep a distance from him. They have their hands on their gun holsters and ready to draw their guns.

"Look," Matsuda pointed.

They spotted a notebook under Haruno's arm.

"Is that the Death Note?" he asked.

Haruno paused.

"What's he doing?"

"Stay on alert, Matsuda."

Haruno turns his head and looks down an alley. He takes out a pencil and writes something down in his notebook. He stands there doing nothing for about thirty seconds before he places the notebook inside his jacket and starts walking.

"After him," Aizawa ordered.

"Police," Matsuda called out.

Haruno turned and ran off upon seeing the two officers.

The two looked down the alleyway that Haruno was staring down to see three men in suit and ties collapse to the ground. They recognized them as mafia members.

The two officers chase after Haruno. Aizawa calls into Mogi and Ide and tells them that Haruno is the owner of the Death Note and that they are in pursuit.

The two officers chase the mob boss down all over the city. He runs into oncoming traffic and barely manages to evade the officers. He runs and jumps down an overpass and lands on shipping containers. Aizawa and Matsuda copy his actions.

Haruno runs to the Daikoku Wharf. He is cornered by a police car with Mogi and Ide inside. He turns around and runs into the closest building: The Yellow Box Warehouse.

He forces the door open and runs for it.

Matsuda gets to the door and he aims.

Haruno turns around and gets shot five times. He is barely alive and falls into a puddle of water.

"Nice shot," Aizawa said, "Use one bullet next time, we need him alive."

The four close in on the wounded mobster as he lays there unable to move. There was blood in his eyes. "Eyes," he muttered, "Eyes."

"Eyes," Aizawa said, "He is talking about the Shinigami eyes, which means the Shinigami is in the room with us."

Mogi and Ide search the wounded mobster and find the notebook in his inner pocket.

"Can you see the Shinigami?" Matsuda asked.

Ide and Mogi looked around, neither one said an answer.

"I can't see it," Ide said, "Could it be that the Shinigami is hiding? Maybe it phased into the ground."

Aizawa took the Death Note.

Ide and Mogi check Haruno.

"If we move him then he'll bleed out quicker," Ide said.

"Near is in Japan," Aizawa said, "And he said that he wanted to talk to the mobster himself. Until then, we have to check the Death Note to make sure that it is authentic."

The officers checked the Death Note and they found no names written on with the exception of 'FUCK YOU' written across one page.

"This has to be a decoy," Matsuda said, "But we saw those men die in the alley."

"Let me check the notebook for myself."

Near, Gevanni, Halle, and Rester stood at the door. Near was standing but he was carrying toys with him.

Near sat in the middle of the room and grabbed the notebook. He touched his hair. "This is a decoy," he said and then he contemplated. "Unless…"

THUN-THUMP!

Haruno screamed in agony as he gave his life away from Kira's calling card.

The eight of them stared in shock at the deceased mobster.

"What?" Matsuda said, "He's dead, but how?"

Near deduced the answer. "We've been played."

The door behind them was opened and stood Knight Yagami. The eight looked at the young boy, who had a grin on his face and was snickering.

"Kip," Near said, "What are you doing here?"

Knight continued to snicker. He burst out into laughter. "My name...is Knight Yagami." He studied their shocked expressions. "And I am Kira."

THUN-THUMP!

"Dead on arrival," Knight laughed.

Shuichi Aizawa and Anthony Carter collapsed to the ground.

Knight looked at his watch. "That's for putting my father under suspicion, Aizawa."

THUN-THUMP!

Kanzo Mogi and Stephen Loud collapsed.

"That's for switching the notebooks, Gevanni."

THUN-THUMP!

Hideki Ide, and Halle Bullook went next.

"That's for opposing Kira in general."

Touta Matsuda fired a bullet but missed Knight, who didn't even flinch.

THUN-THUMP!

Matsuda collapsed.

"That's for shooting my father."

Near was the only one 'standing'.

Near looked at Knight Yagami, recognizing no emotion in his eyes. "What have you done?"

"Nate River," Knight said, "I set this all up for you."

Knight pulls out the real Death Note and flashes it to Near. "You were all being manipulated by me." He turns to the page he wrote in. "October 28th, 2030, the names of thirty men part of the Matsuri gang die of heart attacks. October 30th, 2030, the largest mafia gangs in Japan start dying off, one by one. October 31st, Nate River, Halle Bullook, Stephen Loud, and Anthony Carter fly to Japan to investigate. Haruki Haruno takes a notebook and writes 'Death Note' across the cover in white painting. He stumbles upon a gang of two members of the Hidan Family, who die of heart attacks. Shuichi Aizawa, Kanzo Mogi, Hideki Ide, and Touta Matsuda chase Haruno into the Yellow Box Warehouse. Matsuda shoots Haruno and fatally injures him. The four SPK members meet the Japanese Task Force in the Yellow Box and they start dying off as someone walks into the warehouse behind them at 1:29 in the afternoon, with the exception of Nate River, who dies at 1:30 PM." He closes the notebook. "I didn't actually write that, I was just giving you a general idea but you get the point either way. I wanted to recreate everything that happened on January 28th, even the date and time but I'm not able to wait that long. Especially considering that I used the Death Note on Ice recently."

Near bowed his head in defeat. "How could you do this, Kip? You were the smartest child at the Wammy House and you were next in line to become my successor."

Knight laughed. "Me, your successor? You make me laugh, Near. Did you really think that I would want to take over after you died?! To take over for the man who caused the death of my mother and father!? The man who made this world a dystopia?!"

Near looked up at Knight in shock. "You're just as crazy as your-"

THUN-THUMP!

Near's eyes widened in shock. He drops a toy he was holding and collapses on his side. Knight stands over Near with a maniacal grin on his face. "What's the matter, Near?" He lifts his foot and smashes Near's toy with it, not breaking his devilish grin. "The end is 'NEAR' for you."

He kneeled and grabbed Near's hand. "A parting gift," Knight chuckled. He put Near's hand to the Death Note.

Near's wide-eyes saw the Shinigami standing behind Knight, who had the same grin Knight displayed. "This time, the notebook is real," the Shinigami said, "Near."

Light Yagami…

Near's eyes close slowly.

"Say hi to L for me," Gilth taunted.

Knight gasped upon seeing the life drain from Near's face. He was at a loss of breath before he broke out in laughter once more. "NEAR, there will NOT be another L!" He laughs harder and looks at his Shinigami. "I've succeeded where you failed, father, I am GOD!"

His cellphone rings. He answers it. "Watari?"

"I've done it," Roger Ruvie said. "Every single child."

Knight's smile does not falter. "Good, then proceed as instructed." He hangs up.

"I was going to say," Gilth said, "What were you going to do about the Wammy House?"

"I calculate every move I make to the 144th degree. It's easy for a person like me, who plays chess by himself every chance he gets. Whether it be a pawn or a bishop or my personal favorite, the knight, I always plan nine steps ahead for both sides." He reads from a page. "On October 31st, 2030, at 12:30 PM, Roger Ruvie uses a piece of the Death Note provided to him to write the names down of every child attending the Wammy House orphanage, picturing their face as he writes their name. After he finishes writing the names, he calls this number listed and tells the person on the other end that it is done. He then proceeds to set the entire orphanage on fire and he burns to death along with the corpses of the students." He closes the notebook. "Everybody, that opposed Kira all those years ago, will be cleansed from my perfect world and I will pick up the trail that Kira left behind."

"Are you willing to trust Watari to write the names of every orphan at the Wammy House?" Gilth asked, "What happens in the event that one of them survives."

"Unlikely," Knight said, "In the event that someone is still alive for whatever reason, I also ordered Ruvie to tell me the names of the people whose face he couldn't picture on the phone. And if he has a face in mind but doesn't know their name, I told him to send their photo ID to me via email and if he doesn't have a photo then I told him to sketch out the face as best as he can and send the photo to me."

"What happens if one person from the Wammy House survives?"

"Unlikely," Knight said, "I still have contingencies, I always plan ahead. As I said, I plan everything out to the 144th degree. Backup plans for backup plans for backup plans. If one person does happen to survive, then I will forfeit ownership of the Death Note. You'll take it back to the Shinigami Realm and I'll have you kill this person for me before returning the notebook. In addition, on the paper that Watari used to write the children's names on, I had him write my name, spelling out Night Yagami without a K so if anyone investigates, they'll believe that Knight Yagami died in the fire."

Gilth stared at Knight, trying to find the words to say.

Wow, the Shinigami thought, He's thought everything through, inside and out. He read the rules to the notebook and like I did when I was a human, he used it to his advantage. He's strategic, calculative, and highly intelligent. Who would've known that my spawn with Misa would've turned out to be a perfect heir to Kira? If I knew that he would've turned out this perfect then I never would've considered writing his name down in the Shinigami Realm.

Knight vacated the warehouse. He approached the set of stairs his father died upon all those years ago. Halfway up and halfway down, a clear symbol that Death Note users don't go to Heaven or Hell (Considering that all humans go to MU when they die). It also symbolizes that his father never made it to Godhood. Knight lays himself down on the same spot his father died in and sighed while closing his eyes.

"Kira never died," Knight said, "He just took a break." He rises up from his father's resting place and climbs up the stairs. "With the SPK and Japanese Task Force taken care of, I will inherit their criminal database and Kira's reign will spread farther than before."

Knight climbed to the building where his mother jumped off and he stood at the edge.

He takes out a pencil and his Death Note.

"This world is mine now."

His eyes turn red as he gets to work.

One by one, he writes names down. He doesn't skip any beats as he fills the body bags full of villains. He could practically hear the men screaming in pain as their heart stopped. He started out with small-time criminals in Japan before he aimed higher, killing off every major criminal in Japan, including the rest of the Hidan Family.

Kira's killings reached China, then Russia, and continued to spread West. Terrorist groups, corrupt politicians, ruthless murderers both inside and outside of prison were dropping dead like the scumbags they are.

He wrote the names of the evilest people imaginable in the continent of Asia. He wrote the names of every known terrorist leader in his notebook when he killed villains in Africa.

Once he was done with one continent, he moved onto the next one.

He reached the United States and it was a field day for him for the next half hour.

"There's one loose end I have to tie up."

His grandmother, Sachiko Yagami, died eight years ago from a heart attack peacefully in her sleep. His aunt, Sayu Yagami, became a member of the police force and was next in line to become part of the Japanese Task Force.

He wrote his aunt's name down and wrote that she died in a traffic accident.

With the memories the Shinigami gave me, I can learn from my father's mistakes and I can surpass him.

He continues to write names down. When he's done, he's killed approximately 2,340 criminals, with each page containing 156 names.

I am the god of the new world.

Chapter Text

November 2030

Washington D.C.

"Mr. President, are the rumors true," a reporter asked, "Is it true that Kira is back and he is passing judgment on criminals?"

Mr. President of the United States - or POTUS - refused to answer any questions as he was escorted out of the White House by a dozen bodyguards.

Ever since the killings of Kira started, criminals all over the globe started dying and the global crime rate crashed almost overnight. Kira supporters have never been happier in their lives as their god had returned from a seventeen-year hiatus. First, criminals in Japan started dying off before the killings spread outwards like a virus and killing criminals one by one.

POTUS was escorted to a press conference where he was going to give his speech to the people at the Washington Monument. He stepped up to the podium and he spoke into the mic and addressed the several thousand people before him.

"Seventeen years," POTUS said, "It's been seventeen years since Kira's will became law. During that time, criminals were afraid to commit crimes and people who did nothing wrong had nothing to fear and when Kira's vanished, crime rates spiked."

"KIRA!" a supporter shouted, "GOD!"

"Now," POTUS continued, "The rumors I've been hearing is that Kira is back and I've been able to confirm these rumors myself. I am neither for Kira nor against Kira but as President of the United States, I cannot have someone working outside the law passing judgment."

The crowd's reaction was mixed. The Kira supporters were shouting in anger and making threats while the reporters tried asking trivial questions like 'Do you hate Kira'.

"Kira is a criminal," POTUS said, "He has no right to judge people, no matter the crime they committed. I will not stop and I will not rest until this terrorist is brought to justice. Which is why I am issuing an arrest for the mass murderer known as Kira."

Knight's Apartment

It's been about three weeks since Knight picked up the Death Note and passed judgment on the wicked. On average, he would write 156 names per page and use three pages a day, giving him a total of 9,828 names written down. All together, Knight's kill count is 12,168.

Knight had found Light's old apartment that the Task Force had used for headquarters seventeen years ago. He moved away from Winchester, England, and settled into his father's old apartment. He had been living there ever since he came to Japan to see the deaths of his loose ends and was living by himself on Near's inheritance.

He would make sure to get his morning coffee and that he would get a full eight-hour sleep every night. When he wasn't writing names, he was studying to get into college.

"What's your plan, Knight?" Gilth asked, "I get that you have a lot of free time to write names in the notebook by why do you only use three pages a day?"

"If I exhaust myself from killing all criminals then I won't have any time to conduct experiments. If I kill them all, things will start to get boring and I want things to be interesting."

"You have the advantage of not going to school so you get all the free time in the world."

"True but I'm going to have to sacrifice that. If the police send someone to investigate me like the FBI, it'll only look more suspicious if I'm a teenager who does nothing but stay home all day. Especially during Kira's killing time."

Knight turns to the computer in front of him and opens up a website created by Kira supporters. "My acolytes are already setting up websites for Kira. They're putting names of people they think should be punished by Kira." He points to a picture of a man. "I have their name and face and the crime they're accused of. His name is Hiroto Takashi, a convicted rapist, murderer, and child molester."

"It must feel good to have this power in your hands."

"It feels good, Gilth, people are passing me names and faces on a silver platter. At this point, I won't need the Shinigami eyes. If the president backed down from Kira all those years ago, the current President of the United States will do the same. Pretty soon, I'll bring every country to its knees. For now, however, I'll just write down this person's name."

Knight writes Hiroto Takashi's name.

Gilth laughed. "I'm impressed, you've surpassed me, Knight. As a human, I had obstacles to overcome, and even when I took down one obstacle, I had more to overcome. But you, Knight, you took out Near and everyone involved in Kira's death seventeen years ago. That, along with wiping out the Wammy House all the way."

"You give me too much credit," Knight said, "I should be thanking you; had you not given me your memories as a human, I never would've been able to avenge you, Dad."

Gilth tilted his head.

He called me 'Dad'.

Knight opens a draw and hides his notebook under a false bottom with the same trap his father set up.

Knight left his apartment and walked around the city of Tokyo. Gilth limped after him.

This world is rotten, Gilth thought, I tried to make it a better world when I was Light Yagami but because of L, Mello, and Near, I've died and have been reincarnated as a Shinigami. Misa proved useful for carrying my child; had I had no heir, this world would've rotted to the core.

Knight stops in front of a convenient store.

Gilth watched a girl cross the street. He recognized her.

It's that girl, the one who was almost raped all those years ago. I saved her from a biker by writing that he gets hit by a truck.

"Kira," the woman whispered as if sensing Kira's presence.

And twenty years later, she is a Kira worshipper. She's grateful for all that Kira has done and pretty soon, everybody in the entire world will be grateful for Kira. Assuming that my heir can live up to Kira's name.

Knight came out of the convenient store holding a bag of potato chips.

Gilth limped after him and Knight sat on a park bench.

Knight opens the bag. "For you, Gilth."

Gilth became excited.

"Barbecued-flavored potato chips," Knight said, "Your favorite as a human."

Gilth took a handful of barbecued-flavored chips and wolfed them down. "These chips have never tasted so good before."

Barbecued potato chips are like apples to Ryuk, the Shinigami thought, I now understand why he considers apples to be an addictive substance.

Gilth ate the whole bag. Knight crumbled up the bag and threw it in a trash can.

"Thank you, Knight. You know, if you fail to feed me potato chips without a reason, I might just write your name in my notebook."

"I'd like to see you try, Shinigami," Knight said.

"He's dead," a voice said, "Hiroto Takashi is dead."

The second person took an interest and licked his lips. "That can only mean one thing: Kira does have access to the SPK and Japanese Task Force database. Hiroto Takashi's criminal record is available only to the SPK and Japanese Task Force."

"Yes," the first person said, "We've narrowed the list down significantly but there is still one thing I wonder: Is L dead?"

"That is the case," a third man spoke, "I got a report from ICPO that the SPK and Task Force were found dead in the Yellow Box Warehouse. They all died of heart attacks."

The first one spoke up, "If that's the case then it means that Kira is the SPK and Japanese Task Force."

"We have to be sure," the second one reminded.

"That is true and we need to confirm if he has the Shinigami eyes. We have to time it and if the person standing in front of the camera is still alive after forty seconds, then it'll give us our answer. If Kira killed the SPK and Task Force, then he should have no problems killing people like us."

"It's like Kira returned from the grave. It's like he took a break from killing before he woke up."

"Don't worry; we have an advantage that the original L never had: We have a Shinigami."

A fourth man - a police officer - came into the room. "Break, Roach, Maroon, we have another one."

The man going by the alias of 'Break' pulled open a drawer and took out a Death Note. He walks out of the room with the two following behind. He heads into a prison cell and he looks down upon a criminal restrained to a chair.

"His name is Alex Malone," the office said, "And today is the day he is to be executed."

Break took out a pen and wrote his name down.

"The Death Note should be used on criminals," Break said, "But only by people working within the law and on criminals on Death Row. This is why we can't allow Kira to continue. We have to obtain the Death Note from him and sentence him to death."

The Shinigami that only the three men could see stood directly behind Break and watched as the criminal on death row went limp.

Ryuk was right, the Shinigami thought, Humans are sooo interesting.

Knight's Apartment

"We are now live in downtown Los Angeles and it is chaotic down here," a news lady said. "I'm standing outside Los Angeles' first national bank where police are calling in SWAT to handle the bank robbery situation."

GIlth laughed. "This should be interesting."

"A robbery in progress involving hostages?" Knight pulls out a piece of the Death Note from his back pocket. "It would be so much easier if I had the Shinigami eyes but I'm not taking the chance. I am God and God should not have to half his life for power."

Gilth laughed.

My son is just like me in more ways than one.

"We have identified the leader of the robbers heading the bank robbery." A photo of a man with reddish-brown hair appeared. "Suspect identified as Roman Harper is responsible for the bank robbery."

"This just makes my job easier."

He writes the name down.

"Wait," the news reporter gasped, "We're getting reports that the leader of the thieves has suddenly collapsed."

Knight chuckled. "That's the whole point, he's supposed to die!"

The screen froze suddenly. The news lady moved off the screen and the camera went black.

"What the hell is going on?" Knight and Gilth asked.

The screen returned to normal and a man with sandy blonde hair stood in front of the camera. "Hello, Kira."

"What the hell?"

"I can't believe it worked, it actually worked." the man said.

"What?!" Knight exclaimed. "Who is this guy?"

"Kira, my name is Break," the man said, "I am part of a three-man team of investigators. My colleagues go by the names of Roach and Maroon and we've taken it upon ourselves to hunt you down like a dog and sentence you to death, Kira."

Knight narrowed his eyes. "You're going to sentence me to death, Break?"

"I'm giving you a challenge Kira: Write my name down!"

Knight's eyes widened. "What?" he stammered, "Is he asking for a death wish?!"

Never mind that, Knight scolded himself, I don't know his real name!

Break smiled. "What's wrong? You've seen my face, do you need the eyes to know my real name?"

Time froze for Knight.

The eyes?

Knight closed his eyes and sighed. "This guy, Break, is aware of how Kira kills people. He knows about the Shinigami eyes."

Gilth said nothing.

This wannabe is no L, Gilth thought, L never would've been so casual as to mention something like the Shinigami eyes on a live broadcast. A thought came to his head. Unless…

"It's been two minutes, Kira," Break said, "And I'm still alive. It looks like you need a name and a face and luckily, I'm safe. Looks like we're standing on equal ground."

Knight leaped out of his chair, spilling his water on the ground. He slams his hands on the table and shouts at the TV. "You have no right to play God like that! I'm going to find you, Break, and I'm going to kill you! I'm going to break you in half!"

"And thank you for letting me know where you are."

Knight was confused.

"This broadcast, although it was announced as a Los Angeles broadcast, was only broadcast to the headquarters of the Japanese Task Force. Everything you saw has been staged and the criminal you killed was actually a prison inmate who was scheduled to be executed today. Thanks to your help, we've been able to narrow down our list of suspects. The man you killed this morning, Hiroto Takashi, his information was available only to the SPK and Japanese Task Force. If he died, then we would know that Kira was operating as the SPK and Task Force or with the SPK and Task Force. It's your sense of justice that leads you to reveal your location."

"He's copying what L did with Lind L. Tailor," Gilth said, "But he used a private broadcast instead of a national one. The fact that he was able to narrow the list down to the headquarters of the Japanese Task Force means that this guy is good. His intelligence is on par with the original L's."

Break continued, "This is what we know: You don't have the Shinigami eyes, you are in Tokyo, and since you're watching this live broadcast, you are headquartered at the Task Force's old apartment, the one that belonged to Light Yagami. You can run, Kira, but you can't hide. Unlike L, I possess an advantage that he doesn't and I intend to use it to the fullest extent. It won't be long before I catch you Kira and sentence you to death. That'll be all."

The broadcast ended.

Knight's heart pounded. He grabs his hair and slams his fist into the table. "FUCK!" He punches the wall. "I can't believe I fell for the same trick my father did. There's nothing more humiliating for Kira then falling for the same trick twice!"

I have to deal with not one but three L copycats, Knight thought, It's like I'm dealing with L, Mello, and Near all at once.

He went silent. As a thought came to him, his eyes widened and a smile slowly formed across his face. "The Shinigami eyes….Break knew about the Shinigami eyes and what's more, is that he said 'Write my name down'. That, and he said something else: 'We are standing on equal grounds'."

He figured it out, Gilth thought.

"These three investigators, Break, Roach, and Maroon, have a Death Note of their own and a Shinigami helping them out. This makes things interesting."

Gilth smiled. It's Death Note User vs. Death Note User and the one who wins gets both notebooks and the loser gets his name written in the notebook. Ryuk is missing out on the fun.

Chapter Text

That is Kira? The Shinigami in the room thought as he recorded Knight Yagami from behind. He wrote down the robber's name on the news. All I have to do is film him when he turns his face around. I can't see his name and lifespan until I see his face.

After Knight had accepted the challenge of Break, Roach, and Maroon, he kept quiet. There was this aura glaring at him from behind that he couldn't explain. The urge within him told him to turn around and face this mysterious presence head-on but he resisted.

Gilth was out of the Shinigami's sight.

Gilth looked over his shoulder to see the Shinigami standing in the doorway holding a camera up to his face. The Shinigami was wearing a trench coat with spikes sticking out of its back. It had bandages wrapped around its face except for his left eye and he had talons on all ten fingers.

Is that Grudge? Gilth thought, What's he doing here? Is he the god of death possessing that guy on TV? He spotted the camera he was holding. That's it, it was a double trap from the beginning. Before they would air this broadcast, Break, Roach, and Maroon had Grudge fly into my old apartment to film Knight writing a name down. Once he gets away with the film, Knight will be arrested in no time. But then again, Knight's back is turned to Grudge so he can't see his name nor lifespan and as far as I know, his face wasn't captured on film but I have to destroy the camera.

Gilth took out his skeletal hammer he had been carrying on his back.

Turn around, Grudge thought, So I can see your face and name.

Gilth swung the hammer like a baseball bat into Grudge's face. The God of Death went limp instantly and fell flat on his back. The camera fell to the ground on its side facing the door, prompting Knight's attention.

"What?" he whispered, looking for an explanation as to why Gilth was swinging his hammer at nothing.

It has to be a Shinigami, he deduced. He spotted the camera. Where did that thing come from?

Knight grabs the Death Note and opens it to a page. He writes in it before tucking the notebook inside his jacket and shoving a computer in his backpack as he runs off.

Gilth picked up the camera and turned the lens towards him.

"Hi," he waved mockingly into the camera, "My name is Gilth." He throws the camera to the ground and smashes it with his hammer. He looks over at the Shinigami lying on the ground with his eyes frozen open. "Let me guess, Ryuk told you what happened in the human world and you decided to experience it yourself. I hope it'll be worth the experience."

"Did you at least get a look at his name and lifespan," Break asked the Shinigami possessing him.

Grudge took a two-liter of soda and chugged the whole thing. "Soda is so good," he said, "But to answer your question, no. I saw Kira writing in his Death Note but the entire time, his back was turned to me so I could not see his name nor lifespan. The Shinigami with him, he was in my blind spot so I didn't see him."

"Why do you have only one eye covered?" Break asked.

"An accident in the Shinigami realm."

Roach and Maroon sighed and turned away while Break continued to ask questions.

Roach turned to Maroon. "At the very least, we know that the Shinigami with Kira is actively helping him out. And now that Grudge was incapacitated by Kira's Shinigami, Kira will know for certain that we have a Shinigami and a Death Note with us."

"It works both ways," Maroon said, "We're on high alert for Kira and he will be on high alert for us."

Break turned away from the Shinigami to answer Break and Maroon. "The camera was our best shot but even if it didn't work, we still have contingencies."

Roach spoke up, "Based on the times of killing, Kira is unemployed. Like the original Kira, he has a childish sense of justice."

Maroon sat down in a chair. "Let's not forget, Break, Roach, that Kira was staying at Light Yagami's apartment. Not only that, but he knew the names of the original Task Force members and the SPK and he killed all of them in the Yellow Box Warehouse."

"That is true," Roach said, "How did Kira know the names of everyone involved in the Kira case seventeen years ago?"

Break pondered this question. "There is the possibility that the Shinigami gave out the names to Kira but Shinigami are forbidden to give out names and lifespans to humans with a Death Note. So he figured out the names another way."

"Not only their names but faces," Roach reminded.

Break went silent.

This Kira knew the names AND faces of the Task Force and SPK yet he didn't possess the Shinigami eyes, otherwise, I'd be dead. I know that L was a kid named Near whose name was written down in a fake notebook but that fake notebook had been incinerated along with the two Death Notes. If this Kira didn't get the names from the fake notebook then how did Kira get the names? More importantly, how did he get the faces?

Roach was pondering in his mind.

If Kira could get the faces of the Task Force and SPK without the Shinigami eyes, then does that mean he can get our names and faces? He doesn't know mine's and Maroon's face nor names with the exception of Break, yet he only knows his face.

Maroon mentally thought of possible solutions.

The only people who saw Near's real name were the members of the Task Force and three others and I've read a report that Kira WAS in the Yellow Box Warehouse but his real name was never made public, not even to the government. If that was the only instance in which Near's real name was written down then it stands to reason that Kira somehow has connections to the SPK and/or Japanese Task Force.

Break: Light Yagami was the only person who was killed by Kira that day in the Yellow Box Warehouse while the others were spared from death but from what I heard, Near was able to corner the REAL Kira into a corner with the names written in the fake notebook.

Roach: If they switched Kira's notebook with a fake one, why was Light Yagami the only one who died.

Maroon: Could it be that…

Break, Roach, Maroon: Kira was Light Yagami?

The streets of Tokyo

"Well, Knight," Gilth said, "Your cover was almost blown. You got lucky. Had your back not been turned, your face would've been on camera and Break, Roach, and Maroon would've caught you before the race began. A second thing to note is that because your back was turned, the god of death was unable to see your name and lifespan. The eye power of a god of death requires you to see the person's face and if the person's face isn't shown, then they won't know that person's name or lifespan."

Knight was silent as he walked the streets of Tokyo with both hands in his pocket. He had been walking for at least twenty minutes without saying a word. His Shinigami, Gilth, was chatting off his ears on what kind of contingency plans he has. A contingency plan he already had in mind was that instead of Gilth limping after Knight, he would phase under the ground and follow Knight so that way, the rival god of death can't weed out Gilth nor Kira.

I already planned for a situation like this, he thought. In the event that Kira was somehow discovered at Light Yagami's old apartment, I would have an arsonist living nearby set the old apartment on fire. In order for this to work, I had him pull the fire alarm so everyone would evacuate the building before he set fire to the apartment and burned all evidence of Knight Yagami being there. The arsonist would burn along with the building as well, being the only casualty.

"Where are you going to live now?" Gilth asked, "I assume you have a backup plan."

I do have a backup plan. About a week after I wrote that my Aunt Sayu would die in a traffic accident, I used Near's inheritance to buy off her house, which is, ironically, the Yagami household.

Knight approached his family's old house and opened the front door with a key he kept in his chest pocket.

Knight locked the door behind him.

This is my father, my grandfather, my grandmother, and my aunt's house.

Gilth phased out of the ground and stood beside Knight. Knight went upstairs while Gilth went into the kitchen.

Gilth limped over to the cupboard above the fridge and opened it. He remembered as a human that he hid his barbecued-flavored potato chips in the back so no one would steal his chips. He also remembered how he used a mini-TV to write the names of criminals whilst being watched with surveillance cameras.

Knight approached Light Yagami's old room. Just as expected, there was a slip of paper in the door and the handle was lowered by about five millimeters from a horizontal position.

And there's a mechanical pencil on the hinge.

He opened the door and stood in Light Yagami's room.

This Kira's bedroom.

He tossed his backpack onto the bed and he sat down at the chair near the desk.

And I already have a booby-trapped drawer for my Death Note.

He uses the pen to open the false bottom to see the thin plastic casing set up inside.

I have to replace the gasoline if I want the trap to work.

Gilth floated into the room from below. He sat down on the bed.

"What are you thinking, Knight? You got a plan to take them on?"

"This whole thing is like one big chessboard. Kira is the king with Break, Roach, and Maroon the rival king, queen, and knight."

"Enough with the chess analogies, I want to hear your plan."

Knight rotated in his chair and faced the Shinigami. "You're forgetting that the laptop I brought back with me isn't just a regular laptop." He retrieves his backpack and opens up his computer. "The thing about this computer is that it can easily access the SPK and Japanese Task Force at the same time. Because this computer can access the network of the SPK, I can use their network to break into the US government's private network without leaving a trace. If Roach, Break, and Maroon possess a Death Note of their own and they have access to criminals on Death Row, then without a doubt, they are working within the US government. Especially since the President of the United States decided to grow some balls and order a manhunt on Kira. Break, Roach, and Maroon have to report to somebody and I'll use the information they report to keep one step ahead of them."

"A good start but is there any way you can attack them directly?"

"You're all about attacks, Gilth. I already know that they're in Japan."

He figured that part out too, good.

"What gave that away?"

"A god of death can only go 14 kilometers away from a Death Note owner and Sakura TV is 11 kilometers away. Even if they weren't using Sakura TV, they are still in the Kanto region of Japan. My guess is because I can't see their Shinigami, he'll be watching from above to look for another Shinigami. That's why, whenever we leave the house, you phase into the ground to follow me."

"Got it," Gilth nodded, "But what about counterattacking?"

Knight put his jaw on his hand. "I know they are here in Japan, they're using the Shinigami as their eye in the sky, so the only thing that I can do is use the Death Note to get them in close." He takes out the Death Note. "Once the Shinigami reports to them that he couldn't get my face on camera, they'll try different tactics. Unlike L, who prefers direct confrontation, they'll use sneak attacks, as they did with the Shinigami holding the camera. If this is the case then chances are, they'll be trying to use some sort of tactics to narrow down the possibilities of my location or my occupation and once the list of suspects gets shorter and shorter, they'll be investigating deeper."

"You only know the face of only one of them, how are you going to figure out the names of the others?"

"Roach and Maroon, for all I know, could be fictional but I can't take any chances. Break did seem sure that there were three others with him so he might be telling the truth. Once I figure out Break's real name, it shouldn't be hard to deduce who Roach and Maroon are."

Gilth asked a different question. "Why not look up their names?"

Let's see if he'll go for the bait, Gilth thought.

"If these people own a Death Note and they had planned to use one of them as bait to see if I had the Shinigami eyes, then they would've deleted their real names and faces from the record. There's no point in looking up who Roach and Maroon could be because I don't know what they look like. Right now, Break is the only one whose face I know."

"So your goal is to figure out Break's real name?"

"Yes."

"How are you going to narrow down the list?"

Knight smiles

"I'll corner Break until he slips and gives me his name. I'll do that by chipping away his advantage. I know how the Death Note works thanks to the memories given to me by my father, Gilth, I can use Light Yagami's prior knowledge in my memory to outwit my enemies. Just watch, Gilth. I'll push Break's back to the wall and then one by one, take away all his advantages. He works for the US government or at the very least, the ICPO. I have a dozen plans running through my mind on how to take out these three but I have one that is going to be of great interest."

Gilth smiled, his eyes lighting up red.

He holds up the Death Note.

"Break," Knight hissed under his breath.

Break held up his Death Note. "Kira."

Knight/Break: "I WILL HUNT YOU DOWN, KIRA/BREAK, AND I WILL KILL YOU FOR USING THE NOTEBOOK. I AM GOD/L'S SUCCESSOR!

Chapter Text

Shinigami Realm

"Where the hell is Grudge?" a Shinigami wearing jewels around his neck named 'Grem' asked.

The second Shinigami, named Hurte, threw a card down on the ground and mumbled to himself. "Should've been back here a long time ago."

The third Shinigami that was hanging with them was named 'Pike' and he had an answer. "He took a trip to the human world. Like Ryuk, he dropped his notebook."

Grem chuckled. "Someone else dropped their notebook? Gods of death these days are getting clumsy as they are lazy."

Pike replied, "A Shinigami in the human world is not considered lazy when you think about it."

Hurte contemplated, "First Ryuk, then Grudge. Maybe I should drop my notebook."

Pike shook his head. "Grudge dropped his notebook in the human world on purpose. Grudge, despite being a god of death, has a soft spot for humans. Maybe he wanted to be friends with a human."

Grem scoffed at that idea. "What a ridiculous idea Grudge has."

"What about that other Shinigami?" Hurte pointed out, "The one that wanted to talk to Ryuk to hear his story?"

Pike shrugged. "I don't know what his motives are; he's a new guy but I heard from Ryuk that he went to the human world."

Grem cringed. "All these Shinigamis in the human world, it's utterly ridiculous."

With Break, Roach, and Maroon

"You know guys," Grudge began, "You can still make the Shinigami eye deal. That should make things easier."

"What point would Shinigami eyes have if it'll just half my remaining lifespan?" Break asked, "I'm not using the Death Note to murder people like Kira, I'm using the Death Note within the law. Criminals' names and faces are given to me and they are criminals on death row."

"If you say so," Grudge said, "But, the deals always open."

Roach and Maroon looked at each other.

"I wonder what my lifespan is," Roach said. Maroon nodded.

Grudge looked at them. "I can see your lifespans and if I could, I would tell you but I don't think it would make a difference."

"I'm not halfing my life," Break said, "But I am still going to find Kira and I will figure out his name without the Shinigami eyes. To use our numbers to our advantage, we have to divide our resources. Counting Grudge, there are four of us in total."

"Let me guess," Roach began, "You want two of us to investigate those connected to the Task Force and SPK while the other two continue the investigation of Kira so he won't catch on."

Break nodded. "The best choice would be Grudge and me to investigate the Task Force and SPK. You two stay on top of Kira."

"Understood," Roach and Maroon nodded.

December 2, 2030

"Do you have a plan as of right now?" Gilth asked Knight as he phased into the ground beneath Knight's feet. He knew Knight could still hear him, even underground.

Knight took out his phone and put it to his ear. "Yes, I do have a plan."

"Let me hear it."

"This whole game of cat-and-mouse is one elaborate chessboard and I'm a grandmaster in chess. Break is American so he should stand out in Japan. I don't know his name nor will his name be available in Japan so I will turn to the United States to get them to cooperate."

"Cooperate?"

"Yes, I have access to Interpol's database through hacking of the SPK and Task Force network, which allows me access into any police database all over the globe. I'll give you details of the plan."

"Okay."

"I'm going to look up a list of petty criminals in America that are currently incarcerated. I'll write that they have heart attacks and before they die of heart attacks, they leave messages on the wall, asking for Break, Roach, and Maroon's real name and face. Once the petty criminals die and I have no answers, I'll move onto the more guilty ones. The police will realize that I have access to their information and this will cause them to panic. They'll hide their names and faces off the police database and that's when I'll start executing cops. The cops will be terrified for their lives and they'll investigate Break, Roach, and Maroon until they know their real name and faces. Once the police give Kira the names and faces of my three enemies, that's when I'll eliminate them and take the notebook for myself."

Gilth laughed. "Nice plan, Knight. It's a well-thought-out plan."

"And the chances of this plan working are ninety-seven percent."

"You better be careful, however," Gilth warned, "They could pick up on what you're trying to do and remove their names from the database."

"Don't worry, even if they do remove their names, I still have contingencies. It's like I said, with every chess piece I move, I think nine steps ahead. Every move I make is calculated to the 144th degree."

Boys Bathroom, Daikoku Private Academy

Knight opened a stall and locked himself in the bathroom. He sat on the toilet and opened his backpack. He took out a mini-TV and turned it on before muting it.

Gilth phased out of the ground and in front of Knight.

Knight held up the mini-TV, which was showing a live broadcast of a weather report.

Smart plan, Gilth thought, He wants me to put the mini-TV in my mouth. Once the TV is in my mouth, it'll become invisible to all around him and if I turn myself transparent, he should be able to see the screen through my semi-invisible skin and write the names of criminals whose names and faces are broadcast, therefore, maintaining his pattern of having no time pattern to kill.

Gilth opened his mouth and put the camera in. He swallowed it. He turned himself half-invisible so Knight would be able to see the mini-TV laying dormant in his stomach.

I've got to test it out first.

Knight walked out of the stall to find another teenager washing his hands. He washed his hands with him and looked at Gilth in the mirror. Even though the teen was looking in the mirror, he couldn't see Gilth, nor could he see the mini-TV through Gilth's semi-invisible skin.

Perfect, Knight thought, Now the only person who can see the mini-TV, even when he's half-invisible, is me.

Knight smirked. He headed to class and was in his seat by the time the bell rang. His teacher was going over a lecture and he called upon Knight to translate a sentence in English. Of course, because he is a Japanese-born English, he could speak Japanese and English fluently.

His teacher praised him.

Knight took out his pencil as Gilth positioned himself in front of his desk so he could see the mini-TV.

"Knight," a voice called to him.

Knight turned to his girlfriend, "Hello, Hina."

Gilth studied her.

"Good work on translating the sentence into English," she said. "Since when did you become fluent in English?"

"I was born in Japan but I moved around some orphanages before I settled in England for a short while. That's when Aunt Sayu adopted me and took me home."

"You're amazing, Knight," she blushed, "You've been a student here for two weeks starting this Friday and you're already at the top of the class. You're at the top of every class."

Why does every girl I come across have a crush on me for some reason? Am I really THAT handsome?

There was a crime on the mini-TV.

Knight smirked. He wrote down the names of the three criminals being broadcast in his red composition book, which is where he hid several pieces of the Death Note.

This is just too easy.

"I know it's the first day of the school week but do you want to make plans sometime this weekend?" she asked.

Knight looked at her. "I'm pretty busy all week, got a lot of work to do."

Another news report. He writes down the name of the criminals.

"You're always busy," Hina complained, "I really want to hang out with you this weekend."

If I keep on turning her down then she might get suspicious and even stalk me. Women are obsessed with their loved ones after all.

"Let's go to Space Land this weekend, how does Saturday sound?"

Hina blushed again. "I would love that."

And I'll bring Gilth and several pages of the Death Note while I'm at it. If Break's Shinigami decides to follow me to Space Land, I can easily lose him in the crowd with Gilth's help.

December 5, 2030

With Roach and Maroon

Roach and Maroon sat in an empty room with the lights turned off and files and documents containing everything they gathered on the Kira investigation.

"Day in, day out, nothing unusual from Kira," Roach complained to Maroon. "I'm growing impatient and wanting to hear results from Break."

Maroon put his feet up on the couch he was sitting on and took a bite out of a donut. "I can't agree more but even if there is nothing unusual from Kira, we still have to investigate."

Roach sat on the floor with his legs crossed. He looked at the names of criminals who died. "The media has to stop releasing these criminals' names and faces otherwise they'll keep dying." He froze. "Wait a second." He goes over the list one more time.

"What did you find?" Maroon asked.

Roach held up a file. "I just noticed it but, in the last three days, the majority of criminals dying had their identities released on TV."

Maroon took an interest. "Explain."

"Kira has access to criminals worldwide so why is he targeting criminals who are being broadcast on the news?"

"Is there a pattern to the people he's killed?" Maroon licked his lips. "Because this could benefit the investigation."

"There is no pattern. Criminals whose names are being broadcast, regardless of their crime, die."

Maroon smiled. "Interesting."

Roach looked at the ground. "Why would Kira go through the trouble of targeting criminals regardless of their crime? I don't think that bike snatching or stealing tires from a car qualifies as punishable by death." He pauses. "Unless…"

"He's killing criminals whose names are being broadcast so he doesn't look suspicious. Previously, before we came onto the case, there was no pattern at time at which Kira killed his victims. They were all throughout the day at unpredictable times but now that he's killing criminals whose names are being broadcast, even though he doesn't need to look at the TV screen to kill people?"

"I'll look up the time at which these criminals' names were being broadcast and see if I can narrow it down."

He stood over the files and sorted them carefully. "The names of these criminals were broadcast between eight a.m. and three p.m. After three p.m., the killing times once again became erratic. This pattern has been consistent for three days."

Maroon touched his lower lip. "Given the time of death for the victims, Kira could be a student."

"High school and cram school," Roach said, "There are also criminals who are being broadcast between eight p.m. and twelve a.m. midnight. The killings are erratic between the time of four to five-thirty before they're back to broadcast kills. And there's this other pattern, not sure it helps but Kira doesn't kill people within an eight-hour time span, which is between eleven p.m. and seven a.m. Anyone can guess that's when he goes to sleep."

"You need at least eight hours of sleep every night if you want to keep up your mental performance in school," Maroon agreed, "So our list has been narrowed down. If we can narrow down the list to which news station was broadcasting the criminals and how many viewers they had each day, that would help with the Kira investigation."

Roach smirked. Kira, in an attempt to appear as a student, you gave yourself away by killing criminals as soon as their identities are broadcast.

Chapter Text

December 5, 2030

"At the very least, we can conclude that Kira may be a student but narrowing the list down can be tricky," Roach said.

"This Kira is smart, resourceful, cunning, and always has a backup plan," Maroon stated, "At the very least, his intelligence is on par with the original Kira's, who was smart enough to kill the original L."

"So we're looking for highly intelligent students," Roach said, "We should pull up a list of students who attend cram school and private academies."

Maroon tilted his head. "Private academies?"

"This Kira has gifted intelligence; he's not going to waste it on public schools. Private academies offer a better education. Light Yagami was a student of a private academy."

Maroon nodded. "True"

Roach took out his cellphone. "Chief, Maroon and I require assistance on the Kira case."

"Roach?" the voice on the other end said. It was the director of the NPA in Japan. "What is this?"

"You have a daughter who goes to a private school and a cram school, right?"

"What are you saying?"

"I need you to print a list of everybody attending your daughter's private high school and cram school. I have reason to believe that Kira is a student at Daikoku Private Academy and goes to cram school. I need a list of every student attending both Daikoku Private Academy and every cram school in Kanto."

He doesn't let the detective say anymore before he hangs up.

Maroon looks at Roach. "Daikoku Private Academy?"

"Light Yagami attended that school."

Maroon smirked. "We're lucky that we have the cooperation of the NPA on our side. Chief Kudo is a great detective and his team could help up in the investigation."

"Same way the original Japanese Task Force helped L."

December 6, 2030

Four men entered the darkroom and turned on the light. When the lights came on, it revealed a group of two men sitting on the floor, crisscross, with a computer in front of them and papers at their feet. One was a black man and the other was a chubby one.

The black man with dark hair stood up and introduced himself. "My name is Roach."

The chubby spoke up from his sitting position, "And my name is Maroon."

Roach started off with a: "You guys are the reinforcements."

Maroon was indifferent. "It's nice how Roach talked to the director of the NPA and gave us reinforcements."

"I am the director of the NPA," Chief Kudo, a middle-aged man with neatly combed hair, introduced himself, "I'm the one you spoke on the phone."

The three men standing behind the chief pulled out their badges.

"Itsuki Hayate," the bearded one introduced himself. Hayate was a tall man with tanned skin and dark brown eyes. His hair was black and had a short crop of hair.

"Katashi Soma," the youngest one said. Soma was of average height with fair skin and brown eyes. His hair was red with bangs hanging above his eyes.

"Kaito Yamane," the one with dark brown hair said. Yamane was a short man with fair skin and dark brown eyes. His hair was a buzzcut.

"These are aliases," Kudo said, "With the exception of mine."

"One can't be too careful nowadays," Roach said, "But you should get a false police badge."

"I know that Kira needs a name and a face," Soma said, "But how does he commit these murders?"

"The young and eager one I see," Maroon smirked, "I'll explain everything but no information spoken in this room must leave. Turn off the light."

Kudo turned off the light and the darkroom was lit up with the light coming from the computer screen in front of Roach and Maroon.

"Why are the lights off?" Hayate asked, "I can barely see in here."

"We work better with the lights off," Maroon answered.

"Sit down," Roach instructed, "Sit down crisscross like we are."

The four cops obeyed.

"To let you in on a little secret," Roach began, "Kira kills people with a special notebook called a Death Note. If you write someone's name while picturing their face, that person dies. These notebooks come from a world known as the Shinigami realm."

"What?" Hayate said, "You expect us to believe in gods of death?"

"Hayate," Kudo began, "Kira can kill people with a heart attack from anywhere in the world. He has proven his power to the world numerous times. If Roach says that this notebook is how Kira kills and that it belonged to a Shinigami, then I believe him."

"But at the same time, it seems absurd," Hayate replied.

Kudo turned back to the two detectives. He pulled out a file in an envelope he brought with him. "Here are those files."

Roach took the files and looked over them with Maroon.

"What is this about?" Soma asked.

"Roach and Maroon speculate that Kira might be a student attending Daikoku Private Academy and cram school," Kudo answered.

"How could they have known this?"

"Because, in the last four days, Kira killed criminals whose names are broadcast on local tv stations in Japan without taking into consideration of their crime. After three o'clock, when school typically ends, Kira's killing patterns become erratic for a brief window before they revert back to criminals being broadcast."

"And this happened during school hours?" Hayate asked.

"Yes," Maroon answered. "We speculate that Kira has been killing people during school hours so the police could rule a student out as a suspect. I theorize that Kira is using his Shinigami to kill criminals."

"What are you talking about?" Soma exclaimed.

"A human owning a Death Note is possessed by a Shinigami until they die or they forfeit ownership. They can only be seen and heard by people owning the Death Note or by people who have touched the Death Note. What I know about Shinigami is that they are intangible and that any object their holding will look like it's floating to those who can't see the Shinigami but when this object enters their body, it vanishes into thin air."

"What does this really prove?" Kudo asked.

"We theorize that Kira is hiding a mini-TV inside the stomach of his Shinigami. It's a near-flawless plan. The mini-TV is invisible to all but him and he can watch criminals who are being broadcast live and he can write their names in the Death Note. The only flaw is that he can't really look into whether these criminals are truly deserving of death and he kills them as soon as their broadcast, regardless of their crime."

"Care to explain why Daikoku Private Academy?" Kudo asked.

"This Kira's profile is almost identical to the original Kira almost seventeen years ago. The OG Kira's name wasn't publicly revealed so we're investigating who the original Kira could be and the suspect we have in mind attended Daikoku Private Academy."

"That doesn't mean anything," Hayate said.

"This Kira is highly intelligent," Roach said, "On par with the original Kira. I can only assume that someone matching Kira's intellect wouldn't waste their brains on public schools so that why we're looking into private schools, specifically, the one the original Kira suspect attended."

Roach scanned through the names of kids attending the private academy before he came across one name in particular.

Knight Yagami

His eyes perk. Knight Yagami, as in Light Yagami? Is this a relative of Light Yagami or someone who just happens to share a similar name.

He looked at his date of birth.

October 6, 2012. By that logic, he can't be Light Yagami's son. Light Yagami and Misa Amane never conceived a child. The latest they could've conceived a child was December of 2012 and their son would be born in September of 2013. Then again, it is possible that Amane could've been late and gave birth to Knight almost a monster AFTER he was supposed to be born. But what if Knight Yagami is actually the child of Sayu Yagami? Then again, I could be wrong and it is just one hell of a coincidence to find a student named Knight Yagami attending a private school, the same one Light Yagami attended.

Maroon watched as Roach scanned over a file before he grabbed a file himself. It was for students attending cram school. One name, in particular, stood out to him.

Knight Yagami, similar name to our OG Kira suspect. He's attending cram school. If Knight was a relative to Light, what would his relation be? His son, nephew, cousin? Either way, we can't overlook this. Break, Roach and I suspect that Light Yagami was the original Kira and we have a student attending cram school with the same name. It's most likely not a coincidence, but then again, having a similar name to a suspect doesn't necessarily prove anything. We have to look into this.

"Detective Kudo," Roach looked up, "Do you happen to know a Knight Yagami attending Daikoku Private Academy?"

Kudo tilted his head. "He's my daughter's boyfriend."

"And how long have they been dating?"

"I don't see how any of that is your business."

Maroon looked at Roach.

I know what Roach is thinking, Maroon thought, Knight Yagami is a suspect.

Roach narrowed his eyes. "Knight Yagami is the son of Raito Yagami. Both Knight and Raito helped us solve cases in the past and they are both exceptionally intelligent. Unfortunately, Raito has been promoted to working in France and hasn't been home in decades. I want Knight Yagami to help us in this case."

Maroon nodded, catching onto his plan.

"Are there any plans that your daughter has with Knight Yagami?" Roach asked.

"They're going to Spaceland tomorrow," Kudo said.

"I'll talk to him on Sunday," Roach said.

Roach: Knight Yagami, there's no evidence that you are Kira but your profile is identical to Light Yagami's.

Maroon: We can't overlook suspects, no matter how perfect they may seem. The only way to prove that Knight Yagami is Kira is to look for the Death Note. If he's not Kira, then we'll investigate how he's connected to Light Yagami.

Roach/Maroon: However, ff Knight Yagami is Kira, we must search his house for the Death Note when he is gone.

December 7, 2030

Spaceland Adventure

Spaceland Adventure was everything that Knight dreamed of (based on the memory that Gilth bestowed upon him). He and Hina had a good time. It was too risky for him to write names in public especially in a crowded place where Break, Roach, and Maroon could sneak attack him with their Shinigami. He stayed with Hina the entire time, always keeping his hand entangled in hers.

They come across a dart game and there was a giant teddy bear that Hinga was staring at.

"You want that giant teddy bear?" Knight asked.

Hina nodded, "Yes, would you win it for me?"

"I can play darts in my sleep."

He picked up three darts and he got three bullseyes, winning the teddy bear for her. He kisses her on the cheek, making her blush.

Knight took her to a stand where they were giving away caramel apples. "I don't know about you but I'm buying a caramel apple."

In the Wammy House, I was known for playing chess all by myself, but I had a secret love for caramel apples.

Knight bought two caramel apples and gave one to Hina. They sat at a table and ate their caramel apples. Hina put the teddy bear and caramel apple down to answer her phone.

It was a call from her father.

"Knight and I are having a good time at Spaceland," Hina said, "I'm having fun, Dad." She paused. "I promise to call the second we leave. Love you, Daddy."

Knight looked at her. "Was your father asking about me?"

"He just wanted to make sure that we got to Spaceland safely and that I was having a good time."

Knight's House

Knight's grand plan was put into effect. While Knight was on a date at Spaceland twelve kilometers away, Gilth was at home, taking pictures of profiles on the ICPO network and doesn't miss a beat. Knight's grand plan involved taking pictures of everybody in the ICPO database and ever since Monday, he's been taking pictures of profiles on the ICPO network while Knight slept for eight hours. Even if he took pictures for six hours, he would have to continue for another six hours and this seemed like a lot of work but (unlike Ryuk), he was on Knight's side.

There was a car door that slammed outside.

Roach and Maroon stepped out. They calmly walked up to the house.

Roach narrowed his eyes.

Knight Yagami lives in the same house that Sayu Yagami lived in, confirming that Knight Yagami is related to Light Yagami in some way. The only conclusion I can think of is that he is Light Yagami's nephew and Sayu Yagami's son. Tragically, Sayu Yagami died in a car accident. The chances of Sayu Yagami being killed by Kira are slim. At the same time, Sayu Yagami's death doesn't necessarily prove that Knight Yagami is Kira. A, Kira killed her because she was going to join the Japanese Task Force and didn't kill Knight Yagami, as he was a student or B, her death was a natural accident, which would also explain why Knight Yagami is still alive. The only way to find out if it was natural or homicide would be to look into Kira's notebook.

Maroon approached the front door. He put his hand on the handle and picked the lock.

If Knight was Kira, then his Shinigami would be trailing him at Spaceland Adventure. Then again, at the same time, Spaceland Adventure is only twelve kilometers away and a Shinigami can only go fourteen kilometers away from the person they're attached to. It's a double-edged sword. Everything with our Knight Yagami suspect appears to be a double-edged sword.

They infiltrate Knight's house.

Shit, Gilth thought, Someone's in the house. I've got to hide the Death Note and computer.

Gilth hides the Death Note in the usual spot and hides the computer in a secret compartment in Knight's drawer. He looks outside the window.

What the hell is going on? This could be a house robbery, I better check these people out for myself.

He floated down the stairs and saw Roach and Maroon searching the house, specifically, for books.

What? Who are these people?

He looked at the door.

They picked the lock on the door. These guys aren't police, they have to be burglars. But if they were, why are they digging through books?

Gilth's hair and eyes turn red.

Could these two be Roach and Maroon? If they were, it would explain why they're searching through books. Also, Knight suspected that Roach and Maroon are Americans like Break is and without a doubt, these two are Americans. These two have to be Roach and Maroon or at the very least, working for Break. Police don't pick locks, they talk to suspects. By definition, what these two are doing is breaking the law. There's no doubt: These two are Roach and Maroon.

Chapter Text

December 7, 2030

There was a car door that slammed outside.

Roach and Maroon stepped out. They calmly walked up to the house.

Roach narrowed his eyes.

Knight Yagami lives in the same house that Sayu Yagami lived in, confirming that Knight Yagami is related to Light Yagami in some way. The only conclusion I can think of is that he is Light Yagami's nephew and Sayu Yagami's son. Tragically, Sayu Yagami died in a car accident. The chances of Sayu Yagami being killed by Kira are slim. At the same time, Sayu Yagami's death doesn't necessarily prove that Knight Yagami is Kira. A, Kira killed her because she was going to join the Japanese Task Force and didn't kill Knight Yagami, as he was a student or B, her death was a natural accident, which would also explain why Knight Yagami is still alive. The only way to find out if it was natural or homicide would be to look into Kira's notebook.

Maroon approached the front door. He put his hand on the handle and picked the lock.

If Knight was Kira, then his Shinigami would be trailing him at Spaceland Adventure. Then again, at the same time, Spaceland Adventure is only twelve kilometers away and a Shinigami can only go fourteen kilometers away from the person they're attached to. It's a double-edged sword. Everything with our Knight Yagami suspect appears to be a double-edged sword.

He takes out a pen and paper from his back pocket. He gets to writing.

I'd rather be safe than sorry, he thought.

About twenty minutes later, two men approached the house and they opened the door.

Roach called to Maroon and they got back in the car and drove off until they were fourteen kilometers away from Spaceland Adventure.

Discreetly, Gilth smiles.

I can see their names and lifespans. If Roach and Maroon were smart as Break was when he broadcasted that criminal to the Task Force, then these guys would've been quieter in approaching the Yagami household.

Then a thought crosses his mind.

Why are these guys searching through Knight Yagami's house; There's no evidence that places him as Kira and how did they know that Knight wouldn't be in the house? Something is wrong, but what?

Gilth flies into the ceiling and high up in the air. He flies high enough to look in the direction of Spaceland Adventure.

Spaceland Adventure is twelve kilometers away.

He phases back into the house to look at the two men.

Roach and Maroon are digging through Knight Yagami's house when they knew he wouldn't be here. They must've had some inside information that Knight wouldn't be home but who could've told Roach and Maroon that Knight would be away at Spaceland with his girlfriend?

His eyes widened.

His hair and eyes turn red.

Of course, Knight's date, Hina Kudo. On Monday, they made plans to go to Spaceland Adventure on Saturday and Hina would've had a week to have told her family. If someone in Hina's family is working hand-in-hand with the police, then he would've given information to Roach and Maroon that Knight would be gone. Why they're suspecting Knight is beyond my comprehension.

He looks at the two men.

Roach and Maroon are stupid, however. They know that a Shinigami can only go fourteen kilometers from their owner and Spaceland Adventure is twelve kilometers away. If they were as sneaky as to have their Shinigami record Knight, then they would've sent doubles in their place.

Gilth's eyes narrowed.

Doubles. These two men searching the house could very well not be Roach nor Maroon but someone taking their place. Either way, they are Americans based on their names.

MAXIMUS GARDNER, 4 1 12 28 7 7

PAUL CARTER, 4 9 30 20 2 1

A smirk crosses Gilth's face.

Based on their lifespans, they are both due to die within twenty-three days. That proves it, they're not Roach and Maroon, they are death row inmates. If Break used a death row inmate on his scheduled death day to draw out Kira, then what's stopping him from using criminals who are scheduled to die in twenty-three days? I have to alert Knight.

He sprouts his wings and flies to Spaceland Adventure.

Spaceland Adventure

"I have to use the bathroom," Knight told Hina as they stopped in front of the Ferris wheel, "Wait here and save my spot in line."

Knight walks into the men's room and he locks himself in a stall.

Gilth phased from the ceiling and into the bathroom.

Knight looked over his shoulder.

"I know that you can't say anything, Knight," Gilth said, "Because you're in a public bathroom so just listen to me."

What is this about? Knight wondered.

Gilth whispered, "There are two men raiding your house right now at the moment, searching through books and looking for the Death Note."

Knight's eyes widened. His skin went cold, a drop of sweat rolled down his cheek, and the hair on the back of his neck stuck up.

His hair and eyes turned red.

What? Two men, raiding my house looking for the Death Note? How is that possible? I left no evidence that suggests that Knight Yagami is Kira. How did Break, Roach, and Maroon come to suspect me as Kira? It has to be Break and his team, who else knows about the Death Note?

"It's not Roach and Maroon, though," Gilth said.

Knight looked at him. He narrowed his eyes at the Shinigami, nonverbally telling him to explain.

"I'm not allowed to give out names and life spans but the lifespans so you'll have to figure out why."

Knight remembered his first encounter with Break.

Break was in Japan, within fourteen kilometers of Light Yagami's apartment when he used that death row inmate as bait. Chances are, there are more death row inmates and they're the ones searching my house.

Gilth bowed his head slightly. "When L was challenging me for the first time, he put a criminal in his place who was scheduled to die the day of the broadcast. Then, he was going to test the 13-day rule on a criminal who was scheduled to die in thirteen days."

Knight caught on to what he was saying.

Of course, these people operate just as L does. When he challenges Kira or tests the Death Note, he uses a criminal on death row. Break and his duo operate in the same way. If these guys preferred sneak attacks then they would've sent two criminals in their place. If they used the Death Note to manipulate these criminals, then it's a perfect strategy. They can control the criminals for twenty-three days and they would be immune from Kira's attack. Even if I figure out their names, I won't be able to kill them with the Death Note because their name was written in Break's notebook first.

His red eyes lit up.

However, there is a large advantage that has been bestowed upon me.

He smiles.

Knight took out his phone and took out a piece of the Death Note he kept in his wallet. He didn't use it to write a name but to write instructions. He handed the piece of paper to Gilth.

"What's your plan, Knight?" Gilth asked.

He smiles.

He leaves the stall and washes his hands. Gilth appears behind him.

"Don't worry," Gilth said, "I will do as instructed."

Knight subtle nods.

Perfect.

He walks out of the bathroom and meets with Hina in line for the Ferris wheel. Gilth flies off back to the house.

He checks his watch.

It was then their time to get on a cart. They sat on opposite ends of the cart, Hina looking nervous at Knight while he had an emotionless expression on his face.

I can't do anything, Knight thought, If I take any action against the two criminals in my house then Break will definitely know that Knight is Kira for sure. I can't kill the criminals either way, but still, even if they tried to sabotage me, Break gave me an opportunity to figure out his identity.

He takes out his wallet and removes a piece of the Death Note. He gets to writing with a pencil he brought with him.

His expression remained emotionless as he rereads what he wrote.

Break, Roach, Maroon, I vow to kill you.

It was about fifteen minutes later when they decided to leave.

Knight's emotionless expression remained. He turns to Hina, who was holding the giant teddy bear that Knight won for her. "Hina," Knight spoke softly, "I think it is time to go now."

"What?" Hina said, "But we've only been here for two hours. I thought we were going to stay longer."

"I promise to make it up to you," Knight whispered.

"I want to come home with you."

Knight looks flustered. "What?"

"Yeah, we've been in a relationship for a while and I want to get to know you more."

Knight nodded.

He took her by the hand and he led her to the bus stop. They climbed in and sat down in the very back.

Hina grabs her phone to call her father.

"Wait," Knight puts his hand on her wrist just as she brings the phone up, "I'm sure your dad would be displeased if he knew that you were coming to my house."

Hina nodded nervously before closing her phone, "I get it."

They get off the bus and walk the rest of the way home. Knight suddenly grabbed Hina's elbow and clutched it as if hanging on for dear life.

Gilth phases through the door. "They're still here."

Knight took out his keys and he unlocked the door.

"Finally," Knight said in a drawn-out tone.

Gilth's red eyes lit up. He vanished into thin air.

He opens the door and escorts Hina inside. When he looks forward, he sees two men standing at the top of his staircase.

"What the hell are you doing in my house," Knight shouted, "You better get out before I call the police!"

"We are the police," Gardner said.

"Your house is a crime scene," Carter said.

"Knight," Hina whimpered.

Gardner drew a gun and aimed it at the two. Knight and Hina had no choice but to raise their hands.

"Get up against the wall," he ordered. He two complied. "Heads to the wall and hands behind your back."

Knight pressed his forehead to the wall and laced his hands behind his head.

A tear escaped his left eye.

Carter put his hands on Hina. "You got a pretty girlfriend here, Knight Yagami."

Knight slowly turned to Carter. "How do you know my name?"

"Your house is a crime scene," Gardner said. "We're investigating you on the suspicion that you are Kira."

"What?" Knight exclaimed, "What are you talking about?"

Gardner slapped Knights' face forward. "Shut up. Tell us, how does Kira kill?"

"I'm not Kira," Knight cried, more tears draining from his eyes, "What will it take for me to prove my innocence?"

"You could start by sharing your girlfriend here," Carter said as he groped Hina's breasts.

Knight yelled, "Don't touch her!"

He punched Carter across the face. Gardner raised his pistol and whipped Knight in the back of the skull, knocking the young man unconscious.

Gilth watched the scene unfold in front of him.

The two men stared up at Hina.

Knight, Gilth thought, what is your plan?

Chapter Text

Yellow Box Warehouse, December 7, 2030

Break opened the red door to the Yellow Box Warehouse and looked inside. His Shinigami, Grudge, stood behind him and walked in after Break.

Break looked around. It's been three weeks since the deaths of Near and the Task Force and SPK. He knew almost every detail concerning their murder but he wasn't interested in that.

"Grudge," Break turned, "Is it true that Death Note owners can turn into Shinigami upon death?"

Grudge shrugged. "It says so in the rules but I don't know if that's true. Even if it was, at this rate, you won't turn into a Shinigami if you keep on writing in the names of criminals on death row."

"A couple of years ago, the United States spent ten trillion dollars to buy Kira's remote ability to kill people, the Death Note, and then they lost it. The United States government was upset and when I showed them the notebook, they demanded that I use it to replace the one that was lost."

"I get it," Grudge said. "If I paid a million dollars for a bottle of soda, I would be upset if I didn't get it. But, the Shinigami king hated the idea of the Death Note being sold in the human world so he put up a new rule."

"Any human who buys or sells a Death Note will die. Since the President didn' take the Death Note, he was spared. But the Kira who sold it died."

"Yep."

Break stood in the middle of the room. He looked all over the room, scanning with a three-sixty rotation. "This is where Kira was defeated seventeen years ago. If Light Yagami was Kira, then I have to prove it somehow."

"I'm interested in how you figure it out," Grudge said.

Break spotted something. "You see the wall in front of me?"

Grudge saw the wall but nothing special about it. "I don't get it."

"There's a gunshot on the wall," he said. He looks at the ground. "And there's another gunshot on the ground."

Break checks the gunshot on the wall. "Shot from a revolver." He checks the bullet hole in the ground. "Same bullet, same gun."

"Break," Grudge called, "What is the point of this? Checking for bullet holes in walls and grounds; I don't get it."

Break licked his lips. "Roach, Maroon, and I have a theory that the original Kira has a connection to the current Kira aside from a Death Note. The current Kira killed the SPK and Task Force without the Shinigami eyes. I have a theory that the original Kira reincarnated into a Shinigami and my theory can be backed by the notebook saying that a Death Note owner can be reincarnated into a Shinigami after dying."

"And?"

"I also have another theory. I know that Shinigami are forbidden to give out names but what about giving out memories?"

"That's a tricky one."

"If Light Yagami was Kira and he was reincarnated into a Shinigami, it could benefit the investigation."

"The current Kira could be anybody."

"But if Kira did reincarnate, why did he wait seventeen years? Maybe he was waiting for the right moment or whatever but there is one thing that stumbles me: There were two Kiras back then."

"Let me guess," Grudge said, "A Kira who needed a name and a face and a second one who needed a face."

Ryuk told me about that in the Shinigami realm. I'd rather not repeat myself twice but I think Break already knows about the Kiras' different abilities.

"On January 28, 2013, the report was that Kira died and Light Yagami died of a heart attack," Break said, "But there are gunshots and the report said that Kira took a ballpoint pen and stabbed himself in the aorta artery before bleeding out. The report was that Kira died but what about the second Kira with the eyes? Something was covered up and I'm going to find out what it is."

Break walks to the red door and stands on the outside.

"The 2nd used his Shinigami eyes to write down the names of the Task Force and SPK in his journal. Overconfident, he opens the door and when everyone is still alive, he is restrained by the SPK. He takes out a piece of the notebook hidden in his watch to write down the name of Light Yagami, who runs off in fear and dies forty seconds later. The 2nd uses his pen to stab himself in the aorta artery and kill himself."

He walked back inside. "If the 2nd Kira were to write someone's name down, why would it be Light Yagami's? Why not Near? And how could he have written a name down on a secret piece if he's been restrained? Surely, if the SPK knew of his power then they would've restrained him so he couldn't write."

A thought came to his mind.

Light Yagami was indeed Kira. The 2nd wrote the names down of the SPK and Task Force and when Light was exposed, he was shot and wounded. He ran off when the 2nd stabbed himself and died of a heart. The report said that Yagami died halfway up a set of stairs. There's no way he could've run to the stairs and made it there in less than forty seconds. So the only conclusion I can come to is that Light Yagami was Kira and he was killed by the Death Note. Both Kiras died in this warehouse.

He smirks. "Aren't I just smart, Grudge?"

December 7, 2030

When Knight came to, the back of his head was hurtling as if someone had hammered a brick there. He touched the back of his head with two fingers and felt a wet and sticky substance that dried a few strands of his hair together. When he removed his fingers, he saw blood painted on the tips of his fingers.

I was pistol-whipped.

He looked upward and saw Hina laying on the ground in front of him. Her eyes were wide and her shorts were down around her ankles.

Knight felt his heart drop to his stomach like a bowling ball. He crawled over and put a hand on Hina's face.

"Can you hear me?" Knight whispered in her ear. "Hina?"

Hina broke down in sobbing.

She was raped, Knight thought with sadness welling up inside of him.

Those two men, they broke into my house, claiming that I was Kira. They shoved me and Hina up against the wall, and started touching her inappropriately. They hit me across the head. They knocked me out and they raped her. These two people, these two men, they have to die. I have to kill them, I have to give Hina the justice she deserves. I'm going to figure out their names and I'm going to have Kira kill them.

Knight took out his cellphone and called for the police.

Seven minutes later, several police sirens approached the Yagami household. A car door was slammed and Knight heard it. He moved over to the front door and opened it to see NPA Chief Kudo.

"Officer," Knight gasped, "I- was walking home with my girlfriend - and she…"

"Hina," he gasped at his daughter on the floor. He kneeled and held his daughter up to his chest. He hugged her tightly and didn't hold back any tears.

"Two men, they broke into my house, they said that I was a Kira suspect. I'm not Kira," Knight cried, "But Kira, I have to find him. I have to find him, give him the names and faces of these two men so he can kill them!"

An ambulance pulled up five minutes later and they loaded the traumatized Hina into the back.

Knight stood outside his house with a hurt expression. Detective Kudo turned to Knight and wiped the tears away before he mustered the strength within to speak.

"Knight," he spoke.

"I felt like I could've done something," Knight sobbed, "If I had been more careful, I wouldn't have gone down so easily and I could've fought them off. I could've prevented this if I hadn't…"

"It's not your fault," Kudo said, "We'll see to it that these two men face justice for their crimes."

"Kira has to kill them," Knight said, "Kira is the justice they deserve."

"Proper justice."

Something lit up within Knight like a lighter.

"Hina and I were spending the day at Spaceland. When it was time to leave, she wanted to spend time with me at my house. I opened the door and there were two men standing at the top of my stairs. They pulled a gun on me and said they were investigating me. They said that I was the Kira prime suspect. They were just using the investigation as a ruse to rape her. If you give them the legal system put in place by those imperfect people, they'll get off if they have a good lawyer. They were Americans so they'll be sent back to America where they'll get lawyers to get them off with a slap on their wrist. They have to die."

"Wait, they broke into your house because they said that you were the prime suspect in the Kira investigation?"

"It's not possible; I'm not Kira. But if I was, I would kill them! Put their name on the internet," Knight shouted, "Their names and faces! Kira has to kill them!"

Knight fell into Kudo's embrace and sobbed in his shoulder.

Kudo hugged Knight tightly as he felt tears stream down his own face.

How could this have happened? Kudo thought, WHY did this happen? It probably wouldn't be such a bad thing that Kira killed these two men.

"I promise that they'll face justice for their crimes," Kudo vowed once more. "We need you to come to the police station to answer a few questions."

"Anything," Knight said, "Anything to see that they die."

Police Station, Interrogation Room

Knight sat in the interrogation room with a one-way mirror to his left. He had been provided with a glass of water and the detective interviewing him was Detective Itsuki Hayate.

"You were spending the day with Hina Kudo at Spaceland Adventure, correct?" Hayate asked.

"Yes," Knight nodded slowly, "We've been planning to go for a while."

"And you both went back to your place?"

"Yes," Knight nodded, "She told me that she wanted to see my house so I took her up on that offer."

"How old are you?"

"October 6, Hina and I were the same age."

"And these two men, they broke into your house and they pulled a gun on you?"

Knight nodded. "They said that I was the prime suspect in the Kira investigation."

Hayate's eyes lit up with confusion. "Why would they say that?"

"I don't know," Knight said, "I'm not Kira. I'm a supporter of Kira but that's it; that's all I am!"

Hayate took out a notepad to record what he was hearing. "I find that hard to believe, considering that your father, Raito Yagami, is working in France for Interpol."

Knight's brow went down in confusion. "What are you talking about? My father passed away before I was born."

Hayate's eyes went wide.

Roach and Maroon said that Knight's father was working for Interpol in France. Are they lying or is Knight lying?

He looks into Knight's eyes.

The emotional reaction behind his answer is too real to be acted. There's no doubt, Knight is telling the truth.

"Who told you that my father was working for Interpol?"

Hayate looked over his shoulder at the one-way mirror.

Roach and Maroon lied about Knight Yagami but why? They said that they wanted to talk to Knight about joining the team. They were asking what his plans were on Saturday and then, all of a sudden, two men break into Knight's house and tell Knight that he is the Kira prime suspect. There are only two things that could be happening right now: The two men were working for a third party or the two men were working for Roach and Maroon. Whatever the reason, Roach and Maroon lied.

Roach and Maroon were behind the one-way mirror, watching with interest, studying the young Knight Yagami.

"Could he be Kira?" Roach asked.

"This feels too real to be an act," Maroon answered, "If only we had searched that house instead of using Carter and Gardner as bait."

"We never should've brought those two with us to Japan."

"Could Kira have manipulated the criminals into raping Detective Kudo's daughter?"

Roach thought about it for a moment. "No, we wrote their names down first which renders them immune to writings from other Death Notes. The only instructions we gave was that they investigate Kira for twenty-three days before passing away. There's no way Kira could've manipulated the two prisoners."

Maroon stares back at Knight.

Hayate knows we lied, no doubt that he's going to be suspicious of us.

December 9, 2030

Knight was walking home from school. He waved goodbye to his friends before entering his home and locking himself upstairs.

He threw his backpack onto the ground before laying down on his bed.

Gilth phased out of the ground with the Death Note in hand.

He touches the Death Note to the top of Knight's head.

Knight's eyes widened and he gasped for air.

Knight's hair and eyes turn red.

He grabbed the notebook with both hands and looked down at it.

Hina, I'm sorry for what happened to you. I'm sorry that you were raped and I promise that I will achieve my dream of a peaceful utopia so something like this can never happen.

Gilth tilted his head. "What was the plan, Knight?"

Knight slowly looked up at Gilth. His face cracked with a smirk.

"That was the plan, Gilth."

Chapter Text

December 7, 2030

His red eyes lit up.

However, there is a large advantage that has been bestowed upon me.

He smiles.

Knight took out his phone and took out a piece of the Death Note he kept in his wallet. He didn't use it to write a name but to write instructions. He handed the piece of paper to Gilth.

It read:

I'm going to forfeit ownership of the Death Note when I say the word 'Finally'. Once I do that, I need you to fly away with it. Where you go doesn't matter but two days later, after school, I want you to return the Death Note to me.

"What's your plan, Knight?" Gilth asked.

He smiles.

December 9, 2030

"What was your plan, Knight," Gilth asked.

Knight smiled. "It's complicated so I'll be as detailed as possible. The plan was not to kill these criminals but use these criminals to take down Break and his crew: I have Hina gets assaulted by the two men invading my house. I knew it would be a gamble but if these people were criminals on death row as I suspected, then they would be capable of such things. Once Hina's been assaulted, the two men would be arrested and sentenced to jail and I would be questioned. In order to make sure my reactions were genuine and that you wouldn't be discovered by their Shinigami, I would forfeit ownership of the Death Note but before I did that, I used the page in my wallet to write Hina's fate."

He pulls out the paper.

Hinata Kudo - Suicide

Upon arriving at her boyfriend's house at 3:00 PM on December 7, 2030, she gets assaulted by two men in her boyfriend's house and traumatized. Three days later, she commits suicide by ingesting poison and dies peacefully in her sleep at midnight.

"I never wanted her to be raped," Knight said and bowed his head, "I just wanted her to be beaten and catatonic."

"Why?"

"If the police realize that two men that Break's group brought over from America attacked the daughter of the NPA Chief in Japan and caused her to commit suicide, they'll turn against Break and his group. Not only this but the US government will also turn against Break and will make my grand plan that much easier. Once Break, Roach, and Maroon are wanted for the causal link of Hina Kudo's death then people will willingly give out Break, Roach, and Maroon's real name, that's when I'll kill them."

December 8, 2030, Narita Airport

"You guys are going to jail," Kudo, the driver, said, "Back to jail in America but I will make sure you two are put away for the rest of your lives."

Gardner and Carter were taken out of the police cruiser that pulled up to the airport. They both had shackles around their hands and ankles with smiles on their faces.

"Not much of a life," Gardner said, "We're already sentenced to die in a few weeks, at least we got a little action."

"Yes," Carter agreed.

Kudo slammed his foot on the break as he was pulling up to the parking lot and drew a gun on the two prisoners.

Neither was fazed, however.

"Do you worse," Gardner goaded, "If you shoot me, then it's the-"

THUN-THUMP!

Garnder and Carter burst out screaming and clutched their chest as if trying to rip something from their chest.

Gardner fell against the door with Carter's head falling in his lap.

Teito Hotel

It was the same day that Carter and Gardner had perished. When those two prisoners were being transported back to America, the other inmates were waiting in a suite at the Teito Hotel. A large crowd of officers came into their suite with the full intention of arresting each one.

The first prisoner on death row was named Edward Schmidt and he resisted as an officer put handcuffs around his wrists.

"I have full protection from the US police," Schmidt said, "If I survive for twenty-three days in Japan, then I'll get a pardon from-"

THUN-THUMP!

His eyes went wide and he gagged. He fell to his knees before his body went heavy and he collapsed onto the ground headfirst.

The officer arresting him backed away and stared down at the fallen prisoner. "What?" he gasped.

A second prisoner collapsed as if he suddenly lost all feeling in his legs and died.

"No," a third prisoner cried, "Break promised that we wouldn't be killed by Kira."

THUN-THUMP!

He collapsed onto a coffee table and it shattered into a million pieces of wood under his weight.

The remaining prisoners in the room screamed all at once, as they were singing in unison before one by one, they collapsed to the ground.

With Knight

Knight heads over to the computer and turns it on. He found a link that took him to a page detailing the deaths of Maximus Garnder and Paul Carter. He pulled up another page and smiled.

"Just as I suspected," Knight said, "They were being controlled by the Death Note."

"How do you figure?" Gilth asked.

"Paul Carter and Maximus Gardner died of a heart attack in a police cruiser at the airport but the police in the US have in their files that Gardner and Carter were scheduled to die on the thirtieth and twenty-eight, which was almost twenty-three days after the seventh. The Death Note can control people for twenty-three days at the most."

"How do you know that Break didn't write their names in the notebook?"

"After six minutes and forty seconds, the time of death cannot be changed, no matter how soon it may be. And plus, there's that rule that says that a person can only be controlled within their realistic limits. If Carter and Gardner were being controlled to investigate Kira, they could no longer carry out this task with them behind bars so they died of heart attacks in prison."

Gilth tilted his head.

What do you know, he killed two people without writing their names in the Death Note.

Knight turned to Gilth. "It was actually part of my plan that those two prisoners die. I took inspiration from that bus-jacking incident when you used the criminal to get Raye Penber's name."

"How so?"

"He was being controlled to see demonic beings from another world. Had he not touched the piece of the Death Note, he would've been unable to follow the Death Note's command and died of a heart attack. The whole operation depended on that criminal touching the piece of paper torn from the Death Note."

Gilth narrowed his skeletal eyes. "I almost forgot about that."

He opened the files on Carter and Gardner.

"Paul Carter and Maximus Gardner were criminals sentenced to die in Washington D.C., so I can only infer that Break, Roach, and Maroon's base of operations in the United States is Washington D.C." He turns to Gilth. "We got work to do, Gilth."

With Break

Break was sitting in his car with his Death Note in the glove compartment. Grudge was outside finishing a bottle of soda. Break turns on the car before he gets a call.

"Yes?" Break answers it.

"Break," an angry voice shouted, "What the hell is going on?!"

The President of the United States? Why is he calling me?

"What are you talking about, Mr. President?"

"The next time I tell you to go to Japan to capture Kira through any means necessary, I'll know that I'm losing my sanity!"

"What are you talking about?!" Break shouted.

"Paul Carter, Maximus Gardner, two of the twenty death row inmates you brought with you to investigate Kira, raped a teenaged girl."

Break's eyes widened. "What?"

"You told me that as long as they are under your thumb, they wouldn't pull any sick shit! You are off the case."

"Wait!"

The president hung up the phone.

Break gaped at what he heard. He lost the feeling in his fingers and let the phone slip from his grasp and into his lap.

His hair and eyes turn blue.

Gardner and Carter raped a girl? I was aware that they were being sentenced to death due to multiple rapes and murder charges. Would it be such a bad thing if I wrote their names in the Death Note?

He pulled up his phone and when he pulled up Google, the first international news report he saw was over twenty criminals brought to Japan from D.C. all died of heart attacks.

What? All of them are dead? Every single one?

He pulled up the names and recognized Carter and Gardner's name.

They were prisoners we brought from D.C. All of them died of heart attacks, no doubt that Kira killed them. But then again, how was Kira able to kill the? We purposely left out the names of prisoners we were taking with us to investigate in Japan so Kira couldn't trace them back to D.C. Is it possible that Kira got the Shinigami eyes?

He suddenly remembered something important.

No, that's not possible. We were given twenty inmates to take with us to investigate Kira. I personally wrote down the names of all of them with the exception of several. I purposely did this so Roach and Maroon can control these prisoners; I did give them pages of the Death Note.

He licks his lips.

I wrote the names of all criminals to die on their scheduled execution days so Kira shouldn't have been able to write their names down.

"What was that about?" Grudge asked as he peaked his head through the passenger window.

Break turned to him.

"Two criminals we brought with us from D.C. raped a girl," he answered.

"You think it was Kira?" Grudge asked.

"No," Break said, "Even if it was Kira, I don't think he would stoop so low as to have a girl raped, even if it benefited him. The most likely explanation is that they were acting on their own behalf."

He stares off into space, thinking of possible answers.

I've discovered evidence that proves that Light Yagami is Kira. Could Roach and Maroon have also found evidence of who the current Kira is? If that's the case then I need Roach and Maroon to update me on the current events. More importantly, I have to figure out how Kira was able to kill all these prisoners when I wrote their names down in the Death Note first.

He looked into the detail on Carter and Gardner's death by opening up the article. "Died of heart attacks at the airport."

A thought crosses his mind.

He takes out the Death Note from the glove compartment and reads from the rules.

The conditions for death will not be realized unless it is physically possible for that human or it is reasonably assumed to be carried out by that human.

Break went back to deep thought.

When I became the owner of a Death Note, I vowed to kill criminals on death row on their death day, never a day before or after. I trust Roach and Maroon, I've seen them use pieces of the Death Note to kill criminals themselves so it's more than likely that Gardner and Carter were killed by Kira somehow. But there's the thing: Only Roach, Maroon and myself knew Carter and Gardner were coming with us to Japan. We told the police not to make reports that death row criminals from D.C. are heading to Japan. Most likely, Kira found a way to kill Carter and Gardner without writing their names down. The most likely explanation is that Roach and Maroon were controlling Carter and Gardner to investigate Kira for twenty days. After they raped the girl, they were arrested and therefore, could no longer carry out their intended task and died of heart attacks.

He bit his lower lip.

Could Kira have somehow found a way to kill Carter and Gardner without writing their names in the notebook? Could he have found a loophole? By the looks of it, this Kira surpasses the original Kira. So far, the current Kira -I'll call him S-Kira (S for Successor) - was able to kill the entire Task Force and SPK without getting their names and faces from an existing source and he managed to kill two criminals without writing their names in the notebook.

He clutches the Death Note's spine and felt a vibration in his hand. He looked down at a blank page and imagined writing a name down.

No, I can't do it. My father was a decorated cop who was killed by Kira twenty years ago just for standing up to him and opposing his view. My father was an innocent man, provided food and shelter for my mother and siblings and when Kira took his life, my mother fell into a depression. She became catatonic and was relocated to a hospital. I understand what Kira is trying to do, trying to make a world without crime but the fact that he kills people just for opposing him, I can't allow someone like this to remain active.

He looked up at his Shinigami.

When I catch Kira and he's sentenced to death, I will be the one to write his name in my notebook.

December 10, 2030

Knight took out his book and pencil and began writing names down, sparing no one in his path. He looked at the computer on his screen and he slashed his pencil across the page.

In a prison in Washington D.C., criminals were in their prison cells, and the inmates on death row prepared as they were going to wake up and endure their next prison day.

"Choke on this, Break!" Knight shouted at the top of his lungs and he wrote the next name.

A criminal on death row sat up in his prison bed, bit down on his finger, and drew a letter on the wall in his blood. He then collapsed and died from a heart attack.

"WHO!" Knight shouted. "IS!" He slashed across the Death Note again. "BREAK!"

The prison cells were full of criminals screaming in agony like they had aliens ripping out of their chests at the same time. The prison guards ran to each cell with batons in hand and watched the prisoners through the bars as they wrote a letter on the wall in their blood before collapsing.

Soft and quiet chuckles escaped from Knight's lip as he finished the last character on the Death Note. He slumped in his chair and admired his work he put into the Death Note.

Gilth chuckled. "You looked like you were enjoying yourself, Knight."

"Things couldn't have worked out better for me," Knight said as he looked up at Gilth with joy in his eyes, "Now that the rape of Hina Kudo has made international news, no doubt the police in the US will turn on Break and his crew. Everything's going according to plan and I'm one step closer to eliminating my competition."

The messages that could be deciphered from the letters written in blood were as follow:

WHO IS BREAK

WHO IS ROACH

WHO IS MAROON

"What I did was that every ten minutes, a criminal would die in a prison in Washington D.C. When each prisoner dies, they write a letter on the wall and when investigators look at the letters, they'll figure out that Kira is asking who Break, Roach, and Maroon are. It's only a matter of time before someone from inside the police station cracks and gives me what I want. And even if I don't, I have a plan. Someone out there knows who Break, Roach, and Maroon really are, someone working in the police station. Once I'm done with the criminals and I still don't get an answer, I'll start killing police officers and have them write the same message. Sooner or later, somebody will speak and once I have what I need, I'll kill Break and his crew, and take the Death Note for myself."

A wide grin appears on Gilth's face.

I was correct in choosing him as my successor. You've done well, my son.

Chapter Text

December 14, 2030

Knight was dressed in all black and stood with the police detective as they lowered Hina's coffin into the grave. There was a small number of family members present (aside from Detective Kudo), which included Hina's two younger brothers and her mother. The family didn't hold back the tears escaping their tear ducts but Kudo tried to keep his expression emotionless, for the sake of his family.

Knight was crying… but he still maintained ownership of the Death Note.

"You didn't have to come here," Kudo said as he looked at Knight.

"I wanted to come here," Knight rebutted, "I was with her when everything happened. I tried to save her- I should've saved her."

"It's not your fault," Kudo said, "Once they knocked you unconscious, there was nothing you could do."

"That's what I keep telling myself," Knight sobbed, "But I'm still responsible. I'm a Kira suspect," he cried. "She is dead because I was under investigation."

No, Kudo thought, The reason Hina is dead is that Break, Roach, and Maroon brought death row inmates to Japan. They are at blame.

Gilth stood behind Knight and looked down into the grave. He looked at his sobbing son and laughed.

"Phenomenal actor," he praised.

"Hinata would still be alive had it not been for those investigators coming to Japan," Kudo said.

Knight looked at him. "They went by the codenames, Break, Roach, and Maroon? It's public, international news by this point."

He nodded. "When they were sent here to investigate Kira, they brought two dozen or so criminals on death row with them. I contacted the president and he told me that if these two dozen criminals survive investigating Kira for twenty-three days then they'll be pardoned from execution."

"I can't believe the president would approve of something like that," he sniffled, "Are they still on the case?"

"No, last I heard, the president took them off the case."

That's it, Knight thought, Just keep giving me information. The more information in my hand, the better I'll play this game.

"Where are they?" Knight asked, "Did they just up and vanish or did they return to the States?"

"That's the strange thing," Kudo said, "They just vanished. I have no idea where they went. When I called the president to asked if they returned to the States, he said that they haven't returned. And here's the thing, the prisoners they brought with them, they all died of heart attacks. All twenty of them."

Twenty criminals died of heart attacks? If my theory is correct that they only kill death row inmates, then these criminals were scheduled to die on their execution date. Break must've written that they came to Japan to investigate Kira and because they've been pulled from the case, they could no longer accomplish their task.

Knight inwardly smiles.

With all the prisoners dead and the Japanese and Americans against Break, he and his two cohorts will have to investigate me on their own. They have no superior to report to and they have no death row inmates to sacrifice.

He smirks.

Things are getting interesting.

Teito Hotel

Break sat own in a leather chair and stared at the television screen in shock. There was a news report with a reporter speaking Japanese. The man said that twenty men all dropped from a heart attack at simultaneously.

"It's not possible," Break said in horror, "I made sure to write their names in the Death Note." He reaches under his chair to grab the Death Note.

He wrote the names of all twenty criminals and that they would investigate Kira in Japan before passing away on their execution date within twenty-three days.

"I brought twenty-three criminals. The first one died during the fake broadcast while I left Gardner and Carter in Roach and Maroon's hands. The others were all under my control."

He pauses as a thought crosses his mind. He looked over to his right to see Grudge standing near the fridge, drinking another two-liter of soda.

"Grudge," he called, "I have a question."

Grudge finished his soda before tossing it over his shoulder and approaching Break. "What is it?"

"The Death Note can control a human for twenty-three days, right?"

Grudge took a second before answering. "Yes, twenty-three human days."

"And they can only be controlled within their realistic limits?"

The Shinigami nodded.

"That proves it," he said, "Kira killed the twenty criminals without writing their names in the Death Note."

"How do you figure?"

"The Death Note can only control people within their realistic limit for twenty-three days. Once they're unable to really carry out their task by the Death Note, they die prematurely, before their intended death date. Kira killed twenty-three criminals without writing their names in the Death Note and I know that even if he wrote their name in his notebook, their deaths wouldn't occur because I wrote their names first."

"Do you think this was all part of Kira's plan?"

"I don't know," he answered, "But I wouldn't discard it as a possibility. So far, S-Kira has proven to be extremely dangerous, even more so than the original Kira."

There was a knock on the door. Break got out of his chair and went to answer it. Knocking on the door was Roach and Maroon.

"Were you followed?" Break asked.

They both shook their heads.

"I'll do a quick check," Grudge said before wings sprouted from his back and he flew and disappeared into the ceiling. Roach and Maroon stepped inside regardless.

Break locked the door.

"Do you guys understand what happened?" Break asked like a drill sergeant, "Kira somehow managed to find a way to kill all of our inmates."

"He has truly surpassed the original Kira," Roach said as he sat down on the couch, "We have to find him."

"What are we going to do once we catch him?" Maroon asked. "Kill him with the Death Note?"

"No," Break said, "We work within the law. We may be disavowed but we represent justice. We represent how the Death Note should be used. I don't know how but we are going to fight back, even if it is just the three of us."

"Four of us," Grudge exclaimed as he floated into the room.

"Let's think how this all happened," break continued, "This all happened when you guys investigated Knight Yagami. Why would you investigate Knight Yagami?"

"When we considered that Light Yagami might be the original Kira," Roach began, "We considered the possibility that Knight Yagami, his relative, might be Kira."

"Is there any evidence that proves that Knight is Kira?"

Roach and Maroon shook their heads.

Break nodded. "You guys are so lucky because I now know that Light Yagami was the original Kira."

"What?" Roach gasped, "So it's true?"

"Yes," Break said, "But just because Light Yagami is Kira doesn't mean that Knight is. I mean, I heard you guys sent two prisoners into Knight's house to investigate and these two prisoners assaulted Knight's girlfriend."

"It is our fault," Maroon said, "We'll take full responsibility."

"But we can't discard the possibility that Knight is Kira."

"Why not?"

Break put his chin in his palm. "Think about it, if S-Kira is the same as the original Kira then he's equally ruthless. I doubt that the prisoners dying was a mistake. I think that Kira became aware of the prison inmates and conducted a plan to get rid of all of them. Like the original Kira did with the FBI. Hinata Kudo committed suicide three days after being hospitalized, she ingested a poison and died in her sleep.

"That could be written off as a coincidence," Roach said, "To the public at least."

"I know that Kira couldn't control the criminals because we had control over them but what if instead of controlling the criminals, he controlled the victim. What if Kira wrote that Hinata Kudo would get assaulted by two criminals investigating Knight Yagami's house and then she would commit suicide three days later out of grief?"

"It doesn't seem far-fetched," Maroon said.

"Hinata Kudo would get assaulted by two American prisoners, die of ingesting poison, and then America would turn on us, and Knight Yagami, the victim's boyfriend, would be completely innocent. That's another thing, why did Hinata Kudo die and not Knight killing himself out of grief?"

Roach and Maroon looked at each other. "Good point," they said to Break.

"Plus, I think that Kira's end goal is to get America to turn against us. I came to that conclusion when everything seemed to fall over like a domino effect after the incident with Hinata. Teenager gets assaulted by two men brought to Japan by American Kira investigators then when I become international news, the US President takes them off the case."

"If we are an inconvenience to Kira, then why would he want us off the case and not kill us?"

"I think Kira's plan is still to kill us but because he doesn't know our names and faces with the exception of mine, he must be figuring out another way to get our names."

"Like how?"

Break contemplated. He looked off to the side, thinking about countless possibilities.

If Kira's goal was to make us Public Enemy Number One, then he must have a plan in mind. If America has turned on us then there's no doubt that people will willingly give out our names. I made sure that my name and face were erased from the database but there are still some people who know my real name.

He thought back to someone he met early in his life.

SHE knows my real name and face. Not only that but she is a strong-willed officer with a sense of justice. I doubt that she'll willingly give out my name and face to Kira but if Kira finds out about her, then we're both in danger. I can't afford to wait anymore; I have to pull off another sneak attack. There's only one to know for sure if Knight Yagami is Kira: I back him into a corner where if he kills me then all solid evidence will point to one person.

Knight Yagami, you are our prime suspect in the Kira investigation.

Knight's House

"Well, Knight," Gilth began, "I searched through your computer and there is no snitch as of right now."

Knight chuckles and leans back in his chair in a comfortable position. "I knew it would be too easy. My plan was always to keep on killing criminals until someone came forth and that plan is still in motion."

"You're going to have criminals write 'Who is Break, Roach, and Maroon' on the walls until someone confesses. What if someone still doesn't confess."

"Then I'll have the criminals write that 'Kira will kill cops for not betraying corrupt investigators'. I'll have them write the same messages. Eventually, someone will come forth or someone will let it slip that someone knows. I'll let the whole world know that I can control my victims before death and I can make someone tell me the names of Break, Roach, and Maroon."

"And then?"

"I'll kill those three false gods. I'll kill them and make an example of what happens when you abuse Kira's power. This is all one big chess game, one that I am going to win."

Gilth smiled before his expression dropped. "What about the Shinigami?"

Knight looked at him. "What are you talking about?"

"The Shinigami that is attached to them, his name is Grudge. Unlike most Shinigami, he has a soft spot for humans and I can only infer that he came to the human world to befriend a human."

"What?" Knight exclaimed, "Why should I care about this?"

"Think about it: Grudge was willing to record Kira as he wrote down the name of a criminal scheduled to die on a live broadcast. Although this act can be described as neutral, the Grudge I know cares for humans and voiced his desire to befriend a human. Assuming that Break is the owner of the Death Note, there's a good chance that Grudge befriended him. This is only speculation but I wouldn't put it past him."

Knight nodded. "So he's like how Rem was to my mother?"

Gilth nodded. "Yes. I would consider him to be just as dangerous as Break is."

"I'll keep that in mind. If that's the case, when I eliminate Break and the other two, I might have to eliminate Grudge as well." He sank back in his chair. "I thought Shinigami were forbidden to give out names to humans."

"Well, we can't give out human names, but there's no rule saying that we can't give out names of other Shinigami in the human world. That's how your mother knew my Shinigami's name was Ryuk; Rem told her."

"What about this 'Grudge' telling Break about you?"

The god of death shrugs. "Nothing to tell. I was a recent Shinigami in the Shinigami realm and only a small number of death gods knew about me."

"So, you're basically the new kid in school."

"I've been planning my return to the human world for a long time, keeping a very close eye on who I should pick to be my successor."

Knight rested his chin in his palm after putting his elbow on his desk. "You know, Father Gilth, there is one thing I wonder: How did you end up with two Death Notes? I understand that in order for a god of death to go to the human world, they need two Death Notes. How did you end up with a second one?"

Gilth's back stiffened as if he was stunned by the sudden question. A smile broke out across his face with his red eyes beginning to glow.

"I'll tell you what: I will tell you how I got a second Death Note as long as you tell me why you think that Kira has been a hero to you. I've been watching you for a long time so I know that you thought Kira was a hero, even at the age of nine."

Knight chuckled. "That's one boring story, I don't think you'll be interested."

Gilth put his face in Knight's. "I was Kira. I was the god of the new world before I lost. I'm always intrigued when I hear that someone thinks of me as their personal hero."

Knight looked back at Gilth and decided to humor him. "If you say so."

Chapter Text

I don't know where my love for Kira came from exactly but I do know that I've looked up to Kira ever since I was a little boy. Four-years-old is probably the earliest I can remember and I remember worshipping Kira at such a young age.

Knight Yagami, Age 5

"Hello," a young Knight Yagami said excitedly to students in the Wammy House classroom, "I know that we're not supposed to give out our real names but I want to be called 'Kip'."

The teacher turned and patted Knight's shoulder. "Welcome to the Wammy House, Kip, you're a part of the family, now."

"Thank you," Knight said with a blushing smile.

"At our house, we'll groom you into becoming the world's smartest detective. Who knows, you might be able to surpass the world's current greatest detective."

"I know I will!"

Tell us a little about yourself, Kip."

"Okay." He looked down at his feet and rubbed his chin, thinking of something. His eyes lit up with excitement when he thought of something. "A lot of people say that I am smart and I like playing that game with those castles and horses."

"Chess?" the teacher asked.

Knight nodded. "Yeah."

"What do you want to be when you grow up, Kip?"

"I don't know," Knight shrugged, "But I know I'll be the best at whatever it is."

"Who are some people you look up to? Who do you aspire to be when you grow up?"

Knight already had an answer. "KIRA!"

The room suddenly went quiet, like someone pressed the mute button on a TV. The teacher's cheerful aura dropped in less than a second faster than the blink of an eye. She looked down at Knight with a guilty expression on her face. The students said nothing but stared at the smiling Knight, who looked like he did not have a worry in the world.

"Okay," the teacher, "Go take your seat, Kip."

Knight did as he was told and he sat next to a girl, who had red hair and went by the alias 'I or 'Ice'. She blushed and side-eyed him.

Knight noticed her and she turned away shyly. "Hi," he said quietly, not wanting to interrupt the teacher as she started her presentation.

"Hi," she nervously said. "My name is 'Ice'."

"That's a weird name," Knight said, "You got the wrong hair color."

Ice blushed as red as her hair.

A couple of weeks later, I had a video conference with the legend him, Near. I knew all about Near being the world's greatest detective and I was eager to ask him so many questions. When I asked him my question: 'What do you think of Kira?', his demeanor changed through the live stream. The answer to my question and I say, quote for quote, was 'Kira is nothing but a crazy mass-murderer. Nothing more, nothing less'. I had been at the Wammy House for about two weeks if memory serves correctly and that was the first time someone had dissed Kira in front of me. And to say that he was also the one who defeated Kira was adding salt to the wound. A wound in my heart.

Knight Yagami, Age 6

October 6, that was Knight 'Kip' Yagami's birthday. When the Wammy House threw him a party, the man running the orphanage, Roger Ruvie, gave Knight a birthday cake.

When it was time to sing happy birthday, no one sang along. The other kids just stared at Knight with blank expressions on their faces.

Why are they looking at me like that Knight wondered day in day out as he felt those daggers glared at him.

Maybe they're jealous, he told himself, Because I got a better score on the spelling test.

Even when the cut was cake, kids still got slices but no one bothered to eat next to Knight and didn't acknowledge the rest of the day.

It sure is lonely. No one is eating birthday cake with me. I'm sure it's fine.

Ice was the only one who gave Knight a birthday present wrapped in orange wrapping paper.

"I hope you like it, Kip," Ice said nervously. "My sister and I spent a lot of money for it."

Knight tore open the wrapping paper and discovered a chessboard. "Yay," he squealed as he opened it up to look inside. "This is so cool, thank you, Ice."

Ice nervously smiled.

I didn't know what the problem was. How could I; I was a little boy who thought of Kira as a hero. People were avoiding me for seemingly no reason at all. It sorta stung that no one would hang out with me but no matter what, I always kept a cheerful smile on my face. I felt like, if I dropped my smile for a single second, then I would fall into eternal sadness. I was just a little boy smiling, that's all I was.

Knight Yagami, Age 7

They say 2020 is supposed to be a new year, fresh, but it seems the complete opposite.

During the coronavirus pandemic, Knight was forced to stay indoors (as if he had a choice) and he had to practice social distancing. Whenever he went outside, he wore a face-mask to prevent infection and washed his hands almost hourly like a hypochondriac.

In September, one month before his seventh birthday, Knight was assigned an essay and submitted. He worked hard on the essay, putting his heart and emotions into the paper because the topic applied to him on an emotional level. He hoped that once his teachers read the paper, they would understand the love he has for his hero.

"What?" Knight exclaimed as he got his essay back. A big fat F was scribbled in red in the middle of his paper. "But how?" he shouted at the teacher, "How did I get an F? I made sure that I had no grammar errors and I followed the Answer, Prove, Explain format."

"Your essay was wonderful," the teacher said, "Astounding. No grammar errors of any kind."

"Then why did I fail?"

"Your topic."

Knight looked at the title at the top of his paper.

Why Kira is My Hero

"What's wrong with it?"

"The hero you wrote about is a mass murderer," the teacher scolded, "We teach ethics here at the Wammy House and what have we always taught you about Kira?"

"Kira is not a murderer," Knight nearly sobbed, "He's a savior. He brought peace to the world."

"Kira is nothing but an evil bastard, nothing more and nothing less."

"But," Knight began crying, "Please-"

"Failed."

Knight didn't bother to stay for class. He ran out of the room and went into his room to cry.

I put my heart and my soul into that paper. Kira has always been my hero and to have an F on that paper broke my heart. I cried myself to sleep, not a single soul comforting me. The next day at school, I was told to do a redo of the essay and pick another topic or I would fail the assignment completely. I couldn't do it. I couldn't pick up that pencil and write about why L was my hero because it would be a betrayal to the one person I truly look up to. I think something happened to me that night. I don't remember what it was exactly but I think it made me realize something. I didn't know what it was at the time, however.

Knight Yagami, Age 8

May 1, 2022

"Kira is back," a child said.

When Knight heard Kira's name, he raced into the entertainment room and turned to the TV in anticipation. There were worldwide reports that Kira has returned but in a different way. It was not Kira, but someone with Kira's power. Knight was happy to hear that Kira was back but once he realized that this person with Kira's power was starting an auction to sell the power to remotely kill people, he became heart-broken once again.

"What?" Knight said in horror. "Kira is selling his power?"

The news showed a photo of a message Kira left behind at Sakura TV station in Tokyo.

THE POWER TO KILL PEOPLE AS REMOTELY USED BY KIRA IS BEING PUT UP FOR AUCTION. IF YOU WANT TO BUY IT, USE THE HASHTAG #POWEROFKIRA ON TWITTER AND INDICATE YOUR BID AMOUNT IN AMERICAN DOLLARS.

It was bittersweet. It was sweet because Kira was back, but bitter because he was selling his power to remotely kill people.

How could this happen? If you have Kira's power to kill, you should use it for the good of mankind. You should use it to make the world a better place. If someone were to buy this power, they would use it for their own selfish reasons.

He balled up his fists in anger.

Kira, how could you do this? How could you sell the powers of a god? You're not Kira, you're a false god. You don't care about justice, you're only in it for the money. I hope that Near catches you, 'Kira', and he sentences you to death.

He was about to burst with anger.

I hope you die!

He walked out of the room after kicking a boy's toy truck against the wall out of anger. He stormed back into his room.

Three weeks later, Kira's power to remotely kill people was sold to the United States of America for ten trillion US dollars before it was distributed equally into everyone with a Yotsuba account under the age of sixty.

Knight had a smile on his face as he watched the news on the TV.

You may have not been worthy of Kira's power, but you made good use of it, despite not killing anyone.

Japan's economy, which had been going downhill for the longest time, had jumped started and benefited nearly every citizen in Japan. The people of Japan were grateful for this Kira incident that the public dubbed 'The Kira Bubble.'

I guess I can let this one slide, Knight thought, After all, this Kira forced Near to admit defeat and everyone now believes that Kira is a hero.

I think it was about a month or two after the Kira Bubble that I started to look at things differently. Now that I realize that Kira was never coming back and I was being raised in the same house that the man who defeated Kira was raised in, I had different opinions. As days turned into weeks, I slowly began to realize that I was truly alone in this orphanage and I would always be outcast as someone who is supporting a terrorist. I wanted to commit suicide, I wanted to hang myself because I was going to be living in a house that opposes my hero my entire childhood life. I was never going to have a happy ending as long as I was living in this hellhole. I wanted to end my life, and I was barely eight or nine at the time. But something told me to hang on a little while longer.

June 10, 2022

"What's your thought process?"

A whole crowd of students sat in front of a computer with the live stream on. They couldn't see Near's face but they could see his letter and hear his voice.

When Near was asked a question, he answered as honestly as he could.

Knight was sitting all by himself away from the group of kids, his back turned to them as he played a game of chess with his own being the opponent.

Knight was less than interested to hear Near's thought process. He was usually a happy-go-lucky boy around the Wammy House, crying only when his savior and god, Kira, was tarnished and would cry for about ten minutes or so in his room. But for the past few weeks, he had been different. He didn't interact with any of the kids (even if they wanted to hang with him) and just sat all by himself, playing chess with no one but himself.

Ice came over to where Knight was sitting and she held out a glass of water. "I got you a glass of water in case you were thirsty."

He slapped his hand against the glass like swatting a fly. The glass fell to the ground and created a loud thump that caught the attention of the others.

"What's going on?" Near asked on the computer.

Upon hearing Near's voice directed to him, he slowly turned and faced the screen. There was a tear that escaped from his eye but he was fifteen feet away from the computer and doubted that Near could see it.

"I'm glad that A-Kira defeated you," he said, "You deserve it for defeating the real Kira."

Near then said, "Are you upset because I brought Kira to justice?"

Knight stands up. He faces the computer and slowly walks forward. "Kira was justice. Because of Kira, wars have ceased to exist and global crime rates have been reduced by over seventy percent. Not only that but Kira made peace a reality. Criminals walked away from robberies, rapes, murders, and got off scot-free when the justice system wouldn't bring them in. Honest and hard-working people who wanted nothing but happiness for their families had their loved ones taken from them by criminals. With Kira's law, criminals do suffer the repercussions of their actions and families can truly find happiness with their families. Children could grow up in a world where crime doesn't exist, where you could trust people, where there were genuinely nice people around to watch their backs. And because you killed Kira, criminals are now able to escape the police, families get torn apart, and children grow up in a world where violent crimes are a regular. It's because of what you did, Near, that you have destroyed peace!"

"Kira didn't bring peace, he only brought fear," Near suddenly said. "True, while I don't condone what Kira did, global crime rates did drop by seventy percent and in the last few years, violent crime rates spiked but that doesn't make it any less right. Wars have resumed and there are generations suffering but killing criminals is not the right way to bring world peace. If one person would judge all then we'd be living in fear of losing our lives. How can you call that peace? How can you call people fearing for their lives peace? If you have to kill people to bring peace to the world then it isn't peace."

"All you have to do is not break the law and you would be unharmed by Kira."

"Tell that to the FBI," Near rebutted.

Knight felt emotions rising within him. "It was necessary. Kira wanted to build a world where there was no crime and kind people lived. If he had been caught by the FBI or by L, then everything he would've done would've been for nothing. All those people that he killed would've been for nothing."

"So murdering innocent agents doing their job is necessary?"

"It's no different than what L did in having Lind L. Tailor take his place on the news. Kira could people so he could create a utopia and the FBI agents, they knew the risks but they went along with it, nevertheless."

"You shouldn't be rooting for Kira," a boy said, "He is evil."

"He is a hero," Knight shouted, "Why can't you all understand that?"

"Killing of any kind is injustice," a girl said.

"Tell that to the law that sentences people to death. Not only that but if killing is injustice, then why are there still wars? Why do we condone wars if the killing of any kind is wrong?"

"Think of all the falsely convicted people Kira killed," another boy yelled.

"And think about all the innocent people on death row. Near is brainwashing you guys, he wants you to hate Kira just because he took him down. Can't any of you see that Kira is justice? How he made peace a reality?"

Ice approached Knight and said, "Kip, there's no point in arguing."

Knight went silent.

"I think you should listen to her, Kip," Near responded.

Knight's back was turned to the computer. He stared intently at Ice as if she had set him up. His breath escaped through his teeth as his facial expression changed from the look of someone who has been defeated (and humiliated) to something else.

He balls up his fists and glares.

His hair and eyes turn red.

They all deserve to die.

Chapter Text

December 14, 2030

Knight frowned upon recalling that memory.

Whenever I look back at that memory, I think of how my future could've changed, how it was never going to change. It was inevitable for me to end up in my current state. I know that I am ruthless but I was destined to be this way because of my belief for Kira. Even if I wasn't constantly scolded for liking Kira, had I obtained this Death Note in my happy-go-lucky attitude, I still would've turned out the same way because I'm willing to admit my belief for Kira and even take over as heir.

"You think your whole life could've been different if you were treated differently?" Gilth asked.

"Not necessarily," Knight answered. "Granted, I may have still been happy-go-lucky as my mother was but I still would've ended up like this regardless. That conversation with Near just opened my eyes."

"And speaking of which, how come you were next in line to succeed Near if you hated him so much?"

"Logically speaking, I was the only one who could. I always came in first place in every test the Wammy House gave me. I was number one my entire life there so it would only make sense for me to become Near's successor, despite my beliefs."

"Why didn't you leave?"

"I was too young and even so, in public schools, kids would beat you up if you believed in Kira. I respect and admire Kira but I also respect my body to not get beaten up by bullies."

"Do you know how to fight?"

"No, I never took martial arts. I prefer brains over brawns and I'm quite skilled with persuasion when the situation comes down to it."

"We'll see."

He leaned back in his chair, crossing his hands over his chest. "I don't understand. Why do people see Kira as a murderer? Who made violent crime all but nonexistent? Who made wars disappear? Who made the global crime rate go down by seventy percent? Who was the one who stopped crimes before they even began? They call me evil for killing people but I bring peace. I am more than willing to get my hands dirty if it means making life better for other people."

"Justice is subjective," Gilth said, "When we are little, we are told what's right and wrong based on what our parents believe but as we get older, we develop our own sense of justice. Deep down, people see Kira as a good person but because they want to look politically correct, then they will oppose Kira. Some just think the normal justice system is effective on its own."

"The justice system is broken," Knight said, "It was built broken from the very beginning. It was created by people who each had their own different opinion of how right and wrong should be handled and years later, people take advantage of the imperfect system. Criminals get off with plea bargains, innocent are wrongfully accused, and apparently, if someone poses a threat to society, then that person will be executed." He laughed. "I don't understand: If killing is so wrong then why have the death penalty? If all life is valuable then why have it in the first place? And why should that person's life hang on the balance of a majority vote? I just don't get it. If anything, Kira proves that the people in the justice system are hypocrites."

"'The police say it's wrong to kill criminals but how come you guys kill criminals when a majority vote calls for it?'" Gilth mocked, "It just sickens me. For every one hundred criminals on death row, four of those criminals are innocent. This means that, even when an innocent person pleads for his life, the jurors decide that he is guilty regardless and must be punished by death. Yes, it may be true that Kira does kill people under false charges. Even if he is extremely careful, there will always be the four percent of people who are innocent, it's inevitable, but at the end of the day, the ends justify the means."

"The police, they're the real bastards," Knight said, "The justice system. With Kira, you get one point of view: 'If you are a criminal, then you die.' With one person calling the shots, no contradictory points of justice will interfere and the sentence by Kira will be fair, unbiased, and unprejudiced. If you break the law, you die. Not only am I killing criminals but I am stopping latent criminals. People who were going to do harm, to begin with, get a second chance before they waste their life. Good, honest, and hard-working people finally feel safe and feel like they're someone watching out for them, someone that really does care for their well-being. This god's sense of justice is simple and fair and peace is brought not only to one country but to all countries across the globe."

"I think the police hated me because I killed the FBI."

Knight looked at him. "Think about it, you are trying to create a world of peace, for everyone to enjoy. You are risking your life and soul to make life peaceful for good people and these FBI agents and police officers and detectives get in your way trying to stop you. The way I see it, you have two options. One: You do nothing and then they catch you, meaning that the new world that you wanted to create, free of injustice, will never come to pass. Or two: You kill them. This may seem like a callous decision but if you kill them, then you won't be captured and you can create a new world that is free of injustice."

Gilth laughed. "I bet that is what was written in your essay."

KNOCK, KNOCK, KNOCK

"Looks like someone is here," Gilth said.

"Yeah. Hide the Death Note for me just in case." Knight stepped out of his room and headed downstairs.

He poked his eye through the peephole and saw the left side of a man's face. He didn't recognize the man but he saw that he was wearing a trench coat and had dirty blonde hair. He opened the door and seeing who it was almost sent his heart flying out of his chest.

"Knight Yagami?"

Knight's hair and eyes turn red.

Break.

Break's hair and eyes turned blue.

Kira.

Teito Hotel

"The plan is simple," Break said as he sat up from the couch and faced his two associates. "I will confront Kira myself, or at least the Kira suspect."

"And how will you prove that he is Kira?" Roach asked.

"By sacrificing my own life."

Roach and Maroon's eyes went wide

"Are you serious?" Roach asked.

"I will tell Knight Yagami my real name and if I die, regardless of the reason, treat Yagami as the prime suspect."

"You can't do this," Maroon exclaimed, "Who knows what could happen?"

"What would happen is that we will have concrete proof that Knight Yagami is Kira and it would be your job to bring him into custody." He kneeled before reaching under the couch to pull out something. The Death Note itself. "Roach, I am handing my notebook over to you."

Roach took the notebook. "Why?"

"If I die, then ownership will be transferred over to you and if that's the case then Knight Yagami is Kira. From the very start of this battle, I have miscalculated. Showing my face on TV was a mistake. Now all Kira needs is my name and I'm sure he'll get it sooner or later. You guys are the safest so it's up to you to bring Kira to justice. It's the least I could do for having brought those Deathrow inmates with us to Japan."

"How can you be so careless?" Maroon asked.

"I'm not being careless. I am willing to sacrifice my soul to solve this case. My father was an innocent victim who was killed by Kira, I can't allow this mass-murderer to continue to roam free. And who knows, maybe I'll get to meet my father in the afterlife."

Grudge floated into the room. "Any human who has used a Death Note can neither go to Heaven nor Hell for eternity."

"All three of us have used a Death Note or a piece of it," Maroon said, "Does that mean we're all bound for purgatory?"

"There is no Heaven or Hell," Break said, "Isn't that right?"

Grudge went wide-eye. "Yeah, I thought all humans believed in Heaven and Hell but no, they don't exist. When humans die, they are all equal and go to the same place once they die."

"Where would that be?"

"Nothingness."

Break smirked. "Maybe I will get to see my parents after all."

Knight's House

Knight stared at Break with intensity, his eyes narrow.

"I'm Detective Brock with the American police," Break said as he flashed him a police ID.

The ID said: Alex Brock

An alias, obviously, Knight thought.

"I would like to come in and ask some questions."

"Come on in."

Break stepped into the house.

Break, I don't know how you came to the conclusion that Knight Yagami was Kira to begin with but entering my house was a mistake.

His eyes widened.

But if Break is the owner of a Death Note, then a Shinigami should be following him and I can't see him. However, the Shinigami will be able to see Gilth and tell Break if there is a Shinigami in the house. I have to make sure Gilth is at least fourteen kilometers away from here but I can't go upstairs spontaneously or else it would look suspicious.

"You play chess?"

Knight turned to see Break standing over the coffee table where the chessboard laid.

"Yeah," Knight answered.

"I'm quite the chess master," Break said, "How about a quick game to break the ice."

"Why not?"

Knight locked up the door before he set up the chess pieces on the table. He had the black chess pieces while Break had the white.

This'll be a good time to ask him some questions regarding the Kira case, Break thought.

There's no doubt he'll start asking me questions involving Kira, Knight thought, No doubt there's going to be some trick questions so I have to stay on high alert.

Knight moved his pawn.

"I'm sorry about your girlfriend, Mr. Yagami," Break said. "It's a tragedy what happened."

Break moved his pawn.

All I gotta do is watch your reactions. If you show no reaction then the chance you're Kira has increased. If you do show reactions, then I must consider the possibility that he is acting.

"Thank you," Knight said.

This is the same thing that L did with my Dad during their tennis match. He's just trying to get a reaction out of me. I suppose I could show him no reaction but then again, innocent people always stress out when they are falsely accused.

Knight moved his bishop.

"Is it true that this house belongs to one Sayu Yagami?"

"Yeah, my aunt."

"So you admit to being the son of Light Yagami?"

Knight looks at him. "How do you even know that to begin with?"

Break smirked. "I did a background search on Mr. Light Yagami and discovered that he used to be a member of the Japanese Task Force hunting down Kira long before you were born. Your grandfather is Soichiro Yagami."

"I see you've done your homework but what does this prove?"

"Nothing, only that if Kira were to pick a successor, he would pick you because your profile fits Light Yagami's profile."

"And what's that supposed to mean?"

"It means that if your father, Light Yagami, was the original Kira from seventeen years ago, then it would only make sense that his son, Knight Yagami, would be heir to Kira's godship."

Knight's hair and eyes turned red while Break's turned blue.

Knight: That's how they came to the conclusion that I must be Kira: They figured out that Dad was Kira before I was born.

Break: I can see the wheels turning in your head, Knight. What's the matter, feeling cornered?

Knight: Calm down, Knight, this doesn't prove anything. Just because my father was Kira is not enough to arrest me. They might question me but that's all they can do. Unless they find the notebook, there's nothing they can do. They have nothing on me. However, if his Shinigami finds my Shinigami then I'm in big trouble.

Break: When people are stressed out due to being falsely accused, then there's a greater chance they'll slip up and say something incriminating. I've put Knight in a situation that's ten times more stressful than any false conviction. He knows he's Kira, I know that he is Kira, and I've backed him into a corner that will guarantee his defeat if he makes a move. He's completely harmless and incapable of attacks, the only thing he can do is defend himself.

Knight: I don't care what it takes, I will kill Break and take the notebook for myself but he's put me in a tight spot. No one has snitched and come forth with his real identity from the US and the fact that I don't know the names nor faces of his two partners, Roach and Maroon, once again, I am at a large disadvantage.

Knight/Break: One small move is all it'll take for this to come to an end. Either way, I'm going to win. I will sentence you to death, Kira/False God.

Knight moved the knight piece. "Checkmate."

Break looked down at the board. "That is quite impressive," he says with a smile. "I see you are the better Chessmaster."

"I've been playing chess for years," Knight said, "You're more than welcome to call for a rematch, but I'm afraid that you'll lose again for the second time."

"Confidence, you got confidence, Mr. Yagami."

Or arrogance.

Break pats his knee before getting up. He checks his watch as if he was on a schedule. "I don't want to take up too much of your time so I will get straight to the point."

Knight stood up with him. "Yes."

Break pulled out his ID. "This name I've given you, it's false. Alex Brock is not my real name."

Knight narrowed his eyes. What's he up to?

"My real name…" Break stares at Knight, gaze not breaking his red eyes. "Is Brian Baker."

Knight's eyes widened slightly.

His real name is… Brian Baker? No, it has to be another alias, has to be.

"Why should I care?"

"Because you are the only person who knows my real name," he said, "If I die for some reason, whether it be a heart attack or an accident, then it's obvious that it would be Kira. You're the only one in Japan who knows my real name."

Knight's foot slightly twitched.

I knew it, Brian Baker isn't an alias, it's his real name. I should've known.

"Not only that but…" he looked around the house, "Even if I do die, for 'whatever reason', then you too will die as well."

Knight's eyes widened. "What are you talking about?"

"The Shinigami," he answered, "You obviously know about the Shinigami that is attached to Kira. I have a Shinigami of my own and you know what he said: 'If you die, for whatever reason, then I promise to avenge you. I will kill Knight Yagami and avenge you.'"

Knight's heart pounded in his chest. "You mean… if you die, for any reason at all, regardless of the cause of death, then I will die? I'm not Kira!"

"If you weren't Kira then this would be awkward." Break smiled. He looked at his watch again. "I'm afraid that's all the time I have for today." He pushed a button on his watch, causing it to beep. "But, I must be going now. Thank you for taking the time to hear out my warning."

He stuffed his hands into his pockets before moving over towards the door. Knight watches him intently as he moves across the room, grounding his teeth behind his lips.

Break opened the door before shutting it.

Knight sighed heavily with wide red eyes.

Damn it, I can't believe it! Damn, Break, the situation's getting worse and worse with each passing second.

Chapter Text

December 14, 2030

Knight put his hands in his pockets and turned away calmly. He slowly walked back upstairs with an emotionless expression on his face. With each step he took, the sounds echoed throughout the house. When he got to his room, he took one hand out of his pocket to open the door. Stepping inside, he closes the door behind him and locks it.

He puts his hand back into his pocket and walks over to his desk. He sinks down into his chair and places his hands on his desk in a slow and controlled fashion.

Gilth floated from below and stood behind Knight.

"The coast is clear," Gilth said, "There is no Shinigami and Break is already long gone."

Knight said nothing.

Gilth turned towards the door with the false bottom. "The Death Note's been hidden."

Knight still said nothing.

"I've checked dozens of times; There is no Shinigami watching us nor are they any surveillance cameras. I've checked for wiretaps as well."

…

"What is it, Knight? What did Break say?"

Knight made a shaking fist with both hands and the dam holding back his anger was about to burst.

He slams his hands onto the table. "I CAN'T BELIEVE IT!"

Gilth's eyes widened. "What's going on?"

Knight slams his fist down on the table again. "Break, goddamn you. There's nothing more humiliating than getting humiliated twice by the same guy!" Knight growled in anger before he turned to his Shinigami. "Break told me his real name, it's Brian Baker."

"Based on your reaction, it came with a price, however."

"Break told me his real name so I would be put in a stalemate. He said that I was the only one in Japan who knew his real name and if he were to die, regardless of the cause of death, then the prime suspect in the Kira Investigation will be me."

"Tough luck, Knight."

"It doesn't end there."

Gilth cocked his head.

"I know for a fact that Brian Baker is his real name because there's no famous celebrity in America named Brian Baker. Break is doing the same thing that L did but he's taking it one step further. L used the name Hideki Ryuga because it was the name of a popular idol and if Hideki Ryuga were to die accidentally then you, Dad, would be the prime Kira suspect. He's telling me his real name, otherwise, what would he stand to gain by giving me some random name that doesn't have any significance?"

"True," Gilth nodded.

"Icing on the cake, if Break dies, regardless of the cause of death, then I'm going to be sentenced to death by their Shinigami."

"Really," Gilth smirked.

"Break told me that his Shinigami cares for him, sees him as a friend, and that if Break were to die for any reason then he would automatically assume that I, Knight Yagami, am Kira and would kill me with the Death Note."

Knight sank back into his chair, crossing his arms over his chest in an attempt to calm himself down.

"This is a perfect strategy for Break. He's put me in an impossible situation where the only thing I can do is sleep with one eye open for the rest of my life. Break, Roach, and Maroon are determined to catch me and they have a Shinigami on their side willingly to kill for them." He rests his elbows onto the table and sighs. "This whole contest between Break and I is one big chess match and right now, I'm in check. If I make even a single move without thinking very carefully, then it's checkmate for me."

He runs a hand through his strawberry blonde hair.

"Break, Roach, and Maroon are my enemies as of right now but Grudge, that's a different story. If I want to kill Break, then I have to get rid of Grudge first. Unfortunately, the only two ways to kill Grudge are to force him into a situation in which he sacrifices himself or we steal his Death Note and prevent him from writing the names of humans. Both are practically impossible to make happen. I have no idea what Brian 'Break' Baker's lifespan is and we have no idea how many years Grudge has left to live."

"Quite the scenario," Gilth said in a mocking tone, "I'm eager to see you get out of it."

"And since I only know Break's real name, Roach and Maroon will still be a nuisance and I can't write that Brian Baker kills Roach and Maroon; Nicknames don't work with the Death Note nor can you make people kill other people."

Gilth turned and sat down on his bed. "You better use your brains on this one, Knight. Prove that you are the true successor to Kira, find a way to kill your enemies."

Knight looked at him. "That's been my goal from the very beginning. Right now, the opponent I must consider to be the most dangerous at the moment is Grudge. Break may be the main antagonist of my mission but Grudge is the Bigger Bad. I have to find a way to kill Grudge before I can kill Break." He paused. "No, even if I kill Break and Grudge, Roach and Maroon will still be around, and if Break and Grudge both die then they'll catch me. I have to kill all four at the exact same time."

He sighed and licked his lips. "I have to be very careful, though. One wrong move, one slip up and it's game over for me. If I'm not killed by Grudge, then I'll be sentenced to death in prison. I need a strategy to take out all four of these guys at once, otherwise, I'm doomed to be trapped in an infinite stalemate."

He facepalms before sighing. He took out his Death Note from the secret compartment and opened it up to the rule page. He read over each rule carefully multiple times to make sure he didn't miss anything.

His eyes caught sight of one particular rule. His eyes widened and he gasped.

Gilth noticed this and stood up from where he was sitting. He slowly walked over to Knight's seat and towered over him. He leaned down so he could see what Knight could see.

His eyes widened as well.

Knight and Gilth snickered quietly before his laughs evolved to chuckles and then eventually to hysterical laughter.

"I can't believe I didn't see it before," Knight said, "I may be at a disadvantage without the Shinigami eyes but I still have my Shinigami with him." Knight looks over to Gilth with a maniacal smile on his face. "I figured out a way to defeat all four of my enemies. I figured out a way to kill Grudge. Unfortunately, it's a gamble itself that could prove to be fatal. But, Dad, you did say you were on my side."

"I am on your side," Gilth confirmed, "As much as Grudge is on Break's side."

"Good." Knight closed the Death Note after taking out a few pages. "This is my plan."

He told Gilth the plan.

"It's very risky," Gilth said after reviewing the plan.

"Chess games are all about taking risks, sacrificing pawns for the greater good. But since I work all alone, I have to compensate for it through various other means. Gilth, if you want Kira to win this battle and bring the world back to a peaceful time, then you must follow my instructions to the letter. You must help me."

Gilth cocked his head at him.

"I'm always going to be on your side, son. Don't expect me to be doing this all the time. I am proud of you for being a worthy successor to Kira but don't forget, I will not be doing everything for you. I am the last resort. If you have me doing everything for you then you're not worthy of becoming Kira."

Knight grabbed the notebook and faced Gilth. "I understand. But with this plan, Grudge will die, and Break, Roach, and Maroon will suffer the same fate."

At the airport, a plane had touched down coming from the United States. The crowd of people stepped outside of the terminal and into the airport. One woman, in particular, was wearing a black leather jacket and had long straight black hair. She had a purse by her side and she sat on a bench a few feet away from the terminal. She pulls a phone out from her purse and turns it on.

She changes the time to Japanese time before pulling out her driver's license.

My name is Genre, she told herself, As long as I am investigating in Japan, this is what my name will be.

She puts her ID into her back pocket before standing up.

Knight's Backyard, 4 Hours Later

"Instructions have been written down in the notebook," Knight said as he stood outside his patio. He held up the notebook and Gilth grabbed it. "You know what to do, Gilth."

The Shinigami nodded.

Knight stiffened his back like a soldier when a drill sergeant came in. "I forfeit ownership of this Death Note."

Gilth cracked a large smile across his face. "See you later." Gilth tucked the Death Note into his satchel. He turned to leave before Knight said his name. "What is it?"

Knight took out a red apple from his inner jacket pocket and threw it to Gilth, who caught it without blinking. "For Ryuk."

Gilth nodded before he sprouted wings from his back and flew into the air.

Knight's eyes followed the Shinigami as he flew up and up into the sky, shrinking as he flew farther and farther away.

Knight's red eyes returned to his normal blue color.

Knight stuffed his hands into his pocket as he walked back inside the house. He locks the screen door behind him before heading over to his fridge. He opens it and looks inside to find something to satisfy his hungry taste buds.

He decided to get creative. He took out a bowl of apples, put on some classical music by Igor Stravinsky, and got to make some caramel apples.

After he finished with his baking, he had five caramel apples for the week. He took one before walking up to his room. He sat at his desk and sighed. He silently took a bite of his caramel apple as he stared at his reflection on his computer screen.

As he was about to swallow the piece of apple in his mouth, he freezes mid-bite. He subconsciously looks over to the drawer, where his original self hid the Death Note. He opened the drawer up as if he was expecting to find something inside. Instead, there was nothing but a card with the insignia for the National Police Agency in Japan with Chief Kudo's name and number.

He picked up the card and read it carefully, flipping it over to look on the blank backside.

His head tilted.

On the back was written, 'Call the number'.

Knight narrows his eyes in confusion, wondering when he wrote this on the back of Detective Kudo's card.

I remember, Detective Kudo gave this to me on the day of Hina's funeral, he told me to call him if I had any information to share.

Knight licks his lips and sighs.

First of all, Break challenges Kira, causes my girlfriend to commit suicide, then he accuses me of being Kira in my own home! This will not stand. Since I know Break's real name and I've seen his face, I could post it on the internet but if I do that, who knows what could happen. If Break were to suddenly be killed by Kira after he told me his identity and without a doubt, he told someone his plan, most likely Roach and Maroon, then there's a good chance the police will arrest me for indirect murder.

He leans back in his chair and sighs at the ceiling.

I want nothing more than for Break to die not only for indirectly traumatizing an innocent woman but for them to pay for trying to take down Kira. If it was only Brian 'Break' Baker then it would be easy but unfortunately, he has two companions backing him up.

He looks down at the card.

Roach and Maroon served in the police force with Hina's father before they were disbanded but they're still operating independently if Break just approached me.

His eyes perk up as an idea comes to his mind.

I know what I'm going to do. I'm going to join the police force. In order to sentence Break to death, I have to find out the names of Roach and Maroon. Once I've investigated Roach and Maroon and find out their names and faces, I'll make their information public and have Kira murder all three of them. Not only that but it will allow me to keep track of the Kira investigation.

He took out his phone and dialed the number on the card. He waited patiently before he heard Detective Kudo's voice on the other end.

"This is Kudo."

"Chief," Knight said in a calm voice, "It's Knight Yagami."

"Knight?"

The teenager sighed and closed his eyes. "I want to help in the Kira investigation. I want to join the new Kira Task Force."

Joining the Kira Task Force goes against everything I stand for. But an innocent girl was killed because Break brought those prisoners to Japan. I'm not going to join the Kira Task Force to hunt down Kira, I'm going to join the Kira Task Force so I can figure out Roach and Maroon's name. Break already approached me and told me that his name is Brian Baker. Why he told me his real name is anyone's guess but once I figure out Roach and Maroon's real name, I'll make their identities public so Kira can kill them.

"I appreciate you wanting to help," Kudo said over the phone, "But the police force is not for amateurs, especially the Kira Task Force."

"I'm not an amateur," Knight insisted, "I've been raised to become a great detective ever since I was a kid. If I can somehow prove myself to you that I'm worthy then let me be a part of the task force."

"But why do you want to be a part of the task force? I thought you were a supporter of Kira."

"I am a supporter of Kira, I believe in his sense of justice. That's why I'm going to bring in Break, Roach, and Maroon. They are responsible for your daughter dying and the president took them off the case. However, today, somebody approached me today. He walked into my house, claiming to be an agent named Alex Brock and that he suspected me of being Kira."

He heard Kudo gasp on the other end.

I was interrogated by the police who then worked with BRM and I was accused of being Kira. If I told Kudo that I was approached by someone who thought that I was Kira then the only person who would cross his mind is Break, or rather, Brian Baker. His real name, I will keep to myself so Chief Kudo will know Break's real name only as 'Alex Brock'.

"I could only guess that he was Break or a proxy. I want in," Knight said, "I want to prove my innocence and more than that, I want closure for Hina's death and bring Break to justice."

Justice via heart attack.

Chapter Text

December 20, 2030

Friday could not have come at a better time. Starting Monday, winter break will last from December 23rd to Friday, January 3rd, then, I'm back to school on Monday, January 6th. However, I will be taking my entrance exams into To-Oh University on Wednesday, January 15th.

Knight walked out of the doors of Daikoku Private Academy with his report card in hand. He has A+'s in all subjects with each teacher commenting on what a prodigy Knight is.

Knight smirked after looking at his report card.

He waved goodbye to his friends before walking home. When he's inside his home, he locks the door behind. He presses his back to the door and sighs. He checks his watch, having only a few hours to prepare for the last day of cram school before he goes on winter break officially.

He walks to his fridge and pulls out a caramel apple he made a week previous and he played the classical song, The Rite of Spring by Igor Stravinsky. He sat at his kitchen table and finished his homework for cram school.

He took out his phone and put it on the table.

It's been days since I called Hina's father, I can only wait to see if he'll call back. I want nothing more than for Break and his crew to die. The longer I wait, the more likely Break will act out of impatience. He might pull off a sneak attack.

He paused and rested his head on his forearm.

The thing that I can't help but wonder is why does he think that I'm Kira? I don't even know how Kira kills yet he suspects me of being Kira. The idea of being Kira intrigues me so very much but it bewilders me.

He lifted his head.

Is it possible that I am Kira? Is it possible that I'm killing people subconsciously by wishing death on them? No, that can't be.

He turned on the television set and switched to the news. There was a report about more criminals dying from heart attacks.

There are criminals dying left and right that I have no knowledge of. If I was Kira, I would need to know a person's name and face in order to kill them. But then again, Kira's remote ability to kill people was being sold all those years ago so I can only conclude that his power is transferable and therefore, requires a conscious thought of killing people. I have no idea who is dying on TV; I don't know their names nor faces so I can't be Kira. But why does Break insist that I am Kira? But, if Kira's ability to kill people is remote and transferrable, then it's possible that I was Kira at some point but I transferred my power to someone else and I lost memories of my ability as Kira. If that's the case, then I was Kira and I gave up my ability to kill people and I lost my memories.

He smirked.

I am Kira… if that turned to be the case, then life couldn't be happier for me. Kira was always my hero and to deduce that I used to have his ability makes me happy.

His eyes turn red.

If I was Kira, then why did I give up my ability to kill people? I must have a plan in mind and what I am doing right now, having no memories of being Kira, must be part of the plan. Either way, I have to find out Roach and Maroon's real name so I can murder them when I get Kira's killing ability once more.

His inner thoughts were interrupted when his cell phone suddenly vibrated. He looked at the phone and smirked. He picked up the phone and checked the caller ID.

His smirk widened.

"Hello," he spoke.

"Knight, it's Kudo," the chief said, "I've talked with the rest of my teammates and we decided that if you can prove your worth then we'll let you on the team."

If this is part of some plan that I came up with when/if I was Kira then I must go along with it.

"Whatever it is, I'll do anything to prove my worth."

"We're sending someone to your house to meet with you. They should be arriving at around four o'clock."

Knight tilted his head and looked at his wristwatch. It was already 3:57 PM.

Have I really been studying for that long?

The doorbell rang. Knight looked over at the door and he went to answer it, keeping his phone at his side. He looked through the peephole, wanting to make sure that it wasn't Break.

It was a woman with long dark hair and a leather purse by her side. He opened the door and stared at the woman.

He put the phone up to his ear and said, "I think she's here." He hung up before Kudo could say anymore.

The woman looked up at Knight, her eyes widening at how handsome Knight was in person.

Her wide eyes narrowed as she studied him.

Kudo told me all about him, she thought, About how he was being bombarded by Brian for being the prime Kira suspect. Apparently, Roach and Maroon sent two criminals to Knight Yagami's house and they assaulted his girlfriend, which lead to her suicide. Now, Brian, Roach, and Maroon are on the run. Something doesn't feel right.

The Previous Day

At the NPA headquarters, Soma and Yamane were sitting at their desks, inputting data into their computers when Director Kudo and Hayate approached them. They got their attention before the chief spoke:

"Gentlemen, in light of recent events, the President of the United States has come to a compromise that we will be provided with a replacement for Break and his team. However, it comes with a cost. The President of the United States gave a request for us to bring Break, Roach, and Maroon in immediately."

"But, sir," Soma said, "Our job is to catch Kira."

"True, but I have reason to believe a theory our latest recruit has given us."

Kudo and Hayate parted ways as a woman walked into the room. She had an emotionless look on her face and started at Soma and Yamane with a blank expression.

"Nice to meet you," she said dryly, "Like Break, Roach, and Maroon, I go by an alias. You may call me…" she paused, thinking of a nickname. She smiled as she thought of one. "'Genre'."

"Genre?" Soma said, "That's a unique nickname. What's your real name?"

"I'm not telling you my name anymore then you're telling me yours, 'Katashi Soma'." She turned to Kudo and said, "How much do they know about Kira?"

"The basics," Kudo answered, "They know that he needs a name and a face in order to kill."

She narrowed her eyes. "What else? Did Break tell you how he kills? He told me."

"He told us-"

"Chief," Hayate said, "Information that Roach and Maroon told us must still be kept between us."

"He kills with a notebook," Genre finished, "If you write a person's name down in a notebook while picturing their face, that person dies. I'm not surprised."

Hayate stared at her with wide eyes. "How did you know?"

"I'm one of the few people in the United States who knows how Kira kills people. Unfortunately, we're not here to talk about Kira."

"Then why did you bring him up?"

"I wanted to see how much information Break and his two companions gave you before they went on the run. Even though this group is technically called the Kira Task Force - Next generation Kira Task Force - Our goal has changed. The President made a formal request that the Japanese Task Force work with us to bring in Break."

"That part I still don't understand," Hayate said, "Why?"

"Break is the owner of a Death Note," Genre said. She looked at him intensely. "If you breathe a word outside this circle of five then you'll be demoted to a desk clerk."

"So Break DID have something to do with Kira."

Genre narrowed her eyes.

Brian, you're the owner of a Death Note, why did you have to go and do this to yourself.

"What is your relationship with Break?" Kudo asked.

"Rivals," she answered, "We were rivals when we were training in the police academy."

"So you know, Break's real name. Is it Alex Brock?"

Genre snapped her head to Kudo. "What did you say?"

"Is Break's real name Alex Brock?"

Her hair and eyes turn blue.

Alex Brock, that's an alias that Brian has used dozens of times. I've known Brian for several years at least, he would never give out that alias unless he was one hundred percent sure of himself. Come to think of it, Brian came to Japan to investigate Kira. He would never give out his real name but even giving out his fake name, Alex Brock, is something to keep in mind.

"Is that what Break told you?"

"No," Kudo shook his head, "It's what a teenager told us."

And then time froze for her.

Brian actually told his infamous alias to a teenager, why would he do that? Brian knows that Kira can kill people by writing their name down so why would he give out an alias. Unless… is it possible the person he told his fake name to was Kira?

He puts her hand to her forehead.

Brian came to Japan to investigate Kira. He brings along Roach and Maroon with him and twenty or so inmates on death row. The president blames Break for the death of Hinata Kudo, the chief's daughter, and then Break reveals his false alias to a teenager and now he is in hiding. If I didn't know any better, I would say that Brian may have found a lead in the Kira case. If I could figure out the name of this teenager…

"I would like to hear more of this teenager," she said.

"He was my daughter's boyfriend," Kudo said softly, "And he was Break's prime suspect in being Kira."

"What is this boy's name?"

"You might meet him; We're considering bringing him on the police force to help us investigate bringing Alex Brock in."

This boy, Break's prime suspect in the Kira investigation, wants to help the police catch Brian? Interesting.

"This boy, I want to be the first one to talk to him. Seeing as to how he was the known person to have direct contact with Break, I think it would be better if I could gather intel from him first. With my prior knowledge and his, I'm sure we can find a breakthrough in the case faster than working separately."

Present Time

"Nice to meet you, Knight Yagami. My name is Genre."

Knight chuckled. "That's obviously an alias."

"Smart as a whip," she complimented before letting herself in. Knight shut the door and stared at the back of her head, studying her with caution.

She stops in the middle of the room and smelt in some of the air. "Nice place you got here, Knight Yagami."

"I live by myself," he said, "Are you here to recruit me for the Japanese Task Force?"

"Of course I am," she said and turned around, "Why else would I be here?"

"Do I have to give you an update on Break, Roach, and Maroon? Because rehashing everything all over again is going to be exhausting."

She shook her head. "No, I'm up to date. Chief Kudo told me everything. I am deeply sorry for your loss."

Knight nodded softly. "Hina was a good person, it was wrong what happened to her."

"At least she is in Heaven," she said. She studied him for a reaction. "Do you believe in Heaven?"

Knight shook his head.

"Oh," she said, "I didn't know if you had any religious beliefs and I'm a Catholic so if I told you what I really thought…"

"Just get to the point," Knight almost growled, "I don't have any time for games."

"But, I like games; They're fun. Play one with me and maybe I'll let you in on some secrets about Break."

Knight groaned in frustration.

Why do I get the feeling she's going to be annoying?

"Let's play a quick game. If you beat me, then you're worthy of helping to catch Break."

Knight tilted his head.

"Oh, I forgot to tell you, I was sent by the United States in response to Break, Roach, and Maroon on the run. The President made a request for us to stop catching Kira and bring Break to justice. I figured, since you have a strong sense of justice, based on you being a Kira supporter, you might want to help bring Break in."

This is perfect, the President of the United States is asking for the Japanese Task Force to bring Break in as soon as possible.

"What game are we playing?"

"Chess," she said, "I couldn't help but notice that you have a chessboard and I'm a fan. If you beat me, I'll let you in on the Kira investigation."

Easy peasy lemon squeezy.

"But we're going to switch things up a bit," she continued, "Instead of the king being the one to checkmate, you have to checkmate the queen."

Knight's eyes widened. "Why?"

"Because it's different and exciting and it's going to be a true challenge."

Knight groaned but opened up the chessboard and set up. He had the black chess pieces while she had the white.

"And the king, he can still only move one move," Genre said.

"But why the queen?"

"Because the person we're catching is quite flexible and moves several steps ahead, not just one. You have to learn to adapt if you want to defeat your opponent."

"Okay then," Knight said, "I guess we're playing chess with the queen being the target."

I've never played a game of chess where you have to checkmate the queen before. I have to use careful strategies if I want to win. If I win, then Break, Roach, and Maroon will die.

Knight made his first move.

Chapter Text

December 20, 2030

The Yagami Household

Knight made his first move in a game of chess to checkmate the queen.

I want Break and his two cohorts to die more than anything in the world, he thought, Which is why I cannot lose to this floozy.

"Calm down, Knight Yagami," Genre urged after feeling the heated aura radiating off of him like a furnace, "It's just a game."

She made her first move as well.

"It's a game that'll determine if I can catch the people who hurt Hina!"

He slashed his bishop like a knife across the board.

"I guess so."

Genre picks up a pawn and slams it on the chessboard.

Knight grabbed a knight and positioned it forward.

Genre thrust her queen piece across the board.

Knight slid his bishop across the board.

"Check," he laughed.

She moved her queen.

"Check."

Knight's eyes widened.

He picked up his pawn and planted it forward near her queen.

"Check!"

Genre moved her rook and it blocked the pawn's path to the queen.

"Check."

Knight moved his knight piece.

"CHECK!"

Police Station

It was slow this time around at the police station, especially with Christmas only five days away. Officers were working at their desks but they were all working on different cases instead of the Kira case. Chief Kudo made it clear that the current Kira will not hesitate to kill law enforcement if they got in his way like the original Kira and that they should focus on other cases. Only those who were willing to put their lives on the line were let in on the Kira investigation.

That's why Kudo and Hayate were sitting at a desk in the far corner of the room where their conversation could not be picked up by other officers.

Kudo pulled out a file and laid it flat on the table before he picks up his coffee mug and heads over to the coffee maker in the kitchen outside the detectives' room. As he brews a cup of coffee, Hayate appears behind him and puts a hand on his shoulder.

"Something on your mind, Hayate?"

"I've been thinking about Genre recently," he answered, "Can we really trust her? She said that she and Break were rivals but that doesn't mean they hated each other, only that they were competing for the same goal. There is such a thing as a friendly rivalry."

Kudo picks up his cup of freshly brewed coffee and poured some sugar in before taking a sip. "I guess you have a point. Nevertheless, she is working the case with us which makes her a ally. She even volunteered to personally recruit Knight into the task force."

"How do we know that it's not some kind of game? What if she is conspiring with Break?"

"You're meaning to tell me that she is working with Break to set up Knight as Kira?"

"Something like that, sir."

Kudo faces Hayate.

"So you believe that Knight isn't Kira?"

"We still have to consider all possible suspects, no matter the percentage of them being Kira. All I want is for Kira to be brought to justice and Genre said that Break is the owner of a…" he paused when he realized he was in a public room and whispered, "Death Note."

Kudo nodded. "I understand what you're saying. The power to kill someone is evil, whether it'd be supernatural or through the justice system. I don't approve of sentencing people to death. Self-defense, I understand, but not the death sentence."

"So when we catch Break and Kira?"

"I wish for them to redeem themselves so they can see the errors in their ways."

"All the more reason for us to catch Break and Kira, Chief Kudo."

The Yagami Household

After a few moves from both sides, Knight's queen was put in check by a rook. Knight's eyes widened at the sight.

I can't lose, he shouted to himself, If I lose and I'm not working on the Break investigation, then Kira will be hindered in punishing criminals, and Break will still be alive.

He picked up his knight piece and raised it above his head with wide eyes.

I WILL WIN!

He set the knight piece down.

Knight smirked and looked down at the chessboard. His gaze slowly draws towards Genre's wide eyes and his smirk widens into a smile.

He chuckled as he said, "Checkmate."

Genre's queen was trapped in the corner by two rooks, Knight's queen, and Knight's knight piece.

Hmm, Genre thought, If I move up then the rook will get me and the knight has been placed in a way that I am in double jeopardy. If I take out the queen then the knight will get me and I take out the rook then the knight will get me as well. And I'm in no position to grab the knight piece and I can't move left, right, front, or back because I'm backed into a corner and surrounded from all sides. It looks like I lost.

"Good game, Knight Yagami," she spoke as she stood up. She held out her hand and waited for Knight to grab it. "You have truly bested me."

Knight's smirk never faded from his mouth. He stood up and grasped Genre's hand in a firm handshake.

"Looks like we'll be investigating Break."

This time, she smirked as if she had an ace up her sleeve. "We will." Without missing a beat, in one fluid motion, she snatched a pair of handcuffs from her back pocket and quickly cuffed on end around Knight's right wrist before clipping the other around her left wrist.

"What the hell?!" he exclaimed and tugged on the cuffs but they were already on. "What in the name of Kira is this?"

"I didn't know you were that devoted to Kira that you're actually speaking about him as if he Earth's one and only god."

Knight tugged on the cuffs but Genre tugged back. She put muscle into her shoulder as she tugged Knight forward and caused him to trip over the coffee table.

The coffee table flipped over and landed on its side with the legs sticking at a ninety-degree angle while the chessboard that was once resting on it crashed to the ground and spewed the chess pieces everywhere.

Knight's fall was broken when his knee hit the ground. He winced in pain and grabbed his leg with his unrestrained hand.

Genre looked down at the fallen student and laughed softly like she heard a slightly amusing joke. "You and I are in this together, Knight."

"What's with the handcuffs?" He lightly tugged on the handcuffs again but Genre tugged back harder, almost ripping his arm out of his socket. "I thought we were going to work the case together."

"We are." She got down to one knee and looked him in the eye with a serious look, one that said I-am-not-playing-around. "The way I see it, there are two scenarios concerning our current situation: One: You are Kira and this is a precaution to make sure that I monitor everything you do while we're doing this investigation. You can't even go to the bathroom without me watching."

"The police would never go this far," Knight said, "Which means this is an independent method devised by you."

"Correct. And before I forget, I'm going to tell you a secret."

A blue aura surrounded Genre.

"Break possesses the remote ability to kill like Kira."

A red aura surrounded Knight.

What, Knight inwardly exclaimed, Break, that son of a bitch who is responsible for what happened to Hina, has the same power as Kira?

"Kira kills people with a notebook called a Death Note. If you write a person's name in the notebook while thinking of their face, that person dies. This is the power that Break possesses. Break must've concluded that you were Kira prior to him revealing his name to you and trapped you in a stalemate where you could do nothing. If you made a move, then it would somehow reveal that you are Kira."

Should I trust this woman? She handcuffed me illegally and she caused me to trip over my coffee table. But then again, she told me that Kira kills people with a notebook. If it's a notebook that kills people then what could've happened to it? If I was Kira and have no recollection of the killer notebook, it must mean that I destroyed the notebook. I must've destroyed the notebook and caused all my memories of the killings to stop. So, that's what A-Kira was auctioning off eight years ago.

Knight sighed. "What's the second scenario?"

Her calm demeanor reverted to her cheerful personality. "I just told you: Either you are Kira and I'm watching you or Break is Kira and he's stalking you. Either way, both scenarios are true. As long as I'm handcuffed to you, you can't judge people in the name of Kira, and on the other 'hand'," she shakes her unrestrained hand with a chuckle, "If Break does decide to kill you, this could save your life almost."

"What?!"

"Think about it: If you die from a heart attack, then all suspicions will be drawn to Break. I already informed everybody at the police force that if you, Knight Yagami, die from a heart attack, then we suspect the person in possession of the Death Note and they are aware that Break possesses a Death Note. Not only that but the killer notebook can kill people in other ways; It doesn't have to be a heart attack."

"Meaning…"

"If he writes that Knight Yagami dies in some other way aside from a heart attack, my life can be in danger. If the human whose name is written in the notebook influences and leads to the deaths of others not written in the notebook then the victim will die from a heart attack."

Knight's eyes widened.

This is perfect! It's a double-edged sword, however, because if I am Kira then I won't be able to judge criminals in the name of justice. At the same time, it protects me from Break because if I die from a heart attack, Break will be the automatic suspect. Not only that but since Genre is attached to me 24/7, there's a high chance she could be killed if I die in some other way aside from a heart attack like accidental death or suicide. As long as we're handcuffed to each other, we share the same fate.

"I understand," he said with a slow nod, "I appreciate the fact that you put your life on the line for me. But what if Break kills you?"

"I know Break and he would never kill me." She tugged on the handcuffs. "But these will show that I am challenging him directly."

Knight smirked.

With Break, Roach, and Maroon

After they've been on the run from the police and after Break exposed his real name to Knight, they've been staying in an old two-story house stationed six blocks away from his house. They had a portable TV perfect for traveling which they watched movies on and when they got hungry, Grudge would go out, slide food into his mouth, and fly it back towards them. They didn't have to pay money for food nor electricity and no one knew where they were.

They sat near the windows where the sun was starting to set and the blue sky turned orange.

Break was sitting on an old couch eating a burger that Grudge brought back from a burger joint.

"It seems that Kira hasn't made a move," Break said.

Roach, sitting crisscross in the corner with a cup of fries in his hand, said, "Not necessarily. I mean, criminals are still dying."

Maroon, standing in the corner, drinking soda from a cup, said, "Haven't you noticed that all criminals who have died weren't broadcast recently."

"Kira timed their deaths," Break said, "The second I told Knight Yagami my true identity, criminals whose names and faces released via broadcast haven't died."

"So," Roach began, "Kira timed their deaths? What is the point of timing their deaths? If anything, it just adds more suspicion to the fact that Knight Yagami is Kira."

Break bit into his burger. He wiped a drop of ketchup off his lip before swallowing. "I don't know what goes on inside Kira's head. But, we can't just assume that he rolled over and gave up. Just because I told Knight what my real name is doesn't prove anything if Kira hasn't acted. If anything, it only adds confusion."

Why would Kira set the time of deaths of criminals to be killed in the future? Break asked himself as he looked out the window, It doesn't make sense. The only conclusion I can come to is that he did it because he knows I have a Shinigami who can spy on him. Grudge only reports back when Knight is asleep and for the past week, Knight Yagami has not been seen using a Death Note.

"Putting that big brain of yours to use?" Roach asked.

Break snapped out of his thoughts.

"The more I think about, the more I think it's about our Shinigami, Grudge."

Grudge suddenly phased through the ceiling. "You guys are not going to believe this."

The three detectives gave the Shinigami their undivided attention.

"There is a police officer in Knight's house as we speak."

"Who?" Break asked.

"You know I'm not allowed to give out names."

"It doesn't matter, this could benefit us."

Break stared off into space.

Hmm, Kira has already punched in criminals' tickets ahead o time, rendering him requiring to kill criminals on live TV redundant. But, if someone is tailing him 24/7, then he won't be able to use the Death Note, meaning that salt has been added to his wound.

"Grudge, we're going shopping."

"Huh," Grudge grunted, "Why?"

"As long as someone is tailing him, he won't be able to use the Death Note. Once that person is off his back, he'll use the Death Note once again. We'll install cameras in his house so when he feels safe and lets his guard down, we'll catch him using the Death Note."

"What about his Shinigami?"

"All the better: If he has a Shinigami, then either A: The Shinigami won't notice the cameras and won't warn him when he uses the Death Note, or two: He notices the cameras and won't be able to grab his Death Note from his hiding place."

Roach laughed, "I get what you're doing: Trapping the prime suspect in the Kira investigation into a deeper abyss."

"Why have cameras when we have Grudge?" Maroon asked. He then mentally slapped himself for asking such a question. "Grudge can't be in two places at once. He follows Knight day-in and day-out every day, reporting back only when he's asleep. If he does have slips of the Death Note on him then Grudge will notice when he uses outside but when he's in the house and we've installed cameras, then we'll record Kira in the act."

"Exactly," Break praised, "Not only that but if he has a Shinigami we'll be able to record any signs of objects moving via invisible hand which will add more fuel to the fire that he is Kira."

"What about when he doesn't use the Death Note, even when the cameras are off?" Grudge asked.

"If the criminals suddenly stopped after a certain amount of time, say, twenty-three days, then we'll be able to connect it to Kira. If the killings happen only when Knight is out of the house, we'll still be able to connect him to Kira. And of course, there's the other checkmate I put him in."

"You told him your name," Grudge answered.

"Right. At this point, Kira can't win this one. We're going to bring Kira to justice."

Cram School

If I lost memories of the time I was Kira when I destroyed the notebook or got rid of it, then hopefully my memories will come back when I get the notebook back. I mean, it's a supernatural notebook that kills people and causes memory loss. If I want my memories to come back, I have to get my hands on Break's notebook and once that happens, I have to kill Genre so I'm free to kill criminals once again. I still have my priorities: Find out Roach and Maroon's real names.

"Yagami," the teacher whacked his cane on the table and snapped Knight out of his daydream, "Were you paying attention?"

Knight restrained himself from rolling his eyes. "Yes."

"Then read the next paragraph aloud."

Knight cleared his throat and picked up his textbook as he stood up. He turned to the page and he translated the text into English.

'Do good away from evil. So you will live forever. Because the Lord loves justice. He does not abandon the saint. They will be preserved forever, but the children of the wicked will be cut off. The righteous will inherit the land and live there forever.'

He looked at the teacher and nodded.

"Perfect, Yagami," the teacher praised, "I'm not surprised; You're a straight-A student and you've been here for two months and you're already on your way to getting into To-Oh University."

"Thank you." Knight sat down in his seat and stared blankly at the board.

Genre leaned in from beside him and whispered, "Your teacher is jealous of you. Also, I noticed something interesting about the spelling of your last name-"

"Would you shut the fuck up?"

After cram school was done, the two of them started walking home. Once they were out of sight, Genre put the handcuffs back on.

"Do you have a handcuff fetish or something?" Knight asked.

"Shut up," she playfully patted his back, "If we walked into cram school together wearing handcuffs then you wouldn't be able to stay at the top of your class with only one hand. The only reason I took them off is that there is no way Break would kill you in such a public place with so many lives at risk. Also, thanks for talking to the teacher into letting me stay."

"If you hadn't answered that math question correctly that only a handful of students, myself included, could solve then he would've kicked you out."

Now that high school and cram school are both over, it's time for winter break starting Monday. I'll have more than enough time to investigate Break.

"Also, first thing in the morning, I'm going to call the police headquarters and put in a good word for you/"

"Thanks."

They entered Knight's home. Knight was forced to bring Genre up to his room so he could get ready for bed. He put his hand on his bedroom door's handle and he heard a click.

WHAT?! he mentally exclaimed.

He saw a slip of paper he planted in the doorway. His eyes wandered to the bottom of the door and his eyes widened at the fallen lead of pencil on the ground that was barely visible from his height.

He took a deep breath before opening his door and lead his handcuffed comrade inside.

"What are you going to do now, Knight?" Genre asked as she looked around his room.

"I'm going to take a shower." He held up his hand that had been cuffed. "Does that mean you're going to join me?"

"You won't do anything; 'Yagami' backward spells 'I'm a gay'."

Knight rolled his eyes. "Shut up about that joke, I've heard it a billion times already. And I'm not a gay."

'I'm not a gay' is 'Yagatonmi' backward, Genre smirked.

Genre was forced to take off the handcuffs temporarily only so they could strip themselves naked but the cuffs were back on once they hopped into the shower.

Knight's back was turned to Genre out of respect for the female sex but he couldn't do anything to stop himself from blushing or the fact that his handcuffed arm was wiggling like a snake because it was attached to Genre, who was washing her hair.

I think we should be safe in the shower, he thought.

He turned around and hesitated. Genre was rubbing soap on her shoulders with her back towards him. He forced his eyes not to look down as he steps forward and gently pulls her under the spray of the hot shower. He wraps his arms around her like he was hugging her from behind before he whispered into her ear: "I think there are cameras in my home."

He couldn't see it but her eyes perked up and her face suddenly heated. She turns her head over her shoulder in the direction in which he whispered and replied in a soft tone, "How do you know? I saw that slip of paper; It was still in the doorway."

"That was a diversion; It's the door handle. When that door closes, the door handle automatically returns to a horizontal position and it won't go any higher than that, but whenever I close the door, I adjust it slightly."

"I get it; if someone were to be in and out of your room, then you'll know based on the door handle because it returns to a horizontal position."

"That's right. I always lower it by about 5 millimeters."

"What about the possibility that you forgot to adjust it."

"I'm glad you asked. I wedged a mechanical pencil lead between the slip of paper and the door. If the door were to open for any reason, the slip of paper and pencil lead would fall to the ground. If someone saw the slip of paper when they opened the door, they wouldn't notice the pencil lead and even if they did, the smudges left behind by the lead on the paper will tell me that someone tampered with the trap."

"So if you come home and there's only the slip of paper between the door and the lead pencil is laying on the ground, or there are pencil smudges on the paper, then you know that someone was in your room."

"The door handle was at a horizontal position, the pencil lead had fallen, and the slip was back in place. All this proves that someone was in my room. Not only that, but it was set up after we left for cram school."

"I thought I saw you messing with the doorway. And since you have no relatives, the only person it could be is Break. He really crossed the line by installing cameras in your house, invading your innate right to privacy."

"There are no cameras in the showers; It's physically impossible as there are no air vents above the shower, windows, nor any room on the faucet or knobs to put the camera. I already checked the shower before we jumped in for any signs of wiretaps and the only place in this house that is safe, so far, is the shower."

"And we're whispering because there could be wiretaps outside the shower."

"Yes. If Break is behind this, and there's a ninety-seven percent chance that he is, I can't see why he would put cameras in my room now. Why not do it earlier when he had more time to spy on me? Not only that, but he set it up after I left for cram school, meaning that he is somehow aware of my schedule."

Genre turned towards Knight. Knight couldn't hold himself back as he passed a glance at her chest for a split-second.

"You are so smart, Knight. I promise when this is over, and Break is dead, we will celebrate."

Knight narrowed his eyes. "Dead? You want Break dead?"

Genre suddenly looked at him. She couldn't help but noticed that his hair darkened from the spray of the shower and it turned a deeper red color. She looked away in shame as she said: "I do."

Knight's eyes narrow and a smirk cracks on his face. "Why not just broadcast Break's real name on the news?"

"I believe in justice, just not Kira's type of justice. Evil people deserve to die but the fact that Kira is killing them unlawfully just upsets me."

"What is it that makes Break evil?"

She looks him in the eyes. "He accepted the Death Note without hesitation. He accepted the power to kill without hesitation. The fact that he didn't even bat an eye at the thought of accepting something so evil just proves that he is evil. And it's only a matter of time before he uses the Death Note for himself. He's only using the Death Note to kill death row inmates because the president said so. Apparently, using the Death Note to kill death row inmates saves money on doing traditional executions like the needles or the electric chair. He's not acting on his behalf when killing but the power of the country's behalf."

"Doesn't that make the government evil?"

"They're all evil," she nearly snapped before she lowered her voice, "Those using a Death Note and those puppeteering Death Note owners." She lowered her head.

"Then help me." He put a hand on her chin to make her look at him. "Help me defeat Break. Once we take him down, we'll burn his Death Note. After that, you can join the Japanese Task Force in hunting down Kira. The world needs people like you, ones who oppose evil."

"But you're a Kira supporter."

"We all have different opinions, especially on Kira, I just see the good in what he is doing. Sure, he is killing people but he's killing people who take pleasure in harming innocent people. That still may be evil in your category but I am grateful for Kira saving and helping innocent people."

"So, after we bring Break to justice, what will you do, Knight?"

"I can't be a part of the task force anymore because I can't oppose Kira. But I'll live and breathe easier knowing that I won't be killed at any time from anywhere." He leaned in, their lips almost touching. "I will admit, it's been a long time since I met someone who shared a similar view of justice. I was the only one who believed in Kira growing up from where I'm from and it pains me every day to relive those moments. I'm sure you feel the same way."

"It's not easy finding someone with the same moral standpoints as you."

"I'll second that. You know, I truly believe that the two of us, we can be good friends when this is over. How about, when this is done, we just hang out as friends?"

She paused for a moment. "That sounds like a good idea."

A red aura surrounded Knight, turning his hair and eyes red as he inwardly smiled and chuckled gleefully.

I'm grateful that you share a similar viewpoint of justice as I do but you already said that Death Note owners are evil. Once Break is dead, you'll try and catch Kira and for that reason alone, as soon as I find out your name and I get my hands on Break's Death Note, you will die.

Chapter Text

December 20, 2030

The Yagami Household

This is perfect, Knight thought as he looked down at the woman whilst they both bathed in the spray of a hot shower. I have someone who wants Break dead just as much as I do. And there's a good chance that she'll help me figure out Roach and Maroon's names and once I get my power back somehow, assuming that I was one hundred percent Kira, I'll kill Break, Roach, and Maroon. Once they're done and out of the picture, I'll kill her. After all, she opposes Kira and would no doubt try to bring me down.

Knight stepped away and looked to his left towards the shower curtain. "I just realized, it's gonna be awkward knowing that someone is watching us while we're handcuffed together."

"We'll worry about that later, Genre said nervously, "We'll play the part like we don't know it."

"But without knowing where all the cameras are installed, it's going to be difficult to find a blind spot. Our only blindspot would be outside the house but even so, one of them might stalk us wherever we go."

At this point, I really wished I had Kira's powers, he thought.

"We'll cross that bridge when we get to it," she answered.

Knight turned the shower off and Genre pouted.

"Can't we take a slightly longer shower; The water was so hot and felt so good!"

Knight groaned. "No, I don't want to waste any water."

Play the part, Knight told himself, Stay in character. With the shower spray off, they'll be able to hear our conversation.

They stepped out of the shower, dried themselves off, and removed the handcuffs only so they could get dressed. Once the handcuffs were back on, they stepped into Knight's bedroom in their pajamas. Knight looked at the bed awkwardly before imagining where all the cameras could be located.

"I want to turn in early," he told her, "I want to get as much sleep as possible so we can work the case tomorrow."

"Sounds like you're just trying to get in my pants," she playfully teased, playing her part.

Knight was wearing a white T-shirt and basketball shorts while Genre was wearing a muscle shirt and long-sleeve pajama bottoms.

They climbed into bed together, forcing themselves to make room on the bed because the bed was for one person only. Since they were sleeping together handcuffed, in order to avoid rolling off the bed by accident, they slept as close to each other as possible. It took a while but they both drifted to sleep.

With Break, Roach, and Maroon

"I never realized how boring it could be spying on someone," Roach groaned in frustration.

"You could say that again," Maroon agreed.

Ever since this late afternoon, after Knight was supposed to leave for cram school, Break had ordered Grudge to go to the department store to steal several mini cameras and batteries. With the assistance of their Shinigami watching out for Knight's possible Shinigami, they broke into his house and quickly set up cameras and wiretaps. There were thirty cameras in total that Grudge had delivered to them personally and they set fifteen downstairs and the other fifteen upstairs. There were a few blind spots such as certain corners in the walls or under some tables but they had no time since Knight would be coming home soon.

They had set up ten cameras in his bedroom and five cameras in the hall and shower.

Break and Grudge were absent.

"We are violating so many rights by installing cameras," Roach said, "Even if we bring Kira to justice, we might have to face punishment for an invasion of privacy."

"That's true," Maroon agreed, "But this is necessary. Also, I can't help but wonder about Knight's Shinigami. If Knight was Kira then he would have a Shinigami yet when we were setting up the cameras in his house, Grudge spotted no Shinigami."

"Maybe the Shinigami was following him to school," Roach suggested, "Either way, we got lucky. If we didn't have Grudge on our side, we never would've been able to pick up Knight's schedule."

"I hear you."

They both turned towards the laptop and replayed the footage from when the cameras were first set up. Nothing had really happened: Except for the fact that Knight was indeed handcuffed to a female detective and they were sleeping together as well (in a non-sexual manner).

"Who do you think that girl is?" Maroon asked, "Someone from the police force?"

"I don't remember her being on the police force," Roach said, "Also, I can't help but notice that she isn't Japanese. She doesn't look Japanese."

"She must be a foreigner like us, this could be interesting."

"Now we can keep track of Knight and since this footage is being recorded, we can use it as evidence to bring him in. After all, a small number of people in the US government knows how the Death Note actually works."

"But at the same time, Knight is a Japanese native, so the US government can't punish him for using the Death Note. And we were sent in to personally stop him but only the Japanese government can't punish him."

"You have to be such a wet blanket, Maroon."

The Next Day

After Knight and Genre woke up from their slumber, they got dressed and, wanting to avoid the cameras, decided to head out to discuss the Break investigation. They went to that coffee shop from before and they sat in the corner of the bar so no one will notice that they're handcuffed together.

This meant that when they sat down in a booth, their hands were hanging over the table.

"Finally, some privacy," Knight said, "And I already checked the clothes ahead of time for any bugs, we're safe."

"Finally, I find it creepy to be stalked by cameras," Genre said, "I bet Roach and Maroon were enjoying the sight of you and me in the shower together, thinking they had gotten away with it but your trap is all that set them off."

'We still don't know with a hundred percent certainty that there are cameras in the house unless we find them but if we find them then they'll take action. It's safer to assume that the house has been bugged either way because someone was in my room."

"Yes," she sighed before calming herself down. "Now, let's get down to brass tacks."

A waitress walked over to them with a notepad. "What can I get you, lovely couple?" She noticed the handcuffs.

Genre smiled. "I would like a hot chocolate, please."

"Coffee. Three sugars, five creams."

"That's a lot!" Genre said.

"I hate the taste of black coffee."

After the waitress took their orders, she left. A few minutes, the waitress came back with their order and they slowly sipped their cups.

"You said that you were putting in a good word for me in the Japanese Task Force. Does that mean I'm officially part of the group?"

"I was technically sent to recruit you so if I decide that you're good enough, then we'll welcome you with open arms like a cult recruit."

He sighed before taking a sip of his coffee. "I can't believe all it took was a chess game with a little modification."

He was about to say more before he decided to silence himself. He looked around before looking back at Genre. "From where we're sitting, no one will be able to hear us, let alone give us any trouble if we decide to sit in a funny way. This is why this is my favorite coffee shop."

She cocked her head. "'Sitting funny', what's that supposed to mean?"

He shrugged. "Nothing." He sipped his coffee before he got down to business. "Alright, we came here to discuss our plan with the Break operation."

Genre looked at him. "After we leave, we're heading to the police station so you can be recruited."

Knight took another sip of his coffee before he set the mug down. "The sooner the better so we should get to the police station as soon as we're done with our coffee."

Genre looked at him as she sipped her coffee. I haven't forgotten the fact that Knight might be Kira himself. If I can take down Break, then I could possibly take down Knight Yagami himself assuming that he is Kira. I haven't been in Japan for too long but criminals are still dropping like flies. I am aware that to some degree, Kira can control the time of deaths for his victims but without new criminals to write in the Death Note, the criminals who had their time of death written in the notebook will eventually die off.

She looked at their handcuffs.

Maybe I should keep the handcuffs on for a little while longer after we catch Break.

Knight sipped from his mug.

I haven't forgotten that she still sees me as a Kira suspect. The whole reason she handcuffed me was so that she can keep track of the person Break most suspects to be Kira while protecting him at the same time in the event that he is not Kira. Even after we take down Break, she'll probably leave the handcuffs on me for a little while longer. She says that people who own a Death Note are evil and if I am Kira, then she'll take me down. I have to figure out a way to learn her real name. I'm dealing with four foes at the moment and I only know the real name of one of them.

"I have a question," Genre suddenly said after putting her cup down, "What name did Break give you?"

Knight was caught off guard as the question sank in. A nervous sweat dripped down his chin as he contemplated his answer. "Alex Brock."

"Alex Brock isn't Break's real name."

Knight's eyes widened. "What do you mean?" More nervous sweats dripped down his face.

"Alex Brock is an alias that I was well-aware that he used." She sipped her hot chocolate before saying: "Well, if Break was so sure of himself that you must be Kira, then what point would there be to tell you an alias? If his plan was to corner Kira into a stalemate then what leverage could he have by giving you a false name? When you think about it, it makes sense. Break is someone who is willing to put his life on the line to catch Kira. I know this because I've trained with him in the past. You told the police force that Break's real name is Alex Brock but I'm betting that he told you his alias and his real name. The only question I have is why have you been keeping that a secret from yourself?"

He inwardly gasped. He sighed as he bowed his head like a convict admitting guilt. "You caught me." He looks her in the eye as he says, "Break is responsible for what happened to Hina. I can't forgive him for bringing in such evil people to investigate Kira. I want him dead for those death row inmates. I want him dead for Hina. Once I figured out the names of Break, Roach, and Maroon, then I would post their names and faces on the internet for Kira to kill." He sighed. "That's why: I wanted justice for Hina and Break. I wanted Hina to get closure and Break to die."

"What about me?" She leaned back in her seat, getting comfortable with the cushions against her back. "I call all Death note Owners evil and Kira is a Death Note owner."

"I would discourage you to stop," he answered, "I know that we've only known each other for like eighteen hours or so but I like you. I think you're very smart and pretty."

Genre felt her face heat up and turned away slightly.

Knight noticed her reaction and chuckled. "It is universal knowledge that Kira kills anyone who gets in his way. I want you to stop hunting Kira down. Once we've brought Break to justice then you should go back to the United States and live a normal life. A young woman like you should be with her loved one, thinking about starting a family." He sipped from his coffee. "I know I might be biased saying this because I'm a Kira supporter but, I really like you and I would hate for you to be killed by Kira."

No, I wouldn't, he thought.

"Take my advice; I'm trying to save your life. I want you to know that it's only a matter of time before Kira rules the world again. It's happened before from 2006 to 2013 with the original Kira. But, I was born when Kira's reign was over. Still, you still have the chance. Think about it: You can live in a crime-free world with your husband and children and you'll never have to worry about your children being harmed by criminals-"

She suddenly jerked her hand back and Knight's handcuffed hand flew forward, causing him to spill some of his coffee on the table.

"You're just trying to sweet talk me into getting the handcuffs off of you once the Break Investigation is over," she said with a mischievous smile, "You're not getting away that easily, Knighty-Knight."

It was worth a shot, he thought in dismay.

Brian 'Break' Baker sat on a bench with a newspaper in his hand. He held it up so it covered his face. His eyes move along the current events written in ink before he opened his mouth.

"Grudge," he whispered, "Give me an update."

The Shinigami looked up at the coffee shop and walked forward, subconsciously tiptoeing. He phased through the wall and peaked his head through. He looked around to see if Kira's shinigami was with him and found nothing. He spotted Knight and Genre sitting in the corner of the coffee shop with Knight leaning over the table with some coffee spilled.

He retreated back and regrouped with Break.

"They're talking," he told Break, "And no Shinigami in sight."

Break slightly nodded before he touched the earpiece located in his left ear. "Roach, Maroon, give me an update."

Seconds later, Roach responded over the earpiece, "No signs of a Shinigami in his house or anybody in his house."

Break folded the newspaper.

What's going on? I'm so confused. Knight Yagami is our prime suspect, and if he was Kira, then he would have a Shinigami haunting him. Grudge has been watching him for the past week or so and there have been zero reports of a Shinigami in Knight's possession. The only logical conclusion is that Knight can't be Kira but at the same time, it's too suspicious. There is still the fact that Kira has timed the deaths of criminals to kill in advance.

He puts the newspaper under his armpit as he stands up.

I must assume that Kira must have some other plan in mind but what is it? If I knew what Kira was thinking then it would make my life so much easier. But either way, with my invisible friend tailing Knight 24/7 and surveillance cameras in his house, once the criminals have stopped dying because he hasn't written any names in the notebook, or criminals die only when he is outside, then we'll have more evidence that Knight is Kira.

He looks at the coffee shop.

That girl, however, the one I saw on the cameras, I know her. She's the only person aside from Knight, Roach, and Maroon who knows my real name in Japan. We trained together in the police force, were rivals for the top spot. She must've been sent to replace me as the lead Kira investigator from America. Why she would go to such lengths such as handcuffing herself to Knight, I won't understand. But her handcuffing herself to Knight benefits us because we have two people watching Knight under a microscope all the time. And as far as I know, she hasn't told Knight her real name. She's safe for now.

At the Police Station

Knight was dragged by Genre (rather roughly) to the police station. He tried yanking his hand back but Genre was much stronger. He tripped and fell to his knees and she still managed to drag him across the ground like a ragdoll.

The sight of a girl dragging Knight on his knees across the ground in front of several police officers was enough to humiliate him.

Once Genre dragged Knight into the room with the four Kira Task Force members, she yanked him to a standing position.

"Sorry," Genre said, "Had to drag him here like a child." She slapped him upside the head. "Thanks for making me feel like a mother."

"I tripped," Knight said. He looked at Chief Kudo who was standing near the counter with a cup of coffee in his hand. Hayate stood beside him. "Chief Kudo," he nodded, "Nice to see you." He held up his hand with the handcuff. "Wish the circumstances were more comfortable."

"What the hell are you doing?" Kudo asked, "I thought you were recruiting him."

"I did recruit him," she said, "This is just a precaution. To protect him from Break."

"But if Break can kill Knight with a heart attack then what's the point?" Hayate asked.

Without missing a beat, Genre said, "We share the same fate. If Knight dies from a heart attack then the automatic suspect is Break. He can't kill Knight through suicide or accident because as long as we're tied up, we share the same fate."

"What's stopping Break from killing you?"

"Break won't hurt me, he only kills death row inmates." She tapped the handcuffs. "Until we solve the Break Case, these handcuffs stay on for Knight's personal protection."

"We've been like this all night," Knight said, wanting to get it out of the way. He held his head down in embarrassment. "It is very awkward."

They didn't waste any time. Genre introduced Knight to the members of the Task Force. Knight had the recollection of Hayate from the time he was interrogated but he was a stranger to the young detectives of Soma and Yamane.

"So then," Genre said, "Shall we get started?"

Genre and Knight sat down in front of a computer while the lights in the room were dimmed and the door was locked. The police detectives pulled out a duffel bag and took out a laptop. They opened it and set it in front of Knight.

"What do we get here?" Knight asked.

"A recording left on our table just a few days ago," Kudo answered, "When we played the tape on the computer, it was a message left by Break. It is a simple recording but we wanted you to hear it."

"The tape came in an envelope," Soma said, "But there was no postage information, it wasn't even delivered to us through a delivery truck."

"It just showed up in our office two days ago," Yamane said, "Which is weird. I already checked security camera footage and no one was in the room when this thing suddenly appeared, seemingly out of thin air. Like it was teleported here."

"It was hand-delivered by Break's Shinigami," Genre cut in, "So there's no way to trace the shipping address."

Knight snapped his head towards Genre. "What did you say?" Knight's eyes widened and sweat dripped down his face. "Shinigami?"

Genre stared intently at Knight, studying his reaction like he was a specimen under a microscope. Her eyes were narrow and unblinking like a statue, the expression on her face emotionless.

His reaction seems genuine, she thought, Fitting for someone who doesn't believe in Heaven.

"I guess I forgot to mention," she shrugged casually, "The killer notebook that Kira uses belongs to a being called a Shinigami, or a god of death in English."

Gods of death, Knight inwardly screamed, They exist?!

"We've heard this from one of the detectives working alongside Break," Soma said, "They said that the Death Note belongs to a Shinigami and they come from a place known as the Shinigami realm-"

"Soma," Yamane scolded, "We don't know if he is aware of that information on the 'notebook'."

Soma panicked.

"This is something," Knight said after calming himself down, "Genre already told me about how Kira kills and I will admit that it's a little hard to believe. Gods of death, on the other hand, I'm a little skeptical about. But then again, the Death Note can kill people by simply writing their names down and has the ability to tape into your mind somehow if you need to picture their faces when writing their names in order to kill them. Not only that but this simple notebook can control people and time when someone dies."

He turns to the laptop.

"All that aside, let's listen to this tape."

Knight opened up the file with the recording and played it. A screen with a green line started rising and dropping like a heart monitor and he listened to the sounds the recording made.

'I am Break,' a voice said and the line in the center bounced up and down.

That's Brian Baker's voice, Knight thought.

'I have made a mistake, an unforgivable mistake. When I picked up this Death Note five months and two weeks and three days from now, I thought I could prove myself to be better than Kira. I used the Death Note only to kill criminals on death row with the Death Note. When I came to Japan, I brought twenty inmates with me because I knew that as long as I had the Death Note, I had control over them. But after what happened to Hinata Kudo with two prisoners under my control, I realized how arrogant I had become. I thought that as long as I control them then they wouldn't do any harm but I failed to realize that those people were still at risk from the criminals. The power of the Death Note is truly evil as it makes you forget that even without this power, innocent people are still at risk.'

Knight inwardly scowled.

You are indeed going to pay, Knight thought, As soon as I find out everything I need to know, I'll kill you. With my bare hands if I have to.

'As soon as I capture Kira, I am going to forfeit ownership of the Death Note, where it'll be flown away and back to where it came from. I will lose memories of the Death Note so I will do it when I am locked up and I have been charged with my crimes. I will even confess to killing in court, and I will accept whatever sentence I am given by the American government.'

The line in the center of the screen flatlined.

'Oh, and I told Knight Yagami my real name. If I die for whatever reason, then assume that Knight Yagami is Kira, as he is the only one in Japan, aside from Roach and Maroon, who know my real name.'

The recording ends with a flatline.

A dark red aura surrounded Knight, turning his hair and eyes dark red as he stared at the screen with a blank expression on his face.

Break has tightened the noose around my neck even harder.

Knight envisions himself standing on top of the building with his hands tied behind his back and noose around his neck.

I don't remember the threat exactly but if I make a move, if Break were to die for any reason, then all suspicious will be drawn to me as being Kira. And killing Break will be practically impossible with Genre handcuffed to me.

He imagined Genre standing next to him in the building, wearing a cloak that covered the top of her head but he could see the blue in her eyes.

Break would never sacrifice his identity if he wasn't sure so for the time being, it's safer to assume that I am Kira. Or rather, I was Kira.

He looks into the yellow sky as the noose begins to tighten around his throat.

I must've had a plan, otherwise, I wouldn't have lost my memories. The Death Note can kill humans simply by writing their names down and it belongs to a god of death and Break confirmed that forfeiting ownership of the notebook causes memory loss.

He looked forward and saw Break standing in front of him with his long and blue hair that covered one of his blue eyes.

If I forfeited ownership of the Death Note willingly, then it must mean that I have a plan in mind, a plan to get Break killed while winning this game of cat-and-mouse.

The ground below Knight disappeared.

Knight floated mid-air, stunning both Break and Genre.

You will die, Break, and once I get my memories back, then Kira will be free to judge people and deliver justice to those who deserve it. Starting with you, Break.

Chapter Text

December 14, 2030

The Shinigami Realm

Almost two months, Gilth thought as he climbed up the stairs. It's been almost two months since I left the Shinigami realm and now I'm back. It took Ryuk longer to return to the Shinigami realm when I devised a plan by losing my memories and forfeiting ownership of the Death Note.

The heavy footsteps against the stairs sent echoes throughout the cavern as he looked up at the gray sky with clouds. When he reached the top step, the first thing he noticed was the ginormous cave made of bones in front of him. The cave made from bones looks liked they came from some kind of monstrous prehistoric animal and it reminded him of the dinosaurs.

"Well, well, look who's back."

Gilth turned towards the voice and saw Pike, Grem, and Hurte sitting on the ground with cards in their hands.

"How was your trip to the human world," Gren continued, "Everything you wanted?"

"Shut up," Gilth almost snapped, "I have no intention of staying that long. This is only a temporary return. Think of it as me returning home to pick up something if you want."

"If you say so."

"By the way," Pike began, "How is Grudge doing? He's been out of the game for a couple of months and hasn't returned in a long time. Is he really being kept by a human?"

"He would have, otherwise, he wouldn't be allowed in the human world for over 82 hours."

Gilth turns and walks away into the barren wasteland of the Shinigami realm with a destination in mind.

Grem looked at Hurte and asked, "You need two notebooks in order to stay in the human world. One for a human and one for yourself. Both Grudge and the new Shinigami have two Death Notes. Any possible answers as to why?"

Hurte shrugged. "They probably tricked the king into getting some more notebooks, or they bribed him. Then again, it's possible that a Shinigami passed and they stole their Death Notes for themselves."

"And they did all that just to go to the human world."

"What a disgrace," Grem sneered, "A predator being held down by their prey is a goddamn shame. Ryuk, Grudge, that new guy over there, an utter disgrace to the Shinigami. We hold ourselves above the humans."

"Calm yourself down," Pike told, "Humans may be our cattle for lifespans but not all of them are bad. Some humans deserve to live." And Pike turned towards the portal that Gilth pulled himself from moments ago.

He gently set down his cards and crawled over. Looking down into the hole, he spotted a girl down there in a cafe shop sitting by herself having herself a cup of hot chocolate. He sat in a comfortable position as he observed the girl, watching over her like a guardian angel.

Hurte walked over. "Are you watching her again, Pike?"

"How can I not?" he said without shame, "Look at her, look at her lifespan?"

Hurte looked down at the girl's lifespan. "Yeah, and I guess I'm in need of a-"

"NO!" he shouted, cutting off Hurte's speech, "Don't kill her. I've been observing her; She is a wonderful, kind-hearted person."

The girl stood up from where she was sitting and handed the waitress next to her a generous tip.

"See, she made that girl's day by being nice."

"Now that you mention it, I've never heard you say one bad thing about humans in a while and we've been best friends for a long time." He shrugs with one shoulder. "To each their own I guess," he said before departing.

December 24, 2030, 9:00 PM

Sakura Festival

"Merry Christmas!"

Knight loved Christmas. Christmas was the season of giving to people you love and a time for people to be genuinely nice to each other. He liked spreading joys to kids and make them happy. He liked seeing their eyes brighten as they realized that the world wasn't so glum and there are people out there who care for their joy.

He liked dressing up as Santa and wearing his suit and even putting on a fake beard.

He did NOT like that he had to dress up as Santa whilst handcuffed to a 'Mrs. Claus' Genre in front of a Christmas festival headed by Sakura TV AND he had to do it while sitting down on a chair on a parade float.

"You look so cute in that Santa costume," Genre squealed and tugged at his fake white beard. She was wearing a Mrs. Claus costume that really showed off the chest just below her neck. Not only that but her skirt showed off her tanned and athletic legs. To hide her face, she wore a scarlet scarf covering her mouth and nose.

"Stop tugging on my beard," Knight snapped.

"But you look so cute with your beard and baby face!"

He rolled his eyes.

She is so annoying. Never have I ever been so humiliated in my life by dressing up as the one person who gave me a Playstation for Christmas whilst handcuffed to some wanton woman. What makes the whole thing even weirder is that I am seventeen and she is thirty-one. Well, she turns thirty-one on the 28th.

Knight checked his watch before looking at Genre. "Showtime."

Genre reached into her pocket and pulled out a key. "This will make things less obvious and not draw suspicions, especially if we're being stalked." She freed her hands from the handcuff and massaged her wrist. "Don't think because you're free from restrains that you can do whatever you want."

"Duly noted."

Knight sat down in a red chair at the top of the Christmas float and adjusted his beard, making sure it acted like a makeshift mask covering the lower half of his face. Genre lifted herself up and sat down on his lap. Knight's face heated up behind his fake beard. "What the hell are you doing? You're running the image of Santa to the kids who are going to be watching us? You wanton woman!"

A few days after Knight was officially part of the Break Investigation, he and Genre got to working on the case with the Kira Task Force, and just as they were leaving, Hayate offered them an escort home and put police cruisers in their driveway but they both refused. Since Break has a Death Note, he can kill anyone from anywhere at any given time and there's not a damn thing the police can do so to avoid wasting police time and resources, they declined all offers of police protection.

The only reason they were sitting on a parade float dressed as Mr. and Mrs. Claus on Christmas even outside of Sakura TV was that Knight insisted that they should still celebrate Christmas. Well… in a way.

This isn't just some Christmas event we're attaining, Knight thought, We're going meet with Break again for the first time in ten days. Genre told me everything she knew about the gods of death and the Death Note and I was able to hatch a plan.

He flashbacked to his plan.

Genre and I purposely talked aloud in our room about attending the Christmas festival on the twenty-fourth. Whether it would be through cameras or the Shinigami, they'll be aware of our plan. We said that we're going to draw out Break and get him to the festival, where Genre would identify him and police hidden in the crowd would surround him. But that was all a lie. Genre and I are here on our own accord with nothing but our wits.

He flashback to the day before.

I figured it out. I'm going to use Break's notebook to kill Roach and Maroon. The day before today, I got a notification to a website I subscribed to let me know of any breakthroughs on the Kira investigation in America. What I found was that someone decided to leak information on Roach and Maroon's real name but not their faces. Thanks to Kira forcing criminals into asking Roach and Maroon's real name, an anonymous tip uploaded their names to the web. But it was a bit more complicated than that.

December 23, 2030

The Yagami Household

Knight and Genre were up in his room and he sat down in the chair at his desk. Genre, wanting to rest her legs, decided to open up his laptop and check for updates on Kira. Like before, criminals were still dropping like flies at random times but then came the notification bell on his computer.

"What's going on?" Genre asked?

"I've subscribed to a website to give me updates on the Kira investigation in America and…" he clicks on the link, which takes him to a page with a whole list of names separated into three columns. He scrolled down the names and discovered one familiar name in the crowd.

BRIAN BAKER

His eyes widened. "Someone leaked Break's real name on the web," he exclaimed, "Someone actually leaked his real name."

"I bet Kira must be happy," Genre snorted before looking at Knight in the eye. "Now this will prove if you are Kira or not. If you are Kira, then you can't possibly kill Break because I will catch you in the act. The only way out of this situation is if you're not Kira and the real Kira has killed Break."

"Don't you think I'm aware of that?"

The person who leaked this information leaked it amongst other names as well. Not only is Brian Baker on the list but dozens of other agents. This must mean that the person who leaked the names does not know Break directly but knew that he was amongst this group. As for Roach and Maroon, on the other hand, that's a different story.

He hatched a plan in his mind.

This is perfect, especially for our plan to celebrate Christmas at the festival.

December 14, 2030

The Shinigami Realm

Pike sat over the edge with his feet dangling and watched the girl cross the street from the coffee shop and heading home.

She is such a good person, he thought, She is so kind and her sister passed away in a fire recently. She's been living on her own for two months if my human calendar is correct.

Gilth came back. He spotted the girl that Pike was observing and smirked.

"Do you like that girl?" he asked as he moved towards Pike.

"She is full of life and it makes me happy that she is giving life to others," Pike answered, "I understand Grudge, I understand why he wants to be friends with a human."

Gilth kneels by Pike's side. "What is it about this girl that makes you care for her?"

"Her red hair," he answered, "Red symbolizes evil but she is anything but evil. God forbid anything bad to happen to her kind and gentle soul."

Gilth wrote on a torn piece of his Death Note behind his back

Let's see what happens, Gilth's smirk grew into a smile.

December 24, 2030

Sakura Parade

Brian Baker, born August 11, 1997, in Richmond, Virginia. Attended Harvard to study law before he became a police officer. He worked his way up into the ranks before becoming a highly valued member of the ICPO, solving a number of cases that most detectives had difficulty solving. His IQ is 210.

Knight smirked under his fake beard.

Each name I clicked on opened up a file. While the person who sent it didn't know who specifically was Break, he was able to attach their files to the link. I've looked through the files of all ninety-eight people on the list and when I saw that no pictures were uploaded, I had to use profiling in order to narrow down the Roach and Maroon suspects. The page was eventually taken down almost one hour later and all knowledge I had of the files were committed to memory. Thanks to all those brain exercises I took at the Wammy House, I have a photographic memory.

He looks out into the crowd.

Break is somewhere out there, I know it. He is most likely aware either through his god of death or through the surveillance cameras that I looked through a list of American detectives on my laptop. He'll be observing from afar, making sure I don't try and lose the Shinigami in the crowd and write their names undetected.

Knight smiled.

That's not part of my plan, Break, my plan is to subdue you and take your notebook. Once I take your notebook, I'll write your name down and make you write down Roach and Maroon's real name.

December 19, 2030

The Shinigami Realm

Gilth picked up Pike's fallen notebook. He smiles and laughs.

"It worked," he said in between laughs, "The experiment was a success." He looks down at the ashes of the deceased Shinigami. "I gotta hand it to Misa, had she not told me had to kill a Shinigami, you would probably still be alive." His laughs ceased suddenly and his eyes widened. "Oh no…"

"GILTH!"

In slow motion, Gilth turns around and for a brief second, witnesses a missile in the shape of a Shinigami launch at him. Gilth lands hard on his back and Pike's notebook slips from his grip. He groaned in pain and winced before looking up at the one who tackled him.

"Gilth, oh my god! Where were you?! I missed you so much?! How was your trip down to the human world?! Did you come back for me?! Did you miss me because I missed you!"

A small and petite Shinigami with a skull had blonde hair wore a black leather jacket with a silver necklace around her neck. She had bracelets on her wrists and wore a red skirt. Her eyes were a glowing blue color and she had a smile on her face, a cheerful smile that she retained from her human years.

Knight glared and silently growled.

The reincarnation of Misa Amane herself. Even in death, even as a Shinigami, I can't escape her.

"Hi," Gilth groaned, "Masi." He said her Shinigami name with disdain like it was the aftertaste of a bad cup of coffee. "Please get off me."

Masi complied and removed herself from him. He pulled himself to his feet with Masi assisting him.

"How was the human world?" she asked, "I was watching you."

Gilth towered over her by a foot and he chuckled. "It's been very interesting."

"How is our son?" she asked excitedly, "How is our little Knight-Light?"

Never in a billion years have I dreamt of having a child with Misa Amane. But in the end, it worked out. My son - our son - has succeeded us where we failed.

"He shows great promise," he answered, "He is a natural-born genius."

"He takes after you." She suddenly wraps her hands around his chest and squeezes.

Gilth grunted. "I'm flattered."

She removes herself from the embrace. "The next time you leave, can I come with you to the human world? I want to see our little Knight-Light! It's been so long since I've seen him; He was just a tiny baby when I last saw him and now, he's a tall and handsome young man. And did you see his lifespan, he's got quite the lifespan!"

"He is a fine young man, which is why I'm here in the Shinigami realm." He turned towards the portal and sat down. "I have no intention of staying here for long, only that I complete an experiment. On December 24th, I'm going back to the human world."

"From what I can see, Knight is in some kind of trouble; Will he be alright?" She sits down next to him as they stare down into the portal.

"Knight is smart," Gilth said, "And this plan guarantees the defeat of his enemies. Once I return to the human world, you'll see how everything has fallen into place."

"What's the plan?"

Gilth looked at her with an expression look on his face. "The plan?"

"What was the point of coming back here?" When she didn't hear an answer, she pouted. "Come on, Gilth, when we were the Kira duo back on earth, we came up with plans that shocked the other."

"No offense, Masi, but when did you come up with a plan?"

She feigned a shocked expression. "I'm sorry, who was the first human on earth to discover that you were Kira?"

She's got a point, he thought.

"Who was the one who discovered that Higuchi was Kira?"

I'm pretty sure Higuchi turned into a Shinigami.

"And who is the one who saved Matsuda when he was compromised?"

Gilth's demeanor suddenly changed. "That idiot, you never should've saved him. I can't believe I was shot five times by that idiot."

Masi's demeanor suddenly changed. "It was him," she said in a low voice, "He was the one who shot you. He was the one who killed you."

"No, Ryuk killed me, although it was because Matsuda shot me." He looks down into the human world, into the house that Knight was staying in.

"I'm actually glad that Knight killed Matsuda." Masi subconsciously put a hand to her stomach. "To her from that idiot that the father of my child was murdered in homicide broke me but to hear it was a lie?"

Gilth lightly chuckled. He looks down at the portal and watches with anticipation as Knight settles in for the night. He chuckled at the pun.

"How did you get two Death Notes?" Masi suddenly leaned her head on Gilth's shoulder and gently wrapped her arms around his waist. "You need two Death Notes to stay in the human world."

Gilth didn't push her away but he didn't face her either. He answered, "I took it." He thought back to the event. "Sidoh," he hisses with disdain. "Sidoh had to pay for telling Mello about the fake rules. He had to pay for interfering with everything." He took out his Death Note he kept around his waist. He opened it up to the first page with the rules. "This is the notebook I picked up on Earth all those years ago." He set it down in his lap. "This is Sidoh's Death Note, the original killer notebook that Ryuk dropped. The one that I gave to Knight was my personal notebook, the one I got when I first came to the Shinigami realm."

"Interesting," she said excitedly, "Go on…"

"I have been wanting to go to the human world for a long time but there is that rule: The god of death must not stay in the human world without a particular reason. One of these conditions was: Finding a human to pass on the Death Note should be done from the world of the gods of death, but if it is within 82 hours this may also be done in the human world."

"So without two Death Notes, you couldn't stay in the human world."

He nodded and subconsciously put his arm around her shoulder. "But, I took advantage of the fact that I had 82 hours to spend in the human world. What I did was that I took the materials needed to make a Death Note that looked flawlessly like the one Ryuk handed to me years ago. Since it was a regular human notebook, writing names down would do nothing. What I did was that when I heard of Sidoh reaching a short lifespan once again, I pickpocketed his Death Note and replaced it with the fake one."

"And what did you do when he wrote down a human's name? Did you write the name down in the real notebook to make the fake one look real?"

He nodded. "Exactly. I had to stay near his side at all times so I could keep track of his writing and whenever he wrote down a human's name, I put it in my Death Note. How little did he realize that he was reaching the end of his pitful rope one name at a time and I was the one taking his lifespan? It took a very long time but after a few months or so, based on the human calendar, Sidoh passed away. His lifespan expired."

"Smart as always, Gilth." She snuggled softly against his shoulder and let out a sigh.

"I had to make sure he was dead so he wouldn't interfere when coming to earth. Look how much damage that one Shinigami caused me: He played a role in Kira's downfall by telling Mello those rules and helping him out during the raids."

He reached into his satchel and pulled out something he brought with him from the human world.

A bag of Lay's Barbecued Flavored Potato Chips.

He opened the bag and took out a single potato chip. He bit into it like a cougar biting into a downed deer.

I guess I was feeling nostalgic, Gilth thought, I wanted the Death Note more than Sidoh dead but I can't forgive him for spilling his guts to Mello. So, killing Sidoh was more of a bonus than a strong desire.

He reached down and touched the Death Note sitting on his lap.

It's only fitting that I have this as my Death Note and give Knight the Death Note I first received when waking up in this godforsaken realm. This notebook is what made me Kira. I could've given Knight this notebook but I gave him a new one as a way of letting him know that he is not the same as me and he must surpass me.

"I was conflicted," Masi said after looking down into Knight's house and watched as he slept, "I wanted to name our son after my Knight in Shining Armor but I thought that if I were to do that then it would take away what makes your name so unique. So I came up with Knight. Knight Raito Yagami."

Gilth froze with a potato chip halfway to his mouth.

His full name is Knight Raito Yagami?

For the next few days, they silently watched Knight from above like guardian angles. They caught up with each other and what has been happening in the human world and Shinigami world but their main focus was on Knight. Masi was bombarding Gilth with questions like if he would've been happy to be a father or what would he do differently. When Friday came, they both watched with confusion as a woman handcuffed herself to Knight so they were together twenty-four-seven like conjoined twins.

December 24, 2030

The Shinigami Realm

"I have to go," Gilth said as he gently pushed Masi off of him. He stood up and stuffed the last of his barbecued chips into his satchel. He folded to pick up his notebook and place it in the strap around his waist. "It's time for me to go back."

Masi sat on the floor criss-cross and looked up at her significant other, "What do you mean?' she asked.

"Today is Christmas Eve in the human world, I have to go back. Knight came up with a plan to kill Grudge and the others."

Masi's eyes brightened. "I remember, you said that it was crucial that you return on December 24th to the Human world. Can I come with you?"

He shook his head without missing a beat. "Get your own Death Note and I'll consider it." He laughed before walking down the steps slowly but surely.

The last thing I want is for the Shinigami reincarnation of Misa Amane following me. More importantly, I have to figure out a way to communicate to Knight now that he is attached to that Genre woman like Siamese Twins.

He paused at the very bottom of the steps.

The simple thing to do would be to just hand him the Death Note but I got a better idea. But if I initiate this idea then it might interfere with Knight's plan. I don't want to pull a fast one as Mikami did so before I return the Death Note to Knight, I'll make him touch a piece of the Death Note. Because I'm owning both Death Notes, he won't become the owner, only that he'll be able to see me. Once I recap him of everything he's been planning, I'll see what he makes of my suggestion.

He spreads his wings and leaps off the step, flying down into the human world.

Masi watched Gilth's graceful exit as she continued sitting down. She smiled.

Get my own Death Note you say, she thought smugly before reaching into her inner jacket pocket, I'm way ahead of you, Light.

She pulled out Pike's notebook, which Gilth failed to recover five days ago.

December 24, 2030

Sakura Festival

Knight continued waving at the crowd, Genre following his example. While they were waving to the crowd, they were also looking to see if they could spot Break in the crowd.

Seeing if Break would be coming here was a gamble itself, Genre though, Even if he was, it's possible he lost sight of us. A Shinigami has to see more than half of our faces in order to see our name and if our faces are covered, then we should be safe. Of course, this itself is also a gamble since we can't see the Shinigami.

Where are you, Break? Knight thought, Come on out; Surely you can't be afraid of some seventeen-year-old kid dressed as Santa Claus during a parade.

Knight felt something like a piece of paper brush against his cheek. When he turned, his face was invaded by an ugly skeletal creature with red eyes. Just as he was about to scream, the creature put a hand to his mouth and silenced him.

"Knight, it's me," the creature said, "It's me, Gilth, you can see and hear me because I made you touch a piece of the Death Note."

Knight's eyes widened and his heart pounded in his chest like a drum as he realized he could not make his eyes turn away.

A Shinigami, they really do exist!

"Knight, listen to me: We don't have much time so I'm going to make this quick: You. Are. Kira."

Knight's heart slowed in his chest. His eyelids got heavy. A dark red aura surrounded him.

I really was Kira, I was the one judging criminals. I was the one who brought peace to this world.

A tear of joy threatens to escape his tear duct.

I really was the successor to my hero.

"Your memories are gone because you forfeited ownership of the Death Note," Gilth whispered, "They haven't returned because you're not an owner yet but it was all part of your plan." He removed his hand from Knight's mouth and took out the Death Note. He tore out a piece of paper with two short paragraphs written in and held it up to Knight's eye level.

Knight's eyes scanned over the paper and his eyes widened as he reread it, unable to believe what was happening.

He snickered.

No, shh… he told himself, No laughing until the plan is complete.

Gilth put the paper down.

The plan is almost complete it appears, Knight inwardly chuckled.

"And Knight, I have a request." He leaned in and whispered in his ear.

Knight had an emotionless expression on his face as he considered Gilth's request. After some thinking in his head, he looked at Gilth as he backed away and nodded.

Gilth smiled with excitement before phasing into the float below them.

Genre, distracted by her waving into the crowd, felt something hard smack against the back of her head. When she turned, she saw Knight looking at her with a confused look on his face. She slapped him across his fake beard. "Why did you hit me?!" she exclaimed.

"I didn't do it!" Knight defended, "I was just sitting here."

"Yeah right," Genre rolled her eyes, "Just keep a lookout for Break." She turned away from the crowd.

Knight felt something hard smack against the back of his head and his body stiffened. He slightly gasped but contained himself from crying aloud. He could do nothing to ease the pain of a million memories dousing him with white blinding flashes nonstop for two seconds. When the flashes ended, Knight slowly exhaled like he just finished a marathon.

His eyes lit up red.

The REAL Knight Yagami was back.

I've won. Exactly as planned. All that's left to do is write Break's real name down on the piece of the Death Note I have hidden in my watch. Once I do that, then everything will fall just as I predicted. And when this plan is complete, Break, Roach, Maroon, Grudge, and Genre, will all die on this very night.

He looks at Genre.

Looks like you're never going to reach your thirty-first birthday, Genre.

Chapter Text

December 14th, 2030

The Yagami Household

"I can't believe I didn't see it before," Knight said, "I may be at a disadvantage without the Shinigami eyes but I still have my Shinigami with him." Knight looks over to Gilth with a maniacal smile on his face. "I figured out a way to defeat all four of my enemies. I figured out a way to kill Grudge. Unfortunately, it's a gamble itself that could prove to be fatal. But, Dad, you did say you were on my side."

"I am on your side," Gilth confirmed, "As much as Grudge is on Break's side."

"Good." Knight closed the Death Note after taking out a few pages. "This is my plan."

Gilth scooted in closer so he could hear the details of the plan.

"I'm going to rewrite Break's predestined lifespan in Shinigami time. This should be able to happen because lifespans can change and once I change his lifespan to something short, Grudge, assuming that he is the benevolent Shinigami that he is, will intervene and save Break. Whether a Shinigami saves their favorite human with a Death Note or by physically intervening, then the god of death will die."

"That's so smart," Gilth said, "And because his lifespan has been cut short but Grudge saves him, he'll live out Grudge's remaining years."

"There are loopholes in the Death Note when it comes to surviving having your name written down. As I said, this is a gamble and the only bad outcome would be my defeat. But once Grudge dies, then Break will be vulnerable. I will write Break's real name once again in the Death Note and then make him catatonic and jump off a building. As he's walking away, I'll make him write Roach and Maroon's real name in the Death Note and have them killed."

"You want to forfeit ownership of the Death Note so I can conduct this rewritten lifespan experiment in the Shinigami realm."

"Correct. I will never trade for the eyes and in the Shinigami realm, you have a wider variety of humans to choose from and you get to witness first hand a Shinigami dying."

Gilth smiled. "Interesting. But, how will you rewrite Break's lifespan if you don't have the Shinigami eyes?"

"When you're in the Shinigami realm, look for a Shinigami watching over a human you know. The lifespan you see above our heads is written in Shinigami time but in the 'How To Use' section of this Death Note I have, it mentions: The numbers seen above a human's head are not only a death date but the human's death age."

"I get what you're saying and yes, the numbers are both a death date and death age." He stared off into space as he contemplated his actions. "If you say so. I will look for a human whose birthday I am aware of and I will rewrite their lifespan. The list of candidates might be small but I'll work with what I got."

"And after the experiment is a success, I want you to write down the human's lifespan in the notebook and convert it to human times. This does not go against the rule that says: The god of death must not tell humans the names or life spans of individuals he/she sees. You are allowed to write anything in a Death Note prior to giving it to a human, ie. the rules for example."

"Impressive," Gilth praised, "You keep amazing me every time, my son."

"Once you've given me an example of a human and converted their lifespan to human time, I will figure out the equation in my head and rewrite Break's lifespan on a piece of the Death Note. I won't have to know his original lifespan, only his current age, and the current date. Once I set his lifespan to the present time, then everything should go as planned."

"You said you will have a piece of the Death Note with you at all times, how?"

Knight held up his wrist and flashed an expensive piece of jewelry. "My watch, I designed it after yours. I pull the crown four times in less than a second, the secret compartment opens up. I've implanted a needle in as well so I could write in blood." He pauses and looks at his watch. "I hate how I copied off of you but everyone who knows about the wristwatch from the original Kira is dead with me being the sole exception."

"So, after I conduct the experiment, fly back down here, I have 82 hours to get here, and then give you back the Death Note."

"Wait until December 24th," he suddenly said, "I need time to investigate. I need to investigate more of Break, like finding out more of his backstory so that way, I can do the proper calculations in my head when you show me the lifespan formula."

"Understood," Gilth nodded, "So I'll be in the Shinigami realm for at least ten days. What'll happen if the lifespan formula doesn't go as planned?"

Knight chuckled before looking at his feet. "If the lifespan formula doesn't work then return the notebook to me on December 26th and if that happens, I'll know for sure that I was right in making you do the experiment. If it fails, I'll just have to figure something else out. This is all I can go off on for right now."

"It's very risky," Gilth said after reviewing the plan.

"Chess games are all about taking risks, sacrificing pawns for the greater good. But since I work all alone, I have to compensate for it through various other means. Gilth, if you want Kira to win this battle and bring the world back to a peaceful time, then you must follow my instructions to the letter. You must help me."

Gilth cocked his head at him.

"I'm always going to be on your side, son. Don't expect me to be doing this all the time. I am proud of you for being a worthy successor to Kira but don't forget, I will not be doing everything for you. I am the last resort. If you have me doing everything for you then you're not worthy of becoming Kira."

Knight grabbed the notebook and faced Gilth. "I understand. But with this plan, Grudge will die, and Break, Roach, and Maroon will suffer the same fate."

He pushes himself out of his chair and reaches for the remote. He turns on the TV and switches over to the news channel.

He takes out several pencils before he opens up the Death Note to the first blank page. He gets to writing.

"For insurance, I need to write the names of criminals to die for the next three weeks so I can have more time to move freely."

"It took me four days to write the names of criminals to die in three weeks," Gilth said.

"And Gevanni of the SPK copied over a thousand names in the Death Note all in a single night when Mikami was the fourth Kira. I believe I can do the same."

After Knight finished writing the names down in the Death Note, he massaged his hand and rested it on the desk.

"I hate getting these cramps from writing."

He wasn't done yet he told himself before he flipped open to a blank page and wrote down the instructions for Gilth for when he flies back to the Shinigami realm.

December 24th, 2030

It all worked out as planned: Gilth wrote down a lifespan on the page with the instructions I wrote and he converted that lifespan to human time. I am now able to figure out how to rewrite Break's lifespan, especially since I know his age and birthday.

He side-eyed Genre.

Luck is on my side with her taking the cuffs off. I never factored her into the equation but it all worked out.

He pulls down the sleeve on his left wrist and grabs the crown on his watch. He pulls it four times and the secret compartment opens.

I've already filled out the instructions on the paper ahead of time. I just have to fill in the blanks.

He draws blood from the tip of his index finger before pressing down on the paper, drawing the letters as small as possible.

Brian Baker, 4 3/3 4/30/24

If I were to take out the paper, the full sentence would say 'Brian Baker - predestined lifespan changes to 4 3/3 4/30/24.

He closes the secret compartment and leans back in his chair.

There's just one last thing I have to do: Kill Genre somehow.

He side-eyes Genre once again.

What Gilth was asking me was if he could make Genre the owner of the Death Note. When she was slapped upside the head earlier, it was from Gilth hitting her head with the Death Note, thus making her the current owner. Because I'm in physical contact with the Death Note right now, my memories returning are only temporary. I have to keep the Death Note with me at all times.

Knight grabs the Death Note that was sitting against the back of his neck and shoves it inside his robe, tucking it in the front of his pants.

With Break

I've actually lost track of them, Break thought as he stood in the crowd with a hood over his head, I cannot see Knight or the girl. They must've figured that we would be looking for a couple handcuffed to each other but why managed to evade even Grudge's line of sight.

Grudge flies back.

"I lost contact with them," the Shinigami said, "I could single them out if I spotted a couple handcuffed to each other but I can't find any of them. I searched everywhere in a one hundred yard radius and spotted nothing."

"I'm not surprised," Break whispered, "It's no wonder they chose such an event. The only thing I can think of is that they are someone who is dressed up in costumes and have their faces hidden. If they were to keep the handcuffs on then it would be obvious. At this point, you should focus on people who have their faces covered."

"What point would that do if I can't see their names?"

Break contemplated his next step for actions.

They purposely lead us here with the intent of attacking me. They covered their faces and removed the handcuffs so they wouldn't stand out. Is it possible…

He turns to Grudge. "Scout the place out for police officers."

"I'm already one step ahead," Grudge said, "I did that and I spotted no police cruisers."

"Of course, they could be hidden in the crowd. I don't understand what Knight and Genre could be planning."

All I know is that they drew me here purposely but whatever their plan is, I have no idea. As long as I'm hidden in the crowd, they won't be able to spot me so it goes both ways.

"I'm going to keep a lookout," Grudge said.

Just as he turned around, he looked at Break one last time.

BRIAN BAKER, 7 2 16 7 7 25

Grudge inwardly gasped.

BRIAN BAKER, 43343024

What happened to his lifespan? Grudge's eyes widened like they were going to pop out of his sockets, How did his lifespan change? He had so many years to live and now they've been cut down to tonight! What the hell is going on?

As he is not allowed to say anything about his lifespan, he just flies away. He flies to the top of a building and sits down on the ledge.

Did Kira do something to Break's lifespan, is that why it was cut short? Then again, anyone can shorten their lifespan when using the Death Note. On the other hand, we can only see a person's original lifespan and only see it shortened when they trade for the eyes. Break did NOT trade for the eyes. How convenient: The second I lose track of Knight and the girl, Break's lifespan is shortened.

He takes out his Death Note.

But then again, if the girl was with him the entire time, even with the cuffs off, then there's no way that Knight could've written a name down without her noticing, especially on a torn piece.

He prepares to write a name down before he pauses.

If I write Knight's name down, then he'll die. However, unless I know for sure that Knight is Kira and that Break's shortened lifespan was a result of Kira, if I kill Knight now then Break will become the prime suspect. There's also the fact that if it wasn't Knight, then he will still die. But if it is Knight, then I will die for saving Break. I have to do something but what?!

One Hour Later

"Can you leave the costume on?" Genre whined, "Please, you look so adorable in that Santa suit."

I'm seventeen, she is thirty, Knight told himself, She wouldn't dare try anything, even if the age of consent… nevermind.

"We have a job to do," Knight said, "But I guess I can leave the suit on so it won't be easy for Mr. Shinigami to track me down."

That's another problem, the Shinigami. I haven't touched Break's notebook so I can't see him. There's another problem I failed to take into consideration: Break's notebook.

Knight mentally slapped himself in the head.

Of course, my memories were erased and I forgot that Break was keeping his Death Note on either Roach or Maroon. My motive when I lost the Death Note was to use his Death Note to eliminate him. Thank god my memories came back otherwise that plan would've failed. But now that I have my notebook back, I have to have Break write Roach and Maroon's real names in my Death Note.

Knight and Genre climbed down from the parade float and they stretched their legs for having to sit down for an hour or so. They kept their costumes on but Genre immediately grabbed Knight by the hand.

"I'm not putting the handcuff on," she said, "But I'm not letting you out of my sight."

"I understand," Knight deadpanned, "We still have to single Break out in the crowd."

"True."

Genre then studies Knight and his facial expressions.

There is something off about Knight suddenly. I can't quite put my finger on it but he seems somewhat different.

Knight caught her staring and sweating nervously.

"What's going on?" he asked, "I don't have anything on my face, do I?" He forced himself to chuckle.

After a few seconds of silence, Genre said, "I was thinking of how Santa doesn't have red hair."

Knight touched the top of his head. "My hair's not red, it's strawberry blonde."

"If you say so, redhead Santa Claus."

Genre smiled before tugging Knight by the arm away from the parade float.

The parade itself stopped just a few miles away from the Sakura TV station but the festival went on. Knight and Genre, still dressed as Mr. and Mrs. Claus, went into the Sakura Carnival, where people were playing games and winning prizes. The occupants of the carnival were small groups of families, mostly consisting of parents and children. The children cheered at their Christmas presents and parents smiled at their children's delight. Off to the side, a group of kids were playing with snowballs and even threw one at Knight accidentally.

The child who threw the snowball at Knight apologized. "I didn't mean to, Santa, don't put me on the naughty list."

Knight chuckled and wiped the snow off his robe. "It's okay, son," he said in his regular voice, "Accidents happen," he switched to his Santa voice.

Genre chuckled.

Knight tugged away from Genre's arm and walked up to the group of children. "You guys fighting with snowballs?"

The kids nodded nervously.

"How wonderful, it's been a long time since I threw a snowball at a kid without wanting to hurt them." He thought back to the Wammy House. "Of course, the kids I hit with snowballs deserved the faceplant for making my life a living hell."

The kids gasped.

"Santa said a bad word," one of them said before running off, "MOM! Santa said a bad word."

Knight laughed and turned away and faced Genre. Genre was laughing her ass off and patted her knees.

"You just ruined the child's image of Santa," he chuckled, "But that was funny as heck."

Knight approached her and grabbed her hand and lifted it to his chest. "For a split second, I thought you were going to tame me like a dog for running off."

"I wanted to see how you behaved around children," she said, "I was somewhat curious."

"I'm seventeen," he almost snapped with offense, "I like kids. I want kids of my own someday."

To succeed me when my lifespan expires.

"My biological clock is ticking," she said, "I want to start my own family."

"Then why don't you?" Knight grabbed her other hand. "What's holding you back? You're thirty-one-"

"Twenty-two at heart!"

"You're twenty-two at heart, which is the perfect age for having children. Why not start a family?"

Genre looked away and contemplated her answer. She smirked under the scarf hiding her mouth and nose. When she found an answer, she looked back.

"Never found the right man," she said, "Break and I didn't exactly get along and the only man I do like is younger than me by fourteen years."

Knight's eyes widened and his heart pounded in his chest. He sweated and had to use all his strength to contain his mental thoughts.

She looks him in the eye with a warm smile. "Whoever ends up with you is one lucky girl. Had I been born later, I would've considered going out with you."

Knight blushed and his breathing heightened.

"If you weren't Kira."

Knight's demeanor instantly changed from nervous to anger. His face froze when his eyes were widened and he could feel his heart heating up in his chest like a furnace.

Never have I been so offended in my life. This girl is beautiful and she admitted, had she been younger, would've gone out with me, as long as I wasn't Kira.

His fingers twitched.

This must be what it felt like for the girls I turned down because they didn't believe in Kira.

"In that case, I wish you were younger," Knight said with a smile, "Cause I'm sure whatever man you end up with, once we catch Break and prove that I'm not Kira, he is one lucky son of a bitch."

Where the hell is Break?! Why hasn't he shown up?! It doesn't matter, I'll take advantage of the situation.

Knight snatches off his beard and looks at Genre with a stern expression. Without missing a beat, he snatches the scarf from her face in one fluid motion and throws it to the ground next to his fake beard.

"It's time to prove once and for all that I am not Kira," he said, "With our faces exposed, the Shinigami will be able to spot us and warn Break." Without hesitating, he reaches into Genre's pocket and pulls out the handcuffs. He cuffs their hands together. "This will confirm our identity to the Shinigami. Time to catch Break once and for all so we can be done with this investigation. I want you to settle down and start a family of your own."

Genre gasped at Knight's sudden authoritative state, not expecting something like this in a thousand years. She stares at him with wide eyes and a blush across her cheeks.

Could Knight really not be Kira? Otherwise, why would he be so authoritative, so assertive, so commanding? There's no way he could've used the Death Note without me spotting him. Could Knight really be innocent after all?

She studies Knight and feels her heart pound in her chest.

Knight, I really hope you aren't Kira.

With Break

"I found them," Grudge yelled as he flew towards his side, "They're at the carnival."

"Excellent," Break said, "Did they let their guard down?"

Grudge shook his head. "I spotted them out of the blue. They're dressed as Santa and Santa's mistress and they have the handcuffs back on."

Break stared at Grudge in confusion.

What's going on? There is no way that they could see Grudge. Why would they reveal themselves?

"How far away are they in kilometers?"

"4.82 kilometers."

That's three miles and the farthest a Shinigami can go from their human is 14 kilometers. They both are aware that a Shinigami can go at least 14 kilometers away from their human but the fact that they willingly put themselves out in the open must mean something. If this is going to be a challenge then I accept. They're trying to pull a sneak attack on me but I'll pull a sneak attack on them.

He looks at the closest Santa he could spot in the crowd.

I'll go in disguise, they'll be caught off guard and it acts as a good defense against Kira's Shinigami. He won't be able to warn Knight that Break is hiding.

With Knight and Genre

POW!

A cork hit a Russian nesting doll and it fell off the shelf.

Genre smiled and reloaded her gun and took aim at another target. She used one hand, her free hand, to line up and hit a small doll in the head.

"You're a marksman," Knight complimented as he watched Genre play this shooting game, "Three hits in a row."

"Four more and I win the top prize," she laughed, "And with one hand." She popped another cork into the barrel before lining it up.

POW!

Knight kept his eyes on Genre but tapped his boot against the ground.

Where the hell is Break?

The index finger attached to his free hand tapped against his leg.

Where is he? Where is he? WHERE IS HE?!

Genre made another shot.

Time's running out.

He looked at his wristwatch.

11:45 PM.

I have about fifteen minutes before midnight. If I don't see Break by midnight, then I have to assume that either his lifespan is extended and Grudge is dead or that he is dead and Grudge is still alive. I need to physically see him in order to make my next move.

Genre reloaded.

I scheduled Break to die today on the 24th, meaning that he won't live beyond midnight.

POW!

In order to see the experiment myself, I have to see Break himself.

POW!

I've already ordered Gilth via instructions to keep an eye on Grudge. I told him that if Grudge dies then to bring back his Death Note. Considering that Gilth isn't back, Grudge must still be alive. Damn it, at this point, I won't know for sure-

POW!

"Seven for Seven!"

The shooting game host grabbed a giant panda bear and gave it to Genre. She reached out with both hands to grab the bear, causing Knight's cuffed hand to jerk forward.

She hugged the panda bear tightly like a mother hugging a daughter. "Don't you just love panda bears?"

"Panda bears are nothing without their cuteness," Knight said, "I think you chose the wrong gift."

She looked at him.

"You think I should've gotten the kangaroo?"

"No, you should've gotten an animal that is beautiful but deadly. You know, something that reminds you of you."

Genre blushed and looked away. "You think I'm deadly but beautiful?"

He looks at the rewards and stuffed animals hanging from hooks from above and spots one. "Like the habu snake. It's a beautiful snake but it's deadly. Perfect for someone of your caliber." He points to the host. "We would like the habu snake instead of the panda."

The host obliged and grabbed a habu snake toy. Knight took it and he wrapped it around Genre's neck like a necklace.

"Just like you," he said.

Genre couldn't take it anymore. Any more of this sweetness and Genre was going to die from pleasure.

Just as Genre returned the panda bear, Knight's eyes suddenly widened.

Wait a second, we've been beardless and scarfless for roughly an hour. Break would've had more than enough time to sneak upon us. What if he is already around us but is using the same kind of disguise that we were? We both know his face and Break is someone who likes to do sneak attacks.

His eyes roam around the carnival.

What if Break is among us but wearing a disguise?

This sudden epiphany made the hairs on the back of his neck stick up.

Smart of him to do that.

He looks at people who were wearing disguises. He singled out people wearing scarves and Santa costumes.

He figured that Break would look away if he were in disguise so he tried not to make it obvious.

While Genre was distracted by the habu snake stuffed animal, he took out his phone and turned on his camera. He switched it to selfie mode and scanned the area behind him after pressing record.

After doing one good scan of the area, he ended the recording and reviewed the footage.

Genre saw Knight glued to his camera. "What's going on, Knight?"

"It's been an hour and Break should've been here but I can't find him. So, to not make it obvious, I recorded the carnival behind me and I want you to see if you can find Break."

He flips the screen towards her and watches as she zooms in.

Knight could see the intense look on her face: Emotionless, stern, and determined like she was ready for anything and ready to spot out her enemy.

When the video reached a point where a man in a Santa suit was looking in the direction of the camera but not at the camera itself, Genre held up a hand.

"That's him," she said, "I can tell by the look in his eyes."

"Are you sure?"

Genre looked at him. "Break and I trained at the same academy for a few years, always wanting to overshadow the other. He was my biggest rival; Of course, I would be able to identify by a set of eyes."

When Knight looked over his shoulder, he saw the man in the Santa costume standing near a food cart for shaved ice with his back turned towards them.

Knight walked over, tugging Genre with him.

He made a beeline for Santa, getting closer and closer, and saw that his physique was obscured by the red robe. Knight tried comparing the slim Santa's waist to Break's waist but could not come to a conclusion by the time they reached the food cart.

Knight slapped a hand on the back of Santa's shoulder and said. "Hey there, fellow Santa Claus."

Santa didn't turn around when he said, "What do you want for Christmas, Knight?"

Knight's eyes widened. They widened, even more, when Santa turned around and pulled the fake beard from his mouth.

Break, Knight inwardly snickered, I've found you. You're alive and well. He subtly checked his watch.

11: 49 PM.

Eleven minutes, he is officially immune from being killed by Death Notes as Death Notes can't kill humans with twelve minutes of life left. But he is still alive and I don't have Grudge's Death Note. Damn it, what the hell is going on.

"Nice to see you again, Genre," Break said, ignoring Knight, "Congratulations on working the Kira case."

Genre glared at Break. "My mission is to bring you in, the president's orders." Her arm shook like she was cold. "Why reveal yourself?"

"Because as long as I'm in contact with Knight, he can't use his Death Note to kill me." He flashed Knight a mocking grin. "It's only a matter of time before the criminals stop dying from their pre-scheduled deaths. In order to keep his facade, Knight has to enter new names in the notebook."

"It doesn't matter whether Knight here is Kira or not, what matters is that I bring you."

She remembered the pistol she had in the back of her pants.

Knight knew about the pistol. Earlier this morning, when she called him a gay once more, he got offended and bumped into her shoulder, which caused the gun to fall out of her pants. He told her that firearms were illegal for civilians to carry in Japan but she reminded him that she was a police officer working with the United States.

Genre is going to be the cause of Break's death, Knight thought, She's the only person around Break for miles carrying a gun, and based on the conversation we shared in the shower, she'll kill Break.

His hair and eyes turn a dark red color.

All I have to do is give Grudge a little motivation.

He grabs the hem of the back of Genre's shirt and lifts it up for three brief seconds. Anyone standing directly behind Genre could see the barrel of the pistol tucked comfortably into her pants with the grip out and ready to be grabbed.

Grudge's face dripped with sweat.

Knight could help but smirk for a split second and turn around as if he was checking to see if Grudge was watching.

I can't see Grudge but I can only hope that he saw the gun.

Grudge panted as he looked at Genre's back.

What's going to happen? the Shinigami asked himself, Is this girl going to be the cause of Break's death? It has to be her; The police aren't around and she's the only one for miles? Is she the reason why his lifespan depleted? What do I do, what do I do? If Break dies then my friend will spend eternity in Nothingness.

Knight chuckled. What's the matter, Grudge, he thought, Aren't you going to kill Genre and save your pal? He looked at his watch. You only got eight minutes left before midnight and Break's death date is now on December 24th, 2030. Better hurry before the night is over.

"I have only one question to ask," Genre said, "How dare you? How dare you use a Death Note?"

Break looked at her with offense. "You think I wanted to use the notebook? The President lost ten trillion dollars in buying a Death Note then he just gave it back. No refunds, no nothing." He looked over Genre's shoulder and at Grudge. "When I first touched the notebook all those years ago, the president demanded that I use it to get our ten trillion dollars worth. I touched the Death Note so I became the owner."

He balled up his fists.

"I hate Kira for killing my father, a decorated cop, just because he stood against his views. I took it upon myself to carry the burden of using the same weapon that Kira used. I only used it on criminals on death row. Because the US lost so much money, we had to cut down on big costs and executions cost a lot of money in the US but when it came with the Death Note, all we needed was a name and face."

He sighed before turning around.

"I feel regret for what happened to Chief Kudo's daughter and that's why I'm going to forfeit ownership of the Death Note once I catch Kira."

Genre glared at the back of Break's head before she reached out a hand to the back of her shirt. Hse lifted the shirt up by the hem and gripped the pistol's handle.

"No," she snapped, "You're just like Kira, except you're given permission to kill and criminals are handed to you on a silver platter. The Death Note is the most dangerous weapon of mass murder in human history. One person alone should not be allowed to wield such power without facing repercussions. The Death Note belongs to gods of deaths and humans should not use weapons that belong to gods."

She pulled out her pistol but kept it concealed behind her back.

"You brought in the most violent criminals in American to investigate in Japna, thinking you have the power to control them but it was our arrogance that leads to Hinata Kudo's trauma and eventual suicide. You offered death row inmates by saying that you'll pardon their execution when you already plugged their date of death into the notebook. You think you're a legal execution but at the end of the day, like Kira, you're nothing but a mass murderer. Whether you were given permission by the government or not, who decides who should die by a Death Note, something that was created for the sole purpose of taking away lives?"

THUN-THUMP!

Genre's eyes widened.

Break's eyes widened.

Knight's eyes widened.

As if it was happening in slow motion, the gun slipped from Genre's fingers and landed on the ground with a loud thud. The safety was on so it didn't discharge. Genre's hand touches her heart and she loses balance. She suddenly falls backward and was expecting to feel the impact of falling flat on her back on the concrete ground but she was surprised when she felt one hand grab her by the back of her shoulders and catch her.

The habu snake fell to the ground on its side.

Her eyes were nothing but orbs existing without a soul as they stared up into the night sky full of stars.

Wow, she gasped, I never realized how many stars were in the sky? I can't even count all of them. My mother told me that when we die, we become a star in the sky where we watch over our loved ones.

Knight stared down with an open mouth at the Genre, letting a breath of air expelled from his lungs.

Genre's eyes gazed upon Knight with tears forming.

I don't want to die, she cried, I don't want to pass away.

Knight's red eyes looked down into Genre's blue eyes as his mouth cracked with an evil smile.

What? Genre thought, Knight, his smile. Her eyelids suddenly got heavy. He was Kira all along. He… was…

Genre's eyes suddenly got heavy and they slowly closed. The last breath of air to be expelled from her mouth did not go unheard by Knight.

Keikakudōri, Knight inwardly laughed.

"No," Break exclaimed as he grabbed both sides of his head and collapsed to his knees, "What happened?! Genre!"

Grudge gasped in pain and horror as his skin began peeling away and bleeding sand and dust. His breathing quickened and heightened to the point that he would've passed out due to hyperventilation.

YOU DID THIS, KNIGHT! he shouted in his head, BECAUSE OF YOU, AN INNOCENT WOMAN IS DEAD AND I'M GOING TO DIE, LEAVING BREAK VULNERABLE! IT'S NOT GOING TO BE THAT EASY!

He stabbed his utensil at the space under Genre's real name. Without wasting any time while he drew over the notebook.

DIE, KNIGHT YAGA-

He fell apart into a pile of sand dust. The name he left behind on his notebook was:

KNIGHT YAGAMI.

Chapter Text

December 14th, 2030

The Shinigami Realm

It looks like things are starting to get interesting in the human world, Ryuk thought as he sat down on the edge of a mountain, staring into the distance, Humans are dropping like flies here and there. Looks like some interesting guy picked up that one Shinigami's Death Note. Maybe I should go down to the human world again.

He hears a footstep going on behind him. He turns and sees Gilth standing ten feet away with his red eyes trained on Ryuk like a predator.

"Nice to see you again," Ryuk said, "How's the human world?"

Gilth smirked and cocked his head. "Interesting." He reached into his satchel and pulled something out. "I'm not staying for long, I'm just here on an errand." He holds up his hand to reveal an apple, "Since I have time to spare, I decided to drop by."

Ryuk's eyes lit up with excitement. "Is that what I think it is?"

"A token of my appreciation." He slugged the apple at Ryuk.

Ryuk caught the apple mid-air like a catcher in a baseball game and he looked down at it.

"You said you wanted one juicy so the least I could do is bring you back a juicy one."

Ryuk chuckled. He tilted his head back and opened his mouth. He dropped the apple and it landed on his tongue and he immediately bit down with all his force. He finished the apple after a few bites before sighing. "Is that all you got me?"

"When I come back if ever, I'll bring a whole basket full of apples. Specifically for you." He turned his head in the opposite direction but stopped. He looked over his shoulder and side-eyed Ryuk.

"I remember, Ryuk. I remember who I am." He suddenly clenched his fist, remembering his final moments as a human. "You killed me."

Ryuk didn't react.

"I thought that Near had written my name in the Death Note but then I remembered what you told me when I saw you for the first time. You told me that the day will come when you write my name in the Death Note. Near wanted me to rot in prison for the rest of my life so there would be no point in killing me."

He turned around and faced Ryuk with a glare.

"I could've survived, showed you more interesting things, but then you killed me. You killed me because you didn't want to wait for me to die in prison. Am I right?"

Ryuk said nothing before looking away.

"I am grateful for the Death Note you dropped on Earth, but you killed me, that's a different story."

"How is Knight doing?"

Gilth's eyes widened. "You know about Knight?" He narrows his eyes. "Please explain?"

Ryuk said nothing as he continued to stare off the mountain.

October 6, 2013

Ibaraki Hospital

"AAAAAAAAHHHHH!" Misa Amane cried in the hospital bed, "LIGHT, IF YOU WEREN'T DEAD ALREADY, I'D KILL YOU!"

"You're almost there, Misa Amane," the doctor said, "One big push. The baby's head is already out!"

"AAAAAAAAHHHHH!"

After an hour of feeling herself about to tear in half, the baby was finally pushed out of her womb. The doctor before her caught the wailing blob of an infant and cradled it gently in his arms. A second doctor quickly cut the umbilical cord, and they cleaned up the afterbirth.

"Give me my baby!" Misa demanded.

Her head, which wreaked sweat from physical agony that lasted for an hour, stained the blue pillow and she took slow breathes in and out as she calmed herself down.

"Where is my baby?!" Misa cried, "Let me hold her!"

After a few minutes, the doctor that delivered handed Misa her newborn child, who cradled it tenderly.

"Congratulations, Misa Amane," the doctor said, "It's a boy."

"Mrs. Yagami," she said, "It's Mrs. Yagami." She looked down at her baby and felt tears erupt from her eyes. "I have a baby boy," she cried, "He looks so beautiful."

Light, she thought, If only you were here to see the miracle our love created.

The baby opened its eyes for the first time and looked up at its mother. Its crying slowly came to a stop and it's blue eyes sparkled with happiness.

Misa pulled down her top and breastfed her baby.

"Mrs. Yagami," the doctor said with a clipboard in hand, "What have you decided to name a little junior here?"

"Knight," she said without hesitation, "Knight Raito Yagami. After his father."

The doctor smiled and wrote the name down. "Knight Raito Yagami, born on October 6, 2013, at 4:45 PM. Weighs 7 pounds and 10 ounces at Ibaraki Hospital. Mother: Misa Yagami, Father: Light Yagami." She finished writing the information on the birth certificate. "His name written in Kanji: 夜神騎士."

Misa couldn't take her eyes off the newborn. Everything about him was perfect from his reddish-blonde hair to blue eyes. This baby held in her hands was the combination between her and Light. This is what their love created, what was meant to be of them. This baby was proof that she and Light were meant to start a family together and live happily ever after like they did in the fairy tales. But, Matsuda let slip that Light was killed by Kira. She did the math: Knight was conceived on New Year's Eve; that was the last time they had physical contact with each other.

She was devastated when she heard the news like someone had deleted all of her emotions with the exception of sadness and she nearly committed suicide. But she decided to stay strong for the baby.

Five days after Knight was born, she took him to his father's grave so that Light could at least meet his son.

She was dressed in black and cradled her son close to her chest, putting his ear to her heart area so he would know that his mother was alive and there for him.

"Hi, Light," she said with a voice crack. Tears rolled down her cheeks and quickly wiped them away. "I have someone I want to introduce to you." She kneeled over the grave and held up her baby. "This is Knight, Knight Raito Yagami."

The baby's eyes opened and looked up at its mother.

"Born October 6, 2013, one healthy baby. He has my blue eyes and your brown hair. Well, it's technically strawberry blonde but I swear, I have never been intimate with anyone aside from you. He is your baby." She had no idea why she was getting defensive. Light was the only person she slept with. It's not unnatural for a baby to have strawberry blonde hair with the baby's parents having blonde and brown hair.

"I wanted to name him after you but I also wanted him to have his own unique identity." Tears escaped her tear ducts and she didn't have the strength to wipe them away. "Why did you leave me?! You knew that Kira killed those who defied him, why did you do it? Why did you leave me and your son?!"

She sobbed and the baby sensed his mother's distress and cried as well.

THUD!

Misa's eyes widened when she heard the sound of a slap in front of her. When she looked down, she saw a black notebook laying on Light's grave. Her sadness ceased and changed to confusion as she grasped the notebook.

Her breath was stolen from her as visions flashed across her vision.

What's happening to me? What are all these visions?

Once the flashes ended, she took a deep breath and sighed.

I remember now, she thought excitedly, I remember everything now. I was told to forfeit ownership of my Death Note and send it to Mikami. I can't believe it. Light wasn't killed by Kira, he WAS Kira!

Her previous feelings of hating Kira for killing Light was all but nonexistent. But once she realized the truth, it didn't make her feel better.

"I'm sorry," she said, "I'm sorry I was so helpless to you, Light."

"So, Light had a kid, interesting."

Misa gasped and looked up at the voice. She saw someone she recognized: Ryuk, standing tall behind Light's grave.

Ryuk looked down at Misa and noticed the bundle of joy in her hands.

"Wow," he said, "He looks cute. What's his name?"

"I thought you could see names with your eyes," Misa said.

"Well, he is five-days-old, safe from the Death Note, and my eyes, for 775 more days."

People with Shinigami eyes only need to know the names of their victims. Shinigami can't see the lifespans of others of their kind. If it's with a human, that must mean that he can't see Knight's name and lifespan until he turns 780 days old.

She told him his name.

Ryuk smiled. "A tribute to Light but is unique in its own way. I like it."

Misa smiled as well. "Thanks for giving me back my memories. I'm grateful. I now know the truth of what happened." She stood up and hugged her son softly. "I have an idea as to how I'm going to make the task force pay for what they did to my Light. And I know how I'm going to make him happy in the afterlife."

She looks down at her bundle of joy.

"My little Knight-Light, I promise, when you grow up, you're going to make your father proud. I promise you're going to succeed where Kira failed."

Ryuk cocked his head.

"Interesting."

December 14, 2030

The Shinigami Realm

Gilth said nothing as he processed this new information.

Ryuk dropped a notebook five days after my son was born. According to Ryuk, Misa promised to see that Knight succeed me.

Knight felt his heart pound in his chest at a slow and steady pace.

Misa, she's not as worthless as I thought. She must've groomed Knight into liking Kira.

He realized something.

However, it never would've happened had Ryuk not dropped his Death Note.

"Why did you drop a notebook again?" he asked.

Ryuk chuckled. "When I saw that Misa was holding a child, I got curious. I wanted to see what would happen if I bestowed her memories while she was the mother of your child. I was right in dropping the notebook."

"How did you get a second Death Note so quickly?"

"I bribed Daril Ghiroza for her Death Note. All it took was a few metal accessories and as long as I returned it within five months. Misa committed suicide four months later. Reasons why, you'll have to ask her yourself."

Gilth sighed and looked down at the ground. After a few seconds of contemplating, he turned around and walked away. Before he was out of range, he said,

"I'll bring back all the apples you want. I owe you so much you goddamnShinigami. For dropping the Death Note in the first place, for giving Misa her memories back, for making Knight into what he is today."

Damn you, Ryuk, you backstab me in the back but had it not been for you, Knight never would've turned into the person he is. You really are the overarching player in this game.

He stopped and looked at Ryuk one last time.

"I'll be waiting," Ryuk said.

See you later, Light.

December 24th, 2030

1…

2…

3…

4…

5…

"Genre," Knight shook her head with his free hand, "Wake up!" He brought his hand with the cuff up to touch her heart area, "No!" He cried.

A dark red aura surrounded him as he inwardly smiled.

Exactly as planned. I rewrote Break's lifespan in the notebook so his death date was today. Because Genre has a gun, she's the only person capable of killing Break before midnight. Not only that, but I took a precaution as well to ensure Grudge would die, even if Genre wasn't the death of Break. Gilth made Genre touch the Death Note, thus, making her the current owner, and now that she is dead and I'm in physical contact with the owner, I now own the Death Note I have stashed in the back of my robe.

15…

16…

17…

18…

19…

20…

'Only a god of death that has passed on their Death Note to a human is able to kill the owner of the Death Note.' I used that rule to my advantage. Since Gilth made Genre the owner, only he had the right to kill her and Grudge wrote her name in his Death Note. He was haunting her and therefore, broke two rules. Punishment is almost certain for Grudge because he extended the life of a human he favored AND killed a Death Note owner he wasn't haunting.

27...

28…

29…

30…

Knight looks at Break, who was sitting on his knees beside him with a horrified expression on his face. He held himself above the ground with both hands before he picked himself up.

34…

35…

36...

Break, you've lost your advantage. It's time for you to die.

38...

39...

40!

Knight reached over and put his hands in Genre's pockets. He searched around for the key and pulled it out when he felt it. He used the key to unlock the cuffs when they were finally free.

44…

45…

46…

In the background, visible to only Knight, Gilth picked up Grudges fallen Death Note and turned to the page with Knight's name written in it.

How predictable, Grudge, Gilth inwardly laughed, I was prepared for this. One step ahead.

Gilth pulls out his Death Note and opens to the latest page. There was one name written on Gilth's notebook. The name was:

KNIGHT YAGAMI

'When the same name is written on more than two Death Notes, the note which was first filled in will take effect, regardless of the time of death.' However, 'If written the same name on more than two Death Notes is completed within a 0.06-second difference, it is regarded as simultaneous; the Death Note will not take effect and the individual written will not die.'

Gilth laughed hysterically.

Knight predicted that you would try something like this so while I was in the Shinigami realm, I followed his instructions and did some practice. All that practice paid off. Once I realized that the rewritten lifespan experiment was a success, I practiced the 0.06-second difference rule in a few Shinigami while I waited for five days.

Gilth looks at the pile of sand and dust visible only to him.

I was watching over you, Grudge, and when you wrote Knight's real name down, I wrote his name down at the same exact time, therefore, saving my son's life. What happens now is up to Knight.

Knight rubbed his previously handcuffed hand softly, massaging over the tender skin before he looked to see Break running away.

Knight ran after him after he removed the slip of Death Note from his watch, made it into a ball, and swallowed it.

He ran off into the snow and as far away from the carnival as possible. Break sprinted as fast as he could, running into the street before he turned and ducked into an alleyway. When he was halfway down the alley, he collapsed to his knees and held himself off the ground with his arms.

Knight caught up to him.

He checked his watch for the time.

Break was taking slow breaths in and slow like he had forgotten how to breathe and his body was automatically doing it for him. When Knight approached him, his breathing suddenly became shallow.

"What's going on?" Knight asked before he said, "Brian," in a subtle mocking voice.

"I saw it," Break said as he looked up at Knight, "I saw Grudge writing Genre's real name in his Death Note. Then he perished along with Genre." He made a fist with both hands as his forehead connected to the ground. "What the hell is wrong with me?!"

Knight's expression remained the same but shifted somewhat slightly.

"Where is this coming from, Brian?"

He noticed a tear dripping to the ground and it didn't take him long to realize that he was crying.

"Genre died because of me!" he exclaimed, "Grudge killed her so my lifespan would extend. Everything that I've done with the Death Note so far, has only resulted in people getting hurt!" More tears dripped down his face. "Because of the criminals I was using to control with the Death Note, Hinata Kudo was assaulted and she committed suicide. Genre, a person I knew from my past, was sacrificed in order for me to live. Grudge, my friend, killed himself so I could inherit his lifespan! I didn't want these people to die! This innocent girl, my old rival from the academy, my friend! This is what the Death Note has brought upon me! I was only using it to kill criminals on death row but Genre was right: I am just as bad as Kira!"

Knight said nothing as he stared at the emotional Break with an emotionless face. After a few seconds of waiting, he finally decided to talk.

"Brian," he said softly before leaning against the wall, "Don't think the feeling of sadness belongs to you alone. Don't think that you're the only one suffering because of Kira." He stuffed his hands in his pockets before he looked down at his feet. "My father was killed by Kira nine months or so before I was born. My mother committed suicide because of her love for my father. Hinata Kudo, my girlfriend, suffered indirectly because of Kira. Genre, the girl I barely knew that grew on me over time, was an indirect casualty of Kira."

He looked down at him.

"I may be a Kira supporter but I will admit that the Death Note has taken a toll on my life as well. People I loved were killed."

"How could you understand?" Break asked, "When you are Kira?"

Knight's expression didn't change.

"I would never admit this aloud or in person but I admire you, Brian." He noticed Break's confused look. "You were able to use a powerful weapon belonging to that of a god and you didn't lose your heart in the process. The fact that you still held onto your humanity is proof enough that you're a good person."

Break stood up and faced Knight.

"What about you?"

"Me?"

Knight looked down at his watch.

54…

55…

56…

Knight looked at Break with red eyes.

"I'm Kira."

57…

58…

59…

12:00 AM

Neither man said anything. Neither man took their eyes off the other. Neither man had an expression on their face. They both just stared at each other and said nothing. The only sound that could be heard by the two was the sounds of their own breath.

Break made the first move when he turned away and walked down the alley at a slow pace.

"Are you okay, Brian," Knight laughed, "You're looking a little suicidal over there."

"I'm fine," Break said as he continued to walk away, "I just have to do something."

Knight chuckled. "By the way, before you go…" He removed the Death Note from inside his robe and jogged up to Break, opening it up to the most recent page. "You want to see what fate has in store for you?"

He showed Break the last entry written in the Death Note.

Brian Baker - Suicide, 12:00 AM, December 25th, 2030. Becoming conflicted with grief over the loss of his companions, he climbs to the roof of the Perin Hotel and jumps off at 12:30 AM into an alleyway.

"And while you're at it…" he removed a pencil from inside his robe, "Write down Roach and Maroon's real name right next to these written instructions."

Break took a pencil and wrote down Roach and Maroon's real name.

Knight took back the Death Note and looked at the names.

Christopher Choar - Suicide, 12:01 AM, December 25h, 2030. Gets rid of all evidence that he has gathered over the prime Kira suspect. He carries all notebooks relating to the Kira investigation with him in his back before he heads to the roof of the Perin Hotel, where he jumps off at 12:30 AM into an alleyway.

Marcus Marono - Suicide, 12:01 AM, December 25h, 2030. Gets rid of all evidence that he has gathered over the prime Kira suspect. He carries all notebooks relating to the Kira investigation with him in his back before he heads to the roof of the Perin Hotel, where he jumps off at 12:30 AM into an alleyway.

I've finally won, Knight thought, I took out two of my enemies without even seeing their faces.

He looks up at Break one last time before he is out of sight down the alleyway.

"See you later, Brian Baker."

Break was out of view moments later, disappeared into the shadows as he walked to his doom

Gilth materialized beside Knight and grinned.

"I couldn't be prouder of you, my son," Gilth said, "You have defeated Break, Roach, and Maroon, all on your own terms with no assistance from anyone else or Shinigami eyes." Gilth reaches into his satchel and pulls out something. "A Death Note, specifically, one belonging to Grudge."

Knight didn't acknowledge Gilth as he blindly held out his hand for the Death Note. He grasped it with two fingers. Once he was sure he was the official owner, he looked at the Death Note. His eyes widened.

"It's a notebook with a red cover," Gilth said, "One of the few existing ones in the Shinigami realm."

Knight smiled and opened the notebook to examine it. There was a 'How To Use' page but there weren't as many rules compared to the Death Note that Knight has. He looks over the pages and sees various human names that don't interest him.

With the exception of one: Geneva Green.

Given that this is the most recent entry, this must be Genre's real name. Geneva 'Genre' Green.

On the last page, he saw his own name and panicked.

"Don't worry, Knight, you're not going to die."

Knight glared at him. "How the hell do you know, Shinigami!?"

Gilth took out his own Death Note and flipped to the most recent entry. He watched Knight's expression as he read his own name change to anger.

"You tried to kill me!"

"No, Grudge was trying to kill you and I saved your life."

It took Knight a moment to realize what Gilth meant. Once he figured it out, he calmed down. "When one name is written in two or more Death Note within 0.06 seconds, then it will be regarded as simultaneous and the individual will not die. I completely forgot about that." He puts the Death Note away in his pouch. "I can't thank you enough for everything you've done, Dad. From handing me the Death Note to saving my life without sacrificing your own."

"All I did was give you a Death Note, the rest was all on your own." Gilth smiled. "You really are my son and I couldn't be prouder of you. Although, I do have one question."

Knight cocked his head.

"That stuff you said to Genre, was it all true?"

Knight flashed back to the conversations.

"In that case, I wish you were younger," Knight said with a smile to Genre, "Cause I'm sure whatever man you end up with, once we catch Break and prove that I'm not Kira, he is one lucky son of a bitch."

"It's time to prove once and for all that I am not Kira," he said, "With our faces exposed, the Shinigami will be able to spot us and warn Break." Without hesitating, he reaches into Genre's pocket and pulls out the handcuffs. He cuffs their hands together. "This will confirm our identity to the Shinigami. Time to catch Break once and for all so we can be done with this investigation. I want you to settle down and start a family of your own."

"No, you should've gotten an animal that is beautiful but deadly. You know, something that reminds you of you." He looks at the rewards and stuffed animals hanging from hooks from above and spots one. "Like the habu snake. It's a beautiful snake but it's deadly. Perfect for someone of your caliber."

"Did you mean any of that?" Gilth asked, "I can't tell what's going on inside your head when you're putting on a facade."

Knight didn't hesitate to answer. "There is no right or wrong answer."

Still, that didn't give Gilth the answer he wanted.

"What about that stuff you said to Break?"

Knight scoffed. "That stuff, some of it was true and some of it was false. I have never been cursed since I've had this Death Note. As a matter of a fact, I'm happy with this Death Note, more than I've ever been in my seventeen years alive." He looked down at the Death Note in his hand. "I liked Genre but she was a threat. Break, I hated him and he had to go. But I will admit, I do kinda miss the company of Genre being around since she was funny and we shared a lot of smart conversations together."

With Break

I lost, he thought, I knew the whole time that Knight was Kira and I wasn't able to defeat him. This is why I could never measure up to L's standards. I may be as smart as him but I let my emotions get the better of me. That's why I lost.

There was little that could be done as Break walked with his allies, Roach and Maroon, over to the edge of the tall building. They didn't hesitate as all three of them stepped on the edge and jumped off.

Break felt weightless from the fall and time seemed to have slowed down just so he could see the ground get closer and closer.

A blue aura surrounded him.

I died, but at least I'm going to see my father again. If all humans go to the same place upon death, then I'll see Dad again. Maybe I'll get to see Grudge or Genre. One can hope.

He closed his eyes just seconds before he touchdown.

With Knight

Exactly as planned.

Knight was in the alleyway when the three detectives jumped off and he snickered at his victory.

I am the one true successor to Kira.

He puts on a pair of leather gloves that came with his Santa outfit before he scavenged the dead bodies. He lifted up Roach's body and found the notebook in his inner jacket pocket. He grabbed it and took it out.

Now I'm the owner of this Death Note.

He realized something about the Death Note.

It's a red notebook, just like Grudge's.

Thirty Minutes Later

Knight was back at the festival and called in the police. An ambulance arrived and they took Genre's corpse into the back before driving to the hospital. Knight stayed behind, sitting on the hood of a car whilst the police surrounded the area.

Knight inwardly chuckled.

I already hid the notebooks so when they do search me, they'll find nothing.

Chief Kudo approached Knight wearing a trench coat with a scarf around his neck. "How is it going tonight?"

"I don't know what to say," he said before he checked his watch. "It's one o'clock in the morning on December 25th, so Merry Christmas."

"Merry Christmas," Kudo replied, "What is going on here?"

Knight explained the plan that he and Genre came up with to try and draw in Break. He was scolding Knight for thinking carelessly before Knight held up his hand.

"I understand sir, but Genre was more than experienced to take on one person."

"And look what happened to her," he exclaimed.

"Break didn't kill her, doesn't fit his code of ethics. It was Kira." He looked away, pretending to be sad.

Hayate joined the conversation, "He's right, Chief," he said, "It was Kira."

"How did Kira get her name?"

"There was a website which details investigations into America. Someone leaked the names of dozens of American agents. I checked the website myself and, although I could find no Alex Brock in there, Break still died so it's no hard to assume that Kira got Genre's real name from the website."

Kudo looked confused. "How do you know that Break is dead?"

"Because someone called in that they saw three people jump off the roof of the Perin Hotel. I sent a few officers and myself to check it out and there's no doubt in my mind that it is Break, Roach, and Maroon."

I'm the one who made the anonymous tip, Knight thought, And with the notebooks that Roach had in his jacket, I was able to write Death Note across one of the covers and leave it behind for the police to find. I tore out the pages and threw them into the fire.

Kudo looked to the ground with a subtle sad expression. "So Break is dead, just like that?"

"It looks like there's no need for the Break Investigation anymore," Hayate said, "Now that the suspects are dead."

"We can get back to the Kira Investigation," Kudo said.

"I'm relieved," Knight suddenly said. When the two officers looked at him, he explained, "That Hina got closure for her death."

Kudo subtle nodded before putting a hand on Knight's shoulder. "But still, we have a job to do in catching Kira."

Knight nodded. "I understand, but unfortunately, Kira is someone I support and I doubt you would want a Kira supporter on an anti-Kira task force."

"True enough. But we'll keep in contact should you decide to help us, we could really use your brilliance."

"Of course," Knight said, "Anything to help Tokyo's finest. You guys are good people after all."

It's true, Chief Kudo is a good person. He reminds me so much of my grandfather, Soichiro Yagami, which is why, for my grandfather's sake, that I won't kill Chief Kudo.

December 31st, 2030, 11:59 PM

The Yagami Household.

"So, now that Break, Roach, and Maroon are dead, what happens now?"

Knight had an answer to that question as he slowly spun around his chair but he decided to wait. He checked his watch and silently did a countdown.

38…

39…

40…

"I'll get back on track," he said before he stopped spinning.

41…

42…

He turned towards his desk and opened up his Death Note.

45...

46…

He looked over at the television, where he switched on a news channel dealing with the countdown to New Year's Eve.

50…

51…

52…

He took out a pencil and pressed it to the Death Note.

54…

55…

He turned on his computer.

58…

59…

"Happy New Year, Dad."

He started writing down the names of criminals to die.

Dublin, Ireland

Through the sky, the bright blue sky filled with clouds, a Death Note dropped from the Shinigami realm fell. It soared through the clouds and made contact with the ground.

It had a black cover and stood out in a garden of flowers.

A girl with red hair stepped over the meadow of flowers and picked up the Death Note, becoming the owner. She looked at the Death Note in confusion but her state of confusion turned to horror when she saw the Shinigami standing before her.

"Hi there, sis," the Shinigami said cheerfully, "My name is Masi! Nice to meet you, Iris."

Chapter Text

Wednesday, January 15th, 2031

Police Station

"Thanks again for helping us out, Knight," a police officer said.

Knight grabbed his backpack and put the strap over his shoulder. He grunted with a smirk before he shakes the officer's hand.

"Anytime, fellow agents of justice," he said, "Just wait; in a couple of years, I'm going to be among you, solving crimes and putting away bad people."

The officer nodded.

Just as Knight was about to leave, he felt a hand grab his shoulder with the strap. He turned and saw Hayate with a serious face.

"We appreciate you helping out the police station with the identity theft investigation."

Knight shoved his hands in his pockets. "Anytime. We're agents of justice and I'll be seeing you after I graduate from To-Oh University in a few years."

"I wish you would help us on the Kira Investigation," Hayate said sternly, "Your deductive abilities are far above that of any amateur."

Knight let out a soft chuckle. "As much as I'm keenly interested, I don't think it would be right for me. I'm a Kira supporter and I don't think I could trust myself trying to hunt Kira. Chances are, I'll purposely play dumb or lead you in the wrong direction."

Hayate considered what he saw saying before he spoke.

"I guess you have a point but I do hope that you see the errors in Kira's ways and help us find him."

Break suspected that Knight was Kira, Hayate thought, And that list that's been leaked from the US did not feature the name, Alex Brock. Alex Brock is the name that Knight was given by Break himself but when I did an investigation, I discovered that Break's real name was Brian Baker and that name WAS on the list so anybody could've looked up the name. There's no way Knight can be Kira.

Knight looked at his watch. "I don't want to waste valuable police time and I'm on a tight schedule." He sighed before turning to the door.

As he stepped out of the door, he felt another hand grab onto his shoulder.

He thought Hayate was back but it was Cheif Kudo of the NPA. Knight narrowed his eyes in confusion before the chief explained himself.

"I've been meaning to say, good luck on the entrance exams."

Knight smiled. "You remembered that I'm taking the test to get into To-Oh."

"Of course, a future member of the task force taking the next step to becoming a detective is not something I'd forget."

"For a split second, I thought you were going to tell me to investigate Kira."

"No," Kudo shook his head, "Everybody has a right to their opinion. I'm not worried about you joining the Kira Task Force, only that you become a member of the police force. In the last two weeks, you've helped us solve a number of petty crimes and complex crimes. You'll make a fine detective and I can't wait to work with you one day."

Knight patted Kudo on the shoulder. "I look forward to working with you as well, Chief Kudo." He pauses. "Although, I will make a promise: If something were to happen to you because of Kira, I promise to avenge you. I will catch him and bring him to justice."

Kudo looked surprised.

"Even though you're a Kira supporter?"

"You remind me of my grandfather and he was a good man."

Kudo laughed. "I'm not old enough to be grandfather material."

"You're at the border age. You're like, forty-five."

"I'm forty-four."

"Exactly."

They both laughed.

"Kudo looked at his wristwatch before looking back at Knight. "Well, I think it's time for you to leave. Last I recall, the tests start at 9:30 and you've got an hour. You should use this time to get chores done and study."

"Thank you, Grandpa."

The two laughed before they walked in opposite directions.

"Grandpa?" Gilth exclaimed, "He reminds you of your grandpa?"

Knight inwardly smirked.

Life has never been so stress-free before, Knight Yagami thought as he sat between two big men on the bus. I've had my Shinigami remove all the cameras from my house, the US president hasn't sent any new agents to hunt Kira down, and I'm getting into To-Oh University.

Knight tucked his hands in his pockets and scoffed as he got off the bus with a cheeky grin on his face.

"Someone seems confident," Gilth said upon limping after Knight, "Thanks to the criminals you scheduled to kill, your daily kills were cut down significantly, saving you plenty of time to study."

Knight nodded.

"I'm not going to help you cheat during the entrance exams."

Knight side-eyed him with offense.

"I may be invisible but I wouldn't go that far. Plus, I want to see how smart you truly are, academic-wise; I've already seen your brilliance in the art-of-war.

Knight checked his watch.

It's good to arrive early, gives you plenty of time to think both physically and mentally. Allows you plenty of time to prepare.

Knight made it to the To-Oh Entrance Exams and passed through the gates with a nonchalant expression. After he got into the building, he situated himself in his chair as the teacher began passing out the exams and the answer key along with it. An assistant handed out pencils and reminded everyone of the rules and how cheating was prohibited.

The clock struck 9:30 AM, signaling for the tests to begin.

Knight grabbed his pencil and spun it in his hands.

I remember, he thought, Based on Dad's memories twenty-four years ago, this is where he and L met for the first time. L was student number 162 and based on the seating chart, I'm sitting in the exact spot that Dad was sitting in.

He inwardly chuckled.

Just for laughs, I'll take a peek over my shoulder to see who student 162 is.

When he looked over his shoulder, he saw Student 162 instantly. The student wasn't sitting in a weird position with their feet on the table but in a proper fashion. What he found to be odd was that the student had one hand covering her face, like she was covering up a disfiguring scar but he couldn't help but notice the girl's red hair.

Seems oddly familiar, he thought.

He turned away and the redhead looked at his back with a blushing face.

April 3rd, 2031

To-Oh University

'Welcome To The Next Chapter of Your Lives, Class of 2031 To-Oh' was written in kanji on a banner displayed above the main doors to the building.

Knight stood with his hands grabbing his red tie and adjusting it so he could breathe.

"You really do take after me, Knight," Gilth said with a smile, "Like me, you got a perfect score on the tests and now you're giving a speech as a freshman representative."

History repeats itself, Knight thought, Sadly.

"I'm proud of you."

After Knight was comfortable with his tie, he found himself in the building. Instead of the exams being held inside, they were held outside behind the building where there were more chairs for everyone to sit. Knight took a seat near the front rows so he wouldn't waste any time getting up to the podium.

Everywhere that Knight looked, whether it was from left to right, he saw students-to-be dressed in fashion and pride, which they should be as they were going to embark on the next chapter of their lives.

In just a couple more years, I'll be out of here and a police detective. Not only that, but I have more time to move around as Kira. I've never felt such tranquility.

Knight sat patiently in his chair and listened to the teacher giving a quick introduction in the microphone before he decided that enough was enough.

He picked up a clipboard and readout, "Freshman representative, Knight Yagami."

Knight inhaled a breath of air before he held up a hand. "Here, sir." He jumped out of his chair and made a beeline for the podium.

"And," the teacher continued.

Knight tilted his head in confusion.

Two people are giving a freshman address? That must mean that another student scored perfect on the test. I got a perfect score in all subjects and to hear that someone else had the same honor, I don't know what to think exactly.

"Freshman representative, Iona Abernathy."

Knight froze in place with one foot up the first step on the podium. His hair and eyes turned a dark red color.

What, Iona Abernathy, he inwardly panicked, What the hell is going on?

His fingers twitched.

Iona Abernathy, she was in Wammy's House, she grew up with me. She went by the alias, 'I' or 'Ice', and she had a crush on me. She was the first person I ever killed with a Death Note.

October 27th, 2030

"Kira is justice," he growled under his breath. He slowly looked up at her with red eyes. "When Kira was law, global crime rates dropped seventy percent and wars have stopped. Criminals became fearful of Kira and stopped themselves from committing crimes and at the same time, discouraged people from doing bad. Six hundred thousand innocent people were saved from violent criminals every year for six years and people who did no wrong could live a cheerful life. Ever since Kira went dark all those years ago, crime has worsened."

"Knight," I said carefully, "Why are you saying this?"

He takes a pencil and presses it to the notebook.

"Let me ask you something, Iona Abernathy, if I rape you right here and now, I would be a bad person. I'm smart, so I can find a loophole in the system to get out of jail for free. Would it be justice if I rape you and get off scot-free?"

Ice gasped. "It...wouldn't be right."

"Of course," Knight said, "But that's what you are saying. You are saying that you would rather live in a world where I could rape you and get away with it than to live in a world where evil people get punished for their crimes."

"Kip," Ice said, "I know that you support Kira but what has gotten into you? Why are you saying this?"

"Because…"

He looks at his watch.

"I am Kira."

Ice's eyes widened and she gasped.

38….

39….

40….

Ice clutched her chest and collapsed to her knees. She falls on her side and gasps for air. She holds out her twitching hand as she gasps in horror upon realizing what was going on.

"Knight…"

Knight took out the Death Note and flashed the page with her name written on it. He smiles. "I'll see you in Nothingness, Iona Abernathy."

Present Time

No, it can't be a coincidence; Iona Abernathy is an English name and what are the odds of coming across someone in Japan with the same name?!

He finally found the courage in him to continue walking up the steps.

There's no way it's Iona because when someone is killed by the Death Note, they can't come back to life. So, it has to be an alias. But who would use an alias such as that?

When he reached the podium, he slowly turned around and his eyes widened.

THERE was Iona Abernathy, standing beside him with her gaze downward and red hair in a ponytail and a dress on. She looked at him nervously and her eyes widened when they locked eyes with each other.

She blushed slightly.

How is she still alive? Knight thought.

Is it really you, Knight? Iona asked herself.

Gilth was indifferent when he heard the name. Although, it did ring a bell and he wasn't sure why. But when he saw Knight's nervousness standing next to this redheaded girl, he knew something must be off. He did a one-eighty and-

"Gilth!"

Gilth is tackled to the ground like a football player with weight in the shape of a Shinigami sitting on him.

A familiar Shinigami.

"I made it to the human world!" the happy-go-lucky Masi cheers.

Gilth gasps and looks at Masi with a shocked expression, What the hell is doing here? The only way she could be down here is if she is attached to a human. Does that mean…

At the podium, Knight and Iona's hearts pounded in their chests. Both of their eyes looked in the same direction. While it may appear that they were staring off into space, that was far from the case.

From Knight's point of view, Gilth was laying on his back with some unknown force sitting on him.

From Iona's point of view, Masi was sitting on top of someone like an invisible chair.

They both picked up on what direction the other was looking at.

He/She's looking in Gilth/Masi's direction, does that mean he/she can see him/her?

They slowly turned heads towards each other once more and that's when everything finally became clear.

Iris, Knight thought, Is that you?

Knight, Iona thought, Could you really be Kira?

Chapter Text

April 3rd, 2031

To-Oh University

Everything suddenly seems clear, Knight thought calmly as he looked forward and away from the redheaded girl. He took a deep breath before he picked up a paper laid before him with a pre-written speech. He recited the speech in a professional and stern vocal manner.

Two kids looked at Knight and Iona with bewilderment.

"It's not fair that there are two freshman representatives," the first one said.

"They both got perfect scores on every subject," the second one said.

The first one rolled his eyes. "Looks like history repeats itself."

The second one stared at the first.

The first noticed his friend's confusion and explained, "My father went to To-Oh University in 2007 and there were two freshmen representatives who got a perfect score in all subjects."

"Nice," the second one deadpanned, "Bunch of showoffs."

"And the irony is, this is just like the 2007 entrance ceremony." He pointed at Knight. "Knight Yagami shares a striking resemblance in name to Light Yagami and the person on the right," he eyes Iona, "Has something unique with their name. In 2007, it was a kid who shared the same name as the famous pop idol, Hideki Ryuga."

Iona picked up the pre-written speech and recited it in a nervous voice.

"And now we have Iona Abernathy, an English name. What's next? Bright Yagami and Touya Ogawa, the famous singer from Kyoto?"

"We'll see the results in another twenty-four years."

Knight and Iona finished the speech before the crowd started clapping. They bowed to the freshmen before they walked down the podium slowly and side-by-side.

Knight saw an empty chair beside his seat and smirked. He grabbed Iona by the wrist and caused her to gasp in shock.

"Sit by me," Knight ordered without making eye contact.

He wants me to sit next to him, she thought nervously, What does he want? Is he going to kill me? She shook her head. No, it would be impossible to use the Death Note, or even a clipping of it in a public place like this and there's no way he could've written my name in ahead of time because this is the first time we've made contact with each other. I'll be safe.

Then she suddenly felt hot.

But I'm sitting next to Knight…

Knight guided her to the empty chair beside his seat and sat down. She was still standing and looking at the empty seat like it was covered in nails.

He made eye contact and gave her a soft smile. His hand was still cuffed gently around her wrist and he patted the back of her hand.

"Sit," he said softly, "I don't bite."

Iona slowly nodded with a tomato-red face before taking her seat.

The world seemed to freeze around them, time standing still. The only sounds either one could hear were the sounds of their own heartbeats and whoever's heart stopped beating first was a victim of the other's Death Note.

Knight's hair and eyes turned a dark red color, symbolizing malice.

Iona's hair and eyes turned a pink color, symbolizing love.

Knight and Iona slowly turned towards each other, their eyes making contact and piercing into the windows leading to their souls for a few seconds before one finally got the courage to speak.

"Hi, Iris."

February 14th, 2029

It was Valentine's Day. Traditionally, Valentine's Day in Wammy's House is celebrated with an equal number of boys and girls being given an assigned Valentine's and an assortment of gifts to choose from the living room. They weren't supposed to give their Valentine's the gift alone but to do something creative with the gift. For example, if someone chose a guitar from the gift collection, they would have to decorate or make it unique for their specific Valentine.

When Knight (AKA 'K' or 'Kip') was 15, he got 'I' or 'Ice' for Valentine's Day but there was a problem. There were two people at Wammy's House who went under the alias 'Ice'.

When his door was knocked on, he opened it and found the two Ice kids standing before him. He looked at them and tried to spot a difference but they were practically mirrors of each other. Shoulder-length red hair, green eyes, fair skin, red lips, blushed cheeks.

"We've got to do something about this," Kip said, "First of all, you both go by the alias 'Ice' and there's only one of me." He stepped into the hall and closed the door quietly. It was during the middle of the day but he didn't want anyone listening in on their conversation.

"I know," Ice One said, "We couldn't help it."

"Our name is supposed to be ironic," Ice Two said, "Whenever we go deep in our thinking process, we would stand out in the sun, even on hot days."

"That's how we earned our nickname: Ice."

Kip nodded. "I know this is against the rules but to make things easier for us, why don't you tell me your real names?" He looked down both paths of the hallway before whispering, "I'll tell you my real name in return."

Both Ice girls looked at each other nervously. They checked to make sure they were clear before they spoke.

Ice One whispered: "My real name is Iona Abernathy."

Ice Two whispered: "And my real name is Iris Abernathy."

Knight remembered where each twin was standing before he said, "And who got me for their Valentine's?" He pulled out his index card that read 'Ice'.

Ice Two - Iris - pulled out an index card with 'Kip' written in red in the center.

Knight smiled at Iris before he said, "You're my Valentine." He looked at Iona, who was looking down at the floor in sadness.

Knight felt a pang of guilt in his heart.

These two were the only ones nice to me growing up.

"I'll get you both Valentine Tines day gifts," he said and he perked up when he saw Iona's cheerful smile, "You guys deserve it; You two were the only ones nice to me growing up."

"What's your real name?" Iris asked, "You said you would tell us your real name."

"Fair's fair." He looked around to make sure the coast is clear before he said his name aloud for the first time since he arrived at Wammy's House. "My name is Knight Yagami." He paused to observe their reactions. "'Knight' is written as 'Kishi' in Japanese, spelled with the Kanji characters for 'equestrian' and 'gentlemen' while 'Yagami' is spelled with the kanji characters for 'night' and 'god' So when you translate my name in English, it spells out 'Knight of the Night God', bizarre, am I right?"

The twins looked at him with shocked expressions on their faces. Their cheeks had lost their red color as they reeled in the fact that the boy they both had a crush on revealed his real name to them. They had a lot of things running through their heads.

But one thought stood out to both of them.

His name is so beautiful.

Present Day

This girl right beside me, Knight thought, I know who she is.

She's not Iona Abernathy.

She's Iris Abernathy…

Her twin sister.

He tapped his fingers against his knees.

Everything makes so much sense: How 'Iona' is still alive and why an English alias is being used in Japan. How she survived, is another matter entirely.

October 31st, 2030

The Yellow Box Warehouse

His cellphone rings. He answers it. "Watari?"

"I've done it," Roger Ruvie said. "Every single child."

Knight's smile does not falter. "Good, then proceed as instructed." He hangs up.

"I was going to say," Gilth said, "What were you going to do about the Wammy House?"

"I calculate every move I make to the 144th degree. It's easy for a person like me, who plays chess by himself every chance he gets. Whether it be a pawn or a bishop or my personal favorite, the knight, I always plan nine steps ahead for both sides." He reads from a page. "On October 31st, 2030, at 12:30 PM, Roger Ruvie uses a piece of the Death Note provided to him to write the names down of every child attending the Wammy House orphanage, picturing their face as he writes their name. After he finishes writing the names, he calls this number listed and tells the person on the other end that it is done. He then proceeds to set the entire orphanage on fire and he burns to death along with the corpses of the students." He closes the notebook. "Everybody, that opposed Kira all those years ago, will be cleansed from my perfect world and I will pick up the trail that Kira left behind."

"Are you willing to trust Watari to write the names of every orphan at the Wammy House?" Gilth asked, "What happens in the event that one of them survives."

"Unlikely," Knight said, "In the event that someone is still alive for whatever reason, I also ordered Ruvie to tell me the names of the people whose face he couldn't picture on the phone. And if he has a face in mind but doesn't know their name, I told him to send their photo ID to me via email and if he doesn't have a photo then I told him to sketch out the face as best as he can and send the photo to me."

"What happens if one person from the Wammy House survives?"

"Unlikely," Knight said, "I still have contingencies, I always plan ahead. As I said, I plan everything out to the 144th degree. Backup plans for backup plans for backup plans. If one person does happen to survive, then I will forfeit ownership of the Death Note. You'll take it back to the Shinigami Realm and I'll have you kill this person for me before returning the notebook. In addition, on the paper that Watari used to write the children's names on, I had him write my name, spelling out Night Yagami without a K so if anyone investigates, they'll believe that Knight Yagami died in the fire."

Present Day

'Attending' the Wammy House, Knight thought, That's what I said. I didn't say anything about the kids who already left the orphanage and Iris left the orphanage before I got the Death Note. She survived while her sister, who stayed behind, was killed.

Iris touched her chin with her index finger and thumb, rubbing the side of her middle finger against her lower lip.

Knight Yagami, she thought, The only logical reason is that you are Kira. Kira has only been active for six months since October and October is when Wammy's House burned down. One question I have is why only you and I are alive? Kira was someone who knew about Wammy House and he found a way to kill everyone there with us two being the exceptions.

She felt her heart pound when she thought of her sister.

Iona… if Knight really is Kira, then he killed my sister.

Her heart dropped to her stomach.

After the ceremony had ended, Knight got up from his chair and walked to the front of the university. He tucked his hands into his pockets before turning around to find Iris standing behind him.

"Can I just say, you still look beautiful," Knight flirted, "And congratulations on getting a perfect score on the entrance exams."

"I finally caught up to you," Iris said nervously, "When we were growing up, my sister and I always tied in second place to you. But I finally caught up."

"I'm proud." He looked over her shoulder as if searching for an invisible friend.

Where the hell is Gilth?

"I want to invite you to dinner at my house. Please accept."

Normally, Iris would be panicking and blushing madly but she kept her head calm and collected.

I can't afford to let him out of my sights, she thought, If he is Kira, then he could use the Death Note to kill me as soon as I'm out of sight. The only way to ensure my protection is to stand next to him at all times.

"I accept the invitation," she said.

"I don't think I was going to take 'no' for an answer."

They started walking in the direction of Knight's home. Iris was only a few feet behind Knight and kept her eyes trained on the back of his head but she saw his hands enter his pockets.

If Knight really did arrange to have everyone at Wammy House killed so he can be Kira without any interference, what's stopping him from killing me?

She slightly panicked but composed herself when she thought of a clipping of the Death Note hidden in Knight's pockets.

What if he has a clipping of the Death Note in his pocket? I have to be sure either way. When I get the chance, I'm going to pickpocket him of everything in his pockets.

Knight turned his head slightly and looked at Iris in the corner of his eyes.

No doubt she's going to question me about what happened to Iona, he thought, It's inevitable.

He looked down at his wristwatch.

Better safe than sorry. He shook his head. No, I can't kill her in public with all these people around and it's going to be hard to write with her trailing behind me.

An idea came to his head.

I have an idea.

After the two stopped at a four-way intersection with the traffic lights on red in their direction, they stood side-by-side with each other.

I'll pickpocket him of everything in his pockets, Iris thought.

I'll write on the clipping hidden in my watch, Knight thought.

A small crowd of people surrounded them from both sides. It was full of students from the entrance exams and they were chatting with each other on the phones and loudly boasting about getting into To-Oh. Once the lights turned green and the hand signal lit up on the lights, they walked across the street.

A group of three students stepped between Knight and Iris, separating them by six feet.

Knight pulled on the crown on his wristwatch and pulled out the secret compartment. He quickly took out a small pencil - the kind that golf players would use - and wrote on the clipping.

Iona Abernathy (Crossed out)

Iris

Knight quickly slid the compartment back in place as they made it to the other side of the street. He searched for the missing Iris and found her standing to his right with hands made into fists at her side as if she was holding something.

I wrote it, Knight thought.

I pickpocketed him, Iris thought, Nothing but lint in his pockets.

They arrived at the Yagami household after a few minutes of walking. Knight held the door open for her and offered to make her some tea. She accepted the offer and followed him around the kitchen, practically attached to his hip, and watched as he made, what he called his 'grandmother's tea'.

He poured a cup for himself and then Iris. He led her to the couch and they sat down next to each other on opposite ends.

When the mug was touching his lips, he heard Iris speak.

"Are you Kira?"

Knight froze with the tea running halfway down the mug before he tilted it forward and took his first sip.

"Where did you get a crazy idea like that from, Iris?" Knight carefully set his mug down on the coffee table and faced her. "I'm a supporter of Kira but that doesn't make me Kira."

"I've got a lot of evidence from what my Shinigami told me," Iris said, "She had a lot to say."

It took all of Knight's strength to not move a muscle in his face. If she saw a reaction, then she would know.

"Shinigami? As in a god of death? I didn't know you believed in that."

"Don't play dumb with me," Iris snapped, "I know that you are Kira. If you don't believe me, how about a refresher? You are the son of Light Yagami and Misa Amane."

It was harder than before to keep his expression neutral. Even more so than when his Shinigami suddenly appeared behind Iris, standing there with what looked to be an annoyed look on his face.

"Where's your evidence to back up this claim?"

Instead of talking, Iris reached for the back of her hair. She pulled the knots that tied her hair into a ponytail and let her red hair shower down on her shoulders.

She has pretty hair, Knight thought, I bet it's soft. I want to touch it.

She then reached inside the neck of her shirt and pulled a silver object out.

A locket, Knight observed, Is that the same locket that I got her for her birthday three years ago?

Upon closing inspection, he realized that the locket dangling from Iris's index finger was the same locket as before. It was silver and in the shape of a heart with a rose engraved on the front.

That locket cost me a hundred and ten pounds, he thought and winced as he remembered spending all that currency.

She opened the locket and inside was a picture of Iona. She took out the piece of glass holding the photo in place before holding the locket out for Knight.

"What am I supposed to do with this?" he asked as he took the locket.

"Touch the photo," she said calmly.

Knight touched the photo of Iona with his thumb like he was leaving a thumbprint. He waited a few seconds before he looked up at Gilth, and saw another Shinigami with long blonde hair hugging him from behind.

"KNIGHT!" Masi squealed before lunging at him before he could react.

She caught Knight in a bear hug and lifted him above the ground.

"I'm so happy to see you after all this time!" Masi cheered. "I was watching you from the Shinigami realm, I can't believe you already have a secret admirer, and I'm proud of you for living out your father's legacy."

Gilth sighed in annoyance, thinking, No matter what I do, I can never escape from Misa. I couldn't escape her in death, I couldn't escape her as a Shinigami, I couldn't even escape her back to earth. It's like wherever I go, she's bound to follow me like a dog.

Masi laid Knight down on the couch before she stepped back and stood behind Iris.

"How am I seeing you?" Knight asked, "I thought-"

"That photo you touched is a clipping of the Death Note," Iris said, "I tore off a piece of the Death Note and I drew a photo as realistic as possible to the one I have of Iona and I colored it in. I keep this locket with me at all times in case of an emergency and if someone were to touch the locket, they wouldn't see my Shinigami unless they removed the glass holding the picture in place."

Gilth tilted his head and thought, Wow, that's very creative. Drawing in the Death Note.

That settles it, Knight thought, She does have a Death Note AND a Shinigami but I don't think I should be worried. This Shinigami is no threat to me.

Then he remembered something.

"What do you mean 'live out my father's legacy'?" Knight asked Masi, "Who the hell are you?"

"Why I'm the god of death reincarnation of your mother," Masi answered with delight.

Knight's heart dropped to his stomach. His mind felt like a fire alarm had gone off as he took in the fact that he had both his parents with him in Shinigami's reincarnation. He calmed himself down when he inwardly said that his mother would never choose some random person.

No point in hiding it anymore, he thought.

"I am Kira," he declared proudly, "I, Knight Yagami, am Kira."

Iris forced her eyes not to widen.

"Don't give me a lecture on what's right and wrong; I know that killing people is wrong and it's a crime but I'm willing to sacrifice my mind and soul. I was chosen for this mission because I am the only one who could accomplish this. My father, who reincarnated into a Shinigami, chose me specifically to continue his mission. It's more than about fulfilling destiny, it's about making the world a better place for innocent people. Ever since I got this Death Note and realized it's genuine, I made a promise to bring light to this dark world. Anyone who gets in my way and stands in my path to creating that future will be executed."

He thought back to the kids at Wammy's House, Break, Roach, Maroon, Genre, and Grudge.

"The future that I foresaw when I picked up this forbidden object, I saw peace and happiness. I'm going to make that dream come true. The people cry in pain and anguish and I made a pledge to make that dream come true so they can cry in joy and happiness."

He regarded Iris and noted her slightly shocked expression.

"I promise, I will create that utopia for all." He held out his hand. "I want you to bear witness to me creating a bright and ideal world."

Iris said nothing but thought something.

He wants to create an ideal world and he won't allow anyone to interfere? We grew up in an orphanage that teaches us to chase down people like Kira and become the world's greatest detectives. Did Knight kill Iona after all? If so, why am I still alive?

She slaps his hand away.

"Did you kill all the kids at the Wammy's House?" she asked, "Don't lie."

Knight rubbed his hand that she smacked and answered, "I did."

Iris felt her heart nearly drop to her stomach. She dreaded asking the next question but it was inevitable. "Was Iona among the casualties?"

Knight didn't hesitate. "Yes."

If I'm not careful with how I pull off my next trick, she could kill me.

"You said that Iona and I were the only two people who were nice to you in the orphanage." A tear threatened to fall from her eyes but she held back. "Did our kindness mean anything to you? Did the fact that my sister stayed behind in the orphanage for you while I left to pursue my own life mean nothing to you? Did it mean nothing that we revealed our names to you or were you planning to kill us?! What did those years in the orphanage mean to you Knight? Did you ever care about us or were you just using us? Were you planning to kill us all along?!"

She slapped him across the cheek.

"Answer me, Knight! What did we mean to you?! What did my sister mean to you?! What do I mean to you?!"

Knight looked at her and massaged his red cheek. He composed himself before saying, "You and Iona do mean something to me."

She glared at him. "How can I trust you? The only person who knows Iona's real name besides Watari and I is you."

"But then how did all the kids die at the same time?"

Iris went wide-eyed.

"True, I do know Iona's real name and I did kill all the kids in the orphanage but how could I have done so if I don't know every kid's name?" He held up his wrist to flash his watch at her. "This watch, you got for me on my birthday the last year you spent at the orphanage. I never take this off except to go to sleep and I hold something dear in it."

Iris stuttered as she tried to comprehend this new information.

"It's better if I show you." He pulled the crown four times and opened the secret compartment.

There was the snippet of paper taken from the Death Note. He removed it and he showed her what was written on the front.

Iona Abernathy (Crossed out)

Iris

Iris felt her heart stop beating and the world freeze around her.

"I used the Death Note to control Watari into killing all kids of Wammy's House. I couldn't write 'Watari writes the names of everyone except Iris and Iona Abernathy' because your names would be in the Death Note and you would've died of heart attacks. I had every intention of stopping him before he reached your guys' names but before I realized it, he had already written down Iona's name. He finished writing your first name before I stopped him. I tried erasing it and scribbling it out but it wouldn't work." He looked at Gilth. "My Shinigami told me that once a name has been written down, there are no takebacks."

"That's right," Gilth confirmed.

Knight held the snippet close to his heart as tears began flooding his eyes. "I wanted to save her, I truly did, but in the end, I was too slow. I couldn't save Iona. She means nothing to me? You mean nothing to me? You and your sister meant everything to me. I was thinking about committing suicide because of the torment the kids put me through but your niceness saved me. I kept this clipping with me as a reminder of what I've done. What I couldn't do. I couldn't bear to face you, that's why I ran. I wanted you and Iona to join me in creating a new world where people don't have to be afraid of criminals, where there is no need for orphanages grooming children into becoming the world's greatest detectives."

He looked at her in the green of her eyes.

"I'm sorry about Iona."

Iris couldn't hold back anymore. All the emotions she kept locked up for six months finally came to a release. The dam that had been building up shattered into pieces. She could finally express how she felt.

Iona, she mentally cried, I'm sorry. I never should've left, if I was there, then maybe I could've saved you.

She touched her chest and felt the soft pounding of her heart.

It should've been me, Iona.

Gilth and Masi did nothing, said nothing, following the code that Shinigami are impartial third parties to a T. Masi couldn't help but subconsciously wrap her arm around Gilth's arm and rest her head on his shoulder. Gilth didn't resist.

Knight, Masi thought, I can't read what you're thinking. I watched you kill Iona without a second thought.

Knight, Gilth thought, You are the devil. I understand that I manipulated Misa's feelings for personal gain but to see someone else do it is something different.

After the two of them had cried their eyes out, they picked themselves up from the couch. Knight handed the locket back while Iris returned the snippet.

Iris stayed for a few more hours and waited at the table while Knight served dinner. They remembered in the orphanage, they would sit at tables big enough for at least four people. Because no one wanted to interact with a Kira supporter, Knight would sit by himself on a regular and Iris and Iona would both find opportunities to try and sit with him. More often than not, they ran away in embarrassment. It was nice for the two of them to enjoy a simple dinner without any biases getting in the way.

After they finished dinner, they had dessert. After dessert, they sat down on the couch and watched TV. After the clock struck nine o'clock, Iris decided it was time to leave.

Iris walked to the front door and placed her hand on the handle. She looked over her shoulder and at Knight. "I'm sorry about everything," she said softly, "And thank you."

"No," Knight said, "Thank you."

"For what?"

"For seeing me again. I'm glad to know that you're still alive."

Iris looked away to hide her blush.

"Spend the night with me."

Iris was so glad that her back was turned to him.

"Next time."

"Aww," Masi complained, "I just got to see my son for the first time and now I have to leave."

"Come over the day after tomorrow," Knight suggested, "It'll be Saturday. Come by my house and we can catch up."

"Okay," Masi had no choice but to comply, "I'll see you later, Knight-Light."

Iris unlocked the door and left.

She walked down the street with her hands tucked into her pockets, her heart rushing from her shared moment with Knight.

"What do you think of him, Iris?" Masi asked, flying after her, "Is he everything you dreamed of?"

Iris whispered, "I don't know what to think."

"What are you going to do? Are you going to join him on his Kira crusade?"

"I don't know."

"Are you going to try and stop him?"

"I don't think so. He saved my life so I owe him that at least." She contemplated. "Actually, I owe him twice."

Masi tilted her head. Iris sensed this and explained.

"On December 19th of last year, I was living with a couple who decided to take me in and raise me. They were my guardians. I was living in an apartment complex in Dublin and just as I was getting ready for bed, the fire alarm went off. A fire broke out in the apartment and the flames spread like crazy across my apartment. I ran out of my bedroom and the living room was filled with smoke but I found the front door. I tried opening the door but it wouldn't open. The door isn't the kind you pull but push open. I thought it was stuck but when I pushed it open slightly, the door was shoved back into place and I realized that someone was trying to keep me trapped in the apartment."

Masi gasped, Her life was in danger, just as mine was when I was human.

"I told him to let me out but he said 'no' and he continued to barricade the door. I was terrified because the flames were spreading to my position and I saw my life flash before my eyes. I thought that God was punishing me for leaving my sister behind to die in an orphanage fire and I was getting an ironic death but I guess God had other plans."

Not God, Misa thought, But a god of death.

"The man barricading the door suddenly collapsed and I was able to get out before the fires engulfed me. When the firefighters came the paramedics loaded the man into the ambulance, they told me that the man died of a sudden, inexplicable heart attack. Heart attacks are Kira's calling card."

No, Masi thought, It wasn't Kira who saved your life. The notebook I gave you belonged to a Shinigami called Pike. HE is the one who saved you.

"He broke his normal code of conduct just to save me."

If she finds out that it wasn't Knight but a Shinigami from above, what will she think? I've gotta warn Knight by Saturday.

"Do you approve of his killing of criminals?" Masi asked.

Iris still couldn't answer. "They teach us that Kira is evil but I know Knight, he's not evil."

"But he killed all those kids in the orphanage."

Iris stopped walking.

"I don't know what to think anymore. The world isn't black and white. There is no clear-cut answer. It's more complex than that, I don't know how to answer anything anymore nor know what good and bad."

Knight's Room

"I think we dodged a bullet there," Gilth said as Knight locked himself in his room, "You said you plan everything out when taking out the orphans, huh?" he asked in a mocking tone.

"I figured the kids outside the orphanages wouldn't be a threat," Knight tried to justify, "There was one kid I heard of moved back to his homeland in Australia to start his own restaurant. There was another who moved back home to Russia to become a music composer."

Gilth laughed. "You got lucky, especially with that snippet of the Death Note."

Knight touched his watch. "Had this not been on me earlier, then I would've lost. No matter what, I can't let her find out that I killed her sister on a whim. Chances are, she'll kill me."

"Actually, I'm more concerned about the fact that Masi is down here."

Knight looked at him with a scolding look. "Masi is the reincarnation of my mother, Misa Amane. Now I have both mom and dad here in the human world. The first and second Kira, parents to the seventh Kira. Given how Iris was aware of the fact that my parents were the first two Kiras and she automatically suspected me of being Kira, she must have Mom's memories implanted in her. Like how I have the memories of Light Yagami implanted in me."

"She's not as dumb as your mother."

Knight shot him a glare. "That's my mother you're insulting."

"Sorry," Gilth deadpanned.

Misa, you idiot, how did you even get your hands on a Death Note?

He inwardly gasped as his eyes widened.

Pike, that must be Pike's notebook. I remembered picking up his Death Note but as soon as I returned to the human world, it wasn't on me. Misa must've pickpocketed me of Pike's notebook.

He realized something else.

Not only that, but I now remember that Iris Abernathy is the girl I chose to do an experiment for. When Knight ordered me to rewrite a human's lifespan in Shinigami time, I chose Iris Abernathy because I knew her birthday AND she was being watched from above by Pike. I didn't tell Knight that Iris was alive because I didn't know if I was allowed to give such information. I know I'm not allowed to tell anybody the names and lifespans of people I see but to give out information about a potential target, to tell whether someone is alive or dead is a whole different matter entirely.

"I'm actually glad that Mom came to the human world," Knight said before taking a seat in his chair. "It works out perfect for me. The more notebooks I have, the less likely someone else out there in the world has a notebook. Only six notebooks are allowed in the human world at one time and I own three. I own the notebook I first got along with Grudge and Break's notebooks. If I kill Iris, I'll own four notebooks. And if I decide to kill you and Mom, I'll obtain your notebooks and I'll have all six notebooks in my possession."

This time, Gilth glared at him.

"Don't push it, Knight," he warned, "I can still write your name in my Death Note."

"I'm only kidding," Knight chuckled, "Iris, she can be a useful pawn. Maybe, I can convince her to make the deal for the Shinigami eyes and that'll make the Death Note easier to use."

As much as I would love to kill Iris, I'll find some use for her. While I'm the god of the new world, she can be my goddess, make a deal for the Shinigami eyes, and together, we'll rule this world. Together, we'll create the perfect world I've dreamt of, a world that Kira dreamt of.

His hair and eyes turned a dark red color as he stared at the sunset out his window.

(Cue Kira's Theme A from the soundtrack)

I will surpass my father and my mother. I will become a personification of justice. This world will no longer be filled with evil people. I will kill them all and if the police have a problem then file a complaint. I won't let anyone stand in my way. Not criminals, not police detectives, not the FBI, no one. Not even Iris.

He pulls the crown on his watch and unlocks the secret compartment.

After all, all I have to do is write her surname.

AN: This part might be gory for some so I advise reading this part with caution.

April 5th, 2031

NHN News station

"But above all," NHN guest Ren Hirasaka said to the news anchor, "We must teach that Kira is justice."

"I couldn't agree more," NHN host Kyouki Deguchi said, "They teach us that Kira was nothing but a mass-murdering terrorist but ever since his emergence six months ago, crimes had practically gone into free-fall. Without Kira-"

His freeze and his eyes went blank.

"What's wrong Mr. Deguchi?" Hirasaka asked.

Deguchi grabbed the pencil and stabbed himself in the hand with it. Blood sprayed from his wound and onto Hirasaka. Without missing a beat, he stands up and draws two kanji characters on the wall behind him in his own blood.

The crew working behind-the-scenes suddenly panicked and went rushing to Deguchi's aid but he had already stabbed himself with the pen in the artery located in his neck, bleeding out almost instantly.

The cameras stopped rolling but froze on the message he left behind on the wall. The message was written like bold words except for colored blood-red letters and spelled out:

KEIRI (刑吏).

Chapter Text

April 5th, 2031

The Police Station

Things were quiet at the police station, as usual, as everyone got to work. Work went on like normal despite the ongoing Kira investigation. This room was full of police detectives who did not have the courage to work on the Kira case but they focused on other cases, like bank robbers and identity theft so they can bring in criminals. They wanted to get to the criminals before Kira got to them so, in a way, they were fighting against Kira.

In the room that was prohibited to all but members of the Kira Task Force, the door was opened as Soma and Yamane walked through, holding mugs of coffee in each hand totaling to four.

Yamane closed the door behind him with his hip before he handed out a mug to Kudo and Hayate, who were sitting on the couch with a laptop in their laps.

"Coffee?" Yamane said.

Hayate accepted the mug as he moved the laptop off his couch.

Soma presented the chief's mug with a nervous smile. "For you, Chief Kudo."

Kudo put the laptop away before he accepted the coffee. "That's, Soma."

With a mug in their hands, the four drank their cups of coffee in silence. It was like this almost every day of the week: Boring with nothing to go on until they found a lead. Catching Kira was nigh-impossible considering that he had a notebook that could kill people from anywhere around the world and there's no way to trace the source. All they could do was sit in this small room, look over Kira's latest killings, and wait as they sipped from their coffee.

Soma, the youngest one in the group, got bored and turned on the television, flipping through channels until he would find something interesting to watch.

"I heard that Knight gave a speech at the entrance ceremony at To-Oh," Yamane said, "And he aced every subject with perfection. One smart kid."

"I wish I was there," Kudo said, "I wish I was there to see him give his speech."

"We could sure use his detective skills right about now," Hayate said before sipping from his mug, "With his brains, he'll surpass all of us as a detective."

"Then we must take advantage of this head start," Kudo chuckled, "And not let Knight eclipse us."

Soma stopped on a channel.

It was a debate channel with the headline written in perfect Japanese for them to read:

Pro-Kira vs. Anti-Kira

"Interesting debate," the host on television said.

"There's Kira debate," Soma said, "The Kira supporters against the protesters."

"I can't believe supporting Kira is even up for debate," Hayate said, "Kira's nothing but a murderer."

"This could be interesting," Soma said, "I know that I'm supposed to catch Kira but I can't help but listen to what the supporters have to say about him."

"You're inviting yourself to some false beliefs, Soma," Yamane said.

Upon closer inspection, it was revealed that the host, holding a microphone in hand, was standing in front of frosted glass which separated two groups of people. Their silhouettes were outlined with shadows and filters were used to mask their voices. With this, male voices sounded deeper and girl voices sounded like chipmunks.

"To those people tuning in," the house said, "It is a hot topic in Kira debate. Pro-Kira is on my right and Anti-Kira is on my left."

Anti-Kira: "Kira isn't a savior, he's a murderer."

Pro-Kira: "But people who lead good lives are being benefited."

Anti-Kira: "What about redemption? Criminals can redeem themselves."

Pro-Kira: "They shouldn't have to be criminals to redeem themselves."

Anti-Kira: "Accepting Kira as a god is utter nonsense."

Pro-Kira: "Children can grow up knowing no fear or pain from criminals."

Anti-Kira: "Kira's not a savior, he's just a grudge-bearing psychopath. In a matter of time, L will catch him."

Kudo lowered his head in disappointment. "It's sad how many people are on Kira's side. Not only that, but only a handful, such as ourselves, know that L is dead."

"We need L now more than ever," Hayate nodded, "I wish they would just open their eyes and see that he is a murderer."

Soma reluctantly raised his hand like a student to a teacher. "Chief, can I ask a question?"

"Wasn't that already a question?" Hayate mocked.

"I understand that what Kira is doing is wrong but at the same time, I can't completely hate him." The three investigators said nothing and he took this as his cue to continue. "I want to catch him, don't get me wrong, but I can't completely hate him. Because of him, crimes are starting to go down. I know that he killed those FBI agents and L and whoever chased him down but-"

"Soma," Yamane interrupted, "Why bother saying this if you're part of the Kira Task Force?"

"No true peace can come from killing people," Hayate said, "What does killing have to do with justice?"

All that was left to criticize was Chief Kudo. Soma looked at the chief with nervous eyes and waited for his input. The chief took one more sip of his coffee before he set it down.

"You won't hear any criticism from me, Soma," the chief said, "We're all part of this task force to bring Kira to justice, not discuss what's right and wrong. Everyone's entitled to their own opinion and I won't stop you from voicing yours."

Soma breathed out, exhaling with relief. "I thought you were going to chew me out."

"What makes you think I'm not going to?"

Soma suddenly panicked and sweat dripped down his face.

Kudo laughed. "I'm kidding."

Soma laughed nervously and rubbed the back of his head.

At least the chief has a sense of humor, he thought.

(WARNING)

12:04 PM

NHN News station

"But above all," NHN guest Ren Hirasaka said to the news anchor, "We must teach that Kira is justice."

"I couldn't agree more," NHN host Kyouki Deguchi said, "They teach us that Kira was nothing but a mass-murdering terrorist but ever since his emergence six months ago, crimes had practically gone into free-fall. Without Kira-"

His freeze and his eyes went blank.

"What's wrong Mr. Deguchi?" Hirasaka asked.

Deguchi grabbed the pencil and stabbed himself in the hand with it. Blood sprayed from his wound and onto Hirasaka. Without missing a beat, he stands up and draws two kanji characters on the wall behind him in his own blood.

The crew working behind-the-scenes suddenly panicked and went rushing to Deguchi's aid but he had already stabbed himself with the pen in the artery located in his neck, bleeding out almost instantly.

The cameras stopped rolling but froze on the message he left behind on the wall. The message was written like bold words except for colored blood-red letters and spelled out:

KEIRI (刑吏).

(WARNING)

12:05 PM

Pro-Kira vs. Anti-Kira Broadcast

"The world needs to obey K-"

The shadowed silhouette becomes silent all of a sudden like he was muted. His shadowy figure becomes apparent by standing up in the stands and freezing like a statue.

"Sit down, man."

The shadowy presents steps down the steps of the stage and into stops in front of the frosted glass.

"What are you doing, man?!"

THUN-THUMP!

The shadowy figure exhales softly before falling forward and knocking down the glass and exposing the identity of the Pro-Kira supporters to the camera.

The Pro-Kira supporters gasped and screamed. The camera focused on them as they made their haste to get down from the stage but by then, an unseen entity already made its presence.

A man who had been sitting in the front of the seats suddenly wrapped his hands around his throat and began choking.

A woman who had made a run for the exit opened the door, only to slam her head against the door.

A short man reached the edge of the stage and jumped off headfirst, breaking his neck upon impact.

"Stop," a woman shouted, "Stop aiming the camera at us!"

The cameraman wanted to obey but he followed on like a soldier, making sure to capture the faces of every Pro-Kira supporter.

Two people in the crowd ran behind the frosted glass on the Anti-Kira side and tried to hide in the shadows. The first man to hide suddenly jumped to his feet and smashed his face through the frosted glass and slit his throat on a shard.

The other one stabbed his hand on the shard of glass and wrote on the frosted glass for the cameraman to see before stabbing himself in the throat.

After the screams had silenced, the camera slowly zoomed out as the incident came to its resolution. The cameraman focused on the writing left behind on the frosted glass and made sure to capture what it spelled out…

KEIRI (刑吏).

The cameraman committed suicide a few seconds before the cameras stopped rolling.

(WARNING)

12:06 PM

Church X of Kira

The Kira Worshippers was practically a documentary concerning a freelance journalist recording the stories of Kira worshippers. The journalist, Yuri Ohashi, would go to churches built in Kira's name and she would record their stories on what it was like to be a Kira Worshipper. She wasn't necessarily Pro-Kira but she definitely preferred Kira supporters.

She walks into a church known as Church X of Kira and the sole cameraman follows her in.

"As you can see, this church is just as dedicated as any church is to Kira," she said into the camera as she scanned over the candle-filled environment. In the main room with seats, there was a group of followers sitting around a circle with the word 'Kira' spelled out using candles. They wore white cloaks and cupped their hands together.

"These are the Church X of Kira worshippers, let's get a closer look."

The cameraman zooms in on the group as they bow.

"Kira-sama," a woman whispered.

The woman kneeling beside the woman suddenly went-wide eye. The cameraman caught this and zoomed in. Before anyone realized it, the woman slammed her head onto the ground repeatedly.

The Kira Worshippers jumped to their feet in a panic. One of them suddenly jumped back and into a pile of candles resting on the altar. His cloak caught fire and he burned to death.

"Kira-sama," the same woman cried before clutching her eyes shut and looking down, praying with her heart pounding in her chest.

"Turn off the camera," Yuri shouted.

The cameraman obeyed.

12:07 PM

The Police Station

"Oh my god," Kudo gasped, reeling in the information like a swallowing a bad pill, "A public massacre, forcing people to commit suicide?!"

"Unforgivable," Hayate said, "Kira is getting out of control. A savior?"

"He's nothing but a murderer," Yamane scolded.

The door burst open behind them with a young officer coming through.

"Chief Kudo, there's something you have to see!"

"I saw it," Kudo said, "Kira committed a public massacre."

"There are three public massacres."

"What?!"

The four men followed the young officer out of the room where a police officer adjusted three projectors on the wall so that the entire department could handle it.

On the projector on the left was a public massacre happening on NHN news with the host committing suicide live on the air. The projector in the middle showcased the aftermath of the Pro-Kira vs. Anti-Kira massacre while the projector on the right was showcasing a live broadcast of the killings done at the church. Luckily, it ended with only two people dying (at least on screen).

"Oh my god," an officer gasped, "How could Kira do something like that."

"A monster," another officer said, "He's nothing but a monster."

"Forcing people to commit suicide on live broadcasts."

"And his own followers."

Kudo slammed his fist onto the table beside him and sneered. "Atrocious, what Kira did was unforgivable and proof that he must be brought to justice."

"Wonder what Yagami thinks of this now," Hayate said, "Thinks Kira must be so special now. With this, we can get him on our team."

"I'm afraid in this scenario, we are going to need Knight on our team."

12:24 PM

The Yagami Household

"Pure evil," Gilth said with disdain, "Slaughtering innocent people just because they believe in Kira, that is ten times worse than anything I've ever seen before."

He looked at Knight and waited for his input.

Knight and Gilth had been in Knight's bedroom watching the events of the three massacres unfold before them. Ever since he first laid eyes on the public massacre, the one that unfolded at the debate, he recorded the event and rewatched it several times. Then he found the other two massacres online, someone had recorded the massacres and posted them. Since they were uploaded on the internet, the gory parts had to be edited out for obvious reasons but he still saw what was going on.

"Knight?" Gilth called out, "Are you okay?"

Knight made a fist.

"Keiri," Knight said.

Gilth cocked his head.

"That's the name that was left behind in the first two massacres. I would assume that the same can be said for the last one but the cameras stopped rolling before we saw more." He stood up and crossed his arms over his chest. "It looks like a Shinigami brought a Death Note to the human world and it has fallen into the hands of an Anti-Kira protester, a murderous one with a strong prejudice against Kira supporters."

Another enemy with the Death Note and he's killing Kira supporters. Not only that but based on the message he left behind, he is going by the name, 'Keiri'.

"Any theories, Knight? You think it could be Iris?"

Knight shook his head. "That's a definite possibility but if that were the case then why didn't she kill me right here and now. If she was this Anti-Kira, then why target innocent people if she hated Kira for killing her innocent sister? Does she hate the fact of anyone supporting Kira?"

"Why not just write her name down?"

"I was considering that."

KNOCK KNOCK!

Knight turned towards his bedroom door and started sweating. He made sure the Death Note was secure in his drawer before he ran downstairs to open the door.

Standing there in front of him was Iris with a backpack and Masi floating behind her.

"Knight," Iris cried with a horrified expression, "I swear, it wasn't me; I'm not Keiri."

She called herself by the name left behind during the massacre. Suspicious, but then again, Keiri wanted to be called that in the first place, a serial killer name.

Remembering that she was standing outside his doorway, he grabbed her by the shoulders and brought her inside. He locks the door behind him before escorting her to the living room and they stand between the couch and the TV.

"How can I trust you?"

"I came here to give you my trust. I knew that you would suspect me as soon as you saw the massacre so I ran over here as fast as I could."

"That alone won't be able to clear your name."

"I would suspect you as being Keiri but what's the point of Kira killing his own supporters if he wants the world to lean in his favor."

"You, on the other hand, have a motive and a notebook. Until we can confirm it for ourselves, I don't think I can trust you with your Death Note."

Iris slightly panicked and her heart started pumping. "You promise you won't kill me, right?"

"I won't kill you."

It's a double-edged sword either way. If I kill Iris, the Keiri killings would either stop or keep ongoing. If they stop, she's Keiri, if not, then I've wasted an opportunity to get the Shinigami Eyes but I'll have four Death Notes in my possession either way. If I don't kill her, then she could be Keiri and kill me or she can make the deal for the Shinigami eyes and we can kill Keiri together.

"I just realized, if you were Keiri, who seems to despise Kira enough to kill innocent supporters, then what's stopping you from killing me now?"

"I'm not Keiri," she insisted, "I'm willing to help you solve this case if it means clearing the air."

"You and I grew up in the same orphanage. Teach me through by giving me solid proof."

How am I going to prove that I am not Keiri?

"If I were Keiri, then I would've killed you. I already know that you are Kira so there would be no need for me to kill innocent people just to get my name around."

Knight regarded her statement but was still skeptical.

"You know about the Shinigami eyes?"

Iris nodded, "The memories my Shinigami gave me told me what they were. Shinigami extend their lifespans by killing humans with the Death Note and they know a human's name and lifespan by looking at their face."

"That's right, and do you have the Shinigami eyes?"

She shook her head.

"How do I know you didn't make arrangements for the Kira supporters to die."

Iris panicked again and struggled to find the answer somewhere in her head.

"I'm not Keiri; in the second massacre, it was a group of Kira supporters who stood behind frosted glass. Someone in the crowd knocked down the frosted glass and exposed the Kira supporters. That's when the suicide massacre happened, with random civilians who supported Kira started killing themselves. Keiri clearly made arrangements for a Kira supporter whose name and face he did know to appear behind the frosted glass before knocking it over and killing himself; he needed the victim to knock down the frosted glass to see who was behind it. If he already knew their names and faces ahead of time then there would've been no need."

That should convince him.

Knight considered this and decided on an answer. "I guess you have a point there but I'll be holding onto your Death Note until I no longer suspect you."

"That sounds fair," she said, sighing with relief.

"And your locket as well."

She looked at him with a shocked expression that shifted into sadness. "But this locket is precious to me, my sister!" She held the locket tight in her hand, afraid that if she loosened her grip then it would slip through her fingers.

"How do you expect me to trust you if you won't cooperate?"

"How did I know you won't kill me? I know that Kira won't hesitate to kill anyone who stands in his way and I'm the only person alive who knows your true identity. How do I know that you won't kill me with the clipping you have hidden in your watch?! All you have to do is write my surname!"

"If you knew that I was capable of something then why did you approach me?"

"Because I wanted to be your ally, your friend!"

"I won't kill you but the fact that Iona is dead because of me makes me overly cautious around you."

"And the fact that you kill without hesitation makes me overly cautious around you."

Gilth and Masi both rolled their eyes and listened to this bickering going on for a few more minutes. Eventually, they reached the point where neither one could stand it.

"I have a solution."

Both heads turned in the direction of the voice and looked at Masi with a hand raised.

"Since neither one can hold the Death Notes, why don't you give them to a third party: Us?"

Gilth, although annoyed by the fact that Masi was clinging onto his shoulders, nodded. "That sounds like a good idea. If I hold onto Iris's Death Note and Masi holds onto Knight's Death Notes, all three of them, then neither one would be able to kill the other. Since I'm holding onto Iris's notebook and I'm not the Shinigami haunting her, I won't be able to kill her and vice versa for Masi with Knight."

"Though I would never kill my little Knight-Light," Masi said, adding an 'awe' to the end of her sentence.

Knight agreed. "Sounds like a good idea. The only drawback is needing the notebook to kill criminals."

"We will create a schedule," Gilth suggested, "I watch over Iris while Masi watches over Knight while he writes names in the Death Note until cram school. Since Shinigami can go fourteen kilometers away from the human they're attached to, we can go our separate ways until the Keiri investigation is over."

"So," Knight contemplated, "Dad is the Shinigami attached to me but he will be watching over Iris while Mom will watch over me."

"Neither one will write the other's name in the notebook," Masi said, "I think it works out."

"So I'll be holding onto Knight's notebook?" Iris asked.

Masi nodded, "And he will be holding onto your Death Note and using it to kill criminals."

Iris looked at Masi with nervous sweat dripping down her face.

I can't believe that Shinigami is Knight's mother.

She looks at Knight.

And HE is Kira, the man who's been killing criminals with a Death Note. If he really killed those three investigators that came to Japan, then that might explain why he has three notebooks, based on Masi watching over him from the Shinigami realm.

"Knight, I'm going to need all three of your Death Notes and any snippets you may have. Including the one you have hidden in your watch."

"Yes, Mom."

Funny, she's making me feel like she's my actual mother. Ordering around, setting me up with a girl, yep, she's my mother.

Knight went upstairs to retrieve his Death Notes, Gilth going with him, while Iris stayed downstairs and pulled her Death Note out of her backpack.

Knight came down the stairs with all three notebooks stacked on top of each other. He stopped in front of Iris and looked down at her notebook. Like the one he first received, it had a black cover but the numbers 'CADI-2510' written on the front.

They traded killer notebooks.

When Knight first held onto Iris's notebook, it felt weightless in his hands like there were no pages in the book.

The three Death Notes that Iris carried felt heavy. They were full of pages that had names written in them. Curiosity was starting to get to her but she pushed down the itch to open the cover to see whose name was written.

"Starting right now," Masi began, "I will be hanging around Knight's side. Since I can only go fourteen kilometers away from Iris, I recommend that both of you stay close."

"And I will be following Iris home," Gilth said, "Same rule applies to you, Iris. Neither one will write the other's name in the Death Note and we'll use it to kill criminals only. Once we solve the Keiri case, then I imagine that things will return to status quo."

"Trading the Death Notes is a sign of trust," Knight clarified, "We trust each other not to stab the other in the back and we agree to help each other during the Keiri investigation."

"So what's the plan, Knight?" Iris asked, "How are you going to find Keiri?"

Knight set the Death Note down on the kitchen table and with his back turned to her, said, "I'm going to join the Japanese Task Force. If there is someone else out there with Kira's power, then the Kira Task Force will hunt them down. I've already made it clear to the Task Force that I don't want to hunt down Kira but because of my skills, they're going to want to recruit me to bring in Keiri. They've done it before with Break, wanting me part of the investigation to bring in the corrupt investigator so they'll want me on their task force. They'll know I'll help if it has something to do with Kira's powers."

"And what am I going to do?"

Knight faced her. "You are going to be my accomplice. Your job from now on is to kill criminals in my place."

Iris's eyes widened. "I thought you were going to do that!"

"I am, I need you to kill targets for me while I'm investigating, that way, I'll have an alibi for the police."

"But, if you can control the time of deaths-"

"They already know that fact. Kira has to kill criminals as soon as they're broadcast. If I'm with them then there's no possible way that I can be Kira."

"And what happens if they catch me?"

"They won't catch you," he whispered before leaning in, "As long as you do as I say, they'll never be able to catch you."

Gilth and Masi chuckled.

"That sounds familiar," Gilth said.

"He spun it around," Masi replied.

Iris blushed at the fact that Knight was standing with his face inches from hers and she turned away. She looked down at the ground and her grip on the notebooks tightened.

"Killing people," she whispered, "I don't think I can do that."

Knight put his hands on her shoulders in a soft manner. He waited for her to look at him before he spoke.

"Iris, if I get caught, then they'll sentence me to death or life in prison. If I'm in jail or dead then how can I fulfill my mission?"

Iris looked away before Knight grabbed her chin and forced her to look at him.

"I understand that it is hard to kill but like I said before, I sacrificed my soul for the better of the world. I'm asking you to sacrifice your soul for me. Love requires sacrifice."

Iris gasped. "'Love'?"

He nodded. "Yes, I'm in love with you Iris, and ever since I found out that you were alive, I wanted to make this world as crime-free as possible so you and I can live in peace."

"Wha-What?" she stuttered, "But-"

"I do mean it, I really do. I've already sacrificed my soul for you, I'm asking you to sacrifice your soul for me."

"But, to kill someone, I've never done that before. I don't know if I can do it."

Knight's expression changed. Ever since he put his hands on Iris's shoulders, he had a soft smile on his face, a smirk tugging on his lips. But ever since Iris's last words, he suddenly dropped the smirk and traded it in for a frown. He sighed as he slowly removed his arms from his shoulders and looked away.

"I understand."

He starts to walk away.

What have I done? Iris gasped as she dropped the notebooks.

"It's okay, I'll just figure something-"

He was cut off when he felt two hands wrap around his back. He gasped for air in shock as he realized what was happening.

"I will act as Kira for you," she said without hesitation, "I don't want you to be sentenced to death or life in prison. I don't want to live in this world without you, Knight."

A small breath of air escaped his lips as his mouth opened. Seeing her hands crossed over his chest, he puts his hand to her hand and their fingers interlock in a soft and warm manner.

Iris gasped at the feeling and tightened her grip like a teddy bear, not wanting to let go of his warm touch. Her chest could feel the soft thumping of Knight's heart against her own and she cried into his shoulder.

"I love you, Knight," she whispered, her voice muffled by speaking into his shoulder but Knight heard her perfectly.

"I love you too, Iris," Knight whispered, "I can't wait for this Keiri thing to be deal with as soon as possible. Together, you and I will be saving innocent people and bringing a mass murderer to justice. I promise that you and I will be the god and goddess of the new world when the Keiri investigation is over. Together, you and I will create a world with no evil. Only nice people will live here. The innocent will never cry in anguish again and when we have kids, they'll grow up without knowing any fear or hostility. Imagine it, a perfect world for a perfect family."

Iris felt the blood rush to her cheeks as she thought of raising children with Knight.

It's been almost thirteen years since Iris first met Knight. They were both five when they met and Iris had a crush on Knight ever since he moved into Wammy's House. He was always scoring first place in pretty much everything while her sister and herself tied in second place behind him. She wanted to have Knight, to finally work up the courage to tell him his feelings but all that came to an end when she realized how madly in love her sister was with Knight. Not wanting to ruin the relationship she had with her only flesh and blood, she left the orphanage to start a new life and waited for Iona and Knight to turn eighteen so she could meet them outside the invitation. Never in a million years has she thought that she would win over Knight's heart just by loving him and being handed the Death Note, to begin with.

Knight's hair and eyes turn a dark red color as he smiles.

2:30 PM

It had been about two hours since Iris's visit and her taking of the Death Notes. He had gotten to work on writing down the names of criminals to die right now while also searching up whatever public information he could find on Keiri. He was trying to concentrate, shifting from looking down at his notebook to the television every few seconds. He tried concentrating but it was damn near impossible with the being standing behind him.

"If you have something to say, Mom, then spit it out."

"I am so excited to be working with you, my little Knight-Light," Masi squealed with happiness, "I've been watching you from the realm for so long, and the fact that I'm staying with you while your father is staying with Iris, amazing." She couldn't resist the urge to hug him from behind. Knight struggled in his spinning chair but decided not to resist. Instead, he touched Masi's arms with tenderness.

"Nice to work with you too, Mom," Knight said as he calmed down.

Masi moved her hand over to Knight's heart and felt it pound.

"You're such a big boy," she said, "You wash your hair, brush your teeth, put on deodorant, do your hair, everything about you is perfect." She subconsciously rubbed the scalp of his head. "Everything about you is perfect; You're the best of your father and me."

Knight chuckled before he scooted back to his desk and continued writing names in.

Ever since Iris received this Death Note, she's written nothing inside it.

He opens to the first page where the 'How To Use It' guide would normally be located. There were no rules.

There are no rules detailing how to use it. I'm not surprised since Death Notes typically don't come with rules and any that do are written by a Shinigami. She knows that if you write a name then that person dies but does she know about the extent to how much you can control people? Chances are, she'll probably be looking through the 'How To Use It' guide in my notebook, but I already had Gilth erase it for me. Just in case she decides to use the rules to her advantage.

He flipped through several pages.

This notebook is as light as a feather compared to my notebooks. If I were to assume for a second that Iris is Keiri, then it's possible she could've torn out the pages in her Death Note prior to coming here but then again, as long as Gilth is tailing her, she won't be able to use any snippets with him around. Not only that but she's only allowed to kill criminals being broadcast while I give her the order to. She can't even touch any of my Death Notes without being given permission.

But right now, my primary focus should be on Keiri.

KNOCK KNOCK!

Knight turned towards his bedroom door before putting his borrowed Death Note away. He made sure the trap was set in place before he ran downstairs. His footsteps echoed with every collision going down the stairs and they stopped when Knight looked out his peephole. He saw four faces that he recognized and it warranted enough safety to open the doors.

Kudo, Hayate, Soma, and Yamane stood there with serious looks on their face, none of them daring to smile.

"What's going on?" Knight asked.

"I'm sorry to do this, Knight," Kudo said, "But I'm taking you."

Knight's eyes widened.

Chapter Text

April 5th, 2031

The Yagami Household

"What do you mean you're taking me?" Knight said, keeping a calm demeanor.

Kudo realized what he said and slapped himself on the forehead. "I don't mean I'm taking you away but I'm taking you in."

The message was still unclear and Knight made that clear by shaking his head 'no'.

"On the Kira case."

Knight exhaled a breath he didn't realize he was holding in. "I was going to say..."

"I know that you're a Kira supporter but we need your help on the Kira case."

He cocked his head.

Hayate saw an opportunity and jumped in. "I'm sure you're aware of the damage Kira did; the three massacres. You can't possibly like Kira after this."

"You're right," Knight said, "I could never love Kira if he turned over and let this psychotic vindictive scumbag walk all over him."

The four detectives looked at him.

"That wasn't Kira." He thought it was obvious but apparently, they needed a little education. "Didn't you guys actually watch the massacre? The people who died wrote the word 'Keiri' in blood on the walls behind them or on the frosted glass. As we all know, with the kanji characters it's spelled with, 'Keiri' is Japanese for 'Executioner'." He stepped aside and held an arm, gesturing for them to come in. "Kira wants to protect innocent people so why would he randomly kill innocent people? Especially when they see him as a savior? Not only that but why didn't he kill them with a heart attack? Why did it have to be suicide?"

The four cops nodded before walking into Knight's house. They quickly made themselves at home and headed over to Knight's couch.

"I had a feeling," Kudo said as he took a seat on Knight's couch, Hayate, Soma, and Yamane next to him. "I'm sorry for intruding in your home but I hope you understand."

"I understand," Knight said, "I've helped you guys solve crimes on my time off and I've cracked every case. It only makes sense you'd want my help to fight back against Keiri."

"You make me hopeful of our next generations of detectives, Knight," Soma said.

"I agree," Yamane nodded.

"So am I going to officially become part of the investigation or am I going to be doing my own investigation?"

"No, we just want you to give us a lead. You're still a teenager and you just entered college. Focus on schoolwork and when you're done, we'll bring you in as an official. Right now, we just need your help."

Knight laughed and patted his chest. With the couch full, he decided to pace in front of the TV with his hands wrapped behind his back. "To be honest, I was already going to do some investigation of my own then you guys came." He stopped near the window and put his index finger and thumb under his chin. "To be honest, I do feel some fear."

"What do you mean?" Hayate asked.

"Keiri." Knight stared out the window. "It appears that he has the same power as Kira and on top of it, all of his victims were Kira supporters. I am a Kira supporter, meaning that I am at risk. And they all committed suicide."

Soma raised his hand and asked, "Does that mean you'll help us with the Keiri case?"

"I will. It's obvious that this 'Keiri' holds some kind of grudge against people who support Kira. No matter what it is, a person should not die because of their beliefs. No innocent person should be made a martyr." He turns back to them. "I'll see to it that Keiri is captured."

The four detectives exhaled in relief and talked quietly amongst themselves.

Soma spoke up and said, "We're grateful to have you on our team, Knight."

"Anything you need," Yamane said, "We'll get it for you."

"You're like the smartest person in the room no matter where you go," Soma chuckled.

Knight shoved his hands in his pockets. "I have a few clues as to what is going on but I'm going to need some time." He watched their shock reactions and quickly spoke up. "This is what I need: I didn't record the documentary or the other massacres so I'm going to need a tape of all three massacres. Not only that, but I also have to make a few phone calls to confirm some suspicions. After I come to a conclusion, I will hand over all evidence to you guys and you guys can investigate on your own."

"Is that all?" Kudo asked. When Knight nodded, he turned to Soma and Yamane to say, "I need you to obtain footage of the massacres and bring them here. ASAP."

"Yes, Chief," Soma saluted.

"Right away sir," Yamane replied before leading Soma out the door.

Knight continued, "I'm going to need at least a day or two to investigate. Come back on Monday after school around 4:30; I should have plenty of information after that."

"Understood," Kudo said as he stood up, "We need those leads ASAP, Knight."

Knight shook Kudo's hand. "I will spend the entirety of tomorrow investigating."

AN: I just want to let you know that Iris Abernathy is British. I decided to give her character a British accent, which includes slang, and I'm not a British native and I had to look up these terms so I am sorry if the terms aren't accurate.

April 6th, 2031

Difficult, Iris thought in her head, This is absolutely difficult.

Iris Abernathy had been keeping an eye on Knight ever since January and she bought a home once she figured out where he was living (based on Misa Amane's memories). When she was living in Dublin for a short while, she told her guardians that she was traveling to Japan and they gave her British pounds. She then traded the pounds for the amount they're worth in Japanese yen. Once she arrived in Tokyo, she bought her own home and secured herself a job. She paid rent and despite being underage and unable to live on her own, bribed the landlord to pretend that she was born on August 6th, 2012 based on her fake ID. Even the name she was using was an alias (Iona Abernathy).

The home she was staying in was a simple two-bedroom, two-bathroom house that had been collecting dust before she swept up. Since she didn't have a lot of possession, the place was mostly vacant with space and that's how she liked it. Nothing for her to step on or trip on. On the 'bright' side, there was a beach chair she brought and set up in the backyard under the sun.

Maybe a quick sunbathe will hit the spot, she thought.

She went into her closet and dug out her bikini and sunglasses. Reaching in the top drawer, she remembered that her borrowed Death Notes were taped to the ceiling of the top drawer but she ripped out a few pages out beforehand and kept them in her wallet.

"Going out for another session?" Gilth asked.

Iris jumped in surprise, forgetting that he was limping behind her at all times. She looked at him nervously and realized she was about to undress in front of him.

"Can ya please give me some privacy?" she asked, her British accent becoming apparent in her voice. "I think better when I'm sunbathing. It's why I got my nickname in the first place."

"You have a job to do; the Death Note."

"I can't just write down names," she exclaimed.

Gilth cocked his head like a quizzical child. "Why not; your instructions were to kill criminals being broadcast."

"Criminals being broadcast are still common but are starting to happen less since Kira's reappearance six months ago. That and the rozzers are more sophisticated with cybercrime. There's a security camera on every street corner, tram, and a dashcam in cars and buses. Not only that but the rozzers have tabs on all cell phones, making it a doddle to track people down."

I can barely understand a word this British girl is saying, Gilth thought.

"I was told to kill criminals being broadcast but I now suss if I only kill criminals being broadcast when Kira has killed criminals whose names were in the computer, then it'll butcher suspicious. Detectives might ask, why is Kira now focusing exclusively on criminals being broadcast?"

Gilth stuttered before he comprehended her reasoning. "I see your point but I'm going to have to get used to your British slangs."

"I'm sorry. I know I'm supposed to kill criminals being broadcast but I have to keep up the consistent pattern of criminals whose information is online fancy Kira has done for the past six months."

She changed into her red bikini once she entered the bathroom and out of Gilth's sight.

She came out of the bathroom with sunglasses and towel in hand, a blush across her face as the male Shinigami looked at her.

This is supposed to be Knight's father, she thought.

"Someone as smart as Knight might figure out that I'm a different Kira with a different level access to criminals."

She heads into the backyard, lays her town on the chair, and sits down. Once she was secured she lays her back down after putting on her sunglasses. She angled the chair so she was getting a direct beam of sunlight and closed her eyes and let the warm feeling of the sun melt into her skin.

That's when she got into deep thought.

What if the police look into who has been googling criminals and if these criminals died almost immediately after. I have to kill criminals but if I butcher hook 'em up, then the police might track it back to my dog and bone or computer. The criminals being broadcast should be cushy since they can't track televisions but web searches are different. How am I going to kill criminals without looking up their names and 'em not being broadcast?

He crossed her forearms over her stomach.

I kill criminals who are being broadcast, but I have to find a way to kill criminals without looking up their names. But how?

An idea comes to her mind and her eyes shoot open.

I've thought of an ace plan.

She gets out of her beach chair and puts on her clothes. She checks her wallet for Death Note pages and pencil then walks out the door with yen in stock.

She hustles down to the nearest retail store with a 'shopping list'.

Gilth limped after her. "What are you planning?"

If I'm going to talk, better watch out for the street cams.

"I've figured out a way to kill criminals without looking them up," she whispered, "This method can't be traced back to me, especially if I go to a store that doesn't keep records of who buys what."

She went into the store to buy food for her kitchen, sketchbooks so she can draw, and a couple of movies for her entertainment. She bought movies of various genres, ranging from horror to romance to documentaries. The last item on her list was a small TV about the size of a box for storing small items. Once she paid for the stuff, she made a beeline home and set everything up.

She turned on the big screen TV, set up the mini-TV in the corner, and put on the first documentary CD she bought. The big TV was set to a news broadcast station while the mini-TV was playing a documentary of Japan's most infamous Yakuza serving life in prison.

"I get it," Gilth said, "Since you can't look up people on the computer, you're going to kill criminals who you see in movies and documentaries. It's practically impossible to track people being killed through a documentary and wow, you really are smart Iris. This is getting very interesting."

Absentmindedly, she opened the bag of barbecued-flavored potato chips and held them above her head. Gilth yelped in excitement and took the bag of chips, grabbing a handful and wolfing them down like popcorn.

"Masi said you love barbecued-flavored potato chips."

"What's Masi's favorite human food?"

"I have a feeling you'll find out soon. Or at least Knight will."

Iris took her wallet out and removed a paper of the Death Note.

The only thing I can do right now is right down the Yakuza's name and hope they die. As for the criminals being broadcast, I just have to wait.

She paused the documentary on a Yakuza being interviewed with their name being displayed.

If I write his name down, I'll be a murderer. Can I really do it?

She looked down at the pencil and paper and felt her heart start beating.

Can I really do it? Can I write a person's name down, knowing full well that they're going to die?

Her heartbeat began pumping louder so that she could feel the vibrations in her ear. Her eyes widened.

She was surrounded by a pink aura.

If I dither Kira's killings then I'll be in trouble. I have no choice. If I want Knight to have a chance then I have to help him.

He wrote down the Yakuza's name.

This documentary came out two years before Kira's return so they shouldn't be using aliases or obscuring the criminals' faces unless they wanted to remain anonymous. Not only that but I bought this in the used section so there is no chance with it being edited and altered by filmmakers to hide the Yakuza's identities.

Gilth looked at the Yakuza and noticed that his name and lifespan vanished.

"The only real problem is confirming if they are brown bread or not," Iris said, "Or if they were alive, to begin with."

"I wouldn't worry about that," Gilth said. "Also, what does 'brown bread' mean?"

Iris looked at him before answering. "It's rhyming slang for 'dead', a slang in the UK."

There was a criminal broadcast on the news. Iris wasted no time and wrote his name down.

This Iris girl is very creative, Gilth thought, So interesting.

It was then when she remembered something.

Knight's notebooks are full of names.

She went into her drawer to pull out the three hidden notebooks. She flipped through them and compared the names to the Yakuza's name written.

Perfect, I don't have to look up names; all I have to do is look up the names on the documentaries and then see if those names are in Knight's notebooks. Thank god he didn't tear the pages out beforehand.

April 7th, 2031

After Knight woke up early in the morning, went to school, had himself a good afternoon lunch, he made a few calls to confirm a few things and once he was done with everything, he paced around the room, his mind preoccupied with his thoughts.

Masi was pacing back and forth with him, eager to hear what he was thinking.

"Did you figure anything out?" Masi asked innocently, "Knighty-knight?"

Knight stopped in the middle of his living room and looked up at his mother. "Plenty," he said, "I think I've learned more than enough about Keiri." He started pacing again. "Yesterday, I spent the entire day investigating over the tapes the police brought me and I made a few phone calls under the guise of Detective Asahi. I called the studio at NHN, the studio that hosted the debate, and the filmmakers behind the Kira Worshippers documentary. I have more than enough information to deduce something about Keiri that he didn't want me to figure out."

"Can you tell me?" Masi requested, "I know you're smart and everything but I want to hear what your thought process is. Please?"

Knight considered this request before nodding, deciding it would be better if he cleared his head before speaking to the police.

"The NHN Massacre occurred at 12:04 PM at NHN and the victims were anchor Kyouki Deguchi and the cameraman. The word 'Keiri' was left behind in blood. Only the host and cameraman died. The host, a well-known Kira supporter, was talking to a guest brought onto the show. I made a phone call and discovered that the guest was using an alias and survived the massacre. The host, however, was killed on live air. Any normal person would turn the camera off but the cameraman kept focus until 'Keiri' was written in blood. I also found out that the cameraman died off-screen after the cameras stopped rolling, suicide.

"The Pro-Kira vs. Anti-Kira Massacre occurred at 12:05 PM on the Kira Debate Show, on a different channel, with 6 Kira supporters and one cameraman dying in the process. Like before, the word 'Keiri' was left behind in blood. The first person to die didn't die the usual way of suicide as Keiri would leave as his calling card but a heart attack. The victim knocked down the frosted glass and exposed the Kira supporters. They all tried to run away but they each committed suicide in their own way. Two of the Kira supporters tried hiding behind frosted glass hiding the identities of the Anti-Kira protesters but they both were killed and one of them wrote 'Keiri' on the glass in blood. It should also be noted that the cameraman died as well offscreen and he was being controlled by Keiri since he was still rolling the cameras and making sure to get footage of the Keiri name. This all happened in a span of thirty seconds.

"Last but not least, The Kira Worshippers' Massacre, 12:06 PM, taking place at Church X of Kira with two Kira worshippers dying. Instead of taking place at a news station, this massacre happened at a church where people go to worship Kira. The documenter and her cameraman were walking around the church, getting glimpses of the place, before they recorded footage of the Kira Worshippers praying to Kira. One woman killed herself by slamming her face repeatedly into the ground while another worshipper set himself on fire. The cameras shut off immediately. Unlike the first two massacres, the cameraman didn't die offscreen nor was the message 'Keiri' left behind in blood and there are only two casualties."

Knight looked at his mother and a smile broke out across his face.

"Based on these facts, I can only come to one conclusion: Keiri is not one but two people."

Masi's eyes widened. "How do you know that?"

"My reason is that the three massacres all happened in a span of three minutes. NHN: 12:04, Kira Debate: 12:05, Church: 12:06. Not only that but the people in the debate massacre were all slaughtered when their names weren't mentioned but faces shown. This would make me believe that Keiri needs only a person's face in order to kill but if that were the case then why did the guest from the NHN massacre survive and only the host die, especially when the guest was openly a Kira supporter?"

"Maybe he wanted to spare the guest," Masi suggested.

"But he still chose a program in which the names would be displayed before him. He didn't consider that someone would be using an alias, especially a Kira supporter."

Masi silently nodded.

"And then there's the third massacre that really gets me: The cameraman turned off the camera before he could get footage of Keiri's name being left behind in blood. It had only two people dead. In the first two massacres, the cameramen were under Keiri's control but why not the third cameraman in the documentary? For this reason, I believe that the first massacre, the NHN one, was being watched by the Keiri that needs a name and a face in order to kill while the debate massacre was obviously conducted by the Keiri who only needs a face to kill.

Masi tilted her head and smirked in admiration.

"The third one was also being conducted by the Keiri who needed a face but there was a backfire in his plan. I believe that he intended to control the cameraman for the third massacre but something happened. I looked it up and Yuri Ohashi's original cameraman was in a car accident and sent to the hospital, where he's been staying for two weeks. Just after the Keiri massacre for the church, he suddenly kills himself by choking on a piece of glass. I believe that Keiri intended for Ohashi's original cameraman to be there but since he was in the hospital at the time, he was unable to do as he was told but died of suicide anyway."

"Wow, Knight," Masi squealed, "You are so smart; you take after your father a lot!" She wrapped her hands around him and pulled him into a hug. "So we have two Keiris to deal with; one with Shinigami eyes and the other without." She pulled herself away and patted Knight on the shoulder. "How are you going to find them?"

Knight turned his back to his mom as he thought of the answer in his head.

"The third massacre strikes me as odd because the first two massacres were public broadcasts while the other one was a live documentary. I believe that the two Keiris have a connection to the people of Church X of Kira, otherwise, why would they target it? If it is supposed to be a public massacre for all of Japan to see then why target a documentary? Either way, this person or persons are ruthless enough to make innocent people die just because they support Kira or so they can use them as tools, ie. the cameraman but they're obviously motivated by revenge. Any attack against a church or people based on their beliefs is an act of hate and this type of hate is motivated by revenge. Revenge against Kira."

Masi sighed before saying, "There can only be six Death Notes in the human world. You own three Death Notes with Iris owning one, totaling four."

"That goes without saying," Knight rolled his eyes.

"But there's also the possibility that there could be three Keiris."

Knight looked at her with narrow eyes.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Then his eyes widened. "The maximum number of notebook owners is six, but you are allowed to share pages of the Death Note with other people."

"Smart as a whip and only the owner can trade for the Shinigami eyes. So the possibility of the accomplice borrowing the Death Note is not impossible."

Knight shoved his hands in his pockets as he looked out the window.

The max number of active Death Notes in the human world is six but based on what Mom said, it's not impossible that there are two Death Note owners and multiple borrowers or one Death Note owner and a borrower or two.

He made a fist in his pockets.

Nevertheless, it's safer if I treat Keiri as two individuals but on my own, I am outnumbered. I had no problem with Break, Roach, and Maroon but only because they weren't sociopathic and they operated within the law. Not only that but they didn't trade for the Shinigami eyes. Keiri is a duo of sociopathic Anti-Kira protesters who have traded for the eyes. If they know how the Shinigami eyes work, then they might figure out that they can't see the lifespan of humans who possess a Death Note. And I won't be able to tell which human traded for the eyes.

He put his tongue under his upper teeth but didn't bite down.

And because they have a grudge against Kira supporters, even if I forfeited ownership of the Death Note, they might kill me just for supporting Kira. I have no choice; I have to kill them before they kill me but that goes without saying. The one vital thing I truly need to win is the Shinigami eyes.

He listened to the sounds of his heart bumping, the sound echoing throughout the house.

Am I willing to die sooner just so I can save my own life?

He shook his head.

No, I will not cut my life in half. If I die sooner then I won't be able to continue my reign as Kira. I WON'T shorten my life. The only option at my disposal is Iris. I will get Iris to trade for the Shinigami eyes and after that, I'll find out who Keiri is and kill him. If the accomplice is a borrower then Iris shouldn't be able to see their lifespans. I should focus on the Keiri with the Shinigami eyes.

He smiles.

This is getting interesting, a real game of chess, and the winner annihilates the other entity entirely and obtains all remaining Death Notes in their possession. With all six Death Notes in one's possession, then they truly are a living deity of this earth.

Kira vs. Keiri.

Chapter Text

April 7th, 2031

The Yagami Household

KNOCK-KNOCK!

Knight stood up from the couch and opened the door, already anticipating that Chief Kudo and the rest of the task force would arrive.

"Come on in," he ushered.

The task force let themselves in and sat down on the couches in the same positions as before.

"I've watched all the tapes," Knight said as he started pacing in front of the TV, "And I've discovered some interesting things."

"Anything will help us with the Keiri case," Kudo said.

Keiri doesn't know that Kira is working with the police so I'll use the police to my advantage. I'll tell them everything.

"Keiri wants a one-on-one with Kira," Knight said.

"That part is obvious," Soma said, "Anything useful for us to know?"

"Yeah: Keiri is a cheater." He noted all their bewildered expressions. "Two against one doesn't seem fair."

Kudo's eyes widened as he realized what he was saying. "Are you saying…"

"Keiri is not one person but two."

"What are you basing this off on?" Hayate asked.

Knight explained his thought process.

"The only part of his plan that did succeed was the debate massacre. Keiri wanted to kill everybody on NHN but failed miserably and the church massacre, a pitiful backfire, even for someone who has Kira's powers."

"Wow," Soma gasped, "Knight, you are amazing; No wonder you scored a perfect score on the entrance exams."

"So there are two Keiris," Hayate said as he leaned forward and buried his face into his hands.

Before the conversation could proceed further, Knight said, "To make things easier, we'll call the Keiri who needs a name and a face to kill the 'Nameless Keiri' while the one who needs only a face to kill the 'Faceless Keiri'."

"And they have no qualms about murdering innocent people. But I gotta admit, good work, Knight."

"My pleasure," he snorted, "I can't wait for these guys to be brought to justice."

"And what do you mean by justice?"

"I think we can all agree that both Keiris are evil; they're murdering people just for believing in Kira. These people, whoever they are, have a strong prejudice against Kira." He stops pacing and stares up at the ceiling for a brief second. "On second thought," he paused before looking at Kudo, "Everything we know about them, based on their views and targets, ee could use to our advantage."

"We build a profile around Keiri to narrow the list down?" Kudo asked.

"Exactly," Knight nodded, "I would start with the people part of Church X of Kira. Out of the three massacres, this one strikes me as odd because it wasn't a live broadcast and chances are, nobody would be watching but he did it anyway. Keiri targeted the church for a specific reason aside from just killing so I think we should focus on Church X of Kira."

"I could send an investigation team down there."

"And do wear masks; the culprit of the church massacre was conducted by the Faceless Keiri."

"That goes double for you, Knight," Yamane said, "You're a Kira supporter."

He nodded. "Yeah, it's better if I work this case from the safety of my home. As long as I don't go out, I should be fine."

Don't want Keiri to see that my lifespan isn't visible.

"But I want to continue to work this case; I won't stop until Keiri is brought to justice."

"That's understandable, Knight," Kudo said, "But this case is probably too dangerous for you. It's probably better you stay low and keep your head down."

"As I recall, Chief Kudo, you were the one who said you needed my help with the investigation."

"I also remember saying that we required your help to find a lead for us to investigate. You're still young and you're in college; enjoy it."

Knight frowned before chuckling. "Yeah, I guess you're right but don't hesitate to call me if you need anything. A little time and patience make the difference. But I will be conducting my own investigation in my free time and I'll let you know if I discover any breakthroughs."

Kudo stood up and shook Knight's hand.

"Thank you for your cooperation, Knight."

"Anytime, Chief Kudo."

"Knight," Hayate spoke up, "I have one more question before we leave: What do you predict that Kira is going to do?"

Knight didn't hesitate in saying, "The most likely answer is that Kira will challenge Keiri. Kira didn't hesitate in going after Break, Roach, and Maroon when they decided to challenge him and the current Kira's profile is practically identical to the original Kira." He pauses. "Kira isn't a coward and will most likely act fast before Keiri gets too close and kill him."

"So we can expect some kind of activity from Kira."

"Kira vs. Keiri," Soma said, "This could be exciting."

"This isn't a game, Soma!"

Soma rubbed the back of his hair. "Sorry, Hayate."

Yamane and Soma collected the tapes before departing. Once he was in the clear, he stopped pacing and shoved his hands into his pockets.

With there being at least two Keiris, I'm going to have to even-out the playing field. Two against two isn't enough; I need the Shinigami eyes. I have to find a way to convince Iris to make the trade for the Shinigami eyes. More importantly…

He sits down on the couch and rests his chin on his fist.

I have to come up with a plan to kill Keiri. Think, how am I going to lure both Keiris into the open? I also have to be wary of the police, especially if they're on the lookout for any Kira activity, meaning I have to somehow lure Keiri out without the police noticing anything.

He looked out the window.

Then there's the other problem: Iris. What if the Faceless Keiri spots her and sees that she has no visible lifespan? If that's the case then I'll lose my only chance to get the Shinigami eyes. I can't forfeit ownership, even if I wanted to. My pride as a Kira supporter will get me killed, even if I am innocent. It appears all I can do now is wait and come up with a plan.

April 8th, 2031

Unknown Location

Somewhere in the Kanto region of Japan, laid two occupants inside an apartment complex. The living room of the apartment was clean, tidy, and organized. The walls had their default white color and the couch was made of leather and colored brown. The fridge they had was a simple white fridge with various notes stuck on the door.

The occupant living there heard a knock on the door and went to answer. Nobody was there but a small box was left behind. The delivery man has already vanished from sight from the dimly-lit hallway.

The occupant picked up the box and brought it inside and into the bedroom, where there laid the second occupant.

The bedroom was a stark contrast to the living room.

The walls were painted black, there was a painting of Jesus being stabbed by Longines hanging over the headboard, and a shelf full of voodoo dolls with pins sticking into various places. On the dresser laid a deck of tarot cards and a red lava lamp. The bed had black bedsheets and gray pillow covers.

The occupant rested the box on the bed and opened it. Inside was a large holy bible. Opening up the holy bible revealed a hollow opening with two pens and two silver pocket watches. After the items were out the way, eyes were set down on what was hiding at the very bottom of this hollowed-out bible.

A Death Note with a white cover with 'Justice' written in kanji on the front.

The Owner had no expression on their face as they proceeded to open to the first blank page. There were forty-nine lines on a single sheet and written on one end of the paper was the word 'suicide' while the opposite side was left blank.

This makes things easier; I already wrote the cause of death ahead of time so all I need is to write the person's name.

The Borrower watches their companion with narrow eyes.

The Owner ripped out three pages and handed them to the Borrower.

"We had gotten sloppy," The Borrower said, "The only thing that worked out for us was the debate massacre."

"I agree," The Owner said, "But if Kira were to deduce that Keiri is not one but two, then they would have to be a god."

"This threw a wrench in our plans; we must act quickly before Kira makes a move."

The Owner sits on the bed and flips through the pages.

"We must send a message out to Kira to lure him into a trap. Where to lure him is a more difficult task."

The Borrower grabbed the deck of tarot cards from the dresser and shuffled through them.

The Fool card.

We have been careless, the Borrower and Owner thought.

The fool card is flung across the bed, landing on the end of the sheets before another is drawn.

"If we want to lure Kira into a trap, we have to pick our destination carefully," the Borrower said.

"I've looked at myself in the mirror," the Owner replied, "I can't see my own lifespan. That's how I'll identify Kira."

"That part will be easy but bringing Kira into a deserted place is like asking him to run away."

The Owner touched their chin and contemplated their next course of action.

The Borrower flicked a tarot card, The Five of Swords, through the air.

The card froze mid-air and the Shinigami held it up.

"Don't disappoint me," the Shinigami said, "What we are doing is justice."

"That's right," The Borrower said, "I am the embodiment of true justice."

The Owner grabbed the Borrower's shoulder. "We are the embodiment of true justice."

The Borrower looked at the Owner with narrow eyes before turning away. They then turn on the TV and aimlessly flip through channels until they stopped on a basketball channel. There was a game coming up on the 15th and tickets were on sale now.

A plan hatched inside their minds.

"The basketball game," The Owner said, "That's the perfect place to meet Kira."

"We could send a message to Kira, telling him to meet us there. Knowing Kira, he won't back down from this challenge."

"We've also made it obvious that I have the Shinigami eyes so he'll either meet us at the basketball game with some kind of countermeasure against my eyes, or he'll not attend. Either way, with this plan, we stand to gain even if he doesn't show up."

"Could you go over the plan with me?"

They went over the plan.

"Interesting."

"Our plan is not only to kill Kira but expose him of the two-bit scumbag he is. In the end, I'll forfeit ownership of the Death Note to you, which will cause me to lose memories. Then, you forfeit ownership of the Death Note, causing you to lose all memories. The Shinigami will take the notebook back to its world and we'll be getting off scot-free."

They grabbed the other's dominant hand and laced their fingers together.

"We are the embodiment of true justice!" they both exclaimed.

April 10th, 2031

The Yagami Household

It's been a few days since the police came over to Knight's house for a visit. Gilth was still hanging out with Iris and Knight went out to buy food for the house. His Shinigami mother made a few requests so just before he got home, he made a quick stop to the nearest coffee shop and ordered two beverages, both for his mother.

When he got home, he delivered the beverages to his mother, who accepted them with glee.

"Yay," Masi cheered, "Strawberry sundaes!"

Knight quickly finished up his homework before he turned on the TV. On the way home, he had gotten a notification on the phone that there was going to be a broadcast concerning Kira coming on Sakura TV.

The current channel he was on was a trial with a man being convicted of child molesting. The judge was Minato Natsuki.

Minato Natsuki had most of his face covered by a black mask but what could be made out of his appearance was his shoulder-length black hair.

In court, he was a tough judge with little to no mercy on the person being tried but once he steps out of court, he is a firm believer of Kira's judgment. That's the only reason he's wearing a mask covering the lower half of his face.

Even a judge agreed with Kira's beliefs, Knight smirked before flipping to Sakura TV.

There was a woman dressed in a white cloak with a black background, her head angled down as the reporters on Sakura TV spoke.

"We would like to let everyone know that we are hostages, acting on orders given to us by Kira."

Knight's eyes widened.

"Kira?"

Masi's eyes widened. "Knight, I can see a Shinigami!"

Knight snapped towards Masi before snapping back at the screen. "It must be Keiri's Shinigami."

"The Shinigami is whispering in that girl's ear!"

The woman looked up at the screen with nervous sweat running down her forehead.

"I remember her," he exclaimed, "She's from the church massacre."

The woman cleared her throat before reaching into her cloak to pull out a piece of paper. Knight trembled in trepidation at the thought of her writing on the paper and killing someone. But she just straightened the paper out and held it close to her face.

She read over the contents in her head before looking into the camera.

"I am a worshipper of Kira," she said, "I see Kira as my god and I will follow him to the end." She paused. "Kira, if you are watching, please note that I am doing this against my will. But I have a message for you."

Knight's phone suddenly rang.

"Hello?"

"Are you seeing this?" It was Chief Kudo.

"I'm watching the broadcast right now. Can you believe this?!"

"We're stopping this broadcast!"

Knight jumped out of his seat. "Do not do that! Think about it; she said she is doing this against her will and that she has a message to deliver to Kira. The only logical explanation it could be is Keiri. If Keiri wants to deliver a message to Kira then we should let him."

The woman continued. "I am sure that you are all aware of the three massacres that took place days ago. I came here to clear the air: The massacres were NOT conducted by Kira but by someone who possesses the same powers are Kira. He goes by the name of 'Keiri'."

You mean THEY go by the name of 'Keiri', Knight thought.

She looks down at the piece of paper.

"Keiri wanted me to read this to you. It is a list of people who are going to die, all of them are Kira supporters."

She reads from the paper.

"Shinji Hashimoto, a juror serving on Minato Natsuki's court, firm supporter of Kira, will kill himself by stabbing himself in the neck with a razor blade."

Knight switched back to the trial and a juror in the stands slashed his own throat with a razor blade. Where the victim got the razor blade from was beyond him.

Damn you, Keiri!

He switches back to Sakura TV.

The woman begins listing off other names and Knight checked each source to confirm the authenticity.

After four victims had died via suicide, she folded the paper and put it in her cloak.

"Kira," the woman said.

"The Shinigami is whispering in her ear, telling her what to say," Masi pointed out.

"I, Keiri, do not agree with your methods. You are not justice, you are nothing but a cold-blooded murderer. When I find you, Kira, I will kill you. You will pay for your injustice deeds and I will find you before you find me." She choked and started panting. "We both know that you face challenges head-on and if you agree to challenge me, then kill the messenger."

The woman's eyes widened and her hand started shaking. "My name is Murasaki Kagami."

Knight's hair and eyes turned a dark red color.

"It's the only way for us to communicate."

Masi could see the Shinigami smiling into the camera. She turned to Knight and studied his expression.

"What are you going to do?"

He didn't respond and kept quiet.

"Knight!" Kudo called over the phone.

Still no response.

After ninety seconds of silence, the woman spoke up again.

"Well, my opinion on you plunged by seventy percent. People watching this program, I invited Kira to challenge me to kill the other and he refused this challenge. It's an infamous fact that he'll kill anybody who gets in his way and the fact that he's refusing to kill the messenger and accepting my challenge should tell you something about your savior."

The woman stared into the camera as if she could see into Knight's soul.

"You're not god, you're scum, Kira. You're a cold-blooded mass-murdering coward and you deserve to die."

The woman took out another piece of paper and straightened it out. Once it was straight in a crumbled kind of way, she held it up for the camera to see. The camera zoomed in and focused on the paper and its contents written in bold but with neat wording for people to read.

Knight quickly took a picture of the paper as the broadcast ended. He looked over the photo before the broadcast ended, his pupils dilating, his eyes turning a dark red color, and the world shook like an earthquake around him.

Keiri, I'm going to kill you!

April 10th, 2031

The Abernathy Rent

The broadcast did not go unnoticed by Iris. She was sitting in the middle of the living room, watching documentaries and killing criminals when she suddenly got an update on her phone that Kira was making a broadcast on Sakura TV using a proxy.

This better be mint, she thought.

She flipped on the channel and watched the message speak before the people. She flipped through various channels to confirm Keiri's existence and once the broadcast ended, she was left with her jaw dangling.

Gilth chuckled before saying, "Things are getting interesting." He ate a potato chip. "That girl on the broadcast, she had a Shinigami whispering into her ear. I don't know Shinigami's name though."

Why would Keiri kill innocent people? I get that he hates Kira but is it really worth sacrificing innocent people who just wish for mint?

"I half-expected Knight to accept Keiri's challenge and kill the girl. I wonder what he's thinking."

Iris said nothing and let her mind race before her.

"The whole point of this goal was to humiliate Kira," Gilth said, "Make him look like a coward. He's trying to throw dirt on Kira's image. Knight must take care of him immediately."

If Keiri finds out about Knight through the Shinigami eyes then he'll most likely kill him. Why would he kill innocent people if he didn't plan on killing Knight? I have to put on my thinking cap. Think back to all three events.

She put the Death Note in her lap before she grabs her laptop and opens up a search engine. She pulls up the three massacres and soaks in all the information she could find.

The NHN Massacre, the Pro-Kira vs. Anti-Kira Debate Massacre, and the Church Massacre. Why did he choose these three places of all places? The Pro-Kira vs. Anti-Kira Massacre was to show off the Shinigami eyes, that goes without saying, but the NHN Massacre and Church Massacre puzzle me.

She pulls the Sakura TV websites before going over articles about its involvement with Kira.

Sakura TV is infamous for Kira spokesperson Hitoshi Demegawa but how come NHN was targeted and not SakuraTV?

She pulled up the NHN website and looked over its involvement with Kira.

Based on what I'm reading, NHN was involved with Kira through tidings reporter Kiyomi Takada.

She scrolled down a few articles.

According to what I'm reading, Kiyomi Takada wasn't chosen because of votes, she was chosen by Kira because he knew that she was a worshipper by heart.

She clicked her tongue and smirked.

This all makes perfect sense: NHN was targeted because of its close and personal connection to Kira. This means that Keiri was either around during Takada's time or he figured it out as he went along.

Then she thought of the church massacre.

The church massacre is more baffling. I don't understand why he would pick some random church. Keiri targeted Kira worshippers in a documentary rather than the tidings which leads me to Adam and Eve that he must have some connection to the church or the documentary itself. The Kira Worshippers isn't a show about supporting Kira but documenting the lives of those who worship Kira in church. Even the showrunner admitted that she didn't support Kira but preferred filming Kira supporters. This leads me to Adam and Eve that Church X of Kira has more to do with the church itself rather than the show.

Then something clicked in her head.

Wait a second.

She pulled up a Wikipedia entry on Church X of Kira.

Church X of Kira was founded one year after the original Kira's death. Its foundation was on January 28th, 2014 and the priestess is the oldest one there and the most devoted.

She rubs the bottom of her chin.

Hmm, Keiri targeted Church X of Kira because of the church itself, not the documentary. Only two people died, I bet more were supposed to die, but things must've backfired because the camera was turned off before Keiri could write more names. Not only that but one of the churchgoers set himself on fire. Suicide by fire is more of a hazard to those around you and the environment but they were able to put the flames out before it spread. Some of the church was set on fire, however.

There was a church that was set on fire just two days before the original Kira's defeat and the irony is Church X of Kira is the same church she burned down in. How much does Keiri know about Kira? He knows about NHN's personal connection through Takada and that she burned to death in a church? But it all boils down to one thingamajig: Kiyomi Takada.

A thought crosses her mind and she looks at Gilth.

"Gilth, how did Kiyomi Takada die? I know that she was reported to have died in a fire but how did the fire start? Was it a Death Note that killed her?"

"Yes," Gilth answered, "I wrote that she would commit suicide by setting fire to everything around her."

Everything clicked.

Iris felt like the world collapsed into shards of glass around her. Her hair and eyes turned a pink color as she jumped to her feet and the Death Note that was resting in her lap fell to the ground. She stared at the TV before looking down at the laptop, where she pulled up an image of Kiyomi Takada. The world started shaking and wouldn't stop until she finally got the words out.

"Keiri…" she whispered under her breath, "Targeted NHN because of Kiyomi Takada, targeted the church because Church X is the same church that Takada burned to death in, and Takada was killed through suicide and Keiri's calling card is suicide."

She made a fist with both her hands.

"That settles it: Keiri is connected to Kiyomi Takada on a personal level."

She let the sentence linger in the air.

"Maybe even a relative."

Chapter Text

April 10th, 2031

With Iris

I have to tell Knight as soon as possible, she thought as she raced to his house with her backpack in hand. If I'm too late to act, he could be in big trouble. I don't know if Kiyomi Takada had a notebook or not but what if Kiyomi Takada told this relative of hers about Light Yagami and noticed how there is a teenager with a practically identical name? He or she might target Knight and once he sees that his lifespan is absent, it's all over for him.

She stops at his door and knocks on it twice. When she was about to knock again, the door opened, except it wasn't Knight standing there but a red-headed man with bangs.

"Hi," the man said nervously as he rubbed the back of his hair, "Another redhead."

"I'm sorry, but who're you?" she exclaimed, her British accent becoming pronounced.

Knight appeared behind the man. "This is Officer Soma," he answered with a forced smile, "Part of Japan's National Police Agency."

What the hell is a police officer doing in Knight's house? she thought. She saw Masi standing behind Knight with a reassuring smile on her face.

"It's okay, these guys aren't threats," Masi said.

Without asking for it, Iris waited to hear Gilth's input.

"She's right," Gilth said, "These are Knight's allies."

Iris sighed in relief before stepping into the house and saw three more officers. She didn't recognize any of them with the exception of the old man.

Kudo, she thought, chief of the NPA. If these are Kira's enemies, then Knight's playing the 'keep yer mates close and enemies closer' game pretty close to the chest.

Knight introduced Iris to the officers before he introduced her.

"This is Iris Abernathy."

Iris nervously waved her hand, her opposite hand going up behind her back. "Noice to meet ya."

"Iris," Kudo said, "Based on your accent, you're British."

"Technically I'm half-Scottish, half-Irish, but I was born in England so yeah, I am British."

"What's a lass like you do in Japan? And how do you know Knight?"

Knight answer before her.

"I spent some time in England when I was younger." He wraps his hand around Iris's shoulder. "This one developed a crush on me."

Iris blushed and looked away.

"I get that but is she on vacation or something or does she live here?"

"Her sister passed away recently and she wanted to reconnect with me." He patted her shoulder. "She sure made one hell of an entrance; I thought I was going to be the sole freshman representative for To-Oh but she shared some of my thunder."

Kudo looked at Iris. "I remember you saying something like you gave the speech at To-Oh with someone who also scored perfect on every subject. Iris is that person?"

Knight nodded.

"Then that means she's just as smart as she is."

Iris slightly smirked.

"Come on," Soma groaned and grabbed the sides of his head, "Why is Knight always upping us?"

"I hope I didn't interrupt," Iris said.

"No," Knight said, "We were just finishing up."

"Yep," Kudo said before standing up and patted the lint of his knees, "Thanks for the assistance once again, Knight." He turned to Iris. "And it's been a pleasure meeting you, Iris."

Knight held the door open and waved the officers off. "Don't waste any perfect hints I practically handed to you for free."

Outside, the officers walked to the car, talking along the way.

"Where would we be without Knight?" Kudo said aloud, "I can't believe we're getting bested by a seventeen-year-old."

"He'd be invaluable if he was an official member," Hayate said, "We should still consider the option of recruiting him early."

"And my answer is the same: Let him enjoy life as a kid, enjoy college before he becomes one of us." He pulls out his phone and flips to the photo that Knight sent to him. "Besides, he gave us more clues leading the Keiri investigation."

"What's our next destination, chief?" Soma asked.

"Knight said that his suspicions for Keiri being involved with Church X of Kira are up 90%. That's our next destination. We'll see if we can talk to that woman on Sakura TV. After that, Ibaraki Hospital on April 27th."

The officers got in the car and drove off.

Once the door was closed and officers out of sight, Knight locked the door and faced Iris with a serious expression.

"We have to talk."

She nodded.

"I agree."

He leads her to the couch. Along the way, Iris noticed that Masi was enjoying a delicious strawberry sundae and smirked.

"I see you figured out Dad's favorite food," Knight said, noticing the bag of chips in Gilth's hands.

"Wasn't difficult," she responded, "Your mother saw your father eating barbecued-flavored potato chips all the time when he was a human."

They sat on the couch for a few seconds in total silence before Knight spoke up.

"I was going to call you when I was done but it seems that was unnecessary. Did you figure something out? Have a breakthrough?"

Iris shook her head. "A simple discovery." She opened her backpack and pulled out the Death Notes from a secret compartment in the bottom of her bag. "I've been killing criminals as soon as they've been broadcast but I've also been using films to look up the identities of various criminals to kill them. Like documentaries."

Knight touched his chin. "Impressive."

"That and I've discovered something about Keiri."

Knight's eyes widened for a brief second before they narrowed. "Do tell."

She didn't hesitate in saying, "I believe that Keiri is a relative of Kiyomi Takada."

Knight's eyes widened and a gasp escaped his mouth. "What?"

She explained her thought process.

He looked away and absorbed the information with a hand to his heart. "I can't believe it," he gasped, "Keiri is not only two people but one or both of them are related to Kiyomi Takada."

Iris tilted her head. "What do you mean 'one or both'?"

"Keiri's two people, not one." He went on to explain his thought process. "With this new information, not only do we know that Keiri is two people but one or both of them are related to Kiyomi Takada."

Knight looked up at Gilth and Masi, who were sweating nervously.

Kiyomi Takada, Gilth thought.

Kiyomi Takada, Masi thought, Not only does she steal my Light but her relatives are trying to kill my son. She cracked a smile. Maybe I can get my revenge.

Knight patted his knees before standing up. "This all works out well for us, especially if we found out some things that Keiri didn't intend. We know that not only are they a duo but they're relatives of Kiyomi Takada. This piece of information saved my life because even if my lifespan wasn't absent, they would kill me just for sharing the same name as my father, assuming they are even aware of who Light Yagami is and better safe than sorry."

"Kiyomi Takada had a brother," Gilth said, "So it's possible the two Keiris are her nieces, nephews, or cousins."

"It's kinda hard to pinpoint their exact relation but irrelevant. All we have to do is figure out how to find them and kill them. Luckily for us, they've been kind enough to leave us a hint."

Iris raised her hand like a shy schoolgirl. "Knight, what were you talking about when you told the police not to waste any investigations you gave them?"

"Because of my supreme intelligence, they come to me with requests to help them out on the Keiri case. Before I took the exams, I started working with the police to solve a few crimes and I've solved every one. They look at me like some kind of god of intelligence and even though they're not asking for my service, they're asking for me to give them a lead for them to investigate."

He took out his phone and opened a photo. "This is the lead they were talking about."

The photo was of the paper that the woman held up on the broadcast. On the left side of the papers were the numbers 13 to 17 listed and there was a sentence next to each number written in cursive bold.

13: You have 5 days to bring the notepads to the Perine Hotel.

14: You have 18 days to bring the holy bible to the baseball stadium.

15: You have 23 days to bring the cross to the basketball game.

16: You have 11 days to bring the notebook to the Ibaraki Hospital.

17: You have 7 days to bring the tapes to the NHN news station

"I don't understand it," Iris said, "The cops were asking for a lead based on this? I can barely decipher it."

"Exactly," he said, "This is something that can only be deciphered by Kira."

"But what about people who know about the notebook? If anything, this will attract attention to the Death Note being brought to the Ibaraki Hospital."

"True, but there is a detail in here that is 'exclusive' exclusive to people who are intimately familiar with the Death Note. The cops, they know about the Death Note but they aren't aware of the rules as much as us Kiras are."

Iris looked over the photo one more time. "So based on this and on my implanted memories, this means that Keiri wants to meet us here." She pointed at her target. "The basketball game. From what I remember, or what Misa remembers, a human can only be controlled for 23 days so by process of elimination, number 15th, 23 days for the basketball game is the correct answer."

"Bingo." Knight put the photo away. "But assuming that Keiri isn't that big of an idiot, he already has a plan in mind, even if we don't know to show up." He sighed before continuing. "Also, there is something I noticed: The numbers on the left side of the paper; why are they numbered thirteen to seventeen and not one to five?"

Iris already knew the answers. "Dates. Starting on April 13th, we have 4 days to bring the notepads to the Perine Hotel and on the 17th, 7 days to bring the tapes to the NHN news station."

"It's also a misdirect to see how smart we actually are; Keiri is trying to analyze us on an intellectual level. If we show up past these dates instead of showing up on these dates, then he'll think we're morons but if we deduced when we're actually supposed to arrive at these events, then he'll realize that we're just as much of an intellectual threat as we are a physical threat."

"He must've chosen these events so we wouldn't have enough time to prepare."

"That'll be their downfall. But we already know where to go, thanks to the note."

There is no basketball game 23 days after the 15th but after a good checking, there is only ONE basketball game happening on the 15th. Infiltrating these events inconspicuously will be difficult.

"Knight?"

I could forfeit ownership of the Death Note and make someone else the owner and keep the book on my body but if these people recognize me as the son of Light Yagami, they might kill me either way. I can't wear a mask because it's not the Covid-19 pandemic anymore and wearing a mask is like asking to be caught.

"Knight?!"

I could stay home but if I stay home then they win in proving that Kira is a coward. I could send Iris after having her forfeit ownership of her Death Note. That's the only logical thing I could think of.

"KNIGHT!"

Knight was snapped out of his trance and looked at Iris. "What?"

"Were you thinking of how to approach this situation?"

He nodded.

"I figured. You can't wear a mask nor can you forfeit ownership so I'm betting that you're going to want to send me instead. But when you think about it, Kira sending a proxy instead of himself does seem like an act of cowardice."

Knight glared at her.

Is she goading me into going? Does that mean she won't be going? Is she a coward? A fucking coward?

"I thought of a plan, Knight. I thought of a way for both of us to go there whilst outsmarting Keiri."

Knight tilted his head. "Tell me."

Iris laughed.

Step 1: We got to the store to buy some supplies. All the supplies needed can be bought at any dollar store, or yen store, or whatever it's called here.

Knight Yagami and Iris Abernathy went into the nearest variety store to buy all the materials Iris requested. They bought a four-pack of toy walkie-talkies for toddlers along with a few art supplies and skin-tight face masks with scotch tape. When the cashier noticed their items, he asked them if it was for their children, should they have any. Knight gave Iris a mischievous smirk before saying:

"Right on point."

Step 2: We find an unsuspecting target and we use him as our double. We both will forfeit ownership of our Death Notes to him but we'll have Gilth and Masi deliver the notebooks back to us. Combined, we have a total of four notebooks so we'll have to forfeit ownership of all four if we want our lifespans to be visible again Of course, we can hold onto two notebooks and then relinquish ownership the day of the game.

Knight searched through his laptop before pulling up a criminal. His name was Osamu Ibata.

"He's perfect," Knight said, "Convicted of multiple murder chargers but let go repeatedly due to a lack of evidence and eyewitnesses, ironic considering that he is blind."

"Will the Shinigami eye deal work on someone blind?" Iris asked.

"The rules state: 'Those with the eye power of the god of death will have the eyesight of over 3.6 in the human measurement, regardless of their original eyesight.'

"Perfect."

Step 3: We make our double make the deal for the Shinigami eyes. It works in our favor because with the walkie-talkies we bought, he'll be able to communicate with us and warn us if he sees someone with an absent lifespan. The toy walkie-talkies also won't have a record of anything spoken between radios and we'll be able to converse with him in a short-range.

Gilth and Masi flew over to Osamu Ibata's house with Knight's two red notebooks. Gilth and Masi both tore off a piece of paper from each notebook and made the blind criminal touch it while he was sitting on his couch.

"Osamu Ibata," Gilth hissed.

The blind man gasped.

"Don't bother screaming or I'll kill you. Even if you called for help, people will look at you like you're crazy. Like you, they're blind to my presence." Gilth grabbed the blind man's hand and shoved the toy walkie-talkie in it. "Talk into the walkie."

The blind man said 'hello' into the radio.

"Osamu Ibata," Knight chuckled on the other end, "So glad you're listening in. My name, you don't need to know my name. All you need to know about me is that I will kill you if you refuse to follow my orders."

"And who might this be?"

"Kira."

Ibata felt his heart pound in his chest before he laughed. "Why should I believe you? How do I know you're not a pretender? Maybe you're just some jerky teenager who gets off on pranking middle-aged men because your dad didn't buy you dirty magazines when you turned eighteen."

"If you want proof that I'm Kira then by all means I'll give it to you. The voice that you're hearing in front of you, the one with the deep voice, belongs to a Shinigami. Only people who've I've granted my power can see or touch or hear the Shinigami. In your case, the latter two."

"A god of death? You expect me to believe in that shit? Maybe I was wrong, maybe it wasn't magazines, maybe it was those drugs you snort through your nose."

Masi smacked him upside the head with the notebook.

"Say what you want but you're making a fool out of yourself you pathetic old man."

Ibata heard another radio going off but the sounds were muffled.

Masi, who had the walkie-talkie in her mouth, heard the instructions coming from Iris and mumbled in response.

"Ibata," Masi said, "Do you want your eyesight back?"

"A new person?" Ibata exclaimed at the new voice, "Is that a girl?"

"I'm a female Shinigami. Now answer the question: Eyesight?"

"Yes," Ibata nodded, "I want to be able to see again so I can enjoy myself eye candy."

What a filthy pig, she thought.

"Then let me help you. Do you wish to be able to see, even if it means cutting half the years left in your life in half?"

"What?"

"In order to regain your eyesight, you must agree to give up half the years remaining in your lifespan."

Ibata laughed. "You know what, 'Shinigami', sure. Why not. I will give up half the years remaining in my lifespan if it means being able to see what women are packing on their chests."

I hope he dies a painful death, Masi mentally growled.

"Very well."

Masi put her hand over his eyes. "Open up your brand new eyeballs."

Ibata opened up his eyes and screamed and scrambled back onto the couch, dropping the walkie-talkie and the two red notebooks in his lap lifted into the air and held up by two Gilth and Masi.

I can see, the blind man thought, I can see for the first time in a long time. But, how is that possible?

"You still there?" Knight called.

Ibata spotted the walkie-talkie on the ground and picked it up. "I'm here."

"I told you I could give you your eyesight back. Do you see the two Shinigami before you?"

Ibata looked up as sweat covered his face like raindrops as he stared upon the Shinigami.

"They are going to be watching you twenty-four-seven," Knight continued, "If you refuse to follow my orders, they will kill you and they'll take the rest of the years remaining in your lifespan."

"You mean... I really did give up half the years in my lifespan?"

"Yes. But you got your sights back in the process. What's better: Living a long life without being able to see or living a short life with your vision back? The choice is up to you. Then again, if you refuse to follow my orders, I will kill you right here."

"I'll follow your orders," the panicked Ibata said, "I'll follow your orders to the end."

"Perfect."

After that, Masi discreetly took the notebooks back to Knight and Iris while Gilth stayed behind, staring down at the criminal with a sardonic smile.

Step 4: I make a mask of your face. This may seem simple and whatnot but I like drawing and painting. I've won a couple of art awards back home in England so I'm good. These masks will be skintight against your face and painted the same color as your skin. You would have to look extremely close to tell it's a mask but most people won't know. Keiri will be looking for someone wearing a mask and this mask will go below his radar AND your name and lifespan won't be visible. In addition, assuming that they record us, then he might think that we're already dead, considering that he can't see anything floating above our heads.

Knight sat in a chair that Iris had set up. She had her paint kit set up along with a mirror to give Knight a view of himself. She took measurements of his face before walking out of the room to bring back a mannequin's head. Knight recognized this mannequin's head as the one that she used back in the orphanage.

She wrapped a black skin-tight facemask around the mannequin and grabbed her paintbrush.

"Based on the tone of your skin..." she mumbled before dipping her brush in water, mixing a few paints together, and began painting the mask. It took ten minutes to paint the entire balaclava and another two hours for it to dry before she took it off the mannequin's head and presented it to Knight.

A face mask, skin-tight and the same color as his skin.

"A literal face mask," Iris said, "This will give you complete protection from Keiri's eyes." She wrapped the mask around Knight's lower face and tucked the bottom of the mask into the neck of his shirt. There were holes cut for his nose and mouth and once it was secured on, Iris grabbed a few pieces of tape, which she painted the same color as Knight's skin, and taped them against the edges of the mask, and straightened it out so.

"Bob's your uncle!" she exclaimed. She quickly rushed to get the mirror and held it in front of Knight, whose eyes didn't leave the sight of his face.

"It doesn't even look like I'm wearing a mask," he gasped, "And it's covering more than half my face." He looked at Masi. "Can you see my name and lifespan?"

She shook her head.

"Name and lifespan are both absent," she confirmed, "My gal did a good job, didn't she?" Masi switched to an excited voice.

It doesn't even look like I'm wearing a mask, Knight repeated in his head, Keiri will be looking for someone wearing a mask or whose lifespan is absent. It's a double-edged sword because while it does protect my name and lifespan, it also draws attention to people with the Shinigami eyes. If I want to protect myself, I have to stay in front of a large crowd of people.

"I already did my mask ahead of time," Iris said, "It looks like we're done."

"Yeah," Knight nodded, "And I already bought three tickets to the basketball game so we should be golden on the fifteenth."

"I'm kinda excited," Iris shrugged nervously, "I mean, what do you think Keiri has planned for the basketball game."

Knight shrugged as well. "Your guess is as good as mine."

Knight stared out the window into the night sky.

Keiri, what are you planning?

"We have to be prepared for the fact that Keiri will also have some countermeasures against the eyes and that our decoy will be killed," Iris pointed out.

"True," he almost hissed, "But this is more than about confronting Keiri. I suspect that Keiri wants to humiliate Kira and we're going to pay him back in spades.

Chapter Text

April 15th, 2031

Saitama Super Arena

The second-largest indoor arena in the world offered the most protection that it could offer to Knight and Iris. It was bright and early in the morning, the warm air inviting people in for fun, and Knight nor Iris were ones to turn down such fun or any foods and confectionary that the stands had to offer.

It's chilling, Knight thought as he shoved his hands in his pockets, To think that Keiri is among these people. There's also the problem of his Shinigami to deal with. If we're lucky, the Shinigami is neutral but after watching the news and what they were telling that woman to say, this Shinigami is team-Keiri.

"This is my first festival in Japan," Iris said as she wrapped her elbow around Knight's arm without paying attention. "What do you usually do at such a place like this?" Her eyes snapped from one stand to another like a girl trying to decide which birthday present to open first. "Games, food, candy, it's all too much."

"Stay focused," Knight whispered. He noticed that some people were looking at Iris; It wasn't every day you saw a British woman in Japan.

"But I can't help it," she whined, "There are so many things to do here. Shoot basketballs, win prizes, eat candy, and there are even artists here. Man, if I could come here every day..."

Knight grabbed her hand. "If we come out of this in one piece, I'll take you around Japan and show you more." He leaned in close and whispered in her ear, "I promise."

Iris felt her cheeks flush with how close Knight was. She could feel his breath against her cheeks, warming them up even more, even with her skin-tight, skin-colored face mask on.

"Okay," she said with a crack in her voice.

Knight backed away after seeing Iris check her mask. He subconsciously did the same thing by rubbing his hand under his chin like he was stroking a beard.

In addition to the face masks, they dyed their hair a different color (golden blonde for Knight and chocolate brown for Iris) and put in color contacts (Brown for Knight and hazel for Iris).

After walking around for a short while, they headed inside the arena and took their seats in the stands.

Knight sat down with Iris to his right with food and drinks in hand that they bought from the stands outside.

The tickets they bought along put them in the middle of the stands, halfway up at the top and halfway down at the bottom and five seats away from the stairs. All irrelevant as all that mattered was that a large group of people wearing face paint for the home basketball team was behind them and cheering loudly. Some of them were shirtless and hooting like dogs.

Knight, wearing a buttoned-up shirt with jeans, reached into his breast pocket and pulled out his walkie-talkie and turned it on. He whispered into it.

"Ibata, are you there?"

Ibata replied backs seconds later, "Go for Ibata you bitch-ass dope."

"I see you got the ticket without anything getting in your way," Knight chuckled, "You should be grateful for me giving your eyes back. Otherwise, how were you going to see the cheerleaders?"

Osamu Ibata sat three rows down from the duo and he glanced down at the cheerleaders in black. There were still thirty minutes to game time and the staff was helping to set up while the cheer squad did their thing.

"Point taken."

"You know your objective: I want you to look around the arena. Anyone whose lifespan you can't see - the numbers above a person's head - you tell me immediately and describe them to me in detail. Keep searching around until you find them. If you do this, your safety's guaranteed."

Knight inwardly smirked at the last part.

"Roger, Kira-san."

Both parties put their walkie-talkies away. Ibata fulfilled his end of the deal and started looking around the stands. When he turned around, Knight and Iris covered their faces with their hands. Knight picked up his walkie-talkie and told him not to look in their direction unless absolutely necessary.

Gilth, standing behind Ibata with his back to Knight, moved his left hand to his back as a non-verbal way of saying 'good luck'. It was a form of communication they worked out before; a gesture with the left hand is to be looked at with positive intent or 'yes' while a gesture with the right hand is mean to be looked at with a pessimistic intent or 'no'.

Don't want Keiri's Shinigami to catch me looking in Knight's direction, Gilth thought.

Knight and Iris shifted uncomfortably in their seat, both arching their backs off the seats.

We gave up ownership of our last two Death Notes to Ibata before we came here, Iris thought, We're holding onto notebooks that Ibata owns by pressing them against the small of our backs with a corset.

This corset's tighter than I thought, Knight thought.

After thirty minutes, the game started. Basketball players came running out in their uniforms, a bear-like mascot came running out and into the stands and running up and down the stairs, doing comical gestures and earning a few laughs. The stands became crowded and more people were filling in the seats. People selling food were coming up and down the stairs, yelling out snack titles but Knight decided not to buy any.

The home team playing was a relatively fresh one, being formed back in 2029 but already left a lasting impression. They were called the Shintoshin Arachnids and their team color was black.

The game started without any interference.

The game went on for an hour with each basketball team keeping the other on their toes. Whenever one team scored, the second team would score the next dribble. Every so often, out of boredom mostly, Knight would radio Ibata and ask him if he spotted anything. The answer would also be no and Gilth would touch his back with his right hand as a nonverbal way of saying no as well.

As much as I love basketball, this is getting boring, Knight thought, So dull and boring. Maybe Keiri really did intend for Kira to meet somewhere else or-

THUN-THUMP!

Knight's eyes widened.

An Arachnid collapsed in the middle of the court, holding his chest and spasming before he stopped. Once the referees saw this, they blew the whistle and called for a medical team.

They called for a defibrillator but their attempts were futile, even with the device set to the highest setting.

There's no doubt, Knight thought as sweat dripped down his face, Keiri is here and he killed the basketball player.

THUN-THUMP!

A second Arachnid collapsed before the defibrillator could be set up for the first person.

THUN-THUMP!

A third Arachnid went down.

It was at this time that the crowd started screaming. The basketball players quickly hid their faces and some of them laid down on the ground in a fetal position, using their knees to cover their faces.

"It's Kira!" someone shouted from the stands.

"Why is Kira killing us?!" another shouted.

The mascot, who had been running up the stands, froze in place, not bothering to do any comical gestures anymore.

The crowd stood from their seats and tried running before the main screen, the one to display the game, turned white with static. It drew their attention like a moth to the flame. After a few seconds, the screen stopped crackling, a white background appeared on the screen with red words displayed before them. It looked like words were written in blood on a white wall but the message could be read by a far-sighted person.

I AM KEIRI

The crowd panicked and started murmuring before the screen went static before returning to the white background with a new message.

I WILL STOP THIS KILLING ON ONE CONDITION

Static.

KIRA SHOW YOURSELF

"What?" someone exclaimed, "Kira is in the crowd?"

Knight and Iris felt their hearts racing like it was trying to outrun a pack of wolves.

KIRA IS AMONG YOU IN THE CROWD IF YOU CARE ABOUT JUSTICE KIRA THEN SHOW YOURSELF

Knight and Iris stayed still and stared up at the screen. Thirty seconds later, a new message popped up.

COWARD KIRA

Knight's hand was wrapped around Iris's soft hand and he began squeezing it

That's what your plan is, Knight thought, This is part of your plan of trying to make Kira look like a despicable coward. I can see how this would work, even if I didn't show up.

IF YOU DONT SHOW YOURSELF I'LL DO THIS

One of the dead basketball players started rising into the air. The corpse's arms were spread out like wings as it ascended up into the air and once it reached fifty feet above the ground, the main screen caught footage of the dead basketball player as he suddenly fell to the ground, landing headfirst splat into the ground and spraying brain matter and red bodily fluids across the floor.

The crowd screamed, parents hid the sight from their children's eyes and some people vomited.

Gilth had seen Keiri's Shinigami lift the dead man into the air and drop him and he sneered.

Iris was one of the people who vomited near Knight's shoes.

EXCEPT TO A LIVING PERSON

The people working there ran into the camera room only to find it locked and the chances of it being unlocked from the inside were slim to none, considering that everyone in the room had committed suicide.

YOU SEE THIS PEOPLE KIRA IS SACRIFICING YOUR LIVES TO SAVE HIS OWN SKIN

HES A COWARD HOW CAN YOU WORSHIP HIM

How fucking dare you, Keiri, Knight growled.

"Wait!" someone in the stands screamed, "Stop this; I am Kira!"

The crowd turned to the people in the front of the stands. It was a young man with chin-length brown hair and pale skin. He had an Arachnid jersey on and slowly descended down the steps and onto the court.

"I am Kira," the man shouted to the big screen, "Please. Don't kill any more people."

With the Borrower

The Borrower sat on their leather couch with the TV turned on at medium volume. They had the notebook laid out on their lap with over a dozen names written along with instructions. This was the next part of the plan.

The Borrower turned to one page and read over it.

Eijiro Chida - Suicide, April 15th, 2031, 11:54 AM. Announces in fear that he is 'Kira' before he smashes his head against the wall until he dies.

All according to plan, the Borrower thought.

Back at the game

LIAR NOW COMMIT SUICIDE

The man's eyes went wide before he ran to the closest wall at full force, angling his head down so that when he hit the concrete wall, it would crack his skull. After the first hit, his blood was drenched in his blood but he kept bashing his face into the concrete wall until he staggered back and dropped dead.

The crowd winced and looked away.

DONT BE A HERO AND STAND UP FOR THIS COWARD

WILL THE REAL KIRA PLEASE SHOW THEMSELVES

No one stepped up. Everyone stayed huddled in their chairs and covered their faces. Iris put her head down in Knight's lap while he covered her head with his chest. He covered his face with his arm but kept a gaze forward.

Like us, Keiri has a decoy but his decoy was to make Kira look bad.

He spots the still-alive Ibata, not even bothering to put his head down.

Why aren't they doing anything to Ibata? If they want to kill Kira then why aren't they doing anything?

He looked around the arena to assess the damage. The basketball players were still lying on the ground in fetal positions. The medical team had come equipped with face masks prior to arriving so they used this to their advantaged and attended to the downed players. Everyone else was doing their best to hide their faces behind the chairs in front of them, in their shirts, or if they were desperate enough, in their buckets of popcorn.

As long as we're still wearing our masks, we should be safe, Knight thought.

WOW A MAN JUST DIED FOR KIRA AND HES WILLING TO LET THIS MAN DIE IN VAIN

TELLS YOU A LOT ABOUT KIRA

WHY WORSHIP THIS SICK FUCK

HES NO GOD

Knight's hair and eyes turned a dark red color.

Even if Kira didn't show up, there's no doubt the Faceless Keiri would've shown up regardless to scout for people's names and lifespans. At the very least, the Faceless Keiri is someone in the crowd while the Nameless Keiri is the one working behind the scenes.

He looked at the dead basketball players.

Given how these basketball players are well-known, neither Keiri had to look up their name, only if they were Kira supporters. As for the man, I doubt he stood upon his own free will; the messages left behind look like they were pictures taken before being displayed so his name must've been punched into the notebook beforehand and he was ordered to pretend to sacrifice himself. Keiri's going all out to make Kira look bad.

Iris, while shaking like a leaf under Knight's chest, twitched her fingers involuntarily and suddenly felt cold, wanting to outside into the warm sun.

Her hair and eyes turn pink.

Keiri is here, she thought, There's no doubt about that. If Keiri was trying to scope us out for a lack of lifespans then he would need to get a good look at everyone present. If I was Keiri, what would I do? Why did I choose this place to begin with? Why not the news where I've made my massacres public before? What is my motive and what am I getting out of this?

A thought crosses her mind and she almost jumped out of her seat but was kept in place by Knight's weight.

It's because I have easy access to this place.

She thought back to the big screen.

I, Keiri, have taken over the broadcast room and the people who are broadcasting this game aren't known to the public, meaning I have to be someone who knows the names and faces of the people working the big screen. Which means I'm someone who works here. I work here but if I were Keiri, I would also take measures to hide my face from Kira in case he had the Shinigami eyes but I also want to make sure I'm able to seek out Kira with my Shinigami eyes.

She clenched her fists.

So I am an employee working here, keeping my face concealed while also seeking out Kira. Who could I be?

Her eyes widen.

She turns her head slightly, despite Knight covering her head, and saw the bear mascot clutching the railing in the middle of the stairs three rows down, staring intently at Ibata.

The mascot is the Keiri with the Shinigami eyes.

Back with The Borrower

The Borrower was getting an update on their computer. According to the webcam that the Owner had planted in the mask of the bear costume, positioned so it was staring out the right eyehole, the Owner had their eyes set on a fat man with black facial hair and greasy hair with a bald spot in the back of his head.

The Owner whispered on the webcam, "Osamu Ibata. Spelled O-S-A-M-U I-B-A-T-A. Absent lifespan."

"Very well," the Borrower replied, "Does he have the Shinigami eyes?"

"Can't tell."

The Borrower wrote in the Death Note.

Osamu Ibata - Suicide, April 15th, 2031, 11:57 AM - Publically announces his connection with the Death Note before he commits suicide one minute before midnight.

Back at the arena

11:56 AM

"Wait," Ibata shouted as he stood up, "I know about Kira!"

Civilians turned towards him.

"Liar," someone screamed.

"Don't do this!" another person cried.

"No, it's true!" Ibata insisted. "I can tell you everything about him!"

What the hell is going on? Knight and Iris panicked, Is he-

DO TELL

11:57 AM

Ibata's eyes widened as he silenced himself.

What's going on? Knight and Iris asked.

Ibata stepped out of the stands and started walking down the stairs. He took out a pencil from his shirt and held it in front of his neck. Once he was at the last step, he stopped and leaned forward. He landed on top of the pencil with the sharp part piercing him in the neck. He quickly removed the knife and started screamed as a fountain of blood sprayed the floor around him. Even as the paramedics came to help, he flopped around the ground like a fish before he tired himself out and eyes rolled to the back of his skull.

The screen just went static this time. There was no response from Keiri, no insult made to Kira about how he is a disgrace to society, nothing but the sounds of the screen crackling.

Knight cracked a smile.

Just as Iris and I planned; a deal for the Shinigami eyes is what prevented him from being controlled by the Death Note. Keiri wasn't expecting this, which is why there's no new message. My mission to humiliate Keiri is complete and with Ibata dead, we're the owners once again.

With the Borrower

"What the fuck?!" the Borrower exclaimed, "Why didn't Ibata announce his relationship to Kira? What the fuck?" They threw the notebook to the ground before picking it up and ripping a page out. The Borrower tries writing the same thing in the notebook, even though they're aware that Ibata's already dead. Giving up, they throw the pen and notebook across the ground, the rage bubbling up inside of them, erupting to a bust as they let out a loud...

"AHHHHHHHHHHH!"

Back at the stadium

12:07 PM

After ten minutes, the police finally arrived at the scene. Since there was no latest message from Keiri, everyone made bail on the arena. The basketball players on the court ran away for the locker rooms while the people in the stands began clearing out. They kept their faces concealed and ran for all exits. Knight took Iris by the hand and escorted her out of the arena like the knight in shining armor he was. Once they made it through the first door and blended into the crowd of people, they spotted a camera on the ceiling above them and quickly avert their faces. Better safe than sorry.

Even if their faces were on camera, no one would recognize them and Keiri would assume they are dead from their lack of names and lifespans floating above their head.

Gilth retrieved Ibata's walkie-talkie as quickly as possible and flew out of there.

Back in the arena, despite it being cleared out, there was one person who remained. The person in the mascot costume stared down at Ibata with the bloody pencil near his head. The mascot clutched the railing like they were trying to hold on for dear life before they let out a scream.

The sound the scream made sounded like a mix between a chainsaw revving up and nails against a chalkboard and echoed throughout the stadium. The scream dragged on for what felt like forever before it died out.

The mascot scurried out of there, running out of sight and the arena was left with five corpses on the ground.

But it was not left without silence.

The screen was still crackling with static like an old TV with bunny ears. Had anybody been in the stadium, they would've gone crazy from the persistent crackling, like it was trying to draw an animal to its position so it could strike.

Then the static ceased like a light shut off and a new message popped up in red.

DIE KIRA!

Chapter Text

April 15th, 2031

The Shinigami Realm

Hurte didn't waste any time running for his life. He would've used his wings to fly but he was too lazy too. He didn't know what was hunting him but Pike, Grudge, and Grem were all dead. If he wanted to be the sole survivor, he had to get as far away from the portal to the human world as possible. He kept running until he stumbled onto a group of four Shinigami.

"Guys," Hurte panted, "I know this may seem random but can I hang out with you for the rest of my life?"

The four Shinigami were Deridovely, Gook, Zellogi, and Daril Ghiroza.

Deridovely spoke up, "What's wrong with your group; getting tired of them?"

"My entire group is gone," Hurte panicked, "Grudge, Grem, Pike, they're all dead and I'm afraid I'll be next."

"You're fine ya idiot," Zellogi said, "As long as you don't slack off on writing names down, you'll live forever."

"Tell that to Grudge, Grem, and Pike."

The four Shinigami looked at him with bewilderment.

"Pike was the first to die, then Grudge, and then Grem. All of their notebooks are in the human world now and since there can only be six Death Notes in the human world, there's a chance I could die and my notebook could be dropped to earth. I don't want to die."

Daril Ghiroza chuckled, "I didn't know you were so scared of humans." She let that sentence linger before she continued. "Then again, I've seen a few humans up close to know that they can be scary." She began stacking a pile of human skeletons in front of her.

Hurte looked at the female Shinigami and his eyes widened. He stared at her for a few seconds before rubbing the back of his head. "Hi," he said sheepishly, "I'm Hurte."

"Where?"

The Shinigami laughed. "I get it, my name is pronounced as 'hurt'."

Deridovely, Gook and Zellogi looked at Hurte with their heads shaking.

"Weren't you saying something?" Deridovely nearly snapped.

Hurte snapped out of his schoolboy crush fantasy and turned back to the three Shinigami. "Right, I was hoping to stay with you guys until there is a sixth Death Note in the human world."

"I gotta say," Gook began, "Shinigami dropping their notebooks in the human world is utterly ridiculous. What's the point?"

"Grudge dropped his because he wanted to bond to a human. From what I gathered, he died protecting his human companion but it was in vain because his companion ended up killed."

"What about Pike?"

"I don't know too many details but from what I can infer, he wrote down a human's name, broke a rule somehow, and he died."

"What rule is that?"

Hurte shrugged.

"And what about Grem?"

"Grem..." he nervously licked his lips, "He's been dead for a month. When I was going to play a game of cards with him, he dropped over dead suddenly and turned into a pile of sand and dust. Then this one Shinigami, one of the new ones, picked it up and took it with 'em to the human world."

"Wow," Deridovely sighed, "Pike and Grudge died because of a human and Grem's lifespan expired. If you truly care about your life, I suggest you write down the names of three humans."

"That's another thing: Humans! This whole thing started when that new guy, the one with the goggles and tie around his head, dropped a notebook to the human world. His human companion is using a Death Note to drop humans, just like when Ryuk dropped the late Sidoh's notebook to the human world."

"I'm glad I'm not the only one who noticed that," Zellogi said, "Humans are dropping from heart attacks on a daily. If this keeps up, all the humans are going to die!"

"No need to worry," Hurte chuckled, "Unlike us gods of death, there are over seven billion humans; one man with a notebook can't kill all, especially since the Death Note can't be used on humans under 780 days old or over 124 years of age. What I'm concerned about is being the last of my group to die off."

Deridovely's eyes rolled to the back of his skulls before he pulled out a deck of cards. "If you're so scared, then you can hang with us."

Hurte bowed to them rather dramatically. "Thanks my new compadres."

After writing the names of three random humans in America, he quickly went over to his new group, sitting next to Daril Ghiroza, occasionally taking side glances of her stacking human skeletons.

The Yagami Household

It's been four hours since the incident at the arena. Knight and Iris escaped unscathed and discarded their disguises as soon as they were safe in the Yagami home.

Gilth and Masi flew in after them.

Gilth held up the toy walkie-talkie. "I got the walkie-talkie off of Ibata."

"And with him dead, ownership has been transferred back to us," Knight said. He took his shirt off to remove the corset holding the Death Note to his back.

Iris looked at the shirtless Knight with burning ears and red cheeks. She did not realize that Knight had a six-pack.

Knight noticed Iris's discomfort and took advantage of it.

"This is what this knight looks like under his shining armor."

Masi, sensing Iris's discomfort, lifted the back of the girl's shirt up and loosened the corset to take out the Death Note.

"I stayed hidden in the walls like you asked," Masi said as she dropped the notebook on the table, "And I could see the Shinigami from the TV. He wasn't following anyone, however."

"But it proves that Keiri was there."

"Yeah," Iris confirmed, "he was definitely there." She crossed her arms over her chest. "I believe that the Faceless Keiri was there in person while the Nameless Keiri was off-site. More than likely, the bear mascot was the Faceless Keiri."

Knight looked at her and nodded. "Good work. And when that corpse was flying in the air, no doubt that was the Shinigami. They planned this."

"The threat about lifting a human into the air and dropping was a bluff," Gilth said, "Shinigami aren't permitted to kill a human without a Death Note; it's a death sentence if they do."

"Goes to show that Keiri is being more cautious than last time, making sure they have all the winning cards." Knight laughed. "But we have aces up our own sleeves."

The television was turned on and the channel switched to the news detailing of the arena incident.

"This is News 7 anchor, Sora Hajima, standing outside the Saitama Super Arena."

Knight eyed the reporter with interest, brows arching after hearing her name.

Sora Hajima was a woman of medium height with collarbone-length brown hair and brown eyes. She wore lipstick and ran a hand through her hair and parted her bangs over her right eye. Her outfit consisted of a short-sleeved brown jacket with black leggings that had the sleeves coming over the shin of her leather brown boots.

"Where just three hours ago, a horrifying massacre caught everyone by surprise. Five people fell victim to Kira's power being used in the hands of someone calling themselves 'Keiri'. I stand out here with some survivors from the massacre." The camera followed her as she did a one-eighty and approached a boy with golden blonde hair standing with his girl, who had chocolate brown hair.

"What's your name, son?"

Knight smirked at the screen.

"My name is Kisho Asahi."

The boy with the golden blonde hair was Knight Yagami.

I find it interesting that they pre-recorded the news segment, Knight thought, But with Keiri, I wouldn't take any chances either. Plus, with that disguise, he can't see our real names or lifespans and assume we're already dead.

"What happened in there?" Sora asked.

'Kisho' stuttered before saying, "It was a nightmare!"

Pun intended, Knight thought.

"One minute, I'm sitting there with my girlfriend before one of the basketball players c-collapses from a h-heart attack! I thought that maybe he passed out from exhaustion but the second person collapsed and then a third. Then those words, they just appeared on the screen... blood... the words were written in blood. I was panicking, freaking out, and I covered my face and hid behind the seats in front of me. I kept my head concealed as much as possible, and when I saw that man bash his head into the wall, I-I - I've never seen anything like it." He paused for a second to catch his breath. "Then I saw the other man walk down the stairs and stab himself in the neck - oh my god, I've never been so scared in my life!"

"It's a good thing you got out. Are you a Kira supporter?"

'Kisho' looked at the screen for a brief second before turning away, saying, "Not anymore!"

Knight's smirk grew into a smile.

"If Keiri was watching this, he wouldn't see the results of his bloodbath because it's prerecorded."

Iris came up to his side and put a hand on his shoulder. "Yeah, who knew my art skills would come in handy."

"Yep," he said, popping the 'p'.

Iris looked at the screen. She noticed that she was hiding behind 'Kisho' shoulder and looking away from the camera.

I always was a nervous one, she thought, Even with a mask on.

"Keiri had their chance," Knight said, "Now it's time for us to attack." He looked at Iris, his grin never leaving his face. "Since Keiri wants to push Kira off his pedestal, we're going to have to break their hearts and crush them underneath it."

"Unless we have the Shinigami eyes, finding Keiri is going to be hard. Not only that but we can't see their Shinigami."

Knight looks at his feet and touches his chin, contemplating his next action.

"You have a point but we have to strike first no matter what. If we want to restore Kira's good image then we must strike ASAP. We must be proactive." His eyes suddenly drift to Iris and he narrows them. He studies her hard before turning his body to face her. "Iris, you said it's going to be hard to draw out Keiri without the Shinigami eyes. You may be right about that but I think I came up with an idea." He watched her cock her head. "That woman on TV, the one I didn't kill."

"Murasaki Kagami," she said, "Kira worshipper and prominent churchgoer of Church X of Kira. What about her?"

Knight licked his lips. "Because she might be able to help us. She is the only known person to have had contact with Keiri's Shinigami."

Iris's eyes widened. "You want to use that churchgoer to lure out Keiri?"

"Yes."

"How do we know she's still alive? For all we know, Keiri could've killed her because she can see their Shinigami."

"I can find out right now."

Knight went up to his room with Iris in tow. He pulled out his computer, logged into the police database, and searched up the woman's name. He got a report dated early this morning that the woman was alive and has a police escort with her outside her house.

"She's still alive," Knight confirmed, "We're going to use her to help with our investigation."

Iris stared out Knight's window and touched her chin.

Murasaki Kagami is the only person who has seen Keiri's Shinigami. Given she is still alive, she still possesses the ability to see him.

She looks at Knight and her eyes run down the side of his strawberry blonde hair.

Her hair and eyes turn pink.

I can only speculate what Knight is planning but he'll most likely have Murasaki tail him at all times or set Keiri up in a way where she can identify him by his Shinigami. Knight is a brilliant planner, I lack that ability.

Her eyes widen slightly.

However, while Knight succeeds in planning and HOW a suspect committed a crime, I succeed in deducing WHO committed a crime. Knight didn't even consider the possibility that Keiri might be connected to Kiyomi Takada; I was the one who figured it out and it brought us one step closer to catching Keiri.

She bit her lower lip.

If I can create a profile and narrow down the list of suspects, it'll help Knight in whatever he's planning with Murasaki. I just hope he doesn't kill her.

Unknown Location

The Owner came home drenched in sweat. They ran a hand through their hair and wiped the sweat off their forehead with the sleeves of their shirt. The Owner stripped off their jacket and kicked off their shoes.

"You're back," the now mellow Borrower said, standing from the couch, "What's wrong?"

The Owner went into the grim bedroom. The Borrower followed and watched as the Owner made a fist with their hands.

"Damn it," the Owner exclaimed, "They got us!"

"What are you talking about?"

The Owner slammed their fists onto the bed.

"I knew that Kira would've had some kind of countermeasure against my eyes but I had no idea he would pull off something like that."

"What do you mean?"

"Kira has more than one notebook. He was able to forfeit ownership of his notebook and give it to someone else. Osamu Ibata was the owner of a notebook but he wasn't Kira. I thought that he was stupid for showing up with no protection but how wrong was I. Ibata was a pawn, a trick."

"Oh," the Borrower nodded, remembering why they got hysterical in the first place, "I wrote that Osamu Ibata would reveal his connection to Kira in the notebook. Based on prior experiences, this should've happened but for some reason, he refused to obey orders."

"How is that possible? You can only control a person if they're able to do a certain task and given as to how Ibata was ready to reveal his connection to Kira, he just went silent and killed himself."

"Yeah, that's what frustrated me."

"Kira found a way to counteract the manipulation of the Death Note. He found a way to prevent us from controlling his pawn. Kira was there at the stadium and I'll bet he was laughing his ass off as we killed his pawn, aware that we were unable to control him for some reason."

The Borrower walked up to the Owner and put a hand on their shoulder.

"Control yourself, fam, we will defeat Kira. Ever since you found out that Kiyomi Takada, our flesh and blood, was connected to Kira, you've had the ambition to bring Kira down." The Borrower removed their hand and looked away. "As much as I hate anyone who supports Kira, I think making them commit suicide is immoral."

"I understand," the Owner said before crossing their arms over their chest, "But, it's better to kill a hundred innocent people than let one truly guilty person go free."

"There's another quote to that: 'It is better that five guilty people escape justice than allow one innocent person to die'."

The Owner looked at their companion. "Kira understands that logic perfectly. Kira would rather kill innocent people than allow guilty criminals to walk away. I'm a fan of that logic but he's also not above corrupting people. He corrupts our beautiful relative Kiyomi, and discarded her afterward." The Owner turned to the doorway and glared at the Shinigami.

I'm going to kill you next, Shinigami.

"What's with that look?" the Shinigami asked.

"Just because you didn't kill Kiyomi doesn't mean you're any less guilty than Light Yagami."

"I understand that; this is atonement for believing in that false god. Learn from my mistake and kill Kira by any means necessary."

The Owner and Borrower looked at the Shinigami with glaring eyes.

"What?" the Shinigami shrugs nonchalantly.

Several minutes later, the two of them go digging through a suitcase they pulled from under their bed. They find a CD before putting it on in the living room.

A reporter appeared on the screen.

"Good evening, this is Kiyomi Takada from News 6. Starting today, it will be my duty to spread the word of Kira accurately and quickly. From now on, NHN will fairly and carefully present Kira's message to the citizens of the world."

The Owner paused the video.

The Borrower got on their hands and knees in front of the TV. They held up their dominant hand and touched the screen, caressing the surface like a parent to their child.

A tear escaped from their tear ducts.

The Owner sighed and picked themselves up. They walked over to the Borrower and put a hand on their shoulder. "I promise, we will get justice for our family." They kneel to meet the Borrower's gaze. "The game is getting more interesting; Keiri vs. Kira, suicide vs. heart attacks, killer vs. executioner."

"And the winner shall deliver or receive justice as they see fit." The Borrower intertwined their hands with the Owner's hands.

The Owner smiled.

"When was the last time things have been this much fun, exciting, exhilarating?"

The Borrower's grin matched the Owner's.

"I think I would've died from boredom had you not reived the notebook."

"Since we've struck Kira twice and he's going to counterattack, we must be ready."

"He already counterattacked when we struck the second time, we're going to counterattack when he strikes us."

Their hair and eyes turn purple.

"Kira," they both whispered, "Kill us... if you can."

Murasaki Kagami's House

Murasaki Kagami took one last look at the police cruiser outside before locking herself in her home. She put the keys down on the table beside her before the sound of a boy's voice brightened her smile.

"Mama," little four-year-old Rei exclaimed as he ran into his mother's arms.

Murasaki caught Rei and lifted him in the air. "Hey there, my little ruler. Did you miss mommy today?"

"Yeah!" Rei nodded vigorously, "Daddy was being lazy and drinking beer today."

Murasaki nodded and put her child down. "Let's hope he didn't drink too much beer."

Rei rubbed Murasaki's stomach. "Mama, did you find out if I'm having a brother or sister?"

Murasaki laughed before rubbing her son's hair. "No, I won't be able to find out for another month." She rubbed her slightly showing belly. "I do hope for a girl though."

Murasaki took her son into the kitchen to prepare some food. Her husband was sitting on the couch and snoring soundly, a bottle of beer in his hands.

"Wake up your father."

Rei obeyed his mother's orders and tapped on his father's nose until he woke up.

"Minori, what did I tell you about drinking when you are watching your son?"

"I only had one bottle."

"Then why did you pass out on the couch?"

"I didn't pass out, I was just catching up on my sleep."

Murasaki pressed her hands together in a bowing gesture. "What have I told you about staying out past eleven? Not only that but why are you drinking when you're supposed to be watching our son?"

"I'm sorry; boss needed me to work overtime and since I got my bonus for it, I thought a beer bottle would help with the occasion."

"I guess before we met, you must've had a lot of occasions for drinking beer."

"I understand I used to have a problem but now that I have another son on the way, I'm taking responsibility. This is the first bottle I've had in a month."

She glares at him.

"Aside from the social drinking at work and with our worshipping groups."

"If that's the answer you're comfortable with then help me make dinner."

Minori helped himself up and told Rei to go play in his room while he helped Murasaki make dinner.

After dinner, her husband went to take a shower. She took the time to clean up.

The next day was a Wednesday. She knew that her church had been locked off not for being a crime scene but because it was in the process of being renovated. When that churchgoer set himself on fire, there was minimum damage but regular churchgoers have been insisting that something is to be done to repair the church of its 'unholy' firey burns.

She went inside, not expecting anyone to be inside the empty church headed over to the altar. She got on her knees and interlaced her fingers together to start praying before she noticed something on the altar. When she got a better look at this square object on the altar, she realized what it was.

A notebook?

She picks up the red-cover notebook and opens to the first blank page. When she finds all pages to be empty, she closes it. When all seemed to be done, a silhouette before her made her open her eyes. When she looked up, she stared into the red eyes of a Shinigami with a red tie wrapped around their forehead.

She drops the notebook and covers her mouth to suppress her scream.

Oh my god! she internally screams, It's another Shinigami! But this one is different from the other one. Does that mean Keiri is back?

"Murasaki Kagami," a voice spoke behind her, a voice she could identify as human. "Don't turn around unless I tell you to."

Murasaki slowly lowered her gaze to the ground and removed her hands from her mouth. They subconsciously went to her abdomen.

"Okay," she whispered softly. "Who are you?!"

She heard distinct footsteps getting closer and closer. She nearly jumped out of her skin when she felt a hand grasp her shoulder. She could tell by the warmth against her ear that this person's mouth was near her ear. But what she heard next sent chills down her spine.

"I am Kira."

Her eyes widen and her heart pounded in her chest before she felt it warm up inside her melting away any chills she felt.

She smiled.

"I've been waiting, Lord Kira."

Chapter Text

April 4th, 2031

The Owner

The Owner stirred in their sleep at the sounds of the alarm clock going off. They reach over and shut it up. They sit up in bed and stretch. They realized they'd been drooling in their sleep and wiped the salvia away. They looked over their shoulder and saw the Borrower snoring soundly before lifting their head slowly in their direction.

"Time to get up."

The Owner cooked breakfast for their companion while they were in the shower. While they waited, they seated themselves and took slow sips of coffee, and ate at their egg on rice like it was their last meal alive. Once the Borrower was out of the shower, the Owner hopped in and finished in ten minutes. They brought their clothes in the bathroom with them and once they finished, they changed into their work clothes.

I used to have a black-and-white point of view of justice. Anybody who broke the law was evil and deserved to get tossed in jail. Aunt Kiyomi and I both shared this view but my father, who often visited the courthouse on a regular, took me one day when I was ten to show me what guilty and innocent people actually looked like.

The Owner's picked up their suitcase, making sure that there were several notes of the Death Note packed inside. Before they left, they put the Death Note in the hollowed-out bible before calling someone to put the bible in a storage locker at the airport.

There was a guilty man who wanted to serve time because he felt regret for armed robbery and there was an innocent man who didn't want to go to jail for stealing food to feed his dying child. These two criminals made me realize that maybe there is something more to criminals and that we should focus on helping these people rather than toss them behind bars.

The Owner flashbacked to their time as a child, eating with their mother, father, and Aunt Kiyomi Takada.

I tried to tell Aunt Kiyomi this eye-opening experience but she said that criminals like to gain sympathy. When she got the news she was chosen as Kira's spokesperson, I tried talking her out of it but she refused. Then, she passed away in a fire, burned to death.

Since they had plenty of time to spare, the Owner allowed the Borrower to take the car to drive to work. The Owner didn't mind the walk; in fact, they preferred walking to the subway to get to work. They double-checked their watch and made sure that they stuck to their walking schedule.

For the longest time, I hated Kira for what happened to my aunt but after working a long period of time in the courtroom, I moved up the ranks into my own courtroom. It was vastly different; there was no jury to come to a vote on whether someone was guilty or not, only a single judge to make the choices. It was then when I saw the truth: When there are people who are judging to see whether someone is guilty or innocent, they put on a facade. When there is one person to judge them, they put on a bigger facade.

They made it to Shinjuku Station and when they spotted a camera, they took out a mask and wrapped it around the bottom half of their face, leaving only their eyes and hair exposed. They got on the Yamanote Line, taking the outer route.

They beg and plead like pathetic dogs or even take pleasure in their sentence but either away, they are guilty beyond all doubt. Everyone that has been sentenced to a trial in my courtroom is despicable. Murders, rapists, child molesters, things you can never get away with by giving a morally questionable reason like surviving or doing things out of desperation. It made me realize that Aunt Kiyomi and Kira were right: Criminals are scumbags who deserve to die. All criminals were evil.

The Shinigami following suit chuckled in the Owner's ear. "You're sitting in the same seat I used to sit in when I was a human."

The Owner said nothing but their eyes spotted a trio of boys surrounding a young girl in the seat across. The boys were yanking at the girl's backpack and hitting her across the head with closed fists. The Owner glared and immediately stood up. They marched to the group of boys and put a hand on the closest boy's shoulder.

"Leave this young girl alone," they hissed, "Or you'll all be in trouble."

The boys dropped the girl's backpack and ran off. The Owner picked up the girl's backpack and handed it back to her.

"Thank you," the girl said.

"I hate bullies," the Owner said, "I wasn't a victim but I saw many victims. I hated it when people would not intervene. I do not want you to suffer the same fate."

"You were the only person to step up, thank you."

It warms the Owner's heart that they made someone's day.

The Shinigami laughed. "Good work."

The Owner took their seat and sat in silence as the train reached its destination.

I prayed for Kira to kill all those criminals. I prayed for him to deliver justice to the truly evil people.

The train came to a stop and the Owner got off, taking their suitcase with them.

Years later, after my Aunt Kiyomi passed away by burning to death, I would continue to serve in that courtroom and throw away evildoers to die before Kira would return from the grave several years later.

The Owner climbed up the steps leading into a courthouse. They checked to make sure their hair was groomed before walking through the doors. They checked their watch and noted that they had twenty minutes before the first trial starts.

The Owner's personal assistant came to their side. "The camera crew is here," she said.

"Bench or jury?" they asked.

"Bench."

The Owner tugged on their tie. "Looks like I get to have fun."

"In case you forgot..." she handed a file to them, "It's the Tashi case."

"Arata Tashi is being convicted with serial murder."

The Owner put on a robe, secured their mask around their face, and waited outside a door.

I was a supporter of Kira until I picked up the Death Note several months after Kira returned. When I picked up the Death Note and discovered the truth about Aunty Kiyomi, I became disheartened. My obasan, a sweet and beautiful woman that I grew up with, was corrupted and used as a pawn by Kira to kill some albino midget named Nate River. All obasan was doing was spreading Kira's words and Kira turned her into a murder before making her commit suicide by burning her. Only a monster would do something like this.

The Owner's hair and eyes turned purple.

Anybody who believes that Kira is justice is borderline evil and susceptible to Kira's corruption. With my Death Note power, I will kill Kira for corrupting my aunt and corrupting the minds of innocent people. But first, showing the world that Kira isn't someone worth dying for will do.

"All rise for Judge Minato Natsuki."

The Owner walked through the door, where there stood a crowd rising before them.

April 16th, 2031

Church X of Kira

"It is such an honor to finally meet you, Lord Kira," Murasaki said, keeping her eyes forward and on the Shinigami before her.

"Cherish this," Kira's warm breath hissed against her ear, "Very few people get to meet me, let alone hear my voice." Kira reached around and touched Murasaki's abdomen. "How far along are you?"

"Almost five months." She put her hands on Kira's roaming hand. "Keiri's Shinigami told me he doesn't kill pregnant women but he won't hesitate to kill my husband and son."

"He can't kill pregnant women; Kira's power cannot kill women who are three weeks pregnant." Kira reached his other hand around Murasaki's waist and grasps her hands. "Even so, I don't like killing babies or pregnant women. Had the church massacre went as planned, everyone here would've died without you. I speculate that because the Kira power can't kill you, Keiri decided to blackmail you into following his orders. I believe that he plans on killing you as soon as you deliver."

Murasaki gasped.

Kira whispered into her ear, "However, I can save you and your unborn child. Not only do you have a chance to save yourself, your unborn baby, your son, and your husband, but you have the rare privilege of helping Kira himself."

Murasaki's tensed shoulders relaxed. "It is a privilege, Lord Kira."

"How long have you been going to Church X of Kira?"

"Since I was a child."

"Do you believe in Kira's cause to die for it?"

"I do." She squeezed her eyes shut and bit her lower lip. "That's why Keiri targeted me in the first place."

"It's wrong for people to be killed just for their beliefs."

"What about Lind L. Tailor?"

"Lind L. Tailor, regardless of whether or not he was bait, believing that Kira was evil was not what got him killed. What got him killed was posing as a police detective who would stop at nothing to arrest Kira. Kira does not kill people without a reason. Committing a crime or getting in his way are valid reasons but never for opposing his views."

"The sad news is that there are people who believe that Keiri is the answer. They completely disregard that Keiri is actively murdering innocent people, forcing them to commit suicide. People refuse to admit that Keiri is worse than Kira. Earlier this morning, on my way here, I stopped at a pastry shop; there was a group of people arguing in the corner. Half of the group said that Keiri was a necessary evil in stopping Kira while the other half argued that Kira was a saint compared to Keiri." Murasaki paused. "Not only is there a war between Kira and Keiri, but there is also going to be a war. A war of beliefs, a war to see which mass murderer is more tolerable."

Kira removed his hands from Murasaki's stomach. "This cannot go on; Keiri wants to bring down Kira and slander his name. I will not allow this. I will find Keiri and I will not only kill him but humiliate him. You are the only one who can help me."

Murasaki's eyes widened but she didn't take her gaze off the Shinigami. "What do you mean?"

"That notebook you just dropped is the power Kira uses to kill people. If you write a human's name in it while thinking of their face then that person will die. Additionally, if you touch the notebook, you can see a god of death, who will follow you until you die. Given as to how you were given personal instructions by the Shinigami belonging to Keiri, you are already aware that Shinigami exist."

"Yes."

"Unless you were made the owner of the notebook, which I doubt, then you are the only human on this planet besides Keiri who can see his Shinigami. This is why you're the only one who can help me in my crusade."

Murasaki's looked down before looking down at the notebook. "And until I give birth, I am protected from the power of the notebook."

"And I promise not to kill you; you will be rewarded handsomely for all your work." He stepped away. "Kneel."

Murasaki obeyed.

"Keep your head down."

Murasaki looked down.

Kira stepped around Murasaki and stood before the young woman.

"Do not look up."

Murasaki focused on Kira's shoes, a pair of sneakers.

Kira put a hand on Murasaki's head and rubbed his fingers through her long brown hair.

"My disciple," Kira whispered, "Await my orders. For now, finish your business here. The Shinigami before you is named Gilth. You are not the owner of the notebook so he will not be following you, however, he will be visible to you. He will be the go-to between us."

She interlocks her fingers together. "Yes, Lord Kira."

She watched a hand pick up the notebook.

"Goodbye, Murasaki Kagami."

She watched the pair of sneakers depart from her sight and listened to the sounds of footsteps departing. She kept her head down until she heard the door close and she listened to the sounds of silence as she was left alone in the church.

She looked up and saw the Shinigami Kira dubbed 'Gilth' disappeared into thin air. She focused her attention on the cross on the wall before her and prayed.

"Thank you, Kira-sama."

The Borrower

The Borrower rubbed the sleep out of their eyes from this morning as they composed themselves. They licked their hand and ran it through their brown hair as they looked at themselves in a handheld mirror.

They had limited time because the rioting downtown was escalating by the second.

They made a quick phone call.

"Minato," they said, "This should be when your court sessions end. How're things going?"

"Fine," Minato answered.

The Borrower watched themselves talk on the phone in the mirror.

"Anybody innocent?"

"Status quo."

The Borrower shook their head in disappointment. "Keep searching, bench trials do have good people at some point or another."

"They're all despicable, regardless of who it is and that is a fact."

"If you still believe that the that's your plan. Either way, we need to plan what we're having for dinner tonight."

Minato chuckled. "Of course; I haven't forgotten."

The Borrower smiled. "Good."

"Good."

A woman wearing a headset appeared in the reflection of the Borrower's mirror.

"Five minutes," the headset woman reminded, "We're on a tight schedule."

The Borrower regarded the headset woman with a sideglance in the mirror before nodding.

"Where are you right now?" Minato asked.

"Downtown. There's a protest going on, Kira worshippers vs. Keiri rioters. Most of the Keiri rioters are crazy, delusional civilians. I speculate that most of them are rioting out of fear rather than the belief that Keiri is good. The Kira worshippers are making their stand, saying that the citizens of the Kanto region should work to help Kira. They're not resorting to violence."

"Be careful, Kira worshippers are borderline evil and can snap at any moment."

"They're all wearing masks as a precaution against Keiri's power."

The Borrower looked over to the riot happening in the middle of the street. Kira worshippers were identifiable by their white cloaks and black facemasks. The Keiri rioters weren't wearing any distinct clothing and were just a sea of random civilians seemingly mushed into one large entity.

"I doubt Keiri will target them."

"Hopefully."

The Borrower could practically feel Minato smirking through the phone.

"Anyway, work starts in less than five minutes and I don't want to take up too much of your time."

"I understand. Goodbye, little brother."

They hung up.

They followed the headset woman to the back of the van, which was loaded with camera equipment. The Borrower put their mirror down on the van's floor before stepping ten feet away from the vehicle.

The camera crew set up the equipment and angled the cameras so the Borrower was standing in front of the protest. Once the cameras were set up, they turned to the TVs in the back of the van and turned them on before switching to a live camera feed of two news anchors talking in a studio.

The headset lady handed the Borrower a mic and a headpiece. She put in her earpiece and listened to the sounds of men talking. The voices in the headpiece were from two men talking live from a news studio seen on the van's televisions.

"As you know," headset woman began again, "We are recording our news footage to prevent another public massacre."

"Understood."

"This footage will be airing in an hour."

The Borrower waited for their cue as the news anchors in the studios were discussing current events. The Borrower watched the television screens with anticipation.

"And let's go live to our news anchor, Sora Hajima, on the location of the Kira vs. Keiri riot."

The camera's light went red.

"Sora, tell us what's going on."

The Borrower took in a deep breath of air before saying: "A relentless riot spreads throughout the streets without any signs of slowing down."

With Iris

Iris stayed behind with Masi while Knight and Gilth went out to Church X of Kira. She was sitting on his couch, sipping from a cup of tea while watching the news. The reporter from the arena, Sora Hajima, was back on.

"A relentless riot spreads throughout the streets without any signs of slowing down." The cameras followed Sora as she backpedaled towards the crowd of Keiri rioters. "Never in my four years on the show have I seen such a riot. And I thought America really loved rioting."

The camera zoomed in on a Keiri rioter punching a Kira worshipper in the face. The worshipper fell to the ground with rioters pouring on him. A police cruiser came by and fired off a few warning shots. The worshippers shoved the rioters off the fallen worshipper and formed a protective circle around him.

The police had to come in with riot shields to break the rioters apart but the cameras kept focused on the downed worshipper.

"As you can see, the hot topic about Keiri has taken a toll on some people," Sora reported, "Rioters supporting Keiri are striking Kira worshippers and from what I've seen so far, the Kira Worshippers have been passive so far and not treated the Keiri rioters with hostility, aside from the one that punched the worshipper in the face."

The screen switched back to the news anchors in the studio.

"Makes you think," one of the anchors said, "This is certainly unprecedented: Protesting and rioting over mass murderers? What has this world come to?"

The screen switched back to Sora.

"We're going to maintain a safe distance until the police can contain the violence."

Iris turns off the TV and twirls her fingers in her hair.

This is unique; a debate on who is a better mass murderer. Keiri's plan was to turn people against Kira and he single-handedly created an army of supporters who turned against the Kira worshippers. Keiri is not someone to underestimate and it's going to take more than just killing him.

"This is getting interesting," Masi spoke as she took a spoonful of her strawberry sundae. "Keiri's plan to throw dirt on Kira is working so far. Kira supporters have to hide not only from Keiri but from Keiri rioters as well. I gotta say, Keiri is definitely changing the rules of engagement up."

Iris said nothing.

"Penny for your thoughts?"

Iris held a finger up, silently ordering silence.

"The Faceless Keiri, Shinigami Eyes Keiri, is someone who worked at the Saitama Super Arena. The Nameless Keiri is someone who was watching from gaff. Aside from that, what else can I butcher's at?" Her British accent returned.

"You could always trade for the eyes; I'm fine either way, considering that I've had my lifespan extended dozens of times, even as a human."

"True but what's the point? Trying to narrow down the list with such limited information is going to be extremely difficult. I'm going to have to find another way to narrow down the list. Or I can wait to hear out Knight's plan."

She heard the sound of the front door unlocking and she jumped to her feet after setting her cup of tea on the coffee table.

Knight walked through with Gilth limping behind him.

"How did it go?"

"Too easy," Knight chuckled, "She just rolled over and accepted it. At this rate, I can make any Kira supporter my pawn."

"And about Murasaki still being alive?"

"My theory was correct: She's pregnant. The Death Note can't kill pregnant women."

Iris sighed and put a hand over her heart. "That's a relief."

Remembering Iris's crush on him, he took advantage of the opportunity before him. "Hey, Iris, I've been thinking: Since the Death Note can't kill pregnant women, maybe I should get you pregnant, Iris."

Iris's face went bright red.

"WHAT?! BUT WE ARE ONLY SEVENTEEN, JUST STARTED COLLEGE, TOO MUCH ON OUR PLATE, AND WE-"

"So you don't want protection?"

Iris ran off into a bedroom and locked herself in.

Knight and Masi laughed.

Gilth stared at the two with a blank expression on his face.

When Knight was little, he was a happy-go-lucky kid making jokes. Now that his mother is back, that part of his personality is returning.

After a few minutes, Knight managed to convince Iris to come out of the bedroom. He escorted her back to the couch where he paced around the room with his hands in his pockets.

"But in all seriousness, with Murasaki on our side and her safety guaranteed, it is time for us to act."

Iris, still flustered from the banter earlier, looked at the ground as she said, "There's been some rioting downtown."

"I heard. Kira worshippers vs Keiri rioters. It looks like it is all going part as Keiri planned. If this continues, then all Kira supporters will be targeted. There will be violence until Keiri makes it look like Kira is a worthless savior. Those Keiri rioters are his unintentional minions. Though, I do speculate that there is going to be a three-way war."

"Let me guess: Kira worshippers vs. Keiri rioters vs. Anti-Kira protesters?"

"Yep."

"When I was fighting L," Gilth began, "It was all about staying one step ahead of the world's greatest detective. It was about finding the other's real name and even when L died, the battle shifted to his heirs. When it came to Mello, I had to fight to get the notebook back. When it was with Near, it was practically a repeat of my battle with L."

"And with the notebook passed onto me, my rogues' gallery has been Break and his two associates and the two Keiris. With Break, it was evading a great detective while with the Keiris, evading their attempts to downgrade my reputation."

Iris finally mustered up the courage to look at Knight but when their eyes met, her face slightly blushed. "I don't know how to narrow down the list of suspects. I know that there are two Keiris at least but the Death Note is an untraceable weapon, practically impossible to find the source."

"We could pull a Lind L. Tailor move," Masi suggested.

"What point would that prove?" Gilth asked, "Lind L. Tailor was used to draw out Kira's location, even so, the list of suspects was everybody in the Kanto region. It took the FBI and Raye Penber specifically to narrow down the list."

"Knight," Iris spoke up, "I just realized something: Shinigami can see each other. Why are we bothering to use Murasaki Kagami if we can have Gilth and Masi identify the Shinigami?"

Knight looked at her. "Because Murasaki Kagami is the only person who can see Keiri's Shinigami without having a Shinigami of her own attached. Whenever we go out in public, we have to be cautious of the Faceless Keiri's Shinigami eyes and we have to make sure Gilth and Masi aren't spotted and traced back to us. Murasaki Kagami does not have a god of death attached to her, is not the owner of a notebook, can't be killed by the notebook, and does not stand out in terms of having a lifespan visible. The Keiris would focus on those with absent lifespans, not those with visible lifespans."

Iris nodded. "I get it, she's basically our third eye."

"She's our eye in the sky. Besides, our Shinigami have to stay within 14km of their attached humans, Murasaki Kagami has the luxury of going anywhere."

Iris twirled her finger in her hair. "So we figure out a way to use Murasaki Kagami against Keiri. I can't think of anything."

Knight sighed and crossed his arms over his chest.

Plan, he thought, I need to come up with a plan to draw out Keiri. But how? How am I going to use Murasaki to figure out who Keiri is?

He licks his lower lips and sits down on the couch.

Plan, plan, come on, Knight, think of a plan.

His eyes widened with a gasp. He jumps to his feet with a smile on his face. "I've figured it out; I have a plan to draw out Keiri."

Iris looked at him and rose to her feet. "Tell it to me."

Knight leaned in and whispered in her ear.

"We'll use L's name."

Chapter Text

April 16th, 2031

Tokyo, Japan

Iris cocked her head. "We'll use L's name? You can get in trouble for using L's name."

Knight snickered. "Back then, you could get in trouble for impersonating the world's greatest detective but tell that to my Dad and Near. No doubt people are wondering where L has been since he involved himself in all three Kira cases."

Iris nodded. "Even though Kira resurfaced six months ago, L is absent."

"That's because I killed him," Knight said proudly, "I killed Nate River, the third L."

Gilth raised a hand. "You never would've been able to had I not implanted my memories in you."

Knight rolled his eyes. "With my father contributing." He faced Iris. "It's because of L not making any appearance that the US government sent Break, Roach, and Maroon into action to try and take me down. There are a few higher-ups who know about L's death but they don't want the public to worry."

"I've been reading online that people are wondering where L is," Iris said, "Some people said that since L found the C-Kira case to be boring, he deemed the current Kira to be a boring case."

Knight smiled. "History repeats itself in more ways than one: We are going to take up L's name. This is the plan: We're going to make a public broadcast with me impersonating L. I would give my analysis, saying that Keiri is two people instead of one, saying how the current Kira is just as worthless as the original and that I'm going after both Kira and Keiri in a three-way war."

Iris's eyes perked. "To the public, it is going to look like a three-way war."

"Exactly and it is highly unlikely that Keiri is aware of L's current fate. But that's not the plan; we're going to post an announcement saying that Kira is making a broadcast and it attracts Keiri's attention. Keiri will be inclined to listen and that's when we pull the bait-and-switch of L's broadcast."

Iris nodded and crossed her hands over her chest. "So it'll be similar to the way Keiri lured Kira to the basketball game in the arena."

"Correct but here's the juicy part: We're going to hit him with a secret message that is exclusive to Death Note users. Once Keiri looks over this message, he'll realize that it was indeed Kira and not L. He'll be even more tempted than before knowing that Kira had the audacity to declare a fake three-way war."

Iris licked her lips. "Make an announcement that Kira is making a broadcast, when it happens, switch to make it look like L did it to draw out Kira and Keiri to hide the fact that Kira is actually doing the broadcast, and deliver a secret message to let Keiri know L is actually Kira and lure him into a trap. Simple, yet complicated."

"We're going to tell him to meet us up at the police station. Once we've drawn out Keiri, one of them at least, we'll copy and paste their relative's last instructions next to their names. If there's one thing you can count on being a bitch, it's karma."

Iris laughed. She remembered back at the orphanage how when Knight was little, he always used to tell jokes and make her laugh. Her trip down Mary Jane Memory Lane ended abruptly when a thought crossed her mind.

Her hair and eyes turn pink.

Kiyomi Takada was killed by being burnt in a fire, she thought and turned to Gilth, But Gilth told me that he killed Takada through suicide. Yet in her reports, it was reported that she died in a fire, not by suicide. If that's the case, then how did the two Keiris figure out that Kiyomi Takada's death was suicide and not an accident or homicide?

She looked at Knight and told him her thoughts.

Knight rubbed his chin. "When you think about it, I do wonder how they figured it out. If Keiri really is indeed a relative of Kiyomi Takada and trying to avenge their relative, then how did they figure out she committed suicide. It was reported that she died in a fire, not burning herself intentionally. The fact that Keiri is aware of this piques my interest."

His eyes widen as they turn a dark red color along with his hair.

There's no way Kiyomi Takada could've reincarnated into a Shinigami; Mom and Dad both confirmed that borrowers can't turn and at the time, Teru Mikami-

He gasps.

Iris studies him intently.

Dad was the one who killed Kiyomi Takada but Mikami wrote Takada's name in the notebook one minute later.

His newly discovered fills a gap in his current thought process.

Keiri has the memories of a Shinigami implanted in their skull but only Death Note owners can reincarnate into Shinigami and the only two Death Note owners who knew that Takada committed suicide were Light Yagami and Teru Mikami.

His expression dropped.

So that's how they figured it out. Everything seems to fit into place, like a jigsaw puzzle.

He looks up at Gilth and Masi.

"Teru Mikami has been reincarnated into a Shinigami," he said.

Gilth glared at the sound of the name. Masi clenched her fists.

"And he is the Shinigami attached to Keiri." He cracks a smile. "It's the only thing that makes sense." He crosses his arms over his chest. "Looks like we all get a taste of payback; Mom can have revenge on one of the Keiri siblings while Dad can take a beating on Mikami. Iris and I can take out the remaining Keiri. It is a win-win-win for all four of us." He laughed. "History must be in love with itself it likes repeating itself." He turns to Iris. "I am so glad you brought this idea to mind because it will further our mission in taking down Keiri once and for all."

Masi slowly unclenched her fists.

Teru Mikami is the reason Light died in the first place, why Light, Knight, and I couldn't be a family; I'll see to it that he pays.

April 18th, 2031

Tokyo, Japan

Friday mornings had a new kind of norm for Murasaki Kagami. She craved a taste for soba almost every day of the week and whenever she would run out, she would go to the store every Friday morning to buy her a pack to last the week. She walked out of the store with two bags of groceries in her hand when she saw chaos before her.

In the street, Keiri rioters were attacking Kira worshippers. Riots like this had been going on for the past few days and she avoided them as much as possible. Kira worshippers were identified by their white cloaks while Keiri rioters lacked any distinctive wear and were just wearing random clothing. Murasaki took off her cloak earlier for this reason but now the road before her was blocked. As much as she wanted to assist her fellow Kira worshippers, she knew it was too dangerous; who knows what a violent rioter would do to her, especially with a child growing within her.

Her police escort was there with her and they sounded the siren whenever someone got too close to her.

With Keiri

Minato arrived home early and dropped his suitcase on the couch. Sora had been in the bedroom putting on makeup. Minato found her and gazed at her with a smile.

"There are people protesting," he said, "A war of beliefs is on the streets."

Sora side-eyed him before applying red lipstick. "Are you proud of this?"

"Anybody who worships Kira is borderline evil."

She side-eyed him again. "Have you forgotten about the time you were a Kira supporter?"

He glared at her. "Have you forgotten how Kira corrupted our obasan?"

Sora applied mascara. "I haven't forgotten. But this massacre, especially ones that we indirectly caused, I don't exactly feel right about them. It's one thing to kill innocent people but to catalyze an event that makes people kill each other…"

Minato put his hand on Sora's hand. "Don't forget our mission: We prove to the world that Kira is a scumbag. In the end, once it is proven correct, all those Kira worshippers will change their minds."

"I wanted to be the embodiment of justice but justice does not involve wars."

"Letting ten innocent people die then one guilty man roam free is true justice."

Sora looked at him with her right eyelash having mascara applied.

Minato pulled out his phone after feeling its vibration. It was an update from the Kira website he subscribed to that there was going to be a public announcement made by Kira.

"What's up?"

Minato chuckled. "Get this: Kira is going to make a public broadcast at eleven o'clock today."

Sora laughed. "What are the chances it's going to be a double?"

"Pretty high; it's clear Kira is going to challenge us. When the broadcast happens, we should give some kind of clue that we acknowledge him and accept his challenge. After all, we made Kira look like a coward by having him not kill Murasaki Kagami, even if killing her was not an option."

After an hour passed, they turned on the television and flipped to the channel the Kira website mentioned the broadcast would be on.

With Knight

"Is everything ready?" Knight asked into his phone.

"Yes," Chief Kudo responded.

"Start the broadcast."

Downtown

The rioting downtown wasn't dialed down when the police got involved but when a giant screen on a building lit up with a broadcaster's face shown on screen.

Murasaki hid in her car whilst looking up at the screen.

"As of now, we are playing a tape made by Kira and we've been given permission to play it by the Japanese police force on Sakura TV." The man fumbled through some papers before he held one up. "Here is the message."

The screen went blank with a single word - no - letter, appearing across the screen.

L.

Murasaki's eyes widened.

What the hell, she thought.

"To all the people in Japan," the modified voice said, "No, all the people in the world, this is L."

The crowd ceased their rioting to look up at the screen. The Anti-Kira protesters began cheering in the hope of seeing justice reemerge to defeat Kira and Keiri.

"It's L, he's back."

"After six months, where the hell has he been?"

"I'm sorry for the lie about me being Kira but it was the only way to get the real Kira and this new mass murderer's attention. I believe this new mass murderer calls himself 'Keiri', Japanese for 'executioner'."

The Police Station

The live broadcast was being viewed by the entire police force in the main room but in the room headed by the Kira Task Force, they watched the broadcast on a small monitor.

"I don't get it," Soma said to Hayate, "How did Knight figure out that L is dead?"

"Knight not only deduced that Keiri is two people but he made it into To-Oh University with a perfect score on the entrance exams," Hayate answered, "And he's solved dozens of cases with us in the few months we've known him. Him deducing the real L was dead, especially with that load of evidence backing up, Knight can practically figure out anything."

"Pay attention," Kudo scolded them, "This is all part of Knight and Iris's plan."

"Yeah," Soma replied, "I'm kinda interested to see what they planned out to draw Keiri out."

With Keiri

Minato and Sora stared at the screen with shocked eyes.

"What?" Minato gasped.

"It's L," Sora gulped.

L continued with his broadcast.

"I haven't been interested in fighting Kira because this Kira is nothing but a copycat and I don't like repeating the same challenges. Keiri, if you are watching this, and I know you are, you are nothing but a lowlife. You are nothing but a crazy mass murderer."

Minato and Sora glared at the screen and clenched their fists.

"If you've listened to my previous broadcasts, then you should know I don't take cases that interest me. However, taking on a case involving a war between mass murderers has definitely caught my interest. My opinion on both of you is low but I've never tackled two birds with one stone before and I think this is going to be interesting.

"Since you've been so nice in dropping hints about your existence and how you operate, Keiri, I'll do the same. I know how you kill; you use the same methods as Kira but there are some more interesting things I figured out: Keiri is not one but two people."

Minato and Sora's eyes widened.

"The massacres are what caught my attention. During the massacre involving the news anchor, you killed the NHN host but the guest survived, even though they both said their names. I did research and discovered the guest was using an alias when in the debate massacre, you proved to be able to kill with only a face. So there is only one thing that I can conclude: Keiri is not one but two people and one of them has the ability to kill with just a face."

Minato and Sora began sweating.

"I believe that your real plan is to turn Kira's followers against him and there is something else I noticed. Remember Murasaki Kagami?"

Minato and Sora tilted their heads at the sound of the name.

"You coerced her into challenging Kira directly on your behalf. You tried to get Kira to kill her so that he would look like a psychopathic murderer or look like a coward if he spared her. But what I discovered is that Kira's power to kill does not work on women who are pregnant. In all the female victims of Kira, none were pregnant and Mrs. Kagami is still alive because of her pregnancy."

Minato and Sora felt their hearts pounding in their chests.

"Thank you, Keiri, for all the hints, I now know enough to get a headstart in this three-way war. Now, I'm going to give you and Kira a hint to make things fair."

There was shuffling heard on the screen before 'L' spoke again.

You have to bring the phone to To-Oh University at 2:32 PM on April 18th.

You have to bring five pages to the Perin Hotel at 2:33 PM on April 19th.

You have to bring the cross to the Sakura TV at 1:34 PM on April 20th.

You have to bring the camera to Dai Kyoto Hotel at 9:00 PM on April 21st.

You have to bring the tapes to the Japanese Police Headquarters at 6:40 PM on April 22nd.

"Decipher this message and show up if you can, cowards. It won't matter either way when I sentence you both to death."

The broadcast ended.

Minato rubbed the sweat off his forehead with the back of his hand while Sora buried her face into her hands, smearing some makeup into her palms.

"I was not expecting that," Minato said as he slumped down onto the couch, "I was wondering why L wasn't getting involved and he already exposed our secrets."

Sora said nothing as she took out a piece of paper from her pocket and began writing on it.

"We've left more than enough clues for L to figure out that we are two people and saw through our guise with Murasaki Kagami."

Sora finished writing down her notes.

"But," Minato clapped his hands together, "I'll give credit when credit is due."

Sora looked down at her notes and her eyes went wide and her heart started racing.

"Oh my god," she gasped.

Minato looked at her. "What?"

She showed him the notes with the dates and instructions.

He shrugged, "I don't know what I'm supposed to look for."

"Look harder, imbecile."

He looked at the notes harder, trying to find some sort of familiarity. The only thing he found familiar was the Perin Hotel. He recognized To-Oh University and Sakura TV but couldn't find the significance. The Japanese Police force and Dai Kyoto Hotel seemed to be completely random to him.

The Shinigami materialized behind him.

"Muter," Minato spoke, "Do you see anything within these notes?"

The Shinigami, now named 'Muter', pointed at the bottom of the page. "Dai Kyoto Hotel."

"What about it?" He racked through his Shinigami memories to look for Dai Kyoto Hotel. "Dai Kyoto Hotel, I remember through your memories!"

"That is the hotel I went to work out at every Monday and Thursday when I was a human at 9:00. I've been going there for five years before I stabbed myself."

Sora shouted, "Do you get it now?"

Minato half-nodded, half-shook.

"To-Oh University, Perine Hotel, Dai Kyoto, Sakura TV, why would Kira choose all these places?"

Minato shrugged with one shoulder.

Sora sighed. "Because Kira deduced our relationship to obasan."

Minato's eyes widened. "What do you mean?"

She pointed at the top of the page. "Aunt Kiyomi attended To-Oh University and met up with Kira at the Perin Hotel."

And the times on the paper, Minato thought, Mikami wrote that obasan would die at 2:33 but that white-haired midget said Light Yagami already killed her so her actual time of death must've been 2:32.

She pointed at the bottom of the page. "Dai Kyoto Hotel, Sakura TV…"

"Obasan didn't attend Dai Kyoto Hotel or Sakura TV!

"But Muter did when he was Teru Mukami."

Sweat dripped down Minato's face. "You're saying…"

"Kira knows we're related to Kiyomi Takada. Not only that but Kira has deduced that our Shinigami is the reincarnation of Teru Mikami."

Minato panicked.

"But this is a message from L!"

Sora hit his shoulder. "This isn't a message from L, it's a message from Kira. Kira must've posted something about a broadcast to get our attention then lure us into a trap by saying L was back. No, that wasn't L on TV, that was Kira posing as L."

"How do you know?"

"How could L have known about Teru Mikami being reincarnated? And why would the real L wait so long to make a public announcement? When C-Kira turned up, he waited maybe a few days before declaring he is not challenging the fraud murderer; the L in the broadcast waited six months after Kira returned to make some kind of announcement."

Minato walked to the kitchen table and slammed his fists down.

"Damn it!" He growled as he looked up at his older sister. "Kira pulled one on us at the basketball game and he was able to deduce that not only are we two people, but we are related to Kiyomi Takada and our Shinigami is the reincarnation of Teru Mikami. And he humiliated us on live TV."

Sora put her hand to her forehead. "We underestimated Kira; this Kira is smart. Super smart." She looked over the paper. "Kira wants us to meet at one of these places. I suspect that the four locations connected to our aunt and ally are meant to show that Kira knows who we are and what we're about. The only meetup that stands out is the Japanese Police Headquarters."

"I was going to say, because of the time, 6:40, it translates as six minutes and forty seconds. To us Death Note owners, that's how much time we have to write details of a person's death."

Sora felt her heart pound in her chest and took a seat. "If Kira is going to be at the police station, all I can deduce is that Kira is someone working with the police force."

"Just like the original Kira." Minato sneered at the memory in his brain. "Light Yagami, the original Kira." He licked his lips as he considered something. "Kira must be a god to deduce that Teru Mikami was our Shinigami, Kiyomi is our obasan, and that we're two people."

"Yeah." Sora's eyebrows arched as she considered something as well. "Wait a second, how did Kira deduce that Teru Mikami is our Shinigami? I could imagine him deducing that Kiyomi is our obasan but the fact that he was able to deduce that our Shinigami is the reincarnation of Teru Mikami is something else."

"Yeah," Minato agreed, "Assuming that Kira did indeed deduce that Muter is Teru Mikami, how do you think he figured it out? How could he have known when we barely gave any evidence regarding our Shinigami?"

Sora rubbed her chin and went into deep thought.

Her hair and eyes turned purple.

The current Kira is just as smart as the original Kira. The original Kira managed to come up with a plan that would have succeeded in killing L had Teru Miakmi not messed up.

She thought of something.

Light Yagami, the original Kira. Is it possible he reincarnated into a Shinigami as Mikami did? I wouldn't be surprised. Based on the memories Minato told me about, Mikami wrote down our aunt's name but according to some kid named Near, it was Light Yagami who actually killed obasan. When Mikami wrote the name down, she was already dead.

She looked at Muter.

So if my theory is correct, Light Yagami reincarnated into a Shinigami and he passed on his memories to his successor. If it's true then that would explain how the current Kira was able to figure out what Keiri really is.

Minato looked at his older sister and narrowed his eyes.

Sora shared her thoughts with her younger brother.

"It makes sense," Minato said, "How Kira was able to deduce so much; he has the original Kira's memories implanted in him. If TeruMikami reincarnated and gave us a Death Note to counteract Kira, what's stopping Light Yagami from reincarnating and passing the Kira legacy down?" He leaned back in his chair and smiled. "Wow, it's a next-generation battle. Light Yagami Shinigami vs Teru Mikami Shinigami against Kira's successors and Takada's descendants. Wow, things have become more interesting now."

Muter spoke up. "There is a reason I chose you two: Defeat the current Kira for, like the original, he is no God."

Both Keiris laughed.

"I've already thought of a plan," Minato said, "I've already thought of a plan to deduce Kira's identity, humiliate him, and catch the police offguard." He looks over the piece of paper in Sora's hands. "If he wants a fight, we would be rude not to give him one."

Chapter Text

April 18th, 2031

The Police Station

Chief Kudo held the door open for Knight to come in to meet the rest of the Kira Task Force. Knight walked in with a grin. Kudo closed the door to give them privacy.

"You took a bold step in using L's name like that," Kudo said.

Knight chuckled with his hands shoved into his pockets. "Don't underestimate me and what I can do."

"I'm still having a hard time believing that you managed to figure out the real L is dead," Hayate said.

Knight rolled his eyes. "I really hate being underestimated."

Soma raised a hand. "Could you explain to me again how you figured out that the real L was dead?"

Knight regarded Soma. "When L didn't show up for a few weeks, I became suspicious. The Kira that showed up after the original was defeated, the one killing old and sick people, L didn't waste any time in announcing his disinterest. L made no announcement in going after the current Kira; he would at least announce that he wasn't interested. It's been six months and still radio silence from Kira. Then, the United States sends three detectives, Break, Roach, and Maroon, who possess a Death Note of their own, in lieu of L, caught my interest. But what sealed the deal was that Break told me that he was trying to succeed L."

The task force members looked at Knight.

"Break practically told me that L was dead, killed by the current Kira."

Soma nodded. "I get it."

And I killed L, Knight thought with a mental smile.

"And," Soma paused to rub the back of his reddish hair, "Can you explain the plan to lure out Keiri."

Knight rolled his eyes. "How long have you been with the police force?"

"A few years."

"And you can't remember strategy?"

"I- uh..."

Knight laughed. "I'm kidding." He took his hands out of his pockets and crossed them over his chest. "This is the plan."

"Only people involved with the Kira Task Force and of course, the killers themselves, know that Kira's power to kill comes from a notebook. This information is hidden from the public and if we ask the public to bring 'five pages' at a certain time to a location, Kira and Keiri will understand this is us asking them to bring five pages of the notebook."

"So simple yet so smart," Yamane said, "Why can't we think of stuff like this."

"Thank god I'm on your team then."

The task force laughed.

"And as for identifying Keiri, I've already thought of a plan: Murasaki Kagami." He didn't bother hiding his smile. "She's the only one who can see and hear Keiri's Shinigami and out of all of us, the only one safe from the killer notebook. We set her up at the hotel and she'll use her eyes to spot Keiri's Shinigami. That's how we'll identify Keiri."

"Wow," Soma said, "And you deduced that the killer notebook can't kill pregnant women?"

He nodded. "In the past, there has not been a single report of a pregnant woman being killed, regardless of who owned the notebook. In the six years the original Kira was active, despite the high kill count, not a single pregnant woman died of a heart attack."

Kudo held up a hand. "Before we do anything, we need to contact Mrs. Kagami and ask her if she is comfortable doing this."

"Of course."

Kudo turned to make a phone call. "She's had a police escort on her ever since she appeared on the news."

If all goes according to plan, and if Keiri is as smart as I think they are, then Keiri and his accomplice should be arriving at the Japanese police station at 6:40 on the 22nd. The task force thinks the location is actually the Perin Hotel because of the five pages, a perfect misdirection. Murasaki Kagami, whether you are set up at the Perin Hotel or police station as planned, you will be instrumental in IDing Keiri.

His hair and eyes turn a dark red color.

Keiri, don't die early on me; that would break my heart. I believe that an eye for an eye makes the world goes blind, but I would rather you be blind, especially with the Shinigami eyes.

With Murasaki

Murasaki pulled up into her driveway when her phone rang. She took it out of her pocket and was about to answer when she saw red eyes staring at her in the rearview mirror. She nearly screams before a skeletal hand is placed on her mouth.

"It's me," Gilth said, "I'm here to give you your direct orders."

The phone rang with Alumina by Nightmare playing, caller ID was 'Police'

"Answer it."

Murasaki answered the phone after the skeletal hand was removed. "Hello?"

"Murasaki Kagami?"

"Yeah?"

"This is Chief Kudo of the NPA, I've called to ask some questions."

Murasaki looked at Gilth in the rearview mirror. Gilth leaned in and put his ear next to her so he could hear.

"Yes?"

"I was wondering if you were comfortable in helping the police with the Keiri situation."

She narrowed her eyes. "What do you mean?"

"I'm aware that you have the ability to see and speak to a creature known as a god of death."

Murasaki nervously licked her lips.

"Yeah..."

"We have an anonymous source provide us information that the power Kira and Keiri possess involve a god of death."

"I can confirm that," she said, "That news experience was more than enough proof that gods of death exist."

I'm looking at one in the rearview mirror.

"This anonymous source also said that you could potentially be the only person able to identify Keiri."

Her eyes widened.

Kira, she thought, he said that he had plans for me; is this it?

"Is this why you're calling? Are you calling to see if I'll cooperate in identifying Keiri to show up at one of these locations L mentioned?"

"Yes."

Murasaki looked at the Shinigami in the eyes and said with determination, "I don't need time to consider; I am helping you." She glared. "Because Keiri couldn't kill me, he made death threats to my husband and son, even threatening to kill me and my child when she's born. I want to see that Keiri pays for threatening my family."

"I want to make sure you're one hundred percent on board with this."

"My pregnancy is what saved me from Keiri's wrath and I'm safe from his wrath until I give birth. I want to bring Keiri to justice."

And by justice, I mean with Kira killing him.

"Alright, I'll call you when there is an update on the investigation. In the meantime, hold your family close to your arms and tell them you love them."

"Don't have to tell me twice, chief." She waited for the chief to hang up before she closed her phone.

Gilth noticed the dash cams.

There are dash cams but they only pick up what's in front of the car, not inside. But they can still capture audio.

"Murasaki," Gilth whispered, "Listen but don't respond."

Murasaki knew why.

"This is all part of Kira's plan; your role in this is to identify Keiri. Your instructions are to show up and look for that Shinigami. Also, I want to remind you that there could be a female Shinigami who could show up in lieu of me so keep your eyes open."

Murasaki subtly nodded before reaching into the backseat to grab the groceries. After stepping out of the car, she noticed her escort was down the road with the officers looking at her from behind closed windows. She headed towards the front door and replayed the one single thought that's been on her mind since she hung up the phone.

Lord Kira, Lord Kira, Lord Kira, Lord Kira.

April 19th, 2031

2:30 PM

Perin Hotel

"All cameras set up?" Kudo asked over the walkie.

"Confirmed," Knight responded, "I have eyes on every floor in the hotel."

Sitting in the lobby were Yamane and Soma, who dyed his hair brown.

Kudo and Hayate were sitting outside in the parking lot, watching all who entered and exited the building.

Kudo grabbed his walkie again. "Knight, is Mrs. Kagami with you?"

"Yes," Knight answered almost immediately, "She's in the room with me."

Knight sat in a room in the police station vacant with six monitors in front of him, each with a different view of the hotel. He was focusing on the three screens recording footage inside the hotel, like the hallways and lobby, before focusing on the screens that showed the outside of the hotel.

Murasaki Kagami stood behind Knight, watching the monitors intently for any signs of Keiri's Shinigami.

Knight glanced over his shoulder and looked at Murasaki. She noticed and arched her brows in confusion.

"What?"

"You can see Keiri's Shinigami?" he asked.

"Yeah."

Knight fought to hold in a smirk.

To avoid Murasaki potentially recognizing his voice from the church, he kept his voice low and speaking only when spoke too with the exception of his most recent conversation. The more ironic he thought about it, the more he had to struggle to hold it in: Murasaki is working as his eyes and ears without having the Shinigami eyes or knowledge of Knight being the one true Kira.

"Keep your eyes peeled."

Gilth, standing behind Murasaki, laughed at the irony as well.

Murasaki looked over her shoulder, pretending to turn around to think, and glanced up at Gilth.

What's so funny, Shinigami? she thought.

April 21st, 2031

The Police Station

Knight Yagami was back at the police station with the rest of the task force (minus Soma and Yamane). They looked over footage of the Perin Hotel with Murasaki viewing it. Murasaki's held her face close to the screen, eyes seven inches away, capturing every detail possible. Even with the recordings set to the highest quality possible, she could not see any Shinigami on the screen and she had to look away as her eyes started hurting and turning red.

"That's the third time I've looked over the tapes," Murasaki said, "I can't find the Shinigami at all. I can't find him anywhere on any of the monitors." She rubbed her eyes as she felt them turning red.

"Are you sure?" Hayate asked. "We covered every angle of the Perin Hotel."

"I'm sure."

Kudo groaned. "Is it possible Keiri didn't show up?"

Knight rubbed his chin. "I told you to prepare for the possibility that Keiri didn't show up."

"Can you see Kira's Shinigami?" Hayate demanded.

Murasaki shook her head. "I never made contact with Kira's Shinigami, only Keiri's."

Gilth laughed heartily behind her.

"So what's our next plan?" Hayate asked Knight. "I assume you've already concocted some kind of plan in mind?"

"Easy," Knight scoffed before turning to Kudo. "Did you have your men set up cameras at the other locations for possible meetup points?"

He nodded.

"Perfect, then we'll have Mrs. Kagami looked through surveillance footage of those locations. To-Oh University and-"

The door was kicked open and Soma (with hair back to his natural color) and Yamane came running in, both wearing latex gloves, with a ziplock bag in Soma's hands.

"Guys," Soma panted, "You're not going to believe this! Tapes delivered to Sakura TV by, and I quote, 'invisible floating hands'." He opened the bag and dumped a cassette and piece of paper onto the table.

"This was not Sakura TV's first time dealing with tapes being sent by Kira," Yamane said, "So they called the police station and we went to pick them up; make sure to wear latex gloves when you pick up the cassette."

Hayate pulled out a box of latex gloves and handed one to each member of the task force.

Knight put on the gloves before picking up the cassette. It was a standard cassette tape that resembled the one that the Second Kira delivered to Sakura TV when Ukita was killed. He read over the paper.

Written instructions. 'Do not play this until April 21st at 9:45 PM.

"Chief," Knight spoke before the chief pulled out the small TV the task force uses when watching Kira's televised events. They set up and played the tape.

Keiri's kanji, 刑吏, was displayed in bold words.

A deep voice sounded off.

"I've deciphered the message," Keiri said, "And I gotta say, I'm disappointed, Kira."

Knight's eyes widened.

I knew he might try something like this, he thought, figuring out that it was Kira and not L, I've already anticipated this. But the way I've got things set up, it looks like Keiri is the dumb one, not considering that someone extremely smart and knowledgeable of the Death Note could come up with a message.

"What does he mean?" Kudo asked.

"Kira," Hayate echoed, "'I'm disappointed, Kira'?"

"He saw through the L facade," Knight said, "he thinks that Kira made the message, not L."

"Wow," Soma chuckled, "He must be a dumb-dumb."

Knight's eyes inwardly lit up.

"Quiet!" Kudo shouted.

"You told me where to meet up and you called me a coward. I am a lot of things but I am not a coward. You are the real coward, Kira."

He's lying, Knight thought, He never showed up at the Perin Hotel. He's saying this to throw off the investigative team so when he shows up at the police station tomorrow, the security risk will be minimum. Perfect, he fell right for the bait but he still counterattacked.

"I showed up but you weren't there. You thought you could sneak one past me and use L's name like that, you must think I'm dumb or something. Guess what, you pushed me, I'm going to shove you down to the ground. Just wait and see you bastard. I'll see you soon."

The audio went black.

The task force stared at the blank screen for a few seconds before Soma was the first to break the ice.

"So," he paused to rub the back of his hair, "What's the plan?"

Kudo took out the cassette and looked over it. "Soma, when was this tape sent to Sakura TV?"

"Oh, they received it on the 19th but were given written instructions by Keiri not to air it until the twenty-first."

"Do you know the time?"

"They said they got the tape when it was dark, floating invisible hands delivered it to them along with written instructions."

"If this was mailed on the nineteenth, then the only event that Keiri could've shown up at was the Perin Hotel or To-Oh University." He turned to Yamane. "Pull up all footage of the Perin Hotel and of To-Oh University."

"But we've already searched through it," Hayate said.

"I want us to search again; these tapes proved that Keiri showed up at the Perin Hotel, we need Murasaki's eyes if we want to find Keiri's Shinigami."

Murasaki felt her eyes start to hurt at the thought of staring at more screens and rubbed her eyes.

Kudo turned to Hayate. "I want you to get this into the forensics lab and look over every inch of this tape."

Hayate took the tape. "Right away, sir."

"Knight," Kudo said to the young boy, "Your plan succeeded. Even if Keiri saw through your guise as L, we are grateful that you managed to lure out Keiri into the open. You'll make a fine detective one day."

"Thanks," Knight said, "But I would feel a lot better if Keiri was brought to justice."

Kudo turned to Murasaki.

"Mrs. Kagami, I hate to ask but I'm going to need your eyes again."

Murasaki blinked long and hard before opening them.

"Anything to ensure my family's safety," she said.

Gilth watched the scene before him and a smirk broke out on his face. His smirk evolved into a big grin before he broke out laughing maniacally.

Knight and Murasaki tried their hardest not to show any reaction. Murasaki was sweating and slightly twitching but tried to stay as still as possible while Knight was doing everything in his power to suppress his grin.

"Keiri won't be on those tapes," Gilth whispered to Murasaki, "It's a misdirection. Keiri will be here, tomorrow, at 6:40 PM."

Murasaki kept quiet.

"I want you here, tomorrow, face-hidden, and I want you searching for Keiri's Shinigami."

Murasaki nodded by twitching her head down.

I believe that Gilth has said everything that was on my mind, Knight thought, tomorrow night, Keiri himself, in the flesh, with the Mikami Shinigami in the skeleton, by his side as well.

Soma raised his hand. "Uhh... Chief Kudo, I can't help but notice you didn't call out my name."

April 22nd, 2031

The Yagami Household

Knight woke up early in the morning. Today was Tuesday and he had college to attend today. He got out of bed, made coffee, ate some egg on rice, took a shower, brushed his teeth, and dressed in his casual wear.

As he opened the door, he was surprised when Iris stood in his doorway. She avoided eye contact and looked down at the ground.

"Hi... Knight..." she said sheepishly.

Knight smiled at her. "Hi, Iris."

Masi waved at Knight. "Hi, Knight-Light!" She lifted him off the ground in a hug.

When Knight's feet were back on the ground, Knight took off his backpack. "You're earlier than expected."

"You said right before school started and I wanted to get here thirty minutes ahead of time," Iris explained, "Besides, I'm sure you don't want to swap notebooks during school. Also, they played Keiri's tape last night and people are sending in mixed reactions. Some are accusing the police force of working with Kira but-"

"Didn't you hear the second tape they played?"

Knight recalled before he left last night, after playing Keiri's message to the world, he responded back in his L guise, feigning offense to think that the world's greatest detective couldn't figure out the power behind Kira. Based on reactions he had seen online when he was getting earlier this morning, people are wondering if Keiri was right about Kira working for the police force or if L was real and that Keiri is that big a dummy.

Knight pulled out all three notebooks in his possession and he handed them to Iris. She handed him her personal notebook.

"I forfeit ownership of all three of my notebooks," he said calmly.

Knight clutched Iris's notebook to his chest. He unzipped his jacket and shoved the notebook down the front of his pants before zipping up. After Iris finished putting the three notebooks in her backpack, she reached into her jacket pocket and pulled out the skin-colored mask from the basketball arena. She pulls the mask over his hair and brings it down his face. She pulled out the same skin-color tape as before and she taped the mask on.

Her fingertips slowly caressed over his smooth skin and cheekbones, her fingers twitching like they were being zapped with electricity. Once the face mask was secure, she slowly brought her fingers down his face where they traveled down his neck, and made their way to his chest. She pulled her hands away before they got any lower and turned her back to him, feeling her face turn red-hot like an oven.

Knight raised his hand and touched her back with his fingers like a spider, which sent tingles down her spine. She suppressed making a noise as she felt his fingers work their way down, vanishing just as they reached the small of her back.

Iris slowly looked over her shoulder and spotted a mischievous grin on Knight's face.

Why does he keep teasing me?

Knight closed the door and started walking in the direction of his school. He waited like a gentleman for Iris to catch up to him and they walked to school together. When they were in school, Masi followed Knight as ordered while Gilth followed Iris as ordered.

The Police Station

5:30 PM

Knight walked through the front doors and headed into the room reserved for the Kira Task Force. After school, Kudo contacted Knight about a breakthrough in the Keiri case that could truly benefit the investigation so he finished up his homework and headed over to the station. In the room were Kudo, Soma, and Murasaki sitting at a table and looking for a file.

"Heya, chief," Knight said with enthusiasm, "What's this about a breakthrough in the Keiri case?"

"It's better that I show you."

Masi floated over to Murasaki and touched her with a slip of the Death Note she pulled from her mouth.

Murasaki looked at the new entity attached to her. Any other day, she would've been screaming or gasping but after spending so much time around Gilth, she became desensitized to the presence of a god of death.

Soma brought Knight over to a computer and switched to a monitor. He showed him what was on the monitor.

Live footage of a man sitting in an interrogation room with his hands cuffed around a bar in the center of the table with a blindfold.

This man had thick black hair with pale skin and a tattoo of a star on his left wrist. When he lifted his neck, Knight could see that there were four throwing stars tattooed horizontally along his neck.

"Who is this man?" Knight asked.

"This man is Arata Tashi," Soma answered, "27, convicted for serial murder, later released due to a technicality. It's sad that bad people like him get to walk away."

"What's with the blindfold?"

"You haven't figured it out?"

Knight shook his head.

"Arata Tashi is Keiri."

Knight's jaw dropped with his eyes widening. "What?!"

Kudo spoke up. "Remember how I told Hayate to get the tape examined in the forensic lab?"

"Yeah."

"We've recovered physical evidence off the tape, specifically, fingerprints all over the cassette and DNA used to seal the tape in the bag it was originally delivered in. Not only that but his handwriting is the same as the handwriting used to write instructions for Sakura TV. We even found the same voice filter in his room. But what sealed the deal was Murasaki."

"I saw a god of death," Murasaki said, "When they brought him in for interrogation, I confirmed the existence of a Shinigami trailing him."

"Without a doubt, Arata Tashi is Keiri. Or one of them at least."

Knight's jaw-dropped, wide-eyed stare remained on the screen.

"Knight?" Soma waved a hand in front of his eyes. "Are you okay?"

All this trouble and he gets caught like an amateur? You gotta be fucking kidding me. Tashi, if you are Keiri, then you're going to pay for disappointing me, especially when I had such high expectations. Your defeat was not one for the books and I'm going to make sure you die a painful suicide for insulting me like that.

Then a thought crossed his mind. He closed his mouth and eyes before turning to Kudo. "What about the..." he paused and pretended to be concerned about Murasaki overhearing their conversation, "The you-know-what?"

Kudo shook his head. "We couldn't find a you-know-what in his room but there's no doubt he hid it somewhere."

Soma looked at Knight and Kudo and rubbed the back of his head with both hands in confusion. "What are you guys talking about?"

Knight made a writing gesture.

"Oh... yeah, we couldn't find one."

"I guess it's not over until we find the you-know-what," Kudo said, "But with Tashi incarcerated, all we need to do is find his accomplice. And fast."

"Why?" Knight asked.

Kudo picked up the file from earlier and took out a piece of paper. He handed it to Knight.

"Based on this, we fear that Tashi's accomplice is going to kill these targets."

Knight scrolled down the paper to discover that it was a list of names. There were some names that he recognized, like Minato Natsuki, before he realized the meaning behind this list.

"A hit-list of Kira supporters," Kudo said softly, "If his accomplice is still out there, it's very possible that he could try and fulfill this mission."

"That's why Yamane and Hayate are in there," Soma pointed out, "Interrogating Tashi right now."

I don't get it, Knight thought, After everything, after how careful Keiri has been, he's been caught so easily? If this is a plan or Keiri, how does he plan to get into the police station?

Interrogation Room

Tashi not only had his hands chained to a bar with a blindfold on but he was also chained to a chair to make sure he wouldn't get away. Hayate was pacing around the table while Yamane sat in the chair opposite Tashi.

"Who is your accomplice?" Hayate demanded, "We know about your hit-list of Kira supporters. We know that Keiri operates as two people instead of one." He leaned in and whispered into Tashi's ear, "Who. Is. Your. Accomplice?"

"I'm not talking to you," Tashi said, "You can call quits on your game of good-cop, bad-cop."

Yamane tapped the bar Tashi was handcuffed to. "Arata, don't waste our time. You and I, we both want the same thing."

Tashi tilted his head. "And what's that?"

"We want Kira brought to justice."

Tashi laughed.

"It's true," Yamane insisted, "We don't like the way that Kira operates, same as you do. However, the one thing that separates us from you is that we work within the law and we work to bring in all criminals."

"What I'm doing is justice," Tashi insisted, "You capture or kill Kira, you make him a martyr. The only way to undo this is to turn his beliefs upside-down."

"Is that why you target the Kira supporters?"

"Yes! If people die for their beliefs in Kira, the survivors will renounce their faith in God in favor of surviving. Eventually, they'll see that Kira is nothing more than a coward, the farthest thing to a god."

Hayate grabbed the bag of Tashi's hair and tugged. "You have no right to kill innocent people, this is why you're worse than Kira."

"I am making a sacrifice, become evil to undo evil. People will hate me, especially the Kira worshippers, but the Keiri supporters and the anti-Kira protesters will see the fruits of my accomplishments."

"Your wrong," Hayate sneered, "Everybody will see you as nothing but a murderer. You think those Keiri supporters like you, no, they're afraid of you because you kill just for beliefs. When Kira kills, he targets bloodthirsty criminals and people who get in his way."

"Hayate," Yamane shouted, "Let Tashi go."

Hayate complied.

"Please," Yamane said, "Work with us. Let us help each other out. Think about it: You were caught red-handed by the police and not by Kira, meaning you're not able to continue your pursuit of Kira. With your knowledge, we can bring Kira into custody."

Tashi licked his lips and let out a sigh.

Yamane and Hayate stared at the convict for a long time, unblinking at every motion the suspect made.

Tashi lowered his head and inhaled. "I will help you out but only on one condition."

"What would that be?"

"Minato Natsuki."

Yamane cocked his head. "The bench judge who is a strong Kira supporter, the man on your hitlist, what about him?"

"I want to talk to him. I have something I want to tell him. If you can bring him in, I can say my piece, then I'll give you all the information I have."

Yamane and Hayate considered this for a second before looking at the one-way mirror.

On the other side of the room, Kudo made a phone call to Minato Natsuki and ordered that precautions be set up.

With Minato

The hand struck 6:40 on the dot.

Minato looked down at his wristwatch, strapped the iconic mask he always wears in court tight around his face and marched through the front doors of the police station with his head held high and chin up.

How do you like this, Kira? he thought, Bet you never expected that I would show up like this.

He tugged at his tie and smiled under his mask.

Kira is someone in this police station and I can't wait to meet him.

An officer came by and escorted Minato to the interrogation. As Minato entered a hallway, he passed a young teenager with strawberry blonde hair who had his head held down.

Knight and Minato side-glanced each other as they walked in opposite directions.

Chapter Text

April 22nd, 2031

The Police Station, Interrogation Room

Minato opened the door into the interrogation room while Knight stopped and glanced at the back of Minato's head.

Minato entered the interrogation room and stared down at the chained inmate. Behind his mask, he smiled.

Outstanding performance, Arata Tashi, you've played the role of Keiri well.

His eyes look to Muter standing directly behind Tashi. As ordered, Muter kept a neutral expression and stayed as still as a mannequin.

"I would like the room to myself with Natsuki," Tashi said to Hayate and Yamane.

The two officers looked at each other and nodded before getting out of the room.

"There will be cameras," Hayate whispered to Minato, "Shout if you think something, anything, is wrong."

"Understood," Minato whispered.

Hayate and Yamane left the room.

Minato noted where all the cameras were and where the blind spots were. The only blindspot would possibly be under the table or around the table legs.

Minato walked with confidence over to the chair and pulled it out. The legs scraped against the ground and he parked in the seat, scooting forward so he can put his interlocked hands on the table.

"Arata Tashi," Minato said, "or would you prefer 'Keiri'?"

Tashi smiled, flashing yellow teeth at the judge. "Is that you, Judge Natsuki?"

"It is."

"You're on my hit-list of Kira supporters."

"I heard. Care to explain yourself, Mr. Tashi?"

"No, care to explain yourself, Mr. Natsuki."

Minato squinted his eyes. "What do you mean?"

"Where do you get off in judging people without a jury while having the audacity to believe that Kira is justice? You were the one who sentenced me to life in prison."

"Didn't you get off on a technicality?"

"I did but that doesn't answer my question."

Minato sighed. "Every criminal that enters my court is a scumbag who deserves no mercy. At one point, I thought that there was humanity in criminals but when I became bench judge, I saw the truth: All criminals are ugly. There are some people stealing to survive or being forced to murder, but they aren't guilty. People like you, Tashi, are worthless pieces of garbage who deserve to die. Kira delivers justice; that's why I support him."

Knight and Murasaki were watching the exchange from behind the one-way mirror. Knight held a hand onto the mirror while Murasaki crossed her arms over her chest.

"Wow," Soma said, "I can't believe we're going to get inside Keiri's head."

"One of their heads," Kudo corrected, "The second Keiri could have an entirely different motive for all we know."

"I can't believe that Arata Tashi is Keiri," Knight whispered, "I was kinda hoping he was someone of higher status rather than a standard criminal."

"At least he's been caught," Murasaki said, "But there's the other Keiri we have to look out for but so far, I can only see one Shinigami."

Knight bit his tongue. "No, something doesn't feel right; After how careful Keiri's been up to his point, he got caught like a rookie amateur? I almost don't want to believe that Tashi is Keiri."

Masi, standing behind the four, shouted, "In that case, I shall figure it out!"

Murasaki looked over her shoulder, feigning looking at the clock, and stared at Masi with a confused look. Knight noticed and pretended to be confused as well.

"What's going on?" he asked.

He can't see the Shinigami behind me, she thought, Shouldn't give away the fact I'm working for Kira directly.

"Just thinking," she said, "Just thinking of how we can identify the second Keiri."

"Murasaki," Masi whispered, "I want you to keep your eyes on both Tashi and Natsuki. I'm going to do something and I want you to watch their reactions. Blink once for 'no' and twice for 'yes'."

Muraski blinked twice.

Masi floated into the ceiling.

"Mrs. Kagami?" Knight called, "Is the Shinigami telling Tashi what to say as he did to you?"

Murasaki looked at the Shinigami and noticed that he was barely moving, let alone saying anything.

"No."

She turned to Minato and watched his reaction. He couldn't tell his facial expressions because his face was covered by that mask so she focused on his eyes.

"What is your justification?" Minato asked, "What is justification in killing Kira supporters? Why supporters to begin with?"

Tashi chuckled. "Anybody who is a supporter of Kira is borderline evil. Anybody who believes in Kira has a higher chance of becoming a murderer than anyone else. If Kira is killing criminals, I'm killing latent criminals to prevent the birth of new criminals."

Muter was suddenly knocked forward and nearly landed face-first on the table. He phased through the table before impact but it was too late.

Knight saw Masi push an invisible entity.

Minato saw Muter shoved through the table.

Murasaki saw the outcome of both.

Minato's eyes widen at Muter's sudden movements and he jerked slightly. Reeling in this new information, he stared down at the spot where Muter phased through the table with beads of sweat dripping down his face.

Murasaki caught sight of Masi shoving Muter and began sweating nervously. Knight was gazing at Minato's brief wide-eyes and fidgeting fingers before side-eying Murasaki with narrow eyes.

She subconsciously blinked twice.

Minato Natsuki reacted to the Shinigami's sudden movements, both thought, Could Minato be Keiri?

Muter picked himself off the ground and faced the Shinigami who suddenly attacked him.

I can't fly away, Muter thought, And I can't talk too loud or else I might confuse or distract Tashi and Minato.

"Who the hell are you?" Muter demanded in a whisper tone.

Masi eyed this Shinigami's appearance.

Muter had a skeletal face with smears of blood along his jawline with yellow eyes, purple pupils, and unkempt collarbone-length hair. He was wearing a suit with blood around the heart area with ripped sweatpants. He wore black boots lacking laces and had a bracelet of human teeth around his left wrist. He had a Death Note with a white cover dangling by his waist with a chain.

Masi noticed that the Kanji characters, 削除, were written on the cover of his notebook.

"Hi," Masi cheered back whisperly, "Nice to meet another Shinigami here on earth."

"I asked who the hell are you?"

Minato and Tashi suddenly went silent.

"My name is Masi and I've been here in the human realm for a while; it's been so lonely."

"Are you Kira's Shinigami?"

"Don't you know it's rude not to give your name when I just told you my name?"

He rolled his eyes. "Fine, my name is Muter, now, are you Kira's Shinigami or not?!"

Kira's Shinigami is here, Minato thought, And Muter is communicating with him. I can't leave this station without identifying Kira.

Minato smiled under his mask.

Muter, if you can follow orders, then you better follow the next step of the plan before Kira's Shinigami makes it out of the room.

"Who is Kira?" Masi asked, "Are you talking about that human who is using the Death Note to kill?"

"Who else?!"

Masi clenched her fists.

Muter is an anagram for Teru M. as in Teru Mikami. It's because of you that Light died. Knight grew up without his father and I committed suicide. You caused Kira's defeat and you had the audacity to come back to earth to destroy my son? That won't happen. I'm going to kill you myself.

Masi calmed down.

Before I do that, I'm going to follow in on Knight's plan.

If Mom can fulfill simple orders, Knight thought, Then she'll have ripped off a piece of paper from Keiri's Shinigami's notebook. I did tell her that if she saw Keiri's Shinigami, she is to steal off a piece of his notebook and touch me with it.

"No," Masi said, "I don't know who the human Kira is. I just came here out of boredom. I mean, have you seen back home? It's dull and boring."

"But you are here on earth," Muter said, "You are attached to a human, which means that there is another notebook out there. In total, there are at least three notebooks out there. Who is the human you are attached to?"

Masi laughed. "Like I'm telling you that; I only came in here to socialize."

"I'm busy with something. Leave before I kill you."

"Is that any way to talk to a girl?"

"If you don't leave, I'm going to find that human you're attached to and kill him."

Masi laughed. "Ha, don't you know that you're not allowed to do that? You can only kill the human you are attached to. Since you aren't attached to my human, you could face punishment if you kill 'em. Also, there is a rule saying Shinigami aren't allowed to give out names or lifespans to others."

"Really?" he deadpanned.

"Yeah, Shinigami rules forbid me from telling you the names of humans I see and if you tell me the name of humans you see, whether it be to me, another Shinigami, or human, you'll face punishment. You are also not allowed to reveal which humans own a Death Note or not."

"You're lying," he scowled, "I'll kill you for this."

"How? Do you know how to kill a Shinigami?"

Muter said nothing.

"That's what I thought." She began waving. "Welp, buh-bye and see you later Muter."

Masi did a one-eighty and began walking towards the wall.

If the theory that Light Yagami is the current Kira's Shinigami is false then... who is this Shinigami and what is she doing here? Is she connected to the original Kira? Either way, I can't let her escape yet.

He saw the edge of a piece of paper dangling out of her personal notebook.

He lunged a ripped the very corner of it off with two hands before she phased through the wall.

Masi appeared on the other side of the one-way mirror and faced Murasaki. She put a hand to her lip in a shushing gesture.

Discreetly, as Murasaki kept her eyes forward to not let Knight know she's secretly communicating with a Shinigami, Masi reached over and touched Knight against the back of the head with the piece of paper from Muter's personal notebook.

I tore a piece of Muter's notebook off before I shoved him down on the table, Masi thought, Now Knight should be able to see Muter.

Knight kept his eyes focused as straight as a pole forward but he could see Muter standing behind Tashi as the convict continued his conversation with Minato.

After a thirty or so, Minato was ordered to leave while Tashi was escorted out of the interrogation room by Hayate and Yamane with Kudo and Soma leading them to a room out of Knight and Murasaki's eyesight. Muter followed, discreetly dropping the corner of the notebook he tore from earlier, while Minato stayed behind in the interrogation room, rubbing his thumb against his chin. Minato looked down at the corner of the paper. It fell down on the ground near the leg of the table in the blind spot of the cameras. He steps on it with his shoe and looks around the room.

Kira's Shinigami must be somewhere else.

He picks up the piece of paper, pretending to tie his shoes, and stuffs it in his sock. He dusts his coat before standing up and marching out of the room.

When he was in the hallway about to walk the way he came in, he is stopped by a boy with reddish-blonde hair with his head looking down.

He arrived at 6:40 on the dot, Knight thought, and he reacted to Masi shoving the Shinigami down. This is more than enough proof that Minato Natsuki is Kira. Judging by the fact that he is wearing a facemask, he either hasn't forfeited ownership of his notebook or because he made the deal for the Shinigami eyes, he can't risk not getting a refund on his shortened lifespan if he gave up ownership. Based on this, I can deduce that Minato Natsuki is the Faceless Keiri.

Knight looks Minato directly in the eye, smiling under the balaclava he just applied on top of his skin-colored mask whilst pushing a strawberry blonde bang out his left eye.

Minato narrowed his eyes at the teenager, studying him from head to toe.

"Knight Asahi," Knight introduced himself, "And I know who you are: Judge Minato Natsuki."

Minato shook his hand.

"I don't have time." He regarded Knight's facemask. "What's with the balaclava?"

"Don't want to take any risks, especially with Keiri in the building."

"You a Kira supporter?"

Knight smiled under that mask.

"To say I'm a Kira supporter would be an understatement."

Minato's eyes widen for a brief second before he narrowed them again. "Worshipper?"

"I was raised by worshippers; I may be an officer of the law but I truly believe that Kira is justice. It's nice to find someone else who is a true believer in Kira, especially someone with status."

"Yeah," Minato deadpanned, "People on the receiving end of Kira's wrath don't understand. Kira is true justice."

"Yeah, and that's why this faux Kira opponent has to die."

Minato went silent.

"Keiri's way of killing is not right. He's tarnishing Kira's public image, out to make him a fool; he tried to make Murasaki Kagami a victim of Kira's wrath when he knew full well that he wouldn't be able to kill her. If you ask me, Kira's more of a man than Keiri will ever be; that's why Keiri deserves to have justice delivered to him by Kira's hand. I'm sure Kira won't hesitate to kill Keiri when given the chance."

Minato replayed that sentence in his head.

"Tashi, I don't believe he is Kira."

"Why not?"

"Think of all the work Keiri has done so far? The public massacres, he made a mistake but he barely slipped up since then. Then came the arena and he turned that basketball court into a bloody basketball court. Then the wars between the believers, I believe that was his plan all along. Then to respond to the message? Keiri has always been proactive rather than reactive and he gets caught barely a few days afterward? Do you want to hear a theory I'm picking up on? I believe that Keiri is still out there and he is using Tashi to his advantage. Then there's this other thing I noticed: On the message L sent out, he told Keiri that a potential meetup place is at the Japanese police headquarters at six-forty. In case you haven't noticed, it's seven-ten and given that there are two Keiris, I wouldn't put it past that Keiri is or was in the building at 6:40. If Tashi really was Keiri then his accomplice would've visited this place."

Minato couldn't hide wide-eyed reaction anymore. The mask tight around his face suddenly felt like it was compressing harder against his skin and he was tempted to remove the mask so he could breathe but he couldn't risk it.

This kid, he's hitting close to home. If I'm not careful, he'll figure out that I'm one of the Keiris. First thing's first: I must find Kira's Shinigami and then I must identify Kira. Once I do that, I'll kill this kid as soon as I can see his face.

"You're quite the detective," Minato said, "It's because of smart people like you that bad people are caught for me to judge, jury, and practically execute anyone who is sentenced to one of my bench trials."

"Anything to aid Kira in his road to justice," Knight said, "and the next step is finding both Keiris and bringing them to justice."

"I couldn't agree more. When I came in here to talk to Arata Tashi, I was prepared to tell him to go to hell. When I put him away, I locked him in a jail cell and was ready to throw him away before he got released due to a technicality. But to find out he is Keiri is like getting punched in the gut. Never in my twenty-eight years alive have I felt this kind of sucker punch. I am praying to get Tashi for my court trial so I can sentence him to death."

Arata Tashi, Minato thought, You've done well so far. You've memorized all your lines and you played the role of fake Keiri well. I had promised to erase your criminal record if you cooperated with me. Goods news for me, bad news for you: I'm going to kill you as soon as I kill Kira.

Minato looked at his watch.

Knight glared at Minato in the eyes.

I offered the possibility that Tashi might not be Keiri and he's insisting that he is. If someone is consistently insisting the opposite of what someone is suggesting then they are more likely to be guilty.

He looked at the ground.

There's something else going on: The Shinigami. If Minato ordered his Shinigami to follow Tashi around at all times then there is only one thing I can do.

A plan formed in his head.

Now that I know Minato Natsuki is the Faceless Keiri, I can look up his address and come up with a plan from there.

"I'm afraid that I must get going," Minato said as he adjusted his mask, "I have somewhere to be."

Minato walked past Knight before the teen grabbed the judge's shoulder.

"Kira, why are you a supporter of Kira, Mr. Natsuki?"

Minato looked up towards the ceiling with a hesitant look in his eyes. He sighed and looked back at Knight once he found an answer.

"When I was a young boy, I used to have a black-and-white sense of justice. Anybody who broke the law was evil and deserved to get tossed in jail. It was a sense of justice that my older sister and I both shared." He shoves his hands in his pockets as he relives the memories in his head. "One day, my father took me and my sister to a trial when I was ten and my sister was twelve. He took us to open our eyes and show us that the world isn't black and white. There was a guilty man who wanted to serve time because he felt regret for armed robbery and there was an innocent man who didn't want to go to jail for stealing food to feed his dying child. These two criminals made me realize that maybe there is something more to criminals and that we should focus on helping these people rather than toss them behind bars. I started to see criminals in a different light and I wanted to help them. This was during the time the original Kira was absent; I was ten turning eleven when the original Kira vanished, so I was still clinging onto to this new sense of hope, but when I became a judge and got my own court with no jury, only me to judge, I saw the rotten side of humanity. Anybody sentenced to my court was a scumbag who deserved no mercy. I've seen a lot of them: Serial killers, child molesters, rapists, and they all deserved to die. Not a single one of them has justifiable motives or if they did, they were so pathetic I wanted to vomit. With the power in my hand to judge, jury, and execute criminals, I showed no mercy to these rotten scumbags and cleaned house with nearly every criminal in my court. I thought that Kira's way of delivering justice was wrong but now that I'm an adult and I've seen the ugly side of humanity, I fully support Kira and what he's doing. As far as I'm concerned, he has my approval to go on killing." He hesitated. "If we're being completely honest, I'm still hoping that there is maybe one criminal in my courtroom that truly is innocent but it feels like I'm trying to hold onto a rope of water."

Minato's hair and eyes turn purple.

My reason for becoming Keiri: My obasan. Granted, Kira's way of justice is correct, but it comes with a cost of turning innocent people, no, corrupt them, into becoming the very thing I hate. I loved my obasan with all my heart but Kira corrupted her and turned her into a murder, the kind I would sentence to death in my court. I will kill Kira for corrupting innocent minds and after I forfeit ownership of my Death Note, I will continue to judge and execute criminals in my courtroom. I. Am. Justice!

"Hmmh," Knight nodded, "So, your father tried opening your eyes to see that Kira was wrong but as you grew up, you realized that Kira's brand of justice was correct."

Minato side-eyed him. "Yeah. It feels good to be right but to get an eye-opener to how right you were all along hits home in a different way. What about you? What's your excuse for worshipping this god of justice?"

Knight laughed. "How did I join the Kira worshippers in the first place?" He taps the ball of his foot into the ground. "I guess you can say it was ingrained in me from a young age."

"It all starts when we're children. I can spare a few minutes and listen to your explanation; it's only fair after I told you my explanation."

The words struck a chord in Knight's heart. It opened up a memory within him that he hadn't thought about in a while.

Wow, is that where my love for Kira came from in the first place?

He smiled.

"I was four when I first learned of Kira..."

Chapter Text

I was four when I first learned of Kira. I remember living in a one-story house with a pool in the backyard and a nice couple of parents raising me. They weren't my real parents but they treated me like their own son.

February 9th, 2018

Knight 'Kishi Kamiya' Yagami, Age: 4

Even when in his room playing with his toy trucks and smashing toy soldiers together like they were kissing, Kishi Kamiya could smell his mother's home cooking from a mile away. There's nothing that stimulated his sense of smell other than the sweet scent of his mother's grilled shishamo fish.

"Kishi!" Mayu Kamiya called from the kitchen, "Breakfast is ready!"

Kishi ran out of the room and sprinted into the kitchen. He sat at the kitchen table as his mother got him a plate of fried fish.

Kishi waited for his mother to take a seat before he dug in.

His mother, Mayu Kamiya, was a quiet woman in nature. She had a loud voice when she called Kishi in his room from any point in the house and she rarely raised her voice directly at Kishi, if ever.

Mayu Kamiya, my foster mother. She was so nice to me and everything. She was a stay-at-home mom but she was very smart. She helped me get a headstart in preschool before I even knew what pre-K was. She would play puzzles and toys with me and when I'm down, she would usually play a funny movie or TV show to cheer me up. Not a day went by when I DIDN'T see a smile on her face.

Mayu was a woman of average height with chin-length brown hair with bangs coming over her right eye and a single bang coming over her left. She had brown eyes and fair skin. Since he was a stay-at-home wife, she would mostly dress in casual but neatly pressed clothing.

"Where's daddy?" Kishi asked.

"He'll be home soon," Mayu answered, "He took an extra shift so he can have an entire day off from his construction project."

"Okay," Kishi shrugged before digging into the rest of his plate.

After a few minutes, the front door opened and Toma Kamiya walked in, kicking his shoes off in the corner. He was a tall man with neck-length dirty blonde hair parted so the bangs wouldn't hide his brown eyes. He was currently wearing a white cloak, which he discarded in favor of wearing a simple tee and basketball shorts.

Toma Kamiya, my foster father. He was the leader of a small sect of Kira worshippers, although, I didn't know it at the time. What he would do was that he would go to different communities and neighborhoods, especially ones that were known for being Kira supporters, and he'd be paid to build a church dedicated to Kira. When a church was being constructed, it would usually take six months to complete and the money would be distributed equally amongst the crew.

When he walked into the kitchen, he had a rectangular box under his armpit and a newspaper in his other hand. When Kishi leaned in to get a closer look, almost falling out of his chair before he caught himself, he saw black and white squares running up and down the box.

"What's that you got there?" Mayu asked.

Toma held up the box. "An antique chess set worth over 110 thousand yen in mint condition." He slapped the newspaper down on Mayu's side of the table. "I'm going to sell it as soon as I can find a buyer."

"What's chess?" Kishi asked, leaning on the table by his elbows.

"It's a strategy game. You have sixteen pieces and you have to try and take your opponent's pieces. Here, let me show you." He opened the chessboard and laid it down on the table. The first set of pieces were made of silver while the second set was made of bronze. The king and queen were designed to be wearing long robes with long hair. The king was identified by his long beard. The bishops were soldiers with knight-like armor. The knights were soldiers riding on horses kicking upward. The rooks were temples. The pawns were samurais with their left hand reaching for the sword in their holster. The squares had a red flower in the white boxes while the black boxes had a blue flower.

Toma set up the pieces and explained the moves they each make.

"The point is to take the other person's king."

Kishi snatched the king on Toma's side. "I win!"

Mayu laughed before opening up the newspaper Toma laid out with the headline: 'Midnight Slaughter Claims Family'.

Toma took the piece back and put it back in its original place.

"If it were that easy then there would be no need for strategy."

He rotated the board so the bronze pieces were on his side while the silver pieces were on Kishi's side.

"I'll let you go first, Kishi."

Okay, Kishi thought, Pawns can only move forward two spaces on the first go and one on the next go. King can only move one space, the queen can move everywhere, the horse can make an L shape, the 'bicep' can move across diagonally and the castle can only go straight but can move across the board.

Kishi made his first move.

My dad kicked my ass twice. After Dad beat me in my second match, I wanted to play again but he said to wait while he finished Mom's home cooking so I took the opportunity to go over the rules and the moves before I came up with a plan in mind and I must say, there's a reason they say 'third time's the charm'.

"I'll let you go first again," Toma said.

Kishi moved the pawn in front of his king forward one space.

Toma moved the knight on his right side up to the left.

Kishi moved the queen two spaces ahead of the king.

Toma moved his pawn in front of the king forward two spaces.

Kishi moved right his 'bicep' across the board until it was a space across from Toma's pawn.

Toma moved his first pawn forward.

Kishi moved his queen forward and took out the pawn to his opponent's king on his left side.

"Checkmate!"

"What?"

Toma looked down at the board and looked at the position of where his king was. There was no way he could move his king forward without facing the wrath of his opponent's bishop and his queen couldn't do anything either.

Mayu dropped the newspaper and her jaw to the floor.

My first win in a chess match and I loved it. My love for chess indirectly came from Kira because my foster father built churches dedicated to Kira and he got a vintage chess set as a gift. At the end of the day, he decided not to sell the chess set as it was the only chess set that I would be playing with for a while. A few days after my first chess win, I woke up early in the morning to go to the bathroom. When I came out, I saw that the TV was on in the living room.

February 13th, 2018

Kishi rubbed the sleep out of his eyes as he walked towards the lights of the television set flashing against the darkness and lighting up the couch. The TV had sound but it was set to a low volume so he couldn't hear anything until he was up close. When he looked at the couch, the only place lit up by the brightness, he saw his mother and father cuddled on the couch, watching a rerun of people on screen shouting into the camera.

"KIRA!"

"Shut up! There're lots of people who believe in the right to life. Why can't we believe in the right to death?"

"Kill me!"

"GAH!

"AGH!"

When the couple noticed a tiny silhouette standing in the dark hallway, they knew it could only be one individual and they quickly turned off the TV. Once the TV was shut off, the living room was entrenched in complete darkness. There was a moon out but it was in the waning crescent cycle and barely offered any moonlight. Mayu moved over, using instinct and memory, to locate the light switch closest to her and flips it on.

Kishi squinted at the sudden brightness coming from the ceiling fan and covered his eyes.

"What's going on?" he asked, "What were you watching?"

"Nothing," Mayu said, a smile absent from her face, "It's not something for you to see at your current age."

Kishi slowed unraveled the hands from his eyes and waited for his eyes to adjust before setting his gaze on his mother standing at the far end of the wall with a somber expression on her face.

"What's wrong, Momma? Why do you look sad?"

Toma scoffed. "You're observant," he said and rested his jaw on his fist. "You're going to figure it out eventually so we can at least give you the watered-down version."

Mayu looked at her husband. "Toma, he's only four!"

"He beat me in chess and he's only four, and he's more observant than most kids. 'Sides, I said I give him down the watered-down version."

She scolded him but bit her tongue with a sigh. "If he's going to figure it out, I guess he should hear it from us."

"What are you talking about?" Kishi asked. "Momma, daddy?"

Toma patted the empty seat beside him and gestured for him to come over. Kishi jumped knees-first onto the couch before resettling so that he was leaning on his father's side. Mayu stepped away from the wall and sat next to Kishi's side and ran a hand through the bangs of his reddish-blonde hair.

"What do you know about Kira, my little gallant hero?" she asked.

Kishi shrugged.

"Come on, you must know something about him."

Kishi's thought about his answer. He had heard rumors about Kira and how he is looked up to as a savior in most neighborhoods and communities he visits but beyond that, he knows nothing about him. But he also heard from some kids in these communities that Kira was a killer and not a savior but the kids who supported Kira would always rebuke their claims. Kishi stayed out of these conversations but the Kira supporter kids would get beat up.

"I know that some people call him a savior while other people call him a killer," he answered, "I don't know why some people call him a good guy while other people call him a bad guy. Superman is a good guy and people don't call him a bad guy."

"Yeah," Toma said as he rubbed the back of Kishi's head, "Whether Kira is a hero or not is definitely a subject for debate but your mother and I believe that he is a hero."

"What did Kira do?"

This was the part they've been dreading. They knew that Kishi would ask why they worship someone but if they withheld information from him, he would become more curious as to why certain people call this seemingly noble 'hero' a murderer. He's already going to learn about death when he gets older so why not tell him right now and just get it over with but tell it in a way that it doesn't frighten him.

"Kira killed people," Toma and Mayu said.

That conversation would introduce me to Kira on a personal level for the first time. Until that day, I knew only of Kira in the same way most people knew of God before their parents explained God to them.

Kishi spent five seconds looking at his mother before switching eye contact with his father. He had an expression of concern on his face and began shaking his leg nervously.

"What?"

"I know it may seem wrong but before you judge us, hear us out," Mayu pleaded, "Kira didn't just kill people, he killed bad people."

"He killed bag guys," Toma clarified.

"Bag guys?" Kishi questioned, finding the strength to stop shaking his leg.

"Bad guys who like killing sons, daughters, mothers, and fathers for fun. He killed bad guys who took children away from their parents. He killed bad guys who hurt people for fun."

"What?" Kishi gasped softly, "Kira killed people?" He licked his lips and looked down at the ground. He put a hand to his chest and listened to the thumps of his heartbeat, counting each thump before he lost count. "But, isn't it wrong to kill people?"

"It is," Mayu said, "It is wrong to kill people but Kira broke the law and the rules. When I heard about him for the first time, I was fourteen and I was having mixed reactions about him. I thought that it was just wrong to kill people but-" she stuttered to a stop as she cleared her thoughts. "I saw the good in what he was doing and how safe I felt when walking out the door for the first time without a fear of getting mugged."

"Why couldn't Kira just put these bad guys in jail?" He looked at his father. "Why couldn't he be a superhero like Batman and throw them in jail?"

Toma snorted. "Superheroes aren't real; in real life, criminals don't just go to jail, they face trial and they can escape prison before even getting there."

"That's not fair!"

"You'll understand when you're an adult."

Upon hearing those words, he was reminded of the TV being shut off before he could see. "What were you watching?"

"A clip of Kira."

"A different Kira," Mayu pointed out, "This Kira was active two years ago in 2016. This Kira was killing depressed and elderly people."

"Why?"

"Because they were suffering and in anguish."

"But I thought Kira only killed bad people?"

"Kira does kill bad people but sometimes, people are in so much pain that they wish to die."

"I wouldn't kill them if I were Kira!"

"But if you didn't kill them then they would cry in pain day after day."

Kishi looked at the ground and hugged his knees to his chest.

"The clip we saw was of people begging Kira to kill them because they were depressed and didn't want to live. Kira granted them their wish to find peace in death."

Kishi licked the inside of his cheek. "Why would people want to die?"

"Some people have been dealt a bad hand in life. Sometimes, they're bullied and they don't wish to live anymore. Sometimes, they are in physical pain and want to escape it. Sometimes, they are just depressed."

"So Kira did a good thing by killing these people who wanted to die?"

"He did," Toma answered, "At least, we thought he did."

"I don't want to die," Kishi cried, "I want to live forever!"

"You're going to live a long life, Kishi," Mayu reassured, "You're going to have so much to accomplice when you get older."

Kishi felt his mother rub the back of his hair in a similar way his father did and smiled warmly.

"Why do people hate Kira if he is a savior?"

This was the question Toma and Mayu were dreading.

"Because some people think that killing bad guys is just as evil as the bad guys themselves," Toma answered.

"But that doesn't make sense!"

"Exactly," Mayu agreed, "Even though they were doing their job, the police and the FBI started chasing down Kira. Kira killed the FBI."

Kishi's eyes lit up with shock and confusion. "Why did he kill the FBI? What is the FBI anyway?"

Toma quickly explained what the FBI was so Mayu could finish her thought.

"Because the FBI was trying to catch him. From my point of view, I believe it was necessary because if the FBI caught Kira then he wouldn't be able to create a peaceful utopia for us where we don't have to hide from bad guys."

Toma put in his two cents. "I believe that it was justifiable as well. To be fair, they already knew that Kira has no problems killing law enforcement, Lind L. Tailor, yet they continued to investigate."

Whose Lendell Taylor? Kishi thought.

"Then again, it was the world's greatest detective, L, who is responsible for the death of the FBI agents."

"I know who L is," Kishi said, "They said he defeated Kira."

"Sadly," Toma said gloomy, "L thinks that he is so high and mighty but in my opinion, he is no better than a criminal. He set up a criminal to die on a public broadcast, made promises to sentence Kira to death, and he sent the FBI into Japan, knowing full well that they could potentially be killed by Kira. Not only that but he wasn't trying to catch Kira out of justice, only out of his own fun and amusement. When L made his most recent announcement with the Kira that kills old people, he said that he has no interest because he finds it to be boring so L doesn't care about justice. In my mind, he deserves to die."

L, he thought, he only wanted to catch Kira because he thought it was a game? We lost a good person because someone wanted to play a game. I hate L.

"I still don't understand why Kira would kill police officers, why would he do that?"

"To avoid getting caught; he can't work with the police because, while he is justified, legally speaking, he is still murdering people."

"I like Kira," Kishi said suddenly.

"Kishi," Toma began, "Don't say that if you don't mean it. We would understand if you hate Kira but we don't want you to like Kira because we like Kira. If you want to believe that Kira is a bad guy then that's your right; we promise not to judge."

"No!" Kishi exclaimed, "I like Kira! I believe in Kira! You told me all the things he did and how he made life happy for you. I like Kira and I wish he were back; I wish that people wouldn't see him as a bad guy. Anybody who sees him as a bad guy is stupid."

"Even L?"

"If L doesn't like Kira then he's stupid!"

"And he's supposed to be extremely smart."

The three of them laughed.

My disdain for L started to bubble up at that single moment. I've spent maybe an hour or so listening to my parents explain my ear off about Kira and the more they said, the more it made sense why people looked up to him. He ended wars and global crime rates were reduced by seventy percent, especially violent crimes. Kira brought peace to the world for six whole years before up and vanishing. Then a second Kira comes along and starts killing depressed and elderly people to relieve them of their pains. Mom and Dad explained to me while they loved Kira so much, why they believe he was justified and the conversation was getting interesting. My love for Kira broke through the surface that one night, or very early morning, and from that day onward, I became a Kira supporter. I wanted Kira back so he can bring back the peace he had made possible all those years ago. I wanted evil people to die and I wanted parents to be coming home to their children, untouched by criminals, and hugging their children without the fear of a criminal slicing their throats in an alleyway.

February 28th, 2018

Weeks passed before the topic of Kira was brought up again. Toma and Mayu decided since Kishi announced his belief in Kira, to take him to a church that worshipped Kira. They put on their usual white cloaks and bought a white cloak for Kishi in his size. They left early in the morning after breakfast to head over to Church XII of Kira carrying handheld candleholders. They entered the church where there were dozens of other people in white cloaks sitting on benches and listening to a priest recite a verse from the Holy Bible. Kishi sat wedged between his parents on the bench and put the candleholder in his lap.

His eyes absentmindedly roamed over the room to look at other Kira worshippers. He was somewhat nervous to be around all these new people and he kept his head down.

Toma whispered, "Hold your head up."

Kishi squeezed his eyes shut as he felt his eyes starting to moisten.

"Why are you crying?" Mayu whispered.

"Kira," Kishi whisper sobbed, "I wish Kira were back, I wish L was gone, I wish that there were more people who liked Kira."

Toma patted him on the shoulder reassuringly.

"Hold your head up, please, I don't like seeing you sad."

Kishi wiped the tears away from his eyes but they kept rolling down his cheeks. He waited to calm himself down before he raised his head up and listened to the sounds of the priest talking about all of Kira's accomplishments over the years.

That night was one I'll never forget. Not only did I go to a Kira church for the first time, but I got to go up in the mountains for the first time. If you're a Kira worshipper then you know about it. Not a Kira SUPPORTER, a Kira WORSHIPPER.

It was nine o'clock at night when the Kira worshippers started moving. Like most Kira worshippers who followed tradition, they climbed up the mountain on the twenty-eight of each month because January 28th, 2013, was Kira's last official day active. After January 28th, not a single criminal dropped dead from a heart attack so the 28th of each month had been something of a tradition to pray to Kira and pray for him to come back.

The Kira worshippers each carried a handheld candleholder and illuminated the mountain with each candle. Although not a full moon, there was enough moonlight from the waxing gibbous moon to light up the path for the worshippers to walk.

Holding a lit candle was not something Kishi was allowed to do so Toma carried Kishi's lit candle along with his while Kishi clung to his mother's free hand while her other hand was holding her candle.

As Kishi looked around, he saw that he wasn't the only kid here. There were other small people wearing white cloaks along with old people wearing cloaks whilst walking with canes. There was even a couple holding an infant baby in a white cloak walking up the mountain. Seeing all these people walking in unison made Kishi realize how much Kira has had an influence on so many people of different ages and they were all willing to walk up to this mountain just to pay respect for someone who died in their honor of getting rid of criminals and bringing true peace to this world.

The worshippers halted as they reached the edge of the mountain. The worshippers upfront parted as they made room for a female worshipper to walk to the edge of the mountain. She got on her knees and gently placed the candle down in front of her and interlocked her fingers as she prayed.

The worshippers followed her example and placed their candles before them as they prayed on their knees.

Kishi got on his knees and waited until Toma laid both his and his personal candle on the ground before them.

Mayu and Toma interlocked their fingers and began praying.

Kishi looked at the praying crowd around him and after a few seconds of hesitation, he interlocked his fingers together and began praying.

"Kira," he whispered, "our savior." A single tear escaped from his eyes. "Please come back, Kira."

Chapter Text

April 22nd, 2031

The Police Station

"Quite an interesting story," Minato said, replaying the story in his head, looking back to make sure he didn't miss any details, "Raised by Kira worshippers and grew up amongst Kira worshippers. You even follow the tradition of praying every 28th of the month."

"Yeah," Knight smiled under his balaclava.

"Where are your parents?"

Knight suddenly remembered the reason he ended up in the Wammy's House in the first place and his smile suddenly disappeared and was replaced with a glare.

"They died."

"My condolences." The tone in which he used was neutral at best.

Knight glared at him with dark red eyes.

Liar, he thought, You're happy that Toma and Mayu Kamiya are both dead; you hate Kira worshippers. For insulting my foster parents like that, you will die.

"Thanks." Knight shook his hand.

Minato held his hand up and looked at the time. "Unfortunately, I really do have to get going. Remember, bring Keiri into my courtroom and I will execute him."

Knight's smile returned. "I'll deliver him a platter so shiny you can see your reflection."

Minato tucked his hands in his pockets and started walking away.

Knight kept his eyes on the back of Knight's head and glared. His eyesight shifts to the right where he saw Masi following behind.

Earlier That Morning

On the way to the police station, Knight whispered to his mother the plan.

"Today, Keiri is supposed to show up at the police station at 6:40 PM," Knight said.

"Yeah," Masi agreed, "6:40 translates to Death Note owners as six minutes and forty seconds."

"Murasaki is going to be the one who identifies Keiri and this is the plan: I want you to get into contact with the Mikami Shinigami. The thing I need you to do is to steal a piece of his Death Note then touch me with it. Once I see Keiri's Shinigami, it'll be easier for me to come up with a plan."

"What if he tears off a piece of my notebook?"

Knight smiled. "Already a step ahead."

He made sure he wasn't in view of any cars' dashcams or street cameras before he reached into his backpack and tore out a piece of paper from a journal. "Put this in your personal notebook. Make sure the corner of the paper is sticking out but wait until we get to the police station to do that."

Masi grabbed the piece of paper and examined it. "Was this torn from the Death Note?"

"No, it's a regular piece of paper."

Masi quickly hid it in her personal Death Note between the pages, rendering it invisible to the human world.

"What's the point of the piece of paper?" she asked.

"If Keiri's Shinigami tries to steal a piece of your Death Note, it'll be easier for him to identity me. If we give him a fake piece to tear off then he won't be able to see him."

"Oh," Masi awed, "I get it: Keiri is aware that Kira will be at the police station and if he tells his Shinigami to tear off a piece of my notebook and touch him with it then he'll be able to see me but if he touches a piece of a regular paper then he won't see me."

"Yeah, it's another form of humiliation for him. At the sporting arena, we framed Ibata as Kira and when Keiri tried to control him, it backfired. Here, Keiri will probably try to find my Shinigami and once he realizes that he's been tricked then he'll feel the gut punch when he gets home."

"So smart, Knighty," Masi cheered, "I'm so proud of you!"

Knight stopped suddenly and Masi stopped behind him.

"By the way... did you swallow?"

Masi flew in front of him and opened her mouth at a ninety-degree angle like a snake and angled her head so he can see inside her mouth.

A tape recorder homemade by Iris as requested by Knight himself.

"Perfect."

Present

Knight snicked under his mask.

Minato Natsuki is the Faceless Keiri and Teru Mikami is his Shinigami.

Masi sprang herself forward and faked throwing a punch at Minato, stopping only inches from his face. He didn't blink or flinch an inch.

Just as I thought, he can't see her, Knight thought, This just gets better and better. If Minato ordered his Shinigami to follow Tashi indefinitely then we can work with this. We can use Murasaki to stall Tashi and the Shinigami and keep him as far away from Minato and his accomplice as possible. Meanwhile, the tape recorder in Mom's mouth will record his conversation with his accomplice. This way, we can deduce the identity of the Nameless Keiri.

Knight began walking back towards the observation room where Murasaki waited inside.

Knight imagined himself climbing up an endless set of stairs, his hair and eyes turning a dark red color.

Minato Natsuki, he thought, The Faceless Keiri, you made a fatal mistake coming here.

He looked up the stairs to see Minato standing before him, his hair and eyes purple and faced covered by his infamous balaclava.

Once Masi records your conversation with your accomplice, you'll be defeated. Minato Natsuki, the Faceless Keiri, Teru Mikami the Shinigami, and soon, I'll have the identity of the Nameless Keiri and this all went according to my extremely complicated plan.

Minato began walking up the stairs. Knight cut in front of him and was ahead by five steps.

I've always been several steps ahead of you, Keiri, you were a worthy opponent, smart in trying to defame me but at the end of the day, you lost. You were always short-sighed and your goal had been to defame me. Had you been focusing on trying to kill me then maybe you could've come up with a plan that AT LEAST put up a fight but this was a curb-stomping battle. The first thing I'm going to do is I'm going to bestow upon you the ultimate humiliation and when I'm done, I'm going to kill you.

Knight marched over to Murasaki and made eye contact with a smile on his face.

"Prognosis?"

Murasaki looked away nervously, weighing the options in her head.

"The only thing I know for sure is that there is a Shinigami that is following Tashi."

"Was he making any attempt to hide?"

She shook her head.

Knight tilted his head. "Doesn't that strike you as odd?"

Murasaki nervously bit her lower lip.

"Why?"

"Think about how cautious Keiri has been put to this point: He didn't write down any instructions for you to read off of and when he coerced you on the news, he had his Shinigami talk to you. Don't you find it odd that he's been caught because of an amateur mistake? If he was really cautious, don't you think that he would've told his Shinigami to hide? And when you think about it, this police station was a potential meetup spot for Kira and Keiri and Tashi's Shinigami was just standing behind him."

Murasaki nodded. "Yeah, he wasn't whispering in his ear or anything; why do you think that?"

Knight touched his chin. "Call me crazy but having established Keiri as someone being extremely careful, it is out of character for him to make a rookie mistake. My theory is Tashi is a stand-in for Keiri, someone being framed."

Murasaki's eyes widened and she had to bite her lip to close them.

He hit so close to home, she thought, he deduced that Tashi ISN'T Keiri. If I'm not careful, he'll figure out I'm working with Kira. But then again, I did hear him talking to Natsuki about being a Kira supporter so maybe he'll have sympathy for me.

She mentally shook her head.

No, not possible. He is still working with the police force. If he finds out I'm Kira's accomplice, he could throw me in jail. I might never see my husband or Rei.

She touched her belly.

They might take my daughter away as soon as she is born.

"There's only one way to know for sure," Knight exclaimed.

Knight picked up his phone and dialed Chief Kudo.

"Chief Kudo?"

"What is it?"

"I've been going over things with Murasaki and we both came up with a theory that Tashi was nothing more than a decoy."

"How did you come to that conclusion?"

"I'll explain after but there is something that I need you to do."

"What is it?"

"Where is Tashi's current location right now?"

"We have him in the holding cells."

Knight went over to the computer and pulled up footage of the holding cells.

Tashi was sitting in the corner of the cell with a blindfold on and hands tied behind his back. His feet were also cuffed together but Knight doubted it was necessary.

Murasaki looked at the screen and saw Muter sitting directly behind Tashi on the bed.

She took Knight's phone. "I can see the Shinigami."

So can I, Knight thought, Mom, pickpocketing him and touching me with a piece of his notebook is what makes you the MVP for today. But there's still more we have to do.

Knight took the phone back. "Murasaki said she can still see the Shinigami, which is why we have to wait. Tomorrow morning, I'm going to tell you the plan but no matter what you do, do not release Tashi from his cell."

"That goes without saying."

"And, we should get Murasaki some footage of Tashi's cell at all times at least for two more days. By tomorrow, if Murasaki can still see him in the cell then we can activate my plan."

"Knight, what are you planning?"

"Something that will prove if Tashi is Keiri once and for all."

He inwardly smirked.

And more importantly, humiliate Keiri.

April 23rd, 2031

Twenty-Four Hours Later

With Keiri

There was nothing for Minato to say as he stood under the spray of the shower. The water had been switched to a hot temperature for about ten minutes and he could feel the entirety of his back turn red from the spray. He squeezed his eyes shut and muted the sounds of the shower drops splashing against the ground and focused on the beating of his own heart. The more he focused, the louder the beating his heart sounded, and the more it reminded him that he was alive.

And that's why he collapsed to his knees.

Sora used her key to unlock the door and enter. Another day in the journalism career had worn her down as she couldn't wait to hop in the shower. She threw her jacket on the couch before walking into the bedroom to see Minato standing over the bed, looking down like a grieving family member looking down in an open casket, shirtless and wearing nothing but baggy sweatpants.

"What's wrong, Minato?" She didn't get an answer. "What's wrong baby brother?"

Minato regarded her with a somber look on his face.

Very quietly, he whispered: "I think I can hear obasan's voice."

Sora chuckled humorlessly. "What's the supposed to mean?"

"I think I can hear Aunty Kiyomi's voice in my head. I've heard it ever since I came back from the police station and the voice just won't go away."

"I don't know if I should laugh or feel concerned." She didn't miss the way his eyes went down and stared aimlessly at the floor. "Minato?"

"I think I made a fatal mistake."

"Why?"

"It's what obasan's voice keeps telling me: I made a mistake, a fatal one."

"What fatal mistake?"

"I'm not even sure myself." He bit his lower lip and looked back at the bed. "I never should've gone to that station. I never should've played into Kira's hands."

"But it was the only way to find Kira, right?"

He went silent quickly, staring into nothing, his head down and eyes closed.

Sora walked up to him and put a warm hand on his shoulder.

"I'm sorry."

He said it so quietly that she would've missed it the first time had she not been paying attention.

"For what?"

"For failing to fulfill my duties as a judge and executioner."

"You didn't do anything wrong."

Minato reaches out and wraps Sora in a hug.

"I just had to say it," he whispered softly in her ear, "I didn't want to die with any regrets."

"You have nothing to regret," she said and wrapped her arms around his back, "And you're not going to die yet."

Minato pulled away from her and met her gaze with a warm smile.

"Thank you for taking care of me growing up; you were a great big sister."

Sora stared at him speechlessly.

"It's do or die time," he said, snapping back into his serious persona, "I will not lose."

"You told Muter to follow Tashi until he is in prison."

"Yes, I told the Shinigami to follow him at all times. If I unknowingly came into contact with Kira at the station and his Shinigami spotted mine, he'll know I am Keiri. But I don't need a Shinigami to carry out my mission. I will find Kira myself and once I've exposed his identity, I'll kill him. Maybe I'll out his identity and then I'll kill him when the world sees Kira as nothing more than a murderer."

"Don't go making the fatal mistake of dying on me."

"I promise not to, Sora. For you, for obasan."

Unaware to both of them and oblivious that the piece of paper Muter touched him with came from a regular notebook, Masi was listening in on their conversations. Watching, observing, stalking, and recording.

April 24th, 2031

7:30 AM

The Police Station, Holding Cells

Man, Mutter grumbled internally, I know I'm supposed to stay with Tashi until Minato and Sora give the all-clear but this is boring.

Muter stood up from the bed and he went into the corner of the cells leaned his shoulder against the wall.

Tashi was sitting on the bed, sleeping in an uncomfortable position on his front, handcuffs on, handcuffed legs up to the chest, and blindfold on as a sleep mask. He tossed and turned to get a comfortable feeling but it was impossible with two handcuffs on.

Muter continued to say nothing and crossed his arms over his chest and lifted his leg up and put the ball of his foot against the wall.

If being a Shinigami is boring, this is boring at an all-time rate. At least as a Shinigami, you could move around freely and gamble and watch humans with your Shinigami eyes. Standing in a jail cell, bored to death, I'm glad I committed suicide.

His hair and eyes turn purple.

"Mikami," Light Yagami called out in his memory, "What are you waiting for? Write down their names, write them down! Kill them all!"

Muter remembered what he was thinking that one moment.

How could I write their names down... in a situation like this... and with a fake notebook...

He remembered what he wanted to shout out to him that day.

You're not God! What the hell is this? Look what you've gotten me into. You're not God, you're just scum!

He remembered the last words Light Yagami would ever scream.

"Where are you Misa? Where's Takada?"

Muter remembered his last thought.

I can't believe I worshipped this piece of scum. He is not God. He is not God. HE IS NOT GOD!

He remembered the feeling of the pen stabbing into his chest and spraying the warehouse with blood, screaming his lungs out as his fountain of blood spurted out.

Light Yagami died but someone else picked up his trail. Once I saw the worthless scumbag humans dying in the human world, it awoke my memories of when I was Teru Mikami. I could not let a scumbag like Light Yagami, or even a successor, continue his work. Finding a human that had what it took to challenge the new Kira was a challenge itself but once I found Minato and Sora, life became easier.

He looked at Tashi for a split second.

After that one Shinigami, Grem I believe, died because he had gotten lazy in updating his lifespan, I took his notebook and I flew to the human world to give it to Minato. After that, I implanted my memories within him. He knew the truth about what happened to his aunt and he set out on a quest to burn down Kira like a wildfire.

He walked back over to the bed.

In more ways than one, Minato is similar to me: A civic person serving the people to put away evil, even having the power to sentence them to death, and he's using it on criminals and Kira supporters alike. I do not agree with Kira's supporters and their beliefs on Kira but it's as he said: They are evil in their own way. Besides, the fewer Kira supporters there are, the less support there will be from him in the future should he decide to ignore Keiri as a whole.

He thought back to Masi.

But who is that female Shinigami? 'Masi', is she connected to Kira, or is she the third party?

Muter was snapped out of his thoughts when he heard the cell doors open. He spotted Hayate and Yamane from the interrogation room welcome themselves into the cell and they forcefully grab Tashi by his shoulder and forearms and shake him awake. Once he's awake, they drag him out of bed and to his feet and escort him into the hallways.

Muter sprouted his wings and followed.

"What's going on?" Tashi asked, "Did my Keiri Fanclub bail me out?"

"We didn't tell the media you're Keiri," Yamane answered.

"And your rioters aren't your fans, they're just using you as an excuse to justify their crimes," Hayate sneered. "You try to attack Kira, call him a monster, yet you revel in the fact that people are fighting, hurting, people just for their belief in Kira."

"It's their faults," Tashi rebutted.

Arata Tashi, Muter thought, Even with the short frame we worked with, he was able to memorize all the lines he was supposed to speak prior to being put in this boring jail cell. If all goes according to plan and Minato and Sora defeat Kira, then Minato will present evidence that Keiri coerced Tashi as a fall guy and he'll be pardoned and released. His being released due to a technicality, that was all Minato.

Hayate and Yamane took Tashi to an elevator which leads them down to a parking garage. Once they settled in the parking garage, they look around before they spot Kudo and Soma attending a police cruiser. Yamen jogs towards them while Hayate takes his time and shoves Tashi forward.

Soma tosses the keys to Yamane.

"The cruiser is yours," Kudo announced as he opened the back door.

Hayate shoved Tashi in before slamming the door shut.

"What's our destination?" Hayate asked.

Kudo answered, "Kushida Prison."

"With all due respect, why is he sentenced there? He shouldn't be around other people."

"I'm not asking, I'm telling, now get in the car and drive."

Hayate flinched at the chief's sternness before hopping into the passenger seat with Yamane taking the driver's seat.

They drove off.

Muter followed after them, flying just barely behind the car and following aimlessly.

The car ride seemed to go on endlessly, as Muter had already forgotten the feeling of his legs and his vision was tunnel due to staring at a moving object for too long. His body began to feel weightless against the wings and he lowered altitude with his feet nearly touching the ground. He did everything he could to keep up with the car but it was going fast, especially since it was traveling along a road that had a car or two passes by even ten minutes or so. Once he felt the wings starting to weigh down on him like a box underwater, he rubbed his face and forced his eyes open.

Kushida Prison, he thought, Where is that?

He flashbacked to a couple of weeks ago. When he first met Minato and Sora, they updated him on the changes that had recently happened in Japan. In the eighteen years he's been dead, there has been an increase in crimes, especially violent crimes, and prisons had become overcrowded and when the Kira Bubble happened, people working in the courtroom donated a portion of their money to the state to build more prisons to house more criminals. Kushida prison was just a regular prison that was for basic serial killers but in this case, what stood out was its location.

Kushida Prison was located twelve miles away from the Japanese Police Station's Headquarters.

When Muter realized this, he panicked.

As a Shinigami, I have to stay near my owner; I'm allowed to go away from my owner but I must stay within 14km of my owner and 14km is at least eight miles. I'm not allowed to go twelve miles away from my owner; what do I do?

He continued to follow the cruiser until he reached the end of the line (literally).

When he was about five feet away from being fifteen kilometers away from Minato's current position, he halted mid-air and watched the police cruiser trail off in the distance.

I can't follow Tashi anymore, not while I'm like this, crap. What should I do? Should I go back to Minato and Sora or should I just disappear and wait for further instructions? The last time I went off and did my own thing, it cost me my life; I'm not repeating any mistakes.

At the Police Station

"He's not following him," Murasaki exclaimed in the walkie-talkie.

Thirty minutes before Tashi was escorted into the car, Murasaki was set up in the surveillance room and set up in front of a camera was showing live footage of the police cruiser with Tashi inside. There was a dashcam facing outward but a hidden cam in the consoles angled to face Tashi and just outside the window. She had been watching this for almost thirty minutes, keeping her eye on the Shinigami following the cruiser and exclaimed when the Shinigami suddenly stopped following.

"I can't see the Shinigami anymore."

She had a walkie-talkie set up to communicate with the earpiece in Hayate and Yamane's ears.

After hearing this information, Yamane feigned answering a phone call from the police and pulled up to the side of the road to make a U-turn, heading back to the station.

With Knight

"HAHAHAHA!" he laughed loudly in his seat, the sound echoing throughout his bedroom, "I can't believe it worked!"

Gilth and Masi floated into his bedroom from above while Iris walked in through the door and locked it behind her.

"I just got a call from Murasaki," he laughed, "She said that Keiri's Shinigami stopped following them once they were at least seven or eight miles away from the police station. I can now conclude that Minato Natsuki is indeed the Faceless Keiri as the Shinigami stopped following Tashi approximately eight miles from Minato's current location, Arata Tashi is not the owner of a Death Note nor is he the accomplice, and there is only one Death Note in Keiri's possession with the Nameless Keiri being the borrower." He turned to Masi. "Thanks to you, Mom, we now know the identity of the Nameless Keiri."

Masi pulled out the tape recorder from her mouth and replayed the most recent conversation.

"Minato Natsuki's older sister, Sora, is the Nameless Keiri, and they are the niece and nephew of Kiyomi Takada. Based on the conversation, Mikami's Shinigami name is 'Muter'."

"Looks like your extremely complicated step-by-step plan to figure out their identity was a success," Gilth said. "What now?"

"What now? Why father, I'm going to bring upon them the ultimate humiliation. I'm going to kill them and their Mikami Shinigami as well. That is why it is essential that instead of killing both, we only kill one."

Iris averted her gaze. "If Minato Natsuki is the Faceless Keiri, then that means he has the Shinigami eyes."

"Yes, we're going to execute him first and then we'll come up with a plan to kill Sora and Muter later."

"But," Iris hesitated, "How are we going to kill him?"

"What do you mean?"

"He wears a face mask all the time, even when out in public. Not only that but how do we know that their father didn't take their mother's last name. How do we know for sure that their names are Takada?"

"That's true; in Japan, the husband will sometimes take the wife's last name. But then again..." He slapped himself upside the head. "We're veering too far off course. Right now, we need to figure out a plan to kill Minato. We already know his name but we need to know his face."

"You could just pull his mask down."

"Even if I do find out his name, I realized that he could also be using an alias. What if his name isn't Minato Takada? His surname might be Takada but what about his first name? The way I see it, the only way to make sure is to do the deal for the Shinigami eyes."

Iris's eyes widened. "What?"

"Trading half the years remaining in my lifespan to see the names of everyone I see."

"I know but why? Trading your life just to figure out a person's name?"

"Iris, it won't only benefit the current battle but it will help in the long run. I plan to rule this world and purge it of all criminals and in order to do that, to become truly unstoppable, I must trade for the Shinigami eyes."

"No," Iris shouted, "You can't; you'll die sooner!"

"I have to do it, Iris." He put his hands on her shoulders. "You may be my accomplice but this is my responsibility. It is my job to make sure that evil is purged off the face of this earth."

"You can't do it, Knight," she shoved him back, "I won't let you!"

"Sacrifices must be made for the greater good."

"I agree but no, I don't want you to die!" She did a one-eighty and faced Masi in the eyes. "Masi, I want to do the deal for the Shinigami eyes."

"Huh," Masi groaned, "You do?"

"Yes!"

"Iris," Knight stepped forward, "What are you doing?"

"I'm not going to let you half your life, I won't. What if you are destined to die in two days and you trade for the eyes."

"What about you?"

"It was already my destiny to die." She looked at Knight. "Remember the apartment that burned down before I met you, remember how someone trapped me in and I was to be burned to death? Had that man not been killed by the Death Note then I would've died."

"It just means you get a second chance at life."

"No! I'm tired of this, Knight. I've had a crush on you since we were five and every year, I've always tied as the second smartest student in the orphange along with my sister. I'm tired of just being a follower. I'm going to stop being reactive and going to start being proactive. After all, it's the least I can do." She stared down at his watch. "After all, you saved my life."

Knight instinctively pulled the crown on his watch four times to open the secret compartment. There was the slip of the Death Note with Iona's full name and Iris's first name. He remembered the lie he told her, how he saved her from when Roger Ruvie was writing in the Death Note. He remembered how he wrote it the day they reconnected so she wouldn't go crazy and kill him on a whim. He remembers manipulating her into being his accomplice. How did this make Knight feel on the inside?

Iris faced Masi.

"I'm ready to trade for the Shinigami eyes."

Masi cocked her head and looked at Iris's name and lifespan.

Iris Abernathy, 12 77 3 6 55 8

"If you say so." Masi held out her hand and held it over her eyes before pulling them away.

Iris opened her glowing red eyes and gasped.

The eyes, she thought, I have the Shinigami eyes.

Iris Abernathy, 75 36 9 4 23

Gilth, standing silent from earlier, looked and over and saw a familiar, yet unusual expression on Knight's face.

He had a grin on his face, a laughless, humorless grin on his face, with dark red eyes staring at the back of Iris's head.

What's that grin on his face? Gilth thought, Why is he smiling like that? Was he really going to trade for the Shinigami eyes or was he manipulating Iris? Is he grinning because he has the eyes on his side or is he grinning because his plan to kill Minato is about to approach?

April 26th, 2031

The Courthouse

Minato donned his robe and climbed up the steps to his podium. The crowd in the courtroom rose for him, taking seats only when he took a seat again.

He looked in the back of the courtroom and noticed the cameraman adjusting the cameras, which reminded him to adjust his balaclava as this wasn't a bench trial.

The guilty party was Arata Tashi, tried for mass murder (as far as the public knew), and his lawyer was Minori Maki.

"Arata Tashi," Minato sucked his teeth, "Nice to see you back in my courtroom. I see that you're being tried for a crime far worse than your previous crime." He smiled under his mask. "You've been charged with the mass murdering of fourteen people. How do you plead, scumbag?"

"Your honor," Minori spoke, "I can assure you, that my client here, is innocent."

Minato laughed and put his elbows on the podium with his fingers interlocked in front of his face. "Innocent?"

"My client was coerced into mass murder."

"Coerced? This I gotta hear. Serial murderer turned mass murderer, you've piqued my interest if you can convince me that Tashi is innocent."

Minori reached into his duffel bag he planted against his chair and pulled a manilla folder and a cassette and tape recorder.

"This tape recorder and file were sent to us by an anonymous source." Minori went to the jury and handed the manilla folder to the first juror. "I would ask you not to open the folder until I tell you to." He went back to his table and put the cassette in the tape recorder. "Permission to play the tape?"

Minato laughed. "If there is evidence on that tape that proves that Tashi is innocent, then by all means."

Tashi's innocence is being proven a little too early, he thought.

Minori played the tape.

"It's do or die time," a voice spoke from the recorder, echoing throughout the courtroom for all to hear, "I will not lose."

It didn't take Minato two seconds to realize that it was his voice. His eyes narrowed in confusion.

When Minori paused the tape, Minato exclaimed, "What?"

"You don't recognize the voice on the tape?" Minori asked with sarcasm, "I'm surprised, Judge Natsuki. Maybe I should play more of the tape."

He resumed the recording.

"You told Muter to follow Tashi until he is in prison," a male voice spoke.

Minato's heart pounded when he realized that not only was his voice on the tape but Sora's as well but he was briefly relieved when he realized that Sora's voice had been warped to sound unrecognizable but his voice remained and the fact that Minato told something called 'Muter' to follow Tashi until he is in prison...

"Yes," Minato's voice echoed again, "I told the Shinigami to follow him at all times. If I unknowingly came into contact with Kira at the station and his Shinigami spotted mine, he'll know I am Keiri."

Minato gasped in horror.

"But I don't need a Shinigami to carry out my mission. I will find Kira myself and once I've exposed his identity, I'll kill him. Maybe I'll out his identity and then I'll kill him when the world sees Kira as nothing more than a murderer."

Oh my god, he panicked, what the hell is going on?! That's my voice, the conversation I had with Sora had been recorded! But how?! And this court case is live on the news? Kira, he must've figured out who I am and sent his Shinigami to spy on me. This is Kira's doing!

He jumped to his feet and pointed at the device. "Turn that off!" he shouted, "That is inadmissible!"

"But it proves Tashi's innocence," Minori rebutted, "How is this inadmissible!"

"It's Kira, he's trying to frame me as Keiri! This is fake, a false confession! I'm a Kira supporter! This proves that Kira is a scumbag, he is trying to frame me so I will be targeted! I swear to god, I'm not Keiri!"

The crowd gasped at the stoic judge's sudden breakdown and went quiet. They could hear his rapid breathing and trembling voice across the courtroom and practically feel the pounds of his heartbeat.

Minori kept a straight face. "There's only one way to find out if this tape is genuine or not." He turned to the jury. "Juror number one, I want you to open the folder and picked up the piece of paper you find inside."

The juror averted his wide eyes from the panicking judge and opened the manilla folder. There was not a file inside but a single scrap of paper. He picked it up and looked over both sides.

He looked up at the judge saw the horrifying skeletal face of Muter standing behind Muter.

He screamed and dropped the piece of paper at his feet.

"What's going on?" Juror Two asked and picked up the fallen scrap of paper. "Holy shit, what the hell is that thing?!"

Juror Two dropped the scrap of paper and Juror Three picked it up, repeating the process until it got to the last juror.

"It's him!"

"I can see a monster standing behind him!"

"It's Judge Natsuki!"

"He is Keiri!"

"It's a Shinigami!"

The crowd stood up to their feet and started making way for the front doors, some staying behind to watch the chaos unwind.

The cameraman zoomed in on Minato's masked face.

No, Minato sobbed in his head, Kira, he outed me! He outed me as Keiri!

The bailiff reached for his gun.

Minato tore out a piece of paper from inside his robe and a pen laid out for him on the podium and wrote the guard's name down out of the camera's view and under the desk, making him commit suicide in less than ninety seconds.

The security guard pointed the gun at his head and-

BANG!

The crowd screamed and ran out of the room.

Minori scrambled to hide amongst the crowd and left his client, Tashi, behind, but only after he retrieved the slip of paper.

Minato grabbed the dead guard's gun and ran out the backdoor he usually enters through and ran out in the hallway.

Kira, he sobbed internally, You bastard! You bast-

He sobbed as he shredded his robe off and let it fall to the floor behind him.

I lost, he sobbed, I fucking lost. Goddamn you, Kira!

He reached the end of the hallway and shoved open the doors leading outside. He was cocked to charged down the stairs but instead, a crowd of Kira worshippers charged into him.

The police station, you stole a piece of Muter's Death Note, you had your Shinigami record my conversation with Sora, and you got Minori Kagami, Murasaki Kagami's husband, to out me. You son of a bitch! You bastard!

The Kira worshippers grabbed at his limbs and yanked in opposite directions, one of them going for his gun but Minato kept an iron grip on the gun.

You corrupted my aunt into becoming a murderer and now you do this?

Minato fought against the crowd of worshippers, pulling his arms back.

If you figured out my identity, then does that mean you figured out Sora's identity?

Across the street from the courthouse, having watched the public outing of Keiri on their phones, stood Knight Yagami and Iris Abernathy.

Iris's reached for her locket and removed the piece of Death Note she had hidden in it.

Murasaki Kagami, the wife of Minori Maki, was in the crowd of attacking Kira worshippers and she lunged out and ripped the mask from Minato, exposing his face to the world.

Iris's eyes glowed red.

She got a good look at his face, memorize the visual details of his facial features and the name floating above his head.

She used Knight's back and a pen provided to her by Knight to write.

Minato Takada - Suicide

Minato tore his hands free from the Kira worshippers and he fires the gun off into the air. He charged down the steps before doing a one-eighty and aiming the gun at the Kira worshippers.

Before he could pull the trigger, he realized he could feel the cool breeze against his mouth and nose and panicked as he knew that his face had been exposed.

THUN-THUMP!

Minato's movements froze, arms out with the gun aiming for Murasaki Kagami before they drop to his side.

I've truly lost.

He put the gun to his head.

Sora, I'm sorry. I'm so sorry...

BANG!

His body collapses to the ground, blood sprayed on the pavement beside him.

The Kira worshippers flinched at the gunshot.

Iris averted her gaze and buried her face into Knight's shoulder.

Knight looked at his fallen enemy and smiled.

I've won. Exactly as planned.

His hair and eyes turn a dark red color.

Step 1: Arrange for a trial with Tashi and Natsuki during a live trial.

Step 2: Use Masi's recording of his conversation with his accomplice to out him.

Step 3: To drive the point home, use the slip of paper Masi tore from Muter's notebook to make contact with the jurors and make them see Muter.

Step 4: Make arrangements with Murasaki to appear outside the courtroom with Kira worshippers.

Step 5: Have one of my Kira worshippers unmask Minato.

Step 6: Kill Minato Natuski.

He smiled and clenched his fist.

Minato Natsuki, the Faceless Keiri, is dead. Now there's only one Keiri left out there and with Iris's Shinigami eyes, it'll be easy pickings to find this 'Sora' character. I could easily kill her but the Keiri Shinigami, Muter, is still a problem and I can't continue my reign as Kira until Sora and Muter are both dead. Congratulations, Sora, I'm not going to kill you right now. I'm going to conduct a plan that involves both you and Muter dying.

Once you're both out of the way, I can get back on track to becoming the god of the new world.

Around the corner, Sora appeared behind a camera crew, heart caught up in her throat and hands clutching her microphone so hard it would've popped. Even from this distance, she could see Minato's wide-eye expression, the last expression he'll ever make, as he lies dead against the ground.

The heart that had been caught in her throat dropped to her lower abdomen.

Muter flew out into the air, realizing he couldn't afford to be seen with Sora as though who touched the piece of paper would realize her connection.

Minato, Sora thought, What happened? What did Kira do to you?

A single tear escaped her eye.

I couldn't protect you; I'm a horrible big sister.

Chapter Text

May 1st, 2031

The world suddenly seemed darker, quieter, these last few days. The birds were flying and flapping their wings but she could hear no chirping. There was rain dropping from the sky but she couldn't hear the sounds of the raindrops. The moon was out but she couldn't see the moonlight in front of her. The world sounded like the volume dialed all the way down to zero, muting everything around her. Even her skin was drained of color, especially around the eye areas.

The only sound she could hear was the sound of her sobbing.

The rooftop which she stood atop was drenched in failing rain and she didn't have an umbrella. It didn't matter anyway; even if she had overhead protection, her face would still be wet with tears, tears she couldn't control leaking out of her tear ducts.

She stood over the edge and leaned her hands against the railing, head hanging down with drops of rain mixing with her tears.

Even though it's been days since the incident in the courthouse, she could still see the expression on her younger brother's face flashing through her mind, not bothering to leave her. These flashes of her dead brother were what were keeping her up at night.

She clutched her chest and let out a painful sob, collapsing to her knees and cried into her forearm.

Her undead ally, Muter, walked up behind her and kneeled beside her.

"I'm sorry," he spoke, "for your loss."

Sora sobbed louder. She pushed herself up and cried into Muter's arms.

May 2nd, 2031

With Knight

Knight switched on the television in his living room to check the most recent updates on the Kira/Keiri investigation.

A few days after Minato's outing at the courthouse, police have kept everything under wraps, especially with Minato explicitly killing a security guard in the courtroom on live TV. This was not the first time that a victim of Kira or Keiri was shown on TV but how the kill was conducted still managed to evade the public's eyes. Minato had used a scrap of the Death Note to kill the security but kept it under the table and out of the camera's view. After that, he ran off and was executed outside when he was unmasked.

As ordered, Murasaki quickly frisked him and confiscated all papers on him before police could catch up while her husband, who was let in on the plan, retrieved the scrap of notebook Masi stole from Muter to out Minato in public. Knight was worried about too many scrapes of Death Note pages being out there in the human world but with his disciples backing him up, his worries had gradually faded away.

As for Arata Tashi, Knight executed him.

As for the Nameless Keiri, Knight was having Iris look over pictures of people with the first name of Sora or people with absent lifespans.

The news was recycling the same thing: Minato's outing and execution as Keiri with police keeping a tight-lip on the whole situation.

Gilth made himself visible to Knight.

"Feeling proud of yourself?" Gilth asked, "Knight?"

Knight chuckled. "Of course I am; one less threat to worry about.

He stepped back and sank into the couch's cushions.

"So, what's the next step on your to-do list? Kill criminals? Find this Sora Takada? Kill this 'Muter'?"

"All of the above. Lately, I've been trying to come up with a plan to kill Muter and Sora at the same time."

"You could pull a Break-Grudge scenario."

"I could but I'm trying to picture if that can work in my head. If Muter is the Shinigami reincarnation of Teru Mikami, and he chose the Takadas to give his notebook to, then he must be on a quest for revenge. If our memory serves us correctly, Mikami is just like us: Not hesitating in letting an ally die if it benefits us. He killed Takada to serve Kira and if he's serving revenge, he probably won't sacrifice himself to save Sora Takada."

"Yeh, I guess you have a point there. So getting him to extend Sora's life doesn't seem like an option."

"No, it's not an option. We could try it but if it fails, then that just means that Sora is dead and Muter is alive and flies off to give his notebook to someone else."

"Muter turned into quite the nuisance. So, sacrificing his life is off the table. So, we're going to have to come up with a different plan."

"Yeah." Knight touched his chin. "I've been going over dozens of scenarios in my head and they all involve Sora. A god of death dying must involve a human somehow; Rem, Gelus, and Grudge all proved that logic. So my plan has to involve Sora somehow. But what?"

"Don't beat yourself up about it, Knight; ever since Minato's outing, Keiri hasn't made a move. I think it's time for you to relax."

"I can't afford to relax; letting my guard down is what'll get me killed."

"And overworking yourself is what'll cause you to make mistakes."

Knight glared at him.

"If all you're going to do is give suggestions leading to my downfall then why don't you leave."

Gilth held up his hands apologetically. "I'm just offering some advice, no need to be a bitch about it."

"You try to get me to relax when there is an active killer out there and now you've got the nerve to curse at me?" He rises to his feet and points at the Shinigami. "Let's not forget who the real Kira is in this situation. Unlike you, I can kill whoever I want and not suffer consequences, like turning into a pile of dust. You, you have to be cautious about who you kill because I'm pretty sure you don't want to break some Shinigami law and face one of nine Shinigami punishments. If you are going to be no help to me then fly away."

Gilth laughed. "Where do you get off talking back to your parent like that?"

"Don't look down on me, Shinigami, don't think you're better than me just because you're my parent or you're a god of death. Unlike you, I wasn't defeated by some pale-skinned, white-haired boy who sits like a monkey playing with finger puppets."

Gilth glared. "You say that I have to be careful with who I kill?" He takes out his personal notebook. "Shinigami rules dictate that I can kill my human for whatever reason I like, such as hating the human. Rub me the wrong way again Knight and you'll be a dead knight."

Knight's glare turned to a chuckle. "We'll see about that, Gilth." He sank back into his couch and sighed. He lifted his feet off the ground and planted them on the coffee table. "Why don't you go grab a bag of barbecued-flavored potato chips and stuff your face full of them."

"I could go for some BBQ chips right about now." He sprouted his fingers and flew to the kitchen. "Don't worry, I'll get out of your reddish-blonde hair and take a bag of potato chips and eat 'em."

May 3rd, 2031

With Iris

For the past few days, Iris has been checking the names and faces of every known Japanese person online for the name, 'Sora'. Luckily, she had a filter on her computer to narrow down the search but it was still taking a long time and it was starting to strain her Shinigami eyes.

Masi materialized behind her. "How do you like your eyes, Iris? Seventy-twenty vision?"

Iris has noticed that she can see more clearly now. She remembers Osamu Ibata and how Knight coerced him to deal for the Shinigami eyes. What stood out to her was that Ibata had been blind but when he traded for the eyes, his vision came back, eye measurement above average and now she was starting to see the benefits of the Shinigami eyes. Not only can she see names and lifespans floating in the air, but she can also see details more clearly like the world was in 4K for her.

"I can't find anybody named Sora," Iris said, "and me eyes are starting to hurt." She winces her eyes shut and rubs them.

"Yeah, I had that problem when I had the eyes. You get used to it after a while."

Iris removed her hand from her eyes and licked her lips.

If I find Sora, I'm supposed to tell Knight straight away, she reminded herself.

She went back to searching for Sora.

"You want to know how long you have to live?" Masi whispered.

"I thought ya weren't supposed to say," Iris responded.

"I know, I'm just messing around." Masi reached into her pouch and pulled out a strawberry sundae in a cup. She popped the lid off and began licking out of it.

"We don't have much time; this Sora lass will be miffed and emotional now that she has lost both her aunt and her younger blud. If we're too dozy and reactive then she'll get the upper hand on us.

"That's why you have to follow Knight's orders to the letter; find out this Sora character, and report back to him. Once we find out his name then I'm sure he can come up with a plan."

Iris searched through her computer once more.

"I've looked up Minato's address and his apartment has only one bedroom and one khazi and it was rented to him alone."

"Have you checked the neighboring apartments?"

"Course I have and there is no one named Sora and no one with a missing lifespan."

She did another search.

"I've looked up residents for the past six months and there's nobody named Sora."

"Is it possible she went off the grid?"

"Maybe." She paused to think. "Then again..."

She gasped.

"The courthouse!" she exclaimed. "The ol' bill station! What if the Nameless Keiri was at the ol' bill at 6:40 or at the courthouse during Minato's outing?"

She searched up for footage of the police station and the courthouse.

May 4th, 2031

With Sora

In a new building after clearing out all of her belongings from Minato's apartment, she sat in an abandoned loft apartment with some power running throughout the building. To save power, she kept only the essential electricity turned on like the fridge, printer, and television. For additional lighting when she needed it, she would let in light from the window when it was daytime and from the moonlight if it was bright enough.

She poured herself some coffee to keep herself up; bitter coffee with no creme or sugar would do that, especially with how bad it tasted.

She put her coffee mug down next to an empty manilla folder and continued writing in the Death Note.

Ever since she retrieved the Death Note from the hollowed-out bible back at Minato's storage unit, she made the deal for the Shinigami eyes. She didn't really have much to live for, considering the fact that she lost her mother, her father, her aunt, and now her little brother.

She had been writing in the names nonstop ever since she became the owner and printed out photos of dozens of criminals.

"Sora," Muter materialized behind her, "What are you doing? You've been writing names down for three days straight? What are you trying to do? And what's with the printed photos?" He looked down at her feet and noticed a cassette player. "And the tapes?"

"Insurance," she answered, "It's the final battle. Kira's had the Shinigami eyes since Minato's mask was pulled from his face so I gotta stay one step ahead." She opens up her phone and looks up photos. "It's only a matter of time before Kira kills me and I've gotta strike back."

"You could always forfeit ownership back to me," he suggested, "I promise not to kill you."

"No thank you. There's a good chance you'll just end up giving the notebook to someone else."

"Yeah, I would because Kira must be stopped."

Sora didn't reply.

"So, what's the plan now? Minato is dead, you have the Shinigami eyes, you have the power to continue, yet, you are writing the names down of criminals, saying you intend to strike back."

Sora looks over her notebook pages and does a headcount for every name written.

There was enough room on the pages to fill four rows of names but each page had only two rows of names as there was a death date for each name beside it.

"They're not even dying by suicide," Minato pointed out, "What's the point?"

"The point is this is the final match between Kira and Keiri," she answered, "the finale, the showdown. Whoever wins will become will have achieved godlike status. Kira will be the god of justice while Keiri will be the god of defeating a god."

"I wouldn't be so sure about that," Muter chuckled, "If you die, I am going to give the notebook to someone else who is Anti-Kira and the cycle of Keiri will start over once again. If you lose then you won't be a stepping stone as your death will be in vain as I will make sure my next successor defeats Kira."

Sora glared at her Shinigami and bit her lower lip.

"You and I used to be supporters of Kira. The difference between us is I'm still a supporter while you turned your back on him."

Muter laughed at her statement."

"Muter, I am a believer of Kira. Sure, he killed my brother but ever since I was a little girl, I've looked up to Kira."

She thought back to her time as a youngster.

"Minato and I had a similar sense of justice in terms of black-and-white until Dad took us to the courtroom to show us what guilty and innocent people looked like. Minato's justice was, 'Anybody who broke the law was evil and deserved to get tossed in jail.' My sense of justice was, 'There are good and bad people in this world but it's nature vs nurture'. Most of the criminals in the court case were brought in due to nurture, not nature. It's why I aspired to be a reporter, so I can get down to what nurtured these people into becoming good people and bad people. Minato only believed in bad people deserving to die because the criminals in his courtroom were evil due to nature, not nurture."

"Oh," Muter said, "So Minato's been dealing with the evil people while you've been dealing with what's making people evil? Interesting. What would be your opinion on Kira be?"

Sora thought about this before she answered. "Tough to say but Kira is quite a complex character. Nature wise: He is a good person. Nurture wise: He was raised a Kira worshipper."

Muter laughed again. "Trust me, Kira is evil."

She glanced at him. "The Kira you met, Light Yagami, he was evil by nurture, not nature. I'm sure he was a good person before he picked up the Death Note."

"But he killed your aunt."

She glared at him, remembering Muter's role in attempting to murder her aunt.

"You tried to kill my aunt."

"Before we veer of this topic, I just have to ask: If you win, then what do you stand to gain?"

Sora laughed. "Minato wanted to humiliate and kill Kira for corrupting the minds of innocent people. Me, I'm more realistic. I want to be remembered as a superhero."

"Huh, you're going to have to explain."

"I want to be a superhero. I've always looked up to Kira as a superhero, the Kira that kills criminals, not the Kira that kills innocent people, and I thought that if I took over as Kira, I could be a better hero than he was. I want to be a nice Kira."

Her laughing smile suddenly vanished into thin air.

"Unforatnely, that can never be." She pouted and sipped her bitter coffee. "My goal of becoming a superhero is something that can no longer come true."

"What do you mean?"

"Kira will stop at nothing to find me and when he does, he'll kill me. This Kira is super smart and hard to outmaneuver. The best I can hope for is to stump him for a brief second but he'll still find a way to kill me. Which is why I have a different goal in mind." She sips from her coffee. "I want to meet Kira in person, I want to meet him and I want to talk to him. I want to understand him, see what makes him tick, why he is the way that he is, and then... if he wins, he is a god. If I win, I will be remembered as a goddess."

Muter looked at her suspiciously. "Remembred as a goddess?"

She choked on her words and put her mug of bitter coffee down.

"It's nothing, forget it."

Sora, Muter thought, do you have a god complex?

"I have come up with a plan to meet Kira, talk to him in person, and then see once and for all, who will achieve godlike status in this world."

She begins ripping out blank pages of the Death Note.

May 5th, 2031

Playground

"Five more minutes," Daichi shouted, "then we really have to go."

"Sure," Leiko yelled back.

Leiko climbed up the brick wall and did a double frontflip off it.

Sosuke charged up and did a wall-run up the brick wall and finished with a handstand.

Kaemon charged forward and frontflips over a large rock and rolls forward with a somersault.

Daichi clung to the monkey bars above him and kicked his feet out before he let go and landed with a front flip. After that, he backed up and charged up the stairs on the playground, leaping over the railings and doing a double frontflip as he landed.

After five minutes of parkour around the children's playground, the seventeen-year-olds picked up their hoodies and began walking away as children began playing.

Stay low and keep your head down, Daichi thought, Kira won't notice you. Just keep your name and face out of profile pictures.

Daichi kept his hood up and his head down with his hands in his pockets. He looked over his shoulder to make sure that Leiko, Sosuke, and Kaemon were trailing behind them with their identity concealed. There was no reason to keep his head down as he and his small-time band on teenaged delinquents were barely recognizable within the Yakuza syndicate known as 'Imperial' and even if they were, they doubt Kira would care. Kira only goes after bloodthirsty criminals and Daichi, Leiko, Sosuke, and Kaemon were far from bloodthirsty. Sure, they were a part of the Imperial Yakuza but at the very least, they were scouts sent out to find enemy territory and never participated in any killing nor were they witnesses to any killing.

Then again, Daichi thought, Kira won't hesitate in killing innocent people so I gotta be cautious of that. Just keep your head down and keep moving.

Daichi and his small gang walked around town before they reached their destination and made it inside the abandoned loft apartment and locked themselves on the top floor. Before they could settle in, they look around and realize that the TV has been left on.

"What the hell?" Sosuke exclaimed, "who left the goddamn TV on."

"Lower your voice," Leiko, the sole female of the group, scolded, "shut up!"

"Why? Afraid Samara Morgan is going to pop out of the screen?"

"No, we haven't been to the loft in four days and if the TV's on then that means someone had been using our loft. Given that the TV is still on, they could be anywhere."

Kaemon, the sole gunman of the group, drew his pistol and waved it around the room.

"Search the place," Daichi ordered. As he was the oldest at seventeen, he had the authority to give orders to these sixteen-year-olds.

The four of them scouted the place, with Kaemon searching the upper floor with Sosuke behind him while Daichi and Leiko searched the kitchen and living room.

Leiko went over to the TV and checked the channel that was on. Static.

"Looks like our intruder couldn't find anything interesting to watch," she cracked.

"Leiko, did we leave any evidence about our most recent scouting behind?" Daichi asked. "If a rival gang broke into the loft, they'll know of Imperial's scouting."

"No," she answered, "no, we use this place to sleep in when one of us has a falling out with our parents or for meetups. We also made a pact not to leave any evidence here."

"Guys!" Sosuke shouted from above. "Check out what me and Kaemon found."

The two of them come walking down the stairs to meet up with Daichi and Leiko in the middle of the floor. Kaemon had detected no threat evident by his storing his gun away but what they were focused on what the manilla folder in Sosuke's hand.

"It's addressed to us," Sosuke said, reading off the names written in permanent marker on the front.

"Someone broke into our fucking safe place and they know our fucking names," Sosuke cursed. "No return address so it musta been hand-delivered."

"Open it up," Daichi ordered.

Sosuke tore the top off and dumped the contents on the table beside him. What fell out were dozens of sheets of paper along with a cassette and a player for the cassette.

"What the fucking hell," Sosuke curse and lifted up the cassette. "Someone went '96 and left a cassette player for us."

"It's addressed to us so let's listen to it," Leiko said.

"What if it's from the cops?" Daichi asked, timid. "Or a rival gang?"

"All the more reason to hear it then."

They set up the cassette player to listen. Daichi and Leiko were waiting patiently for the sound to come on by leaning on the table with their elbows while Sosuke and Kaemon, the two aggressive members of the group, kept a lookout for any hostiles around the loft.

"Hello," a warped voice sounded off. "No need for any introductions on your part, I already know your names. Daichi Nagasawa, Leiko Hanada, Kaemon Katagiri, and Sosuke Chiba, scouts for the Imperial Yakuza. It is because I know your names and faces that you should be afraid of me." There was silence hanging in the air before the voice sounded off again. "I am Keiri."

Daichi and Leiko gasped and went wide-eyed. Kaemon and Sosuke side-glanced the radio with sweat running down their faces.

What, Daichi's thoughts ran wild, I thought Minato Natsuki was Keiri? Then again, L did say there were TWO.

"This is not a joke, not one fucking bit. If you don't believe me, here's a gift. Five minutes after you open your loft door, your associate, Akeno Mochizuki, will knock on your door."

As if on cue, there was a knock on the door. The four delinquents gasp in terror and Kaemon draws his gun.

The voice suddenly went silent on the cassette player.

Sosuke and Kaemon ran to the door and opened it, revealing the bandana-wearing scout of Imperial, Akeno Mochizuki, standing there with a blank expression on his face.

"Is this some kind of fucking joke?" Sosuke yelled. "Didn't Mommy and Daddy tell you not to pull pranks on people, especially if one of them has a gun!"

Akeno took out his personal pistol and aimed it at his head.

BANG!

Kaemon and Sosuke yelped and jumped back.

Daichi stumbled and fell on his ass while Leiko covered her eyes.

"Annnnnnnddddddd he'll commit suicide," the warped voice continued.

Sosuke and Kaemon dragged Akeno's corpse in and shut the door.

"We need to get the fuck out of here," Sosuke said, "someone will have heard those shots popping the fuck off."

"Don't you think we know that?" Leiko snapped, "But there's more on the tape."

"If he's already committed suicide then you should still believe my power. Your friend, despite being a scout for Imperial, was a Kira supporter and he had to be executed. The four of you, you aren't Kira supporters but you're still criminals and you need to die. However, I will give you a chance to redeem yourselves. The pieces of papers you have in front of you are how I killed your friend. I wrote his name on a piece of paper and he died when I specified. If you don't believe me, there should be a couple of pictures I printed out of rival Yakuza members that you can kill. If you write their names down now and check tomorrow, you'll know for sure they're dead. I even wrote their real names down at the bottom of the photos so there won't be any confusion."

Daichi reached into the manilla folder to find twelve pictures of rival Yakuza with their names written at the bottom.

"Once you have faith that I am the real Keiri, this is what I want you to do: I want you to create chaos with these killer notebook pages."

Chaos, Daichi thought, what the fuck is going on?

"I have a plan to take down Kira but in order to do that, I'll need a substitute and you four will fit the bill perfectly. What I want you to do is kill as many random Kira supporters as you want, just as long as you create chaos. You are free to kill rival Yakuza members but make sure they are killed through disease or accidental death while the Kira supporters are killed through suicide. All you have to do is write their name down, picture their face in mind as you write, then write the word suicide next to their name."

"Does this bitch expect us to believe 'em?" asked Sosuke.

"Did you not see Akeno blast his brains out?" Leiko argued, "this might be the real thing."

"But Keiri's power comes from writing a name down on a page?"

"If you don't follow my orders," Keiri hissed, "I will kill your families. I know about all your loved ones. Daichi, I will kill your mother and father. Leiko, I will kill all of your siblings. Kaemon, I will kill your girlfriend. Sosuke, I will kill your infant child. And after I kill them, I'll kill all of you."

These threats sent chills down the four teens' backs and caused them to shiver.

"Remember, create chaos by killing random Kira supporters through suicide and make sure to use at least one page a day starting tomorrow. That's all for now."

The recording ended and the four delinquents stared at the cassette player in silence.

Holy shit, Daichi thought.

What did we get ourselves into? Leiko asked herself.

How did he know about my girlfriend? Kaemon asked.

How did he know about my six-month-old child? Sosuke asked.

"D-" Daichi stuttered, "-did everybody get that?"

Sosuke spoke up, "You mean we're being blackmailed into becoming pawns for Keiri? Yeah, we heard it."

"They know about our family," Leiko whispered, "they know about our loved ones."

"Shit," Sosuke cursed, "how the fuck did we get ourselves into a can of worms."

How could he, Kaemon thought, he made death threats to my girlfriend. Shit.

"What are we going to do?" Daichi asked.

"You're the leader," Leiko said, "I mean, that's what you keep saying."

"I thought I was because I'm the oldest but... what the fuck do we do?"

"Maybe we should go to the police?"

"Hell no," Sosuke shouted, "we're scouts for the Yakuza and if we go there, the police will bite our asses off or the Yakuza will do that for us for stepping inside a police station. We keep the police out of this."

"So, we're just killing people?" Kaemon asked, "On Keiri's behalf?"

Daichi pushed his hands on the table. "I can't believe it; I didn't sign up for the Yakuza for this."

"I'm pretty sure none of this but hurry," Lieko urged, "W have to do something about Akeno and we have to make a decision. What do we do? Do as Keiri asked or do we ignore it?"

"We can't ignore it, not when Keiri knows about our families." Daichi's head went limp. "I never wanted to kill anyone but if it means saving our family and loved ones, then I say we do it. If following Keiri's lead means coming home to our families then so be it."

They grabbed the killer pages.

Chapter Text

May 13th, 2031

The Yagami Household

Knight woke up early in the morning and stretched out. He followed his usual routine of getting out of bed, making coffee, some eggs on rice, taking a shower, brushing his teeth, and dressed in his casual wear. Today was Tuesday so he had school to attend. As he finished packing up his backpack, he turned on the TV to stay up-to-date with the news.

"All Kira supporters are encouraged to take their photos off the internet."

Knight was halfway done zipping up his bag when he heard that reporter's trembling voice. With his back turned to the television, he looked over his shoulder and gazed upon the screen.

A reporter was standing in front of an ambulance wheeling out several corpses onto a stretcher one by one. There was a sheet over the bodies but one of them climbed down the corpse's neck and Knight could see the corpse was dressed in a white cloak, a traditional Kira worshipper garb.

His eyes widened.

Keiri, he thought, Sora is making a move.

The news reporter continued, moving closer to the ambulance. "We're here on the scene with another massacre involving Kira worshippers. From what I gathered from previous statements, this is not another series of isolated incidents conducted by Keiri. It's been one week since these random isolated incidents started popping up and every day, the death toll seems to be higher. On May 6th, it was three Kira worshippers at a Kira church. Today, it was twenty-three Kira worshippers attending a gathering and like all previous victims of Keiri, the Kira worshippers died by suicide."

Knight let go of his bag and squared up to the TV.

"Holy fucking shit," he cursed, "Keiri is making a fucking move."

Gilth materialized behind him. "The massacres aren't even public, just senseless killings. It seems the Nameless Keiri is straying away from the Faceless Keiri's MO and going their own way."

The reporter continued. "It's already been seventeen days since Minato Natsuki's outing as Keiri and just as things have seemed to be calming down, things have gotten much worse. Earlier in this three-way battle between L, Kira, and Keiri, L mentioned on his broadcast that Keiri is two people and with Minato Natsuki dead, his accomplice is taking over. In my personal opinion, the second Keiri is more dangerous than the first Keiri."

"We have with us a Kira worshipper; for obvious reasons, we won't reveal his name or face." The reporter moved onto a surviving Kira worshipper but kept his face off camera and made it look like she was talking to the thin air beside her. "Kira worshipper, what happened at your gathering?"

She held the microphone up to the offscreen worshipper.

"No comment," the worshipper whispered, "I'm not taking any chances." The worshipper's hand jerked the microphone further offscreen to presumably speak into it. "Kira, find the person who did this and kill him!"

The reporter snatched the microphone back. "Any Kira supporter or worshipper, we encourage you to stay indoors and to take your names and faces off all social media platforms, including but not limited to: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Tik Tok, Youtube, and any other platform that may display your name and face. We encourage you to stay indoors and keep your head down. We recommend working at school from home via laptop or video chat and go out only when necessary. Your safety is much more important and we can only pray to God that this reign of terror comes to an end soon."

Knight quickly shut off the television and buried his face in his hands.

"Oh my god," he gasped. "Senseless killings, no message for Kira, no challenge, no attempt to draw out Kira." He tore his hands from his eyes. "The Nameless Keiri, Sora, I have to find her and Muter and I have to kill her immediately." He snatches his phone from his pocket and dials Iris.

"Iris, thank god you're alive."

"Knight," Iris's voice trembled, "what is going on out there? There were small, isolated reports of Keiri returning but every day of the week, the kill count increased. Did you see on the news; all those people died and it's not even noon yet."

"Iris, listen to me: I want you to pack all your belongings and get over to my home. No matter what you do, keep your face concealed and double-check to make sure that no one is following you."

"Knight," Iris cried, "It's the second Keiri."

"It is. With Minato dead, it can only be the second Keiri."

Iris, Knight thought, while genuinely scared, is pretending not to be Kira on the phone and choosing her words carefully as phones can be tapped.

"The second Keiri is more dangerous than the first, which is why until this is over, I'm requesting you drop everything and stay with me."

"Knight, I'm scared."

Are you genuinely scared or putting on a facade? Your fear may be real but to be crying over the phone, is it real or an act?

"Iris, now!"

He hung up before she could respond and shoved the phone in his back pocket.

"Damn it!" Knight slams his fist on the coffee table. "It's all-out war! Kira vs Keiri but this is bigger than anything I've seen before. Not even Break, Roach, or Maroon would go this far, even with the Death Note. And it seems that Minato was keeping Sora on a tight leash and with him gone, a mad dog is running the streets and killing everything in its path."

Gilth grunted. "And you know the worst part: Even if you find out Sora's name, you're still unable to kill her as Muter is still a threat."

"Son of a bitch, I already know that! And I still haven't come up with a plan on how to kill either of them." He takes a deep breath and sinks down into his couch after knocking his backpack out the way. "I can't hold anything back now; a conflict this big, I can't afford to hold anything back anymore."

He glared at Gilth.

"It's time to take off the gloves."

He took out his phone and dialed up another number.

"Chief Kudo."

Knight exhaled with relief when he heard the chief's voice.

"Chief Kudo, Knight Yagami here." He slowly rose to his feet and stiffened his back. "There is no arguing in this anymore; I want in, I want all in on the Keiri investigation."

"Knight, after everything that's been going on, you should keep your head down."

"With all due respect, Chief Kudo, this doesn't just involve me, this involves thousands of innocent people. If Keiri is killing Pro-Kira on a daily and upping the kill count exponentially then I must join the task force." He started pacing around the room. "Keiri is pure evil for committing mass murder on this grand scale, ruthless, and more frightening than Kira and I won't sit back while my fellow worshippers are being slaughtered left and right and I'm at home, isolating myself like some lowlife during the Covid-19 pandemic. I want to do everything in my power to bring Keiri to justice and if you refuse, I will solve this investigation on my own."

He stops pacing.

"As my grandfather said, 'I will not sit back and let evil triumph'."

His hair and eyes turned a dark red color.

"I will see to it that Keiri is sentenced to death."

"Listen, Knight-"

"I will be conducting my own investigation and I will meet up with you ASAP."

"Kni-"

He hung up.

"You like hanging up on people," Gilth chuckled, "I wonder how many times they call you back."

"No time for jokes, we gotta get ready for when Iris and Masi get here." He looked at his fallen backpack on the floor. "Looks like I get to stay home from college for a few days. But no time to procrastinate." He ran upstairs to retrieve his Death Notes. When he was halfway down the steps, Knight got a call from his phone. It was from Iris.

"What's up?"

"I'm almost there, can you unlock the door for me?"

"Sure."

He hangs up and unlocks the front door when the doorbell on the front gate rang.

Knight opened the door for her like a gentleman when she knocked and let her in, but there wasn't any time to dwell on his chivalrous act. He double-checked to make sure she wasn't being followed before he locked the door and chained it up. Iris had come charging in wearing a facemask similar to the skin-colored one she made for the visit to the Saitama Sports arena but it wasn't colored and left in its blank black color.

Once Knight shut all blinds to the windows and made the all-clear, Iris removed her mask and sighed, her face as red as her infamous blushing face but her red face was the result of running on foot from her apartment to his.

"I triple-checked to make sure that I wasn't being followed," Iris panted. "The coast is clear. I also had Masi do a sweep of the area and there was no one suspicious with one hundred yards."

"That's good, Iris," Knight said. "We can't afford to talk about triple checking and aerial views, we have planning to do."

"I couldn't agree more."

Knight sat down on the couch and patted the empty seat beside him.

"Sit with me," he ordered like a superior, "promise I won't bite."

Iris's blush was hidden from her energy-drained red face but did not hesitate in accepting his offer.

Knight crossed his arms over his chest and looked at his companion sternly. "Well?"

Iris immediately knew what he was asking. "I found a match: Sora Hajima."

The name sounded familiar until it clicked in his brain.

"I know her; she was the reporter at the Saitama Massacre. She was the one who interviewed me as Kisho Asahi." He sneers. "I can't believe that I had already come into contact with the Nameless Keiri."

"Her real name is Sora Takada. Born May 26th, 2000, attended a journalism school and won a few prizes for her role as an investigative journalist before he went into the news. She was also there at the police station at 6:40 and she left only after Minato left and he was there at the courthouse after Minato was killed; surveillance footage confirmed it."

"The older sibling of Minato Takada." He looks at her. "You didn't kill her, did you?"

She shook her head.

"Good, because we need her in order to kill Muter."

"You told me but you also told me that there is a strong possibility that Muter won't sacrifice himself for her. I have Misa's memories and I know how to kill a Shinigami. I also doubt the way you killed Grudge and Break will work again on Sora and Muter."

"I know." He interlocks his fingers and leans forward, head going limp and elbows resting on his knees. "I've been thinking of a plan nonstop for the past week and I've come up with a few ideas but executing them is going to be the real problem. I have come up with one plan but it is going to be extremely difficult to pull off."

"What is it?" She put a hand on his shoulder. "I may be smart but strategizing is your specialty. If you told me your plan then maybe I can help you pull it off."

He looked at her with a glare, studying her intently.

"What?"

He narrowed his eyes and looked her up and down.

I don't think she'll be able to pull this off.

He looks at Gilth and Masi.

But they might.

"Gilth, Masi," he called out, "how about a little revenge on your reincarnated friend, Teru Mikami."

Both Shinigami tilt their heads.

"What do you mean?" Gilth asked.

"I don't care, as long as I get to kill him," Masi exclaimed.

"This is my plan," Knight began. "We're going to kill two birds with one stone. We are going to get Muter to kill Sora."

"What do you mean?" Gilth asked. "You mean trick him into writing Sora's real name down?"

"No, we're going to trick Muter into killing Sora without the Death Note."

Gilth gasped. "That's right, the rules!"

Knight nodded. "Exactly."

Knight reached for his original notebook and read over a few rules that had been scratched out.

'There are laws in the world of gods of death. If a god of death should break the law, there are 9 levels of severity starting at Level 8 and going up to Level 1 plus the Extreme Level. For severity levels above 3, the god of death will be killed after being punished. For example, killing a human without using the Death Note is considered as the Extreme Level.'

"So we trick Muter into killing Sora without the Death Note. He'll kill Sora and then Muter will be punished and executed."

"Wow," Masi cheered, "that's so smart."

Knight looked at Gilth and Masi with a serious expression. "This means this is a fight between Shinigami. Sora would never kill me without the Death Note and the same goes for Muter as well. This means that killing Muter will depend on all four of us."

"But how will we pull it off?" Masi asked.

Knight contemplated before he spoke.

"We kidnap Sora and wrap her in a bodybag. After that, Dad, you get into a brawl with Muter and when you're fighting, pretend to drop your hammer on accident and allow Muter to pick it up. Once that happens, lead him swinging and bashing your way, and just when he's about to strike, move out the way so he'll cave Sora's head in with the hammer."

Iris cringed. "That's so brutal, Knight." She nervously twirled her hair around her finger. "But does it have to be this way?"

Knight looked at her. "We've already established that Muter will not risk his life to save Sora." He paused. "I also came up with a theory that if Sora were to die, then he would make me the owner of Sora's Death Note, which would allow him to kill me with ease as he would be attached to me."

Iris gasped and looked at the floor. "Sora's head is going to cave in?"

"This is the only way."

The Police Station

With the chaos rioting downtown over fear and panic, the war between the Kira worshippers and Keiri rioters had been all but vanquished. With the new fear of any and all Kira worshippers being targeted, the Keiri rioters decided to no longer throw Molotov cocktails or vandalize Kira gatherings, most likely because they thought that Keiri will wipe out all worshippers for them. The worshippers had gone quiet and stayed out of sight and out of mind.

At the police station, it was no longer a case that involved the Kira Task Force, it involved everyone. Day in and day out there were calls from concerned citizens about the deaths, complaining, crying, but there was only so much the police could do against their ESP foe.

But in the Kira Task Force room, Kudo and his three companions were trying to do something.

"I want our techs to censor all Kira supporters on the internet who are high profile," Kudo said. "I'm talking about news reporters, lawyers, judges…"

Hayate and Yamane were listening and nodding while Soma was looking at the ground behind them.

I can't believe that the first Keiri was a Kira supporter, he thought. You would think that he's someone openly antagonistic against Kira but-

"With all due respect, chief," Yamane began, "it is impossible to censor everything on the internet and we already know that Keiri can designate the time of deaths for his victims so it's possible they are due to die on a certain day."

Kudo snapped, "I don't care." He signed pensively before he addressed the two officers before him. "Also, Hayate, Yamane, I want you two to provide protective detail on Murasaki, Minori, and Rei Kagami as well."

Hayate said, "They played an active role in bringing down Minato Natsuki so it would make sense to target them."

Soma remembered something. "But the Death Note can't kill pregnant women."

Kudo nodded. "True but Keiri is aware of that so that's why he threatened her husband and son when they first used Miss Kagami. I want protective detail on all three of them."

"Why can't I be in charge of that, sir?"

Kudo sighed. "No offense, Soma, but Hayate and Yamane have more experience in leading a squadron of officers than you do."

Soma rubbed the back of his head. "I promise to prove myself, chief."

Before they could say anything more, a young female officer walked in with a young woman with brown bangs behind her.

"Chief Kudo, this woman says she has something important to tell the people leading the Keiri investigation."

"Let her in," Kudo ordered.

The officer moved out the way and shut the door once the woman was inside.

Soma eyed the woman from head to toe before his brain clicked on why this woman was so familiar. "Hey, I know her; she's an investigative journalist. Sora Hajima."

Sora smiled at the officer's recognition.

Kudo kept a straight face. "Miss Hajima, if you don't mind, we're very busy but do you have something to help in the Keiri investigation?

Sora nodded vigorously. "I do, I do." Her smile only grew wider. "I have only one thing to say."

"Let's hear it."

Sora let out a soft chuckle and slowly raised her hands above her head. "I. Sora Hajima. The second Keiri. Surrender."

May 16th, 2031

It had been three days since Sora Hajima's surrender as Keiri. As far as the public knew, Sora Hajima went to the police station as a voluntary witness in the Keiri investigation. Even with her incarceration, the killings had continued, even when she had no access to any information. After being processed, she was put in jail behind bars with a blindfold on and deep underground, watched twenty-four-seven by a camera in her cell covering every angle. Although the killings continued on, even after put behind bars, the fact that Murasaki and Rei Kagami could both see the same Keiri Shinigami standing beside her confirmed her statement that she was indeed the second Keiri. It wasn't like Tashi, who was remaining silent in the presence of the Shinigami, but Sora and the Shinigami were communicating with each other and Muter would leave for various periods to fly off into the city before flying back where he would spill information about the outside world.

They even pulled the same trick they used on Tashi: Driving ten miles away. The only difference is that this Shinigami followed her all the way, not making any stops or turns, confirming that she was indeed the second Keiri.

No time for further confirmation, it was time to interrogate.

Hayate and Yamane took her into the dimly lit interrogation room, cuffed her to a handhold in the middle of the table with a lamp, and blindfolded her. As a precaution, they wore balaclavas that covered their face with the exception of their eyes.

Sora didn't need eyes to know that they were swarming her like a pack of wolves but she could feel the heat of the lamping shining on her smooth skin.

"What is your game, Sora Hajima?" Hayate demanded aggressively, "it's been three days since you surrendered and the killings have continued."

Sora feigned shock by gasping. "I said I surrender, I didn't say I will stop the killings."

"Then what's the point?"

She felt his hand gripped the back of her shoulder hard enough to leave a barely noticeable mark under her shirt and it made her laugh.

"It's Kira. I want to talk to Kira."

Hayate tightened his grip. "Not going to happen. Tell us where the notebook is. When we frisked you, we didn't find any notebooks or scraps of paper. We did the same on Arata Tashi and we thought it was odd until he remembered Keiri is two people, not one. Since you're the second Keiri and your partner is dead, you should have it in your possession."

"Ah, you know about the Death Note. You know how I can designate times of death?"

Hayate gripped the collar of her shirt. "How many names have you written down?"

Yamane, sitting in the chair opposite of Sora, grabbed Hayate's hand. "Hayate, stay calm." He calmly pulled Hayate's hand away before interlocking his fingers on the table. "Sora, please talk to us. What do you mean when you say you want to talk to Kira?"

"I mean it literally," she nearly snapped, "if you can bring me Kira then I'll stop the killings."

"How are we supposed to contact Kira?"

She shrugged. "Not my problem. Bring me Kira so we can chit-chat like old friends. You want the killings to stop, this is my one and only request and it's non-negotiable."

Hayate growled, "You're not going to talk to Kira."

Sra shrugged with one shoulder. "Then I guess you want the killings to continue."

Hayate knocked the lamp off the table and the light bounced around the room before settling.

"You are worse than the first Keiri!" He remembered something. "Speaking of which, what is your relationship to Minato Natsuki?"

Sora's smile dropped from her face and before she could realign it, Hayate was already talking whilst picking up the fallen lamp and setting it back in its original place.

"Why go silent all of a sudden? Is he your boyfriend? Your lover? A relative?"

Yamane raised a hand to silence Hayate. "Miss Hajima, why do you want to meet Kira?"

"That's my business," she growled.

Hayate slammed his hands on the table. "And when innocent people are involved then it becomes our business!"

Sora bared her teeth. "I just want to talk to Kira. If you can comply with my requests, then I'll stop the killings. You have my word."

"And what about the Death Note?"

"I'll see to it that it is burnt."

"How can we trust you?"

Sora took a deep breath and exhaled slowly, going over her thoughts to make sure she makes it clear what she wants.

I want to meet Kira, she thought, that's all I want. I just want to meet my hero.

"I have no cards left to play," she exhaled calmly. "Kira is smarter than me, smarter than every person in this room combined, and I just want to meet him. I want to talk to him. My one and only request. I want to meet him in the flesh and when I meet him, I'll ask him a question only the real Kira would know. I have nothing more to say. Let me talk to Kira and I'll lay down all my aces. Please, this is all I want."

She hated how she had to say 'please'.

Yamane and Hayate look at each other, deciding that they've had enough for leaving the room.

One Hour Later

Knight Yagami walked through the police station with nothing but a balaclava around his face. Considering that he has a valid excuse to hide his face, he believed it was no longer necessary to wear the skin-colored face mask that Iris made. Speaking of which, she was also in tow with him, wearing the same mask from earlier.

He found the door leading to the observation room with the one-way mirror. When he opened it, he saw Kudo and Soma standing at the one-way mirror with Hayate and Yamane standing in the corner of the room with Murasaki and Minori behind them, their son, Rei, sitting on his father's lap. Knight looked down at Murasaki's stomach and noticed that she was beginning to show more.

From what I gathered, he thought, Murasaki and Minori were questioned in their roles in Minato's death. Murasaki and Minori got off based on the premise that Kira blackmailed them into helping them attack Minato and were let off without any charges. I also heard that they were interrogated rather ruthlessly about where they got the paper from the Death Note. Minori insisted an anonymous source provided the paper to them and the police concluded that the anonymous source was Kira so they got off without any consequence as far as I can tell. Good, they're still of use to me.

Knight closed the door after Iris came through and he walked up to meet Kudo and Soma and stared at the suspect through the glass.

"What's going on, Chief Kudo?" he asked after pulling down her mask.

"That woman in the interrogation room," Kudo began, "is the second Keiri."

Knight double-checked the interrogation glass and realized that his suspicions were correct: Sora Hajima was the second Keiri and she was in the interrogation room with a blindfold on and hands cuffed to the bar in the center of the table. He does a side-glance to the now-unmasked Iris and smirks at her.

With Iris's eye power seeing no lifespan above Sora Hajima's head, I can confirm that she IS the Nameless Keiri and this isn't another Arata Tashi trick.

He looked back and saw the figure behind Sora.

And there is Muter.

Muter was looking at the one-way glass as if he could see through and stared absentmindedly.

"Were you able to confirm?" he asked.

"Murasaki and Minori confirmed," Kudo answered. "We even drove out ten miles as we did with Tashi and the Shinigami followed him the entire way. The public, they don't know. As far as they are concerned, Sora Hajima is a voluntary witness and helper."

"Huh," he nodded. "How did you catch her?"

"She showed up here a few days ago, claiming to be Keiri, revealed the way as to how she killed and said she surrendered. But the killings are still happening; she says she'll stop if we meet her demands."

"What would her demands be?"

"She's insisting on speaking to Kira and Kira alone."

Knight widened his eyes. "Interesting." He subconsciously crossed his arm over his chest and his fingers slightly squeezed on his sleeve. "But, we know how Kira and Keiri kill, there's no way she's committing the killings herself."

"She could've designated the times of death."

"No, if she did that and her goal was to meet and talk to the real Kira then it would mean she's breaking her promise. If she came in here, surrendering, then it must mean she has a plan. Someone is killing these people and the way I see it: She designated the times of death, which I find to be unlikely, or she has an accomplice." He uncrosses his arms from his chest. "Is there any possible way for us to contact Kira?"

Kudo shook his head.

"I figured. She's too dangerous to be let out in public and I highly doubt Kira will make himself public."

"We have to do something; her one and only goal's to meet Kira and the only way she'll end this cycle of chaos is if we bring Kira to her."

"We could set up a radio-"

"She wants to meet Kira in the flesh, meaning she wants him here physically talking to her. And she's going to ask a question only Kira would know."

"Damn it."

Knight mentally yelled at himself.

What are you going to do, Knight? Even if I wanted to kill her, I can't, as no one outside the police station knows about Sora being the second Keiri. I still have to take out Muter. I could have Gilth and Masi fight Muter in there but there's a flaw with that plan: Murasaki and Minori. They both touched a piece from Muter's notebook so they can see him and if they see Gilth and Masi fighting Muter right after I followed them here... not only that, but we need Sora alive in order to find her Death Note and the identities of her accomplices.

Knight looks over his shoulder to make sure that Gitlh and Masi were out of sight and out of mind.

Shit, how am I going to talk to Sora without the police knowing I'm Kira?

"Knight?"

He looked at Chief Kudo.

"I think I have an idea. It's risky and I understand if you don't want to do it."

Knight stared at him in the eyes.

"What if you pose as Kira?"

Knight's eyes widened.

Holy hell, all this time I've been trying to think of a plan to talk to Sora and here Kudo is, handing her to me like a Christmas present.

"Why me?"

"Out of all of us, you know the most about the Death Note."

Knight sweated nervously.

"You said that Genre from the Break investigation told you all she knew about the Death Note so you should hopefully be able to answer her question."

YOU ARE MY HERO, CHIEF KUDO!

"I understand if you don't-"

"NO!" Knight snapped. "I'm going to go through with it."

The others looked at him with different expressions on their face.

Knight grabbed his balaclava to make sure it was still around his neck and looked at Kudo in the eyes. "This is a good plan, Kudo. It's risky but I understand. Out of all of us, my knowledge exceeds all of you so I should pose as Kira."

Kudo looked down at the floor as if he was guilty of something. "I wish I could've come up with something sooner but-"

"No, you are the chief of police, it is your job to make sure evil does not triumph. All of us in this room are here because we are ready to risk our lives to bring down Keiri."

Knight pulled the balaclava back up to his face.

Hahahaha, Sora Hajima, you wanted to talk to Kira in the flesh, here I come.

Knight walked to the door to leave. As he put his hand on the doorknob, Iris put a hand on his shoulder.

She leaned in and whispered, "Don't die."

Knight side-eyes her. He grabs the hand on his shoulder, lowers his balaclava down to his chin, and bestows a kiss on the back of her palm.

"Anything for you, Ice."

Iris blushed but didn't look away and stared at Knight in the eyes.

Knight took his arm back and pulled the balaclava up again.

Every step he made to the neighboring door echoed throughout the hallways. He could feel the weight of his steps against the tiles and every step made a faint sound that resembled the sound of his heartbeat. He opened the door and stood in the doorway, staring at his fated opponent in the dimly lit room.

Sora lifts her gaze up from the middle of the table to the eyes of Knight Yagami, half her face illuminated by the lamp.

Knight stared at her, his eyes a dark red color.

He steps through in one fluid motion and slammed the door behind him. He didn't walk to the empty chair in the middle of the room, he took one big step and yanked it out before sinking in it.

He puts his elbows on the table and interlocked his fingers.

"Keiri?" Knight whispered, "nice to meet you. I'm Kira."

Chapter Text

May 16th, 2031

Interrogation Room

Sora narrowed her eyes. "Are you? Are you the real Kira?"

Knight nodded. "Of course I am."

She tilted her head. "Take off your mask."

"Aren't you going to ask me a question only Kira would know?"

"Take off your mask," she hissed. "Or I'll have my Shinigami rip it off and kill you with his Death Note."

Knight kept a calm composure and he lifted his hand up and removed the balaclava from his face.

"You wanted to see my face?"

She has the eyes, he thought, and she can see my absent lifespan.

Sora's eyes trailed to the top of his head and saw the floating name.

KNIGHT YAGAMI

No visible lifespan.

Yagami... she thought, Knight... Yagami...

Her hair and eyes turn purple.

Light Yagami... the original Kira. Misa Amane... the second Kira.

She glared at him.

He's the real Kira.

"Knight Yagami," she shouted aloud for the people in the observation room to hear, "your real name is Knight Yagami."

Knight's eyes widened, mostly for show rather than actual shock.

In the observation room, Kudo and Soma put their hands on the glass.

"Holy shit," Soma cursed, "she knows his real name!"

"Let's get Knight out of there," Kudo ordered.

"Turn off all audio and all forms of surveillance to our conversation," Sora shouted at the one-way glass, "if you don't comply, I will murder Knight Yagami; I'll tell my Shinigami to write his name down and commit suicide. Turn off all surveillance right now! If my Shinigami is suspicious for any reason then Yagami is a goner!"

"Holy crap," Soma gasped, "what are we going to do, Chief?"

Kudo looked at the ground in shame. "We have no choice."

The officers turned off all surveillance into the interrogation room and waited patiently for Sora to start talking. Since they could no longer hear the conversation, they were going to settle with watching their lips moved but Knight moved his hand over to the lamp and turned the dim light to a dimmer light setting.

The room was pitch black from the observation room but there was enough light on the lamp to illuminate the faces of Knight and Sora.

Sora interlocked her fingers uncomfortable over the bar she was handcuffed to.

"Good, we can finally talk without any restraint."

Knight nodded. "Sora Hajima, Sora Takada, I am the real Kira." He watched her expressionless reaction after his eyes adjusted. "I'm sure you can see my name floating above my head. I'm sure you can see I have no visible lifespan." He looked over at Muter. "Nice to meet you, Shinigami reincarnation of Teru Mikami."

Muter sneered at him. "Son of scum."

"At least I didn't stab myself with a pen and kill myself."

Muter nearly lunged but remembered how he's not allowed to put his hands on a human.

Sora's glare slowly vanished from her face and was replaced with a soft smile from the two's bickering.

"I knew you were Kira the second I discovered your surname was 'Yagami'," she chuckled, "history repeats itself."

"Death Note: Next Generation. But let's not dwell on that. What do you want to talk to me, Niece of Kiyomi Takada."

"Son of Light Yagami and Misa Amane, copycat Kira..." she countered before her smile widened, "It is such a pleasure to meet you, even if you are a successor to the original. Ever since I was young, I've always looked up to you."

"I don't understand you; I killed your younger brother and you still wish to speak to me like an idol?"

"I am sad about Minato and Aunty Kiyomi but I'm not going to dwell. I just wanted to meet you, to understand you. I want to know why you are the way that you are."

She's just like Mom when she wanted to meet Dad, he thought.

"Why?"

"My brother believed that people are inherently evil while I believe that people are made evil. I just want to know you."

"And if I talk to you, what do I get out of this experience?"

"The status of a god." She let that sentence linger. "I'm aware I can't outsmart you so I came up with a plan where it's win-win."

Knight rolled his eyes.

Sure you did, but I shouldn't take any chances.

"Alright, chat away."

Sora got right into her Q while he waited for the A.

"Were you born evil or made evil?"

Knight glares at her, using all the willpower within him to not reach out and strangle her to death. "I'm not evil!"

She replayed that answer in her head. "Were you born this way?"

"I wasn't born this way but I believed it was my destiny. My parents were the first and second Kira and they chose me to take over when I came of age. My ruthlessness, that is something I inherited over the years from the environment around me but I believe I would've turned out like this regardless."

She tilted her head with a smile. "Where do you get off on killing innocent people, 'Killer'?"

Knight chuckled humorlessly. "I could ask the same about you, 'Executioner'?"

"I believe in Kira's brand of justice, I wanted to be like him. I wanted to become justice. When my brother learned the truth about our aunt, he broke down, saying that people who believe in Kira are borderline evil. I was only following Minato's MO out of family loyalty. I was on the fence about it and felt uncomfortable killing innocent people."

"Then why the chaos right now?"

"I was desperate. I wanted to meet you. I wanted to meet my idol."

Knight shook his head disapprovingly. "You are messed up in the head. At least the second Kira didn't absentmindedly kill innocent people. The cops in front of Sakura TV, yeah, but only if they interfered."

She shrugged with one shoulder. "Looks like I'm no different than your mother."

"This doesn't excuse you, Sora. You killed people who believed in me. Even if you were doing so out of family loyalty, that doesn't excuse anything. I will make you face justice for this."

"I wanted to be a superhero, Kira. I wanted to be a superhero like you because I believed in your brand of justice. I told myself that if Minato killed you then I could take over as Kira, except, I would be a nice Kira."

He laughed. "Sorry, but Kira was never meant to be nice. No matter how you look at it, Kira is, and always will be, a necessary evil."

"I understand that. I also understand that becoming a superhero is no longer an option."

Knight looked at her with a confused brow. "What are you talking about?"

She sighed pensievley. "I wrote my name in the notebook. I wrote that I would die in the not-too-distant future. You can control a victim for twenty-three days but you can choose any date of death for any victim, as long as you're not controlling him or his death date is before the end of their lifespan. Because I wrote my name in the notebook, I can't be killed by other notebook."

Knight's eyes widened.

Is she really crazy enough to write her own name in the notebook and kill herself? If it's true then getting Muter to kill her is going to be increasingly difficult. My only hope is if she is lying.

"And as per our contract, I will end the killings." She suddenly stiffened, her eyes going wide and staring off into space.

That look on her face, Knight thought, holy hell, what the hell is she thinking?

Sora made a fist with both hands and her wide-eyed gaze into space slowly turned into a glare with her eyes and hair turning a purple color.

I can't believe how easy it was to figure out Kira's identity, she cheered inside her mind, all I had to do was request a meeting. Take away a child's toy and they'll do anything to get it back. Now that I've figured out Kira's identity, I can now begin step two of the plan.

"On second thought, while you are my hero, I can't forgive you for killing Minato."

Knight's stared at her.

"Does that mean-"

"You thought it was going to be this easy?" she broke down. "Where has your head been? You thought that I was just going to roll over and let you walk over me?! You're lowering my opinion on you, Kira-sama!"

"Was this all a ruse?!"

"Of fucking course!" She hit her hand against the bar twice, creating two loud thuds that echoed off the walls.

Muter nodded and sprouted his wings before disappearing into the wall behind. Knight watched him disappear.

"The whole idea was to figure out your identity!"

"How are you going to kill me if you don't have any pages of the Death Note on you?"

"I'm not going to kill you, I'm going to dismantle your reputation; that was always Minato's goal."

"But I thought you said-"

"I did want to meet you but I wanted to play one last game with you, as retribution for the suicidal killing of my obasan and younger brother. Here's the game: Right now, my Shinigami is flying off to meet with my accomplices and he will stay with them until May 26th. You have until May 26th at 11:59 PM to find my accomplices and retrieve the pages of the Death Note. Fail to find them in time, then Muter will reveal your identity to them in an indirect way and they will be instructed to make Kira's real name public. Your godlike reputation will be torn down and you'll be remembered as nothing more than a mass murderer." She laughed maniacally. "If you win and find them in time, I'll tell you the location of my Death Note for free! Here's your first hint as to who my accomplices are, Kira-sama: They are a four-man group as part of the Yakuza!"

Knight rose to his feet and slammed his fists on the table. "You fucking bitch; there are at least two dozen Yakuza in the Kanto region!"

"And I made a few tweaks: I wrote the names of every known Yakuza in the Kanto region in my Death Note and designated their time of death for May 28th. This means that you won't be able to kill any Yakuza with the Death Note until then." She laughed again. "You have ten days, Kira-sama; don't waste any time!"

May 20th, 2031

After that chitchat with Sora in the interrogation room, she had been taken back to jail and has been kept there since. Muter was spotted anywhere near her by Murasaki or Minori and the conversation evaded surveillance as planned and Knight told the police everything with the exception of stuff that might reveal that he is Kira.

Instead of telling them what will actually happen unless he meets the ten-day deadline, he told his police companions that the killings will start at one hundred people every day from May 26th.

Knight worked at home and shifted all focus on figuring out who the four-man group of Yakuza were in possession of the Death Note. Since the conversation Masi recorded confirmed that Keiri was in possession of one notebook instead of two and given that Sora was still the owner of the Death Note as confirmed by Iris, he knew that this four-man group was nothing more than borrowers and thus, their lifespan wouldn't be absent.

So he had to put his thinking cap on.

When Iris arrived, that was when he got to detective-ing.

Gilth and Masi silently watched.

He searched up all twelve active Yakuza groups in the Kanto region and wrote their titles down on a piece of paper. He pulled up all known members of the Yakuza and he had Iris write down the names of one of them. After forty seconds, his name and lifespan remained, confirming Sora's statement that the Yakuza members were immune to the Death Note and already designated to die later in the future.

"So," Iris began, "how are we going to find this four-man group of borrowers?"

"I'm thinking," he nearly snapped. "There are twelve Yakuza groups in the Kanto region and they all have at least fifty members each. The biggest Yakuza group, the Samurai, has one hundred members, and the smallest, Sama, has fifty members exactly."

"You'll figure something out."

He glared at her as if she offended him. "What makes you think I'm going to do all the work? While I do have a specialty in detective work, you have a better specialty in profiling people and narrowing the group of suspects."

Iris nodded hesitantly. "True. If you want-"

"It's not about what I want, it's about what you're going to do." His tone gave off a sinister vibe that sent chills down her spine.

She nodded silently and got to work.

Hours passed, the sun went down, and the moon came up by the time Knight had stacked the coffee table with documents of his investigation.

"Okay," he said as he straightened his back and looked over the material. "I think I've figured it out."

Iris kicked her shoes off and put her feet up to her chest.

"I'm sure you're aware of this by now but Shinigami can't go any farther than fourteen kilometers from their owner. Sora knew that she would be incarcerated in the Japanese Police Station and knew that Muter would have to maintain constant contact with the borrowers so I believe she chose a group that is headquartered within fourteen kilometers of the police station."

He pulled out a map of the Kanto region. The police station was highlighted in yellow and he drew a small circle with a red marker around the police station.

"Fourteen kilometers roughly translates as eight or nine miles and everything within this red circle are within eight or nine miles away from the police station." He paused. "There are only four Yakuza groups headquartered within nine miles from the police station. The Sama, the Disciples, the Seppuku, and the Imperial."

He searched the coffee table for the manilla folders he gathered and opened them, four papers piled on top of each other with photos of the Yakuza insignia printed at the top.

"How do we know those four crime syndicates aren't in cahoots and the borrowers are an individual from each Yakuza?" Iris asked.

"That's what I thought until I did some digging." He dropped the manilla folder and held up a photo of a Yakuza member dead from a car accident. "While everybody was focusing on the worshippers dying, I noticed a small and thin thread of Yakuza members dropping like flies." He showed Iris the picture of the dead Yakuza. "This man, a recent rookie in the Disciples Yakuza, died in a car accident, an accidental death, on May 7th."

Iris nearly vomited at the sight of the corpse.

He drops the photo to pick up another one. This Yakuza member was clutching his chest.

"This Seppuku Yakuza member died on May 8th of ARCV-5, also known as 'Arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy type 5'. It's a heart disease he was diagnosed with."

He picked a photo of a Yakuza member lying dead in a chair with a bottle of pills in his hand, foam at the mouth.

"This depressed Sama Yakuza member overdosed on pain medication on May 9th."

He dropped the photo and showed her another and then another and one final photo.

"Do you know what the connection is?"

Iris looked over the photos hesitantly before coming up with an answer after careful consideration. "They were small-time?"

"And how would you know that?"

"There's no name for any of them."

Knight clicks his tongue and smiles. "Exactly. These guys are nobodies; they don't have a name or face in the criminal database because they haven't made a name for themselves. All the Yakuza members that can't be killed or people who are so notorious that they have their own Wikipedia page."

"So," she began, "you're saying that there is no way Sora could've known about these Yakuza members because their names and faces aren't public but the borrowers do?"

"Right again." He picked up the manilla folder with the four Yakuza members within the area and reached for the bottom page and showed it to her. "Do you know what Yakuza this is, based on the photograph of the symbol?"

The insignia was a bloody handprint.

"The Imperial; they're the only one without a confirmed dead member from the borrowers."

"Someone give this girl a cookie, that's three for three."

Iris blushed at Knight's confidence but didn't avert her eyes. "You believe that the borrowers are someone within the Imperial Yakuza?"

He nodded. "They are the only syndicate to not suffer deaths from disease, accidental death, or suicide."

He turned back to his computer and searched up the Imperial Yakuza. Having access to the entire Japanese police database, information about criminals who aren't publically known about being part of the Imperial Yakuza became presented to them.

"You have access to all this information?" Iris asked.

"I do." He pulled a list of all Imperial Yakuza members. He sighed and rubbed his chin. "Although, there is something I do wonder: How did Sora find this four-man group to borrow pages of the Death Note?"

"She used to be an investigative journalist so it's possible she found a lead or she broke into a Yakuza-owned building. Either way, the borrowers aren't leaders."

He looked at her. "How do you know?"

"If they were bosses or higher-ups, they would've used the pages of the notebook on their completion, regardless of their rivals' ranks but these victims you showed me, so far, they are complete nobodies. Why would a leader focus on foot soldiers when he can take out the higher-ups?"

"So the borrowers are also a couple of nobodies who are trying to play it safe."

He narrowed down the list to people who had been recruited into the Yakuza within the last month. There were only eight suspects and all of them were teenagers.

"Who are these people?" he asked. "Use your eyes."

She grabbed the computer and pulled up the pictures of the eight teenagers, focusing on the group on the left.

Her eyes glowed red.

A seventeen-year-old boy with short brown hair with bangs over his left eye and stubby facial hair growing.

DAICHI NAGASAWA, 6 7 39 12 5 6

A sixteen-year-old girl with short black hair that came down to her chin with parted bangs.

LEIKO HANADA, 6 3 62 89 6 6

A sixteen-year-old boy with long brown hair with bangs dyed blonde.

KAEMON KATAGIRI, 4 3 25 13 2 8

Last but not least, a sixteen-year-old boy with bushy curly hair that resembled a messy bedhead.

SOSUKE CHIBA, 3 8 88 95 4 9

May 26th, 2031

11:10 PM

On the eve of the night, where nobody was up, Daichi, Leiko, Kaemon, and Sosuke marched aimlessly down the street back to the loft. They looked uneasily at the Shinigami floating behind them, stalking them like a ghost. Ever since May 16th, this Shinigami has been following them relentlessly for the past ten days, Daichi mostly because he was the leader. Even though they were aware that nobody but them could see this skeletal beast, they felt exposed, almost like they were naked in the snow and that wasn't something they wanted which is why they didn't draw attention to themselves, even if they were the only ones out this time of night.

Just a few more blocks until they were at the loft where they would get in their daily kill of Kira Worshippers before they would make the identity of Kira public. The Shinigami said that he will reveal the identity of Kira but only when Kira misses the deadline to find them. Knowing that the world's most dangerous mass murderer was hunting them put a lump in their throats that was so big they could practically choke.

Leiko joggged to catch up to Daichi. "Nervous?" She patted him on the shoulder.

"Hell yes I'm nervous," he nearly snapped, "who wouldn't be?"

"I'm more curious as to how you can stay calm in a fucking situation like this, bee-otch," Sosuke whisper-shouted.

"When you live with a Dad who has a vicious hair-trigger temper, you learn to stay calm in situations like this," she answered.

Daichi looked at his watch.

"In less than an hour, our task will be done. We'll finally be free to go home."

"Yeah," Leiko agreed. "How interesting is it to actually work with Keiri to bring down the world's deadliest serial killer?"

"I didn't sign up for this," Daichi said, "the only reason I became part of the Yakuza was so I could stand out. I was an outsider growing up and the Imperial Yakuza was the first and only group to ever accept me and give me a chance."

Leiko shrugged. "We all got issues. I joined the Yakuza because they pay enough money for me to help my family's financial situation. Sosuke and Kaemon both went to the same school and they got kicked out for violence."

"Misunderstanding," Sosuke clarified, "I was kicked out for fighting in self-defense. It was bound to happen because I've been holding back my rage for so many years and they deserved it for insulting my six-month-old son."

Kaemon shrugged absentmindedly. "My girlfriend is part of the Yakuza and I joined to support her."

"And have you guys considered that if we're not careful then Kira will kill us?" Daichi exclaimed. "As soon as our mission is done, we're burning everything that links us to Kira and Keiri and that'll be the end of this chapter."

The apartment loft was within sight, only a block away. They stayed silent the rest of the way and started jogging and slowed their pace as they were coming up to the door. They stopped dead in their tracks when a heavy flashlight beam shined on them and nearly blinded them.

"IT'S THEM!" a woman shouted at the top of her lungs behind a police cruiser. "I CAN SEE THE SHINIGAMI FOLLOWING THEM, THEY ARE KEIRI'S ACCOMPLICES!"

The four teens gasp and widened their eyes, even with the light shining on them.

"FREEZE!" an officer shouted, cocking his gun loudly to show he meant business. "GET DOWN ON THE GODDAMN GROUND YOU FUCKERS!"

Kaemon reached for his gun.

Leiko grabbed his hand. "No, if we shoot then it's just going to be much worse!"

Muter was slightly blinded by the light and held a hand up. He looked through the crowd of police cruisers. All of them were wearing tinted helmets with the exception of one.

And he recognized her.

Murasaki Kagami, she's the one who could see me.

He glares.

Choosing her to pass on Keiri's message to Kira was a big mistake.

Daichi does a one-eighty and dashes off into the alleyway between the loft and another building. The others follow.

The police officers give chase.

"BE CAREFUL OF THEM!" another officer shouted. "THEY HAVE KIRA AND KEIRI'S POWER AND SHOULD BE CONSIDERED DANGEROUS! NON-LETHAL SHOTS ONLY!"

The four teenagers reach a fence at the end of the alleyway that towered up to ten feet and there was a lock holding the gate's door in place. They weren't going to go through it, so they did wall runs up and vaulted over.

The police chasing after them froze in their steps, flabbergasted at the teens' parkour moves. They snapped back to their senses and climbed up and over the gate and continued the chase.

This is OUR territory, Daichi thought as he leaped over a brick wall and lands onto the top of another, and frontflips off it. We practice parkour on a regular and we know this environment well.

They used parkour to get up and over, to move around and down under this urban environment. The territory which they were in was rich with brick walls and fences and closed-off gates and areas that would make it difficult for a car to navigate.

Officer Soma has never been in a chase like this, or any chase in general. The only chase he saw were ones on TV and they had a production crew to make it look cool. If these thieves got away, he was going to call the nearest movie studios and teach them how a chase scene works in real life.

The teens leaped over another brick wall and made a right down an alleyway. This time, there was no sense for them to climb so they had the luxury of running straight through-

BANG!

Kaemon clutched his shoulder and fell face-first into the ground, screaming and flopping like a fish.

Daichi looked over his shoulder to see a single officer with his revolver raised.

They turned the corner before Officer Soma could get another shot.

"They're shooting at us!" Leiko shouted.

"Fuck!" Sosuke exclaimed.

They jumped up a brick wall and leaped down.

BANG!

Blood spewed out of Sosuke's forearm and he fell to the ground on the side of the wall that was opposite of Daichi and Leiko.

Oh my god, Daichi cried, I can't believe they're shooting at us.

"We have to go back for Sosuke and Kaemon," Daichi told Leiko, "we can't leave them!"

"We have to worry about ourselves," Leiko said, her voice full of regret.

They checked over their shoulder to see the officer was nowhere in sight. Perfect. Instead of repeating the mistake of leaping over a fence or going through an alleyway, they ran up to the building in front of them and headed for the fire escape.

Daichi wall runs up the fire escape and grips the ladder with one hand before yanking himself up and over the rails and started climbing the stairs to the third story.

Lieko repeats the action except when she grabs the ladder with one hand, a bullet punches through the back of her palm and makes her fall into a pile of trash bags.

Daichi heard that last gunshot and saw Officer Soma standing at the far end of the street, aiming for him. He dives into the closest window head-first, shattering the glass and landing shoulder-first into a baby's room, evident by the crib and crying baby.

He runs through the living and to the front door, quickly unlocking it and running down the hallway.

I never should've joined the Yakuza, he thought as he imagined the life he had before he became one with the crime syndicate. I'm going to be sentenced to death as Keiri's accomplice. I'll never see Leiko, Sosuke, or Kaemon again. Leiko won't see her siblings, Sosuke won't see his half-a-year-old son, and Kaemon won't see his girlfriend, whom he loves so much to join a crime syndicate for.

Once he reaches the end of the hallway, he dives through another window leading to another fire escape, getting a few cuts around his forehead and shoulder. He leaps over the rails carefully and slides down the ladder.

He turns and runs off into the street.

If I'm not sentenced to death by the police, Kira will-

Daichi is suddenly launched into the air and lands flat on his side after rolling a few times down the street and stopping in the middle of a streetlight beam.

Kudo's hands clutch the driver's wheel like he's choking it and gasped.

I didn't see him, he panicked, I didn't mean to run him over.

He grabs his tinted helmet from his passenger seat and puts it on before exiting the car. He draws his gun and aims it at the downed Daichi. The boy sustained a minor concussion but a few bruises on his left shoulder and perhaps a fractured rib along with some cuts from the glass when he dived out the window.

When he decided the gun was no longer necessary, he put it away before taking out his cuffs.

"Chief," Soma shouted coming from around the building. "You caught him, Chief?"

"Not the way I wanted but yeah, I caught him." He lifts the injured boy into a sitting position. "Help me get a blindfold on him."

Soma double-checked to make sure that his helmet was secured before jogging over and wrapping a blindfold he brought with him around Daichi's eyes.

"The others are securing the other three right now," Soma said. "Can you believe it's finally over, Chief?" he asked cheerfully.

Kudo nodded with a sigh. "Yeah, it's finally over."

"Yeah, maybe we can have a party when we get back!"

"Soma!"

Chapter Text

May 26th, 2031

11:30 PM

It's been roughly fifteen minutes since the teenagers were brought down and incapacitated. An ambulance was called to bring in the three teenagers shot while Daichi was stuffed in the back of a police cruiser.

"So, how did I do?" Soma questions like a child wanting to see if he impressed his father.

"Good work on stopping three of the perpetrators," Kudo said. "But now's not the time, we need to interrogate them."

Kudo walks to the back door of his police cruiser and he opens the door. He grabs the injured teenager firmly but not too firmly as he was still hurting and brought him down to his knees.

"Daichi," Kudo said in a soft and gentle voice, "are you okay?"

"You ran me over," Daichi hissed in pain.

"That was my fault. But I need to know: Where are the pages of the notebook?"

Daichi bit his lower lip and began sweating.

"We know that you are Keiri's accomplices."

"How did you know?"

"A young officer within the police force managed to narrow down the list of suspects to two groups of four-men teams and we have two people who are able to see the god of death. We have one here in this neighborhood with the other in the otherneighbor. They spotted the Shinigami following you and exposed you as the accomplices."

Daichi bared his teeth nervously.

"Keiri made us do this!" he cried in desperation. "He told us that if we didn't then he will murder our loved ones!"

Like Murasaki, Kudo thought.

"If you cooperate and tell us where the pages of the notebook are-"

"I don't want to be sentenced to death!"

"I'm sure we can figure something out."

"But you'll still send me to prison for being a member of the Yakuza."

"Given as to how you're a minor and nonviolent member of the Yakuza, serving only as a scout of them, we could work out something."

Daichi inhaled and exhaled deeply, listening to the sounds of his heartbeat pumping fast in his chest.

"In my back pocket," Daichi whispered, "I have one page of the notebook, same for the others." He remembered how Soma shot his friends. "Speaking of which, will Leiko, Sosuke, and Kaemon be alright?"

"They'll be fine, I shot them non-fatally," Soma said. "They'll spend some time in the hospital but they'll be alright."

Kudo reached into Daichi's back pocket and retrieved a folded-up paper of the Death Note, completely blank of any writing.

"What did you do with the other pages?"

"We burned them after we filled the names out." Daichi sighed as he calmed himself down.

Kudo looked around, rotating clockwise before his view was obscured by a large stomach. When he followed to the top of the stomach, which required him angling his head upwards, his eyes fell into the gaze of Muter.

He yells in terror and falls to the ground.

The other officers look at him.

"What is it, chief?" Soma asked.

"It's the monster!"

Soma touched the scrape of the notebook and followed the chief's gaze into Muter's eyes.

He yelled and landed on his ass and crawled away, nearly bumping into Daichi.

"You remind me of Touta Matsuda," Muter said to Soma.

"Who the hell is that?"

Muter sprouted his wings. "Nobody to worry your head about." He flies up.

"Where did he go?" Soma asked the chief.

"Probably back to Keiri." He grabbed his phone.

At the Police Station

With Kudo and Soma out, Knight and Iris stayed behind to watch the chained Sora in the interrogation room from the observation room. They sat in complete silence before Knight's phone went off.

"Knight," Kudo gasped, "we've caught Keiri's accomplices."

Knight's eyes went wide and turned dark red.

I've won.

"It's over, Keiri has been defeated."

"The Shinigami, I saw it. I touched the pieces of the paper and I saw him flying up into the sky; I think he's flying back to the station."

Perfect, exactly as planned.

"Based on Sora's earlier statement, I doubt he'll really be a threat. I'll let Hayate and Yamane know."

He hung up the phone and put it in his back pocket.

Iris watched the back of his head, narrowing her eyes and taking in the detail of his reddish-blonde hair.

"Good news?"

"I've just received news that is so great that it makes God himself happy: Keiri's accomplices have been caught." He turned to face her. "And Muter is flying back."

She remembered the plan.

"I don't want to see Sora's head cave-in," Iris winced.

Knight laughed and walked over to her. "I'll make it up to you. Maybe we'll go out for steak and eggs, pig intestines, bloody marys."

Iris put a hand over her mouth. "Stop it, Knight."

He laughed. "I'm just kidding." He looked over in the observation room to stare at the motionless Sora. "There is something I need to do, however."

He left the room to enter the interrogation room.

The room wasn't dim this time and the lights were on so brightly it could blind someone which is why Knight tried not looking at the light.

It didn't matter as he moved over to the interrogation table and leaned on it with his hands.

Sora felt the vibration of someone putting their hand on the table.

"You lost," Knight said, "I won; Daichi and his small gang were caught."

Sora remained still.

"I narrowed down the list and I sent the information to the police. Chances are, they'll be let off with a slap on the wrist while you will be sentenced to life in prison, at least until you reach the death date you wrote in your notebook."

Sora said nothing.

"You gave me a game to play and I won. I beat you at your own game and the reward was the location of your notebook." He leaned until his face was inches from her face. "Where. Is. Your. Fucking. Death Note?"

Sora bowed her head. "It's at a storage unit three miles from my younger brother's apartment. Kanto Storage, Storage Unit #513. It's been stuffed in a hollowed-out bible; it has a white cover that says 'Justice'."

Knight smiled.

"And how can I trust your word on this?"

"I told you, it's a game where it's win-win in the end. You are still my idol but you killed my younger brother. If you won then my idol will be able to continue to serve justice as a god, if you lost, my brother will receive justice and Kira will be remembered as a mass murderer with his identity revealed while I will be remembered as a goddess who took down a god."

She looked at him through the blindfold. He helped remove her blindfold so he could look her directly in the eye. He gripped the sides of her face and inched his face towards her.

"I have no cards to play," she said when she could feel his warm breath against her face. "I've lost."

Knight studied her, studying her hard to make sure she wasn't pulling any fast ones on her.

"Muter is on his way right now."

"Ah, yes, as expected."

"Thank you, Sora."

She looked at him with a confused look.

"For making this an interesting experience," he finished.

Sora smiled at him. "You are welcome."

And right on cue, Muter phased in from the ceiling and landed behind Sora.

"Teru Mikami," Knight said, "Muter." He flashed the cheekiest grin he could at him.

Twenty minutes later, Hayate and Yamane came into the interrogation room with handcuffs.

They removed her from the interrogation table and hauled her up. They cuff her hands tight together and make sure the blindfold Knight removed earlier is bound tight around her eyes.

They can't see Muter, Knight observed from the observation room. On the phone, Kudo said that he could see Muter, and chances are, he's on his way right here. But once Muter is dead, he won't be able to see him anymore.

Hayate and Yamane escorted her into the hallway and down the elevator into the parking garage, Knight and Iris following.

Muter was following close behind.

Gilth and Masi, a dozen feet behind Muter, trailed him. Every limping step they took following Muter was a step closer to Sora being put in the back of the police car, twenty yards away.

Gilth and Masi looked and each other and a silent conversation transpired between the two.

It's now or never!

Gilth lunged for Muter and tackled him to the ground.

The sudden commotion caused the calm Sora to jump out of her skin and go cold.

"What's wrong?" Hayate asked. "The thought of going to jail suddenly scares you?"

Muter elbows Gilth off of him and picks himself up. He quickly closes the distance between them and punches the Shinigami in the face. Gilth retaliates by grabbing the skeletal hammer holstered on his back and swung it like a baseball bat. Muter ducked and punched Gilth in the stomach. He brought his other fist up to connect to Gilth's jaw. Gilth's grip on the hammer relaxes and slips from his grip.

Muter shoved Gilth back and picked up the hammer. He swung it above his head like a sledgehammer and nearly capped Gilth in the skull.

Gilth jumped back in time but Muter quickly brought his hand back and hammered it into Gilth's jaw and knocked the Shinigami on his back.

"Delete!" Muter raised the hammer halfway above his head when-

"Ay-oh!"

Muter halted his attack and looked over his shoulder to see Masi waving her hands above her head like she's directing a plane.

"You!" he shouted, "you again!"

"What's up, Muter; it's me! Masi!" she laughed. She slowly started walking backward.

"You, I stole a piece of your Death Note but Minato nor Sora were able to see you."

"Yeah, that's because my brilliant son tricked you into stealing a regular scrap of paper." She started picking up the pace of walking backward.

Muter lowered the hammer and gripped the bottom with one hand while the other hand gripped the middle of the hammer. He started pacing towards her menacingly.

"Knight Yagami is your son?"

His eyes widened as a vision flashed before his eyes.

"Where are you, Misa? Where's Takada?"

Misa, Masi? She must be the Shinigami reincarnation of the second Kira.

"I love Light with all my heart but it's not his fault that he died."

"He cried for you when he died," Muter laughed, "and he was flopping on the ground like a worm. Your lover is nothing but a pathetic piece of shit." He smiled. "He deserved nothing but death."

Masi's wide smile dropped slightly before returning to its original position.

"At least it wasn't his destiny to kill himself."

Muter halted for a second but resuming his stalking towards her. "What do you mean?"

"Gilth told me everything and ever since I found out that my husband died and that he was defeated by Near, I thought that maybe Near cheated and used the Death Note to manipulate you in the warehouse. That is until I remembered a rule in the notebook: 'Humans that have traded for the eye power of a god of death will see a person's primary life span, and will not be influenced by the Death Note.' Ibata made the deal for the eyes and he couldn't be influenced by the Death Note. This all proves that Near didn't use the Death Note and therefore, you were not influenced by the Death Note. You screwed up Kira because of your genuine incompetence."

She stopped walking backward.

"You want to hear something interesting, Muter? You were destined to die that day. Because you traded for the Shinigami eyes, you lost half the years remaining in your lifespan, and since I proved that there is no way the Death Note could've controlled and influenced you, the day you died in the warehouse was because it was your destiny. Even if the outcome was different and you didn't mess up in the end, you still would've died that day or ten days later."

Muter stopped pacing five feet away from her.

Masi began laughing.

"You lost as a human and you lost as a Shinigami! You are a pathetic waste of space and I'm glad you died a slow and painful death all those years ago, you worthless piece of trash."

Muter charged at her with a roar. He swung the hammer over his head and brought it down.

Masi jumps out the way in time...

...but the hammer still made contact, evident by the fact that blood splattered on Hayate and Yamane's face.

Iris averted her eyes.

Knight closed his eyes.

Hayate and Yamane gasped.

Sora dropped to her knees, her caved-in head limping forward with blood making a pool at her knees from her skull.

"Holy shit!" Hayate screamed. "What the hell happened; her fucking head just exploded!"

Muter looked at the hammer in his hand and instantly noticed the blood at the end and he looked at what it made contact with and saw a motionless Sora with her crushed head.

Iris buried her face into Knight's shoulder and started gagging.

Knight smiled.

Exactly as planned.

"This is my plan," Knight began. "We're going to kill two birds with one stone. We are going to get Muter to kill Sora."

"What do you mean?" Gilth asked. "You mean trick him into writing Sora's real name down?"

"No, we're going to trick Muter into killing Sora without the Death Note."

Gilth gasped. "That's right, the rules!"

Knight nodded. "Exactly."

Knight reached for his original notebook and read over a few rules that had been scratched out.

'There are laws in the world of gods of death. If a god of death should break the law, there are 9 levels of severity starting at Level 8 and going up to Level 1 plus the Extreme Level. For severity levels above 3, the god of death will be killed after being punished. For example, killing a human without using the Death Note is considered as the Extreme Level.'

"So we trick Muter into killing Sora without the Death Note. He'll kill Sora and then Muter will be punished and executed."

"Wow," Masi cheered, "that's so smart."

Knight looked at Gilth and Masi with a serious expression. "This means this is a fight between Shinigami. Sora would never kill me without the Death Note and the same goes for Muter as well. This means that killing Muter will depend on all four of us."

"But how will we pull it off?" Masi asked.

Knight contemplated before he spoke.

"We kidnap Sora and wrap her in a bodybag. After that, Dad, you get into a brawl with Muter and when you're fighting, pretend to drop your hammer on accident and allow Muter to pick it up. Once that happens, lead him swinging and bashing your way, and just when he's about to strike, move out the way so he'll cave Sora's head in with the hammer."

Iris cringed. "That's so brutal, Knight." She nervously twirled her hair around her finger. "But does it have to be this way?"

Knight looked at her. "We've already established that Muter will not risk his life to save Sora." He paused. "I also came up with a theory that if Sora were to die, then he would make me the owner of Sora's Death Note, which would allow him to kill me with ease as he would be attached to me."

Iris gasped and looked at the floor. "Sora's head is going to cave in?"

"This is the only way."

We weren't able to put her in a bodybag but I say the plan went off without a hitch.

Muter dropped the hammer in shock and looked at his hands as if they were covered in blood but they were (metaphorically).

Gilth crawled over and snatched his hammer back and backed away, walking over to stand by Masi's side.

"You understand what you've just done?" Gilth said. "You killed a human without using the Death Note. In the Shinigami world, killing a human without a Death Note warrants Extreme Punishment." He smiled. "You know what's going to happen now? You're going to get dragged back to the Shinigami realm and you're going to be tortured before being killed. And this time, once you die, you die."

He looked over at the caved-in Sora.

"Like Sora Takada." He looks over Muter's shoulder at the end of the parking garage. "And looks like the welcome wagon is already here."

Muter turned around and laid eyes upon three gods of death.

The Shinigami on the left was Daril Ghiroza and the Shinigami on the right was Hurte.

The Shinigami in the middle, the one sitting on a throne... was Armonia Justin, the Shinigami King's right-hand man.

"Hey, it's you," Hurte exclaimed, "the newcomers, you're the ones responsible for Grudge, Grem, and Pike dying. You're not killing me, you wretches!"

Daril Ghiroza laughed as she scanned her surroundings. "The human world is looking a little better the last time I visited."

"Muter," Armonia Justin hissed. "You understand what you did, right?"

Muter started sweating. "I..."

"You killed a human without using a Death Note. This calls for extreme level punishment." He let that sentence linger. "Once you've been tortured the worst punishment imaginable, you'll be put down like a dog and the only hope you have for survival is the Shinigami King himself, except he created the law in the first place. He really hates it when Shinigami kill without using the Death Note."

"It was them," Muter pointed at Gilth and Masi. "It was his hammer!"

"But you were the one who swung it." He interlocked his fingers with his elbows resting on the arms of the throne. "Muter, you are hereby sentenced to Extreme Level Punishment and once you've endured this punishment, you will be killed."

Daril Ghiroza and Hurte reached for a chain on the backside of the throne and started swinging them in the air like a lasso.

"Better you than me, asshole!" Hurte shouted. "You killed Pike and Grem!"

They launched the chains in the air and they interlocked around Muter like a spider's web. They wrapped tightly around his body, bounding his arms to his chest and legs together. They yanked the chains back and Muter fell on his back and screamed as he felt himself get dragged across the ground like a brick.

When he was within five feet of the throne, the chains locked together with a lock that materialized in the center of Muter's chest. Hurte picked up Muter and carried him above his shoulder, sprouting his wings and about to fly until he was distracted when Muter's Death Note fell from his pocket.

Daril Ghiroza bends over to pick it up and was about to pocket it when a voice called.

"Give us the notebook!" Gilth yelled. "We want the notebook; we wish to stay on earth a little while longer and we wish to have a human own that Death Note."

"Oh god!" Hurte panicked as he laid eyes on Gitlh. "It's you, you're the Shinigami who dropped the Death Note that started the mass-killings of the humans. Grudge, Grem, and Pike are all dead because of you. I don't want you anywhere near me or Darry." He turned to the female Shinigami. "Darry, give him the notebook; if this notebook is given to a human, it'll total to six Death Notes in the human world, meaning the chances of another Shinigami being killed for the notebook will be slim!"

Daril Ghiroza looked at him before turning over to Armonia Justin.

"I have no objections," the Shinigami right-hand man said.

Daril Ghiroza dropped the notebook on the ground and kicked it over to Gilth and Masi. "If you want to hang around in the human world, then have fun."

Gilth picked up the notebook and as he watched the Shinigami disappeared into the shadows, he reached into his pouch, took out a potato chip...

...AND ATE IT!

Knight smiled evilly as his hair and eyes turned a dark red color.

I've gotten rid of everyone in my way. Minato and Sora Takada are dead. Muter has been dragged to hell, and Keiri is nothing anymore. There are now six notebooks in the human world and I am the owner of all of them. There will never be another opponent with a Death Note nor were there be any humans with the Shinigami eyes.

He looks at Iris.

And better yet, I have the Shinigami eyes with me.

May 27th, 2031

The Yagami Household

Knight sat at his desk, pencil in hand, and laid out all notebooks in his current possession.

There was the notebook he first got from Gilth in October of last year.

There was the notebook the Takadas used when he retrieved it from their storage unit.

Then there was Muter's notebook, which was given to him shortly after Muter's death sentence.

Knight flipped open the Takadas' notebook and pressed the lead of the pencil to the paper.

"There hasn't been a single Kira worshipper or supporter die all day," he said. "While there are still riots, they will be contained shortly no doubt."

Masi materialzied behind him.

"Knight," she called out. "I have something to say."

When did she NOT have something to say? he thought. Dad is with Iris at the moment so I guess I'm her only source of conversation. She's not THAT annoying.

He rotated in his chair. "What's up, Mom?"

"That story you told Minato, about how you fell in love with Kira in the first place, was it true?"

"Yeah, of course it's true. How could I forget Mayu and Toma Kamiya, the best foster turned adoptive parents a kid like me could have."

"Did they hit you?"

"Only if I was misbehaving or being a brat but they were not abusive."

"Did they neglect you?"

"They treated me like their own flesh and blood and made sure I was safe at all times."

"Did they... force you to like Kira?"

He laughed at this question. "They did not force me to support or worship Kira; they told me who he was but they also told me that I don't have to like Kira if I don't like him. They said don't feel pressured into saying something you don't mean but my love for Kira, it was natural."

Masi looked at Knight with wide eyes and slowly broke into a crying face. She lunged and hugged him.

"What's going on, Mom?'

She pulled herself back. "I feel like I owe you an explanation for what happened."

Knight cocked his head with interest.

"Ever since my memories returned to me being the second Kira when Ryuk dropped the notebook in the human world, I was going to groom you to be his successor. But, I also knew that Light lost to L's successor, and given as to how easily I was captured by the original L, I stood no chance. And if the task force who took down your father found out that I had a child, his child, I feared they might take you away from me."

Knight clenched his fists and ground his teeth.

I wished I wrote that the SPK and Japanese Task Force would die slowly and painfully, Knight thought, I should've made them suffer beyond anything imaginable.

Masi started crying.

"My original mission of grooming you to be Kira's successor failed before it even started. I thought I could do it on my own but I knew that if the police took you away from me, they wouldn't kill you, they would raise you to hate Kira. They would raise you to hate your father and I didn't want that for you. So, on the one-year anniversary of your father's death, I handed you over to an orphanage that worshipped Kira and I changed your first name to Kishi."

"And from the orphanage," Knight thought, "Kishi was taken into the care of Mayu and Toma Kamiya's care and became Kishi Kamiya." He licked his lips. "And the rest is history." He looked up at his mother.

"I'm sorry for abandoning you, Knight," she cried, "I understand if you hate me, you have every right to, I just-"

"Mom, I have nothing to hate you for. I am grateful for what you have done. Had you been stubborn and held onto me, the task force would've raised me to hate Kira without giving me a choice. Had you not given me away, I never would've been the person I am today." He flashed a smile at her. "I'm happy, happier than I've ever been in my entire life. Thank you, Mom, for everything."

Masi broke down in tears and hugged her son again.

He returned the gesture.

"Speaking of which, there is something I need to do with Murasaki and Minori Kagami."

May 27th, 2031

Church X of Kira

Murasaki and Minori Kagami's roles in the Keiri battle came to an end. They had spotted the Shinigami traveling behind a group of teenagers and called them out, ending the murder of the Pro-Kiras and stopping the mass-murdering Anti-Kira once and for all.

They left their son with a sitter and drove down to the burnt Church X of Kira. They left their car parked out in the front and walked inside the church. They stood before the altar and kneeled with a praying gesture. They bowed their heads and closed their eyes before they started praying.

"Kira-sama," they both whispered.

"It's over," Murasaki said, "it is finally over. Minato Natsuki and Sora Hajima are both dead, their accomplices are in the hospital, and their Shinigami is gone." She opened her eyes and looked upon the altar. "Kira-sama, the battle is finally over. Please, I am grateful to have helped you and everything, but I wish to continue my life as is with my husband, son..." she put a hand to her stomach, "...and my unborn daughter."

"It's going to be a boy," Minori whispered and nudged her elbow. "Just watch."

She laughed.

"I am grateful for what you have done," a deep voice spoke behind them.

Neither had to turn around to know who it was.

"And I believe you deserve an award for helping me out in this battle."

Murasaki and Minori look forward with wide eyes, refusing to disrespect their Lord Kira by setting their sights on him.

Gilth the Shinigami phased through the altar and stood before their bowing selves.

"Do you both wish to live life normal? To raise your son and unborn child together?"

"Yes," they answered in unison.

"Then there is one last final request I must make to you two." He pauses to pull something out based on the ruffling sounds they heard. "I forfeit ownership of these two Death Notes."

Gilth reaches out and grabs the two Death Notes from this unseen human and drops them before the two Kira worshippers.

"Pick up the Death Notes," Kira ordered.

They obeyed.

"You are now the owner of these Death Notes, the same notebooks which you touched which allowed you to see my two Shinigami. Now, you are going to forfeit ownership of these Death Notes to Gilth whilst making a request to erase all your memories involving the Death Note."

"What?" Murasaki gasped, "I won't remember anything?"

"This is the price that comes with wanting to live life normally. Do you want to become a permanent minion to my will or do you want to raise your son and unborn child with your loved one?"

Murasaki contemplated her next move.

"You will remember meeting me perhaps, maybe even stopping the Keiri accomplices, but you will not remember anything involving the Death Note, ie, the Shinigami, the Death Note, etc, etc. You will remember this experience, just not the entire picture."

Murasaki hesitated but answered, "I am willing to pay the price."

Minori side-eyed her.

Good choice, Mura-Sama.

"Hand the Death Notes to the Shinigami and say, 'I forfeit ownership of this Death Note and wish to erase all memories involving it'."

Murasaki closed her eyes sad as she handed the Death Note up to the Shinigami, her husband copying her.

In unison, they spoke: "I forfeit ownership of this Death Note and wish to erase all memories involving it."

Gilth smiled and took the Death Notes back.

Kira exited the church.

Murasaki and Minori looked behind them to find the church to be empty. They looked at each other and back at the altar.

"Let's pray before we get back to our son," Minori said. He put his hand down on her stomach. "Let's pray for our son."

She grabbed his hand. "I'm telling you, it's going to be a girl."

The Yagami Household

It was midafternoon when Iris came over with her notebook. She was invited into Knight's bedroom and sat at the desk with a computer set up in front of her.