Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Tsukiko Yagami was bored. Her pencil tapped lightly on her notebook, and her eyes wandered aimlessly over the cleancut terrain of the schoolyard outside of her classroom window. The teacher was rambling on about english verbs, but the seventeen year-old’s mind was on the novel in her bookbag. From her experience she learned English better by reading it, not by learning the mechanics of it. She blinked as a leaf fell of of the only tree in the yard, floating down like a feather until it reached the ground and landed next to, something. She blinked again and sat up to get a better look at what was on the ground. Some sort of black rectangle, nearly invisible in the newly cut grass. She didn’t let herself look at it for long and attempted to listen to what her teacher was saying, but her mind kept on returning to the mysterious item that had found it’s way into the ground, seemingly on its own.

“Tsukiko, would you please translate the next passage for us please?” Her teacher’s voice was never an annoyance, except when it was directed at her. Always her, and she was sure that it had very little with being the third ranked student in all of Japan.

“Yes alright.” she responded as she stood up, and then let the round english words roll over her tongue, “I would have eaten a bigger breakfast if I had had time. If I had not forgotten my book, then I would have been able to read it.” and so on. After she sat down again and the eyes had shifted off of her and back to the teacher she thought to herself. If I had been born a male then I wouldn’t have had to cut an honors class to make time to babysit the five year-old that lived next door, at her mother’s request of course. ‘If you’re going to be a mother then you’ll have to practice.’ Hmmm, no. That was the future perfect.

Tsukiko sighed and found her thoughts returning to the black object on the ground. She craned her neck to check that it still was there, and then leaned her chin on the fleshy part of her hand, not caring that a red mark would be left there when she finally got to leave class. Only ten minutes left. Ten lifetimes.

She thought of her book again. A Greek epic. She wanted to be involved in their world, to silently scold Troy for falling for the horse, to feel a pain in her chest when Achilles dies, to know that, logically, he would not have been killed from just an ankle wound. And she thought of Homer, the author. An author who might not have even existed. The idea fascinated her, that a person could accomplish so much and not get recognised for it, or that someone might not even exist, even if people idolize them. Like god.

She automatically turned to the page that her teacher had instructed the class to and read the passage in english along with her classmates. She tried to ignore the laziness of her peers’ studies. Only Hoshi, the first ranked student in Japan, seemed to be paying attention. Tsukiko half-heartedly tried to convince herself that if she paid attention then she might move up in class, but the truth was that she and Hoshi had the same 100% in their classes together. In fact, the only thing keeping Tsukiko from wiping the floor with him was the extra credit that he and the second ranked boy, Yoku, received by attending the night class. The one that she wasn’t allowed to take part in. It stung more than she would have liked it to, but she knew that her parents were immovable forces and that she was developing a skill that, whether she liked it or not, she would inevitably use in the future. If not for her own children, then for a friend’s, or her brother’s.

There were three minutes left of class, and the teacher was taking questions. Tsukiko glance again outside and saw, to her immediate, though not entirely understood, relief, that the object had remained undisturbed. Never before had she been so curious about something that wasn’t part of her studies or regular extracurriculars. She had never preferred change, a trait that she inherited from her father, but felt inexplicitly drawn to the little black rectangle that had consumed her mind in less that a class period. It frightened her, but even more it excited her.

“Tsukiko, the bell has rung.” Her head snapped up, and she winced at the sudden movement, noticing immediately the slow trickle of students who were already exiting the classroom. She nodded and stood up hastily, shoving her textbook and notebook into her book bag, and muttering a quick goodbye to her teacher who was perched on the edge of his desk. She subconsciously tugged at the hem of her uniform, willing it to cover more than just her ass. Who approved these clothes?

It took thirty seconds for her to be outside, and ten more for her to reach the black rectangle and squat down next to it. “Death Note?” she muttered as she read the english words scrawled across the leathery, was it leather? cover in a white, indescribable medium. She was almost disappointed; it was just another trick, like the Trojan Horse, or Homer himself. She let it fall back to the ground and huffed quietly as she turned away, only to have it stuffed in between her english and calculus textbooks in seconds. Groaning, she made her way back home. Sentiment.  

She stared at it for a long time before opening it, almost playing a game with herself. How long could she resist it? or something like that. Eventually, after about twenty-five minutes of staring at the foreboding notebook, it was a notebook she had discovered, she reached out and let her fingers trace the lettering, feeling no deviation from the otherwise black cover. She felt her lips curl into a smile and paused. That was strange.

It was like an indescribable warmth had passed through her, a desire so great that she had to actively stop herself from opening it. A desire that grew with every passing minute. A curiosity that she had not felt for ages.

She opened it, and was promptly disappointed again. Blank pages, all of them. She looked at the inside cover; nothing. Snarling in contempt she flipped through the pages; nothing.

She could have screamed.

“You don’t have to look so put out, it’s not everyday I drop one of these down here.”

At that she did scream, or at least she tried to, before a large, leather-clad hand was covering her open mouth. Her heart was in her throat and her chest was rising and falling rapidly. Only one thought crossed her mind, the same thought over and over. I'm going to die, I'm going to die, I'm going to DIE!

“Please don't panic, Yagami Tsukiko. I am not here to harm you, in fact it is against the rules for me to harm you in any way other than to write your name in my notebook.” At that Tsukiko froze. This person, no, this creature knew her name, and was that what the notebook was for? Writing names? Her heart rate slowed as the hands left her person and as more oxygen found its way throughout her body.

“What happens if my name is written in the notebook?” She asked, trying to keep her voice steady and almost succeeding. A deep chuckle sounded from behind her, maniacal and yet still not entirely evil, almost like pity.

“If I, or anyone, writes your name, or any human’s name, while picturing the prospective face, that person dies. But the reason that I dropped my notebook was so that someone would pick it up. I thought that maybe that person would do something interesting with it. So I'm not going to kill you.” Tsukiko thought this over, letting the harsh words muddle around in her head.

“Dies, how?” She would have scolded herself for being curious, for even considering that there was any explanation for the voice other than that she was crazy, but she was mystified and bored, and she was afraid. She was afraid of what she might see if she turned around, of what she might have to face, but she needed to know. It was the same kind of insane desire that had moved her to open the notebook.

She had to know.

“A heart attack unless I'm craving something amusing, which I always am.” Tsukiko considered this. If the person, or not-a-person, wanted to kill her then…

“Wait a minute.” She spun around in her desk chair, stopping mid sentence when she saw the person, or rather, demon, lying on their stomach on her bed.

She was stunned. Never before had she seen something so disgusting in her bed, or near her bed, or near her. It took effort to hide her revulsion, and it was a moment before she was able to continue speaking.

The female, it must have been a female, had short spiked hair that trailed down her long, grey neck. She had a ridiculously thin waist that flared into bony hips that stuck out sharply. It took all of the student’s strength to tear her eyes away from the floor and to look directly into the creature’s glowing red eyes.

“If I have the notebook then how would you kill me?” This was followed again by a cackle, one that Tsukiko could feel travel uncomfortably down her spine.

“I have my own notebook, the one that I'll write your name in when you finally do die. I dropped that notebook on purpose.” The creature gestured to the open notebook on Tsukiko’s desk.

“If you dropped it on purpose then why aren't there instructions or something? If you wanted people to use it then you should have made it clear what it does.” She turned back to the Death Note and ran three fingers over it, almost affectionately, and she found her thoughts returning to Homer, to God.

“If I write someone's name in this, what would happen? Tell me the smallest details.” She demanded, reaching for a pen to write her findings on another, ordinary, piece of paper. She began to copy down the creature’s words.

The person whose name is written in this notebook shall die. This note will not take effect unless the writer has the person's face in their mind … and so on

Tsukiko studied the list of rules, and was suddenly very aware of her pen in her right hand. It was like a weight, begging her to use the notebook just once, but wouldn't that make her a murderer?

“Go ahead, I'm not going to do anything to you, but you should know that any human who uses the Death Note can not get to heaven or to hell, ever.”

She turned to look at the female, “What are you? I'm tired of calling you ‘creature’ in my head.”

“I am the shinigami Ryuk.” Tsukiko’s mouth opened slightly in muted surprise. A shinigami? There was a god of death in her room. Well, the day had just gotten a whole lot more interesting, although it was just one more mystery solved.

At that moment a familiar voice made its way to her ears. “Tsukiko, it's already 6:30, shouldn't you be getting ready for your babysitting?”

“Yes, mom, I'll only be a moment.” She pushed herself out of her chair and made her way over to her closet, preparing to change out of her school uniform, but stopped when she remembered the shinigami staring at her. Turning to it she asked, “Could you not watch me change? Humans tend value their privacy.” When Ryuk didn't move she turned back towards her closet and tried not to feel the eyes that dug into her skin as she pulled off the layered uniform and pulled on a black, long sleeved shirt and form fitting khaki trousers.

It was an easy mistake to make, that Tsukiko enjoyed dressing down, and even though she hated her uniform she loved dressing up. Childcare was not going to stop her, especially since the young boy had gotten old enough to use the bathroom by himself.

Slipping on a pair of black flats, she picked up the notebook and put it into her book bag. She would often bring her homework to their neighbor’s house for after the boy, Hibiki, had fallen asleep, so it would not seem unusual for her to have her bag with her. She did wonder, however, if the notebook’s presence would obstruct her ability to care for the five year-old, but pushed the thought aside.

She turned to leave but stopped suddenly when she saw that the Shinigami was following her. “Are you going to follow me around?”

The beast hovering behind her hummed, must have been humming, although Tsukiko had never heard a sound that was more irritating than the grating rumble that seemed to come from Ryuk’s throat. “Yes, but don’t worry. Other humans can’t see me unless they’ve touched that death note, so that won’t be a problem.”

Tsukiko sighed and muttered, “It might not be a problem for you.” before making her way downstairs where her mother was waiting to see her off. Her father was still at work.

“Bye, mom, I'll get back around ten tonight I think.” And she closed the door behind her.

The sky was already beginning to darken, it was only April, and she walked towards the sunset, mildly aware of the hovering fantom that accompanied her as she made her way down the street. It wasn't a far walk, but Tsukiko made sure that Ryuk was the only one following her every few minutes.

It took three minutes to arrive at the house. 6:42, just on time.

--------------------

9:26 pm.

Tsukiko closed her math workbook, glad to be done with the busywork, and began to pack away her things. It was late enough that Hibiki’s mother would arrive soon, but left enough time for Tsukiko to become bored.

Very bored.

“I’ve been meaning to ask,” said the low voice of the Shinigami that was currently sprawled out on the floor at the student’s feet, pulling Tsukiko out of her thoughts, “What is that box? The one with all of the wires sticking out of it.” Tsukiko’s eyes followed the path of the skeletal arm and landed on the television.

Ryuk, you are truly a genius.

Instead of answering her companion’s question, Tsukiko took the remote in her hand and turned on the device, making sure to lower the volume immediately. She flipped to the news and let the broadcasts take her mind off of the notebook that was beginning to plague her thoughts.

But as she watched she began to notice a pattern in how crimes were dealt with. First speculation, then confirmation, then punishment. It was a system that she was already aware of, being her father’s daughter and all, but had never liked. The people who caught the criminals did not get to sentence them, which made no sense to her. How could the prosecutor know what the person was capable of? How on earth could the judge not know to give better, usually harsher, sentences? It just didn’t seem effective to her. Unfortunately she was still too young to be an investigator, but she had helped solve cases under her father’s guidance, so she knew how it felt to have your evidence mishandled, or a prosecutor push too hard and therefore earn a punishment that was meager at best. She would never have admitted it to her father, but the lack of diligence and continuity was unsettling at best, and discouraging at worst.

And again, if she had been born male, then it wouldn't be so difficult to acquire the evidence in the first place. It wasn't that she wanted to be male, but her life would definitely be different if she was. The fact enraged her.

She glanced up at the television, her thoughts still revolving around the judicial system, and was surprised to find a live broadcast, which was unusual for 9:45 at night. It wasn't very serious, a hostage situation, but it seemed to be important enough for it to be live.

As a picture of the culprit flashed up on the screen Tsukiko felt a burning desire deep in her gut, not unsimilar to what she had felt when she had been unable to leave the notebook on the ground. It was warm, but she felt like she was about to fall, fall into the couch.

It was calling to her.

It shouldn’t have been as easy as it was, to reach into her bag and hold the notebook up for inspection. It didn’t look any different than it had before, but she noticed that the desire grew as the distance between the notebook and herself diminished. She let the thin rectangle rest on her lap as she looked again at the man’s face and name, as she fumbled around for a pencil. Her heart was in her ears.

It shouldn’t have been as easy as it was, to finish writing the name within seconds in her small, ever precise handwriting. Now all she had to do was wait. Forty seconds.

It could have been a lifetime, even with the uncomfortable distraction of Ryuk’s hot breath on the back of her neck. Tsukiko would have looked to the shinigami, but something told her, perhaps it was just intuition, to not risk the glance. Who knew what changes might have occurred, it was her first killing after all, if the man died. The presence of the shinigami, which should not have existed, led her to believe that he would. Moments later the hostages began to pour out of the building bringing news of their collapsed captor.

Tsukiko couldn’t breathe; she had just killed a man. Sure he hadn’t been innocent, and perhaps she had saved those people’s lives by ending his, but it still made her a murderer. Or did it, really? She hadn’t killed him; the notebook had.

She was falling; she couldn’t breathe. The floor collided with her left elbow right as she heard the door open in the next room over.

“Tsukiko?”

Chapter Text

Elle Lawliet’s eyes hurt. Of course they did, she hadn’t blinked in three minutes and 34, 35, 36, 37...

...38.

Quickly her eyelids flicked shut, but it did little to relieve the deeper reason for her discomfort. She blinked again. Criminals were dying, several all at once, and the murderer was in Japan. Why Japan of all places? They must be from there, or else they would have fled to a larger country like China or even the U.S.A. Their location was also further proof of her suspicions that the culprit was young, or at least tied down. If they were able to move freely then, again, they would have gone to a larger populated area.

Her computer beeped. Speaking of Japan.

“Watari, tell them to begin airing now.”

------------------

“So, why are you writing names down in all of your free time, Tukiko? Don’t you have other things that you usually do? I’m warning you, if I get too bored-”

“That won’t be a problem, Ryuk. Let me show you something.”

It had been weeks since she had begun regularly killing criminals, and nothing had moved to stop her, although she knew that it wouldn’t last for long.

“And why are you writing the time of death? Can’t you just let them die?” Tsukiko turned away from her computer where she had just finished typing ‘Kira’ in the search bar to look at Ryuk with raw annoyance. Of course she hadn’t expected the shinigami to be as intelligent as her, but her lack of cognitive activity was beginning to worry the student, quite frankly.

“If criminals only died in the afternoons and on weekends then it wouldn’t take long for any decent inspector to figure out my schedule. Additionally, that would mean that every Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday criminals would stop dying when I babysit, and that would only give them more data.” She paused to finish finding the website and sighed.

“So you see, Ryuk. I can’t risk giving out any information, especially time. If the deaths were concentrated then it wouldn’t take long for someone to realize the time zone that I’m in either, although it’s likely that someone is already aware that I’m in Japan because my first killing was very local. By hacking into my father’s computer I’ve been able to see that the police are writing it off as an isolated incident. But that can’t go on forever. That’s why I’m killing them off every hour on the hour, because every hour is an hour somewhere. Now take a look at this.” She turned and leaned to the side so that the shinigami could look over her shoulder.

“What’s this? ‘Kira’s Kingdom Online’?” Tsukiko turned to watch the face of the death god, but was, for the millionth time, unable to decipher anything that would indicate what the shinigami must have been feeling.

“Yes. Sites like this one are popping up all over the internet as forums for people to discuss Kira. That’s what they’ve been calling me, or at least their idea of who I am. I’m pretty sure that it’s from the english word ‘killer’, which is below my taste, and the world has pretty much decided that I’m a man, but that will only obscure my identity and will make ruling over this new world ever sweeter.”

“Ruling over this new world? Someone’s changed over the past few weeks; before you were terrified by the notebook, and now you’re writing in it every moment that you can. Take it from me, being a god is not all fun and games, and besides, do you really think that you can pull it off?”

Tsukiko threw Ryuk a confused glance before closing the search windows and picking up the remote to the small box television that resided on the far corner of her desk. “Of course being God won’t be easy; it shouldn’t be, but I’m sure that I’m clever enough to do it, and I believe that my sense of Justice is exceeded by no one, at least not anyone whom I know.” She settled back into her chair and began flipping through channels. “Anyway, Ryuk, If I can’t do it then no one can, and there’s no one out there to stop me.”

As she finished addressing the shinigami and directed her attention to the television, a woman’s voice came up as the screen went blank with static. “We interrupt this program to bring you a worldwide broadcast directly from the ICPO.”

The static stopped to reveal a young man who was perhaps in his late twenties. His dark hair reached his jaw and his eyes flashed with something that Tsukiko didn’t quite recognize. He was sitting at a desk, and in front of him was a name plate. Lind L. Tailor. Maybe Tsukiko had spoken too soon.

“Hello, I am L. I have been made aware of the silent killer who goes by the name of Kira and have been called to action. Kira, I will find you, I will stop you. What you are doing is not justice, it is not right. What you are doing is evil!” Tsukiko’s eyes narrowed.

“Evil, huh?” She laughed, a deep rumble straight from her chest that had her head thrown back and her lungs gasping for air. Her eyes were damp and she had to take many deep breaths before she turned her attention back to the screen. “L, you fool. Is this supposed to scare me? Why would I believe you? This? What could you possible gain from this?” She reached for her notebook and had only written the first letter before it hit her. L had one thing to gain from this, one thing.

“Why aren’t you writing his name, Tsukiko?” Ryuk was looking at the notebook over her shoulder and the student felt her hair stand on end. Oh, this was clever.

Very clever.

“Ryuk, If I killed that person, then their death would confirm that Kira is a murderer, and that Kira can kill using only a name and face. It’s possible that the ICPO or wherever has already suspected these two things, but to confirm them would be problematic for me. It is also unlikely that that man is L.”

“But, who else could it be? Just look at his name. Lind L. Tailor.”

Tsukiko sighed and turned to her computer, her thin fingers tapping frantically until she found what she needed. She skimmed over the webpage, biting her bottom lip as she absorbed the fine print. Eventually she sighed again and summoned Ryuk over to her side.

“See here, Ryuk. L is a detective, but he’s very sly. He never shows his face, he never uses his real name. From this fan site it seems that he has become very successful and has always been able to solve any case that has come his way. Now tell me Ryuk, why would someone that intelligent put themselves up in front of the whole world if they suspected that Kira needs a name and face to kill? That man can not be L, or if he is then L has certainly overstepped.” Tsukiko turned to look at the man again. Why wasn’t he continuing? It had been almost a minute since he had begun speaking. Her eyes widened. He was waiting. He was waiting for Kira to kill him.

“Oh, Ryuk. This is wonderful.” The shinigami sent her a puzzled look. Tsukiko was beginning to suspect that her look of wonder was becoming the monster’s natural expression.

“What on earth do you mean?” Tsukiko smirked.

“If this man doesn’t die then L has no leverage. He’ll begin to suspect that perhaps the deaths aren’t murder or that they aren’t murders by other humans.” She let her grin spread across her entire face. “L, you may try, but I stand by my previous statement. There is no one who can stop me!”

------------------------

“And you just cross multiply to find x.” finished Tsukiko as she guided her younger brother’s hand across his paper with her words. She couldn’t believe how lax he had become about completing his work in class; every day he brought more for her to do for him. “Do you understand it now?” She asked, drawing out the ‘now’ to indicate that she knew that he did, just that he wasn’t going to tell her that.

“Maybe I’ll do the next one on my own. Can I stay here though?” He looked at her with pleading eyes, but she saw through his facade of uncertainty.

She nodded. She had nothing to worry about now that she had concealed the notebook. “Okay, but only until dinner.” He smiled mischievously and began to scribble his work in contrast to her, almost obsessively, neat handwriting. She had felt the need to write more messily in the notebook so that if it was found then no one would be able to connect it to her that way, but it only made writing neatly everywhere else just as important. She had also begun to clean her room more extensively, fully aware that it took time away from writing in the notebook, but Ryuk seemed to enjoy it. Ryuk would even help if Tsukiko promised the shinigami a carton of apple juice. Ever since one of her babysitting sessions during which Ryuk had consumed the sugar ridden liquid she had become completely obsessed and would do just about anything for some.

Tukiko found this very amusing and used it to her full advantage of course.

The student found herself laying on her stomach on her bed, watching her brother for another moment before she picked up her most recent fixation. The Odyssey.

She had just gotten comfortable before Ryuk came up to her right side and laid there, reading over her shoulder. It was a position that they had adopted, as Tsukiko spent most of her time doing her homework here, and the position also had an amazing view of her television. She shivered slightly and turned the page, silently glaring at Ryuk who had rested her chin on Tsukiko’s shoulder so that the student could feel the shinigami’s breath on her neck. It wasn’t uncomfortable, but it was not entirely comfortable either.

Never mind, it was very distracting.

She turned to properly scowl at the shinigami and was met with two giant red eyes inches from her’s. She shifted and looked back at her brother who was still honing in on the math problems. She remembered proportions, the most boring unit of all units.

Turning back to her book Tsukiko found her mind wandering to several hours ago when Ryuk had told her about shinigami. The realm, the death notes.

The eyes.

They had been in a position not too different to this one, with Tsukiko reading and Ryuk sipping from a juice box and creating yet another reason for Tsukiko’s most recent habit of listening to music when she reads. The shinigami had just begun explaining the difference between shinigami and humans. That gods of death couldn't be killed by the death note, and that they could see a person's name and lifespan by looking at their face, as it was floating in the air above their head.

And Tsukiko could have that power as well.

For half of her remaining lifespan, which was out of the question.

Damn.

Returning to her epic Tsukiko rolled into her back to avoid the wandering hands of Ryuk, who had taken to poking her and -examining?- her. The student was sure that it was to satisfy the shinigami’s boredom and interest in humans, but sometimes it became a bit too personal, and perhaps rolling over had not been the most productive course of action. The shinigami had shifted so that she was sprawled out across Tsukiko’s chest, sighing and trying to distract the student by covering parts of her book.

And of course she couldn't react because her brother was three feet away.

“Hey ‘Kiko, can I watch T.V.? I’m done.”

Looking up she was, for the first time in a long time, not annoyed by her brother’s interruption. She’d have been fine with anything that allowed her to change positions again without drawing attention to herself.

“Sure, just not too loud ok? I think mom’s taking a nap.”

“Mmmhm…” He flipped through the channels until he reached the kid’s station. He was too old to be watching those kinds of cartoons, but at least it gave Tsukiko something else to pay attention to. She rolled over onto her stomach, pushing Ryuk off subtly as she did, and began to focus on the small, drawn-out characters that filled her screen with their miniature life and their miniature problems.

The show was suddenly interrupted by yet another fuzzy screen and Tsukiko felt her stomach drop. But rather than a young, dark haired man filling her screen like last time, there was just a large, dark “L”.

What on earth?

“Tsukiko, what is this?” It took her a moment to realize that her brother hadn't been home when the first broadcast had aired.

“You know about the heart attacks right? The ones that are killing criminals?” He nodded. “Well, earlier today a man who claimed to be called L broadcasted that he would find Kira, that's the name the public has given the murderer. This must be a follow up message, maybe they've found him.”

Right as she had finished speaking a filtered voice began to flow from the television.

“Huh, wow, I almost didn't expect that to work. Kira, it seems that you can kill without being present.” Tsukiko frowned. What? She hadn’t done anything, so how did he, she could only assume it was the stand in, die? And why did he die hours after she had seen him?

“Despite the announcement that this was a worldwide broadcast, we had only broadcasted inside Japan by the time that Lind L. Tailor was murdered, by you. The truth is, we broadcasted that live announcement in various regions in Japan, one at a time, until we found you. And we did. To everyone else who saw Lind L. Tailor speak before now, the reason that you are seeing this is only a precaution, as I suspect that kira’s killings are not necessarily immediate. If this is the case, Kira, then you are certainly intelligent. However, you have not avoided suspicion.

“Furthermore, Lind L. Tailor was a death row inmate scheduled to die in two days, but I assure you, I am real. L is real. And I will find you and I will capture you and I will find out how you kill. What you are doing is wrong and I will stop you!” Tsukiko was seething. Someone out there had a death note. Someone who admired Kira but was definitely not intelligent enough to back her up if they had fallen for L’s trick, and now she was on the detective’s radar!

“Does that mean that Kira is in the Kanto region?” She glanced at her brother, whom she had forgotten was in the room. He looked excited, like he was in a story, but not like he was glad. She nodded at him, contorting her face into one of concern.

“Perhaps.” She said as L continued.

“Now. Try to kill me!” Tsukiko whipped her head around to stare with disbelief at the screen. “Can’t you do it? Can’t you kill me?” Her heart began to pound in her chest. L was clever, he had gotten her. No. She couldn’t freak out about this right now. Her brother was there, he needed to think that she was rooting for L.

“Go, L!” She turned to look at her brother who was sitting alert in her chair, eyes focused exclusively on the screen. His face was tense with anticipation. She tried not to let it hurt, his enthusiasm.

“You can’t do it? Hmm, well. You’ve given me a useful hint, thank you.” Tsukiko clenched her jaw. She was being made a fool of on national television. “Well then. Quid pro quo.” At that Tsukiko looked at the screen again, using all of her energy to not look eager.

“I know that you are in Japan, and I know what you need to kill. I also know why you’re doing what you’re doing and I know how to use that. Soon I will catch you, and I will eliminate you. That is all.”

And the screen went blank.

Chapter Text

Could time get any slower? Perhaps the clock was broken, or she was toddling her way through a particularly brain damaging nightmare? It was Saturday, and Tsukiko had four minutes left of English class before she would be allowed to get to business again, like she had been since L’s broadcast. She’d done more research on him and had found out a surprising number of things despite his extensive secrecy. The way she saw it, they were two gods playing one enormous, incredibly spontaneous game of ´he knows I know he knows´.

What she wouldn’t give to just wake up and get to the interesting stuff already.

“Thank you all and don't forget to register for the university admission tests before it's too late!” Tsukiko nodded along with the rest of her classmates, but the truth was that she had registered ages ago and had already begun studying for the test despite the fact that it was a little less then three weeks away. When she wasn’t studying she was writing names in the notebook in preparation for anything that might happen that wouldn’t allow her mobility. L knew that she could control the time of death, so it didn’t necessarily give her an alibi, but it would make things much easier. Plus, since she had always waited a while before killing criminals that had just been broadcast, she would be allowed a few hours after they were broadcast to find out about and kill them. This was all just in case she was unable to be home, like she was being interrogated.

The thought made her frown, but she had to be prepared for any eventuality. Along with fan sites that supported L, Tsukiko had also found several resources where criminals or police officers released touchy information about how L operated. It seemed that, despite his apparent passion for justice, L never really paid much attention to the law, nor did he seem to have a conventional moral compass. Tsukiko had no reason to believe that he would this time.

She had also gotten herself in the habit of leaving a piece of paper in between her door and the wall, in case someone went in, as well as a piece of pencil lead in between her door and its frame, resting on the hinges, in case the person who went into her room was intelligent enough to replace the paper.

Additionally, if she was interrogated, she had her impeccable social skills.

Never let it be said that Yagami Tsukiko was not prepared.

“Tsukiko!, Tsukiko!” She turned her head and saw a classmate of her’s, Takeo, hurrying over to her. His neatly trimmed hair swaying slightly, his thin glasses gradually slipping further down his nose. She smiled and muttered a sincere ‘hello’ to him as he reached her, trying not to become annoyed. Takeo was not bad company, a little light headed, but because of this he was not arrogant, nor did he act as if the world revolved around him. And he was an excellent listener.

He was also infatuated with her.

“Hey, Tsukiko. Um, sorry if the timing is weird; I know that you have a bus to catch but, um.” She nodded encouragement, but truthfully her patience was wearing thin. So after a moment of silence she spoke up. “Takeo, how about I call you later? We can talk more freely then because I do have a bus to catch.” She smiled sweetly as she let him write his number on a small slip of paper that was sticking out of his bag, then left him standing there, looking after her as she walked quickly to the bus stop. She tried not to let it bother her, it didn’t really matter, but sometimes the way that people fell in love over the most trivial things caused her faith in humanity to flicker out almost completely. Of course, ever since she had become Kira, her faith in humanity had been doused enough in reality to have become little more than a damp wick.

------------------

“Hey, Tsukiko. I want to make something very clear to you.” The student sighed and looked up at Ryuk who was hovering above her head.

“What is it, Ryuk?” She muttered, still wary of speaking aloud in public.
“Well, I need you to know that I am merely a spectator in this game that you and this L guy are playing. I am not going to help you, nor am I going to help him.”

“Yes, you’ve made that clear.” Tsukiko sighed, ready to be home. She could see her house in the distance.

“I’m here purely for my own amusement and because I see no point in killing you early on when things are just getting exciting.”

“What is it, Ryuk?”

“Now that I’ve told you that, I need to tell you something else. At first it was ok, but it’s beginning to really creep me out. I’m not telling you this to help you, I’m just telling you this for my own privacy, one girl to another.”

Tsukiko stopped walking and looked at Ryuk, a scowl adorning her face. “What, Ryuk?”

“I just want you to know that that man has been following you since yesterday.” She lowered herself so that her head was somewhat leveled with the student’s, whose eyes had blown wide upon hearing the news that the shinigami had just told her. Soon, though, they were back to normal and she cursed out loud. “Dammit! I have that essay due on Monday and I haven't even started!” She ignored the curious look that Ryuk threw her and continued walking, mulling over the information that she had yet to analyze.

Was she under suspicion already? No that couldn't be it, she hadn't slipped up getting information from her father’s computer, nor had the information that she had collected mentioned investigators. No, it was very likely that this man was stalking her for purely unprofessional reasons, and that was enraging. Perhaps she’d call her father later.

When she reached her house she was surprised to find the door unlocked. Usually, even if her mother was home, the door would be left locked. That only meant…

“Dad, are you home?” She called, attempting, and not quite succeeding, to keep her voice void of any excitement. Although he was rarely home, Tsukiko couldn’t deny that she was much closer to her father, while her brother was much closer to her mother.

That didn't excuse him from being at work 87% of the time.

“Yes, Tsukiko, I am indeed home. How could you tell?”

Oh, well perhaps she’d be able to just tell him about her predicament. The student tried to ignore the tired air of her father's voice and let her face break out into a genuine smile. “The door was unlocked.”

He chuckled as she placed her shoes carefully inside the doorway. “Observant as always. Careful, with a mind like that you might get into trouble.” She looked up at him from across the hallway and pushed her resentment at his comment aside. Her father was not a bad person. In fact, it was probably because he was such a good person that he was not home often. It just wasn't fair for her to ruin the little time they had together by pushing him away further because of some stupid thing that he said.

“Kiko, dear, is that you? Could you help me put out the plates for dinner? Your father’s had a hard day at work.” The soft voice of her mother broke through her thoughts and Tsukiko, after wrapping her father in a tight hug, hurried to aid her mother, brushing off the nickname.

As she let the plates gently hit the table Tsukiko pondered how to discuss her suspicions of a stalker without ruining the atmosphere. Perhaps she’d just try to speak with her father privately afterwards.

That possibility soon became nearly nonexistent as the night wore on.

Usually dinner lasted about half of an hour, but as one hour became two, and two became three, Tsukiko began to reevaluate her initial assumption that her father would be staying home for very long at all. Sure enough, just as soon as Satoshi began to finally clear the table her father stood and said, “My my, is it already that late. I’m afraid that I’m not going to stay the night, Sachiko, I’ve been assigned the most ridiculous case.”

“Oh? Which one is that, Dear?” asked Tsukiko’s mother, very effectively concealing her annoyance at her husband’s briefness.

“The Kira case- yes I know; It’s been very difficult and we’ve only just begun.”

“Are you working with L, Dad?” came Satoshi’s excited voice from the kitchen. Tsukiko silently praised her brother for knowing exactly which questions were important. Not to mention that she herself was very curious to hear about her father’s new assignment.

“Yes, I am working alongside him, or perhaps it’d be more appropriate to say that I’m working under him.” He laughed, an obviously forced action, but it only irritated Tsukiko’s buried disgust at her father’s absence. He was the Chief. He wasn’t supposed to work under anyone besides the Director.

“Well if you’re not leading the investigation, then surely you could spare even a night?” The moment she had spoken Tsukiko wished that she hadn’t. It wasn’t her father’s fault that he had to devote the majority of his time to his work. This she understood better than anyone. In fact, she had been neglecting her family in her current attempts to fix the world’s greatest problems. Like father like daughter she supposed.

“Yagami Tsukiko, that is no way to be speaking to your father when he has come home from his very demanding and honorable occupation. I seem to recall you spending a bit more time in you room than usual. Perhaps you should follow your father’s example and spend some of your time with your brother and me.” Tsukiko found it difficult to look her mother in the eyes, internally groaning. She was the savior of the freedom of the world, and she still couldn’t defy her parents.

“Yes, I apologize, father. I suppose I’ve just missed you.” she said, turning to her father and hanging her head in a submissive gesture. It was her only flaw perhaps, her respect for what her father did, and for her father in general. Although she didn’t see it that way. The day she stopped looking up to her parents, she promised herself, she would stop using the notebook. Everything, even god, should have a moderator. A self destruct button. If she lost control then she would certainly lose her purpose. Absolute power corrupts absolutely, after all.

Even though she doubted it would happen. She was doing the right thing.

After all.

“I understand. I’ve missed spending time with you as well, Tsukiko. I know that this case will take some time. Perhaps afterwards you and I can spend some time together.” She looked up at him, relieved. This was her chance.

“Actually, there was something that I feel the need to discuss with you.” Ignoring the disciplinary glance that her mother threw her way, Tsukiko focused her eyes intently on her father’s until he sat back down.

“May I hear what you have to say, Tsukiko, or would you prefer to be alone with your father?”

“No, Mom, that’s alright.” She ignored the impatient tone that her mother had adopted and focused on finding the right words. It was a delicate subject, and if for some reason L was having her followed then it would be best to seem like she was unsure if she was being followed at all.

“You see, It’s just that I’ve noticed the past couple of days that someone has been following me. I know I’m probably just being paranoid, but you always talk about not going out too late, or at least not going out too far away, so I’m worried that he might be stalking me or something.”

She was pleased with their reactions. Her father had straightened in his chair, and her mother’s icy temperament had melted into an almost frightening expression, into something much, much colder. To Tsukiko’s relief it was not directed at her.

“What!? Tsukiko where have you seen him? What does he look like?” The student inwardly beamed. This could be easier then she thought it would be. Even if the chance that he was working for L was very small, it would still be a problem if she were really being stalked. Ever since she had picked up the notebook she had been a little paranoid, nothing that she couldn’t reason away when it impaired her, but enough to render her almost too cautious. So it would be better for her mental health to get rid of him. And if he was working for L, and her caution made the detective suspicious, she could just say that she was as worried as any young woman would be if a man she had never met was following her.

“I haven't been able to get a good look at him, but I think he wears a dark coat, and he didn’t look Japanese.” Her father wasn’t looking at her, in fact he seemed to be spacing out, or lost in his thoughts. Her mother, of course, noticed this.

“Honey! Our daughter is being stalked and you aren’t even paying attention! What’s more important then this?” He blinked at the shouting and let his face contort into an expression of guilt. Tsukiko, however, had become immersed in her own thinking. What had been more important? Did he know something? It was definitely not like her father to lose attention so easily, so what had distracted him?

Her mother wasn’t putting nearly as much thought into it, and had risen from her seat, ready to reprimand her father, who looked, rightfully, terrified.

“Mom, it’s fine, I’m sure dad was just thinking, and I bet that his work has tired him out a ton.” the student turned to her father and smiled, “I just thought that, since you’re a detective and have resources, you might be able to figure out what’s going on.” Her father stood and looked down at her, but his expression remained vacant.

“Of course I’ll do my best, but please know that I may have to prioritize my other work.” Ignoring her mother’s disdain, Tsukiko stood and nodded, before circling around the table and pulling her father into a tight hug. She relaxed under the feeling of his hand straightening her hair before she pulled away, making sure to put on a nearly emotionless front.

“Do your best, dad!” she said, before he made his way out of the kitchen to leave for work.

It was another moment before the student’s mother was hurrying back into the dining room, eyes wide.

“Honey, do you have babysitting tonight?” Tsukiko shook her head. No, she had texted her employer about an hour into dinner to ask for an easy night, which basically meant a night off unless something desperate happened.

Her mother nodded before adding, “I don’t want you to go over there by yourself until this whole stalker business sorts itself out, alright?”

The student nodded, then made her way upstairs. Stalker aside, she still had a duty to her world, and she’d be damned if something so trivial would falter her.

………………………

Elle’s senses perked at the sound of Watari’s voice through her ear bud. It was a comforting sound, a familiar sound, and she might have even described it as soothing.

“The Chief has returned. He looks disturbed.” Silence accompanied Elle once more until she had pulled herself up into a more comfortable position.

“Go on.” It took a moment more for her handler to reply.

“See for yourself.”

The computer screen opened up to a room of men, all of whom she had become increasingly more familiar with, though there seemed to be a few less then last time. Oh well, things will happen, she supposed.

“Chief Yagami. Why are you eager to speak? Have you discovered something?” The Chief stepped in front of the computer, and Watari had not been lying. Elle figured that she would have to be gentle with him this evening.

“Yes, L, I have discovered something, and it’s made me rather uncomfortable. You did say that you suspected that Kira would be a High School or College student, correct?” Elle took a moment to reply. Where was he going with this?

“Yes, I did say that. I mentioned that the mindset was, and still is, primitive, and that if Kira were an adult then justice might not have been at the top of their priorities, rather it be money or power.”

“So it wouldn’t be too strange for you to focus on the top students in Japan?’

“I have been paying attention to them more specifically then other students, yes. It seemed the logical place to start.”

“So I need a straight answer, L, have you sent someone to spy on my daughter?” Elle didn’t respond right away; she had already retreated into her thoughts, clutching her cloth doll Papusa tighter to her neck. Had his daughter, Tsukiko was her name, noticed the F.B.I. agent that had been following her?

That should have been impossible.

And anyway, telling the Chief ‘no’ would only harden the blow that would come when the agent would eventually be caught.

Oh well. At least something new had happened. Yagami Tsukiko, you have certainly proven yourself to be very interesting.

“That is correct. I have brought twelve F.B.I. agents into Japan for the purpose of investigating the top ranking students in the Kansai and Kanto regions, as well as many likely persons of relation to the members of the police. Your daugher, being the third ranking student in all of Japan, was certainly included in this investigation.” Elle paused and, when no one else spoke, decided to continue with the question that was already about to push through her lips.

“Yagami-san, do you mean to tell me that your daughter noticed the agent?” Even she was surprised by this. To her knowledge the agent was Raye Penber, a well spoken man and an excellent agent, so for him to be found out, for the first time in the many years that he’d been investigating, by a High School Student, was nearly impossible for her to believe.

“Not exactly, but she did notice a strange man following her. I think that any intelligent young woman would eventually notice that a stranger was following her, especially a foreign one.” He had a good point, of course. Still, this was worth looking into. Not just anyone noticed F.B.I. agents. I am so very sorry, Mr.Yagami, she thought, but your daughter has certainly made an impression.

“L, if I may ask…” It was Aizawa this time. What do you have to say, Aizawa-san? Have you noticed the sudden emptiness, the pile of resignation papers on the Chief’s bureau? Elle’s hope in this particular police force was dwindling. “...why are you even pretending to trust us? You obviously don’t, and pretending must be exhausting, so please, if you don’t trust us just let us know.” There were now seven men in the room. Elle brought Papusa up to her lips, but caught herself before biting down.

“If I may tell you, Aizawa-san, I do not trust anyone. There are exceptions, of course, but you are correct in assuming that the Task Force is not one of them.” The man’s eyes narrowed underneath his afro, which Elle actually found quite fascinating, and he opened his mouth as if to retort. He was silenced, however, by a young man whom Elle had paid very little attention to. Matsuda was his name, if she remembered correctly.

Which she did.

“Aizawa-san, making L an adversary wouldn’t be a good idea would it? I mean, imagine his position. I’m sure that it’s less of a problem involving trust, just that he’s already put his life on the line for us-”

“How, exactly?” It was a man called Ide now. Elle could feel the tables turning, but decided against intervening. She figured that if she let this play out the men left behind could be very useful. “I mean our names are out there for anyone with a computer to find. L’s name isn’t known even to us!”

“Well, Ide-san, havn’t you noticed? We are nearly all gone.” Aizawa, who had been speaking, turned to glare at the screen. L imagined patting him on the back, “There are six of us left, L. If you only did something to convince me to trust you, then the thought of walking out wouldn’t even cross my mind.” Hmm, thought L, well then. All that was left was to see who would leave. Her bets were on either Ukita or Ide.

“No, you know what? I don’t think anything could convince me. I have a life; I’m not just some connection for L to have. If you all want to stay then stay, but I’ll have nothing to do with it!” Ide began to shove his papers into his bag and made his way to the door. “I’m not resigning, but I have the right to leave this case.” And, finally, he was gone.

Well, that could have gone worse.

“Now that that’s over,” she said into the microphone, “I would like for all of you to meet me. It seems that the rift between us is a case in identity, and, though I am hesitant to do so, it is evident that for your complete efforts to be made you all must know more about me.” She paused, waiting for someone to respond, but after a moment of silence she continued. “As for the F.B.I. agents I will have them removed. I already have enough information to progress, it seems. Watari will instruct you of your methods of approaching me, and I will see you all soon.”