Taking Over

“Matt.”

He looked down and crunched his cigarette in his ashtray but didn’t turn around. “Yeah?”

“You told us that Mello and Near weren’t real people but he—“

“I lied.”

Rester paused, glancing at his two cohorts. “Yes. Why?”

“Because I didn’t want to mess around with the details.”

“Who were they?” Hal asked. “L said they were actually the ones—“

“Who were supposed to take L’s place. He’s right. I was third in line for the throne.”

There was a silence behind him. He knew what they wanted to ask. He turned around. “They’re dead. Mello was my best friend and Near was first in our class, he and Mello were always in competition because, obviously, he was the second.” He glanced away. “They’re dead now.”

Still, that heavy silence. They weren’t accusing him of anything; he knew that. They were curious. He’d lied to them and been called out on it.

“Mello got involved in a weird project that was supposed to help Near and him work together. Mello got obsessive and went crazy. He murdered Near and then killed himself when we were fourteen. Little while after that L died. So here I am.” He turned back to the screen, digging out another cigarette.

“So you all—“

“We all attended Wammy’s House,” he snapped. He whipped his gaze over to Gevanni. “You saw it when we were in England. There. Is that enough?”

He felt more then saw them back off. I should not have reacted like that. Furious with himself, he studied the files again. It’s been so long since then. I have to let it go. Or at least get to where it doesn’t get to me like this…

The three of them looked at each other.

“Light.”

He had his fingers meshed together, leaning his chin against them. He was staring off, thinking. He had already contacted Demegawa, the man in charge of Sakura TV who had first aired the Kira events, ordering the attack on M’s headquarters. As Kira, of course, but Aizawa’s voice brought him back. He leaned up and looked at him. “What is it?”

“Light, your father is getting worse and worse every day he comes in here.”

Light nodded. “Yes. I think I’m going to suggest he take a vacation. He’s on edge about me being under suspicion again.”

“At least today he took the day off. What are you planning for Takimura? You obviously believe M had a hand in it.”

Light sighed. “Of course, but I have no proof. Not yet.”

“What about the shinigami? The thirteen day rule.”

“He might be lying. He said he wanted his notebook back, he may be trying to come up with a way to steal it.”

“How would that help him steal it?”

“If I were locked up, he might just be able to take it. There are always loopholes in the laws humans make…shinigami may be the same.”

Aizawa’s expression did not change; he remained blank. This all doesn’t fit.

Soichiro Yagami stared out the window. He looked at the piece of paper in his hand. It was M’s phone number. They already had his address; the place where he was based.

He wiped sweat from his brow. The days were getting worse. Every day he came in. He saw how the others looked at him. There were mixtures of concern and pity. His body was weakening. He could feel it. Every day. From stress and fatigue. He could hardly sleep. He couldn’t eat. Every day…more and more tired.

His son couldn’t be Kira.

Maybe he was losing his mind? How would he ever explain…

As a father—no, as a police officer, I must…go. I will go and prove to M that L…is not Kira without giving away that L is Light.

He turned away from the window, gripping his suitcase and went to the plane terminal.


Matt looked up when the phone went off. Not the computer connection. He looked at it for a moment before picking up.

“Yes.”

“Is this M?”

Matt perked. That voice…”Mister Yagami?”

“Yes. Yagami Soichiro.”

Matt looked at the others, slightly wary. “I assume others are listening to this conversation?”

“No. It is only me. I am on a plane.”

“A plane headed for where, Mister Yagami?”

“New York.”

“Were you sent by L?”

“No. I am coming by my own decision. I want to convince you that L is not Kira.”

“And you believe it will make a bigger impression if you come in person.”

“I led my men and worked directly under the original L. I saw his face. As a police officer and for the sake of the taskforce, it is appropriate that I, myself, come.”

“How do I know you are not Kira or L—who, by the way, I still believe are one and the same?”

Matt heard Yagami take a ragged sigh. “I cannot prove it. I wasn’t able to bring the notebook.”

“You left and did not tell the others you were leaving.”

“Correct.”

Matt looked over the files for a long moment. “All right. I’ll have one of my people meet you at the airport and bring you here. Just go out to the sidewalk when you get off the plane.”

“How will I know—“

“Don’t worry about that, Yagami. I will see you then.”

They disconnected.

“Do you think this guy could be Kira, Matt?” Rester was giving him a curious glance.

Matt looked over the different files. “No. I don’t think so but we’ll take precautions. Yagami seems like a genuine guy. And if he really was their leader…seems too easy. L would have snagged him.” He looked at Gevanni. “Be ready to go pick him up. Take the blinders. Drive him around for an hour or two before coming back here.”


Matsuda practically busted the door down. Aizawa and Light looked up.

“Light! The Chief is gone!”

Light blinked. “What?”

Aizawa jumped to his feet. “He said he took the day off.”

Light swiveled down the counter to his cell phone and called his mother.

“Hi, is Dad around?”

His mother paused. “Well. No…he left around midnight last night. He said he had business to go on in America…”

Light stared at the counter. He might have expected this from one of the others. Aizawa, maybe. Or Mogi—maybe even Ide…but not…

No…no, it made perfect sense. As righteous as he was…

That is so like Dad. But….surely he wouldn’t tell M that I was a Kira suspect and the current L…

But he had blundered. He should have kept a closer eye on his own father. The pressure on him must have been nearly unbearable. Light being suspected a second time…

But if I kill him right now…

“Light. He left a message. It’s addressed to you specifically. Matsuda found it by your computer in the control room.”

Aizawa presented him with a piece of paper.


I would be the only one capable of convincing M that you are not Kira. I will not tell him anything unnecessary. Do not worry. I will not have you under suspicion again. You are not Kira.

Light grit his teeth. It figured. It really did. Why not someone stupid? Why not any of the others? Why did his righteous, do-gooder father have to go? It made sense but it didn’t make him any less irritated.

He would not give me away. He knows better. But in the state he is now…he should have taken one of the others. I should have seen this coming. He’ll end up killing himself with another heart attack or something—

…unless he took the notebook with him.

He hurried out of the room. They each had a code number and he needed each one to open the safe. His father had given him his own in case ‘something happened to him’.

Light impatiently got the rest to him and opened to safe.

No. It’s still there. Damn. If he’d taken it and presented it to M, I could have had Misa kill him with the other that M doesn’t know about.

He went to the phone.

His father answered. “Light…”

“Dad. I know you’re worried but at the state you’re in your health is suffering. I don’t want anything to happen to you. Everything will be fine. Come back to Japan. Please.”

“I can’t do that. You should understand why. I will prove to him that you are not who he says you are.”

Light sighed. “How much longer before you arrive in New York?”

“I left at midnight. I still have about four hours.”

“Dad. Please. Come back.”

“No. I won’t sit by this time.” He hung up.

Light stared at the phone and, very calmly, hung up. He rubbed his temples. “Excuse me for a moment.”

He went to his room. Misa was there, diligently writing.

“Shidoh, Misa, Ryuuk—get over here. Now.”

Misa was up immediately. Shidoh looked a little fearful. Ryuuk was absently gnawing an apple.

“Ryuuk, go through the wall and get the other notebook from the safe.”

The shinigami looked amused, but did so.

“What are we doing, Light?” Misa asked.

“Do I get my noteb—“ Shidoh stopped at the look on Light’s face and backed away a little.

“We’re switching ownership. Obviously, Misa, the notebook you’ve been writing in is mine—while yours is locked up. Remember, Ryuuk, how we did this with Rem?”

“Yep.”

“Do it again with Shidoh.”

“Are you going to give it up again?”

“I’m not.” He looked at Misa. “You are.”

She squeaked with delight. “Does this mean I get to become your wife?!”

“Sure. Yes. I’ll marry you.” He looked back at the two shinigami. “Make the switch.”

So they did. Shidoh became attached to Misa, Ryuuk to Light. Light now had the notebook he’d first picked up and Shidoh had Rem’s.

“Now,” he told Misa, “give up ownership of that Death Note.” It’s unfortunate that I can’t use him and I have to get rid of the other notebook, not to mention losing Misa’s Eyes, but it’s better then him babbling.

She smiled and nodded and held the notebook out to Shidoh. “Even if you come back and visit, I won’t see you. So bye. I discard it.”

Shidoh grabbed the book, gave Misa a little pat and swooped off through the wall. Misa suddenly changed her stance. Her eyes seemed to glint their blue.

He tore out several pages of the Death Note and gave it back to Ryuuk. “Put this back in the safe.”

Suddenly, Light froze. Demegawa was already on his way.

A perfect opportunity. He looked down again, hesitating…I will have to kill him. A riot will follow as soon as Demegawa attacks…

Gevanni glanced back in the rearview mirror at Yagami. He had not complained, he had not said a word since he picked him up, save for a polite ‘thank you’ at the car door. He had not objected at the blinders. He asked no questions.

Yagami’s heart beat was already racing. He was clammy, his breathing slightly stilted. He swallowed. It had to be now. He would prove L’s…no...Light’s innocence. He could not do this again. He was becoming a burden to the rest of them and he knew it. Now, he would do something. He had not last time, trusting L’s instincts but L had been killed. He would not let his son have the same fate.

He could not allow himself the thought that his son could be a mass murderer.

When he reached the building, he felt the air cool. They were underground. He was searched. His cell phone and laptop were removed. He’d worn no bugs or recording equipment.

“Hello, Mister Yagami. I’m sure it must have been very stressful coming all the way to New York. Can I provide you with anything?”

“I cannot do much of anything being blind-folded.”

“He checked clean. No recording equipment, we took his cell phone and laptop, there were no pieces of paper on him,” Gevanni said.

“All right. Take the blinders off.”

They did so.

Yagami found himself in a room that was something of a mirror to L’s control room. It was very modern. Steel, glass, monitors and computers everywhere (although there seemed to be many more computers).

In one of the chairs, back to him, was a red-haired person, smoking a cigarette. “He could be being controlled by Kira. The murder notebook has the ability to do so.”

“L gave you the rules. I left Japan at midnight, a person can only be controlled for around twenty-three days.”

“So are you saying I should keep you in confinement to be sure? And if you die, then I’ll know?”

“Yes.”

“You are willing to go that far?”

“If it means that much to prove that L is not Kira, then yes.”

“Then you will be confined, although that does little in changing my mind, I will take it into consideration.” Matt finally turned around. His shirt hung off him, his pants were baggy, his shoes were ragged and he smelled like cigarettes. The only thing on him that seemed to be in good shape were his glasses.

It reminded Yagami of L in a strange sort of way. This young man looked like he belonged more at a party then in control of police forces around the world but the look in his eyes…those eyes of his—steady, unfathomable, dark—reminded him of Ryuuzaki.

“So. You came here to convince me that L is not Kira. I doubt you will tell me who you set up as L, right?”

“Correct.”

“Only logical. You, however, are in no state to do anything. You took a fourteen hour flight, you are obviously anxious and from the look of you, practically on the verge of collapse. I want you to rest before we progress any further.”

“But I—“

“You will be confined here. We have time to spare.”

Yagami stared at him helplessly.

“Come with me. I will escort you personally. Gevanni, take up a tray of water and bread. No offense, Mister Yagami, you can have some proper food later, but you look a bit too out of it for any harder food.”

Matt got up, rolling his shoulders and took a small folder, putting it under his arm. This is better then I expected. Although, it is true, this guy isn’t in any shape to tell me anything. He’s too stressed. Neither L, Near, or Mello would probably allow this…but I will.

He walked down the hallway with Yagami, alone.

“You are M?”

“Yes.” Matt sucked on his cigarette and crunched it out before he opened the door to a plain, but comfortable, room. “Here you can rest.”

Gevanni was already in the bedroom, setting down the water and bread.

“What is in the folder?”

“Notes on the rules L gave me. As one of them appears to be a fake, I would like you to look them over later.” He gestured to the water. “If you please.”

Yagami looked at the water and bread. “L suspects that you were the one who got the Director.”

“I’m well aware of that but, I am trusting you with my life, as, with the information L gave me, one of them is able to kill just by seeing a face.”

Yagami drank the water, ate a little bread and lay down.


Matt left, Gevanni followed.

“What did you put in the water?”

“Just a normal sleeping drug. He should wake up feeling better. He looked horrible. That was pretty compassionate, Matt. Not to mention incredibly dangerous.”

“I know. It will only be a matter of time before L discovers Yagami left on his own. If he’s Kira he’ll be forced to act and might kill Yagami.”

Light had come to that conclusion and scowled. He wouldn’t be able to touch his father without being found out. Maybe once Demegawa arrived and the riots began but not until then.

About ten hours later, Soichiro Yagami awoke. He did feel better. His body relaxed, headache gone and he took a deep breath. He was ready.


“So L had you put on an act?”

“Yes. That I told him I would kill him then myself. L was hoping to see how he might kill.”

“Commendable to put your life on the line.”

Kill him, then himself. No one says that to just any random person… He paused. Kira and Yagami are related. He looked over his files. Yagami Light…it has to be…

“It did not work though, so L was forced to release them…we forced him to.”

“I figured as much.” He looked at him thoughtfully. “It is interesting that the new L left out so many rules for the notebook. I thought something was missing. The information about the Eyes and the shinigami are very helpful…”

Yagami stared at his feet. No. There has to be a reason. Light lied…but there has to be a reason.

“You’re in denial.”

Yagami jerked his gaze up.

“You desperately don’t want to believe that L and Kira are the same person. For that, I pity you but it only solidifies my conclusion.”

“I have given you evidence that the new L—“

Matt shook his head silently, stopping the man from speaking. “You are a good man, Mister Yagami. You are trying to do what’s right. But if my conclusions are correct, than you and the rest of your team are nothing more then pawns now.”

Yagami stared at him.

Matt took out another cigarette.

Then a familiar beep! beep! beep! came in over the computer.

“And, there he is now, just as I suspected.” He nodded over Yagami’s head and Rester suddenly looped his arms over Yagami and gagged him, pulling him away from the screen.

“M, you have company. I would suggest you leave your building.”

Matt glanced at Hal. She nodded, pulling up screens.

Demegawa had just swooped in in his helicopter, yelling about the justice and support of Kira.

Matt rolled his eyes. “Idiots on parade, eh.”

“It seems you’ve been found out. Also, I received word that—“

“Yes, that Yagami is here. I’m afraid I’m going to borrow him for a short time.”

“Why?”

“Just to make sure he’s not being controlled by Kira and if he dies in the next twenty-three days, I will, of course, be even more solid in my conclusion that one of you is Kira. I was surprised, L, about how many rules you left out when you gave them to me and yet, surprisingly enough, he knew about them.”

“Where is he?”

Matt glanced at Yagami, gagged, wide-eyed. “He is currently in one of our rooms, resting. He seems to be in bad shape. He isn’t listening to this conversation.”

Yagami struggled for a sound but could not be heard.

Light inwardly cursed but kept himself composed. “He knew even more then I did…is it possible that he could be Kira?”

His father froze and stared. His mouth would have dropped open if the gag had not been in place.

But Matsuda stared at Light, horrified. “How could you say that?! The Chief is—“

Light cut him off with a gesture.

“No. I do not believe he is Kira. He seems to be a genuinely good man who values human life rather than becoming a crazy mass murderer.”

Matt looked up, hearing yelling and smashing glass. “I’m afraid we’ll have to continue this conversation at another time. Goodbye for now, L.” He clicked off, turned in his chair and looked at Yagami.

The man stared back. He seemed to be in a state of shock.

“We’ll take the back way up to the helicopter.”

“They’re bound to notice us anyway,” Hal muttered.

“These people are idiots. We’ll use some of L’s funds and then set the place on fire. Rester, escort Mister Yagami, please.”

Light watched the fiasco as it played out on screen. The pouring of money, the riot changing into a greedy brawl—even Demegawa. He cursed silently. He had no drawn photos of M or any of his people. He could not see his father anywhere.

Demegawa, you idiot! Ignore the money!

And then a huge fireball suddenly blasted out the windows. Demegawa’s helicopter was engulfed in the flame and Kira’s ‘supporters’ ran for their lives.

Well, at least for that.

“Light. It’s one thing to accuse M, but to accuse your own father when he’s under direct supervision of M—M might kill him.” Aizawa was staring hard at him.

“M can’t touch him. If he does, he’s Kira.”

“But there’s no way the Chief could be Kira!” Matsuda was standing.

“I know. M probably does too. It was only a jab, Matsuda, nothing more. If he were Kira, he probably would have taken the Death Note.”

“Right…because…there’s no better person then your father, Light…”

Light turned away and closed his eyes. I can’t touch him either. But M knows. He’s bound to know who I am by now even without my father even telling him. Then he—no, it doesn’t matter how suspicious they become. I’ll corner M eventually. He may have some more words and my name but he has no proof.

But he could feel the eyes on him. Aizawa, Mogi and Ide…he could feel their eyes.


In his office, Takimura paced, as he had been for days. He sat down, wrote a note. He didn’t know what he had said. What he had done. He had put himself, his family and other members of the police force in danger. What if it happened again?

No.

He left his office. He went to a bridge on the outskirts of the city, tying one end of a rope around the metal banister and making a noose out of the other end.

He jumped.

Just as his neck snapped, he wondered, for just a split-second, if he’d done the right thing but, no, Yagami was around. That was good.