Taking Over

Takimura had ordered the Japanese police to stop the search for Kira. There were a whole plethora of reasons why. The big one being, well, of course, that Kira might kill them all.

Yet…then there was Soichiro Yagami. An older man, he had a wife, a daughter, and a son. He was aware. He had a small team working with him. Matsuda, Aizawa, Mogi, and another called Ukita—who’d died early on.

He knew that L, the mysterious, untrustworthy detective, was involved. He wasn’t sure if L was working with Yagami but then…the phone call….

A startling call, asking about any information on anyone in the police looking for Kira. He had asked, of course, who caller was and the young man had responded.

“Call me M.”

Takimura had given the phone something of a disgusted look. “Is this some kind of joke? Who do you think you are? And how did you get this number?”

“We are an underground group in the United States, the SPK, looking for Kira.”

“The United States—!”

“Please, Takimura-san. There is no need to get riled up. We are attempting to stop—“

“Kira is becoming a practically new world order—“

“He’s naming himself a God. How good is that?”

“M. My people…”

“I understand. We understand as well. We have not involved the regular police. We’re underground.” That was a sort-of lie. The president had put it together, of course, but he didn’t need to know that.

“Why have you called here?”

“We want to know who is working on the Kira case. We are hoping to, perhaps, work with them.”

“I can’t give you that information.”

“So you are not working alone?”

“You are calling yourself M. Is this some attempt—my people didn’t trust L and you’re asking me to trust you?”

“Sir, with all due respect, we at the SPK—“

“I cannot give you that information. I don’t know it.”

“You don’t know?”

“I am not directly involved with the investigation.”

Gevanni narrowed his eyes a little. “I appreciate your time. Thank you.” He hung up. “He knows names, that’s probably it.”


Takimura went to the taskforce a week later, after ruminating over it. He knew Yagami. He told him everything.

And Yagami, in turn, went to Light and told him.

“He was contacted by someone called M?”

His father nodded.

So…maybe Mello…but…this is bait. It has to be. To use so obvious—but…maybe he did it on purpose. He’s got other motives…I just don’t know what. Unless Mello has a spy. Maybe that guy is Near after all… He narrowed his eyes. Or Mello has a spy…or someone else entirely. Who all would Near have on his team? He’s not working alone. Mason proved that.

All right. Fine. Light turned around, sitting at his computer. He contacted Near.


The sudden beep made Hal jump. She went to the screen, glancing at the other two. “It’s L…” She pressed the contact button.

Gevanni glanced at the monitor Matt had prepared for the computer. As he’d requested, they hadn’t touched it. And now it was scanning and running numbers…or something. He had no clue. He looked at Rester. The man shrugged.

“Can I speak to Near please.”

Hal stared up at the giant L on the screen. She looked, again, at Gevanni and Rester and said, “He’s not here.”

On his side, Light blinked. “What?”

“He isn’t here.”

“What do you mean he isn’t here?”

“He left…he…didn’t tell us where he was going.”

Light stopped cold. How convenient. Near leaves, Mello contacts Takimura…they’re either the same guy or they’re already working together. Which means either way, Near lied. But then… He glanced, again, at the two pictures. But if they’re the same person, who the hell are these two?

“So you have no idea where he went.”

“He told us he’d be back soon.”

“Ah. Thank you.” He disconnected and sat back.

He smiled. If his own team didn’t know…I’ll bet Mason doesn’t either….

He tapped the keys, looking at the phone. All to easy. And you said I was so inferior to L. You just trapped yourself. If this works, you’ll be suspected as Kira and I’m off the hook. Stupid move.

He stood up. “I’m going to go see Misa.”

“Ahhhh,” Matsuda grinned, sniggering. “It’s about time you relaxed, Light. Take a few hours.”

“Yes…she gets so temperamental if I don’t sometimes.” No, it’s not that. Ha.

His father frowned. “Light. If you—“

Light laughed, always charming. “Dad, don’t worry.”

He left the room.

Misa jumped up and down when he entered the room. She practically tackled him, tried to kiss him. “Misa, calm down. I need you to--”

“Oh, Light! I knew you would! That’s why I made—”

--to be quiet. He inwardly rolled his eyes.

“No, I have a call to make. You’re the only one I can trust, Misa.”

She practically swooned. He hated her.

When Near had spoken to him, he’d used a voice filter. If he truly was gone, then he’d be willing to bet anything that he’d still be using one if he needed to contact his group. He has a team. But how many? And he’d want to protect them from Kira…

“Light, you look happy.”

He let that smooth, elegant smile, not charming at all, cross his face. “I am.”


He called Mason via computer.

“Yes, this is Mason.”

“Mason,” Light answered, leaning back on his couch, voice altered and speaking into a microphone, “I’m sure you know who this is.”

“Yes.”

“How are things going?”

Mason blinked, looked at the computer. “Going?”

Just as I thought. He doesn’t know anything about it. “I had to take a side trip.” He’d spoken to Near or Mello or whoever he was only once. He had to be careful about the tone of voice.

“You can’t just—side trip? Where are you?”

“I can’t say.”

“All right…”

Light paused. There was doubt in his voice. Inwardly, he had to laugh. Even better. His group didn’t fully trust him yet. He smiled again.

Misa was keeping quiet, riveted.

“This line is secure, of course. Don’t worry. How are things?”

“The files were sealed, as you requested. The people at HQ are fine.”

“Good. I need you to send me all those sealed files.”

“But…you already have the files of those within the SPK. Why the others?”

Shit. He hadn’t thought of that but, it did make sense. “I suspect a leak. Mason, this constant doubt is frustrating. Send the files to this address. Including yours.”

“Mine?! Are you implying that I—“

“None of you seem to trust me. I’m just being careful.” Light rattled off an address. His systems were encrypted, unhackable—he’d made sure of that himself. There was no possibility of being able to track him.

“I apologize.”

And but a few moments later, he had all the files of all the FBI members Matt had dismissed.

You had this coming. Haha.

“Thank you.”

He looked over the names and pictures, scrolling down and then he turned to Misa, putting a finger to his lips to keep her quiet.

Out came the Death Note. And within moments—

He heard Mason choke.

“Mason? Mason are you all right?!” Light smiled. Misa wrote the names of all the other members.

He’ll figure it was Kira. Mason’s line is secure. He is the director of the FBI, after all. No evidence that I called at all. I call a day later, as L, having international access. If this guy is Near, he’ll be drywall. If not, I can be sure that Mello is fake and it’s just one guy. You set us up in Canada—that was obvious and it did set us off, just a little but it didn’t take long to figure out that Mello wasn’t there. But I’ll find out how many really are there with this one move.

But still… There was a sudden vague sense of unease. Why the set-up...? He blinked. He wants to know who I am specifically. He wants to know how I work. He glared. Well, good luck on that. Your team doesn’t trust you. You conveniently leave. You will be suspected of being Kira. All too easy. They’ll react, probably panic, just like everyone did when L died and with Near suspiciously gone and telling no one where he was going. All the better. Haha.


Matt went and had himself fitted for a suit. He stared in the mirror, thinking, moving automatically when they asked him to. They being a middle-aged man and an older man. They were impersonal, at first, very business-like, which Matt didn’t mind. The older man was a Russian and whenever he couldn’t think of an English word, he’d resort to swearing and rattling off in Russian. Matt had smiled a little in the mirror at him.

The older man looked sad, spotted him, pointed a finger at the mirror and said something sharp.

The middle-aged man was about to apologize but Matt shook his head, looking at the old man, saying, in perfect Russian, “I was not sure if I would embarrass you or not, sir, else I’d have spoken earlier. Is this young man your son?”

The old man had stared at him in the mirror and then laughed, clapping Matt hard enough on the back to nearly knock him over. “He’s not my son. A suspicious bastard. He can speak Spanish. He talks about how he thinks I am sneaky! Just because I am a Russian. It’s a very bad reputation we have in the United States. James Bond’s fault.”

Matt laughed and the younger man, who had been staring, had obviously only caught ‘James Bond’. “Ah, are you talking about the mafia?”

The old man turned a glare on him. “Out! Get out!”

The younger man scowled, muttered something, but let the room.

“I will speak what English I can, young man. And…if not, I will say it in Russian, okay?”

Matt nodded, smiling.

“My name is Rustam. I opened this shop. What do you do, young man?”

“Just call me Jonathan. I’m doing some work for a friend.”

“I hope your friend is footing the bill.”

Matt smiled. “With any luck.”

“It must be quite some work.”

“Yes. I suppose there really are only two types of work you can do in clothes like these.”

The older man stood up a little straighter but did not look at him. “Yes. Performing. Which can be almost anything. And fraud, young man.”

“Yeah.”

And that was all that was said of it.

Rustam went quiet and moved his limbs about while Matt stared in the mirror.


He could have gone in in his own clothes. But what if he were seen again? Best to be in something he’d never consider wearing again. It would be easier to hide weapons.

I’ll probably have to kill immediately. If I want people—I have to move fast. I don’t have much time and I gotta to show that I mean business…

…..I’ve never killed anyone. I’ve been in tense situations but I’ve never had to kill anyone. Matt was realistic about killing and death. He was not a romantic about it. I can’t screw up. If I don’t act like I know…then I’ll get diced. So anyone that tries to kill me, I kill them, whether they mean to make a hit or not. He nodded at himself. Haha…just like a game….



Meanwhile, Shidoh had descended on the human world. He came upon Ryuuk, sitting with two humans. “Ryuuk.”

The other shinigami blinked. Whoa! A shinigami! He looked at Light, who looked smug and Misa, who was hanging on him. I can’t just start talking to him here. “Oi, Light, I’m going out for awhile.”

Light didn’t really pay attention; he was making another call.

So Ryuuk took off, and, naturally, the other shinigami followed him.

“I want my notebook back.”

Yeah….I figured it’d be that. Hmmm. “I’m not attached to that notebook anymore.”

“What do you mean by that!”

“Remember Rem? That spongy, female shinigami?”

“No.”

“I gave it to her and she gave it to a human.”

“What?! Th-that means I’m going to have to get Rem to give the notebook to me. Where is she?”

“Rem’s dead…”

Shidoh crinkled around in his strangle, cocoon body and spidery hands for a piece of paper. “I got the rules for various situations from Justin the Jewel Skeleton.” He looked at it. “If the shinigami is dead…let’s see…oh, here it is. When the shinigmi does not exist…you touch the notebook and attach yourself to the human who has the notebook. Ugh, this sucks! You must stick around until that human dies and then get the notebook back before some other human can pick it up. Or, get that human to give the notebook back to you.” Shidoh looked forlorn. “That means I won’t be able to write any names until this is all over. I could die.”

This might get a little complicated for Light. Inwardly, Ryuuk snickered. “Maybe not. I know where the notebooks are.”

“You do!”

“Yep.”

“Who has mine?”

“The guy. I’m attached to the girl.”

“So I’ll have to attach myself to him….and stay in the human world….”

Ryuuk shrugged. “Cheer up. It’s fun here. The apples are….juicy.”

Shidoh sighed.