Death Note Fan Fiction / Death Note Fan Fiction ❯ Bohemian Rhapsody ❯ Part III: Opera ( Chapter 3 )

 

Third Person Point of View

 

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L was conflicted.

 

Never had he ever dealt with a case quite like that of Yagami Raito's—Kira's. What made him so special?

 

Perhaps it was the teenager's intelligence, which was in par with L's own—and, in some ways (though L would never admit it), exceeded L's own. Raito could predict L's every move—every possible outcome—and plan how to not only avoid suspicion, but use the situation to his advantage.

 

The boy seemed genuinely regretful about his actions as Kira.

 

But was that the truth? Or was it all an act?

 

L didn't know what to think. Even when Raito's acting was at its best, he could see right through him. It wasn't that Raito wasn't good at acting—he was excellent—in fact, the best L had ever seen. But regardless, there were minute in consistencies between Raito's facial expression, tone, and choice of words. Unlike the majority of human individuals, L was not influenced by emotions—not his own, and certainly not the emotions of others. He was exceptionally calculating and scientific in his methods. Objective observation was key to his field of work.

 

Without being able to monitor Raito as the adolescent related his story, L was at a loss. Perhaps the video feeds would help him.

 

Raito had spent the majority of the week in confinement doing absolutely nothing. Well, that was probably inaccurate. Raito's mind, similar to L's, was never at rest. L was certain the teen had been thinking the entire time—thinking, planning, scheming. The question was—what?

 

It seemed that Raito had taken his last hour to scribble down his “confession.” It was unlike Raito, who took pride in his penmanship, to hand in such—dare he say it?—messy work. Raito was meticulous and perfectionistic. This…was unexpected.

 

Was Raito trying to throw him off? Was this break in character his attempt of getting out of the death penalty?

 

L believed in Justice. But he also believed in redemption—though only in cases where the individual regretted his actions and desired to make amends for past wrongs. Could L really just destroy Kira—at the cost of Yagami Raito?

 

L wasn't so foolish to think that Raito and Kira were two completely separate entities. Kira was Raito—but only under certain circumstances, namely the Death Note. If Yagami Raito had never come in contact with the Death Note, L was certain that Raito would have become one of the greatest detectives in the world, but instead working beside L, not against him. It was not mere coincidence that he and Raito had met. Raito's intelligence and ingenuity was bound to bring him to L, one way or another.

 

This predicament had brought up another of L's concerns. Did L want to throw away such a gifted individual? What a waste. Raito would undoubtedly be an asset to his work. It was true that L had only worked alone in the past, but even he could see the value in having an extra pair of eyes.

 

It wasn't like L could just make a decision and change his mind later. He couldn't give Raito the death penalty and then renege—death, after all, was quite permanent. If he kept Raito alive, he'd also have to take full responsibility for that decision, whether it was a life prison sentence in jail or a life prison sentence with L. Indecisiveness would only breed doubt regarding L's capabilities and state of mind.

 

He disliked the idea of capital punishment—at least where it concerned Raito. The problem: he didn't know that Raito didn't regret his actions, not like he'd known Raito was Kira. It wouldn't be Justice to kill Raito if he felt remorse.

 

Life in prison was more appealing, but again, it was a waste of Raito's talents. And what better way to make Kira atone for his sins than forcing him to catch criminals the legal way?

 

Perhaps the decision wasn't so difficult after all. As unsettling as it was to let off the biggest mass murder in history (it wasn't really “letting off” when Raito would be under L's constant supervision), it was still serving Justice.

 

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