Death Note Fan Fiction ❯ The Secret Rule ❯ L Makes His Move ( Chapter 2 )

[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]

Wherever Taro went, these deaths were all people talked about. Not just on the news, but on the streets and in school. Taro couldn't go a block without hearing someone talk about the deaths, and this "Kira" guy (or girl: it could hypothetically be a girl, although Taro was pretty sure Ryuk would actually choose a guy).

What was scariest about these conversations...was that a lot of people didn't seem to be that scared. Of course, there were plenty of people who walked everywhere quickly, peered over their shoulder, like they were afraid this mysterious Kira would strike them down at any moment. But there were also people who held their heads high, not only unafraid of this killer, but also cheerful about the fact that the killer was around, bumping off criminals.

What was wrong with these people, thought Taro. Did they not realize that "Kira" is only sparing them by his own whim, and that if he wanted to kill someone who wasn't a criminal, he could do so at a moment's notice?

All through this, Taro kept wondering why Ryuk would have let him keep the eraser, and his memories. Was it because he wanted Taro to stop Kira, or just because he wanted to watch Tarostop Kira? With the eraser, he could undo all the damage that Kira was doing, but he had to actually find the Death Note first.

Of course, the problem was he had no idea where even to start looking.

After a few weeks of this, Taro couldn't take it anymore. He knew that there was a notebook out there capable of killing people, and that someone was using it. Surely, the authorities would have some way to make use of that information. He had to tell the police what he knew. If he didn't, then he would be guilty of keeping silent.

With that, he set off toward the police station, with the eraser in his pocket.

Of course, the real problem was that there was no way to prove his story. And even in the unlikely case the police actually did believe him, there wasn't much they could do with the knowledge, aside from keeping people's names off the news.

Regardless, he had to try.

As Taro passed through the city square, just outside the police station, he noticed a broadcast playing on the public screen. It was man, calling himself L, who was representing the police, trying to speak directly to Kira. He vowed that he would hunt Kira down.

Unfortunately, his full name was right there on the screen: Lind L. Taylor.

"That fool!" Taro cried out in horror, not caring who heard him. Kira can see his name! If he makes Kira angry-

-but then it was all over, as Taylor clutched his chest in pain and keeled over. There was no question that Kira had killed him. A murder on live television.

Only a few seconds later, however, the image of Taylor's body was replaced with a plain image of a decorative letter "L." A synthesized voice began speaking, claiming that he was the real L, and that Lind L. Taylor was just bait to trap Kira. The voice sounded inhuman somehow: it could have been the synthesizer, but Taro felt something else. Something scarier.

Then L laughed. "Now, Kira, try to kill me!"

The crowd immediately began to roar in response to L's challenge. Some cheered on Kira, while others cheered on L. Taro, however, hated them both. What L had done...he had made a mockery of those deaths by challenging Kira so publicly. If Kira was as unstable as he appeared to be, this would only make everything worse. Since Kira obviously couldn't kill L without seeing his face, they were both safe for the moment. But other people would die as a result of L's actions.

Still alive, L continued his taunting. "So there are people you can't kill? You've given me a useful hint. Now, let me return the favor. This was announced as a worldwide broadcast, but in reality, we're actually only broadcasting in the Kanto region of Japan."

What?

L went on to explain his reasoning behind broadcasting only in Kanto, but Taro was no longer listening. If Kira had seen that message, than he must be in the Kanto region, which meant Ryuk hadn't traveled very far to drop the notebook. Kira was close! In fact, any of the people in the crowd could be Kira!

Glancing around, Taro saw many people shouting at the screen, but no one seemed to be holding the Death Note. Yeah, Kira wouldn't be so foolish as to use the note right in the middle of the street. Still...the thought of Kira being so nearby was even more unnerving than the possibility of Kira being anywhere in the world.

Taro ran home. He couldn't go the police now; he couldn't trust anybody. Besides, Kira had just made it very clear; anyone who tried to get in his way would be killed. And a 14-year-old kid who knew about the Death Note would be at the top of the list.

The teacher's angry voice interrupted his thoughts. "Kagami? Are you paying attention? This isn't middle school anymore, you know."

"I know, sir," Taro apologized. He had spaced out, stressed as usual. "It won't happen again."

"It had better not. Now, class, if you'll each turn your books to page-"

Taro's friend Sayu leaned over and said, "Don't nod off. Remember, I'm counting on you to help me get through this class."

Taro shook his head. Sayu Yagami didn't need his help; she was much smarter than she gave herself credit for. She probably just felt overshadowed by the genius older brother she was always talking about. "Come on, Sayu: you can get quadratic equations."

"No, I really have no idea how to do all this."

Taro frowned. He just realized that he had missed everything the teacher had said over the past few minutes.

Later, when he and Sayu looked over the problems at lunch, they couldn't come up with anything.

Then the conversation turned to other matters.

"Taro...what do you think about Kira?"

Taro's voice stuck in his throat. "Uh...why do you ask?" he finally croaked.

"I hear all those things about Kira and L on the news, but there's no one to talk to about it," Sayu said. "Mom doesn't want to talk about it; Kira really scares her since Dad's a police officer. And I can't talk to Dad because he's never able to come home. Light just stays locked up in his room the whole time. I just want to hear someone else's opinion."

Taro wasn't sure how much he should say. Basically he already knew everything there was to know about Kira, except for his actual identity. But he didn't want to go spreading that knowledge around too much.

"I think that Kira may have good intentions," he began. After all, he had once been in Kira's position. "Ridding the world of crime isn't necessarily a bad thing. But...it's all too much power for one person to have."

Sayu studied Taro for a while before responding. "I agree. It's too easy for someone like Kira to be corrupted."

Taro nodded. "But...it's like people don't see that. They just see Kira as a convenience; he makes them feel safer, when they're really in much more danger because there's a-" (he caught himself before the word) "-a person out there with so much power."

Sayu agreed.

After school, Sayu invited Taro over to study quadratic equations, most likely with some help from her brother. Taro politely declined; he didn't have time for studying quadratic equations. Talking to Sayu had boosted his confidence and reaffirmed his desire to stop Ryuk's plans. He would find Kira, even if the police wouldn't be able to help him.

Let's see, Taro thought, what kind of person would Kira be?

Well, Kira is definitely self-righteous. He believes that everyone who is evil should die.

He is also most likely not a kid. Taro had been too scared to use the notebook, so someone the same age would probably be too scared as well.

He also was quick to anger. If he weren't, he probably wouldn't have killed that Taylor guy L had used as bait. That also meant he probably wasn't quite an adult, since an adult would have remained cool under pressure. Maybe, 18 or 19?

So, an older teenager or young adult who hated wrongdoers passionately...hmm...

What if Kira was someone whose life had personally been affected by a criminal? Someone whose friend or family member had been murdered? But that alone wasn't enough to narrow anything down significantly. Perhaps it could have been someone who was harmed by Kira's first victim? Who had L said it was?

Taro quickly found a recording of L's broadcast online, as well as links concerning speculation as to who the very first victim was. The most common result was a man named Kurou Otoharada, who had been holding a day care center in Shinjuku hostage when he dropped dead. He had also assaulted several people at a shopping center the day before.

Six people from the shopping center, and eight from the nursery. That was still a lot. Not to mention the fact that Kira might only be loosely connected to these people, and not actually one of them. Or the very real possibility that Kira wasn't directly connected to Otoharada at all, and choosing him first had been a coincidence. Or maybe Otoharada wasn't even the real first victim.

Ugh, it all made Taro's head hurt. There was no way he could account for every possibility. Right now, he should focus on those fourteen people who were directly connected to Otoharada, and who fit the potential description he had come up with. If that search turned out to be fruitless,could check into those other possibilities.

Out of the six people who had been assaulted, one (at 37) was too old, but everyone else fit the profile. And only two teachers had been taken captive at the day care center: the rest were children. Wait...the teachers wouldn't have been able to do anything while being held at gunpoint. So if the connection was through the day care, it was probably one of the parents, killing Otoharada to try and protect their child.

That made...five people, and six sets of parents. All suspects. Now, to find some way to question them...