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Fifty Days	By : sashocirrione Category: Death Note > Het-Male/Female > L/Misa Views: 2868 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own Death Note, and I do not make any money from these writings.

Chapter List
- 31
- 32
- 33
CHAPTER 32: Hostages
L said, "Misa, I would like to live, but if it is necessary for me to die for this, I will do so. It will be your choice whether Mikami kills me or not. Either way, the governments of the world must be saved."
Misa's eyes softened, but her mouth set in a hard line, looking frustrated.
I think she wants to be angry with me, but she finds it harder to be angry when I am so willing to die. When she held a gun to my head and I thanked her for giving me a clean death, is that what pushed her over the edge into attempting suicide?
L continued, "There is a risk to this. Mikami worships the first Kira but has only a small amount of admiration for the second Kira. If Mikami controls me into telling all I know, he will realize you are the second Kira and that the first Kira is dead. If that realization disturbs his mental equilibrium enough for him to refuse to tell his accomplice to stop the plan, then everything we're hoping to accomplish will be ruined. I will tell Mikami you are the first Kira and Light was the second Kira. I will also tell him I fell in love with you and I'm on your side, and that everything I've put him through was part of a plan to fool the police."
Misa's facial expression did not change.
L had opened his mouth to continue when suddenly, on one of the radios broadcasting on police bands in the back of the helicopter, Deputy-Director Kitamura's voice rang out, saying, "L, please contact us. It is extremely important that you do so now. We have no other way of getting a message to you."
L pulled out his cellphone and called.
Kitamura is going to get himself killed unless he's lucky. It's only one of the police bands, so Mikami might not be listening to this one.
L said, "This is L. Make it short."
Kitamura replied, "The NPA had a bug on Mikami's cellphone. We heard everything. We can't let this happen!"
I should assume that talking to Kitamura, or anyone in the NPA, is the same as talking to Mikami since they might end up being controlled into confessing everything they know.
L said, "I have no way of forcing him to comply. In case it wasn't obvious from the conversation, he has used his power to schedule his own death twenty-three days in the future, and to control himself so that he cannot confess his secrets. My life is worth far less than all the governments of the world, and even Kira's unchallenged reign would cause a great deal less trouble than what Mikami has threatened. I am now preparing to give myself up to Mikami along with the other Kira I have in custody. Keep all your agents far away from the address Mikami specified, do not investigate Mikami, and if Mikami wants to broadcast anything on television, let him do so."
"If we need to rescue you, what should we do?"
L said, "Do not rescue me. I will most likely die, and any rescue attempts will only increase the chance I will die. Do not tell the world's governments or even our own government what Mikami has done, or there might be a panic and someone might try something stupid."
"I see."
"Are you recording this conversation, so that you can refer to it later?"
"Of course, of course."
L took that opportunity to say, "I have nothing else useful to add and I am running out of time. Goodbye," and hung up.
L squirmed around in his seat and said, "Watari, hand me a laptop."
As L flipped it open, hacked into what he knew was Matt's favorite gaming website and uploaded an encoded message disguised as a vandalization image for the main page, Rem leaned over his shoulder to watch.
I already told Matt to be cautious about destroying either of the notebooks too early, so there is not much danger of Mikami losing his memories before he can order his accomplice to stop. However, Matt will probably hack into NPA records and if there is anything in their computers about Mikami killing himself and the current hostage situation, Matt will know not to destroy Mikami's notebook until the 23 days are up. Just in case that doesn't happen, Matt should see this message and understand. Anyone else who decodes it should make no sense of "Mikami, 23 days suicide, world hostage" anyway.
When he had turned it off and closed it, Rem said, "What did you do?"
"I did the only thing I can do to prevent Mikami's memories from possibly being destroyed too soon."
L handed the laptop back to Watari and said, "Destroy this laptop. You should run now. Everything had been prepared for your departure."
Watari has none of the evidence, so even if Mikami forces me to divulge everything I know, it would be pointless for Mikami to kill Watari once he knows Watari's name and can easily discover his face. Discovering Matt's face or anyone else I know should be impossible, since they don't have Quillsh Wammy's fame and there are no photos of them. Destroying everything at headquarters would be all Mikami could do.
Suddenly Watari was clasping L's hand in a tight grip, a goodbye handshake. Watari said nothing, but his face was full of concern and admiration. L met his gaze and gave a determined nod.
As Watari climbed out of the helicopter and disappeared through a door on the roof, L tried not to think that this might be the last time seeing him. Watari would get away even if things went very wrong, he had to. Watari had his own skills, and he'd been told to prepare well for his own escape. It would take twenty minutes to drive to the address Mikami had indicated, and that would give Watari plenty of time to hide himself.
I must have the dreaded discussion with Misa.
L swung open the helicopter door on his side and got out onto the roof of the building with a little jump, turning around to watch Rem steady Misa as she awkwardly climbed down. Misa still looked unhappy and frustrated, though with her face it was hard to be sure.
Then L stepped back a few steps, enough to make his thoughts clearer.
Here it goes.
L said, "Misa, you are a genius actress, so I have no doubt you can fool Mikami. My acting skills are not as good. Even your sister was able to see through them eventually. We must avoid anything that seems as if we are tricking Mikami, and you must make it easy for me to play my role."
Most rapists do not believe what they did counts as rape.
As a tight knot formed in L's stomach and he had an urge to take a few more steps backward, he continued, "I have unpleasant physical reactions when you try to be affectionate toward me, including that panic attack. We cannot risk triggering another panic attack in front of Mikami. I have these reactions because you raped me. I know I never said 'no' but I would not have felt safe in doing so, and that made it impossible for me to give consent. When you threatened to rape me, I decided to go along with your sexual desires to lessen the trauma a violent rape would cause."
Misa's eyes were wet, shiny, and she had lowered her gaze, staring down at the roof below her feet. Rem looked surprised.
L could feel his limbs trying to start up a light trembling.
It is good I'll have a twenty-minute drive to settle down after this.
L said, "If you decide to indicate to Mikami that I am lying, please prevent him from controlling me into saying everything I know. You are still capable of giving me a simple heart attack. Mikami does not approve of public displays of affection, so you can be subdued and still put on a believable act. Do not touch me suddenly without warning. If you attempt to have sex with me before Mikami has called off his plan and I think he might be listening or watching, I will not resist because the entire world is at stake, but it will be rape and you risk triggering another panic attack. If you think you want to rape me again, please just kill me instead. Raise your hand if you've understood everything I've said."
Misa raised her hand, but her eyes were still downcast, refusing to meet L's gaze.
L said, "The drive should take twenty minutes. Please get into character by the time we arrive."
He turned, not bothering to look at Misa, desperately wishing not to look at her ever again. He walked toward the door in the roof. It was one of the buildings that had been rented for emergencies, as a safe house or a place to restock while fleeing, and in the garage at the lowest level there was a car and some equipment. More importantly, there was candy. L had a desperate urge to stuff himself with as much sugar as possible.
Rem swooped down to drift beside him silently on stretched-taut wings of leather and exposed bone, and somewhere behind L could hear Misa's quick, light steps crunching on the gravel of the roof.
Mikami will not approve of my posture, appearance or habits. However, if I try to become a different person just for him, it'll make the deception much easier to detect. I should be myself as much as possible, so that most of the time I am not actually acting.
Just as he opened the door to go inside, Rem said, incredulously, "Misa raped you?"
"Yes. Ask her if you don't believe me."
L started down the narrow, dark stairwell and Rem kept pace, half in and half out of a wall.
After an awkward pause, Rem said, "You looked as if you enjoyed it."
"Physical pleasure and consent are two different things. Physical pleasure can be produced in anyone against their will, but it is especially easy to produce it in males. Read books about the psychology of rape. They'll tell you the same thing. Also, in my particular situation, I had to appear to be falling for Misa in order to save my life."
Rem said, "I... I did not know this."
She sounds sad. Is Rem starting to sympathize with my side too? I must stay on guard, though. Neither of them are my true allies. Our goals might only align for a short time, just as Light was a temporary ally against Higuchi.
When L reached the garage, the first thing he did was to put on some quick-brewing coffee, and then he made sure the car was stocked with plenty of candy. As soon as the coffee finished he poured himself a cup and settled into the driver's seat, bringing along two motorcycle helmets with darkened visors. Misa was already in the back.
At Misa's wordless noise with a questioning tone to it, L answered, "Mikami might look through a peep hole and write my name as I approach unless we wear these as we exit the car. This way he'll need to allow us to get close enough to explain. Also, before we remove the helmets he won't be able to tell which is L and which is Kira, so if he were planning to shoot me instead of writing my name, he won't be able to do it."
L started the car, took a few sips of coffee to steady his nerves, and then began gnawing on a stick of licorice.
He sighed, breathing slowly, calming himself with mental exercises, then opened the garage door and pulled into the street. He tried to think of all the things that could go wrong, of every possible loophole that Mikami might exploit. This was the last stretch of the journey, the last thing to actually do on the case. After this part finished, there were only three possibilities: being dead, putting Misa on trial, or accepting a permanent stalemate where Misa would never be put on trial.
Five minutes into the drive, L had finished his coffee and eaten through a bag of licorice, half a bag of chocolates and nearly an entire box of doughnuts. That's when he thought of the first serious hole in his plan and was horrified that he hadn't thought of it immediately.
L said, "Rem, no matter what Mikami says, do not make yourself visible to him as long as Misa is following my plan. You are a terrible actress and you might ruin things. We will say you are a shy shinigami."
Rem said, "As long as Misa wants this, I will do so."
L went over and over his plan for the rest of the drive, mentally testing it, trying to see any other unnoticed problems. There were a few issues, but nothing as serious as Rem possibly ruining everything.
At last they were there. It was an ordinary-looking house, a little larger and nicer than average. Nobody was in sight.
L took his time rummaging through the candy and selecting some to thrust into his pocket, then put on the helmet that would hide his face as he exited the protected, dark-windowed interior of the car. Misa was doing likewise, Rem helping her since it was a little difficult to do with only one working arm. L picked up a satchel full of things he'd need to show Mikami.
And then they were exiting, L coming around to Misa's door to help her out. Mikami was probably watching, and it would be the first impression he'd ever have of L and Kira. L made his body language friendly. It was feeling almost easy after the twenty-minute ride to prepare. It felt like getting into investigation mode, a work-like atmosphere, the kind of thing L was used to. He felt almost capable of doing it without any issues.
This is it. If my name is written, it will probably be within the next few hours. Otherwise, I have a fair chance of surviving. I must trust that Misa does not wish to destroy the world, even if she has perhaps not entirely given up on the Kira plan. We are on the same side for now.
He took his place beside Misa and together they walked to the door, faces comfortably obscured.
I hope Mikami rented this house legitimately, and did not kill people to obtain it.
L knocked and the door opened.
Mikami was there in a nice suit, with not a hair out of place. He looked from one to the other of them, a little shocked. Misa was nearly four months pregnant, and it was rather obvious on her tiny frame, a small rounded swelling that pulled her forward and made her slightly off-balance. She looked much further along than she actually was. Did Mikami think it was a disguise? Most people expected both L and Kira to be male. Perhaps Mikami thought Misa was a slender male in a pregnancy suit. If so, he'd soon realize his mistake.
Mikami motioned for them to come inside and turned, going through a small entryway and into a living room. L followed, keeping pace with Misa, trying to walk near to her in the same style that couples did. Studying people, trying to learn to read them very well, did have many payoffs in detective work. Acting was simply using that knowledge in reverse, creating a situation instead of examining it.
L sat down on the offered couch next to Misa, seeing further puzzlement on Mikami's face at how close they were sitting, not quite touching but closer than any casual acquaintances would sit. Ryuk drifted through a wall into the room, watching the scene with a big grin showing all his shark-like teeth.
Mikami sat in a chair opposite the couch and crossed his legs, looking prim and proper, his back ramrod-straight, his face with a serene yet severe expression of studying and judging. Any normal person would find it hard to think of Mikami as a serial killer, but L knew the signs. There was a certain type of criminal with very rigid ideas about what was right and wrong, with those ideas twisted to put themselves in the right and the world in the wrong. Mikami was that type in a fairly extreme degree, and Light had been that type in a more minor way.
It was a kind of obsessive-compulsive nature, an obsession with perfection. Most people like that merely became very boring citizens with many annoying nitpicking habits, but if they did end up going into crime they could become some of the most prolific and devious criminals. They used their attention to detail and the sheer power of their devotion to make moves an ordinary criminal wouldn't.
There is no use delaying it any longer.
L helped Misa remove her helmet, and then started on his own.
Mikami's entire face changed the moment he got a glimpse of Misa's face. It seemed as if confusion, reverence, shock and a giddy kind of happiness were all battling for control of his expression. He didn't even turn to look at L's exposed face for a few moments.
L said, "As you can see, this is Kira, and I am L. Kira is my wife. She was injured by someone who was not adequately controlled, and that is why her right arm and the right side of her face are paralyzed. Misa, please show him your scar."
Without hesitation, Misa removed the wig she was wearing, showing the scar along the side of her head where hair would never grow again.
L said, "We can supply doctors' reports and medical records to prove this, and we will allow you to bring in any doctors you wish to examine Misa. Misa can understand most of what is said to her. Pause between sentences to be sure. However, her ability to talk is limited, and she is in the process of re-learning how to write, starting at below a grade-school level."
Mikami said, "L, you are claiming that you have switched sides to join with Kira?"
"Everything you've been though has been part of a plot to fool the police. I had hoped to divert them from you, but once they came close to finding you I had no choice but to help them, or it would have been too suspicious. It was a race between myself and the police, and I did not manage to be far enough ahead of them to save you."
Mikami said, "Ryuk, is this true?"
Ryuk did a kind of hop-twirl floating in the air and said, "Decide for yourself. I told you before, I'm not on your side."
In a tone as if it were an argument he'd already grown tired of, Mikami said, "I still don't understand how Kira's angel could not be on Kira's side."
"I keep telling you I'm a shinigami. If you think that makes me an angel, go ahead and think that way."
Mikami said, "L, how do I know you didn't force the real Kira to give up ownership? Then you could have given ownership to any person, to pass that person off as Kira."
L patted his satchel and said, "I've brought extensive documentation of my claims, and I expect you to do further research before deciding. Also, if I could have chosen anyone, don't you think I'd choose someone who would seem more like what you were expecting?"
Mikami stared at the spaces over their heads, each in turn. Then he said, "Misa Amane? That name seems familiar."
L replied, "I'm sure you've heard the ladies in your office discussing her. Misa is a pop idol."
Mikami looked distinctly conflicted and worried.
Mikami does not watch movies, follow celebrity gossip or approve of most things in popular culture. This must be difficult for him to accept.
L said, "Misa's status as a pop idol is merely a role she plays, a job, and it is useful because it is justification for surrounding her with high security. The personality she uses in front of her fans is an act. She was beginning to become a little famous before she became Kira, and there was no reason to stop her career at that time. If she had, that circumstance would have looked suspicious to the police if she were later suspected of being Kira."
Mikami turned his head and stared at the space above L's face. L had a brief flash of paranoia at the thought of Mikami studying his name, even though he knew Mikami had seen it and probably memorized it the moment the helmet had been removed.
Mikami said, "L Lawliet, how clever. You hide your real name by not concealing it. Did you change your name to fit your alias, or was it the other way around?"
I may as well tell the truth, since a lie might harm me.
L said, "My parents could not decide between 'Lawrence' and 'Liam' when the doctor was filling out my birth certificate. The doctor knew it was an 'L' name so he just put the first letter and intended to add the rest later. The argument lasted so long that the original doctor left and a different doctor arrived, who refused to complete the birth certificate. My parents then learned that my real name was 'L' and they would have to pay a fee to have my name legally changed. They were very poor, so they decided not to do it."
This is not what I want to talk about. Mikami is invasive enough already.
L placed the satchel on the coffee table between them and began taking out documents, Misa's medical records, police reports, and other pieces of evidence.
L said, "I've included everything obtainable that supports the idea Misa is Kira rather than someone given ownership of a shinigami's notebook in order to fool you. The medical records could be faked, but the articles and news reports are items you can easily verify as real by obtaining additional copies yourself. If I were trying to set up Misa as a false Kira to fool you, I would have needed to anticipate this possibility months ago and I would have needed to take risks then in order to do it."
Mikami sorted through all the items, quickly putting them into piles by category and then putting the news articles in chronological order, setting the videos aside for later. He picked up the earliest article and began reading it.
Mikami does not wish for the world to be destroyed, he simply wants to save Kira by using the only threat that could force me to comply. Dying and leaving the world in chaos should be entirely abhorrent to his desire for perfection. He's skeptical now, but he should want to believe me, and if he wishes to confirm my story by controlling me into telling the truth, he should be extremely reluctant to kill Kira's husband and risk Kira's extreme displeasure.
Mikami's eyes became wider as he read, and his hands gripped the various papers tightly, his mouth set in a severe line. When he'd worked his way through the pile of articles and then halfway through the medical records, he suddenly placed what he was reading down, looking puzzled.
Mikami crossed his legs and said, "L, I do not understand. Why did Kira need me, if Kira was never your prisoner and Kira was fine all this time except for when she became injured? Why all the subterfuge? Why not take over the judgments yourself, using Kira's principles and teachings as guidance?"
Mikami took a deep breath and then said, "If you were truly in league with Kira, you would have contacted me directly with orders, any orders at all."
L said, "What we are fighting is a war, a war against the criminals of the world. Do you agree?"
"Yes, of course I do."
"Then you have perhaps studied what happens with wars. The human mind is not built to withstand killing other humans, especially many other humans. There is degeneration. It is the fastest with those who kill face-to-face, those who see others die directly. Foot soldiers suffer the most. The degeneration is slower with those who have distance from their victims, such as pilots of fighter planes dropping bombs on cities, even if each pilot kills far more than any soldier, but the mental deterioration still occurs. Kira realized this early in the process and to preserve her own mind began delegating all the judging duties to people who function as Kira's soldiers. We retire each of the soldiers before they become damaged too much, so that they will not become prone to making mistakes in the judgments. You are one of the few who have been trusted with an entire notebook instead of only pages. Those are the ones we allow to live at the end, because their memories are wiped and then they are not dangerous to us."
This flattery will warm him to us. Mikami will feel he is special.
Mikami said, "You are saying Kira is a general, and I am one of Kira's soldiers?"
"Yes. Kira and myself are now committed to never killing personally unless it is absolutely necessary and we cannot get one of Kira's soldiers to do it for us. This preserves our minds for the many battles to come."
And it will also give us the perfect excuse to not kill for Mikami if he still has scraps of notebook paper around, which I'm almost certain he does.
Mikami said, "Tell me what happened. I do not understand why such things are in the news, or why Kira would need such scandals, or why L would switch sides to join with Kira and marry her."
L told the story he'd carefully composed in his head. In it, L had always been a Kira supporter, since L wanted to eliminate criminals and Kira had a marvelously efficient way of doing it. L had only looked for Kira in order to join forces and to protect Kira from the police.
Then, L told about finding Misa approximately a year ago, and various strategies he'd supposedly used to protect her from the police and to organize the system of Kira's soldiers better. He claimed to have helped her search for the second Kira, who turned out to be Light Yagami and a significant danger to the Kira plan because of his recklessness.
In the story, Light was deprived of his memories by a merciful Kira, but had unfortunately already attracted police attention which caused some danger of throwing suspicion on Misa. Furthermore, Light had conspired to keep some pages and to write a letter to himself describing everything he knew he'd forget, so he continued to be a danger but it would have been too suspicious to kill him with the police so close.
Then Light had shown signs of wavering loyalty, and L had advised Kira to kill him despite the risks, but Kira had refused and when L tried to do it himself without permission Kira stopped him, put him in the restraints to punish him, and then ending up taking Light prisoner too when Light tried to go to the police. Kira punished L for his disobedience and punished Light, trying to turn Light back to Kira's side, but Light only became more rebellious so Kira killed him.
Because L was still being punished at the time, Kira did not tell L about Mikami becoming the newest of Kira's soldiers. A long-term plan of framing Hideki Ryuga for being Kira was beginning to come to fruition at that point. However, one of Hideki Ryuga's servants was inadequately controlled and shot Misa. Since this linked Misa to the scene, the plan of framing Hideki Ryuga as Kira was scrapped, as it might backfire and cast suspicion on Misa.
L conspired to present Misa's injury as a suicide attempt, and after Misa woke up she cooperated by staging more fake suicide attempts. While Misa had been unconscious, L had been left by himself to solve the riddle of whom Misa had sent the other notebook to, and by using the police to help search L ended up with the problem of the police drawing close to Mikami, so that Mikami's capture had to be allowed to divert suspicion.
L claimed that Mikami's imprisonment in his own custody was to keep the police from learning Kira's secrets and because L was spending time judging Mikami's loyalty and trying to decide what to do with him now that he'd been caught, while also trying to track down the missing notebook.
The plan now was to lie low for a while with no judgments and then to leave a completely unsolvable mess for the police after faking Misa's suicide and L's assassination by Kira, with the two events spaced far enough apart that they should seem to have no relation to each other.
L then injected a bit of truth into his story by describing how he'd actually found Mikami's notebook, and by saying that both notebooks were now stashed in a secret place, awaiting the completion of L's current plans.
During the entire story, Mikami became fidgety in minor ways, mostly with fingers twitching and the tiniest movements of the corners of his mouth. L could practically read the stress in Mikami. Mikami must have expected a relatively simple job of killing L and rescuing Kira, but was being confronted with a complex story instead. Mikami needed to make a decision about whether he was being tricked or not, and Kira's entire future rested on Mikami evaluating the situation correctly.
Mikami habitually spent all his energy trying to do everything correctly, right down to the tiniest minutiae of life, and now he was faced with a decision that had to be made correctly, with no chance to redo it. If Mikami called off his unknown, hidden accomplice from destroying hostage governments, then he could be arrested immediately after, probably with no consequences. In any case, he'd be dead in less than a month.
Even if Mikami broadcasts a password, I need to keep up the illusion that I am on his side. It is possible that he will try to broadcast a false password first, simply to see if I will betray him as soon as the danger has supposedly passed, and then he will save the real password for if I do not betray him.
Mikami said nothing in response to L's story but picked up the documents and began reading through them again, this time going through every one of the news articles, even the ones from the least respected tabloids. L could almost see the calculations in Mikami's eyes, could imagine him checking the timeline of events for consistency with L's claims in exactly the same way any lawyer would. No, Mikami would not be easy to fool. He'd been trained to spot these kinds of things.
Misa is clearly disenchanted with the Kira plan since her sister's revelation, but she may not have been fully converted to the opposite viewpoint. She invested a lot of her worldview into her obsession, as any cult member does. Just because Misa does not want all the governments of the world to collapse and is cooperating with me for now, that does not mean she will not turn against me as soon as Mikami makes his broadcast and the danger for the world has passed. Even if I live to that point, there is still a possibility I will die. However, the Kira plan is over. Matt will never allow the notebooks to reach anyone who might take over Kira's role.
Finally, Mikami began carefully packing the items back into the satchel they'd been brought in.
Mikami got a look as if he were about to let out a big sigh of frustration, but instead of the expected sigh he said in a terse and controlled voice, "This will need further evaluation. L, if you are lying to me, I will find out and you will die a very painful death along with the false Kira. If you are lying and you confess the full truth soon, I promise you a painless, gentle death, and I will merely deprive Misa of her memories, allowing her to live."
L said, "I respect your decision. Misa chose well. I wish you could have been Kira's soldier for a longer time."
Mikami said, "I will need to check every one of these facts and evaluate your behavior. I will live with you for at least a week. You must find a way to smuggle us away from here and hide us in a secret place. I am sure every police officer in Japan will be looking for me."
Why do I always end up living with these serial killers?
L said, "I have already planned for this. I told the NPA part of the truth, namely I told them about your threat, your unknown helper, and the fact that you cannot betray secrets even if tortured. I also told them I intended to sacrifice myself and give you Kira, and I told them to stay away from you to save the world. Otherwise, they would have arrested you again."
"That is good. However, we cannot rely on the police. They are arrogant and have poor judgment. They might take suicidal risks."
L said, "I have a number of places prepared as safe houses, both in Tokyo and outside it. I believe it would be easier to remain undetected if we do not leave the city, but if you wish to flee far I have three safe houses in remote locations. We should leave immediately to avoid any possibility of being trailed."
With that, L brought a cloth out of his satchel and began carefully wiping every surface that might have his own fingerprints or Misa's fingerprints. Thankfully, there were few of them.
Five minutes later, they were all in L's car, headed for the carefully hidden safe house that would be their home for possibly up to 23 days.
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Fifty Days