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The Sugar Cube Fort	By : sashocirrione Category: Death Note > Het-Male/Female Views: 2334 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own Death Note, and I do not make any money from these writings.

Chapter List
- 6
- 7
- 8
CHAPTER 7: FAILURE
Rem was in a glum mood. Matsuda was entirely unsuccessful in trying to draw her away to play with him, so at last he gave up and began helping the other investigators in his own half-competent way, at last relegated mostly to errands such as making coffee. Today was not a day for games. Such pursuits reminded Rem too much of the shinigami realm. It was okay to play games when she was in a good mood, but if she was already upset, the thought of them only made it worse. Everything was wrong today. Waiting for Misa was torture. Rem just wanted to get it over with. She'd really expected that Misa would have visited yesterday, and the thought that Misa might go another whole day without a visit was mortifying. Rem was running out of time. L was a smart bastard, and he might try something at any moment.
Rem ended up spending most of her time either flying in circles around the outside of the building, sitting on the edge of the roof looking down, or moving about inside the building as secretly as she could, staying almost entirely inside the walls, occasionally pushing just an eye through to watch the investigators. Rem never stayed inside for long, afraid of missing Misa. After some time, Rem realized that L had caught on to her eye trick. Every time she tried to secretly watch in the main investigation room, L noticed within a minute or two and turned to look directly at her. Nobody else noticed. How did he do it? Did he look at the reflection in his computer monitor? Rem found that the only way she could thwart L was if she stuck her eye through the wall directly behind his computer or through the floor right under his chair.
Finally, in the late afternoon, Rem was sitting on the edge of the roof when she saw a taxi arrive and eject Misa. A moment later, Ryuk phased through the taxi's roof and followed. Carefully keeping in mind the positions of the outdoor cameras, Rem plunged downward, wings beating dramatically, more to catch Misa's attention than to slow her descent, since she couldn't be hurt by a fall. She landed on the pavement in the biggest blind spot there was, a place Misa would have to walk past to get to the entrance. Misa approached with a kind of deliberate obliviousness.
Rem said, "Misa, this is a blind spot for the outdoor video cameras, and it is free of microphones. We need to talk."
Misa's demeanor suddenly changed. She had obviously been pretending to not see Rem before. She came close, Ryuk following, and looked at Rem carefully, as if seeing an old friend after a long absence. Rem felt her emotions warming. But, no, there was limited time. Also, it would be best if Light wasn't told Rem's plan.
Rem said, "Misa, the other video cameras certainly saw you entering this blind spot, and if you stay here lingering when you are eager to meet Light it might seem odd. Go to him, but meet me here on the way back for a short visit. Promise me you will."
Misa said, "I promise," and immediately ran along the sidewalk toward the first floor entrance, disappearing around a corner of the building.
Ryuk stayed behind. He said, "I really wish we could switch humans. Light is more my style. This girl isn't stingy with the apples, but I'm really getting tired of the things she says. Plus, she goes to these annoying places where she spends half her time getting dressed and the other half being photographed. I swear Light's boring cram school was better; at least there I didn't have to hide my eyes from my human's nudity. Yuck!"
Rem said, "I prefer Misa. Once L is dead, we should get them to switch death notes again."
"So," Ryuk asked, "how is that plan going?"
Rem said, "I will tell you because I'm completely sure you'll keep it to yourself. Light has a plan and I have an opposing plan, so nothing is getting done."
Ryuk's eyes lit up, and he bellowed, "Ho, ho, ho!"
Then he said, "Wait! What is Light's plan? Misa hasn't been doing anything other than killing criminals and it's not like Light to wait for your permission before acting."
Rem sighed. "Light plans for me to kill myself."
"Oh, ho," Ryuk said, "this is just getting better and better. First, Misa forgets L's name and now Light doesn't even know you're a bit reluctant to die for him? I'll just keep my mouth shut and see how all this plays out. Light is always so sure things are going exactly as planned."
Then Ryuk launched himself into the air and glided toward the first-floor entrance, shortcutting right through the protruding building edge. Rem found herself smiling at the thought of Ryuk possibly going right by the investigators without them noticing at all. If Ryuk wanted to, he could even mess with the people inside the building for his own amusement, but Rem knew he wouldn't. Ryuk knew that if he left L any clues, the delicious game could end too soon.
Rem waited patiently. She couldn't afford to go back into the building now as camouflage for her real purpose. Rem had to be waiting right in the blind spot the instant Misa was done with Light, to make full use of every second. If this was pulled off just right, there was no way even L would have any suspicions.
It didn't take Light long to visit with Misa. He wasn't really interested in anything other than leading her along. He'd do the minimum amount of work needed to keep her compliant, but not necessarily happy. Misa approached slowly, obviously calculating that her plan to linger in the blind spot would be less apparent that way.
As Misa and Ryuk crossed the boundary into the area, Rem said, "I want you to buy a very tiny camera, the kind that are smaller than a human fingernail, and conceal it in the gravel right next to the sidewalk here. I will get it past security by flying it to the roof and taking it through air vents inside, then I'll obtain photos and get it back to you by putting it in the same place. Kill everyone in those photos."
Misa looked at Rem, a puzzled frown on her face.
"No, no," Misa said, "if this was important, Light would have Misa doing it. Why are you going behind his back?"
"Then I have no choice but to tell you. Light intends for me to kill myself in order to kill the investigators he doesn't have the names of. However, my plan is easier than his plan and then I will be able to use my life to protect you in the future."
"But," Misa said, "Light always has the best plan. Why would you want Misa to disobey him?"
"Misa, Light wants the investigators killed, and this is a way of helping him. Remember how I didn't want to throw away my life to save you from Higuchi? If I'd done that then, I wouldn't be here to help you now. I don't want to use up my life now when I could hold it in reserve to protect you later."
Misa took two steps back and got an ugly look on her face. "I know what you're talking about, Rem. You just want to stay alive so you can keep threatening Light. You'll threaten him his entire life. You'll never let him act fully on his own. You're hampering his work as Kira."
Rem sighed. Why was everything always so difficult with Misa?
"Misa," Rem said, "Light would have killed you several times over if I hadn't been threatening him. And, other than keeping you alive, I don't think I've affected his behavior very much."
Misa's face became livid and she hissed, "Light would never kill me. He loves me, and all you do is get in the way. You should just... go away. Go away, Rem. If you really love me, you'll let me be happy with him, alone, without you. You can make me happy, Rem. You can do this."
Then Misa was turning away, going.
Rem shouted, "Misa! Will you bring the camera? Please?"
Misa turned back, and said a single word that broke Rem's heart. "No."
Then Misa was running to her waiting taxi and climbing in. Ryuk flew past and said, "Tough luck, Rem. Well, I guess shinigami shouldn't have feelings anyway. It's nothing but trouble."
Rem continued to stand in the same place, awash in disbelief. Misa had just sentenced her to death, and why? Because Rem had insulted Light? Because Misa was just that insanely committed to obeying Light in everything except his orders to stay away when approaching him would be dangerous? Or, perhaps it was Misa's self-destructive nature arising once again. Misa seemed to be completely allergic to common sense, so much that it couldn't be stupidity. It could only be mental illness.
Yes, this wasn't really Misa's fault. It was her mind again, her broken psyche. Rem wanted to whip out her death note and write Misa's name just to be done with this foolishness, but she also felt terribly guilty for having a fantasy like that. To abandon Misa, when her lifespan was already so short, and her actions were the result of a sickness inside her instead of her own will, that would be cruel and heartless, especially if it was done in hopes of spending more time with humans who actually had a capacity for happiness...
Wait, where had that thought come from? Yes, it was them. L and Matsuda. Especially L. Rem had been so starved for attention, for humans who could actually relax and laugh and smile... the past few days had been almost addictive. Rem had needed to see happy, mentally healthy humans so badly after being stuck with Misa's drowning despair and Light's uncaring manipulation and Higuchi's single-minded sleazy greed. But that thought, that little fantasy, it was wrong. To abandon the injured in favor of the healthy... after you'd promised to care for the injured forever... it would be a terrible betrayal. Misa deserved better after all she had suffered. It sounded like L had already lived through many years of happiness. He could even be fairly satisfied when he thought his last days were upon him. He didn't need to be given more years at the cost of Misa's life. Besides, it would mean Jealous's sacrifice would be meaningless. Rem needed to save Misa to know that Jealous's death had not been wasted.
Rem's mind raced. What could be done now that Misa refused to help? No matter how Rem thought about it, she couldn't conceive of a single plan to kill L that didn't involve either a smuggled camera or her own suicide. And, it wasn't like Rem could go get a miniature camera on her own. The tether trapped her within a short radius of the investigation building, and all surrounding buildings were offices or residences, not stores, certainly not camera stores.
Then, if Light's plan was the only option, it would be best to do it as soon as possible, before L made any unfavorable moves. Rem considered. Where should she choose to stand while writing the names? Light might have a good course of action planned out for what he should do if it was obvious the shinigami had killed L and Watari, but if the deaths were a mystery, Light would have more options. It would be best to avoid getting caught on camera. But, every single room in the investigation center had multiple cameras, supposedly with no blind spots.
There was also the question of what would happen to Rem's death note. It would fall to the floor wherever she died. Rem felt sick and angry at the thought of Light using it, but then if Light had another death note, it might help Misa because it could increase the number of schemes he could put into action. However, if video cameras caught her death note falling and then Light retrieving it, he'd get caught.
So in the end, if she died anywhere in the building, the investigators would probably get her death note instead of Light, and if one of them touched it first and inadvertently became the new owner, that person would feel the compulsion curse and be forced to kill once to try out the death note. That could create complications for Light, not to mention the person who did it. Rem felt a small stab of sympathy as she imagined Matsuda being the first to find her death note, his bewilderment at his curiosity tempting him into an actual murder, his quick capture, and the condemnation the others would show him. Rem had never heard of a human who could resist that first-kill compulsion. It just got stronger and stronger until eventually they killed.
But, if Rem was to die off-camera, there were only two ways to do it. One, she could go into adjacent buildings, which would put a death note into the hands of some unknown person. Two, she could hide within the walls or inside large machinery in the investigation building. Another death note user with an unpredictable agenda might create problems for Kira down the line. But, if it were hidden inside the investigation center, Light would know to seek out the death note, and could probably find it before anyone else did.
Rem turned and walked into the building through the wall. She made her way to the main room, subtly caught Light's gaze, and then slowly backed into a wall, flattening herself inside so she was neatly concealed, pipes and wires jutting up against her. Now, take out the death note, open it, raise the pen. It was time to kill Watari and L. Rem almost wished she could be standing over Watari when he died. It would be satisfying after the way he had tormented Misa. But, no, Rem needed to stay inside the wall.
Rem hesitated. Which one to kill first, just in case the second one didn't go through? L was the most important obstacle to Kira, but L was probably smart enough to have something set up with Watari to cause trouble for Light if L died and Watari survived. If Watari died but L didn't, then it should throw the investigation into enough confusion that Light might have another chance to kill L. No, Rem had to believe she could kill both of them. Rem hesitated once more. She wanted to pause and savor the good things before she died. Rem tried to picture Misa's happy face in her mind.
The only thing that was coming was a memory of seeing Misa before her parents had died. Misa was perhaps seventeen years old, but she looked thirteen. She was swinging on a swing set in a park on a warm autumn day, as the first few leaves were just beginning to fall, and eating an ice cream cone that seemed entirely too big for her to finish before it melted. She looked like the happiest girl in the world. Then, one of Misa's younger cousins threw a handful of sand at her face, getting it all over the ice cream. Misa only looked dismayed for a second. She jumped out of the swing, wrestled her cousin to the ground in the sandbox, and smeared her sandy ice cream cone all over his face, grinning happily. He grinned back, scooped handfuls of the glop from his face, and flung them at Misa. A few moments later, both of them were completely coated in sandy ice cream, wrestling and laughing. Misa's mother came and bent over them, saying, "Misa! He's five years younger than you. I thought you'd be more mature."
But Misa's mother wasn't angry. Instead, all three of them laughed together. Misa used to have a kind of carefree optimism. She didn't used to cry or let things bother her. Before her parents' deaths, she defended herself so confidently. Now, it was the opposite. She simply refused to defend herself. Rem pressed the pen to the paper, but her hand felt paralyzed. Would Misa ever defend herself from Light? No, no she wouldn't. Without anyone else to defend her, Misa's happiness, her very life and death, would rest only on Kira's whims. Rem would have to trust Light. Shaking, Rem lowered the pen. There had to be another way. There had to. Perhaps she could steal something from pedestrians walking near the building, or from the adjacent buildings within reach of the tether. It was worth a try. Surely, L wouldn't do anything in the next few hours.
Rem flew through several walls, out into the street, and into an apartment building. Three hours later, Rem had accumulated a small pile of cellphones on a nearby roof. It had been extremely easy to steal them. She went through them, sorting them into ones that had a built-in camera and those that didn't. The phones were small, but not as small as Rem wanted. Rem selected one that was razor-thin, nearly the same color as her hand and didn't make any flash or noise when photographing. She flew this phone to the roof of the investigation building. Then, carefully taking note of the placement of the roof video cameras, she tried to unsuspiciously examine all the air ducts on the roof.
No, no, it was no good. L must have been extremely paranoid when he was constructing this building, because every air duct had a cover with tiny holes. They were probably small enough for Rem to push through the kind of mini spy camera she'd wanted Misa to buy, but the cellphone was just too big. If she tried to break the covers and pull them off, the actions would certainly be caught on the rooftop cameras and it would look like she was trying to sneak something past security. Would she have to kill herself? No, it wasn't time to give up yet. L came to the roof every so often for fresh air. Rem would just need to watch and wait. She found a place to hide the cellphone on the roof, putting it there and being careful to turn it off so it wouldn't ring, and then flew inside, searching. From now on, she would need to keep track of L even better.
She would have to let Light deal with Watari by himself, but he could probably do that. If she got L's name to Misa by showing Misa the cellphone photo, and made clear how dire the situation was, Misa would be forced to act. Even if Misa wanted to continue being stubborn, she couldn't keep her mouth shut and would be sure to blab to Light that she knew L's name, and then he'd tell Misa to use it the moment he started wondering whether Rem was resisting his suicide plan. He couldn't afford to wait until his refusal to leave the building started seeming extremely odd. Light wasn't the only one who could turn up the pressure. If Light was going to press on Rem, she would push right back.
A/N (Author's Notes):
I really wish Rem had at least tried to scheme against Light in canon instead of committing suicide without any protest. Things still might have ended with Rem killing L and dying, but at the very least it would have been interesting to see L and Light continuing to match wits with each other for a little longer after Higuchi's death. The part of the manga/anime from Higuchi's death to L's death was entirely too short, and seemed as if the canon author was rushing to finish that part of the story.
I don't think she would have succeeded in winning against Light without exposing Misa, but it would have been more realistic for her to at least try a little. She could have, for example, tried a scheme of forcing Light to give up ownership without letting on to the other investigators, and then disappearing with the death note. That would have stopped the 13-day rule from being tested as well. There were also plenty of other things she could have tried. She's a god of death, after all.
Like all the other female characters, Rem was underutilized, cast aside by the author when not needed, and tended to have variable characterization with sometimes-unrealistic motivations.
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The Sugar Cube Fort