milliways_bar | (no subject)

A strange young man in a pair of jeans and a white shirt walks into the quaint little bar and sits next to Light Yagami. He sits very queerly in the seat and stares at Light.

"Excuse me, sir?" he starts after a while. "I just want to let you know that I am L."

He then takes a chocolate and eats it.

Well, looks like this day could get worse.

Light's expression remains neutral, but he does arch an eyebrow in surprise.

"If that's true, why would you compromise your secret identity to me? I'm not out of school yet, I have very little information on the Kira case to tell you."

L looks at Light just as strongly.

"Mr. Yagami," he says, "I don't believe I've said anything about the Kira Investigation, now did I?"

L proceeds to put all of the sugar cubes from his table and the next's into his drink.

"You didn't need to." Light says. "Firstly, I'd have had to have been living in a cave to not know L was involved with it. Secondly, I've heard of your past cases, but never have you shown your face, so either you are discussing a case that is current in my world or in the future of it. Thirdly, the other week I was beaten close to death by a patron here claiming that a version of me in the future is Kira. It's hardly a huge leap for someone pretending to be L would come and speak to me about it."

He breaks off a cube of the chocolate, and eats it.

"So why waste time when I have nothing to hide? You would have got there sooner or later. The only real question is whether you are actually L, a fake sent by Rem, or someone else from her presumably alternate future here to beat me for something I haven't done."

L stars at Light for the longest time.

"Hmm, just as I should have come to believe." L says quietly to himself, but not so quietly that Light can't hear him.
“Amazing. Simply amazing. It astounds me that you came to that conclusion about my involvement in the Kira Investigation in the short amount of time that I have been here. Now, I can assure you that I am indeed L. There are possibly some ways that I could prove this to you, but none that I can think of right now, so you’ll just have to take my work for it. As for this woman named “Rem,” I have no clue who you are talking about, but I am curious about her confronting you with information that you could be Kira.

“It is because you are so good at coming to these conclusions that I have approached you today and reveled my identity to you. By trusting you with information this personal, I hope to earn your trust. I wish to ask for your help in the Kira Investigation.”

[ooc: If you want to keep going on the same thread, use the 'Reply to this' linky button at the bottom of each comment. I'm not fussed either way, I just remember you asking the question.]

"Rem is a Shinigami, and an apparently irrational one at that. She did not so much confront me with information as become hysterical and try to kill me. If you haven't met her, presumably she is from a future of our worlds and has some sort of emotional involvement in the case. Perhaps Kira kills someone important to her."

He knows Rem will find L and tell him all this and more. Better to be open.

"If you continue to unveil your secret identity all over the place, she'll probably make herself known to you."

He breaks off another piece of the chocolate, and offers it to L.

"I accept your proposal of working with you, so long as it doesn't interfere with my exams. But I'd like to know why you approached me, if you haven't yet met Rem. I know you knew who I was before you got here, because you knew my name before I told you. I know you narrowed the suspect range down to someone who was in Kanto at the time of your broadcast because it was on television. Kanto obviously includes me, a police chief's son with a reputation for helping solve crimes. Your natural next step is to work with the police in Kanto. But if Rem is so convinced that I am Kira, then there must be something to put me under suspicion between my time and hers. So did you seek me out as an assistant, a suspect or both?"

L’s heart skipped a beat at the mention of the word “Shinigami.”

“Could the existence of Shinigami be true?” he thought to himself. “Why would Light come up with such a farfetched lie?”

L also ponders over Light’s suggestion of revealing his secret identity to more people. It was a small token of information that could lead to something greater.

L takes the piece of chocolate offered to him by Light, dips it in his highly-sweetened drink, and slowly chews it.

“Mr. Yaga … Light, “he says, “It is true that I believe Kira is hiding in the Kanto region of Japan. You no doubt know this because of my broadcast with Lind L. Taylor, do you not? You have also surmised that because you are the son of Soichiro Yagami, you are highly valuable to this case. This only seeks to prove what I thought before: “You are the perfect individual to help solve the Kira case. However, your mention of this “Shinigami” named Rem also seeks to prove what I thought before: “You, Light Yagami, could indeed be Kira.”

Small smile.

"As could you, or anyone else in Kanto, visiting Kanto at that time, or working in conjuntion with someone in Kanto. If there were, say, two people behind Kira's powers, the one in Kanto might have phoned the other in another location to switch on their television, and discovered that the broadcast was regional. It wouldn't have taken the length of Lind L Taylor's speech to photograph the screen and send it to someone in another location via the internet."

He shrugs. "You should go ahead and investigate me. But don't get blinkered. And personally, I wouldn't trust the Shinigami an inch, but since she tried to kill me, I'm a little biased."

"Hmm..." said L, "Two Kiras? I've never thought of that before. Why would such an idea pop into your mind suddenly?"

"I didn't say two Kiras." Light says. "I meant more like an accomplice. Otherwise what would be the point in sending the picture to someone in another location?"

He shrugs. "I just don't think your experiment is watertight, that's all. I was thinking of ways that Kira could have given you that result without being in Kanto."

"Well, I suppose you could be right," said L, shifting in his seat. "My experiment may not be proven to be the most effective method ... But your theory that Kira photographed Lind L. Taylor during the broadcast and E-Mailed it to his accomplice ... it sounds plausible, I will credit you that, but what would be the purpose? Let me humor your theory for a moment."

L readjusted in his seat, took a drink from his cup, added a few more sugar cubes, took another sip, and took a long breath before continuing.

"I only broadcasted the speech in Kanto, believing that Kira resided in Kanto. By calling his accomplice, Kira could have concluded that the broadcast was only being shown in Kanto. But then, what would be the point in killing Lind L. Taylor? That would only tell me that he IS in Kanto. Albeit the person who may or may not have actually committed the murder was in Kanto, it would have still let me know that someone connected to the Kira case, weather it be Kira or his alleged accomplice, is in Kanto."

Light shrugs.

"It was just a suggestion. I'd imagine someone as ruthless as Kira would be willing to sacrifice an accomplice if necessary. Or, as I said, they could be moving around."

"Hmm ... yes" said L, thinking. "Just a suggestion. How do you suppose Kira comes across these alleged "accomplices?"

"That wouldn't be my working theory." Light says. "Actually I think Kira is probably working alone, and that there's a strong chance your experiment was correct. But it would be difficult for someone to commit mass murder without their family or friends knowing something was off. There's probably some sort of ritual involved at very least."

"Yes, just as my original theory told me. But, you's had some legetimicy. I'll make a note to investigate it further if my theory falls through. Mind passing me that bowl of sugar cubes?

"But, what you said. 'Ritual.' Do you speak of the occult, or more of a routine?"

"You're going to lose all your teeth and get type 2 diabetes if you carry on like that." Light observes, passing the bowl anyway.

"There must be something that makes the people die remotely, your experiment proved that. Unless someone has managed to touch all of the victims somehow; a conspiracy of prison canteen workers seems fairly unlikely. So presumably unless they just think the person dead, there must be some sort of... I don't like to use the word 'spell', but you get what I mean."

"Do you think your Shinigami 'friend' might now something of these deaths?" asked L stirring in a couple more sugar cubes and taking a sip.

"mmm ... perfect."

"She's not my friend." Light says. "But she probably does."

He puts his chocolate down. "Assuming that she isn't doing them herself, of course. She certainly has the power, and apparently the instability. But then there would be no rational reason for her to attack me."

"Exactly my point, Light. Why would someone ... something ... with the power to kill on a whim approach you of all people with the fact that's you're Kira? Obviously that is not enough to arrest you, but it only seeks to prove my original theory. If this "Rem" character truly is a Shinigami, why would she accuse you of being Kira?"

"I don't know." Light says. "But clearly something happens to make me a suspect between my time and hers. That doesn't make me guilty."

"I never said it did. Care for a slice of cake?"

"Sorry, but it's pretty disturbing being beaten nearly to death by a death god for something I haven't done. You can't blame me for being a bit worried."

He shakes his head. "No thanks, intense quantities of sugar isn't good for concentration."

"Yes, I suppose it would be. Have you ever had any run-ins with Shinigami or 'other-worldy-creatures' in the past? Or, can you think of anyting you might have ever done to upset the balance between our world, and their's?

Or do you really believe that she is, as you say, from a possible future of our worlds?"

"I don't think I would ever do what she claims I did." Light says. "So in my opinion, either she is wrong, or she's from an alternate future. I've never met any other worldly creatures except her, as far as I know. I'm just a model student with an interest in solving crimes and aspirations to be a police chief one day like my father."

"Do you think that there is any validity to the theory that Kira is doing these murders subconsciously?"

[OOC: sorry for not posting sooner. Been busy moving back up to Atlanta and haven't had much of a chance.]

Light considers this.

"Depends. How do you think he's finding out about the victims? If he's looking them up, that would suggest it's active. And you'd think they'd notice, or start to kill people in their day to day lives by mistake."

"Like you said, it all depends. My current working theory was that Kira was getting his victims from the news and the internet, seeing as how all criminals killed were broadcasted those ways. However, your mention of this 'Shinigami' had given me another possible solution. If there is somehow, and forgive me for being unscientific, a "magic," if you will, at work with this, maybe this could be subconscious. For instance, the "Shinigami" could posses a human and control his actions. This could also lead to the possibility that Kira's power is ephemeral and transmittable. Any thoughts?"

"If that's the case." Light says. "Even if you catch Kira, you won't have the guilty party, just a vessel."

"Precisely why I hope the latter isn't true. Because, despite Japan's great leaps in technology, I seriously doubt that we have the capacity and the ability to imprison a Shinigami. Until such an event occurs, I still plan to run with the theory that Kira is a sentient being capable of controlling his or her thoughts. It was more or less 'food for thought,' is you will."

L scarves down the last of his cake.

"It had been great talking to you Light. You have given me some serious ideas to ponder. If you are wondering, 'yes,' I still consider you to be a possible suspect in the Kira case, but you need not worry. There is only about a 5% chance that you are Kira. I will be in contact with you, Light. Have a pleasant tomorrow."

"And you." Light says, with a nod.

"If the Shinigami should attack you, make sure to call Security." he adds.

"I'll keep that in mind."

L pulls out a couple of crumpled bills and sets them on the table as a tip. He takes one last sip of his drink and, just as quietly as he appeared, L leaves the bar at the end of the universe.