Death Note Fan Fiction ❯ After Death ❯ Finding Kiyomi ( Chapter 4 )

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

Disclaimer: I do not own anything.

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"Near... you haven't said anything in three days. Are you ok?" Halle said, trying to meet Near's gaze but failing, he was staring at one of several television screens in front of him, watching the same news report over and over again. He said nothing. Halle sighed and was about to leave the room when-

"Halle." Near said demandingly.

"Near! What is it?" She walked briskly back to him, excited that her boss had decided to speak.

"I need you to bring me some cake." Halle paused and sighed.

"You want... cake?"

"Yes. Strawberry would be best, please." She walked out of the room, confused. Had Near finally lost it? Was the Kira case to impossible for him now? She went to a nearby bakery and picked up a large strawberry cake, went back to headquarters, and served near a large slice on a plate, wondering why Near's first words in the last three days were about cake.

"Near, if I may ask, why ca-"

"Shh...." He said. He sat the cake down and pulled his legs up, so his knees were almost level with his head. Then, he shoved a Jenga game he had been playing with off the couch, pieces scattering everywhere. He did this very precisely, then, picked up his fork by the very tip, and ate a small piece of the cake, lifting the fork high above his head before eating it.

"To answer your question, I have an idea." He said this while still looking at the screen.

"An idea... about what?"

"L." Halle didn't know much about L at all, just that he was a great detective and Near had been chosen as his replacement.

"Near, I don't see how this is going to-"

"Shh..." He repeated, "Now halle, if I may, I would like to spend the rest of the night on my own. I have some thinking to do." Halle nodded and left the room, still confused.

***

"Kiyomi," Light began, "I want you to continue to kill off criminals, 70 per day, as you’ve already been doing. I want Near to know it's me."

"Okay, that shouldn't be too hard, you can never run out." She said, between glancing at a computer monitor and scribbling madly in a black notebook.

“Good.”

“Light,” Kiyomi began, “You said you know Near’s real name, why not kill him now?”

“That would be too easy. I would rather kill off all other’s who know of the notebook first. I want a challenge, not to catch Near when he’s sitting in my lap.” Kiyomi nodded and kept writing, red eyes glowing. Shinigami eyes. Light knew she would accept the deal in exchange for the honor of being Kira’s replacement. Misa, Mikami, they both had. And where are both now? Dead. Misa probably as well. Even though Light was only using Misa, he still felt some remorse for just leaving her there. No- you can’t think like that. You have to focus on Near. You can’t remember all the names from the SPK, can you? Damnit!

“Light, you listening?” Light shook his head.

“Sorry, what?”

“I said, do you remember all the names of the people from the SPK Japanese police?” That was her talking? I think I’m starting to lose it.

“Oh, no I don’t... only a few.” Light said, snapping back to reality.

“Too bad,” Kiyomi said, “I could have killed them for you”

“NO! You don’t do ANYTHING with the death note unless I instruct you to. Do you understand?” Kiyomi looked shocked but nodded.

“Okay, I understand.”

***

The next day, Halle came back to find the entire strawberry cake gone, and Near lying spead out on the couch.

“Near?” He woke with a start and fell off the side of the bed, followed by a long groan.

“Wassitchuwant?” He rolled over and jumped back on the couch.

“Uhm, excuse me?” Halle felt Near’s forehead. He doesn’t seem warm. Groggy maybe? But that was very unlike Near, he could usually stay up for days at a time and not feel it.

“Cake...” he said, “Good idea. Helped me think.” He shook his fingers through his hair and sat up, looking around the room.

“Helped you think of what?” By this time Near had completely woken up, and Halle could see the dark lines under his eyes were much deeper today.

“Not what, but like. Last night my thoughts took shape in the exact image I would have imagined L’s to be.”

“I see... did it help you with the Kira investigation at all?” Near nodded as he searched around the couch for a remote.

“Yes. But I need to know what happens to users of the death note once they die.”

“I thought you said they didn’t go to heaven or hell?”

“They don’t. But then where do they go? Is it possible for reincarnation? Or Immortallity. Or maybe the user becomes a Shinigami themselves, although none of those seem likely.” Halle nodded, “L would have known the answer to this.” He said, more to himself then Halle.

“Near, why don’t you go get some air, you’ve been stuck in here for almost a week now, you should go somewhere.”

“You’re right. I’m going for a walk to clear my head.”

(It turns out where Kiyomi was walking was actually outside of where she worked. Since Mark had gambled off their house, she was staying in an apartment about 150 miles away from there. It was a bit of a trek to work and back, but she had already given them her two week’s notice.)

As Near was walking, he just saw what he normally did. People, obviously. Drunk people, stoned people, angry people, stupid people, senseless people, violent people, and the occasional victim. It got him thinking. Maybe Kira was, or is, doing the right thing. Maybe these people are better off- No. He is a vicious murderer, who deserves death. But L must have thought this at some point, right? It makes sense for him to have. What doesn't make sense is how Light-

"How many do you remember? I mean, you must have remembered a few, right?" Kiyomi paused, "I know... So you only remember 2? Do you want me to write them down?" She paused again, "Okay, up to you."

Near froze. His head turned to where he heard the voice. She was standing near an alleyway talking to midair. Shinigami? Near thought. He walked over to the woman.

"Excuse me? My name is Len Smith, I was wondering if you could tell me how to get to the airport from here?" Kiyomi stared above Near's head.

"Len....Smith?" Light nudged her slightly and she jerked back to reality. However, Near noticed the slight invisible jerk that seemed to come out of nowhere.

"Yes, uhm, the airport miss?"

"Oh right. Go up 6 blocks then turn right to the interstate. There's a sign about 20 miles to your left."

"Thank you, miss." Near walked away. That was all he needed. The brief two second stare above his head was enough to indicate that this woman was in possesion of a death note, and shinigami eyes. She also had a shinigami with her, but who? Ryuk, maybe? It didn't seem likely. Light? Possibly. Also, she had been talking to herself. The shinigami. When he went back to headquarters he found Halle.

"Welcome back, how was the walk?" Near flew past her and jumped onto the couch he had been sitting at previously, and whipped out a phone book, flipping furiously through the pages.

"Need any, uhm, help with anything?"

"No. Shh." He continued flipping through the pages until he found what he was looking for.

"AHA!" Halle jumped and Near picked up the phone.

"Hello. May I speak with your manager? It's somewhat urgent. Yes thank you. Hello. I am Near. I run an organization called the SPK, funded by the US government. I need your security tapes from earlier this afternoon. Yes thank you. Goodbye."

"What was that about?" Halle asked, still confused.

"On the street I saw a woman talking to herself, about remembering names and asking the air if she should write them down," Near began, "I walked over to her and told her a false name, and acted like a confused tourist. She stared above my head for several seconds before getting nudged by thin air. She has a death note and the shinigami eyes. I'm positive of it." Halle sat down and nodded.

"But why the phone call? What do security tapes have to do with her?"

"There's a hotel across the street, and all hotels have at least one camera on the outside of the building. If I can see her face, I can identify her."

"But who would the shinigami be?" Near sighed.

"That's the only thing I don't know. Unless there are other death gods coming down to the human world, I don't see who it could be other than possibly Ryuk, but he has no death note now."

"I'll go pick up the tapes."

"Thank you. I need more time to think now." Halle nodded and left the room. Incredible, she thought, how quickly he can find a lead to an otherwise impossible case. She went to the hotel and picked up the tapes, and brought them back to Near. Sure enough, the camera was pointed almost exactly where Kiyomi had been standing.

"Halle, zoom in on her face." She did so and Near nodded.

"Halle, I need you to find out who this person is. No matter what." Halle nodded and left Near to his thoughts. This is going better than I had thought. What a perfect coincedence that she happened to be in the United States.

"Near!" Halle said, walking back into the room a mere five minutes later, "Her name is Kiyomi Peru. She's japanese, but moved to the United States with her family when she was 16. Here's all the rest of her information." Near took several sheets of paper out of her hand and studied them.

"Halle," Near began, "I think we should become friends with Kiyomi."