Death Note: Chapter Zero. Chapter Thirteen: Introductions.

4,817 words. I know I posted this chapter before, but I hated it. And I mean REALLY hated it. I only posted it because I didn't want to be one of those writers who doesn't finish his stories. I was in a writing funk for a while, but now I'm back. I've got chapter fourteen ready as well, and will post it after I post this one. When I wrote the chapter the first time, I felt sick to my stomach, and I hated myself. Now that I've rewritten it, I feel much better.

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Chapter Thirteen: Introductions
Misa walked down the hall to her and Light's bedroom, carrying a tray of breakfast for her husband. Today was their anniversary, and she wanted to surprise him with breakfast in bed. She entered the room and found him putting on his tie.
"You're leaving already?" she asked. "But it's our anniversary."
"I have to get to work; I just got the names of several powerful criminals that have avoided justice, and I need to kill them before I head out."
"Will you at least eat your breakfast?"
"I don't have time for that." He finished fixing his tie, and walked passed Misa. He turned around to look at her. "Go wake up Ryuzaki; he's ten years old, and I want him to start using the Death Note."
"What? Are you sure?"
"Yes, I'm sure! Now go wake him up!"
Misa watched as Light walked away, going into his study to work. She looked at the tray in her hands, and sighed; Light never wanted to celebrate their anniversary, or any other special occasion. Well, that's not true; he liked celebrating the day that he killed L, otherwise known as Ryuzaki, and the last person who stood against his dominion of the new world. That was the only time he ever seemed happy.
Misa walked to her son's room, opening the door and finding him still asleep in his bed. His father had named him Ryuzaki, after the great detective who had plagued him, though she wasn't sure why. Was it to insult L? Was it to honor him, as a great opponent? She didn't know. She placed the tray of food on a nearby dresser and walked over to her son. "Honey, it's time to wake up," she whispered lightly, gently shaking him.
"Already?" he asked groggily. Misa was still amazed at how much he looked like his father. Just as handsome, just as perfect. If not more so.
"You're father wants you to learn how to bring justice properly," she told him. "He thinks you're old enough now. Now get up; I have some breakfast here for you." She walked over to the tray she had prepared for Light, and picked it up. She brought it to Ryuzaki, who looked at the tray with hungry eyes.
"Thank you, Mom," he said. He grabbed the knife and fork and started eating. He stopped when he saw a small note under the plate. He lifted the plate and looked at the piece of paper. His eyes sulked. "Dad didn't eat his breakfast?"
"No," Misa told him. "But that's okay; it saves me from making more for you."
Ryuzaki put the note back on the tray, and resumed eating. Misa could tell that he was upset; he didn't like his father ignoring his mother like that. But she didn't mind. Misa watched her son eat, and took the tray when he finished. She walked out of the room so she could clean the dishes.

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Taro opened his eyes to his mother knocking on his door. "Taro!" she said loudly. "Taro! It's time to get up!"
Taro sat up woozily. He blinked his eyes, getting rid of the sleep he had. "I'm up," he said groggily. He looked at his clock; it was almost 7:30. He had to be at school in less than an hour.
"Oh man, I forgot about school." He got off his bed and walked to his dresser. He rummaged around, looking for anything he could wear. He quickly found a pair of jeans and a green shirt, and put them on. He went to his bed and looked under it to retrieve his shoes. He found them and put them on.
"Taro, are you ready?" his mom asked. "You can't be late!"
"I'm ready!" Taro called back. He tied his shoes and walked over to his schoolbag. "I'm just grabbing my bag."
"You have to hurry. I have an appointment with the doctor today, and I can't be late."
Taro opened his door to find his mother waiting for him, dressed and keys in hand. "Okay, let's go."
Taro walked into the school, hurrying to his classroom. He was already late enough as it was, and he didn't want to get in trouble. He made it to the classroom, stopped in front of the door, and looked at his watch; It was 8:14. He was late.
He walked into his classroom, still tired from lack of sleep. He hoped he wouldn't fall asleep in class; he was doing so well in school now, and he didn't want to fall back into his old habit fall of being late and falling asleep. When he entered, he found most of the class standing around, talking. He didn't see Mr. Kikukawa, their teacher.
He saw Sayu sitting in her usual spot, talking to some of her girl friends. She spotted him and gestured for him to come over.
Taro walked over, a little embarrassed. He didn't want Sayu bragging about having him as a boyfriend, that would just be uncomfortable. "Hey, Sayu."
"Good morning, honey!" She grabbed his arm and kissed him on the cheek. She looked at her friends. "See? Didn't I tell you he was handsome?"
"I've seen better," one of the girls said. "You're brother's way hotter than him."
"He is not!" Sayu said defensively. "Besides, he doesn't count; he's my brother."
"Uh, Sayu?" Taro was feeling more uncomfortable with each passing second. Class is gonna start soon; shouldn't we sit down?"
She looked at him. "Oh, that's right, you just got here," she said. "Mr. Kikukawa is absent today. We have a substitute."
"A substitute?" Taro repeated. He breathed out a deep breath. 'Thank god,' he thought. 'The substitutes not gonna care about me being late.'
"Yeah, some old guy," one of the girls said. "He left to get something."
"He's probably senile," another girl joked, laughing. "He has to be at least seventy."
"Actually, I'm sixty-five." Taro turned around and saw an old man, the substitute, standing in front of the class. "And I'll have you know that I'm actually quite all there in head."
"Oops," the girl said. "Sorry, Mr. Ryu."
"It's alright, miss Kimiko. Now, if you'd all please return to your seats, I have the papers your teacher wanted you work on today."
The class quieted down, and they all went back to their seats. Taro felt himself being pulled to his seat by Sayu, who forced him to the chair. She sat next to him, forgoing her regular seat to be next to him.
Taro watched as the old man, Mr. Ryu, walked around the classroom to hand out the papers. Taro felt like he knew the man from somewhere, but he couldn't place his finger on it. When he reached Taro and Sayu, he looked at Taro. "I don't recall you being here earlier, young man," he said. "What is your name?"
Taro cursed inside his head. He was hoping there would be no attendance today. "Taro," he replied. "Taro Kagami."
"Taro Kagami," Mr. Ryu repeated. "Yes, I remember. I marked you as absent. I suppose I'll have to change that to late."
"Sorry, sir."
"No matter." He handed two sheets of paper to Taro, who gave one to Sayu. He looked at the contents of the paper; quadratic equations. Simple enough.
"Oh, man. I hate quadratic equations," Sayu muttered. Taro wondered how Sayu still couldn't get this stuff; not only did he tutor her, but she's also gotten her brother to do so as well.
"Don't worry," Taro comforted her. "I'll help you through them."
Sayu smiled. "Thanks, Taro."

---

L sat in his chair, conversing with with the rest of the task force about Taro Kagami. It was reaching eight o' clock, and Chief Yagami poured coffee into several cups.
"I'm sorry about the you having bring us coffee, Mister Yagami," L apologized. He took a sip, and grimaced. He reached for the sugar cubes, taking several of them and dropping them in the cup of coffee, and started to stir with his spoon. "But with Watari out on his assignment, I had no one make it for us."
"I don't mind at all, Ryuzaki." The Chief grabbed his cup and took a sip. "I prefer to make my own anyway."
"So where is Watari?" Matsuda asked. "What did you send him out to do?"
"As I said before, I wished to meet Taro Kagami on the first of the month. However, I have decided to speed up my plans." L took a large sip of his coffee, enjoying the sweetness of it. He could feel some sugar still left undissolved at the bottom. "Given what has occurred in the passed few days, I have decided to meet him today."
"Today?" Matsuda asked. "When are you going to meet him?"
"After school." L reached for chocolate and threw it in his mouth. "Watari is posing as a substitute teacher for Taro Kagami's class. I asked him to hold him back after class, so I could meet with him in the school."
"Are you sure that's wise?" Aizawa asked. "Meeting him in a school?"
"Aizawa's right," Matsuda agreed. "Shouldn't we bring him here? Wouldn't that be safer for the both of you?"
"No, it wouldn't. If I bring him here, then there's the possibility that Light will see him. Not only that, but the school will be a perfect place for us to meet. After all, an exceptional student being held back after class isn't that suspicious."
"Hmm. I suppose you have a point." Matsuda took a sip of his coffee. "But what about us? Should we go with you?"
"No, I will meet with him alone. A bunch of police officers will surely attract attention." L took another chocolate and put it in his mouth. He chewed it slowly, and drank some coffee to wash it down. "I will meet with him alone, with no cameras or wires being hidden anywhere; not even Watari will be there to hear."
"Very well," The Chief said. "What would you like for us to do in the meantime?"
"I would like you to keep your son away the school," L told him. "I don't want to risk him coming to pick her up or something."
"Very well."
"Now, if you'll excuse, I need to ready. I want to go over a few things by myself before I visit Taro Kagami." L stood, and walked off towards another room for privacy. "The rest of you can go home. Tend to your families. You probably haven't seen them for a full day in months."
L opened the door to the room and went inside. He heard the rest of the task force leave the room, and went to the bed that he hardly ever slept on. He sat down, trying to think of what he would say to Taro Kagami.

---

Misa sat on the couch as she cycled through the faces of the recent criminals and suspects that people posted on the official Kira website. Ever since Light had defeated L, as well as eliminated every other person that threatened him, the world had finally accepted Kira as their saviour. But that didn't mean that everybody still behaved. They still had murderers and thieves, rapists and sexual offenders. Light dealt with them, while Misa dealt with 'undesirables', those who did not contribute to society, such as the homeless.
Misa felt bad for killing the homeless, but did as Light ordered her to. He knew what was best. How could he not? She ran through the photos of the undesirables, writing their names in her Death Note while thinking of their faces. She stopped when she came upon a photo of a child. The child was rather large, and had a mean face on him. She wondered what he could have to deserve to die. "He's probably a bully," Misa muttered. She remembered Light's orders; kill everyone on the website, including children; bullies would become future aggressors, murderers, thieves, rapists. She closed her eyes and shed a tear as she wrote the boy's name down. She stopped with his first name.
"Misa." Misa looked behind her to find Rem, her best friend and Shinigami. After all these years, she still stood by her side. "Are you sure you wish to do that?"
"Yes, of course of I'm sure!" she told her. "He'll just become another bad person in the future!"
"But he is only a child, Misa," Rem told her. "You do not like killing children. Why do this if it makes you sad?"
"Because Light said so. Even if he is just a little boy, I have to do it." She could feel more tears running down her cheeks.
"Mom?" Misa turned around to see her son, Ryuzaki. "Why're you crying?"
Misa looked at her son and grabbed him, hugging him tight. She forgot that he can't see Rem or Ryuk, not until Light let him touch the Death Note. "Oh, Ryuzaki!" She cried into her son's shoulder. "What do I do?"
Misa bolted up from her bed, awaking from her dream. She could feel tears running down her cheeks, and rubbed her eyes to get rid of them. She was breathing heavily, and she wondered why she had dreamt such a horrible dream.
"Misa, are you alright?" She looked at Rem, the Shinigami's face filled with worry. "You were mumbling in your sleep, though I couldn't understand what you were saying."
"I just had a bad dream is all." Misa wondered what the dream meant. Did she doubt Light? Was it her subconcious telling her that Light would kill even more children? She didn't know. "I'm alright Rem. Thank you for caring."
"Misa, what was your dream about?"
Misa didn't want to tell her, but she felt that she had to. "It was about Light."
"I thought so. You had a nightmare about what he has asked you to do, didn't you?"
"Yeah, I did." Misa sighed. "I don't want to kill a little boy, Rem. I mean, he's just a kid. What should I do?"
"Misa, why not tell Light Yagami that you will not kill the boy? He cannot harm you, otherwise I would kill him."
"Because then he wouldn't love me, Rem!" Misa loved Light with all her heart and soul, and knew that they were meant to be together forever. But they couldn't be together if she didn't kill Taro Kagami.
"Misa, I believe I have a solution to your problem," Rem said. Misa looked at her.
"You do?" Misa asked. "What is it?"
"You can write down the boy's name in the Death Note, like Light Yagami is asking of you."
"But Rem-" Misa began.
"Let me finish Misa," Rem interrupted. She reached behind her back, and pulled something out from behind her. She showed it to Misa; it looked like an eraser. "This object is called a Death Eraser; it can reverse the effects of the Death Note, bringing the human whose name is erased back to life. I will write the boy's name down in my Death Note, then erase it soon after."
"How did you get that?"
"Only the highest level of Shinigami are given Death Erasers, those who have proved themselves wise enough to use them. Not many exist, as they pose a great threat to the balance of the human world."
"That's great Rem!" Misa then thought of Light's words. 'I'll have him die in an accident, so L won't know about his death.' "But what about the other children? Light said he would kill other kids to help mask Taro Kagami's death."
Rem's face twisted in what Misa thought was anger and disgust. She then seemed to e thinking. "Merely tell him not to do it," Rem told her. "Appeal to Light Yagami's intellect; tell him that if several children died, then the person known as L will surely know that the boy is dead. However, if one boy dies, then he would think nothing of it."
"Do you think that would work?" Misa asked.
"Yes, I do. But you must insist on it, otherwise he may not listen. There is one more thing; when you write your entry down, you must not think of the boy's face. If you do, and I erase my entry, then yours will take effect."
Misa thought about Rem's words, and smiled happily. "I can do that," Misa said, bringing her fists up then down, showing her determination. She wouldn't have to kill a little boy.

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Taro was packing his books into his school bag after class was finished, getting ready to leave for Sayu's house. The substitute, Mr. Ryu, had given them hard work to do, something that even Taro wasn't sure he got right. "You ready?" Sayu asked.
"Yeah, just a few seconds." Taro was feeling nervous; Sayu wanted to take him to her house, so he could formally meet her parents. He was sure he would screw up somehow. He packed up the last of his books and shouldered his pack. "Alright, let's go."
The two of them headed for the door. "Mr. Kagami," Taro stopped and looked behind him, "I would like to speak to you."
"Um, why?" Taro asked. He wondered what he had done. "Did I do something?"
"No, nothing at all. But I will have you for a while, so Miss Yagami," he looked at Sayu, "I would suggest you go home. I am sorry for the inconvenience."
"Oh." Sayu looked at Mr. Ryu, then Taro. "Well, I guess you can come over tomorrow."
"Yeah. Sounds good." Taro kissed her cheek, embarrassed to do so in front of the old man. He watched Sayu walk out the door, then watched her walk down the hall until she went into the stairway.
Taro turned around to look at the old man. "So, what am I staying behind for?" Taro asked.
"I want to introduce you to someone," he told the young boy. "Someone who has been looking forward to meeting you for a while now."
Taro was confused; who would want to meet him? He was just a kid. "Who?"
"Me," Taro heard a voice say. He didn't recognize it, but it sounded ... familiar. Taro turned around and found himself looking at a tall, pale skinned man. His eyes seemed clouded, and he had large bags under his eyes, as if he hadn't slept in weeks. It reminded Taro of a panda. "I've been waiting to meet you, Taro Kagami. My name is L."

---

"My name is L," L told him. "No doubt you've heard of me."
The boy's eyes widened. "What?" he asked. "L? The detective?"
L waited a few seconds before answering, enjoying the dramatic silence. "Yes, the detective. I have some questions for you, as I'm sure you have some for me."
"What're you doing here?" Taro asked. L noticed that he wasn't skeptical, that he wasn't asking why L, the great detective, was all of a sudden in front of him. This all but confirmed his suspisions.
"I felt it would be best if we met here." L walked towards one of the many chairs and sat down, putting his knees up to his chest.
Taro's eyes looked around. "How do I know you're L?"
"Simple," L answered. "You sent me a message, posing as Kira. You were the one who told me that it was Kira who killed Naomi Misora. I also know you followed Raye Penber in the subway, and ran to help him when he collapsed."
The boy smiled shakily. "You found me. Thank god," he breathed out heavily. He seemed to have been holding his breath. "I was afraid you never would!"
"Well, now you don't have to worry." L prepared to get down to business. "Now then, I know you know something about Kira, and I need to know what that is."
"Kira?" Taro repeated. "Right, I'll tell you everything I can!" He pulled a chair up next to L, and sat down across from the great detective.
"First I would like to know how he kills his victims. Does he merely wish death upon them?"
"No, he doesn't. He uses a special notebook; the Death Note."
'Death Note?' L wondered. 'What on earth is a Death Note?'
"The Death Note can kill anyone who's name is written in it, so long as you know what they look like."
"A name and a face," L stated. "That would fit my theory about his method of killing. And what exactly is a Death Note?"
"A Death Note is just as it's name implies; a notebook of death. Death Notes are owned by, and you're probably not gonna believe me-"
"Shinigami," L interrupted. The boy had a shocked look on his face. "I'm right, aren't I?"
"Yes, you are. But how do you know about Shinigami?"
"Kira sent me a coded message a few months ago. It said, 'L, did you know, Shinigami love apples?'. He was mocking me."
"Seems kinda risky."
"It was. However, he's eluded capture thus far, and managed to kill a dozen F.B.I. agents within a week. Anyways, back to Kira. Do you know how he came into possession of this 'Death Note'?"
Taro's face dropped. He seemed ashamed. "It was my fault," he said. "I gave the book back to Ryuk; he said he would die if I destroyed it, like I did the other."
"The other?" L asked. "So there were two?"
"Yes. My friend, Miura Asahi, had found the second one." Taro began to tell L about the incident with the Death Notes, from how he had accidentally killed his classmates, then how Miura had killed them again. L listened intently, making sure he did not miss any detail. He listened intently about Ryuk, the dark Shinigami, and how he 'dropped' the Death Notes. He took note of how only people who have touched this 'Death Note' could see and hear Shinigami, and knew that he could use that to his advantage. He was especially interested in the part about the 'Death Eraser'; Taro said that it could bring those who were killed by the Death Note back to life, provided the body wasn't destroyed and it was still fresh.
"I see. So the first death's were an accident, like I thought."
"Wait, you mean you know about that?"
"Yes, I do. Everything fit together perfectly; the timing, the deaths, you.; everything made sense." L was biting his nail throughout the whole story. He released his nail and looked at Taro. "Would you still be able to see this Shinigami, Ryuk?"
"I think so, yeah. I mean, I remember everything about him and the Death Note, so I should be able to see him."
L thought about Light Yagami, his prime suspect. Wouldn't Taro have seen the Shinigami if he had seen Light? He knew for a fact that he had been near Light several times, yet he never gave any hint about seeing the Shinigami. That meant that Light was either innocent, or he couldn't see the Shinigami. "Are you sure about that?"
"Yeah, definitely. Why?"
"Because, if you could see the Shinigami, then you should have seen him by now."
"What do you mean?"
"You have been near our prime suspect several times, and yet you never saw this Ryuk."
"Ryuk told me that he was on Earth because he was bored with his world. He probably flew away to prevent me from seeing him." Taro then realized something. "Wait, what do you mean I've been near your prime suspect?"
L agreed with his theory, about the Shinigami flying away so he wouldn't be discovered. He then registered what Taro had asked. "You may not like this, but I believe your girlfriend's brother, Light Yagami, is Kira."
Taro couldn't believe his ears. L thought that Light was Kira? Light was the most upstanding person Taro knew. How could he be a monstrous serial killer? "What are you talking about?" Taro asked. "Light, Kira? That's insane."
"Everything we have uncovered points to him. One of the F.B.I. agents, the very one you followed, was following Light as part of the investigation. He was also the only one to exhibit strange behaviour before his death. Well, strange-er."
Taro was silent. Could Light be Kira? He thought of all the horrible things that have occurred in the past few months. He remembered Light always being about justice, about bad guys getting what's coming to them. "But..." he trailed off. "Why would he kill all those people? The bad guys, fine, but why the cops, why people who're trying to catch him? He's always been about justice, about doing what's right. Why would he...?"
"Absolute power corrupts absolutely," L said. "The power to kill people has driven him mad. He's not the Light Yagami you knew."
Taro remained silent.
"Taro, I want you to see Light Yagami, catch him off guard, and see if you see the Shinigami, Ryuk. If you see him, then it confirms my theory."
"What will happen to him?" Taro asked. "Will he be killed?"
"I don't know," L replied. "It would be up to the world leaders to decide that."
"What about the Death Note? Even if you're right, and you do arrest him, I doubt he would just give up the notebook."
"I'll take drastic measures; burn everything related to the Yagami household. That way we know for sure the notebook of death is destroyed."
Taro then thought of something. "What about The Second Kira? How do you plan on catching her?"
"Her?" L asked. "How do you know it's a woman?"
"I saw a strange girl at The Note Blue; she seemed out of place. I didn't get a good look at her though."
"Hmm. That girl was most likely The Second Kira; the tapes we recieved from The Second Kira had small fingerprints on them, so I assumed they were from a woman or a child. It seems I was correct."
"Well, what about her?"
"A girl by the name of Misa Amane stopped by the Yagami household last night," L told him. "I have had the household under constant surviellance by someone on the task force, and the person on shift that night saw Misa Amane go inside the house. We've also collected hairs and fingerprints from her home. It's all circumstantial, but it's enough to convince me. That reminds me; what are "The Eyes'? The Second Kira mentioned them."
"I don't know," Taro told him, shrugging his shoulders. "I remember Ryuk mentioning that he could see the name and life-spans of humans, but I don't see how a human can."
"Hmm. Perhaps the Shinigami with her tells her the names of her victims?"
"Maybe," Taro said.
The room was quiet for a moment. Taro looked at the clock above the chalkboard, and was shocked to see that it was well passed five; he had been talking with L for over three hours. "Listen, I have to get home," Taro told him. "My mom's probably worried sick."
"Oh, yes. Sorry to have to kept you for so long." L stood and looked at Taro. "Taro, I want you to come to my current headquarters a few days from now, at this time; I will have Chief Yagami pick you up. Tell your mother it is for a date with Sayu."
"Mister Yagami? He's on your task force?"
"Yes. And he knows of my suspicions about Light as well, though he is not comfortable with it."
"Alright." Taro reached around his neck and pulled of his lanyard, which had his flash-drive on it. "Here; this is everything I have on the Death Note, as well as everything I've gathered so far. You can take it. I'll bring the Death Eraser when we meet again."
"Thank you." L took the lanyard, looking at it with fascination; everything he would probably need was on there. He put the lanyard around his neck, began to walk to the door, the old man right behind him. He stopped and turned his head slightly. "You should know that what you have been doing is very noble, Taro Kagami. Not many people would actively go against Kira. Especially a child."
"I had to. I'm the one who caused all of this." Taro could feel tears welling up in his eyes, and he fought them back. He felt guilty for all the death that he caused, for the corruption of Sayu's brother.
"You couldn't have predicted that this kind of thing would happen. You were trying to save a life, and for that you should be proud. Even if the result is bad." He walked out of the room, leaving Taro sitting in the chair. He could feel his tears welling up once again, and couldn't stop them from falling.

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Done with chapter thirteen! How'd you like it? I would like it if you all commented. I would very much like a detailed critique to those willing to give them. You can read chapter fourteen immediately after reading this. I'm gonna do everything now.