"The Secret Rule" Chapter 18: The Secret is Out

I'm guessing you are all probably tired of hearing this, but once again, I apologize for taking so long to update. I've not been in the mood to write fanfiction in months, and will soon retire from actively posting on so as to move on to other writing projects. However, I am not going to leave this story unfinished. I know this story has been going for about a year now, but the final chapter will be published before the end of the summer. I promise.

When we last saw our heroes, L was engaged with Kira in a public debate, but it's actually a ruse to draw him away from Taro, who is making a separate broadcast bent on exposing Kira's secrets. Meanwhile, Kira's proxy, Yuu Sabanto, prepares to make her move.

"Kira is just a man. He attended high school and university right here in Japan, and is now a mere 27 years old. No matter how much power he may have, he is not a god."

"You seem to know a lot about him," the newswoman said, sitting behind her own frosted glass panel across from Taro. "How did you come to know all of this?"

"Some of it involved my own research, and I also ran into a couple of his old friends. However, I've known a lot about Kira's operation from the very beginning, but I'll get to that in a moment."

"I see," she said. "And what did you plan to do with this information?"

Taro smiled sheepishly, even though he knew the audience couldn't see it. "Well, at first I was really scared. Even though he's an ordinary man, he has a considerable amount of power and influence. And I was much younger when Kira first appeared, so there was that."

The newswoman nodded understanding. "So why did you come forward now, at a time when Kira is very strict about dealing with people who oppose his methods?"

"Because people deserve to know the truth," Taro said. The newswoman opened her mouth to speak again, but Taro went on. "Not necessarily in every aspect. Certainly, sometimes people are entitled to keep their secrets. However, most of the people who follow Kira do so because they believe Kira to be a god, and that's simply not true."

"Who's to say that having as much power as he possesses doesn't make Kira some kind of god?" the newswoman asked.

She sounds like she supports Kira, Taro thought. Either that, or she's playing a good devil's advocate. Let's hope good journalism is as objective as it claims to be.

Then again, it's not like I don't have an agenda here either.

"Because it's not really a power, it's a tool," Taro explained. "And while it is rare, it is not unique to Kira, and anyone in possession of it can use it easily."

"And could you tell us about this...tool?" she asked.

"Actually," Taro said, pulling out a piece of paper, "I'm prepared to show you."

That was the signal. Matsuda wrote down the name.

Xavier Anderson

And now, we wait, he thought.

On the screen, Taro's silhouette passed the paper to the show's host, and instructed the announcer to switch to the Skype feed they had provided. A man appeared on the screen, sitting in front of his webcam. A mask covered the upper half of his face.

Just enough that people can see his expressions, but not enough for someone with the shinigami eyes to see his name. He had already checked.

The man waved to his audience. Behind the glass, Taro explained that this man had volunteered for the experiment. Then, as the second hand on the clock reached the top, the man on the screen suddenly clutched his chest, and his face contorted with agony. Then he collapsed.

Matsuda pulled out the eraser. Now came the tricky part.

The newswoman's face became pale. That, combined with the phones in the studio going berserk, told Taro there was a good chance the viewers wouldn't think there was a fraud.

And there wasn't, of course. But they hadn't passed the biggest hurdle yet.

"It's called a Death Note," he explained. "Any person whose name is written in it dies of a heart attack, so all Kira needs to know in order to kill his victims is their name and what they look like. What he does isn't exactly divine or even difficult."

"So, you've set up this demonstration to show the public that you also have this tool?" the newswoman asked.

"Yes," Taro said. "Several other people have also come to possess items like this one since the rise of Kira. Most notably, there was the so-called 'Second Kira,' who appeared in 2004, but then mysteriously vanished. Unlike them, however, I've never worked under Kira himself."

"And they did?"

"Yes, they were all his pawns, whom he used to conduct his killings for him, while he worked behind the scenes."

"And it was all done by this paper?" she asked.

"Yes, but there's more," Taro assured her. "What Kira doesn't know, or rather, didn't know until recently, is that there's a way to undo this."

A skeptical eyebrow went up. "Oh?"

"Yes. Just like there is a killing paper called a Death Note, there is something called the Death Eraser." Taro pulled an eraser from his jacket pocket. "If I erase a name from the Death Note with this, that person will come back to life." he said. "Kira may have told you that he brought back those who were killed by the latest Kira imitator last summer, but that was a lie. I brought them back."

Then Taro erased the name from the paper. The studio cut again to the Skype feed, and the whole world watched as Taro's volunteer sat up and waved.

The incoming calls were roaring through the studio. The host took the signal from her boss, and said, "Well, with that astounding claim, we're cutting to a quick commercial break. We'll be taking calls when we come back. Stay tuned."

"And cut!" the boss said. Both Taro and the host relaxed. She pulled out a cigarette and lit it. She looked even more nervous than Taro was.

"I'll give you this, you sure are brave," she said. "I'd bet there's a lot of people who aren't taking what you said very well. If not for our top security, there's a good chance they would come to shut you up."

Taro smiled weakly. "That's what I'm counting on."

In reality, though, Taro was getting more and more anxious. Each passing moment made it more likely that Kira's proxy would make his move, and this plan was far from perfect. A single slip could spell disaster. If the proxy was prepared enough to defeat them, or clever enough to not come at all, it would all be for nothing.

In the grand scheme of things, the L/Kira debate meant nothing. While it was true that Kira keeping most of the people on his side would make things even more difficult for Taro and the others, it would be alright as long as the proxy was captured. All the dominoes would fall once that happened. The only purpose of the debate was to tie Light down, leaving only his proxy to deal with the impromptu broadcast.

Of course, given that broadcast had been announced that day through graffiti on the street, it was possible that the proxy might not even know about it. A lot of local viewers were more obsessed with the debate, and it wouldn't be a stretch to say that the proxy could be among them. Not to mention that this would all be for naught if the proxy wasn't in Japan as Ryuzaki had speculated.

So many things that could go wrong. It'll be a miracle if we can pull this off. We have to lure the proxy into action.

"And we have our first caller of the program," the host said. "Go ahead, please."

"Yes, I think your guest owes us an explanation as to how he knows all of this. So far, all we've been given is a very implausible theory as to how Kira kills, with 'proof' that could very easily have been faked. Kira's given us better arguments."

"True," Taro replied, reaching into his bag and pulling out a folder of papers. Thanks to Ryuzaki's efforts, they were ready for this.

"This is an official police report, filed on November 6th, 2002, about one year before Kira first appeared. The specific names and places have been censored, but it tells of five junior high students who abruptly dropped dead of heart attacks, and bizarrely, came back to life only days later. This was crossed-referenced with some other cases, unsolved, from even earlier, where a particular group of people mysteriously died of heart attacks in a way that benefited others. In this case, it was determined by the leading detectives that a student who had been bullied by these five kids had come to possess this object, which is called a Death Note, and the eraser that can undo its actions. The case was believed by the detectives to be closed, but..."

Taro gulped. No matter how many times he recounted this story, it never got any easier.

"...the notebook was not destroyed. Instead, it was accidentally passed on to the individual known as Kira, while the student kept the eraser. I am that student, and I've had the eraser for the past 11 years."

The host's eyes widened with curiosity, as the police file was put on the screen for the viewers to inspect.

"For those of you who are still not convinced," Taro went on, "there's another source you can try. A few years ago, in an attempt to lure Kira in without causing suspicion, I submitted a manuscript for a one-shot manga to Shounen Jump, titled "The Death Note." It was published on November 25, 2009, and it detailed all of the events contained in that police report, but also with the names of people and places changed. In addition to setting bait for Kira, it was also meant to act as a means of testing people's opinions on Kira. Mainly, what if Kira was one of us?"

Shit, it really is the guy with the eraser that Kira told me about, Sabanto thought. He's an even bigger threat than I realized. I have to kill him.

There was a knock, and Matsuda jumped a meter into the air.

Relax, he thought. It's just Kei.

He went to open the door, and sure enough, there was Kei Sanami, back from her book club. She peered around Matsuda and sniffed the air. "Dear, did you fix dinner like I asked you to?"

Crap. "Sorry, I forgot. I was...er...busy."

Kei shook her head and put her hands on her hips. "Touta, Touta, what am I going to do with you?"

Matsuda grinned sheepishly. "I don't know. You were the one who married me."

Kei laughed. Oh, how Matsuda loved the way she laughed. Like most people, she laughed at him, but it always felt so much more kind-hearted than when, say, Aizawa used to.

"Well, perhaps we'll just go out to eat, instead," she suggested.

Matsuda bit his lip. "Unfortunately, I'm still in the middle of something, but I promise I'll take you out as soon as I'm finished."

Kei sighed. "More top-secret Kira business? Oh, alright. You know I can't stay mad at you."

Matsuda chuckled weakly and turned back to the broadcast. The commercial break was over, and one of the callers was angrily telling Taro that he shouldn't be opposing Kira. And when Taro reminded them that his main concern was informing the public of the truth, the host interrupted, pointing out that the timing of the broadcast was definitely intended to undermine Kira.

"NHN's got someone to talk about Kira?" Kei asked.

"Yeah," Matsuda said. Only this time, it's someone that actually knows what he's talking about. He noticed Kei frowning. "What is it?"

"It's just...don't you think it's weird that Koheina isn't hosting this?" Kei asked.

"Koheina?"

"Yeah. Ever since NHN stopped pandering to Kira, Koheina's the one that always does the stories about Kira, because he's the only one that isn't biased."

That's true, Matsuda thought. How did I not notice that? Unlike Taro, the host's voice wasn't filtered, and it definitely wasn't Koheina. It wasn't even a guy.

"That sounds more like Sabanto," Kei said.

"Sabanto?" Matsuda said. "She's the most biased of them all."

"Exactly. So why is NHN having her host something like this?" Kei asked.

Good question, Matsuda thought. Come to think of it, Koheina was supposed to host this show. But there's no doubt that Sabanto is the one who's hosting it instead. Something's fishy about this. I guess that if Koheina couldn't be there, they would have to get a replacement. But that...that...

Matsuda ran to the phone. "Director Kishimoto? This is Sanami. Have there been any Kira-related deaths reported in the past few hours?"

As they went to another commercial break, Taro turned to his host. "Excuse me, Ms..."

The woman smiled. "Just call me Yuu."

"Yuu, what do you think about all this? I know that you're trying to remain unbiased in this, but I can tell that you happen to support Kira. Does any of this strike as being a little unsettling, that we've basically entrusted our justice system to a single, unknown person, just because he has this notebook?"

Yuu smiled. "Not necessarily. Crime rates have been reduced because of him, and you can't argue with those kinds of results. If he is just a man, I'd say that just makes the impact he has had even more impressive."

"Really? That's a whole lot of power for one person to have."

"Well then, what about you?" Yuu asked. "By your own admission, you've killed people with this notebook, regardless of the fact that you brought them back later. Yet you've waited until now to come forward with this information. You're trying to mitigate your own crimes in order to bring Kira down: in effect, using the Death Note for your own ends. If the police arrest Kira for what he's done, then don't you deserve whatever fate he receives? Especially if you're partially responsible for Kira receiving this power in the first place?"

Taro gritted his teeth. "Maybe. But I'll worry about that when the time comes."

Just then, a sharp ringing sound split the air. But it wasn't any of the studio phones: it was Taro's cell phone.

What now? thought Taro, hoping it wasn't who he suspected it was. No such luck. Matsuda's number flashed on the screen. He had promised to only call if there was an emergency. Which, at this stage of the game, was very bad news.

"What is it?" he asked.

"The host is the proxy!"

Taro gulped. His whole life flashed before his eyes. After so many years of chasing Kira, the goal was so close he could practically taste it. But the best chance of victory also invited the best chance of fatal defeat.

"I understand, but I'm a little busy at the moment," Taro said, trying to keep a stoic expression for Sabanto's sake. Twenty seconds before the end of the commercial break. "We'll talk later." Then he hung up.

"Who was that?" Sabanto asked.

"Oh, just-" For some reason, no one came to mind as an immediate excuse. Oh right, it's because I don't have any friends. "-my wife," he finally blurted out. Why was that so hard? "I just need to let her know what's going on. She worries about me."

Sabanto smiled. "I'm sure she does."

Hoping she might buy the "I'm texting my wife" line, Taro messaged Matsuda.

Are you sure?

As the show resumed, Taro tried to pay attention to the caller's question, but he was getting anxious. He had to know what Matsuda had found out. Finally, the response came.

We had arranged for Kenichi Koheina to host the interview, but Yuu Sabanto replaced him at the last minute. Also, Koheina has just found dead in his house. Heart attack.

That was certainly suspicious.

Taro: What do we do? We can't just grab her now. If Light doesn't hear back from her, he'll know something's wrong.

Matsuda: X and I have worked out a plan. Listen carefully...

"Tell me something, Yuu," Taro asked, during the next commercial break. "Were you in the news business a few years ago, when Kira was speaking directly through the media?"

"Yes," Sabanto said. "I had just started at the time, but I remember when Kira killed the Sakura TV newscasters over their monument campaign."

"Did you ever want to be Kira's mouthpiece yourself?"

Yuu smiled. "Well, I couldn't have been even if I wanted to. Even though he came to our network, Kiyomi Takada was a veteran, so there's no way I would have gotten picked over her. Besides, she had the face for it."

She chuckled. Taro squirmed, not sure whether it was polite to laugh or not.

"But the truth is that I didn't want to be his voice on the news," she continued. "It's like...I always got the feeling Takada did it for the attention. You didn't work with her, so you probably had no idea how much of a snob she was in real life. I thought that following Kira's directions to be famous was being faithful for the wrong reasons."

"So," Taro concluded, "it would be better to just follow Kira's lead in one's everyday life. Without being noticed."

"Exactly."

"Like in those underground cells."

Sabanto's mouth twitched. "What?"

"I mean, it's obvious that Kira's set up his own neighborhood watch, especially with what happened to the orphanage in England."

Sabanto's smile began to fade.

"You mean that attack? What about it"

"I heard it had something to do with L. That his successors were being trained at that orphanage or something."

Taro tried not to grin. He could see the cogs in Sabanto's mind turning. Did he hear that from L himself? Does that mean they're working together? For a threat like him to be working directly with L would be a major problem for Kira and Sabanto. She couldn't let that slide.

And yet, Sabanto seemed surprisingly calm.

"So...about those 'neighborhood watches'?" she asked.

"I was just wondering if that was the sort of thing you'd say was the 'right way' to support Kira."

Sabanto leaned back in her seat, with her hands firmly in her pockets. "Well, obviously, they shouldn't be disobeying the law. That would defeat the purpose of a perfect society."

Nice answer.

"So then you don't approve?"

Sabanto smiled. "Whether I do or not seems like a rather personal thing to ask, doesn't it?"

It might be, but now that Taro thought about it, he was sure she had been in the crowd when L was killed. Should I bring that up? Matsuda did say to try and goad her. No, it's almost time to get back on the air. But it doesn't look like I've gotten to her yet.

"Oh yes, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to be impertinent."

"It's no trouble," Sabanto assured him. Then she noticed the director signaling. "Well, shall we continue, Taro?"

"Of course," Taro said. Then he realized that she had just dropped her voice down almost to a whisper, and called him by his name. Her lips curled ever so slightly into a smile.

She's already written my name down. God, I hope you've got a plan, Matsuda. If this doesn't work, I'll be dead. Again. Kira will have finally beaten me. I'll have nothing to show for 10 years of work and staying alive.

Then he realized that, again, he hadn't thought about Sayu. On the eve of confrontation with Kira, his thoughts had been totally concerned with the victory or defeat that was imminent, but not with his wife. Or, for that matter, any of his family. Or his old classmates. Or his old coworkers.

His life had become consumed by Kira.

And yet, unlike before, he had no ill feelings towards Kira because of this. All he could feel was guilt over going through life without really living it, either for others or himself. Kira or no Kira, life went on. Other people had managed to live their lives regardless of the world Light was creating. When was the last time I even spoke to my parents? he thought. It must have been years. He could think of no intentions he had in life other than seeing this matter resolved. He had even tried to bring back thousands from the dead: undoing Kira's work without giving a thought to the disastrous consequences. He had wondered what Ryuzaki would do with his life once Kira was finally caught. What would I do?

Not that any of that mattered now.

But Sayu...

She had put up with his secrets, and with his obsessions. And there were still more; he hadn't even told her the most important step in the plan to bring Kira down. And somehow, she had managed to forgive him for his dishonesty. That was more than he could have expected or asked for. But now he found himself thinking about why he had decided to marry her in the first place.

He knew the answer. He had always known it. And that was the greatest crime of all.

"Excuse me."

Taro snapped back to reality. "What?"

Sabanto looked at him. "The caller was asking about why we should care about all of this, as long as Kira keeps us safe?"

Taro's mind was a blank. For all his preparation, he was unable to think clearly about how to answer this, the most important question. But his mouth continued to speak, as if his body realized he had only seconds left.

"Because if Kira is human, he is fallible. And if I cannot sit before you and speak against him, then who can?"

Taro saw Sabanto's smile falter ever so slightly as it occurred to her exactly what was going to happen.

Then Taro felt it.

The sudden pain in his chest.

He was grateful that, as a 14-year-old kid at the police station, he had asked for a painless death.

Because a heart attack, especially one that could kill you in seconds, was even more painful than he had imagined.

He fell out his chair, clutching his chest, trying to claw the pain away. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Sabanto leap down next to him. "Oh, no! Someone grab the defibrillator!" Very clever, Sabanto, to cover your tracks. While the whole studio was in a panic, Sabanto leaned down close to his body. "It's okay, we're going to get the medics in here," but even as she said that, Taro felt her reaching into his jacket pocket and seizing the piece of paper and the eraser.

Then she smiled. "Sweet dreams," she whispered.

Taro didn't hear any more of her lies. He blacked out before the medics could reach him.

Then he awoke. He sat up and looked around.

The studio was dark, and very nearly deserted. There was a man standing a few feet away. He turned and saw Taro.

"Good, you made it back," Matsuda said. "Good thing you came back here, and not the morgue. That would have been awkward." He chuckled nervously.

Taro breathed a sigh of relief. The mere fact that he was alive meant the plan had worked.

"Where's Sabanto?" he asked.

"In her dressing room," Matsuda said. "X is with her."

"Just X?" Taro asked.

"Yeah," Matsuda replied. "Sayu and Ryuzaki are still at their posts. They're waiting to hear from us."

Good. This next part would have been a lot harder if Sayu was here. "Well, let's not keep them waiting too much longer."

"So, you were working with them, Xavier Anderson," Sabanto sneered. She would have happily strangled the man in front of her, or least written his name down, if her hands weren't tied to her chair.

"Just call me X," he grunted. "And they did say I was a volunteer. Unlike you and Kira, we don't lie."

"X? So you're one of the letters, then."

"The last one," X confirmed, glaring at her.

"So, how did you know it was me?" she asked.

"Koheina's body. If you need to commit murder in order to reach your target, you shouldn't leave him where it can be found."

Sabanto frowned, and when she saw Taro and Matsuda walk into the room, the frown deepened.

"I guess you got me," Sabanto spat. "But you were all pretty lucky. Especially you." She nodded her head at Taro. "I was on my way to destroy the evidence when you guys caught up with me. Then the eraser would have been useless."

"Actually," Matsuda explained, "it wasn't luck at all." He reached into his pocket and held up a piece of paper for Sabanto to read.

Yuu Sabanto, heart attack.

She carries out her plan to kill the person trying to expose Kira's secrets. She confirms her mission's success to Kira, then waits quietly until the commotion at the studio dies down. Then she walks to her dressing room with the intention to dispose of the evidence.

"And that's where we found you," X reminded her. "We knew you would have brought some of the Death Note with you, just in case you had to kill Taro. And we specified that you wouldn't dispose of that paper until you came here, so there was no chance it could be destroyed."

"From there, it was simply a matter of finding the Death Note piece in your pocket, and erasing Taro's name," said Matsuda.

"But instead of giving Taro the Death Note paper and the eraser, we had it, so we could use it without being observed, and so you wouldn't get ahold of it," X finished. "We staged my little death scene for the public and for you, and made it look like Taro did it."

Sabanto scowled, apparently unfazed at the prospect that she was about to die. "Kind of hypocritical to say all that stuff about Kira being evil, and then use a Death Note yourself."

Matsuda and X were at a loss for words at that remark, but Taro responded through clenched teeth.

"We never claimed to be the good guys. But we are going to restore the balance so that things can go back to normal."

Sabanto laughed. "That's rich. All you've managed to do is kill me, and Kira is still out there. You haven't exactly accomplished much."

"But we will," X said. "Once you tell us where Kira is."

Sabanto laughed again. "What makes you think I know where he is?"

"L told us that Kira's plan would most likely be to set a system in place so judgment could be carried on after he died," Matsuda said. "In theory, you would replace him, and so you would have to have some way of getting to whatever supplies he hasn't given you. So, you know where he is."

"And even if that were true," Sabanto continued, ignoring him, "why would I tell you?"

"Because Kira will betray you," Taro said. "You mentioned Kiyomi Takada earlier. She worked directly with Kira, and he killed her as soon as she ended up in a compromising position."

"And she was his former girlfriend, too," Matsuda piped in.

"Kira doesn't deserve your loyalty," Taro continued. "If your positions were reversed, he would give you away in a heartbeat."

Sabanto laughed again. "Kira has nothing to fear from me. You're all wasting your time."

"That's what you think," Taro said, "but that's because you don't the whole story. Show her, Matsuda."

Matsuda shifted his grip on the paper, revealing an additional line of Sabanto fate that was hidden behind his finger.

When she arrives at her dressing room, she is captured by members of the Task Force. She discloses the location of Kira to her captors. Afterwards, she dies.

Sabanto's smug smile vanished instantly. She understood the implications of this. If a situation described in the Death Note was impossible, the victim would simply die of a heart attack after 40 seconds. Sabanto, however, was still alive, even with these described conditions. That meant that not only did she have the information they were looking for, but she would give it up if pressed hard enough. And her captors knew it, too, so now they had the advantage. The Death Note never lied. Confession was possible, and thus, inevitable.

Of course, sometimes the specific circumstances can help, thought Taro. I doubt she would give up Kira if she didn't have proof that she will. Fate can be circular that way, I guess.

"I brought equipment to torture the information out of you," X said, opening a bag at his feet. "I would prefer not to resort to that, however. Since you're going to tell us anyway, you might as well do it now, and save yourself some pain."

The broken Sabanto didn't need that much convincing. Ten minutes later, she named an address in Texas where she said they would be able to find Kira. Then, just as the paper promised, she let out a strangled cry, and slumped over, lifeless.

"Now we know where Light is, and he doesn't know we're coming," X said. "You two dispose of her body; I'll go take Kira down."

"That's actually not the plan," Taro said evenly.

X raised his eyebrow, but before he could ask Taro what he meant, he suddenly staggered. "What did...you..." was all he managed to get out before he collapsed.

"Did we really need to kill him?" Matsuda asked. "I know we can bring him back to life, but still...And L told us he was trained at undercover operations. Are you sure we can't let him do it?"

"We both know what you saw," Taro reminded him, reaching for X's bag. "X isn't the one who is supposed to kill Kira. I am." Then he reached into his pocket and pulled out a sealed envelope. "Please give this to Sayu. Hopefully, it will help her understand."

Matsuda's eyes teared up, but he kept a stiff upper lip. "Goodbye, Taro."

In a flash, Taro envisioned a future in which he became good friends with Matsuda. In which he could be a proper husband to Sayu. He shrugged it away.

He smiled. "Goodbye, Touta."

Then he left the room. It was finally time to end this.

To be concluded...

"The Secret Rule" Chapter 17: Counterattack

Death Note fanfiction. Rated T

Well, here we go. The story approaches its endgame: only two more chapters after this. Thank you all for sticking with me; I hope I won't keep you waiting too much longer.

Sabanto clenched her fists as she watched L fall. Or at least, the man she thought was L; she hadn't gotten a good enough look at his face to be certain. She turned back and scanned the crowd. Who had killed the man? That was Kira's duty (or hers, if he so chose). Kira's reign meant a determined, absolute justice, not a justice that just anyone could decide.

That's a disadvantage of having to work through the population, she thought. There's always one guy that thinks he knows better than us. She wanted to find whoever had disobeyed Kira's orders, but to take further charge here would risk exposing herself as his chosen one. And she couldn't allow that.

This was not good. Not only was Sabanto not sure that the dead man was L, but it would be impossible to confirm his identity or even verify his death now that he had fallen into the river. But everyone here would believe it, and word would no doubt get back to Kira that L was indeed dead.

With that in mind, Sabanto turned and began walking away. As much as she didn't want to report a potential failure, she had to contact Kira and get the story straight.

"The Secret Rule" Chapter 16: The Darkest Hour

 Death Note fanfiction. Rated T

I apologize for the long wait. The least I can do is release this chapter to you guys as a New Years' present.

I haven't sat down to write in quite a while, so, as of yet, I haven't written any of the future chapters (though I have a general idea of how they will turn out). So the wait for Chapter 17 may unfortunately be even longer than this one was.

I reiterate that I DO intend to finish this, even if it takes an unreasonable length of time to do so. 

Anyway, I hope you like Chapter 16. I really think this one turned out pretty well.

 

 

 

Sayu screamed. Matsuda started to run to Yamamoto's side, but Ryuzaki yelled out, "Nobody move!" and the whole room froze. All eyes were on L, and his eyes were visibly in a state of panic.

Taro shook his head in disbelief. What had just happened was clearly impossible. While Yamamoto wasn't using a false name (or at least a name Light didn't know about), there was no way Light, or a proxy, could have known that Yamamoto was working with the Task Force, and if they did, why hadn't they waited to learn the names of the other Task Force members?

Next to him, Matsuda seemed to be choking. Taro suddenly thought he was having a heart attack as well, until he managed to say, "It's...just like...last time."

"The Secret Rule" Chapter 15: Fractures

Death Note Fanfiction. Rated T

Taro sat in the nearly empty room, contemplating his position. He wondered if the people who had worked with the original Task Force ever felt such despair.

Back when Kira first appeared, people had been cautious about him. Many supported him in secret, but news stations refused to acknowledge his existence for awhile, and even then they were very careful about what they said. As the years went on, he became more and more influential. But Taro had never seen Kira so aggressive. Maybe that's just because he had never really been on the inside before now.

But he was in now. According to L, he had used this room in the very beginning. Before there was a task force, back when he worked alone. Supposedly, this was a location that Kira didn't know about, so the five of them were setting up headquarters here. Taro had scouted out the place, while the others were trying to smuggle Ryuzaki in, which wasn't easy with the diligent Kira supporters on the streets.

Taro heard the door open, and Sayu entered. "Where are the others?" Taro asked.

"The Secret Rule" Chapter 14: On the Defensive

Death Note fanfic. Rated T

"Ryuzaki, I have a question," Taro asked.

"Yes?" The detective didn't look at Taro, but kept looking over the huge stack of papers in front of him.

"You had been the world's greatest detective before the Kira case came around, even if you weren't as well known. Then surely you must have heard of the people I killed, back in 2002?"

"As a matter of fact, I did."

"How come you never came forward then?"

"The Secret Rule" Chapter 13: A Message to the People

Category: Death Note

Author: Marcus Absent

Rating: T

Sorry it's been two weeks since my last update. I've really fallen into a slump with this story. It's not that I don't know where it's going (because I do), but lately I've just barely felt motivated to write for it. Fortunately, I have a few chapters in reserve, just for situations like this.

I've got other stories that I really want to get to, but one of my personal rules is not to try and carry two multi-chapters at once, which means It Began With a Question has to wait until this one is done. 

I just urge all of you to stick with me. I've never had to abandon a published story before, and I'm not about to start now. Please review, even if you don't like what you're reading. If nothing else, it'll get me motivated to get this story written faster so I can move on to better things.

And here we go...

 Hideo Kaneko, Heart Attack.Finds a letter in his mailbox, and carries out the instructions written in it.
After doing this, he dies painlessly.

Light checked over all the details. It was almost scary how simple this all was. He wondered why he had never tried this before. It would certainly be more effective than relying on Demegawa or even Takada to relay his message to the world.

His messenger appointed, Light sat down and began writing on an ordinary sheet of paper.

"The Secret Rule" Chapter 12: Dead or Alive

Death Note fanfiction. Rated T

Taro watched in horror as the NPA members and Near's people began to keel over. Sayu screamed. Soon, the only people standing were Taro, Sayu, Ryuzaki, Near, and Yamamoto.

Just then, a light lit up on the console of Aizawa's desk.

"That'll be Mr. Mogi," Near said, shaking. "He must have activated his emergency signal. Which means that he's no doubt suffering a heart attack too."

Sayu wailed. "How could this happen?"

"When we cornered Light, all of our names were revealed," Near explained. "As he was caught, and in no position to write anyone's name, we were safe. But if he is back, and has somehow acquired a Death Note, the first names he would write in them would be our own. That is, myself, and all the members of the Kira task force and the SPK."

"Th-then how come you're not dead?" Yamamoto asked, still in shock that the corpses of all his colleagues were on the floor.

"The Secret Rule" Chapter 11: Light's Revenge

Death Note fanfiction. Rated T.

Light walked into the alley, carrying a box of granola bars and an apple. It was true that he had stolen them, and he regretted being forced to steal like a common criminal, but at the moment, he had no choice. The bars would sustain him for awhile, and the apple...well, hopefully, it would attract a shinigami. One who could explain what was happening.

Why am I alive?

Everyone in the streets was talking about how several people who had recently been killed by Kira (no doubt a shinigami having some fun, Light thought) had come back to life. His resurrection no doubt had something to do with that. Obviously, there was something about the Death note that Ryuk had failed to tell him. Something crucial.

And until I find out, I need to make sure I remember.

And so, in between bites of his granola bars, he muttered a string of names under his breath.

"The Secret Rule" Chapter 10: The Visitor

Death Note fanfiction. Rated T

Though it is called "the human world," Earth is not the sole property of mankind. In fact, at times, most of the world is unconcerned with human affairs. People live, people die, and the world moves on. That is the order of things.

When hundreds of the recently deceased suddenly rose and greeted their loved ones, there was indeed an uproar among all the world's people, even more so than when Kira had first appeared. It sent waves of doubt through even Kira's staunchest critics. After all, any man with a knife could kill, but to bring the dead back to life must truly be the act of a god.

However, even as unprecedented an event as this was, the rest of the physical world carried on as though nothing was out of the ordinary. It should stand to reason that if there was a revived man whom no one was around to greet, the whole of the universe would ultimately take no notice.

And yet, on August 2, 2013, the universe felt the faintest of sinister stirs from a warehouse on Daikoku Wharf called the Yellow Box, as the man once called Light Yagami sat up and opened his eyes.

"The Secret Rule" Chapter 9: Resurrection and Redemption

Death Note fanfiction. Rated T

Well, here it is. The Big One. Chapter 9. Please review :)

Strictly speaking, time had treated Taro well. Not only had not chasing Kira been rather relaxing, but it hadn't taken long for Kira to utterly disappear. Within about three months of Ryuk's last departure, the heart attack murders had all but stopped.

Kira really was in trouble, I guess, Taro thought.

Sayu had not fared quite so well. Kira had obviously not given up without a fight, and both Mr. Yagami and Light had given their lives to stop him. Both Sayu and Taro knew that it was a possibility, but it was still a shock nonetheless. Taro had spent most of his time with the surviving Yagamis, knowing that they would need all the support that they could get. On February 23, 2011, Taro decided to formalize his relationship with the Yagami family and proposed to Sayu. To his delight, she accepted, and they were married on July 15 of the same year.

Since Kira was no longer around, crime rates gradually began to go up. However, people were still fairly cautious, and crime never became as rampant as it had been before Kira's reign began. The way Taro saw, that was some small good that Kira had done, and once Ryuk returned, everything would be put right.

But it had been over a year since Kira's disappearance, and Ryuk hadn't shown up. Taro began to think that he had broken his promise.

"The Secret Rule" Chapter 8: A Deal with the Death God

Death Note fanfiction. Rated T

Okay, I want to talk about the future for a moment.

I had a poll on my FF.net profile, asking the readers which story you wanted me to work on after "The Secret Rule" was finished. Unfortunately, I had forgotten that I had already promised my South Park readers that my next story would be "It Began with a Question," which is my Mysterion origin story. So that poll has been taken down (not many people had actually voted on it anyway).

Additionally, the two stories after that will be Episode 1 of my "Star Trek: Renegade" series (because the sooner I get that series started the better I'll be able to space the remaining episodes out), and my Percy Jackson story "One of Them" (because it will introduce my OC, who may appear in later stories, as I see fit).

So, the new poll is which story do you all want me to work on after THAT. Repeat, after "The Secret Rule" (now at 8 chapters, projected to be between 15 and 20 chapters), "It Began with a Question" (will be 9 chapters), "Star Trek: Renegade, Episode 1" (about 5 chapters), and "One of Them" (about 5 chapters as well) are all finished. The choices include:

• Josh (South Park), a parody of a certain 2001 movie (big South Park fans could probably figure it out if they really thought about it).
• To Be the Best (Death Note), chronicling the events of Mello's life after he leaves Wammy's House.
• The Love of the Gods (Percy Jackson), chronicling Luke, Thalia, and Annabeth on their original journey to Camp Half Blood.

So please vote for whichever of these stories you want to see the most (although, as I said, it will still be a while). I'm giving my readers on this site priority, so speak up here if you really want to be heard.

And now, back to Taro and Ryuk...

"The Secret Rule" Chapter 7: Plan B

Death Note fanfiction. Rated T

The next week was one of the hardest in Taro's life. He contacted the Yagami family every day, asking if any information had come in about Sayu. Even after Sayu began answering the phone, either Light or Mr. Yagami would jump in and say she couldn't talk to anyone. From the tiny bits of information he was able to glean from the daily phone calls, it seemed like Sayu Yagami had been held for ransom for a few days, and had fortunately been returned to her family safely.

A kidnapping? In broad daylight? It was practically unheard of in this period, where crime was more dangerous than ever.

On October 18, Mrs. Yagami called and told him that Sayu was asking for him. He went straight to her house from work, and arrived to see that she was in pretty bad shape. She was constantly shaking, and her eyes were red and puffy; it clear that she had been through a terrible ordeal. And as much as Taro desperately wanted to know what had happened, he knew he couldn't bring it up. Whatever it was, it was the last thing she needed to be thinking about right now.

"Sayu...are you all right?" Immediately after saying this, he mentally kicked himself. What was that about? Of course she's not alright!

However, Sayu didn't seem to mind. "I'm feeling much better," she whispered, smiling weakly.

"The Secret Rule" Chapter 6: A New World

Death Note fanfiction. Rated T

I recently just finished reading Ohba and Obata's other manga, Bakuman, and for a manga about two kids who write manga, it is seriously awesome. Really. It may be the best manga of any I've ever read, INCLUDING Death Note!

Okay, blasphemous statement over :P Enjoy Chapter 6

Later that evening, Taro began the ride home from the police station.

Of course they hadn't believed him when he told them he had seen Kira. After all, it wasn't like he had any way to prove it; his story was so far-fetched to begin with, and he would have no way to back it up since the eraser was useless without the Death Note. They were convinced he had just made the whole thing up after causing a ruckus in town, and had threatened to lock him up for the night before his dad arrived and paid the fine.

Now he was at home. Sitting in front of his parents, feeling like he was on trial.

"Taro, what's gotten into you?" his father demanded. "Creating a disturbance? Saying that you were looking for Kira? In fact, all of your behavior these past few months has been really strange, and I think we have the right to know why."

And so, Taro told the truth. The whole truth. About how he had picked up the Death Note, kept it in his possession for a few days, and then eventually brought back all the people he had killed, and gave the Death Note back to Ryuk, which was possibly the worst mistake he had ever made. He also told them how he had been trying to correct his mistake by finding that Death Note again, and if he could, undoing the damage Kira had done.

After he finished, there was a long moment of silence. His father looked like he was about to yell at him, say he didn't believe a word of it, and to stop telling ridiculous lies that would get him killed. But before he could say a word, Taro's mother said, "I believe you, Taro."

Taken aback, Father said, "But even if he is telling the truth, that just makes it worse. Searching for Kira? Who has made it quite clear that anyone who tries to find him will be killed?"

"The Secret Rule" Chapter 5: The Meeting in Aoyama

Death Note fanfiction
Rated T for mature themes related to the Death Note manga

Okay, I know most of you don't exactly care that much, but I do feel I should point out an error. I had originally dated Light picking up the Death Note (the beginning of Kira's reign, in Chapter 1) as being in October, 2003, when it's actually on November 23, 2003, according to the timeline on the Death Note Wiki. I went back and fixed it, and now that I have the timeline at my disposal, all new dates should be "correct."

 

It turned out that Mr. Kagami's boss, Hitoshi Demegawa, had chosen to broadcast the tape from Kira without the permission of the network executives, placing his employees in danger to get higher ratings. In an indignant rage, Mr. Kagami had quit his job at Sakura TV, and was promptly hired by NHN, who were disgusted with Sakura TV's actions but impressed with Mr. Kagami's courage while on the air.

NHN weren't the only ones who were angry about the broadcast. Many of Japan's citizens were outraged that Kira had gone so far as to kill people who had merely criticized him. A lot of people who had previously supported Kira now claimed that he had gone too far, and began to see him for the murderer that he was.

So when it was announced that there was another message from Kira, which the police had given the TV station permission to air, many people were much less receptive to the idea. But when the broadcast started, the calligraphy was smoother and more flowing, and Taro could tell that the voice was more authoritative than the previous broadcast. As much as he hated to admit it, this one did feel much more like a god speaking to his people, and less like a terrorist.

"I am Kira. The person who sent in the tapes a few days ago is nothing more than an impersonator."

Taro gulped. An impostor? But he had definitely killed people, which meant that he was no ordinary impostor. That must mean that there were now two Kiras, which meant that there were two Death Notes in the human world. At least. Had reigning death upon Earth now become a popular sport among the shinigami?

"The Secret Rule" Chapter 4: Kira Strikes Back

Death Note fanfiction

Rated T for mature themes associated with the Death Note manga

After several days and a lot of thought, Taro had come up with an explanation.

Most likely, the Man had been working under Kira's orders. He was writing names on pages from the Death Note, while Kira was holding the Note itself. The first possibility was that he was deliberately laying a false trail for people who were trying to track Kira down, like Taro and L. Kira, who was also on the subway, might have noticed that his agent was being followed, and killed the Man to prevent being traced back to him. The only problem with that theory was that, if Kira was deliberately setting false trails, he would have eliminated Taro, not the man beings used as bait.

Good, thought Taro, because otherwise I would be in real trouble.

Wait...who am I kidding? I'm definitely in real trouble. Unless L somehow discovers the Death Note, I technically know more about Kira than anyone, and that makes me his biggest threat, for all the good I can do. And for L to find the Death Note from scratch...well, he'd have to be like a super-genius or something.

Unfortunately, the second possibility was even more frightening. The Man could have been one of many agents Kira had placed all around the city (or the country, or even the world!) to be his eyes and ears and do his dirty work. That way, even if one of the agents somehow got caught, he would still be safe, like a spider in the center of his web. In which case, Kira would have killed the Man because (again) he saw that his agent was being followed. In which case, Taro was not dead either because Kira just didn't know his name, or because the agent was just that expendable.

Of course, that would make Kira practically untouchable, even if he were in the area. No matter what, he needed to be more careful. If Kira had even gotten a glimpse of his face, he might be able to track him down. And that was the last thing Taro wanted to happen.

"The Secret Rule" Chapter 3: The Man on the Train

Death Note fanfiction

Rated T for mature themes associated with the Death Note manga

"The Secret Rule" Chapter 2: L Makes His Move

Death Note fanfiction

Rated T for mature themes associated with the Death Note manga

"The Secret Rule" Chapter 1: The First Owner

Death Note fanfiction

Rated T for mature themes associated with the Death Note manga