Chiyoda, Tokyo — Mori Amaterasu
She'd gotten the job. That was good news. Sure, being an art teacher wasn't the best paying job there was, but it was a way to make money while she was busy dealing with college. Several days had gone by, and she had almost forgotten about the black notebook at this point, having thrown it on her bed and not looked at it since nearly a week ago when she had first found it.
Azumi was out on a date—again—leaving Amaterasu and Kazuki alone at the house. Amaterasu was studying for an exam, trying her best to brush up on her English.
"So it's a female this time."
"Huh?" said Amaterasu. She promptly grabbed a baseball bat that was leaning against her desk, quickly looking from side to side. "Who's there? I've got a bat, and I won't hesitate to beat you senselessly with it!"
"Heheheh," came a laugh. "You couldn't even if you tried."
Now able to determine the location of the voice, Amaterasu turned towards her window, expecting to see a burglar had broken in. Instead, she saw a tall, bluish monster with large eyes and a terrifying smile plastered onto its face.
She dropped the baseball bat, falling to the floor. She opened her mouth to scream, but no noise came out.
"Nice to meet you," said the monster. "My name's Ryuk."
"Ryu-Ryuk?" Amaterasu stuttered. "Wh-what do you want with me?"
"Nothing, really," Ryuk admitted. "You picked up my notebook—well, technically it was Rem's notebook."
"D-do you want it back?" Amaterasu asked.
"You could give it back to me," said Ryuk, "or you could use it."
"Use it?" Amaterasu repeated in confusion.
"Oh, that's right," Ryuk realized. "This one didn't have any instructions in it.
"You see, what you have there is a Death Note. If you write a person's name in the notebook while imagining their face, then that person will die in forty seconds. You can specify the way you want the person to die, and if it's possible, they'll die in that way. If you don't specify, then they'll die of a heart attack."
"A heart attack?" said Amaterasu. "That sounds like Kira."
"Just like Kira," said Ryuk. "I knew him. He was an interesting guy; he tried to change the world and become a god. It didn't work out for him, though."
"You mean, this notebook will give me the power to become like Kira?" said Amaterasu.
"Pretty much," Ryuk confirmed.
"Well then, who—or what—are you?" she wondered.
"I told you, I'm Ryuk," he said, "and I'm the last Shinigami to own that notebook."
"Sh-Shinigami?" Amaterasu echoed.
"And there's one thing you should know before you agree to this, Mori Amaterasu," said Ryuk. Amaterasu shuddered when he said her name, not wanting to know exactly how it was he knew it. "When the time comes for you to die, I will write your name in my notebook, and any human that uses the Death Note can go to neither heaven nor hell."
"That's no problem," said Amaterasu, this time more confidently as she picked up the notebook from her bed. "I'm an atheist anyway."
"A what?"
"An atheist," she repeated. "It means I don't believe in any higher power. I also don't believe in heaven and hell."
"Heheheh," Ryuk laughed, "well, would you look at that. How surprising. You're right, though. Neither exists; all humans are equal in death.
"So what are you going to do with the notebook? Become a god?"
"No," said Amaterasu, putting the notebook into a drawer, "I don't want to be a god. I'll be justice, like Kira was, but I don't need to be a god. Bringing the world peace is enough for me."
"Hmm... hey, do you have any apples?"
"Apples?"
"Yeah, you know, apples," said Ryuk. "I haven't had an apple from the human world in ages."
"Um, okay," she said. "Wait here. I don't want my dog to see you. He'll start freaking out, and then the neighbors might come over to check on me."
"Only people who have touched the Death Note can see me," Ryuk informed her.
"Oh," she said, walking towards the fridge, "well then. How convenient.
"Here you go."
"What the heck is this?" Ryuk said, holding up the yellow piece of fruit.
"It's an apple," Amaterasu said incredulously.
"What? No, it's not!" said Ryuk. "Apples are red!"
"What, you mean a fuji apple?" Amaterasu asked.
"Huh?"
"A fuji apple," she repeated. "They're a type of red apple grown mainly in Japan.
"There are different types of apples, you know. Some are red, some are yellow, some are green..."
"You're kidding me!"
"...there's fuji, gravenstein, bramley, mcintosh..."
"I don't even know what you're saying anymore!"
"What do you want me to do, go out and buy some?"
"That would be preferable, yes," said Ryuk.
Amaterasu sighed. "Alright, let's go. We'll buy some apples, and then I'll start."
"Writing down names?" said Ryuk.
Amaterasu laughed. "Of course not, Ryuk. I can't just go ahead and start writing names. I know L was working on the Kira case last time, and since Kira vanished, I'm guessing that means L solved the case. I need to think this through."
"Not a genius like last time, then," Ryuk noted.
"Hey!" said Amaterasu. "I'll have you know that I'm very intelligent, thank you very much!"
Chiyoda, Tokyo — Japanese Task Force
"I can't believe this is happening!"
"Well, you'd better believe it, Matsuda-san."
"It hasn't even been a year since the last Kira showed up," Ide pointed out. "Even though that didn't last long."
"This isn't just a coincidence," Aizawa said, seated at his desk. "Criminals all over the world are dying of heart attacks. This has to be the work of a Death Note."
"The fact that this Kira learned from Light makes it even harder," Yamamoto brooded. "L was able to figure out that Kira was in Japan since the murders started there, and these murders seemed to start occurring all over the world."
"So now this Kira knows what not to do," Ide said with a sigh.
"We can handle this," Aizawa said, sounding more confident than he felt. The only reason they had stopped the last "Kira" who had been committing mercy killings was because Near, or rather, L, had talked him down. "We know what we're dealing with this time."
"That makes this the second Kira case in a year," Matsuda said with a sigh. "At this rate, with all of this going on, I'll never get a girlfriend."
"Sure," said Yamamoto, adjusting his glasses, "blame that on the Death Notes."
"Hey!"
Aizawa's office phone began to ring; he looked at the caller I.D. and saw that it was an unknown number. He knew what that meant. "Quiet, everyone." He picked up the phone. "Hello?"
"Aizawa-san," said the voice on the other end, "I apologize for not contacting you sooner." They were obviously using some voice modifier, even though Aizawa and the others (except for Yamamoto, of course) had heard his voice before. Still, it was something he always did, as was expected of L.
"I wasn't sure you would, to be honest," Aizawa admitted, "since the murders didn't originate from Japan this time. At least, as far as we can tell."
"I believe the Death Note we are dealing with is located in Japan," said L.
"What makes you say that?" said Aizawa.
"Why do the Death Notes always appear in Japan?" Matsuda wondered.
"Matsuda makes a good point, L," said Aizawa. "The fact that the last Death Note appeared in Japan was probably just a coincidence. What's the likelihood another would be here?"
"Honestly, the odds are slim to none," L admitted, "but I cannot help but remember the threat Yagami Light made before he died. He said that the Death Notes we had may have been fake. While I am certain the one I had in my possession was real, he had many opportunities to replace the one that you had.
"If he hid the real notebook somewhere, then that means someone could have found it.
"You said you found C-Kira's Death Note, correct?"
"Yes," Aizawa confirmed, "we got a call about the smell of decomposition coming from the house. In the house, we found a dead male, age thirty-two who had a notebook with names of all of the victims of the C-Kira murders, including his own name."
"And the notebook, was it the same?" L inquired.
"No; there were rules written in it, but it was a white notebook with silver writing on it," Aizawa said. "Which means you might be right about someone finding the old notebook.
"So does this mean you're going to be working on this case?"
"Yes, it does," said L. "Unlike the last Kira, this one is returning the original Kira's methods of killing criminals. This is a case I've taken an interest in."
"So what's the next step?" Aizawa asked.
"Leave that to me."
Location undisclosed — L
"Do you think it's another person trying to become a new world god?" Lidner inquired.
"I'm not sure," L admitted, "but one thing is for certain. This person plans to continue right where Yagami Light left off."
"So how do we start off?" Rester asked.
"All in due time, Commander Rester," L told him. "All in due time.
"Hmm, a new Kira; I'll call him N-Kira, and he will fall just like the last one did."
Chiyoda, Tokyo — Mori Amaterasu
"That's very nice, Satoru-kun, but try not to press down too hard, or else you won't be able to do shading later on."
"Mori-hakase, can I turn up the radio?" one student asked.
"Sure, Sakamoto-kun," she said.
Just as the Sakamoto turned up the volume, the music abruptly stopped.
"We interrupt our regularly scheduled programs for a public announcement."
A clicking sound could be heard, like the signal was switching, but Amaterasu paid little notice as she started in on her drawing.
"This is L."
Now she was paying attention.
"And it is obvious by now that Kira has returned once again. I am announcing that I will be involving myself with this case, and I will find Kira."
"Mori-hakase, your pencil broke," one of her students pointed out.
"Yes... thank you, Watanabe-kun."
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"L is dead, isn't he, Ryuk?" Amaterasu asked once she was home.
"Huh?"
"The last name written in the notebook was L Lawliet. The name before that was Quillsh Wammy. It was around the time Wammy died that the Kira murders began to transition from business executives back to criminals. It was also around that time Kira's influence steadily began to grow. I would assume that's because L Lawliet was the original L. How someone found out his name, though, I can only imagine."
"Wow," Ryuk marveled, "I guess I was wrong about you. You're smarter than I thought. Heheheh, yeah, I guess I can tell you. L is dead."
"At least the original is," Amaterasu noted, a grin forming on her face. "It took a second to solve the case. Unfortunately for them, I doubt there are any spare Ls waiting around to save the day this time."
Hearing the doorbell ring, Amaterasu hid her Death Note and opened the front door.
"Oh, hi, Yamamoto-san."
"H-hi, Mori-san," Yamamoto replied. "I ended up getting your mail again."
"Thanks," she said as he handed several letters to her. "This really happens too often. Next time you should call so that one of us can pick it up. You shouldn't have to walk over all the time."
"It's no trouble, really," Yamamoto assured her.
"Well, thanks again," Amaterasu said gratefully. "So how's everything going with the police?"
"Good, thanks," Yamamoto said.
"You guys sure have your work cut out for you now that Kira's back," Amaterasu noted.
"We'll be able to catch him," Yamamoto said.
"That's good to hear," Amaterasu lied. "I'll be rooting for you. Goodbye, Yamamoto-san."
"G-goodbye," Yamamoto stammered, nervously adjusting his glasses.
"Huh, I remember that guy," Ryuk noted. "He was one of Light's friends."
"Light?" Amaterasu echoed, raising an eyebrow.
"Oops," said Ryuk, realizing he'd said too much.
"I know that name..."
Somewhere in Tokyo, Japan — Wakahisa Azumi
"I'm telling you, it will be fun!"
"I don't know. This seems kind of dangerous..."
"What's the worst that could happen?"
"It's things like that that usually end up jinxing you."
"You worry too much, Azumi."
"And you don't worry enough," Azumi remarked. "Which is ironic seeing as you've had plenty of bad things happen to you."
"What doesn't kill you makes you stronger," her friend replied, smiling sadly. Her chestnut brown hair blew in the wind, and although she was about Azumi's age, the weary look in her eyes made her seem so much older. She had gone through things that most people would only see in their nightmares. She had gone through more emotional pain than anyone else Azumi knew. Azumi had been with her through nearly all of it and would continue to be there for Yagami Sayu.
It had taken its toll on Azumi as well, honestly. Hearing that her best friend had been kidnapped—taken away and held at gunpoint. Azumi had nearly burst out into tears after seeing Sayu in a wheelchair, still suffering from shock, unable to speak. She had eventually gotten her voice back, only to have her father taken away. He was such a nice man, fond of Azumi, and Azumi equally as fond of him. It was soon after his death that Sayu had been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder. There were nights when she'd wake up in a cold sweat, screaming, shouting cries of protest and calling for her father. Azumi and Sayu's mother would rush to Sayu's side, holding her and telling her that everything would be alright, the two of them crying as well.
"Wow," Sayu gasped as the two of them exited the forest. They'd happened upon a cliff, below it a beautiful view of the land below, the setting sun giving off beautiful lights of red, orange, yellow, and pink. The trees around them were decorated with wisteria of various hues. "Beautiful."
"It was definitely worth the walk," Azumi said with a laugh. "You were right."
"Aren't I always?" Sayu teased. "Hey, don't get so close to the edge."
"Who's the worried one now?" Azumi remarked as she leaned down next to a large rock on the cliff that was overlooking the setting sun. She looked to her left, noticing a lovely yellow rose that was in full blossom, smiling at its beauty. Noticing something shining in the sunlight, she turned to her right.
She screamed.
Chiyoda, Tokyo — Matsuda Touta
"Are we sure about this?" Ide asked.
"We requested the dental records," Aizawa said. "Once the coroner compares it to the remains, we can say for sure whether or not it's her. A gun isn't enough evidence to identify the body, regardless of who it's registered to, and even though we have I.D. we need to be sure of this."
"To think it would show up now, of all times," Matsuda said.
"It's just a coincidence," Aizawa said, "and we don't even have confirmation yet. Don't be so quick to jump the gun.
"Matsuda, I have a call I've got to make. Could you go talk to the girls? Make sure they're okay?"
"Right," said Matsuda, exiting the office. He closed the door and walked to the lobby of the police station where Sayu and her friend sat.
"Hi, ladies," said Matsuda, nervous as usual to be around Sayu, who had grown up to be a beautiful young woman. "Sayu-chan, how are you doing?"
"I'm fine," Sayu insisted, "I didn't see anything. Azumi wouldn't let me get any closer. She's the one I'm worried about."
"Oh my god, are you two alright?" came a worried voice as an unknown woman ran into the police station, rushing over towards Sayu and her friend.
"I'm fine, but Azumi's shaken," Sayu explained.
"Um, who is this?" Matsuda inquired.
"Mori Amaterasu," the woman said.
"Matsuda Touta," Matsuda replied. "Aren't you Yamamoto-san's neighbor?"
"Yes, how did you know?" Mori asked, raising an eyebrow in surprise.
"Oh, uh, I think he must have mentioned it once or something," Matsuda said, not wanting to get into any detail on conversations he and Yamamoto had had.
"I called Terasu-chan and told her what happened," Sayu explained.
"Are you going to be alright, Azumi-chan?" Mori asked.
"I don't know, it's just," the young woman began, trying to hold back a sob. "It was terrifying. How long had they been there? And no one had found them... it was... disgusting and horrifying.
"Do you know who it was, Matsuda-san?"
"We suspect that we do, but we're in the process of verifying that information now," Matsuda informed her, not wanting to reveal the suspected identity of the woman Wakahisa had found.
Matsuda had been warned before seeing the body, so he had been prepared for what he would see. Wakahisa Azumi, however, clearly had no notice. Simply sitting down and turning to see the awful sight. The body was too far gone to even give off the reeking scent of decay, but there was still plenty left to give someone a week's worth of nightmares.
The flesh had completely decomposed, the decomposition process having sped up due to the body having been left untreated. No embalming fluid, left on the ground, unprotected by the elements and the various decomposers that would make a meal out of it. Only bones remained, dried up, cracked and bleached after years gone by. The skeleton wore a worn leather jacket and boots, remnants of a shirt that had served as a delicacy for many generations of moths, threads of denim around the waist, and a purse with an I.D. in it that presumably belonged to the victim that had been tossed aside.
"Can I go home now?" Wakahisa asked hopefully, as if doing so would wipe the memory from her brain.
"Yes... yes, of course you can," said Matsuda.
Matsuda watched as the three young woman walked out of the building, two of them consoling the woman who walked in between them. Yet as they walked away, Matsuda couldn't help but feel sorry specifically for Sayu. It seemed that it was always her who had to deal with such devastating events occurring either to herself or to her friends and family.
He was immediately snapped out of his thoughts when he heard a ringing sound and quickly pulled his cellphone out of his pocket. He looked at the caller I.D. and seeing that it was Ide, picked up the phone.
"Hey, what is it, Ide-san?"
"It's her," Ide replied. "The coroner confirmed it. The dental records are a match to the teeth on the body. It's definitely her."
"Wow," Matsuda said. "I guess Ryuzaki was wrong, then."
"We don't know that for sure," Ide said, "but one thing is certain: Misora Naomi is dead."