"Honey! You need to get up!" Ori's eyes snapped open as Vivian's cheery voice floated through her closed door. She sat up in her bed, realizing she had kicked her covers off of her in her sleep.
'Oh well, we still have a little bit until winter officially starts.' Ori thought as she sat up in her bed. It had been six whole months since she and Raito had become friends, and life's been pretty boring.
Ori winced as the bright sunlight that streamed in between her curtains hit her eyes. She stumbled over to her closet to grab her school uniform. She pulled it on then sauntered to the bathroom to brush her hair and teeth. Her reflection in the mirror stared back at her when she opened the door and stepped inside. Her curly brown hair was wild and tangled, falling into her blue-green eyes. The gold flecks in her eyes stood out darkly against the dark circles that sat permanently under them. Normally, Ori put on some concealer so she wouldn't get strange stares from people around her, but at the moment, she didn't care. She brushed her hair, then pulled it into a braid while she brushed her teeth. Three days ago, criminals started dying in their cells at prisons and jails. All the inmates were reported to have died from heart attacks. At first, people chalked it up to coincidence, but Ori wasn't too sure. The deaths just started a little bit ago, only about a week or so, but over one hundred criminals have died, no way could that be a coincidence. Ori wondered if the media was going to make up a name behind the deaths. They weren't just normal deaths, after all. The fact that it was only criminals was strange enough, but the mass in which they were dying was insane. There was definitely someone or something behind it all.
Ori grabbed her bag from her room and jogged downstairs. She was going to be late for school if she didn't hurry up. She put on her shoes and was about to open the white, paint-chipped door when Vivian trusted a plate of eggs in Ori's face.
"You're not going anywhere until you've eaten, young lady." She said in a stern tone. Ori tried to roll her eyes, but the smell of eggs covered in ketchup just made her stomach growl. Vivian pulled the plate away, knowing it would ultimately pull Ori to the dining room table to eat. As Ori sat under the multiple lights that gave off a warm glow when they were turned on, she munched on the scrabbled eggs and thought.
'I wonder if L's going to take up this case. It's certainly interesting.' L was the greatest detective in the world and Ori's hero. He's only been solving cases for a few years, but with the speed and accuracy in which he solves the cases, he's made a pretty good name of himself, becoming both famous and infamous amongst the people of the world. Ori's dad disappeared when she was ten years old, just over seven years ago, and ever since L entered her brain, all she's wanted is to become a great detective like him. Her drive was completely selfish, though. Ori wanted to find out what happened to her dad, even if he had died --which was the most likely thing to have happened. Ori remembered the happy smile that was always on his face, the loving look in his eyes whenever they locked on her. He was a good man; it was strange that he had disappeared out of nowhere. An unpleasant feeling was beginning to grow in her stomach, depriving her of her appetite. Ori pushed her eggs away and stood up. Part of Ori wondered if her dad hadn't really disappeared but actually left. She wanted to ask Vivian, but she knew that even the possibility of it would destroy her. She remembered the look on Vivian's face when Daisuke, Ori's father, hadn't come home after his shift at work. She was worried. That worried expression etched darker into her face as the hours turned into days, then weeks. The police hadn't found anything and gave up, calling the case cold. It was like he had just vanished off the face of the Earth. Ori made her way to the door, mumbling a dull 'good-bye' to Vivian.
'What if he left because he didn't want us anymore? What if he got a new identity and has a new family now who he loves a lot more than he could ever love us?' Ori's stomach churned at the thought. No, Daisuke was a kind man, he wouldn't do that to his wife and daughter. No matter how many times she tried to convince herself of that, the doubt clouded her mind until she was almost suffocating in it. It was like a thick fog that blocked off her airways and kept her from breathing any actual air.
'Stop, Ori. You're hyperventilating; you need to calm down.' She sucked in a few deep breaths to soothe her rapid heartbeat.
"Hey, Ori." Raito's voice broke through her misty thoughts and made her glance up. He was standing in front of her, a worried expression etched lightly into his handsome features. She pushed aside her ugly thoughts and pulled a smile onto her face.
"Howdy, Raito. How's it goin'?" He ignored her question and rolled his eyes, annoyance taking place of where the worry had been before.
"Are you seriously going to keep calling me 'Raito'?" He asked. Ori just shrugged, her palms face up towards the sky.
"I wasn't actually planning on it, but since you asked, why not?" She replied to a cheeky smile. As they walked the rest of the way to school in silence, Ori could tell that there was something wrong with Raito. His brown eyes kept looking around him like he was paranoid that someone was watching him. She opened her mouth to ask him what was wrong, then she noticed that they were at school and the bell had just rung. Before they headed inside, Raito looked at Ori with an easy smile.
"Just a few more days until the Todia entrance exam. How are you feeling about it?" Ori did a double-take for a moment. Gone was the paranoid look in his eyes and now he looked like a normal high school student ready for college. Ori mustered up a weak smile and nodded.
"I'm still worried about the math portion, but with your help, I have no doubt I'll pass." She clenched her fist in determination. Raito chuckled as the went inside and headed to their separate lockers. Ori really wanted to ask Raito his thoughts on the recent killings around the area; it would have to wait.
When the teacher walked into the room, he apparently thought it would be funny and awesome to give them all a pop-quiz. Guess what? It was not funny or cool. It was horrible and cruel. Luckily, it hadn't been math, and even if it was, all those nights and hours studying with Raito had given Ori a leg up. After the quiz, Ori leaned back in her chair and sighed. She really wanted to go home and check up on all those killings. She also wanted to see if L had taken up the case. Her stomach clenched in anticipation as she stared out the window.
"So how did you do?" Raito asked. Ori turned her head to look at him, shrugging.
"I couldn't have done too bad. It was history, so it went pretty smoothly."
"You're good at history, so I'm sure you did fairly well." Ori nodded and stood when the bell for lunch rang loudly. The sound bounced off the cement walls and echoed into Ori's ears. They went down the stairs to their lockers, where Raito grabbed a plastic bag full of store-bought food. Ori grabbed her bento box that her mom had put together for her and they both sat down at their usual table. Ori bit into a piece of pineapple and chewed it thoughtfully.
"Hey," she said after a moment of silence. "Did you hear about all those criminals dying of heart attacks?" For a moment, she could see Raito stiffen at the mention of the murders, but he relaxed so quickly that Ori wasn't sure whether or not she had imagined the whole thing.
"Yeah, I did. What about them?" His words were calm enough, but Ori could see the conflicting emotions in his eyes. She couldn't quite put a name of them, but they were certainly negative.
"Do you think they really were random deaths?" She asked after quickly running her eyes over his profile. She didn't know why, but something about his reaction was... unsettling.
"I don't know. I don't think they are. The fact that it's only criminals dying and all the deaths were caused by heart attacks makes me think that there's a higher power at play."
"Like a god or something?" She interrupted. Again, Raito stiffened, even flinched a little bit, but he swiftly relaxed again and Ori was beginning to think he knew something.
"Something like that. I definitely get the feeling that there's someone out there passing judgment on these criminals, but there's also no trace of what's killing them. It's strange."
"I agree." Ori bit into a strawberry, the sweet flavor exploding in her mouth. She let out a groan and laid her head on the table, gaining a few stares from the people around them. "I just want to go home and get on my computer. I wanna look into this more. It's so weird."
Raito laughed and patted her head gently yet stiffly. "Don't worry, we only have a couple of hours left. I'm sure you can survive until then." Ori sighed again and turned her head so that her chin was resting on the table.
"Yeah, you're right." She sat up. Raking a hand through her brown curls, she looked out at the road. "I wonder what people think of all this." She murmured to herself. "If they support this nameless killer or want them to stop and be put to justice." She spoke so quietly that even Raito couldn't hear her.
"What'd you say?" He asked.
Ori just shook her head and smiled. "Don't worry about it. I was just rambling to myself." Raito's gaze stayed on her for a few more seconds, then he shrugged and went back to his own meal.
"Whatever you say."
When they finished their food and on their way back to class, Ori felt her phone buzz in her pocket. She fished it out and saw that the ringing was caused by a number she didn't recognize. Raito had stopped, waiting for her. She motioned for him to keep moving. When he turned around, Ori flipped up her phone and held it to her ear.
"Hello?" She asked into the phone. There was nothing but the sound of empty static in her ear for a moment. She was about to close her phone, then the sound of breathing came on over the static.
"Do you... know Kira?" Ori pulled the phone away from her ear and just stared at it. Then, she put the phone back to her ear.
"What?"
"Do you know our savor Kira?!" The voice suddenly rose in volume; Ori had to jerk the phone away in pain and surprise.
"He will save you! He will save you from this HELL WE CALL EARTH!!" The volume continued to rise as the person spoke. It was the voice of a woman. Ori quickly snapped her phone closed, her mind already trying to figure out just who Kira was.
'Is that the name everyone gave the killer? It makes sense since Kira comes from the English word killer, but what did she mean? Kira will save me from this hell on Earth. She supports him, that's clear.' Ori figured that the lady was going around punching random numbers in and spreading the word. Ori just happened to be one of the probably many numbers she dialed in.
'Odd, it's only been three days and people have already given the killer an identity. L can't be far behind.' Her heart pounded in her chest. If L picked up this case, maybe she could find some way to help him. Even if she wasn't picked out directly, why couldn't she start her own separate investigation?
The bell rang with a high-pitched shrill, making Ori jump slightly. She slipped her phone back into her pocket and ran to get to class. This was it. As soon as Ori got home, she'd get on her computer and look up everything she could about Kira. L wasn't the only reason why she was doing this; she genuinely believed that what Kira was doing was wrong. Imagine all the people who are falsely convicted a year. Burglars who only stole so they could support their families because there was no other way. You couldn't pass justice on bad people by doing the same thing they did; didn't that just make Kira a hypocrite? It was obvious that whoever this Kira person was, they thought of themselves as a sort of god-like figure. Someone who could pass judgment on criminals for the crimes they've committed without taking the heat or answering for their actions.
Ori was walking to class, but she stopped when a sudden thought hit her. During lunch with Raito, he'd said something about a higher power, passing judgment on killers.
I definitely get the feeling that there's someone out there passing judgment on these criminals. Was Raito a supporter of Kira? Ori wouldn't be surprised if he was; a lot of people probably were but they'd just never say for fear of people thinking poorly of them for promoting a killer. Either Raito was, in fact, a supporter, or he was... Ori shook her head. No, Raito wouldn't kill people, that's just not the type of person he was.
'But the way he stiffened when I mentioned the murders. And then he flinched when I pointed out that there was some kind of higher power at play.' People wouldn't normally react like that.
"There's definitely something I'm missing here." Ori murmured to herself. She bit her lip as she thought. She'd placed her bento box back in her locker and was now heading towards her classroom.
'I need to run a few tests without Raito knowing. Casually bring up the murders and mention a higher power again. Maybe a Death God? Would that work? It makes sense. But should I be more specific? What if I mentioned a Japanese Death God since we live in Japan?' Ori walked through the door to her classroom. She ignored the smile Raito gave her when she passed him. She sat down in her seat, still worrying at her lip.
"What are Japanese Death Gods called again? Shi-Shinigami... right?" She hadn't even noticed that she had spoken out loud until she saw Raito's head snap in her direction out of the corner of her eye.
"What'd you say, Ori?" He asked. Ori blinked a few times when she realized that he'd spoke to her. She turned to him with a questioning gaze. "Huh? What?" Then she realized that she had mentioned the Shinigami out loud. She resisted the urge to slap herself. At least she wouldn't have to try to casually mention it, but now she had to come up with a believable story so that he wouldn't know that she suspecting him, even if it was just a passing thought.
"I was just thinking back to our conversation earlier; how there's a possibility that the killer's some godly being." She waited before talking again to see Raito's expression. When his face gave away nothing, she went on.
"It made me think of those Japanese Death Gods, the Shinigami." Raito nodded slowly then turned away from her so that he could listen to the teacher.
"See you tomorrow, Ori." Raito waved when they reached Ori's house. She waved back at him as he turned to finish his walk to his own house. Ori opened the door and walked inside. The familiar smell of home relaxed her. She hadn't even noticed how tense she's been with Raito.
"Hi, Honey. How was school?" Vivian came out of the kitchen. She was wearing her signature cheese apron and warm smile. Ori smiled back at her. It felt stiff and forced. Instantly, Vivian went into mother-mode and walked over to Ori.
"Ori, what's wrong?" Her golden-brown eyebrows lifted in concern. The red evening light that cascaded through the windows turned her hair copper. Ori felt her words die in her throat. She didn't want to tell her mom that she was beginning to think that her best friend was a merciless killer. Instead, she told her about the strange call she'd gotten during lunch. Vivian looked worried, but she dismissed it with a wave of her spatula.
"I wouldn't worry too much about it, dear. Just crazy people trying to drag everyone else down the rabbit hole with them." Ori nodded in agreement, then went upstairs to drop off her things and do her homework. But instead of doing her school homework, she began researching everything she could on Kira. Websites immediately popped up with people in group chats talking about how great Kira was and how they'd be the savior everyone needed. Ori felt shivers race down her spine at the number of people who supported Kira. It was much more than was Ori thought it would be since the killings had only started three days ago.
'What would Kira think of his followers calling him 'Killer'? Would they hate it and try to get the people to call them something different? Or will they put up with it because at least they're getting attention?' The ladder made sense. With a deep sigh, Ori went to news reports to try to figure out Kira's killing pattern. In just a few minutes, she realized that Kira had the pattern of a high school student. The killings normally started at around three-thirty in the afternoon and end at somewhere close to ten o'clock. Ori's skin began to crawl when she realized that school got out at three-fifteen and it only took ten minutes for Raito to get home. That would mean he got home at three-twenty-five. That was more than enough time for him to start killing. And He had a strict schedule of going to bed at ten-thirty. Ori's head began to swim and before she knew it, she was crashing to the ground. Her chair went spinning into the wall behind her, making a loud 'thud' sound.
'The times match up perfectly, and his reactions earlier...' her thoughts trailed off when she heard Vivian knock on her closed door.
"Honey, are you ok?" Her voice was laced with concern, but Ori's tongue felt too big for her mouth. She swallowed heavily and shook her head to clear her thoughts.
"Yeah, Mom. I'm ok."
"Ok, I'm almost finished with dinner so be sure to come down in the next ten to fifteen minutes." Her footsteps faded away from the door and carried on down the stairs. Ori shakily stood to her feet, making her way slowly to her door. She didn't want to be alone with only her thoughts. She smacked her cheeks. No way Raito could be Kira. He wouldn't kill anyone, not even criminals. But the idea had already wormed her way into her mind and infested all her thoughts like magots. Her throat felt tight and her brain felt cloudy. As Ori made her way down the stairs, she clung to the wall to keep her from tumbling to the bottom of the carpeted steps. The TV was on in the living room; Ori was only acutely aware of it. It wasn't until the change in sound that Ori looked at it.
"We interrupt this channel to bring you a worldwide emergency broadcast." Ori narrowed her eyes.
'It's not worldwide.' She thought, almost numbly, but her thoughts were cut off when the screen flickered to a man with combed black hair that reached his shoulders. His cold, pale blue eyes stared at the screen. He was wearing a dark suit and in front of him was a nameplate that said 'Lind L. Tailor'. Ori's eyes widened when he began to speak.
"Good evening. I am Lind L. Tailor. Otherwise known as 'L'." His voice was smooth, even, and deep. Ori's already narrowed eyes lowered even more. No... he wasn't L.
"I think I have a good idea of what you're trying to do, and what you hope to accomplish." 'L' said. "But what you are doing... is evil." Ori sucked in a breath at his words. Called Kira evil, did he had a death wish? There was silence for almost a minute, and Ori couldn't breathe. She watched is 'L' stared at the TV, his eyes were narrowed, an obvious challenge to Kira. The silence ended when L began to clutch his chest. Ori watched a. the man slumped down onto the desk in front of him and was then hauled off by backstage men, Ori's suspicions of Lind L. Tailor being a fake were confirmed when the screen changed to a white background with an English L scrawled in the middle.
"I-I'd had my suspicions, but I didn't think it would actually work." The voice that came from the TV was warped with a voice modulator. The tone was obviously surprised, but other than that, it was monotoned. Ori felt a large smile being plastered across her face.
"Kira, that man you killed, Lind L. Tailor, was not me but a criminal who was scheduled to die today." Ori's mind flickered to what Raito's expression must be right now. Was he angry? Most likely. She shook her head when she realized what she was thinking.
"You've given me a useful hint, so as a thank you, I'll give you one back." Ori waited with bated breath for him to keep going.
"Even though this broadcast was announced as worldwide, we actually only aired it in the Kanto region of Japan because of its large population."
'That's where Raito and I are.' She thought absentmindedly.
"We were going to air this all around the globe until we found you, but I see now that there's no need for that." Ori's smile got wider. She'd known that L was smart, but she'd never expected him to be this much of a genius.
'He's amazing.' Ori was completely in awe. But that awe was soon gone and replaced with confusion when L suddenly announced:
"So try to kill me!" Her jaw dropped as he continued to taunt Kira. "C'mon! You better do it! Can't you kill me?" A deafening silence settled over the TV and the rest of the living room. Ori bit her lip nervously and held her breath.
"So there are some people you can't kill." He murmured at last. Ori let out a stressed sigh and slumped back into the cushions of the couch.
"Kira, you have given me another useful hint, so I might as well tell you. I believe that you are unable to kill people unless you have a name and a face, and with the time and dates in which you are killing criminals, I have come to the conclusion that you are a high school student who hasn't been killing for very long, and you are in the Kanto region of Japan." The names and faces made sense. In fact, it seemed so obvious that Ori cursed herself for not figuring it out earlier. All of the criminals that were killed had been posted on the news and some point or another. All Kira would need to get past criminals was to get into police... database...
'Raito's dad is the Cheif of Police, and L's determined that Kira's a student in Japan; there's no other explanation.' Ori thought in a panic. Her breath stopped in her lungs at the thought. It hit her like a massive semi carrying a ton of bricks.
"I'm interested in how you kill, Kira, and I'm excited to meet you. When I do, I will sentence you to death." The 'worldwide' broadcast ended and went back to the movie that had been on before. All Ori could do was stare at the screen numbly. What was she going to do if L announced Raito as Kira? And would be suspected of helping him just because they were friends?
"Ori, dinner's ready!" Vivian popped her head from around the corner, her ever-present smile making the metaphorically dim room a little brighter. When she saw Ori's blank expression, the permanent smile faltered a little but didn't completely go away.
"What's the matter, Honey?" Vivian asked. Concern was laced in her voice. It took Ori a moment to register her mother's words. Slowly, she turned her head to meet Vivian's sea-green eyes. She pushed a smile onto her face and stood up. She tried to ignore the shaking in her legs as she walked to the dining table.
"Nothing's wrong, Mom. Just excited that L's taking up the Kira case." Ori flashed another smile as she looked at Vivian. Knowing when people were lying had given Ori the opportunity to get pretty good at it herself. She felt bad lying to her own mother, but it wasn't like she could tell her the truth.
They ate dinner in comfortable silence, occasionally talking about their day. When Ori was done with her meal, she pushed her chair back so she could stand. Ori rinsed off her plate and set it in the sink. Ori was about to walk to her room when Vivian's voice broke the silence.
"Are you sure you're ok, Honey? You didn't grab seconds." Ori couldn't see her mom's face, but she could only assume it was twisted up with concern.
"I'm ok, Mom. I'm trying to cut down on eating so much. As you said, I should be the size of a baby whale by now." She forced out an easy laugh and made her way up the stairs. Opening her door, Ori trudged into the room and kicked it shut. She fell onto her bed and buried her face into her pillows. There were so many thoughts rushing through her head that she knew she wouldn't be falling asleep any time soon, so she might as well try her best to sort them out until she was finally able to slip into unconsciousness.