033. Video
[In the park today, a sleeping puppy in his lap, Light looks peaceful, hair lifted by a light breeze. He's out here to get away from everything going on at the house, and the peace and quiet has let him think. The sunshine coming in through the leafy canopy that shades him casts his face in mottled light and shadow, and makes his vermillion shirt look as if it's on fire.]
There's a lot of power in a name. For those of you who know me better, you won't doubt this information at all - the power I have over names is something in of itself, after all - however I'm talking about mundane powers; the kind that all people have over others when they learn their name.
All across the world there are stories of monsters whose names are the power to dispell them. There's such youkai in Japan, too, that just knowing their name will break their hold over you. It works the other way around, too. You see, when you give someone your name, it gives them certain undeniable powers. For one thing, you can never take it back. It is the one thing that belongs most personally to you - which identifies you - but can never be returned once given.
Others can choose whether or not to acknowledge that name, or give it the respect it deserves. The way you say a name can be used to inflict emotions on people: fear, for a last name spoken sternly, or love, for a first name whispered in your ear at the right moment.
You may think it's nothing, but your name is the thing that remains with you from the moment you're born until long after you are dead. It is written on your gravestone, and it survives - if you have children - in their minds and their descendants long after you die.
[He seems to gather confidence, and smiles.]
My name is Yagami Raito - using the kanji for Night, God and Moon. In English it's pronounced Light, which is what all of you know me by here; that is, unless you're still deceived by the name I made up to protect myself all those years ago - Shiraga; meaning The White God. It is Yagami Raito which is written on my gravestone now, I'm sure, above something like 'Beloved son'--even so, that much is a lie. They never buried their beloved son in that grave, but something else entirely; Kira.
Consider this my confession. The lies I told and the deceptions I wove were all for this: I am Kira, the one who sent those messages over the network all that time ago. The reason for his absence was my absence. But before you condemn me out of hand, consider the message behind the things I said. I want justice for this city, and peace--it's my home now, because all I have to return to is an empty coffin.
This is my pledge to you: honesty. From now on, there will be no fake names, no concealment, no lies. I am a warrior for the future; for all of us, here, and I will not stand idly by and let the injustice continue, let slavery continue to be rife in the city, or bow my head to the power of others. If I must shoulder this burden alone, then I will, but I will do it as I am: as Yagami Raito, and I will have you see me flaws and all, as I strike out.
There's a lot of power in a name. For those of you who know me better, you won't doubt this information at all - the power I have over names is something in of itself, after all - however I'm talking about mundane powers; the kind that all people have over others when they learn their name.
All across the world there are stories of monsters whose names are the power to dispell them. There's such youkai in Japan, too, that just knowing their name will break their hold over you. It works the other way around, too. You see, when you give someone your name, it gives them certain undeniable powers. For one thing, you can never take it back. It is the one thing that belongs most personally to you - which identifies you - but can never be returned once given.
Others can choose whether or not to acknowledge that name, or give it the respect it deserves. The way you say a name can be used to inflict emotions on people: fear, for a last name spoken sternly, or love, for a first name whispered in your ear at the right moment.
You may think it's nothing, but your name is the thing that remains with you from the moment you're born until long after you are dead. It is written on your gravestone, and it survives - if you have children - in their minds and their descendants long after you die.
[He seems to gather confidence, and smiles.]
My name is Yagami Raito - using the kanji for Night, God and Moon. In English it's pronounced Light, which is what all of you know me by here; that is, unless you're still deceived by the name I made up to protect myself all those years ago - Shiraga; meaning The White God. It is Yagami Raito which is written on my gravestone now, I'm sure, above something like 'Beloved son'--even so, that much is a lie. They never buried their beloved son in that grave, but something else entirely; Kira.
Consider this my confession. The lies I told and the deceptions I wove were all for this: I am Kira, the one who sent those messages over the network all that time ago. The reason for his absence was my absence. But before you condemn me out of hand, consider the message behind the things I said. I want justice for this city, and peace--it's my home now, because all I have to return to is an empty coffin.
This is my pledge to you: honesty. From now on, there will be no fake names, no concealment, no lies. I am a warrior for the future; for all of us, here, and I will not stand idly by and let the injustice continue, let slavery continue to be rife in the city, or bow my head to the power of others. If I must shoulder this burden alone, then I will, but I will do it as I am: as Yagami Raito, and I will have you see me flaws and all, as I strike out.