Title: Day of Wrath
Fandom: Death Note
Characters: Light Yagami, Soichiro Yagami, Rem, Ryuk, L Lawliet, Misa Amane, Teru Mikami, Touta Matsuda, Sachiko Yagami.
Fanfic 100 Prompt:
Word Count: 2786
Rating: General
Summary: 19 drabbles spanning over the whole series. Warning for death and things. And spoilers, obvs.
Author's Notes: Written as a personal fanmix challenge. The listed soundtracks are listed on
this YouTube Play List.
Yagami Raito's Initial Boredom:Army Of Me - Björk
Light could never find it in himself to admit that he had something in common with those below. They were throwing balls at each other. Such a silly exercise - but of course, when they called him to play, he went. He would best them all, he mused. Best them all, win, and not even revel in it. It was just the way of things. Light Yagami, he told himself, was born to be more than a man.
After practice, Yuuki - the least talented player - whined to himself about his lack of luck.
“It's not luck,” Light informed him calmly and gently. “You just need to practice more. What was fascinating was the fact that deep inside, he'd managed to bite it down.
It's not luck, he kept on thinking. It's lack of talent.
* * *
Enter Ryuk: My Funny Valentine
He looked awful - and yet there was something endearing in the way his beady eyes lit up and in the low laughter that escaped his throat at times. Misa smiled a little more for it - Light's shinigami didn't look constantly sad like Rem, she mused, and that was fitting.
“Can I give you a hug?” but she didn't really wait for an answer and threw her arms around Ryuk. The shinigami stiffened a little and then relaxed, taken aback, but clearly pleased with the attention. Misa held tight (she's good at giving hug, she congratulates herself secretly) and pressed her face against the rough fabric for a moment.
* * *
Concealing the Note: Rule By Secrecy - Muse [Absolution]
Light sat quietly at his desk. The professor was (again) giving instructions on derived functions, and he sighed. This, again? Why couldn't everyone else do as much self-study as he did?
Discreetly, he started doodling on his ruled notebook. First, a wire - he had to measure out how much he would need. The pen was easy to find - he had plenty in his drawer. Of course, he would have to sneak the thing out to the tech lab, but that would not be a problem. Extra-curricular projects were always encouraged. The battery, he could find at any hardware store. The clip was a simple piece of office furniture to dismantle.
Without lifting his pencil, he finished the rudimentary blueprint and smiled to himself.
* * *
Enter Misa Misa: Hollywood Freak (translation from French) - Diane Dufresne [Merci]
Misa dabbed the brush onto the lipstick with expert hands. She then proceeded to paint her lips with loving gestures. Rem looked on, hunched not too far, eyes inexpressive but attentive. Humming to herself, she told herself, I'll be a star, one day, I will, I will, I'm pretty and sweet and adorable, and I can do it.
She stood from the mirrored dresser and looked at herself. She couldn't help but bring her hands together and smile at herself, eyes wide. “Oh, he'll love me, he'll love me,” she repeated excitedly.
“Of course,” Rem replied softly, with a touch of undefinable sadness peaking in her voice. “How could he not?”
* * *
Light's Megalomania: Dies Irae - Leipsizer Kammerorchester Mortern Schuldt-Jensen [Mozart Requiem]
Light laughed to himself in the privacy of his room. It was quiet - discreet, unfathomably so, but it was sincere. “I will make a new world,” he murmured, and looked back at Ryuk. “I will make a new world,” he repeated. “I will rid this one of all its criminals, and those who are tempted will abstain for fear.”
He smiled out the window and couldn't help but think privately, very privately, “I have a mission, and I'll accomplish it, because I'm the only one who can do it. Besides, don't I have a god on my side?”
He didn't quite clarify to himself whether that meant himself or Ryuk. The distinction seemed irrelevant.
* * *
Misa's Pledge: Hopelessly Devoted To You - Olivia Newton John [Grease]
She was bemoaning her fate again, Rem noted as she looked at Misa. “He hasn't called yet,” the girl said, and reached for her cell phone again. “I'm going to make sure he got a message.” Rem had given up on counting those - Misa was being a bit obsessive, but who could blame a girl in love?
“Light? It's Misa, call me, I miss you! Love you!” Misa's cheery tone was well practised, but Rem knew it was all a game - she'd seen enough to tell.
Meanwhile, on the other side of town, Light's cell phone vibrated, again. He ignored it - he couldn't get out of class to take the call, and he was certain it was Misa, another time. If she kept up, she would become a liability. He had to talk to her soon.
* * *
Ryuzaki's Friendship: Breathe - Depeche Mode [Exciter]
'Hideki Riyuga' sat next to Light nonchalantly, feet propped on the chair in front of him. L had examined Light Yagami from every possible angle. Part of him wanted to ask, directly, “It's not you, is it?” Such a model student. Such a perfect, perfect son. It would be a pity for Soichiro Yagami if his son was Kira.
L sat on the armchair, hunched on himself, and enjoyed another bite of baklava. Light Yagami was on his way out, and he'd examined the situation under every single one of its aspects. He was almost certain. Almost. And L wanted to tell Light, “Tell me I'm wrong, please.” Such a brilliant mind. Such a remarkable recruit for the investigation team. It would be a pity for L if his only friend was Kira.
* * *
Unhealthy Competition: Passive Aggressive - Placebo [Black Market Music]
Light sat at his desk. Chips, again. They were too salty, too greasy. They tasted awful. Another line to read, another problem to solve. Trigonometry was dreadfully easy, he mused to himself. Ah, it's 8PM, another one bites the dust, he thought absently as he refocused on the page. Ryuk started to talk. Light bent lower toward his work before he mumbled an answer.
Up on the 14th floor of the Hilton, L stared at the screen. He's not doing anything odd, he kept on repeating himself. But why is he eating those horrible chips? Why not something more tasty? He sighed and frowned at the screen. Yagami's son had nice shoulders, he found himself thinking before he shook out of it and resumed his useless vigil.
* * *
Bonnie and Clide-ification: Heaven Beside You - Alice in Chains [Alice in Chains]
She's insane, Light thought as he looked at Misa. She's insane, but she has the eyes. I need her. He smiled at her pleasantly in the coffee shop and ordered a refill of both their orders. She was pretty, but too flashy. But she was Misa Misa - the dream girl - and it made sense for Light Yagami, star student, to date a supermodel.
Misa smiled brightly at the re-order. She looked at Light with love-filled eyes. He's crazy about me, she told herself. He wants to spend more time with me, look, he just reordered! “I love you, Light,” she told him, without expecting a response. When Light reached out and squeezed her hand, she thought her prayers had been answered.
* * *
Handcuffs: I Hate Everything About You - Three Days Grace [Three Days Grace]
The handcuffs chafed against Light's wrist as he tried to fall asleep. On the other side of the room, Riyuzaki was lying in his own bed, in the foetus position. Light lay with his hands under his head and stared at the ceiling, trying to convince himself that he was elsewhere.
He tried not to think of the day his own father had held him at gunpoint. Your fault, he thought as he was reminded of Riyuzaki's presence by a soft snore. Why? Why did you do this to me? He turned to his side and looked at the sleeping form. Aren't we friends, after a fashion?
* * *
L's Death - Holocaust - Placebo [Acoustic]
It was the last day of his life, L mused to himself as the rain came falling down. I wish I'd seen Near and Mello one last time, he told himself. The water was drenching him. The white shirt clung to his lithe shoulders. His feet almost slipped on the floor. He just looked out. If I were Kira, would I do anything different, cornered as he is?
He heard some noise on the stairs and didn't turn around, or move. Of course he would come, L thought quietly. It's as it should be. Light's voice was quiet, friendly. L nodded when he was invited to follow inside. This could be my last gamble. His hands worked gently, skillfully on Light's feet. He looked up at him with those unreadable panda eyes of his. I forgive you.
* * *
For Soichiro: Notte funesta... Ferma l'ali - Cecilia Bartoli [Opera Opera Proibita]
Soichiro was in his death bed, and he had no regrets. Matsuda looked at him with pleading eyes. Begging eyes. Don't die, they seemed to implore. Don't die. And Soichiro had no regrets as he remembered that he had made a deal with the devil and shortened his life.
He looked at his son - his blood, his flesh, his pride. Soichiro looked at Light, and saw his lifespan over his head. It was a sour sweet moment - his son would be with him soon, he mused. Soon enough. His son was not Kira. Light screamed, but Soichiro was already pulled away, out of the human world. His soul reached out to reassure him, but too late.
But he was in peace, somewhat, at least.
* * *
Light Spirals Down: Can't Stop Now - Keane [Hopes & Fears]
It was getting dicey. Being L and Light was a judicious position to be in, but it was also demanding. Misa was helpful, true. She had even given up on her career - Light acknowledged that, of course. She was expected to be his wife, of course. So many years living together... But she had to forget. It was unavoidable. Light felt no sadness over it.
But it didn't matter to Light when he realized that he had to get involved. Kiyomi - she would be easy to play, most likely. She was intelligent, she was beautiful, she would make a good partner, of course. When Light wrote her name down, he thought of nothing. Just one more piece of the puzzle to remove, to way lay Near. Nothing more.
* * *
With ~feeling~, Misa Misa: You Are Loved (Don't Give Up) - Josh Groban [Awake]
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I-G8IfjPAII She didn't remember anything about killing and writing names. Only Light. Only him, and the way his smile and his eyes made her feel so very happy. Misa was getting ready for his return home. Of course, he would marry her - she would be there for him, as she always had. She would be pretty, enticing, and he wouldn't resist the shortness of her skirt.
But more importantly, he would love her, for real, because he would soon catch Kira. She wanted him to, if only because that meant they would be together at last. She wanted to help, if she could. And she would, she would. She would do anything he ever asked of her.
* * *
Takada's Delusions: Stop! - Erasure [The Rules Of Attraction]
Kiyomi slipped into her trench coat. Light was Kira - of course he was. She remembered him in their younger days. Calm, collected, always at the top of the class. Part of her anticipated every single one of their meetings - the way their fingers brushed when they traded notes, the way he said, softly, “I missed you” and the way his lithe frame pressed against hers in the dark.
Across town, Teru Mikami wrote names feverishly. “Delete! Delete! Delete!” he screamed excitedly, every time. Every name he wrote brought him closer to his God. Every name he wrote was a prayer, a catharsis, a death warrant, a promise for a better world. He would make it happen, be the avatar of Kira, his hand, his lieutenant, his servant. In those moments, he knew it - Mikami-san was born for this.
[Note: It amused me tremendously to imagine Takada singing this with Mikami as her back vocals. And the name of the band would work for them, too, wouldn't it?]
* * *
A Rasputinian Death: Field of Innocence - Evanescence [Breathe No More]
It was a long run - Light's lungs were threatening to explode, or maybe they already had. He could have sworn he'd been running along this wire fence for weeks. It seemed as if his life was passing in his eyes, or as if he was passing his life by. Perhaps it was a bit of both. Did it really matter? He didn't want to die. He wanted to go home and write names in the note. He wanted to make phone calls and order deaths without flinching. He wanted Sayu and his mother.
Math homework. That was all he could think of as the stairs loomed over him. Math homework. Would Sayu ever touch a pen again? His foot slipped, Light's knee hit the step violently, and he found himself sprawled in a bath of sunlight. Math homework.
Why did this make him think of L?
* * *
Ryuk Keeps His Promise: Am I Not Merciful - Hans Zimmer & Lisa Gerrard [Gladiator Soundtrack]
The sun was setting over the city. “Well, Light, it's been interesting,” Ryuk mused to himself. He took a moment to reminisce on this fascinating human he'd met. On the past few years. On the many times he'd put off doing what he was about to do. Would he have done anything differently? Ryuk thought perhaps he wouldn't.
But it was time to go back to the shinigami realm, and he took out his pen, opened the note with dexterous long fingers. The kanji for moon, he started to trace, very slowly. There was something peculiar about this moment. The one when he stopped writing, and the human's remaining lifespan was added to his own. In a warehouse, somewhere, sunlight filled a room and caressed a young man's dying body almost tenderly, and then he stopped breathing.
Oh, but how Ruyk would miss earthly apples.
* * *
Post-Mortem: Terrible Lie - Nine Inch Nails [Pretty Hate Machine]
Again, a death. A few seconds of respite, and then another. And again. And again. “Naomi Misora, suicide by fire.” Light's body shook violently as he yelled his horror and resisted the impulse. It only took a few moments before he was panting, on all fours on the floor. “A match, Ryuk, give me a match,” he begged.
The shinigami laughed, low. “I think it'll be more interesting to see you look for one,” he replied mischievously.
“Give me a match,” Light ordered, screamed, and he reached for Ryuk, but fell on his knees again. As if guided by some sort of sixth sense, he started to crawl around the shinigami world, looking for fire. The chasm wasn't so far, and Light was relieved when he jumped.
Moments later, he was back on the floor, curled into a ball and crying. There were only a few seconds of respite until the next one...
[Note: Inspired by the manga ending, actually, so... check it out, if you haven't?]
* * *
Credits: Break The Same - MuteMath [Live At The El Rey]
The next morning, Touta Matsuda was ringing Sachiko Yagami's bell. His hands had finally stopped shaking, and he bore nothing in his hands. Ayzawa had offered to do this - but he felt he had to. There were no words. No words.
He pressed the button with a shaking hand, and he knew by the way his heart beat in his chest that he must have been livid.
“Hello, Touta-san,” Mrs. Yagami said, a bit tiredly, after she'd open the door. “-- what is it?”
“It's - it's about Light, Mrs. Yagami,” Matsuda managed to say with stumbling words. When she screamed in horror and started to cry uncontrollably against the door frame, the young police office bit his lip and said nothing.
He had no words to tell her that his gun was the one that had killed her son.