Dark

Warnings: A little blood. And death.

Summary: Alternate Universe. The question here is simple, or is it? Everybody just wants to know who killed Mr. Wammy…

Disclaimer: If I owned Death Note, I wouldn’t be faced with the dilemma of a career choice. Because is making me glance away from the psychology textbook long enough to seriously consider being a writer.

A/N: Please, let me know if this doesn’t suit my writing. And the universe of this is vastly different from the other AU mystery by me, by the way.

If you’re a new reader, welcome. If I owned Ouran High School Host Club, you would be greeted by hot guys in hot outfits. But I don’t own that either, so you’ll have to settle for me. XD If you’re one of my lovely readers of “Kira Kira,” then I hope you like this better. That would mean I’m improving! XD

Chapter One: When Angels Fly Away

The camera automatically angled as if the events taking place marked the climax of a classic horror film. The area was not in color, but it was not black and white like the scenes the killer was reminded of. The only colors visible were black and red, as well as the pale form of the victim.

Sleeping…Watch him sleeping… The dark form hummed mentally, running a finger along the bloodied edge of the knife. It felt as though they had both been dropped into some world before their time, and the killer’s secret obsession with classic films gave way to a hallucination. The room was now dancing in sepia tones, and their clothes changed to garments long out of style.

“You like classic films too, don’t you? Watari-san… I’m glad you could go this way.”

The actual details of the murder weren’t particularly important.

The killer’s own thoughts were even less crucial to the outcome of the case. The detectives relentlessly pursuing the assassin would never have benefited from finding them. Even as a prodigy, I still didn’t understand why knowing so much was important. Anyone could use a knife, so what did we gain from finding the murder weapon? There weren’t any fingerprints on it. All the blood belonged to the victim.

I had asked a less respected yet more experienced officer about the matter, but Matsuda Touta had even less of an idea than I did. The cheerful man never questioned why, worrying more about doing anything possible to catch the criminal.

I certainly wasn’t stupid enough to ask L, the head of our highly ranked task force, such a trivial question. Even my father, their second-in-command, would never answer. Both men would be vague, as always. I sighed and gave my wandering attention back to L, who twirled a plastic bag in his loose grip. Predictably, the object inside was the murder weapon: a plain steak knife.

“Today, class, we take a field trip,” Aizawa voiced sarcastically. “We’re going to visit the scene of the crime.”

“Why are we on the case?” I hated to be a bratty, stuck up teen, but there was one victim. The task force was the world police’s secret weapon!

“Was Yagami-kun not listening at all?” L blinked in astonishment. “Perhaps he should take a look around? Is anything…missing?”

As if Aizawa talking like it was school wasn’t enough, here L was with a pop quiz.

I glanced around, barely giving myself time to take in the room. “Your assistant, Watari-san, is missing.”

“There is no need for such an alias. Throughout this latest case, he shall be referred to as ‘Mr. Wammy.’ In case you were unaware, he has been murdered.”

Oh. Well, it seemed as though even the great L was not above such a personal case. “Would taking such a case cloud your judgment?”

“No.”

I waited patiently for him to explain himself, hit in the face by an awkward silence.

Aizawa cleared his throat.

Matsuda scrambled for something to say, eventually deciding on a sheepish mumble. “Are we still going to the crime scene?”

I broke my staring contest with L and was the first into the truck he marked as the group’s vehicle.

“You’re leaving without Misa-Misa? Wait! Wait!” The girl in the gothic Lolita clothes – more accurately described as my girlfriend, although I personally view her the way I see my little sister – chased after the parade of detectives.

Aizawa groaned, opening the door to the van. “She’s like a lost puppy, having followed us to the headquarters in the beginning,” he muttered to me. “Now she expects you to take her everywhere.”

“Yagami-kun…” L rested his fingertips against his forehead, wincing at her voice. “Handle it.”

I sighed, climbing out of the truck-van thing. “Misa, Watari-san was killed,” I informed her upon reaching where she stood.

“Really! Who did it?”

“We don’t know. And that’s what we’re doing: trying to solve this case.”

“Misa-Misa can help! Misa knew Watari-san very well!”

“Did he tell you of any enemies he had?” In fact, there was a good chance that the answer to the question wouldn’t help at all.

“Why would we talk about something as boring as that?”

I became a bit self-conscious when I noticed the looks that the task force was sending me. “Look, I’ll talk to you later, alright? Just…stay here.”

“Misa-Misa will stay right in this very spot!”

She’s not seriously that stupid, right? I was pretty sure that she was just making fun of me. One look at her expression told me that she probably considered it “playful teasing,” although it goes without saying that I wasn’t amused…

The timing of the ringing of my cell phone could not have been more perfect. I mustered a quick “Ja ne” to Misa, walking quickly to the van.

“Hello?” I asked once I’d gotten comfortable in the back.

“Hey, Light-kun.” Takada’s voice was probably what she considered seductive, and I honestly wanted to throw the phone into the wall. I’d been saved from one fangirl by another. I just had a bit of trouble breaking their hearts like that…

“Takada. I’m busy.”

“Are you mad at me? You’re being so curt. Perhaps I can come over and help you relax?”

Absolutely. Pointless.

“No, and I’m busy. I’ll call you later.”

By the time I’d quit arguing with her, we’d arrived at the scene of the crime: the private rooms of a little convenience store.

“Ryuzaki.” I referred to him by the alias he used away from headquarters. “Why was Watari-san in the private back rooms of this store?”

He regarded me as if I had just asked a stupid question. “How should I know, Yagami-kun?”

A/N: For those of you that read “Kira Kira,” you know that I tend to skip around. A LOT. So this is me trying not to skip around so much. And I swear Misa won’t fall out of this one. I think I need a strong female character for the ending I have planned.

Speaking of Kira Kira, that’ll probably be finished this weekend. I have the last chapter completely written. Some people just requested more time to think it over.

I’m not telling you who the possibilities are, YET.

I view it like a game. Highly addictive, and healthier than that career by same name in reality. Won’t you join me?