badfic_manor | [Voice/Private to Mikami]

[He had been hoping for this. Mello's return was a difficult thing. Mikami's first intuitiv reaction was to stay away. Mello knew about his admiration for Kira and therefore the whole "we have no connection"-play would've been in a vain once he told L. But then again Teru knew he couldn't stay away from the network forever. Mello would notice. He would tell L. And than it would be clear that he had been avoiding Mello, which would reveal that he and Light already were in contact.]

Yes.
Should we meet up in person again?

[His voice remains calm despite the volume of focused thoughts going through his mind. With Mello, there's always a certain degree of uncertainty. He was unpredictable and volatile. Mello may not have a reason to suspect the Death Note is in the Manor at all if Kira's activity remained quiet, but that didn't mean a damn thing. The last one had actually gone and blown open a door. True, it had been in an attempt to locate B who did need to be stopped that week, but there is simply no telling if this new Mello has similar inclinations.]

At earliest convenience. I will go to your room.

Edited 2011-03-30 01:32 (UTC)

I'm there
[It was better to keep things short whenever they were talking over the network and Mikami was not a man of many words anyway. In his head however, thoughts were racing. Mikami hated how unpreditable the Author was. In this place they couldn't rely on anything. Anything could change every moment. Chaos. Oh, Mikami hated it. If the world would be according to him, there'd always be rules. Rules to predict things with, rules to follow. It was almost ironic. After all everything that really formed Teru as a person was nothing more and less than... accidents. But those were meaningful accidents.
In the Manor however they were nothing but toys, forced to play along with whatever sick mood the Author found herself in. Judging by the nature of her actions one couldn't even be sure if she actually knew what she was doing. It only made things worse and worse.
Reliable people. That was what the world should be populated with. And instead of this... there was an immature person who held control of an entire dimension. It was disgusting. It was simply not according to the rules of justice.

Mikami was always amazed by how easy he could think with terms like 'worlds' and 'dimensions' now, while earlier he wouldn't even have tried to accept their existance. It was almost upsetting how fast he had gotten used to it. But extreme situations provoked extreme reactions, so it was probably natural. If 'natural' was a world that could be applied to anything going on at the Manor. His thoughts were often spinning like this. A sign that 'getting used to something' was a very relative term from time to time.]

[Light nods and ends the feed. Sneaking around like a criminal is not Light's preferred modus operandi by any stretch of the imagination, but in this condensed environment filled with watchful and suspicious eyes, he has little choice. Especially now that Sayu has appeared. Perhaps Ryuk had been correct to say that hiding the Death Note is the biggest stress in owning one. Light would have disagreed with the sentiment in a normal place, but there's absolutely no telling what the Author would do. There's no guarantee that she wouldn't simply take the Note out of his possession and leave it in the hallway, giftwrapped and beribboned for L to find. He scowls angrily at the thought. Within the hour--it would have taken him less time had he not been checking and rechecking to see if he was being followed-- Light is knocking at Mikami's door.]

[Upon hearing the sound Mikami gets up in a heartbeat, opening the door and gesturing Light to come in. He knew the importance of keeping this secret.

The room Light will enter, looks no different from what it has when they talked right after Mikami's arrival. One would think a room would change when being used over months, but that person clearly does not know Mikami. Teru keeps his room clean and tidy. Creepily tidy.
Only a book on his desk is a sign that somebody is actually using this room at all]

Welcome. Please have a seat.
[Now that nobody could hear them Mikami allows his voice to become a little softer and far more submissive than he would ever talk like with anybody but Light.]

Thank you, Mikami-san.

[Light carefully closes the door behind him, and takes a seat across from Mikami. He leans forward in his chair, allowing his head to rest on his hands. So much had happened in such a short span of time-- Mello's return to the Manor, the attack on Misa's life, and now Sayu's arrival-- Light frowns imperceptibly. At least when the Manor became too chaotic, as it is this week, he could shut the door and pretend it didn't exist. However, when the chaos started following him into his mind... well, that is another issue altogether. Then again, if Light couldn't handle it, then no-one could.

The normalcy of Mikami's room provides a calm atmosphere in which Light can marshal his own tangled thoughts into order. Mello's return meant Mikami is no longer a viable option for keeping the Note safe. No matter how necessary it had been, it was nonetheless an odd moment for Light to separate from an item--the item--that symbolized all of his power as Kira, keeping only a fragment of it for himself to retain his memories. The question now then, is should he have Mikami keep possession of the Note, while Light simply "borrowed" it for the time being? Had B already noticed Mikami's lack of lifespan? ..That would be the first question to ask. No doubt, if B noticed Mikami's disappearing and reappearing lifespan, an attack analogous to the one on Misa's would be inevitable. Although it's true that there is some altruism in Light's thinking in that he does not want to see Mikami attacked, the more pressing issue at hand is that if those closest to Kira kept geting attacked, then it would only bring further suspicion onto himself. Obviously, an unacceptable state of affairs.]

Have you kept it safe?

Yes. I don't think anybody noticed that I was hiding something.

[Mikami nods. Hiding the note had been a bit difficult, because he always feared it was to be discovered. So far there had never been people entering his room when he was not there, but there was always a first time for everything. It was making him feel a bit paranoid. In the end, he had (though reluctantly) violated one of his law books, so that there was a hole inside that fit the size of the Death Note. It was one in a long series of books, because Mikami thought, that people would check books that looked unique first, if - unlikely enough- someone was to actually check his bookshelf.]

Do you want it back?

[Mikami doesn't think he has to explain his reasoning here. They both had heard Mello's voice on the network. Mello knew about him. It was risky to leave the Death Note in his room]

Before that Mikami-san, I need to hear one piece of information.

[He pauses.]

Were you, at any given time, in a place where Beyond Birthday could have seen you, both before and after you acquired the Note? He seems to have a fascination with those who no longer have lifespans... and unfortunately, you may draw unnecessary attention to yourself if your lifespan disappears, then mysteriously reappears.

...Ah, I suppose I should explain that more clearly for you. As I said previously, the Death Note was originally the property of a Shinigami. The human owner can make a bargain with the Shinigami. Trade half of your remaining lifespan, in exchange for the ability to see another other people's names and lifespans. For some reason Beyond Birthday has this ability. It's why he attacked Misa. He was searching for answers. I hadn't anticipated that this one would act in that manner, considering the former B seemed to have knowledge of the Kira case, presumably through Mello and L...

[He trails off here, looking thoughtful.]

In any event, it's a concern.

I haven't noticed Beyond Birthday [Obvious dislike is in his voice as he says the name. Around Light he can allow himself to at least show his disgust a tiny bit] anywhere near me, but sadly, that doesn't have to mean anything.

I tend to follow a kind of schedule most of the time [Unterstatement of the year] and it's possible that he has seen me in the Manor or even figured out what I usually do at what time, if he had caught interested in my lifespan.

In that case.

[He wrinkles his brow in concentration. Light is fully aware of Mikami's rigid adherence to his schedule; it's part of what made the man so reliable. You could count on him to do exactly as ordered, and it would be done down to predictable seconds. Though in this case, it was also something of a liability. Granted, not as serious of a liability as Misa could be, but nonetheless a potential weakness. Or a asset, depending on how the situation is manipulated.]

Give me the Note, but do not relinquish ownership of it. It's best to maintain the status quo. Where is it?

I've hidden it in the bookshelf.

[Mikami gets up and walks over to it. The note was hidden in the 4th out of a row of 15 books. They were fairly big, so it was more than possible to hide something in them, when you removed the inner parts of the pages. Mikami has also put Death Note into a little box inside the book that he opens with a key he has with him.

When Mikami has taken the Death Note out he puts box and book back and hands the notebook over to Light]

[Light accepts the Death Note from Mikami, and despite the tremendous danger it brought him to even have it here, he couldn't help but feel complete once again, as though he had been missing his arm the entire time it wasn't in his possession. He'd certainly lost some sleep wondering if it were truly safe. Seeing it again, even if it was only a false sense of security, made him smile fondly for an ephemeral moment.]

As you are still technically the owner of the Note, your memories should remain intact. Unless, at any time you choose to relinquish ownership of it. If it comes to a point in which having knowledge of the Note will compromise your [my] safety, please send me a message.

Understood.

[Mikami nods. But there are a few other things that need to be clarifyed. A very pressing matter indeed, but he doesn't hope it happens. His last and only interaction with Mello has really been enough.]

If Mello choses to approach me at any time, how should I react?

As you normally would, Mikami-san. No-one would fault you for wanting to avoid interacting with this Mello given how caustic the last one was. On a personal level, I'm admittedly puzzled by the difference in their demeanor. Whereas I think we could all agree that the last one was volatile, and extremely easy to anger... this one seems... well, I hate to phrase it this way, but he seems to actually suit his namesake. Either it's because he still thinks this is the afterlife and that therefore none of this is real, or it's because something significant happened before his death.

My concern is that he might try something reckless involving Sayu, my younger sister. Why the Author had to bring in my family members...[He frowns slightly.] ...tasteless.

[His younger sister? Well, that explained the text that was on the network earlier. God's sister. Things were getting more and more complicated.]

Everything she does is tasteless. [Exept maybe for letting him and God meet. But that positive point was completely overshadowed by the fact that he dared to bring Light here at all. As if she actually believed in being 'better' than him. As if she seriously thought her power would be enough to make her a godly being]

It's true.

[He sighs. Light has honestly lost count of the number of times he has felt humiliated by the Author. One would think it would become easier each subsequent time, like water rolling off a duck's back, but it didn't. Each new plot only added to his malice- by now, he's beyond wanting to use the Death Note on the Author. He almost wants to throttle her with his bare hands. Ultimately though, the Author isn't worth dirtying his hands for directly. What she had done with Sayu, however, is unforgivable. At home, he had done all he could to keep his life as Kira separate from his family.

One might argue his move wasn't altruism at all, but there had been more to it. Light doesn't want to kill his family. Mentally, he's already prepared himself for the possibility. He wouldn't have to here--it wouldn't work anyway--but simply having Sayu around meant risk. If Mello or L chose to try and sway Sayu, then what could he do? Kill them and thereby prove their points? Threaten them and indirectly admit he is Kira? Never.]

It's about as tasteless as what Mello is capable of. No doubt he'll try to get to me by using Sayu. [Another sigh.] Admittedly, I'm at a bit of a loss there, Mikami-san.

[Voice/Private to Mikami]

[Voice/Private]

[Voice/Private]

[Voice/Private] I... don't even know how that happened o.O

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