Lost Memories

Things were coming together nicely. Oh yes, they were. Just yesterday, phase one had been completed. Like a mental recording, the scene in where L’s spoon fell from his hands as he tumbled out of his swivel ran through his mind as a sweet remembrance of sweet victory. After all he had put up with, after everything he was cornered into doing, Light had finally won.

The great detective L was gone. Dead.

The best part it? No one suspected him anymore, save for L, who was forever doomed in the dark world of Death. The image of L screaming and pulling his hair out after realizing he had been dead-on—he’d had it all along—as he continued to relish the sweet taste of victory. Light Yagami was Kira. And there was not a damn thing L could be because… well, because he was dead. Light was not.

Checkmate. The game was over.

Light imagined winning the lottery would feel like something similar. But, if given the chance, L’s death would have never been considered second best to something as worthless as money. It was worthless when your archrival lived. Light had not won the lottery—he had won the world. The new world he was destined to create was closer than ever. He could see it then—him; God. Known as a God, loved as a God, worshipped as a God.

Kira, God of the World; the titled fit him, Light decided.

A kid visiting Disney World could not feel happier than he did, yet, he chose to keep it a secret. He held it all in. To all of working on the Kira case, Light was set out for revenge. He was mourning and at times, gone insane from the loss—laughing uncontrollably. He was depressed. Light spent more and more time locked up in his room, accepting his meals there. When he felt someone watching him, he would pretend to be lost in thought, sighing frequently when Matsuda, or any of the other buffoons, tried talking to him. His eyes would gaze upon them blankly.

The role of L had been set on the table constantly. His father and the other investigators had brought it up after the third day marking L’s death. It was decided the world could go on with their lives without a mention of L’s death. Light accepted this, denying a vacation time after time. But, his father was hardheaded and felt it necessary for his son to return to his schooling. Therefore, Light did.

Fortunately, no one seemed to notice Ryuuga Hideki’s absence. It was as though he had never existed. But, Light had to admit it was all L’s paranoia that helped with that: missing classes for the sake of preserving his self had proved him nothing more than a nobody to Light. It was only occasionally when someone mentioned his absence, inquiring Light. At that, he mentioned online classes.

After classes were over, he walked home. Without a worry, he left Misa with her commercial shootings and acting and the Kira matter to her as he found it impossible to reach his own note. It being locked up and watched by the Task Force and all. But, Light thought nothing of it—there were ways and ways of being Kira… without having to write all those names down. He had Misa Amane in the palm of his hand now that Rem was gone—along with her note—and that Misa’s undying love for him would push her to do anything and everything he asked. At times, Light even questioned the idea of him asking her to jump of a building—he did feel she would if he asked.

“I’m home,” Light called out when he walked into his house and replaced his shoes with slippers.

It was late into the evening; Light had stopped by to see his father at the headquarters. When he asked about joining again, his father quickly reprimanded him lightly, telling him to go home and ask again in a few days.

Light was halfway up the stairs when his sister showed up at the top of the stairs. “Hey, Nii-san!” she greeted him happily; “Did you see Misa-chan today?”

Light smiled, “No, not today, Sayu.”

Sayu smiled widely. “Oh well…It is so cool that you’re dating a celebrity!” Light walked by her, patting her on the head. “When can I tell my friend you’re dating the Amane Misa?”

As he unlocked his door, he removed the lead piece out of its security spot. “Not right now. Promise me you won’t tell, okay?”

Sayu pouted and crossed her arms. “Fine, I promise.” She went downstairs, presumably, to help her mother with the cooking and Light went into his room to work on his homework.
_____________________________________________________________________

Soichirou had given his word that he would be home tonight. Sachiko, Light’s mother, served him a plate; she hoped he’d come soon. The odds of him coming home early slim; she knew that and learned to accept it after the first few months after the start of the Kira case.

To everyone’s surprise, as the family as sat down, preparing to eat, the front door opened and in walked Soichirou.

“Daddy!” Sayu cried out. Knocking her chair over, she ran and jumped into her father’s arms. Soichirou smiled, embracing her warmly.

“How was work, honey?” Sachiko asked as she kissed him.

Soichirou sat down in front of Light. The bags under his eyes were larger than usual and the man looked older than he usually did. The brunet noticed the increasing rate of gray hairs created from stress. “It’s been busy.

Light picked at his food. “I could help you with the investigation, if you’d like.”

“You need to be worrying about your school work, right now.”

“I agree,” Sachiko said, sitting down next to her husband.

“You need to be worrying about other things. You should take Misa-chan out sometime, buy her something nice; girls like getting nice things.” She cleared her throat. “Like, gold jewelry or diamonds—or a nice dinner date.”

Oblivious to what she was getting at, Soichirou said, “Do what your mother says.”

As they ate, Sayu talked about her friends and school. Light itched for a moment he could discuss about the Kira case with his father. But it would be impossible to do so while his sister and mother were there—they couldn’t know he had been offered L’s role when they didn’t even know he had been working on the case to begin with.

At some point, the phone rang as they ate. Sachiko got out of her chair, mumbling about how they had just been eating peacefully. “Hello, Yagami residence? May I ask who’s speaking? Alright, one moment please.” She covered the mouthpiece with her hand, directing her attention to Soichirou. “Honey, there’s a Dr. Uramura who wants to speak to you.”

The man stood, confused. “Uramura? Never heard of him.”

“It’s probably about your high blood pressure.”

Talking the phone, he walked into the kitchen. “This is Soichirou Yagami…”

Sachiko sat down. “Honestly, your father’s health has been deteriorating ever since he started working on that stupid case. I hope they catch that man soon.”

“He will, Mom,” Light said, giving her a confident smile.

“Yeah!” Sayu punched the air, “Dad will catch the bad guy just like…”

From out of the kitchen came a cry from Soichirou. He sounded flabbergasted “He’s alive?” All looked toward the man, waiting for some sort of news.

“Are you sure? But he was checked by a doctor…Are you sure it’s him? I understand…Yes, I’ll be there immediately.”

Soichirou entered the dining room and addressed the family. “I’ve got to get to the hospital. I’ll be back later.”

“Dad, I’m coming too,” Light said, standing up. Soichirou looked him over and nodded.

Light was a bit surprised when his father had not put up a fight about it; the brunet grabbed his coat and shoved his feet into some shoes. “Dad, what’s going on?” Light asked once in the car.

“Don’t get your hopes up,” Soichirou said, “They’re probably mistaken. There is no way it could be him. I checked him myself. The doctor said he had no heartbeat. How could he be…”

“Dad!” Light interrupted, “What are you talking about?”

Soichirou sighed and inhaled, “I don’t want you to get your hopes up, but…” He licked his lips. They came to a red light and Soichirou took a chance and looked over at Light.

“That doctor, Uramura, informed me that Ryuuzaki is at the hospital, alive and well.”

At the thought, Light’s world came crash down—tumbling from his thrown, he mouth hung limply, and his eyes widened in fear and anger. He couldn’t believe it—he wouldn’t. This is just a sick joke, he assured himself.

He forced his mouth closed, biting his lips harshly. “H-How can that be possible? We all checked him. The doctor’s checked him! He can’t be alive!”

“That’s what I said—but Uramura’s description of the man sounded just like Ryuuzaki.” Soichirou kept his eyes on the road as he finally cracked a smile. “We’re just going to check it out; it can’t really be him. But…”

Light gazed forward. Of course, he kept telling himself, it wasn’t L. He had died in his arms. Whoever this person was, it couldn’t possibly be L. What if it was a trap? Perhaps Interpol had gotten a signal from L’s computer when Watari had deleted all the data—they had come down here to investigate and catch him, weren’t they? It was like L to have it known that Light suspected. He might have been paranoid, but he really hoped they weren’t there to bring him in.

Then, he remembered and assured himself that there was no possible way he could be arrested. There was no evidence anyone could bring up against to prove him as Kira. Apart from the Task Force, no one else knew of the notebooks—if they did, no amount of thorough searching would help them find one. If they searched Misa’s home—they’d turn up once again with nothing. Even Misa wasn’t stupid enough to leave her note anywhere other than her person or anywhere Light advised her to. If anything should happen and Misa were caught—she would not talk. If they broke her—it’d be his word against hers. And knowing the case would never reach court, Light began climbing back to his throne.

Light knew that there was no chance of L escaping the clutches of death. No one could. Not even the great detective L.

He and his father would arrive and once taking on look at the man thought as L, inform this Uramura of her mistake and head back home. Ryuuzaki was a commonly crossed upon name. Men with black hair and dark eyes were very common as well. L was a Caucasian male but; his traits were like those of a common Japanese man.

“Dad…Ryuuzaki has to be dead. I watched him die,” Light began, slowly. “His funeral’s tomorrow…”

“We have to check this out,” his father answered, “Who knows…maybe Kira made a mistake. He’s human too, you know…”

Kira does not make mistakes, Light thought as he watched the scenery zoom past, I never make mistakes. I do not plan to, either…
_______________________________________________________________________

When they arrived at the hospital, Light was first out of the car as he dashed through the automatic doors. He approached the front desk.

“We’re looking for Dr. Uramura.” Light felt his father come up from behind and stand beside him.

The nurse at the front desk middle-aged and had her dark hair done up in a bun. “I’m sorry, dear, but she’s busy with a patient right now. If you could take a seat in the waiting room, please.”

“Tell her that Mr. Yagami is here,” Soichirou added. “She told me to come right away. It involves one of her patients.”

The woman’s smile did not falter. “I’ll call her and let her know you are here. In the meantime, please have a seat.”

Reluctantly, Light and Soichirou sat down. Not that it mattered but, there was an elderly couple sitting across from them, holding hands. They seemed to be the only other people there. The brunet gave them a quick glance as he turned his attention to the nurse; she sat serenely, taking her sweet time to when making that phone call. Light had suddenly felt paranoid and felt like hiding his face. Was this feeling actually anxiousness? This whole thing was a misunderstanding at it was nothing to fret.

What seemed like hours later, Light saw a female walking down toward them. A woman attired in black khaki pants and a white lab coat. As she reached closer, the sound of her black pumps filled the vicinity.

“Mr. Yagami…” she peered at both of them from behind dark-rimmed glasses. Soichirou and Light stood to greet her. “I’m Dr. Uramura.”

“I’m Soichirou Yagami,” the older man introduced himself. “And this is my son, Light.”

As Light shook hands with the woman, an urge to kill her right then and there fell over him. However, he calmed and followed Soichirou and Uramura through a door into the sterile halls of the hospital.

“Mr. Yagami, are you familiar with Ryuuzaki?” asked Dr. Uramura.

“I was familiar with him, but, as far as I’m concerned… he’s dead,” Soichirou answered, “Are you sure that our Ryuuzaki is the man you have here?”

“The only documentation that we found was his death certificate made by the director of the funeral home.” Uramura led them to an elevator and pressed one of the buttons. Then, the doors closed. “He was found by one of the security guards when he had heard shouting. He said he thought kids had broken into the mortuary and went to investigate. Sometimes teenagers will lock their friends in the caskets as a joke…”

“Did this man specifically request my father?” Light asked.

Uramura looked at him, seemingly agitated that a kid would interfere with adult conversation, but it seemed like a legitimate question. “No, we only knew to call you by the records left at the funeral home.” Professionally, she crossed her arms and looked at Soichirou. “There’s something else I would like to discuss with you. However, that shall have to wait until you have confirmed his identity. All I can legally tell you at the moment is that he is going through some tests…”

“Tests?” Light asked, “What kind of tests have you put him under.”

“We’ve done the basic health tests and we’re checking his blood, but, right now, our specialists have set him working on his memory,” she said.

The doors opened and they followed her down another hallway with doors on either side leading to sleeping patients. Uramura led them through a wooden-paneled door that read Employees Only. Down that hall, their shoes squeaked as they made contact with the newly polished floors.

“Where does this lead to?” asked Soichirou.

“The observatory where Ryuuzaki is stationed,” she answered. She turned at a corner and led them through another door. The room seemed familiar, somehow as Light spotted computer screens, beeping monitors, a two-way mirror, and a door leading into the next room where a man was sitting a small chair.

Light stayed behind as his father rushed to the window. Soichirou began to mumble and a small incredulous smiled appeared on his face.

Once his father moved aside and took a seat at the table, Light moved forward. As he peered into the window, the brunet’s eyes widened.

Looking pale and calm as ever, sitting in the middle of the room was L; he wore a white hospital gown and leaned against his chair as he brought his feet to his chest and his thumb, lazily, to his mouth. That messy black hair and those large dark eyes could only belong to L.

His insides churned, he felt faint, anger blinded him and his body began trembling. Light was felt a scream build within him but held back. Neither Uramura nor his father paid any attention to him as his legs gave out and he kneeled against the window. How could this have happened? That cannot be L, he thought angrily. L is dead. But there he was. He sat in front of a makeshift computer wearing large headphones. Observed by doctors like some kind of science experiment, L sat without a care in the world—taunting Light to make a move on a poor defenseless man.

“Do you recognize him?” Light heard Dr. Uramura ask.

Soichirou nodded. “Yes, that’s him. It’s a miracle… but how?” He found himself at a loss of words…

“In this hospital, I’ve seen miracle after miracle,” the woman paused, gazing over at the man. “Ryuuzaki is undergoing a test that’ll help us understand his interpretation of language… I need to talk to you about something very important. I have studied neurology and the effects severe injuries give the nerves in the brain for over fifteen years. Ryuuzaki’s case is one like I’ve never seen before.”

“What’s wrong with him?”

Rubbing her temples, she sighed and removed her glasses. “He has a mild case of amnesia. When we found him, he didn’t know his name, age, nothing—He can’t remember anything prior to waking up in his casket.”

From his spot beside the window, Light’s eyes widened. He was shocked but pleased. He was safe—L, the great, was now nothing and could never harm Light.

Soichirou was shocked as well; it was may have been something he did not want to hear. “What surprises me is that he may be one of the smartest boy’s I’ve ever encountered. He’s fluent in eight different languages but can’t remember where he’s learned it all.”

Light felt a sort of pride radiating from the woman—like a mother boasting how that’s her child up on stage at the school talent show.

“He’s truly an amazing person,” Uramura continued, “Ryuuzaki knows so much but, can’t find the answers her must long to hear.”

“Are you certain he has amnesia?” Soichirou asked. Light could only barely hold back the urge to scoff. Of course he does, don’t question it—how persistent are you? He’s not coming back! Light thought, boastfully.

“Yes, we have tested him several times, with state of the art equipment. There’s no mistaking it. The thing we can’t be sure of… when he’ll begin remembering.”

“There are more questions I have to ask you,” Uramura directed her attention to both of them. “What are your relationships with Ryuuzaki?””

Playing the part of an innocent victim, Light’s voice was barely audible. “We… we’re friends. We met each other at our orientation.”

Dr. Uramura nodded. “I see. And you, Mr. Yagami—you must have met him through your son, correct?” Soichirou nodded. “Those who suffer from amnesia recover faster when surrounded by family and friends. Do you know his family?”

The older man sighed heavily “We don’t know about his family.”

“He was raised in an orphanage,” Light added.

“Is that so? Then is there anyone else to take him in?” Dr. Uramura held her face within her palms.

“No,” Soichirou said, “But we will take him in. We’re the closest he has to family.” Light resisted the urge to burst out in dance. This was the best thing could happen to them—him. The brunet would be keeping his enemy close and if any happened he would know immediately.

“He’ll be released into your custody as of tomorrow. Ryuuzaki will need to visit the hospital every week so we can monitor his process.”

“May we see him?” Light asked, standing up.

Uramura stood up and smiled. “Yes, follow me.”

“Ryuuzaki-kun,” the woman announced as she turned the knob and pulled the door open. “You have some visitors.”

L removed his headphones and rose from the chair. The man had this swagger to his person, Light noticed and thought back of all the times L had strutted down with his slumped self. Except for the whole not remembering part, it was as though L had never seen into the eyes of Kira. The white gown limited his speed as he came to greet them. Light had accustomed himself to the jeans and white t-shirt with quarter-link sleeves; this L nothing of the like—it was strange.

“It’s nice to meet you,” L was cordial and asked, “What are your names?”

As L’s attention set on him, Light realized he had been staring. How could he not? The man, his archenemy, back from the dead, alive and kicking… it would take him some time to remember not to harass the man.

His insides tingled as a laugh moved up his throat. “You don’t remember me?

L blinked, confused. “Have we met before?”

Soichirou stepped forward, “Ryuuzaki, I’m Yagami Soichirou. This is my son, Light. You guys were good friends in college.”

L put a finger to his lips. “Yagami? Then you must be the one who sent and locked me away in that funeral home.”

“Ah!” Soichirou was shocked at the man’s bluntness and felt embarrassed all of the sudden. L didn’t think of it as though he had said something innocent. “Ryuuzaki, I had no idea that you were still…”

“It is fine, Yagami-san,” said L, his lips twisting into a cat-like smile, “Dr. Uramura has located the doctor who pronounced my death, and I have spoken with him myself. I did not tell him that it was I, though. I don’t want any media attention.”

Light nodded, realizing his foe would not just fall dead again. “You haven’t changed at all.”

“I’ll take that as a compliment.”

Faking sadness emanating from within, Light smiled weakly. “You really can’t remember anything… can you?”

“That’s not entirely true…,” L corrected Light as he stared at him. Light’s heart began to race and he was seconds away from twitching from his gaze. “I remember that man that saved me—his name was Tokama. I’m very smart—or that’s what I think. The doctors insist on advancing me through my tests. I also seem to know all these different languages yet—I can’t really tell which ones I know though.”

“I’m sorry to hear that.”

Interjecting in his conversation with L, Soichirou said, “Ryuuzaki, you’ll be moving in with us tomorrow. Is that okay with you?”

L went back to his seat and sat down in his crouched position. “Did I reside there beforehand?”

“No, you didn’t.”

“Then, where did I live?”

“In a dormitory on campus,” Light said, “They gave up your dorm when they heard of the accident…”

L looked at him, confused as ever. Gently, he grasped his bony knees. “And of this accident—how did it happen? No one ever told me…”

Here came the difficult part; should Light tell him the truth or make of a story until he was able to formulate a plan? Alternatively, could he combine the two options? A little bit of a white lie and the rest about what had happened to create a third option.

Light sighed and he ran his long fingers through his hair. “Well, this is what happened—your heart stopped and we rushed you to the hospital. The doctors that checked you said your heart had completely stopped and after an hour of them working on you—they pronounced you dead…”

L’s eyes widened as Light tried to remain collected—he only had a few minutes of self-control left.