End Games

Chapter 12: Capture I

Misa mentally prepared herself to face the man suspected of being Kira. Like with Takahashi, she instructed Higuchi to pick her up at a different location, away from headquarters so as to not alert L and the others. This time, however, she would take the precaution of informing them that she was going out and that they should expect her back within half an hour. That way, if something happened and she took too long, they would know.
She walked into the main investigation room where the taskforce members were engrossed in their work.
"Everyone, I'm going out for a walk! I'll be back in half hour. Try not to miss me too much!" She announced cheerfully.
The rest of taskforce looked at her wearily, unsure if they should trust her going out on her own after what happened the week before. Misa maintained a cool facade as they all turned to L, awaiting his response. The detective noticed that all eyes were on him.
"Well, I don't see a problem with it" He said nonchalantly, turning back to his computer screen.
Having obtained L's approval, Misa relaxed a bit. She knew that by going out with Higuchi she was abusing the trust that L was placing on her, but in her mind she was doing it for a good cause. She walked up to the detective, who did not look at her until she was standing right next to him. He gave her a blank stare as she leaned down slightly and placed a tender kiss on his cheek.
'I'm sorry my sweet panda but I want to do this for you. I want to be useful to you in solving this case' She thought, resolute.
All eyes were on them at that moment. Most had a confused look, wondering why Misa had just kissed L. L simply looked at her surprised and touched his cheek where Misa had placed her lips. Before anyone could say a word about what she'd just done, Misa chuckled in that flirty way of hers, turned on her heel and walked towards the door.
"See you later!" She said, waving to all of them.
"Are you sure you don't want company?" Asked Mogi, still looking concerned. Misa turned back to look at him with the sweetest smile she could muster.
"Aw Mochi! Don't worry, I'll be back before you know it but thanks for the offer!" She told him. Mogi blushed slightly at her use of his nickname. With that, Misa walked out of headquarter toward the appointed meeting place with Higuchi.
'Alright, now I just gotta be extra careful not to get in too deep. I'll get him to tell me if he's Kira, record it on my phone and then I'll ask to be dropped off. It should be quick' She thought as she stood outside a crowded bus station.
She looked at her clock. It was 10 minutes past the appointed time.
'Dammit Higuchi, at this rate I won't have enough time to get the information I need! I can't believe the nerve of some men to leave women waiting around' She thought impatiently. Just then, a flashy red camaro pulled up in front of the bus station. She had no doubt that it was Higuchi.
"About damn time..." She mumbled to herself.
Her heart quickened as she walked up to the car and gave Higuchi a weak smile. She climbed inside and before she even had time to settle in, he drove away quickly, causing Misa to fall back against her seat.
Unbeknownst to her, she and Higuchi were not alone in the flashy car. In the back seat, invisible to her, sat the bony, white Shinigami, Rem.
"How are you my dear? I'm glad you decided to come out with me. I promise you won't regret it." He said, attempting to sound seductive but failing miserably. Instead, he just elicited a small grimace from Misa. Rem remained silent.
"No problem!" She said. 'Ew, this guy is such a sleaze' She thought regretfully while smiling at him. He eyed her lasciviously out of the corner of his eye.
He ran his prying eyes over Misa's thighs, up her taut mid section to her round breasts, and finally ended at her pretty face. Higuchi could barely contain his desire.
"So Mr. Higuchi, I bet you're wondering why I'm spending time with you and not the other Yotsuba Group members that asked me out" She said. Higuchi raised an inquisitive eyebrow.
"Misa, just call me Higuchi, no need for formalities between us" He said with a crooked smile. "And I'm not surprised that those other idiots I work with asked you out as well. I mean, just look at you." He said, glancing at her appreciatively. "But do tell, why in particular, did you choose me?"
"Well, I remember that after my interview you complimented me on my appreciation for Kira. I think you and I feel the same way about him. But I have to admit that in the interview, I lied a little bit." She said, biting her bottom lip anxiously.
Rem looked closely at Misa, wondering what the young woman was up to. Rem had a hunch that whatever it was, it was dangerous.
"Is that so?" Asked Higuchi, in a low, menacing tone.
"Yeah. In the interview I said that I was just grateful to Kira for killing my parents' murderer, but...I actually love Kira!" She finally admitted, fully turning to him with the most genuine expression she could muster.
Higuchi's eyes wandered toward her for a second as he took in what she had just told him. Then, without notice, he swung the car over to the side of the road and came to a stop to give her his undivided attention.
"You worship Kira, you say?" He asked her, studying her very carefully. Misa nodded her head, hoping that her performance so far was convincing.
Out of nowhere, Higuchi erupted into an uncontrollable fit of laughter. The man threw his head back as he released a maniacal type of laugh that gave Misa the chills. Misa stared at him, genuinely taken aback by his outburst. Even the Shinigami in the back seat stared at him with a mixture of confusion and derision.
'What a psycho...I should get my phone ready, just in case.' Thought Misa, reaching for her phone inside her purse. When she looked up, she nearly screamed as Higuchi brought his face really close to hers as though he was going to kiss her. She could feel his hot breath on her lips and she inwardly cringed, hoping that he wouldn't come any closer.
"Well that's perfect, my dear. And what would you do if I told you that I know Kira, personally?" He murmured, looking at her lips longingly.
'This is it' Thought Misa, pressing the record button on her phone. This could be the moment she had been hoping for, Higuchi's confession. She went in for the kill by placing her lips close to his ear, sending shivers through Higuchi with each word that she whispered.
"Well...I'd tell you that I really want to meet him, and thank him for avenging my parents." She told him seductively. "In truth, I love Kira so much, that I would marry him on the spot." She finished saying. At this last part, Higuchi could barely contain his excitement.
'This is going even better than I expected! Misa Amane will be mine!" He thought, holding back a triumphant smile. In fact, he had to try really hard to not blurt out that he was Kira. As much as he wanted to make her his right there and then, Higuchi wasn't ready to spill his secret just yet. Misa noticed Higuchi's twisted smile and gave him a smile of her own, not realizing what she was getting herself into.
'This is going even better than I expected! Higuchi's going to tell me he's Kira!' She thought, excitedly. Her perceived victory was short-lived however, as Higuchi put on a poker face and started the car again. Misa was confused. 'Huh?'
She really thought that she had him there.
'What the hell?! I thought he was gonna tell me his secret! Higuchi should have definitely gone for that...I guess this means he's not Kira after all? Hmm...that leaves Namikawa then...' She thought, disappointed. She carefully reached for her phone to turn off the recording and right after, Higuchi spoke.
"That was quite a statement you made back there, Misa. Are you sure you're ready to back it up?" He asked her, keeping his eyes on the road. She looked unsure but decided to play along.
"Of course! I'm a woman of my word." She boasted.
"I don't believe a word you're saying." He said.
Misa gasped. 'Shit, does he suspect what I'm doing? No way...how?!' She wondered, panicking on the inside. "What?...why? Why would you say that?" She asked.
He glanced at her out of the corner of his eye. "I think there' s something more...something you're not telling me. Am I right, Misa?" He told her, smirking. Misa looked at him, thinking quickly to see if there was anything that she said that could have given her away. She couldn't think of a single thing. Regardless, if this plan was going to succeed, she would have to take a leap of faith. 'Time for plan B, but since I don't really have one, this means it's time to improvise!' She thought.
"Bahhh you caught me" She said throwing her hands up in mock surrender."You're more clever than I thought, Higuchi. I guess I'll just have to come clean!" She said. "I'm looking for Kira, because I'm the Second Kira" She said finally.
-Back at taskforce HQ-
A seemingly disinterested L looked at the clock on his computer. 'It's been exactly an hour since Misa left. She said she would be back within half an hour...'
L did not consider himself the overprotective, jealous type of boyfriend, but he did find it strange that Misa would give a time frame for her outing and then completely miss it.
'How strange...I don't want to believe that she's up to no good, yet something tells me that is exactly what's going on here.' He deduced, while staring at the floor. He felt a strange sensation tugging at his heart, as though something was wrong. Just then, his thoughts were interrupted by Watari coming into the main investigation room with a tray of coffee and sugar cubes. L cheered up at the sight of it. Watari brought the tray over to L, who gingerly poured himself coffee and then proceeded to fill it with an obscene amount of sugar cubes.
'I'll give her a call in fifteen minutes. That should clear up all suspicions' He thought contently as he swirled the mountain of sugar cubes in the coffee. Watari brought the rest of the coffee around for the remaining taskforce members, who longed for the caffeine boost to help them carry on with their tasks.
-A few miles from town-
Rem sat in the back seat of the car, completely confused by whatever Misa was doing. The Shinigami seldom experienced the same emotions as humans, but in this case Rem actually felt a little anxious. After that confession, there was no way that Higuchi would leave Misa alone.
'What are you doing Misa? Why would you tell him that you're the Second Kira? Did Light Yagami set you up to do this?' She wondered silently.
Higuchi's mouth hung wide open in disbelief and his eyes went wide in utter shock. So that's it. That's why Rem wanted to protect her! She's the Second Kira...' He thought.
He almost didn't react fast enough to avoid a car in front, and had to swerve violently to avoid it. Misa squealed at the sudden motion. Higuchi's side track onto one of the smaller roads led them into what looked like a dock that was under construction. He stopped the car abruptly in front of a large warehouse and simply stared at her with a wicked grin.
"Is...something wrong?" Asked Misa nervously.
"You say you're the second Kira?"
"Mhm."
" Then prove it to me." He said, dangerously.
'Fuck. I didn't think this far ahead...so much for plan B...' She thought, fighting to remain calm.
"Pr-prove it to you?" Asked Misa shakily, trying to control her nerves.
"Yes" He said in a low voice, narrowing his eyes at her.
"...By...killing someone?...right now?!"
Higuchi assented.
'Double fuck. This is NO BUENO' She thought, frantic.
"...um...sure...I'll do that...cause I can, right? Cause I'm the Second Kira..." She said, tripping over her words. The Shinigami in the back seat practically did a facepalm. Why did the human she care for have to be so troublesome?
"Very well, I want you to kill Arayoshi Hatori. He's been a complete pest to our secret meetings these past few weeks." Said Higuchi.
"..."
Misa was at a loss. she knew she was screwed now as she had no way to successfully prove that she was the second Kira. Her only option was to run for it.
"Um, yeah. I can do that. But, you have to turn around and promise not to peek!" She said. 'Alright, as soon as he turns around, I'll open the door and make a run for it.'
Higuchi turned around as she instructed. Misa went for the lock, but it wouldn't budge. She nearly gasped and a surge of panic spread through her as she sat there frozen. She swallowed thickly as she tried the lock again with no success. Her heart beat quickly as she realized she was trapped with a deranged man who would probably kill her with his bare hands as soon as he figured out she'd been lying this whole time.
Rem looked at Misa panicking in her seat, knowing full well that the young woman was not in a position to kill anyone. In fact, if anything, she was the one likely to be killed today.
'I will help you, Misa' Thought Rem, lifting her Death Note and writing down the given name. Misa, of course, had no idea that this was happening. She was still frozen in panic, her nausea was starting to come back, adrenaline surging through her body. She did the only thing she could do and hit the speed call button on her cell phone.
-Back at HQ-
'The fifteen minutes are up. I should call Misa' Thought L, abandoning the piece of key lime pie he had been eating. He picked up his phone but before he dialed, it lit up unexpectedly. It appeared that Misa was calling him.
"Hello?" He said, answering the phone. The rest of taskforce looked at him, curious as to who he was talking to over the phone. L listened for her voice, but Misa never answered. He stayed on the line for a few more seconds, and then it went dead.
"Hm..." said L, not liking what just happened. He called her again but right after the first ring, her voicemail came up as though she had rejected the call. Something was definitely up.
"Watari. Please locate Misa's cell phone." Said L out loud, drawing the full attention of the task force members. The giant "W" materialized on the computer screens.
"Right away" Said Watari's voice. Everyone waited in anticipation.
"L, I've located Miss Amane and she appears to be in Port Imperium, twenty miles east from here." Informed the old man.
"Twenty miles east...there's no way she could have covered that distance in just over an hour on foot." Said L, nibbling on his thumb.
"What's going on Ryuzaki? Do you think someone may have kidnapped Misa Misa?!" Asked an alarmed Matsuda. The others looked equally concerned. Although they never admitted it, they were all quite fond of her, and didn't want any harm to come to her.
"That's not entirely impossible" Said L gravely. He hoped he was wrong about this, but he had a hunch.
"Watari, where are Namikawa and Higuchi right this moment?" Asked L.
"Mr. Namikawa is out of the country on a business trip, and according to nearby cameras, Mr. Higuchi is...also in Port Imperium." Said the old man.
-At the dock, Port Imperium-
Misa closed her eyes tightly, frightened and shaking in her seat as she waited for Higuchi to turn around and kill her. She had no more brilliant ideas up her sleeve, this was it. She was going to die now. Her last glint of hope rested in L finding her but even then, he probably would not make it in time.
"Well, did you do it?" Asked Higuchi impatiently. Misa said nothing. She just shook in her seat, trying not to whimper, and hoping that Higuchi would kill her quickly.
Higuchi took out his cell phone without turning around and dialed a number. He asked to be communicated with Hatori when suddenly the man on the line started screaming and yelling for help. It appeared that Hatori had just had a massive heart attack and was pronounced dead on the spot. The line went dead and Higuchi dropped his phone. There was a long pause quickly followed by Higuchi's maniacal cackle.
"SO IT IS TRUE! You really ARE the Second Kira!" He yelled at Misa. Misa opened her eyes in shock and looked at him with her her mouth wide open. "HATORI IS DEAD!" He celebrated. Misa's heart pounded and a million questions flooded her head.
'what? But...how?! I didn't do anything! Could it have been coincidence? That would be a really fucking crazy coincidence but what else could it be?!' Thought Misa, horrified. Higuchi came closer to Misa, as if to whisper something in her ear. She gasped and backed away as far as she could. This was too much for her, she needed to go home. When she could not back away any more, Higuchi whispered something into her ear that made her skin crawl.
"Misa, you're going to be my wife because I am Kira" He told her with a malicious grin.
Misa was horrified. She wanted so badly to run away but she knew she had to do her best to play it cool. Her heart was pounding so loudly in her ears now it felt as though someone were playing drums inside her head. She did what she set out to do and without making a big movement, she reached for her cell phone and pressed the call button once again.
"...what?" She asked feebly, pretending to not hear him. Higuchi could not contain himself any longer. He grabbed Misa by the arm, reclined her seat and pushed himself on top of her. The brisk motion caused Misa to drop her cell phone.
"I'm sorry! Mr Higuchi-I mean Higuchi. I'm...really not feeling well and I need to go home! Now please!" She said shakily, trying to divert his attention away from the lit cell phone. However, it was useless, for Higuchi was already aware of what she had been doing.
"You hear me perfectly well. Now tell me...what were you doing with that phone huh?!" He said pressing his whole weight on her. Misa screamed and began fighting against him. He forcefully wrestled both her hands into one of his and painfully held them, pinning them above her head. Misa shuffled to get out of his hold and spat at him, angering the man. He swiftly backhanded her across the face, causing her to scream. Rem's eyes glowed beet red with rage as she yelled for Higuchi to stop this.
"Shut up, I'm not going to kill her!" He said to the Shinigami through gritted teeth. Misa barely noticed this since she was busy struggling against her captor.
Rem saw that Misa's lifespan remained unchanged and knew that Higuchi would not kill her. As hard as it was for her, Rem decided to stand back and not interfere.
"ANSWER ME! What were you doing?!" He asked her. Misa started to cry loudly as she tried to buckle him off of her. He grabbed her by the hips and pressed her against his groin. He brought his angry face down to her neck and began to brutally assault the skin there with forceful kisses that left her skin red and tender.
"NOOO! Stop this!" She yelled but it was no use. Higuchi forced her button-up blouse open to reveal her chest to him, slithering his cold, unwelcomed hands over her breasts. He then spread her legs and forced himself between them so Misa could feel his erection pressing against her sex. Misa cried even louder. She knew her phone was still on so L and taskforce were probably listening.
"HIGUCHI IS KIRA! HIGUCHI IS KIRA!" She yelled as loud as she could so that at least her mission of helping L figure out Kira's identity would be accomplished. Higuchi covered her mouth with his hand and turned to the phone on the floor. He reached for it but she kneed him in the groin before he could touch it. Higuchi yelped and doubled over, holding his crotch with his free hand. Unfortunately, he still had all his weight on top of Misa, and she was unable to shake herself free from under him. She cried in frustration as she missed her only opportunity of escape. Higuchi recovered, closed the cell phone, and backhanded her once more before assaulting her mouth with his.
A noise distracted him for a second. Higuchi's cell phone was receiving a call, which he decided to ignore in favor of more "pleasurable" activities. The phone rang again and again, until finally, he stopped what he was doing, looked down at a distraught Misa and glared at her.
"If you so much as make a SOUND, I will make this night so miserable for you, you'll beg me to kill you" He said in a dangerous growl. Misa's face was covered in tears and she held back her cries as she nodded her head in defeat. Pleased with her cooperation, Higuchi reached for the phone and answered it. Upon hearing who his caller was, Higuchi's eyes went wide, and he swallowed nervously. It was the last person he'd expect to hear from.