End Games

Chapter 25: ICPO II

Misa waited patiently and ready, but no questions came. It was weird, how everyone just sat around whispering here and there. Weren't they going to question her? She looked uncertainly at L. He met her gaze but he only had that blank expression he sometimes wore. She looked up at the man on the stand. His eyes darted quickly from her, to L, to her belly. Did he know? A dreadful feeling started to creep up on her from the pit of her stomach.
"Interesting..." Said the man cryptically.
L looked up at him and the man leaned over slightly to get a better look. "Very interesting. Detective L, you have a special interest in this woman, do you not?"
"That is correct. Otherwise I would not have shown myself here."
"And are you certain that your interest is purely professional?" The man asked skeptically. L knew why he was asking, it was plainly obvious he was referring to Misa's pregnancy.
"Yes. Like I said, Misa Amane has been an indispensable asset to the Kira Investigation Taskforce. Among her many contributions were the discovery of the fourth Kira, Kyosuke Higuchi, as well as the capture of Kiyomi Takada, Teru Mikami, and of course Light Yagami. She was crucial to bringing them all to justice. She possesses very good investigative skills and has been of great service to the Kira investigation from the very beginning. As the Shinigami Rem explained, her memories were lost once she relinquished her notebook. Without the influence of the real Kira, Misa Amane was pure of heart and intention in helping to catch him. Without her, we probably wouldn't be here today and Kira would still be out there."
Misa blushed a little. She couldn't help but feel flattered by everything he said. Sure she knew he was exaggerating quite a bit, and that he was purposely omitting all the parts where things had gone wrong because of her, but she supposed that it would defeat the point if he talked about those. The president silently considered L's words.
"I see. Well, when you phrase it that way, it would be extremely harsh, and perhaps unreasonable for us to put Miss Amane to death, no? Especially, considering her current state." He paused for a moment and put his hands down on the stand. "Sure...I believe you. I will strongly consider your request."
Was she hearing correctly? Was she really going to be saved, just like that? Misa's eyes shone and she felt like a heavy burden had been thrown off her shoulders.
"Thank you!" She blurted out. As soon as she spoke, hundreds of heads turned toward her.
The president put his hand up to stop her from speaking any further. He looked at her directly and she almost swore that there was a hint of a smirk on the man's face.
"Of course, what you may not know is that my title of President of the ICPO can still only get me one vote. The ultimate decision lies with them" He said, gesturing to the sea of nameless faces.
Misa's heart sunk. The representatives began to whisper among themselves, and President Ferraro had to call them to order.
"Interrogators, please begin" He said, sitting back down.
Misa sat expectantly in her chair, more nervous than she wanted to be. Then at last the questions came, all from a monotonous male voice hidden in the shadows of the auditorium. They were customary questions that she was used to, about her background, her motivations for joining forces with Kira, if she declared herself guilty, etc. She gave good, well-rehearsed answers to each question. It was going better than she expected, so much so, that she nearly felt relieved. She looked up and saw that the President was practically burning a hole in her skull with his eyes. He made her extremely nervous, so Misa decided to not look at him.
"So, Miss Amane, please explain the mechanics of the Shinigami Eyes." Asked the male interrogator.
"Oh please Augustus, we already know from the Shinigami itself how the eyes work! Your questions are redundant. Let me!" Interrupted an exasperated female voice.
Misa was surprised by the outburst of the female interrogator, who'd been silent until that point. She squinted, trying to make out the woman who'd spoken out but that was not necessary as she stepped forth into the light.
The woman was short, appeared to be about 50, with short white hair, styled in a pixie cut. Her eyes were a cold, steely blue, and her expression oozed contempt. Misa did not like this woman. L did not like her either and he had the feeling that he'd seen that woman before. The female interrogator paced around Misa, as if studying the younger woman, her heels clicking on the floor with each step.
"Miss Amane, how many people did you kill?"
"Um, not that many..." Gasps could be heard throughout the room. That came across as careless and she knew it. "I mean, they were all important! But what I meant to say is that I didn't kill nearly as many as Light or Mikami. But I take responsibility for my actions!...sorry, I didn't really keep track..." She said, looking down at her lap. 'Fuck. I rambled...'
"She killed 19 people in total before her capture" Responded L. The woman briskly turned toward him and narrowed her eyes.
"I'm sorry, I thought I asked her" She responded. "Or would you like to be interrogated as well, detective L, because if you do, then I would very much love to oblige given that you hid criminals for over a month without telling anyone. I am very interested in hearing more about your motives for doing that."
L really disliked the woman. Something about her irked him, and it wasn't just the way she overemphasized certain words when she spoke. On the surface he looked calm and collected, but on the inside he feared for Misa. 'Where have I seen this woman before? I know I've seen her somewhere...'
President Ferraro stepped in at that point.
"Gloria, please refrain from asking questions to others besides Miss Amane. Detective L is not the one on trial here. In fact, we are all very grateful for all that he has done. Continue."
The woman seemed unfazed by the reprimand. She focused on Misa again as though nothing had happened.
"So tell me, Miss Amane, how do you feel about being a murderer? Do you really think that it would be fair to the families and friends of those you killed if you walked away free?"
Misa gaped helplessly at the woman. She was pretty sure that question was extremely biased. Even so, it didn't look like anyone was going to jump in and try to save her this time.
"Well, I...would be upset if I were in their shoes. Um...that's really all I can say..."
"Is it? After all you've done, you're going to sit here blabbering nonsense? Before it almost sounded like you were genuinely sorry for your crimes, but I suspect that was all an act. A well-rehearsed puppet show orchestrated by someone who is much smarter than you." She said, looking pointedly at L. "Yes, someone very smart with a very keen interest in you..."
L looked up at the president and he in turn objected to the woman's commentary.
"Gloria, please stick to questions and not speculation."
Again the woman seemed unfazed. L tried his best to keep his expression neutral but it was apparent that this woman had it out for him and Misa. He was curious as to why the president and representatives were letting her continue this way. Normally, if an interrogator got out of line multiple times, they would be pulled out of the interrogation.
"Anyways, as I was saying before...don't you think that your answer was a little vague? Compared to the answers you gave before, you seem like a completely different person now, Misa... don't you think?"
Misa swallowed nervously."I don't know what you mean" She answered.
"Oh my, did I use big words? Are you confused? You must not be very bright, I take it, no?" The interrogator cooed in a condescending tone.
Misa wanted nothing more than to run away crying from this woman.
"What's the matter? You didn't rehearse your answers enough so now you forgot them? You want to know what you should never forget? The 19 people you killed!"
"Gloria, that was a statement, not a question." Said the president. The interrogator ignored the President's comment and carried on.
"Misa Amane, your parents are dead correct? How would you feel if Kira had killed them and then was simply allowed to walk free of the death penalty?" She asked. Misa was on the verge of tears. How dare this woman bring her parents into this?
"I...I wouldn't like it..." She replied shakily.
"Oh! Of course you wouldn't! So why on god's green earth should we do it for you?! Just look at you, you're a disgrace, unwed and pregnant with a bastard child at your age, AND a murderer to boot. Why, your parents must be twisting in their graves!" She spat.
Misa got up from the chair, standing taller than the woman who was even shorter than she was. The guards were immediately on her, restraining her but she didn't care. She turned to the president and yelled at him.
"This isn't right! This woman has done nothing but throw insults at me this whole time! I know I don't know much about this process but this is NOT OK!" She yelled as the guards pushed her back down on the chair. The president sighed and waved her off.
"Gloria...please control yourself or I will be forced to switch interrogators" He said.
The woman gave an exasperated sigh, turned to him, and gave him a strained smile.
"My apologies" She said curtly, finally acknowledging the fact that she had been scolded. She walked toward the young mother-to-be.
"Misa, are you familiar with methods of interrogation?" She asked.
Misa looked at the woman with contempt. She remembered when L interrogated her, but that was about it. She shook her head.
"Ah, how naive. Do you know that I can torture you?"
As soon as she'd said that, L recalled where he'd seen the woman before. 'That's right, she was the interrogator for the BB murder case trial...she had used that same line then too. She claimed that she could torture a confession out of someone. Of course, most people knew it was a lie, that law prohibits torture internationally, but she made a convincing argument and caused a witness to be convicted. She made demeaning comments and asked demoralizing questions in an attempt to throw off the person being questioned. That way, they were more likely to make mistakes during the interrogation' L looked at Misa. She was definitely frantic and frightened. One thing he remembered about this woman was that she liked to mess with people's heads, and she was very good at what she did. Once, she'd managed to get a man convicted for the sole reason that she'd made him lose his temper and he lunged at her, proving that he had anger issues and thus could have killed his family in an angry outburst. He had to say something.
"That would be a violation of human and civil rights-" L interjected and was promptly interrupted by the woman. It did not matter, as long as Misa knew that the woman was just bluffing.
"Silence detective L, I was not asking you!" Said the woman pointing menacingly at him. This time, the president said nothing. L looked up expectantly at him and got nothing back.
"Well, if we are now done with rude interruptions from third parties, tell me, Misa..." The woman placed a hand on Misa's shoulder and looked at her with feigned concern. Misa shuddered at the unwanted touch. "Ever since you walked in here, we've all been dying to know who the father of your child is. I was shocked you see, because I didn't expect detective L to allow criminals to engage in sexual activities while they're being investigated in his facilities."
Misa looked her straight in the eyes. She felt so humiliated by this woman, it was hard to maintain eye contact.
"My baby is Light's" She said as confidently as she could. L felt strangely uncomfortable upon hearing her say those words. He didn't like hearing her say that.
"Oooh! That makes a lot of sense. Too much sense, for someone like you. Are you sure?" Said the woman. Misa shut her eyes and counted to three, trying to calm herself.
"Yes, I'm sure."
The woman moved in close to Misa and whispered in her ear. "I think you're lying..." She grinned and motioned for the guards to come.
"Hook her up to a lie detector!" Announced the woman. "Guards, set her up, and be thorough."
Misa soon found herself hooked up to a bunch of wires connected to a laptop and another strange instrument. She had wires on her arms, fingertips, head, and even on her thighs. Gloria seemed pleased. Misa hated her so much, she was finding it hard to concentrate. She took a few deep breaths. 'I can do this...I know it' She looked at L and for the first time the entire trial she saw a hint of emotion on his face. He actually seemed concerned.
'I can do this. All I've gotta do is lie in my head from the start to set my heart rate higher than normal. That way when I really lie, it'll seem like nothing's changed at all... just like I practiced with L and Aiber... I got this... I hope...'
"What is your name?"
'L Lawliet' She thought. "Misa Amane" She said out loud.
"What is your age?"
'25' She said in her head. "I'm 20" She said out loud.
"What is your occupation?"
'Lawyer' She lied to herself, effectively raising her heart rate. "Actress and model" She replied
"Who is the father of your child?"
'Light Yagami'
"It's Light Yagami."
...Thirty minutes later...
Gloria was displeased. She frowned as the guards unhooked Misa from all the wires. In the half hour that she was allowed, Gloria threw as many questions at Misa as she could, most of them designed to further humiliate and fluster her in hopes of catching her in a lie. However, due to time constraints and lack of solid reason to suspect that Misa was lying, President Ferraro finally put an end to the grueling interrogation session.
"Hmph! Just give me two more days with her. I'm certain that I can get her to crack!" Said Gloria.
Misa was convinced that Gloria was pure evil. She was exhausted and parched with thirst, slumped in her chair as the heat from all the lights irritated her. She wanted nothing more than to sink into a nice tub full of cool water and just fall asleep. She could not see L because he was ways behind her but he was very much uplifted by how well she'd done with the lie detector. He wished he could speak to her alone but that would have to wait.
"Well, there you have it" Said the detective optimistically. President Ferraro scratched his chin. He had to admit that the argument for saving the second Kira was compelling. He would pass it to vote.
"Very well. And if we don't give her the death penalty, what do you propose we do? Life in prison perhaps?"
Misa cringed from her slumped position at the thought of being thrown in jail for life. She would be locked away from those she loves, unable to see her son grow up, or even be part of his life. If it came down to that, she would ask them to kill her after giving birth.
L pretended to consider it. "I'm afraid I will have to ask for more. I was thinking of something more like amnesty, which I believe is reasonable, all things considered. In fact, I am so confident that Miss Amane poses no threat to society that I'm willing to wager my life on it. If she ever gives solid reason to suspect that she has started killing again, feel free to kill me."
And there it was, he'd finally arrived at the proposition that he'd been building up to this entire time. The room erupted into dozens of animated conversations, some even seeming hostile. Yet, it was difficult to gauge where the majority of the ICPO members stood on the matter. But they would find out in a few moments.
"Ladies and gentlemen! Please settle down!" Roared President Ferraro. "We must have order if we are going to do this!" He raised his arms and the room slowly quieted down. Misa did not dare to look at the crowd as she was too afraid to see her hopes dashed.
"We will cast votes on whether or not to pardon Misa Amane now."
The room bustled with murmurs as the ICPO representatives cast their votes electronically through a small station at each of their desks. The process took a few minutes but to Misa and L, it seemed like a lot longer. He looked at her tired form, barely holding herself up on that chair. She was face to face with one of the most powerful organizations in the world and regardless of the outcome, she had done well. Not to mention that no matter what, he was determined to keep Misa with him at any cost. He just hoped that the ICPO wouldn't make it any harder on him and vote to put her in prison, or worse.
President Ferraro stood and looked at L and then at Misa. L was still as a rock, hoping that their efforts and preparation paid off.
"Misa Amane." Said the man sternly, causing Misa to lift her head up toward him. Her heart felt as though it were caught in her throat and she thought she would pass out from the anticipation.
"As chief representative of the International Criminal Police Organization, I declare that you have been pardoned in the eyes of the law..."
At those words, Misa nearly jumped from happiness and relief. She visibly relaxed in her chair and she had to hold back her joy. She lowered her head and smiled, thankful to be given this chance. L too was relieved because Misa would live, but he knew that there was more coming...
"But...you will not be free." Continued the President.
Misa looked up at him confused and horrified.
"As we all know, the world is endebted to detective L for bringing Kira to justice. However, Misa Amane is still the second Kira and while she will never own a notebook of death again, we need a guarantee that she will never kill again. So we require that she remain a prisoner to detective L indefinitely..."
'No!' She thought frantically.
"...Under his close surveillance we trust that she will not commit any further transgressions. And if she does...then detective L shall be put to death as well as her. In other words, detective L, she is now your liability." Said the President with a serious look. "Also, she must check in with one of our agents every 6 months so that we may know where she is in case we need to find her. If there is any reason to suspect foul play of any sort, we will launch a world-wide manhunt for the two of you."
L nodded in agreement. It was all the same to him though, as he was perfectly capable of hiding from the ICPO if they ever doubted. He'd eluded their efforts to find him many times in the past. As for Misa, he was completely OK with having her as his 'prisoner.' Actually, to him it was ideal.
"Thank you" He said politely.
He turned to Misa, his new 'prisoner.' If it had been anyone else, he would have been annoyed over the arrangement, but since it was her, he was happy about it. Now Misa was bound to him, his, indefinitely. His mood visibly improved for the first time since they departed from Japan. He walked toward her and took her handcuffed hands in his. He did it in a businesslike way for the ICPO, and Misa once again felt like an animal being paraded around. She knew she should have been grateful, and part of her was happy that she would be spared and somewhat free. However, something inside her rebelled against it. She didn't want this. She didn't want to be stuck as L's prisoner. It felt wrong to stay with him by force, especially after all the things he did to her. She wanted to cry out at the idea of her being stuck with someone who wronged her even more than Light. Not only that but her son would share the same fate. She had to do something. He tugged her gently to the side and she saw that he was leading her toward Watari.
"Watari, please take Miss Amane back to the hotel and keep an eye out for her. Take the guards if necessary."
'Back to his hotel room, like his own personal, hand-delivered prize...' She thought angrily. She stood her ground. L looked back at her curiously.
"Wait! I have something to say on the matter!" She blurted out. As usual, she had a half-baked plan in her mind that she was now putting into motion. It may very well be foolish of her but she had to try it. She couldn't leave there in peace without having done everything she could to save herself from being forced to be with L forever. The President quirked a brow.
"Do you, now?" He said a bit condescending.
"Yes! I do!" She said defiantly, not looking at L who was wide-eyed, wondering what she was up to.
"But please, I would like to speak to you, all of you...alone, without detective L in the room."
L was looking at her, puzzled, trying his hardest to decipher what she was up to. What did she think she was doing? He finally got her pardoned, was she trying to mess it all up?
"Misa, what are you doing? This isn't the time..." He whispered to her. She looked at him defiantly.
"This is the right time, the only time, for what I need to do..." She told him. She saw the concern in his eyes and she felt herself being charmed again by those dark orbs. She whispered back to him "Thank you...for everything you did today."
"I don't understand-"
"Excuse us detective L, please wait outside so that the rest of us may hear what she has to say." Said the President. L turned to him.
"Yes, just one minute." He said quickly, taking Misa off to the side.
People gasped and shook their heads disapprovingly. It was an act of insolence on L's part to make the President wait after he'd requested he leave. But he didn't care about their stupid protocols, he had to find out what's going on.
"No. Exit now or I will have the guards escort you out at once." Pressed the President, raising his voice. L unwillingly released Misa's hands slowly. She almost regretted the loss of contact. He gave her one last longing look before walking out, passing Watari along the way.
...Some time later...
L was waiting outside the auditorium, sitting on a bench, when a door down a corridor opened. He looked in the direction of the opened door and heard familiar voices headed his way.
"...man! we waited in there for nothing! All they did was ask us to come in tomorrow to give our testimonies..." Said what sounded like Matsuda's voice.
" Exactly my point! Why the hell couldn't they have told us that 7 hours ago?! We wasted a whole day in there!" Said Aizawa turning the corner. It was the rest of the KIT members.
"L!" They all said in unison.
"So they did make you come in person" Said Matsuda.
"No, I chose to come here myself."
"So what's happened anyway? How's Misa? Did they get to her yet? I know they're not getting to Light until tomorrow..."
Before L could answer, the side door to the auditorium opened and Watari walked out of it, without Misa. L frowned, and noticed that Watari seemed rather uneasy.
"L, I need to speak with you, please come with me" Said the old man. L quickly sprang to his feet and followed Watari away from the group. Once they were out of earshot, Watari began.
"Please reconsider apologizing to Misa"
"...This again? I thought I was perfectly clear the first time."
"You are making a huge mistake by not apologizing to Misa, perhaps the most foolish one you've made yet!"
"I..." He was taken aback. 'Where is this coming from?' He wondered. "I don't believe so. I think you care too much, Watari, and besides, this is neither the appropriate time nor place to be discussing this. Now tell me what happened in there with Misa."
Watari took a deep breath and looked him straight in the eye. He wished he could tell him what had happened, that Misa, by some crazy formulation of hers, managed to strike a deal with Ferraro and the representatives. He wanted to tell him that she would be leaving him and staying under the surveillance of the ICPO. He wished he could tell him everything but he was sworn to not say anything. The only thing he could say was that the only way to fix this was if he showed Misa that he could be better, and treat her better. Only then would she change her mind.
"Unfortunately, all I can say is that it is in your absolute best interest to talk to Misa and admit that you wronged her."
"For the last time, the answer is no." He was getting annoyed. He didn't see the point of having this discussion at a time like this. "Misa will just have to deal with it. She will not twist my opinion on this matter."
"You say that Misa has to deal with it, but why can't you do the same and yield just this once? She always has to submit to you but you won't do the same for her."
"Well, let's see..." He bit on his thumb and looked up, pretending to be thinking about it. "I'm going to go ahead and say that is a moot point. You seem to have forgotten that I have done plenty for Misa's sake. I'm here today, I have shown myself as L to hundreds of people, and, most importantly, I have risked my life for her numerous times. Now she wants me to get down on my knees and ask for her forgiveness? No. That's not going to happen. She'll have to deal with it."
"I understand, but you did wrong her."
L looked down thoughtfully.
"Yes, that's true. I did, for good reasons and I don't regret having done those things."
There was a long pause during which both men just looked at each other, waiting for one to cave. Watari broke the silence first.
"A few simple words would be all it takes"
L was starting to get bored with the conversation. This was going nowhere, all they were doing was go back and forth repeating the same damn thing.
"I can't and I won't. That would be hypocritical of me. In fact, if I were Misa, I would feel more insulted if I apologized, because I would be doing something dishonest and it was my dishonesty that angered her in the first place. If I apologize I would only be perpetuating that same pattern of behavior that led to this mess. Like I said, she'll get over it, now let's not talk about this again." He said turning away from the old man.
Watari sighed and pursed his lips. This could go on forever, he knew. If L wasn't going to do things right by Misa, then there was nothing else to do. Watari was sure of one thing, though. His adoptive son would be sorry eventually, maybe in a few hours, maybe in a thousand days from now, but either way, it would be too late. Before more could be said, a representative of the ICPO called L back into the large conference room.