The Curse of Light Yagami

Take Two - Chapter 19

"Hello, Amane," Light said, "I'm surprised you came."

"You intrigue me, halfling." 

"Halfling?" Light said, amused as he looked at Amane. She glanced over at him.

"Rem told me what a zero lifespan means. You're living in the second between life and death; I thought halfing sounded fitting," Amane said. Light laughed. He tended not to think about his situation but still found it amusing that the Second Kira, of all people, had given it a name.

"What is the likelihood that you'll give up being the Second Kira?" Light said he knew it was doubtful she'd give up just because he asked, but honestly, Light could do with something going easy for him for once.

"Never in a million years. I will follow Kira until the end of the earth. He is my saviour, my god, I will never abandon him," Amane said. Light sighed, the hard way it was then.

"Your crimes are far less than Kira's. You can turn away from this; you can save yourself. You owe nothing to Kira; what possibly could he have done that's set someone like you on this path of destruction," Light said. If he'd had time, he would've extensively researched Amane, but between the dream, calling Sayu and filling Naomi in on what happened, he didn't have the opportunity to look into her life, to find something he could use to help Amane see sense. Light could only hope he knew enough about Kira from both timelines to get through to her.

"One year ago, my parents were killed in a robbery right in front of me. I wanted him to pay for what he did, but he went on trial, and the judge ruled that he'd been falsely accused. That's when Kira punished him. Kira means everything to me, and there is nothing I wouldn't do for him," Amane said. Light stayed quiet for a moment; Kira killed her parents' killer; that complicated things. She got the justice she craved when Kira killed him, and that justice has been warped to turn her into a blind follower, but there's got to be more; it can't be a coincidence that a loyal follower of Kira was able to get their hands on a Death Note. "There is nothing you can say which will change my mind."

"Do you like killing innocent people?" Light said. Amane looked like he'd slapped her, but Light hoped that her parents' death might give him the leverage he needed.

"I don't kill the innocent, only the guilty!" Amane said.

"Your victims on the tapes weren't criminals. Hibima and Komaizumi, they were innocent people," Light said, Amane scoffed.

"They defied Kira; they deserved punishment," Amane argued, but Light shook his head.

"They spoke their opinion. Is this Kira's new world where people fear saying the wrong thing and being killed for it. That's not paradise; that's being controlled and manipulated out of fear. Those news anchors didn't deserve punishment; no one who hasn't committed a crime deserved being killed for something so little as offending someone's ego," Light said, "If your parents were still here and badmouthed Kira to your face, would you kill them."

"What! No!" Amane said.

"Why not? They were defying Kira, Your God, by your expectation they deserve punishment," Light said. He could tell from Amane's face that something had struck with her; if he kept going, he might be able to get through to her. "I know you are the second Kira, I could hand you over to the police, and you'd never see this paradise you believe you're building."

"Then I'll kill everyone you love!" Amane said. Bingo.

"So you will kill the innocent," Light said, keeping the smirk off his face. The rage on Amane's face faded into confusion.