Death Note: The Next Kira (Part One)

Pre-Chapter 81: A Chilling Vision

FEBRUARY 27, 2006

TOKYO, JAPAN

AT 10:27 PM 

                                                                                      MARIE 

I placed some sheets on the couch in Mr. Mikami's living room. As I continued to make up the couch, I heard Ms. Hirota coming down the stairs. "Thanks for letting me stay here," I told her. "No problem," Ms. Hirota replied. "Having Mr. Mikami in prison is hard for all three of us." I heard the sound of Taro panting before I turned and looked down at Taro. "Hey there," I greeted him. "Are going to keep us safe tonight, Taro?" "Of course, he will," Ms. Hirota answered. "Taro has always kept us safe. He may still be a youngster, but he's as tough as a Ninja Warrior." Taro wagged his tail after Ms. Hirota said that. She looked down at Taro. "Yes you are," she said to him. "You are as tough as a Ninja Warrior." "Woof! Woof!" Taro barked. Ms. Hirota laughed after Taro barked. "Anyway, you can sleep in my room tonight, Marie," Ms. Hirota told me. "Lately, I've allowed Taro to sleep with me since it's been lonely sleeping without Kaito." 

I felt bad for Ms. Hirota after she told me that. I couldn't even imagine having John getting arrested for something that he didn't do back when we were dating. Thankfully, no one would try to hurt John like that. His father didn't seem like the type to provoke him to do something that would involve anyone getting hurt. To be fair, Mr. Alexander seemed like the type of guy who wanted John to do what he wanted him to do. When he found out that his son had broken up with Destiny and was with me, Mr. Alexander was very angry. The reason why he was angry was because I wasn't Destiny. Sometimes, I couldn't help but wonder if John's dad knew that Destiny would hurt him. However, I didn't like anyone who found pleasure in hurting their family members. I would never do anything like that to anyone, even if they weren't in my family. I wanted to protect everyone from the bad guys. Even if it wasn't my business, I would take out all of the bad guys. One by one with heart attacks and accidental deaths. 

I wanted to protect everyone from Rina Kanatomo. The Other Kira. The Kira that's making me look bad. I just hoped that she didn't get to Mr. Mikami before I did. I knew that with Chief Matsuda missing, I had to protect the police from anyone who would try to hurt them. I had to save so many people. I could only hope that Misa was still alive. I had no idea where she was, but I was starting to get worried about her. It had been two weeks since the last time I saw her and I hoped that she didn't just kill herself. Then again, I knew that she would never return to the asylum. I hoped that wherever she was, Misa was still alive. "Are you okay, Marie?" Ms. Hirota asked. I snapped back into reality and looked at Ms. Hirota. "Yeah," I answered. "I'm okay. Just thinking about life." "Well," Ms. Hirota began as she gently grasped my hand. "You are going to be eighteen tomorrow. This marks an exciting new chapter in your life and you'll also be considered an adult. I remember when I was eighteen back in '99. It was a very fun year. Although I was going through a rough part in my life from late '98 to early '99." 

"Oh?" I asked. "How come?" Ms. Hirota picked up one of the cushions on the couch. "The guy I was dating cheated on me in '98," she answered. "He was one of the metalheads besides myself at my school and he cheated on me with a blonde preppy girl from a different school. I found out when I saw him kissing another girl behind a building near the school. I was a rebel when I was a teenager. I got into plenty of trouble." I got curious after Ms. Hirota said that. "Did you drink or do drugs?" I asked. "Oh no," Ms. Hirota answered. "Nothing like that. We just snuck out to go to various metal concerts like Iron Maiden, Metallica, and Pantera." Ms. Hirota sighed. "Pantera is my all-time favorite band." "Awesome," I said to Ms. Hirota. "I love them too. I'm more of a Gothic Rock and Darkwave fan. I'm a sucker for 80's and 90's Goth music. Too bad the rise of pop-punk and Emo has buried it. Anyway, Marilyn Manson seems to be going off strong." Ms. Hirota cringed after I said that. "I'm not a fan," she told me. "But it's okay that you like him. I like a few Slipknot songs though." I nodded. "Slipknot's cool," I answered. "Or should I say...phat with a ph?"