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XXI

Misjudgement and Folly

"Kira is evil... That's what I thought," Sōichirō spoke, "but recently, I changed my mind. It is the power to kill that is evil, not the person who has it."

Es shook his head in disagreement.

He had never thought that power was evil. Power had no malicious intent and did not intentionally corrupt humans. It was when those lacking self-control obtained power that they became slaves to it. Having watched Light spiral into insanity without being in a place to stop it, Es knew how it happened. When one lets it get to them and fails to consider their own humanity, they lose themselves. Power was not evil, not innately. Evil dwelt deep within the soul of every person.

Power just gave it an outlet.

Es did not listen to the rest of the conversation, knowing L would tell him later if he deemed it important.

He stayed behind and put on his black sash while nodding at the nurse, who gasped and asked for an autograph.

Es held a finger to his lips to stop the nurse from telling the whole hospital that he was there and requested to handle Yagami Sōichirō on the behest of a personal acquaintance.

Yagami gaped at him as he bribed the nurse with a new book about nursing that had yet to be published that he autographed on the spot.

"You were really..." Yagami breathed, but Es shook his head with a smile.

"Let it be a secret between us two, alright?" Es requested lightly.

Yagami nodded quickly. 

"It's to our benefit that you recover as soon as possible, which is why I will be taking action," Es explained briefly.

"Dr Noir..." Yagami whispered, "may I please have an autograph?"

Es wondered just how far his network of fans now extended but decided he did not desire the truth.

"Sure," he agreed, hoping that it would keep the man quiet.

He signed on the man's personal copy of a book he wrote about the appropriateness of punishments for crimes — Es thought that one was distasteful but did not question the man's preferences.

"Now sleep. When you awaken your body will be good as new," Es told Yagami. "I only hope that you take care of it so this does not become a frequent occurrence."

The middle-aged man winced at the reprimand, falling into a deep slumber.

Es' treatment took a total of one minute.

Just like that, all the symptoms of overwork vanished and it was as if the man was suddenly well-rested. Now all he had to do was keep people away from the room and let the man sleep for another day or two under the sedative that Es had given him. As for the nurse telling on him, he had no fear of that happening since he had already gotten a blood clone to kidnap her to the mirror realm to edit her memories.

"Now, let's have our official first meeting with Yagami Light-kun," Es chuckled as he walked out of the hospital without being noticed with Cairn right behind him.

"I don't see why you want to masquerade as a human with a notebook," Cairn grumbled while scowling at the Death Note which had been tucked securely in Es' coat pocket.

"Shut up, Cairn. Kira the Second has a cooperative shinigami," Es scolded while dragging the kitsune along as they disappeared around a corner.

Es stepped out of a mirror near the entrance of the Yagami house.