Part 15

As much as Light was worried about Oki, he made sure not to let it interfere in the complicated turn that the case was taking. Somehow, he couldn’t shake the feeling that a burden had been taken from his shoulders. The downside to this lightened feeling was that the burden was something he should be aware of. And then there was Oki. Just because he wasn’t going to let thoughts of her interfere with the case, didn’t negate the fact that he was genuinely concerned. Light was genuinely in love despite his best efforts to convince himself that she was just another girl.

Light hadn’t called in three days. No matter how many times Oki called, it always went straight to his voicemail. That was one of L’s rules, she remembered. They normally had to keep their cell phones off. More than once she considered calling L, but Oki just couldn’t do it.

She instead, occupied herself doing other things—reading, extra volunteering at the hospital, and catching up on things she had missed at school—but her mind always wandered, and she constantly found herself wondering how Light’s plan and the Kira investigation team’s work was going to come together.

Oki didn’t know many details of the new plan. What Oki did know was that her emotions were on the most intense roller coaster ride of her life. She loved Light. She loved the caring Light who didn’t know about Shinigami or Death Notes or his Kira personality. But Oki also loved the Light whose sense of justice was stronger than any other emotion he felt, apart from, she hoped, his love for her. Both of these sides of Light were felt in her failing heart, and both were in terrible danger. Yet, Oki found herself powerless to help him.

---

Oki sat in the lobby of the hospital, trying to distract her troubled mind by watching the baseball game on the TV.

It was only after some minutes of the mind numbing no hitter when suddenly a news flash interrupted the game.

“This is Sakura TV, the one and only place that has the True Identity of Kira, which is now about to be revealed!”

Oki could’ve sworn her heart stopped. Oki could not breathe.

“No,” she whispered to Amaterasu, “Light would never let himself get caught! Never!”

“Let us hope you are right. Indeed, this may be one of the team’s tricks to get Higuichi to reveal himself.” Amaterasu said.

“Higuichi?” Oki racked her panicked brain, “Oh yes.”

Amaterasu had explained the plan Light had thought up before he had given up his Death Note. Misa had already given up her Death Note and would remember everything once she touched it again. Rem would hand her Death Note to Higuichi, the leader of the Yotsuba Company and Higuichi would then start the killings while Light is in confinement, giving L reason to clear his suspicion of Light and Misa. Though when Oki last saw them, L still thought he couldn’t entirely rule out any possibilities of suspicion. The details got blurry after that. Even the shinigami weren’t completely sure of how Light expected everything to play out.

Sakura TV’s interview continued. “So you’ve met Kira in person?”

“Yes, but I didn’t know he was Kira at the time.”

“But he must have seen your face, are you sure your alright?”

“Yes. I discovered that Kira needs two pieces of information in order to kill someone. I know what they are for certain.”

“A name and a face,” thought Oki, immersed in worry.

“And Kira does not know that much about me.”

“So he’s using a fake name” Amaterasu said.

“But what if he knows about the Shinigami eyes? What if he already has them?” Oki was really starting to panic. “He’ll kill Chief Yagami. He’ll kill L. He will kill Light…” Oki trailed off. True fear sunk in.

She jumped out of the chair, grabbed her coat, and started running towards the door.

That was when Amaterasu panicked. “Oki, what are you doing? You must calm down! This can only be bad for your heart! Oki!”

But Oki wasn’t listening. She was just running, with one thought on her mind.

“Light… I must find him. I must be with him. You can’t die before me Light!”

Tears streamed down her face as she raced with every ounce of her strength, not really sure of where she was going. It was only two blocks before Oki had stopped. She slumped down on the sidewalk, exhausted and crying like Light was already dead.

A soft drizzle was starting. Amaterasu just stood over Oki, speechless and incapable of consoling the poor girl.

Suddenly Oki’s phone rang. Oki fumbled to answer it.

“Oki?” It was a soothing, familiar tone.

“Light?!” she yelled into the phone. “Light, are you okay? I saw the interview on Sakura TV. I was worried that it was you and I started running, but I couldn’t find you. I don’t know how to get there. It’s too far-- I’m too tired-- You haven’t called me in the last couple days and I didn’t—”

“Oki! Oki, calm down! That’s why I called. I thought you might worry when you saw the news on TV.” Light paused as he heard noises in the background. It sounded to him as if Oki was outside.

“Was that a car I just heard? Why are you outside? It looks like it’s going to rain.”

Light, obviously more worried than when he first called, only got a few choked sobs in answer.

“Oh Oki. I wish I could come to you right now, but it’s too dangerous. Please, go back inside. I will call you again as soon as we catch him—”

L grabbed the phone from Light. “Don’t worry, dear Oki. We are taking all the extra precautions we can to prevent any unwanted endings. I will be sending a driver to find you and take you home now. Get some rest and Light will call in the morning.” And with that, L hung up.

Oki just sat there, trying her best to stay calm and breathe again. Amaterasu found a discarded umbrella nearby and quietly brought it to Oki, trying not to look suspicious to those who would have seen only a floating umbrella.

Oki was still trying to compose herself, yet tears of relief made their way down her cheeks. It was maybe ten minutes later that the car and driver L sent found her and took her home.

As Oki walked through the door about a half an hour later, a chill ran down her spine. She looked at her drenched clothes and figured that she needed to find something warm and dry.

Amaterasu was two steps ahead of her though, as the shinigami walked into the living room from the bedroom with a small stack of clothes in hand.

“Change Oki, you running out there like that was bad for your heart. I don’t want it to worsen with a cold,” Amaterasu ordered, worry in her voice.

As Oki pulled on the warm clothes, things were finally coming together on Light’s side of things.

---

Light felt a sick smile begin to grace his face as his memories returned. But that smile soon changed into a frown as he thought about Oki and what this would do to her. He grimaced as he thought of what he had put her though, probably worrying her because of his innocent attitude.

Shaking his head slightly, Light got back to his plan. He slid the hidden compartment from his watch open, concealed within it, a piece of the Death Note. Poking himself with a needle and with his own blood, he scrawled Higuchi’s name on the small piece of Death Note. He felt his heart start to beat faster as he whispered his short time replacement’s name. He knew the deed was done.

The rest of the night was a blur as Light felt the weight of his ‘justice’ return to rest on his shoulders. He knew he should have felt wrong for it, but he was actually relieved to feel that weight back on his shoulders. It told him that he was complete again, but along with this weight came the dread.

Light knew that Oki did not have much longer, and that she wanted him to fulfil her last wish. Of course she had not made him change his mind, but Oki did have an impact on him, a deep impact that he would never forget.

As he lay there on his bed, Light knew he truly could not do it. Oki, the only person he felt these kinds of feelings for, was going to leave him soon and there was nothing he could do to stop it. Light’s eyes closed to slits as he thought about his dilemma.

“Why, Oki?” Light whispered to himself.

Laying their in thought for a moment longer, Light finally decided to call it a night and rolled over to go to sleep. He needed to see Oki tomorrow, even if it was the last thing he did.