Title: Death Note (Part XVIII)
Author: Shadow/Phantomness
Pairing: Championshipping (Lance x Red)
Fandom: Pokémon
Theme: #73, Return
Rating: PG-13
Disclaimer: Pokemon belongs to Nintendo and Shogakukan Comics. This non-profit, non-copyright infringing fanfiction belongs to me under international copyright laws and taking it is plagiarism. Thank you. *Phantomness bows*

Notes: <> for telepathy, ** for thoughts, italics if a pokemon talks

Warnings: Shoujo-ai, AU, and Character Death

Sakaki felt his heart stop as he stared at the neat entries in the notebook. The rules were clear enough, and the ink and the notebook itself were made of substances unknown on earth. It had to be from the Shinigami Realm. However, he had been checking off the entries against the victims identified in their database, and everything had been going well, until he had reached the end and seen his son’s name there, with suicide penciled in neat script next to it.

For two, three heartbeats, his life seemed to screech to a halt, before his senses returned and he saw Wataru and Red on the monitor screens, enjoying chocolate cake and most definitely not dead.

He sighed, shaking his head. But the handwriting… it was different, not quite the same as the script the other names were written in. in fact, now that he thought of it, it almost looked like…

“So before you gave the notebook to Daisuke, you were just looking down at the human world from the Shinigami Realm?”

Yes. Mikuri said.

Seiyou nodded. “So why did you give it to him?”

I didn’t. He just happened to be the one that picked it up.

“Seiyou!” Sakaki burst into the room. “You promised me that once we caught Daisuke, the suspicion against my son would be cleared!”

“Yes, so?” The detective asked.

“Then explain this!” Sakaki hissed. Written in neat kanji under the list of names, was the name, Meiji Wataru.

Wataru sucked in a breath, before she realized belatedly that the kanji for her first name were wrong.

Thank Lugia… she had never expected Seiyou to go that far.

“No! Wataru can’t die!” Red cried, latching onto Wataru like a limpet. Wataru allowed her to do so, even as Seiyou faltered.

“I…”

“Seiyou, I trusted you.” Sakaki said quietly. “But with this breach, I am afraid that the Japanese police can no longer work with S.”

“Well, all that this has proven is that the murder notebook is a fake and Daisuke wasn’t really Kira.”

A fake? Mikuri asked.

“Since I couldn’t kill her…”

Mikuri shook his head. The notebook is real. However, you forgot one important factor. He idly plucked the notebook from Sakaki’s hands and smiled at all assembled.

The name is wrong.

“It is?” Red perked up. “Wataru won’t die?”

No worries, young lady. Mikuri said, not wanting to use her name. Red caught the implications and buried her face in Wataru’s shoulder as Wataru patted her on the back awkwardly.

“But how would you know that?” Sakaki frowned at the Shinigami.

Mikuri did not answer.

Seiyou sighed. “Look, Sakaki-san…”

“No. I’ve had enough, Seiyou.” Sakaki said tiredly. “We’ll fight Kira – or what’s left of him – on our own. Get. Out.”

And somehow, when he said that, he did sound awfully like a father.

Seiyou slowly got to her feet, and swayed unsteadily. Suddenly, she felt blood pounding loudly in her ears, and she gasped as she grabbed her chest tightly. Her vision wavered as she crumpled to the floor, and with her last breath, she saw Wataru smirk, and the outline of skeletal wings behind her back.

I…I wasn’t wrong…

No you weren’t. The leering black shadow smirked from behind the student. But Wataru was better. Pity. And now, you can leave Mikuri alone.

Her eyes slid shut and she breathed her last.

Sakaki stared at the corpse in horror. How…? Had the Shinigami done something? But no, it was just floating there placidly…

For a long moment, nothing was said, but suddenly, Sakaki felt pain contract in his chest also, and he fell forwards, coughing blood.

What…

Red gave him a sympathetic smile. “I’m sorry.”

That was when he understood. He recoiled, horrified, but the thought was still there. Seiyou had been correct after all.

Wataru was Kira… and Red was the second Kira…

But now it was too late. He hadn’t even noticed her writing in the Death Note, too preoccupied with S’s untimely demise.

Wataru shrugged elegantly. “And so it ends.” She said simply.

Red grinned and hugged her. “Yes.”

Soon, the world would belong to Kira. Soon… and while they embraced, their Shinigami did the same. Trials still awaited, but together, they could face anything that reared its head.

And that was all that mattered.

End Fic

Completed 1/18/07

Red: ^^ Finally done?

Phantomness: Hai~! Took me a month to finish

Lance: *Grin*

Steven: … well, I’m not quite sure what to say

Wallace: At least this time I’m not someone’s servant *cough*

Phantomness: I didn’t kill either of you, so no complaints! *Puts hands on hips* enough fluff for you, Pika-chan?
Pika-chan: ^^ *Eating strawberries*

Shoyko: The angst was bearable. *Nod*

Kairo: Well, all right. There was some humor… so I’ll count this as a good fic.

Phantomness: YATTA!