Chakra Wizard
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This chapter was incredibly difficult to write, but I like the way it turned out after rewriting it
I hope that the rest of you think it turned out okay. Enjoy
Concerning my days as a college student, the only difference I ever found between secondary schooling and my years at high school…was that I was forced pay for education this time around. The days were just as long and the classes just as easy. The extended breaks between each of them were advantages, I suppose, but they were the only ones I was able to distinguish for myself. The first day was more than enough to certify all of this, though I did find some entertainment just before I returned home. While exiting the campus, I spotted a large crowd of my fellow students encompassing the tennis courts, in the center of which were two familiar faces.
"Oooh, it looks like they’re getting along rather well."
"Hmm…not likely."
Leaning up against the chain-link fence, the match was able to distract everyone to the extent that I could still speak freely with Shahim.
"Oh, really? …So, I suppose you believe that this is one of L’s tests for Light, then?"
Thinking for a moment, I shook my head before responding.
"It’s not impossible, …but at the same time, it’s highly improbable. The only thing a method such as this could assert about Light is his drive to win…and that’s only if he throws the match. That will immediately spark L’s suspicions, as it should, but if he wins, the desire for victory in any competition is basic human nature, so that tells him nothing. He could be theorizing Light’s own thoughts about this and is playing off of them, though I highly doubt it’d be the case. …Odds suggest that he’s only attempting to get inside Light’s head for now, …setting the playing field for the conflict to come."
I watched the match reach its conclusion before finally heading home. Reaching my destination after twenty minutes of walking, I was prepared to head upstairs once I stepped inside, but I found myself interrupted by a rather unexpected phone call.
"Ooh, who do you think it is?"
Taking it out of my pocket, I flipped the phone open before holding it up to my ear.
"…Same person it always is, Shahim. …Hey, Light. …Well, it’s the usual. I just got home, actually. …Okay? …Hehe, a small paradise, as I recall it. …Alright, sure. I’ll grab it and be there in about twenty minutes."
The phone was barely halfway back into my pocket before Shahim bombarded me with questions about the call.
"So, what did he want? And what do you recall as a paradise?"
"…It’s a small coffee shop that we’ve visited frequently and conversed in several times. …It seems that’ll be the place where I meet L face-to-face."
"Huh? Where did he come into this?"
I continued my way upstairs as we carried on this conversation.
"…Light asked me to bring my chessboard."
"And what does that tell you?"
"…Light has a somewhat childish ego in regards to winning and losing, Shahim. He wouldn’t have asked me to bring the board if I wasn’t about to play it…and Light hates losing too much to play chess with me. He must’ve found someone else that he thinks will pose a challenge for me…and who does that leave?"
"…Hehe, touché. So, how do you think that’ll turn out?"
"…I’m not sure, honestly, …and that’s a rare occurrence, Shahim."
After grabbing my spare chess set, I quickly set out for the shop, rather eager to get a chance to play against L. I wasn’t about to lie, though, and say that this was not a huge risk to the success of my plan.
"…There are endless ways for this go wrong. I need only one cause for him to suspect me again…and I could be forced back into the game. …Yeah, I need to keep things as distant as possible. For now, I’m just a spectator, …"
I smiled to myself as the thought crossed my mind.
"…an extremely well-informed spectator."
The majority of the walk was completely silent. Before long, though, the entrance to the shop was in my sight. Their absence outside prompted me to look for them inside, but not before turning to Shahim.
"I’m not gonna ask you to wait out here the entire time, but could you at least wait until Light and his Shinigami walk out before heading inside yourself?"
"…Yes, I can do that."
"…Alright. Just wait along the side of the building until you see them coming. And I’d also like you to fly home ahead of me, as well, once I start to leave, that is."
"…Gotcha."
After heading inside and looking around, I finally found them sitting in the back of the shop at the booth that Light and I enjoy so much. Upon noticing my arrival, Light stood up to greet me, followed shortly by his…new friend.
"Hey, Uric. How’re you feeling?"
"…Same as usual, I suppose. …I brought the set, like you requested, …and you must be the one that I’m going to play. It’s a pleasure to meet you. I’m Uric Atari."
Light having stepped aside to give me a better view of my opponent, …the feelings I had the first time I saw him were still present. It actually caused me to wonder whether or not he had also taken notice to our numerous similarities, both physical and mental.
"…I’m Hideki Ryuga…and the pleasure is mine. Light has been telling me about you and your impressive chess game. I happen to be rather good at chess myself, so I requested your presence, so that I may place my own skills to the test."
"Well, I look forward to the game. So, shall we sit down and get started?"
"Hm, let’s."
The two of us sat down on different sides of the booth as I placed the chess set on top of the table, but before Light could join us, I held my hand out to stop him.
"Hey, Light, …this shouldn’t take any longer than thirty minutes, so could you wait outside? …I’d prefer not to have an audience, if you don’t mind."
Though it seemed as if he felt slightly rejected, Light complied with my request and headed for the door. I waited until I saw Shahim approaching before looking back at L.
"…Okay, I’d also prefer that everything that happens here remains at this table. Do I have your word on that, Hideki?"
He seemed rather intrigued by my actions thus far, though I could only guess what was really on his mind.
"Hm, yes, that sounds fine. I would probably prefer that, as well, actually."
"…Perfect. Alright, then."
Spinning the case in front of me around, I unhooked the hinges on either side before unfolding it to reveal a standard chessboard, on either side of which were sixteen distinctive pieces of marble, fitted into memory foam casing. While it wasn’t as eye-catching as the one I was now using to keep a record of Light’s actions as Kira, I was still very proud of this chessboard. While I began pulling each piece out and setting them up, I went over the remaining conditions of the chess match.
"Now, would you prefer to choose your color or shall I decide?"
"…I suppose I’ll take black this time. This is only our first match, after all."
"…Suit yourself."
Once the pieces were completely set up, I rotated the board to position our respective colors in front of each other, afterwhich I moved my queen-side, knight pawn two spaces forward.
"And so the battle begins. …Your move, Hideki."
"Now, …let’s see the full extent of the great L’s strategic ability."
After twenty minutes of a long, heated, back-and-forth struggle between the two of us, both of us had managed to significantly reduce the other’s forces, leaving the game as is. Hideki had managed to keep a bishop and a knight on the board, as well as four pawns, to protect his king, while I had been left with both of my castles, as well as three pawns of my own. Taking our number of remaining pieces into consideration, he held the advantage, though this was far from offsetting for me. I removed his knight from play with one of my castles during my next move, but even after he used his nearby pawn to defeat said castle in his following turn, I was still visibly impassive about the whole ordeal, which caused Hideki to question my attentions.
"He now has only four pieces to protect his king, while I have five. While their movement patterns are inverted, his castle and my bishop are still equal in strength. He has no clear advantages…and once I obtain a new queen, the game will be all but over. …So, what makes him so confident…or am I reading his thoughts incorrectly?"
"You know, Hideki, …the world is a rather curious place, as are those who seek all that it has to offer. Even those who spend their entire lives searching for its infinite amount of knowledge can never truly obtain it all, which is discouraging, I must say. But, …there is a major difference between lacking knowledge…and neglecting knowledge, if you care to hear me out."
His mind seemed to be focused solely on this rather peculiar situation that he had been placed in, but he was willing to comply with my lecture for a moment.
"…I’m listening."
"…Lacking knowledge causes one to make careless mistakes without awareness of his actions, while neglecting that which was previously acquired causes the same mistakes to be made, even though he had the information necessary to prevent them. …In chess, both are very crucial flaws, the resulting mistakes of which will often decide even the most balanced matches. …Now tell me this, …did you lack the knowledge that one of my pawns was two spaces from your end of the board…or did you neglect it?"
Taking heed of what I just informed him of, his eyes widened once he had confirmed the authenticity of my claim.
"…That’s incredible. By focusing almost all of his attention on other areas of the board, he has triggered me to do the same, simultaneously causing me to disregard any movements he made outside of those particular areas. …He has managed to almost completely outwit me. I’m impressed, …but this isn’t over yet."
Taking one of his remaining pawns in hand, he moved it one space forward, now placing it three spaces from my own end of the board. However, this was obviously an attempt to distract me from the fact that the bishop that now rested in front of his king was in line to remove my pawn from the game as soon as it became a queen…and I wasn’t about to fall for it. Taking my remaining castle and aligning it with his bishop, he was now left with the inability to move it, as that action would immediately place him in checkmate. I struggled to keep a look of indifference on my face as he noticed this, as well. Looking from the castle to his pawn to mine, the match’s conclusion immediately unraveled in his thoughts, as shown by his facial expression.
"I’ve…I’ve lost. …This man…no, this…seventeen year-old boy… has managed to surpass me in strategic genius, something I never thought I would see before my death. …I wonder…if his deductive reasoning is just as great, …if not greater, than my own."
He moved his pawn one space closer to the opposite end of the board. Unfortunately, my pawn was one space ahead of his. Immediately after I replaced the piece for that of a queen, he proceeded to do the same for his, but at this point, it would never get a chance to make a move of its own. I then took his bishop with my new queen.
"…If you must know, …I accredit my victory to four crucial advantages that I had over you before this match ever began."
Knowing that he can’t take my queen without being placed in checkmate, Hideki moved his king back and to the right, …his first great mistake of the entire match.
"The first has just been confirmed by your latest move. …I’ve managed to get inside your head…and distort your performance. I’m fortunate, though. …You had the potential to enter my mind long before I could enter yours."
I moved my castle into the row to the right of my queen, placing it in line with Hideki’s king, all the while he was still pondering on what had just occurred.
"The second…is my foresight. …You’re a formidable opponent without denial, …but for every move that you might have thought ahead of, …I managed to keep three moves ahead of you."
Left with only one place to go, he moved his king into the second to last row, a move I immediately followed by placing my queen in the same row.
"The third…is my own regard for the match’s outcome, …which is absolutely nonexistent. Concern about one’s own victory or defeat causes them to limit their own potential, especially as the game progresses…and their frustration is allowed to build. My ability to keep my composure simply through nonchalance is easily my greatest advantage over any opponent."
"Hmm, I certainly can’t denounce his claims. He’s shown no actions over the course of this game that would contradict any of them, but…to have obtained such a level of intellect..."
"And the fourth advantage that I held over you…before this game even began…"
With his defeat only two moves away, he yielded to the inevitable, placing his king in the last row of the board before focusing his attention back on me, …where it would eventually stay for the next ten minutes.
"…was that I knew what to expect from you."
As I took the castle in my hand, I looked back up at Hideki to ensure that I had his undivided attention, which I did…and more. His eyes had widened slightly further than before, which implied that he already knew what I was about to say, …which he most likely did.
"…Wait. What could he mean by that? Wait, what am I saying? There’s only one thing that he could possibly be inferring by this, but…how did he find out?"
"…The look on your face confirms all my prior suspicions."
Placing him in check one more time, I had now left him with nowhere to escape to. Reaching out to tip over his king, I signified my victory…by checkmate.
"You’re L, aren’t you?"
Silence overcame everyone for a short moment...and it was at this point that Shahim made his first remark since the start of the game.
"…Hehehe, that’s quite a gutsy move on your part, Uric. You better pick and choose your own words carefully now…or he could end up finding out where you fit in all of this."
I already knew this, though. That’s the reason why I decided to go through with it, …because I already had a legitimate reason for having this knowledge.
"…Hmm, so it’s true. He does know who I am, …but the question remains as to how he figured it out. …Could Light have told him…or maybe he overheard our conversation on the day of the Freshman Address? …Well, regardless of the reason, I now have a cause to suspect him of being Kira once more…and his next words will certify my decision on whether or not to reopen my investigation on him. Uric Atari, …are you really Kira?"
"I suppose I should explain myself, at the very least. At the Freshman Address, when they called you to speak, …I had an unusual opinion regarding your name. Put simply, I honestly couldn’t fully accept it as your genuine birth-given name…for reasons I still am unsure of."
"Hmm, that’s strike one. You’ll have to do better that."
"Of course, being the man of logic that I am, I had to, at least, go over the possibilities that would be available had you truly been using an alias. …In this day and age, only criminals and detectives that are searching for Kira would have reason to do so…and given your intelligence, having received perfect scores on the entrance exams, I immediately suspected the latter group. …Specifically, one particular individual caught my immediate attention…and his identity should go without saying."
"…He’s becoming less suspicious now, …but it still isn’t enough."
"…And, of course, I must admit that a faint voice coming from my left side gave me any confirmation that I needed thus far. …I suppose I should apologize for listening in on your conversation with Light, but I assure you that I picked up that small remark by accident and have not told anyone of it."
"…Hm, he’s rather good at this. I can’t leave out such a possibility now, but…he doesn’t seem to show any signs of being Kira, which I suppose is a good thing...for my own sake."
"…Light Yagami is the only civilian individual that is aware of my identity…and I’d like to keep it that way."
"…I understand. I assure you that this secret will remain safe with me. …So, given the more likely of the only two reasons that you would show yourself to Light, …you believe that he is Kira, don’t you?"
"…Hm, very good. Since you were able to find out who I am, I shouldn’t be surprised that you were able to discover that, as well. …I assume that you’re rather disheartened to find out that your best friend is suspected of being a mass murderer."
"…Not entirely."
I seemed to have captured his attention yet again, so I gave him the explanation he was waiting for.
"That only tells me that you find Light intelligent enough to pull off such a sinister plot and hide his involvement so well, which I suppose is a compliment, ...however morbid. …Light and I have similar feelings about what justice entails, but I also know him well enough to know that neither of us would ever stoop so low as to become a murderer."
I almost choked on my own guilt as the last statement exited my throat. Shahim was behind me laughing at the thought.
"…Yeah, you two would never stoop THAT low. Heh heh heh he…"
"Damn you, Shinigami."
"Hm, well, as reassuring as that sounds, I find it rather comforting that you can at least understand why he would be suspected. But, you can be rest assured that that second reason that you mentioned for me introducing myself to Light does also apply. …His deductive skills would be rather helpful in my search for Kira, so, whether it turns out to be him or not, getting him involved in the case would still bring me that much closer to solving it."
"…Hm, I suspected that as much. Regardless, though, he never would’ve done this simply to recruit another member for the Task Force. …His wordplay is almost as awe-inspiring as my own, …yet another disturbing similarity between the two of us."
"…Now that I think of it, this discussion of ours has even made me consider asking you to-"
"No."
"…Huh?"
"Hm? No, what?"
Both L and Shahim were rather surprised at this small outburst of opinion.
"…No, I would rather not help you in your attempt to catch Kira."
"Oh? And why not?"
"…Because he’s right."
At this point, L was unable to respond to these proclamations, so I answered his unspoken questions for him.
"People that take life deserve to have their lives taken. …These people who turn their backs on God to commit despicable acts of hate towards their fellow Man do not deserve the lives they have been given by Him. …Kira is merely ridding the world of them on God’s behalf, as free will prevents Him from doing it Himself. …Ideally, his beliefs regarding what he is doing are far different from mine and he should be punished severely for turning his back on God in an attempt to become one himself, …but I will not take part in his capture. …This world is crumbling apart too fast for it to go on without being fixed much longer."
"…Hmm, he certainly knows how to ramble, …but he’s made his point known. I would’ve preferred to keep him nearby, but it seems that that will not be so easy as it was with Light. …Uric Atari, your little rant does not tell me that you could possibly be Kira, …but I will keep my watch, either way."
"…Well, that’s a shame. I would’ve enjoyed working with you, I’m sure. Well now, since our game is over, I suppose that we need no longer waste each other's time."
"…Yeah. And as I requested before, I’d like nothing that transpired at this table to be known elsewhere."
"…Hm, yes, of course. As I said, I would also prefer that. Does that include the outcome of the chess match?"
I couldn’t help but chuckle at this.
"Yeah, I suppose we can let Light know that, at least."
Putting the chess pieces away and folding up and locking the board, the two of us stood up and headed outside to find Light, while Shahim flew out through the ceiling and headed home as I had asked him to earlier. As I had requested, Light was waiting outside when we exited the shop. …I could always trust him, at least.
"Oh, you’re finally done. So, how did it go?"
I shot him a small smirk as my answer. For a moment, he looked visibly surprised, though I decided not to question this.
"Wow, still undefeated, huh? Great job, Uric."
"Well, I have to admit that I haven’t met a better opponent in my lifetime. It was a very exigent test of my skills. I greatly appreciate your time, Hideki."
"Of course. Thank you for answering my call."
"…Anytime, my friend. Alright, I suppose I should head home now. You two probably have places to be and things to do."
I shot L a quick glance as this statement surfaced from between my lips. Light didn’t take notice of it.
"Yeah, I'll probably hang out here with Hideki a while longer before heading home. Alright, take care, Uric."
"You too, Light. …You, too. And it was a pleasure meeting you, Hideki."
"…Yes, it was pleasant meeting you, as well."
The walk home was rather silent without Shahim, though fortunately, I always keep my music player with me. I was able to listen to seven full songs before finally making it home, where Shahim waited for me in the sitting room, …holding two cookies in his hand, of course.
"Well, I guess you dodged a bullet back there, huh? You reckon that he suspects you now?"
"…Not in the slightest. As long as Light is still around, I’ll be far from L's suspicion. Besides, …I’ve got nothing to hide right now, remember?"
"…Hehehe, except for a Death Note, that is."
"…Yeah. …Except for a Death Note."
I hope that the rest of you think it turned out okay. EnjoyChess
Concerning my days as a college student, the only difference I ever found between secondary schooling and my years at high school…was that I was forced pay for education this time around. The days were just as long and the classes just as easy. The extended breaks between each of them were advantages, I suppose, but they were the only ones I was able to distinguish for myself. The first day was more than enough to certify all of this, though I did find some entertainment just before I returned home. While exiting the campus, I spotted a large crowd of my fellow students encompassing the tennis courts, in the center of which were two familiar faces.
"Oooh, it looks like they’re getting along rather well."
"Hmm…not likely."
Leaning up against the chain-link fence, the match was able to distract everyone to the extent that I could still speak freely with Shahim.
"Oh, really? …So, I suppose you believe that this is one of L’s tests for Light, then?"
Thinking for a moment, I shook my head before responding.
"It’s not impossible, …but at the same time, it’s highly improbable. The only thing a method such as this could assert about Light is his drive to win…and that’s only if he throws the match. That will immediately spark L’s suspicions, as it should, but if he wins, the desire for victory in any competition is basic human nature, so that tells him nothing. He could be theorizing Light’s own thoughts about this and is playing off of them, though I highly doubt it’d be the case. …Odds suggest that he’s only attempting to get inside Light’s head for now, …setting the playing field for the conflict to come."
I watched the match reach its conclusion before finally heading home. Reaching my destination after twenty minutes of walking, I was prepared to head upstairs once I stepped inside, but I found myself interrupted by a rather unexpected phone call.
"Ooh, who do you think it is?"
Taking it out of my pocket, I flipped the phone open before holding it up to my ear.
"…Same person it always is, Shahim. …Hey, Light. …Well, it’s the usual. I just got home, actually. …Okay? …Hehe, a small paradise, as I recall it. …Alright, sure. I’ll grab it and be there in about twenty minutes."
The phone was barely halfway back into my pocket before Shahim bombarded me with questions about the call.
"So, what did he want? And what do you recall as a paradise?"
"…It’s a small coffee shop that we’ve visited frequently and conversed in several times. …It seems that’ll be the place where I meet L face-to-face."
"Huh? Where did he come into this?"
I continued my way upstairs as we carried on this conversation.
"…Light asked me to bring my chessboard."
"And what does that tell you?"
"…Light has a somewhat childish ego in regards to winning and losing, Shahim. He wouldn’t have asked me to bring the board if I wasn’t about to play it…and Light hates losing too much to play chess with me. He must’ve found someone else that he thinks will pose a challenge for me…and who does that leave?"
"…Hehe, touché. So, how do you think that’ll turn out?"
"…I’m not sure, honestly, …and that’s a rare occurrence, Shahim."
After grabbing my spare chess set, I quickly set out for the shop, rather eager to get a chance to play against L. I wasn’t about to lie, though, and say that this was not a huge risk to the success of my plan.
"…There are endless ways for this go wrong. I need only one cause for him to suspect me again…and I could be forced back into the game. …Yeah, I need to keep things as distant as possible. For now, I’m just a spectator, …"
I smiled to myself as the thought crossed my mind.
"…an extremely well-informed spectator."
The majority of the walk was completely silent. Before long, though, the entrance to the shop was in my sight. Their absence outside prompted me to look for them inside, but not before turning to Shahim.
"I’m not gonna ask you to wait out here the entire time, but could you at least wait until Light and his Shinigami walk out before heading inside yourself?"
"…Yes, I can do that."
"…Alright. Just wait along the side of the building until you see them coming. And I’d also like you to fly home ahead of me, as well, once I start to leave, that is."
"…Gotcha."
After heading inside and looking around, I finally found them sitting in the back of the shop at the booth that Light and I enjoy so much. Upon noticing my arrival, Light stood up to greet me, followed shortly by his…new friend.
"Hey, Uric. How’re you feeling?"
"…Same as usual, I suppose. …I brought the set, like you requested, …and you must be the one that I’m going to play. It’s a pleasure to meet you. I’m Uric Atari."
Light having stepped aside to give me a better view of my opponent, …the feelings I had the first time I saw him were still present. It actually caused me to wonder whether or not he had also taken notice to our numerous similarities, both physical and mental.
"…I’m Hideki Ryuga…and the pleasure is mine. Light has been telling me about you and your impressive chess game. I happen to be rather good at chess myself, so I requested your presence, so that I may place my own skills to the test."
"Well, I look forward to the game. So, shall we sit down and get started?"
"Hm, let’s."
The two of us sat down on different sides of the booth as I placed the chess set on top of the table, but before Light could join us, I held my hand out to stop him.
"Hey, Light, …this shouldn’t take any longer than thirty minutes, so could you wait outside? …I’d prefer not to have an audience, if you don’t mind."
Though it seemed as if he felt slightly rejected, Light complied with my request and headed for the door. I waited until I saw Shahim approaching before looking back at L.
"…Okay, I’d also prefer that everything that happens here remains at this table. Do I have your word on that, Hideki?"
He seemed rather intrigued by my actions thus far, though I could only guess what was really on his mind.
"Hm, yes, that sounds fine. I would probably prefer that, as well, actually."
"…Perfect. Alright, then."
Spinning the case in front of me around, I unhooked the hinges on either side before unfolding it to reveal a standard chessboard, on either side of which were sixteen distinctive pieces of marble, fitted into memory foam casing. While it wasn’t as eye-catching as the one I was now using to keep a record of Light’s actions as Kira, I was still very proud of this chessboard. While I began pulling each piece out and setting them up, I went over the remaining conditions of the chess match.
"Now, would you prefer to choose your color or shall I decide?"
"…I suppose I’ll take black this time. This is only our first match, after all."
"…Suit yourself."
Once the pieces were completely set up, I rotated the board to position our respective colors in front of each other, afterwhich I moved my queen-side, knight pawn two spaces forward.
"And so the battle begins. …Your move, Hideki."
"Now, …let’s see the full extent of the great L’s strategic ability."
After twenty minutes of a long, heated, back-and-forth struggle between the two of us, both of us had managed to significantly reduce the other’s forces, leaving the game as is. Hideki had managed to keep a bishop and a knight on the board, as well as four pawns, to protect his king, while I had been left with both of my castles, as well as three pawns of my own. Taking our number of remaining pieces into consideration, he held the advantage, though this was far from offsetting for me. I removed his knight from play with one of my castles during my next move, but even after he used his nearby pawn to defeat said castle in his following turn, I was still visibly impassive about the whole ordeal, which caused Hideki to question my attentions.
"He now has only four pieces to protect his king, while I have five. While their movement patterns are inverted, his castle and my bishop are still equal in strength. He has no clear advantages…and once I obtain a new queen, the game will be all but over. …So, what makes him so confident…or am I reading his thoughts incorrectly?"
"You know, Hideki, …the world is a rather curious place, as are those who seek all that it has to offer. Even those who spend their entire lives searching for its infinite amount of knowledge can never truly obtain it all, which is discouraging, I must say. But, …there is a major difference between lacking knowledge…and neglecting knowledge, if you care to hear me out."
His mind seemed to be focused solely on this rather peculiar situation that he had been placed in, but he was willing to comply with my lecture for a moment.
"…I’m listening."
"…Lacking knowledge causes one to make careless mistakes without awareness of his actions, while neglecting that which was previously acquired causes the same mistakes to be made, even though he had the information necessary to prevent them. …In chess, both are very crucial flaws, the resulting mistakes of which will often decide even the most balanced matches. …Now tell me this, …did you lack the knowledge that one of my pawns was two spaces from your end of the board…or did you neglect it?"
Taking heed of what I just informed him of, his eyes widened once he had confirmed the authenticity of my claim.
"…That’s incredible. By focusing almost all of his attention on other areas of the board, he has triggered me to do the same, simultaneously causing me to disregard any movements he made outside of those particular areas. …He has managed to almost completely outwit me. I’m impressed, …but this isn’t over yet."
Taking one of his remaining pawns in hand, he moved it one space forward, now placing it three spaces from my own end of the board. However, this was obviously an attempt to distract me from the fact that the bishop that now rested in front of his king was in line to remove my pawn from the game as soon as it became a queen…and I wasn’t about to fall for it. Taking my remaining castle and aligning it with his bishop, he was now left with the inability to move it, as that action would immediately place him in checkmate. I struggled to keep a look of indifference on my face as he noticed this, as well. Looking from the castle to his pawn to mine, the match’s conclusion immediately unraveled in his thoughts, as shown by his facial expression.
"I’ve…I’ve lost. …This man…no, this…seventeen year-old boy… has managed to surpass me in strategic genius, something I never thought I would see before my death. …I wonder…if his deductive reasoning is just as great, …if not greater, than my own."
He moved his pawn one space closer to the opposite end of the board. Unfortunately, my pawn was one space ahead of his. Immediately after I replaced the piece for that of a queen, he proceeded to do the same for his, but at this point, it would never get a chance to make a move of its own. I then took his bishop with my new queen.
"…If you must know, …I accredit my victory to four crucial advantages that I had over you before this match ever began."
Knowing that he can’t take my queen without being placed in checkmate, Hideki moved his king back and to the right, …his first great mistake of the entire match.
"The first has just been confirmed by your latest move. …I’ve managed to get inside your head…and distort your performance. I’m fortunate, though. …You had the potential to enter my mind long before I could enter yours."
I moved my castle into the row to the right of my queen, placing it in line with Hideki’s king, all the while he was still pondering on what had just occurred.
"The second…is my foresight. …You’re a formidable opponent without denial, …but for every move that you might have thought ahead of, …I managed to keep three moves ahead of you."
Left with only one place to go, he moved his king into the second to last row, a move I immediately followed by placing my queen in the same row.
"The third…is my own regard for the match’s outcome, …which is absolutely nonexistent. Concern about one’s own victory or defeat causes them to limit their own potential, especially as the game progresses…and their frustration is allowed to build. My ability to keep my composure simply through nonchalance is easily my greatest advantage over any opponent."
"Hmm, I certainly can’t denounce his claims. He’s shown no actions over the course of this game that would contradict any of them, but…to have obtained such a level of intellect..."
"And the fourth advantage that I held over you…before this game even began…"
With his defeat only two moves away, he yielded to the inevitable, placing his king in the last row of the board before focusing his attention back on me, …where it would eventually stay for the next ten minutes.
"…was that I knew what to expect from you."
As I took the castle in my hand, I looked back up at Hideki to ensure that I had his undivided attention, which I did…and more. His eyes had widened slightly further than before, which implied that he already knew what I was about to say, …which he most likely did.
"…Wait. What could he mean by that? Wait, what am I saying? There’s only one thing that he could possibly be inferring by this, but…how did he find out?"
"…The look on your face confirms all my prior suspicions."
Placing him in check one more time, I had now left him with nowhere to escape to. Reaching out to tip over his king, I signified my victory…by checkmate.
"You’re L, aren’t you?"
Silence overcame everyone for a short moment...and it was at this point that Shahim made his first remark since the start of the game.
"…Hehehe, that’s quite a gutsy move on your part, Uric. You better pick and choose your own words carefully now…or he could end up finding out where you fit in all of this."
I already knew this, though. That’s the reason why I decided to go through with it, …because I already had a legitimate reason for having this knowledge.
"…Hmm, so it’s true. He does know who I am, …but the question remains as to how he figured it out. …Could Light have told him…or maybe he overheard our conversation on the day of the Freshman Address? …Well, regardless of the reason, I now have a cause to suspect him of being Kira once more…and his next words will certify my decision on whether or not to reopen my investigation on him. Uric Atari, …are you really Kira?"
"I suppose I should explain myself, at the very least. At the Freshman Address, when they called you to speak, …I had an unusual opinion regarding your name. Put simply, I honestly couldn’t fully accept it as your genuine birth-given name…for reasons I still am unsure of."
"Hmm, that’s strike one. You’ll have to do better that."
"Of course, being the man of logic that I am, I had to, at least, go over the possibilities that would be available had you truly been using an alias. …In this day and age, only criminals and detectives that are searching for Kira would have reason to do so…and given your intelligence, having received perfect scores on the entrance exams, I immediately suspected the latter group. …Specifically, one particular individual caught my immediate attention…and his identity should go without saying."
"…He’s becoming less suspicious now, …but it still isn’t enough."
"…And, of course, I must admit that a faint voice coming from my left side gave me any confirmation that I needed thus far. …I suppose I should apologize for listening in on your conversation with Light, but I assure you that I picked up that small remark by accident and have not told anyone of it."
"…Hm, he’s rather good at this. I can’t leave out such a possibility now, but…he doesn’t seem to show any signs of being Kira, which I suppose is a good thing...for my own sake."
"…Light Yagami is the only civilian individual that is aware of my identity…and I’d like to keep it that way."
"…I understand. I assure you that this secret will remain safe with me. …So, given the more likely of the only two reasons that you would show yourself to Light, …you believe that he is Kira, don’t you?"
"…Hm, very good. Since you were able to find out who I am, I shouldn’t be surprised that you were able to discover that, as well. …I assume that you’re rather disheartened to find out that your best friend is suspected of being a mass murderer."
"…Not entirely."
I seemed to have captured his attention yet again, so I gave him the explanation he was waiting for.
"That only tells me that you find Light intelligent enough to pull off such a sinister plot and hide his involvement so well, which I suppose is a compliment, ...however morbid. …Light and I have similar feelings about what justice entails, but I also know him well enough to know that neither of us would ever stoop so low as to become a murderer."
I almost choked on my own guilt as the last statement exited my throat. Shahim was behind me laughing at the thought.
"…Yeah, you two would never stoop THAT low. Heh heh heh he…"
"Damn you, Shinigami."
"Hm, well, as reassuring as that sounds, I find it rather comforting that you can at least understand why he would be suspected. But, you can be rest assured that that second reason that you mentioned for me introducing myself to Light does also apply. …His deductive skills would be rather helpful in my search for Kira, so, whether it turns out to be him or not, getting him involved in the case would still bring me that much closer to solving it."
"…Hm, I suspected that as much. Regardless, though, he never would’ve done this simply to recruit another member for the Task Force. …His wordplay is almost as awe-inspiring as my own, …yet another disturbing similarity between the two of us."
"…Now that I think of it, this discussion of ours has even made me consider asking you to-"
"No."
"…Huh?"
"Hm? No, what?"
Both L and Shahim were rather surprised at this small outburst of opinion.
"…No, I would rather not help you in your attempt to catch Kira."
"Oh? And why not?"
"…Because he’s right."
At this point, L was unable to respond to these proclamations, so I answered his unspoken questions for him.
"People that take life deserve to have their lives taken. …These people who turn their backs on God to commit despicable acts of hate towards their fellow Man do not deserve the lives they have been given by Him. …Kira is merely ridding the world of them on God’s behalf, as free will prevents Him from doing it Himself. …Ideally, his beliefs regarding what he is doing are far different from mine and he should be punished severely for turning his back on God in an attempt to become one himself, …but I will not take part in his capture. …This world is crumbling apart too fast for it to go on without being fixed much longer."
"…Hmm, he certainly knows how to ramble, …but he’s made his point known. I would’ve preferred to keep him nearby, but it seems that that will not be so easy as it was with Light. …Uric Atari, your little rant does not tell me that you could possibly be Kira, …but I will keep my watch, either way."
"…Well, that’s a shame. I would’ve enjoyed working with you, I’m sure. Well now, since our game is over, I suppose that we need no longer waste each other's time."
"…Yeah. And as I requested before, I’d like nothing that transpired at this table to be known elsewhere."
"…Hm, yes, of course. As I said, I would also prefer that. Does that include the outcome of the chess match?"
I couldn’t help but chuckle at this.
"Yeah, I suppose we can let Light know that, at least."
Putting the chess pieces away and folding up and locking the board, the two of us stood up and headed outside to find Light, while Shahim flew out through the ceiling and headed home as I had asked him to earlier. As I had requested, Light was waiting outside when we exited the shop. …I could always trust him, at least.
"Oh, you’re finally done. So, how did it go?"
I shot him a small smirk as my answer. For a moment, he looked visibly surprised, though I decided not to question this.
"Wow, still undefeated, huh? Great job, Uric."
"Well, I have to admit that I haven’t met a better opponent in my lifetime. It was a very exigent test of my skills. I greatly appreciate your time, Hideki."
"Of course. Thank you for answering my call."
"…Anytime, my friend. Alright, I suppose I should head home now. You two probably have places to be and things to do."
I shot L a quick glance as this statement surfaced from between my lips. Light didn’t take notice of it.
"Yeah, I'll probably hang out here with Hideki a while longer before heading home. Alright, take care, Uric."
"You too, Light. …You, too. And it was a pleasure meeting you, Hideki."
"…Yes, it was pleasant meeting you, as well."
The walk home was rather silent without Shahim, though fortunately, I always keep my music player with me. I was able to listen to seven full songs before finally making it home, where Shahim waited for me in the sitting room, …holding two cookies in his hand, of course.
"Well, I guess you dodged a bullet back there, huh? You reckon that he suspects you now?"
"…Not in the slightest. As long as Light is still around, I’ll be far from L's suspicion. Besides, …I’ve got nothing to hide right now, remember?"
"…Hehehe, except for a Death Note, that is."
"…Yeah. …Except for a Death Note."
- The End -
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