As the dense trees grew sparser, L and Maki rested their tired legs and looked down upon the nightscape of the city below. They had parted ways with Suruga so they could head for their true destination: Osaka. Suruga had taken the truck to have it modified and to obtain a fake license plate.
"We're almost to the rendezvous point," L said. "Suruga should be there already."
"Does this mean we can stop walking these mountain roads?" Maki asked. She lifted a leg. Her sneaker was caked in mud.
"I hope so."
The Pandemic Task Force had initiated a joint inspection with the police and the Ministry of Health, Labour, and Welfare. Inspection teams dressed head to toe in hazmat suits were turning up all across the country. Summer vacation having started, girls resembling Maki were being detained everywhere after being spotted in public libraries, supermarkets, movie theaters, and busy shopping districts by hazmat teams.
L and Maki had chosen the mountain route to evade the inspections. Maki's steps grew lighter as the city lights drew closer from among the trees.
"Right behind the train station. Just a little further—" L stopped suddenly, then tackled Maki to the ground.
"Ryuzaki! What—" A shot rang out.
"One, two...no, four! All armed. And that was not a warning shot." L hid behind a tree and squeezed Maki's hand, signaling her to close her eyes. L lobbed a strobe bomb in the direction of the shots. There was a brilliant flash and the world went white. But this time the enemy wore helmets with tinted visors to counteract the flash.
"Maki, these people are professionals. You need to run. Their aim is to kill me."
"What are you saying? If we run, we run together! Besides, you're the one who said you'd protect me. You said you'd take care of me until the end!" cried Maki. She grabbed L by the shirt and shook him.
L looked at her like he was staring at a talking armadillo. "That selfish act is meant to encourage me, isn't it?"
"You don't have to say it out loud, stupid!"
Another shot glanced off the tree. The two hunkered down even lower. Then fireworks lit up the sky above the city. The sounds of cheering from a distant summer festival drifted in from town.
"We should try to lose them in the festival," L said. "We'll have to make a run for it and zigzag behind the trees."
"Okay!"
The pair broke into a run, enemy fire following at intervals. Once they entered the city, the shooting stopped, but the enemy was still in pursuit. The summer festival was teeming with people.
"Pull your cap down, Maki, so they can't see you."
Gaggles of Gothloli girls in black frilly dresses stood out from among the crowd of people mostly wearing summer yukatas.
"That reminds me..." L said as he recalled the events calendar from Misa Amane's website. Misa's first appearance after a hiatus from the entertainment industry had been scheduled for this summer festival. Finding a program with the pop idol's face on it, Maki said, "Look, it's Misa. It's her comeback tour!" Though she was now known throughout Japan as the pop idol Misa Misa, to Maki, she was still like an older sister from back home. "Ryuzaki, I have an idea!"
No sooner had she said it, Maki took L by the hand and dragged him into the event hall. The hall was thronged with fans. Behind the pair, a small group of enemy agents followed. Taking off their helmets, the trackers put on dark sunglasses and gauze masks to guard against the eyes of the shinigami. They kept their distance from L and positioned themselves by the exits.
"They probably won't make a move in this crowd, but we won't be able to escape either.''
"Leave that to me! Just wait here,'' Maki said and moved off toward the stage.
When she returned moments later, Maki flashed the OK sign.
L asked, "What did you do?''
Maki only answered, "Just wait and see.''
L shot Maki a disappointed look. But soon he forgot everything when Misa Amane appeared onstage. Enraptured, he began to cheer along with the girls in black lace and frilly skirts. The mini-concert reached a fever pitch when Misa performed for the first time "The Devil's Eye," the follow-up to her first hit single, "Heaven's Door."
After the performance, Misa remained onstage to hand out autographed posters, CDs, and T-shirts to the loudest screamers and cutest dressers. She looked out into the crowd with a mischievous smirk and shouted into the mic, "I have to say, I have this thing for sunglasses lately So for all the guys out there sporting sunglasses, I have a very special present for you! Come on up, guys!"
All eyes turned to the men wearing sunglasses in the crowd. L and Maki's pursuers were of course among them. They quickly started to remove their sunglasses but stopped when they saw L take out a notebook and pencil from under his shirt.
"You there! I see you. Don't be shy, come on up!"
Pressured by both Misa and the gaze of the crowd, a group of brawny men in sunglasses, their features covered in spirit gum and gauze, emerged from the crowd of twelve-year-old girls and shyly took the stage.
"Ryuzaki, now's our chance!" Maki could barely stifle her laughter as she urged L toward the exit.
"You talked to Misa, didn't you. Helpful indeed. But..." L looked back and bit the nail of his forefinger.
"But what?"
"I wanted to win one of those autographed teddy bears," L pouted.
"We don't have time for that! Let's get out of here!"
"Okay." L stopped to look at Misa one more time. "Misa Amane... I hope you enjoy the remaining few years of your life." Then he took Maki by the hand and began to run. But soon, Maki pulled even with him and finally surged forward so she was the pulling L by the hand.
"What, tired already? That's because you're not getting enough nourishment, eating sweets all the time!"
"My brain cells," he said, between gasps, "require...sweets."
The men darted out of the hall with Misa's autographed merchandise in hand and quickly gained ground.
"Now we're in trouble, Ryuzaki!"
As the men drew their guns, dropping posters and dolls and even a pair of plush pillows, a vehicle screeched to a halt in front of their targets. On the side of the truck was a picture of a roasted sweet potato.
"Get in!" Suruga shouted from behind the wheel.
L and Maki climbed in and slammed the door shut. The tinny sound of bullets plunking against the sides of the truck filled the vehicle. But despite its shoddy appearance, the truck, which L called a "mobile operations room," was outfitted with bulletproof windows and special metal plating to withstand the gunfire. The van sped out of the festival's main thoroughfare and toward the isolated warehouse district.
"Thank you, Mr. Suruga," L said.
"Was that FBI?" shouted Suruga. "A little extreme, wouldn't you say?" He spun the wheel hard, sending L and Maki tumbling against the reinforced walls of the truck. He took another sharp turn and cut across three lanes of traffic. "Sorry! Tires aren't bulletproof, so we have to evade!"
"They seem to have changed their tactics. Before, they were after the Death Note, but this time, they just started shooting." Pulling himself into the passenger seat, L began to type away on the laptop and hacked into the FBI system. "It appears you and I have been identified as terrorists threatening the world with the Death Note. FBI agents have been authorized to shoot us on sight."
"Threatening the world! What's that supposed to mean?"
"Apparently the president of the United States received a threat in L's name. Someone must have hacked into the Kira Investigation Headquarters' system and issued the threat as L."
"By someone, you mean..." Suruga remembered Kujo's threat and felt a chill run down his spine.
L did not answer. He continued to nibble on the nails of his fingers.