Kage Matsuri

Part 1

American Consulate, Tokyo Japan

"All rise for the honorable judge Robert Stillman to preside over the case of The People vs. Mathew Bensale."

The shuffling of a hundred wood and metal chairs against high-gloss mahogany filled the expansive room up to the rafters, almost drowning the undeniable wave of whispers and under the table pointing when Matt stood. He, aware completely of what the jury and witnesses could only guess.

This was not a kidnapping trial, nor was it a trial about bringing justice to a young, beautiful television personality. This was a trial about Kira, and although no one in the room would admit it, his lawyer was going to make damn sure they knew before it was over.

"Thank you, you may be seated. We will now hear the opening statements: council for the defense you may begin." Matt's lawyer put a firm, reassuring hand on his shoulder, stood and turned to face both the judge and jury.

"Not long ago," he began, looking stern, "the mass murderer known to the world as Kira did more to change society's concept of right and wrong than the Vietnam and Iraq Wars combined—we all remember the fear, the uncertainty—the murder of President Wallace. Socially, it was a war between the supporters of Kira and those that denied him. How many of you were part of that? My client was, acting with full knowledge that he was risking his life and Kira's wrath. It was Kiyomi Takada herself that should have understood how much of a target she was making herself by accepting Kira's message and acting as his avatar to the world. My client's participation in her abduction and death will be understandable to anyone who denied Kira those years he held the world hostage. No matter what is said, remember that the root of it all is Kira, and my client was one of the few brave souls to oppose him publicly and survive, if narrowly."

The prosecution's opening pulled some line about 'taking justice into your own hands' and that doing so would make you no better than Kira. Matt had expected that, and wasn't surprised to see a few members of the jury nod in agreement. They were only denying their gut instincts he knew: the instinct that said if it weren't for people like Mihael Keehl, Nate River and himself, Kira really would have come to rule the world.

"Defense, you may call your first witness."

"Mathew Bensale, will you kindly take the stand?" Matt kept his eyes passive but skeptical up to the stand, took his seat and took oath.

"State your name, age and occupation for the record please."

"Mathew Bensale, age 21, employee of MI5 special operations, trained at Whammy House," he replied calmly.

"What was your relationship with Mihael Keehl and Nate River like, and when did it begin?"

"We grew up together in Whammy House, I was the oldest, Mello…I'm sorry, Mihael was a few years younger than me and Nate was around his ago too."

His lawyer presented the 'evidence' of Matt's records at the House, although thanks to Near, it would be utter hear-say that the three of them attended together. Near and Mello had taken care not to leave much behind. "Eventually, Nate and Mihael were chosen to surpass the House patron's son, L, and I was not. We didn't spend a lot of time together after that." The judge nodded.

"How long, exactly, did you know Mihael Keehl at Whammy House, then?" asked the lawyer.

"Long enough to become rather close… Mihael really didn't fit in very well with the others; we gravitated towards each other about a year after he got there."

"But Mihael left Whammy House a year before the appointed graduation date, can you tell us why?"

Matt sighed and tried to act taxed by the questioning—a good deal of it wasn't that much of an act after all, for how many times he and his lawyer had been over the initial examination.

"It was around that time that Kira killed L, and the head professor, Roger, wanted both Mihael and Nate to work together to catch Kira. Too upset to think rationally and convinced that Nate would be chosen as the true successor anyway, he left."

"How do you know this?"

"I was contacted by Mihael in early 2005. He was living in Los Angeles and asked me to help him catch Kira."

"And you said yes?"

"I did."

"Why, if MI5 had hired you right after graduation?"

"Kira killed L. That was the only reason I needed."

"So you did it because you couldn't stand to see L's killer run free?"

"Yes."

"What was L to you that you would give up that kind of safety and securit? Can you explain what he was to you?"

"God. L was life, he was the reason kids like Mihael and I were able to have the second chances we did. We owed L everything, and I would go so far to say that anyone at Whammy House would say the same." The next set of evidence was written testimony on the part of former Whammy graduates explaining the role L had at The House and its activities. It was in fact L that had made sure MI5 knew about Matt.

"Whammy House has been providing prodigy children like Mathew Bensale and his school colleagues to government and state organizations for years. L's involvement in the Kira case was only to be expected, his murder, however was not." The lawyer said to the jury.

"Matt, tell me about how you and Mihael Keehl kidnapped Kiyomi Takada."

"Mihael was rather far into his investigation of Kira, or…Light Yagami of the NPA. He knew that Light was meeting Takada and most likely passing on his word as Kira to her, from which it would be broadcast world wide. He decided to kidnap Takada because she would help him get to Kira. We were aided unexpectedly by Hal Linder, an ex-CIA agent working for the Special Provision for Kira: the SPK. The plan was to kidnap Takada and force her to tell everything she knew regarding the theory 'Light Yagami is Kira.' Neither survived."

"Aside from your grief at L's death, is there any other reason you aided Mihael Keehl?"

"I believed in what we were doing," Matt said simply, "There were many, hundreds in this position, that would have backed down off the investigation knowing what Kira was capable of. Kira had the Americans and Japanese bent around his finger, and the UN was so petrified they didn't even pretend to offer assistance—the world was in a bad way and it looked like only Mihael and I could do anything about it." His lawyer nodded and addressed the jury again, allowing Matt a moment to get something to drink. It didn't help his disposition that thanks to the four-month long coma he'd just woken up from, he'd essentially quit smoking cold-unconscious-turkey. He'd probably start again once he was in prison, but that wasn't any guarantee.

"—Now, I'd like the jury to be aware that my client was neither present at nor aware of Kiyomi Takada's death until two weeks ago. The injuries he sustained aiding in Mihael Keehl's escape left him in a coma for four months. Matt—

"Yes?"

"Was it part of the plans that after learning what he could about Kira/Light Yagami that Mihael kill Ms. Takada?"

"No, the death of Kiyomi Takada would not have been of any use to Mihael's investigation. The plan as he explained it to me was to kidnap Takada, interrogate her then release her and see how Kira moved after that, knowing that his messenger had been found out."

"As proof of their intent," his lawyer strode over to the evidence table, "Exhibit C, the spent tear gas canister my client used when he assaulted Ms. Takada's entourage. My client was armed alternately with two sawed off shotguns, but only as self defense, is that correct?"

Matt nodded, "Yes sir."

"You said that Mihael was curious to see how Kira moved after Ms. Takada was interrogated. Did he have a theory on that?"

Another nod, "Mihael believed that Kira would kill Ms. Takada the same way he killed the previous host of Sakura TV's Demegawa."

"Do you believe that a situation would have arisen that would have forced Mihael Keehl to murder Kiyomi Takada?" his lawyer asked.

"No sir, I don't believe a scenario like that could have occurred."

"Then how do you explain her death?"

"I believe it was orchestrated by Kira."

"Thank you, Mathew that will be all."

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