Chapter fifty-five- Takada.

Two days previous, with Kyoimi...

To say the third Kira had no idea how the plot had changed out of her favor was an understatement. She had no idea her competition was about to awake and was going to be on the move. How could she? Light hadn't ever told her she wouldn't always be necessary. Her usefulness had almost entirely expired.

She paced her apartment before finally giving up and sitting down on her couch and pulling up the tab. Light had sent her the next set of names via email. Opening a private chatroom, she waited for the signal to patch through. He answered after a while. The username was beautiful in her eyes. Kira. God.

"What is it, Takada? This had better be urgent. I have work to do. You know that," came the annoyed response through her speakers. The picture cleared up and Light fizzled into view.

The raven haired killer bit her lips and nodded before addressing her god. "When do I start?" was all she asked.

"Immediately. Write each name down so they die three hours apart on the dot. I hope you understand the responsibility I'm resting on you, Takada. If you mess this up, my plan will fail. And my enemy will have won our chase."

She shook her head confidently and gave him a dazzling smile. "Don't worry about it, Kira. Your wish will be done as asked."

Rem snickered over her shoulder. No, the Third Kira didn't know she was out-living her usefulness as she wrote each name out perfectly just as her god had asked.

The purple haired shinigami's grin widened as her male counterpart silently crept across the carpet. There was a reason Ryuk hadn't ever been introduced to her. Time to cash in on her ignorance.

He gestured for her to follow him. She frowned, but silently accepted the gesture.

"Where are you going, Shinigami?" Takada spoke without looking up from her book.

She's taken to calling Rem that instead of her name since the female death god was so insistent that she hated all humans- especially the ones she was attached to. Rem didn't even have to act annoyed anymore. "Getting fresh air, Human. Even shinigami get bored watching you silly humans write with your terrible penmanship."

Takada huffed a little, but gestured for her to continue her venture. Ryuk laughed and curiously glanced at the numbers hovering over her head. A wide grin split over his already cheerful face. Not long at all.

Once the duo reached outside, Rem stopped and asked Ryuk why he was here. He didn't repond other then a smile so she asked him if remembered the plan. He shrugged, making her not all that confident in his devotion. Either way, this was going her way and Ryuk couldn't mess this up or saving Misa would be even further from her reach.

"A little review wouldn't kill me," he joked, eliciting a scowl from the more mature shinigami.

"You should have been listening, Ryuk," she scolded.

He cocked his head to the side and narrowed his eyes towards his subordinate. "Huh? You don't even like Light. Why are you suddenly so dead set on helping him? Don't tell me you still plan on helping that girl..."

"That girl shouldn't have ever been dragged into this. I've seen enough dirty humans get their hands on a Death Note to know Light's no better than the rest. Misa's different. She only ever did this because of a warped view- one he so diligently helped her obtain.

"I've seen enough humans to know that love, to them, is such a precious thing. And once they have it, they'll fight so pointlessly to protect it. Love even leads to forgiveness of such crimes Light's committed. Love led Misa down the path of becoming the pathetic likes of a murderer."

The moment she fell silent, Ryuk laughed and shook his head. "Well, that's one deep attachment you've developed, Rem. I'd be careful if I were you. You might die over it."

He paused and scratched his head. "So what's the plan again?"

She narrowed her eyes. "Is it time to activate it yet?"

He shrugged. "Light sent me over here, so I guess so."

She shook her head in disgust before crossing her arms over her chest and scowling at the idiot she had to report to. A sudden thought crossed her mind.

What she had been saying earlier... No. He wouldn't tell, would he? She ceased her mental panic to think it over. Well, he was Ryuk... So who knows?

He watched the inner battle and it amused him. Leaning back, he waited for her to ask him. Finally, he got bored and asked instead. "Yes, Rem? Is there something you wanted to say?"

She pressed her lips together and glared at him. He raised an eyebrow and she immediately softened her harsh gaze. "About what we were talking about earlier, you... won't tell Light, will you?"

She expected the sadist to smile and shove it in her face the fact that he definitely planned to tell Light. His response shocked and confused her. "Nah. Besides, what would be the fun of that? Light is an interesting specimen under pressure. Having a sudden monkey wrench thrown into his plan should be fun to see."

The female shinigami had never been to happy to hear that he had her back, even if it was for his own personal sadism. At least she now had the assurance Misa wouldn't be involved.

"What took you so long, Shinigami?" Takada glanced up from the page she'd finally filled out. She wore a smirk and her ego was so elevated, it'd take a lot to knock her down. However, Rem had brought a sledge hammer.

"Just finishing a transaction between Light's shinigami."

The Japanese woman immediately perked up at the mention of Ryuk. She'd been hoping to meet him. "Well, what did he say?"

A thin, genuine smile finally spread over the shinigami's face. "You're no longer needed, Human. Kira's declaration. Apparently Misa was a better Kira than you were. I'll take that Death Note back now."

The smugness dropped off the killer's face too fast for Rem to properly enjoy it. "Wh-What? No! Light can't do this to me. I earned being Kira. I was much more smarter than that tw-"

The woman had been tugged off the couch by the collar of her shirt. She stared into the eyes of one of Death's children himself. "You stupid human. You can't earn something if it's simply handed to you on a silver platter. And one more bit of advice for you, Human. If you meet a shinigami and can escape with your life, do so quietly."

Takada nodded weakly and Rem dropped her. The shinigami plucked the book off the floor, where it had landed.

"Now renounce your ownership."

The woman was hesitant to give up her godly ability at first, until she remembered how close she'd been in Death's grip and how that same being was standing over her with a nasty look.

"I-I den-nounce ownersh-ship of the Death-Death Note."

All at once, the memories swept themselves under the carpet and far away from her reach. She stared at the spot Rem had been as though searching for something. But there was nothing to find. Shaking her head, she gave up.

Rem turned away and flew away from the useless woman. Her stage in the proceedings was far in the past and when Light took control of the world, she'd be nothing more than a faint memory and a firm supporter.

On the other side of Japan, Light was making plans to hand the Death Note back over to his Second. She was even more of a liability when she had no knowledge of her wrongdoings. And once he handed it over go her, the countdown started back up once more.

Well, what did you expect?!

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