Strawberry Panic: The Rise of Kira

CHPTR 6: A Calculated Risk

3 days later.

Tamao was waiting patiently in her seat in a full english class. The only two things missing were the teacher, and Nagisa. Tamao had promised herself not to think of Nagisa until she had shook L off her back, but the site of Nagisa practically dragging herself into class shattered that promise like glass. She had been like this the day after the assembly incident. On the outside, she looked empty. There was absolutely no drive about her whatsoever. She followed her routine as though she was being programmed, and never spoke unless spoken too. Even then, her responses were quick to kill off any chance of prolonged conversation. In the schoolyard, her current state was one of many topics of gossip amongst the students, and it went without saying that it was brought up many times by the people she used to call friends. Tamao was surprised that Yaya and company hadn't attempted an intervention for her, and also grateful. Despite the best intentions, Yaya might have ended up doing more harm than good. Tamao knew Nagisa better than anyone else. She saw what lay behind the empty exterior.

A powder keg of dangerous emotions lay dormant within Nagisa. Emotions that could blow with even so much as a single word said at the wrong time. Using the Death Note to exact justice on society's scum was easy. Mending her broken Nagisa would take Tamao's full attention and effort. But so long as L kept breathing down her neck, she could not devote herself to Nagisa in the way she was meant to. For this reason, her blow against L had to be hard enough to drive him away from the school. And it had to be done soon. Finally, the teacher entered the classroom. Not her usual english teacher, but a figure that Yaya Nanto described vividly. Tamao's eyes almost bulged out of her sockets at the figure that approached the teacher's desk.

Ms. Tanaka? She's one of Spica's new english teachers! Why is she here?

"OK class, now I'm guessing that all of you are surprised to see me here. In order to get to know all of the students, the exchange teachers will be rotating schools for the first few weeks. So, for the next few days, I'll be teaching 3rd and 4th year English for ." Ms. Tanaka cheerfully announced.

"Well, I didn't expect them to do this." Ryuk sniggered. "Very clever."

His words didn't even register with Tamao this time. Despite the butterflies in her stomach, and her heart practically beating out of her chest, she forced herself to focus solely on the class. She struggled to block every other thought from entering her head. Even so much as thinking of something else will cause a lapse in her concentration. She could not afford being caught off guard should throw a question her way. 10 minutes in, and so far so good. The main theme for the day's lesson was on the previous days assignment. The previous teacher had asked both 3rd and 4th year students to write a review on a book or a movie they had remembered seeing or reading. Today, they were to read out those reviews infront of the class. Tamao had been well prepared for this assignment the previous night. Some time ago, her parents had sent her about 3 Harry Potter books for her birthday. She only needed to finish one to make her final verdict. Her 5 minute speech, without reading from her sheet, started out as an objective review, but soon turned into an entertaining rant. After finishing, Tamao felt alittle bit of the weight on her shoulders lighten alittle, even with one of L's spies scoping her gestures and manneurisms. The lesson gradually moved at a more comfortable pace for Tamao, thanks to being able to listen to many interesting reviews.

"Nagisa Aoi, it's your turn." Ms. Tanaka called out.

However, Nagisa didn't move from her seat. With her back turned to Tamao, it was impossible to see what look Nagisa wore on her face. But the way she was trembling at her desk made it painfully obvious. She hadn't prepared for her assignment.

"Ms. Aoi, you need to read out your review." Ms. Tanaka called out again.

And still no response from Nagisa. Seeing that a 3rd time would yield similar results, Ms. Tanaka approached her desk. Tamao's lip began sub consciously twitch as Ms. Tanaka moved closer to Nagisa's desk.

You touch her. You even raise your voice to her, and I will drop you like a stone...

After quickly glancing at her desk, Ms. Tanaka sighed in dissappointment.

"You haven't even written a review, have you?" Ms. Tanaka asked.

Nagisa could only shake her head slowly in response.

"Ms. Aoi, we need to have a little chat after class." Ms. Tanaka finished, as she left Nagisa's desk.

Eventually, the class ended, and the students began to converge outside of the classroom. Tamao allowed herself one last glance at Nagisa's tear streaked face. With sorrow in her eyes, Tamao left the classroom and lost herself in the sea of Miator students.

The timespan between morning and lunch break was uneventful. Between that time, she spoke to Hikari whilst Yaya and Tsubomi shared another libido fueled make out session. There was a boring maths lesson, and a cooking class in the lulim campus, giving her a chance to speak with Chikaru again for the first time since that very first day of finding the Death Note. Finally, lunch period came around once more. Following no particular schedule, Tamao decided to make for her meditation spot to discard a few names from her backlist. As she settled down by a tree, she reached for her bag when a familiar voice startled her.

"The view here is lovely, isn't it?" Ms. Tanaka commented.

Why did she follow me here? This isn't good!

Tamao almost coughed up her heart when she saw Ms. Tanaka standing behind her with a soft grin on her face. Tamao hid a deep breath in order to regain her composure. If she played this right, she could easily avoid being compromised.

"I come here whenever I need inspiration for a poem." Tamao replied, as she moved her hand away from her bag.

"I can see why. This place has a very definate tranquility to it. But in anycase, I'm sorry to have bothered you." Ms. Tanaka apologised.

"No, it's fine. It was probably only a matter of time before someone found out about this place anyways." Tamao spoke back.

"Although I'm surprised that you found it before any of my friends did." She added, turning around to look at Ms. Tanaka.

"Ah yes. That's something I wanted to talk to you about. Do you mind if I sit down with you for a moment?" Ms. Tanaka asked.

"Be my guest." Tamao smiled.

"I wanted to talk to you about Nagisa. I'm told that you've been her best friend since she arrived this year."

"That's true. I was her best friend. But a lot of things changed when Shizuma died. Her more than anything else. She doesn't even talk to me now." Tamao explained in a cold tone.

"I can only imagine the sort of grief that Nagisa might be going through. I just don't want to see it affect her grades."

"I mean no offense, but as a subsitute teacher for Spica who's only been here a week, you couldn't possibly understand the sort of history those two had." Tamao politely scolded.

"No, but I understand how much grief hurts." Ms. Tanaka shot back.

"A few years ago, I lost my husband to a car accident. We met each other in highschool, were inseperable ever since. The year he died would've been our 10 year anniversary. 10 years... destroyed in an instant." She started solemnly.

"I'm sorry to hear that." was the quickest generic condolence quote Tamao could strike up.

"Like Nagisa, I too had completely shutdown, and cut everybody off. I even thought about taking my own life at one point. But even though I had given up on myself, the people around me didn't, and eventually, I realised that there's life beyond the love we shared together. I'll miss him, and he'll always hold a special place in my heart. But at the same time, I can't let my feelings ground me in grief. I know he wouldn't have wanted that. If Nagisa is to overcome the same obstacle, she needs the help of her friends to do it."

Tamao took another deep breath to fight off an army of tears. Ms. Tanaka's words had struck a cord within her. One that resonated louder upon looking into the sadness behind Ms. Tanaka's eyes. For the first time, Tamao seriously wondered if neglecting Nagisa for the sake of her crusade was really the right thing to do. A big part of her wanted to run to Nagisa's side that very instant . Despite this, her rationality continued to tick over, reminding her that Ms. Tanaka was here on L's behalf. Revealing any sort of romantic attraction to Nagisa in front of could possibly put Tamao in the crosshairs as a suspect. Considering this, Tamao held her calm demeanor together.

"I want to help Nagisa through this. God knows I do. But, she needs to want to be helped aswell. And right now, I don't think she's ready." Tamao explained.

"Maybe not, but she won't know when she's ready. And that's when she'll need her friends. If you care about her, you need to try and break through to her. That's the only way she can overcome her grief."

There was nothing Tamao could respond with. All she could do, was bow her head in acknowledgement.

"Well, I have to go and prepare the next class. It was... nice talking to you, Ms. Suzumi." Ms. Tanaka spoke as she began to leave.

"Ms. Tanaka." Tamao called out, stopping her in her tracks.

"When I finally confront her. What should I say?"

"When the time is right, you'll know." Ms. Tanaka finished, as she vanished into the trees.

Tamao let herself sigh in relief. Coming face-to-face with a known mole was testing on her composure to say the least. Looking back on it, she wasn't sure of how well she endured her interrogation-or if she was even interrogated to begin with. The conversation they shared brought her dilemna with Nagisa to the forefront of her mind. Although Ms. Tanaka didn't know the half of why Nagisa really wasn't talking to her, Ms. Tanaka's words were right. Letting the emotional wounds between Tamao and Nagisa fester would only make things worse. For both of their sakes, Tamao would have to break the silence soon. But first...

"Well now. That was certainly unexpected." Ryuk chuckled.

"The fact that she found me here out of the blue?"

"That? Oh no. I knew she was coming ever since we left the Miator building."

Strangely, Ryuk not bothering to tell Tamao that she was being tailed didn't bother her in the least. She knew that unless she could offer something for Ryuk, he would not be moved to help her.

"No, I was talking about the little chat you two shared. It sounded like she really got to you there."

"Just a lapse in concentration, Ryuk. Nothing more."Tamao blankly stated.

"Well, in anycase, I doubt this little spot of yours is safe now that she knows about it." Ryuk giggled.

"It's safe enough for this one entry..."

On those words, Tamao instantly drew the Death note from her bag, slammed it open on the ground, and prepared her pen.

"What are you planning?" Ryuk asked, scratching his head at the eagerness in Tamao's sudden action.

"At the Etoile Ceremonies. You will see what I've planned." Tamao replied, as she began fervently entering words into the Death Note.

2 days later...

All 3 schools in their entirety had gathered in the halls of Astraea Hill Chapel. It was barely over 3 weeks ago that the chapel was used for a eulogy. Its use today however, in complete contrast to the feeling of that day. Today, would see the crowning of a new Etoile pair, an event that occurs only once every 4 years. Normally the ceremonies would've consisted of a day long competition, where candidates would compete in a variety of contests. Today however was different. Tamao and Nagisa's withdrawal from the Etoile preparations had pretty much handed the position to Hikari and Amane. Today's ceremony was merely its official recognition. The benches lining the main walkway were fully occupied. Spica filled the front rows, Miator filled the middle, and Lulim filled the back. Tamao had seated herself closest the walkway. Nagisa, whose emotional state hadn't improved much, had done the same. Ever since the day their lips had come dangerously close to connecting, the two of them hadn't exchanged any words. Every part of Tamao ached to to say something as innocent as 'hello'. But right now, what really mattered, was that Nagisa was sitting exactly where Tamao needed her to be. Above her, floated Ryuk, looking rather bored. Tamao had promised him that today, he'd see something extraordinary. Tamao hadn't let him down so far with the Death Note, yet a hall full of gossiping schoolgirls was slowly grinding on his nerves. In addition to the students that had gathered, the various headmasters, sisters, and teachers of the 3 schools were also present, including Ms. Tanaka and the new substitute teachers. Roughly 10 minutes later the noise of chattering students faded out, as the head sister of the strawberry dorms stepped up to the altar.

"For those of you who are unaware, normally the Etoile Ceremonies last an entire day. However, since there are no other competing couples, we are forced to move straight to the crowning ceremony. Dark times have fallen upon our beloved schools, and it's in these times, when we must look to the Etoile as a beacon of light. Take in the strength of their bonds, and use it to strengthen those between you and those closest to you. Allow their uncompromising trust and faith in each other into your hearts, and reflect that trust onto all those around you. In times like these, it is easy to look upon each other with suspicion and and mistrust. But we must have faith, both in ourselves and each other, if we are to whether the storm that hangs over us."

The head sister's speech forced Tamao's mind to think back on the conversation her and Ms. Tanaka had. She looked up at her. She was standing not far from where Tamao was sitting towards the edge of the hall. Her eyes calmly scanned the room, carefully examining each student for any signs that might give them away as Kira. Tamao looked around the room to see that all the other exchange teachers had gathered here aswell. She also noticed that a few sister were absent from the chapel hall.

So far, so good...

The Spica girls choir, lined up by the organ, began to sing 'The Sublime Lily' as the main chapel doors opened to reveal the 3 leaders of the student council. Shion and Chikaru walked side by side. Both of them carried a small open case containing identical silver necklaces. The necklace Shion carried, had a saphire enbedded in the middle, whilst Chikaru's contained a ruby. Miyuki followed close behind them. The dissappointment on her face was clearly visible, despite the effort she was making to hide it. As she walked past Tamao, Miyuki shot her an evil glare for a brief moment. Even now, despite the joy of the occasion, Miyuki refused to show any happiness for Amane and Hikari. Tamao might have sorry for Miyuki's bitter attitude, if she had even a shred of consideration for anything outside of Miator. As they reached the altar, both Chikaru and Shion stood at either side, whilst Miyuki positioned herself next to the Chikaru. The chapel's organ started to match the tune of the choir, as the Amane, and Hikari entered the Chapel. Amane was dressed in a Napoleon-esque outfit matching Spica's colours. One of Amane's many natural talents was the ability to make a masculine outfit somehow look feminine. Hikari's attire on the otherhand, was much more befitting of a lady. She wore a strapless velvet pearl ball gown. Its only decoration was a white rose that sat exactly on the seamline above her chest. Hand in hand, they approached the altar, watched by an audience of enchanted onlookers. The sight was enough to even move Tamao to shed a tear for them. Partly because she was genuinely happy for them. Partly, because she wished it was her taking Nagisa's hand up to that altar.

And partly because she knew the moment would be spoilt very soon...

Once they approached the altar, both Shion and Chikaru proceeded to place their necklaces around their respective owners. Chikaru placed the ruby necklace around Amane, whilst Shion placed the sapphire necklace around Hikari. As Chikaru and Shion stepped away, both Amane, and Hikari turned to face the head sister. Before she could even utter a word, a loud gunshot rung through the air. The terrified audience turned their attention to the main doors. In the archway stood a tall man with a pistol raised in the air. He was dressed in a black hooded jumper, grey cargo pants, and plain black sneakers. He appeared as a strange sillhouette standing against the outdoor sunlight, Tamao could see the petrified expression on his face. Like a frightened child, Hikari huddled straight into Amane's arms, whilst everyone else remained frozen in their places.

Amane. Hikari. Forgive me for what you're about to see.

"Hello... what do we have here?" Ryuk picqued up.

"You. Get these doors closed. NOW!" The armed man shouted at one of the teachers.

The teacher he yelled at quickly scurried off to close the chapel doors, completely blocking out the main source of sunlight from the hall.

"I know you're here, Kira. I bet you thought you were safe hiding amongst these kids. But there is no hiding from God!" He spoke, as he paced back and forth like a madman.

Tamao noticed an uneasy glare creep up on the face of Ms. Tanaka at the mention of Kira. She kept her arms folded, with the tip of her right hand tucked inside her brown jacket, as if she were getting ready to pull something out of there in a hurry.

She has a weapon. And if that's the case, she's definitely not Japanese Police. At least not part of a regular unit.

"I figured that you will eventually come for me, but God has offered me salvation for my sins in return for destroying you! Your blatant abuse of power disgusts Him, and He has appointed me as His holy warrior!" the crazed man ranted, with a zealous passion in his voice.

With everyones attention now focused on the crazed gunman, No one would notice Tamao slip a piece of paper out of her right sleeve. She then scrunched it up into a ball, and waited for the man to make another pass. Tamao had barely a minute to make her move. In the midst of spewing more religious rhetoric, he made another pass down the altar. With a gentle flick of her wrist, she launched the piece of paper directly at the man, lightly tapping his hand on impact. In response, the man violently spun around and aimed his gun in the general direction of his conceived attacker.

Eventually, his eyes rested on a scrunched up piece of paper on the floor only a seat away from Tamao.

"Children, this is not a game." He chucked sadistically as he went to pick up the piece of paper.

"God has warned me that I will need to shed the blood of innocents in order to accomplish his command. And I am more than prepared to bear this sin in order to-"

Suddenly, the man stopped speaking. His already frightened facial features had transformed into those of complete petrification. His eyes were locked onto Ryuk's general direction. Ryuk cocked his head to the side, as he tried to figure out what the man was staring at. It eventually dawned on him that he was the subject of the crazed gunman's gaze. Which meant that the piece of paper that Tamao threw it him had come from the Death Note.

"How very clever of her to use the notebook this way. She must have something really special planned for you if she wants to reveal my existence to you." Ryuk snickered.

"O mighty god in heaven, grant your servant the strength to vanquish this demon." The crazed gunman repeated frantically.

"Normally, I'd take the time to correct you, but since you're already dead, I'll let you keep the whole demon thing. Now, how has Tamao planned your-"

"PREPARE TO BE EXPELLED, DEMON!"

The man then frantically fired at Ryuk. Everyone in the hall hit the ground to avoid eating their last meal of lead. Of course, bullets had little effect Ryuk, being an ethereal creature. The bullets simply passed through him, leaving only a small ripple in their wake. One last gunshot rang out in the hall, different in volume from the last. The man froze for a fragment of a moment, then finally he collapsed like a ragdoll. Blood poured from an open wound in the back of his head. Everyone turned towards the direction of the gunshot to see Ms. Tanaka, with her own weapon drawn. With the entire school put in a potentially deadly situation, Ms. Tanaka was forced to blow her cover to protect the students. And she did so with a single, clean shot to the head. When the weight of the situation beared down on everyone, the room was filled with horrified screams.

"Chikaru, Miyuki, Shion. Get everyone back to the dorms, and do it quick!" The head sister ordered.

Despite what they had just seen, Chikaru, Shion, and even Miyuki showed their strength of willpower and leadership. They quickly lead all the students around the main walkway, where the man's dead body lay, and out of the chapel. Hikari however, was not as durable. She had passed out into Amane's arms during the gunfire, forcing Amane to carry her out. Tamao also merged with the group, but not before discreetly retrieving her piece of paper. As they left, Tamao could hear a heated exchange of words between the headmasters and the exchange teachers, although she couldn't hear what they were saying. She also noticed that few of the exchange teachers had managed to attach themselves to the group of students. Despite everyone's nerves being shot, the student council, along with a few sisters successfully performed a headcount before allowing everyone back into the strawberry dorms. Once inside, everyone dispersed into smaller groups that anxiously gossiped amongst themselves.

"Tamao!" She heard Yaya call out.

Tamao turned around to see Yaya and Tsubomi rushing towards her. The three of them engaged it a tight group hug.

"Is everyone OK?" Tamao asked, fully aware of the stupidity of her question.

"We just saw a teacher shoot someone! How the hell can we all be OK? Tsubomi angrily replied.

"Tsubomi, we're all still here. That's gotta count for something, right?" Yaya reasoned, griping her embrace over Tsubomi tighter.

"But... but..." Was all a teary eyed Tsubomi could say before burying her face into Yaya's shoulder.

"Has anyone seen Nagisa?" Tamao asked.

"I think I saw her head upstairs. Kagome and Chiyo might be with her". Yaya replied.

"Can you go find her and keep her company for me? I'll join you guys soon. I just need to get a drink first."

"You shouldn't even have to ask us, Tamao. We're her friends. All of us."

"Thanks, Yaya."

Just... don't take too long." Yaya finished as she escorted Tsubomi upstairs.

There was a measure of truth in what Tamao had said. Despite being its orchestrator, the ordeal of having an armed gunman shot infront of her eyes wanned on her nerves. But the real reason for not following her friends was to oversee the most crucial part of her plan. From the main lobby, Tamao entered the computer room. The room was devoid of life, save for her, and a greenette Miator student occupying the computer closest the drinkstation. Tamao walked past the computer to prepare herself a cup of tea, all the while trying not to make it obvious that she was watching that computer. While Tamao went about making her beverage, she would occasionally glance at the screen from the corner of her eye. As the kettle had finished boiling, the student had opened up her inbox to find an email sent by an unknown account. The unmarked email was what Tamao was hoping for, but at the same time she was surprised by its presence, as the conditions for having this email sent depended a lot on guesswork. Tamao poured milk into her tea, as the Miator student opened the contents of her email. Contents that now relied soley on chance. With another glance at the screen, a dark glimmer appeared in Tamao's eye as the email payed off her gamble.

I can't believe that it actually worked...

The email the Lulim student was sent contained documentation of an investigation into the school. Although Tamao didn't have the luxury of reading the contents word for word, she did recognise the crest of the CIA emblazoned on the top of the email. The lulim student scrolled down to reveal photographs of the 'exchange teachers' as well as full names, dates of birth, addresses, and various other details of personal information. The Lulim student then calmly logged out of her computer, and left the room. Tamao could finally prioritise Nagisa, at least whilst the Lulim student performs the last of her bidding. With her drink in hand, Tamao then headed upstairs, and approached Shizuma's old room. The only place she was certain to find Nagisa in. She opened the door to find Nagisa, Chiyo, Kagome, Tsubomi, and Yaya all gathered on the bed.

"Hey. Sorry I'm late." Tamao greeted.

"Tamao..." Nagisa replied nervously.

It was the the first time since the near kiss tha Nagisa had spoken to anybody without being prompted to.

"Yes. What's wrong, Nagisa?" Tamao asked, overjoyed that they were sharing words once more.

"Tamao... I..."

The moment was interrupted by the sound of a commotion downstairs.

"What's going on down there?" Kagome asked.

"I don't know, but I think we should check it out." Tamao replied.

With a collective nod of agreement, everyone including Nagisa left Shizuma's room, and went down stairs to find that the already panicked tension of the dorms had become considerably more tense. Suddenly, a short of breath Chikaru burst through the dorms entrance.

"Chikaru!" Tamao called out. "What's happening?"

"...It's Mina. She ran out of the dorms without saying a word." Chikaru replied, as she tried to recover her breath. "I tried to chase her down, but she was too fast."

"I saw some of those exchange teachers going the same way as I came back. I tried asking them what was going on, but none of them answered. And they're acting really weird too..."

"Oh no. Chikaru, you don't think that-"Tamao gasped.

"With what we've just seen, how could it not be?"

To everyone else, it seemed like Tamao was expressing the same fear as everyone else in the room. But to Ryuk, she may as well have been cackling. In the short month that he'd known Tamao, he'd seen her do things with the Death Note that even his fellow Shinigami would think of. It was to witness things like this that Ryuk had tricked the Shinigami King himself into giving him a second notebook. He felt that humans, who had so little time on their mortal plane were more worthy of the Death Note's power than his fellow Shinigami, whose lack of motivation and ambition made the Shinigami Realm a boring place to spend eternity in. Ryuk couldn't help but feel frustrated by the situation he was in. He had a nagging desire to find out exactly what Tamao had done with the Death Note. But at the same time, he knew that Tamao wouldn't acknowledge his presence whilst there were other humans in the area.

The next day...

Dressed in a red jacket and blue jeans, Tamao had once again settled into her meditation spot on an exceptionally sunny Saturday morning. The sunlight glistening off the lake, combined with the wind gently blowing through the leaves and her hair made for great ambience for writing poetry. However, that's not why she was here. Ever since the events of the Etoile ceremony had unfolded, Ryuk had endlessly nagged her to tell him how she did it. Knowing that he had the luxury of not being heard by anyone who hadn't been exposed to the Death Note, Ryuk would've driven Tamao mad had she tried to ignore him another day.

"Alright, there's no one else here. You've been holding this out from me for too long. C'mon Tamao. Ya gotsta tell me how you managed to pull that trick off!" Ryuk pleaded.

"Remember when I was using prison inmates to send L a message?" Tamao asked.

"Yeah?"

"I experimented further with this theory leading up to the Etoile Ceremonies. It turns out that I can script out a person's actions several days before the time of death if they're added as cirumstances leading up to the death. And only if the said circumstances are can be realistically achieved by the set time of death. In order to take out those agents, I needed specific people to carry out specific actions dictated in the Death Note. The hardest part was choosing someone to send my email. I had to use someone to obtain information that I could not possibly access myself-even if I tried. And on top of that, I couldn't just have anyone find it. If I did, that email would've had a bunch of links to Kira's fansites. For this, I chose Jace Robertson. A hacker in North America accused of selling military secrets to terrorists. Not my usual brand of victim, I know. But he was necessary for what I needed. In the Death Note, I had him search information regarding any legitemate police investigations into the Astraea Hill schools. Jace had the ability to took into places that a regular person could not. And by pure luck, he found the CIA's investigation listed as 'operation devil'. He would then email the names and faces of every person sent into the school to every student account in the school, before a specified time of death by which he would die of a heartattack."

"Amazing. I had no idea the Death Note could be used to make somebody aquire information like that. But then you you could do that, then why bother setting up the scene at the church?" Ryuk questioned excitedly.

"To expose the team to the school body itself. See, I had Jace send an additional email to the headmasters with a single sentence: TAKE DOWN THEIR SPYING DEVICES. OR MORE STUDENTS WILL DIE. They may or may not have believed this email, so that's where Hanate Ichiroku comes in. An evangelist nut who was tied in with several murders in our local area. Using the Death Note, I guided him to our church for a confrontation with Kira, where he would die of a gunshot wound. This theory was based on the assumption that the investigation team were carrying firearms. Had they not been, he would've simply died of a heartattack. And his death would've just spooked the school needlessly."

"So that's why you threw that piece of the Death Note at him. You wanted him to see me, so-"

"That's right." Tamao cut Ryuk off with her answer. "I needed to create a situation where the investigation team would've been forced to act. And having a crazy gunman recklessly firing off rounds at an invisible god of death ,in a room full of stutents is more than enough justification for an agent of the CIA to act with indescretion. Thus, the CIA's actions would have convinced the headmasters of the presence of spying devices. And if they already know of them, then they know they have to remove them."

"Is that so? And what makes you think they'll do it?"

"There was one more person I needed to pull this plan off. The agents had to die quickly after the scene at the Etoile Ceremony, but I couldn't afford to be seen writing names into the Death Note, and if I waited too long, that might have given the agents enough time to force the school to comply with a full scale interrogation. I needed someone else to pull the trigger. And to do that..." Tamao began to explain before looking sorrowfully out at the lake.

"I needed to use a student." She sighed. Her face showing the emotional burden of her decision.

"I decision on who would fill this role, was Mina Kurosawa, simply because her writing style is practically identical to mine. Before I wrote her name down, I wrote the causes of death intended for the agents, and then placed it in a within a laminated sleave inside a folder full of notes for a history project. In the Death Note, I had her scripted to ask me for help on the research project during morning break, where I could give her my notes away from any cameras. After the Etoile Ceremony, I had her log onto a computer, open an unmarked email, and memorise every face and name she saw with that email. Her last action was to write down all those names in the first piece of paper in the folder I gave her, before leaving the school grounds with it. As for the causes of death, I had both the investigation team, and Mina commit suicide in a secluded area away from the school grounds."

"Suicide? For students and cops? My my... You are becoming quite the ruthless killer." Ryuk chuckled heartily.

"Let me make something clear, Ryuk. Killing innocents is something I don't take lightly..." Tamao coldly snapped at him.

Truth is that I really didn't want to kill those people at all. Especially Ms. Tanaka. Had the circumstances been different, I would've loved to have gotten to know her better. But perhaps this way, she can be reunited with her husband once more...

"...But if I feel threatened, I will not hesitate to use innocents to protect myself. And I want L to see this."

Ryuk had been with Tamao long enough to recognise the evil expressions on her face that would go unnoticed by other humans. Mentioning L brought about a look of pride. Not matter how much she tried to hide it behind words and thoughts, deep down Ryuk could see the darker instinct she had developed from using the Death Note. And that instinct had taken some satisfaction in beating L's ploy.

"I have no doubt that L will know by now that the CIA team sent in to find me has gone missing. He'll think twice about sending people into the school if he knows I can detect them." Tamao bragged.

"With this, all L can do safely is keep a distant eye on the school." She continued as she retrieved the Death Note from her bag.

"And once I leave, he can return to chasing a ghost."

Well hello thar. It's been awhile, hasn't it. Well, I must apologise for leaving this fic for so long. Last time I made a proper entry into it, I was having difficulties writing the scene in the church, and especially with how Tamao went about carrying out her plan. At some point, I abandoned the fic, and even abandoned my MSN account in its entirety. Honestly, I've only taken this fic back up on a whim. But hey. That can't be so bad. I mean, I managed to finish the chapter, right? Anyways, the next few chapters will be much easier to write, so I'll try and update when I can. But bear in mind that other projects elsewhere are taking priority atm

Strawberry Panic and all characters are property of Madhouse studios

Death note and all characters are property of Madhouse studios