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nitewrighter · 4 years

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How was Genji's first blackwatch mission? Or.. First time meeting Mccree and Reyes?

Paolo the probation officer kept a leisurely pace behind Genji as he wheeled through Zurich headquarters. Paolo was medium height, dressed in the all-black of Blackwatch with multiple tattoos up his arms. He had a mild south Italian accent and had even politely offered to push Genji’s wheelchair, but Genji could already feel the muscles of his remaining organic arm softening and refused. He felt a little exposed compared to the blackwatch agent, just wearing a gray tee and sweatpants whose empty dangling pant legs had been tied off in knots and folded under his leg stumps. They were only just starting to put him in prosthetics, and he was far from balanced when he wore them.

“So...” Genji gave a glance over his shoulder to Paolo as he wheeled, “You’re in Blackwatch?”

“Eh, just a grunt,” Paolo gave a dismissive hand wave, “I was a security guard at the Blackwatch headquarters in Roma.” He chuckled a little, “Much warmer there.”

“Mm,” Genji fixed his eyes back forward and kept up his roll. He would ask more but a part of him knew he wouldn’t get the answers he was looking for out of Paolo. All those answers lay ahead of him. He was more used to the rhythm of the wheelchair than he would like to admit at this point. They got into an elevator and Paolo leaned in a corner, humming as the elevator descended.

Doesn’t seem very disciplined for a black ops division, Genji thought to himself before the elevator dinged and the doors opened to a narrow hallway with two guards standing next to steel doors in all-black tactical gear. They gave a glance to Paolo, who flashed them an ID card, one of them scanned the card with their comm, returning an affirmative beep, and both gave Paolo a nod before pressing a button on the intercom next to the door.

“Agent Montemurro and Candidate Shimada entering,” said the guard before the steel doors whooshed open.

Candidate Shimada, Genji turned the word ‘candidate’ over in his head as he wheeled into a massive underground office space with multiple monitors all over the walls and orange-ish industrial lights illuminating everything. Here seemed to be a mix of agents and office workers, some in varying layers of tactical gear, some in full armor while others just in black shirts and fatigues, some in business casual, all more or less caught up in their own affairs as Genji and Paolo crossed the space. Genji felt a few eyes on him as he wheeled through, and glanced down at the stumps of his legs self-consciously.

“This way,” said Paolo, walking ahead of him, and Genji could only sullenly wheel after him. He scanned the room, too many bodies for him to remember one face, and so many of them glancing at him, glancing down at him as he wheeled across the floor, but he caught a familiar voice, though he wasn’t sure how it was familiar.

“Nah, the intel from the Sharoy mission says that’s all bullshit. Look, get in touch with Agent Mazur and you should--Oh--hey!”

A tall, swaggering figure in Blackwatch fatigues, a cowboy hat and some kind of black poncho suddenly swung in next to Genji’s wheelchair. He had an agreeable squarish face framed by umber brown sideburns. Genji didn’t recognize his face, but he caught sight of a skull tattoo on his forearm that sparked some blurry memories from the night Hanzo attacked him. He remembered being jostled on a stretcher with that tattoo steadying it before falling into unconsciousness again.

“It’s you!” the cowboy said, chewing on an unlit cigar, “Didn’t think you’d be up and at ‘em this early! Look at you, all wheelin’ around..!”

His voice trailed off in an odd way, as if expecting Genji to pick up the conversation. Genji glanced up at him and slowed in the rolling of his wheelchair.

“I’m sorry,” said Genji, “Do I know you?”

“Heh,” he walked alongside Genji’s wheelchair and tilted back the brim of his hat with his thumb, “Oh I’m nobody. But I was spottin’ the doc that night we took you in. Nearly killed you. Full disclosure.”

Genji’s face scrunched up in some combination of confusion and fury. ‘Spotting the doc?’ What?

“Weird night. Think it worked out, though,” said the cowboy, before giving a glance down to Genji. He held out a hand, “Jesse McCree. Kinda got the same deal you’re gettin’.”

Genji glanced at his hand before looking back up at his eyes.He lifted a hand from his wheels to shake McCree’s hand before returning back to his wheels. “Shimada Genji,” he said in turn.

“Oh I know,” said McCree, chuckling and looking forward.

McCree strolled alongside them until Genji found himself rolling up a ramp leading into a glass-walled office where two men were talking. One was as familiar as McCree was, with medium clay-brown skin with scars that danced as he moved and spoke, and large, penetrating brown eyes that offset the soldierly squareness of his jaw. He was talking to a posh-looking man with an ivory complexion and jet black hair and mustache. Both of their eyes flicked to Genji as Genji, McCree, and Paolo walked up to the door of the office.

The scarred man was the first to notice them and leaned, catlike, across his desk to press a button. The doors slid open and Genji and McCree walked in. Genji gave a confused glance to Paolo, who simply gave him a polite wave as the doors closed on him.

“Genji Shimada? Gérard LaCroix. Blackwatch’s attaché to the UN,” a crisp, bright voice, only slightly softened by a Parisian accent, spoke and Genji’s head swung up to look at the voice’s source. The mustached man was standing in front of him, politely holding out his hand. Genji awkwardly brought his hand off the wheelchair’s armrest and shook Gérard’s hand. “I’ve heard a lot about you,” Gérard went on.

The phrase, ‘good things, I hope’ seemed to be a really stupid thing to say at this point. “I’ve heard about you as well,” said Genji, hoping he had and had just forgotten about it.

“Ah good to hear. So you have a decent idea of what we intend to do here,” said Gérard.

“Yyes,” said Genji, blankly, then after a beat, he remembered his conversation with Mercy, “You need my help to dismantle the Shimada clan.”

“Among other things,” said the scarred man, pushing away from his desk and walking toward Genji, “Gabriel Reyes. Blackwatch commander. I was also on the recovery team bringing you in.”

Genji sat up in his wheelchair slightly, “I’ve been meaning to ask some questions about that.”

“A lot of the answers to that will likely be classified, but I can answer what I can,” said Reyes, folding his arms.

“How were you watching me and for how long?” said Genji, his eyes narrowing, “You had to be, to know when to swoop in like that.”

Reyes and McCree exchanged wary glances, but Gérard cleared his throat. “If I may?”

Gabriel gave Gérard a ‘go ahead,’ gesture and Gérard straightened the collar of his waistcoat. “For the most part, the UN and Interpol had decided to leave dealing with the Shimada clan up to the NPA, but we feared the clan was becoming prominent enough to garner the attention of the international terrorist organization, Talon. We used a light hand. Only a handful of operatives seeded around the city, gauging the internal structural strength of the clan. They’ve since been extracted. The plan was, initially, to detain you on charges of possession, match the drugs in your possession to those our other busts had recovered worldwide, and drag the clan into the light behind you, doing all this in collaboration with the NPA.”

“You were never planning to recruit me,” said Genji. Something tensed in his stomach. Hanzo had always said he was a liability, would he have taken the whole clan down if Hanzo hadn’t killed him?

“Initially,” Gérard emphasized, “When we found out that the Shimada Dragons might be more than a metaphor, that warranted closer observation.”

“So you’re recruiting me for the dragon,” said Genji.

“We’re recruiting you because we have a shared interest,” said Gabriel, “But as far as what we saw the night we extracted you goes… it would be a waste to let it, and you, rot in a jail cell.”

“…so my choice is either help you or go to jail,” said Genji, flatly.

“Not necessarily,” said Gérard, “And… here’s where we get into the messy legal stuff. You could argue for the case that ultimately your safety was compromised by Overwatch’s interference, that one of the agents we had observing you was compromised. As far as all of Overwatch’s records show, there was no such incident of compromise, but you could legally argue that that occurred and Overwatch or the NPA could provide you with the legal representation to argue that case in court. After all, we couldn’t keep eyes on you 24/7, maybe something happened that we weren’t aware of. If you successfully prove your case, Overwatch faces severe scandal and UN inquiry, but then your case gets handed back to the NPA---”

About midway through Gérard’s long ramble on his legal status, Genji had half-tuned him out, glancing over his shoulder in his wheelchair to look at McCree. McCree was still chewing that unlit cigar, leaning against the glass wall of the office. He gave Genji a smirking, ‘Welp’ shrug, as Gérard went on, and Genji frowned beneath his surgical mask.

“And again,” Gérard was still going on when Genji yanked his attention back to him, “We could provide you with legal representation there, but this is a process that could take months, years, even, given how entangled the Shimada clan’s offenses are with multiple governments around the world. Overwatch would be more than happy to accommodate you in that time, provide you with rudimentary prosthetics. So there is a chance of having all your charges dropped, it’s just… an unfortunately small one through at least half a dozen legal systems and a lot of tedious litigation.”

“But I don’t think that’s what you want,” said Gabriel keeping a steady gaze on Genji, “From what I hear, you’re more than eager to take the Shimada clan down.”

“’s better than my deal, anyway,” said McCree with a huff. Gabriel shot him a glare and McCree just gave him a shrug.

Genji met Gabriel’s big brown eyes. Reyes was right, but he was right in a way that made the smoldering coals of Genji’s own fury blaze up inside him again. He did want this. He did want to take the Shimada clan down, but the idea that it might be for yet someone else’s ends infuriated him. This was his vengeance. No one else’s. And he let that rage penetrate through as he stared at Reyes, but Reyes met his eyes with a resigned calm. A patient, weary look of, ‘Noted. Whenever you’re ready to move on.’ And a part of Genji felt that look should have made him angrier, should have pushed him further in to that fire and darkness, but instead Genji felt his brow crinkling slightly. He realized in that moment that he was not the first person the Shimada clan had hurt. And he would not be the last. It only stung deeper for him because that was his family. But it wasn’t his family any more. And there were a few confused seconds of floundering fury where Genji wanted to cuss Reyes out, wanted to storm out as dramatically as his stupid wheelchair would allow, but he remembered his own words to Doctor Ziegler.

“What do I have to do to see my brother’s head on the ground as quickly as possible?”

“There’s plenty of time to--” Gérard started.

“I’m in,” Genji’s voice was flat.

“Good to hear,” said Gabriel with a casual nod.

“But I want direct involvement with every Shimada clan mission,” said Genji, “Every one. If possible I want to be on the main strike team involved with each mission.”

“...after your physical therapy and psychological evaluations, we’ll do everything we can to--” Gérard started.

“You’ve got it,” said Gabriel, matching Genji’s voice in coldness and simplicity.

Gérard cast a sideways glance to Gabriel but Gabriel met his eyes with the same steadiness he met Genji’s with. Gérard cleared his throat. “But of course,” he said, only some slight hesitance in his voice.

“Well then,” said Reyes, the slightest of smiles tugging at the corners of his mouth, “Welcome to the team, Genji.”

Genji’s eyes flicked between Reyes’, McCree’s, and Gérard’s faces for a few seconds. “...it’s that easy?” said Genji in the silence.

“Well yeah,” said McCree, leaning on Genji’s wheelchair, “First thing you gotta learn, bud: Blackwatch plays by its own rules.”

#overwatch #overwatch fanfic #genji shimada #gabriel reyes #gerard lacroix #jesse mccree #blackwatch

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translightyagami · 4 years

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Hi! If you're not too busy, could you write headcanons about Soichiro being super-supportive of Light and/or Sayu being trans/lgbt please? I need something to cheer me up

Hello! I think i’ve written about this before but being a really unruly tag-er of posts, I don’t think i can find them posts easily. so i’ll try to make some fresh headcanons nonny.

i think this depends on how you see the yagami sibs - their identities n such. i imagine they both end up tumbling into adulthood as trans and gay, albeit in different ways. Sayu comes around to a genderqueer lesbian understanding of herself and dates a LOT of anti-cap art students that Soichiro doesn’t like at all. he tells himself he dislikes how disrespectful her partners are, that they don’t have her best interests at heart, but the truth is that Soichiro can sense how Sayu is looking for a way to be Someone when she’s only been seen as a part, a piece. He fumbles everyone’s pronouns but gets it right on the third try, and Sayu always asks what he thinks of her choices. Soichiro is too honest for his own good but the fights don’t last super long. And even as all the different flags she’s worn collect on his desk - each one a token from a different Pride parade - he knows she’ll be okay; Sayu has never had trouble thinking for herself, and making her own path.

He’s a little worried about Light. His son, who transitioned when he was 14 and who never stopped being Soichiro’s shadow, even when he gained those last few inches on his dad. His son who won’t stop dating men Sayu uncharitably (but, Soichiro privately thinks, correctly) calls weasels. Oh sure, this revolving door of well-payed, nice-enough lovers that Light faithfully brings to dinner twice and then never again - they aren’t a threat to Soichiro’s son. Few things in the world are a threat to him, which is why Soichiro worries about those few things. He supported Light when he had top surgery, went with him to the clinic for testosterone (altho, a bit of needlephobe himself, Soichiro let his wife handle the actual shot), and got Light his job at the NPA with not a small amount of pressure to the higher-ups. Light’s happiness is important to him ... but he wishes Light would care a little more about his happiness too. Instead, Light does what he’s supposed to do - date nice but pliable men, bring them home, and remains effectively single.

“Light,” Sochiro corners him during a work lunch. “I want you to be happy. I want you to meet someone nice.”

“Ah, Dad,” Light laughs. “That’s not for me. I don’t think I’m supposed to be with anyone.” He gets quiet, twiddling his thumbs. “I have other things to do. Important things.”

Sayu graduates colleges and announces she’s moving to America. The whole family is in uproar, in a good way, and they see her off at the airport. Soichiro follows her Twitter updates, sees her meeting new people and getting into social activism. She tells her parents she’s seeing a therapist and she misses them.

“How’s Light?” she asks and Soichiro hesitates.

“He should visit you, I think,” he says.

Light is doing fine. He’s been fine for years. Now working in a higher position and living on his own, he doesn’t bring home boyfriends anymore. His passion is burnt, Soichiro can tell, and he starts asking more and more for advice - something Light never used to do. And Soichiro doesn’t know what to say: what Light needs help with is something Soichiro never had to deal with. His own life was, comparatively, easy - he met Sachiko in college. He married her. They had children. Light can have those things, sure, but it will be different and Light’s never been great at being different. So Soichiro tells Light to keep going forward - he just doesn’t know what else to say.

Sayu meets her future wife at a reproductive rights rally and brings her home after several Facetime calls that were really just gushing about how much she loves her. Sachiko and Soichiro love her too; she’s a little older than Sayu, a trans woman who has a steady job running a bookstore and pink streaks in her hair. She calls Sayu babe, and asks Sachiko for recipes. Sochiro knows she’s uneasy around him at first, but warms when he asks her questions about softball (Sayu played it in college, and Soichiro always found it more fun than Light’s short-lived tennis days). Light is courteous toward her, but he never seems fully present during the meeting. He keeps taking calls and returning to the dinner table a little red-faced.

“It’s classified,” he tells Soichiro, who asks the caller’s name. “I can’t say. But it’s someone safe, I promise.”

Light and Sayu’s future-wife go to bed early, both staying over in the house, so Soichiro sits with Sayu getting some father-kid time in. He can’t help but get her perspective on Light’s behavior. She laughs when he asks.

“Oh c’mon Dad,” Sayu says. “Light’s totally talking to a guy he likes. That’s how he always has been with crushes.”

“What?” Soichiro is shocked. “But ... I’ve never seen Light have a crush.”

“Oh yeah, okay.” Nodding, Sayu taps her chin. “You were kinda MIA at the time with the Kira case. Light used to get all blush-y and red back then when he got calls or visits from this college friend he had. I tried to spy on them once, but you know Light. He’s so good at swattin’ down spy stuff.” She scratches her head. “What was that guy’s name? It was like that actor’s name, wasn’t it? Anyway, Light would go totally dreamy after talking to him, all in his own head. Never seen him be like that around anyone else.”

Soichiro’s mouth gets tight. “Was his name Hideki Ryuga?”

“Huh? Oh yeah!” Sayu slaps her knee. “Oh my god, I used to like that actor soo much. Although that guy didn’t look like him at all.”

“Yes. I remember.”

Soichiro digs through his drawers that night while Sachiko tells him to keep it down while they have guests. But he needs to find a very specific number that he was told to use for emergencies only. He finds it taped under his bottom drawer and dials it on the kitchen phone. There’s a long period of hold music before anyone answers; its not that bad a tune.

“There’s no reason for you to call this number,” L says when he picks up. “I’m hanging up now and destroying this line. What a waste.”

“Do you have feelings for my son?”

There’s a crackle that makes Soichiro think L hung up but chewing noises revive him. L is just eating candy.

“Why do you ask?” L still sounds the same, yet there’s wrinkles in his voice that make him sound almost ... well Soichiro wants to say mature, although the candy ruins that a bit. “I need to hang up.”

“If you have feelings for him,” Soichiro bullies through, “then you need to tell him. Light deserves to be happy and I think you make him happy.”

“Hm.”

“He’s a very special person.” Soichiro has water in his voice. “I don’t think he wants to be, but he is. And if he chooses you, then you would have no better choice in the world than him.”

“Mm.” L rolls the syllables around. “I’m hanging up now. This number will not work again. Good bye.”

Soichiro stands in the kitchen for a minute listening to the dial tone before a scuffle catches his attention. Light steps away from a spilled glass of water, eyes gleaming and wide, as Soichiro hangs up the phone.

“I’m sorry.” Light grabs a towel, his voice wavering and his head turned down. “Sorry, I was getting a glass of water.”

“I meant it.” Soichiro gets on his knees and holds his son’s hands. They’re not as small as when Light was a child but they fell the same - warm, smooth, full of grace even when flexing nervously. “You are special. And you’ll find someone who thinks that someday.”

They hug, briefly, but Light’s phone disrupts them with a loud ringing. Hesitating before he takes it out, Light looks at his dad and his eyes are filled with hope - Soichiro thinks its a nice, new look for Light.

“Sorry,” Light says, “I have to take this. It’s classified.”

Three years later, and Soichiro is worried about his kids - they are both having weddings during the same week. “It’s easier!” Sayu says, because she doesn’t want to fly out twice. “We’re not doing anything big anyway,” Light says, because he and L have almost no guests invited beyond family members. But Soichiro isn’t worried so much about money or flights or anything like that. He’s worried about how it will feel, to see his children going off into the world to make their own families, to be so happy, to see them survive and thrive. And maybe he’s worried for himself, more than the kids. After all, how will it feel to be a man who got everything he ever wanted?

#death note #ooooooof this is longer than i thought #okay well yeah here it is #light yagami #sayu yagami #soichiro yagami #Anonymous

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lucydorling1980 · 4 years

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I stupidly didn’t take @orlynailsuk Nailtrition on holiday with me and had to use Mum’s Nail Envy, I lost the corners of three nails of my right hand and nick developed in that testy ring fingernail 😬so I’ve gone back to the beginning with the treatment. It’s shown me just how brilliant Nailtrition is for me and that unfortunately Nail Envy is no longer my go to. #nails #nailsoftheday #notd #nailsofinstagram #nailsofig #nailsoftheworld #instanails #nailstagram #nailpolish #nailpolishaddicts #nailpolishaddict #nailpainting #nailpolishobsession #nailpolishswatches #nailpolishswatching #nailpolishlover #nailpolishjunkie #nailpolishdisplay #nailpolishblog #nailpolishblogger #nailpolishbloggers #nailpolishbloggersuk #npa #nailpolishaddiction (at Witney, Oxfordshire) https://www.instagram.com/p/B-B_ljqnQOb/?igshid=1qsicd11oe96p

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thatonekawaiigirl13 · 5 years

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Who Said Death Was Easy? [Death Note] Chapter Forty

Chapter Forty: Ally

Keiko’s POV:

H-huh? What’s this? Another businessman is dead? Keiko let out a small gasp as she looked at the profiles of Kira’s latest victims, it could just be a coincidence, seeing as they aren’t of heart attacks...but at this point, is it really? In addition to the usual criminals, a lot of prominent businessmen have been dropping dead recently.

“Light-kun,” the girl called out, “you should come take a look at this.”

I might still be mad at you, but I’m less upset with you than a certain detective...

“Only calling me over, huh? Are you still upset with Ryuzaki-san because of what happened?” Light questioned as he padded over, a certain raven haired detective trailing along slowly behind him.

That’s really none of your business, Light, but yes. I suppose I am still upset. At first, I was okay with my crush on L being unrequited, but after what happened that night…when he kissed me back…he truly made me think, even if for a moment, that he cared about me. He knows it, too, otherwise why would he have done that to me during the double date? He was milking how I felt about him for his own personal enjoyment. At this point, it’s clear he knows all too well that I like him.

Keiko knew that she was being difficult, but she just couldn’t bring herself to talk to the detective, not since the whole double date fiasco. It would be way too embarrassing. In fact, Keiko hadn’t directly spoken to L since she had said those three little words, ‘I hate you’. However, Keiko knew she didn’t actually hate him, not a single bit. She was painfully aware that L probably knew that fact just as well as she did.

L might have complimented my investigative skills and agreed to do that double date, but it’s clear that he doesn’t return my feelings. I knew his personality from the beginning, I knew he’s not the type to care for others… but now, for some reason, Keiko swallowed hard, attempting to mask her emotions, that fact really hurts me. I know it’s impossible, but I want him to like me. Does this mean I’ve moved on from Light?

“I’m sorry to say this, but considering the fact that we’re chained together, Ryuzaki-san and I are quite literally a package deal,” Light joked, breaking Keiko away from her thoughts. She supposed that he was trying to make her crack a smile, but at the moment, smiling was the last thing she felt like doing.

Sorry, Light, but anyway...speaking of L…,Keiko could sense his gaze on her back, but she didn’t dare look behind her to meet his eyes. She made sure she focused only on her laptop’s screen as Light and L sat down next to her.

“Look at these victims,” she pointed at the screen, not even bothering to respond to Light’s comment. “It can’t just be a coincidence, can it?”

Upon seeing that Keiko wasn’t going to answer him, Light let out a sigh. “Alright, fine. Let me take a look.”

Light scooted closer to Keiko, peering over at her computer screen. He scrolled down the page, carefully looking everything over.

We haven’t been this close together since...since his confession the day he got out of confinement…if he feels awkward around me, he isn’t showing it. It’s funny…he finally told me that he loved me, and yet, now the only person I can think about it L…who doesn’t feel anything for me.

“You know,” Light started, “I was just looking at the same thing. In my opinion, it’s definitely not a coincidence. All of them were CEOs whose companies were leaders in their respective industries. In just over a month, they’ve all died. I was also looking at the stock market, and as expected, there’s been a general downturn for those companies...with the exception of Yotsuba. In other words, their deaths are beneficial for the Yotsuba group. Looking back, there have been a few other similar incidents recently.”

“If that’s the case…” Keiko started, “then right now, Kira’s supporting the Yotsuba group.”

“Exactly,” Light nodded, turning towards the detective. “What are your thoughts on this, Ryuzaki-san?”

“Hmm, that could be the case.” Keiko heard L say. “However, if what you’re saying is true, then we can only assume that punishing criminals is not this Kira’s real intention. Punishing criminals is merely a diversion for this Kira. It obscures the fact that he’s killing people for the benefit of the company.”

Wait a moment… ‘this Kira’?

“You mean to say that you think this is a different Kira from the previous two?” Keiko blurted out before she could stop herself. She covered her mouth, feeling the detective’s gaze on her once again.

Whoops...I guess I finally broke my silent treatment. Though, I suppose the case is far more important than my own personal dignity…but still, he knows how I feel about him, and he took advantage of that...and I yelled at him...it’s embarrassing. He knows just how much he affects me. He knows just how hopeless I am. There goes my pride.

“Yes,” L said after a moment. If he was taken aback by Keiko finally talking to him again, he didn’t show it.

Was he just waiting for me to talk to him again? He better not think he’s getting off easy. If I ever get the chance to talk to him alone again, he’d better be prepared.

“All of this time, I suspected that Light Yagami was Kira and Misa Amane the Second Kira, the entire investigation hinged on those two facts. Up until Light’s confinement, all of the evidence pointed to them. Even though criminals began dying soon after Light was confined, I don’t think it was a coincidence that, at least for a little while, the murders stopped. This suggests that, at that time, my theory about Light Yagami was correct. Even though he’s technically in the gray right now, I’m still suspicious, hence the handcuffs. However, like you noted, there’s been a recent shift of Kira’s killing patterns, which pokes another hole into my theory that Light is Kira. But, I do not think that my deductions that Light and Misa were both Kira before are entirely wrong. I believe that it’s possible they were Kira, but somehow they’ve lost their powers, and their memories, and that Kira’s powers have been transferred to someone else within the Yotsuba Group. That, to me, makes the most sense. We also know that Kira can control people. If that’s the case, then he’s stopped controlling Light and Misa, and is controlling someone involved with the Yotsuba Group.”

Keiko glanced over at the detective, her face turning a little pink at their sudden eye contact, he still stands by the fact that Light Yagami and Misa Amane were Kira and the Second Kira...even I have to admit, that makes sense.

“So essentially,” Keiko started, attempting to ignore the blush on her face and the way L was looking at her, “you’re saying you think it’s possible that Kira’s power can pass between people?”

L nodded, the corners of his lips curving slightly upwards. “Yes, I believe so. Therefore, if evidence is pointing to someone in the Yotsuba Group, we should find them and bring them into custody as soon as possible before they lose their memories and have their power transferred to someone else. Then we can find out once and for all how Kira kills once and for all. And, during the process, maybe we can see whether or not Light or Misa regain memories of being Kira. ”

“It sounds like, in the end, you won’t be satisfied unless I am or was Kira at some point,” Light grumbled.

“When you put it that way, I suppose you’re right, in a way,” L responded. “After all, all the evidence was against you...up until now. I admit it, I wanted you to be Kira.”

Light’s face twisted in annoyance, but before he could respond, the intercom buzzed. The rest of the task force had finally arrived.

Saved by the bell, Keiko thought.

“Did we miss anything?” Matsuda loudly questioned as soon as he entered the room. The others, Aizawa, Mogi, and Chief Yagami, followed behind him. Keiko noted that the chief looked especially worn out.

“As a matter of fact, you did,” L responded, “it looks like we might have something here. A new direction for the investigation…”

“Oh geez,” Aizawa commented once L was done with his explanation concerning the Yotsuba Group. “So you suspect that Kira is someone connected with Yotsuba?”

“Yes,” L said simply. “That’s what makes the most sense. If we investigate Yotsuba Group, we should be able to find Kira.”

Oh hey!” Matsuda grinned from ear to ear, “that means we have a lead again! That’s wonderful. Well done, you three.”

“I’m afraid I have some not-so-wonderful news,” the chief announced, a grim expression on his face.

“What’s going on?” Light shot his father a concerned glance.

“This won’t be easy to say,” the chief replied. He loosened his tie, taking a seat on one of the couches in the room. “Well…before we came here, Mogi and I spoke with the deputy director. It seems like this Kira’s offered bribes to a number of politicians. Kira said as long as the police don’t chase him, he won’t lay a hand on any politician in power. After hearing this, the police caved in to Kira.”

W-what?! Caved in to Kira?! Keiko’s eyes widened at the Chief’s statement. She heard both Light and Matsuda let out gasps beside her. The only one in the room who did not appear to be surprised, however, was L.

The chief continued on, “Mogi and I have already made up our minds...but Aizawa, Matsuda, if you two wish to continue working this case, you’ll have to hand in your letters of resignation to the NPA. Mogi and I have already done this. Therefore, like it or not, we cannot pursue Kira as members of the police force anymore. They made that quite clear. If you continue to work with L, you will be fired.”

“What?!” Aizawa had a pained expression on his face, “chief-”

Light’s father cut him off, “in a few more hours, I will no longer be your chief. However, I know that everyone has different circumstances, so please, think it over carefully.”

“That’s true,” Matsuda commented, “especially if you have a family to support.”

Keiko peered over at Aizawa, thinking about his young daughter he’d mentioned before. It looked like he was thinking about her, too. His eyes were full of both sadness and distress, his mouth a thin line.

“If you want my opinion,” L’s voice broke through the sudden silence, “you’d be better off as police officers. I was alone when I started this case, and although I’m grateful to each and every one of you for sticking with me this far, I know I can do this by myself.”

At this, Keiko’s eyebrows furrowed. By himself?! What is this attitude all of the sudden? Where is this coming from? Surely he can’t be serious...if that’s true, then does he see the rest of us as worthless? Does that mean he wasn’t serious when he complimented my investigative skills? No, that can’t be it...it has to be a bluff of some sort, right?

“Ryuzaki-san,” Light rattled the chains connecting him to the detective, “did you forget about our current situation? Anyway, as long as I’m alive, you won’t be working alone. You have my word on that. I’m sure Keiko-chan feels the same way. Right?”

Keiko nodded, meeting L’s eyes with a determined look on her face, “I won’t stop until we catch Kira.”

Even though you confuse and frustrate me to no end, I’m determined to work alongside you and see this case out until the end. I have to prove my worth as a detective!

“Hmm,” L said after a moment. “I suppose that’s right. I guess I’ll have the two of them working alongside me until I catch Kira. So I won’t be alone after all. However, like I said, I think the rest of you should remain as police officers.”

“But when you first contacted us, you said you needed the help of the police!” The chief blurted out.

“That’s because the police as an organization didn’t bow down to Kira. Besides, with all due respect, I don’t think the help of two or three civilians can be compared to the police as an organization. Anway, the police have made their position clear; they no longer want to catch Kira. So let’s leave it at that.”

“I suppose what you’re saying makes sense. If we are no longer police officers, we won’t be of as much use to you. However,” Soichiro’s voice raised slightly, “we are all personally involved in this. All of us have risked our lives to catch Kira. Therefore, we should have the right to decide whether to stay here or remain as police officers!”

“You have a point. Then by all means, decide what you want to do.”

“But chief,” Aizawa interjected, “if you quit the police force, you’ll be unemployed! Even if we catch Kira, what are you going to do afterwards?”

“Afterwards, huh?” The chief crossed his arms, a thoughtful look on his face, “I haven’t quite thought about that...but after we catch Kira, I guess it’ll be time to dust off my resume.”

“Count me in!” Matsuda pumped a fist in the air. “I’m also going to quit the police and chase after Kira! Besides, I still have to do my job as Misa-Misa’s manager! If I remained as a police officer, I’d feel like a loser!”

“You should think before you open your mouth, Matsuda-san,” the chief commented.

Keiko watched as an embarrassed Matsuda turned towards Aizawa and stuttered out an apology.

“Is there any way I could keep my job and help you in my spare time?” Aizawa questioned, pointedly ignoring Matsuda’s apology. Everyone in the roomed looked at L, awaiting his response.

“There isn’t…if you remain as a police officer, then please don’t come back here.”

Aizawa was livid. “But you know I won’t leak any information!”

“That may be true...but I won’t be sharing any information,” L coolly replied, causing Aizawa to gasp. “You are free to pursue Kira on your own, or quit your job and continue to search for Kira with us...but I don’t think it’s fair to your family to burden them by giving up your livelihood just to continue with this case. I can’t see how that’s a good idea.”

“It’s as Ryuzaki-san says,” Soichiro commented, “anyway, no one will blame you if you quit now.”

“But chief,” Aizawa swallowed hard. “You have a family, too.”

“That’s true, but our situations are quite different, Aizawa-san.”

“Dammit!” Aizawa cried out in despair. “That’s not fair! I want to stay here! I was prepared to die at any time! Anyway, if I quit now, what kind of friend would I be to Ukita?! I became a detective so I could catch the bad guys, not run away!”

“Ryuzaki-san,” a new voice filled the room. Keiko glanced at the computer monitors, displaying the gothic ‘W’ on the screen.

It’s Watari...he rarely ever gets directly involved with what’s going on...

“Early on in the investigation, you specifically told me that if a Task Force member were to lose their job, I should make preparations to ensure that their family’s financial future was secure. If you recall, a trust fund was set aside for that purpose...I’m a little curious as to why you’re withholding this information.”

What?! He was already prepared for this?! What in the world is going on? Perhaps...was L just testing him? Was this all just a test to see how loyal he’d be to the Task Force? If so, that’s just cruel…but it makes the most sense. Keiko bit her lip, besides, being cruel isn’t new to him...just look at how he teased me during the double date.

“This is not the time or the place to disclose this information,” L commented, earning him an apology from Watari.

“Wait a second, so all this time we had nothing to worry about?” Matsuda gasped. He turned towards Aizawa, “isn’t that great news?!”

Aizawa balled his fists at this new information. If he had been upset before, he was full on angry now, “Ryuzaki-san, I assume this means you wanted to see how committed I was to the Task Force?”

“I’m sure it’s not like that, Aizawa-san,” the chief replied. “Ryuzaki-san just isn’t the type to say things directly. You should know that by now.”

“No, he’s right,” L’s voice cut through the room. “I was testing him. You see, Aizawa-san, I wanted to see which one you would choose.”

No way! That means...he really was just testing him!

“Ryuzaki-san,” the chief’s voice was soft.

“Fine then!” Aizawa bellowed out. “If I wasn’t sure before, I am now!”

Despite protests from the chief and Matsuda, Aizawa continued on, “let’s face it, I wasn’t able to decide right away like you guys. In fact, I was leaning towards going back to the police.”

“Aizawa,” Matsuda looked hurt, “please don’t be so stubborn.”

“No! I quit!” Aizawa’s voice was hard. “It’s become clear to me. I hate Ryuzaki-san!”

Well, Keiko thought to herself, that’s certainly not the first time he’s heard that statement directed towards him recently…I can’t say I blame Aizawa for leaving. He will be missed around here, though.

“I hate Ryuzaki-san!” Aizawa repeated, stomping towards the exit. “I hate him and I hate his way of doing things! That’s it! I’m outta here!”

“That’s too bad,” L said quietly, “because I enjoyed working with you, Aizawa-san. Thank you very much for all of your hard work.”

Just like that, the number of people in the Task Force shrank.

/timeskip/

“I just found another!” Light called out, “a general manager of a bank that happens to be one of Yostuba’s biggest competitors. On September 7th he slipped on the steps of his home and died.”

“September 7th…” the chief mused, shuffling some of his papers around. “That was a Friday, wasn’t it? After going over this again, I noticed that all the deaths that are beneficial to Yotsuba appear to be concentrated around the weekend...with the first few victims, the time of death appears to be random, but more recently, they all seem to take place between Friday night and Saturday afternoon.”

“That’s some amazing work, chief!” Matsuda cheered, offering Light’s father a thumbs up.

“I told you, Matsuda-san, I’m no longer the chief.”

“No, you’ll always be the chief to me,” the young policeman replied.

So, all of the dirty work is done on the weekend, eh? How interesting…

“That’s a really important clue...nice work, Yagami-san,” Keiko commented.

“Thank you,” the chief replied. He let out a small chuckle, “I can’t let myself fall behind. After all, I don’t want to be dead weight.”

“Huh, dead weight…?” Matsuda questioned. He turned towards Soichiro, “you’re not dead weight.”

“Is Kira truly someone from the Yotsuba Group?” L mused, breaking up the conversation, “or is Kira simply using Yotsuba? I haven’t figured that out yet, but let’s investigate this with the assumption that this is Kira’s doing. As I said before, we should definitely focus on the Yotsuba Group.”

“I guess I’m just in time, then,” Mogi announced, stepping into the room. A big stack of papers was in his hands that he set down in front of the raven haired detective. “I’ve compiled a list of all the domestic employees in the Yotsuba Group.”

“Thank you very much. This will be extremely useful.” L flipped through the first couple pages in the stack.

Light turned towards Mogi, “I’m surprised you compiled the list so quickly.”

“Mogi’s been a hard worker from the beginning,” L commented.

“Ryuzaki-san!” Matsuda jumped up from his seat. “Is there anything I can do besides being a manager?”

“You want to be useful?” the detective questioned, glancing up from his papers at the young policeman.

“Yes!”

Keiko had a feeling that, whatever L’s next words were, they wouldn’t be good.

This can’t end well...

“Then,” L started, looking back down at the stack of papers in front of him, “could you please get me another cup of coffee?”

“W-what?” Matsuda stuttered out.

I totally called it. Keiko let out a sigh, earning her a glance from the detective, who offered her a mischievous smirk, what the…? What now?

“And could you get some coffee for our guests over there, too, please?” L gestured towards the couches where two unfamiliar people were sitting. There was a man and a woman, both with blonde hair.

Matsuda let out a gasp,“what? Who are they? When did they get in?”

“Those are the newest members of the Task Force,” L said simply.

“I’m Aiber,” the man said, waving his hand up in the air. “I’m a conman. How’s it goin’?”

“I’m Wedy,” the second one, the woman, announced, lighting a cigarette. “I’m a thief by trade.”

“A con man and a thief?!” the chief demanded, looking appalled.

“Yes. Aiber is a lifelong con man. He has unparalleled social skills that allow him to befriend and gain the trust of any target. We’ll use him for infiltrative investigations. Wedy is a thief who can crack any lock, safe, or security system. As proof, she entered without any of us noticing or setting off any alarm.”

“You expect us to work with criminals?” the chief was aghast.

“Yes, that is correct. However, these two have never been caught. So it’s unlikely that they will be killed off by Kira. Think of them as pros of the underworld.”

Pros of the underworld, eh? I never imagined we’d be working with criminals, but I suppose, given this case, it’s something that has to be done.

“I understand, Ryuzaki-san,” Light commented, “to investigate Yotsuba, we need people like them. Let’s all work together to solve this case as soon as possible!”

Sounds much easier said than done…

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realtruesuccessor · 6 years

Text

@notonlykira - starter

Mello should have seen this coming. He should have continued to work alone, made his own moves, used his own resources and people. Instead, he had made the decision to join forces with Near.

At the time, it had seemed like a smart choice. Kira would never suspect that Mello and Near would join forces, so he would be caught off guard. Taken by surprise. Near also had more resources and more manpower than Mello, so Mello could have definitely taken advantage of those. As annoying as it was to work with his childhood rival, Mello thought it was worth it. And it would have absolutely been worth it, if they had caught and killed Kira.

But they didn’t.

Kira won. The world’s worst and most notorious serial killer came out on top. He won, he outsmarted Near somehow. Now, Near’s body was lying lifeless and motionless somewhere. Part of Mello genuinely wished that he had been in that warehouse, too. If he had died alongside Near, then it would have been over quickly. Forty seconds and then, boom. He would be gone.

But he was still here, still living in this rotten world.

Mello had been cornered by members of the Japanese NPA. He was brutally tackled in an attempt to run and escape. His body was shoved against a nearby wall.

A blindfold was slipped over his eyes and a nasty rag was shoved between his teeth. He couldn’t see anything. The cloth in his mouth tasted disgusting and sweaty. His saliva mixed with the dirt and sweat that was already on the rag. His hands were wrenched behind his back and he felt metal handcuffs snap around his thin wrists.

Someone grabbed Mello’s upper arm. The hand felt large; it was almost certainly a man, probably one of the members of the Japanese NPA. The hand dragged him away from the wall.

Mello may have been unable to see, but he could still hear what was going on around him. He could hear the sound of passing cars, and the voices of the police around him. One of the voices was speaking to him, but he couldn’t really make out what the voice was saying. It was a man’s voice, but there was a low rushing or humming noise in his ear that distracted Mello from the man’s words. All Mello could gather from the man’s words was that he was being taken somewhere, some secure facility where he would be locked up.

Then, Mello could feel himself being shoved into the back of a car. When he was sitting in the car, someone placed noise-blocking earmuffs over his ears. Now, he couldn’t see or hear or speak to anyone. He couldn’t even move his arms.

The ride in the car seemed endless. Finally, the vehicle must have reached its destination because Mello felt the car stop. He was dragged out of the car and into some air-conditioned facility. After a series of many twists and turns, Mello was forced to stop walking.

His earmuffs were removed first, then his blindfold, and finally, the cloth was taken out of his mouth. Mello found himself in a cell, complete with gray cinderblock walls and a cold stone floor. There were a bunch of Japanese men around him, none of whom he recognized. A camera was set up on the ceiling just outside Mello’s cell.

Mello’s handcuffs were removed and he was commanded to strip. He listened to the police and complied with their orders, not seeing any way out of this situation alive. They made him change into a light blue prison jumpsuit.

And then they left.

Now, Mello was alone in a cell. He sat on the floor, his back against one of the hard cinderblock walls. His head lay in his hands, and all he could do was sit there and wait.

#notonlykira #long post #this is super long for me lol #don't feel pressured to match length

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ancientbrit · 3 years

Text

Natter #2 6/6/2020

My Dad moved us from Essex (east of London) to Surrey (Southwest of London) when I was 3 months old (there's that steel-trap memory again) My Dad's sister Kate moved in next door with daughter Joyce and Uncle Jim. Joyce and my sister Joan were the same age - three years my senior. Uncle Jim was something of a character even though he was right under the thumb.

To stay sort of independent he had a workshop at the bottom of the back garden and he built a greenhouse nearby. Uncle Jim was a good gardener and he came up with a great method of getting seeds off to a fast start by placing a seed tray directly above a roasting pan filled with water. The roasting pan was held in a sealed box containing a light bulb. The bulb heated the water, warming the seed tray evenly and maintaining an even moisture content. Ergo the seeds germinated very quickly and the seedlings grew away.

Being a gardener and living fairly close by Kew Gardens, he wanted to visit and I was one of the beneficiaries when he took Joyce and me to see the whole garden. This was around 1941 when I was seven and Kew made an enormous impact on me. There was the Chinese Pagoda and the Palm House - an enormous glasshouse which had palms which had grown out through the roof. Inside the Palm House are the huge Victoria water lillies with their enormous round leaves which are capable of supporting the weight of a fully grown man. One thing that truly made a lasting impression on me was when I saw bananas for the very first time - still on the tree. These were distributed to hospitalized children who had compromised digestive systems with intake restrictions. The atmosphere in the Palm House was also memorable too, being humid and warm and it was probably the first time I could remember being thoroughly warm during the winter due to the effects of fuel rationing. Of course, coming outside again felt awful. It was obviously much colder and the humidity on your clothing dried off, sucking heat from you for a time. Uncle Jim was also something of a chrysanthemum addict and he raised some magnificent blooms, which lined the central path in pots from the top to the bottom of his garden. When the family went on holidays I was given the job of looking after these beauties and also the greenhouse. This was really my first experience of working in a greenhouse and I loved it. When Jean and I were first married back in 1963 we moved into a new house that had a generous sized garden. The house was located at the end of a cul-de-sac on one of the corners, so of course, the garden opened up radially.

I wanted a greenhouse, remembering Uncle Jim's and my Dad's down in Devon. When we visited my parents, after the usual greetings and hugs, I used to go straight through the house, into the garden and into the lovely atmosphere of his greenhouse.Talking to him about my proposed purchase he advised thinking hard about what I intended to use the greenhouse to grow, calculate what size that would necessitate and then double it. But it doesn't seem to matter what size you finally buy - it is never big enough.

I finally settled on 20' x 10' as I certainly had the room. The structure was of Redwood which has a similar reputation to Cedar for resistance to rot. When the boxes of goodies arrived I was so excited to get it built, but it took a little more than the weekend I had put aside for that purpose. I did add to the work during the week and finished the following weekend, but a short while later I was working ridiculous hours, 7am - 9pm seven days a week, week after week and I was unable to do anything with the greenhouse apart from planting tomatoes by moonlight. At the end of this year I was sent to Atlanta in Georgia with a load of my friends to finish off the work we had been doing on the Lockheed C5-A wing design. Our wives came with us and we had a wonderful time, traveling all over on weekends, managing to get badly sunburned sometimes in the process. Our work took us about six months and we then returned home to the UK where we found that our company had nothing to offer us - except a contract with Boeing on the 747 In Seattle.

This was a whole new area of the States and Jean and I thought about it for a very short time and signed up. I came over via Vancouver in August, Jean followed on the 20th of December, just in time to catch her breath before we hosted a large Christmas Dinner. I have never been allowed to forget this - understandably. We bought into the oldest house on Mercer Island - built in 1906, which we loved. Loads of garden where I kept bees and raised veggies and fruit Then came 1972 and Boeing famously lowered the boom. I was very lucky as I had quit some months before and was now working downtown with a firm of Architects and Engineers. During the five years here our daughter Heather put in an appearance and we had to return home again as we still had our original house and the mortgage interest rate had been rising over that five years. Partly to counter that rise we had been forced to rent out the house which we did with great reluctance, having seen the state that rented houses were left in after some renters left. Our renter was deliberately nasty - he was just a few sandwiches short of a picnic. He was interested in keeping birds apparently - which he accommodated in the greenhouse, which I had fitted with automatic vents. Of course, when the first warm and sunny day arrived, the vents opened and the birds flew south for the winter. Not to be beaten, this hobbyist fixed the automatic vents by nailing them shut. Although this didn't break the glass, the next warm day did. The vents strained to open against the nails and finally, not to be denied, they burst the vent frames apart, shattering the glass. Eventually, we decided to sell and return to Mercer Island, and I had to bring another greenhouse with us, but because it was going to have to travel I decided to opt for an extruded aluminium, powder-coated structure of the same 20' x 10' size which I had never been able to find time to use. It also was ordered with the same four automatic roof vents as the original,m but as it would be traveling via ship and truck, I decided that including the glass would be too risky.

The saga of it's long time in-crate and subsequent construction I have Nattered about before, so I won't repeat it. Now my greenhouse is doing well, apart from gradually being overshadowed by trees and bushes and I have some judicious pruning to undertake. Before I forget, there is a possibility that we might be holding our September plant sale at the BBG. There will not be accompanying education classes and it all depends on the Governor putting phases 3 & 4 into effect. Also, because it has been sprung at the last minute - sort of - I am sure that there are few who have much in the way of stock to bring to such a sale. Since NPA was considering their own sale around the same time at the same place, I checked with them and we will be able to use a stall at the combined event. As I said, this is dependent on the Gov. making the appropriate decisions, which of course are co-dependent on the infection rate going down. Quite honestly, I cannot imagine that happening following the closeness of all those demonstrators downtown, many, if not all of them shouting and yelling, expelling breath and CV19 if any were infected. Most wore no masks and I think that infection rates have to rise. They have already started to climb again in a couple of places and it seems inevitable to me. Sorry to be a Jonah but I am just running the idea and my thoughts up the flagpole, so that if I come to you a little later and ask if you have any decent plants that would reflect well on us at a sale you won't be able to say you didn't know. See how I am?

This is all a little different to the Natter I intended to send. The original one was 80% completed a couple of days ago when it suddenly disappeared. I have no idea what if any key I hit or what happened to it, but gone it was - and is, not to be found anywhere. I don't think that computers and I are sympatico somehow and I am sure everybody out there is saying how the heck can he keep losing stuff like this? But this time I was not dumping stuff deliberately to grab back my memory. Incidentally my recent appeal for anybody with Natters on hand that could let me have them has been magnificent. Janet sent me a stream from the whole of 2015, Horst has 90 of them saved and Jo & Tom delivered a flash drive to the house containing 126 Natters - count 'em - 0ne hundred and twenty-six., and Carin contributed a whole bunch too I think that they are safe, so thank you all so much. The grand total is now some 160 odd.

Your fearless and overjoyed leader,

Gordon

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beyondmisora-archive · 7 years

Note

Ahhh I read your Downpour series and it was the Lawlight fluff my heart needed, especially after reading several dark Lawlight fics. Tell me more about the Matsuda as Kira au! It's a concept I haven't encountered before. It could totally work, too, considering everyone underestimated him. I did in the warehouse scene. :o

I hope you know, you’ve unleashed a monster by opening this can of worms. I’m actually not done writing Downpour, since it’s pretty much all oneshots, I’ve just been jumping around. But! I’ll put more on Kira!Matsuda beneath the cut, since I do plan to focus more on that side of things soon.

So, Matusda never really goes after criminals for the likes of murder/theft/etc on the sole reason that they’re criminals. That’s not his MO as Kira. But he does go after corrupt CEOs and politicians internationally, especially if they’re drowning in allegations of assault and sexual harassment, sometimes he’ll go after celebrities that have horribly abused their power and status. The reason that they know he’s in Japan is because some criminals, all very minor, died suddenly of heart attacks, which was the same way the politicians and CEOs died. They were his test, he never thinks twice on it afterwards, they’re not his main concern.

Matsuda actually sort of finds ways to convince himself that this is for the best, but he doesn’t aspire to be God. He’s still pretty humble, he wants people to feel safe in a different sort of way. He’s not clearing the streets of bad role models and corruption because he sees the way it affects people. He sees the way the powerful hurt the weak. He sees how people, like Light Yagami, used to be bright hearted optimists and break down into something more cynical and depressed. He hates that. He thinks he can fix these things, can spare people, if he kills the people who take away hope, crush dreams, things will get better.

In fact, because those are the only criminals that die, the NPA doesn’t even think it can be part of the CEO killings. It doesn’t match the MO and, so, they dismiss it until L comes onto the scene and shares the information with them. It isn’t shared during the international broadcast because he does want some details to be a secret from the public.

Matsuda doesn’t do well with the pressure that comes with L’s broadcast, Synthetic Voices and Crushes sort of highlights his panic amidst Light’s gay thoughts, or being on the task force. He’s something of a nervous wreck, he attributes it to being so in awe of being near L. But he can continue on killing as long as he does because he knows all of their names and faces (sans L). There’s no direct threat against them though. No one is scared to be near Matsuda. Quite honestly, aside from Light and L, no one really believes it’s Matsuda. He’s too sweet, too kind, too dimwitted. Light feels terrible suspecting his closest friend because Matsuda is probably his best friend, even if he’s bound to deny it if asked. If not for L backing him with such certainty on the theory that Matsuda is Kira, Light wouldn’t have pursued it after the initial dismissal from the rest of the task force. Sure, he did some sketchy things, but it’s Matsuda, maybe it was just poor timing or something, Light’s fine with that being all. Matsuda is just different than most, so naive and full of hope. The idea that Matsuda could kill someone makes him feel sick. But Light has this little crush on his childhood hero from before they even meet and he wants L to be proud of him and proud of how he won’t back down because of the connection.

So, they work the case alone together. Light pulls longer hours than most of the task force, since L and Light need time alone to work as well as balancing time with everyone else. They play along, following the leads the other men bring to them. It’s boring, Light, who looks so shitty and sleep deprived is falling asleep on Matsuda’s shoulder. And I’m like, 90% sure I’m writing Matsuda with a crush on Light at this point, tbh. In private, Light and L try to find the best and least suspicious way to approach Matsuda as Kira. Light is really adamant about not doing anything too extreme and L can’t really make him see his way, so, it takes time to find a moral, ethical, safe way to contain him.

Matsuda has the names and faces of all the task force members, they have no use how he kills, they have no idea how far he’s willing to go. Well, they do actually to an extent. They know he takes big actions when cornered. Several members of the initial task force are dead because of him. And by the time L and Light are ready to apprehend Matsuda, they’re planning to work together from that point on/kinda dating. L really doesn’t want Light (nor Soichiro) dead, so, he’s willing to wait even if it means innocents are dying.

Honestly, the confrontation is still being worked out in my mind. But I think it’s something underhanded, more morally acceptable than the canon handling of suspects of course though. The task force (because at this point everyone sans Matsuda is in on it again) rents out a restaurant for the evening, L begs Light to emotionally manipulate Matsuda, just for a little bit. To ask him out on a date, pull him to this restaurant, to try to pull a verbal confession out of him. And if that fails, they do what they can to physically apprehend Matsuda.

Matsuda, does verbally confess because he trust Light. He likes Light. He could use some help bearing the burden of the Death Note. Buying Ryuk some apples. Light almost blows it like six times, it’s only because L is actively speaking in his ear, begging him not to fuck up, that he doesn’t flake out. Because he just feels awful for playing Matsuda.

#Light Yagami #Death Note #L Lawliet #touta matsuda #lawlight #Kira Matsuda #downpour #mine #Headcanon #aus #light answers

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lawlight-week · 7 years

Text

4 Times Light Tried to Set L Up on a Date

Title: 4 Times Light Tried to Set L Up on a Date Name of creator: @pashmina-dhaage Created for: @lovelierblank Prompt: “Some sort of non-Kira AU where L and Light are friends. Light tries to set L up on a date with a girl he knows but she doesn’t turn up, so the two of them basically end up on the date instead. This keeps happening for every date Light tries to set him up on” Characters: L, Light Yagami Rating, warnings and no. of words (for fics): None

He didn’t realize exactly when it happened, but one morning L Lawliet nodded at him in class and it dawned on Light that they were probably friends now.

It was probably the day Matsuda screwed up once again and L and Light looked at each other in exasperation. Or when they got into yet another argument in class about something or the other. Or maybe it was when the argument left them both smirking and feeling alive.

L Lawliet wasn’t an easy person to know. He had transferred a few months ago. Light remembered feeling vaguely sorry for him the first time he saw him. He looked like the perfect guy to bully; thin and wiry, bags under his eyes and a tendency to stare at people unblinkingly till they looked away, uncomfortable. Apparently the class bullies who cornered him in the playground had the same first impression. It didn’t take long for him to prove them wrong.

It was probably the tennis match. Yes, that’s when they had truly started to hang out with each other. Soon, Light discovered there were a lot of things that he had gotten wrong about L. He was stronger than he looked, smarter than he appeared and more sarcastic than people gave him credit for. Light hated his guts and yet, he couldn’t help but spend more time with him, even if it was spent arguing.

What infuriated him the most about L was how little he knew about him. He somehow managed to evade all questions about his personal life. All Light knew that L had no parents and lived with his guardian, and that he was filthy rich. L rarely showed interest in anything that happened in school, yet managed to tie with Light when results came out. His participation in conversations with other classmates was limited to a few sarcastic comments and condescending remarks. The only person he really interacted with was Light, and Light tried to not feel ‘special’ because of this. He was just another guy. Maybe smarter than most other people and surprisingly athletic when it came to sports but just another guy.

Maybe it was this curiosity that ultimately led to the beginning of their friendship.

A year later, and Light had made some progress with L. He had discovered a few more things about L: he was obsessed with desserts and was always craving strawberry shortcake. He lived in a huge mansion at the outskirts of the city with his guardian, Watari and his brother, Mello. He was half-British and had lived in England before coming to Japan. He hated wearing shoes, was weirdly flexible, and could get really cranky if things didn’t go his way.

It took a while for Light to admit that he was curious about L’s romantic life. It was pure curiosity of course, and hypothetical, and only because L was so weird as a person Light wondered how he’d behave on a date. While Light received a lot of unreciprocated attention from girls in his school, L rarely showed interest in anyone. Not to mention, his general demeanour was enough to keep any potential suitors away.

Which is why Light grabbed the first opportunity to come his way to investigate.

‘Light-kun, Mello wanted me to tell you that he expects you at our house at 5 to play Mario Kart with him’, L intoned during the school break.

Light frowned. ‘Oh, didn’t I tell you? I’m busy today.’

L looked up from his cake. ‘Are you?’

‘Yes, I thought I told you’, Light said. ‘I am going on a date with Misa today’, he added, smiling. ‘I thought I should give her a chance, since she is so persistent.’

L raised a brow. ‘Oh’, he stabbed his cake, ‘I didn’t know you…liked Misa.’

‘Yeah well, I like her enough to give her a chance and I guess she is…pretty, right?’

L shrugged. ‘She is very attractive, yeah.’ Light felt a pang of annoyance. Misa was okay.

‘So listen, Misa has a friend who is also very, um, pretty, and Misa suggested that we go on a double date’, Light said, rather hurriedly.

L blinked at him. ‘Double date? With who?’

Light rolled his eyes. ‘With you, L. Her friend and you, and Misa and I, together.’

L stared at him. Light stared back, expectantly.

‘Why is Light-kun setting me up on a date?’

Light swallowed. ‘Well it was Misa who suggested it-’

‘Misa Amane hates me.’

‘-and then I thought it was a good idea! I mean, what’s there to lose?’

L was still looking at him as though he was trying to piece things together.

‘Fine, okay, I will come. Tell me where and when.’

Light had gone on a few dates before, but he didn’t remember feeling half as much as he was feeling now. He felt nervous but eager, and it wasn’t because of Misa. Setting a date up with Misa had been easy. He knew she liked him, and he had agreed to go on a date with her if she brought a friend for L too. He was almost confident L would end up making a fool of himself on the date and it would make Light’s day if he was there to witness it.

Light’s doorbell rang at exactly five as he was buttoning up his shirt. He heard Sayu open it and a minute later, she called out for him. He hurried down the stairs and opened the door, expecting to see L slouching at the door, except that he wasn’t.

It was L but…Light had seen L outside school several times, but he had never seen him dressed like this. He was wearing a button-down shirt and slacks like him, except that the clothes fit him well, unlike his usual loose attire. His hair was properly brushed for once and styled neatly (Light suspected it was Mello’s work). And he was wearing shoes.

‘Something wrong, Light-kun?’ L asked innocently. Light realized he had been staring.

‘No. I-er, you look good, L. You actually put in effort for the date…’, Light said, rather lamely.

‘Of course, Light-kun. It’s our first’, L replied, eyes twinkling.

The walk to the cafe was short and Light was still reeling from the fact that L knew how to dress up for a date. Maybe he wasn’t so clueless about romance as Light initially had thought. He toyed with the idea of L actually being nice to someone other than Light for once and getting along with Misa’s friend. It was…disturbing.

‘They aren’t here yet’, Light observed as they entered the cafe and took a seat near the window. The cafe was fairly popular among couples and was buzzing with sounds of conversation and laughter. Light whipped out his phone to check the time. L went straight for the menu.

‘I think we should wait for the girls to come before ordering anything’, Light said distractedly.

‘Hmm, I suppose so’, L replied, still carefully going through the dessert portion. Light texted Misa to hurry up and put down his phone. He looked at L.

‘So’, he began, ‘what kind of girls do you like?’

L didn’t even look up. ‘Pretty. Intelligent. Someone who can keep up.’

Light raised his eyebrows. ‘Huh.’

‘So how was Light-kun’s day?’ L finally shut the menu and kept it aside.

‘The usual. You were with me the whole time, L’, Light rolled his eyes. He wondered if Misa’s friend was pretty and intelligent.

‘Not the entire time’, L shrugged. ‘So what did Light-kun think of the case we came across while hacking the NPA’s website from your father’s computer?’

‘Keep your voice down’, Light shushed L. L rolled his eyes. ‘I solved it, of course. I sent an anonymous tip to the NPA as well’, Light added, proud.

‘Ah, so did I. Let’s see if Light-kun came to the correct conclusion as well.’

‘Your conclusion isn’t necessarily the correct conclusion, L.’

‘I beg to differ.’

They spend the next twenty minutes arguing about the case, even though both of them had narrowed it down to the same suspect. Light almost forgot about the date.

‘Where are these two? Oh, Misa replied to the text’, Light frowned at the phone. ‘She says she got an urgent call from her agent and wouldn’t be able to come, and her friend is apparently busy with something too. This is ridiculous’, Light muttered. ‘I can’t believe Misa stood me up.’

L, to his credit, looked entirely unaffected. ‘Ah that’s sad, I dressed up for nothing’, he said dryly. ‘Well, might as well enjoy the food here, right?’

Light snapped his phone shut, feeling annoyed at Misa but also strangely relieved. ‘Right.’

Light was not one to give up so easily. He tried again.

‘So, this girl, Kyoko, she keeps coming to see our tennis matches’, he said lightly. ‘I think she likes you’, he said teasingly, watching L carefully from the corner of his eyes.

L looked thoughtful. ‘You think so?’

‘Yeah, and I mean, she is sort of, cute, I guess’, Light tried, ‘want me to ask her out for you?’

‘Well’, L mumbled, ‘I’m not averse to the idea, but…’

‘But what?’

‘I am not very good around girls. It was fine the last time we went out because Light-kun was with me, but alone, I am not very…friendly’, L said, eyes hidden. Was he embarrassed?

‘Oh that’s not a problem’, Light said breezily, ‘I could help you with that. I can come with you and hang around for some time to put you at ease and then you can take it from there.’

L looked up. ‘You’d do that? That’s very nice of you, Light-kun.’

Light smiled. ‘No problem. I’m sorry about the last time though, I didn’t think Misa would be so irresponsible.’

‘It’s okay’, L replied, ‘we managed to have a good time still, didn’t we?’

Kyoko didn’t turn up. Light and L waited outside the park for twenty minutes before deciding to screw it and go to the nearest McDonalds because they were starving. Kyoko apparently later texted L to tell him that something had come up and she couldn’t go out with him. To L’s credit, it didn’t look like he minded, at all. They spent the day walking around the park, arguing about L’s music tastes and why he disliked shoes.

Still, Light persisted. He managed to convince Yuri to give L a chance. But she cancelled at the last moment too; apparently she was part of the swimming team and due to last-minute rescheduling, her tryouts were conflicting with the date. L and Light ended up going to Spaceland anyway. He came back home exhausted but content and grinning ear-to-ear.

Next was Naomi, who was perhaps the only one L ever talked to in school, apart from Light. She looked surprised when Light asked her out for L, and then amused, which annoyed Light. She chose to introduce Light to her boyfriend, Raye, after they had already waited for half an hour inside the mall for the date. L merely shrugged and shook hands with Raye, looking unperturbed, and the only person who looked as confused as Light felt, was Raye himself.

Four times. Four times Light had tried to set up L on a date, and somehow he was stood up each time. It didn’t add up. He had no idea why anyone would try to sabotage L’s dates. A lot of people didn’t like him, but no one had a grudge against him.

Unless.

Well, there was only one way to find out. He picked up his phone. Kyoko first.

‘There is this place Sayu keeps talking about, apparently they make really good sushi. We should go there’, Light said as they walked back from school together.

L hummed. ‘Are you trying to set me up on a date again, Light-kun?’

Light chuckled. ‘Well, sort of. Speaking of which, isn’t it a weird coincidence that all the girls I set you up with ended up cancelling the dates? All of them?’ He said, glancing at L.

‘Yes, very unfortunate for me’, L agreed. He could tell by the look in L’s eyes that L knew where this was going. He persisted.

‘Weird that both the Astronomy Club that Kyoko is a part of and the Swimming team Yuri is a part of, would reschedule important events such that both of them are unable to come for the dates, isn’t it?’

L chewed on his lip. ‘Very weird, yes.’

‘I wonder why Naomi didn’t tell me about her boyfriend when I asked her out for you. We could have just stayed home and not wasted our time at the mall, right?’

The corners of L’s lips were tugging up in the smallest smile. Light felt his pulse quicken. ‘It was very inconsiderate of Naomi, yes.’

‘I don’t know how you managed to stop Misa from coming to the date, but, L’- Light stopped walking and turned to face him. ‘Why did you sabotage your own dates?’

L looked at him blankly. ‘Did I?’ he said in an infuriatingly calm voice, but his eyes were twinkling. ‘I thought we had a lot of fun on all our dates, Light-kun’.

Light wished he could stop the blood from rushing to his face.

‘Well’, he managed to say, ‘you could have just asked me out.’

L smirked, leaning towards Light to kiss him on the nose. ‘But where’s the fun in that?’

Which is how, Light discovered another thing about L. He could dress well when he wanted to, was surprisingly good at sabotaging his own dates, and had a crush on Light Yagami.

[A/N: L didn’t do anything to stop Misa from coming, but her not turning up for the date gave him the idea of sabotaging his own future dates so he could spend time with Light. Light and Mello play Mario Kart and Mello pretends to hate him but really he doesn’t. L knew about Naomi’s boyfriend already and Naomi knew about L’s crush on Light, which is why, she thought the whole thing was hilarious]

#lawlightweek2k17 #exchange #lovelierblank #pashmina-dhaage #fanfic #death note #lawlight #submission

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nitewrighter · 6 years

Text

Gency Week Prompt: “Dark”

Well this’ll probably get blown out of the water by Michael Chu, but in honor of Gency Week, have my take on their first meeting!!

Also, my apologies but I can’t put it under a cut because tumblr code is currently butchering text posts that have a “read more,” so anyone who doesn’t want scroll through a shit-ton of text, I recommend you hit “J.”

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Mercy felt queasy. Maybe it was the fact that the Blackwatch transport was smaller, more easily jostled than the Orca. Maybe it was the fact that she could feel this armor weighing down on her chest more heavily. She glanced down at her ‘adjusted’ uniform. The beret was red, not white, her hair tightly tied back and under it, and her nose, mouth and jawline were covered up by a gray and black mask that was somewhere between surgeon’s mask and pilot’s oxygen mask. Her valkyrie suit had been done up in Blackwatch’s black, red, and gray color scheme, more heavily armored. It didn’t feel right. The purpose of the valkyrie suit wasn’t just easy transport around the battlefield, it was supposed to be a symbol of hope, it was supposed to boost morale, and calm people down. Her face needed to be exposed---people had to know that it was a human looking after them, a doctor. That was the point. All this armor, all this secrecy, felt terribly grim to her. Her grip on her caduceus staff tightened and she pursed her lips, already feeling claustrophobic with the mask, but her unease only made worse by the jostling. She didn’t like this. She never got motion sick. Her body had all but been trained out of it with the Valkyrie suit.

“It’s tactical,” Reyes spoke from across the transport, as if sensing her discomfort. She brought her eyes up from her lap to him. “It’s not permanent,” Reyes went on, “Just for this mission. This was outlined in your contract when you signed on.”

“As were the non-disclosure agreements,” said Mercy, furrowing her brow slightly.

“That’s... kind of the definition of a Black operation, Doctor Ziegler,” said Reyes.

Mercy glanced from Reyes to McCree next to him, apparently half-napping with his hat brim pulled down, covering his eyes. Mercy craned her neck to look out the window of the transport. Hanamura glittered below, a city that had recovered more quickly than most after the crisis.

“Why were you so sure you would need a medic for this mission?” asked Mercy.

“We’re doing a pick-up,” said Reyes.

“So you’ve said,” said Mercy, “But Blackwatch has its own medics, doesn’t it?”

“We do, but... we figure since previous reports indicate there’s no way to tell how bad the damage might be to our pick-up, we’ve decided it’s wise to prepare for the worst,” he gestured at her, “By bringing in the best.”

“Your flattery is appreciated, Gabriel, but it’s a poor substitute for more details,” said Mercy, eyeing the three other blackwatch agents coming along as backup.

“This ain’t Overwatch, Doc,” McCree, apparently not as asleep as she had previously thought, lifted up the brim of his hat with his thumb as he leaned forward, “We run things a little differently here.” Reyes shot McCree a look and McCree cleared his throat and gestured at Reyes with his thumb. “He,” McCree said, correcting himself, “He runs things a little differently here.”

Mercy glanced back at Reyes and Reyes gave a reassuring nod. She rolled her grip on her staff and did her best to quiet the storm of Murphy’s Law thoughts that now clouded her mind.

The transport landed on the roof of an arcade and the team poured out and quickly descended a fire escape, with Mercy herself simply jumping off the roof and descending safely with the Valkyrie wings.

“Drone intel pans out,” said one Blackwatch agent, unfolding their tablet as they ran up a hill, “Most of the security is spread thin around the city. Some kind of manhunt, it looks like.”

The six of them came upon a massive wooden gate. Mercy paused, staring at the Emblem on the gate: two dragons, spiraling around each other. Her stomach dropped.

“Wait--” she started.

“Deadeye, take point,” said Reyes, “Remember--Non-lethal takedowns for any remaining hostiles.”

“Got it, boss,” said McCree running past the gate.

“Gryphon,” Reyes motioned to another Blackwatch agent, “Back him up.”

The agent, apparently codenamed ‘Gryphon,’ nodded and ran past Mercy after McCree.

“Reyes---” Mercy spoke through gritted teeth.

“We’re in the field. Codenames, Merce,” said Reyes.

Mercy rolled her eyes. “Prospero,” she said, her voice dripping with venomous disdain for the theatrical codename, “The NPA stated it wanted no interference from Overwatch in regards to Shimada Clan activities.”

“The NPA’s concern has been noted,” said Reyes.

“Courtyard secure,” McCree spoke over the comms, “One body, no other hostiles.”

“Understood. Advancing,” said Reyes, “On me, Mercy. Daleth, you’re with us.” he pointed at another blackwatch agent, “Nero, maintain the perimeter.”

“...noted and ignored,” muttered Mercy, following after Reyes as he and the Blackwatch agent moved through the courtyard. Mercy saw the body. It was far from the first body she had ever seen in her career as a combat medic, but somehow in the context of a Blackwatch mission, it felt... more wrong. They were in the den of one of the largest and most dangerous crime families in Japan, a part of her was mentally prepared for this at this point. His suit indicated him as one of the higher-ranked members of main branch security detail. Cause of death appeared to be a stab through the ribcage, followed through with a slash across the neck. The blood hadn’t even pooled around him, being instantly sucked up by the gravel of the karesansui beneath him, the weight of his body disrupting the ripples of the gravel. A sidearm lay uselessly by his side. Who brought a knife to a gunfight and won? she wondered.She shook her head then followed Reyes through the shadows of the wall surrounding the compound before they backed up against the wall of an interior gate that opened into a smaller garden filled with blooming cherry trees that looked silver in the moonlight. Reyes peered around the corner of the gate.

“Two hostiles,” McCree spoke over the comms, “Hold your position.”

Mercy, Reyes, and Daleth maintained their position for several seconds.

“Hostiles downed,” McCree said after a tense minute.

“Non-lethally?” said Reyes.

“One of ‘em, yeah. The other....didn’t really give us an option.”

Reyes sighed. “Gryphon, get the body back to the courtyard. Make it look like they were killed by the same person.”

A wave of nausea surged up from the back of Mercy’s throat. “Does Jack know about this?” she asked, her voice hushed.

“Would it make you feel any better if I said ‘Yes?’” returned Reyes.

Mercy fell quiet then.

“Deadeye,” Reyes brought a hand to his ear, “You almost at the target?”

“Almost there, Boss.” said McCree over the comms, “Inner garden is clear, moving to the interior of the main building.”

“Copy. Moving to the main doors,” said Reyes, as he, Mercy, and Daleth moved through the garden, past Gryphon carrying the body on their shoulders out to the courtyard.

“What happened here...?” murmured Mercy.

They walked toward a small garden pavilion just outside the main building’s front door and stopped short at the sight of three bodies, more Shimada family security guards. Mercy’s hand went up to go over her mouth in shock, but her fingers just ended up bumping dumbly against her mask. Bullet wounds, all of them, two in the head, one through the chest. The grass of the garden was muddy beneath them.

“A gunman?” said Mercy, examining the wounds, “Or---”

“Main building’s clear. One body--Oh shit--” McCree’s voice came over the comms, “Boss, I think we’re too late.”

“What?” said Mercy.

“Our esteemed Doctor will be the judge of that,” said Reyes. He looked at Mercy. “Get in there. Deadeye’s watching you from the upper balcony. I’ll watch your back at the door,” Reyes brought a hand to his ear, “Nero. Get the transport and wait for us at the north terrace off the main building.”

Mercy’s grip tightened on her staff as she peeked down the doorway and saw a large dimly lit chamber. A green and blue dragon circled each other on a tapestry. Then her eyes trailed down and her breath caught in her throat. There was a figure there, lying on his side on the floor, dressed in black and green. She pushed off the ground and shot forward on her valkyrie wings before reaching the side of a bloodied figure in the middle of the floor, her staff already activating its healing stream before she reached him.

An arm was gone. Both legs were gone. A large chunk had been taken out of his torso, and blood was staining the white tatami beneath him red. A bloody sword lay at his side and Mercy pushed it out of reach before getting to her knees next to him and getting to work. She acted quickly, stopping off the bleeding on his severed limbs with foam bandage-gel and trying to focus on the massive chunk taken out of his torso.“I need a hand over here!” she shouted, and Daleth ran up alongside her and took a medkit out of their pack and placed sensors on his torso, taking out their tablet to monitor his erratic heartbeat. A weak half-drowned sound escaped him and Mercy looked around, keeping the stream of biotics on him. There were no limbs or entrails scattered around him, and deep lacerations of varying width scored his torso and face. The most unusual lacerations on his face were along his jaw, what was left of it at least, with a clean triangular thumb-width chunk, bone included, simply gone.

“Gabriel--” Mercy started and then caught herself, “Prospero,” she corrected herself with Reyes’ codename, “No human should be alive with injuries like this.”

“That’s why we’re picking him up, Doctor Ziegler. He’s not like any human alive,” said Reyes.

“Even from here it looks like it’s gonna take a hell of a lot more than a biotic staff,” said McCree.

“Just get him stable enough to move onto a stretcher and get into the transport,” said Reyes.

“I don’t understand,” Mercy muttered, keeping the biotic stream on him, “These wounds aren’t consistent with... with anything, I mean there’s some blade lacerations but whatever’s taken his limbs---it’s literally taken them.”

“Vitals are crashing,” said Daleth.

“What? No!” said Mercy. She pulled her staff up and grabbed a scalpel from one of the pouches on her hip.

“Set down a biotic field,” she instructed Daleth, who complied and the three of them were in a small circle of yellow light as Mercy jammed the scalpel between two plates of her caduceus staff.

“Merce, what are you doing?” said McCree.

“I don’t have a defibrillator on hand, and I don’t know if his torso could handle a blow like that, I’ll need to use the next best thing,” she said, prying off a plate and revealing the two chords which controlled both the ‘Damage boost’ function of her staff and the biotic stream, with a capacitator dividing them. Mercy jimmied the scalpel under the capacitator and pulled it out of the staff.

“Please work,” she whispered as she gripped down on the staff’s trigger, “CLEAR!”

Daleth flinched back away from the bright braid of blue sparks and yellow light that shot forth from the end of the staff. The usual soft chime of biotics suddenly loudened to a shriek, and the crackle of the damage boost a sound like thunder that had struck too close, causing the staff itself to shake and glow blue and yellow with unbridled power as the man spasmed from the force of the beam. A roaring scream escaped the bloody man.

“Wh--How is he conscious!?” Mercy shouted over the crackling and singing of her own staff and the man’s screaming. Her eyes widened as suddenly a green light started issuing out of his body. “What...?” she said, her voice hushed by awe as the green light shaped itself into a dragon above him. Daleth scrambled back away from the dragon, but Mercy was fixed in place, unsure of what she was looking at.

“Holy shit,” Mercy could hear McCree’s voice in her earpiece comm.

“That.... That’s not possible...” she said, releasing the trigger on her staff and staring at the dragon. It opened its maw and roared at her, blowing loose strands of her hair back and blowing her beret off of her head.

The bloodied man’s eyes snapped open, glowing green, and suddenly his hand shot up and gripped her neck as the dragon spiraled around his arm, Mercy gripped his wrist.

“Shit--” McCree said again, “Boss, I have a shot---”

“Don’t shoot him!” Mercy blurted out, even with his hand squeezing her neck, he barely had the strength in his arm to grip it. The dragon had shrunk down to a brighter, more concentrated form, coiled around his arm, green light flushing off of it as if it were trying to lend the man his strength, and Mercy could feel it, his fingers closing on her throat.

She looked down at the man, into the his glowing green eyes, then glanced at the dragon glaring at her from around his arm, “You’re a part of him, aren’t you?” said Mercy to the dragon, her fingers gently moving under the man’s fingers on her neck, “If he dies, so do you.”

His eyes scanned her, squinting a little, unsure of what to make of her. Unthinkingly, she took her free hand, previously gripping her caduceus staff and undid the mask covering her nose and mouth. His eyes widened slightly at her face.

That’s why the valkyrie suit doesn’t cover my face, Reyes, thought Mercy, People need to know there’s a human in it.

“You have to trust me,” she said, “Please, let me help.”

His hand loosened from her neck, the dragon coiling around it disappeared like a neon green ink diluting in water. His arm dropped to his side and the green glow faded from his eyes, then his eyes rolled back in head and closed.

“...h-heartbeat stable,” said Daleth, looking at the tablet in their shaking hands, “For now.”

“Get him to the transport,” said Reyes, walking in and picking Mercy’s beret up off the floor, “Let’s get him back to Zurich.”

Reyes, McCree, Daleth and Mercy all eased the bloody mess of a man onto a Vishkar tech hard-light stretcher and brought him up a short set of stairs onto a large covered terrace, where Nero, Gryphon, and the Blackwatch transport waited. It took off into the night and Mercy watched out a window as glittering red lights pulled up outside the Shimada estate as they flew away. Mercy re-installed the capacitator in her staff and kept a steady stream of biotic energy on their pick-up. The transport was silent as they flew out and Hanamura shrank beneath them.

“So...” McCree said at last, “Helluva resumé you’re building, Doc.”

“What?” said Mercy, glancing up from the glow of biotics that she kept on the bloodied man.

“Angela Ziegler,” said McCree, with no small amount of gravitas, “Doctor. Surgeon. Biotic Technology Pioneer. Dragon Tamer.”

#gency #gencyweek

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germainetrittle86 · 4 years

Text

Of Buses, Pasalubongs, and Fiestas: My Laguna Years

So while I have been writing much about my childhood memories of Ilocos, a big portion of my youth I have been meaning to write about were my college years in UP Los Banos.

I was only 15 years old when I went to the “distant” campus of UP Los Banos in College, Laguna. When I applied for the UPCAT, we only put Los Banos as an alternative campus upon the advise of my older brother, Manong Snokum, himself a graduate of BS Architecture from UP Diliman. He said at least we had a good back-up plan should I not get accepted for my first choice of Diliman campus. In fact, it was only our eldest brother Manong Butch who was able to get in immediately because he was an NSDB (now NSTA) scholar in BS Mathematics. Manong Snokum had to transfer from UST on his second semester, while both Ate Marie and Ate Annette ended up trying out and qualifying for UP Baguio and UP Manila, respectively.

Like the rest of NCR students, majority of my batchmates in high school tried out for UP. But when the UPCAT results came out, only 12 of us qualified or were wait-listed. I remember my classmates saying, “May isang Leonin na nakapasa e…d lang namin sure which one”, referring to me and my cousin, Edlyn. Meanwhile, like the rest of them, I also covered my bases and applied for other universities and colleges. By that time, I had already passed the entrance tests for CEU, Miriam College, UST, Ateneo and was in the process of applying for St. Paul. But of course, UP IS UP, and I quickly jumped at the chance to go the State University be it in a “faraway” campus.

Fortunately, my Mom soon realized that a second cousin of hers was married to a UPLB professor and was living in Los Banos. She reconnected with Tita Cora Pe Benito and made arrangements for me to stay with them. Later would I find out that Tita Cora’s husband, Tito Ruben Villareal was actually the Dean of the College of Agriculture and was pretty well-known and respected in the UPLB community. My affiliation with them would eventually influence my future in UP Los Banos.

* * * *

Our first visit to Los Banos became one of many regular treks to Laguna. Once I began studying in UP Los Banos, this routine became a cherished day trip for my parents and younger siblings, and a sort of bonding activity too. They would drive me over for the next schooldays after I spent the weekend with them in Manila.

Back then, it would be an easy 2 hour drive from Quezon City, traversing EDSA and SLEX to Los Banos. Still not much heavy traffic after Magallanes through Taguig-Bicutan-Paranaque area. As you leave Alabang, the long stretch of SLEX would still be lined by rice fields, and after some time, Maria Makiling’s outline would already be visible. That Southern Tagalog mountain range really looked like a giantess lying in repose; from the soft curve of her breasts to her forehead sloping into her long hair. Mt. Makiling with her accompanying Mt. Banahaw and Cristobal was truly majestic.

As we turn into Calamba, the only other slightly “urbanized” area besides Los Banos, we pass by a few fast food restaurants before the hot spring resorts begin to sprout from all sides. Since Mt. Makiling is a dormant volcano, they say those hot springs served as useful vents to let her steam out. Without those hot springs, some scientists claim Makiling could just wake up and become an active volcano again.

Entering Pansol before Los Banos Bayan area, all you can see are hot and cold spring resorts, and that ubiquitous red-brown quarry at the distance. Through the years, I would observe that natural tower-like feature get eroded both by man and by nature’s forces. We pass Camp Eldridge and PCARRD, which now has that shortcut mountain pass into the UPLB campus, I wonder if this is the same shortcut used by incarcerated Los Banos townsfolk when they were evacuating in World War II and needed to cross over to the other side of Laguna de Bay.

Before long, you reach Brgy. Anos where most buko pie, fresh milk and other pasalubong outlets are, and then comes the famous “Crossing”, that landmark intersection which passes as UP Los Banos’ commercial area. Turning right at the corner Mercury Drug at Crossing, you enter into College and the gateway to UP Los Banos.

Unlike the wide, awe-inspiring University Avenue at Diliman, UPLB’s main gate is narrow and simple. The first thing you see upon entering is not the statue commonly known as the “UP Oblation”, but the carabao heads, the symbol of the UP College of Agriculture first established here prior to World War II. Oh, we do have our own Oblation, albeit much smaller in stature, and it’s located at the center of the campus, in front of our Humanities building. But like Diliman, it would please you to know that scattered around the UPLB campus are some artful sculptures too – like the Mariang Makiling which now stands at the bottom of the road going to Forestry, or the “flying” carabao at the Main Library, the Pinay lass with her banga at the Palma bridge pavilion, or the notorious “the Graduate” at the Social Garden (these last two having some weird tales surrounding them, but that’s another story.)

Tito Ruben and Tita Cora’s house was actually off-campus, in a subdivision near the International Rice Research Institute (IRR). Getting to their place, you can take either the long route via Ipil Drive and IRRI, or the steep hill at the back of the Animal Husbandry side which takes you directly to their village after coming downhill. Due to the distance, we had to coordinate rides to and from campus. But with two of my cousins still in high school and my other cousin busy with his fraternity activities, it was quite difficult scheduling rides, especially since I started having my own extra-curricular activities. A few times I had to get rides from friends – the very popular Luistro brothers, Kim and Gianni, of the UPLB soccer fame, or my sweet and very kind kabatch, Noel Cuyno ‘86.

There were days I caught the free shuttle to IRRI then took that wooden trolley contraption locals ride along the train tracks, and walked the rest of the way to Pleasantville. You go from the long line of trees along Ipil Drive to IRRI, then get a very good panoramic view of the experimental rice fields backdropped by the mountains of Mt. Makiling and Mt. Banahaw, and even Mt. Cristobal. The trolley ride was truly an experience – novel and innovative as it is, it was quite fun to have the wind in your hair. That is, until a train comes along and you all have to get off the tracks to let it pass since the train does have the right-of-way. The real challenge is managing not to get sucked in by the train rushing by. You have to cling to the tall grasses at the sides for dear life until then.

Either way, whether I take the Animal Science route or the long IRRI road, those walks usually treated me to the wonder of flying exotic birds, a rabbit crossing the road, or an occasional snake during rainy season. It was also there I learned to navigate by the weather…watching out for the dark clouds hovering above to decide which route I would be taking so I won’t be soaked by the sudden rain. Until now, I still watch out for cloudy days and time my trips accordingly because I hate getting caught in the rains.

Those days you could still hitch a ride from the vehicles going to and from IRRI, when we used hand-signals to indicate to jeepneys where we want to go, when UPLB was a close-knit community where most people are connected and know each other from somewhere, somehow. We were safe and secure, and the worst that could happen was getting recruited to become NPA rebels…that, or experiencing those notorious paranormal incidents UPLB is so famous for. Yes, those were the times when there wasn’t any Mayor Sanchez and his goons, or drug-related rape cases.

After my first year, deciding that I had adjusted well enough, I opted to move to an on-campus dormitory. I managed to get a slot at the foremost Co-Ed dorm, then-called “Men’s Dorm” because it used to be solely for male students. Of course, there were all-girls dorms on campus, like the neighboring Women’s Dorm and St. Therese dorm run by the local parish nuns. But I really wanted to experience the whole Hollywood teeny-bopper college campus life for real and luckily when a sorority sister graduated, I got her token space in the so-called Sigma Deltan room at Men’s.

When I was at my relatives, all I had to worry about was budgeting my weekly allowance and getting home after classes. But at the dorm, I had to budget my allowance for food, my transportation back to Manila, getting to my classes on time, and managing my extra-curricular hours responsibly. I was really on my own, and had to act like a mature adult. During the 1987 and 1989 coup d’etats, we got stranded in UPLB because Metro Manila was in chaos. We had to do our own laundry, scrounge enough extra cash to feed ourselves, and manage to home to Quezon City.

Prior to UP Los Banos, I didn’t know how to commute using public transport. Now, I had to learn to take the bus to and from Laguna. Back then, the premier busline was BLTB (Batangas, Laguna, Tayabas Buslines) of the Potenciano family. Eventually the company folded, and my alternatives were Kapalaran and Superlines plying the whole Laguna and Quezon route. While there were a few aircon buses, mostly it was ordinary, open-window commuters that you catch from Crossing. In summer, it was either you suffocate in the heat inside the bus or keep the windows open and let your face take all the G-Force of SLEX.

If not for the BLTB Pasay route, I sometimes had to take the Lawton trip and get off at the Metropolitan Theater in Manila for a Project 2-3 jeepney. Otherwise, I get off at Alabang for an EDSA bus transfer to Quezon City, usually a Monumento or Fairview-bound trip. Once in QC, I either get off in Cubao or at the corner of Kamias-EDSA. I had to learn these routes and transfers the hard way, because I made a few wrong rides too.

But I remember the Dairy Training and Research Institute (DTRI) milk I used to drink on those long bus trips. The shing-a-ling (local fried noodles) being peddled by vendors hopping on and off the buses, along with an assortment of commercial buko pies, espasol, banana or kamote fritters, etc. My sister, Giselle soon learned about kwek-kwek, those orange-covered eggs that you dip into vinegar, deep-friend day-old chicks, and pansit habhab at those bus terminals too.

Getting around the CALABARZON area with our friends, my sister, Giselle and I were soon introduced to the tradition of fiestas in these parts. Besides parish-led activities, most towns have other festivities that include feeding majority of visitors to their place. As s guest, you are invited to most homes even if they don’t know you and you are obliged to sample their dishes. One thing we noticed during these “culinary rounds” was that most houses served the classic pansit bihon, menudong Tagalog, and fruit salad.

These local delicacies and simple fare soon grew on me, and without the fast food cuisine we got so used to in the city, these were welcome changes. I learned to exchange my favorite Coca-cola for fresh milk, began to like buko pie and local breads from the bakery instead of burgers and pizza, and those long, necessary walks actually did wonders for my legs and gluteus maximus.

But the thing I really loved the most about my Laguna days, was the clean, fresh air, the amazing greenery surrounding you, a closeness to nature that I will always have an affinity for. Nowadays, I take the opportunity to drop by UP Diliman for a regular dose of nature. Sometimes, I get lucky enough to have the time to visit La Mesa Ecopark or the Parks and Wildlife Park of QC.

Every so often, I still trek to Los Banos to reconnect with my past, commune with nature, and to simply ground myself. For it was there I did a lot of growing up. It was there I found, and keep finding myself, when I feel lost and in need of some peace. Most of all, in that valley by Mt. Makiling, I keep finding focus and direction.

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yaziyorsonhavadis · 4 years

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Rana Kapoor: No Banker,

It was only a few days ago that Rana Kapoor, the 62-year-old co-founder of Yes Bank, had returned from his refuge in London with the hope that the Government would restructure the bank that he had founded in 2003. Kapoor called it “my baby”. He returned to India hoping he would get back his corner office which he had lost last year following the Reserve Bank of India’s (RBI) intervention. Instead, he was in the Enforcement Directorate’s (ED) and Central Bureau of Investigation’s (CBI) custody as the humongous load of its non-performing assets (NPAs) had exploded, triggering tectonic ripples across the market and the economy that were only amplified by the coronavirus shocks. The RBI restricted monthly withdrawals from the bank to Rs 50,000 per customer. Sheila Bhatia, a depositor in Noida, said, “I ran from pillar to post to withdraw a lakh of rupees for a wedding in our extended family.” Emergency patients requiring high-cost treatment needed special permission to withdraw more.

On March 9th, as markets opened following Kapoor’s arrest, Nifty Bank Index traded 3.98 per cent below March 6th and the 30-share Sensex plummeted 1,448 points. The coronavirus scare could be the overall reason for the bloodbath, but the fear about a debacle in the banking sector over the fate of Rana Kapoor had certainly given the market tragedy a gory subtext.

Kapoor is anything but a staid banker. He is another flamboyant Delhiite clad in bespoke suits and speaking with more authority than credibility. At a panel discussion on financial innovation in banking at the World Economic Forum’s India Summit 2014 in New Delhi, Kapoor, then CEO and MD of Yes Bank, sputtered clichés with supreme confidence. Such as innovation ought to be regulated, or it could result in a crisis situation, just like the economic meltdown of 2008. Ironically, Kapoor’s own activities then had cried for regulation. A series of loans issued by Yes Bank under his watch turned to NPAs as borrowers claimed inability to repay the money and Kapoor allegedly resorted to money laundering. In the process, he belied public trust by flouting norms and stuffing cash into his family businesses through a clutch of companies where his wife Bindu Kapoor, or his three daughters, Radha Kapoor Khanna, Rakhee Kapoor Tandon and Roshini Kapoor, were directors.

An affidavit filed in Delhi High Court by the Citizens’ Whistleblower Forum revealed that the fee income that Kapoor generated was actually targeted to his own group companies instead of the bank’s coffers. A close look at the relationship with Yes Bank and Indiabulls will make this clear. Between 2009 and 2010, despite their weak balance sheet, Yes Bank lent Rs 100 crore to 14 Indiabulls companies. None of these companies had any business operations and over time had accumulated huge losses. Again, in 2018-19, Yes Bank extended a loan of Rs 750 crore to Indiabulls group companies. In return, as many as seven companies directly or indirectly owned by Kapoor’s wife, Bindu Kapoor, received Rs 2,000 crore from Indiabulls. According to the affidavit, none of the seven companies reported to the Ministry of Corporate Affairs, as it is mandatory, about the loans taken; some of these companies did not even disclose these loans in their annual reports.

Now take the ongoing case concerning Dewan Housing Finance Corporation Limited (DHFL), under which the company is believed to have siphoned off Rs 13,000 crore through 79 shell companies. The DHFL promoters, Kapil Wadhavan and Dheeraj Wadhawan, allegedly bought properties from Iqbal Mirchi, henchman of fugitive underworld don Dawood Ibrahim, for which Yes Bank had extended huge loans to DHFL. It later turned bad. Though DHFL failed to pay back the loan to Yes Bank, it could still extend a corporate loan worth Rs 600 crore in 2018 to DoIt Urban Ventures, a company with 20 branches but hardly any employees. The company was controlled by Rana Kapoor’s family. At this time, Yes Bank’s debt exposure to DHFL stood at Rs 3,700 crore. Around the same time, Yes Bank had extended Rs 750 crore to RKW Developers, a DHFL group company directly connected to the underworld transactions.

Dawood Ibrahim and Iqbal Mirchi (second from right) in Sharjah, 1991

Another case that underlines the recklessness inherent in Kapoor’s operations is a corporate loan of Rs 600 crore extended to Avantha Group Chairman Gautam Thapar where Thapar pledged to Yes Bank his Lutyens’ Delhi 1.2-acre bungalow on 40, Amrita Shergill Marg. When he defaulted, Bindu Kapoor launched a shell company, Bliss Abode Pvt Ltd in March 2017. The bank followed due process and invited bids on the bungalow. Among others, Interglobe Aviation’s (Indigo) Rahul Bhatia got interested and bid for the bungalow. But Kapoor, as the auctioneer, scuttled the sale and grabbed it for his wife’s company for Rs 380 crore. Today, the property houses the corporate office of Bliss Abode Pvt Ltd.

For most of the 16 years that Rana Kapoor was at the helm of Yes Bank (2003-2019), he reportedly ruled with an iron fist and used it as his fiefdom, lending recklessly and, in large part, succeeding in cooking the books. The son of an Indian Airlines pilot and a Sri Ram College of Commerce alumnus, Kapoor landed at Rutgers University in the US for his MBA where he interned in the IT department of Citibank in New York. In 1980, he joined Bank of America and later led its wholesale business in Asia. While at the bank, along with five colleagues, he presented to the American Insurance Group a business plan for a non-banking finance company (NBFC) but that did not stick. After a stint at ANZ Grindlays’ investment bank, in 1998, Kapoor helped develop the India market for the Netherlands-based Rabobank India. That’s when his entrepreneurial journey took off as, along with two former colleagues, Ashok Kapur, also his brother-in-law, and Harkirat Singh, Rabo India Finance, an NBFC, came into being with 25 per cent of their equity, the other 75 per cent being held by Rabobank. In 2003, all three sold their stake with the intention of setting up a bank for which they got a banking licence that very year. Eventually, Singh was sidelined as Kapoor and Kapur got Yes Bank off the ground the next year.

DHFL allegedly bought properties from Iqbal Mirchi, henchman of Dawood Ibrahim, for which Yes Bank had extended huge loans to DHFL

Kapoor and Kapur were a study in contrast; while the former was brazen, Kapur’s moderate old-world charm helped even convince the RBI to grant them the licence. As Ashok Kapur donned the hat of chairman, Rana Kapoor became the face of the bank as its MD and CEO and remained so until irregularities surfaced and the RBI forced him out on January 31st, 2019. In 2005, the bank got listed and posted a profit of Rs 55.3 crore. This was also a phase of brand-building where Kapoor made it a point to be visible across the board. So he started winning a clutch of awards, like Ernst & Young’s ‘Start-up Entrepreneur of the Year ’ in 2005 or the PHD Chamber’s ‘Distinguished Entrepreneur of the Year’ in 2007, soaking in the limelight all the while. In 2008, Kapur died in the Mumbai terror attacks and in the subsequent year, the board of Yes Bank, led by Rana Kapoor, declined to appoint Kapur’s daughter Shagun Kapur Gogia as director, citing inexperience. A court case dragged on until Gogia gained entry to the board as a representative director last year. Nandan Sen, a retired MNC banker familiar with Yes Bank’s inside story, says that the death of Ashok Kapur “deprived the bank of its moral compass”.

FROM KAPUR’S DEATH until last year, Rana Kapoor made a mark as an unconventional banker lending at breakneck speed and earning the epithet ‘lender of the last resort’ among rivals. When the owner of an infrastructure company wanted to raise money for a new project, he approached Kapoor, and was surprised with the offer of a Rs 400-crore loan. On the side, though, Kapoor made him pay a 6 per cent processing fee, which was never the norm, and this helped dress up the bank’s books. It is the fee income that buoyed up the profit and loss account of Yes Bank. But it was Band-Aid that hid the persistent income haemorrhage.

Kapoor’s obsession with fee income was such that, in 2011, Yes Bank was prominent among the banks penalised by the RBI for violating currency derivative norms. The ruling came as a blow to banks as small and medium enterprises claimed that banks were forcing on them meaningless contracts to earn fees that boosted earnings. Over-the-counter derivatives help companies hedge against fluctuations in interest and foreign exchange rates. Banks sold currency derivatives to enable companies to buy cover from currency fluctuations. The devil is in the fine print. In 2007, when the euro, Swiss franc and yen surged, the borrowers were told to pay up after the markets moved against them. The contracts were too confusing and left little headroom for delaying settlement, which is the normal practice in derivative markets. That’s when the banks, including Yes Bank, got sued by the companies. Most cases, however, were settled out of court.

Kapoor’s modus operandi was a far cry from the studied prudence of Mumbai’s banking fraternity. In many ways, it offers a peep into the Delhi trader’s get-rich-quick-at-any-cost mindset. Kapoor, scion of a family of Delhi jewellers, was an oddball in Mumbai’s conservative and demure banking world of stone mansions in the Fort area. Micromanaging every aspect of the business, Kapoor delivered impressive numbers as the industry grappled with NPAs triggered by over-leveraging, downturn and doubtful promoter integrity. But Yes Bank continued to be on a roll and said it had less than 1 per cent of bad loans with a corporate exposure as high as 65 per cent. In an interview to CNBC-TV18 in 2016, Kapoor was asked how he managed to keep it that way when the competition was bleeding. He pointed at a three-way relationship between relationship managers, product managers and risk managers. “That makes sure that when you have a problem, the red flag surfaces early enough,” he said. But the trouble was that at Yes Bank, Rana Kapoor was all three rolled into one.

Depositors outside a Yes Bank branch in Ahmedabad, March 6 (Photo: AP)

A hands-on banker, Kapoor spent time with the borrower, however small. It was also normal for Kapoor to fire his relationship managers over a text message. Thrashing out deals with promoters directly gave him a high. This attitude was at odds with the bank’s scale which obliges that the lender should take a backseat while the managers take over. But Kapoor was apparently a control freak. To stay in the arc light, he sponsored a slew of corporate and media events, making it a point that he and his family members should be seated in the front row next to the invited VIP. “It’s my show or no-show,” was his favourite pronouncement on such occasions. At public dinners, he would always be at the head of the table. He hosted lavish parties at his Samudra Mahal sea-facing apartment in Worli, Mumbai, where he was a tenant of politician Jyotiraditya Scindia. While searching it, the ED found a Rs 2 crore portrait of Rajiv Gandhi sketched by MF Husain during a raid on March 6th. He is learnt to have bought it from Priyanka Gandhi.

Kapoor was an oddball in Mumbai’s conservative and demure banking world of stone mansions in the Fort area

His neighbours included fugitive diamantaire Nirav Modi as well as leaders of the IT industry like Nandan Nilekani and NR Narayana Murthy. His other properties include a plot in the vicinity of Mukesh Ambani’s Antilia, around nine flats in an Indiabulls-promoted apartment complex in Mumbai and properties in the US, UK and France. Proximity to the rich and the powerful gave Kapoor an aura hard to disregard.

Sen maintains that he considered his bank next to none and was willing to do just about anything to make the numbers talk. But not everything was right with the bank. According to a report by Jefferies on stress exposure across major accounts, Yes Bank was second only to the State Bank of India with an exposure of over Rs 10,260 crore, of which Anil Ambani’s finance businesses alone accounted for Rs 2,850 crore. And the total exposure of Yes Bank to Anil Dhirubhai Ambani Group (ADAG) alone stood at Rs 13,000 crore. Similarly, the lender had exposure to Cox & Kings, IL&FS, DHFL, CG Power and a clutch of companies that defaulted on payment. At the same time, in 2016, the RBI was tightening the leash on indiscriminate lending by storing details in its central database, the Central Repository of Information on Large Credits (CRILC). Lenders now had to submit quarterly reports on all borrowers with exposure above Rs 5 crore. Sen said Yes Bank’s modus operandi could work in the past “but, as reporting norms became stricter over time, the management could not hide its books from scrutiny any more”.

Rana Kapoor with his wife Bindu and daughter Roshini (centre)

Stricter assessment norms by the central banker got Kapoor’s goat and in fiscal 2016-17, Yes Bank reported a divergence in gross bad loans of Rs 6,355 crore. So while NPAs of Rs 2,018 crore was reported by the bank, the RBI pegged that to be much higher, at Rs 8,373 crore. In every fiscal thereafter, the bank’s share of bad loans was higher than most of its peers. But the bank kept growing. Between March 2008 and August 2018, its share price skyrocketed from Rs 9 to Rs 404. However, the more circumspect of traders chose caution. Kuldip Singh, a mutual fund trader in Delhi, says “most banking funds started offloading Yes Bank from their portfolio in late-2018”.

The bank’s loan book also swelled to make it the country’s fourth-largest private sector lender. Rana Kapoor would lend to practically anybody and everybody, and between financial years 2014 and 2019, the bank’s loan book grew from Rs 55,000 crore to Rs 2.5 lakh crore. Of this, from financial years 2017 to 2019, the loan book doubled—at a CAGR of 38 per cent, unconventional for the industry wherein banks have not grown beyond 25 per cent.

Rana Kapoor would lend to everybody, and between 2014 and 2019, the bank’s loan book grew from Rs 55,000 crore to Rs 2.5 lakh crore

Questions were being asked on how Yes Bank managed to keep a lid on mounting NPAs while others were in the red and Kapoor warded them off by claiming that it was the small size of the bank that made it manage the loans better. Kapoor is said to have even cited the example of the Vijay Mallya-run Kingfisher Airlines where Yes Bank had significant exposure but was among the few lenders to have recovered all loans before the airline went bust. This, Kapoor claimed, was due to the bank’s watertight structures. For Kapoor, the Kingfisher Airlines experience long remained a bragging point.

But the central bank was simply not impressed. As it became clear the bank’s doubtful assets were piling and that Kapoor would not budge from his position, the regulator was forced to step in and issue a letter in September 2018 that Kapoor had only three months at the helm. It is around then that he tweeted comparing his 10.66 per cent shares he held at that juncture to diamonds and said that he would never sell them but pass them on to his progeny. When Kapoor was making the statement, Yes Bank shares were trading at Rs 183, already a huge discount to the previous months. A year later, as the share price further tumbled, Kapoor had to eat his words and, finally, had sold all his shares by January this year. Meanwhile, Yes Bank under Kapoor’s successor Ravneet Singh Gill failed to turn around. On March 5th, the RBI effectively took control of the bank and appointed an administrator from the SBI to overlook operations. It also placed the bank under a 30-day moratorium.

With Kapoor in custody for alleged offences on a number of charges, including under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, his dream of riding to the peak of the banking industry remains buried under a gigantic avalanche. At the time of going to press, Kapoor is being grilled by the ED and the CBI. Will more skeletons tumble out of the closet?

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Moinak Mitra

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Dawood Ibrahim and Iqbal Mirchi (second from right) in Sharjah, 1991

DHFL allegedly bought properties from Iqbal Mirchi, henchman of Dawood Ibrahim, for which Yes Bank had extended huge loans to DHFL

Depositors outside a Yes Bank branch in Ahmedabad, March 6 (Photo: AP)

Kapoor was an oddball in Mumbai’s conservative and demure banking world of stone mansions in the Fort area

Rana Kapoor with his wife Bindu and daughter Roshini (centre)

Rana Kapoor would lend to everybody, and between 2014 and 2019, the bank’s loan book grew from Rs 55,000 crore to Rs 2.5 lakh crore

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Moinak Mitra

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Rana Kapoor: No Banker Rana Kapoor: No Banker, It was only a few days ago that Rana Kapoor, the 62-year-old co-founder of Yes Bank, had returned from his refuge in London with the hope that the Government would restructure the bank that he had founded in 2003.

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