Take Responsibility.

[kingmakereffect]

And once the allotted time for investigating comes to a close, those elevator doors slide open at the end of the first-floor corridor, offering another of those fast, smooth rides down to that black void of a courtroom Twelve out of the original twenty-seven are dead; there are four less of you present for this trial than there were last week. That's incredibly obvious as soon as the doors slide open and the podium circle comes into view where it's encircling that dark pit in the center of the room; Norman, the King, Tarrlok, and Lynne have joined the deceased, photographs in greyscale watching the proceedings from their podiums draped in black. Of course and as always, the Kingmaker is watching too; he waits until everyone is settled at their podiums to begin speaking, though it's still impossible to tell exactly where his voice is coming from. "Assured and Perceiving have been taken from you. You guys are really getting excited, aren't you? Two people dead in one night... Whether the guilty party succeeds or not, though, is up to the rest of you." Fifteen Survivors remain. However many will be down by the end of the day is up to you.

Comments

[penduli]

[ ... ]

Do you kill criminals too, Misa?

[happysweets]

I do. It's justice.

The very first innocent people I killed were Tarrlok and Lynne. But Misa-Misa has had blood on her hands for a long, long time.

[notjustawriter]

Justice.

What you do isn't justice. This is insanity.

[captainobnoxious]

It's a kind of justice.

[Sigrun's willing to stick up for that, anyway. Or at least explain it.]

I've even told her so. It's justice if you're in the right, it's murder if you're in the wrong. Criminals are in the wrong, so someone like Kira would be in the right. I'd guess.

[penduli]

Exactly. There's hundreds of murders every day—it's called war, and as long as you're fighting for something the majority of the population believes in, it's not considered murder. It's doing the right thing.

[happysweets]

It's cutting the losses! Changing the world! Since Kira started doing what he does best, the crime rate's dropped tremendously! It's amazing!

[isafraid]

It's insane! No one person should ever have that much power over the lives of other people!

[penduli]

I'm sure it has. Anyone'd be terrified to commit a crime in a world where they'd drop dead if they do.

[ ... ... ... ]

That applies here too, Misa. You committed a crime, and you have to take responsibility. I... can't say I didn't consider it either, [ he's grimacing with this, if he could change everything that happened that day he would— ] but you're the one who went through with it.

[ ...one more thing: ] At least you'll get to see your boyfriend again, after your execution. That's more than any of us can say right now.

[garudynamic]

But one person, or two, whatever, can't decide someone's fate like that... it's wrong.

[penduli]

World leaders do it every day, Yosuke. We do it every time there's a trial. Judges do it too, for better or for worse.

[ Not even getting into the BS that probably happens in HLC either. ]

[notjustawriter]

Declaring yourself god ain't justice.

[ratingspoint]

...Thank you for not killing the criminal you knew of.

[And that's...awkward, and it's stilted, but it still needs to be said. And yes, that's a terrible goddamn thing to say because Tarrlok and Lynne are fucking dead as a result, but he really can't say he cares.]

[cherryblooded]

[He's not going to say anything, but... He really needs to give Mettaton a hug later.]

[happysweets]

So you knew I knew, then?

I wanted to. I wanted to so badly. But I knew he might have told people that we were fighting, so, I decided against it.

[ratingspoint]

He didn't tell me that it was you; just that someone knew and hated him for it.

But it would have been too predictable. I get it. And if you'd won, he would have died with the rest of us.

[...]

You did a good job, though. It was a good try, anyway. And I can appreciate the performance, at least, and everything you put into it.

[Again, it's a terrible goddamn thing to say, but it's like he's been saying from the start - he's never been here for tact and feelings and deep thoughts.]

[happysweets]

Misa-Misa wasn't expecting you to figure out the bleach thing so quickly. ...You guys solved it a lot faster than I thought you would in general, actually.

The police force in Japan could have used all you guys. Maybe then they would have figured out it was Light and I the whole time. ...Probably not, but, maybe.

[ratingspoint]

Sweetheart, even if you hadn't been wearing black, you don't bleach tulle.

[...Look, if he thinks about this too long it's going to get upsetting and he can't have that.

Dammit, Misa, why did this have to be you.]

[cherryblooded]

...I thought you might say something like that.

After all, everyone's definition of what crimes are the worst is different. For some, killing another criminal isn't even on the register.

[happysweets]

It isn't in the slightest. We were going to change the world one day.

[cherryblooded]

Can you really cure murder through murder, I wonder?

...Well, it doesn't matter now, I suppose. You did it primarily for love, and I can't fault that part of it.

[happysweets]

It doesn't matter anymore. If those memories are really true, as of this execution of mine, both Kiras are dead.

And we're both going to the same place.

[pokexplorer]

[Colress is the last person to get into a discussion about morals, so he's not going to speak on the matter.

He will look rather disappointed though. So that was it, then.]

Do you think the Kingmaker will hold up his claim, then? Now that you have lost here.

[If the whole dream discussion was truly part of this plan, at least.]

[happysweets]

Nope. It was my last chance, and I failed. I don't know if I can look him in the face when I see him in nothingness, but, at least I died knowing I tried.

[pokexplorer]

[Colress doesn't know what to make of any of this. He sighs heavily.]

I'm afraid I don't know what to tell you, Miss Misa. But...if he loves you as much as you seem to love him, then perhaps it won't matter.

[Bonds, huh...

But ugh, this is going to sit wrong with him for quite a while though. Would Tarrlok react this way too...?]

[happysweets]

Right now, Misa-Misa is just tired. ...She just wants to see him again. Even if he hates me for not being there to do anything for him, I just want to see the face of the man I love. That's all.

So hit the button and let me see him.