Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Morioh was quiet. Morioh was calm. Morioh was the hometown of brutal serial killer Yoshikage Kira.

Of course, most townspeople didn’t know that. They watched rising murder metrics and gave a shrug, went on with their domestic shrub-clipping and dog-walking, ignoring the rising threat. But the Stand-users, high school students and mangakas and biologists, knew. They photographed businessmen at train stations, they infiltrated his home, the shuffled through his things, they communed with his first victim.

But they didn’t know him now.

“I’m home,” he called, removing his cheap-looking loafers carefully, walking into the kitchen and watching the display. Shinobu, his “wife”, sitting languidly on the couch, filing her nails with no apparent interest. “Where’s dinner?” he asked, watching her head slowly rise from its comfortable position.

“Oh, I didn’t notice you were home,” she commented, remaining firmly planted in her seat, annoyance dripping from her voice like venom. “I left out some ramen, you can have that if you’re hungry.” she called, her attention back to her nails.

Kira knew what she was doing, of course. She was the resentful wife of the lazy Kosaku, the man he’d taken the place of. He knew their basic history, from lookling through the man’s personal affairs. Gotten together in high school, married after an unexpected pregnancy, staying together for their young son more than for love of each other. And while it wasn’t really his business, he had now taken over as the man of the house. It was a responsibility of his, now, to care for this family, whether he wanted to or not, to keep up appearances.

So Yoshikage Kira rolled up his sleeves and got to work.

Something simple, to put up the effect of someone who had learned a meal quickly. But his hands moved quickly, effectively, and he silently cursed himself for his efficiency. Out of the corner of his eye, he watched Shinobu perk her head up at the sound of chopping vegetables, and smirked silently to himself. Maybe this wouldn’t be so bad.

“Kosaku, what are you doing?” she asked, standing from her seat and moving next to him.

“I thought I’d prepare you something,” he responded, keeping his voice low and kind. “You seem so tired recently,” he commented, taking her plate and setting it gently on the dining table, then moving his and his “son’s” plate. She sat tentatively, stabbing the food gently with a fork and bringing it to her lips, staring at her husband and waiting for some kind of reaction. He only smiled at her, walking upstairs to remind Hayato of dinner-time. After he left, she let her face relax, smiling at the flavors.

‘Strange,’ she thought. “How did he know this is my favorite food?” she asked aloud. Unbeknownst to her, Kira listened in, taking a quick mental note and stalking down the hallway. He knocked, once, twice, and Hayato slowly opened the door.

“Dinner is ready,” he announced, giving him the same charismatic smile, trying to project the airs of a loving father. Hayato was unamused. He walked down the hallway, not bothering for a thank you. Kira raised an eyebrow. Perhaps this Kosaku was more absent than he thought.

Dinner was quiet, awkward. The kind you’d expect for a first meeting, which, Kira supposed, it was. He cleaned dishes, accidentally setting the water too hot and grimacing in pain. Shinobu glanced over in worry at his distress, quickly busying herself when Kira noticed her.

‘It was probably a good thing the woman at least slightly cares for this man,’ he thought. ‘But I’ve got my work cut out for me,’ he sighed, adjusting the water's temperature and humming as he set the plates aside to dry. They moved and he glanced, watching in confusion as his “wife” dried them with a towel, taking her place silently, their shoulders almost touching. They worked in silence, washing and drying, until the sink was clear.

“Thank you, dear,” he murmured, turning off the water and drying his hands.

“It’s nothing,” she responded, harrumphing in melodramatic annoyance. He brushed past her, barely registering his hand lingering on her shoulder, and made towards the stairs. He opened Hayato’s door soundlessly, making sure he was asleep for a moment before closing it again. He walked silently towards his room, preparing to shower in the attached bathroom, as Shinobu entered. She kept her eyes averted, silently laying down to sleep.

Chapter Text

“You owe me, lady. I need that money now, or you’re out.”

The weekend had started quietly, but eventually the proprietor came knocking, antagonizing the woman of the house until near tears.

“Excuse me,” Kira interjected, placing a hand around his “wife’s” shoulders. “I’d prefer if you spoke to me about these matters.”

“Of course,” he began. “But your family is two months late on rent, 260,000 yen! I need it today,” he enunciated, pointing to his outstretched palm.

“Please, give us a moment,” he replied, taking Shinobu upstairs quickly. “How much do we have in the safe?”

“Barely 100,000,” she whispered, rubbing her eyes. “What will we do?”

“I’ll handle it,” he whispered back, newly determined. He walked down the stairs, Shinobu hanging back apprehensively.

“Well?” the landlord barked, tapping his foot impatiently.

“We don’t have the money right now,” Kira began.

“Are you serious?” he shouted. “I’ve been far too lenient with you, Kawajiri. Take your crap and get out!” he yelled, throwing a bright orange eviction notice on the floor. Kira stooped to pick it up, examining the document’s contents, before summoning his Stand.

Killer Queen silently detonated a bomb, unlocking the briefcase and taking out almost 500,000 yen from the shouting man.

“Fine,” he sighed, handing over the stolen cash. “For the last two, and the next two. I expect you’ll take this back?” he asked, handing back the paper. The landlord’s jaw dropped, stumbling over his words before mumbling a quick apology and leaving. Kira turned quickly, breezing past Shinobu, not before noticing her shocked expression. He expected her to blow up at him, to get angry, instead when he glanced at her, she looked away quickly, trying to cover her blushed face.

Yoshikage Kira needed to kill.

He felt it scratch at his instincts, a primal hunger festering in the pit on his stomach. He watched the sidewalk from his bedroom window and wished for nothing more than to strangle a schoolgirl to death, the same way he had kept his instincts at bay for years. He wondered how he’d even stayed sane. What if he never had given in, all those years ago…

“Kosaku,” he heard someone call, quickly seating himself at the maple-wood desk and hiding the papers he was carefully tracing under a stack of folders. The door opened, and Shinobu walked in, carrying a tray stacked with delicate teacups and a large, steaming teapot. She wobbled uncertainly under the weight, and Kira had barely enough time to wonder how she had made it up the stairs in such a state before he had rushed to her side, lifting the weight of the porcelain from her delicate fingers. Their hands brushed, and the murderer felt a strange chill rush down his spine.

“Oh, thank you,” she gasped, trying to ignore the obvious bright redness of her ears and cheeks.

“No, thank you, dear,” he murmured, lifting the tray quickly to the desk, trying to avoid her sharp gaze. She stood there for a moment, beefore snapping from her strange trance and readying herself for bed. Kira felt his need flare up again, wishing desperately to restrain himself. But as she undressed slowly, his frantic mind, momentarily, believed the invitation was one of death. He stalked behind her, raising his hands slowly.

‘Just a minute, then it’ll be over,’ he thought. But his finger brushed her neck and she screamed, jumping forwards.

“God, Kosaku, you scared me!” she sighed, watching him in anger for the fright.

“I’m sorry,” he began, stepping forward. “I didn’t mean to scare you,”

“I-” she cut herself off, turning away quickly. “Next time, don’t be so quiet,” she muttered under her breath. He sighed in relief, quietly, so she wouldn’t notice, and began to prepare himself for bed.

Chapter Text

“Kosaku!” Shinobu shouted, barreling down the hallway towards the bathroom, clearly angry. She burst open the door, revealing Kira in the shower, thankfully steamed enough for indecency to be less of a problem.

“Yes, dear?” he asked, washing off the stubborn soap from his hair.

“You closed the window, and the cat was out in the rain!” she complained, holding the sopping animal in her arms protectively. It locked eyes with Kira and hissed, jumping from Shinobu’s arms and running down the hall. “What the-?”

“I’m sorry. It won’t happen again, dear.” he promised, shutting off the water and stepping out, watching carefully as her eyes moved up, down, and away.

“Thank you,” she paused. “Dear,” she walked quickly away, shutting their bedroom door. He closed the bathroom door slowly, staring his own face down in the mirror as he tried desperately to repress the pink.

“You don’t care for this woman,” he repeated. “You don’t care, she is a means to an end.” but somehow, it wasn’t very convincing.

“Kosaku!” She shouted, running into the kitchen and jumping into Kira’s arms. He stood for a moment as her arms wrapped around his shoulders, shuddering as she cried. Panic overtook him for just a moment, before he breathed deeply and stood his ground.

“What’s wrong?”

“T-there’s a cat in the basement, a british shorthair, you know how I love cats. And I tried to pet it, but it didn’t like me at all, then I-” she sniffled. “I tried to get it to leave, but it jumped onto the ceiling and it had this terrible hole in its neck!” she sobbed, trying to bury her face into his shoulder. “I’m so scared,” she confessed, looking back at him.

“I’ll handle it, Shinobu,” he assured her, leading her gently to her armchair. “You calm down, alright?” she nodded, her eyes still teary, as Kira set off to the basement. The stairs were well-worn, creaking with every step. ‘If the cat is still alive,’ he thought, ‘it has plenty of time to hide.’ He opened the door slowly, summoning Killer Queen as a precaution. The basement was silent and still, but a tuft of fur peeked out from underneath a stray tarp. He removed it, unsurprised to find the new corpse.

“Oh my God,” Shinobu whispered, walking up next to him to hold his arm worriedly. Kira jumped at the sudden contact, suddenly on guard. Killer Queen reared on the woman, but instead of attacking in his fright, simply watched her concernedly. “I- I killed it,” she blubbered, crying into his side. Kira stiffened, patting her awkwardly.

“You did nothing wrong,” he assured her. “It fell on some glass and it lodged in its body. You didn’t kill it,” he murmured softly, trying to comfort his distressed “wife”. She looked up at him, her soft brown eyes scanning his face for any sign of lying.

“Are you sure?” she asked quietly.

“Of course, dear. Go on back upstairs, I’ll take care of it,” he reassured her, and with some worry, Shinobu pried herself away from her husband and carefully walked upstairs.

“What to do,” he murmured to himself, pacing. While the image of her still lingered in his mind, he batted it away, trying to focus on where to bury the body. The garden was the most promising, with soft ground and decomposers everywhere. He nodded to himself assuredly. The garden would be a perfect spot.

The next morning was strange. Kira had replaced the first pair of shoes with ones fitting his size, telling his “wife” when she questioned it that he wanted a change. That simple victory already put him in a good mood, but a shriek from outside drew his attention from his breakfast. He ran outside to the backyard, watching in horror as the cat’s burial place now had sprouted some kind of sentient plant, one that was attacking Shinobu with some kind of ability.

“Honey, I think the poor cat’s soul is haunting me,” she cried, bracing herself against the house. “Can you move the body somewhere else, please?” she asked. He walked to her side, helping her sit against the pain in her foot.

“What happened? He asked, checking her body for signs of damage. The cat moved again, releasing some kind of invisible attack. It hit Shinobu, knocking her unconsious. Kira moved faster than he realized, scooping the woman into his arms and staring angrily at the cat, ready to detonate at any moment. An idea struck him, and he thre a golf ball at it, simultaneously as Kilelr Queen deflected the “air bombs”. The cat meowled playfully, distracted.

“Thank god,” he sighed, moving Shinobu quickly to the couch, calling into work to request the day off. Now, there was a decision to make. To keep the cat around or kill it?

“What to do with you,” he mused, striding towards the cat. It purred as he approached, apparently forgetting all its past aggression. He reached a hand out for it to smell. It hissed, trying to bite or send out another bubble.

“I suppose you don’t enjoy the company of Shinobu,” he muttered, tapping it quickly and walking away, shutting the outside door before detonating the cat.