Seeking Justice in a Notebook [Dexter, Gen, PG]

[chibifukurou]

I totally blame the prompters over at comment_fic for this, particularly elwing_alcyone

This is unbetad so if you see anything wrong please leave a comment and let me know what you find. Be assured that I will thank you profusely.

Title: Seeking Justice in a Notebook
Fandom: Dexter/Death Note Fusion
Rating: PG
Summary: Dexter brings justice against those who were beyond the laws knowledge and grasp. To bad nobody told him that protecting his family against his actions meant going against justice.

Dexter hated school with a passion. Every move he made here was scrutinized and judged. Everything was rated by some unfathomable system that all the normal kids seemed to instinctively know. His only consolation was that the other children didn’t make the rules that mattered, the adults did.

Most adults were easy to fool. Without realizing it the adult’s six sense about danger trained out of them by their own years in school. They accepted things at face value as long as everything remained within the realm of normality. He made sure that he remained in that realm.

Schoolwork might not be challenging and he might not get the recognition he deserved for his intelligence but those were small prices to pay for safety. No one looked twice at a B/C student who appeared to study constantly and have problems concentrating. Half the school fit into that category and they were all ignored.  

His search for invisibility was how he came to be staring out of the classroom window when a black notebook fell past. He’d been trying to stall for time so he would only get a D on an anatomy pop quiz when poof there it was in the middle of the sky. The strange book that couldn’t be there caught his attention like nothing but killing usually could. With his attention almost fully on that notebook he found it easy to do badly on a test he could have done in his sleep given the number of animals he’d dissected.

He was practically bursting out of the classroom before Ms. Hawthorne could finish saying, “Schools out.” It was an action that was likely to draw some attention but given that it was Friday Dexter wasn’t too worried.  Particularly given that his mind was still on the notebook and getting to it before anyone else found it.

The notebook was easy to find despite the fact that no one was paying any attention to it. Perhaps they all thought it belonged to some other student or perhaps it was meant for him. It was a disconcerting thought and one it didn’t dwell on as he cracked the worn leather cover and read the first page the silver words seeming to jump out at him from the mat black page and pull him into a trance as he considered the words, “The Person whose name is written in this notebook shall die.” It was too good to be true, the perfect way to destroy all his enemies falling into his hands. It had to be a test and he tried to force himself to let go of the precious book and make sure whoever was watching him knew he’d passed their test. He couldn’t do it so he tried again.

He was so distracted by his inner struggle that he didn’t even notice Deb sneaking up behind him. Her cheery. “What the f* are you doing.” Scared him half to death and almost had him punching her before he stopped himself. His own less then cherry greeting of “Damn it Deb how many times have I told you not to sneak up on me.” of course going completely unnoticed. He was so distracted by trying to understand her indistinguishable braces-slurred description of her day that he didn’t even notice when he slipped the notebook into his backpack. Sisters were good for things like that.

It wasn’t till after their tasteless dinner of meatloaf and potatoes when he began unpacking his book bag that he realized what he’d brought home with him. As soon as he saw the book it was like he was back in the schoolyard, his every thought hinging around what the book meant. Since nothing had happened to him when he’d brought it home he was now doubtful that it ever had been a test. Now the only question was if the book was a joke or real. The only way he could think to find out was to test it but how could he test a book that had potentially fatal abilities without anyone noticing?

It took him almost a week to figure out the answer to that question. All he had to do was find someone worthy of death that was old enough no one would think twice if they died of a heart attack as the notebook claimed they would. It took him another week to find a suitable test subject but he eventually did and managed to do it without Harry being any wiser which was good because for all that Harry taught him the code he was very clear about not testing out untried methods of killing.

Lutz Marcoff was an old mob boss that had made a deal with the feds to remain untouched if he gave evidence against his family. Harry had bitterly complained for almost a month about the unfairness of the justice system when it came to high powered crime families. That had been five years ago and Lutz was now an older middle-aged man of 63 that feasted on fatty foods and fine wines on a regular basis. No questions would be asked if he keeled over from heart failure and if he did Harry would finally get the fair justice he sought.

That decision was what caused Dexter to be perched in a tree with his binoculars, the notebook, and a pen twelve days after he found the mysterious notebook. Thirty seconds after he finished inscribing the name Lutz Marcoff into the book he watched the old crime lord clutch his chest and collapse cut down by Dexter’s justice. Dexter took a few moments to savor that fact before scampering down the tree and back to his own home. It wouldn’t do for Harry to discover his actions and try to stop him now that he was finally able to gain the justice he had craved for as long as he could remember. For now at least the hole in his soul was filled and he was in no hurry to lose that feeling.

…

Dexter couldn’t stop staring at the body. It was beautiful in its simplicity showing a mastery of the Death Note that he had not even considered. He had suspected a death note when the bodies of the hookers started showing up but hadn’t been able to convince himself of that possibility given the odds against two people using Death Notes and living in the same city.

This death proved that those odds weren’t as low as he’d though and it also proved that the other killer knew that he was had a Death Note and knew exactly how he’d been using it. Why else would the killer use his means of killing taken to the extreme and target one of Dexter’s possible targets. The implications were disturbing and thrilling. Dexter hadn’t felt this excited since his first act of Justice almost ten years ago.

Over those ten years he had perfected his killing technique and his personal code of justice all without Harry’s knowledge. He’s glad for that because looking back on it he thinks Harry would have tried to make him a steady and predictable monster, one that wouldn’t get caught but wouldn’t enjoy the kill either. That was just the type of man Harry was. He was always more worried about his duty than happiness or getting the justice he always called for. Dexter was glad that he’d never become that. His main purpose might be his duty to serve justice but he never wanted to turn from his family because of that justice. He would enjoy playing with this new killer but if they became too much of a threat to his family he would destroy them no matter the risks.

Shaking himself from his maudlin thoughts Dexter began researching his next kill. Mike Donovan was a bad priest one that preyed on little boys and one that would soon be baring his soul to the God he claimed to serve, if there was such a God. Dexter was more inclined to thinking he would be meeting justice in the great beyond. After all if there was a God like Father Donovan’s wouldn’t he have destroyed his unfaithful and perverse servant instead of waiting for justice’s mouthpiece to do it? Either way Donovan would die, now it was just a matter of discovering which death sentence he had earned though his sins.

The hunt didn’t take as long as he’d expected or hoped. Donovan deserved a long and painful death for the half dozen boys he’d killed but Dexter didn’t think even AID’s and an inability to get it up would stop him from killing and he wasn’t willing to find out so a more subtle death was necessary.

Donovan was found unmoving sitting in the wrong side of the confessional booth at his church. When he was taken to the hospital, it was discovered that he’d had a massive stroke and that it was unlikely that he would ever recover and be able to move again. One of his parishioners suddenly had the idea to send him to a high-end nursing home where he could spend whatever remained of his life. Unbeknownst to either the doctor or parishioner Donovan was fully aware despite his paralyzed state and the high-end nursing home’s sunroom was positioned across from a middle school. Donovan would spend the last three years of his life tortured by the sight of his greatest need but be unable to do anything to nullify that need. While personally unsatisfying Dexter felt that the death sentence was at least fitting.

With Father Donavan out of the way Dexter was able to concentrate on his fellow Death Note user and just in time as another prostitute had been found dead this time of a massive stroke. A death that proved beyond any doubt that he was being watched. There was no other way for the killer to know what he’d done because even if the killer knew his style of killing he hadn’t killed Donovan.

As if the fact that he was being watched wasn’t worrying enough Deb had gotten herself a new boyfriend. Deb’s bad taste was notorious and not something Dexter wanted to have to worry about on top of the fact that whoever was watching him was most likely watching Deb and Rita.  He doubted they’d target Rita given that their relationship was just barely beyond platonic which meant that Deb was the most likely victim. At least the double date Deb had roped Rita and him into would be a good opportunity to intimidate Deb’s unfortunate beau into leaving her.

The date actually went better than he expected. Deb’s boyfriend was a courteous man who worked as a doctor specializing in prosthetics at the local hospital. He didn’t seem like a threat and as long as nothing changed Dexter was willing to let him remain with Deb. However, he planned to watch this Brian carefully for any signs that a Death Note was being used to control him.

Life continued as it always did and Dexter soon found himself making friends with Brian, which was odd given how hard he found it to make friends particularly with Deb’s boyfriends. Despite the unusual nature of their relationship, Dexter wasn’t spending as much time worrying about Brian as he had expected. His troublesome watcher had upped the ante and started killing even when Dexter wasn’t. It was concerning because he was obviously trying to send a message that Dexter was incapable of receiving. Dexter didn’t want to find out what would happen if he couldn’t figure out the message because he had the sick feeling that it wouldn’t be pretty and most likely would involve the death of one of his family members.

His feelings were proved correct when a month and six murders later Deb was taken and a note left on his door. The note was written on simple notebook paper but the similarities between it and the Death Notes pages was obvious as was the symbolism behind using blood for ink. It was Deb’s life’s blood that stained this page but if he didn’t follow the directions on it her life would stain her kidnapper’s notebook. The directions were simple enough and Dexter didn’t see any point in trying to ignore them. Until he could get a name and a face his only chance was the take his notebook with him to the meeting place and hope that his fellow notebook holder hadn’t cut a deal to gain Shinigami eyes.

When he saw Brian standing at the meeting place his first thought was that he hadn’t taken enough precautions to insure that he wasn’t being controlled, then he met Brian’s red eyes and everything became to clear. Brian hadn’t been an overly nice boyfriend he was a killer using his sister to get to him by acting like he loved her. It sickened him to realize that his family had been used to get to him and in that moment he vowed to himself that he would see Brian dead no matter what.

That vow didn’t change even when his memories returned and he knew who Brian was to him. If Brian had been anyone else he would have tried to give Brian a chance to be a part of his family but if he had accepted the eyes there was no saving him. He had made himself into a killer with no conscience and Dexter wasn’t willing to risk the family he’d made on the fact that being with his family by blood would tame Bri so in the moment when Brian embraced him he pricked his finger and used his own blood to write his brother’s death order.

When he released Brian with an apology ringing in their ears like a death knell Brian turned away without seeing him. Brian would go to the police station now and once there he would admit to kidnapping Deb. He’d tell them where she was and after they had rescued her he would kill himself in the station’s holding cell, taking the secret of their serial murders with him to the grave.

Now all Dexter had to do was return home and wait for the call that would spell the end of his brother’s life and act like he knew nothing of Brian’s action. Later he would mourn and if he could not well there was always the option of writing his own name in his Death Note after all he was one of the killers he brought justice against now, doomed by the act of saving his sister and destroying his brother.