Sell you my Soul- Light x Misa Manifesto (Death Note)
Title: Sell you my Soul
Author:
x0whitelily0x
Fandom: Death Note
Pairing: Light Yagami x Misa Amane
Spoilers: The entire series- manga and anime.
Notes: Longer than last time, eh? Hopefully this'll get some people to think twice before writing off the pairing.
Disclaimer: I do not own Death Note, because all the characters I love die T.T
Introduction
I am here to discuss the relationship between Light Yagami and Misa Amane- something which is sadly neglected or overlooked by the fandom. LightxMisa is all too often discarded for more popular pairings- such as MisaxL, LightxL, or LightxMikami. True, I do like all of them (to a certain degree), but none of them need to be defended to the fans, and I can’t help but love the underdog.
Light Yagami - God in the Making
Light Yagami… a polite, serious, straight-A student who wants to work as a detective like his father when he graduates college. The pride of his family. Everyone’s friend and a well-known heart throb. Oh… and don’t forget that he intends to rid the entire world of evil by single-handedly killing every criminal he deems worthy, or unworthy, with the otherworldly power of the Death Note. You see, succeeding at everything he ever tries gives Light a lot of spare time to think about what really matters- like the state of the world we live in. And the more he thinks about it, the more he realizes that if things continue the way they are now, humanity will destroy itself. The only option? Cut the Gordian knot, and just kill anyone who would corrupt the world. At the same time, by making an example of those criminals, others who would commit crimes are too afraid to go ahead with them. ‘Kira’, as the unknowing public dubs the killer, is praised as a hero... and intends to become the world’s new God.
But with such radical methods, there were bound to be those who would not understand. L, a mysterious detective world-renowned for his ability to solve any crime, is one such individual. This is the main focus of the series- Light and L’s constant chess match against each other, trying to uncover the other’s identity, each plot twist becoming more complicated than the last. Not even Light can win this alone, but who would risk their lives by aiding a serial killer?
Misa Amane- Sugar-coated Reaper
Misa Amane, on the other hand, is anything but serious. She’s fun and flirty, and a bit of a ditz at times. A popular model, not to mention an up-and-coming actress, she can be easily passed off as a textbook blonde. Nonetheless, behind her smiles and clueless façade, there is a real person. One who’s parents were murdered in a botched robbery, and the criminal just couldn’t seem to get convicted… until Kira appeared and took the matter of punishing him into his own hands. She was nearly murdered herself by a stalker who couldn’t handle rejection. A shinigami named Jealous saved her by using his own Death Note to give the stalker a heart-attack- a Death Note which was passed on to Misa by a female shinigami named Rem.
Misa is not stupid- she was able to put two and two together and figure out that Kira was also using a Death Note. This strengthened her resolve to meet him, and thank him for avenging her parents. That was why she wanted to use the Death Note: to find a way to meet her hero, and help him in any way she could as he tried to create his perfect new world. In the beginning, that’s all there was to it.
If you want me, come and find me.
Misa and Kira
Misa’s decision to do anything if it meant finding Kira was not one she took lightly. Right from the start, she knew that she would have to kill people, and her resolve was unshakable. She even went so far as to make a deal with the shinigami Rem- half of her lifespan for a pair of shinigami eyes, giving her the ability to know anyone’s name and lifespan by looking at their face. Since the Death Note requires someone’s name and face in order to work, this gave Misa an advantage against Kira, and she knew it. She even mentioned to Rem at the end of chapter 25 that she would use the Death Note on Kira if he tried to kill her. To find him, she sent videotapes to a local pro-Kira television station, claiming to be Kira. But she was not stupid enough to send them in all coated with her fingerprints- instead she had a friend handle them, who thought they were tapes of ‘ghosts’.
Light, on the other hand, is intruiged by this imposter, especially when it becomes clear that this is another person with a Death Note who supports Kira. He begins to plan ways to use this person to his advantage, and when he is recruited by L to help find this ‘Second Kira’, they send a response by the same station.
Misa is delighted to know that her hero knows she exists, and sends another message saying that they were to meet in Aoyama. Even Light is surprised by her intelligence when he figures out the second message in her little code- an exact building where she intends to be in order to find him. She even outsmarts him by discovering his true identity first, because the shinigami eyes do not show the lifespan of anyone with a Death Note. Seeing him, she never expected Kira to be so young or good-looking. It is that point which Kira becomes Light Yagami for her, and hero worship starts becoming more.
I'll believe all your lies, just pretend you love me.
Light to Misa
From the moment Misa sees him, she’s attracted to Light. If this was anyone else, I’d say that she was solely attracted to his looks. For Misa, though, I don’t think this is the case, as she was a Kira admirer from the beginning, and finding out that he was so handsome only increased her already-present feelings of devotion to him. When Misa finally meets him in person, she puts complete trust in him. She tells him that she doesn’t care if he uses her, that she only wants to be his girlfriend and help him in any way she can. When he is reluctant, she tells him how Kira avenged her parents’ deaths, and how much she wanted to thank Kira. She even gives him her Death Note to ensure that she won’t be able to kill him. Finally, he relents. Pulling her into an embrace, he says, “Alright… I can’t become your boyfriend, but I can play the part.” She relaxes into his arms and responds, “Thank you. I’ll work hard to make you love me.”
From that moment on, she has been unflaggingly loyal to him. She tells him that he doesn’t need to ask her to do anything- if he says to do it, she will. When she is imprisoned by L under suspicion of being the Second Kira (because even though she’s clever, she is simply not on the same level as L or Light), she refuses to talk. Even when she is denied food or water for several days, she’d still sooner ask for death than reveal anything about Kira’s identity. She neither dies nor reveals anything in the end, because she gives up ownership of the Death Note, which causes her to lose all her memories involving it. Light does the same, but not before setting up a third Kira to take over for him.
With the suspicions against them are cleared, and both being genuinely unaware of their activities as Kira, Light teams up with L to find this new Kira. And when L asks her to pick between her admiration of Kira, and her feelings for Light, Misa unhesitatingly picks Light. She insists on going on a dangerous undercover mission to help out, and manages to single-handedly get the new Kira to reveal himself. She does everything for Light, and even L is impressed. By the time Light regains his memories of being Kira, Misa has grown to know the noble young man that he really is. What may have been simply infatuation before has grown to a true love by now, and she once more halves her lifespan to become Light’s eyes when she regains possession of the Death Note.
After the first half of the series, and a four year time jump, her screen time is cut short. But her feelings for Light are as strong as ever, and they have been living together the whole time. She is his partner, judging the unnamed criminals and helping him uncover one his newest enemies’ headquarters. Even when she loses her memories of the Death Note again and Light has to reignite his relationship with an old girlfriend in order to keep acting as Kira, nothing lessens her absolute devotion.
A part of their relationship that is most heavily questioned is what she makes of his lukewarm reception to her feelings. Some say that she’s just really stupid and doesn’t notice that he’s only using her. However, when you consider her displays of intelligence, it seems unlikely. I think that she does know, but couldn’t care less. She’s said that from the beginning- and as long as he’s willing to pretend he loves her, she’ll be willing to do anything for him. Not only does this make more sense, but it also adds a certain tragic depth to her character.
I’ll become your earth and sky… I’ll be everything you need.
Misa to Light
Now, Misa’s feelings for Light are as clear as glass; the problem in the relationship is Light’s feelings for Misa. That’s where things get interesting.
From the beginning, Misa confuses and infuriates him. She unpredictable, loud, earnest, and vibrant- not exactly the sort of person he wants around to keep his secret. He probably would’ve killed her, had not Rem warned him that if he did, the shinigami would kill him. As a result, he is forced to be her boyfriend and make sure she stays safe.
But when he loses his memories of the Death Note and being Kira, he still does the same. He doesn’t remember a promise of a fake relationship, but he stays with Misa and continues to be her boyfriend. Even though he told L that he wouldn’t play with her emotions, he goes on ‘dates’ with her and calls her beautiful (so if nothing else, we know he finds her physically attractive… and probably not gay). He lets her hang on his arm without complaint, and refuses to let her do anything that could put her in danger (this doesn’t stop her, but she more than appreciates the gesture). If he had not been so busy working on the Kira case, he might really have fallen in love with her- or maybe he already had, but never had time to act on it.
Whatever the case is, his memories of being Kira are restored, and he has even less time for romance than he did before. L and Rem die at this time as well, and Misa’s last defense against Light dies with her. Now, however, he has no intention of killing her. His relationship with her no longer attracts attention from the police, and she has the shinigami eyes again- a valuable asset. They move in together- partly to make his life easier, partly to keep Misa content- and the rest is left to the imagination. What was he like when they were alone together, at night with all the lights turned off? Was he still first and foremost Kira, the god of the future utopia, or did Light Yagami, the human, ever resurface? We’ll never know, and perhaps it’s best to leave some things to the imagination.
So many people see Misa as Light’s pawn, but I honestly believe that she is more to him than just that, even if only a little. When he told her she had to quit a film she was starring in to keep from standing out in the eyes of Kira’s enemies, she asked him if that meant she was retiring so they could get married. He could have said no, or said something like, “Before we even think about marriage, we have to finish making a perfect new world.” She still would have done as he said, perhaps a little disappointed. But he doesn’t; he agrees to marry her.
Another example is comparing Misa to Kiyomi Takada, Light’s ex-girlfriend and Kira’s spokesperson. He uses her, acts like he loves her… basically everything he did with Misa, with just one big difference. When she is no longer useful, he kills her with the Death Note, without a single show of remorse. Misa has outlived her usefulness as well, having lost all memories of the Death Note for the second time, as well as losing the shinigami eyes. So why hasn’t he killed her? True, he’s contemplated it once or twice, but always makes some sort of excuse about why she needs to stay alive- it’s always either that it would increase the suspicion of him being Kira, or that she could still be useful again in the future. But he’s incredibly smart, he could probably use the Death Note in a way to make it seem like her death had nothing to do with him. Also, a man named Teru Mikami takes over as Kira when Misa gives up the Death note the second time, and he gains the shinigami eyes. Light even decided, when it seemed like he would finally win against all his enemies and have nothing left in his way to rule the world, that Mikami would become his new eyes, and that he would kill everyone else who knew of the Death Note. But when it shows him thinking of the people he would kill, Misa is nowhere in his thoughts. Did he intend to keep her alive? It would seem like it, but why? With Mikami as his eyes, he has no need for Misa at all.
What would he have done with her, had everything turned out the way he planned? Would he have given her the Death Note again and made her his second pair of eyes? Would he have left her, and gone on to become the world’s new god? Or would he have married her, the need to be with her changing into want? Had the story ended in his victory, we would have gotten an answer, but the author had a different ending in mind.
All of Light’s plans are undone, his identity as Kira confirmed once and for all. He gets shot trying to write one last name down onto a sheet of the Death Note’s paper… and as he lies on the ground, dying from the blood loss, the first person he asks for help is ‘Misa’. (I’m well aware of the different contexts in the anime and manga, but picking and choosing is what shipping is all about).
Why LightxMisa?
LxLight has handcuffs and two equal intellects. LxMisa has ‘opposites attracting’ and all kinds of sugary fluff. LightxMikami has a Master/Servant appeal, and a pair with almost identical moral values. What does LightxMisa have? It has twisted desires, utter devotion, a tragic ending, and everything in between. To see all the different possible sides to it, you need to think outside the box- see Light as more than just Kira, and Misa as more than just a blonde servant. For too long, this pairing has been discredited as one-sided, or getting in the way of the three mentioned above. Don’t take it at mere face value, and try to see how interesting it can be.
Light x Misa- The Fandom
As I said in the introduction, LightxMisa is not the most popular pairing. The community on Livejournal dedicated to them hasn’t been used in months, and there is hardly anything in the way of art or doujinshi. Here’s a list of the few places that support this pairing:
DeviantArt Club: http://raito-and-misa.deviantart.com/
Fanfiction.com Community: http://www.fanfiction.net/community/Kira_Worship_Light_and_Misa_Collection/44149/
Fanlisting: http://ryuusei.org/sacrifice/
Author:
x0whitelily0x
Fandom: Death Note
Pairing: Light Yagami x Misa Amane
Spoilers: The entire series- manga and anime.
Notes: Longer than last time, eh? Hopefully this'll get some people to think twice before writing off the pairing.
Disclaimer: I do not own Death Note, because all the characters I love die T.T
Introduction
I am here to discuss the relationship between Light Yagami and Misa Amane- something which is sadly neglected or overlooked by the fandom. LightxMisa is all too often discarded for more popular pairings- such as MisaxL, LightxL, or LightxMikami. True, I do like all of them (to a certain degree), but none of them need to be defended to the fans, and I can’t help but love the underdog.
Light Yagami - God in the Making
Light Yagami… a polite, serious, straight-A student who wants to work as a detective like his father when he graduates college. The pride of his family. Everyone’s friend and a well-known heart throb. Oh… and don’t forget that he intends to rid the entire world of evil by single-handedly killing every criminal he deems worthy, or unworthy, with the otherworldly power of the Death Note. You see, succeeding at everything he ever tries gives Light a lot of spare time to think about what really matters- like the state of the world we live in. And the more he thinks about it, the more he realizes that if things continue the way they are now, humanity will destroy itself. The only option? Cut the Gordian knot, and just kill anyone who would corrupt the world. At the same time, by making an example of those criminals, others who would commit crimes are too afraid to go ahead with them. ‘Kira’, as the unknowing public dubs the killer, is praised as a hero... and intends to become the world’s new God.
But with such radical methods, there were bound to be those who would not understand. L, a mysterious detective world-renowned for his ability to solve any crime, is one such individual. This is the main focus of the series- Light and L’s constant chess match against each other, trying to uncover the other’s identity, each plot twist becoming more complicated than the last. Not even Light can win this alone, but who would risk their lives by aiding a serial killer?
Misa Amane- Sugar-coated Reaper
Misa Amane, on the other hand, is anything but serious. She’s fun and flirty, and a bit of a ditz at times. A popular model, not to mention an up-and-coming actress, she can be easily passed off as a textbook blonde. Nonetheless, behind her smiles and clueless façade, there is a real person. One who’s parents were murdered in a botched robbery, and the criminal just couldn’t seem to get convicted… until Kira appeared and took the matter of punishing him into his own hands. She was nearly murdered herself by a stalker who couldn’t handle rejection. A shinigami named Jealous saved her by using his own Death Note to give the stalker a heart-attack- a Death Note which was passed on to Misa by a female shinigami named Rem.
Misa is not stupid- she was able to put two and two together and figure out that Kira was also using a Death Note. This strengthened her resolve to meet him, and thank him for avenging her parents. That was why she wanted to use the Death Note: to find a way to meet her hero, and help him in any way she could as he tried to create his perfect new world. In the beginning, that’s all there was to it.
If you want me, come and find me.
Misa and Kira
Misa’s decision to do anything if it meant finding Kira was not one she took lightly. Right from the start, she knew that she would have to kill people, and her resolve was unshakable. She even went so far as to make a deal with the shinigami Rem- half of her lifespan for a pair of shinigami eyes, giving her the ability to know anyone’s name and lifespan by looking at their face. Since the Death Note requires someone’s name and face in order to work, this gave Misa an advantage against Kira, and she knew it. She even mentioned to Rem at the end of chapter 25 that she would use the Death Note on Kira if he tried to kill her. To find him, she sent videotapes to a local pro-Kira television station, claiming to be Kira. But she was not stupid enough to send them in all coated with her fingerprints- instead she had a friend handle them, who thought they were tapes of ‘ghosts’.
Light, on the other hand, is intruiged by this imposter, especially when it becomes clear that this is another person with a Death Note who supports Kira. He begins to plan ways to use this person to his advantage, and when he is recruited by L to help find this ‘Second Kira’, they send a response by the same station.
Misa is delighted to know that her hero knows she exists, and sends another message saying that they were to meet in Aoyama. Even Light is surprised by her intelligence when he figures out the second message in her little code- an exact building where she intends to be in order to find him. She even outsmarts him by discovering his true identity first, because the shinigami eyes do not show the lifespan of anyone with a Death Note. Seeing him, she never expected Kira to be so young or good-looking. It is that point which Kira becomes Light Yagami for her, and hero worship starts becoming more.
I'll believe all your lies, just pretend you love me.
Light to Misa
From the moment Misa sees him, she’s attracted to Light. If this was anyone else, I’d say that she was solely attracted to his looks. For Misa, though, I don’t think this is the case, as she was a Kira admirer from the beginning, and finding out that he was so handsome only increased her already-present feelings of devotion to him. When Misa finally meets him in person, she puts complete trust in him. She tells him that she doesn’t care if he uses her, that she only wants to be his girlfriend and help him in any way she can. When he is reluctant, she tells him how Kira avenged her parents’ deaths, and how much she wanted to thank Kira. She even gives him her Death Note to ensure that she won’t be able to kill him. Finally, he relents. Pulling her into an embrace, he says, “Alright… I can’t become your boyfriend, but I can play the part.” She relaxes into his arms and responds, “Thank you. I’ll work hard to make you love me.”
From that moment on, she has been unflaggingly loyal to him. She tells him that he doesn’t need to ask her to do anything- if he says to do it, she will. When she is imprisoned by L under suspicion of being the Second Kira (because even though she’s clever, she is simply not on the same level as L or Light), she refuses to talk. Even when she is denied food or water for several days, she’d still sooner ask for death than reveal anything about Kira’s identity. She neither dies nor reveals anything in the end, because she gives up ownership of the Death Note, which causes her to lose all her memories involving it. Light does the same, but not before setting up a third Kira to take over for him.
With the suspicions against them are cleared, and both being genuinely unaware of their activities as Kira, Light teams up with L to find this new Kira. And when L asks her to pick between her admiration of Kira, and her feelings for Light, Misa unhesitatingly picks Light. She insists on going on a dangerous undercover mission to help out, and manages to single-handedly get the new Kira to reveal himself. She does everything for Light, and even L is impressed. By the time Light regains his memories of being Kira, Misa has grown to know the noble young man that he really is. What may have been simply infatuation before has grown to a true love by now, and she once more halves her lifespan to become Light’s eyes when she regains possession of the Death Note.
After the first half of the series, and a four year time jump, her screen time is cut short. But her feelings for Light are as strong as ever, and they have been living together the whole time. She is his partner, judging the unnamed criminals and helping him uncover one his newest enemies’ headquarters. Even when she loses her memories of the Death Note again and Light has to reignite his relationship with an old girlfriend in order to keep acting as Kira, nothing lessens her absolute devotion.
A part of their relationship that is most heavily questioned is what she makes of his lukewarm reception to her feelings. Some say that she’s just really stupid and doesn’t notice that he’s only using her. However, when you consider her displays of intelligence, it seems unlikely. I think that she does know, but couldn’t care less. She’s said that from the beginning- and as long as he’s willing to pretend he loves her, she’ll be willing to do anything for him. Not only does this make more sense, but it also adds a certain tragic depth to her character.
I’ll become your earth and sky… I’ll be everything you need.
Misa to Light
Now, Misa’s feelings for Light are as clear as glass; the problem in the relationship is Light’s feelings for Misa. That’s where things get interesting.
From the beginning, Misa confuses and infuriates him. She unpredictable, loud, earnest, and vibrant- not exactly the sort of person he wants around to keep his secret. He probably would’ve killed her, had not Rem warned him that if he did, the shinigami would kill him. As a result, he is forced to be her boyfriend and make sure she stays safe.
But when he loses his memories of the Death Note and being Kira, he still does the same. He doesn’t remember a promise of a fake relationship, but he stays with Misa and continues to be her boyfriend. Even though he told L that he wouldn’t play with her emotions, he goes on ‘dates’ with her and calls her beautiful (so if nothing else, we know he finds her physically attractive… and probably not gay). He lets her hang on his arm without complaint, and refuses to let her do anything that could put her in danger (this doesn’t stop her, but she more than appreciates the gesture). If he had not been so busy working on the Kira case, he might really have fallen in love with her- or maybe he already had, but never had time to act on it.
Whatever the case is, his memories of being Kira are restored, and he has even less time for romance than he did before. L and Rem die at this time as well, and Misa’s last defense against Light dies with her. Now, however, he has no intention of killing her. His relationship with her no longer attracts attention from the police, and she has the shinigami eyes again- a valuable asset. They move in together- partly to make his life easier, partly to keep Misa content- and the rest is left to the imagination. What was he like when they were alone together, at night with all the lights turned off? Was he still first and foremost Kira, the god of the future utopia, or did Light Yagami, the human, ever resurface? We’ll never know, and perhaps it’s best to leave some things to the imagination.
So many people see Misa as Light’s pawn, but I honestly believe that she is more to him than just that, even if only a little. When he told her she had to quit a film she was starring in to keep from standing out in the eyes of Kira’s enemies, she asked him if that meant she was retiring so they could get married. He could have said no, or said something like, “Before we even think about marriage, we have to finish making a perfect new world.” She still would have done as he said, perhaps a little disappointed. But he doesn’t; he agrees to marry her.
Another example is comparing Misa to Kiyomi Takada, Light’s ex-girlfriend and Kira’s spokesperson. He uses her, acts like he loves her… basically everything he did with Misa, with just one big difference. When she is no longer useful, he kills her with the Death Note, without a single show of remorse. Misa has outlived her usefulness as well, having lost all memories of the Death Note for the second time, as well as losing the shinigami eyes. So why hasn’t he killed her? True, he’s contemplated it once or twice, but always makes some sort of excuse about why she needs to stay alive- it’s always either that it would increase the suspicion of him being Kira, or that she could still be useful again in the future. But he’s incredibly smart, he could probably use the Death Note in a way to make it seem like her death had nothing to do with him. Also, a man named Teru Mikami takes over as Kira when Misa gives up the Death note the second time, and he gains the shinigami eyes. Light even decided, when it seemed like he would finally win against all his enemies and have nothing left in his way to rule the world, that Mikami would become his new eyes, and that he would kill everyone else who knew of the Death Note. But when it shows him thinking of the people he would kill, Misa is nowhere in his thoughts. Did he intend to keep her alive? It would seem like it, but why? With Mikami as his eyes, he has no need for Misa at all.
What would he have done with her, had everything turned out the way he planned? Would he have given her the Death Note again and made her his second pair of eyes? Would he have left her, and gone on to become the world’s new god? Or would he have married her, the need to be with her changing into want? Had the story ended in his victory, we would have gotten an answer, but the author had a different ending in mind.
All of Light’s plans are undone, his identity as Kira confirmed once and for all. He gets shot trying to write one last name down onto a sheet of the Death Note’s paper… and as he lies on the ground, dying from the blood loss, the first person he asks for help is ‘Misa’. (I’m well aware of the different contexts in the anime and manga, but picking and choosing is what shipping is all about).
Why LightxMisa?
LxLight has handcuffs and two equal intellects. LxMisa has ‘opposites attracting’ and all kinds of sugary fluff. LightxMikami has a Master/Servant appeal, and a pair with almost identical moral values. What does LightxMisa have? It has twisted desires, utter devotion, a tragic ending, and everything in between. To see all the different possible sides to it, you need to think outside the box- see Light as more than just Kira, and Misa as more than just a blonde servant. For too long, this pairing has been discredited as one-sided, or getting in the way of the three mentioned above. Don’t take it at mere face value, and try to see how interesting it can be.
Light x Misa- The Fandom
As I said in the introduction, LightxMisa is not the most popular pairing. The community on Livejournal dedicated to them hasn’t been used in months, and there is hardly anything in the way of art or doujinshi. Here’s a list of the few places that support this pairing:
DeviantArt Club: http://raito-and-misa.deviantart.com/
Fanfiction.com Community: http://www.fanfiction.net/community/Kira_Worship_Light_and_Misa_Collection/44149/
Fanlisting: http://ryuusei.org/sacrifice/