Love (chapter)

Love (愛, Ai) is the 2nd chapter of Volume Four and the 27th chapter overall.

Plot
L is confused as to why the second Kira would mention Shinigami to the real Kira. Light tells him that the second Kira must not mean it in a literal sense, and that the word must have a special meaning between them. L deduces that the second Kira must not be acting according to the real Kira’s plans because he failed to force L to appear on TV. The second Kira’s goal was just to meet Kira. Therefore, L plans to not respond to the second Kira’s message and let the real Kira handle this situation. He thinks that eventually, the second Kira will start revealing important information about the nature of their powers, and it will force the real Kira to actually respond.

Meanwhile, Rem, Misa's Shinigami, finishes telling Misa that a Shinigami is required to always have their own Death Note, leading Misa to the conclusion that a Shinigami would need to obtain another if they were to give one to a human. Recalling that the Shinigami, Ryuk, got his second notebook by tricking the King of Death, Misa asks Rem if that is how she got her second Death Note, but Rem says that this was not the case, and goes on to explain that she is one of the few who know how to kill a Shinigami. Misa asks if Rem killed a Shinigami to obtain a second notebook, but Rem says that she did not, but instead, happened to come across one who died. After begging to be told the secret, Rem explains it to Misa:

“The way to kill a Shinigami is to make them fall in love.”

Rem goes on to tell the story of a Shinigami named Gelus, who had been watching a human girl from the Shinigami realm. Then came the day the girl's intended deathday—the day her lifespan ended. Rem, aware of Gelus's fascination with the girl, stayed with Gelus to watch the girl on her last day of life, curious as to what would be the caused.

A crazed stalker approaches the girl, and Gelus realised that this man would be the cause of the girl's death. He would be her murderer. Having fallen in love with the human girl, Gelus wrote down the name of her stalker in his Death Note, thus killing the killer before he killed the girl. Since Gelus was in love with a human, and used his Death Note wrongly, as well as not doing a Shinigami's job—to shorten life, not extend it—he died, turning to dust. Rem then picked up the only thing which Gelus left behind. His Death Note.

Misa then asks Rem if, had the Shinigami not fallen in love with the human, would he have not died. Rem comfirms this, and Misa pauses. Misa then realises that it was the Shinigami Gelus who had saved her—the human girl whom he'd fallen in love with. Rem confirms this, stating that this is why the Death Jote belongs to Misa.

Lying down on her bed, Misa begins to go off about how sad it is to die for the one you love, only to be interrupted by Rem, who sas that Misa cannot kill her, which Misa does, in fact, admit to have been attempting.

Misa begins to get anxious because Kira has not responded to her message, and ponders whether or not she should once again, take action.

Meanwhile, Light brainstorms as to how he can control the second Kira without L finding out about it. He gets a call from his father who tells him that the second Kira has sent Sakura TV what appears to be a diary. Soichiro points out a critical entry in the diary:

“30th—We confirmed our Shinigami at the Giants game at the Tokyo Dome.”

Light, however, is more interested in these entries.

“22nd—My friend and I showed off our notebooks in Aoyama.

''23rd—I ran into HIM in the cafeteria. He was eating pork cut.''”

Conception
The chapter's title "Love" refers to Gelus's feelings towards Misa, as well as Misa's feelings towards Kira, and the stalker's feelings towards getting Misa.