Love (episode)

"All this time I thought it was luck. But it was a Shinigami who saved my life that day." "Yes. Gelus loved you enough to die for you. So that Death Note is now yours to keep." "Hm. I see. For a Shinigami to die, they have to love a human enough that they prevent their death from happening."

- Misa Amane and Rem

Love  (愛, Ai) is the twelfth episode of the Death Note anime series.

Synopsis
Light is called by the Japanese Task Force to come assist them on the Kira case, much to Light's surprise yet also his delight. When he arrives at the meeting between L and the other detectives, he quickly discovers, however, that L is still testing him. It is revealed that L doesn't want Light to know about there being a second Kira, wanting to see if he comes to the same result to see if he is one of the Kiras; if he comes to the same conclusion as them, he should be cleared of some suspicion. Light views the tapes to locate any clues in the audio reader's voice, and quickly becomes angry, seeing the video as inferior to his true goals. After L asks him about his opinion on the videos, he goes ahead and reveals his own "suspicions" that there is a second Kira, much to the others' delight. The team then decides to trick the second Kira into getting into a conversation with the real Kira, by making a reply video, scripted by Light (who tries to mention "You're free to kill L", but is edited out by L) so L can test him, which Ryuk finds amusing, and created by L.

When the message, which asks for the second Kira to obey him, is broadcast on television, Misa Amane instantly falls victim out of lovestruck. Misa decides to respond despite Rem's objections. Several days later, she replies to Watari in a message, which he gives to the Task Force. by saying she will obey the original, but wants to meet him personally. Utterly convinced that she is communicating with the actual Kira, she then unwillingly reveals some eccentric and important details about the Shinigami eyes and the Shinigami themselves. This causes Light to deem him a liability, and L to fall right out of his chair, horrified that shinigami might actually exist (remembering the original Kira's message, "L do you know gods of death love apples?"). Soichiro suggests that they may still be dealing with the real Kira if he also talks about shinigami, but Light says that can't be since he responded to the video and should not have given up on killing L. They decide that the second Kira must be trying to meet the original, and "Shinigami" is merely a reference to their killing powers. They decide to broadcast the second Kira's response, hoping to pressure the real Kira into responding as well, since the second Kira is inadvertently revealing details that Kira wants under wraps.

After a photo shoot, Misa returns home and asks how Rem got a second Death Note, knowing how Ryuk got one by tricking another; she also references a Shinigami King. It is also hinted that Misa wants to kill Rem so she won't interfere. Rem reveals that she knows possibly the only way to kill a Shinigami: have them fall in love with a human. Rem then tells Misa a story about a shinigami named Gelus who happened to have done so. Gelus was revealed to have fallen for Misa, and sat watching her most of his time. Soon the day came when Misa was supposed to die, and Rem decided to watch her death with Gelus. At that moment, a psychotic man, claiming to have feelings for Misa, jumped out of an alley and tried to stab her to death with a knife. Horrified by this fate, Gelus wrote the man's name in his Death Note in time to save Misa, but because shinigami are forbidden to use their notes to extend human lifespans, Gelus disintegrated. Taking pity on Gelus, Rem gave Misa his Death Note—the last remaining remnant of his—and his lifespan was added to Misa's.

At the same cafe where he met with L, Light ponders on how to get rid of the second Kira. Unbeknownst to him, Misa is at another table, wondering what the real Kira is like.

Episode Guide
Miłość Amour Rakkaus (jakso)