CHAPTER 3: DEATH NOTE

CHAPTER 3: DEATH NOTE

SHINIGAMI REALM

In a paradoxically empty and desolated world of skeletons, dust, and dirt held a species beyond a majority of human imaginations. They were called Shinigamis, or 'Death gods' and they came in various forms. And yet, during their hundred-years of living, they were doing fundamentally the same things—that was: sleeping, gambling, or just staring at the vast bare space that surrounded them. Killing human beings, too, if they weren't lazy.

Two such creatures: one a dark colored monster of humanoid shape; and another more circular of a form that seemed to be a combination of a bat and a mummy... watched an odd opening on the ground. Ryuk and Sidoh were their names, respectively, and they stared passively at the hole– their connection with the human world, with blunt interest.

Then a moment later, a certain event unfolded and Sidoh's huge mouth let out a cackle that would creep anyone out.

"Looks like little Sadako had charmed that poor lad!"

"Really?" Ryuk asked as he squint his eyes. Maybe it was true, maybe it wasn't… but in any case, it was interesting to watch. Ryuk had planned on dropping Sidoh's notebook ages ago. Well, that was after actually stealing it of course.

It was just that when he was about to take it away, he had coincidentally caught him watching an odd human. A very odd girl with jet black hair that reminded him of a human he knew years prior. She was one of a kind– and he found himself wanting to watch her, too. She was a very entertaining person to see, especially when she was weirding everybody out and charming them at the same time. And before he knew it, months passed by and his plan had been delayed... not that he was in any rush since he was basically immortal. In any case, he thought that it was finally time to take the plan into action.

He had seen that boy before and he knew immediately that he will also be an interesting human to watch, too. After seeing the two's interaction, he could sense that something changed within the boy and he needed to act soon if he wanted to ease his boredom in the best possible way.

He stared at his companion who was watching the human world with interest. Ryuk grinned.

Maybe he didn't need to steal it from Sidoh after all.

"Oi, Sidoh."

"What?" the mummy asked without taking his bulging eyes off the shining circular orb. Ryuk muffled a cackle of excitement.

"Want to see something interesting?"

...

TOKYO

On the back seat of one of the most expensive cars in the world sat Lawliette, who was staring at the window quite amused at the turn of events. Well, sort of. If only her adoptive father wasn't beside her nagging her how dangerous it was.

She let his words enter her left ear and immediately let them out on the right. As the car ran, they passed through that huge television screen from earlier and heard the sad news. She even read on a displayed paper about unsolved cases like 10-year anniversaries of kidnapped children.

She wondered why she stopped pursuing this course of action…

"Watari-san…"

"Have you even heard anything I said?" The old man asked and she ignored him, wanting to jump to the point.

"Do you remember that case I helped in back in America?"

"That 'dynasty'-long corruption case?" he uttered recalling that he had no idea she took such a case. She was experimenting on one of her inventions and somehow she managed to catch a certain case only the FBI knew about. Somehow, despite her masked voice and her cyber connection with them, she earned their trust. He did not know the details, but he forbade her (vehemently) from doing it again.

That sole question alone was enough to tell him what she wanted. And she was almost 18. He prepared himself for the worst.

"Well, I want to be a detective."

...

Meanwhile, Light's mother messaged him, indicating that it was past dinner. Light said he was going to be late, and he was still full considering he just ate. In any case, he continued to walk trying to keep his mind blank.

He was not used to thinking of such trivial things like thinking of casual conversations. His brain was always of thinking of something, but not something normal people thought about on a daily basis. But then he halted his steps, once again ending up in front of the television where they bumped into each other earlier that night.

He watched passively.

'Humans are truly dirty creatures…' he mused pushing the image of the girl aside. He continued his stroll, and moments later, as he passed by an empty narrow street on the way home, he saw something drop from above. He whipped his head immediately to it and he batted an incredulous eyelid.

Did a notebook just fall out of the sky?

He frowned and shook that possibility aside for a while. He shifted his gaze at the possible points of where it came from. There were windows, of course, but there were no building tall enough for the notebook to have such an angle of fall. He sighed and gestured pick it up.

For what seemed like an hour: time slowed down. It was as if he was on a movie and he was approaching something that would change the events of his life forever, or perhaps it was similar to those few seconds one felt before one died.

He sighed, thinking he must have been really tired.

He held it at chest-level, he looked up to the apartments to see if any windows were open. There was none. He shook his head as he glared at the note.

There were a lot of things happening that day that he could not yet explain.

He continued to stare at the notebook. "Death Note" was in its cover and he found himself scoffing at the nonsense people waste their time on. He opened it out of curiosity and saw a set of rules on how to 'kill using the notebook'. It was amusing how much effort idiots could give for such useless things…

"The human whose name is written in this note shall die."

"This note will not take effect unless the writer has the subject's face in their mind when writing his/her name. Therefore, people sharing the same name will not be affected."

"If the cause of death is written within 40 seconds of writing the subject's name, it will happen. "

"If the cause of death is not specified, the subject will simply die of a heart attack."

'After writing the cause of death, the details of the death should be written in the next 6 minutes and 40 seconds."

For some odd reason, he kept reading… it was as if the notebook had its charm, which Light didn't read too much into considering that it really was well-made. In any case, he brought it with him. He thought it was preposterous, but he still did. He tried to leave it where he found it but the notebook had a magnetic quality that made a person want to at least try. It's probably because of its quality that made people curious.

He was having a bad feeling about this, and he had an idea that this was probably the feeling a person had before doing something they knew was stupid and bad for them and yet could not help but do anyway. Being the most rational person he knew, this was the first time this happened to him. And yet, Light went on.

As he walked, he passed by a television shop and saw a live footage of hostage taking. His feet was glued to the ground, a thought creeping inside his head.

'Maybe—'

He scoffed at himself for thinking like that. Like hell it would work, but at least he could get it over with. They showed the name and the face of the suspect.

He looked away nonchalantly in ponder. Maybe that was it; he was too preoccupied by how filthy humans were that he unconsciously wanted to try out every possible way to clean it up. Apparently, much to his chagrin, that it included believing in some idiot's past time.

'Get it over with, Light.' He mused grimly and took the notebook out to write the man's name. Almost 40 seconds were up and he felt like laughing at himself. But then he was in the middle of the street so he stopped himself from doing so. He gestured to continue walking when—

"W-What is this new development? The hostages are freed? Wh-at?!" At this point, half of what Light could hear was his own heartbeat. "According to them… the man suddenly screamed in pain and clenched his chest! W—"

Time stopped.

He could not hear anything afterwards. His mind went blank and he continued to striding along the streets in panic. And if... by some chance this is all real—then he had become a murderer.

He continued his steps trying to maintain as much composure as he could. He just killed—No. That couldn't be right. It must have been a coincidence. A highly unlikely one yes, but not impossible. What's really impossible was killing someone just by writing their name.

"My name is Shibuima Takuo, and I am the most awesome person alive –right guys?" A noisy asshole from the other side of the street yelled proudly with his gang as they surrounded a woman. At the moment, Light was in one of the worst mood he had ever had. Combine that with fear and panic, and—

He shook his head. 'Calm down, Light. This is not like you.'

He then paused his steps for a second and watched the idiots gang up on the woman, who was too scared to scream. If he was going to test the notebook out, this was the best chance in that context. He mentally nodded.

He decided he needed more proof.

He looked around and saw a bookstore, and came up with a plan. It would be odd, after all, to write in the middle of the street. Also if by some utter… miracle it did work, he was not willing to be in the scene of the crime.

Once inside, he opened a magazine and placed the notebook inside. He wrote the name of the guy as he stared at him and wrote the cause of death, to make it more specific. He looked at his clock and sardonically looked at his half-reflection on the glass wall as he did so.

There was something changing inside him, and he could see it in his own reflection.

He watched with twisted interest as the events unfold, despite his outward stoic appearance. He watched the girl escape from the man's grasp and watched her run across the street. The maniac jumped to his motorcycle to follow her, calling her various derogatory names as he did so. The man ran after her like a hyena after its prey—

CRASH!

A truck hit the motorcycle head-on.

He gulped, and Light's head whipped to the notebook and stared at it in a mix of disbelief, shock… and amusement.

The Death Note is real.

He smirked.

'Perfect.'

...

NISPEDANA HOTEL

On a first-class hotel room in one of Tokyo's most famous five-star hotel lived the Young Mukahi. Reserved rooms adjacent to hers were her bodyguards' and other servants that her father had sent to live with her. It was a surprise, really, that he suddenly decided to visit her when she had barely even been there a week.

And the old man certainly wasn't expecting her to want the job that he tried so hard keeping from her: Becoming a detective.

"Why, all of a sudden?" Watari asked, despite knowing the answer. Perhaps she'd say something he could rebut.

"What do you mean? I asked you a million times as a child…"

"Yes, but I thought you have forgotten…"

"Well, I'm almost of age and I will choose the job I want. Why not start earlier?"

Watari looked away in ponder, sighing as he did so. It was ironic that, being a fan of Sherlock Holmes, he founded the Wammy house because he wanted to raise the world's greatest detective. But after what happened to the two children he raised before Lawliette… he vowed never to show her that world.

But it was an impossible task, and she was definitely proving that. That determined look on her eyes told him that there was nothing he could do about it. He could only pray that she would be much much stronger than her predecessors. And with that hope, he sighed in defeat.

"Very well…"

She smiled in gratitude. "It's finally time to revive 'L'."

...

MAIN LIBRARY

Two Weeks Later

For the past weeks Light had been spending his free time at a corner in the library. He studied, of course, but he was doing something much more interesting than that: killing criminals. He hadn't been to that side of the school for a while now, and for a moment he considered walking there but shook the idea away immediately. She chose to go there obviously because she wanted to be alone, and he did too.

He sighed at the trivial things that were popping onto his head, he should not be thinking such things because he was becoming the god of a world he was going to create.

"It's unusual to see you looking as if you have some sort of conflict while writing people's names, ne, Light." Ryuk, an annoying Shinigami, commented out-of-nowhere. Light frowned.

This creature had suddenly appeared to his life a few days ago, stating that he dropped the notebook into the human world at random since he was bored of the Shinigami Realm. He had been quite impressed with the work that he had done, not that Light cared. And Light being Light, he asked what the consequences of using the notebook would be.

"Nothing. It's just that when you die, you will neither to Heaven nor to Hell."

That sounded fine, and he asked an afterthought. "Even if I give up the ownership and forget everything about the note?" He never planned on doing that absurd idea, but he always wanted to know all details.

"Yep."

"Fine by me."

And that was how their relationship had begun.

...

Lawliette sat in her usual sitting position, the Seiza, as she ate with her two new acquaintances– Takada and Rokko. They were under her favourite tree, somewhere around Todai's rear garden. She knew these two by face and name, but it was the day before when she had a conversation with them. She was walking to her spot when she saw the two looking inconspicuously around.

During these past few days where she had been exposed to so many crimes, more possibilities had been available for her to consider. In the end though, when it came to whatever Takada and Rokko were planning on doing… she remained oblivious. She deduced that, like she was, they were looking for a quiet spot to eat.

"Oh wow. Your bento still tastes great! My lunch compares to nothing… and are you sure you're okay with this Mukahi-san?" Takada asked as she took one dish from Lawliette's ever growing Bento box. There were healthy food there of course, but the container for the desserts was actually much bigger.

"So the huge guy that was here was your bodyguard or your chef?" Rokko asked recalling that their picnic spot had already been set up when they came.

"Both. He's a versatile old man."

"Ah…" they uttered, and somewhat watched her chew her food. They flinched when she looked back at them as if she just remembered something.

She quickly swallowed her food. "Have you seen Yagami-kun lately?"

"Why do you ask?" Takada asked with an expression that Lawliette knew was a mix of curiosity and irritation. Rokko had the full latter expression, though.

"I don't understand what I might have said to offend the two of you." She stated bluntly and ate a cake, consequently making the two blush.

Hm… she recalled the one of the three supposedly unsolvable cases she closed involved a love triangle. Was that it? When she looked at it this way, she was quite relieved that she was exposed to such crimes. At least she was able to consider a lot more possibilities than before.

But still, a part of her finally understood why her father did not want her to be a detective. But it was what she wanted, and she did not regret the decision.

She shrugged, and continued savoring her cake.

...

Quillsh Wammy sat by the twin of the laptop that was specifically used by Lawliette for the cases. He was sitting at a comfortable chair of his private jet. He was on his way to the ICPO meeting, and wanted to personally state that L would be working on this case. It had been a week since she started working and she had already solved four well-known and unsolved cases, immediately earning herself a good reputation.

They hid their identities, of course, for safety. But in the end, the personal effects of the cases to both of them were irreversible. He massaged his head at the recollection:

The first case he introduced to her was a 7-year old kidnapping case. It had been the lightest amongst the plethora of unsolved cases that he knew, for the child was murdered painlessly. As he watched her read the data, he prayed hard that she was as strong as he hoped her to be. He would die if she became the same as Beyond and Alluka. Especially Alluka…

"Watari-san,"

"Yes?"

"I would appreciate it if you would stop looking at me like I'm a fragile vase."

"…"

"I would need some time alone." She asked politely and he did just that.

The next day, he entered her room and saw that she had already solved two cases and she fell asleep as she sat.

Or so he thought.

She was in fetal position and was using her scarf as some sort of pillow as she stared blankly at the monitor's screen, crying her eyes out. Watari frowned. She was too sympathetic– even for a woman, and that was already saying something.

She would empathize with the victims too deeply.

"You should be more objective and disinterested in this L."

Lawliette stared at him comprehendingly. "I refuse."

"But inputing emotions in cases—"

"Should be fine as long as I see the facts objectively… I don't see what's so bad in giving life to the victims. If I didn't– I would not see much reason why I am doing this in the first place."

He shook his head. The meaning of solving cases was to stop the culprit from doing the same thing again as well as bringing peace to the victim's loved ones. Lawliette knew that, of course, but Lawliette also believed that the victims shouldn't be seen as some sort of objects for investigation.

Watari frowned and patted her back. "What is bad is that you would be going through hell, child."

"I will get over it. They will not." she said with finality, and he walked away. He knew full well that there was no way of stopping that child.

He watched her torture herself as she solved the cases nobody else could. He could see that she's changing perceptions at a rapid rate. He could see that she was starting to see the world as it was—but it wasn't until the latest case, that he saw the most drastic change.

She was going to be much, much more aggressive in solving this one—he saw it in her eyes, a blazing mix of passion and anger.

L despised Kira.

...

Meanwhile, back in the university, Lawliette continued to awe the two with her sweet tooth. "Aren't you scared you'd get fat?"

"Why?" she asked casually silencing Takada. But then looking at her– wearing dull clothes, the same scarf, and barely combing her hair, she realized she should not have asked. However, out-of-curiosity, Takada brought out her brush and showed it to them.

"I know what that is, Takada-san, if that's what you're asking." Takada laughed, and Rokko joined in.

"I'm asking permission to comb your hair." She said eying her head, and then shifting to her ever-growing eyebags.

"Why?"

"Because it can be quite uncomfortable to look at." She stated firmly, leaving Lawliette to ponder as she ate and Takada comb her hair. She mused how the people who looked at her may feel uncomfortable as if they had her mass of hair.

Maybe she should try combing a little more often…?

She felt her head tilt backwards a bit and heard a snap. A moment of silence passed and was broken by Rokko's laugh.

"Dear G—what—pfft—AHAHHAHAHAH!"

"Your hair broke my expensive brush…"

She turned around and looked at the woman apologetically. "Oh. How much is that? I'll—"

"No, No. It's fine." Takada said blinking at her. Lawliette was actually quite pretty (despite her eyebags), and she looked at Rokko to see what he thought. His gape was enough to tell her he was more than interested.

Takada sighed mentally. It seemed that her little fling with Rokko might end soon. It didn't really matter though since, despite playing hard to get, she could date any guy who she deemed were worthy of her.

And at the top of the list was Yagami Light.

Then she wondered what was with him lately. He still did a great job at school but he became more… stoic than usual. He felt darker, even, albeit that made him even more desirable. This made her want to watch him even more and she started noticing things. To her chagrin, she caught him taking glimpses of this little girl in front of her eating so many cakes so casually.

She willed herself to conclude that Light thought of her as a good rival and was just interested in what she does in that way.

"Itte…" Lawliette uttered with her usual low voice. It was practically monotonous so people who didn't know her would thing she was just chanting random words.

"Gomen." She said realizing that her mind flew and she accidentally pulled her hair. She let out a deep breath until Lawliette's hair became... close to normal.

She finally reached her cause ten tedious minutes later. Takada moved back to her position and really saw how much potential Lawliette had to become gorgeous. Not as gorgeous as her, Takada thought, but she was incomparable.

"Lawliette-san, you would look wonderful in a slightly more colourful dress." Rokko commented with that shameless stare of his.

"You can tell?"

"Yes. Ne, want to go out somet—"

DING DONG!

Lawliette's companions stiffened.

"O-Oi, it's already 1pm, we're going to be late!" Rokko yelled and instantaneously stood up. Takada did the same and patted the grass off her skirt. Rokko waved his hand. "Ja. See you later!"

Lawliette passively watched them run. She still had an hour to go before her next class, and she was thinking of cutting that one. She barely learned anything new in school anyway since she learned most of them at home or by experience. She wanted badly to go home and check the progress before she spoke live at the ICPO meeting.

She ran the events of the past week through her head. She wanted to focus on the cases, but somehow Yagami had been appearing here and there as well. Like her, something had changed within him but she couldn't bring herself to bring it up. It might be highly personal, and she did not want to offend him by asking.

She shook her head and willed herself to focus on the cases.

The cases…

She felt a sheet of sadness pass through her again, and her back arched in defeat at the mere thought.

How could people do that to each other?

That was one of the main questions that had been running through her head over and over again. She had always felt other people's pain, so she couldn't truly understand why some people couldn't. Of course, she was aware of the disease that people had causing them to lose all empathy but actually stepping onto their shoes was a totally different thing.

Through the days, she had felt something slowly weigh on her shoulders… and case by case, it grew. She couldn't stop herself from identifying with the victims, but she found her methods slowly become bolder and bolder. She had come to realize that sympathizing with everyone would not solve the case.

That kind of mentality started when she encountered one particular case. She could feel it as she read the report– the heartlessness of the person behind each murder. As if he saw human lives as objects he could play around with. Normal culprits would still feel even a bit of conscience as they killed. But this person was different– he was taking lives as if he was just literally sweeping dirt. She could feel it, and her hands formed a tight fist.

Unforgivable.

And she did not know whether she would feel relieved or not that like her, he was also in Japan.

Lawliette swore that—no matter what or who he was—she will bring him to his execution.

She'd stake her own life for that.

____________

DONE!

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