"I want to go down to the human world. I'm sick of this place, it's so boring! I've heard that the human world is a lot more interesting."
Ryuk swallowed the apple given to him by the shinigami, not looking away from the barren landscape of the shinigami world.
"Well it's no use complaining about how boring it is here," Ryuk said, "Now if you were thinking of doing something stupid like changing the human world, that would be interesting."
January 28th, 2011
Rokuro jolted awake, a sharp pain jammed into his side.
"Wake up sleepy head! Class is over." Said a girl's voice.
He rubbed his eyes and looked up, brushing the brown hair from his face. It was Kimi, standing there with a pencil.
"Sorry, guess I dozed off there," he said, "I was having the strangest dream."
Kimi huffed and crossed her arms, "Algebra may be boring but you've got to get your grades up. I haven't spent the last 3 weekends tutoring you for nothing!"
"Yeah yeah, I know." Rokuro sighed and scratched his head.
He grabbed his things and stowed them in his messenger bag, ready to follow Kimi out the door.
"Mister Horiuchi, a word please." His professor called to him.
Rokuro looked at Kimi, "I'll meet you at the walkway outside, okay?"
She nodded and left down the hall.
"Have a seat." Professor Omure said gesturing to the desk.
Rokuro sat down, his eyes looking everywhere but his teacher.
"Horiuchi, we've talked about this. If you fall asleep in class one more time I'll have no choice but to use disciplinary action. This behavior is unacceptable. Next year you'll be graduating and going into grad school, this sort of thing can't carry on."
"I know," Rokuro said staring at the floor, "I just haven't been sleeping well at night, and can't seem to stay awake during the day."
"Up all night playing video games, I assume? My son does the same."
"No, not that. It's just insomnia."
"Ah, I see. Well perhaps you should try to find something that relaxes you, or a sleep aid. Either way, I better not catch you napping again. Am I understood?"
"Yes sir."
"Good, then you can leave now. Have a nice weekend and I'll see you on Monday."
Rokuro grabbed his things and a few minutes later met with Kimi at the school's front gate. He'd been in a hurry, and his misty breath was haggard in the winter cold.
"What was all that about?" She asked as they walked down the street.
"I got in trouble for sleeping in class again." He said as he traced the cracks in the sidewalk with his eyes.
"Well maybe this will finally be enough to get some sense into you. No use sleeping your life away."
"Yeah." He said as they came to a small 4 way stop.
"So, ready for tonight's tutoring?" She smiled.
"Um.. not tonight."
"Oh? Why not? You're the one who's been asking me for help."
"No real reason, I think I just need to get some rest, maybe head to bed early. You know?"
"Hmm, alright," she sighed, "We still on for tomorrow?"
"Yeah, that sounds good." He smiled faintly back at her.
"Just what I like to hear!" She yelled and pumped her arm, "We'll have you aceing those exams in no time!"
"I hope so!" He said sheepishly, scratching his head, "Well, see you tomorrow then."
The two parted ways and Rokuro walked down the road toward home. The sun was beginning to descend, it would set in about 2 hours. He flipped open his phone and checked the time, 3:45 in the afternoon.
"At least I've got the weekend… plenty of time to relax and do absolutely nothing."
He turned and decided to take a shortcut in a small alleyway, the thick snow crunched loudly under his feet as he walked into the shadows between the two buildings.
"REOWWW!"
"Huh? What was that?"
The sound had come from around a corner, he clutched his bag a little tighter and quickened his pace. He heard several male voices yelling from the same direction.
"Haha! Look at it, so pathetic!"
"Watch I bet I can kick it farther!"
"Let me at it now!"
He rounded the corner and his eyes grew wide. 3 guys from his school were crowded in a circle, their jackets were undone and they looked like the rowdy sort.
"Has it given up yet?"
"Looks like it."
Rokuro squinted, trying to make out what they were crowding around. He gasped, it was a small black cat. One of its ears was torn, and it was bleeding.
"Well, guess this is over." One of the guys said and went to kick it again.
"Stop!"
"Huh?" They all turned and looked at Rokuro.
"I said stop it! Leave it alone!"
The tallest one walked over, picking his finger in his ear.
"Sorry, what was that?" He said bending over a bit and cupping his hand to his ear.
Rokuro's voice cracked, "Leave the cat alone." He quivered a bit as he spoke.
"Right, right. That's what I thought you said."
The punk kneed Rokuro hard in the gut, sending him to his knees and clutching his stomach.
"Gah!"
"How about this, you didn't see shit. And you give us your money, in exchange for letting it go. Either that, or you can be our punching bag. Deal?"
"I.. I don't.." he stammered, staring at the ground.
The punk grabbed him by the hair and raised his face up.
"Look at someone when they're talking to you!"
"I.. don't have much money. But I'll give it to you. Just let the cat go."
"Ataboy." Said the punk and helped himself to Rokuro's messenger bag. He fished around and pulled out a wallet.
"Huh?" The guy turned back toward Rokuro, "You think I'm stupid or something? You've only got 900 yen in here, that's not even enough for a pizza!"
"I'm sorry, it's all I have."
The punk clenched his fist and kneed Rokuro in the face.
"Well looks like it's plan B then." He smirked.
Rokuro lay motionless, feeling the snow grow warm from his bleeding nose.
"Come on guys, we have a new toy!"
The 3 circled around him, kicking him over and over for what felt like an eternity. Rokuro didn't fight back, he couldn't. His only option was to take it all. After a few minutes, the kicking slowed down and eventually stopped. The leader sighed, wiping sweat from his brow.
"I think that about does it, I'm beat. You guys wanna go play some games?"
"Hell yeah, sounds good to me."
They turned and walked away down the alley, not so much as looking back at Rokuro who laid a bruised bleeding lump in the snow.
He groaned, lifting himself up. His arms gave out, and he fell back down. He rolled onto his back and stared at the orange sky, a faint whirl of snow was beginning to fall yet again.
"Meow"
He looked over, it was the cat. Slowly and gently it limped over to him, giving his bloody face a few licks before nuzzling into his chest. Rokuro raised his tender arms and embraced the cat, closing his eyes and taking a moment to rest. It purred happily, and the two enjoyed each other's warmth.
"Come on guys! Haha! Last one to my place is a rotten egg!" The leader yelled and ran down the alley.
The other two ran after him, one of them began to shout "Hey careful man, the ground is-"
"!"
He gasped as his foot slid from beneath him, gliding smoothly over a patch of ice. Time slowed down, milliseconds became seconds. He waved his arms trying to regain his balance as his body shifted and fell through the air, and tumbled forward into the street. His eyes frantically searched around for something to grab onto, but there was none. All he saw were two bright lights.
"You're finally back, took you long enough." Said Ryuk.
"I've been busy." The shinigami said, tossing an apple his way.
Ryuk caught it and took a bite, "You spend as much time in the human world as you're allowed to, yet I've hardly seen you kill anyone. What gives?"
The other shinigami chuckled, "I'm quite selective with my victims you know. Besides, I haven't been going there to kill people."
"Oh? Then just what are you up to then? It's been nearly a human year since I helped you, and I've yet to see anything fun come of it."
The shinigami's eyes glowed faintly in the darkness, "I've been searching for someone, someone very special."
Ryuk downed the rest of the apple and licked his lips, "Oh, then tell me more."
Rokuro heard a crash and his eyes snapped open.
"Oh shit oh shit!"
"Kichiruou!"
He sat up, sudden adrenaline blocking out his pain. The cat yelped a bit and he cradled it in his arms as he stood, and shakily took one step after another forward.
"No, it can't be." Rokuro's voice trembled.
The two other guys ran into the street, the car was stopped and the hood was coated red. The leader was lifeless on top, his face smashed through the windshield and contorted into a scream, bright red blood flowed freely from his mouth, drenching the inside of the car and the terrified driver.
"Somebody call an ambulance! Hurry!"
A few passerbys had stopped and ran to help, the driver fumbled to undo his seatbelt and flung himself out the door, crawling backward away from the car.
"It's not my fault! He ran into the road, I swear!" The driver said as he retreated leaving a trail of red snow in his path.
Rokuro watched with empty eyes at the scene unfolding before him.
"He… just died. He's dead." He whispered.
The cat licked his hand and nuzzled into his arms, oblivious to it all.
Rokuro's stomach heaved, he dropped the cat and put his hand to his mouth, vomit spewing between his fingers. The cat meowed and pranced off behind a trash can.
"I just watched somebody die." He wretched up the rest of his stomach, "I can't believe it."
He stumbled backward, wiping his chin.
"I… I…" He took off running back down the alley, not daring to look at the accident any longer. Behind him ambulance sirens blared in the distance, and the sun set further.
Rokuro snuck in through the back door, his dad was busily cooking dinner and didn't so much as turn around to see him across the room.
He climbed up the stairs and yelled down, "Hey dad, I'm home. I'm gonna take a shower okay?"
"Be down for dinner, alright?"
"I don't think I'm hungry, sorry." He said as he entered the bathroom. He quickly washed his face, the bleeding from his nose had mostly stopped. He took off his clothes and looked at himself, his whole body was already beginning to bruise.
"It's gonna be even worse in the morning, great."
He sighed and hopped into the shower, letting the hot water run over him. He closed his eyes and tried to relax, but the image of the body was etched into his mind. He sat down in the corner, putting his arms and legs into a ball.
"I still can't believe it. It all happened so fast."
He thought back to the moments before the crash. Sure he was a despicable guy, but did that warrant his death?
"Who knows… maybe it was a good thing."
Rokuro scoffed, how could he say something like that. Even the worst people could find redemption. If they couldn't, what was the use of anyone ever apologizing? Sure, the guy didn't seem to have any remorse, but who was to say he wouldn't 5 years from then? Everyone grows and changes over their lives, and now he would never get to. He'd been robbed of that chance to repent.
Rokuro turned off the water and got up, drying himself off and putting on clean clothes. He looked at himself in the mirror, his cheek was a little bruised but nothing else was immediately noticeable, especially under his heavy winter clothes he wore to school.
He ran his fingers through his wet hair and went to his room. He shivered, a cold breeze blew through the open window.
"Did I leave that open?" He walked over and closed it.
"Meow."
He spun around to his desk, perched on top was a black cat. He noticed the torn ear, it was the same cat as before. He gazed at it, confused.
"Hey little guy. How did you get up here with that leg?"
He gently reached down and pet the cat, examining its leg with his other hand. It was definitely broken, and needed a bandage. He went to open his drawer when the cat hopped off the desk and onto his bed.
"Hmm, well you seem to feel alright. Guess I got the worst of it, huh?" He chuckled a bit.
He'd just closed the drawer, when he noticed something out of the corner of his eye. His eyes narrowed and he looked at the desk. The cat had been sitting on something.
"What's this?"
He picked it up, it was a notebook. It was quite thin and flexible, with a solid black cover except for a large silver X embossed into the top. The surface felt cold, and like it was almost made of leather.
"Huh, did dad leave this for me? It's kinda cool I guess."
He sat down next to the cat and turned on his small TV. The first station that came up was the news, but he was barely listening, just using it for background noise. The cat purred and sidled next to him as he opened the book. Most of it seemed like a normal college ruled notebook, but the beginning had several dozens of black pages. He flipped to the first one.
"The human whose name is written in this note shall die."
"You want me to what?" Ryuk shouted.
"5 of them. I need 5 notebooks."
"You're pushing your luck," Ryuk finished off another apple, "I'll take your little bribes, and hell I might even help you get another note. But 5? Do you have any idea what the old man would do to us?!"
"You've stolen notes before, I'm sure it can't be that hard. You said Sidoh didn't even notice it was gone for a couple years, and I won't need them that long."
Ryuk grumbled and paused.
"Well?" The shinigami asked.
"What do I get out of it?"
If he could've smiled, the shinigami would've.
"That story you told me was fascinating. What if I told you I have something equally thrilling planned?"
"I'd say you're full of it."
"How long have we known each other now, Ryuk? You don't trust me?" The shinigami asked.
Ryuk stared at him with cold glassy eyes, he didn't speak.
Somewhere in the city, a teenage girl lay on her bed scrolling through posts online.
"Damn trolls, idiots all of them."
She heard a flutter across the room and turned on her light. She got up and picked up the object that fell from her ceiling.
"A… notebook?"
"I'm sorry, this has to be done." A man said to a captive woman. He raised a knife, "I'll make sure it's as quick as possible."
A thud came from the corner.
"Hmm? Still alive?"
He walked over and knelt down, inspecting the body of her husband. He saw something resting on the floor.
"What's this now?"
"Hmm, no not quite right. Have to work on the firewall a bit more." The boy typed furiously into his computer and sipped an energy drink before tossing the can into a pile. He reached to the pile of unopened cans beside him, but rather than cold metal he felt something different.
"Well this is new."
"I'll be down for dinner soon mom!" The girl yelled down the hall. She went back to studying, straining her eyes against the lamp light.
"All this cramming is exhausting…" she sighed, getting up and falling onto her bed. Her head brushed against something, she looked over on the opposite pillow.
"What on earth?"
In the darkness of his room, a young man sat hunched over his laptop furiously clicking away.
"These are new additions to the list. Please see the attached PDF."
He closed his laptop and turned on the TV, getting up and stretching. It had been a long day, but he was doing noble work. He opened his refrigerator and got a drink, then sat on his chair. He went to place the drink down but rather than a hard coaster, something softer was beneath it. He gingerly picked up the book and flipped through it.
"...my god."
"This some kinda novelty item?" Rokuro said tossing it onto the desk. "Eh, whatever. It's been a long day." He laid back and crossed his arms behind his head, deciding to watch the TV.
"Its been a whole year since the Kira killings have stopped. In this time, as staticians have predicted, Japanese crime rates are at a high we haven't seen in years. This has led some to beli-"
"This again? Really? They won't shut up about it."
Rokuro reached for the remote, he didn't want to look at the middle aged newscaster's face any longer. He raised the remote, but something stopped him from pushing the button.
"In fact many have come forward to denounce Kira posthumously. Some were even outspoken fans of his, but claim due to-"
The man stopped talking. He coughed for a moment and adjusted his tie.
"Due to the fear they felt, they-"
He coughed again and leaned forward, clutching his chest.
"They… they…"
His eyes bulged from his head and he furiously clawed at his neck tie. Rokuro watched wide eyed as the man screamed, then slumped onto the table motionless. The camera shook, and several voices could be heard shouting. Then with a blink, the broadcast cut away.
"Technical difficulties, please stand by."
Rokuro stared at the screen, frozen. The cat meowed and stretched, walking off his lap and onto the pillow. His heart wouldn't stop, wouldn't slow down. His palms were sweating and his eyes darted to the notebook.
"What do you think?"
Rokuro spun around, the voice had come from his open closet. Standing there was the most horrifying thing he had ever seen. It seemed like a man, but it was a monster. Its face nothing but a crooked skull, wearing a bloody trenchcoat and goggles atop its head. It had no eyes, yet a faint red glow emitted from its sockets. It took a step forward with a slight limp to its gait, its lanky arms swung randomly at its sides.
"Don't be shy, I won't hurt you. I'm the one who gave you that note."
"Stay back!" Rokuro scrambled off his bed, "I'm warning you!"
The cat hissed at the figure and scurried under the bed.
"Hehe. Or what? You can't hurt me. And besides I already told you, I'm here to be your friend. I'm a shinigami, and that is called a death note."
Rokuro glanced at the book again.
"That thing?"
"Yes, that thing. You saw earlier today how potent it can be, and just now on the news."
Rokuro took a deep breath, his heart slowed down, it all made sense.
"You killed that guy, didn't you? The one who got hit by a car."
"He had it coming, don't tell me otherwise. Rotten humans like him deserve to die."
'And the guy on the news? Was that you too?"
"Hehe. No, but I guess it was due to my handiwork."
"What's that supposed to mean?" Rokuro said.
"You're not the only one I've given a note to today, I've been quite busy. There are 5 others, 6 of you in total. Each of you now the proud owner of a death note. Hehe."
"And what if I don't want it? I'll gladly return it, I don't want to kill people."
"I thought you might say that." Said the shinigami. "You don't have to use it, honestly I couldn't care less. All I need you to do is hold onto it for me, nothing more nothing less."
"But why? What's the point of giving it to me if you know I won't use it?" Rokuro stomped his foot forward, getting braver.
"I've got my reasons, you'll find out eventually." He chuckled. "Plus yours is very special. Its mine."
"Yours?"
"Yes, mine. The others I plucked from the shinigami realm, but that one is specifically my own. It means you're the lucky guy I get to hang around till this is all over. Congratulations."
Rokuro sighed, "Fine, I'll hold onto it. But what about the others? Did you mean one of them killed that guy on the news?'
"Well nobody else could have done it, so yeah one of them must have, they probably thinks they'll be the next Kira."
"Kira?"
"Yes. Kira. Years ago it was a death note just like this that he used. Wonderful work, shame what happened to him."
Rokuro carefully stood up, looking the shinigami in its eyes.
"You want me to be the next Kira or something. Is that it?"
The shinigami bellowed with laughter, "You? As if! Ha! We both know you couldn't be Kira if you tried."
Rokuro was slightly offended, but couldn't disagree.
"Okay, then what?" He asked.
"I'm playing a little game, you see."
"A game? Let me guess, me and the others are your 'players' and you want to see which of us lasts the longest. They gonna come try to kill me?"
"You watch too much anime." The shinigami scoffed. "No, you're the pieces." He glanced at the TV, "And the first pawn has made its move." He gazed out the window, "It's his turn now."
"Whose turn?"
"You sure ask a lot of questions." The shinigami sighed, "The one who killed Kira. I came here to challenge him, because it sounded fun."
"I know Roger, I just saw it."
"So what should we do?" Asked the voice over the computer.
The white haired young man leaned back, propping his feet up and watching the monitor on the floor.
"We hand it over to the Japanese police, It's not worth our time."
"Near, with all due respect, another death note is quite a crisis."
Near twirled his hair, watching the video of the news killing over again.
"From what I can tell, this new Kira is a simple knockoff. He's just gotten his note, and wanted to confirm its power by killing someone on a live broadcast. Moreso, it was a regional broadcast on the Tokyo News Network, meaning he lives somewhere in that area."
"A quick deduction." Roger said.
"It wasn't hard, he's making all the same mistakes the first Kira did, Light Yagami. I read about the early investigations when L sent his files. This is not only a copycat, but a sloppy one. There are members of the police who have dealt with the death note previously, such as deputy director Aizawa. Forward him my initial findings and tell him it's now their responsibility, they should be more than capable of apprehending him on their own."
"Understood, I'll see to it at once."
"Oh, and Roger."
"Yes?"
"Keep me updated. Just in case."
"Will do."
The screen went dark, Near laid down on the floor and stared at the ceiling.
"And so it begins again."