I'm using this 'disclaimer' as the cover for my work. The ideas and plot belong to me but the characters belong to their respective owners, as do any references made about brand names or other things that clearly do not belong to me. I do not own Death Note or any of the songs that are mentioned. Got it? Me no own. Now here's hoping that having this in the opening chapter is enough to keep me from getting sued.

'Cause, baby, now we got bad blood

You know it used to be mad love

So take a look what you've done

'Cause, baby, now we got bad blood

Hey

Now we got problems

And I don't think we can solve them

You made a really deep cut

And, baby, now we got bad blood

Hey

(BAD BLOOD TAYLOR SWIFT)

24th August

Fog blanketed the city, far too early for most people to be out of bed much less out on the streets, but Izumi had a job to do and so she remained huddled up against a street light breathing in the brisk morning air. Shuffled footsteps reached her ears and she cautiously looked towards the on-comer, unconsciously falling into a seductive pose in the hope of gaining the man's attention; ignoring the swirling pit of self-disgust and nausea that rose in her throat.

"Heya, you look like you could do with some company," she said in a seductive purr, running her eyes over the man's form. He was an attractive young thing, dressed in black clothing that was form fitting with a pair of sneakers hidden under long hems, and even though his eyes were hidden behind locks of hair she could feel them assessing her. The man eventually gave a decisive nod and began to walk towards a convenient ally that Izumi had purposely chosen her spot for. She followed the man without any words being passed between them, nausea still threatening to overwhelm her despite the seductive look worn on her face as a mask. She needed this, she needed the money more then she needed her dignity.

The man turned to her, crimson eyes alighting upon her for the first time since he arrived on her corner. She was chocking on her own blood before she could even make a sound, before she could even move to flee. Pain vicious and internal ripped though her as bloody screams tore through her throat, blood splattering the concrete even as she felt her organs and bones begin to shift, burn then melt. The Power moved towards her, hunger and glee shining in his telltale red eyes and the last thing she saw before her eyes liquidated and pain forced her body to shut down, was the man bringing to his lips fingers slick with her blood.

/:/:/

"Female, 30 years old. Time of death between 5am and 5:30am, no signs of sexual assault and no defensive wounds. Cause of death, mass hemorrhaging, it's almost as though she has fallen from the top of a building, her bones are shattered as well as her internal organs." The coroner stated as he zipped the black body bag back up, hiding the pale blood stained face of the victim.

"Did she fall?" Ide asked, watching the gurney as it was wheeled away before turning to the coroner once again.

"No, there were no wounds to show such a thing. I hate to say it, but it holds all the hallmarks of a Power victim. I won't know for certain, until I have a closers look at the body." The coroner turned to leave before Ide stopped him.

"If you had to hazard a guess?" Ide asked, walking with the coroner away from the scene.

"I would say that it wasn't just any kind of Power, but a shinigami." The man didn't even hesitate in giving his answer, and though Ide had asked for a guess, the man had never been wrong before.

So it was with a heavy heart, one that was slowly filling with fear he turned to his partner Ukita. "We have to call in the team. If this is a shinigami kill, we Norms won't be able to handle the case. I'll call the chief."

/:/:/

Chief Yagami couldn't help but groan as he sunk into the hard plastic of the conference room chairs. He'd gotten a call from Ide and Ukita about the possible shinigami kill and had assembled his team in the off-chance it was what they'd feared it to be. He had just gotten confirmation on the perpetrators' powers. It was indeed a shinigami Power. Running his fingers through greying hair he fixed his glasses and looked up at his assembled team.

Matsuda, the newest member of not only the police force but the specialized team geared towards arresting Powers, hovered around with a full coffee jug. He had the ability to manipulate people's emotions when in close contact with them, it didn't last long and rarely worked upon those who were aware of his abilities, but came in handy when they needed to calm hostile villains or civilians.

Mogi, soft spoken but the strongest person in the room. When the call had come in about a Power victim, it had been a toss-up between a shinigami; the far more dangerous and rare Power, or a super strong Power. Mogi was currently gazing down into his coffee cup as he waited for the meeting to start.

Aizawa, one of the more verbose of the team was watching Matsuda with narrowed eyes, his afro moving slightly as though preparing to snatch the coffee jug from the younger mans' hands. Shadows under his eyes told of another sleepless night, possibly due to his young daughter.

Chief Yagami also had a young family back home, his wife and daughter were used to his constant duties that it was no longer an issue. That being said, his ability to deduce truth from lies often led to arguments and discontent within the household.

"It's a confirmed shinigami kill. Quite possibly a Level 5 threat." The moment those dreaded words left his mouth, the men gathered straightened with various looks of shock crossing their faces.

"A level 5 shinigami? How'd nobody pick up on that?" Aizawa asked, even as Matsuda sat the coffee jug down and collapsed in a chair.

On the day of someone's 16th birthday it triggers an event that either turns that person into a Power or leaves them as a Norm. There were far more Norms then Powers, but the abilities that people ended up developing made them threats to themselves and people around them. The Level class came into effect to try and prevent unnecessary deaths and injuries. A Level 1 Power could be taken in by Norms, Level 2 and up could only be taken in by Powers, but Level 5's were generally killed before they became too much of a threat. Level 5 Powers had the ability to manipulate their abilities to the full extent of their power. They were almost as rare as shinigami Powers. This was the first potential Level 5 the team had ever encountered, Level 1's, 2's and 3's being the more common. Matsuda was the lowest Level at Level 2 and Chief Yagami was the highest at a low range Level 4.

"I've already logged it in, but until we know for sure what we're up against, we will continue to track down the criminal." Chief Yagami said, taking a drink from the coffee Matsuda had eventually gotten around to pouring.

/:/:/

Misty rain fell across the countryside, bringing with it a chill in the air. Heavy clouds hid the stars and moon from sight and the only light provided within the room was from solar-powered lights around the property and the glow of a laptop. L had recently wrapped up a smuggling case and was currently looking for something to keep him busy, it wasn't long before a new case file appeared within the database for Powers who worked on the side of the law. A case based in Japan, one victim so far that had occurred that day; or night as L was in England, and it immediately drew his attention with one clear sentence. The suspect is likely to be a shinigami Power.

L had only ever encountered one shinigami Power since he started his career, most were killed before they became too big of a threat, it was one thing every country agreed upon and was enforced within days of the Power developing the telltale red eyes. Shuddering slightly at the memory of a certain pair of red eyes, L sent a missive out to the Japanese hero team working the case. He had every intention to be there when they found the shinigami Power.

"Watari, get the jet ready, I'm taking a case in Japan and I do believe that it'll need to be done in person." L requested of the older man.

"Of course L, I'm sure that'll we'll be well on our way within the hour. Do be sure to say goodbye to your successors, you know they adore you." The elder encouraged as he wheeled away a cart of empty dishes, leaving behind a bowl of sugary candies.

"If they're still awake I'll be sure to drop by," L stated as he pulled the bowl towards him and chose a red candy using long spindly fingers.

Turning to the database L began to skim through the files of those who would be working the case, closing the lid of the laptop hours later on the photo of chief Yagami's eldest and only son, Light Yagami.