I do not own Death Note. I read the manga books, I did not watch the series, so the beginning of my story happens at the end of the last book, number 12.
I felt the stinging,cold pain in my chest as I fell backwards to the hard floor. Looking up at Ryuk, God of Death, into his pitiless, dark eyes. I thought to myself that this had been inevitable, I'd known that someday he would write my name down and then that would be the end of me. But then the truth hit me in the face, harsh and cold. I was dieing. I, the great and mighty Kira which the whole WORLD, had bowed down too, the whole world pleaded to for mercy, had lost. I was dieing.
Th-thump...thump...and then there was nothing.
„D...damn it", I managed, my last breath, last moment, before all was lost to darkness.
Where am I? There is nothing here... but still, I am.
No pain. No sensation. No nothing. How long had I been here?
No air. No earth. No feelings.
And then, I was there. I could feel the dust under my fingertips. I searched for my eyes and found them but there was nothing to look at. Everything just, empty.
Open them you idiot.
Yes, of course, I thought to myself.
There was no blinding light, no music, instead it was dull and gray. The sky...the sky? It looked like smoke was floating in the air a couple of meters above me. I turned my head in the gritty dust and looked down the never-ending plain of gray, and far away mountains with sharp edges that collided with the...sky. And then there came sound. Like a gentle wind, ruffling leafs. But there was no wind. Where am I?
I decided to try and sit up. Nothing hurt. I was fine. No blood on my hands after I got shot. No pain. For, when I looked closer, there was no wound.
And no heartbeat.
...no heartbeat?
I put my hand on my chest and waited.
Nothing.
I was breathing though. But way was that? If I didn't have a heart to pump oxygen to the cells in my body, then way was I breathing.
So I was dead? But Ryuk said there was no heaven or hell so where could I be. Limbo? Huh, how bizarre...but then again...
Besides the fact that I didn't know where I was, that I was OK...except for the no-heartbeat problem, and there didn't anyone else seem to be here, I was surprisingly calm. In fact, although I could feel my body and the bottom of my shoes, I felt nothing. No surprise, fear, happiness of not being dead...or alive-dead. I was...how could I put it...hollow in side. Or maybe that was just the shock? How can I describe something I can't sence?
I sat up and groaned as I felt how dry my mouth was.
"He-ello?", I groaked but then had to cough my lunds clean again after having breathed in some of the grey-ish powder on my lips.
I stood up, still coughing and sucking in air rapitly.
Then, as I stood there, turning slowly on the spot, trying to decide where to go, he was there.
It was there.
It was a large, thin thing, a black silk robe woven around it. It had come out of thin air it seemed. It was holding a long staff with a white skull on top, not from a human, that is for sure, 'cause there were six eye-sockets on it. I couldn't see the things face because there was a hood over it. However, from the sleeves, it's fingers were gray-white and the nails were long and yellow.
„Who are you? And where am I?", I asked, not knowing how to handle this. There was a strong possibility that this creature did not understand me...but with nothing else making sense anyways, it wouldn't hurt to try to communicate, right?
A long, harsh gasp came from beneath the hood. So it was breathing too? Was it alive...or was it ...like me?
„There has never before come a New One to the Shinigami World from Earth. You are the first", the creature thingy said with a gurgling voice.
I just stood there and gaped at it.
My mind was raising through the questions I wanted to ask him. Should I go with the obvious question: What? or should I try something more precise? Before I could however say anything the creature thingy spoke again.
„You are the Kira we have heard about from the others, are you not?". So he knew me? That...was a surprise, but it didn't really move me. It was just strange. But then again, so was everything else.
„Yes, I am Kira. May I ask you who you are?". I decided to go with the humble approach with the old fashioned speaking he used. The creature obviously felt good about me being curious. It stood a little straighter, I think, and there was a little pause to make his next words more affective. Since I am a smart and observant person I would guess that this being, human or not, he was proud and probably had some power around here. One might even think he was enjoying himself right now. Of course this was not put into words. „I am the King of Death. But all the other shinigami call me Death for short."
The King of Death. Had I not heard that somewhere before? Yes, I had. Ryuk, that son of a...something probably really ugly, had written down that The King of Death was the highest ranked shinigami in the Shinigami World.
...The Shinigami World. And then I remembered something Death had said earlier.
„We are in the Shinigami World right now?", I asked and looked around again. There was still nothing but gray smoke and this gray desert of dust to see. „Yes". A simple, clean answer. „And way am I hear? I though I was going to Limbo or something like that", I said and tried to see under the hood. I saw nothing. Death didn't say anything. And I waited. After a few seconds he took another deep breath. I waited, getting a little frustrated, well, you know, just a slight annoyance in the back of my mind. Of curse I didn't show it, I knew better than that. „I will arrange for you to meet someone else that can waste his time in teaching you what you need to know", Death said and then turned on his heel and started walking away.
I desided to go with,"What?", but he was gone. I was alone. Again.
I walked around for what felt like hours and hours, but it didn't really matter. I was not hungry or thirsty, I did not feel any tiredness or other needs. My surroundings did not change at all either. The other shinigami appeared before me like the first one. He was suddenly there, looking at me. How disturbing. But the difference was huge. This new shinigami was taller than Death, black, and horns came from his back and his shoulders. He was wearing something tattered and old, like a potato sack with holes everywhere, probably because of the horns. He had two long arms that almost reached the ground and his feet were bare...his feet were hoofs actually. The wrinkled face was flat and he had a mouth full of sharp teeth, although some were broken, and his eyes were yellow and cat-like.
„Hi, are you Kira? I'm, Sull", he said, his voice a bit higher pitched than I had expected. „Yes. Can you tell me what I'm doing here? I thought I was going to be sent to some black hole or something", I answered, determined to get some answers now. „Oh... Are you dumb?", he replied and rolled his eyes at me. What the hell? This was a little frustrating, how was I supposed to know way I was here „No", I said with my teeth clenched. „Way am I here?", I tried again, talking slowly. Sull opened his mouth but then closed it again. He raised his hand to scratch his head and looked at me. „You don't know?", he asked and was obviously a little thrown off. „No, I don't", I said. Was this, Sull, stupid? Highly likely. „Well, you are here because you have become a shinigami", Sull said.
He wasn't lying. I could tell. Or at least this was what he believed.
I did not say anything for a few seconds while his words were sinking in. How could that be? Never before had I heard that a human could become a shinigami. That wasn't possible. Besides, I hadn't changed in appearance at all. I did not have a new Notebook which every shinigami had of their own. This had to be a trick. But by whom? Death?
„Kira?", Sull interrupted my thoughts. „You ready to leave yet?".
„Huh? B-but...no. I'm not. This is a trick. Get away from me", I said, backing away a few steps through the dust. This wasn't real. I was dead. I shouldn't be here. What the fuck?
„Oh? You want me to come later and get you then?", Sull asked and tilted his head to the side.
„I'm-I'm-I am not-I don't believe you", I stammered and felt agony grip my chest. Way was I so unstable? I was usually in control.
„Don't believe what?", the shinigami replied and stared at my shaking figure. I was losing it. FUCK!
„WHAT THE FUCK DO YOU MEAN THAT I'M LIKE YOU?", I burst out, a little surprised at the hysteria in my voice.
„Wow, chill there, Kira. Maybe I shoul come back at another time, OK?", Sull said and started to turn.
„NO!", I yelled. Damn it, I had to get a hold of myself. Come on Light, you are good at this. „No...I'm sorry, I just-this is so new to me. Lets start over again. You were saying something about me being a-a shi-shinigam-mi?", I managed. Just breath, just breath. But for what? Way was I breathing. OK, don't think about that now. Later. Later.
„Uh, yes. You have become a shinigami", Sull said and raised one finger like ha was repeating something out of a textbook,"and are now to receive your own Death Note which you can use to expand your lifetime here in the Shinigami World and to kill others in other worlds", Sull said.
„But how can this be?", I asked, pacing back and forth. Neither Ryuk nor Ren had mentioned this. So every human that used the Death Note became a shinigami? Or was it only those who were killed by their own shinigami that became one? That must be it.
Sull was plucking at his potato sack, looking slightly bored. „Well,", he began,"when an individual has picked up a Death Note which a shinigami has dropped and has used it up to a certain level, he has crossed the barrier of physics. You see, no living thing should be able to tilt the stability of it's world so much as you have. And so, you will be eternally cursed. All shinigami were created this way", there came a slight pause. „I'm surpriced you didn't know of this", he finished.
I...I crossed the barrier of physics? That's possible?
„But I don't look anything like the other shinigami I've met. Does this mean I'll change in shape after a certain amount of time here?". I didn't say :after a certain amount time as a shinigami, because I wasn't ready to face that this might be the truth yet.
„That's because you're from the human world of course", Sull said with a shrug. „So...you're not?", I guessed. „Well, no", he snorted. „I'm a scrimsli for example, while Frost is an oged".
Everything he was saying could be true... there was nothing that suggested it couldn't fit. And with the universe so big there had to be other planets with intelligent creatures. But this also meant... „So ,you killed bad scrimslis until you broke the physics barrier too?", I asked.
„Uh, yes...and no", Sull answered. „I did take the lives of a many of my kind, but they weren't necessarily bad. I just killed them for the fun of it".
And I had thought Sull looked like someone that couldn't possibly do that. Then again, I didn't look scary or psycho either. Of course there was a difference though. I was doing Earth a favour because nobody else would have the guts. I had killed bad people. People that deserved it. I was Kira. I looked at Sull. He was looking at me.
„Prove it", I said. „Prove that I'm a shinigami".
„I can't just yet", he said and a grin crept over his flattened fave. „Way?", I shot back, eager to know the answer. If I was a shinigami, I wanted to go back to Earth and have my revenge. And then I felt hot rage flow through me. I wanted to find Near and kill him. I wanted to find Near and the others and kill them all, make them pay. Plus, I wanted to punch a hole through Ryuk.
„Because you haven't gotten your Notebook, eyes or wings yet. You'll get them in a minute", he sighed. „Can we get going now? This is a real drag".
„I'll get them just like that?". A smile flashed on my face.
„Wow, your eyes just got all dark", Sull commented. I didn't care.
„Take me where ever we need to go", I snapped and embraced myself to be dragged into a portal or something.
The sudden change in my attitude must have made Sull a little confused because his forehead wrinkled and I heard a hesitating „uhhh...sure...".
The next thing I knew, my surrounding had changed. Here and there, scattered through out the plain of gray dust, all the way to the mountains, were big round balls with some kind of holes in them. And around them were creatures, shinigamis, sitting, talking...gambling? They were all pretty ugly and some even looked dangerous. So all of them had used the Death Note to kill, and they had all broken the barrier of physics. Some of them were looking through the holes in the gray balls, and here and there I could see notebooks. Now, when would I be able to have my revenge?
Sull started walking with long strides so I had to almost run to keep up with him. Only few of the shinigami around us looked up, but none of them bothered to comment on us being there it seamed. I must say that I thought there were a lot more of them. Maybe hundred of thousands, but there weren't. If I had to guess, I'd say a couple hundred at the most. So even on other planets, only a handful of those who got the Death Notes would really use it to extreme.
„Sull, where are we going? And what are all those shinigami doing around here? Shouldn't they be in other worlds, handing out notebooks?", I asked and kicked up some dust. „We are going to meet Annar. He is second in command after Death. He is the one which hands out new notebooks, plus, gives a New One his powers", Sull replied. „The other shinigami you see,", he gestured around us,"way should they bother to get an extra notebook and then go to some other world only to give it to someone else, if they can stay here and do nothing", he finished off and gave me a sideways glance. But Ryuk had. Ren had. Sull answered with out me asking,"Of course there are some that prefer to do exactly that. But that, I don't understand. I like better to just hang around an do nothing...or gamble. That I had to get you and-oh, I almost forgot...". He stopped and I almost ran into him. Could I? Could I touch other shinigami if I was one? I'd better find out later.
„What is it?", I asked. My stomach was full of stones. Had there been some misunderstanding. Was he going to send me back?
„I forgot to tell you the rules. That's the reason Death called me to fetch you", he groaned and sighed. „Rules?", I asked and felt relieve flowed over me. I wasn't being sent back. „You see, a shinigami has limits to what he can use his notebook for and so on and so forth", Sull said, looking at the faraway mountains. „OK", was all I had to say to that. The faster he told me those rules, the faster I'd get back to the human world.
Sull cleared his throat."First of all, a shinigami can not use his or her notebook to kill another shinigami, since we are already dead. There have been tales about some shinigami dieing but I don't believe them. You can find any living things on any planet in any universe through those," he added and pointed at the nearest ball,"and kill them from here". „How?", I asked, suddenly very exited. „Every ball represents a planet with at least some lifeforms. The Earth ball is over there somewhere,"he pointed to our left. I thought they all looked the same. „You can use the Portal-Pits to go to every planet you want. But, you can not stay in that world for more than 82 hours without having given a Death Note to someone there. Since a god of death is not to own more than one Death Note, it is not forbidden but merely hard to get a second one, most of us stay here and some have never left the Shinigami Realm, ever", Sull said.
„Anything else?", I asked. „Mmm...no, not for the time being", Sull said and shrugged. Not true. I bet that Sull is just to lacy to tell me the rest. Doesn't matter. I know everything there is to know already. I am Kira. And I have used the Death Note to the fullest, uncovered all of it's secrets. The rule that states that a shinigami will die if he lengthens someones lifespan by killing another one, is generally not known to other shinigami. And some (Ryuk, Sull) know even less than they should after having used the Death Note so much. Or maybe they just used it without discovering all of it's secrets.
„Then shouldn't we get going? I bet this is a drag for you, having to see to me like this?", I asked in what I thought would seem like pity. „Uh, yeah", Sull said and started walking again. After a couple of minutes Sull and I stopped in front of a big, dark hole that went quite steeply down into the ground.
„OK then, this is as far as I go", Sull said and wings pread from his back. „I'm to go in there? Is this where Annar is?", I asked, ready to run down there. „Yup. Bye, Kira, see you later",and then he was off, flying through the smoky mist.
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