A/N: I have no justification for this beyond wanting to see if I could, and now that I've done the first chapter of the manga, I kind of want to do the other 107 chapters. Fellow Shakespeare nerds will notice one or two direct callouts to the Bard's more famous lines in here...


PROLOGUE:

Two beings both alike in boredom sit
At the commencement of our mise-en-scene:
The one a student of surpassing wit,
The next a creature beyond mortal ken.

Each casts upon the world a cynic's gaze
From schoolroom desk or Shinigami Realm,
Unlike in all but for their shared malaise—
Unlike in all, but likewise underwhelmed.

Yet the fell instrument of their relief,
Uniting them in cause and amity,
Will set the two upon a path of grief
And on the world unleash calamity.

The tale of which, if you would hear the end,
We pray you now with patient ears attend.


ACT I, SCENE I

RYUK:

Five days have passed since my intrigues began
Yet here I sit, whiling the time away,
Watching these dull and uninspired fools
Play games of chance. Well, 'tis my turn to play
And I shall hazard more than dusty bones.
I'll dice with men; and though my furtive cast
Fall where it may, I'll see the matter through.
For these companions bore me, every one,
And I have grown so weary of this place.

GOOK:

Good Deridovely, cast the bones, I pray.

DERIDOVELY:

'Tis double deaths-heads. I have won again.

RYUK:

Good gentlemen, I take my leave of you.
The time has come.

DERIDOVELY:

The time for what, Ryuk?
Where would you go?

GOOK:

Anywhere else but here
Is just as barren, gray, and desolate.

RYUK:

It may be so. I've something to retrieve.
The notebook that I carry with me here
Has dropped.

GOOK:

Oho, you've gone and done it now!
I heard you have a second; is it true?
A second notebook, hidden from our king—
And have you lost them both? Oh, fool of fools!

DERIDOVELY:

A grave mishap, yet an amusing one.
Have you a notion where it fell, Ryuk?

RYUK:

Indeed. It fell upon the human world.

GOOK:

The human world?

DERIDOVELY:

Ryuk, what jest is this?
You cannot mean it.

[Exit Ryuk]

GOOK:

I daresay he does.
A shinigami in the human world!
These are strange times.

DERIDOVELY:

Strange times indeed, my friend,
But it concerns us not. Pass me the bowl.
Let Ryuk play his games, and we'll play ours.
We don't need him around to pass the hours.

[Exit Gook and Deridovely]


ACT I, SCENE II

LIGHT:

As I sat looking out upon the lawn
I could not help but see a notebook fall
Like Icarus, out of a sunlit sky—
And here it is. Did no one else observe
This riveting and most peculiar sight?
So does it seem. Well, I'll investigate.

[Light picks up the notebook]

"Death Note?" What does that dire name portend?
I'll glance inside. Ah, 'tis in English, then?
That is no barrier I cannot surmount.
These do appear to be instructions here
And call this the possession of a god.
A god of death? Such things do not exist.
"The man whose name is written in this book
Shall surely die." This is a childish jest;
In low and beggared taste. And yet, perhaps
It would not hurt take a closer look.
There's something curious about this book.

[Exit Light]


ACT I, SCENE III

LIGHT:

The more I read, the book grows stranger still!
This prank is low indeed, but well-defined.
"A name alone does not suffice to kill
Unless the writer holds the face in mind
Of the intended victim. Cause of death
In twoscore seconds must be fully writ
Or else this book will stop his heart and breath
In one fell swoop, and make an end of it.
You may write details of the chosen end
After the cause, within this timely sum:
Six minutes twoscore. Then what you have penned
Will be irrevocable; it shall come."
So kill with speed, or prolong agony—
Oh, what a fiendish game these rules would be!
All right, I'll play.

[Light picks up a pen]

Soft, let me think on it.
If this were true, and someone were to die,
Then I, like sevenfold avenged Cain,
Would be to blame. Aye, but a murderer?
Not so. Ne'er so. Uneasy thoughts, begone!
I'll chose a stranger, to be safer still,
Yet one whose fall I can at once confirm
Should it prove true. Oh, what a fool am I
To treat a jest with such solemnity!

[Light turns on the television]

ANNOUNCER:

Ah woe, most cursed news from Shinjuku!
The fiendish killer who but yesterday
Did prey on six—some wounded, others killed—
Has taken hostages within a school
And barred the doors. We have the villain's name.
He is Kurou Otoharada, and—

LIGHT:

I need no more, for there his picture is.
Kurou Otoharada, meet your doom!
And now to count the time.

ANNOUNCER:

The scene is still;
Like statues planted 'round the stricken school,
Police in silence wait, holding their breath,
But dare not interfere.

LIGHT:

Ah, there's the rub.
Otoharada lives; the book is false.
I knew it to be so.

ANNOUNCER:

Hold on, what's this?
Eight people have emerged. They seem unharmed.
Already now police are charging in!

LIGHT:

Oh, can it be?

ANNOUNCER:

I cannot say how it has come to pass
Or by what stroke of Providence it came
But now I can confirm—oh, happy day!
The villain is deceased. The witnesses
All say Otoharada did collapse
Quite suddenly, for reasons yet unknown.
The man is dead.

LIGHT:

Alas, so it is true!
And I, poor fool, am now a murderer!
No, not for sure. I must not panic yet.
Coincidences happen every day;
This may be one.

[Enter Sachiko]

SACHIKO:

Oh, Light, my child, what's this?
Still dawdling here, and you with class tonight?
For shame.

LIGHT:

I will be leaving presently.
I'll pack my things, and then be on my way.

[Exit Sachiko]

I'll test the matter presently, on one
Whom no one would reproach me for his death.
A criminal, some villain little-known
And lesser loved would be the surest course.
For if I chose some famed, notorious brute,
His time of death might never be released
And I must surely know. Begone, my fears!
I must have proof less dubious than this.
Be calm, my heart, lest they see aught amiss.

[Exit Light]


ACT I, SCENE IV

SUDOU:

What, ho, Ryo!

RYO:

What would you have of me?

SUDOU:

My wallet's thin.

RYO:

Alack, Sudou, again?

SUDOU:

Aye, truly. I daresay you will assist—
Two thousand yen would do it.

RYO:

Here it is.
And when will you repay me?

SUDOU:

What, repay?
And why should I do that? Ah, my good friends,
We'll have good sport tonight. My wallet's flush.

LIGHT:

Now there stands one who might deserve to die.
And shall I send him to it? I dare not.
He is of my acquaintance, and I fear
Detection, should I risk it. Soft, am I
Too cringing in my fears? A boy like that
Would scarce be missed by any.

TEACHER:

Light, attend!
You are our chiefest pupil and our pride,
Of higher rank than any in your class
Across the vasty fullness of Japan.
And are you dreaming now? For shame, for shame!

LIGHT:

Apologies, good sir. I do avow,
My thoughts had wandered; I am focused now.


ACT I, SCENE V

LIGHT:

Oh, what a base and peasant world this is!
The thought is new but unavoidable.
For as I stand in judgment, all I see
Are insignificant or wicked souls
Whose lives the world would neither mourn nor miss.

[Enter Takuo and two Bikers]

TAKUO:

Ho, maiden, stop! You are a pretty thing,
Let's have a pretty time. What say you, girl?

BIKER 1:

Good taste, well chosen!

TAKUO:

Don't be shy.
Takuo Shibuimaru is my name,
Or else Shibuitaku, that's for short.

BIKER 2:

His favorite line again.

BIKER 1:

It is his name.
He may as well employ it.

GIRL:

I think not.

TAKUO:

Think not? What's this?

BIKER 2:

Now there's a laugh for you.
The girl thinks not!

LIGHT:

Now there's a perfect test.
"Takuo Shibuimaru meets his doom
In traffic," or disproves the matter plain.
Now to observe.

[Exit Girl]

BIKER 2:

Look, Taku, there she goes!

TAKUO:

I'll see to that. I have a pair of wheels;
She won't get far.

BIKER 1:

Oh, saints preserve us, look!

[Exit Takuo. A crash.]

LIGHT:

Oh, saints, indeed! And is he truly dead
As I described? Why then, the book is real,
And I shall bear the blame.

BIKER 2:

Let us be gone.
His folly's led him to an early bier;
We would be fools as well to linger here.

[Exit Bikers]

LIGHT:

Oh, my offense is rank; I am undone!
And have I slaughtered two? Oh, help! Not two!
The first one was a service, I avow,
For killing him protected many lives,
But now a second? That I cannot claim
Was justified, for nothing that he did
Within my sight would merit such a death.
And yet—
This world is rotten, so I have observed;
The stench of it offends me to the core.
This book may be the knife to pare away
The fouler bits, and so the rest preserve.
Yet dare I try? See, I have killed two men
And how my hands now tremble at the thought!
'Tis bitter work, and hard. Perhaps I can't.
But dare I turn away? My life, my soul—
Such little, trifling things to trade away
If it would gain the world. Aye, someone must!
And I am made of sharper, stronger steel
Than any man I could entrust the task.
So it is mine. It must be mine alone.
There's none but I who could fulfill this role;
I'll use the book, and make this cracked world whole.

[Exit Light]


ACT I, SCENE VI

LIGHT:

Good mother, I am home.

SACHIKO:

Ah, could that be
My dearest son? Have you the test results?

LIGHT:

Here in my hand. Take them—you will be pleased.

SACHIKO:

What, are you first again? 'Tis quite the feat!
These tests are nationwide.

LIGHT:

Ay, so they are.
Leave me in peace a while, mother dear.
I wish to study further.

SACHIKO:

Yes, of course.
If there is aught you want, just say the word
And you shall have it.

LIGHT:

Thank you, you are kind.
I want for nothing; put your heart at ease.

[Exit Sachiko]

Five days it's been, and seems a longer span,
Since I received this Death Note from the sky
And with it the desires of my heart.
Just say the word? What need have I of that?
I have already all that I could want.

[Enter Ryuk]

RYUK:

You seem to have enjoyed it, heh.

LIGHT:

My God!
What hellish sight is this?

RYUK:

Are you surprised?
That notebook that you cherish as your own,
And clearly have discerned the nature of—
I am the one who dropped it to the earth.
I am a shinigami, god of death,
And I am called Ryuk.

LIGHT:

A god of death?
Ah, then, 'tis no surprise. I knew you'd come.

RYUK:

Heh, is that so?

LIGHT:

'Tis kind of you to come.
I did not doubt the notebook's provenance,
Yet when I see a god before me now
I know the truth with greater certainty,
And I have questions too. I pray you, look.

RYUK:

I am indeed amazed! So many names
And in so short a time? A wondrous feat!
I have heard tales of books in human hands
A time or two ere this, but never so.
Most men would be too frightened.

LIGHT:

I am not.
I knew a god of death controlled the book
And used it nonetheless. I am prepared.
If you would take my soul now you are here,
I won't protest.

RYUK:

What fantasy is this?
Such human tales. I will not harm you, no.
The notebook's yours; so has it truly been
Since it touched Gaea's soil.

LIGHT:

It is mine?

RYUK:

Until you pass it on, the book is yours.
But if you shed its ownership, beware:
I'll wipe away all memory of it
Like sponge upon a slate. But until then
The notebook binds us both, for it was mine.
My visage can be seen by you alone,
And only you can hear me.

LIGHT:

Can it be
The notebook has no price?

RYUK:

No price for now.
But there are countless tortures and alarms
Which only those who use the notebook know.
And when your fleeting life is at an end—
For I still have a notebook of my own,
And as we two are bound, it falls to me
To write your name myself, when you expire—
The gates of hell nor heaven will not yield
And open unto any like yourself.
But that's a lesson only death will teach;
For now, there is no price.

LIGHT:

One question more.
Of all the mortals here beneath the sky,
How am I now the chosen and elect?

RYUK:

The chosen? What a flattering idea.
I let the notebook fall; no more no less.
Oho, the chosen? Do you think yourself
A Socrates, some jewel of humankind
More brilliant than the rest? 'Twas luck, no more;
It fell nearby, and you recovered it.
The proof is the instructions, which I wrote
In the most common tongue of humankind
And not your native tongue. I did not choose.

LIGHT:

But why then would you drop the book at all?
Those same instructions which you wrote inside
Prove something else as well: 'twas no mistake.
You wanted it to fall.

RYUK:

Aye, so it is.
The truth is, I was bored. Does it sound strange?
Even a god of death must feel alive,
And I did not. My kind grow indolent.
They doze or play at lots, neglecting all
The duties we once served, and mock at those
Who yet uphold them. "Such a foolish drudge!
Why work so hard?" they ask, with no reply.
I cannot kill them, howso'er I try;
The notebook is for mortal lives alone.
Yet where we sit, above the earthly fray,
The deaths of humans are remote and small.
So I've descended for diversion's sake—
And you have made me quite a spectacle.

LIGHT:

I can relate, for I was bored as well.
I must admit, the notebook seemed at first
A foolish prank of no real consequence.
But now I see it has some darker art
Than I can fathom, which compels the man
Who finds it to make use of it, at least
One time, as it did me.

RYUK:

Compelled, you say?

LIGHT:

My dreams have not been pleasant, I admit,
Nor has my appetite been what it was.
My doubts have made me gaunt and baggy-eyed,
But 'tis no matter now. My work is all.
At present, I have written down the names
Of brutal malefactors near and wide,
The worst in all the world. Within this room
I've everything I need: the constant news,
The internet laid open to my will.

RYUK:

I see, I see. Yet now I wonder why
In all these names, I see a cause of death
But once. Not worth the effort?

LIGHT:

No, not that.
Whene'er no cause is given, it defaults
To heart attack—a swift, distinctive death.
The most notorious felons in the world
Have perished in this manner, every one.
And lesser beasts of their same murd'rous flock
Have now begin to fall of selfsame cause.
No man, whate'er his folly, will not see
The pattern that they augur: evil falls
By goodness' hand. The world will know I come
To purge it, and will turn away from crime
Lest they be judged as well. And when mankind
Is lawful, then shall my attentions turn
To lesser immoralities than crime.
Then all shall shed their rash or lazy ways
Like serpents' skins, or perish by my hand.
The good shall wholly populate the earth;
The bad shall be no more.

RYUK:

Heh, every one?
Why then, it seems the only evil left
Will be your own.

LIGHT:

How now, what do you mean?
I am a model student, straight and true,
A paragon of virtue for my age.
And when my new world order bears sweet fruit,
Then I shall be its god!

RYUK:

A god indeed!
I'll call my wager won, for now I see
'Tis true enough: what fun these mortals be!


ACT I, SCENE VII

INTERPOL:

This is a strange occurrence, at the least.
Full fifty deaths this week we can confirm,
And all of those by cardiac arrest.
Arrested, aye indeed, for every one
A fugitive or felon behind bars—
And many wanted men may yet be found
And raise the horrid count. One hundred, more—

L:

And so the champions of law begin
To stir at last. I cannot but approve.
Their aid may prove an expeditious prop
To solve the case, and see the killings stop.