a/n: I was bumming around watching deathnote and this idea popped into my head. I don't think this has been done before so I thought I'd give it a shot. Hope you guys like it. I decided to write this to clear my recent writer's block for Inevitability and will still be continuing that as my main story though. I might also decide to continue this one if the reception is good enough. Well, on with the story then, happy reading.

Disclaimer: I own nothing and Akamatsu-sama is still the greatest of all time no matter how brilliant deathnote is.

Chapter 1: Boredom

He sits atop one of the many impossibly thin protrusions as he surveys the barren world around him. Nothing lives in the land of the shinigami. Not even the shinigami themselves could be considered alive. "No, not like this" he said to himself.

"Is this life?" the shinigami asked himself as he watched the sands shift with the blowing of the winds. "This can't be called living" the shinigami said to himself as he watched the small group of shinigami gathered beneath him. He tilted his head sideways as he watched their day to day activities. If they weren't sleeping they were either gambling or looking down at the human world looking for lives to take and add to their own. The observant shinigami didn't last a minute watching his friends.

He looked up at the perpetually dark sky as the breeze blew the numerous chains and spikes hanging from his black cloak. His pale, white skin was illuminated by moonlight as his bright red eyes glowed through his porcelain mask in the night. He was a shinigami and this is what shinigami do. He thought to himself as he stood straight from the crumbling tower he was sitting on. Two black wings sprouted from his back before he leaned forward and fell. He plummeted to the ground freely for a few seconds before he started to flap his black feathered wings and landed safely on the barren ground.

"Oy Abel, what'cha up to?" One of the shinigami asked as he got up from the ground, pieces of decaying skin peeling from his mostly fleshless face. Abel looked at him before asking: "Where's Ryuk?"

The shinigami looked amongst themselves and a couple shrugged their shoulders. "Haven't really seen him in a while" said the shinigami with a vulture's skull for a head as he tapped his enormous scythe against his shoulder in boredom. "Probably in the human world, he likes it there for some reason" said another with a cackle. "The apples there are good you know" another added.

Abel raised his eyebrow behind his porcelain mask as he turned away from the group and started to walk away. "Was it true that he dropped his deathnote in the human world? I heard some human picked it up" asked one of the shinigami who looked to be composed of golden, gem-laden bones.

"I guess. You know how that guy is, he'll do anything for kicks" said another with a deathly chuckle. "I don't understand him." said another as he rolled his dice. "He'll be screwed though if a human did. He'd have to stay there until the human either died, relinquished possession or the notebook got filled up" she said in pity while playing with her dreadlocks. "Hell of a mess that would make"

"Knowing Ryuk he'd love something like that"

"He's got two notebooks anyway so he shouldn't be in too much trouble"

Abel smiled beneath his mask as a slight chuckle escaped his usually stoic façade. "That's not too bad an idea" he said out loud, attracting the attention of the shinigami behind him. "You only got one deathnote Abel. You might wanna think twice first." Abel chuckled at this remark. "Anything's better than rotting in this dump" he said as he sprouted his wings again and took off into the infinitely black sky.

"Maybe I should pay him a visit" Abel thought to himself as a grin made its way to his porcelain masked face. "Maybe I will"

The shinigami around him sighed in unison. "He's right you know" said the golden boned shinigami. "He's just as crazy as Ryuk, that Abel" said another as he lay back down on the sand and made himself comfortable. "Can't blame those brothers though." Said the golden skeleton once more "Considering they were both different"

"Right" said the others in unison as they went back to their boring lives.

- Human World -

"Hey, what do you make of this Kira thing?" Kitsune asked as she was flipping through the channels and found the news displaying the latest information about the world's foremost serial killer in history. The Japanese had labeled him as Kira for killer as he had apparently wiped out a noticeable percentile of the world's most dangerous criminals both free and imprisoned.

All had died cleanly and seemingly of a natural heart attack but surely one would find it suspicious for some of these men to have dropped dead almost simultaneously while in the same prison.

"I don't know, some people say he's some sort of God passing divine judgement" Naru said as she took a seat beside Kitsune on the couch while flipping through her Kanji-English dictionary. "Seeing what's been happening I think they might be right" she said with a sigh as her attention was drawn by the television.

"Do you really think that would be possible Naru-sempai?" Shinobu asked in a slightly frightened tone. "Do you think that there really are some all powerful beings at work?" she asked again. Naru simply shrugged and sighed. "I don't know, maybe"

"Hey Motoko, you're the expert on these evil spirit things. Any ideas?" Kitsune asked the swordmistress who had just come down stairs from her training. The raven haired maiden wiped the sweat from her brow and took a look at the television. "I am just as baffled as you are" she said in a monotone voice. "Though I do believe something evil is at work, I cannot be certain." She said as she went to the kitchen for a drink.

"Well whatever it is, it sure made the crime rate drop" Kitsune said as she switched the channel to the horse race. "Alright, Go Daffodil! Momma needs her sake!" she cheered for her bet as they raced on the circular track. Naru sighed and got up as she headed for her room. "It's amazing how short her attention span is" she mentally noted. "One minute she asks about Kira and next she's cheering for her horse" Naru sighed inwardly as she accidentally bumped into someone in the hall.

"Ack! Gomen Narusegawa! I didn't see you, I-I…" the man said as he extended his arms out in defense of the punishment he knew was on its way. He felt strange that his palms were depressing two very soft pillows which unfortunately just happened to be Narusegawa's breasts. And even more unfortunate for Keitaro Urashima, he should've seen this coming.

A bloodcurdling scream of "pervert" echoed throughout the halls followed by several explosions rocking the inn. This meant that Keitaro had already drawn Motoko's attention and was presently blasting him with ki attacks. Even louder explosions and lights flashing from Hinata-sou's windows meant that he had Su's attention as well. A few minutes later and Hinata-sou would have a new skylight in all three floors as the landlord made his way through them and up into the stratosphere.

The ascent was always better than the descent since Kaitaro didn't have to yell for people to get out of the way of his flight path. It was at least less embarrassing that way. "Hinata woods again huh?" he said to himself as his destination came into focus through the cracked lenses of his geeky glasses. "Second fucking time today!" The 2 year ronin braced himself for impact as he collided with branches and leaves on his way down. He managed to get snagged on one of the branches which were thankfully only a few feet above ground. He wriggled himself loose and fell flat on his face with a loud thump on the solid ground.

He rolled himself on his back and looked up at the rays of sunlight which filtered through the gaps in the tree leaves. "What the hell did I do wrong?" he said as his bruises pained him with every move that he made. "I said sorry and she belts me out into the stratosphere" he said to himself through clenched teeth. "She wouldn't even listen to me!"

"It's not like I groped her on purpose!" He screamed mentally. "And why did Motoko and Su have to add up to the beating?!" He thought as anger polled inside his entire being. "They didn't even have anything to do with it!" He shut his eyes as his face was contorted in frustration. "Why do they keep ganging up on me?!"

"WHY?!" he screamed as loud as his lungs could, effectively silencing the chirping cicadas and chasing away all the birds within a 2 kilometer radius from their perches. "Sometimes I just want to-to…" He said through clenched teeth as he made a gripping gesture with his hands.

"Kill them?" someone whispered in his ear. "Yeah ki-" He said but paused as his eyes widened in shock at his own thoughts.

"No I don't want to-"

"Really?"

"What the hell?" Keitaro asked as he sat up and looked around him. There was no one else there. There was nothing around him except trees and rocks.

"You sure you don't want it just a little bit?" the voice asked again.

"Who the hell are you?!" Keitaro asked as he stood u, the pain from his injuries apparently gone.

"I think I heard you say yes a while ago"

Cold beads of sweat began to form at both his forehead and the back of his neck. He couldn't see it but he could feel it. He could sure as hell hear it. It was watching him whatever it was. Keitaro's thoughts went a mile a minute as his eyes darted from side to side, thinking he saw something blur past him. The tension in the air rose as he felt the presence grow stronger and stronger and stronger and stronger. He was literally shaking as he felt something cold run up his spine.

"Here's something to think about, Urashima Keitaro"

His mind went blank that instant. The 2 year ronin was about to break down but something hitting his head softly stopped his knees from buckling under his own weight. It fell softly on the ground facedown. It was small, rectangular and unmistakably black. He squinted and noticed a white imprint of a skull with wings stamped in the middle.

Keitaro bent down and picked it up. "A notebook?" He thought as he realized he was holding it backwards. He flipped it around and read the thin white letters which apparently looked like the notebook's title.

"Deathnote?" he said he read out loud as his face showed increasing signs of suspicion, interest and fear at the same time.

He flipped it open and was read the first page.

"The human whose name is written on this note shall die"

Keitaro froze and his eyes widened as his grip on the notebook loosened. It fell to the floor with a thump as he continued to contemplate what he just read. "Die from having your name written in here?" He thought. "Impossible"

"You gonna pick that up?" a deathly voice echoed behind him making him freeze in his tracks. Keitaro's hands were shaking as he heard the deep voice chuckle. He no longer had control of his own actions. His head turned as he caught the black cloth of the person's coat in his peripheral vision. A little more and he had already turned around completely. The figure stood at about 7 feet and was garbed in a tattered, chain bound cloak that reached the floor. A hood covered most of his head but from what Keitaro's mind could process, he was wearing a porcelain mask of some sort. Two bright red eyes burned through the holes of the mask and through his very being as the shinigami stared at him.

"Greetings Urashima Keitaro"

"I am Abel and I am a shinigami" he said as he leaned his face in closer. Keitaro fell flat on his rear end as the shinigami leaned in towards him. "I've been watching you Urashima Keitaro" The shinigami said calmly as he pointed his finger towards Keitaro's forehead. "I've seen how you've been treated like dirt" he continued. "And I'm here to help"

"A-a-are you going to k-k-kill me?" Keitaro managed to squeak out making the shinigami tilt his head. "I can't do that" he said simply. "Not yet" he added with a hoarse chuckle. "You have possession of my notebook" Abel said with his usual invisible smile while pointing to the black notebook on the ground.

"I have-" Keitaro asked but Abel nodded before he could finish. "It's yours the moment you touched it" the shinigami explained. "And it does exactly what is says it does"

Keitaro froze in fear as he remembered the first thing he read in the notebook. "The human whose name is written in this notebook shall die" Abel reiterated for him. "There are more rules there, I suggest you read them before you use it"

"I'M NOT USING IT!" Keitaro blurted out. "I'M NEVER GOING TO USE IT!" he repeated with emphasis. Abel tilted his head to the side and chuckled. "Is that so?" he asked quite happily. "Well that's no fun" he said as he picked up the deathnote and handed it to Keitaro.

"Do you think killing people is fun?!" Keitaro demanded as he stood up with his fists clenched and shaking. "No, it's boring if you're in my line of work" Abel said as he flipped through the notebook. "But in you're case…"

"It'll always be an option for you now" Abel said with a hearty laugh as he tossed Keitaro the deathnote. Kaitaro looked at him in astonishment. "What the hell do you mean?!" he demanded. Abel tilted his head and stared at the young man in front of him. "You have very long to live" Abel said as his eyes shone. "I can see your lifespan with my eyes" he explained.

"And as long as you live, the deathnote is yours and I will be forced to stay by your side until it's either filled or you're dead" Abel said with another hoarse chuckle. He intentionally left out the part of denouncing ownership of the deathnote. Keitaro's blood froze. He looked down at the notebook in his hand then back up at the towering stranger in front of him. The shinigami laughed heartily as Keitaro stood speechless.

"So I'm stuck with this guy until I die or kill enough people to fill this notebook?" Keitaro thought as a chill ran up his spine.

He didn't want this. He never expected this. He was given so much power in such a short span of time. It literally fell from the sky and hit him on the head. The power to take lives just like "that" was now his. So many thoughts ambushed him at once. Thoughts of all those rejections of the past, all the beatings, failures and agonies he had to endure at the hands of others. He could give himself the justice he was never given the chance to seek. He trembled as he realized his hands were slowly opening the notebook.

Justice?

Was it justice he sought? Was this finally his means of righting the wrongs others made against him? It had the power to do so. He only needed to harness it. Would he? Could he? Or is this notebook just an excuse? An excuse for payback maybe? Revenge.

Revenge?

His hands shook as the thoughts flooded his mind. The darkness of his own thoughts scared him. He stared at the deathnote then back up at the shinigami named Abel.

"What are you going to do now Urashima Keitaro?" Abel teased as his eyes lit up with a fiendish glow.

To be continued? Maybe…

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