Rin had been ignored her whole life. Bullied from pre-school to high school (where she is now) by people from acquaintances to neighbours. She started high school miserably, no longer bullied but ignored instead, which was even worse. She had no one to call friend.

Because she was alone and had plenty of spare time, she excelled at school. She seemed to be a ghost to many peers- always there but never really present. Of course, her pale skin and dull grey eyes added to this theory.

Rin, from a very young age had developed a strong hatred for people. And even more so since her fateful encounter with a god of death.

It was a rainy day; the type of day that fits Rin's personality and looks perfectly.

She was standing outside of her mother's store in the rain clutching a dull grey umbrella. A black note book lay on the welcome mat. Rin stared at it for several seconds before picking it up. It had white Japanese characters written on it in scrawled, messy handwriting.

She glanced at it again before placing it gently in her bag. She shook her umbrella then put it in the umbrella stand. Rin went inside the store.

"Hello Rin, how are you?"

She turned around to find a humanoid monster with honey coloured hair.

"Excuse me sir, but I do not know who you are. Would you care to inform me?" she asked, hanging her bag on a hook.

The monster chuckled hoarsely. "My name was Light. I was a human… Once."

"Well then. Good afternoon, Light. May I interest you in some tea?"

"Sure. The last tea I had was many years ago, heh heh heh!" The monster named Light chuckled.

Rin stood up and walked to the back room. An electronic clock chimed.

"It's four-forty, April 4, 2044."

"So many deaths in one sentence!" Light laughed again as Rin placed tea in front of him.

(shi- or four in japanese means death)

"Speaking of death, Rin, I do believe you have something of mine."

"Oh, the note book? My apologies."

She walked to her bag and slid the note book out.

"May I ask you a question, sir?" Rin said as she handed the note book back to him.

"Certainly!" the monster replied.

"Please pardon my asking, but are you a shinigami? And how did you know my name?"

"That's two questions heh heh. And you are entirely right. I am a shinigami- a god of death. I can see your life span and name with my shinigami eyes."

Rin paused for a moment. "I am honoured to have met you, Mister death God." She said as she half bowed gracefully.

"Heh heh heh," he chuckled, "I like you. You're amusing. Now I understand Ryuk. Normally people would have screamed and ran when they saw a monster, and even more so when they find I'm a shinigami. You're a very calm and placid human, aren't you?" he chuckled again.

"Here," he said, handing her the death note. "Keep this and take good care of it. I will always be watching you."

And with that statement, Light flapped his leather wings and disappeared.

Rin picked up the deathnote. Two rules drew her eye.

-The human whose name is written in this note shall die.

-if the cause of the death of written within 40 seconds of writing the person's name it will happen.

She was not shocked or disgusted by this note book. Instead she picked up a pen.

"Hello, Rin dear!" a voice called. A beautiful, elegant woman that resembled an older Rin, full of life, walked to where Rin was sitting at a low table. The woman's beautiful face turned into an expression of pure rage.

"Rin! Why are you not working?! You were to clean and do as I tell you!"

"No, mother. I don't want to."

"You worthless piece of shit! You do as I tell you!"

"Not anymore." Rin said, writing in the note book.

"Pay attention to me when I'm talking to you!"

The human whose name is written in the note shall die.

….30, 29, 28….

"ANSWER ME!" the woman cried, slapping Rin across face, the red mark accentuated by her pale skin.

…10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, ….

Rin's mother's eyes opened wide in shock and fear as her own hands closed around her neck.

"Rin-" she coughed as her hands closed tighter around her throat.

"No! Rin, Help me!" She screamed. "Help..." she spluttered as she finally stopped moving, her glassy, unmoving eyes still wide open with fear, with Rin's face burned on her retinas.

Rin picked up the death note and walked past her mother's dead body, picking up her bag and leaving the store for the last time.

"Heh heh. Humans are very interesting…"