Death Note: KIRA Game
Summary: The Death Note fell into the hands of Light Yagami, what resulted was an epic venture of mind games and justified slaughter. However, had the Note been picked up by someone other than this egocentric honour student could the interaction of these chosen few really have been avoided? Or would they have come together regardless, albeit through different circumstances?
Chapter One
The world of the Death Gods is a dying one. There isn't a space for a foot to step that hasn't withered, not a plant that hasn't long since choked from the rancid toxin that is the air, no place for the eyes to wander that wasn't desolated beyond rebirth.
The Death Gods world is a dying one, and while those who inhabit it are not dying, neither do they have a life to live.
"This world is rotting." The lips of a corpse many a thousand years young broke a long silence they had held for several, immeasurable nights. The Death God known as Ryuk was perched on a curdled rock that overlooked a great distance into the seemingly endless land of the dead. Blank staring yellow eyes, proportioned at angles mutated from that of any human, had watched over that same segment of this hell for a great space of time. These rare words trapped the attention of another pair of unearthly creatures that were crouched in the dust and dirt. These two beasts were brethren in death, yet another couple of Godly demons with nothing better to do with their limitless time than sleep in the filth and gamble away the worthless bones and rotting sticks that lay scattered throughout their homely wasteland. The smaller of the two idle creatures cracked its ancient neck away from the roughly carved bowl settled firmly in the dirt. Inside the chipped pottery two decayed skulls, unlike those of any known animal, lay toppled on their sides; the burlier of the beasts had won the pot, however few Death Gods ever played by any recognised rules, so it was very difficult for any gamblers to recognise whether they had won or lost. Not that it meant anything in a world with nothing worth winning and nothing to fear losing.
"Hey, Ryuk, how bout hanging with us for a change?" A Death God easily distinguishable from Ryuk, the skull of this monster seemed disproportionate, that of a sizable crocodile like beast, that seemed if anything to be a part of the Gods physical body, clicked its rustic jaw as it addressed the lone reaper.
The Death God known as Ryuk didn't so much as divert his attention from the landscape, the depth of his thought windowed by the unblinking stare. Ryuk bore no animalistic similarities; however even with his slight human resemblance there were certain grotesque features that made him quite a terrifying sight to behold: beyond the grim stare of the perfectly rounded zombie eyes, sharp and yellow, the mouth of the beast was something equally as unsightly. Though his mouth itself was no larger than that of an equivalent sized human the corners of his mouth were curved rigidly into a haunting smile, and his mouth hung open like that of a ghoul without a single breath passing through the colourless etched lips.
"I'll pass." The thoughtless echo of these two words were the only thing to cause any stir on the creatures facial expression; What should have been his face however appeared similar to that of a long deceased cadaver, and was attached to his chest by grisly stitches close to the base of his neck; this lighter toned skin appeared something similar to a mask fashioned from a human face- however the light blue skin tone suggested if this was not in fact Ryuks' natural flesh it was not taken by anything mortal.
The only response was a slight chuckle from Ryuk's unwelcome company, followed by the rattle of bone chips into the gamblers bowl as they began a new round.
"So typical of you Ryuk," The first of the bored gaming Gods shook the fleshless skull on his head as the second, this one resembling something more of a mythical horse demon, picked two skulls and a rock from the bowl, "why not try acting like a Death God for a change?"
This statement caught the lone Ryuk's attention though he deliberately made a show of seeming just as uninterested.
"Since when did a Death God lounge around and gamble away their lives on futile games?" Ryuk couldn't help bearing a slight smirk despite himself.
"You have to stay with the times- This is what a Death God is." Was the only argument; Ryuk hadn't expected any more from such lazy reapers. With his eyes undeterred from the desolate plains surrounding them, Ryuk was beginning to understand the true extent that the presence of death had within the worlds of such Gods. It was bad enough in the world of the Shinigami that the earth itself was spoiling, dying away, but now so were those trying to exist within it.
"This world…is rotting."
"Slowly but surely…it's rotting…" The mumbled tone was swept off by the building winds as the words of a young man were drowned out by the rain. Ryu Kuro stood motionless, his head turned up into the path of the downpour. Fine champagne coloured hair, usually framed around chin length in a dynamic cut, clung effortlessly to the side of his face, seemingly losing its usual creamy golden tinge.
The words reflected his thoughts, glaring into the heavens he had not expected them to fall onto any ears- after all, there were very few people prone to seeking safe haven on a University rooftop, let alone in such a relentless rain. Casting down his sight Ryu faced the pool of rainwater parading around his leather shoes, his olive grey university uniform weighed down greatly by the water and his fringe drooping as low as his nose with a steady stream dripping from his sharp chin. "So are the people in it…"
His blazer had long since soaked into a deep, murky grit tone and the skies overhead were not so indifferent, there seemed to be little colour in anything anymore; even the dense woodlands framing the vast grounds seemed monotone. In a blank stride Ryu had made his way to the wide edge of the building, looking down from the rooftop one would marvel at the complex mosaic that was the primary front courtyard. Standing at this ledge even Ryu, who had been attending at the university a good few months already, could not identify so much as the ground through the rain.
Casting his head once more to the heavens the fair haired young man brushed aside the pestilent drops hanging from his cheek and pushed his creamy silver locks into place as a slight flicker through the mists caught in his steel blue eyes. A flicker, then a flutter, the sound of rattling pages lost against the rhythm of the rainfall. There, snagged against the ledge of an English University rooftop in a prolonged downpour, a black bounded book shuddered, with pages flicking in persistent winds.
To find something as common as a book on school grounds could hardly be considered unusual, and yet even to find it in such a place that pupils would rarely tread- a discarded notebook would never draw much attention. This time however, it was Ryu who had come across it, and Ryu Kuro was never one to overlook detail- he had often believed himself to be sharper, more focused, than any of the other students that attended at his university. This though, was seen as more an ego than genius.
Not only was his inquisitive nature tempting him justly, the mere presence of the forgotten book seemed to be calling, not just out to him, but to anyone. The notebook was caught against the ledge, trapped in waves of rain, and as strange as it seemed, it was as though the notebook was searching out for someone, anyone, to find it.
"Sometimes I worry for my sanity." Kuro thought to himself, such strange speculations on a misplaced notebook. Raising his hand to scratch an irritation above his left ear Ryu realised the spot stung quite savagely on contact, lowering his hand once more he noticed blood washing off his fingers and running down across his hand.
Ryu's vacant expression backfired, his brow contorted and the slender white eyebrows speared down into a mirthless scowl; even his eyes seemed to fracture a shade further into stone as a few animalistic fangs perked through the corner of his mouth. With a less than valiant outcry Kuro clenched an object he had kept cradled in his right hand, gripping the side of his head with the other hand he made action as though to throw the trinket off the edge of the building- however before he was able to hurl the object his hand slowed, his frown softened, and even his body limped slightly. The usually proud young man appeared rather pathetic, surrendering to his own senses as he weakened his rage in a heavy downpour with only the grey cloak of a dreary world consuming all that surrounded him. Ryu's arms dropped to his sides, he squeezed the object in his hand while the blood from a sharp wound above his ear mingled like dye with his colourless sodden hair. In his still tightened fist, glimmering even in such misery through the gaps in his slender fingers, a silver pendant, portraying in the shape of a gloriously decaled heart.
It had been no sooner than that very morning when the University doors were opened, or in the case of Ryu Kuro that afternoon while everyone else was out on lunch, that the final steps began, the last pieces moved into place, and the end had begun.
No sooner had the clock in the main hall chimed to one than a rather drenched, silver cream haired young man backed in through the wide double doors, forcing them open while holding his book bag, which was considerably lighter than most students, above his head to keep the rain from soiling his carefully sculpted hairstyle. With his feet trailing puddles across the broad oak flooring of the lower halls Ryu made his way to the east staircase, a great set of expensive oak stairs that curved up in great arcs on either side of the hall, taking its worthwhile students up into the higher levels and leading to the upper corridors. Checking his hair on the way up the stairs in one of the large arching windows positioned on either side of the hall Kuro found it satisfactory; however with his eyes diverted he hadn't noticed an incoming obstacle soaring down the great staircase in his direction- the sound of racing heels should have tipped him off.
"Kuro-Chan!" This was a much a warning as the unsuspecting teenager received before having his left shoulder embraced and almost toppling side on back down to the lower floors. This was not a greeting Ryu was unfamiliar with, but when you enter such a high standing university, a good number of hours behind any appropriate 'late' time, nerves tend to be somewhat on edge- Kuro however was not unaccustomed to these warnings, but being hugged without prior notice was still rather surprising.
"Damn Suka, next time grant me a warning!" Turning his back to the window he raised a snide smile and pushed back a few loose hairs from across his forehead, "and watch the hair." He added, receiving a broad smile from the young lady latched upon his shoulder.
Suka Magaru. To Ryu she was the girl next door, and had been for the past three years or so, and no matter what had become of Ryu he always found he was able to count on her to stick with him; regardless of his usual barrier towards these people, he had at least found someone worth keeping in company.
"Oh come on, you look so cute with morning hair Kuro-Chan." With this the fair girl swept a hand through his hair and brushed it through her fingers, rustling his perfectly modelled hairstyle for the day. Considering students in England rarely referred to one another using Japanese titles such as 'Chan' it was a common ground shared only by Suka and himself, both having transferred there- but Suka having arrived a year ahead of him, albeit through entirely different circumstances. "I've never known a guy to work so hard on his hair!" From anyone else such a claim could be considered insulting to the male ego, regardless of how true, but Ryu was willing to let it slide.
"I have to keep up appearances after all." Giving Suka a warm smile only she was familiar with the self-righteous student pushed back his mane into a rather outrageous style and gave his companion a thumbs up, summoning a few giggles from her before they began ascending the stairs to the higher hall. The conversation between the two often revolved in its usual loop: the news of the day, the events before school, Ryu's plan to smuggle his way into lessons without being noticed- today however there was more to discuss, as Suka had only the previous night returned from a weekend vacation to see her family home in Saitama, in the Kanto region of Japan.
Ryu could see the trip had done her much good, lately Suka had been dragging about with no presence of her usual spring, which was something that Ryu had come to love in her. Even her eyes showed burden, but when he glanced onto them now the familiar shimmer had returned to her bright chocolate eyes.
"Haven't seen them in a while, have you?" Ryu was aware the last two scheduled visits had been cancelled due to family issues on her parent's end, so he was relieved she was able to make the trip this time.
"It has been a long time, but that made the trip all the better, I suppose." The entire time she was speaking Suka had been rummaging through her bag, the most essential piece of equipment that she carried on her regardless of occasion, and it was no real mystery to her arrogant chum as to why.
"Please tell me you didn't bring me a present." This was merely an empty request, Suka had always brought something back for him whenever she went anywhere- it was all part of being best friends with someone who couldn't keep their grip on money.
"Aren't we full of ourselves?" She stuck her tongue out at him, retrieving a palm sized black box from her bag. By now they had been loitering at the height of the staircase longer than usual, but the earlier Kuro tried to make it into class the more likely he would be noticed and have to endure the usual barrage of warnings and accusations.
"I knew you loved me." Ryu chuckled. The gift was decorated with a clean white ribbon that wrapped around the box, black and white- very suitable in its own way.
The ribbon was rich snow colour; no doubt Suka had chosen this accessory while thinking of Ryu's uncommon hair colour. Ryu however saw something greater in the contrast. His relationship with his closest friend had been very much black and white for a small yet influential period of time.
"Let me guess, it's a Ferrari." The young mans common sarcastic tone Suka gave a cheeky grin as Ryu slipped off the ribbon and brushed his fingers across the textured box, there wasn't much anyone could buy for a person like Ryu Kuro, so his curiosity was more or less peaked at this point. "Thanks hun." He added with a light grin.
Drawing back the sliding lid of the simple box Ryu became unsure exactly how to react, within its black as midnight holster, nestled over a crinkled blanket of soft white velvet, a beautiful heart of pure silver on a white golden chain. Such an extravagant gesture he hadn't been expecting- and after a moment Ryu realised he was standing dumb, Suka was tilting her head slightly with a smirk trying to mine out the surprise in his face, her light hazel hair dropping to one side from its usual shoulder length. Despite being but a few inches shorter than him she seemed to find it cute to lean in, looking up at the luxurious haired teen with a predictable giggle. Her expression was amused to say the least; she took pride on the rare occasions she managed to leave Kuro without words.
"Don't read too much into it Kuro-Chan," Suka gave Ryu a sly poke on the nose, "I've had that since I was like, six years old." This didn't do much to explain the expensive gift. Ryu lifted the pendant in his fingers carefully and watched the feeble light from the grand windows reflect off the shined silver- clearly the treasure had been recently cleaned before he received it. Casting up a perplexed stare Suka smiled and fixed the collar of his shirt, he hadn't even noticed it was askew.
"You're giving me this?" It had to be said, even for someone with such warm-hearted reputation, such a sentimental gift took Ryu by surprise. Realising his stupefied expression was giving him away Ryu abruptly regained his usual cocky posture, lifting the shimmering pendant before his eyes- A glorious gift, such an unexpected gesture.
"I'd forgotten all about it, to be honest I don't even remember who gave it to me, but when I found it in my old room…I guess it reminded me of you."
The corners of Ryu's mouth perked up into a smirk. A few teeth, pearl and sharp, glint out from the involuntary smile. It was strange, the last thing Ryu felt like doing was smiling- and yet it came. He was not smiling over the memory of Suka's kind words; his grin was of something more malice, as well as the sickening sensation in his stomach. For her to say such a thing in their situation was inappropriate, even insulting. Ryu allowed his fingers to stride up along his neck, a trail of blood running across his hand. Holding this hand before him he let the rain wash it away. If only the rain could wash it all away.
Outside the library doors, among the vintage styled corridors of the proud school, Ryu couldn't help think that the antique look of the great oak floors and high ceilings would have been pretty cool…if only it was on purpose instead of just being old.
"Welcome back to the eighteen hundreds love." Suka already had her hand on the rustic door and gave Ryu a brief smile, in truth she hadn't exactly been dreading coming back here. At least in school she was safe, and she had Ryu for company, he wasn't nearly as he seemed- you just had to get past that thick skull and pampered hair.
"Thanks, remember your gonna be meeting me outside the hall when we leave, and then we're gonna go for coffee." Quick thumbs up told her the message was clear. Ryu knew he only had a fifteen minute period to make it to the other side of the university and perform a surreptitious entrance as to avoid the usual onslaught ; of course in a University attendance wasn't always mandatory but when you've missed as much of a course as Kuro, it doesn't go unnoticed. As the door closed behind Suka Ryu found himself appreciating his present silently, letting the gentle silver glint in his palm, at the time he thought something this valuable was a very meaningful present indeed. Perhaps Suka was trying to tell him something.
Observing his gift in silence it didn't take much for a foreign noise to catch his attention; after averting his vision down the elderly halls Ryu saw nothing. Discarding the noise as part of his suspected paranoia Ryu carefully latched the alluring chain around his fair neck and adjusted the heart now pinned between his shirt and his chest. With his new treasure secured there was little reason to hang around now, not that he was too keen on going anywhere, but that's life. The University's greater library was on the lower floor, the one close by was the secondary library room which was on the second floor, which was plastered with so many splintered doors and rickety staircases it was hard to tell if you were going forward, behind or back in time. Luckily Kuro had made enough last minute fall-ins to know his way around without being pointed out, namely avoiding the main corridor on the third floor after the final break was over, if he got caught up in that traffic he'd never get anywhere let alone getting there late, of course there was always an alternate route, you'd just need the common sense to use it. In this case that alternate route was a turning corridor on the west side of the building, had the classrooms in that wing still been in use there would likely be more people making use of it- but considering it was about three times the walk it wasn't too popular. Ryu would still rather go for a walk in a peaceful corridor than try to herd in through the crowds.
A gentle push and the fractured door was open, despite this the vibe wasn't particularly inviting; a scarcely lit walkway rather high up the building with windows facing out on the west side that did little more than allow a candle of sunlight. It was hard to miss the attempt of rehabilitation, there was a fair share of paints, varnishes and the occasional stepladder tucked into the corners and into the shadows, there was even an ill-treated caretakers closet further on down the line with the door hanging open, the only door along that corridor that was not locked in fact. One would think after so many months more effort would have been put in to making this wing operational again.
It hadn't taken long for Ryu to pass through the first straight, gracefully illuminated by the intruding sunlight from the outside, and that was when he reached the first firm turn in the corridor, at which point the path went from facing north to directly east. No more than a few paces were all it took, then that phantom noise. This time it was more obvious, the door at the mouth of the corridor had been carefully closed, though the aftermath of engaging footsteps wasn't nearly as well covered. Where Kuro stood now there were no windows, there was no sunlight despite that which managed to creep around that bend after him. Halting his own pace Ryu stood his ground, turned back, and waited.
No more than a minute passed, as the steps drew closer they also came slower. As soon as they came to that corner, they stopped completely. Obviously they had been listening to Kuro's movements too.
"It has nothing to do with you." It was Ryu who broke the waiting silence. Clearly the casually stern young man had no desire to wait in the dark, and it was also clear that he had a very good idea who it was that had been following him ever since he made it into the grand hall; while he had not mentioned it at the time, he'd already been suspecting.
"Yeah, right." The last few taps of thick leather against the bare stone floors and the phantom was standing in a shroud of withering light no more than half a dozen yards before Ryu, still the present glint of those teeth still gave away his smirk. The semi-silhouetted character was taller than Ryu, though not by much, however he was somewhat broader in the shoulders and menacing in his smile. There was a distinct silence between the two that lasted little more than a moment, yet it spoke enough between the two; the figure was there for Ryu, and Ryu had no intention of turning away. It was when Kuro shifted his collar that he was addressed again, in doing so covering the slither of white gold that was no double reflecting brightly what little light he was faced with. "You seemed pretty eager to see her again."
Ryu was decidedly calm at this point, onlookers might wonder as to the relationship between these two students, however in Ryu's mind there was no connection at all between them, and any that may arise were best severed immediately, or at least, that's how he would have liked it. That said, Kuro did still not retreat.
"Actually, she was waiting for me. If you were so keen on seeing her first, why exactly were you following me the whole time?" The question went unanswered. This was not a problem; it was very clear to them both what the situation was, as it had been for quite some time now, yet Kuro wouldn't accept this as an excuse to go unheeded. "Kane?"
As though working on cue the opposing student shifted partially to one side, allowing the thin passing sun to bring his full features to light. This may well have been his intention though, to show Kuro that the shadowed smirk was gone. Kane Worth, while he and Ryu Kuro stood before the other bearing the same uniform Ryu refused to believe there was anything alike between them.
"She gave you something, didn't she?" The cheerfully curling chestnut brown hair deceived his voice, which was feigning a formal tone despite holding a great weight of spite in its words. At this Ryu gave a slight grunt, turning his back and continuing his stride. This only rekindled the shadowy Kane's sick smile. "Don't be so modest Ryu. I can see the bloody thing around your pasty neck."
Had Ryu Kuro known where this meeting would lead, he would have just kept walking. In fact, had he known where the situation would lead, Kane may never have walked out of that corridor. A few clicks of the heel and Ryu could almost feel the tempered breath on his neck, but even staring off into the distance where sunlight did not reach, he knew he wouldn't be going anywhere until this was over. Kane made a sudden reach for Ryu's neck, catching his olive jacket collar firmly and jerking Ryu Kuro back before he even realised the situation, this was unexpected even of Kane. Managing to place back his foot and keep his stance Ryu twisted round, making a literal stab in the dark as his clenched fist made for its smug mark. Was there ever a thing Kuro wished he was capable of, it would be such physical encounters- despite owning strength that was masked by his figure he lacked the will to fight, not a handicap shared by his opponent. When the assault struck, and Kane involuntarily cast his head aside and his vision to the chalked and shadowed walls, it took a few seconds for Kuro to overcome the beast instinct that inspired it. When Kane motioned his neck back with a cringing click Kuro was caught off guard by the rare dangerous spark that fired behind seemingly innocent bright emerald eyes, the grimacing scowl and bared teeth were unmistakable even in the sub-light. As was the unforeseen jolt as Kane's right leg tackling his stance, Kane's scruffy jacket flying up as his crouching kick knocked Kuro both off guard and off balance.
That was when he snagged. As though caught in mid-fall with his feet barely touching the ground and his back practically laying flat on the air. He could feel the ridged metal digging into his neck, his silver heard yanked from his chest and caught between the bastard's fingers, suspending him in the air.
"It's a fine gesture Kuro, no doubt about that." His voice was calm, which was more worrying than the assault. Ryu immediately made to regain his step, lording himself back up from his vulnerable pose. Cutting Kuro short the green eyed punk gave the silver pendant a forceful tug, something snapped around Ryu's neck and the delicate chain shot past his ears. With a sudden violent push with his opposite hand Kane once again stole Ryu's balance and he was down. It was shameful indeed, but there were a terrible few who would stand against this well known devil- Ryu Kuro was one of them, yet whenever he stood he was destined to fall.
"Indeed it is, Worth." It may have been dark in the discarded segment of the second floor, however as Kuro took his time in finding his feet no width of shadow could hide the tired scowl on Kane Worth's brow, and yet, there was something of a delight to it, as though he had finally become tired of the games. Once the two conflicting adversaries were standing before one another yet again, Ryu raised his hand to his chest, stroking across the front of his jacket with an inner cringe- already the beautiful treasure was out of his hands and in the hold of someone who's very soul was worth much less than the silver it was forged from. With a gentle chuckle the darker haired student strolled forward.
"You seem rather fond of this little trinket." Kuro didn't trust the sudden sincerity in the other young mans voice, even his involuntary fidgeting of the fingers gave him away, though this could have been a figment of Ryu's paranoid imagination. "Can't say I blame you, I really can't. After all it is a farewell gift from the woman you loved!" Kane Worth emphasised these last words by taking a hold of that sturdy chain, allowing the slightest shimmer of the lurching sunlight to catch his face and illuminate a spark of his emerald green eyes as the jagged edged pendant swung out from the reach of shadows and collided with a sickening sound into the left side of Ryu Kuro's head. His shoulder shunned into the wall besides him, his knee scraping against the bare floors, and Kuro was once again down. Kneeling with both hands clasped onto the side of his head and bearing the bitter sting of defeat, along with the stabbing agony of an intricate and not to mention sharp rim of a solid silver pendant jutting from the side of his head.
"It's a real pretty gift, Kuro," There was no mistaking the spite this time, it almost seemed to radiate across the hallway and illuminate every detail of Ryu's blooded humiliation, "I'd get it cleaned up if I were you." And with that, Kane dusted off his hands and gave a final gesture of his respect to the noble Kuro, for Kane this came in the form of a booting to the ribs that left the fair haired young man in an undignified huddle, clutching to the rough white washed path with his head hung low and his arm slung aside his blooded skull. The sound of thick leather heels rapped with cautious pause past the now silenced hall, merely the hallowed breath of a stunned Ryu the only thing between them to show of what had transpired. With a relaxed expression but holding that weight of utter respite, Kane grazed his rough fingers along the tomb-like walls. Had there been enough illumination for Ryu to glance his own hand he may have seen the trail of blood he now felt glazing his slender fingers. The echo of his rattled grunt and sodden palm pushing off from the ground drew back an averted green eye, patiently watching, as Ryu Kuro lost whatever self-concern he held. Taking past that short space between them in shooting strides, launching a raised fist from past his shoulder, this time it was Ryu to sign the strike. This time was his to rise in anger- Then to inevitably fall.