PROLOGUE

He's going to get Misa killed.

As soon as the realization registered in Rem's mind, hatred and resentment for the pretty genius grew to an even more dangerous boiling point and as much as the female Shinigami would like to scribble down Yagami Light, she knew she couldn't.

Sigh… That girl…! After I die, Misa would still be manipulated like a puppet by Yagami Light for the rest of her life. I need to be alive and protect her from such a fate but for that to happen, I'll need to kill him. Yet Misa needs Yagami Light, however idiotic, to continue living. The only way now would be to kill Ryuuzaki, L, the sole person who still suspects Misa to save her. If only I didn't give her the Death Note or help her find Kira… Kira would've just been a fantasy hero to admire from afar…

"It doesn't matter which country," the human Ryuuzaki suddenly said, jolting Rem out of her inner debate, "Let's negotiate with them. If we get the proper approval, there should be no problem." At the others' questioning glances, Ryuuzaki elaborated, "We'll have them use this notebook in an execution."

Immediately, the other humans sprang up from their seats arguing in the typical manner that Ryuk had told her so many times.

"They care so much about life, so unlike us who takes it." He had commented once after a short description one day. Rem had made a sound of acknowledgement and briefly wondered to herself why. Now she knows.

Ryuuzaki waited patiently for the protests to die down, dropping animal shaped chocolate cookies into his mouth one by one per second passed into his mouth before saying, "The one who will write in the notebook will be the one who has at least 13 days until their execution, and if they are living after 13 days, then they will be absolved of their execution. That is the legal trade that we will make…" Biting off the head of a panda, he turned to the Task Force with an imploring stare. They stayed quiet.

The 13 days rule… It's going to be revealed…

As if fate was pushing Rem to make a decision quickly, Ryuuzaki ordered Watari to contact the states that fitted into his previously mentioned scenario. When questioned of his motive, Ryuuzaki replied, "It would be a verification of the murderer's notebook of course."

The crunching that emitted from inside the detective's mouth sounded like a countdown to Rem. Minutes and seconds until the Shinigami sealed her fate. Feelings were all mushed up together that it was almost impossible to think straight. Almost. The goal was as clear and real as the diamonds in Misa's necklaces.

Before she could change her mind, Rem whipped out her Death Note and successfully drew the others' attention. Terrified expressions were ignored as the notebook was opened, its blank black cover facing the floor and revealing its crispy white pages to the Shinigami. Rem sneaked a glance at Yagami Light, not wanting L to see if her plan should backfire in some way.

His expression was a fusion of a fear mask and impatient confusion.

A pen touched the center of the page, its black ink seeping inside. Someone's voice cried out in panicked fear. A gunshot rung out but Rem was unfazed. Such things do not have the ability to stop her. Another gunshot followed a split second later and frantic hands appeared inside her field vision but before it could snatch the Death Note away, her shoulder blades shot out. Wings that seemed to be stitched together from bones with almost transparent webbing in between flapped heavily in a constant beat, causing papers and all light weight things not held down to swirl around the room like a torn tornado. Gunshots continued to ring out from all around.

I'm sorry, Misa. Rem thought sadly as she wrote, barely paying attention to anything else. This had to be done. I will not allow someone like that to toy with your life that Gelus sacrificed himself to save.

The Shinigami felt pain for the first time in who knows how many years she had been alive and she knew from a fact that the reason was not from the bullets that pummeled through her.

The name was almost finished when someone shouted, "Shoot the notebook!" Probably L Lawliet. Sounded like L Lawliet.

A bullet whizzed past dangerously close.

The name was finished. Rem landed back onto the ground with a silent echo and just like that, the chaos ended with previously flying papers fluttering gently down. The Shinigami looked around; carefully dissecting each person's expressions to see what turmoil thinking went on in their head.

Those who have guns, which was everyone but L and Light, had raised them, freezing into what seemed like the perfect picture of blind terror. Rem could almost hear their adreline filled heartbeats. Light's eyes narrowed, the cogs in his mind turning, calculating what just happened in suspicion. L's face was surprising, to say the least. Or maybe it shouldn't have been. His was a face of reluctant resignation, a dark thunderstorm cloud behind his bottomless black eyes. The sound of L's voice cut sharply into the deceptive peaceful silence and stirred everyone out from their reverie.

"I have less than 40 seconds to live and so, I would make this quick," he said, not pausing even when Watari burst through the door with guns in each hand, "Light would benefit the most after I die as he will become the new L, no questions asked. Misa must have the ability of only needing a face to kill instead of a name if she indeed is the 2nd Kira. My dying wish would be to have you all follow through what I had planned for testing the validity of the murderer's notebook. And remember, there are now two notebooks that we know of which could mean that there are two Shinigamis, one for each notebook. Although I wonder why you waited this long to kill me, Shinigami…?" Not waiting or really expecting an answer, L leaned back with his eyes closed and grabbed a handful of gummies from a bowl at the side, trickling them into his mouth. "I do hope you wrote a painless death as the cause," he said in an almost sleepy tone, cheeks bulging with sweets as if he's determined to take it with him to the Afterlife, "A heart attack is quite painful."

Matsuda cried, "Stop thinking that you'll die… It'll make it true…" Others either looked away from the detective or glazed solemnly at him. Rem saw on Light's face the hidden smirk cruel enough to make even the Shinigami shudder.

Watari rushed forward and hugged L. L hugged back tightly with one arm, the other hand still stuffing his sweets inside his overfilling mouth like a hamster. A panda-like hamster.

Any second remaining from the 40 seconds time limit passed, L finally stopping his greed for sweets to stare in disbelief at the Shinigami. Light glared furiously while his face stayed the same sad mourning. Watari had let go and inspected L skeptically, even holding his right index finger under L's nose just to be sure that he's not having an illusion.

"I didn't write your name, L," Rem finally said, confirming their suspicions.

The humans, other than of course L and Light, looked ready to party drunk before coming down to the same conclusion.

Soichiro asked hesitantly, fearful of the answer, "Who did you write?"

Rem held out the Death Note, the page opened for all to see. The name, scrawled in such beautiful handwriting, once understood felt like a lightning bolt ripping itself into their minds.

Misa Amane

A/N: I truly do hope that took you by surprise! Although I had wrote a lot of "stories" (if you could call it that... =.="), I never really got around to finishing them since it was all so cliché. This one though, I have confidence! First time I actually planned so far ahead in a story... Almost got all the scenes in my head~! ^.^ Now, if you read my profile, I mentioned that I write because I'm bored and since boredom is such a depressing feeling, let's play a game! I wonder if you'll be able to guess why the title is this? I left clues and to be brutfully (?) honest, it's quite easy. If you guess right, then I'll write a oneshot on any subject you'd like as long as I know said subject well enough. See ya next chap.! *hoping*