~Prologue~

They had never expected something like this to happen, and he had never expected to be born like this.

The day Shinichi was born, Yukiko and Yusaku knew that there was something that made him different from other newborns. They loved him, of course, for he was their first child, but there was just something out of the ordinary with him, it seemed. At first, it was only a feeling, but through a certain course of events, they realized the truth. Their son was not normal.

It first happened when the newlyweds were taking a walk with their nine-month-old son in the park, when out of nowhere, a man sitting on a bench had collapsed from drinking poison in his tea, which caused his immediate death. Megure-keibu and the others arrived about an hour later, and Yusaku talked with him, giving his account on what happened. Yukiko stood off to the side and took care of Shinichi, who was watching the scene before him, that involved his father and flashing colored lights.

An accident had quickly escalated into a murder case, and all the suspects were accounted for and questioned. But out of all the people in the park that had watched the man get killed, the one they would never suspect would be Shinichi, of course. No one would believe that he, an innocent child was capable of committing murder. And he didn't. The man's death wasn't his fault.

His father later figured out that the murderer was the man's daughter-in-law, who had a grudge against him for refusing to lend some money to them for her husband's hospital bill. If you were to ask a young Shinichi, he, like any other kid, would respond that her reason didn't seem like a sufficient one for murder. And well, he was right.

The case ended with his father chatting with Megure's partner, who he later learned was named Mouri Kogouro. At first, it was only about one or two cases a month. But that number soon escalated, and when the two parents looked back on everything, they found one recurring factor. Every time a murder was committed around them, Shinichi was always with them. They didn't want to think that the child was cursed, but they had to know for sure.

"I think I found someone who can help us!" Yukiko exclaimed after she came home from a long day on set.

Her husband Yusaku, who was currently trying to rock Shinichi to sleep, whispered, "Is it another Shrine Priest?"

The actress shook her head. "Nope. She's the head of a family that specializes in magic. Her name is Koizumi Aka, and I've already scheduled an appointment for us to meet with her."

Yusaku smiled at his wife, but remained a bit skeptical. "Are you sure she'll be able to help? Nobody's been able to, so far."

Yukiko waved him off. "But this family has had Red Magic that has been passed down through generations. If there is anyone who can help us with Shinichi, it'll be her."

Yusaku thought about this while watching his son, who's ears perked up at the mention of his name. "Well, I suppose it wouldn't hurt to try. When's the appointment?"

"A week from now at 8:00."

Yusaku nodded. "I see. And you really believe she can help?"

She pouted. "Of course she can. Chikage-chan recommended her to me. She said Koizumi-san was a real help with her newborn son."

Yusaku agreed, not wanting to provoke his wife further.

The newlyweds and their child had arrived at the appointed time, and they had to admit that the mansion looked just like it belonged to a witch, which it did. The architecture looked like it had been there for centuries, which wouldn't be surprising in the least. The huge doors opened, and a servant with wonky eyes and scraggly teeth greeted them. "The mistress is waiting for you. Please, step right this way."

The couple complied and walked down the dark halls. Yusaku was slowly starting to believe his wife, as the interior gave off the same vibes as the mansion outside. They were led to a room at the end of the hall, which was equally as dark as the rest of the building. A woman with long red hair and a black cloak was sitting at a table, a crystal ball in the middle. Yusaku and Yukiko approached and took two seats opposite the woman. She was actually very beautiful, especially up close. She opened her eyes and gave the couple a small smile. "Kudou Yusaku-san and Kudou Yukiko-san. I see you are here because you have some concerns with your first-born child."

Yukiko confirmed it. "Yes. For months now, whenever we've taken him out, someone always gets murdered and a case breaks out. This never happened before he was born. We don't know what to do."

The woman nodded with a beautiful smile. "I see." She then stood from the table. "I would like you to follow me. I have something that will reveal the true nature of your son."

Reluctant, yet curious, the parents stood and followed after the woman. Little did they know, a pair of eyes was watching them, in deep curiosity.

Down a dark hall consisting of giant painted portraits of previous family heads, the two followed. Shinichi was curious about this strange place they were in, but said nothing. The room in which they had entered had a giant cauldron in the middle, a diverse substance inside. The witch started mixing in different ingredients, but she couldn't help but notice two eyes peaking into the doorway. She sent a small smile their way. "It's alright. You can come in. Don't be shy."

The Kudous' turned to find the addressee, only to see a little girl watching them with a curiosity. She stepped in, never taking her eyes off the parents and their son. "This is my daughter and heir, Koizumi Akako."

Yusaku smiled and greeted her. "Hello there."

The child looked up at him, but nevertheless, remained silent. "Anyway, to continue, all I need is a piece of your son's hair."

The couple exchanged looks with each other, but in the end, Yukiko carefully took a hair from Shinichi's head. Koizumi-san graciously accepted it and threw it into the cauldron. The substance had started to glow brighter, but that was the only difference the Kudous could see. Koizumi-san, however, could probably see more than them, as she stared intently at the substance while her face changed into different expressions as she took in the information. Yusaku and Yukiko waited apprehensively for the news.

"...I see." That was the comment Koizumi-san made after the substance had returned to its original form.

The parents, as well as Akako, stood in suspense as the witch told them the news. "Although your son was born of two humans, I regret to inform you that he is not."

The Kudous stiffened upon hearing this. "I-If he isn't human, then what is he?" Yukiko asked, dreading the answer.

Koizumi-san feared their reactions to the answer she was about to give. "A Shinigami."

This is the part where they completely froze. Looking down at their son, they found him looking up at them with curious eyes, wondering what was going on. "Y-You mean, like, the ones in movies that wear black cloaks and carry scythes?"

Koizumi-san shook her head in reassurance. "No, no, it is not that bad."

The two of them were quiet and let her continue. "Although I've only come in contact with a few of them, I know a thing or two about them. Shinigami are capable of leading perfectly normal human lives, however, all their lives, they are destined to have death follow them wherever they go. It is not necessarily the Shinigami's fault for one's death, rather, it's more as if they are called towards it. Most Shinigami choose to become police officers or detectives, or any jobs within that line of work."

"So, you're saying he can have a normal future?" Yusaku asked, hopeful.

The witch nodded. "Yes, of course. However, I must warn you. There are certain restrictions which those in the Shinigami community must follow."

Gladly, the two listened to all of them.

The next six years went by smoothly, except for the occasional murder case. It turned out that Shinichi didn't always attract murder every time. However, just Tokyo alone had so many greedy people who would take a life for some stupid reason or another.

Speaking of Shinichi, he was doing well in school, as it seemed that he was one of the smartest kids in his grade. Unfortunately, it seemed to have gone to his head, because he usually took the role of 'cool kid', and his arrogant attitude didn't win him many friends. However, his cockiness was typically used as a cover to hide what he was really thinking. He was scared. His parents hadn't kept anything from him, but he was afraid to make friends, because he didn't want anyone to die.

His parents had told him, but he ran away before they could tell him a very vital piece of information. No one really wanted to be his friend because they found him uneasy to approach.

Except for a six-year-old girl his age.

Shinichi was standing alone in the park after school one day, when a girl approached him. She had long brown hair which consisted of a kind of spike sticking out the front. Bravely, the girl stepped forward and introduced herself.

"Um, hello, I'm Mouri Ran. We're in the same class. Do you want to be friends?"

Shinichi turned to the girl and was fairly surprised at her straightforwardness. However, he didn't want an unfortunate fate to befall this girl, so he let his instincts kick in. "I don't need any friends!"

Ran was also surprised at the boy's bluntness, but was prepared to argue. "Of course you do. Everyone needs a friend."

Shinichi crossed his arms and turned away from her. "Not me. I'm too cool for that kind of stuff."

Ran pouted. "How can you say that?! This attitude of yours is the reason you don't have any in the first place!"

Shinichi froze at that. He knew she was right. He knew he would also like a friend as well, but he didn't want to get close to someone just to lose them. Ran saw the look on Shinichi's face and she knew she hit at something personal. She was about apologize, when out of nowhere, Shinichi spoke.

"If we become friends...You'll die."

Ran didn't have a clue what he meant by that, but she could see his mood had sunk, so she did the only thing she could think of to make it better. Shinichi's eyes widened on feeling the girl hug him from behind. "I won't die. I promise."

Shinichi took in the sincerity of her words and turned to face her. "Hello, I'm Mouri Ran. Do you want to be friends?"

The boy only stared at her, in deep thought, then responded. "Sure. I'm Kudou Shinichi."

A hand shake followed after. "Do you want to walk home together?"

Shinichi only nodded, still too stunned to say anything.

They did this almost every school day, and they would always wait for each other in the park. Overtime, the two became the best of friends. Shinichi still kept up his cool kid act, but Ran was just beginning to know him on a deeper level. He didn't know how she might react if he told her his secret, however, so for now, he just kept it to himself, ready to tell her one day in the near future.