Disclaimer: I don't own death note.
Credit: Original idea by Yami Yugi Alexander the 4th.
Chapter One
Prologue
Dear Diary,
I have five hours, ten minutes and fifteen seconds left to live.
The fact that I'm going to die soon doesn't bother me, in fact I'm excited, I've done everything I hoped and more.
The last thing I want to do before I die is tell my story, even after years of looking back I can't understand it all, but maybe it's just too strange to make any real sense...
It was raining on the first day of September 2016...
I don't like being inside, so instead of rushing into the house when it started to pour, like all the other children did, I stayed out in the rain.
I love the rain, I guess that's just one more thing that makes the other kids question my sanity.
I leaned up against an old tree in the yard, the leaves had already colored and many had fallen away, but the branches were thick enough to keep me from drowning.
I watched the house, the windows are all lit and I can see a few wet children watching me through the window and whispering to each other.
That's what people do around here... they watch me and whisper, they wonder why I'm here, who I am... and other things...
J, C, and H are the ones watching me right now.
Jasper,Carroll, and Heather... but only I know that.
I smiled at them and the three faces ducked under the windowsill and out of my view.
That's why people are afraid of me, I've lived here my whole life and everyone who walks through the front door is afraid of me. Because I see names, everyone is afraid.
It started with Sierra, she tried to talk to me on her first day and I called her by her name. No one uses real names here, we all use fake ones, but I never really cared. She got kind of freaked out over it and when she made friends she told them about it and they tried to talk to me...
Jean, Reggie, and Victoria.
And that was all it took, there was one week when everyone in the house started tracking me down in the halls and asking me how I knew their names.
I would just shrug, I was only about eight at the time but they were scared of me.
Then, someone pointed out that I knew names like Kira did.
Kira was a serial killer from a few years ago, he only killed criminals, but he was still a murderer. That kid started calling me Kira and it stuck, soon I decided to take Kira as my official alias, of course that just made things worse.
The rumors about me being related to Kira started around then and the only thing that stopped them from saying I was Kira was the fact that I was only five years old when L caught him.
L was the reason that the Kira name bothered me, probably the only reason. I'm first in line to succeed L, and it's annoying being called the name of L's most challenging enemy.
I've lived in Wammy's House for all twelve years of my life, I don't know my parents and if I had one wish, it would probably be to meet them. I've heard stories about the other kid's parents and how proud they were of their children...
But that doesn't really matter.
No one came to get me, but I assume they all knew where I was. Maybe even the attendants wanted me to catch my death in the rain.
I stood up and walked out from under the tree's protection. I crossed the yard and pulled the door handle uselessly. It's locked, of course, no one wants me here.
I sighed with nothing more then irritation before I walked around to the back of the house. I didn't expect the back door to be open, that would be too easy, so I ignored the handle and started climbing up the tree that grew right next to the house.
The branches were shaped so they didn't hit the house but I could still jump from the highest branch to the roof of Wammy's. I had used this trick so many times that I barely needed to think about the jump.
The tiles of the roof were wet and slippery, and I had to role my long black sweat pants up so I didn't slide off, I was three stories up.
I walked slowly and carefully across the roof and to the window I had left open just for an occasion such as this. I climbed through the window and closed it behind me.
Ms. Erin didn't like windows being left open in the rain, she said it let in a draft.
Ms. Erin was the house caretaker, she was the third one since Mr. Wammy, the founder, who had gone off to travel with L, when I was five, Mr. Roger had gone away too, and Ms. Erin, who had been working in the house when Mr. Roger was in charge, had taken over.
She wasn't afraid of me, she said I just needed more attention, so whenever I did something wrong, she would take care of my punishment personally.
I walked across the dark room and opened the door to an empty hallway. The lights were on constantly, even on the top floor, which I used as a place to think, and as a way to get back inside when I was locked out.
I walked down the stairs, planning to return to my room and change, I was soaked. But as I walked past groups of children and listened to all I could of their conversations without stopping, I decided that going back to my room was a bad idea.
I turned sharply and walked down another staircase, to the first floor, and through a heavy wooden door into the dining room.
It was a large room and it was filled with tables, I looked around for an empty table, before crossing the room and sitting down.
I was still cold and wet, but I knew that I wouldn't have much time before Ms. Erin asked to speak to me about being outside after dark, again.
All I could do was sit there, holding back the shivers as people watched, that was what they were waiting for, if I shook with cold I would be admitting defeat.
Luckily I didn't have long to wait before an attendant came to get me.
"Ms. Erin wants to speak to you." the woman said, she was older then me, but still young, she still had years to live.
"Right." I said, standing up and walking out of the room, eyes to the floor.
Ms. Erin was waiting, I didn't knock, she had invited me anyway.
"Your soaked!" she stated as if she hadn't known already. Her voice was clearly forced into a stern tone that didn't suit her.
I looked down at my wet clothes as if noticing them for the first time.
I wore too-long black sweat pants under a knee length black dress with long sleeves, my short, messy black hair was dripping and clinging to my face my clothes were chosen specifically to hide as much of my unnaturally pale skin as possible.
I ran my fingers through my hair to give the impression that I wanted to look presentable, but I didn't really care at all, that's why I had cut my hair short. Long hair was too hard to take care of, but with short hair I didn't have to do anything with it.
If I brushed my hair, it fell strait to my chin and curled out at the ends, but I didn't brush it, so it stuck out messily in almost every direction but up.
"I got caught in the rain." I stated, calmly.
"And why didn't you dry off? You'll catch a cold." Ms. Erin asked, she avoided asking about the locked door.
"I only just came in, I was on my way to my room." I lied, flatly.
"Kira..." she winced almost noticeably at the name, none of the adults had approved of my calling myself Kira, but I was stubborn and always get my way. "...never mind, go dry off..."
I was out of the office before she could close her mouth, I hated being called in, Ms. Erin wasn't mean at all, I just didn't like the thought of depending on an adult to help me with my popularity issues.
I went to my room and changed out of my wet clothes and into an identical outfit. I rubbed my wet hair with a towel until it stopped dripping and didn't bother brushing it out afterwards, then I walked through the house to the library.
The library was my favorite room in the house. I spent most of my time there, looking through the thick books that each told the story of a different case solved by L, the Kira case was my favorite to look at, even though the details were sketchy.
For example, the book said that L met with the Japanese task force in person at midnight December 31st 2003, which is basically new years that year.
The book even has the name of the hotel they met in, but it doesn't have any information about what was said at the meeting.
I sighed as I closed the book for the thousandth time since the case was solved.
I called myself Kira to prove that the other kid's teasing didn't bother me, because I hate losing and allowing other people's taunts to get to me would be stating that they won and I lost.
I never lose.
I propped my elbow up on the table and rested my cheek on my closed fist.
I'm twelve years old and I haven't left this house once. I tapped my fingernails against the wooden table, I was the only one in the library at this hour.
I glanced again at the thick book about the Kira case before standing up and walking towards the door. Just as I wrapped my fingers around the knob, I heard a noise behind me.
It sounded like a book being dropped and I wondered if the book I had left on the table had fallen onto the floor.
I turned to see the book sitting quietly in the table, I considered leaving, but instead I walked back over to the table and picked up the book intending to put it away.
I was distracted by a second book on the table. I hadn't gotten it out, and no one else was in the library, or at least not that I had noticed. I set the Kira case book back down and bent over looking at the second one.
It was a thin, black, collage rule notebook with the words 'Death Note' written in large, messy white lettering.
I blinked, there wasn't anyone here...
"Hello?" I called, quietly, if this was a prank then it was a good one, I couldn't imagine how long someone would have to stay still and silent in the dark library in order to pull this off, I had been here for an hour or two at least.
No one answered, so I reached a hand out to grab the book, if someone was trying to prank me, they were going to fail and lose their notebook.
I opened the book to a random page, each page was filled with names, I flipped through the pages for several minutes before turning back to the first page. The notebook had an unnaturally large amount of paper in it for something so thin.
The dim light in the library made it hard to read, but I didn't have too much trouble making out the words on the inside of the front cover. I have very good eyesight.
The human who's name is written in this note shall die
I frowned at the thought of a murder notebook and continued reading.
This note will not take effect unless the writer has the person's face in their mind when writing his/her name. Therefore, people sharing the same name will not be affected.
I closed the notebook, the idea was ridiculousand the fact that anyone had this much free time was pathetic.
"Very funny." I called into the darkness, then I turned to leave.
"AAAHHIE!!" I shrieked, leaping backwards and dropping the notebook. My foot caught the leg of a chair and I fell back onto the floor.
I crawled backwards away from the monster standing in front of the closed door.
I panted and gasped for air as I watched the monster's movements closely.
"Hyuk hyuk" the thing laughed... sort of.
My heart was pounding and I could tell that my eyes were wide and full of fear, I fought for control of my face and after a few silent seconds my breathing quieted.
"What... no who are...?" I panted, frowning at myself.
This was a really elaborate prank.
"Hyuk hyuk" the thing laughed again, I'm sure that's what it was doing. "I'm Ryuk, a shinigami." the thing's wide mouth contorted into something that resembled a smirk.
"Shini...gami...?" I asked, that wasn't English, in fact it was probably Japanese, I would have to look it up later.
"Yeah." the thing answered.
I inched backwards until I hit one of the shelves, I pulled myself up onto my feet and pressed my back to the shelf, glaring at the thing.
It watched me with silent amusement, as I slid to my right then walked a bit forward so the table with the Kira case book on it was between me and the monster.
The black notebook was lying upside down on the floor by the monster's feet.
"If that's your book, I didn't do anything to it, I swear." I stated, I reached slowly for the thick book on the table in front of me, not taking my eyes off the monster.
"I know." the thing said.
My fingers wrapped around the spine of the book and I pulled it across the table towards me. I was planning to use it to defend myself, it was thick and if I could get through the door and into the hall I would be able to run to the office.
"So why are you here?" I asked, I glanced at the closed door, it would take me about two seconds to get it open, plus five seconds to run over to it, more if the thing tried to stop me.
"I'm here to see what you do with it." the thing said.
"Do with what?" I asked nervously.
"The notebook." it said.
"I'm not going to do anything with it. It's over there." I stated.
"That's no fun." the thing said, "I thought you would at least test it."
"No. There's no such thing as a murder notebook." I insisted.
"Really? Hyuk hyuk, why don't you try it out then, if your so sure it won't work."
"I won't, because if you're telling me to use it, it might work." I hope that made sense.
The thing laughed again and I glanced down at the book in my hands, the black letters that spelled out 'KIRA' on the front cover shone in the dim light of the room.
I glanced from the laughing monster to the black notebook at it's feet, then back to the black 'KIRA' lettering. Then I repeated the cycle a few times.
"A murder notebook?" I asked quietly, the thing stopped laughing to look at me.
"Yeah." it said.
"What would you do to someone who uses it?" I asked, my thoughts finally clicking together.
"Nothing." the thing said.
"Nothing?" I repeated, disbelievingly.
"That's right," the thing chuckled softly "now that you've touched it, the notebook is yours, I won't do anything to you."
"Mine?" I whispered.
"Yeah."
"Why? Why would you give me something like that?" I asked.
"I was bored, and the last time I dropped it, it worked out really well... for me at least." it laughed again.
"You've dropped it before?" I asked.
"You ask a lot of questions. Yeah, I dropped it a few years ago, that's what that book's about... isn't it?" the thing sounded innocent and mocking at the same time, but the words themselves took a few seconds to sink in.
"Kira's notebook?" I asked, shakily.
The thing smirked again and I took that as a yes.
"So it kills people... like Kira did?" I asked.
"Yeah, it does."
"And if I walked over and picked it up right now... you wouldn't do anything?" I asked.
"Hyuk hyuk, no I wouldn't do anything." it assured me.
I pulled the Kira book into my arms and held it against my chest as it walked slowly around the table, bent down at the monster's feet and picked up the notebook... the thing laughed at my caution as I stood up.
"I'm going back to my room now." I stated, the thing watched me and I realized how little that sentence meant to it. "Move out of my way." I tried to order it, but my voice broke as I watched it stare at me.
The thing laughed for a solid minute before it stepped to the side, clearing the way for me.
I walked to the door, the notebook and the Kira case book in my arms. I looked over my shoulder at the thing before opening the door.
Author's Note: Hello, I haven't written anything in a while, I hope you liked the first chapter, I kind of rushed through this part. The original idea for this story belongs to Yami Yugi Alexander the 4th.