Disclaimer: I do not own Death Note or any or it's characters or ideas.


He was an outcast, surrounded by others but unable to speak to them. It had been this way for centuries and he had grown used to it, not even noticing the carefully averted eyes of those around him. Even in the years before his exile, he had wandered, alone in the endless wasteland. When he had finally come upon this place again, no one had recognized him, except for one.

Valeel's crimson eyes scanned the crowd before him. It was odd to see so many Shinigami together at once. His eyes fell upon the Shinigami in the centre of the crowd, their 'King'.Valeel snorted, turning away; so he had actually gotten up to speak with them, no wonder there was a crowd.

He spread his bony wings preparing to fly in the opposite direction. "Val," Came a voice from behind, "wait up."

Valeel turned, shocked to hear a voice directed at him. A very out of place smile graced his face as he locked eyes with the Shinigami approaching him, though it was quickly replaced with his typically blank facade as he remembered what he was.

"Ryuk, what are you doing?" He asked, his own voice sounding odd in his ears.

Ryuk grinned, "The King wants to talk to you."

Valeel's eyes narrowed but he didn't respond as he made his way toward where he had seen the King. Within moments Valeel came upon the Shinigami, still standing amidst the crowd.

The other Shinigami scattered as he approached, though remained close enough to hear.

"Valeel." The king said with blatantly false cheer as he spotted the tall, pale Shinigami.

Coming to a stop Valeel chose not to reply, not feeling the need to voice his thoughts, his blazing red eyes speaking for him.

"Your little show all that time ago got me thinking," The king began, taking a small step toward him, "If I should somehow perish, there would be no-one here to keep ones like you in check. I need an heir."

"And why exactly are you telling me this?" Valeel asked, sarcasm leaking into his tone.

"There isn't a Shinigami here that I see fit to rule. What better way to find the kind of Shinigami I need than to choose from the Human Realm" Valeel snorted at this, turning to leave.

"Valeel, almost as importantly as the human, I need a Shinigami that is able to watch over them and properly guide them."

Valeel paused, "There are hundreds of other Shinigami."

The King shook his head as Valeel turned back to face him, "No, you're the one I need. Besides, if you do this for me, I'll consider allowing you back here."

Valeel's eyes narrowed, "Fine. I'll need my note back and an extra for the human."

The King nodded, smiling triumphantly, "Of course. You will also be exempt from the rules, especially of not aiding him."

A Shinigami that Valeel recognized as Gukku approached the two. As soon as he was close enough, he held out two small notebooks that Valeel took wordlessly.

"The humans name is 'Narukami Touta', he is of the island the humans call 'Japan'. He is three days old today, watch him carefully. This boy, as his name implies, will become a god."


A/N; I had an author's note, but then I lost it. Moo.