Give Unto Me
By HonestFFWriter
Rated: M (duh)
Genres: Drama & Romance
Pairings: LXFem!Light, and others coming soon...
Summary: AU. Hikari Yagami's life changed one day when she came into the possession of the Death Note. She never imagined how greatly it would change.
AUTHOR'S NOTES:
Okay, this chapter right here I had a bit of a problem with. I think I had to rewrite this at least two and a half times just to get this going where I wanted it to go. Still, I hope you guys enjoy it nonetheless.
Chapter Two…
"Now then…I better get going."
"Headed off somewhere, Ryuk?"
"Hate to tell you, but our whole world looks like this."
"It's true, but I dropped by Death Note."
"You really messed things up, didn't you?"
"Wait a minute. Didn't you trick the old man into giving you a second book? Don't tell me you dropped two of them."
"You must have some idea where you dropped that thing."
"Yeah…the human world."
"What?"
"What?"
Five Days Later…
Hikari immediately stepped into the house where she felt the warmth wash over her. It was a good thing she remembered to bring her rain jacket. She took off both of her shoes and placed them by the door and placed her coat on the coat rack to dry off.
"Well, you're home early."
Hikari turned and smiled at her mother Sachiko. She nodded and responded, "Uh, yeah. I uh tried to get home as fast as I could. I mean, what with the rain and all…"
Sachiko nodded in understanding. "Believe me, I know the feeling." She looked out the window and saw how hard the rain was pouring down, not to mention the flashes of lightning before the rolling sound of thunder came into view. Afterwards, she turned towards Hikari. "Right, I almost forgot. Isn't the results of your Nationwide Exams supposed to come in today?"
Hikari raised her eyebrows. "Oh! I almost forgot!" She reached for her backpack and took out a slip of paper before handing it to over to her mother. "Here you go. So, what do you think?"
A gleeful look came to Sachiko's face when she saw Hikari's score. "Oh my goodness! Number one again! These are the best scores you've had yet!"
"Th-Thanks, Mom," Hikari showed a small smile as she picked up her backpack. "I think I'm going to study a bit more, so uh, is it alright not to disturb me? At least until dinner?"
"As you wish, honey."
Hikari walked passed her mother up the stairs, really grateful to have a mother like her in her life. As soon as she made it to her door, Sachiko called out from below the stairway. "Oh, Hikari! Do you need anything at all, dear!? You can ask for whatever you like!"
Hikari looked back down at her mother and said back with another smile, "I'm alright, Mom! I'll let you know if I do though! Thanks!"
With that said Hikari entered her bedroom…and locked her door. She puts down her backpack and looked at it with interest. Hikari reached into her backpack and took out her Death Note. She made her way to the desk and turned on the lamp. She sat down on her chair and opened the notebook. Most of the pages were still blank, save for the first page, which still held the first two names of the people she had killed five days earlier.
God please forgive me. I already know I'm going to Hell for this…but they were bad people, weren't they? Hikari closed the book and stared down at the cover of the Death Note. The night she realized that the Death Note was real, she was in a state of shock and barely spoke a word the next day and a half. She wanted to throw it out like she had planned, but she never got around to getting rid of the Death Note. Why?
Hikari puts the Death Note down aside, crossed her arms, and laid her head down on the desk with her arms as a pillow, with a troubled look on her face. After realizing that it's dark powers are for real, she just couldn't afford to throw it out. Hikari was a bit afraid that if some kind of maniac has a hold of the Death Note, they might use it to go on a killing spree. Maybe that's why. Maybe she can't get rid of it because she's afraid that someone else might use it to kill innocent people if they figure out that this notebook is for real.
Hikari opened her eyes and turned her head where she can see the Death Note laying there. She was still given an opportunity to write down more names since it's still in her possession, but who else's names could she write down? It's another big risk that could cause another accident like with that Takuo guy whose gang tried to rape her and an innocent bystander. She was glad her family never heard of that incident, otherwise her mother would never let her go outside ever again.
Another thing: will she have to write in it again? Even if Hikari wanted to write another name down, what if it gets out of hand? What if it becomes an addiction to her? What if she goes crazy over it? What if she ends up becoming a serial killer? What if she ends up becoming a homicidal maniac? What if...what if she becomes a monster?
"You've taken quite a liking to it."
Hikari gasped when she heard a dark voice. She immediately sat up and looked around her room for the source of where that voice had come from. Her hair moved through the air while looking around.
"Who's there!?" She called out.
The only response Hikari got was a chuckle. It wasn't until the thunder flashed outside her window did she found the source. Standing in one of the dark corners of her room, was a tall, dark being. It had very pale skin, what seemed to be a black suit with matching feathers over his shoulders, strange accessories like a heart-chained earring, bracelets, and rings, a belt around his waist with two chains attached with matching feathers, matching spiky hair, and yellow eyes with the pupils being red.
Hikari screamed in fright as she fell off of her chair and landed onto the floor. She looked back up at whatever that thing is. She crawled back a bit, and noticed her trashcan right next to her. She immediately grabbed it and shouted, "GO AWAY!" before throwing the trashcan right at it.
But it was fruitless as the trashcan merely phased right through it. The creature let out an amused chuckle at that pathetic attempt.
By now, a shade of blue crept up on Hikari's face out of fear, her back now against the wall. It was bad enough that Hikari found a notebook that can literally kill people and had become a murderer, but now this thing too!? What is that thing? Why is it here? How did it get in her room? Has it come to kill her?
"No need to act surprise," the creature said, looking down across the room at the frightened girl, whose shoulders are starting to shake out of fear. "I am the Shinigami Ryuk. That used to be my notebook. Judging by your behavior, I see you understand that what you have there is no ordinary notebook."
Hikari was still so frightened by this creature, named Ryuk, that she can't even talk back. Though she was a bit curious when she heard that word 'Shinigami'. Hikari gulped down the saliva in her mouth as she tried to find her bearings.
"Sh…Shini…Shinigami?" She stuttered, trying to force herself to talk. Hikari then remembered what a Shinigami is, causing her eyes to open wide. "A-As in…as in God of Death!?" She shrieked. If she could remember correctly, a God of Death is usually a god with the power to kill people and to take their souls. It frightened Hikari even more. She immediately wrapped her arms around herself like before as she focused her eyes on the ground, not wanting to even stare at the Shinigami standing across from her.
"Y-You s-said…that that notebook…was yours?" Hikari managed to ask. She closed her eyes and turned her head away in fear. "If that's what you're here for, then take it back! You can just take it and leave now!"
This somewhat surprised Ryuk. It's true that humans may fear creatures, and it's rare for them to be afraid of Shinigami since they barely come to the human world often, but is this girl really that scared of him?
"That is not what I'm here for," Ryuk explained. "The Death Note becomes part of the human world the moment it touches the Earth. Since you were the one to find it, the Death Note is now yours."
By this point, Hikari wished that she could turn invisible at that spot. If a Shinigami didn't come here for the Death Note, then that means…by this point, Hikari was now scared out of her wits. She still refused to look at that…that monster. She wrapped her arms around her legs and somewhat curled into a ball, as if it was a way to protect herself.
"Then…that means you're here to take my soul, right!?" Hikari asked. "I-I used the Death Note! I-I have to pay for it, right!? Is that why you're here!?"
Now this was just getting ridicules. Ryuk could tell right away that this girl was quite timid, but he never knew she would be this overemotional as well. Where did she also come up with the idea that he came here for her soul, anyways?
"Where did you get that idea? Is that some kind of fantasy you humans came up with?"
Hikari could hear heavy footsteps heading in her direction, but she was too scared to even do anything, not even to open her eyes. The sounds had ceased, though Hikari could easily tell that he's right in front of her. Isn't this the part where he rips her soul out of her living body now? What's with the stalling?
Hikari almost jumped out of her skin when she heard Ryuk's voice from above her.
"I'm not gonna do anything to you."
That's what made Hikari open her eyes out of shock. She looked up at Ryuk and watched him knelt down in front of her to get a better view of her as he continued, "You could say there are other…rules regarding the Death Note that even we Shinigami have to live by. Of course, if you do not want the Death Note, simply give it to someone else. If you do though, I'll have no choice but to erase any memories of the Death Note from your mind."
He simply tapped Hikari on the forehead as if to prove his point. She flinched at the touch, but quickly got over it. Hikari had stopped shaking, but she was still afraid of the Shinigami before her.
"S-So…th-there's nothing to p-pay for using the D-Death Note?" Hikari stuttered.
"Let's just say that price for using the Death Note will be the agony and fear of humans who ever used the Death Note," Ryuk explained further. Well that's reassuring! Hikari felt a bead of sweat roll down on her face, with a cold and frightened look in her eyes. She tightened her grip on her legs as she couldn't turn away from Ryuk's gaze. "And when your time has come, it will fall on me to write your name in my own Death Note." He gestured his hand over at a holder attached to a chain that was hanging from his belt, giving Hikari a look of Ryuk's Death Note.
"Be warned, though. Any human who has used the Death Note can neither go to Heaven nor Hell for eternity. What awaits you when you die? Why, nothing, of course."
A small gasp escaped from Hikari's mouth. She was so scared, she's beginning to feel nauseas as if she's about to vomit. All of this was just happening so fast, she doesn't know if she could take it or not…
KNOCK! KNOCK!
Hikari immediately looked over at her door as she heard her mother's voice on the other side. "Hikari!"
Ryuk stood back up as he looked down at Hikari. "Go answer it. It's alright."
Hikari looked up at Ryuk for a moment before using the wall behind her to help her get up from the floor, though her legs were still shaking. She looked over at her desk for a moment, and then took a second to put the Death Note inside one of her drawers. Hikari then went and opened her door to find her mother with a bowl of apples in her hands.
"W-What is it, Mom?" She asked.
Her mother smiled as she explained, "Oh, the neighbors came by and brought over some apples, so I brought some for you in case you get hungry." Sachiko blinked her eyes as a confused look came on her face. "Are you alright, honey?"
"W-What do you mean?" Hikari asked.
Sachiko placed a hand over her daughter's forehead. "You look a bit pale and you're shaking. Hmm…you don't have a fever, though you have been out in the rain for who knows how long." Hikari was confused. Why isn't Hikari's mother not noticing a Shinigami standing in her daughter's bedroom? Sachiko handed Hikari the apples. "Here. Why don't you go laid down and I'll make you some warm tea?"
Hikari nodded slowly. "O-Okay. Th-Thank you Mom."
With that, Hikari closed the door and leaned her back against it, letting out a sigh in relief that Sachiko didn't see Ryuk, but she was a bit confused why that is. She almost shrieked when she opened her eyes to see Ryuk standing dangerously close before her.
"The notebook you found originally belonged to me, and since you're now its owner, you're the only one who can see and hear me." Ryuk took an apple from the bowl Hikari was holding and held it close to his lips. "In short, the Death Note is also the bond between Hikari, the human, and Ryuk, the Shinigami."
B-Bond? Hikari thought as Ryuk took a bite out of the apple in his hand. The first thought that came to her at the time was of the bond between friends, but Hikari doesn't want to be a believer in false hope. She gave that up a couple years back.
"I uh…I s-still have a…a question," Hikari said closing her eyes to gather her thoughts. "W-Why does it…why does it have to be me, though? I-I mean, out of everyone else…" Hikari opened her eyes, and saw that the bowl in her hands was completely empty. She watched as Ryuk gulped down the other two apples. "R-Ryuk?"
Ryuk wiped his mouth with the back of his sleeve. "Apples are worth the trip to Earth. How do you describe these? Juicy?"
"D-Did…did you hear me?" Hikari almost stuttered.
"Of course I heard you!" Ryuk raised his voice a bit, causing Hikari to almost flinch again. "What? Did you actually believe that I chose you to be the new holder of the Death Note because you were so smart or something?" Hikari averted her eyes away looking somewhat down. This wasn't the first time she had heard something like that. "Believe me when I say that I didn't choose you. I just so happened to drop it around here and you just so happened to pick it up. All of this was just an accident. Nothing more, nothing less. That's why I wrote the instructions down in English because it's the most common language in the human world."
Hikari then placed the empty bowl on one of her nightstands and took a seat on her bed. In a way, she was somewhat relief that she wasn't actually destined to actually be the owner of the Death Note. She could feel the fear inside her had somewhat ceased, though she still feels nervous around Ryuk. Maybe it was because of his appearance or the fact that he actually is a Shinigami. She knew he wouldn't kill her…at least until her time as Ryuk stated, so she's safe…for now at least.
"If that's the case…th-then why did you…did you drop it here in the first place?" Hikari curiously asked. "It's…not another a-accident, is it? Y-You even…even took the time to…write the instructions i-in English like you said."
Why is she still stuttering like that? Ryuk thought. Is she that timid? Or is she still afraid of me?
Ryuk rubbed his chin as he answered, "You're wondering why, huh? Well, long story short…" Hikari literally squeaked when Ryuk bended down to her level where his head was right next to hers. "I did it because I was bored." He whispered in her ear in a low, scary, harsh tone.
Hikari blinked her eyes in confusion as Ryuk pulled back. "B-Bored?" She repeated.
Ryuk shrugged as he explains, "To tell you the truth, there are many other Shinigami that exist in the world we call the 'Shinigami Realm', though we barely have much to do these days. Most of the time we're either taking naps or gambling. If you spend your time just writing names down, the others would simply laugh at you for working too hard." Hikari averted her eyes away again when she heard that last sentence. That also sounded familiar to her.
"Even if you were to write down the name of a Shinigami, it would be pointless because we are immune to its dark powers, and since we live in the Shinigami Realm, it also brings us no joy to kill humans either. So I thought it would be more fun to come down here and see for myself."
During the time he was talking, he also took that time to simply walk over towards the desk and took out the Death Note from the drawer. Ryuk opened up the Death Note and only saw the two names written in the first page.
"Though, I'm not surprised," he continues. "There were other Death Notes that were dropped into the human world before, and those who use it would only write so very few names in."
Hikari simply looked away and stared down at the floor as she wrapped her arms around herself. "W-Well…I…uh, i-it's because…w-well…"
"You're afraid, aren't you?" Hikari could only nod. "Then tell me, why write down these names in particular? And why did you only write down the cause of death for that guy who got hit by that truck?"
Hikari snapped her head up and stared at Ryuk with a shocking look on her face.
"What? Was it something I said?"
"H-How d-did you…that is…I uh…"
Ryuk knew what she was going to ask, so he gave her his answer, "We Shinigami can also look into the human world from the Shinigami Realm. You could say I've been watching you from the moment you first found the Death Note."
Hikari tightened her grip as she tried to explain, "W-Well I…th-the first name I wrote down! Th-this guy, h-he was holding th-these ch-children h-hostage a-and i-it was a-an accident! A-And and…"
In a blink of an eye, Ryuk placed his hand over Hikari's mouth to keep her from stuttering anymore. This had frightened Hikari as she couldn't help but to shriek only for it to be muffled by Ryuk's hand.
"Seriously. Are you that timid or are you still scared of me?" He removed his hand after a few moments. "Just think about what you want to say and then say it. No need to overreact, alright?"
Hikari leaned her head down where her hair was covering her face as she said, "S-Sorry. I-It's…just that…I'm not…I'm not used to…to talking to p-people I…j-just met…h-human or n-not. Besides…I…I don't…talk m-much, anyways."
Of all the humans in this world to have found the Death Note…it just had to be this one, Ryuk thought out of annoyance. At that moment, he was seriously having second thoughts about dropping the Death Note into the Earth, but how else was he supposed to kill his boredom anyways?
"N-Never mind then," Ryuk spoke. "I already saw how it happened, so there's no need to speak of it." He stared down at the Death Note he still has in his hands. "You did it out of spite to protect other humans and yourself. I get it. But how come you haven't written any more names down then?"
"I just…w-well…wasn't sure…at first," Hikari spoke, pulling her brown hair away from her face. "B-But you were right…I…I was afraid…I was afraid of k-killing…a-and going mad."
"Going mad?"
Hikari nodded. "After using the D-Death Note, I…w-well, there's just something a-about it that I-I think would make p-people want to use it a-at least once...b-but that means…e-even if I w-would...th-that I would…I would kill more. I-I'm just afraid that I…that I would b-become like a…a homicidal m-maniac, that I w-would…I would…"
Ryuk placed his hand over Hikari's mouth again in hopes of silencing her. "So you were just afraid that you would become a monster, right?"
Hikari nodded and simply muffled, "Mm-hmm."
"Trust me, you are far beyond becoming a monster," Ryuk said truthfully. "I see that you look nothing like a sociopathic killer…nor have the mind of one. If you're afraid of going to Hell, don't bother. Like I said, humans who use the Death Note would enter nothingness when they die. So what's there to worry about?"
He finally removed his hand from Hikari's mouth as he continues. "Besides, you did what you thought was right. Those men you killed were criminals and deserved to be punished, and what better way to punish them than for them to die? They were bound to be punished for their actions sooner or later, weren't they?"
"Well I…" Hikari looked up against the ceiling in thought. "I guess that's true…"
"You felt it, didn't you? That rush? It felt good to punish them, didn't it?" Hikari slowly nodded. "By the way it sounds, it's as though you want to judge more, don't you?"
"Y-Yeah…" Hikari said. "B-But I don't want to kill anyone who hasn't done anything wrong…or at least…innocent...what else can I use the Death Note for?"
Ryuk was somewhat glad that she was stuttering less, because that was just getting so annoying he felt like ripping even his own Death Note in half out of anger and annoyance.
Suddenly, Hikari looked as if she just came up with something.
"Maybe that's it…" She whispered.
"What's it?" Ryuk asked.
Hikari did something that Ryuk didn't expect her to do…she smiled. It was a small one, but it was a smile nonetheless. "This world is filled with nothing but sinners and criminals. It's because of them that this world is suffering. They think of this world as their playground...thinking that they can do whatever they want, getting away with their crimes. At first, I wanted to become a detective like my father so I could help stop them…
But is there any other better way to deal with them than to go through that much trouble to track them down and punish them?" Hikari uncrossed her legs and placed her hands on her lap as she looked down deep in thought. "Maybe…if I were to use the Death Note to my advantage…I can finally make a difference in the world. I can…I can help make this world a b-better place for everyone to live…" Her hands folded into fists, a feeling of hope swelling up in her fragile heart.
"I have a feeling i-it will be a long time before that could be accomplished though," Hikari continued. "Even so, at least it would be for a good cause, you know?"
Ryuk let out a chuckle. "Even if you do accomplish that…you would be the last bad person left."
"The last bad person left?" Hikari repeated, before looking over to Ryuk. "I-I know killing is wrong…b-but this wouldn't be the first time something like this would happen, right? When everything is said and done with, this world will be cleansed of evil and will be filled with kind, hardworking people." Her lips trembled at her next thought. "So that way…no one will ever be judged ever again."
"What's the point though? You sound as if you want to become a god yourself."
"A…a god?" Hikari gave it some thought before she decided. "No…Just because I want to rid this world of evil doesn't make me a god. I-I just don't see myself that way. I just want to do what's best for the good of the world. I'll need to plan everything out f-first before I get started." Hikari smiled again at Ryuk. "Thank you, Ryuk."
Alright, now this is just confusing. Ryuk's not used to be given thank-yous, so this is somewhat new to him. "F-For what?"
Hikari surprised Ryuk by immediately wrapping her arms around him by the torso and said, "For dropping the Death Note, and...well, w-without you…I-I wouldn't have figured all of this out. So…thanks."
Ryuk looked a bit surprised by this. Never before had something like this ever happened to him, let alone being hugged. He simply scratches the back of his head and said bluntly, "Eh, you're…welcome? And sorry but uh…"
Ryuk suddenly became see-through to Hikari's surprise, but it also caused her to phase through him and onto the floor. Ryuk then changed back to normal as Hikari looked up to him to see what had happened.
"That's just my reflexes, not me. You see…I'm a guy, so I tend to get a little shy sometimes." He watched Hikari get back up on her feet. "Fair warning though: don't think I'm gonna be helping ya out or anything just because I'm sticking around. Just a spectator is all I am."
Hikari nodded in understanding. Even if he just gonna stay for a long time and would do nothing but watch, to Hikari, it does felt a little nice to have some company around.
The storm had finally ceased with the sun shining through the dark clouds, beaming a beautiful light into the still-dark bedroom. Hikari looks out her window and saw how beautiful the world looks outside her bedroom. Maybe this is a sign...The sign of a new world, a much better world free from evil. Hikari likes that idea. She could be like a guardian angel protecting the world from evil and making it a better place to live by eliminating the vermin who rots this world.
I have nothing to lose, anyways. If no one else is going to change this world, it might as well be me.
Hikari picked up her fallen chair and took a seat at her desk. She turns on her computer and opens up the Death Note.
It was time to get to work.
End of Chapter Two…
AUTHOR'S NOTES:
Again, had issues while writing this chapter, 'cause I wanted this to go as smoothly and naturally as possible. And just to clarify again: this is just a retelling of the Death Note anime series, so if you're going to ask when other characters, like L, would show up, you'll know exactly when they'll show up. Also, it's a little thing called development. Ever heard of it?
Aside from this story being LxFem!Light centric, I don't want to spoil anything, but there will be other couples and romances too later on. If you want to make a guess, go for it, but I'm not gonna say until I get to it in the story eventually.
Still hope you guys enjoyed this chapter. Still many more to come. Until next time.
