Chapter 6: Suicide

"You know he can't make a difference, right?"

Rem shot the approaching Shinigami an annoyed glare. That only made his grin widen.

"He can't change her fate. Only a Death Note could do it. Whatever he does down there is already accounted for."

"What do you want, Ryuk?"

"Now don't look at me like that. Personally, I don't know what you're so worried about. You can see her lifespan just as well as I can. This Gelus must have been a hard worker. I'm the one who should be complaining."

Rem rolled her eyes, but said nothing. She kept her attention on the portal showing the human world.

Death Notes interfered with fated lifespans of humans, usually by shortening them. A person whose name was written down died before their time, and this affected others as well. What a god of death saw for those others was their original lifespans. The numbers would only adjust if a trade for Shinigami Eyes was made. Or, as Misa's case proved, if a Shinigami's sacrifice added its own remaining years to a human life.

Light Yagami had been such a powerful influence on Misa's life, that now it was impossible to tell how long she really had left to live. For all Rem knew, Misa could jump off a bridge tomorrow.

Ryuk would know this. He was goading the other Shinigami on purpose. If Misa's lifespan were to prove significantly shorter than they could see, it would be at least partly Rem's fault.

He went on. "After all, you cheated me out of the most interesting human to ever possess a Death Note. I'm sure he had a lot more left to do. I should have told on you to the old man."

He chewed on a piece of a Shinigami apple, then grimaced. "Say what you want about humans, Rem, their world has its good sides. And now I have no excuse to be down there much any more."

Rem didn't bother to inform Ryuk that she was rather pleased with that particular fact.

"Unless I acquire a new notebook."

He bit into the tasteless fruit.

"Say, you still feel attached to her, right? What are the chances that human's there to shorten her life?"

"You're trying my patience, Ryuk."

"I'm bored. You know, I almost wish I hadn't done the trade with that girl. It would have been interesting to see a human live that long."

Another bite.

"How does that work, anyway? You understand these things better than I do. Would it make her age slower? Or would she just keep getting more wrinkly and shrivelled up? Meh, maybe I shouldn't regret it after all."

Rem ignored him. She watched. Almost like a proper Shinigami.