(Chris' POV)

I hate history class. Well, I don't always hate history class, I like it when we talk about modern history, but anything prior to that seems like little more than a trivial topic with no real-world value. In any case, this is where I'm stuck until lunchtime, and right now I have more important things on my mind anyway.

Yesterday I appeared to have done something which is scientifically, logically and physically impossible. I killed someone by writing their name down in a notebook. I need to know for certain that it wasn't just a coincidence that the guy died of a heart attack when I wrote his name down, and that the Death Note actually works. If today's experiment is a success, the chance of my Death Note being fake is practically zero.

'Chris, can you translate this next sentence from English to English?' Mr Iesnes asks. Standing up, I reply.

'The rocky mountains are mountains made of rock.' I then sit back in my seat.

'Thank you. Now let us all reflect on that sentence for a moment.'

What was I thinking about? Oh yeah, the Death Note. So yesterday what I did was I looked up another serial killer in the area, and I wrote his name in the Death Note, specifically saying:

Deustcher Nyan – Heart Attack

After getting in a car chase trying to escape the police, drives past Forbes High School five times starting at 1:45PM, before parking on the other side of the road, getting out of the car, and dropping dead.

This way, I will know for certain if this Death Note is for real, and if I can control people with it. But that's not the only thing that's bothering me. When Bieber died I acted as if I'd never killed before, like it was all new to me. Perhaps it was because he was the first person I've killed on my own without following orders, like back in old times. Ah yes, the old mafia vigilante corps. The most fucked up two years of my childhood.

So now I'm just watching the clock. 1:29PM, and the seconds hand is at 20, 21, 22, 23, 24…

This is the longest 40 seconds of my life…

I look over to see Alexander Rockley silently and carefully pickpocketing from the kid in front of him. Perhaps Alex should have been my second test. After all, he's the most dickish person in our year group, and most of us would immediately benefit from his disappearance. And it would be easy for me to witness his death right away.

No. I shouldn't kill anybody I have a personal motivation against, since that would make me a suspect if someone were to find out about all this. And while people like him are a burden to the world at first, they can change relatively easily.

1:30!

'Okay class, you can pack up and head off to lunch now.' I silently slide all my books into my bag, buy something small at the cafeteria, and sit down at one of the tables. I still have some time before my test takes place.

'You look awfully happy about something today, Chris.' I hear from the other side of the table.

'Oh, do I?' I reply, my green eyes meeting his grey-brown.

'Did you get laid?'

'Connor, is that seriously all you people think about these days? In any case, I'm not even going to be legally old enough for that for another… a bit over a month.'

'Oh, you're counting down too?'

'What? No, I just calculated it now.'

'Well, is there any girl in particular you're thinking of?'

'Of course no-'

'CHRIIIIIS!' I hear behind me.

Connor giggles. 'I suppose that answers my question.'

'It does not!'

'I'm sorry, did I interrupt you?' The girl now standing next to me says.

Kallet. Kallet Vimerica. Remember how I said Viper was the second hottest girl in the school? Well, according to various anonymous opinion polls, here's our number one. But just because she's rich, popular and… hard to maintain eye contact with… doesn't mean she's some kind of sweet little DereDere. No, behind that veil of seductiveness is a horrifyingly mean person who seems to absorb energy from the suffering of those she doesn't like.

There's even rumors that she's directly murdered some of the girls that her previous boyfriends dumped her for, but I doubt that. It's not that she wouldn't know how to get away with it, it just doesn't sound like something even she would do.

'No, Kallet, we were just talking.' I reply to her.

'Well, Chris, I was thinking… there's a one direction concert on Saturday, and as president of the student council I get free tickets to those sorts of things. And it would be such a shame if this one were to go to waste, don't you agree?'

'Kallet, what part of "It's over" don't you get?' So yeah, up until two weeks ago I was her latest boyfriend, before I'd had enough of her bullshit and dumped her. But she doesn't give up easily.

'Oh come on Chris! It'll be fun!'

'I'll never have "fun" with someone who psychologically bullies and manipulates people for her own needs. In any case, I've got things to do.' I quickly leave the table.

'Wait, Chris, what do you have to do?' Connor asks.

'I meant… I just need to use the bathroom.'

Following that confrontation I quickly dart around the corner to see a familiar sight, one of the openings to the ventilation system that runs through most parts of the school. For years, people from all year groups have been using the network of ventilation tunnels to move around the school when the halls were too crowded to walk through or they didn't want anyone to see where they were going. In my case it's the latter, since the front parking lot is out of bounds during lunchtime.

Climbing into the shaft, I see that it's a bit smaller than I remember. Then again, I haven't had to use it in quite some time. A few meters through I see something taped to the side of the wall, and I turn on my phone and use its light to see what it is. It's a map. Someone actually made a map of the ventilation system and taped it up here. Huh. I already remember my way around though, so I continue to walk past.

I finally locate the exit and appear in the bushes of the front parking lot and hide in them. And then I wait. I take a mental note of the appearance of each car that drives past. Red sports car, grey 4WD, Blue Ute, Red sports car, White land rover, Black Mercedes, Red sports car… If Deustcher's anywhere here it has to be that sports car. I watch as he drives past a fourth time, and then a fifth, and then I wait.

The car finally pulls up on the other side of the road. Oh my god, is this real? Is my… am I… That's him. That's him getting out of the car now. Oh my fucking god. Any second now…

And at that moment, he clutches his chest, tries and fails to scream, and… drops dead… right in front of my eyes.

THIS… PROVES IT! THE DEATH NOTE REALLY WORKS! A POWER THOUGHT TO BE BANISHED TO THE REALM OF FICTION IS NOW MINE!

I really need to get my breathing under control. If anyone were here they'd probably think I was having an asthma attack. Okay Chris, calm down. Seriously, calm the fuck down!

So… with this notebook… I can actually do… something. I'm not sure what. Well, I should be heading back now, I don't want anyone to be suspicious of my disappearance.

I scramble back through the vents and within a minute I'm back at the table.

'Alright, did I miss anything?' As usual Connor is the first to respond.

'Not really, we were just talking about which one of us would die first in a zombie apocalypse.'

'Well, zombies only eat brains so you should all be safe.'

'Fair point, Chris.' This is one of my favorite things about Australia: You can usually say exactly what you're thinking and no-one will give a shit.

So the rest of the day goes as normal, with me formulating plans in my head about exactly what I'm going to do. After school I get on the train and turn on my phone to see if there's anything new in the news.

'Another 2 bodies have been discovered in a landfill site near Canberra. Authorities say the two teenagers were likely murdered using some kind of serrated weapon…'

'North Korea has conducted their sixth nuclear test today, with an estimated explosive energy twice that of the bomb dropped on Hiroshima in 1945. Japan, South Korea and the United States have already condemned this action…'

'Hundreds in Iraq have been killed in a series of suicide bombings performed by the Islamic State. The exact number of casualties is unknown at this time, but it may well be over 9000…'

Like I said, these stories just blur together. Start looking around you, and all you see and hear about are people the world would be better off without. Murderers, rapists, pedophiles, terrorists, dictators, war criminals, propagandists, and several more titles immediately come to mind. This world is a horrifying mess, and with this notebook, I can try to change things. I… I will use the Death Note to save the world! I can do it… no, I'm the only one that can do it! At least, the only one that can do it who currently has a Death Note. There are probably lots of people out there more qualified for this than me, but they don't have a Death Note.

After getting off the bus, I walk home, with dozens of ideas racing through my head. Can I do what my fictional childhood hero did? Or more importantly, is he fictional? If the Death Note is real, perhaps that means the characters from the manga/anime are as well? Nah, that's impossible. Then again, so is the Death Note.

I suddenly snap out of my thoughts to open the front door.

'Mum, I'm home!'

'Good afternoon Chris! Would you like something to eat?'

'No, I'm fine. Anyway, I've got a lot of studying to do, so try not to interrupt me, okay mum?'

'Okay, anything for my little boy!'

'I'm 15, mum. I think you can stop calling me a "little boy" now.'

'Hey Chris. How was school?' I hear from the room directly opposite mine as I open my door.

'It was fine, Indy. Hey, can you make sure you don't interrupt me in my room? I have a lot of studying to do.'

'Okay bro!'

Indy and I kind of have a mutual agreement where she helps me out socially while I help her out with some of her school subjects, in particular the ones she doesn't care about as much as I do and hence doesn't put as much effort into. It also means she can be a bit overprotective at times.

I lock the door behind me, drop my school bag beside my desk and take out all my books… including the Death Note. What I said was partially true, but it isn't school I'm going to be studying for.

(Rugo's POV)

It has been some time since I left the mountains. Having other gods of death to talk to is a good relief, even if most of them don't feel the spectrum of human emotions that I can relate to. In any case, it's been three days. I should get going to see which human, if any, has picked up the Death Note.

'Umm, Dimina?', I ask to the familiar Shinigami in front of me, my long-time ally and the closest thing I have to family, her red hair and angel-like wings glinting of the light from a shard of reflective material above the portal.

'Yes?'

'Listen, I lied about earlier. The real reason I've come here is…'

… Oh god how am I going to tell her this? We've been through hell together before, literally and metaphorically, and for the first time in decades she won't be able to protect me like she always has.

'Yes?'

'… Three days ago I dropped my Death Note into the human world.'

From the look in her eyes I'm not sure if she's pissed off at me or simply shocked.

'Rugo, why… YOU SON OF A BITCH! WHY THE FUCK DID YOU DO THAT?! YOU COULD GET YOURSELF KILLED DOWN THERE!'

…

…

Wait, is she… crying? I… I don't think I've ever seen her cry before, at least not since I died. Oh god what have I done? I don't want to see her upset, I-

'Why… why did you have to do that? I don't want to lose you again, Rugo. I don't want to see you die a second time.'

'Dimina, don't worry about me. I'll be fine. Name one time I haven't known how to handle a tough situation.'

'You want me to write a list?' she says, opening her Death Note with a pen in her hand.

'No, I didn't mean that literally!'

'Rugo, it's now the 27th of October in the year 2016. Everything is different now! How are you going to handle it?'

'Don't worry Dimina. I won't die again. I promise.'

'That doesn't even come close to answering my question.'

'Look, I know it's risky and all, but this is my world. It's the world where I grew up, and the world that I saved. And I think it needs me again.'

'What makes you say that?'

'It's… just a feeling. But it's a strong one.'

Before I can say anything else, Dimina embraces me in her arms, and whispers into my ear.

'If you think it is the right thing to do, return to your world. And in case I don't get another chance, I just want to say...'

She's whispering too quietly for me to hear the rest of what she says.