Death Note: Diary of a Shinigami Chapter 5: The Birth of Kira Part 2, a death note fanfic

A/N: I'm really excited about this chapter! Last chapter was definitely fun, but this one is where we get the ball rolling on what's to come in the future. Will Crystal simply fade into the background? Don't count on it! Also, thanks to those who have reviewed so far. I really appreciate it and hope you guys will continue to enjoy the story.

Disclaimer: I do not own the brilliance that is Death Note

Warnings: Um...none for this chapter.

Chapter 5

The Birth of Kira Part 2

7:45 p.m.

Crystal's sea green eyes widened in horror at the sound of vehicles crashing together. Slowly she craned her gaze back at the intersection she had ran across only seconds earlier and immediately regretted the action.

The sight of Takuo Shibuimaru strewn across the road in a bloody heap sent bile up her throat and before she could contain it, she retched onto the sidewalk. Her evening snack of cashews spilled out of her mouth, staining the white concrete as well the front of her dark wash jeans. At the same time, the blood curdling screams of Shibuimaru's friends echoed into the air, adding to her despair.

~Earlier~

6:00 p.m.

Crystal entered the door to the apartment sluggishly, complaints about being tired slipping through her lips as she lazily dropped her school bag to the floor. She didn't bother to pull out her usual sunshine bravado. Her body was sore from the long extended period of sitting in a slouch at that desk in detention and her mouth was dry from the lack of nourishment. She felt completely drained of all energy.

David was sitting in the living room watching a news report while eating some of her precious cashews. Crystal inwardly sighed at this as she moved to sit next to him and without any warning took the can from him. Crystal dumped over half its contents into her mouth before he could protest.

"Rough day," she explained, moving to sit in the way her childhood friend used to sit. Her memory was a little foggy, but she still remembered the shy older boy from her days at the Whammy House. For a moment she contemplated if he still sat in the same way today.

"I told you being late to school all the time was going to land you in detention," David stated seriously. "Instead of trying to tell me what to do you should have made an effort to get there on time."

Crystal raised an eyebrow at this, not quite understanding where he was getting at. In fact, she couldn't remember much at all today. It was bizarre. She remembered the basics of her life. She was an orphan, was raised for a few years at Whammy's House (a time she looked back on with fondness as well as horror) and she remembered the faces of her friends there, though the names were a blur, especially one in particular whose name she knew was just a letter...or were all her friends names like that?

She remembered her adoptive parents, her brother David and all the major details of their lives, including everyone's current occupation.

Mostly, her lapse in memory consisted of this day. She couldn't remember anything that had happened today aside from pieces of a conversation with David and another with a student in her class, Light Yagami. Everything else was a giant blur with a few random details here and there.

The feeling that something was wrong swelled in her more, but the more she thought about it the more confused she became. Why couldn't she remember? Did David attempt drugging her again? She wouldn't put it past him, especially if he was mad at her about whatever conversation they'd had this morning. It probably had something to do with him and the drug cartel again. She tended to not bring up the subject, but maybe this morning she just felt compelled to push the issue. Again, she couldn't remember.

"My deductive reasoning is falling down the toilet," she mused inwardly, while deciding she wouldn't reply to David's comment. She was slowly sinking into a depression as it was over the clear loss of her mind.

David blinked in slight confusion at her lack of a retort. "Is something else wrong Crystal?"

Yes. "No. I'm just tired and in no mood for mindless babble."

"Well, unlike you," he huffed, glaring at her, "I know when to back off the issue."

No he didn't. The underlining meaning of the words he'd spoken meant he wanted to draw her into a needless argument about philosophy. Crystal nearly moaned in disappointment. Her adoptive brother was entirely too easy to read. That alone was enough to annoy the young woman.

Thankfully, before David could say anything else needlessly provoking, their father came through the door, smiling widely while carrying a giant bag of groceries.

Crystal got up from the couch, eagerly slapping on her cheerful façade. "Hey Dad. Welcome home."

David simply nodded his head toward the older man. "Yo!"

"How was your day?" Crystal inquired, putting extra effort into her façade to distract herself from the rampant and irrational thought that something was terribly wrong.

Yotaru Makano smiled, though it didn't quite reach his eyes. "My day was fine." His expression faltered into a concerned frown. "At least until I got a call from your principal today."

Crystal continued to smile, though she felt slight guilt at the idea that she'd caused him some trouble. "I'm sorry. I was late to one of my classes this morning and then at lunch I kind of got sidetracked and wasn't on time for another one of my classes. I'm going to have detention for a while."

Yotaru shook his head as he gently placed one of his hands on her shoulder. "Cyrstal, we've already discussed that it's imperative you don't draw too much attention to yourself or the family. Like it or not, we are all fugitives and if your principal gets too invested in turning you into the "model student", it could mean trouble for us all."

Crystal nodded, choosing to keep her rebuttal inside. "I know. I apologize. You won't get any more calls from him because it won't happen again."

David lifted an eyebrow at his sister's response. "She's not going to say that her teachers are absolute morons who continually single her out? Okay, something is definitely wrong here. Crystal never gives in this easily, not even with Dad."

The elder Makano also looked a little shocked, but unlike his son, didn't question it. Instead he glanced around the apartment while making his way to the kitchen. "Where's your mother? She told me an hour ago that she was on her way home."

Crystal followed behind him. "I wouldn't know. I just got home a few minutes ago." She turned toward her brother. "David?"

David simply shrugged while observing his adoptive sister carefully. "I haven't seen her and I've been home since one o'clock."

Mr. Makano sighed, waving a hand through his already mused chestnut locks. "Well, it seems that I'll be cooking again." After another sigh he opened one of the kitchen drawers, withdrawing an apron. "The only problem is that I don't know what it is your mother wanted to make. We don't normally eat salmon."

"Was Mom planning on cooking tonight?" Crystal asked while moving to the cabinets where they kept pots and pans. It was a rhetorical question, but again, Crystal was putting extra effort into her bravado now to keep herself distracted. The alternative to being distracted right now was far too distressing.

"That's what she told me over the phone," he answered, opening the package of salmon he'd gotten from the store. "That's why she wanted me to pick up this salmon along with some herbs and ramen. She said something about trying out a new recipe."

Crystal tilted her head slightly, contemplating the possible explanation for why her mother wasn't home when she said she'd be. "Perhaps, she got caught up at the elementary school." She placed one large pot on the stove.

Yotaru shrugged. "Something like that is possible. One of your mother's friends is a teacher at the daycare center across the street from where she works. She mentioned going over there for a visit." With another sigh he opened the package of dried ramen noodles. "Crystal, would you mind filling that pot halfway with water?"

Crystal had already done this and was now turning the stove up so the water could heat up and begin boiling within the next five minutes. Then she traveled back to counter where Yotaru was cutting the salmon into thin slices with some spices.

The kitchen fell silent aside from the sounds of the father-daughter duo cooking. David watched Crystal for a bit, wondering what had gotten into her.

"One minute she's depressed and in the next she's helping Dad cook?" he thought suspiciously. "Either she really does have a split-personality disorder or something really bad happened at school." He smirked slightly at that realization. "Hardly anything really upsets her. It'd be interesting to find out what has her so rattled today. Did something I say this morning get under her skin or..."

David took his eyes off his sister to pick up the diet coke can he had set on the coffee table earlier. While taking a sip he continued to wonder about his sister's mental state.

But then, as he moved to place the can of soda back on the table he noted a breaking news flash sign at the bottom of the TV screen. On the screen a reporter stood in front of a building that looked strikingly similar to a school.

With slight intrigue, David picked up the remote and turned up the volume so he could hear over the rattling sounds in the kitchen.

The assailant who killed six people yesterday at a busy shopping district in Shinjuku has now taken eight people hostage at this daycare center. His hostages include children and teachers."

David's eyes widened slightly. He turned up the volume even more, making sure that his father and sister could hear too.

"That daycare center..." he thought, recognition of the building rising in his golden brown eyes. With a loud gasp he abruptly rose to his feet, staring at the words now scrolling across the bottom of the screen as the reporter continued to speak.

Breaking News: Hostage situation at Daikoku Daycare Center in Canto Region

"DAD!" David screamed, snapping his gaze behind him. "The daycare center mom is at...is it Daikoku Daycare?"

Yotaru turned around from his spot over the stove while Crystal looked up from chopping carrots. Crystal, having sharper vision than her father, noted the scrolling words at the bottom of the screen first.

Dropping the knife, Crystal rushed into the living room. Panic rose in her as she stood behind the couch, staring at the TV screen. She recognized the building from the few times she had to bring her mother lunch from home after leaving in a rush. This exact building stood across the street from the elementary school.

Mr. Makano came into the room seconds later, his dark blue eyes widening. "Oh God..."

The three of them could only stare at the screen as the reporter continued his report of the situation.

"The police have now identified the suspect as forty-two year-old Kurou Otoharada, currently unemployed. We expect negotiations to begin immediately."

David ground his teeth together. "As if they can do anything. Mom...she's trapped in there. She could be..."

"Don't!" Yotaru cut in harshly while placing his hand on David's shoulder to reassure him. In the next second he placed his other hand atop Crystal's. "Your mother will be fine. The police can handle this."

"That's a load of bull coming from you," David snapped, snatching himself away from Yotaru's grip. "They'd sooner put mom in jail than help her. If she manages to get out of there the police are still going to question what went down and why she was there and that..." he bit down on his tongue, stopping himself from continuing out loud.

Crystal knew what he was going to say though. She knew the woman at the daycare their mother was "visiting" was one of David's clients. If the police decided to question and/or search any of the victims, Olivia Makano, their mother, could be arrested on charges of drug possession and that could offhandedly result in the revelation that she's a wanted fugitive. That alone would be horrible on its own, but more than likely the police would be able to trace where she had been and who she had been with over the last twenty or so years. She would be linked to Yotaru and then he'd be arrested as well.

And of course, the drug connection would lead them to David.

Crystal was slightly disappointed that David's line of thinking was more down the route of possibly being caught and not their mother's safety, but she wasn't too upset with him over it, mainly because she knew how much their mother meant to him and how devastated he'd actually be if anything happened to her while in this hostage situation.

"Son, what are you..."

Yotaru never had a chance to finish his question as the male reporter on the scene appeared on the screen again.

"Wait we're seeing something here!"

Crystal felt something click in her head, her sea green eyes brightening slightly. "Hold on...did the suspect..."

"There's movement at the front entrance!"

The male reporter was speaking as footage of women and children rushing out from the building met all of their eyes.

"There's mom!" David exclaimed, glee clear in his voice. "She's alright!"

"The hostages are coming out and they all look to be unharmed." The scene switched to men wearing heavy protective gear and police shields entering the building. "The special forces are moving in. We don't know if the suspect has been arrested yet though."

Crystal continued to watch the scene, unsure of how she knew, but...

"Okay...we have confirmation! The suspect has been found dead inside!"

Crystal's eyes widened. "I knew it...he died...but..."

Her thoughts trailed off as images passed through her mind. Memories of black notebook, the names and faces of the friends she had at Whammy's House, the Shinigami named Ryuk. It all came back the second it happened.

Crystal knew without the reporter saying anything that the suspect had died from a heart attack. She knew because she remembered what had happened earlier that day, the thing that made her desperate enough to deliberately disrespect (well, she did that on a normal basis anyway) a teacher and the principal in a fit of hysteria.

Upon that singular memory and a few others returning, the hysteria came back with a vengeance.

"He's dead..." she thought in complete horror. "The notebook...somone else has my Death Note."

Without a second thought she pulled away from her father, whose hand had still been on her shoulder, grabbed her backpack from off the floor, and sprinted out the door of the apartment. Her father immediately yelled and started following after her with David stumbling behind him in avid shock, but Crystal barely heard them and easily lost them after a few blocks of non-stop running.

She continued to run, her feet leading her to the one place she knew the notebook should be, hoping and praying to God above that the unthinkable hadn't actually happened. She was praying it was a coincidence, a horrible, awful, terrifying coincidence.

Crystal was scared. Scared because she had completely forgotten about the notebook and because she remembered. She didn't understand how it could be possible if someone stole the notebook away. Ryuk told her that her memories would disappear if she gave it to someone else, and while she didn't give the notebook away, she had dropped it and someone else picked it up.

"And used it," she mentally added, stopping at the end of the sidewalk to catch her breath. Ahead of her the intersection was busy, so this was as good a place as any to take a short break. She wouldn't be taking any others on the way.

As she neared the gates of Daikoku Private Academy, she prayed again.

"Please...let it still be here!"

Catching sight of the building she'd dropped the book from, Crystal ran to it and circled around the perimeter of the building while scanning the ground for any signs of the notebook.

She circled the building a good five times before finally stopping at the place where she knew it must have fallen. She could tell from the slight, almost invisible indentation in the blades of grass.

"It's gone," she breathed softly. At the same moment the sound of distant thunder caught her ears. The sound couldn't have come at a worse or more ironic time.

Crystal sat in the grass, staring at the spot where her Death Note had fallen, the panic filling her outweighing the rational side of her mind screaming at her to calm down and think about who could have taken it. Still, Crystal couldn't concentrate because she knew that her loss of the notebook had caused someone's death.

Then again, was that such a bad thing? The person that died was holding her mother, teachers, and kids hostage after all. He (or she) had saved them. Who knows what would have happened if not for the interference.

Crystal would be alright with that train of thought had she not remembered what had caused it in the first place. Her Death Note, the one she had planned on destroying in the near future was now in someone else's hands.

Rising from the ground, Crystal let out a shuddering breath. "Okay, I dropped it here on school grounds; therefore, either a student or faculty member has it now."

Slowly but surely did Crystal's heart rate begin to calm itself. She was working on auto-pilot now, a setting in her mind she reserved for when panic started getting the better of her. It hardly ever happened, but when it did she remembered L and what he had taught her in the short time they had spent together.

"Never allow your emotions to get in the way of your deductive reasoning."

Those were his words to her back then. She held on to them now as she continued running through the facts in her mind.

"A student or teacher has my notebook now," she repeated to herself while exiting the campus grounds. "Still, who would be stupid enough to take something with the words 'Death Note' written across it, seriously? Honestly, who in their right mind would even test it out? With its rules and overall ominous vibe, the thing should have been seen as a sadistic joke and left here at school for the owner, me, to retrieve. Whoever has my notebook now can't be too bright."

Crystal walked slowly, unsure of where she was going. She didn't want to go home and while she wanted to make sure her mother was alright, she didn't want to head over to the daycare center.

Letting out a sigh, she let her gaze fall to her feet as she continued walking down the street with a few people on either side of her. "It's more than likely that David and Dad probably went there to find me anyhow."

Eventually the people dispersed from around her, heading off in different directions, leaving her alone as she walked on a pretty much empty street. A few shops were stationed to the right of her while the road stretched on to the left of the wide sidewalk. She hardly noticed the change in her surroundings, her thoughts too focused on who could have her notebook, but she was having a hard time narrowing it down. The person who has her notebook had only killed one person so far as far as she knew and there were at least two thousand students attending Daikoku Private Academy including herself as well as about five hundred teachers. She could only rule out her few acquaintances because they hardly ever watched the news and some of the bullies that hung around because, let's face it, they wouldn't kill to help someone else in danger. Most people wouldn't actually.

"Interesting," she thought, a slight smile tugging at the corners of her lips. "That narrows it down quite a bit, though I don't know all the students at Daikoku or their personalities. It could still be anybody." She frowned again while noting that the sky had become increasingly dark.

Crystal decided to take out her cell phone from her school bag to check the time.

"Seven-forty," she mused, her frown deepening just as the sound of motorcycle engines reached her ears. Glancing up from her phone she noticed the two vehicles moving her way.

"Oh no, you've got to be kidding me with this!" Crystal inwardly fumed, glaring as the two motorcyclists surrounded her.

"Hey baby! Where are you going?" The one directly in front of her asked. Crystal stiffened at the sound of his voice, watching as his beady looking eyes glanced up and down her small frame from behind his sunglasses, lingering in the places where a man's eyes should not linger without severe consequences. His hair was a sloppy blondish brown mess sticking out from underneath his helmet.

In her peripheral vision she could see the second guy. He was slightly younger but no less ugly.

"That's Takuo for you," he cheered. "He can spot a hottie a mile away."

"Do they not realize I'm a high school student?" Crystal wondered, annoyed and slightly nervous. "I'm still wearing my school uniform for crying out loud."

"What's up little lady?" the man in front of her began, moving his sunglasses (um hello, it's dark outside) away from his eyes so she could see them better, not that she really wanted to. "The name's Takuo Shibuimaru. You wanna hang out with us?"

Crystal narrowed her gaze on him, instantly alert. "This guy looks familiar to me. I'm not sure where I've seen him though...wait maybe I do."

Crystal briefly recalled a news report about a guy with the same name. He'd been accused of raping and murdering a high school girl about two years ago. For lack of evidence he was set free, but it was clear in Crystal's eyes that this guy was anything but innocent. In fact, he'd probably been hunting for his next victim and she just happened to walk by. Great. Her day couldn't possibly get any better from here.

"Look, I don't want any trouble," she stated, her fingers already typing 911 behind her back on her cell. Unfortunately, while she was able to call the number without notice, the guy behind her saw that she had the device in her hand.

"You don't need that."

Crystal didn't have time to react as a blade slashed across the top of her hand. Gasping in pain she dropped the phone and in the next second Takuo's accomplice stomped on it.

"Okay, the police probably won't show up now," she thought, staring down at her hand. It was bleeding profusely from the injury the jerk behind her had inflicted. When had he gotten off that stupid motorcycle anyhow?

"You hear that," he snarled, clearly mocking her as two more motorcycles pulled to the side of the road. "She doesn't want any trouble."

This definitely wasn't a good situation for Crystal to be mixed up in. She could probably handle two men on her own. She knew some self-defense and even a little capoeira. However, she also knew that her sub par fighting skills against four guys wearing helmets and carrying weapons was like a mouse trying to stand against a hungry cobra. She was just asking to get eaten alive.

Crystal took a step backward, her blood dripping to the pavement. "Please, just leave me alone." She hated having to resort to begging. It hurt her pride, but she didn't have much choice at this point. Outnumbered and outmatched didn't make for a good combination and the fact that practically no one was around to witness this made things ten times worse. She could try to fight, but she knew the outcome of doing so could lead to her untimely death.

Takuo Shibuimaru attacked before she could think out her options any further. She was completely thrown off guard when a metal rod pressed against her throat. In the next second he was pulling at it, causing her to lose her breath. Before she could strike with her fists, two of the other mobsters grabbed her arms, holding her still. The only guy left who wasn't doing anything at the moment was the guy who had slashed her hand earlier.

"Gah...aaaah!" she strained in between breaths. "Let me go...gah...right now! I'm not kidding...aaah...would you quit with the pulling back there...gaaah! I'm trying...to threaten you here!"

"Alright boys, let's strip her down right here," Takuo stated, completely ignoring Crystal's comment

"What!" Crystal mentally screamed, her eyes bugging out with terror as well as rage. "God if you're up there and if you can hear me please! Get me out of this nightmare. Help me find a way to escape!"

The man in front grinned down at her as she struggled. "You sure boss?"

"Yeah go ahead," Takuo encouraged, pulling the rod tighter.

The other guy's hands were reaching toward her skirt.

And that's when Crystal's mentality went into "fight or flight" mode, or in this case, "fight or prepare to get raped out on the open street" mode.

With all the strength Crystal could muster, she lifted up her right leg and slammed her foot into his nose. As he stumbled back she lifted up her left and kicked him right in the crotch. Then with a firm yank she broke her arms free and grabbed onto the bar around her neck.

With Takuo and the other two perverts off guard, Crystal was able to maneuver the rod away from her neck enough to where she could slip away.

"Don't try to beat the crap out of them," her mind screamed at her when she shakily rose to her feet. "Run!"

Her pride was taking a severe beating tonight, but at the moment Crystal could care less. She listened to the rational voice in her head and ran across the street without bothering to see if anything was coming. The sound of the motorcycle trailing behind her was far too present in her ears for her to be concerned with being run over anyway.

She made it to the other side of the street just before her legs began to give out. Fear really was a crippling thing.

Even so, it didn't matter. The second her knees touched the ground it happened.

Once finished with the retching fit, Crystal took a slow shallow breath to calm herself down. She was once again clinging to the words L had spoken to her so long ago. She wished for probably the thousandth time that he were there with her, but some prayers can't be answered right away.

But the prayer for her to escape was answered, probably in the worst way possible, but Crystal wasn't going to complain about that. Besides, another prayer had been answered this night.

Whoever had her notebook used the hostage situation at Daikoku Daycare to test it out, never thinking it would actually work. Said person (if they were a true skeptic of the supernatural) would need to test it again, and on someone who wouldn't be missed.

"The person who has my notebook must be nearby," she whispered, hoarse from the vomiting. She started to look in that direction again...

"Crystal! Crystal!"

Her gaze snapped in the opposite direction of the street she'd run across, the sight of David's silhouette meeting her eyes.

"What are you doing here?" he questioned, immediately kneeling down toward her once he was close. His eyes widened in horror when he saw the gash across her hand, still bleeding out. "What happened here?"

Crystal turned her body towards him. "I'm alright..."

His hands roughly grasped her shoulders, his eyes boring down on her. "Who did this! Tell me! I'll kill him!"

"He's already dead," Crystal answered, twisting her head so she could see Takuo's body again and the truck that hit him. "He got hit by that truck over there." She glanced around for his buddies. They were all on the street where she'd been earlier, revving up their motorcycles to hightail it away from the place. With a small gasp she noted the large window in the magazine and manga shop that was directly behind the spot. It had a clear view of the entire street.

She continued to look around for other people. There were some standing nearby in shock, others screaming at the sight of the bloody corpse on the road, but none of them were students or teachers from Daikoku Private Academy. None of them would have been within hearing distance either when the perverts approached her. Besides that, students aren't normally out and about this time of night unless they go to cram school.

That's when it dawned on her.

"The person who has my notebook must go to cram school," she thought, blinking in shock as David pulled her up to stand. "And if they had to come this way to go home then...they must have seen me and discreetly went into the manga shop where they could write Takuo's name and the cause of his death without notice."

"Come on," David ordered, pulling Crystal away from the scene as her eyes searched for the person who stole her notebook. That person couldn't be too far away. He (or she) had to still be nearby.

"We're going home," he continued, glaring down at the gash. "If we weren't fugitives I'd take you to the nearest hospital."

"I'm fine," I told him again, more sternly this time.

"Crystal, some perverts tried to rape you, one of them died right in front of you, you're bleeding, and you're covered in your own vomit," David pointed out, wrapping his arm protectively around her shoulders. "You're anything but alright right now, sis." His hold tightened on her. "Just what were you thinking running off on your own like that? Dad shouldn't have told you to not draw attention to yourself. He should have told you to not to run off like some maniac and nearly get yourself killed in the process. To make matters worse you didn't even go see mom like we thought! What the heck was so important that you ran all the way down here, huh?"

Crystal stared up at her brother and nearly screamed bloody murder at the sight she saw.

Actually...she kind of did.

"Gah! What is wrong with you!" David shouted, releasing Crystal long enough so he could rub his temples. "Are you absolutely insane?"

Crystal almost nodded. She had to be insane. One second ago she could have sworn that her entire world had been shrouded in a hue of red. She saw numbers floating up above her brother's head along with his name, but now she just saw him standing there, covered in the light of the street lamp hovering above them.

"This whole mess has me off the deep end," she thought shaking her head. "Still, at least now I know for sure that the person who has my notebook is a student from Daikoku that goes to cram school or a teacher from Daikoku that teaches at cram school. Still, that person saved my life. Does that mean that he or she knows me? Then again, they killed earlier to save hostages at a daycare center without any way of knowing that my mother was there. No, they just saved me because I was a damsel in distress and a perfect tool to test out their new toy. Well, they aren't going to get away with it. I have to get that notebook back."

Even so, Crystal couldn't be angry with how the new owner of the notebook was using it. Not only had the owner saved her life, but her mother's and countless others in one day. In all honestly, she wasn't sure how she was supposed to take all this. In one day Crystal had lost her notebook, lost the memories of the notebook, received them again when the first victim of her Death Note died, was nearly raped, and now she's seeing things. Her day couldn't get much worse aside from her parents yelling at her, which was bound to happen as soon as David brought her home anyway.

However, after today, whether Crystal truly realized it or not, her life would never be the same. In fact, her life would be forever altered by the mistakes she had made not only on this day, but in a life she did not yet remember.

Twenty minutes had passed since Light Yagami wrote the second name in the Death Note. During that time the clouds hovering in the dark sky had begun to leak out droplets of rain before steadily turning into a downpour.

Tall buildings surrounded him as he stumbled into an alleyway, too lost in the aftershock of his second kill to think straight. He simply couldn't believe it. The Death Note was real and he had used it to murder two people.

His breathing was ragged. His thoughts were consumed with replaying what he had just witnessed as the rain fell upon him, chilling him to the bone.

The whole thing had been too surreal for words. On his way home from cram school he spotted the brilliant troublemaker, Crystal Makano. She didn't see him. She'd been too preoccupied with retrieving something from her backpack to notice him. Light examined her, noting that she was still wearing her school uniform. As far as he knew, detention had ended at least two hours ago so he wondered for a moment why she would be out and about this late in the evening. He didn't dwell on it for more than a few seconds though. He had more important things to think about than what she was doing or going. Just noticing her walking down the street had taken too much of his attention and had she managed to spot him, it would have wasted more time.

However, lady luck decided to intervene and make Crystal Makano useful to him.

Two motorcyclists, one of them Light distinctly remembered as Takuo Shibuimaru, cut off Crystal's planned path. Light ducked out of her line of sight just as she looked up from her cell phone to glare at the two men. Silently walking past them, Light watched the scene unfold. Crystal held her phone behind her back, quickly dialing 911 with her thumb. Of course, the other guy caught her and then sliced the top of her right hand.

The last thing he saw before entering the magazine/manga store was her blood dripping on the ground.

Light didn't like Crystal, but he didn't hate her either. She fit into the middle ground of people he simply didn't care for. Takuo on the other hand...

He despised him. He had already raped and killed a high school girl before. Light wasn't going to watch him do it to someone else, even if that person was someone he didn't particularly care for.

Besides that, he needed to test the notebook again.

Light picked a spot in the shop near the window so he could have a view of what was going on. Crystal stood her ground up until Takuo pulled a metal rod against her neck from behind. Two other goons had showed up to help restrain her. Light began to write Takuo's name down while silently admiring Crystal's attempt to threaten her captors even while in a position where she had no way out.

He finished writing the name and the details of the death seconds later. After that he waited.

When the guy in front of her started reaching for her skirt, Crystal kicked him in the face. Light was a little confused by this since he had only written that she manages to escape, but it made little difference how she escaped. That part wasn't specified.

The part that was specified though, happened just as Light wanted it to. Crystal ran across the seemingly empty street and then, as Takuo followed on his motorcycle...

BAM!

...a truck slammed right into him, killing him on impact.

When Light saw this, he knew instantly that the Death Note and its power had to be real.

Naturally the young man freaked out, practically running out of the magazine/manga shop with his eyes wider than that of a person watching a seal belly dance.

Which brings us back to the alleyway Light is currently stumbling through. He could barely hold himself up with the weight of the guilt crashing in on him. He had killed two people. Two human beings!

"Those were human lives," he thought, finally stopping to lean against one of the buildings that made the walls of the alleyway. "It won't be overlooked. Besides...who am I to pass judgement on others?"

For a few minutes he just stood there in the alleyway, listening to the rain as it fell against him. He replayed the moment he saved Crystal again. She was a strong girl, he knew that from the way she handled herself, but still...

The fear in her eyes just before she escaped spoke volumes of how she was feeling, how she was praying for someone, anyone, to save her. There were hundreds, even thousands of people just like her crying for justice in a world where there is none.

"Maybe I'm wrong. This is exactly what I've been thinking about lately." He lifted his gaze from the ground, training it straight ahead of him. "This world is rotten...and those making it rotten deserve to die."

Light took a deep breath then. Right now he still wasn't entirely sure what he should do. He needed to sleep on it and wait to make a decision on what to do with the Death Note until the morning.

However, deep down, Light knew that he had already made his decision on the matter.

Deep in the Shinigami realm, a lone Shinigami named Ryuk stood above the portal to the human world.

His grotesque features twisted in a sort of smirk. "Well, well. It's finally begun after all these years of waiting." With a dry rasp of laughter he sprouted out wings from his back. "I best get going then. I don't want to miss all the fun that's to come from this development."

Having said that, Ryuk flapped his wings and threw himself into the portal. He was definitely going to be in for some major entertainment.

A/N: And you guys are in for some major entertainment as well. Thanks for reading. Feel free to leave me a review! Constructive criticism is welcome. Also, thanks again to those who have followed and reviewed the story so far. I really appreciate it!