A/N: This is a filler chapter, but probably the most important filter chapter in the entire story, so pay close attention. I had a great deal of help with this one in terms of inspiration and ideas. I offer my thanks to the people who offered their support to me during this process. Now, onto the good stuff.

Disclaimer: I do not own Death Note. I only own Crystal Makano and her family.

Warnings: Takes place immediately after the last chapter. (No time skips this time.) This chapter is also heavy on foreshadowing.

Chapter 10

Countdown Part 1

From the moment Kira's killings began, Crystal had experienced torment after torment. In the real world, those torments came in the form of constant pounding migraines, the fear that her family was one false move away from death because of her mistake, and worst of all, the crushing weight of guilt for the hundred or so people who had died so far. Criminal or not, it was human life wasted.

At this point, Crystal was finding it difficult to reason why she ever thought using the Death Note in such a way was a good idea.

Apart from the real world struggles were the vivid and elusive nightmares Crystal continued to have. The sequence of events within these dreams could be compared to a giant jigsaw puzzle. Thousands of little tiny pieces waiting to be put together and yet, Crystal couldn't find a place to start in sorting the images out in her mind. For the past few nights she had been lucid in her dreams. This was good because it allowed her to ponder what message her subconscious mind was trying to tell her. Unfortunately, being in such a lucid state while asleep didn't provide for the mental rest she actually needed.

Because of the lack of mental rest, Crystal could only come to one conclusion. There was a supernatural element at work here. Under any other circumstance she would have ruled it out as an illogical possibility, but given the existence of the Death Note, an illogical object itself, Crystal allowed herself to think it over. The dreams started immediately following her loss of the notebook which was accompanied by the horrible headaches and a couple incidents of hallucination where she saw numbers and names floating about in a crimson hued world. At this point, Crystal was used to the dull throbbing in her head and considered it as an irrevocable part of her life now.

But the dreams...those were a different matter entirely.

As she finished writing her journal entry concerning the events of L's confrontation with Kira, Crystal lowered her head to her desk and without warning fell asleep. When she began to dream, the pieces she had seen in previous nightmares began to slip into place, creating a cohesive narrative she could experience firsthand.

It began with a ferocious dust storm that made the air thick and dry. Crystal blinked for a few seconds, her eyes adjusting to the conditions. Somehow, despite the wind and dirt swirling every which way, she could see the area around her clearly. With a soft inhale she glanced upward toward the black sky that hovered over the flat land. Beyond the whirlwind of the heavy storm she could see a lone figure flying. Crystal deduced that this figure was a Shinegami, but was confused by its actions. Most Shinegami didn't bother to fly anywhere within their home realm from what she had observed in previous dreams of this place, so to see one flying against the current of the wind seemed especially odd.

The movements she took were aggravatingly slow as she trudged through thick sand. Skulls and other pieces of bone lay scattered about with some of the smaller pieces dancing in the air. On rocky boulders to her right she noted two Shinigami chatting as if there weren't a wind storm tearing through the area. One of them lifted a hand toward her in a haphazard, lazy wave. Crystal thought about returning the gesture, but her body continued ahead without so much as lifting a finger. She guessed her body had a mind of its own right now.

There was a tight feeling in her chest as she began to pick up speed, not at all bothered by the debris brushing past her. The teen couldn't wrap her mind around why she had this feeling, only that she needed to keep an eye on the Shinigami flying at a distance ahead of her.

After a few seconds, Crystal felt herself hovering up from the ground.

"What's going on?" she wondered, unable to fathom the idea of being airborne. "Am I flying? How is this possible? Humans can't fly?"

Crystal reminded herself that this was a dream, though that became more difficult to do when she felt a massive wave of pain ripple through her back. A cry escaped through her lips as her body lifted higher and higher off the ground. For a few seconds she closed her eyes and bit down on her tongue.

When she opened her eyes, she gasped, though she wasn't sure if it was because she was still in a substaintial amount of pain or if it was because everything below her was thousands of feet below.

"Probably the latter," she mused, letting out another shaky breath that sounded terribly hoarse. The air was far too dry.

In front her, Crystal caught a glimpse of the Shinigami she had decided to pursue once more. There was something about this one that screamed a certain sinister quality she couldn't place. Wordlessly she followed behind him, unsure of how or why she was doing so. At this point, she may as well have been a spectator at a sporting event.

After a minute had passed, the Shinigami began to descend toward a mountainous region to the east. Crystal hung back for a moment, her eyes catching every movement the creature made. She had a sense of where he was going, but had no knowledge about the signifigance of the area.

Her stomach involuntarily twisted.

"Don't go down there!" Her mind screamed. "Turn back! Turn back now!"

Crystal's body didn't listen. It hovered toward the region, landing in a spot just far enough away so the Shinigami wouldn't notice her approach. Her feet touched the sand again, but she couldn't feel the grainy substance on her soles or in between her toes like before. Was her nervous system out of whack or something? How the heck did she start flying about like a UFO out of those science fiction films she hated?

More questions filtered into Crystal's mind as she started to walk along the cliffs. Right off the bat she noticed a change in her posture. It was far more rigid than it had ever been in the course of her life. Her strides were longer, more firm against the ground beneath her feet. She felt like she was taller...no, she was taller.

Suddenly she heard the sound of laughter. It was a raspy, grotesque sound that immediately caused her stomach to churn again. Something in her mind was screaming at her to turn around again, but this time Crystal was curious about what was going to happen. She had seen pieces of this event before and now that it was finally playing out in a format she could understand, the young woman had to see it through to the end. Besides that, even if she had wanted to leave, her body was acting on its own. She had no control over it at all.

That part was beginning to scare her a little.

But she felt more fear when she came to stand a few feet behind the creature she had been following. She had seen Shinigami before and understood that by human standards they were not appealing beings. However, Crystal didn't feel a sense of fear when she saw them. The ones she saw in her dreams had never been ugly in her eyes, just different from what she was used to seeing on a regular basis. Some were a little more freaky looking than others, but the teen didn't feel fear because of that.

With this one...she was terrified, disgusted, and mystified all at the same time.

Half of the creature's face was a mass of muscle with an unruly mess of long ebony locks while the other half was reminiscent of a skeleton head. He had two eyes, but one of them was dangling out of its socket by the optical nerve. It twitched and moved about every few seconds. The rest of its body was nothing but decaying bone of varying neutral colors covered only by a vibrant red cloak. For a moment Crystal wondered why she hadn't noticed the cloak before.

He sat cross-leged on the ground before a reflecting pool. Crystal guessed it was a portal allowing the Shinigami to view the human world. When she looked down at his lap, she saw an open Death Note there. There were countless names written in it and at that very moment he was writing another along with the conditions of death.

Before Crystal could read any of it, she heard a familiar yelp. It sounded almost like Nagisa, yet there was something fundamentally different in the sound. She knew it couldn't have been her.

"Keep your eyes on the notebook! The notebook!"

Crystal didn't listen to her subconscious. Her eyes darted to the refelcting pool. Suddenly she could see an image of herself as a little girl being tormented by the man who was her biological father. With wide eyes Crystal watched him slam his fists into her younger self before grabbing a knife in the shabby kitchen. She heard herself crying. She watched her younger self attempt to defend herself as he began to slash away at her. She watched crimson liquid fly across the floor of the dark shack that had once been her home.

And the entire time, Crystal kept thinking that she couldn't remember any of it. Even as she watched it happen, the images didn't trigger a single memory of how she had felt that day, fighting for her life. She couldn't remember screaming or crying. She couldn't remember feeling afraid. In her mind, she had never seen her biological father's face until now.

However, there was something she clearly remembered, though she was afraid to admit it to herself. She remembered rage swelling inside of her as the Shinigami laughed and continued writing down an innocent girls name, not even aware of her presence behind him. She remembered...clenching her bony hands into fists as that rage began to consume her and chase away all rational thought.

She remembered it because she was feeling it again in the dream.

"But...that's not feasible," she thought, her body shaking. "It just isn't possible to remember something I wasn't around to experience...I..."

The teen mustered enough strength to lift her right hand from its place by her side. With wide eyes she stared down at it, unable to comprehend the sight of the skeletal appendage.

Crystal Makano woke at her desk with a start at 4 a.m. on Friday morning. Breathing heavilly she pressed her clammy hands against her forehead. It was slick with sweat.

"It was only a stupid dream." She breathed, inhaling deeply to calm herself down. "It doesn't mean anything."

This was by far the worst lie she had ever tried to tell herself, but one that needed to be told in order for her to maintain her sanity. She had a strong hunch about what her dreams were trying to tell her now, but decided not to think about it. To even consider it a possibility was flat out ridiculous. This whole situation with the Death Note was driving her insane and something had to be done about it now rather than later, not only for her sake but for the sake of her family.

Any sentiment she had held toward Kira was gone now, replaced by a determination to stop him at whatever cost.

Closing her journal, Crystal stretched back in her desk chair, yawning softly before inclining her gaze toward Nagisa. The little girl was still tucked into the covers of Crystal's bed, sleeping soundly.

"I have to do what I can to save Nagisa's mother too," Crystal resolved after watching her sleep for a minute. "I only hope that it's not too late."

Crossing the room silently, Crystal started to get ready for school. She figured she may as well leave early.

Thirty minutes later she was in the kitchen making a quick breakfast of eggs and buttered toast. As she was eating, her mother, Olivia Makano, entered the kitchen wearing a pink terrycloth robe over her nightgown, pink rollers in her hair, and white bunny slippers. Dark circles lined her eyes.

"Didn't sleep again?" Crystal questioned quietly before taking another bite of her eggs. Her mother didn't answer right away, choosing instead to fill up the coffee pot with water before answering her adoptive daughter's inquiry.

"Crystal, we need to have a serious talk about the cartel."

The girl almost sighed. She had seen this coming.

"Under no circumstance are you to help with the current situation David and I are dealing with," Oliva stated sternly, turning the machine on. "I'm prepared to make arrangements for all of us to leave Japan together, but...if Kira kills us first..."

"That won't happen," Crystal cut in, clutching her fork tightly in her hand. "Not if you let me help."

Olivia chuckled in response. "Don't be ridiculous. When we asked for your help before you refused...and while I never said it Crystal, I was proud of you for that."

"You were?"

"No parent wants to see their child go down the same road they did," Olivia offered, sighing while brewing a fresh batch of coffee. "Your father and I tried to steer you and David in the right way, but our lifestyle...proved too difficult to maintain through honest means. For a while we were fine, but then...Paris...that seemed to be where everything went wrong. David killed a man and I reestablished my mafia connections to protect him and the rest of our family. I've done everything in my power to shield this family, Crystal, and in the end...I'm grateful that you had the courage to say no."

Crystal narrowed her gaze on the food below her. "But I didn't have enough courage to prevent what's happening now. If I had...if I had just destroyed the Death Note..."

"Mom...I don't want to lose any of you."

Olivia Makano paused in her movements, her fingers lingering over her favorite coffee mug. Crystal had made it for her while in elementary school. It had the words, "World's Greatest Mom" painted on the front in big bold letters. The rest of the mug was a little mishapen, but Olivia loved it all the same.

Crystal was not biological child, but the older woman loved her just the same.

Gripping the mug tightly, she gently set it by the coffee pot before walking to the table where Crystal was seated. With tears in her eyes, she wrapped her arms around her daughter's shoulders.

"Promise me..." The salt water slid down her cheeks. "Promise me you won't do anything too endanger yourself. I can only be at peace with death if I know that one of my children will live on. Please...don't get caught up in this. The way things are now, Kira can't touch you and I want it to stay that way."

"Mom..."

Olivia shook her head. "Don't try to argue. I know David and I asked you to help us in the past, but this time I'm asking for you to trust us. We're working to get out of Japan together, but it might not work out that way. Should something happen to us, I want you to go back to Winchester. I have contacts there who can provide you with shelter, money, and food. You'll be safe...so please..."

A horrible feeling of dread twisted in Crystal's chest. "Okay...I promise."

She lied straight through her teeth, but her mother had been too caught up in her emotions to notice. "Thank you." The older woman pressed her lips to the side of Crystal's head before going back to the kitchen where her coffee was waiting. On the way back she took notice of the calendar on the refrigerator.

"It'll be Thanksgiving next week in America," Olivia stated, sounding more cheerful as she poured coffee into her mug. "We should celebrate with a feast."

Crystal smiled sadly, the feeling in her chest intensifying. "That's a great idea mom. Do you think we could have apple pie again?"

"Absolutely," Olivia replied, taking a sip of her coffee. "Ah, nothing like a good black coffee to wake you up."

"Isn't it bitter though?" Crystal asked.

Her mother shrugged, leaning back against the counter. "For some people it is, but...I like it. Black coffee has a certain crisp taste to it. Adding all that sugar and cream does nothing for me." Her eyes took on a glassy look as she stared at the dark liquid. "Life is like that too I suppose. It can be bitter, and sometimes you need to add sugar. But...I think life is about learning to accept the life you have with appreciation while knowing you can drink up what it has to offer with or without sugar." As if to emphasize her point, she took another sip of the drink.

Crystal felt her eyes watering. That was her cue. She had to get out of there.

Pulling out her bravado, she cheerfully brought her plate and mug of tea to the kitchen. She started to scrape the little bit of leftover egg into the garbage disposal, but her mother stopped her, stating she would clean it up for her.

"You sure?" Crystal asked, anxious to get out before she lost her composure.

"Of course," her mother answered, gently taking the plate from Crystal's hands. After setting it down next to the sink, she stretched her arms out. "Now, may I have a hug?"

Without any hesitation, Crystal flew into her mother's arms. She was still smiling, but at any moment she knew she would break. Still, she couldn't bring herself to rush the embrace.

Something deep inside told her this would be the last moment she would share alone with her mother. She needed to savor it for as long as she could.

"I love you mom," she breathed, closing her eyes while her mother's arms wrapped protectively around her. "I love you so much."

Olivia patted the back of her daughter's head. "I love you too, Crystal. Don't worry. Everything will be alright. I promise you that."

They both knew it wasn't a promise she could keep, but Crystal appreciated the words anyway. She needed to hear them, if for no other reason but to fuel her resolve.

She would get her Death Note back. She would end this before she could lose anything. She had to.

A/N: Initially I wanted to make this longer, but decided to keep this chapter centered around Crystal. In the next one we'll see the other characters and introduce some more plot elements that will drastically change the course of the Death Note story we know and love. Thanks for reading everyone! Hope you all enjoyed this installment. Reviews and constructive criticism are greatly appreciated.