The Shinigami King sat upon his throne and listened as Ryuk explained what had transpired in the human world. "Ryuk, you have caused the death of a fellow Shinigami and revealed our existence to multiple humans. These are amongst the most severe crimes a Shinigami can commit. What do you have to say in your defense?" the Shinigami King questioned.
"It's just so BORING around here. I had to do something to relieve the tedium," Ryuk complained.
"That is no excuse! Now get out of my sight! I'll decide your punishment later," the Shinigami King snapped.
"Fine..." Ryuk muttered as he left.
Sometime Later
According to what Ryuk told me, Rem managed to kill two humans to save Misa Amane when she should only have been able to kill one... This is a clear violation of our rules. I must correct this mistake, but how? The Shinigami King carefully considered the issue before making his decision. He called for a meeting of the Shinigami. Any Shinigami who wished to attend were welcome. Many Shinigami chose to attend, since they had little better to do. "It has been brought to my attention that one of our most important rules has been broken," the Shinigami King announced. "Rem saved a human by killing another. Normally, her death would have been proper atonement. However, she killed two humans instead of one. To correct this issue, I have decided to use an ancient Shinigami ritual to revive a human."
"Didn't you say it was against the rules to save a human?" one Shinigami questioned.
"This is usually true, however, in this case, I am doing so in order to restore balance," the Shinigami King explained. The Shinigami whispered amongst themselves and exchanged looks of surprise.
"How do you carry out this ritual?" a Shinigami asked.
"First I must decide which human to revive. The second human killed was Lawliet, so I have chosen him," the Shinigami King said. "The ritual requires the deceased human to bond with a shinigami. The two will take on some attributes of the other. The human's appearance will change to partially resemble a Shinigami. The human's life span will drastically increase and he will obtain the eyes of a Shinigami. The Shinigami's appearance will change to partially resemble a human. The Shinigami will lose its wings but keep its eyes and it will become visible to humans. The Shinigami will lose its immortality, however, it will have a lengthy life span. The shinigami and human must remain close to each other. If they do separate, they must not stay separated for long, for they will grow weaker the longer they are separated. If one dies, so does the other. Also, the Shinigami cannot return to this realm. So, any volunteers?"
"What shinigami would do such a thing for a human!?" a Shinigami exclaimed. The others all nodded in agreement.
"I knew none of you would volunteer for this ritual, which is why I'm forcing one of you to do it," the Shinigami King said. All of the Shinigami fell silent, as they worried over who would be chosen. "Ryuk, your punishment has been chosen!" The Shinigami King announced. The other Shinigami laughed mockingly as Ryuk approached the Shinigami King.
"Laugh all you want, but I'm glad to be leaving this boring place! Although I will miss being immortal..." Ryuk said.
"The ritual will take twenty-five days. One day for each year the human has lived," the Shinigami King said. All of the Shinigami but Ryuk and the Shinigami King departed. Some continued to laugh at Ryuk's expense, while others gave Ryuk pitying glances.
Twenty-five Days Later
Where am I? Is this the afterlife? L wondered as he opened his eyes.
"Welcome back, L," said a voice from behind him.
L turned to see Ryuk. "Who are you? Where are we? Am I dead?" L asked.
"Slow down, one question at a time," Ryuk said with a chuckle. Ryuk then explained everything about the ritual to L.
"So I'm part shinigami now. My body does feel a little different," L said as he examined himself. He was now taller and paler. His hair was longer and slightly spiky. L then examined his surroundings. "So this is the Shinigami Realm. Interesting..."
"Enough talk, it is time to send you back to your world," the Shinigami King said. L and Ryuk nodded in unison.
In The Human World
"I guess you probably want to know what happened after you died," Ryuk said.
"Yes, I would like to know. Was Kira caught?" L asked.
"Yeah, that N guy caught him. I was the one who killed him, though. I wrote his name down in my death note. Wanna guess who Kira really was?"
"It was Light, of course. Why did you kill him?" L asked.
"Because it would have been boring to watch him rot in prison. When I gave him the death note, I told him I would kill him if he bored me," Ryuk explained.
"You gave him the death note?"
"Well, I dropped it and waited to see who would pick it up. Light just happened to be the guy who found it first," Ryuk said with a shrug.
"Then Light becoming Kira was simply chance? And you are the one who created Kira... I can't say I'm happy to be bonded with you," L muttered.
"Hey, I didn't make Light use the death note. All of that Kira stuff was his idea," Ryuk said.
"But you still chose to drop the death note into the human world. Why?" L questioned.
"I was bored," Ryuk answered.
"That's the only reason? All of those people died just to appease your boredom?"
"I'm a Shinigami, killing humans is what we do. Don't expect me to feel guilty about it, " Ryuk said.
"What will you do now?" L questioned.
"Since we're bonded now, we have no choice but to stick together. Don't worry, killing humans would be pointless now, so I won't cause you any trouble. Just try not to bore me," Ryuk said. L frowned but didn't reply. "So, what's your plan? Are you gonna go back to being L?"
"I was dead, remember? I can't simply announce that I'm alive again. I'm going to continue investigating crimes, but I'm going to do it in secret," L said.
"Since I'm stuck with you anyway, I guess I'll help you, but you'd better give me apples," Ryuk said.
"You can buy them yourself now," L pointed out.
"Oh, yeah, that's true. So, what now? How do we start this new life of crime-solving?" Ryuk asked.
"Before that, there are a few people I want to visit."
At The Yagami's House
Sayu and Sachiko were eating dinner in the kitchen when they heard a knock on the door. "Sayu, can you please answer it?" Sachiko asked.
"Okay, Mom," Sayu said. She opened the door to see a pale young man she didn't recognize. "Um, can I help you with something?" she asked.
"I'm sorry to disturb you, but I wished to offer my condolences. I was a... friend of your father and brother," L said.
"Oh... well, did you know that Light was..." Sayu faltered. She started to cry. L gave her a sympathetic look.
"I know who he was. I apologize for upsetting you, I know it must be hard for you to talk about. I will leave now," L said.
"Wait. Please come in and talk with us for a minute," Sachiko requested.
"Very well," L said.
"I didn't see you at the funeral. What's your name?" Sachiko asked after L walked into the house.
"Ryuzaki," he answered.
"Neither of them ever mentioned you."
"I met Light at his graduation. We didn't know each other for very long," L explained.
"I see. I hope knowing the truth about Light doesn't make you think poorly of us. We truly had no idea," Sachiko said with a pained expression.
"I have nothing but respect for your family. I know you and your husband did the best you could," L said.
"I just don't understand how we didn't see the changes in Light's behavior. If we had noticed, maybe we could have saved him..."
"Often, it is because we are close to people that we fail to notice the warning signs. Light's choices were his own. You are not to blame," L said.
"Thank you for your kind words. I'm glad to know that my son had a friend like you," Sachiko said.
"I must leave now, thank you for your hospitality," L said.
"Let me tell you where they are buried before you go," Sachiko said.
"Thank you." L said. After Sachiko told him the location of the graves, he left the Yagami's house and went to the graveyard. It didn't take him long to find their graves.
"I kinda miss the kid. My time with him was the most fun I've had in ages. I couldn't have given the death note to a better guy," Ryuk said. L didn't reply. He stared at Soichiro's grave.
"Did he ever find out...?" L asked.
"That Light was Kira? No, he died convinced that Light was innocent," Ryuk said.
"It's better that he didn't know. The truth would have destroyed him," L said. He walked over to Light's grave. "Perhaps things could have been different if you had never found that death note. It's possible you could have become a detective rivaling even me..."
Sometime Later
Near stood in the tower that L had built. "So this is where L died..." he said quietly to himself.
"It certainly is a strange feeling to return to the place where you died," L commented as he walked into the room. Near's eyes widened in shock. L explained everything to him.
"Does this mean we will be working together?" Near asked.
"No, I'm going to let you take my place as the new L. I will be working alone. Well, not entirely alone," L said as he glanced at Ryuk.
"I see. Well, if you ever need help, I will be glad to assist you," Near said.
"Thank you." And so L left with Ryuk to begin his new life.
AN: This fanfic is currently being re-written by an author named Lawliet Holmes. He has decided to expand on my idea and make it a multi-chapter fic. The name of his version is Death Note 2: The Power of Two. If you liked this one then you should check it out.
