Chapter 1

There is only nothingness, when you die.

"NO!! NO! I don't want to die! Please! I don't want to die! I DON-" He was suddenly cut off. With his last scream strangling in his throat, Raito felt his grip on Ryuk's knee slacken.

The air around him had suddenly ceased to exist, as though his lungs had forgotten how to breathe. His chest was constricting… tighter and tighter- until he could feel his eyes bulging, the pressure so horrible that he was sure they would burst out of their sockets. Although Raito's eyes were wide open, he could see the darkness at the corners closing in- the growing shadow obscuring that grinning face, the flattened nose, and finally, those ghostly, bulging eyes-

And then, there was nothing.

He suddenly found himself floating, gliding, in a strange grayish mist that seemed to congeal around him, preventing him from seeing beyond the fog. It was utterly quiet- the sort of unnerving silence that hung tensely in the air. It was the quiet before a battle, before a storm.

"H-hello?" Raito tried to speak. He could feel himself forming the words with his mouth, but his ears heard nothing. The oppressive grey blocked out all vision, and also sound, it would seem. Where was he? Was he… dead? Panicking, Raito drew up his fists, to hit out at that oppressive fog, and found, to his horror, that he had no hands. He looked down, and saw that he had no body.

He was but a disembodied head.

Oh God, oh God…

Ironic, that he should now be calling for God, when he once envisioned himself as one. Stripped of power, humiliated, Yagami Raito was nothing.

Nada.

How long he spent, in that shadowy prison, Raito did not know. Hours, days, weeks- even years? Who knew? Even with his agile brain and complex reasoning… he was still powerless. He exploited every possibility, every method he could think of to transcend that stultified existence, but to no avail. He was, for the second time, falling into despair- knowing that he was never going to get out, that he was going to spend eternity in the in between, in the spaces between life and death.

Then, there was a sound of wings…

The fog was gone.

He was suspended in a chamber of red light, a narrow cavern bathed in blood, with tiny twinkling black gems embedded along its length. Raito blinked. The sudden assault of colour on his vision, after the lengthy periods of grey, made the dull redness of the place seem like fireworks exploding before his eyes.

"So, Raito. Heh heh… how have you been? We did have some fun times together, didn't we? Pity you lost."

An oddly familiar voice rang out its cheerful greeting to him, somewhere above. Recovering from his shock, Raito looked up into the face of that grinning demon, the last face he saw before he died.

"Ryuk! You… What are you doing here? What is this place?"

Although his voice was remarkably stable and firm, Raito was boiling inside. He had not forgotten what the death-god had done to him. He wanted nothing more than to lash out at that mocking grin, those disgustful protuberant eyes. But he mastered himself. Ryuk must be here for a reason. There was no other explanation. Ryuk only cared for himself and his amusements… Raito must see if he can make use of the death-god, to escape from here…

A tiny sneer curled at Raito's handsome mouth.

"Oh, here? Nah, nothing much. It's just a meeting place when the death-gods wish to speak to the souls of the humans who used the death-note… but I must say it has not been used for a long time. Anyway, I have here a proposition from the King." Ryuk landed, retracted his wings, and took out a large, formal-looking scroll. And upon unrolling it, the scroll extended several feet that ended in a messy lump at the death-god's feet. "Trust the king and his need to be long-winded," grumbled Ryuk, fumbling with the mess and squinting at the minute writing. "Ah well, he's not here at any rate, and basically, what he offers you, is the chance of becoming god, Raito. But, in another time, and in another place."

"And why," asked Raito suspiciously. "Is your King being so nice to me?"

Ryuk shrugged his massive shoulders. "Oh we are bored, and we decided that a little competition, would have make things more interesting in the realm." And here, Ryuk squinted at a line on the immense scroll, and continued, " …perhaps by having a first hand view of human activity, the other death-gods would be more keen to change themselves, to make the world a better place."

Ryuk snorted.

"But actually," Ryuk grinned. "I just got bored again."

"Oh really? So you got bored," said Raito coolly.

"Yeah…" the demon sounded almost apologetic. "Anyway you get your body back, and I bet you must hate that miserable existence all death-note users go to when they die- neither heaven nor hell… But the catch is, you must defeat one of the best thinkers of all time, otherwise you will be sent straight back."

"And who is he?"

"Not telling," laughed Ryuk, tossing his end of the scroll on the floor. It instantly shriveled and collapsed into a pile of ashes. "You will find out when you get there." The death-god rubbed his claw-like hands together. "The odds are going to be great. Many of the death-gods are interested by this large scale gambling. You against him. Your progress with be watched by the hundreds of us."

Ah. So it must be a man.

"All right then." said Raito dismissively, although inwardly he was furious at the idea of becoming a plaything, for those demons down below. "I have no wish to know about the gambling procedures of your brethren, at any rate."

He took a deep breath.

"Then tell me, Ryuk. How much time has your King allowed me?"

"Oh, about a year or so… you see, you get your life now from death-gods who have died before using up their hours, or are being punished for breaking the laws. And considering that most of the death-gods back home are a bunch a lazy slobs, few would be bothered to do such stupid things anyway."

"What?" spluttered Raito, momentarily losing his frosty calmness. "Only a year? How am I supposed to win in such a short span of time?"

"I have no idea, and neither do I care," Ryuk leered in an amused tone. "You see, the King was rather reluctant, but I managed to persuade him. He was rather impressed with your skills. This is the only grace period you have, Raito. You really are in a tight spot… should be interesting to see how you handle this affair. But if you want to back out, it's fine with me. Although-" He looked at Raito craftily. "It would surprise me very much if you choose your current existence rather than take up the challenge."

"How well you know me," murmured Raito, his eyes narrowed to slits as he thought.

He paused for a while, calculating. He only had one year to win, and to set up his utopia. It seemed like an impossible task, but, Raito had confidence in himself. And anything, to be human again- to taste food, to feel the wind on the face, to run, to talk, to feel…

"I accept the challenge, Ryuk."

"As I expected. And I guess I have to be your residential Death-god again… till either you die or get pardoned, or I don't know- whatever plans the king has for you, I suppose," said Ryuk idly, as his great wings sprouted from his shoulders.

Raito smiled.

A cold smile that did not reach his narrowed eyes.

Ryuk, Ryuk.

Don't you know me better than that?

I am not your toy. Or even your little king's.

I am Kira.

I do not forgive. Neither do I forget.

I need you now, but-

I shall make you suffer.

And you will die.

"Of course, Ryuk. Of course."

Another blur of black feathers, and both man and demon disappeared.

Author's note: More chapters will be up soon! If you like it please review, because I really do value reviews and they give me the inspiration to update quickly. Thank you!