Humans can receive Shinigami Eyes by either trading half their life force to the Shinigami or as a gift

Chapter 3: Live Broadcast In Kanto

I was 18 when I graduated from high school. I was glade because I was not well liked in that school, but what can you expect when you graduate with more honors than anyone from that school ever has? Being smart didn't help me through high school, so I tried athletics and art too.

I ended up being the captain of the swim team and the stage manager of most of the plays. I was horrible at painting, drawing, and pottery. Yet I did fairly well with jewelry and computer graphics. I was excellent at photography and even one a gold key for a shot I snapped of one of the other children at the orphanage flipping off a swing. This was a total accident because at the time I was trying to take a picture of Mauk, only to find out later that he wouldn't show up on film. That is unimportant though.

I tried clubs too, but no one seemed to want to join a martial arts club or the chess club once I became a member. On the other hand, membership of the anime club went up by 2 dozen members. This, I think, only happened because the club became more active under my leadership and we actual were able to go to a few conventions. Something the club had never been able to do before.

So I tried music only to find out that I was absolutely horrid at playing instruments and my singing voice was not meant for a choir, maybe a screamo band or an alternative band, but not a choir. The only instrument I was marginally good with was a guitar, and I could only do basic cords with that. By basic cords I mean 3 which is enough to get through a beginners book made for 10 year old, or to play on a street corner for change.

So I was hated throughout high school. For being intelligent enough to make it to the honor societies of languages I took. For being on a varsity team, that although the students loved that we made it to state every year they seemed to hate it that I was the one who lead it to victory one year. For being involved enough in theatre to get my name on the school's thespian roster. For being intelligent enough to get in to Todai.

Todai had been goal since middle school. If I could get into Todai with the education I was receiving at a United States public school, I could do anything. Todai would appreciate my intelligence; they would appreciate my love for languages unlike the teachers at my high school. They would get bragging rights to another 'perfect student' while I would get my chance at freedom.

I would be able to explore Tokyo at my leisure and not have to worry about rent. Applying to plenty of scholarships does help when one doesn't have parents. I would arrive in Japan around a month before University started, which would give me time to learn the city and find a part time job. At that time a voice came on through the speakers.

"Flight 213 to Tokyo, Japan is now boarding rows 50 through 35." stated a pleasant female voice. At that point I stood up from my seat and headed through the terminal to board my plane. I showed my boarding pass to an attendant and moved onto the plane.

It was large and spacious as you first stepped into it but as I headed farther and farther back towards my seat the aisle became smaller. The seats became shorter and narrower and the leg room all but disappeared. Yet I continued to fight my way to the very back of the plane to take my seat by the aisle of the last room, glad that I would be able to stretch my legs out into the aisle. Mauk simply chuckled at my predicament as I shoved past a particularly large man who fit every American stereotype. Finally I reached my seat. I opened the compartment overhead and stored my carry on and my backpack before I took my seat.

There was a TV built into the back of the seat in front of me, along with a remote attached to the seat and a pair of head phones. The plane had yet to take off so instead of in-flight movies and radio the TV's had different channels available from both Japan and the United States. I decided to watch a Japanese news station from the Kanto region. I figured that I should probably know a little about current events and now was as good of time as any to learn them. Even though I should have done this quite a while ago, then again I didn't watch much news in the U.S. either.

"Put your head phones on and listen to what is happening." Mauk told me. So I grabbed the headphones and listened.

"We interrupt your programming to bring you an important message from the ICPO. This is being broadcast all over the world. Japanese voiceover is provided by translator Yoshio Anderson." Stated the announcer on the TV. The man on TV had a plate in front of him that said Lind L. Taylor. I looked over his head and saw that it was truly his name. Taylor then began to speak.

"My name is Lind L. Taylor. Widely know as 'L'" He said with a straight face. He continued to speak. "To the perpetrator of these serial murders: you have committed the most abominable act in history. I will personally catch the one behind it." I was shocked. I hadn't even known that there had been a serial murderer at large. Mauk tapped me on the shoulder and I began to listen again, mad that I had missed some of what he was saying.

"…'Kira' at any cost. Kira, I think I have a pretty good idea of what you're trying to do and why you're doing it. But what you are doing is evil!" Lind L. Taylor shouted. I was absorbed in what he was saying before I noticed something. The numbers above his head, which had once said he had 4,860 seconds left to live had just jumped down to 45 seconds. My mouth dropped open a little.

"Mauk what just happened?" I asked him in a murmur. He gave a smile and annunciated slowly and clearly.

"Another human has a death note." He stated. Lind L Taylor began to speak and I looked back at the TV with horrified fascination.

"Police all over have already begun to investigate." He paused for effect, but I couldn't pay attention to what he was trying to say anymore. All I could do was watch as the numbers counted down above his head. 10…9…8… A man was going to die. 7…6…5…4… I couldn't do anything about it. Mauk had still had the death note and it couldn't just appear out of nowhere. 3...2...1...0. His numbers reached zero and Lind L. Taylor grabbed for his heart. He struggled and then he dropped down on the table.

"Oh my god. He was just killed on TV!" I whispered horrified, Mauk just laughed. Men came on screen and took Taylor's body out of view of the camera. Then another voice started to speak.

"Unbelievable. I did this on the off-chance that you would kill 'me.' So, Kira you can kill people without even being nearby. So it's true after all. I f I hadn't seen it with my own eyes I would never have believed it, but this was the only way you could have killed them, wasn't it?" The voice said. I leaned forward in my chair until my face was almost pressed to the small television screen.

"Kira, listen to me. The person you killed was actually a prisoner sentenced to be executed at this time today, not me. He was a criminal imprisoned without any media attention, so naturally even you didn't know he existed. But I, L, am real!" L said in his computerized voice. Then he started to yell.

"So why don't you kill me! Come on! Do it! Come on! Kill me! What's wrong? Can't do it?" L paused for a second before speaking again.

"Seems like you can't kill me after all. So there are people you can't kill. Thanks for the hint. Let me tell you something in return, I said that this was a worldwide live broadcast, but it's really only being showed in the Kanto region of Japan. I was planning on doing this at other prefecture, but now that's unnecessary. I know now that you're in the Kanto area." L stopped for a moment. Not a moment too soon because the passenger that was trying to get in there seat next to me was becoming impatient. I quickly stood and shoved them into their seat before turning my attention back to the screen.

"The police might have missed this, but I know your first victim was a murderer in Shinjuku. Compared to all the other criminals who died of similar causes, this guy seems insignificant and only the Japanese media reported this incident. That was the only clue I needed. To know you're in Japan, Kira! And that man was just a test for your killings!" Mauk started the giggle hysterically. He was so loud I thought that the passengers sitting around me would hear him. I tried to tune him out as I listened to L.

"I got lucky casting my net out in the most populated area of Japan. I really didn't expect my plan to go so well. Kira, it's not far from the day you die. Kira, I'm extremely interested in your killing method. I'll figure it out when I catch you!" He yelled. "Kira, I will hunt you down and destroy you! I am Justice!" L shouted. "See you, Kira." L said and his broadcast ended. I couldn't help but stare at the TV as the regular news show started again. Mauk stopped giggling long enough to ask me a question.

"You sure will have an interesting time in Japan with this 'Kira' and 'L' running about. What are going to do now that you know another death note is out on earth?" I turned and whispered under my breath so that only Mauk could hear.

"I'm going to find it and take it. No human should have the power to kill someone. No one should be able to plan someone's death like that." Mauk started laughing again.

"But they should have the power to stop it?"


Author's note: If any of my readers can draw I would love to see what you imagine Mauk and the main character just based on their names and what you know about them. There have been no physical features mentioned yet and there will not be for a while, but I would love to see what you come up with. I might even use it for how these characters will look.