A/N: This is kind of a long read, longer than I wanted. Just warning you. Also, sort-of spoilers for Death Note. I don't even know if you can call them spoilers, but...just read it!
Chapter 2: CinderLa
Once upon a time, there lived a young man with black hair, pale white skin and unnatural intelligence. His parents had passed away when he was extremely young, and so now he lived with an evil stepmother and his three stepbrothers. They always forced him to do all the work and chores around the house and never gave his talent a chance. His name was CinderLa.
One day, CinderLa was scrubbing the doorknobs of the front door when he heard a knock and a voice call from the other side.
"Open up! This is the Telegram Force! I have a message to you from King Yagami!"
A message? CinderLa thought.
"Get the door, CinderLa!" his stepmother yelled from farther off in the house. He did.
There he saw a large, buff looking man with brown spiky hair standing beside a serious looking man with an afro who carried an envelope.
"A telegram from King Soichiro Yagami, sir." The man with the afro bowed and handed the envelope to CinderLa.
"What for?" CinderLa inquired.
"A ball tonight, sir," the man with the afro replied. "To choose a partner for Prince Light and Princess Sayu. Everybody who's anybody will be there, and the entire town is invited. Will you attend?"
"Hmm... Well..." Before CinderLa could answer, his stepmother bounded over and interrupted.
"Of course we'll come!" she exclaimed. "You know I wouldn't miss a ball for anything, now don't you, CinderLa?"
She was a beautiful woman. She had long, blonde hair, some of which she usually wore up in mini-pigtails, and the rest of which flowed down. She always wore some sort of black clothing, in a gothic sort of style, usually a dress. She flung her arm around CinderLa.
"Yes, Miss Stepmother," CinderLa replied.
"Besides," the stepmother continued. "This'll give me a chance to meet Prince Light." She swooned. "Oh, Light..."
She seemed to be lost in her own little world for a moment, but then snapped back to reality. "Anyway," she said. "We'll be there."
"We await your arrival, madam," the man with the afro replied, and she gave a polite nod. The man with the afro then turned on his heel and called for the other man.
"Mogi!"
"Coming, Aizawa!" Mogi replied.
CinderLa closed the doors, and the stepmother called CinderLa's stepbrothers downstairs.
"Oh, boys!" she called. Three boys instantly came bounding down the stairs. One was small and childlike, white hair and pajamas, carrying toys, named Near. Another was a slightly older boy with long, blonde hair, carrying chocolate, named Mello. The last was another older boy with brown hair, goggles and a red striped shirt, carrying a GameBoy Advance, named Matt. The three boys crowded around the stepmother anxiously.
"What is it, mother?" Mello asked.
"I just received a telegram from King Yagami himself!" The stepmother announced excitedly. "We're going to a ball tonight to meet Prince Light and Princess Sayu, all three of us!"
The stepbrothers gasped and chattered excitedly amongst themselves.
"Um... Excuse me, Miss Stepmother," CinderLa interjected. "Perhaps I'm mistaken, but I thought I heard you say that all three of us were going to the ball."
"No, you weren't, CinderLa," the stepmother replied. "You will stay here and clean the entire house until we get back."
"But, Stepmother-!"
The stepmother cleared her throat authoritatively. CinderLa corrected himself.
"Miss Stepmother," he continued. "I have heard many rumors of Kira killing criminals all across the land. And I have deduced that there is a 99% possibility that he is Prince Light Yagami."
"Impossible!" the stepmother scoffed. "Prince Light is the best, most handsomest man in this entire kingdom, and can't disrespect him in our house! That goes for all of you!" She pointed a finger at all the stepbrothers.
"Is that why he filed that restraining order on you a while back?" Near asked.
The stepmother instantaneously snapped back into her kind self. "Oh, Near," she exclaimed. "You know I violated that restraining order months ago!"
"You did what?" Matt asked as he glanced up from his game.
"Anyhow!" she exclaimed. "Run along, everyone! We'll start getting ready in a couple of hours!" The stepbrothers left. The stepmother turned her attention back to CinderLa.
"In the meantime, CinderLa," she continued. "I have a long list of chores for you to do while we're gone." She handed him a list of chores so long it flooded into the the next room. "NOW GET TO WORK!" she screeched.
"Yes, Miss Stepmother," CinderLa replied. The stepmother walked away elegantly, and CinderLa continued to polish the doorknobs.
At the Yagami Castle...
The servants were decorating the ballroom for the exciting event to take place that night. Prince Light stared at the room and thought to himself of what kind of people would come. At that moment, Light's younger sister, Princess Sayu came up to him, excited.
"Hey, Light!" she said.
"Oh, hey, Sayu. What's up?"
"You nervous for tonight?" she asked.
"A little," Light said.
"I know I am," Sayu replied. "If we don't find partners tonight, we're gonna have to live here with Mom and Dad forever."
"Yeah."
"I mean, I know you will. You're you! You get girls easy and you're super smart."
"Well...thanks..."
"What if nobody comes up to me?" she continued. "What if they think I'm too good for them because I'm a princess?"
Light put a hand on her shoulder. "You'll be fine," he said. "Don't worry about it."
"Thanks, Light!" said Sayu, and ran off.
I wonder who I'll find, Light thought. More than that, if they find out...?
That Night...
The home was utter chaos. CinderLa rushed back and forth from room to room as his stepmother and stepbrothers called for him repeatedly, while also juggling the chores he had to do.
"CinderLa, zip my dress!"
"CinderLa, tie my tie!"
"CinderLa, pack my chocolates!"
"CinderLa, grab my gaming console!"
"Wash the dishes! Sweep the floors! Polish the doorknobs!"
"I already polished the doorknobs, Miss Stepmother!"
"Oh yeah. Then rake the leaves!"
"Yes, Miss Stepmother!"
CinderLa may have felt overworked, but he didn't feel the least bit tired. This was probably brought on by all those late nights of insomnia and hard thought on Kira. He knew he had to stop his stepmothers and stepbrothers from going to the ball.
Soon, the stepmother and stepbrothers were all dressed and ready to go, and were all about to head out the door, when CinderLa came up next to his stepmother.
"Miss Stepmother," he proclaimed. "Are you sure you want to do this? You could be putting your life in danger. I feel 100% certainty that Kira is at that ball-"
"Oh, CinderLa! Will you stop with that?" the stepmother replied, annoyed. "Kira is not at that ball, and even if he were I would love him!"
"But-!"
"No buts! All four of us are going to that ball, you are staying here to do your chores AND THAT'S FINAL!" CinderLa gave up.
"We'll be back by 1:00," the stepmother said. "This house better not have a single spec of dirt when we get back or you're going in the cabinet again!"
"Yes, Miss Stepmother," said CinderLa. He opened the front doors and let each of them exit one at a time. As they did, the stepmother turned back to CinderLa and called, "And no detective work while we're gone!"
"Yes, Miss Stepmother!" CinderLa called back. Then he closed the doors and they were gone. CinderLa was alone. He sighed and thought to himself.
I tried to warn them, he thought. But they wouldn't listen to me.
CinderLa sat down on the couch.
Oh well, he thought. No one listens to a word I say, anyway.
CinderLa picked up a cherry on the coffee table by its stem. He stared at the berry part and imagined it as an apple, dangling from a string. Then he saw a hand reach up and grab the red fruit. But whose was it?
"I wish there was a way..." He gobbled up the berry. "...to bring Kira to justice."
Suddenly, CinderLa felt a slight sensation. A warm feeling. Like something comforting was with him right at this very moment.
"Hello," a voice said.
Although startled, CinderLa concealed the emotion and looked around to see where the voice had come from. He glanced behind him.
There he saw an elderly man standing before him in the doorway to the living room. He wore a suit and glasses and his hair and beard were white as snow. He stood tall, proud and confident, as if knowing exactly what he was going to say next. CinderLa approached this man suspiciously.
"Who are you?" CinderLa asked.
"Greetings, CinderLa," the man spoke. "I am Watari, your Wammy Godfather. You have made clear a wish that you desire greatly. You have much intelligence, but you cannot accomplish this thing alone, and therefore, you have summoned me here. And for that, I am your servant. Your wish is my command."
And with that, Watari got down on one knee and bowed before CinderLa. CinderLa approached Watari cautiously, as if a child would approach a parent when he knew he was in trouble. He found all of this very amusing, but he wasn't quite convinced yet.
"Hold on, Watari," said CinderLa. "How do I know I can trust you?"
Watari glanced up and quickly replied, "I'll give you as many sweets as you want for a year."
"Alright, I'm convinced," said CinderLa.
"Good," said Watari, as he stood up and dusted himself off. "Now," he continued. "What do you wish?"
"I wish to find Kira, arrest and execute him," CinderLa proclaimed with utmost certainty. "I know that Kira is at that ball tonight. Many people could be in danger. So, I want Kira's identity so I can track him."
"Unfortunately," Watari replied. "I cannot grant a wish that can cause immediate harm to others."
"Oh, that's really too bad," CinderLa replied, disappointed, and began to scratch the back of his head through his messy black hair.
"However," Watari continued. "There is one loophole."
CinderLa stopped scratching and perked up again. "Yes?" he replied anxiously.
"I can send you to the ball with a disguise," said Watari. "We already know that Kira needs a name and a face to kill. I can provide you with an alias, while still keeping your outward appearance intact."
"That sounds great," CinderLa replied. "Let's make it happen, Watari."
"As you wish."
Watari snapped his fingers and there was a giant flash. When the flash cleared, however, everything appeared the same. Watari spoke.
"There," he said. "As of right now, your name is CinderLa, but whenever you introduce yourself to others, you will always refer to yourself as Ryuzaki, whether it is in your control or not."
"Thank you, Watari," CinderLa replied. Watari gave a polite nod.
"One more thing," CinderLa continued. Watari listened closely. "I shall require some mode of transportation to get to the ball."
"Follow me," said Watari. He did. Watari led CinderLa to the front porch, where he snapped his fingers once again. And once again, there was a great flash, and when it cleared, there stood a fancy black limousine in front of the house.
"A self-driven limousine to get you to the ball safely."
"Wonderful!" CinderLa exclaimed. "Thank you once again, Watari." Watari nodded, and began to walk CinderLa to the car.
"But beware, CinderLa," Watari added. "This wish of yours and its power will only last until the final stroke of midnight. At that point, your life as Ryuzaki will vanish and you will return to normal. You have until then to return home."
"I understand," CinderLa replied. Watari opened the limousine door and CinderLa sat down inside.
"Best of luck to you, Ryuzaki," said Watari. And with that, the old man gently closed the door and the limo began to drive away.
Here I come, Kira, CinderLa thought. I am Justice!
When CinderLa arrived at the ball, the limousine parked by itself in front of a grand staircase leading up to fancy wooden double doors. He made his way carefully up the stairs and pushed the doors open.
The ball had now commenced and was in full swing. Some people were on the dance floor while others sat around at finely decorated tables and talked. CinderLa glanced around at all the faces, all of which seemed to be having a good time. It was then that his eye caught the snack table. At the far right end was a section entirely devoted to the desserts. It contained everything from candies to chocolate cake. Distracted by the irresistible table, CinderLa made his way over to give something a try.
Meanwhile, at the end of the ballroom, Prince Light stared at all the happy faces and asked himself which one to go up to first. Before he had even made a choice, a blonde woman, CinderLa's stepmother, had flung herself onto him.
"Light! Oh, Prince Light! I love you! I love you! I'll do whatever you say! I'll never let you go!"
"Hey, didn't I file that restraining order on you a while back?" He yelled as he struggled against her hug.
Princess Sayu wandered timidly around the ballroom. She was looking for someone to dance with, but she was too shy to ask anybody.
"What do I do?" she worried aloud. "If I don't find someone tonight, dad will-!" At that moment, she felt herself bump into someone. She turned around to see who it was, apologizing frantically. But when she saw who it was, she stopped.
It was a man with black hair and a blue suit. His eyes seemed wide and innocent, and yet compassionate, even if they showed that there was not a lot going on in his brain. He smiled at her. She did the same.
"Hello," she said timidly.
"Hi," he said.
"Princess Sayu Yagami," she introduced herself, curtsying as she did.
"Touta Matsuda," the man introduced himself. "May I have this dance, mi'lady?" He timidly reached out hand to her. He was just as scared as she was.
"Sure," she replied. She took it, and the two made their way onto the floor.
Over by the snack table, Prince Light continued his struggle with CinderLa's stepmother, who seemed to be dead set on not releasing the young genius.
"Light! I love you! Marry me, Light!" She was persistent.
"Let go of me, already!" Suddenly, Prince Light tripped over some frosting that had been dropped on the floor. He fell flat on his back and after a tiny slide, landed right in front of and facing upwards toward CinderLa. Both smiled awkwardly, a little embarrassed.
"Hi," CinderLa said.
"Hello," Prince Light replied.
CinderLa's stepmother was obviously very irritated by the disruption. Her face grew as red as a tomato and her hands were balled into fists at her sides.
"I'LL WIN YOUR LOVE SOMEDAY, PRINCE LIGHT YAGAMI!" She yelled, and stormed away into the crowd. The two men stared at her as she wandered off.
"What's with her?" CinderLa asked.
Prince Light sighed. "Just another crazy fangirl, I guess." CinderLa helped Prince Light to his feet. The young genius prince thanked him and CinderLa gave him a polite nod in response.
"I am Prince Light Yagami," the prince introduced himself. "Light's written with the Kanji for 'night', and Yagami, 'moon' and 'God'. Strange, right?"
"Yes," CinderLa replied. "Very strange. I am Ryuzaki."
CinderLa stopped. Watari was right. He could no longer refer to himself as CinderLa. He could only call himself Ryuzaki until the wish wore off. CinderLa initially had not believed Watari, as it had seemed ridiculous. But now the proof had trickled out of his own mouth. Nevertheless, CinderLa kept calm.
"I am very honored to meet you, Prince Light," said CinderLa.
"The honor is all mine, Ryuzaki," said Prince Light. "After all, I am pretty bored here right now."
"Are you?"
"Yes. My father and my mother want me and/or my sister to marry and take over the throne for them."
"So that's why this ball was put on."
"That's right," Prince Light said. "However, I have been looking more into the Kira investigation more and more lately, and I wish to help out."
"Kira needs a name and a face to kill a person," CinderLa stated. "and can also control a person's actions before they die."
Throughout the night, the two talked on and on about Kira and ways to defeat him, or at least lure him into a trap. At some points, CinderLa suspected Prince Light of being Kira, but the prince was able to convince CinderLa that he wasn't. Later on, the two went back out onto the floor and danced the night away. But just as the big finish for a dance was coming, the clock struck midnight.
CinderLa gasped. "I need to go!" he exclaimed, and ran out of the ballroom, pushing through the crowds and finally reaching the front doors. He pushed them open and ran down the same staircase that had led him in in the first place. Prince Light chased after the strange man.
"Ryuzaki, wait!" he yelled. "Where are you going?"
"Nice meeting you, Light!," CinderLa called back over his shoulder as he ran.
"Come back! Don't go!"
But it was too late. CinderLa hopped into his black limo and it drove him away. What CinderLa did not realize was that he had dropped a sneaker that he had worn to the ball on a step as he had ran out.
CinderLa was halfway on the road home when the final stroke of midnight sounded. Quickly, the limousine disappeared and he landed on the ground. He had felt himself slip out of the skin of Ryuzaki and become CinderLa again as this had happened. CinderLa stood up and looked for something that remained of his wish - candy, a piece of evidence, anything - but there was nothing. However, he did find a strawberry in a bush. With no one around, he proceeded to eat it. CinderLa walked the rest of the way home in silence, speculating whether or not Prince Light was Kira after that little talk they had.
The following morning, Prince Light wandered into the ballroom, whose decorations were now being dismantled, remembering the previous night. Who was that strange man? Ryuzaki... The name didn't sound familiar to him, but his outward appearance sure was.
The ballroom doors had been left open ajar to let some air in. The prince glanced out and saw something sitting out on one of the steps. His curiosity was peaked, and so he went to have a look.
It was a shoe. A sneaker, to be more precise.
Someone must have dropped this last night. But who? He thought.
"Dad!" Prince Light called out to his father, King Soichiro Yagami, as he entered the throne room.
"What is it, my son?" King Yagami inquired.
"I found this shoe on one of the steps leading up to the outside entrance to the ballroom." He held up the shoe for everyone to see, then handed it to his father. King Yagami took the shoe and examined it thoroughly.
"It doesn't look like any shoe I've ever seen," Queen Sachiko Yagami commented. "Are you sure you found it on the steps?"
"Of course I did," Prince Light insisted. "And I think it belongs to someone who attended the ball last night."
"How can you be so sure?" Princess Sayu asked. "It's not like it belonged to someone you interacted with last night." She sighed. "Matsu..." She fawned over the boy she had met last night.
"You know what?" Prince Light said. "I'll find the person who fits this shoe. And when I do, I'll marry them, regardless of their name, gender, or age."
"Light, are you absolutely sure?" King Yagami asked.
"I'm positive, Dad," Prince Light replied. He called for his royal advisor. "Mikami!" A tall man with long black hair stepped forward.
"What is it, God?" Mikami inquired, and let out a short, yet loud "DELETE!" Which was out of his control.
"I require assistance with finding the person who fits this shoe," Prince Light declared. "Accompany me on my search throughout the town."
"Yes, God. DELETE!" said Mikami.
"Why does he call you God?" asked Princess Sayu.
Prince Light mouthed the words "I don't know" to his family and shrugged.
"Well, I'm off!" Prince Light proclaimed. "Wish me luck!"
"Bye, Light!" Princess Sayu called after him. "I hope you find that one special person!"
With that, Prince Light walked out the door and Mikami closed it behind him. As soon as they were gone, Queen Yagami turned to her husband.
"I told you that last name spelled backwards was a curse!" Queen Yagami said.
"I know, honey. I know..." King Yagami replied.
A few hours later...
Everything was back to normal. The stepmother and stepbrothers were eating breakfast while CinderLa washed the dirty dishes they had accumulated. The doorbell rang.
"Hello?" A voice called from the other side of the door. "This is Prince Light Yagami-"
The stepmother gasped. "LIGHT! Stay here, boys! You too, CinderLa." She dashed over to the door as fast as lightening.
She pulled open the door and sure enough, the tall, royal brunette was standing right in front of her, with a taller black-haired man next to him.
"Hello, I-" A look of horror and panic passed over his face. "Oh God, not you."
"Hi, Prince Light, what brings you here? Did you come back just to se me? Because, you know, I'm irresist-"
Prince Light pushed Mikami in front of him.
"Stay back! I have a religious fanatic and I'm not afraid to use it!"
"DELETE!"
"Uhm... Okay..." The stepmother trailed off, obviously confused. "So, why are you here, Light? You really couldn't stay away from me for that long?"
"No," Prince Light replied. He held up the sneaker. "I found this sneaker on one of the steps of the ballroom entrance this morning. I've tried fitting it on every foot in the town, but so far, it hasn't fit anyone, and I was just wondering if I could try it on you and your sons."
"Yes! Let me go get them!" she exclaimed. "BOYS! GET IN HERE!" she called. Near, Mello and Matt instantly came running.
"This better be good," Matt said. "My Pikachu's almost at Level 100."
"You guys," the stepmother announced. "Prince Light has a request to make for you all. Come in, come in!" He did, and so did Mikami.
The young prince told the stepbrothers about the sneaker, and they each agreed to try it on. Since Near was the smallest, everyone agreed that he should be the first to try it on.
Near sat down on the couch and held out his left foot. Mikami was to be the one to fit the sneaker on the lucky stepbrother. Carefully, Mikami slipped the sneaker on to Near's foot, but the sneaker slipped off and onto the floor when Near was moving to tie it.
"It's too small," Near said. The stepmother sighed out of disappointment, and the other two stepbrothers out of relief. Near stood up, walked over and stood next to Mello.
"Ooh, so sorry about that, Near," Mello said sarcastically. "But at least I'll have finally beaten you at something!"
Matt was next. The gamer boy sat down on the couch and held out his left foot for the God-crazed servant. Mikami slipped on the sneaker, but the inside was beginning to squeeze Matt's toes, and so Mikami had to remove it.
"Too big!" Matt exclaimed. "Definitely too big!" He attempted to rub his sore toes as he hopped back over to Near.
"Sorry about that, Matt," said Mello, with actual sympathy this time. "But this means...the sneaker has to fit me!" He hopped onto the couch in front of Mikami and held out his foot.
"Alright, servant! Fit me!"
"DELETE!"
Mikami tried to gently fit the sneaker onto Mello's foot. Only this time it wouldn't even go in all the way. Mello's foot was too big.
"WHAT!? How is it too big!?" Mello screamed.
Matt giggled and murmured under his breath, "Big feet." Mello heard him and stormed up next to him.
"Shut up, Matt!"
"Hey, at least both my feet and his actually went in," said Near.
"You shut up, too, Near!"
And at this point, the stepbrothers devolved into complete arguing, yelling, and pulling of each other's hair. Meanwhile, Mikami handed the shoe back to Prince Light, who stared at the sneaker in his hands, as if wondering what to do with it.
"Wait a minute!" A voice called out from the doorway, silencing all actions in the living room. It was CinderLa.
"Wait for one moment, Prince Light," CinderLa said. "What if I tried on the shoe?" There was a silence in the room and confused glances before the stepmother finally spoke.
"What are you talking about, CinderLa? That shoe couldn't possibly fit you!"
"But what if it does, Miss Stepmother?"
"...Are you talking back to me, CinderLa?"
As the two talked, Mikami whispered something in Prince Light's ear.
"Yes, I understand," Prince Light replied. He addressed the stepmother and CinderLa.
"Listen, you two," said Prince Light. They turned toward him. "I recommend we try the shoe on each of you. If it fits one of you, I will take you back to the castle to be my partner. However, if it doesn't, I will burn it."
They considered this. After thinking carefully for a moment, the stepmother finally stepped forward and said yes, as did CinderLa.
CinderLa was the first to try on the shoe. Mikami slipped on the sneaker carefully. This time, it did not slip off, cramp any toesc or exclude the foot altogether. The sneaker slipped onto CinderLa's foot with ease and comfort.
"It's a perfect fit," Prince Light said, shocked. There was stunned silence in the room, as a realization began to dawn on Prince Light.
"...Ryuzaki?"
"We meet again, Prince Light Yagami."
And for the first time in his life, a genuine and happy smile began to form on CinderLa's face. Prince Light smiled back at him, and they sucked each other into a hug.
"NOOO!" The stepmother screamed. "I was supposed to marry Prince Light! Why else would I keep you locked away doing nothing but chores!?" She stopped, realizing what she had just said. "Uh oh."
At that moment, two royal guards came in. "Ma'am, you're under arrest for abuse and human trafficking."
"What!? You can't arrest me! I will marry you, Light Yagami!" She screamed as the guards placed handcuffs on her wrists.
"Tell it to the judge, missy! Come on, let's go!"
"No, wait! You'll regret this one day!" And then she was gone.
"Well, glad she's gone," Prince Light said.
"Yes," CinderLa agreed.
"We'll be married this afternoon!" The prince proclaimed.
That afternoon, a special wedding was held for both Prince Light and CinderLa, and Princess Sayu and Matsuda. The entire town had gathered in the castle, although the stepmother had to be restrained.
Both couples stood before a minister, arm in arm.
"I now pronounce you husband and husband," the minister said to Prince Light and CinderLa. "And man and wife," he added to Princess Sayu and Matsuda. "You may kiss the bride...and/or husband." The two couples embraced in a hug. Prince Light and CinderLa spoke softly to each other.
"By the way, Ryuzaki, there's something I have to tell you."
"What is it?"
"I'm Kira."
Suddenly, CinderLa had a heart attack, and fell over dead in Prince Light's arms. The crowd gasped.
"He's Kira!?" Matsuda cried.
"YOU'LL NEVER TAKE ME ALIVE!" Prince Light screamed, as he dropped the dead body of CinderLa and began to make a mad dash for the door.
"Stop him!" someone screamed. Just then, Matsuda grabbed a gun from a nearby guard, and shot at Prince Light. A direct hit! The young Prince tumbled to the floor, grabbing the wound in his shoulder, and rolled until his body was only a few inches from the door. He, too, was now dead.
"Traitor!" Matsuda screamed.
"Matsu, honey, calm down," said Princess Sayu. "He's dead now. My brother is dead!" She broke down crying.
"I still love you, Kira!" The stepmother called out to the prince's body. She was still restrained.
"Okay, this is getting way too boring."
Ryuk pushed his way through the crowd and began to talk to the reader.
"Forgive us for the disruption, folks, as this first story was not at all related to the prologue. But what kind of fairy tale should we do next?... Hmm... I like apples..." Ryuk snapped his fingers and the next story began.