Author's Note- Edit: Forgot the breaks! Sorry! Please don't take away my cookies. (and yes I killed Raye and Naomi anyways. Why? Because Death Note is a dark manga about, you know, death. And life is unfair)
Once, when she was very young, Light could remember at time when her father was badly hurt. Mother had cried, the tears never seemed to stop, and Light and her new little sister had to stay with relatives for several days.
It wasn't until some time later, once Daddy was home and Mother was once more hiding her tears, that Light found out what happened. Yagami Soichiro had been shot while on active duty. The bullets, both of them, had torn through his body and the criminals had left him for dead.
And Mother had cried.
This was the memory Light drew upon when she wrote in the Death Note. If you killed the criminals they couldn't hurt you, right? Destroy the threat and everything would be just fine.
But it wasn't. L wanted her dead. L, the greatest detective on earth, a man of supposed integrity and justice wanted her dead.
That's ok, Light thought (even though it wasn't) because she would keep her family safe. She would keep everyone safe. Even L.
Even if that meant turning into the very things she killed with such gusto. Even if that meant dying.
Mother would not cry again.
Her family, at least, would be safe. Of that Light promised.
It's sort of sad, really, that she would become a monster to keep that promise.
"I'm sorry Ryuk. There just isn't anything I can do about it." Although I did toy with the idea of telling Dad I have a stalker and watch the agent get arrested.
"You could kill him," The sickly looking god suggested, his pointy toothed grin stretching to obscene measures.
"No. I can't. I don't know his name, you know that." Light pointed out. Now that she knew she was being followed she couldn't help but feel the tickling of an itch threaten in between her shoulder blades. It felt like bugs were crawling under her skin. "And I doubt he would tell me if I came up and asked." Light was annoyed to see Ryuk's smile widen.
"There is a way….shinigami eyes." Light shot Ryuk a look. The hell…?
"And what, exactly, are shinigami eyes?" Ryuk suppressed a shudder. Mortal or not, the curtain holder of his Death Note could be scary.
"It is an old deal that shinigami used to make with the humans who had their notes. You could get my eyes: could see a human's name with a glance at their face." Ryuk said, twisting his claws together like a scolded child. "Their name and their life expectancy." He finished.
Kira stopped walking in mid-step, her eyes wide.
"Ll…life expectancy? As in how much longer they have left to live?" Ryuk nodded. Isn't that what I said? He wants to ask but doesn't.
Someone shoves into Light's shoulder and suddenly she is reminded that she is standing in the middle of a busy street discussing optometry with an invisible god a death while being followed by a man commissioned by L.
"Let's finish our discussion over ice-cream, okay? I know a really good store on the way home." Ryuk looked thoughtful.
"Apple?"
"Of course."
It only took a couple of minutes to reach the ice-cream parlor. Especially when Light made sure to jog fast enough to loose her shadow. It was impolite to listen in on other's conversations after all. Two apples and an ice cream cone later Ryuk deemed their conversation spy free.
"Light, do you know the biggest differences between humans with Death Notes and shinigami?" Light shook her head no; after all, why should she?
Ryuk held up two jeweled fingers. "One: When humans use a Death Note other humans die. When shinigami use a Death Note, humans still die but whatever life they had remaining gets added onto the shinigami's life span. So if--"
"I understand. If a human had 30 years left to live then the Death God who killed them would get those thirty years added onto their own life span." Light made a small wave with her hand as a sign to continue. Ryuk started to pick at his sharp teeth with an equally sharp claw. Light shuddered. That is not very hygienic.
"So the only Death Gods I've seen die are the lazy ones who forgot to write in their notes." Light smothered a chuckle. Death by inaction. Sounds like the police force—ack! No! Bad thoughts!
"Two: The eyes—"
"Wait a minute." Kira interrupted, suddenly curious. "How can you kill a death god?" A small pause. "…and get your claws out of your mouth!" Ryuk gave a small 'eep' of surprise and obeyed.
"I've heard that there is a way to kill death gods but I don't know what it is." Ryuk gave Light a sullen glare; apparently unimpressed at this mortal's successful attempt at bossing him around.
"And even if you did you wouldn't tell me." Light figured. Ryuk nodded.
"Anyways! As I was saying, the second big difference between us is the eyes." Light raised one thin, feminine eyebrow in question. "How else are shinigami supposed to know what name to write in? You see—"and here Ryuk chuckled at his own pun."—when I look at you I can see your name and your death date floating over your head." My death date? That means…
"You know how much longer I have left to live!" Ryuk nodded and didn't bother to hide his kicking-puppies grin.
"Of course but (unfortunately for you) it is against the rules for me to tell you." Even under the force of Light's glare, Ryuk's grin continued to grow to macabre proportions. Light felt the pencil in her grip start to bend. That idiotic, two faced---
"BUT!" Light felt like throwing a shoe at him. "If you really want to you can see through my eyes…" and here comes the catch. Light thought cynically.
"…it will cost you half of your remaining life span." Kira choked. Half!? "So if you have, say, three years left and—"
"I do know basic math Ryuk!"
"Testy, testy! I think L is still stressing you out!" He's probably right. "So, want the eyes or not?"
What would I do if I knew Sayu would die tomorrow? Or mom? Or just random people in the street? Ryuk has already admitted that my fate after death isn't going to be a pleasant one…
…and for half my life? I need that half to, you know, live.
"No deal. Eventually L's suspicions concerning me will pass and so will my shadow. All I have to do is wait it out." What would I do if I knew they were going to die?
"Besides, I bet seeing names floating over everyone's head would give me a headache after a while." Ryuk laughed.
I need to find L.
"On second thought, maybe there is something I can do about my shadow."
"Come on Raye, you have to admit was pretty funny." Naomi Misora teased her fiancé gently. Best not to rub it in too much until the dye came out at least.
"Ha. Ha." Raye Penber was not pleased. "If you think getting suspended for three months funny for doing my job."
"Lighten up." Naomi snapped. "If it was me I would have done the same thing. It's not the girl's fault she reacted like she did. Her dad probably drilled paranoia into her skull before she was old enough to write her own name." The soon to be Mrs. Penber knew what that was like. Always looking over your shoulder and the itching need to know where ever exit was as soon as you entered a room. It had saved her life several times and Raye's, she knew, even more.
That didn't mean it wasn't hard always expecting a knife between the ribs.
"Besides, it's your own fault getting duped by a color-blind high school student with people problems." Raye made a small, displeased growling sound. Naomi just laughed.
"…college student." He mumbled; as if that was justification for his failure.
"Excuse me?"
"She started college this week."
That did nothing to abate Naomi's chuckles. "Terribly sorry. My mistake." Raye Penber glowered at his one-twu-luv and reached a brightly colored hand to the lotion bottle. The itching had started again. "You know what?" Raye quirked a missing eyebrow in question. "I really do hope your hair grows back fast." Another eruption of laughter.
"That's it. I give up!" The shamed FBI agent flopped one arm over his eyes in defeat.
"Oh and Raye?" Misora crooned; her words more sugary than a chocolate, crispy cream donut with sprinkles.
"Mcrlaaaarg?" Said Raye.
"I'm pregnant."
"I told you to stop—wha!?"
At least someone could forget the shadow that was cast over the world. Kira's shadow. Raye Penber and Naomi Misora don't know how lucky they are to be alive but, like all things, it would not last.
In two days they will both be killed in a car crash by a man trying to escape police custody after murdering several others. It will be Kira who avenges them.
Their child would have been a girl and she would have been named Sammy.
This is how the world turns.