ANOTHER SIDE, ANOTHER STORY
Chapter Thirteen
Friends
Andrew sat on the bus glaring out the window thinking deeply about something. It was third period and he found himself fixed on what he and Steven had discussed. He had to think about it so he could understand what Steven's motives were.
Indeed, his plan had worked. He'd convinced Steven into believing that he was not the president's killer, which was of course a lie that he was too dim-witted to realize. Andrew had him in the palm of his hand now.
But the problem was he didn't know where Steven kept his Death Note. He'd said it wasn't at school with him but he could've been lying about that in order to trick him and see what he would do. Could he simply get in his car at lunch, drive down to Steve's with the Hunter, kill Zando, take the Death Note, and kill Steven off as well and just be done with it? No, the risk factor in that plan was too high. He didn't know if anyone was home at the time and he didn't know where Steven was hiding the Death Note. It could be anywhere. And if he killed his family without finding the Death Note or defeating Zando then Steven would immediately kill him without thinking and Andrew would lose. There was too much at play to do such a risky thing like that. Plus, if he was somehow caught breaking into Steven's house then the trust bond Andrew had managed to pull off at break that day would be shattered immediately and he would be found out.
So that plan's out the window…damn it! Andrew glared up at the teacher in the front of the class. If only he could get the Hunter and Zando in the same general area somehow without Steven noticing. And the only time that he would be able to do that would be during school when Steven and his Shinigami were no longer together. But he didn't even know if Zando himself was actually staying at Steven's house. Maybe Steven ordered the Shinigami to hide somewhere with the Death Note while he was away at school. It seemed like something he himself would've done but he wanted the Hunter there at school with Katlynn so that he could watch over her.
I just have to be patient…Andrew thought. Wait until something opens up…just wait until he shows some kind of weakness…and then I'll strike!
Steven sat on the bus ride home that day talking merrily with Zito and the others on the bus. He'd gotten the bus driver's name as planned and decided that he'd take that day to enjoy with his friends before writing her name in the Death Note. They would be going over to Luke's house to hang out since they haven't done that in a while.
But when Zito turned to talk to Benny, Steven decided to think back on what he'd talked to Andrew about so that he didn't forget any details.
They'd decided that the only truly safe way to speak to each other about Death Note matters would be in person at a secluded place. George Bush had announced that the phone lines were now being traced by the government which meant talking to him after school over the phone was out of the question. And it would look suspicious to their friends if they both started hanging out with each other all the time. So they would have to do it whenever they had the chance to be alone.
Steven frowned and thought more in depth about what they were going to do. He had to continue his performance and make Andrew believe that he was convinced of his lie and that there was a third killer somewhere out there. So the only thing they could do was search the internet and watch out for Heart Attacks that were not expected. This in itself would mean that Andrew would start killing off criminals as well. But in two different sets. With one set, he would kill off criminals and report to Steven about who they were as if to act like they were really on the same team. In another set, he would kill off people as the third killer and not inform Steven of this so that it would distract Steven to follow the trail of the killer. In this way, he would maintain his trust. This was the only way, Steven figured, that Andrew would think of maintaining his bond of partnership with him. And he would use that to the very end. It might even have worked on him if Steven didn't know about it already.
Another thing they had discussed was their Death God issue. Andrew said he'd promised not to let the Hunter follow him when they were alone and would instead make it stay home with his Death Note. This was, of course, a massive lie that Steven had to swallow and pretend to believe. Andrew didn't know that Steven already knew that Andrew was keeping the Death Note with him. He'd seen it in his angry expression right before when Steven had scolded such an idea. And when Steven demanded proof of this, Andrew had taken out a sleeve of notebook paper and said it had been a piece from the Death Note. This was also, more than likely, just a lie. Steven touched it and, predictably, he didn't see the Hunter and had to pretend like he believed that too in order to continue his false sense of security over Andrew.
How ridiculous… He thought, rolling his eyes while Zito laughed at Benny in the seat up front.
So this proved that Andrew had the Death Note with him at school and that the Hunter was still going to follow him or Katlynn around wherever they went. Steven had formulated his own plan during third period after this.
And so thoughts of what he would do were wiped from his mind as he planned out the rest of the day. And suddenly a lurching feeling entered the pit of his gut. He would have to ask Luke and Zito if they wanted to come to the picnic with him. This, of course, only reminded him of Jennie and caused the gut-wrenching sensation that was currently residing within him.
A picnic with Jennie and his friends at Maplewood park tomorrow. Steven couldn't help but have a strange, romantic scene take over his mind of him and Jennie sitting alone on a hill under the setting sun holding hands and talking to each other.
This dream was interrupted abruptly when Zito turned to him and said "So what did you and Andrew talk about today?"
Steven blinked and looked up at him. "Huh? Why?"
"Well, you never go out and talk alone with him." Zito shrugged. "We thought it was kind of weird."
Steven had prepared for this before he'd even done the plan at break.
"Andrew's been having some problems lately and comes to me sometimes asking for help." He said casually. "Don't tell him I told you this or anything, I don't think he wants people knowing, alright? I can trust you with that, right?"
"Oh, okay." Zito nodded. "What kind of problems?"
"Mommy issues." Steven sighed. "Don't worry about it."
"Man, you should be a therapist." Zito smirked and Steven laughed.
"Oh yeah, why's that?"
"Dez, Andrew, you're always talking to them about their problems." Zito sighed and shook his head. "How do you put up with that?"
Steven smirked. "I guess I like helping people."
"Eh, who cares?" Zito muttered, shrugging again and looking away.
Steven stared at him for a few moments in silence before returning to his clouded thoughts about Jennie and smiling out the window. He would be going on a picnic tomorrow…
"A picnic, okay?' Luke said nonchalantly as Steven sat down on the sofa inside Luke's living room.
"Whoa, a picnic, when?" Zito spoke up.
"Tomorrow, after school." Steven repeated, drinking a cup of water slowly. "It's at Maplewood Park and there'll be a bunch of people there so we can all just chill and hang out."
"No lame people?" Luke asked.
"I don't know, maybe." Steven shrugged. For the first time he wondered what Jennie's friends were like. He thought, humorously, of a bunch of Jennie's bouncing around with masks on of random other people. He'd just have to wait and see if this was true, he guessed.
"There's a girl that's going to be there." Steven went on casually.
"Oooh?" Luke said with a smirk.
"Yeah, I'm kind of interested in her." Steven admitted. "Her name's Jennie."
"Jennie?" Luke repeated.
Steven watched him. Luke was also Mormon so there was a chance they knew each other. But when Luke said no more Steven decided to drop the subject there. But Zito wouldn't.
"Does she have nice tits?" he asked bluntly.
Steven frowned at him. "Does it matter to you?"
"Hey, I'm just trying to find out if she's hot, man." Zito said defensively.
"She's cute." Steven muttered.
"And nice." Luke added.
"You know her?" Steven looked at him in shock.
"I used to see her at Church a while back." Luke shrugged.
"Wait…" Zito frowned. "She's mormon?"
A few seconds pause and he burst out laughing. Steven nodded. "Yeah, I know, I somehow find myself attracted to Mormons, alright?"
At that exact moment, Luke's younger sister, Shane, chose the moment to walk by. She gave him an odd stare like she couldn't believe her ears before walking off out of sight. Steven rolled his eyes and leaned back into the couch.
"Anyway, I was thinking we should bring some food or something." He went on. "Like some chips and soda."
"Alright." Luke muttered, looking down with a sigh. Steven got the distinct feeling that there was something on Luke's mind.
And he was right.
"Anyway, yeah…last night, me and Dez…broke up." Luke said.
"What?" Zito exclaimed in shock.
Steven frowned. This piece of news put thoughts of Jennie from his mind. He had a pretty clear idea why. Dez and Luke had been having some issues recently dealing with Luke's dislike toward her parents along with separation issues. But Steven was still curious to know exactly what happened.
"She pretty much doesn't feel the love anymore." Luke sighed when he was finished explaining it to them. "Something about…not feeling good enough for me."
"Ugh. Deeeez." Zito moaned, rubbing his eyes.
"That sucks dude." Steven sighed.
"Yeah." Luke looked up. "You should talk to her, Steve."
Normally, Steven was happy to be put up to it but this was a bit different. He had enough on his mind as it was and helping Dez with her emotional problems wasn't something he wanted to put a whole lot of time and effort into thinking about. But Luke and Dez were his friends and if there was something he could do or say to help then he would do it for them. At least, that's what his moral sense of logic told him. But there was still an itch of annoyance inside him that he was determined not to let show on his face.
"Alright." He agreed.
Zito leaned back away from the conversation at hand, obviously showing that he didn't want to get too involved with it.
"I'll think of something, I'm sure." Steven muttered tirelessly when they were done discussing ideas on what he could say to her or ask her.
This was just great. Dez was, in Steven's opinion, beyond much help. Luke had somehow managed to put up with her but he wasn't going to do that. He'd had his experience with depressed, smoking girls and admittedly he felt a little strange helping someone with those problems when not too long ago he'd tried the same with another girl and it resulted in her suicide, showing that all of his advice and help had amounted to nothing. It had made him feel worthless. Of course, he'd never admitted this to Luke or Zito.
They both knew of his first girlfriend, Michelle. She was one of the reasons why he himself used to be depressed back in the day and think badly of everything. She had been so depressed with her life, which truly was awful, that she'd treated Steven horribly while they were going out. He'd tried to help her and talk her through things but she just got worse and he couldn't take it anymore. He'd given up and broke up with her only to find out two weeks later that she'd killed herself.
And it took Steven a while to decide that he'd never let something like that happen again. If he could help someone like that and fix them then he'd truly be able to atone for giving up on Michelle. And it looked like he would be able to do so with Dez.
Thinking of all this gave him a head ache and soon talk about Dez died away and they started playing "Gauntlet" on the Playstation 2.
"AAAARRGHH!!!!" Andrew roared, pounding his fist into his wall once again.
"Something wrong?" Ryoku asked from Andrew's bedroom doorway.
"Shut up." Andrew muttered coldly, glaring down at his carpet.
The Hunter remained standing, watching as Andrew paced his room between a pile of clothes and his bed. He'd just gotten done having an argument over the phone with his mom.
"Am I worthless?" Andrew muttered after five minutes of silence where he sat on his bed. He looked up at his Shinigami with a blank expression.
"Excuse me?" Ryoku blinked.
"My mom…" Andrew sighed. "Every time I talk to her…everything she says…she makes me feel like I just don't matter…"
Ryoku stared down at him in silence as Andrew muttered under his breath curses toward his mom.
"I don't think anyone is worthless." Ryoku said. "I feel as though everyone has some amount of worth in this universe, whether they be human or Shinigami."
"And why do you think something like that?" Andrew muttered in spite of himself.
"Even someone who dies leaves a trace of themselves for someone else. Nobody dies unnoticed and if they do then they are remembered, correct?" Ryoku said, remaining still in the doorway like a statue staring down at Andrew with wide eyes. "This in itself provides worth. If you can leave a trace of yourself in someone's memory, beliefs, or opinions then that can change the course of history. For example, if you were to die right now then Katlynn would miss you; your mom would remember you and possibly even regret calling you worthless. Your friends at school will also remember you. Therefore you will have provided some amount of worth to this world, whether it is small or great."
"That's not good enough." Andrew grunted under his breath. "I want to be worth something great in life!"
"Unfortunately…" Ryoku sighed. "Things like that are for you and only you to decide. There are those who are misfortunate enough not to have that luxury and are forced to live with what they are given. But you, Andrew…I believe you still have the ability to be worth something if you make the right decisions."
Andrew glared up at the Hunter and the Hunter stared down calmly at Andrew. Both of them in complete silence.
"You're right." Andrew said.
"Just be patient." Ryoku said. "You don't have to do everything. And don't let what your mom tells you affect you whole heartedly. If anything, let it fuel you to prove yourself to her and others that you are worth something."
"I don't think you've ever been this…nice to me." Andrew smirked and signs of his anger started to fade. "What's gotten into you?"
"I don't have a personality, Andrew." Ryoku said bluntly. "I only speak of what I think is logical to say. I do not have sympathy for you, if that's what you've been thinking. Nor do I feel as though I have any desire to help you whatsoever. All I have in my mind are opinions and a goal."
"A goal to catch Zando?" Andrew narrowed his eyes.
"Yes…" Ryoku muttered.
"You know, I need you to kill him if my plans are to work." Andrew said quietly.
"Yes, I know of this already." Ryoku responded. "And you also know that it is impossible for me to kill him unless I am forced to. It is purely my job to bring him back."
"And if you do that, does Steven's Death Note stay here?" Andrew asked.
"No, once a Death Note is in the hands of a human then the Shinigami is responsible for watching over that Death Note until death. If I capture Zando, the Death Note Steven owns comes with me. If I kill Zando, the Death Note will remain on earth with Steven. Do you see now?"
"Yeah." Andrew muttered. "So I pretty much have to set up a situation where you're forced to kill Zando, then?"
"Yes." Ryoku. "Otherwise I will just capture him."
"Didn't you tell me earlier that Zando had been conspiring to do something bad and that's why you're hunting him?" Andrew snapped, looking angered again. "Why can't you just kill him so he doesn't just escape your clutches, again, and start this all over again?"
At this, Ryoku frowned and looked away at the wall. Andrew didn't notice this right away but the Hunter was actually thinking of a way to possibly avoid this question.
"What is it that Zando did so wrong, anyway?" Andrew asked.
Ryoku looked back at Andrew, eyes wide as if deciding on something.
"That…is a long story."
Many years back in the Realm of the Shinigami…
"Ryoku!!!"
The blonde haired Shinigami looked up from his book held between his clawed fingers. Another Shinigami was flying toward him from across the canyon grinning wildly about something. He had short, black, messy hair and was relatively small compared to most other Shinigami their age. Then again, they were only just children.
"What is it, Zando?" Ryoku sighed, snapping his book shut.
"They're handing out Death Notes to the junior level Shinigami today." Zando exclaimed with excitement, doing a loop in the air and landing on one of the black, bony spikes sticking out of the ground where Ryoku was sitting. "Aren't you excited?"
"Not particularly." Ryoku muttered with a yawn.
"You're just upset because you're afraid." Zando taunted with a grin. "Everyone in your blood-line tends to fall in love with humans and end up sacrificing themselves for them, right? I'm sure that won't happen to you?"
"And what makes you say that?" Ryoku muttered with a frown.
"Because you're you! Duh!" Zando said as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. "Ryoku, the genius Shinigami of our age, fall in love with a human? As if, right?" And he laughed.
Ryoku smirked. "You're right. They're disgusting creatures, humans."
"Really?" Zando blinked. "How do you know?"
"This book depicts them." Ryoku said, showing his friend what was in his hands. He opened it to the first page where it showed a picture of a white, human body bent in an odd angle. "They're filled with things called organs, bones, and muscles. It's very odd but I think I have their anatomy down perfectly. They're basically bugs with intellect and a different skeletal structure."
"Whoa, that's cool." Zando said but Ryoku got the feeling that Zando really didn't care what a human was made out of. "C'mon, let's go get our notebooks!"
"Why are you so excited?" Ryoku asked as they both flew off into the dark sky.
"Because I've always wanted one." Zando exclaimed happily.
"Oh, great…" Ryoku muttered, rolling his eyes.
"What?"
"You're not going to go off on another long, boring speech about how you want to change the world, are you?" Ryoku asked.
"What? I don't do that!" Zando said defensively.
"Only every time a Death Note is mentioned, you do." Ryoku sighed.
Ever since he knew him, Zando had always been a dreamer. Ryoku at first found it interesting that a Shinigami would want to change the world but doing something like that with a Death Note was forbidden. And he had to remind Zando of it every time he got to excited.
"How do you plan on changing the world with a Death Note anyway?" Ryoku asked, uninterestedly as they flew over a pit full of old, gambling Shinigami.
"Easy." Zando grinned. "I'm going to murder every bad person on earth until good people realize that I'm doing it and they'll stop being bad forever. I'll create a utopia!"
Ryoku stared at him with a kind of blunt expression as Zando did another loop in the air around him.
"Killing every single bad person in the world will take a long time, Zando. Are you sure you have the patience?" Ryoku asked.
"Well, since I will be killing them, their life force will become apart of mine so time doesn't matter." Zando said. "And of course I have the patience! I've been wanting to do this since I was little!"
This was true. Zando's only known relative was the old, senile Shinigami that lived on his own down by "The Rocks", which was a small area away from civilization in the Human world. He had been banished from the Shinigami world for his ridiculous ideas and from the looks of it; Zando was heading down the same path. But Zando was his friend and he would encourage him if that was what was going to be needed.
"Well, the plan doesn't sound good… But I'll be there to help you if you need it." Ryoku told him and for the first time he smiled.
"Thanks. I'll remember that." Zando laughed.
And so the two boys arrived at a pillar surrounded by a cluster of other Shinigami their age all floating in mid air and listening. There was a Death God standing on top of the old, cracked pillar looking down at them all and speaking.
"And so I hereby grant you each one, and one only, Death Note for yours to use and keep until it is filled. There is a list of rules by the Dellenima that you can go and check if you have further questions. Do not break these rules or you will lose your privilege as a Shinigami and be sent to the Zabaloft." The Death God said before turning and disappeared from view without another word.
Ryoku and Zando wondered where their Death Notes were when one shouted "Hey look!" and they all looked down. On the floor was a huge pile of little, black notebooks that had not been there a second before.
"Wow, its magic." Zando said stupidly.
Everyone landed on the ground and picked up a Death Note. Ryoku put his away in his belt straight away while Zando flipped through the pages with excitement. "This is so awesome!" He shouted merrily.
"You know, your attitude isn't much of that for a Shinigami, young one." said the old Death God standing behind them wearing a long, brown cloak. He had a toad-like appearance with big, bulging eyes and looked at them as if he wanted to eat them.
"Shut up, Gokainkai." Ryoku muttered coldly.
"Shouldn't talk bad to elders. Bad mistake, yes." The toad-like Shinigami responded, spinning his head around and giving them both a bizarre glare.
Zando and Ryoku ignored him and flew off into the dark sky. The Shinigami realm was sure a depressing one. Fights and arguments were almost pointless and a lot of Death Gods acted similar to one another. They either gambled their boredom away or went off insulting each other to see who was better at it. Gokainkai was already mouthing off on somebody else as they were leaving.
"I can't blame you for wanting to change the world." Ryoku sighed as they flew out of ear shot from below. "The Gods here are pathetic."
"Huh? I don't care about whatever happens here." Zando said making his friend look up at him in surprise. "Sorry, when I said I wanted to change the world, I meant the Human world only. Whatever happens here I could really care less about."
"Why? You live here." Ryoku frowned.
"Only for right now." Zando shrugged. "The Human world is so much better looking. Cleaner, brighter, and funner. This place is gloomy, dark, boring and filled with nothing but arguing jerks."
Ryoku couldn't help but look worried. A Shinigami was supposed to stay in the Shinigami world unless ordered by the Death King to go into the human world or if they have personal business to take care of. And he supposed that Zando's dreams for the future could be considered personal business but now that Ryoku thought about it, if he really did go down and live in the human world forever and kill off all the criminals, then the life spans of the Shinigami world would shorten severely because most of the people they wrote in their Death Notes were people who would die of murders or other bad deeds done by humans. But without bad things happening in the world then they would be forced to kill using only Natural causes or accidents and that would make the world for the Shinigami even more boring and Ryoku really did not want to live in such a place when that happened.
But Zando just admitted that he wouldn't care. As long as he could achieve his goal, create and utopia, and make everything better then nothing else mattered to him. Ryoku flew silently behind him as he watched his friend look down at his first Death Note.
What should Ryoku do? Should he report his friend to the Death God King and tell him everything that Zando was planning that could threaten the very existence of Death Gods in the future?
But Zando was his friend. When Ryoku was little he never had someone to talk to. No Family. No friends. He was a loner and sometimes wished he could stay that way. He much preferred to watch people interact and observe their actions and learn from it. A Social learner, not a Social worker. That was his motto. But Zando changed all that. When they first met it had been about thirty or so years back and Zando was being picked on. Ryoku watched and observed as always and did nothing to help and when Zando was done being beaten up, he walked over to him, sat down next to him and said "Can I be a loner too?"
Ryoku had not expected such a strange action from someone who'd just gotten beaten up. A Shinigami couldn't kill another Shinigami but they could certainly hurt each other to the point that Death seemed almost like a sweet release. And Ryoku had seen this kid get pummeled to that point for days on end and yet when Ryoku asked his name, Zando had given him a grin and replied "I didn't think you were able to talk."
Ever since then Zando had followed him around, saying that he too wanted to be a loner and learn how to be cool-looking like Ryoku. Ryoku scolded him for this, saying that he wasn't trying to look cool he just didn't want to be social with anyone but Zando didn't understand even after the hundredth time of explaining to him.
And yet somehow, Zando had changed Ryoku. He was still the silent, observant one but Zando was the only Shinigami who Ryoku felt comfortable with talking about anything to. It was a strange feeling, and after a lot of thought about it, Ryoku decided that he considered Zando his friend. His only friend. And just with that, Ryoku felt a little satisfaction that he wouldn't have to be lonely anymore…
Did he dare ruin that by telling the Death King about Zando's plans? It was probably the right thing to do, after-all. To help preserve the race and code of the Shinigami…?
Zando and Ryoku sat by a fire in the middle of a clearing of rocks, bones, and spikes sticking up from all around them. It was some time later and they were both much older and had grown into their full formed body structures now which usually took around a hundred years for a Shinigami to complete. Both of them had their Death Notes hanging in straps around their belts and were staring into the fire in silence.
"Nights have grown quieter over the years." Ryoku muttered finally.
"You noticed too?" Zando said with a grin.
"Of course…" Ryoku sighed. "The arguments between all the Shinigami stopped a long time ago so now all that's left is gambling…Everything seems so forbidden. Even a simple fight will cause you to have the rest of your life span spent in the Zabaloft."
Zando's eyes narrowed with distaste. "I hope I never have to go there…"
Ryoku glanced up at his friend from across the fire and said nothing in return.
Both remained quiet for another couple of minutes, watching the flames flicker smaller and smaller in the pit between them.
"Why would you ever have to worry about going there?" Ryoku asked finally.
"Because…" Zando sighed. "I dunno…I've been getting funny stares from the other Death Gods lately. It's almost as if they know something about me and think I'm disgusting or something. I don't like it."
"Have you been bragging about your ideas to anyone else besides me lately?" Ryoku asked, closing his eyes and interlocking his claw-like fingers together.
"No, you're the only one who knows about that." Zando sighed.
Ryoku continued to stare into the dying fire with a blank expression. "Yeah, you're right."
"I don't get it." Zando went on. "What is so wrong about wanting to make the world a better place for humans?"
"I wouldn't say…it's wrong." Ryoku said. "More like abnormal for a Death God."
"Why's it abnormal, though? It's not fair." Zando huffed.
"A lot of things aren't fair, Zando." Ryoku sighed as the flames grew smaller and smaller. "A Shinigami kill humans because that is what we're here for. We're not here to make the humans realize that they should live in a utopia. That is for humans and humans alone to decide for. Only humans can make the human world a better place. We Shinigami have no say in the matter and never have had a say in the matter. We simply do our jobs and remain content with it."
"But…I don't want to be content with it." Zando muttered with a frown. "A human can only change the human world…that's probably true…"
Ryoku paid no attention to the wild look that Zando got in his eye. He was staring, transfixed into the flames that were slowing descending into the pit like a wounded animal crying out for any chance of life.
"What would you do after the utopia?" Ryoku asked.
"Die happily." Zando grinned. "I would like to know that I ended my life achieving something great. That's what I want."
Ryoku frowned, almost sorrowfully and looked up at his friend as the flames finally died away. "I'm sorry, my friend."
"Huh?" Zando blinked. "What do you mean, sorry?"
Ryoku stood up from his seat. "The Death King is generous…When I told him about your plans he gave me a rank that not very many Shinigami are blessed with."
"What?" Zando looked up at Ryoku with a confused look. As if he didn't understand what his friend was saying.
"When I got this rank…" Ryoku went on. "I received something else." And from underneath the tattered sleeves of his robes shot two, long, wrist blades attached to gauntlets around each of his forearms. "These blades have the ability to injure, and even kill another Shinigami." Ryoku watched as the look of confusion on Zando's face suddenly turned to a look of horror.
"What are you saying, Ryoku?" Zando asked.
"I'm a Hunter." Ryoku muttered. "And you are my target…I have to bring you to the Zabaloft where the Judges of Fate will decide your sentence for what you are planning to do."
"What are you doing?" Zando stood up and backed away against one of the spikes behind him. "You are joking, right? This is just a joke, right? Right?! We're friends! Ryoku!"
Ryoku stared at Zando from across the clearing with the blades out by his side for a few seconds and briefly he wondered if what he was doing was what he really wanted. But it was too late. He had to do this.
"I brought you here to this secluded place because this was where we always used to go to hide when we were younger…" Ryoku explained quietly. "I wanted you…to feel at home again. To have one last happy memory…before I took it all away."
"You can't be serious, Ryoku." Zando muttered and this time he stepped forward. "You were the only one who understood me. You actually listened to me! You can't be doing this to be. You're my friend!"
Ryoku watched as Zando continued to approach him cautiously. Was he stupid? Did he actually think he'd be able to convince Ryoku not to turn him in? But if it wasn't so difficult, then why was he finding it so hard to raise his blades?
"You're my only friend too, Ryoku." Zando muttered. "Please…don't do this…please…"
Zando was mere feet in front of him now. What did he do? Ryoku stood there as sturdy as a tree but his insides were running wild. This was the moment he'd been imagining for the past few years. The moment he struck down his friend and turned him in. He had to do it. It was for the good of the Shinigami world. Even if it was a disgusting place that didn't deserve to go on, it was his duty as a Death God, as a Hunter, to bring down those who threatened it.
"I'm sorry, Zando." Ryoku said again only this time he glared up at him. "I already told you…I am a Hunter. And you are my target. Our friendship means nothing."
Blood was in the air. Zando stepped back, horrified and holding the left side of his face as if unable to believe that his friend had seriously just attacked him. Ryoku hadn't missed. He'd sent one of his blades up and cut deeply enough to make a scar on Zando's left eye that would remain there forever. And for the first time in a long time, Zando saw his own black blood seeping between his fingers and he gasped in horror. His friend was serious. He'd attacked him.
And just like that. Their bond was broken. Zando and Ryoku were no longer friends. They were a Target and a Hunter and everything that happened between them over the past century was left for nothing.
Zando took off into the sky with his wings outstretched from his shoulders, and he flew as fast as he possibly could to get away. Ryoku was right behind him; his arms outstretched with the blades out by his side, waiting to strike again. Ryoku expected Zando to flee. And soon, Ryoku felt his newfound reflexes in his wings allow him to speed up much quicker than he'd ever done before. Zando didn't even have time to look back, the Hunter was on top of him and they were plummeting down toward a large pit full of gambling Shinigami.
"What's that?" Death Gods asked from down bellow. "A shooting star?"
"There are no stars here, idiot."
"They look like two fighters."
"Fighting?!"
"I haven't seen a fight in ages!!!"
"Look! That one has blades!"
"What is going on?"
"Who are they!?"
"Who cares? Let's watch!!"
The Hunter and Zando spiraled down into the ground but Zando had somehow tricked Ryoku and pulled out of the dive just in time. So Zando had let himself get caught after-all. He was good at running away, Ryoku admitted to himself as he took off from the ground to chase Zando again.
But Zando had a head start this time and Ryoku immediately saw where he was heading. The Human world portal.
Great… Ryoku instead aimed for the portal down below rather then directly trying to catch up with his target.
And when he got there he saw Zando land down twenty yards away and half sprint, half glide toward the portal which was down a spiraling black staircase in the ground. Ryoku flew toward it as well, making it just in time to stand in between Zando and the bright light half-way down the stairs.
"This is as far as you go, Zando." Ryoku said.
Zando frowned and Ryoku saw for the first time his old friend have a look of anger on his face.
"I know we're not friends anymore." Zando said. "But there was a time when we were. And I remember the day…Right before we got our Death Notes you said you would be there to help me whenever I needed it."
Ryoku felt a jolt inside him as Zando said this.
"Please." Zando said. "As a criminal's last wish of an old friend…let me pass for now…And we can settle this another time?"
The Hunter remained where he was in silence. He too, remembered that day. Saying something like that then, he was so naïve…but he'd meant it. Zando had been his friend and he'd promised to help him one day, even if it was only once…
Ryoku shifted his feet and stood sideways, allowing room for Zando to pass. They both stood there for a few moments, Zando looking dumbfounded and Ryoku giving him the same, blank expression that he'd always had on his face.
"Get going before I change my mind." Ryoku muttered.
Zando nodded and walked down the steps. And as he passed Ryoku, he muttered "Thank you…" Under his breath.
"When we meet again." Ryoku said calmly. "I will be your enemy and you will be mine. So don't expect me to do something like this for you again."
"I won't." Zando promised.
This was the goodbye between them. Zando stepped into the light and Ryoku climbed back up into the darkness, not knowing that they'd soon see each other again.
"What is it that Zando did so wrong, anyway?" Andrew asked.
Ryoku gave him a long stare before saying "That…is a long story."
"Well all you do is tell me about human emotions and all that bullshit. It'd be nice to know a little bit about you since you're living with me." Andrew frowned. "Mind sharing?"
Ryoku gave him a blank stare from behind his mask and Andrew stared back expectedly.
"I am a Hunter and he is my target." Ryoku said. "That is all that matters."
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