Disclaimer: I do not own anything affiliated with the Death Note manga series or the book, Death Note Another Note: The Los Angeles BB Case.
Chapter 3
He woke up in the middle of the night, his small body drenched in a cold sweat and his breathing ragged. He looked around the room and saw his older brother hovering over the side of his bed, concern in his eyes. "Kristoff, are you alright? You were screaming and talking in your sleep," he asks in a calm voice, his gray eyes boring into Kristoff's own. "I... had a nightmare," Kristoff says lamely. He had wanted to tell his brother everything about his dream, but he just couldn't do so. He would sound absolutely crazy if he did. "Well, I know something that will fix that right up," Lonnie says chirpily as he pads across their carpeted bedroom floor to his nightstand where a heavy book lies. He walks back over and sits on the edge of the bed, holding the book up with a big smile on face and saying, "Nothing like a good old Sherlock Holmes story to ease the mind after a scare."
Kristoff shakes his head. "Lonnie... I-I need to tell you something." His voice is hesitant and he cannot believe what he is about to do. Lonnie merely sets the book down and stares intently at his younger brother, encouraging him to go on. "Remember Watson?" Kristoff asks not looking at Lonnie but out their window. "Yes. He was our cat – he was sharp as a whip that one. What about him?" Lonnie says slowly, carefully. "He didn't fall out of the tree and impale himself on our fence – I did it. I killed him," he admits softly, tears pricking at his eyes. Gray eyes begin to look skeptically at the form of a three year old that just admitted killing the family's beloved cat a year ago. "Why?" "You have to understand, Lonnie, Watson was going to die anyway that day. I know he was," Kristoff explains solemnly. "No one knows when Death will come," is all Lonnie says before getting up to walk away. Kristoff catches his sleeve before he leaves. "Lonnie. You have to believe me!" he begs, tears flowing down his face effortlessly. "Why should I when you speak such nonsense?" Lonnie asks harshly, his tone an arctic blast.
He remains silent, trying to find the proper words in which to voice his story. "You were there. When Mom began with her contractions and was getting ready to give birth to me you saw her bleeding from the doorway. You were there, Lonnie, I know you were," Kristoff says as he watches his brother's eyes grow wide. "I never told anyone – not even our parents know. So how do you?" "You have to listen to me," Kristoff says looking into his brother's eyes earnestly. "Alright. You've got my attention."
"Mom was supposed to die the day I was born because of birth complications, I was basically conceived to kill her. I don't know how I was able to, but I fought for her life with the shinigami who wanted her dead – perhaps it was my consciousness, or something else, I don't know. Both Mom and I were so close to death that I had to do something so I struck a deal with the god of death. From that day on I was cursed and cursed I will stay for all eternity. The deal was that the god of death would spare both my life and Mom's if I were to take his eyes. I would have Shinigami Eyes and would be forced to know the name of a person and their death day just by looking at them. And when I die I can go neither to Heaven nor Hell, I will be cast into the isolation of Nothingness." "Shinigami?" Lonnie shouts. "You have got to be kidding me! Shinigami are something from one of Mom's old Japanese legends, meaning they don't exist." "But Lonnie, you need to believe me. If you don't, I don't know what I'll do." Kristoff begins crying uncontrollably and hiccuping.
"You – you really are scared aren't you?" Lonnie asks, his voice softening. He moves and holds his brother close so that he can cry into his chest. "Listen, I'm not sure I believe all this, but I don't like seeing you scared either. What happened tonight to spark all this?" Kristoff sobs a while longer before mumbling weakly, "He's been visiting me in my dreams, the shinigami. Tonight he told me that my eyes and my hair are marks of who I am and what I was meant to do at birth and in the future." "What did he say they symbolize, Kristoff?" Lonnie asks, smoothing his brother's hair. "My hair is brown – like Mom's – because I was meant to kill her at birth, but because that didn't happen my right eye is a bright blue – again like Mom – and my left eye is gray – like Dad. The shinigami didn't tell me what that has to do with my future, but that's what scares me the most. Lonnie, I don't want to have to see Mom and Dad die right in front of me. I don't want to be the one that has to kill them either!" The exposure of this nightmare ensues a new and fresh onslaught of tears from the young boy, with the tears come tremors that wrack throughout his tiny body and cause him to shake uncontrollably. "There, there. You don't know that that's to be your fate. It'll be okay, Kris," Lonnie murmurs softly into his brother's hair. Kristoff merely shakes his head and looks up with a tear stained face. "It'll never be okay, Lonnie. I'm still cursed."
Long moments of silence pass with Lonnie holding Kristoff in his arms before he breaks the silence. "Would you like for me to sleep with you tonight? Would that make you feel better?" Kristoff only nods his head, not being able to talk nor reject the offer. They lie in bed together with Lonnie's arms wrapped protectively around his brother until Lonnie finally managed to fall asleep.
Once he knew for a fact that Lonnie was asleep, he untangled himself and made his way to the window seat where he plopped down and looked up at the full moon. "Your own brother doesn't believe you. What are you going to do now?" a faceless voice asks soundlessly. "What do you want now? Just go away and stay out of my mind," Kristoff whispers into the darkness. "Now why do speak when you can communicate with me telepathically? We share a bond you know, a bond that is stronger than life and death." "Who would want to share that kind of a bond with you?" he asks spitefully. "That actually hurt." "Really? Well, I hope it hurt like Hell." "Why do you treat me so harshly? It's not my fault. You got what you wanted. You and your mother both survived the birthing process. However, you did so in exchange for Shinigami Eyes which cut both your lifespans in half and forged this bond between human and shinigami." "I know what it did," Kristoff says a little more sharply, almost not allowing the god of death to finish his sentence. "I don't need reminding." "Aww is the little human boy regretting making a deal with a devil?" "Listen you, I don't regret anything that I've done. I did what I did so my brother could have a mother for at least a while longer." "So that he could have a mother longer or so that you could actually meet yours?" "Did you bother to contact me just so you could tease me or do you actually have something important to say for once?" "A little of both. Actually, I've been thinking, we've shared this bond for over three years and you still do not know my name." "As if it is of any consequence." "It's Ryuk." "What a lovely name," he states with biting sarcasm. He hears a loud cackling laugh before the connection begins to fade.
Kristoff walks back to his bed and curls up next to Lonnie's limp form. "I'm sorry," he whispers softly. "I'm sorry I'm so selfish." And with that said, he falls into a deep slumber that is not to be interrupted until daybreak.
No one can predict how one life or one's actions can affect the outcome of the future...
Author's Note: I read the rules of Shinigami Eyes and did not find anything about animals in there so I figure why not allow someone who's been born with them see the lifespan (but not the name) of animals as well. I apologize that it took me so long to get the chapter out and I hope you understand that it is often difficult for me to call upon my Muses at any time I wish. I hope you enjoyed the chapter and feel free to review. Thanks so much for reading!