I really don't have much of a reason for why this story idea entered my mind. It, along with many others, has bopped around my head, so I'm getting it out. As an introduction, this story's premise starts with the idea of Sayu Yagami being the one to obtain the death note, not Light. However, this story is NOT about Sayu Yagami becoming Kira, becoming Light Jr, becoming a fan wank version of her character. In fact, I'm not even sure Kira as a concept will appear yet.
This story may have L at some point. Maybe it will be limited to the Yagami family as recurring characters. However, the scale of this story is decided by the scale of the person who found the note. Sayu is not the super murderer with a god complex. As for Light, Light will play the second largest role within the story, mostly in line with his character whenever he did not have the death note. Still pessimistic, still brilliant, still Light.
Chapter One: This Note
Day in, and day out.
Life was really repetitive these days. A school day where you have to get up early five days a week. Each day, listening to the news and public announcements about the toneless happenings of the world while going to school. You spend your classes either with laser focus, or just wanting to be anywhere else. There is no in-between.
You get out from school to more of the same news, and eventually study before bed. Cycle, rinse, repeat. Second verse, same as the first. And the third, and the forth, and the fifth... The only break from it all is what gossip and news shows up in the entertainment industry. However, when you live with a police chief as a father, being dutiful is the first thing one must do.
Even with that, she usually needs help from her brother. She sighs as she has the thought.
Fourteen year old Sayu Yagami was not overtly smart like her brother. She was an average student with an average drive. With an average passing interest in entertainment. With average sports performances. She couldn't be a tennis champion like her brother. She couldn't help the police department like some kind of super hero in her downtime like her brother.
Well, there was one thing she did better than him.
Sayu arrives at school, smiling at her group of friends.
Sayu was a people person first. She doesn't need to be some detached, cold, calculated, cool, super talented super hero. She can identify herself with her connections to others.
. . .
The school day was passing when Sayu finds herself struggling to work through her English class. The translations were getting harder with complex sentences. Really, the most fun thing was when a boy named Sota decided to sprinkle in English curse words into his translations. The class laughed uproariously! Her teacher, however, most certainly did not.
Containing a snicker, Sayu looks out the window, observing the blue sky above. It was a beautiful day outside! A smile graces her, making out shapes in the clouds when a bird essentially dive bombs from the sky.
A black bird dead dropping. Wait, that bird is square.
… That's not a bird.
The object hits the ground by a fence in the corner of the school grounds. Sayu blinks confused. Immediately, she glances up into the sky. A piece of a plane or helicopter? Maybe someone was sending a balloon carrying an object, and the string ripped off?
The object would surely be picked up by the end of the day. So, why did she keep thinking back to it?
. . .
Ringing bells rattle as students flood out from the school. Amid the crowd, Sayu catches her friend bringing up one of the highlights of her life. "EH?! Hideki Ryuga's girlfriend cheated on him?!" She heats up as she and four girls look at an open flip phone.
"My cousin gets out of school an hour early. Said she saw it online!" A raven haired girl rattles off quickly.
"What inconsiderate hussie could ever think to cheat on him! That poor sweetheart." Sayu whines.
"Isn't his new show shooting in Kyoto soon?" Another friend speaks thoughtfully. "Maybe we could meet him if we can make a trip out of it!"
Another of the girls gets a fanciful glint in her eyes. "And maybe he and I can finally run away together! I would never dream of another man." Before Sayu and the other girls verbally rip into the girl for claiming 'their' man, she looks off. "My mother's here! Bye guys!"
"Bye!" The girls start to peel off one by one. Eventually, Sayu is left alone in the school yard.
With a patient hum, she taps away at her cell phone before a thought occurs. The girl blinks and looks to the school property fencing. She glances around, seeing that most her classmates were gone. With a shrug, she takes a brisk walk towards the fence. The groundskeeper has been slacking off if the grass was any indicator.
The grass blades were wiping her calves just above the height of her socks. She cringes lightly at it, but continues to look. It dropped around here, right? She leans over before jolting up. Indeed, a black corner pokes out from a patch of grass. Reaching down, she brushes the blades aside to find a notebook.
Just a simple notebook?
She frowns, looking up into the sky. The taller buildings around were just a bit too far for someone to drop it off the sides. Who the heck could have dropped this?
Although, someone who just loses a notebook would surely have something written inside it. She picks it up, turning it over to find...
English.
Her head hangs. "Really? It couldn't be just a simple kanji name?" She turns it over and opens the notebook, blinking. "Eh? The inside cover is the only thing that has writing on it." She deflates lightly. "Just more English, too. Ugh, I already have English homework."
"Sayu? Where are you?" A voice calls, pulling Sayu out of her pity party.
She rapid steps from the grass onto the nearest side walk. Walking, she opens her side packet, shoving the black notebook inside. Cupping one hand, she calls back. "Over here, Mom!" Sayu rushes to the front to meet with her mother.
. . .
Home, Sayu splayed out her various homework subjects across the dining room table. Her mother was already at work on a slow cooking stew, so the girl could be left to her own devices. It's a Thursday, and the homework isn't due til Monday. She would typically leave her homework for Sunday, but she decides to go ahead and pull out the topical torture: English.
While she did her homework, she couldn't help but keep glancing at the notebook in her bag. Getting the reminders and materials, Sayu began doing slight translations between her writing prompts. Her own curiosity of what it actually read was enticing. At the very least, maybe she could get the owner's name... Or, at least, she had that enthusiasm until she translated the label.
Death Note.
"A note book of death..?" She mumbles softly under her breath when she hears the door open.
"Hello, I'm home!" A male voice calls.
Sayu closes the notebook, shoving it back into her bag in the next seat over. Her mother is already approaching her brother in the doorway. Light Yagami, the prodigal son. She smiles lightly at the thought. The guy was a really hard act to follow. So much so that she gave up on trying to match him years ago.
Sachiko Yagami, their mother, approaches him. "Welcome home, Light." She stands attentive before he can even get his shoes off.
"Hi Mom." He smells once and looks up. "What are you cooking for-..." He pauses when their Mom simply holds her hands out cupped. He turns to his bag. "Oh, right... the results of the nationwide exam." He produces a paper and hands it off for her.
"Let me guess. Number one again?" Sayu playfully inserts herself in the conversation. "Can you share some of that brain this way? Would be really helpful."
"Doubtful." Light gives a light chuckle to his one word response. He'd been doing that a lot lately over the last month or so. Sayu wasn't sure if she was crazy or not, but it was starting to seem like Light was so absorbed in his thoughts he stopped putting much effort with the family.
Of course bugging him about it would get no where.
"Top of the year, yet again!" Their mother announces with an elated smile. "I'm so proud of you." She returns to the kitchen. "Dinner will be ready in an hour. Come spend some time down here after if you want."
Light, despite not smiling at all, allows a dull playful tone out. "Isn't Sayu's soap opera on after dinner? I think I'll pass."
Puffing her cheek out, Sayu huffs. "For a future detective, you sure can't find good taste, can you?"
She hears him contain a snort up the stairs. "That was actually clever, Sayu." Even the small complement, backhanded in tone, brings a bright grin to the girl. She hears his door open and shut, leaving her alone again. Her mother was already back at work in the kitchen.
It really wasn't fair. He got to have his own television in his room, but she was relegated to snatching control of the living room whenever she could. Still, with her sole control of the living space, she returns her attention to her homework. And thus, her new find.
She finished her English work after half an hour, but kept her materials out as she moved back to the notebook. Death Note, she mentally corrects. This better not be one of those hokey chain letter things. Translating the words took a minute.
How to use it:
The human whose name is written in this note shall die.
A dull grimace faces the notebook. She really should just pitch it. Burning it would be a neat idea if she wasn't a klutz that would cause a house fire. Well, she may as well read it fully. The next bullet point is significantly longer, so it takes a few minutes to translate.
This note will not take effect unless the writer has the person's face in their mind when writing his/her name. Therefore, people sharing the same name will not be affected.
That gives her pause. For any prank nonsense she's ever seen, no one has ever put thought into something like that before. Several of her classmates came to mind for having a morbid sense of humor, but all the chuckle heads who would laugh at it aren't smart enough to worry about something like this. She continues, taking a minute more, getting faster in her translations.
If the cause of death is written within the next 40 seconds of writing the person's name, it will happen.
If the cause of death is not specified, the person will simply die of a heart attack.
She shakes her arms up and down before rubbing them lightly. Someone took the time to think of all this, and that's concerning. Although, 40 seconds? That's rather arbitrary, isn't it? Also, the thought of some level of perfect control over a person's fate was sick. She doesn't both translating the final rule as she closes the book.
Placing it back in her bag, Sayu collects her things and settles on the couch. Stupid pranks for stupid people with sick senses of humor.
. . .
Dinner came and went. Light had joined them as per usual. He gives a remark about his studying being rough, but she honestly thinks he's lying. He's only mentioning the difficulty as a boast of pride. Well, more than likely... Sayu can't prove that. She's never managed to outwit or read him.
Sayu watched as the minutes ticked down to the latest episode of Hideki Ryuga's show. Until it does, her mother had seized the chance to catch moments of the news. No doubt, she was looking to see if there was anything Dad might be involved with. While it was always more interesting whenever her father was heading investigations, Sayu did share her mother's concerns. A safe father is always better than a perished hero.
Thus, when the news cast shifted so suddenly to a live incident, both felt a pit grow in their stomachs.
"... Of an ongoing standoff." The reporter speaks quick, succinct. "For those just tuning in, police were tracking the whereabouts of a man suspected of murder. The man, now identified as former convict Kurou Otoharada, is wanted for the shopping mall shooting of six people. Kurou was tracked to the area, where he has taken refuge inside a nursery school. Reports are still coming in on whether anyone is inside the school."
"Oh my god..." Sachiko murmurs to herself. Sayu could only gulp.
"It's alright! The police have him cornered!" Sayu tries to inject some optimism, but the pit in her gut didn't alleviate. "I mean, they got everyone out, right?" Both watch as the reporter turns, no doubt receiving live information on the scene.
"... And this is confirmed..? I see." He turns for the camera, tone alert. "We now have confirmation of eight total hostages. These hostages include women and children who work and learn at the school. Kurou arrived at the property during a late meeting with parents of the children."
Oh no... Sayu wants to slap herself. Hugging herself, only one desire made itself known to her. First and foremost, the safety of each and every person that man is threatening. If he's armed, then the police can't guarantee any of them to go home safe tonight.
If only someone could do something. Anything-
Sayu blinks. Her gaze trails slowly to the end of the couch. She grimaces. If such a thing were real, this would be the perfect time for it. A man threatening children, practically begging for divine intervention. What better a scenario could one want-
Ridiculous!
A heat builds. How can she sit here thinking about some stupid, immature chain letter nonsense when eight people are under threat of death!
But... she can't do anything for them. Plus, what if, you know? What if..?
She cringes in her seat. Even if it was true, that would just make her exactly what that man is: a murderer. There's no reason for such a silly thing to exist. None.
"I'm going to call your father. Hopefully, he's not caught up in this." Sachiko announces, moving off to find a phone.
Left alone, Sayu's eyes once more find the bag on the couch... Ridiculous... Immoral... Stupid...
She snaps a pen cap, pulling the black notebook out from the bag. She opens it to the first page, bringing the pen down. Only... her hand freezes. Her heart feels clenched, but the temptation is...
Picture the face. Therefore, those sharing the same name will not be affected.
Sayu's furrowed brow directs itself to the broadcast. Kurou Otoharada's mug shot remains off the right of the broadcast. With a brief gulp, Sayu's pen finds the page.
Kurou Otoharada
There! It's done! Sayu jolts up, recapping the pen and throwing it into the bag. She tucks the notebook half way under the bag's flap, then brings her legs up to hug them close. Sayu watches the newscast in a most docile state, waiting. How long was it again? 40 seconds. How long has passed? Heck if she knows! She's just stupid for doing this. Whoever made this stupid notebook got their darn laugh.
Unaware of her heart pounding, Sayu sighs. "Yeah... that's what I thought-" A commotion through the broadcast brings her attention back up. Wide eyes lock on the screen. "What?"
On the live feed, the women and children were fleeing the building. The reporter is shouting out. "The hostages have escaped. Repeat, the hostages have gotten out of harms way. Police have moved into the building."
"What?" Sayu parrots again. How long..? She looks to the time. It had only been a minute. That's it?! But, why would-
"Yes. We now have reports of the suspect found dead inside!" Sayu shutters at the statement. Unbidden, her arms began to shake. "Police are denying any shots being fired. According to witnesses, the suspect was operating normally before suddenly clutching his chest and collapsing!"
A... heart attack...
. . .
Inside his room, Light Yagami had initially resigned himself to studying up for his next exam. However, with each day came a slight melancholy. Truthfully, school itself had begun to become such a trivial challenge he'd allowed his thoughts to drift to other subjects entirely. His English class found him pondering this filthy world around him.
And all the while, he could perfectly recite the passages when asked. Easily.
So, he found himself with his television on. On the news, he'd witnesses the full development of the nursery school. Kurou Otoharada was a man with delusions of inflicting pain on a world that may or may not have wronged him. In his point of view, of course, the world probably did.
It didn't matter anymore. He inflicted pains to others, lashing out, and found himself cornered like a rabid dog. Taking hostages only proved this. A desperation move.
Light was watching with passive interest. If his father was in charge of the police negotiation, then he would expect several infiltrators using exits seldom used by the public to take advantage of. If not his father himself going in with them, if he's feeling particularly righteous. Soichiro Yagami would never give a man an order he wasn't willing to do himself.
A strength like that is the most noble: Conviction. Such a trait sits at the top of Light's aspects worthy of respect. After all, only those with conviction can change this desiccant world. To withstand the daily noise without wavering. So rarely is the world kind. Kindness comes in the form of justice, and justice is sought.
Or at least... most of the time, that is.
That's why his brow rose, focus locking in when the hostages ran from the building. His posture shifts, leaning forward subconsciously. "That... would be quick action. Far too quick.." He mutters to himself.
"Yes. We now have reports of the suspect found dead inside! Police are denying any shots being fired. According to witnesses, the suspect was operating normally before suddenly clutching his chest and collapsing!"
Light doesn't flinch as the information comes. If he were a simpler man, he would call it a miracle. But... it's TOO perfect. That nag at him comes. Drug inducement, perhaps? It's certainly possible. But what drug could he get his hands on between the hostage situation and his original shooting? On the run the whole time, no less. No, any drug he's aware of would certainly have run its full course a long while ago.
But a heart attack to hit right then? Exactly when he'd taken hostages, when he put others in danger, that it happened to him, that it didn't happen out of the public eye before he got this far.
It's too neat.
Light scrutinizes the news, as if that would yield an answer...
A light thumping of feet sounds in the hall outside his room. It starts to get feint before a door slam happens. Someone rushing to the bathroom. Only Sayu would move that fast, so his thoughts return to the news broadcast.
. . .
The bathroom door slams shut, Sayu whip throwing her bag into the wall as she all but dives for the toilet. Her back hits the door, hands clenching in front of her mouth. Her heavy breathing wheezes out as she moves to the sink. Her shaking hand steadies herself on the side. Or, at least, she intended it to.
Her limbs are shaking. Because... why wouldn't they be?!
There's no way. There's no way! There is absolutely no freaking way it was the notebook. It didn't kill him. It couldn't have! The damn thing is sitting in her home. It didn't go out there to the man, shine a light on him, and induce a heart attack!
But... one minute later? When she did exactly as the notebook said? Did that mean... Is she... a murderer?
Bile surges up her throat, hands gripping at her mouth. The girl moves immediately to the toilet, lifting its lid. The poor girl proceeds to empty herself of all her contents, dinner foremost. Soon as she's able to breath, she hacks and coughs, vision blurring.
It takes a couple minutes, but the girl eventually flushes the toilet, standing up and shuffling back to the sink. Looking into the mirror... Gods, she's pale, eyes red and puffed.
No. She isn't a murderer. This was all a coincidence. There's just no way. Magic murder notebook? It's hilarious, isn't it? She washes herself, slowly regaining composure and washing her face off. She brushes her teeth, and ends looking back to the bag.
All coincidence...
But only one way to find out.
. . .
"Are you sure you aren't hungry? It isn't proper to go without breakfast." Her Mom tries one last time. Concern laces her tone.
The next day, Sayu accompanies her mother as they prepare to leave. Sayu gives her typical bright grin. "I'm fine, Mom. Maybe it's just an off day for me. Come on."
Except that was far from the truth. The whole trip to school was spent ignoring the pit within her. Why was she still carrying the thing? The black book sits in her bag, sandwiched between two textbooks. It's a permanent reminder of the current problem. For that man, Kurou Otoharada's death to be her fault, that hinges on whether the notebook is real.
So, does she use the notebook again? Risk becoming a double murderer if it indeed works? She can just deny the idea entirely. It's ridiculous. Stupid. What if Light could see her right now?! He'd lord over how stupid this whole thing is.
But... She can't stop herself from wondering.
If such a thing is truly real, then she must know.
Sayu later finds herself sitting in class. She'd finished the translation of the final rule on the note's first page last night. After that, she copied the rules to a normal paper. Sayu didn't need everyone at school seeing her pulling out a black notebook of death! She has an image to uphold! Definitely not the image of one of those kids who would find a gun and shoot up the place! Annoyed, she looks over the fifth rule.
After writing the cause of death, details of the death should be written in the next 6 minutes and 40 seconds.
There's that arbitrary number again. 40 seconds. So, that gives a collective 7 minutes and 20 seconds between finishing writing the name and setting all these details. Whatever those mean, anyway. What? Is she walking these people like puppets to do whatever she wants until the predetermined death she decides happens?
So, she's once again left alone with the problem. To kill or attempt to kill to clear your name, as if she's Shakespeare. That is the question. But that's an issue. It's just wrong to kill people, so how can she even go about it?
… Although, Kurou Otoharada was a criminal threatening the lives of eight others. At least, if he wouldn't have been given the chance to shoot the police. So, if it truly came down to it, could she say she really did anything wrong?
She'd helped those people. Save their lives, really. So, could she do the same thing again?
Well, that's a problem itself! How the heck is she supposed to find an active incident to test this on?! If only this wasn't a case of literally proving her guilt or innocence of murder. Otherwise, she would go to Light for help with something like this...
Wait. She perks, posture straightening in her seat.
If she can't talk to him directly, maybe she can be indirect about it? Emulate him. If Light needed someone to do this for, what would he do? Stake out the bad part of down until something happened in front of him like a cool superhero in the night?
Okay, maybe not, and Sayu would most definitely end up herself being the damsel in distress in such a scenario...
But Light has a habit of going to the police station and helping them out with cases whenever he's free... If she had a reason to be there, she could see if there's anything active in the area. If something is active, someone truly despicable, then she could test it AND get results from her dad!
She gulps, wondering what to do with such a prospect. She rarely travels alone, and how would she do something like that without Mom or Light getting suspicious of her?
Sayu keeps to herself for the remainder of the day.
. . .
Her appetite was starting to return, if only slightly. Her mother had commented on Sayu's slightly paler appearance, but didn't press it when the girl put forth much more life than she'd had the night before. After all, she has a plan and a goal.
Just no realistic way of executing it. But, don't talk about that now!
Now home, Sayu waits as her mother preps dinner. She's absorbed in her thoughts, looking over the rules she's listed down. If she's going to prove the Death Note is real, then she needs to showcase rule number five. She needs to write a detail before death for the person to do. She also needs to specify the type of death it is.
Never mind. Her appetite was leaving once more. She rubs at her eyes after having resolved what type of note to write next time. She still needed to think of a way to get herself to her father's work tomorrow without Light or her mother being there. If they ask questions, Sayu is a terrible liar. Probably best to avoid having to lie altogether.
Light is running late. He had a late school session keeping him tied up. Something about his being a rep for an upcoming event. The burdens of being so perfect, right? Still, having him not show up until it starts getting dark unsettled her slightly.
As such, her mother had chosen a longer cooking meal. To which, Sayu's gut pained her in protest for suffocating it so. Both her mind, and stomach, ease when hearing the front door click shut. If just for the ever so slight peace of mind, Sayu walks around to greet him.
"Welcome home, Light." Her voice was far more tired than she would have liked, but she put as much cheer into it as possible. Light was placing his jacket on the coat stand, but didn't react to her greeting. Not noticing her, he lowers down and removes his shoes. "Uh... Light?" No response. His eyes were focused, features neutral. Nothing looked off, but Light somehow felt wrong. "Light!"
He looks up at Sayu. "Ah... Hey, Sayu." He says casually. Too casually. Rising and entering the home properly, he prepares to head up the stairs. "I'll be back down for dinner, but after that, I'm gonna prepare."
"Prepare for what?" Their mother comes around to greet him. "What happened?"
Light spares the two females a glance before saying neutrally. "A bike gang assaulted woman by the gas station on twenty third... I'll spare you the details, but I'm a witness." Sayu and Sachiko each stiffen at the revelation.
"That's horrible! Is she okay?" Sayu blurts out, earning a passive stare from the boy.
He ponders for a moment, but finally speaks. "No." He begins his trek up the stairs. "I'll be going to the police station first thing in the morning. If I'm a witness, I can at least go the extra mile for Dad and offer to help. I got the group leader's name."
"Oh, Light..." Her mother mutters, looking up longingly. Sayu knows how her mother feels about Light helping the police while only being a student. However, it's not something either of them could stop him from doing.
That said... It might be something Sayu can use. This man Light saw hurt that woman. If he's part of a group, he must have done it multiple times. Someone local and despicable. Sayu sets her jaw as it seems life decided to solve one of her problems.
Well, ignoring Light's presence, but if he's involved with police work, she can talk to others there while he's busy! Yeah!
. . .
"I'm leaving now!" Light calls out, putting on his shoes. He has a simple white button up shirt over dark pants. He stands and puts on his heavier long coat.
"Wait! I'm coming too!" Sayu shouts from the second floor. She spits out the rinse of toothpaste and wipes face before sprinting down the steps. Light looks curious as she approaches. "Hey, I wanna head out with you."
Their mother chimes in from nearby. "Sayu, you know better than to bother your brother in times like this. Besides, don't you have homework to do for the weekend?"
Sayu pouts at her mother. "I've already done my English work by myself and got a head start. Besides, Dad's been having so many late nights that I've barely seen him! I can take his lunch with Light if he can wait five minutes before playing Sherlock Holmes." Sachiko gives a stern look to her daughter, but looks to Light to ask if he's okay with it.
Light gives Sayu a look over. Wearing a simple zipper beige jacket over a black knee length skirt, white tall socks and brown shoes under. She's less pale than yesterday, but she's still off kilter. Something is up with her, so maybe letting her tag along will give him some insight. "If she brings something to do while we work, I don't mind."
As if prepared, Sayu pats a shoulder bag hanging by her hip. "Got that covered, Mr Know-It-All." She then sends a smile at her mother. "So?"
Their mother still frowns, but takes a breath. Light is a brilliant boy. He won't let Sayu do anything stupid. "Very well. I'll have your father's bento box fixed momentarily."
. . .
The siblings found themselves taking the rail train into the inner city. Being morning, it's rather crowded, so he offers her the last seat and chooses to stand. He'd already prepared his statement and was ready to turn it in. He wanted to get to work straight away after getting there.
So, without anything else to dwell on, Light turns his attention back to Sayu, noticing her left hand fidget with the hem opening of her shoulder bag. Her makeup was done, but that didn't stop him from noticing the faint tinge of bags under her eyes. Difficulty sleeping again?
Waiting for their train ride to end, the two set about onto the side walks. It's closer to noon than it is to the morning rush, so the streets are at least more open to talk. So, he probes. "Do you want to talk about it?" He says, mildly disinterested.
Sayu perks, looking at him. "Huh? What about?" She says a little too quickly.
Typical Sayu. "The nursery school holdup." He speaks confidently. He expected her to look trapped, which he got. What he didn't expect was the severity of the reaction. Her shoulders flinch. She much have really been shaken up by it. "Lack of appetite, troubles sleeping, and you've been spacing out when you would normally be nothing but noise. It started two nights ago. Give me some credit."
Her frown is set, but she doesn't try to deny it. "Stupid detective powers. I hate when you can read me like a book. Just once I'd like to fool you."
Light walks with his eyes closed for a second and speaks confidently. "Well, you're more like a children's picture book. It's pretty easy."
"Hey!" Sayu livens up, rounding on him with a puffed pout. "Don't be mean! Big brothers are supposed to dote on their little sisters and talk about their good qualities!"
"Like?" Light retorts thoughtlessly as he monitors the road light for when they can cross a street.
"You can figure it out! You're the detective!"
He allows a small huff of a laugh to leave him. "Well, if those qualities exist, they're beyond my skill to find unfortunately." He lets her stew, glad to have thrown her out of the funk with his few disarming comments. It makes opening up easier. "So?"
With his simple prod, Sayu almost spirals with her mood. She hesitates before slowly looking at him. "I'll talk about it... if you tell me more about what happened last night." Light blinks.
Is she stupid? If the nursery school hold up was messing with her this bad, why would she want to know about..? "It's not something you need to concern yourself with."
"An odd thing for a detective to say. You want to know what's eating me, then you gotta pay the toll of details." Sayu hotly responds. Her features soften fairly quick as she adds. "Was is really that bad? Is the woman..?"
Light stops walking, Sayu stopping with him. A grim look comes over him as he nods. "I walked into the area when a group of bikers cut a woman off on her walk. Their leader introduced himself as Takuo Shibuimaru. He sounded like he was trying to hit on her. In the most obnoxious way befitting a scumbag..."
Sayu's gut already drops as she wonders if this was a good idea. Wait... this was good! The worse he is, the more fitting this venture is! But still. It also dawns on her that she now has the man's name. She didn't even need to go to the station. She just needed to talk to Light!
But... that still required opening up for Light. She nods for Light to continue, curiosity getting the better of her.
"I went into the gas station to watch them without sticking out. Soon as some of the men started to grab the woman, I called the police from inside the store... Are you sure you want this to continue? You've never done well with details." Light says, slight concern laced and mixed with skepticism.
Her mouth was dry, so responding verbally might be an issue. Her mind was already filling in the blanks. Sleezy biker and his goons grabbing a woman. This was a warning point. But, against her better judgment, Sayu nods.
Light hums. "They began to strip her in the street. It didn't take long before they... moved things into the alley nearby." Sayu resists the urge to vomit when Light adds. "I don't need to tell you what they did, but that wasn't all they did. By the time the cops showed up, they'd both finished their fun and taken out their frustrations on the woman." Light grimaces. "Far as I know, she was taken to the hospital for life threatening injuries."
"D-Damn..." Sayu stutters, gulping. Okay, so now she definitely regrets coming. What the actual hell did she expect herself to do? If this notebook thing is just a hoax, which it totally freaking is, then she's just practically serving herself up to end up just like that woman!
"I looked him up afterward I got home last night." Light adds. "He's been suspected with being involved in the assaults and battery on five women of varying age. However, police have never managed to press a charge because no one could ever prove he was actual assaulter in each case." Light huffs at that. "Til now, that is."
Despicable and evil... Perfect? Sayu nods. "So, this is a slam dunk, right? I mean, you have him identified, police have suspected him for years. They can have this over and done with in a day, right?"
"If he had a place of permanent residence, yes." Light mutters. "But, he's a drifter. I'll have to work with the police to try and narrow down where he is, and where he may be going. It definitely makes the process drag when criminals run like that." He lets the finality of the details settle for a moment as they continue walking. He finally looks to her. "So... the nursery school incident?"
Sayu nods, but still hadn't found a way to word what she wants to say. "I don't really have a way to say it." She decides to verbalize. "Just some thoughts that came up when me and Mom watched it, but no matter what, I couldn't square everything away."
Is it possible to kill and have it be justified?
Rather than ask her burning thought out loud, she starts off. "You analyze people all the time, so how do you deal with it? Being able to understand what drives a person to kill and do so much harm. I just... can't connect with it. Being able to fully understand the way you do. The way I'm sure Dad can." She sends Light a worried glance. "I guess that's just one question."
He blinks back. "Sayu, being a good detective is about a lot of things, but we don't necessarily 'understand' a person's emotions as much as we understand their mind." She frowns at that. "Knowing a person's emotional state with context clues gives an insight into a person's thoughts. That's what we understand. A person's mental capability to process a situation is an excellent indicator of what a person might do or might have done in a crime."
He continues. "However, I don't pretend to know the emotional experience that would tell me it's okay to do what Takuo Shibuimaru did. Or Kurou Otoharada. While some aspects of a person's actions can come down to their surroundings, many others are... intrinsic in many instances. Much as we would like otherwise, evil people simply exist. And I will never fully understand them."
Sayu takes this long winded explanation in. This is the most she's heard Light actually talk about this. Maybe that's why she's so shocked at his true perspective! It feels... off. "But, I've always thought that people were just tempted to do those bad things. That giving into those temptations was what made people criminals. Can't you just..." She waves her hands at nothing before finding her words. "Figure out what makes those temptations and remove them from society or something? Evil people gone!"
Light smirks lightly at that. "Temptation is certainly a factor, but there's so much more to it than that." His smirk drops, a hardness in his gaze that almost makes the girl flinch. "It's far more than mere temptation to make the state of the world we live in today a reality."
She turns a confused look at him at that. "The state of the world today..? I mean, people have always been pretty messed up, but we've also always been getting better." She sets a frown at the boy. "I like the world we've gotten to."
He cuts an eye at her, nearly making her feel in trouble. "Hmm." He hums before looking up at a large screen on a building in the public plaza. On it, the news broadcast warms up getting ready for the noon show. Several headlines flash across with more crimes reported. Sayu follows his gaze and notices as well. "Day in and day out..." He mutters before he continues on.
No elaboration, but Sayu gulps knowing this is something he's very serious about. So, she pushes on. If he feels such a way about people in general, just what would he think about-
"Is it possible to kill someone and for it to be completely justified?" The earlier question she contained blurts out before she clamps her mouth shut.
Light blinks at her, but his reaction is muted. "Where does that one come from? Another one of these thoughts these last few days?" Sayu gulps and nods. Light seems somehow far more lenient to this subject. "Self defense would be the easy answer to that, wouldn't you say?"
She glowers at that. "Not counting that..."
He raises a brow, responding without losing a beat. "When you start asking questions like that, people will start to react differently to you."
A small silence comes over them until Sayu mutters. "It's just wrong to kill people."
"Of course." Light says, though his tone sounds almost... mocking? "It's the politically correct thing to say." What's that supposed to mean?
Before she can ask anything further, the two come up on the police headquarters. Thankfully, Sayu thinks. Less time with Light picking her apart, the better.
. . .
"Sure! You can come on this way. We can record your verbal report and go over your written one. Evidence for potential court cases, you know?" One of the more peppy cops at the front cheerfully welcomes Light on back. He turns to Sayu, sparing a look for the officers.
Before he can say anything, Sayu waves him off with a smile. "I'm pretty sure I'm safe INSIDE a police station. I'll go deliver this to Dad!" She holds up the wrapped bento box. Light shrugs it off and goes on. So dismissive! She frowns. One minute, he's picking her brain and forcing her to be open, the next she's a pest?
"Chief Yagami is up in his normal office. Do you remember where it is, Sayu?" The other front desk cop acknowledges her politely.
Cheer back, Sayu nods. "Yes, I do! Thank you!" She waves goodbye and jogs lightly towards the nearest stair well. Soon as she arrives on the upper floors, she slows herself, trying to calm her now racing heart.
She needs a way to find out about Takuo Shibuimaru. Name or not, she needs to confirm where he is if she's going to use the note. At the very least, members of his entourage. Wait... details. She can control details leading up to death. Could she control time and place?
Could she really just bring him here maybe? What if it's impossible? He could be a hundred miles away by now. Although, that's unlikely.
Sayu peels off, stopping inside a restroom in the hallway. She moves into the stalls. Taking a deep breath as she sits on the toilet, she reaches into her bag and pulls out the Death Note. Slowly, she opens it to the first page, then retrieves her mechanical pencil. Moving it to the page, she hesitates.
What does she put? This sort of thing needs to be specific. Very specific! She HAS to know beyond a shadow of a doubt that it works or not!
Still... her hand freezes for a solid minute.
Sayu growls as she slams the notebook shut, shoving it and the pencil back in her bag. She leaves the restroom and continues on to her father's office. She plasters a smile on and enters with little care. "Hey Dad! Catching the big bad guys?"
Soichiro Yagama, the fit middle aged mustachio man, looks up through his glasses shocked. His papers on his desk settle as his fellow officer near him turns to her. "Sayu? What are you doing here?" His urgent tone alert. Sayu actually flinches in the door way. He's in work mode.
Hesitant, she gives a nervous smile and holds up the wrapped bento. "Um... Mom sends food? Also, Light is down stairs filling out a statement."
Her Dad looks at the time, probably doing mental math to determine how long he's been at the office. Sayu actually frowns until suddenly he looks at her. "Right. Sorry, I wasn't expecting any of you around until at least noon. Especially you since you so rarely come here." He takes on his kind tone. He looks to his fellow officer. "Would you allow me some time with my daughter, please?"
"Aye sir, Chief Yagami!" The officer marches by Sayu with a peppy wave. She thinks she remembers his name. Matsuri? Matsuda?
Soichiro waves for her to sit. "Here, Sayu. Take a seat. Has everything been okay? You look slightly paler than usual."
Gods, is it that bad? She smiles as she sits, though. "Everything's fine, Dad. I can take care of myself. What about you, though? I think I've seen you once this week." She deflects immediately. Hopefully not too defensive. "Are you working on Light's case?"
He raises a brow. "Light's case?" He sets a stare on her. "Do you know about it? Light never speaks of things at home."
Sayu frowns. "Well, I asked about it on my way here. Might have gotten a lot more detail than I wished, but..." She shrugs. "That woman. Is she okay?"
Mr Yagami pauses, seeing the sympathy in the girl before him. Slowly, his gaze trails forward, hands lacing in front of his face. Hiding. Steeling himself. Sayu's horror builds already knowing the answer. "It's not something you should-"
"Tell me." Sayu demands. He cuts a look at her. She nearly wavers under his stare, but eventually her mouth works. "I-I just need to know."
He sighs, shaking his head. "She passed away this morning. We actually just got through dispatching some officers to reach out to her family." A steel resolve comes over him as he looks on. "We'll be catching each and every one of those responsible. Now, enough of that. Thanks for the food, but I really need to go see Light's interview. He's surely going to take time to join the case." He gets up as he logs out of his office computer. He offers the chair. "You can wait here until Light is able to walk you home."
Sayu nods. Knowing the subject matter, Sayu knows letting her walk home alone is a pipe dream. Soon as he leaves, she moves into his seat. She initially sets up some of her school work on his desk. For looks of course. The girl however quickly sets about looking at some of her father's papers. What isn't relevant can still be interesting.
Eventually, she hits the jackpot.
In his printer is a photo. Several photos, actually. All of a man who wears bad sunglasses, leather jackets, and can be seen with a motorcycle. Only one of the photos lacks any covering for his face. However, Sayu looks at the labeling.
Suspect: Takuo Shibuimaru
Each of them are labeled with letters for the identifying photos. No mugshot unfortunately. Still, Sayu feels something when she sees him. She feels angry that such a man can exist. Angry that things like last night even happen. But more than that, she feels sad. Sad that such circumstances end up occurring to someone like that woman.
It's wrong to kill people.
Sayu opens her bag, grasping the black notebook. She uses a textbook as a cover for the black book's cover itself. She holds up her pencil, hovering it over the page.
It's wrong to kill people.
She stills in thought. She can still just walk away from this. Leave the question up and believe the most convenient truth to her. However, she catches some other officers walking by the office.
"... Gonna find that Shibuimaru guy. If we hit him with the book, think he'll give up all his accomplices?" A shorter man with very short hair speaks up.
A taller man with hard, cutting eyes scoffs. "You know how scum like that will be. He'll only give up his buddies if he feels like getting knifed in prison. The fact that we have his name alone is a miracle, but we can practically kiss our chances at the other six assailants goodbye..." His snapping voice trails off as they move further away.
It's wrong to kill people.
Sayu's name before gliding in strokes upon the pages of the Death Note. She knows exactly what to write.
. . .
Two hours had passed.
Sayu had long since abandoned the black notebook within her bag to finish her history work. She'd finished it up and had decided to read when the office lit up with the landline phones. She jolts, knowing she can't answer, so she flags someone down. An officer stops outside the office curious. "Can you let my Dad know his phones been ringing like crazy."
The man frowns and nods. "Well, something just came up. I'll go get him." He scrambles off, leaving her blinking. With a frown, Sayu decides to follow after. Something going on could mean... She descends the stairs to the next level down, moving through until she comes to a stop at the entrance of a larger room. "What do you mean? Explain! How did he die?"
Sayu chills, moving her back against the wall and settling. It was her father's voice. He was clearly speaking to someone on the phone, but the phone was on speaker.
"Exactly that. We encountered Takuo driving through and stopping at the same gas station. We approached him, and at first he just starts denying he was ever here. He gave us the names of six friends of his, saying he knew they were in the area, but he was innocent."
Her legs quake, eyes wide.
"Passing the blame to divert his placement at the incident. What were the names?" Her father demands.
"We got Nakada Takashi, Saeki Hiroyuki, Fuse Ryota, Ishii Yutaka, Takeda Iwao, and Akagi Aoi."
"We'll run the names for any priors and histories. What happened next?"
"We needed him to come to the station to answer questions, and he just freaks out! Says he gave us enough and tries to grab my gun. Didn't go well for him, but he takes off on his motorcycle. He only made it a block. Stupid bastard had his head craned looking back at us when he ended up in the wrong lane. He hit a truck head up at speed. He didn't make it to the hospital."
Mr Yagami grimaces. "I see... Was anyone else hurt?"
"No. The driver of the truck was in a large company car, so he thanked us for getting him off work for the day." The slight crack gets a mild chuckle from one of the many officers in the room.
Light sits beside his father, frowning. That's twice in a week. Something that just seems... convenient. He can't seem to shake it, but two instances like this so close just doesn't seem right.
His father clears his throat. "Very well. Get me an autopsy report from the hospital as soon as possible. I want to know any substances in his system. I'll have everyone here begin searching up Takuo's supposed friends. He could always have given fake names, or even names of people he despises."
Outside the room, Sayu slides down the wall, hitting the floor. Her knees quiver, unable to support her weight. However, her face manages to remain relatively put together. "It's... real..." Her note came true. In its entirety.
In the Death Note...
Takuo Shibuimaru, accidental death, confronted by police after returning to the scene of a recent crime. Gives names of accomplices to try and stop a chase from beginning, fails, and dies in an intersection during the chase.
. . .
Two days had passed.
Light was starting to actually worry about his sister, and he didn't like it. Somehow, the idea that she simply was shutting down over the deaths of two criminals just didn't satisfy him. She hadn't slept well since Takuo Shibuimaru's death, and she'd barely eaten enough to live. Sure, their mother bought the idea of her dieting, but Light was certain that was more to do with their mother praying there wasn't a real problem.
He'd considered confronting her, however, her newfound inability to talk to him openly was... unsettling. All her life, she would never hesitate to both him with her problems. Pest like as it was, Light never really made it a habit to say no to her. More just make his displeasure known and wait for her to realize it. But her new hesitance made him all the more curious.
Thinking back on their conversation, he picked it apart wondering how it could connect.
"Is it possible to kill someone and for it to be completely justified?"
Obviously, she was having some onset moral dilemma, but it didn't make sense why she would even be so focused on it. Much less how it came upon her to begin with. He'd come fairly close to being completely open about his personal thoughts, but they had arrived at the police station before she broke. Not that he was even trying to break her, though that may be more detective habit than anything.
And so, Light Yagami was walking along the street as a soft misting weather came down. His umbrella was up, shielding him. He was on his way to pick up Sayu from her school, it being Monday and all. Their mother had some errands to run for herself and Father, leaving it to Light to escort his sister home.
Inconvenient as it was, he felt it was justified after his involvement with Takuo Shibuimaru's case.
Which, had now expanded to the investigation of six individuals of varying levels of scumbag. Two of them had clean records, but he deduced that had more to do with their crimes not being caught up til now. The remainder all ranged from petty misdemeanors to one having a substantial rap sheet.
Being dutiful, Light agreed to help them investigate them all. Finding ways to trip them up into confessing details not available was something he was adept at. It always disarms an arrested crook when a 17 year old enters the interrogation room. To be at an even playing field, yet to catch them so off guard.
He'll admit to a slight enjoyment of it.
Light rounds the corner to approach Sayu's school grounds. He perks up when he sees her under a shielded area with outdoor work benches. Out of the weather, Sayu was actually working on homework while waiting for him.
That... could be good or bad. Good in that she's getting work done herself for once. Bad because it's quite out of character for her. Unless she needed to do something incredibly quick, in which case...
"Hey, Sayu." Light greets as he closes his umbrella and approaches. However, she doesn't initially notice his approach. She was working on history notes, face scrunched in deep thought. "Sayu?"
The girl violently flinches, looking up in shock. Blinking a few times, she focuses on him and calms. "Oh, hey Light! Wow, I didn't expect you to get here that quickly."
He raises a brow at her. "I'm fifteen minutes late." That gets her to look flabbergasted at her phone in shock. Yet another red flag. She's not even checking her phone. With a sigh, he gives her the out. "Come on. We're going to a Hibachi for dinner. Mom won't be home tonight."
Perking and surprised, Sayu blurts out. "You want to eat out? Are you really my brother?"
"Would you prefer my cooking?" Light says in a jovial tone. "I can't promise that would be edible."
That cracks a grin on her, even if it was weaker than usual. "I don't think I've ever seen you cook. It'd be nice to know if you were bad at it though. Proof that you could fail." She perks and gathers her things. "But, I'll take something I know I'll enjoy over the gamble." For now, he lets her relax.
Let her get food in her before he questions.
. . .
Sayu appreciated the delicious meal. Hibachi places were some of her favorites, and her stomach was positively protesting her after two days of nearly no sustenance. Hers and Light's bags were together on the floor with their umbrellas as the two ate. It was... nice. Eating together with him.
Almost made the Einstein appear normal. She smiles in content. "Thanks for the meal, Light. I'll live another day."
Light eyes the empty plate, a serious face analyzing for a moment before he covers it up. "It looks like you needed it." She purses her lips at that. He pretends not to notice, instead nodding to her. "School project get dropped on you? Or did you forget some homework? I think that's the first time I've seen you doing homework before you even left school."
Feeling caught, Sayu gives a forced laugh and scratches at her head. "Hey, think of it as a kind of preparation. You know Mom and Dad don't let me go to anything while my work is backed up."
Oh? She has something she wishes to do? That made a surprising level of sense. She routinely had to get ahead of her school work whenever their parents allowed her to do anything that might put her behind otherwise.
Still, she would typically ask him to help her get it. It still accentuated the difference in her behavior these last few days. "And what exactly are you trying to go do?" He starts seriously before adding in a joke tone. "Wait, if it's going to see some pop idol, don't tell me."
She didn't look jovial with him, but seemed pensive as she looks away. "I... haven't committed to something yet, but I'll let you know what it is when I decide."
Curious.
Light nods. Maybe he can coax out the truth from her by offering it himself. "Do you remember what we talked about the other day, Sayu?" Her focus returns on him, a slight worry in her brow. "On the way to the police headquarters, you asked me a question."
Rather than respond verbally, she nods.
Keeping his tone low, the two in a corner of the restaurant. "It's a flawed question, asking if it's justifiable to kill. Obviously, the act of violence isn't pleasant for anyone. Rather, I perceive things like this. Can a person's death be a good thing?" She snaps a look up, wide eyed, at him. "Yes, I absolutely believe so."
"But-" She almost stands up as her voice raises. However, Light holds up a hand for her to halt herself. Blinking and checking her surroundings, Sayu slowly lowers back down. She hunkers down under the perceived attention should could get if anyone heard her nearly burst loudly.
Light spares a glance to one of the various televisions mounted on the restaurant walls for the patrons. The wide assortment of subjects broadcast still included the local news. Sayu follows his gaze, seeing a broadcast featuring yet another string murder in the Hokkaido region. "You probably don't notice it too often, do you? Just how much death and rot there is in the world."
Sayu's gut clenches, hearing such a scathing remark spoken so plainly and honestly by her brother. "I... I've always noticed. It's just... Noticing isn't the same as understanding." She looks away and mutters. "I guess that's changed in this past week, though. I guess I've been wanting to understand."
Her brother raises a brow. Was all this simply Sayu taking the time to be introspective about it all? If that's all it is, then maybe he can nip this in the butt now. "It's quite a lot to take in when you first start noticing. Once you start, you don't stop noticing." His hollow glance trails back to the television. "One of two things happens after that. You can either become utterly desensitized to it for your own sanity or let the emotions completely control you."
He continues. "We like to play at the idea of progress as a society, but truthfully, humans are still as violent as ever. Heck, even the advent of technology is simply causing people to connect more with those thousands of miles away rather than those beside you. Global bonds can grow, but civil bonds... those have all but been eradicated. People are more willing to victimize those around them now than ever it seems."
Sayu frowns, scrutinizing her brother. "That's... very cynical." Her grimace softens to a pout. "Are you sure you're not yourself being too caught in it? Like you said, either you get desensitized to it or get caught in emotions. You sound angry about it."
He huffs, eyes closed in thought. "I suppose I might be." Light admits, shocking her. "Day in and day out, it just keeps getting worse... The world just seems to be rotting, hiding behind a superficial paint of technology to hide the filth." He brings a glass to his mouth, taking a sip. "So, can a person's death be a good thing? Well, I often think on how those making the world rot would be better off gone."
Light keeps a soft stare at his sister. "In my conceptualization of the proper question, I say yes." Eyeing her, he then decides to speculate. "So, if you're still beating yourself up about the deaths of those criminals, don't put too much into it. Not only will it change nothing, but their deaths were nothing but earned by them."
A silence comes over them, the waiter coming to them and presenting a bill to Light. He pays as Sayu sits in silence. Something about the idea of simply ignoring what happened bothers her. Even his answer bothers her.
As they wait for Light's change to be returned, Sayu looks back to him. "I'm not as smart in this stuff as you are, and what you said does make a certain sense..." The girl takes a second to mull over her thoughts before saying confidently. "But I think I need to figure out the answer myself. Even if you're right, I dunno if I like it."
Light's brow rose slightly. She seems slightly more perked. "If you end up finding a different answer, feel free to bounce it off me."
"You mean, feel free to let you shoot holes through it." Sayu playfully corrects.
He leans back. "You got me." He looks to the side and accepts his change from the waiter.
"Besides, you could just watch me work through it yourself." Sayu adds as the two start grabbing their items. Light pauses, looking curious at her. Gulping down her hesitation, Sayu answers slowly. "I, uh... I want to work this out myself, but it seems to be something you deal with on the regular working with the police. You're still working on the investigation into Takuo's accomplices, right?"
Light blinks twice. Is this girl insane? She can't possibly be asking to...
"If I manage to get my work caught up, could I maybe tag along and see how you do your... super cool detective work stuff?" She ends awkwardly, blushing at how stupid it sounds.
"Sayu, there's no way Dad would allow you to be a part of a police investigation." Light says plainly.
She sends a furrowed look at him. "He's been letting you do it! I'm not gonna be 'part of the investigation'." She mocks before continuing with her cheek puffed. "Just... ya know... Let me hang around, ask questions, and maybe comment. Come on. Mom will let me go if I'm with you!"
Light face palms, sighing. Everything in his being is telling him to harshly tell her no, but seeing how serious she's been with this topic... Maybe it would do her some good to get some awareness of the world around them. It would also be better to learn it directly from him and Dad than when something bad does come her way.
Groaning, Light scratches the back of his head. "Fine, Sayu..." He then fixes a glare at her. "But, I'm not helping you with your homework just so you can come and slow down the investigative work. If you want to come along, you need to get the homework done yourself."
Getting his approval, Sayu lets a breath out and smiles for the first true time in days. "Thanks, Light!"
. . .
Day five with the Death Note. The day is clouded over in rain just waiting to stop.
Sayu had to admit, she felt reasonably better after speaking with Light yesterday. However, she knew that the task before her was... not fun. It wasn't glamorous or cool. All her life, the detective stuff was something Light was enamored by, and Soichiro was of course a grade above the rest.
But... it never once occurred to her to be a part of it. Frankly, she doesn't want to be a part of it. She didn't want this. She didn't want to kill someone. Two people! She didn't want some... freak notebook from hell to drop basically in her lap! None of this was fair. There's a thousand people more suited to have this thing.
… And a billion people who would misuse such a thing.
That thought wasn't lost on her. The girl currently lay on her bed in her dark room, simply staring at the object of her thoughts. The idea of tossing this thing somewhere would just make it impossible to live with the guilt. No, getting rid of it was just asking for a catastrophe. Giving it to someone deliberate? Well, she had to admit that the idea was tempting. But still, she resolved her decision.
This thing. This... Death Note... was an enigma she wants to answer.
She opens the book, seeing the rules page displayed. She'd already re-read them over and over. Simple, but foreboding. As if it would yield some hidden meaning if she glanced it over just once more time. "This horrid thing..."
"It's quite something, isn't it?"
All warmth leaves her, heart clenching painfully. The girl gasps, curling up to sit. At that exact moment, a flash of lightning outside illuminates the dark room... Red eyes. A lanky, inhuman slender yet giant form. It's skin is a sickly pale complexion with black hair spiked up. The mouth almost hangs open, wide enough to engulf a head for the being's size!
But... during that slight second of illumination, the worst thing was its eyes...
"AH!" Sayu fumbles the Death Note on her bed, cover down as she jolts back on reflect. Her retreat hits her head on the headrest as she slips from the bed entirely! Hitting the floor, she ignores any pain as she crawls back, hyperventilating.
The being looms tall in the room. "No reason to act surprised. I am the shinigami, Ryuk. That used to be my notebook."The creature... being, Ryuk... appraises her for a moment. "Judging by your looks, you've already figured out that what you have is no ordinary notebook."
"Sh-sh-shinigami?" Sayu mutters weak. Her limbs shake as she fumbles for a hold, something to steady herself. "As in... a god of death? What?" She tears her gaze, unable to hold the look with it, to find the black book on the bedding. "That used to be... yours?" She gulps, darting her eyes between the monster and its property. "That... makes a surprising amount of s-sense..." A shaky breath comes out as she finishes. "Answers a lot of questions, actually."
A slight silent hangs, sucking the life out of the room. Sayu forced to look back at the black clothed being- god- in front of her. "Yeah... I already figured out that it wasn't a regular notebook. Guess I shouldn't be surprised it's taking over my life, huh?"
A sickly chuckle comes from the death god. Yet, Ryuk barely moves. Too still, almost. "That's true, I suppose. Several Death Notes have made their way to the human world in the past. While every person's reaction to one differs slightly, most seem to have a similar enough process of dealing with it."
He reaches over, Sayu flinching away from the bed as Ryuk flips the page of the Death Note to reveal the page she's used thus far. "However, while many are reluctant to even write within it, you're the first to limit yourself only to the deaths of those to confirm its reality."
Sayu looks away, hurting from the reality that yes, she killed those two men. Even worse is the confirmation of her earlier fear. That others would abuse such a thing to an insane degree. "Yeah... Even someone as slow as me can realize people would go nuts with something like this." Another pause in the conversation comes before Sayu slowly says. "So, what's gonna happen to me? You're gonna take my soul, right?"
She flinches when Ryuk suddenly turns to her. "Huh? What do you mean? Is that some fantasy you humans came up with?" His slight note of incredulity gives way to a harsh grim intonation. "I'm not gonna do anything to you."
"W-what?" Sayu straightens, heart stopping. From fright or relief, she can't decide.
"The notebook becomes part of the human realm from the very moment it touches the Earth." He points a black finger with long nails at her. "In other words the notebook is now yours."
"It's... mine?" She questions.
"If you don't want it, just give it to someone else. But if you give it away, I'd have no choice but to erase your memories of the notebook."
What?! The middle school girl blurts out incredulously. "Wait! You mean to say that I can do whatever I want with it, abuse this thing however, and there's no punishment for it?!"
Ryuk sets a look on her. "Let's just say this. You will feel the fear and pain known only to humans who've used the notebook. And, when it's your time to die, it will fall on me to write your name in my Death Note. Be forewarned, any human whose used the Death Note can neither go to Heaven nor Hell for all eternity. That's all." He ends with a sickening chuckle rattling the room. "Now you have something to look forward to when you die."
Before Sayu can even respond, the knocking sounds in the hall.
The girl flinches and turns to the door. "Sayu?" Her mother's voice calls out. Sayu's eyes widen, horrified.
Yet, Ryuk ironically aids her. "It'll be alright. Answer it."
Shaky, Sayu complies, opening the door and looking to see her mother with holding a basket of apples. "Mom? W-what is it?"
"I thought you'd like some apples. The neighbors brought them over for us. I just gave some to your brother." The woman blinks and squints at Sayu's bedroom. "Why on Earth is it so dark in your room? You'll ruin your eyesight."
Sayu fights to ignore the urge to double take. Why? Why can't she see him? Can she not see him?!
No sooner then she closed the door after accepting the apples, she rounds on Ryuk."That notebook you found originally belonged to me. And, since you're now using it, you're the only one who's able to see me. Of course, my voice can only be heard by you. In other words, the Death Note is the bond between Sayu, the human, and Ryuk, the shinigami."
As he speaks, he casually plucks a full apple from the collection brought up by Sayu's mother. Taking a chunk out in one bite, he muses for a moment with a casual 'yum'.
"I just... why... why was I chosen for this?" Ryuk continues to eat the apples from the basket, without a care in the world. Sayu grimaces. Seeing the creepy monster eating apples almost... took the edge off. To see something so inhuman do something human like that. "Um..?"
He wipes his lip. "Apples from the human world are worth the trip. What's the best way to describe these? Juicy?" Sayu actually pouts at his blatant disregard of her. "Hmph. I didn't choose you. Don't you see? This is all just an accident. Did you think you were chosen because you're so pure or something?"
Sayu flinches back as he continues. "Don't be so vain. It just happened to fall around here, and you just so happened to pick it up. That's all there is to it. That's why I wrote the instructions in English: The most popular language in the human world."
She can't keep quiet. "Then why drop it at all? You wrote how to use it! There's no way a god of all things caused this by accident!"
"You're asking me why?" Ryuk sounds amused, thrilled even. "I did it cause I was bored."
The girl's posture relaxes, a brow raises. "Be...cause you were bored?"
The death god huffs, musing to himself as he maintains eerie eye contact with the girl. "The truth is shinigami haven't got much to do these days. Most of the time, we're either taking naps or gambling. If you take the time to write names in your Death Note, the others just laugh at you for working so hard. Even if you wrote the name of another shinigami, it would be pointless because they wouldn't die. And since we live in the shinigami realm, it brings us no amusement to kill those in the human world either."
Ryuk then shifts, squarely at her, making the girl flinch. "So, I figured I'd have more fun if I came down here myself!" He holds up the Death Note in hand as he huffs. "Although, you barely even have touched such a thing. It seems I shouldn't have bothered at all." He looks to Sayu, his big red eyes haunting. "Shall I assume you want rid of the thing?"
A silence fills the area, Sayu seeing the immediate out given to her. Some small part of her wants to laugh at how small she must be to Ryuk. He'd thrown such a thing into the human world for nothing more than mere entertainment, and he got her.
She wonders if she should feel some pride for spoiling his fun.
"The Death Note." She stands as tall as she can, only half Ryuk's height. "There's absolutely no way I can let you take it away." The god's expression grows more focused on her. Sayu grimaces at the bleak being before her. "It's as you said. If I didn't pick it up, then someone else would have. If I give it up, someone else will receive it. And, you said that multiple Death Notes have made their way into the world. Denying its ownership now would make me responsible for every single death carried out by whoever you put it before next."
Ryuk's head tilts. "Oh? So, you're simply going to hide it away? Or let me guess, destroy it?"
"No." Sayu says, voice no longer shaking. "I want to understand it." She declares openly for him. "I'm probably going to regret this. No, I'm actually positive I'll hate every second of it. But, even if all of this is random, it still falls onto me to learn about the Death Note!"
The death god snickers. "But you realize that you will have to use it a great deal more than just those two men you've killed thus far. How will you grow to understand it if you haven't got the stomach for it?" His words belittle and wear down on her.
She nods. "The only way to find out my way is to expose myself to the exact type of people it could be used for." She gulps, setting a determined look at the god. "I will discover what it means to kill, whether it's possible for a death to be truly good! I will-" She gulps down the lump in her throat. "You said you shinigami haven't anything to do? You talk down on the use of these powerful tools?"
Sayu feels hot. Angry. "I will answer if something as horrid as the Death Note can truly have its own purpose in the world. Like any tool that could be used both for evil OR good!"
Her declaration is met with silence. The rain outside having stopped long ago to allow the sun to start bleeding into the room. Sayu blinks, awkwardly allowing her posture to relax. Ryuk just appraises her.
And he chuckles that raspy, clacking cackle. "Well, if it wouldn't just be my luck to be saddled with the world's most idealistic fool." Sayu pouts, feeling belittled again. "But fair is fair." Her pout washes off, surprised. "I look forward to observing what you make of it. It sounds interesting if still quite boring."
Sayu huffs. "Just watch... So... I guess... I'll see you later?"
"Huh? What do you mean?" Ryuk questions plainly. "I'm here to observe."
The girl blinks at just what this means. The girl blinks again... and again. She slinks back to sit on her bed. "Oh... Oh..." She has a god of death as her permanent imaginary friend... "That's... fine. It's fine. Totally, totally fine."
It most certainly is not totally, totally fine.
Chapter one is over. So, this story will not have an active release schedule. This story is second fiddle to the current behemoth that I am writing in RWBY. This story may go months without a chapter. Or, if I have an obscene urge and amount of time, I may get another out quickly. Hopefully, this concept is to some people's liking.
Join next time in chapter two: How To Use It.