Death Note: God's Game

Chapter 1: Gemu

January 1st 2023

"Your move. Ryuk" gestured Gemu with his long spider like fingers. His teethy black smile widened as he glimpsed the round flat stones on the floor.

"Two more moves and the game is mine"

On top of a small plateau of stone, opposite of Gemu was a lanky and dark individual. Sat with his legs cross, staring down with large yellow eyes. His back faced the grey light that beamed inside the mouth of the cave, casting a large shadow over the stones and Gemu.

The Shinigami Ryuk did not respond.

He said no more than the same two words, "your move" throughout the entire game. No quips or remarks, no friendly banter. The Shinigami played the game while waiting for it to end.

Gemu found it amusing to watch Ryuk's seeming lack of interest in their little competition. He was bribed to start the round to be sure; one juicy red apple for one round of his time.

But honestly, a being like himself should relish at the chance to have even a moment of fun in this dull world, with its ashen trees, an ocean of sand and large bone structures. The world was barren of fun but lively of boredom.

Observing his opponent's facial movements closely, Gemu couldn't see any tell that might display Ryuk's hidden agenda in playing. No secret moves or tricks up his sleeve. Not even a hint of cheating.

Just a bored uninspired creature, with big wide red lips and large open eyes to match, and a near permanent slightly teethy smile. Ryuk seemed to be only playing because he had nothing better to do, or he really likes apples as Gemu had been told.

Reaching down with his lanky long arm, Ryuk picked one of the many stones that laid between the two. He made his move carefree and poorly planned.

"Hmm… Boring" he sighed as his gaze rolled towards his opponent.

Gemu smile twitched in excitement. Ryuk was throwing the game to be certain but the Shinigami found winning to be a thrill none the less.

However, the win was not the intended desire. Not today at least.

Taking a piece into his slender fingers, Gemu grinned an uneasy smile. Trying to form a face of fake sympathy in reaction to Ryuk's poor move. The effort made to produce even the slightest frown was difficult and even a bit painful.

Gemu took pride in his grin. His face was always smiling, like a shrewd businessmen or street style entertainer.

But he needed to bear with it, for now.

"No thrill is there?" he shrugged in agreement while moving his piece.

Ryuk did not respond. The empty mouth of the cave gave off more sound than he did, but Gemu did not mind. It made things progress much smoother this way.

"Games are not fun anymore, especially in our realm. They're too simple and unimaginative to grip and entertain us like they used to"

He shuffled his hand into his pocket and removed a small black burnt coin from within. Balancing the coin on the back of his fingers, the Shinigami began to roll it back and forth skilfully as he continued to talk.

"There's nothing worth betting on. Nothing to fear to lose. Our lives are infinite as long as we remember to write. So, there's no point in wagering years"

Flipping the coin suddenly into the air, Gemu's eyes did not follow its path as they stayed locked into Ryuk's. The Shinigami still did not care.

Catching the coin back into his hand, Gemu couldn't help but to glance and see what side the coin landed on and smiled.

"I had heard of your great fondness of apples from Midora. Quite a talker she was."

Reaching into his mouldy suit, Gemu pulled out a prized red apple in-between his spidery fingers.

Holding the crimson fruit on high to admire its beauty. Gemu liked how the colour greatly contrasted to his dull grey world.

"It's beautiful. Red sweetness. I had tried one myself while down in the human world. The taste of sour but sweet. I like sweet food Ryuk, just as much as you liked apples"

Ryuk seemed to stare, whether it was towards Gemu or the apple in his hand he could not say. But it was telling enough that Gemu held Ryuk's interest, even if slightly.

"But I love games even more. It's like a fight for survival. The urge to win. When backed into a corner I feel something in my empty chest pulling, crying out, screaming to find a way to survive"

Gemu locked eyes intensely with Ryuk as he hid the apple away back into his suit.

"I felt the same way when I watched your human all those years ago"

Silently and knowingly making his last move, Ryuk stood tall before walking away from the game and towards the edge of his cave.

"… It was fun before" he muttered as his blank expression eyed the endless Shinigami realm.

Moving his last piece into place happily, Gemu stretched his legs from the soft sand he had been resting on. His long thin body towered the ground as tiny creepy crawlers and other insects fell from his body. The bugs scattered and burrowed into the ground as Gemu stride over to Ryuk and joined him at looking into the vast emptiness.

"It's not fun being up here, is it?"

Ryuk as expected did not respond.

Twisting his head sharply to face Ryuk, Gemu started to sway lightly as if there was a breeze blowing against his back.

"Kira…" he began in earnest as his arms twitched in excitement.

"That was his name. The one that became God. A God of Death that brought peace and justice to the human world… not that it mattered"

Reaching into another one of his pockets, Gemu held a pair of old wooden dice in the palm of his hand. A pair of ones stared back at him almost mockingly, but he grinned back with a chuckle.

"To enjoy the game, to fight a good fight. You need a good opponent. L was Kira's greatest foe and a fantastic adversary to play against"

Tossing the dice into the air three times, Gemu opened his hands on the third to find a three and a four greeting him.

"Their minds matched. They preyed on each other's weaknesses. A friendship or a kind of mutual respect formed even as they betted their lives on the line. Even at the climax of their battle, I could not tell who was going to win… It elated me to no end at I sensed it was coming… Each second was agony to me as Kira made his final move… I want to see that again… experience the moment of elation once more…. and I know you do too"

Expectedly to Gemu's delight, Ryuk turned with little effort and glanced towards the Shinigami before his mouth opened.

"That won't happen. He was… one of a kind"

Ryuk reached to his black pouch that rested on his belt and pulled out a black notebook. Flipping through the pages, Ryuk suddenly stopped at one in particular.

Presenting the open page in one hand, the Shinigami showed off two names largely written in the middle of the paper.

One name was hidden partially by his freakishly long fingers, but the other was quite easy to read.

"Minoru Tanaka"

Ryuk let out a laugh that sounded more of a horse chuckle.

"That was the last human I gave a Death Note too. He gave me some joy and satisfaction; I will not deny that. But his time was short and unfulfilling. He could not satiate my boredom even with his brilliant play with the Death Note. At the end of the day… he was not Kira"

Tucking the Death Note away again, Ryuk turned in earnest and faced Gemu's unsightly happy smile.

"I know what it is that you want Gemu. But you will not find it no matter how long you look"

A rough creaking sound of ruffled feathers surrounded Ryuk as a pair of dark feathered wings sprouted from Shinigami's back.

Taking flight from his plateau, Ryuk gained some distance before Gemu stopped him with a sharp call.

"How about a bet Ryuk"

"Play with me once more. A brand-new game, one of my great design. I'm certain you will find thrilling"

Ryuk seemed annoyed, he let off an obvious groan, but Gemu continued to smile nonetheless.

"One year" he shouted firmly with confidence.

"I promise you in that time you will see a new Kira born from the ashes of his former glory… Imagine it… that feeling once more as the humans clash over the Death Note…"

His smile widened to a great glee as a well of pleasure and joy began bubbling inside.

"It's a game I'm willing to die for!"


Authors Corner;

This here is a section I like to add at the end of every chapter. A little insight to my mind and madness for your entertainment or intrigue.

This is the first Fanfiction I have ever published. I think it's also the second I've written or third. But they were rather terrible first attempts from years ago.

Anyway.

For those who are interested, there are certain rules I follow when writing fanfiction.

1. No breaking continuity: so Light isn't coming back alive, unless used in a flashback.

2. It has to follow the same logic as already established: no new Death Note rules.

3. If using established characters, they must act in the same way as presented originally: I can however slowly change a perspective or behaviour during the course of the story as people can change over time.

4. Oh, and no orgies. Sorry folks.

Now onto the chapter.

For continuity I'm following the timeline provided by the wiki.

It is also the Manga timeline as the years difference between the Manga and Anime is important to my story.

For those who didn't catch the "one-shot" manga reference, the story also takes place after those events, as shown in the date.

Gemu is the first OC introduced in this story (will not be the last).

As an interesting fact, his name according to Google translate is Japanese for Game. Not sure if this is accurate to any translators out there who are not Google, but if it's wrong. Tough, I rather like the name Gemu, it sounds fun to say.

He was also the first character I created for this story and the driving force of inspiration of the plot. More on that in future chapters.

Ryuk was rather difficult to nail down personality wise. I've watched the series and read the manga and I've based his introduction here on his bored personality before he met Light Yagami. A seemingly uninterested Shinigami who is perhaps thinking more behind his soulless eyes.

Anyway, I hoped you enjoyed it so far and would appreciate a comment of support. Hope you enjoy chapter 2 and the rest of the story.

Until next time.