-- I've had this rattling around my brain for a couple weeks now, and after discussing possible plot lines with several people I've finally hammered out (sort of) and decent plot line for this idea.

It's been fortunate that we've been really slow at work the past two days so I could start writing... but once the Nazis take over the warehouse I'll be reduced to writing only during lunches... or at home since I'll have less hours .;;;

Btw, I'm totally dedicating this story to Windy-sama cause she's really helped me get back into writing. Bless her.--

Chapter One

In a dissolute, barren land a dark figure sat watching. It was the same thing day after day, nothing ever changed. Figures were scattered over the land, gambling or wandering around like mindless drones.

The Shinigami Realm had become pointless, boring, particularly to one Death God, by the name of Ryuk.

"Two death's heads," said one of the two shinigami sitting closest to Ryuk, "I win again."

"It's been five days now," Ryuk said to himself standing up, "Bout time I got going."

"Hm, where you off too, Ryuk?" the second shinigami asked.

"Anyplace you go around here its all barren anyways, hee hee," said the first.

"I dropped my Death Note," Ryuk said, walking past the two.

"Whoops! You really screwed up man!" laughed the first one.

"So you got any idea where you dropped it?" asked the second.

"Yeah," Ryuk said without breaking stride, "The Human World."

"What!?" the two shinigami exclaimed in unison.

Ryuk walked away from them without another word. After all, it was no accident he dropped the Death Note, he was bored with the monotonous of the Shinigami Realm and perhaps the Human World would prove more... interesting.

Down a long staircase Ryuk found himself at the entrance to the Human World. He couldn't wait to see who had picked up the Death Note...

--(--)--

Five Days Earlier

It was an unusually dreary day. Thick gray clouds fell over the Domino sky, ones that threatened to rain at any second. It was cold for what should have been a nice spring day and Yugi Motou was glad to be in class on a day like this.

He stared absentmindedly out the window as the teacher drawled on. Out of the corner of his eye he saw something small and black seem to fall out of the sky. He quickly glanced over and saw laying on the ground was...

"A notebook?" he said quietly to himself.

Before his thoughts could pursue it further the bell signaling the end of class rang. Yugi quickly gathered up this books and filed out of the room with the rest if his classmates.

It was the end of the day so Yugi followed the flow of students into the depressing outside air. He glanced around, a bolt of lightening shot through the air as his deep purple eyes fell on the black notebook. Almost instantly it started to rain, downpour. Yugi's gaze stayed on the notebook as he walked up to it. It laid on the pavement undisturbed because everyone around it was now running for cover from the sudden storm.

Everyone except Yugi.

Stopping, he reached down and grasped the notebook in his hand. It seemed just like a normal notebook, but it had such a strong presence to it. He flipped it over and saw written on the front:

Death Note.

He blinked curiously at it as his yami stirred in the back of his mind.

"Hey Yug'!"

Yugi's head shot up. He saw Jounouchi waving at him from his car.

"What are you doing standing there getting soaked?" the blonde laughed, "Come on!"

"Ok!" Yugi called back, shoving the notebook into his bag and running to the car.

"Crazy weather we're having," he said as he got into the car.

"No doubt," Jounouchi said as they drove away.

--(--)--

"Grandpa! I'm home!" Yugi said as he arrived at the Turtle Game Shop later that night.

"Ah, Yugi! You're home late," Grandpa Motou said.

"Oh, yeah, I went over to Jou's after school. You know how he gets in this weather," Yugi sighed, "Sorry I forgot to call."

"Ho ho! That's fine, my boy!" Grandpa Motou laughed.

"He's gotten a lot better at Duel Monsters though, Grandpa," Yugi said as he reached the stairs that lead to the second floor and house of the game shop, "He might even be better then me someday."

"I doubt that, Yugi, I doubt that," mused the old man.

"Oh, Grandpa," Yugi shook his head before climbing the stairs to his room.

The room was dark when he entered. He flicked on a light and flopped down on his bed, enjoying the peaceful sound of the rain trickling down his window. It was only then that he remembered the black notebook in his school bag.

"Death note..." he repeated to himself. Curiosity got the better of him and he jumped up, grabbing the Death Note from his bag. He sat on his bed examining it, running his hand over the front cover. It was just a normal notebook.

He flipped it open and written on the inside cover were a set of instructions:

How to Use

The human whose name is written in this note will die.

This note will not take effect unless the writer has the persons face in their mind when writing his/her name. Therefor, people with the same name will not be affected.

If the cause of death is written within 40 seconds of writing the persons name, it will happen.

After writing the cause of death details of the death should be written in the next 6 minutes and 40 seconds.

"A notebook that kills?" Yugi asked out loud, "What a joke."

"It could be real, Aibou." said a deep voice from beside him. Yugi didn't even make any notice to the fact that there was now an older version of himself sitting next to him on the bed. By now he was quite used to his darker half materializing out of no where.

"That's impossible," Yugi commented, thumbing through the pages of the Death Note.

"There are some who would probably believe the Millennium Items are impossible too," the spirit said.

"But, other me, this is different," Yugi argued, "the Items were made a long time ago, this is probably just something the goth kids started for fun."

"Are they the pale ones with the crazy hair?"

"Yup," Yugi closed the Death Note, looking at the cover one last time, "I know! I'll show it to Ryou at school Monday, he's all over this kind of stuff."

"Let him see it, but don't give it to him," the spirit said as Yugi slipped the Death Note back into his bag, "Just in case."

"If you insist, silly pants."

The spirit glanced grimly at the bag before returning to his soul room for the night.