A/N April 01, 2011
Before anyone reads this, I strongly recognize that the characters in this fanfiction are Mary-Sues-THAT'S WHY I'M REWRITING THIS. This story was first uploaded ages ago, and I didn't plan it well enough initially. That's why it says that it's discontinued in the description. And, again, that's why it's being rewritten. And before you flame, at least read to the end of the damned story, where my Author Note that this annoys even me happens to be, you know? Also, anonymous flames, are going to be deleted without mercy on this fan fiction. Seriously, if you're going to flame a discontinued story, at least have the balls to log in so I can reply to you and explain to you that yeah, this story sucks and I'm rewriting it for that very reason. The only reason that I left this story up is more or less out of courtesy to my readers. Once the rewrite is finished, or at least catches up, this one is going to be taken down.

If you want to review this story, I would strongly prefer that you review the rewrite. It's easy enough to find. Go to my profile, go to my stories, and click on The King's Note (rewrite). If you're going to flame anything, flame that. It's a much more recent sample of my writing, and even I cringe when I read this version now. Flaming a story discontinued because I myself decided that it needed work is pointless and, frankly, quite stupid. Don't make yourself look dumb.

I would again like to stress that any anonymous flames to this fanfiction will be deleted. I normally appreciate flames. I appreciate everyone's opinions. But in this case, it's just annoying. Now, any non-anonymous flamers, I wouldn't delete your reviews even if I could; I will reply and explain that I have a rewrite because I thought all of the same things about this version that you did, if you didn't bother reading this author note but still took time out of your schedule to write a twenty-paragraph flame. I'll even be polite about it. But I'm not going to put up with cowards. If you're going to flame, if you're going to review at all, then take the time to log in. I'd love to hear your opinions, and I'd love to discuss them with you via PM. If you review anonymously, then I can't really do that.

I'm sorry if I seem a bit bitchy right now. But anonymous flames are sort of a pet peeve of mine. I'm always looking to improve, so if there's no way for me to discuss it with you, or to agree with you and direct you to my improved (or so I believe) rewrite, I get a little pissed off. So please, please, please, if you're going to flame, log in. If you don't have an account, make one. If you don't want to make an account, then don't bother flaming this version of this story, because I'm not going to bother leaving your review up. I do hope that's clear enough.

That's pretty much all. Again, very sorry if I seem bitchy at the moment. I just woke up and feel like crap, and I hope you can forgive me. Honestly, I would prefer new readers didn't read this version at all. Seriously, go to my profile, go to my stories, and check out the rewrite. Because any further opinions on this version, I really don't care about them, because my opinion of it is already low enough to account for any flame you can toss at me. And now, I'm off to work on the rewrite.

Adieu, friends, fans, and flamers.
Comma

I figure it's safest to do a disclaimer so I don't get sued at any point in time. I do not own the rights to any Death Note characters, I just love the manga and I felt like rewriting it. Reviews would be very much appreciated :)

Katherine Lynton hadn't been the girl's name at the orphanage. She practically never had a name. It had always just been Jane Doe. Because she was still a newborn baby when her parents had left her in front of the door of an old apartment building, she had no name. There were not many records of a birth of a child matching her description in any local hospitals, either. The ones that did fit her description were all safe and sound with their parents, and she was the one who had no family. She wasn't sure she wanted to know a pair of parents who were willing to leave their child in front of an apartment building on one of the most dangerous streets in that town.

Katherine had seen it fit to get out of her orphanage when she turned fourteen. She was dead tired of being picked on by everyone. She had always been an independent rule breaker, from the time she was old enough to walk. She had broken the biggest rule of all by running away from the orphanage and making it to the other side of the country. They would never find her, she was sure of it, especially not with her new name and identity. Even though she was so young, her three closest friends were basically crooks, ones who specialized in identity fraud and had helped hook her up with a new life. She spent a lot of her time in her small countryside home, and she liked it there. She took a shopping trip once a week to stock up on soda and junk food and microwavable meals to live off of. It was a year following her move that she had come across something interesting in her driveway.

Lying in the middle of her cobblestone driveway was a black notebook. She looked at it curiously as she walked up her driveway to her mailbox. She picked it up and read two words on its black cover: Death Note. That was definitely interesting. Also, it was completely empty. That was very curious. She took it to the mailbox with her, where she checked and found nothing. She took the notebook back into her house and sat on her couch.

This is definitely strange, Katherine thought to herself as she flipped it over in her hands. Death Note? Is that some kind of joke? What does it mean? Hmm. It's a nice notebook, anyway, and nothing's ever been written in it. I doubt anyone'll miss – what in the name of God is that?

Katherine had looked up from the notebook to see the strangest creature standing in front of her. She gulped as she stared wide-eyed at it. It stood seven, maybe eight feet tall. It was entirely white and sort of boney. Its lips were purplish, and so were the tips of its hair. It was a strange looking thing, even though it was somewhat humanoid. She tilted her head, wondering if it was going to speak at all. When she decided only a moment later that it probably wouldn't, she saved it the trouble.

"Who're you?" she asked it curiously.

"My name is Rem," it said. "I am a Shinigami."

"That's interesting…" Katherine said, quite unnerved. "So, what's a Shinigami?" She looked down at the notebook before it could answer, and she spoke again. "Did you drop this by some chance? It was just lying in my driveway."

"It's been lying there for hours, apparently. I didn't drop it, another of my kind did. Shinigami are reapers. The one who dropped that was our king, who rarely leaves our world."

"Cool," she said, nodding. She laughed nervously. "Did you come to kill me and get it back?"

"No," Rem said. "The human who picks up a Death Note becomes the owner of that note." Seeing the still confused look on Katherine's face, it continued. "A Death Note is what Shinigami use to take lives. When you write a name in that note while picturing that person's face, it kills them. If you write the cause of death within forty seconds, that person will die of that cause. Once you have written the cause, you may also write details of the death within the following six minutes and forty seconds."

"So I can kill people with this, just by writing their name?"

"Yes. If you write only the name, they die of a heart attack in forty seconds."

"Wow," Katherine said, looking at the notebook. She set it down on the coffee table in front of the sofa she was seated on. She shifted nervously. "Can other people see you?"

"Only those who touch that Death Note or my Death Note. If you had picked up mine, you would only be able to see me. However, because that belonged to our king, you can see us all."

"Huh."

"You seem very accepting of all of this. More than most humans."

"I've been interested in supernatural things since I was really young," she said, looking at the notebook. "Besides, what point would I make by denying something that's standing in front of me?

"So… what… exactly… no…" She shook her head, and then looked at Rem. "How do you know peoples' names to write them down?"

"Shinigami can see peoples' names and how long they have left to live."

"Can you see mine?"

"I'm not allowed to tell you what it is unless you already know."

She sighed. "That's no good."

"However, you can make a trade. You can trade your eyes for Shinigami eyes –"

"So I could see my name when I look in the mirror?"

"But there would be a price to pay. Half of the remaining years of your life."

"No!" Katherine said. "I'm not stupid, I don't have a death wish, and I'm not suicidal, thank you!" She lay down on her couch and continued to look at Rem. "So I can see all of your kind?"

"In the human world."

"That's interesting. And what would happen if I lost the note?"

"Nothing. If you forfeit it, however, by giving it back to a Shinigami in this world, then you will forget ever owning it. Do you wish to do so?"

"I…"

Katherine thought seriously about it. For what her parents had done to her… but could she really kill someone? Killing was wrong, there was no doubt about that, but she could have died with what they did to her. Eye for an eye; that was always her belief…. So it wouldn't be so bad, not as bad as if she did it unprovoked. She didn't know their names yet. She would forfeit the note as soon as she knew their names and their faces, then. That would be fine.

"No," Katherine said. "It could come in handy for me."

"There is one other rule unique to this note," Rem said. "I'll tell you that one before I leave. Most Shinigami don't even have this power. If you write a name on a page of the note and then burn it, then that person cannot be killed by any other Death Note. That is one rule you may not tell any other Death Note owner, if you ever meet one. Most people who possess a Death Note will be followed by the Shinigami who dropped it. However, because of this circumstance, that won't be the case. You will not be followed. You will be able to hear and see all other Shinigami in the world, but they will not know you can see or hear them unless you tell them you can, unless they already know who you are. Also, don't think that a human who writes a name in the Death Note can ever go to Heaven or Hell. When you die, you'll be left in an eternal nothingness."

"Cool," Katherine said with a nervous laugh.

"As I said, I will not be following you because that note does not belong to me. So, for now, goodbye."

"Bye, Rem," she said, waving as she watched it spread a pair of wings and fly upward, then straight through the ceiling. Katherine looked back down at the Death Note. She laughed a little. "So now I'm going insane. That's great."

Katherine tucked her hands behind her head as she lay on the couch. If she had imagined the winged thing, then there was no point in worrying about it. She couldn't see any other logical explanation to explain why it had been there. It would take another three years before she knew the truth behind the creature's existence.

I figure it's safest to do a disclaimer so I don't get sued at any point in time. I do not own the rights to any Death Note characters, I just love the manga and I felt like rewriting it. Reviews would be very much appreciated :)

Katherine Lynton hadn't been the girl's name at the orphanage. She practically never had a name. It had always just been Jane Doe. Because she was still a newborn baby when her parents had left her in front of the door of an old apartment building, she had no name. There were not many records of a birth of a child matching her description in any local hospitals, either. The ones that did fit her description were all safe and sound with their parents, and she was the one who had no family. She wasn't sure she wanted to know a pair of parents who were willing to leave their child in front of an apartment building on one of the most dangerous streets in that town.

Katherine had seen it fit to get out of her orphanage when she turned fourteen. She was dead tired of being picked on by everyone. She had always been an independent rule breaker, from the time she was old enough to walk. She had broken the biggest rule of all by running away from the orphanage and making it to the other side of the country. They would never find her, she was sure of it, especially not with her new name and identity. Even though she was so young, her three closest friends were basically crooks, ones who specialized in identity fraud and had helped hook her up with a new life. She spent a lot of her time in her small countryside home, and she liked it there. She took a shopping trip once a week to stock up on soda and junk food and microwavable meals to live off of. It was a year following her move that she had come across something interesting in her driveway.

Lying in the middle of her cobblestone driveway was a black notebook. She looked at it curiously as she walked up her driveway to her mailbox. She picked it up and read two words on its black cover: Death Note. That was definitely interesting. Also, it was completely empty. That was very curious. She took it to the mailbox with her, where she checked and found nothing. She took the notebook back into her house and sat on her couch.

This is definitely strange, Katherine thought to herself as she flipped it over in her hands. Death Note? Is that some kind of joke? What does it mean? Hmm. It's a nice notebook, anyway, and nothing's ever been written in it. I doubt anyone'll miss – what in the name of God is that?

Katherine had looked up from the notebook to see the strangest creature standing in front of her. She gulped as she stared wide-eyed at it. It stood seven, maybe eight feet tall. It was entirely white and sort of boney. Its lips were purplish, and so were the tips of its hair. It was a strange looking thing, even though it was somewhat humanoid. She tilted her head, wondering if it was going to speak at all. When she decided only a moment later that it probably wouldn't, she saved it the trouble.

"Who're you?" she asked it curiously.

"My name is Rem," it said. "I am a Shinigami."

"That's interesting…" Katherine said, quite unnerved. "So, what's a Shinigami?" She looked down at the notebook before it could answer, and she spoke again. "Did you drop this by some chance? It was just lying in my driveway."

"It's been lying there for hours, apparently. I didn't drop it, another of my kind did. Shinigami are reapers. The one who dropped that was our king, who rarely leaves our world."

"Cool," she said, nodding. She laughed nervously. "Did you come to kill me and get it back?"

"No," Rem said. "The human who picks up a Death Note becomes the owner of that note." Seeing the still confused look on Katherine's face, it continued. "A Death Note is what Shinigami use to take lives. When you write a name in that note while picturing that person's face, it kills them. If you write the cause of death within forty seconds, that person will die of that cause. Once you have written the cause, you may also write details of the death within the following six minutes and forty seconds."

"So I can kill people with this, just by writing their name?"

"Yes. If you write only the name, they die of a heart attack in forty seconds."

"Wow," Katherine said, looking at the notebook. She set it down on the coffee table in front of the sofa she was seated on. She shifted nervously. "Can other people see you?"

"Only those who touch that Death Note or my Death Note. If you had picked up mine, you would only be able to see me. However, because that belonged to our king, you can see us all."

"Huh."

"You seem very accepting of all of this. More than most humans."

"I've been interested in supernatural things since I was really young," she said, looking at the notebook. "Besides, what point would I make by denying something that's standing in front of me?

"So… what… exactly… no…" She shook her head, and then looked at Rem. "How do you know peoples' names to write them down?"

"Shinigami can see peoples' names and how long they have left to live."

"Can you see mine?"

"I'm not allowed to tell you what it is unless you already know."

She sighed. "That's no good."

"However, you can make a trade. You can trade your eyes for Shinigami eyes –"

"So I could see my name when I look in the mirror?"

"But there would be a price to pay. Half of the remaining years of your life."

"No!" Katherine said. "I'm not stupid, I don't have a death wish, and I'm not suicidal, thank you!" She lay down on her couch and continued to look at Rem. "So I can see all of your kind?"

"In the human world."

"That's interesting. And what would happen if I lost the note?"

"Nothing. If you forfeit it, however, by giving it back to a Shinigami in this world, then you will forget ever owning it. Do you wish to do so?"

"I…"

Katherine thought seriously about it. For what her parents had done to her… but could she really kill someone? Killing was wrong, there was no doubt about that, but she could have died with what they did to her. Eye for an eye; that was always her belief…. So it wouldn't be so bad, not as bad as if she did it unprovoked. She didn't know their names yet. She would forfeit the note as soon as she knew their names and their faces, then. That would be fine.

"No," Katherine said. "It could come in handy for me."

"There is one other rule unique to this note," Rem said. "I'll tell you that one before I leave. Most Shinigami don't even have this power. If you write a name on a page of the note and then burn it, then that person cannot be killed by any other Death Note. That is one rule you may not tell any other Death Note owner, if you ever meet one. Most people who possess a Death Note will be followed by the Shinigami who dropped it. However, because of this circumstance, that won't be the case. You will not be followed. You will be able to hear and see all other Shinigami in the world, but they will not know you can see or hear them unless you tell them you can, unless they already know who you are. Also, don't think that a human who writes a name in the Death Note can ever go to Heaven or Hell. When you die, you'll be left in an eternal nothingness."

"Cool," Katherine said with a nervous laugh.

"As I said, I will not be following you because that note does not belong to me. So, for now, goodbye."

"Bye, Rem," she said, waving as she watched it spread a pair of wings and fly upward, then straight through the ceiling. Katherine looked back down at the Death Note. She laughed a little. "So now I'm going insane. That's great."

Katherine tucked her hands behind her head as she lay on the couch. If she had imagined the winged thing, then there was no point in worrying about it. She couldn't see any other logical explanation to explain why it had been there. It would take another three years before she knew the truth behind the creature's existence.