I.
The Third Day
After a few days of boredom - and because he could - when the fuss had begun to die down in the human world, Ryuk did the only thing he could think of.
The eraser was hard and cold, a little uncomfortable in his hand. To be expected; it was anti-death, and he was a shinigami.
Slowly, deliberately, carefully, he rubbed out the characters, one after another.
Y-a-g-a-m-i...L-i-g-h-t.
He smiled. A voice came from over his shoulder, but he didn't even bother turning around.
"Again, Ryuk? Gonna get yourself in trouble! Why bother?"
The light of the portal swallowed him as he leapt forwards, flowed downwards and deposited him in a city. Humans, everywhere - ah, the sounds - the smells! He turned his face upwards, spoke to the shinigami who had questioned him, who could not see him now, anyway.
"Because…it's interesting!"
In the darkness and cold of the morgue, Yagami Light woke suddenly and completely from his death. There was no moment of detachment, no slow descending into the stiff flesh so abruptly abandoned; only - life! Sudden, sharp. His senses returned in a rush, all of them at once; he knew immediately, abruptly, where he was.
For the third time in his experience, he felt terror, a black-out of sensation, his awareness confined to the origin of his fear, the impossibility -
I was dead.
Fact. Yes. He knew, he remembered it, the conversation, the madness, the sudden feeling, the pain - stop.
Or was it - hallucination?
No.
Fact. He had seen the notebook, his name, Ryuk's hand, moving - the letters, English characters, one after another.
He wrote my name. I was dead.
He accepted the fact, registered it, felt his mind beginning to become solid, beginning to come back to him.
I am alive.
Also fact. Interesting - impossible, but, then again, obviously not. Impossible was the hypothesis, and he felt it had been sufficiently disproved, since -
I am in a morgue...
He twitched his toe, felt the string there, knew that if it were possible for him to sit up, he would find his own name on the tag attached to it.
Yes. A third fact. But this last fact was more disturbing even than the first one, because his continued life depended on getting out of this box, quickly - on escaping detection from Near and his co -
No.
It didn't work the first time, and I won't be a fool and try the same plan again. I've just come back from the dead. Surely it was publicized, made known to the people…all my people. So I will let them know of my rebirth.
Yes. He could do that - publicly, quite publicly. There were elements always ready to grab any sort of scandal, always ready to do the bidding of someone with power.
And I have power. Because regardless of anything else, there is always Misa and the contingency plan. She was too devoted to me not to have followed through after my death. It wasn't that complicated…
Carefully, keeping his breathing low, steady, he went over every step of the plan. Yes. She could do it. Would do it. Yes. To be a living god had been his aim; now that he was in possession of life again, it was once again possible. But - he had always known that one day, being human, he would die. It was irritating, an uncomfortable thought that occasionally nagged at him, when he remembered Ryuk's words -
Neither heaven nor hell!
So he had planned, the way he had planned for everything. It had been the only thing that Misa had actually made easier for him - her obsessive love, her devotion, ensured that she would continue his work, his name, in whatever way possible. If he must die, so be it - but at the very least, he had ensured that he would never be forgotten.
Kira will live forever...
Faintly, he heard a noise from outside his cold, silent box, and shut down his thoughts, focused his attention on the tiny sound.
A person. How humiliating, that I have to do something like this...
Best not to think about it.
He took a deep breath, and screamed as loud as he could. Immediately afterward, he heard a huge clatter from outside; metal instruments, medical, probably, tumbling to the floor. He also heard, distinctly, a gasp, an indrawn breath, and then footsteps running in.
Two of them. Hmm…
He banged as much as he could on the inside of his box; the walls were cold to the touch and the sound echoed faintly. He heard low voices approach, hands, undoing clasps, locks, maybe - and then there was light. The voices continued.
"It couldn't be - there's no way -"
"They said this guy was Lord Kira, you heard me, - all whispering, and stuff, you know, like they didn't want anyone to know - and - "
Lord Kira, hmm? Already, fortune favors me. But...not wanting anyone to know...did you think you could cover it up, Near?
"And where did you hear that, is what I'm saying - "
There was a grinding sensation, a sound of metal-on-metal, of moving parts in need of oil, but not quite to the point of squealing. As he slid out into the more open space of the cold room, the lights were intensely bright, but Light fought to keep from blinking, tearing; he closed his eyes calmly, and tried to sit up. He was instantly successful.
Apparently being dead has not harmed my physical well being.
"Lord Kira! I knew you couldn't really be killed - "
'I already told you, this guy is - "
Light focused intently on the doubting man's name badge, while he pretended to shield his face from the lights. He flicked his eyes up to the man's face, and when he spoke it was as if he had known his name all along.
"Your friend is quite correct…Izumi-san."
For a moment, he saw a flicker of fear - that was more than enough. His power was still secure - more secure, once he accomplished his first objective.
Can't have been too long, then.
Immediately after the fear, there was bravado, the many what-if's that must be playing through this man's mind taking over.
"You - you're just a kid, really - "
"Come now; I'm a young man, but I'm definitely a man. And I am Kira."
As if on cue, he felt something touch his hand, hard, sharp corners - too sharp, the edges of something that did not truly belong in this world. He closed his eyes for a moment, heard a sharp gasp from in front of him and blinked them back open. They wouldn't be able to see, so why -
Ah. Of course. To them it must look as if the Death Note appeared out of thin air…and in a way, I suppose it did.
It would be wrong, though, to say that he had not expected it. There was really only one motivator, and one motivation he could see for his resurrection.
Not that I'm the least displeased. Better the devil you know...
He turned slightly to the left, smiled his most slashing smile.
"Hello, Ryuk. Was it really that boring without me?"
"Yo, Light. Hurry up and get yourself out of here, before I change my mind about bringing you back. I want an apple."
"Sure thing, Ryuk…but first -"
The two men, Izumi and the other, the one who was a supporter, were staring at him as if he had lost his mind. Quickly, his fingers lithe, he snatched a pen from Izumi's pocket, flashed through Ryuk's notebook until he came to a blank space. With careless strokes he filled in the names, waited. Izumi died in exactly forty seconds; Light took a step forward, and knelt by the other man - Lin Takari, the name-card said.
"Takari, you, like this man, are a sacrifice in the name of God. I have the power to save you, but you will be my servant, obey my every will."
For a little while…
Light watched the man's eyes travel to the dead body of his friend; unfortunate, that, but necessary - he had seen the notebook, in Light's own hands, no less. He saw the decision he had expected take shape in Takari's eyes.
"Kira-dono, I will willingly serve you. You don't know how many horrible things I have seen, how many bodies of people that shouldn't have died - woman, children - "
His presence suddenly dominating, compelling, masterful, Light stood and stared down at Takari. His eyes were burning coals in a dark face.
"I do know, Takari. Kira knows all the sins of this world…and all the sinners."
"Kira-dono -"
Takari fell forward from his knees so that he was on all fours. Light remained still, accepting the homage that he was due, the very image of a god.
"Ah, you're not even taking a break to celebrate your own personal miracle?"
Ryuk hovered briefly, planted himself so he could look over Light's shoulder.
"Ryuk, you and I both know the reason why you brought me back…although I would be very interested to know how you did it."
"I didn't tell you 'bout the Eraser? Sorry, Light; no promises, you know? I told you that in the beginning! Nothing's changed, you know."
"I know."
It would be worth it, to lose his own Death Note for a while…he had plenty of years stored up, unlike some other lazy fools. And if he found the other one - one of these days, he'd have them both back again. Could be…useful.
He watched Light dominate Takari, his charismatic presence as overwhelming as always - for a human, Light sure was creepy. He had just been dead, and here he was picking up right where he left off.
"Any second thoughts, Light?"
And he could tell, though Light said nothing, what his answer was - by the darkness of his face, by the old, familiar smile.
"Didn't think so. Hey - you're only borrowing my notebook, though, Light - remember that. You better find your own pretty fast -
"Enough for now; we'll talk later."
"Hey! I'm a shinigami, you know. Always dismissing me so lightly -"
"Takari, help me first by getting in touch with the people currently in charge of Sakura Television. Tell them…tell them you have a story that they definitely won't want to miss."
"Oh! You don't want him to know I'm here? Or do you think this human will think you're crazy, Light?"
Light had perfected his technique for double-talk and ignoring the shinigami long before. Ryuk could see in his face which answers were meant for him, and which were for the human.
"Should I go immediately, Kira-dono, or wait until I have finished my shift here?"
"Wait. Draw no attention to yourself. In fifteen days, you will die, Lin Takari - but until then, you are the messenger of my New World."
Ryuk saw awe, wonder, resignation, joy, humility - a lovely mixture of emotions, all flowing around together on this Takari's face.
"Fifteen...fifteen days, Kira-dono. Such a gift..."
"Hu! Light, you're killing this guy and he just thanked you for the gift of his remaining time! What do you feel about that?"
"It's...nothing at all. Nothing at all, Takari."
The man almost scrambled out of the room, and Light turned to face him, the dominating persona fading away.
"So, Ryuk...changed your mind?"
This human!
"You could say that."
I was right!
"Sure. And you know, Ryuk...you really helped me out, there."
"Huh? I killed you, Light, remember? I wrote your name."
"Yes, but it isn't in there now. I checked when I wrote down that Izumi's name. So...is there something you want to tell me, Ryuk?"
Maybe this will be more interesting than before!
Ryuk grinned.
A/N: Ahh, this makes nine, you know. I'm going to kill myself with words, I just know it. Anyway, this is because the end of death note pissed me off ROYALLY...and so, I present my version of the end...or, well, a continuation after the end. This chapter begins only three days after Light has been killed, so if you've read the manga that means pretty much disregard the last...two chapters? ya? Anyway, more soon! Please Review!