Notes:
This is in progress.
Yes, his name is supposed to be omitted in this chapter.
This is alternate universe style, with both Death Note and Kingdom Hearts canon. Hopefully.
The full Death Note cast will be in this as the full Kingdom Hearts cast. Liberally, with artistic opinions of course.
This will be different...

They say good stories don't need introductions.

Here's to hoping this is one of them.

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Famous Last Words:

"It seemed like a good idea at the time."

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Prologue – Sleeping to Wake

"… forward. Can you do it?"

Groggy eyes fluttered. He felt like he had fell out of a thirty story building. He achingly rubbed his dark eyes. A second later his eyes snapped open, detective's mind reeling. He seemed to be on a darkened, stained-glass platform, and a disembodied voice was speaking to him. This was not a good way to start a day. It figured, that when he actually chose to sleep, something like this would happen.

He felt, more than anything, the voice waiting. He pulled his memory. What had it said?

"Take a step forward. Can you do it?"

He cautiously crept into a crouch, bare feet finding purchase on the cool glass, before slowly standing in a defensive posture. He looked around, seeing nothing but darkness, then slowly stepped forward. A door appeared. He blinked.

He knew he wasn't sleeping; his analytical mind had deduced that at least. But what he was… experiencing… was defying logic. He needed more facts. He approached the door, ornate, ancient-looking, and almost glowing. Slowly, he placed his hand on it.

"The time you have to open the door is not quite yet."

Light, brighter than anything before flashed. He winced, bringing a hand up to shield his eyes but the light had already faded, leaving a single quiet office. With three associates in it that should have been dead. They stood, blank, silent. He stared, not so willing to do the same. He approached the only male of the three.

His voice, when it came was soft and careful, questioning, "Aiber…?"

"What do you want out of life?" Aiber's bored voice droned, sounding much as he did in life.

The detective took a moment to blink again. Places that defy logic and physics – possibly the space-time continuum, apparitions of dead people, and now nonsensical questions. He might have been originally wrong. This was seeming more and more like a waking dream. His dead associate must have decided he had waited long enough; he repeated the question.

Fine, the detective thought, we'll see where this game takes us.

"I want the peace achieved by justice."

Aiber smiled, just slightly, before his gaze went blank and his eyes took on a dead quality. The shaggy-haired detective grew cold. Next to him, not allowing him a moment, Wedy spoke, eyes mischievous over her dark glasses.

"What's most important to you?"

His mouth formed syllables before he could think them over. "Winning."

She laughed, musically, for a fraction of a second before the light left her eyes as well. He paused, then. He did not want to see this happen to the next person. Again. Yet behind him, her confident voice spoke.

"L."

He turned slowly, eyes wide, as if his only known name was a spell to draw him there.

"Naomi…san."

She smiled warmly, if a bit sadly. "L… what do you fear?"

"Naomi-san…?"

The dark-haired woman shook her head slowly. "I don't make the rules, L. Don't let our memories be used against you. I have confidence in you… that you can do this. You can succeed where others haven't. Don't mind us… what's left of us anyway." She smiled again. "We make our own destiny.

"What do you fear, L?"

This was a dream, he thought. Speaking words would not condemn her to die again. She was already dead. This was a dream.

He had to believe that. Curiosity wouldn't allow him to not answer the question.

"What do you fear?"

He looked at her, still smiling with the utmost faith in him. He memorized her features.

"A meaningless existence."

Her eyes widened slightly. "L…." And then that world shattered. He barely heard a voice murmuring in the background.

"The day you will open the door is both far off and very near."

He was focused on the object Naomi had pressed into his hands as the world she was in fell apart. Reality remade itself and he found himself on stained glass again. In his hands lay a glass strawberry on a chain. His mind sparked a minute; before his stomach caught on that it wasn't edible. He clutched it tightly, head bowed in remembrance.

A light shone down from a far-off place at the edge of the platform. The detective shuffled towards it, the charm in his hand pulsing slowly. He peered upward through messy dark hair. Like a spotlight, the light enveloped him. It was almost… entrancing. The disembodied voice rang out again.

"The closer you get to light, the greater your shadow becomes."

More nonsense, he thought, sliding his gaze to either side cautiously. A prickle started at his spine and he twisted around, bringing him inches away from his own features, drained of life and darkened. Sharp wings jutted from his… its shoulder blades. It raised a hand as if in greeting, and smiled as the detective never would in real life, showing viciously sharp teeth. Something twisted in the detective's stomach. Without understanding why, he knew this thing was wrong. The charm burned in his hand and the figure's eyes glowed gold.

"There will be times you have to fight. Keep your light burning strong."

Without warning the charm shifted, lengthening and solidifying all at once. One second there was a glass strawberry charm, and the next there was some kind of… sword?... key?... made of something resembling metal. A large skeleton key, he decided, silver with a blue… hilt? He took a moment to look it over. Was he expected him to fight his double? It wasn't like he was an expert in swordsmanship… He glanced up to see his shadow blurring, growing larger, thicker….

"But don't be afraid."

He took a step back, again noticing that there was nothing around the platform but darkness. The thing was growing larger still. Afraid? No, he was just filled with how ridiculous this was. He was being threatened by a giant shadow on a glass platform with an oversized key as a weapon. There had to be some way to escape this.

The thing solidified, as much as shadows can. It was bulkier, with spikes for hair, and had larger wings and clawed fingers. Oh, and it was about sixty feet tall. The detective grimaced. It figured.

"And don't forget…"

The thing slammed its arm forward. The detective did a back flip, landing in a crouch two feet from where its hand was embedded. Darkness pooled around it. He decided this wasn't a good sign.

Its eyes watched him, focused on him, as the other hand shot out, much too fast. Instinctively he brought his arms, and by chance the blade, up to shield his face, closing his eyes. A second later, he skidded backwards, bare feet burning as he was pushed by the force of the blow. He opened his eyes in something akin to amazement. The key had stopped the fist from crushing him. The giant pushed harder but the blade held.

To the side, there was suddenly movement, as the pooled darkness thickened into tentacles and whipped towards the detective. He had no time to react before they twined about him, sheathing his body tightly. For the first time panic graced his features and he struggled helplessly. The strange blade pinned against him vanished.

"…But don't be afraid."

The floor had vanished, the liquid dark encompassing everything around him. He jerked his head up to meet the behemoth's shinning gaze as the shadows closed over his head.

So don't forget:

You are the one… who will open the door.