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It was one of those things that he didn’t know what had just awoken him, but for some reason here he was. His tired, aching eyes cracked open and stared up at his blackened ceiling. His head whirled with the confusion of just waking after a nice slumber, and his jaw cracked open to let out a tired yawn.
He could hear the distant honk of a horn somewhere, and he shifted onto his side. He could see nothing in the room except blackness, and he pulled his blanket closer to his chin. It was November, and even though the heating was on, naturally Light was still freezing. He made a few incoherent sounds in the back of his throat, trying to settle back into that restful slumber that had previously been occupying his body. But, alas, no matter how many times his eyes fluttered shut Light just could not escape reality.
Which he really deserved to be able to do. School had been so dreadfully boring lately and everyone had been getting on his nerves. Though he never showed this, Light just couldn’t wait to graduate and do something real with his life. He knew all of the material already, the only reason he was forced to stay in school was because of the rules of the world. Who had invented those rules anyway? He just wanted to take the entrance exams.
A chill went up his spine as he felt something crawl up his arm. Oh God, he hoped it wasn’t a bug! He swatted at his arm, but the feeling disappeared as soon as it had come. Hmph. It must have been an itch.
Suddenly, a noise reached Light’s ears that made all of the blood inside of his veins freeze into ice.
Someone had just, quite loudly, cleared their throat.
What the fuck? His eyes flicked over to the clock on his bedside table, and the red glaring numbers told him that it was midnight. Who on earth would be standing in his room at midnight? He knew his father was pulling an overnighter at work, and his mother had gone to bed three hours before he had. And that noise had sounded deep, and grumbly. Say’s voice was much too high-pitched to make that sort of noise.
Light’s body felt as stiff as a board as he felt his wide eyes stare off into nothingness. He so badly wanted to turn around, just to reassure himself that he was imagining things. But, then again, what if he turned around and saw that there was something inside of his room. Should he take that risk? But what could he do now anyway? The only quick get away was his balcony, and he was on the second floor. That really wasn’t a viable escape plan.
And who would be in here anyway? A horrible thought plagued his mind as he realized that it very well could be someone who meant to harm him. His father was the chief of the NPA after all. He put away very dangerous criminals for a living, and what if one of them got out? Would they come to get revenge on him and his family? Wait, how would they even know where he lived?
But maybe this was all madness that his overly-tired brain had simply conjured up. He could’ve been imagining things, because how could someone have gotten into his house without him knowing about it? They had an alarm system after all! No, Light had heard noises in the night and mistakenly assumed it was a person. It was probably the house creaking or the wind whipping, nothing more and nothing less.
“Hey kid? I know you’re awake.”
Light’s short-lived relief was quickly smashed into small pieces that clattered onto his floor. Dear God! That had definitely been a voice. A deep, gravelly, growling voice. Not something he had just imagined!
“M-my father’s a detective.” He whispered, his eyes trained on his blackened wall. Why had he said that? This person probably already knew that, and that was hardly a threat. He wasn’t even home at the moment! No, no this person could skin him alive before his father could even hop back on the train. Light’s hand involuntarily curled as he imagined his family walking into his room the next day only to find his bloodied corpse lying on the floor-
“Okay? I’m not here for him.” The voice uttered, sounding quite annoyed. “I’m here for you.”
Oh fuck a duck! “M-me?” He asked cluelessly, because who would want to sneak into his house to harm him? He was Japan’s brightest student! He didn’t have any enemies, that he knew of, because how could he? He was courteous and a perfect gentleman to everyone he met, he was loved by his community. He wasn’t involved in any-
Oh. Was this some older man that he had meant come back to…take advantage of him? Light shivered and swallowed thickly. He should’ve known this would’ve happened eventually! Why had his fifteen year old self have been so stupid? Sure he was looking for entertainment, but he shouldn’t have done something so risky. He had assumed that because he was the son of the chief of the NPA, that no one would dream of harming him. How could he have been so foolish!?
“You gonna turn around?” The voice laughed, and Light felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand up. “I’m tired of talking to your back.”
“You should leave.” Light told the voice, because it really should. He did not want to see whoever this was, not at all!
“Nah, I don’t think so.” The voice said, and Light’s stomach shrank. “I have a gift for you.”
A what? Was that a euphemism? He did not like the sound of that. “I-I…don’t want a gift.”
Because wasn’t that was abductors told small children right before they bundled them into their white van? Light wasn’t an idiot, if someone had broken into his house in the middle of the night surely the gift they wanted to give him wouldn’t be anything good.
“You’ll like this gift.” The voice told him. “It’s the gift of power.”
What was the voice babbling about? What…what would a gift of power even look like? Light now deduced that he was dealing with a crazy person, and his heart sank even lower. Okay, he had a pocket knife in his desk drawer. He would face this person, and if they attempted to harm him he knew self defense. He would disarm them, and then make a mad dash for his weapon. That was really the only plausible plan he could come up with, because his brain was still foggy with tiredness.
But as he sat up, his insides shriveled and his brain seemingly rocketed straight out of his skull because he simply could not and would not believe what he was seeing. His muscles felt stiff and paralytic, yet his hands were shaking like leaves in the breeze.
For a moment, he wondered if he himself was crazy.
Though it was partially hidden by the shadows, he knew that what he was seeing was not at all human. It was tall, and lanky, and seemed to have wings! He heard the rustling of chains as it lifted a claw up to wave at him, and he opened his mouth to let out a scream-
But in a flash of light, the thing had flown over to him and had clamped it’s claws over his mouth. “Shhhh.” It hissed, raising another claw to it’s blue painted smiling lips. Light blanched as he took in it’s pale, disfigured face and blood red irises that swam in the middle of yellowish orbs. “You gotta be quiet, Light-o.”
And it knew his name? Well, of course it knew his name, it was the devil! Light swallowed thickly, closing his eyes because he couldn’t bear to look into the demon’s any longer. What on earth was happening? Light wasn’t superstitious, he didn’t believe in ghosts….so HOW was he seeing this thing? He felt his heart thundering loudly inside of his ribcage and he swallowed thick bile climbing up into his throat.
This…was a dream. It simply must be a dream! He was so exhausted that he was having a very realistic nightmare, he knew he shouldn’t of drank soda before bed! It was all of the sugar going to his head and polluting his mind, that must be it. Because how else would he be able to see a demon? Those didn’t exist!
But why did his claws feel so cold against his mouth. Light opened his eyes wide to see that the thing was now staring down at him with a bemused expression as he let his claws slowly fall away from the other’s face. Light rubbed his jaw, and shrank back as far as his wall would let him. He pinched himself, but he must be very deep in the throes of sleep because he didn’t wake.
“This is a dream.” He uttered, his voice catching in his throat, because he had to believe that. The demon let out a harsh cackle that seemed to shake the walls, destroying the small amount of courage that Light had built up, as he saw his gleaming white fangs glisten in the soft moonlight spilling through his blinds.
“This isn’t a dream.” The demon corrected him, and Light furiously shook his head.
“Of course you would deny this is a dream. You don’t want me to be self-aware.” Light bit out, because he wasn’t going to believe anything out of this cursed being’s mouth.
“Humans are so…interesting.” The thing breathed, and Light felt his mouth go dry. “You aren’t even going to ask who I am?”
“Satan?” Light bit out, ignoring the way his stomach was curling in on itself. He thought he felt the faintest sheen of sweat coat his face, and he hoped that it wouldn’t sully his complexion. Why wasn’t he waking up?
“I am the shinigami Ryuk.” Shinigami? Light would have laughed if he didn’t know fear for his life. Gods…of death? Grim reapers? Was his soul about to be taken? For what? He had the strongest urge to bolt away, because he hadn’t done anything to deserve death. He was only seventeen, he hadn’t of even graduated high school yet!
“Are…” He swallowed, hating the way his voice cracked. “Are you going to take my soul?”
‘Huh?” Ryuk frowned, looking around the room curiously. “Where did that come from? Oh. Well, I suppose I do look like a creature who would do that sort of thing…but that’s not what I came here for.”
“W-what did you come here for then?” Light whispered, afraid of the demon’s answer. Whatever it had come here for, it couldn’t be for anything good.
“I have been watching you.” Ryuk nodded, and Light felt his heart rate drop to below zero beats per minute. Well, THAT wasn’t unsettling at all! What the hell? Was he safe from no ones watchful eyes? And…how many other beings watched him without his knowledge. He felt slightly sick knowing that if Ryuk hadn’t of made himself know, Light wouldn’t have been any the wiser.
But he shouldn’t worry, because this was a dream.
“I’ve seen how passionate you are about justice.” Ryuk murmured, his claws brushing a piece of Light’s hair away from his forehead. “I saw you, with all of your other little humans, in school. And you were talking about Justice! And you were so passionate…and it got me thinking. I started observing you, and I noticed how smart you were. I think you would be a perfect person to hold onto this Death Note.”
Light tiredly rubbed at his eyes and watched as Ryuk pulled a black notebook from underneath his wings. He held it out to him, but all Light could do was stare at the thing. A Death…what? A chill went up his spine as the thing was waved in front of his face.
Okay, he was for sure dreaming.
“What is that?” Light mumbled tiredly. Yes, he really should’ve been feeling fear. he should have been screaming and running for his life. But it was like seeing a dead bug. It was jarring at first, but you knew that it wouldn’t hurt you. Since this was all occurring inside of his mind, neither Ryuk nor this ‘Death Note’ could hurt him.
“A Death Note is what us shinigami use to take lives.” Light’s stomach dropped out onto the floor. What? “You simply write the name of the human who you want to die and, with their face in mind, they’ll die from a heart attack in forty seconds if the cause of death is not specified.”
“You’re kidding?” Light asked flatly, though there was a certain tremor inside of his voice. Writing someone’s name down would cause death? No, that was ludicrous. That was insane and why would this demon think he would believe a story as fantastical as that. Furthermore, why would his mind come up with this sick idea.
Dreams were thought to be the mind’s way of teaching one a lesson. What lesson was he supposed to learn from this? That killing was bad? Obviously he knew that! His father was the chief of police, he was a smart boy. He was not about to become a murderer, so why would his mind allow him to dream up this scenario? This was more confusing than the dream he had had about being trapped inside of a beehive.
“Try it and see for yourself.” Ryuk urged, and Light slowly shook his head.
Because…what if it did work? Then he would be a killer! And even if he thought about it, that would make him just as horrible. Light detested murderers, all criminals in general, so he certainly wasn’t about to become one!
“No.”
“No?” Ryuk parroted, his red eyes bulging out of his skull. “But…I don’t understand?”
Really? “I’m not a murderer.”
“But you could kill anyone you wanted to!” Ryuk ordered. “You’re in favor of the death penalty, right? So how is this any different? You could kill the bad guys, wouldn’t that be fun?”
Light cursed himself for playing devil’s advocate in class. “That’s because there are laws in place to determine if someone should pay for their crime with death.” Light sighed, so this dream was some morality lesson? “One human alone should not be allowed to take other’s lives into their hands like that. And…and I don’t even fully believe in the death penalty! While I think it’s necessary in some cases, I think sometimes humans should be given the punishment of forever living with their sins..” Why was he babbling? And more importantly, why wasn’t the dream over? Hadn’t he of learned his lesson yet? But Ryuk just continued to stare at him with glowing eyes, so Light slumped back down into his bed.
“So…there’s no one you’d want to kill?” The shinigami asked again, and Light resisted the urge to pull the comforter over his head and suffocate himself.
“No thank you.”
“Come on!” Ryuk groaned, and Light heard a thump. Opening his eyes, he saw that the Death Note had been thrown onto his pillow right next to his head. He quickly scrambled up, because he didn’t want that anywhere near him! No matter if it was a joke or not, it was just morbid.
“Why are you doing this?” Light demanded. “I-I don’t want to kill anyone!”
“Not even the bullies at your school?” Ryuk pressed. “No even those men who grab at you while your soul frowns?”
Oh, God. Light almost hissed, and rolled his tired amber eyes. So this dream demon was trying to punish him for his mistakes?
“No.” He ground out, ignoring the glimmer in his soul that told him he would like to see those people dead. because, that was immoral. The world thrived on goodness, and death was the opposite. “Leave me alone.”
“But I came all the way down here.” Ryuk griped, throwing his claws up. “And I am not going back to the shinigami realm.”
The what? Light’s ears must still be clogged with sleep, because did he just hear something about a realm? Oh, what will his brain come up with next? “W-why…not?”
“It’s dreadfully boring.” Ryuk sighed obnoxiously. “The king is such a tyra….erm, strong leader that it gets on my nerves.” He laughed awkwardly, looking around the room as if at any moment someone will smite him. Light watches, flabbergasted. “I came down to earth to have some entertainment, and I demand that you give me some! I am a god, and you shall obey me.”
“You’re a vision in my dream.” Light said shortly, plopping back down onto the bed.
“This isn’t a dream!” Ryuk argues, and Light just bats the sound away with his hand because it obviously is. “Just use it…once? twice? Maybe three times?”
“I won’t.” Light retorts, noticing that the foregone object is still nestled right next to him on his pillow. Gingerly, he picks it up between his pointer finger and thumb, as if it is a deadly piece of toxic waste that he must dispose of with haste. It felt warm, and comfortable inside of his hand. Almost if it was meant to live there. And it felt….so real. Light could feel his eyes widening as he continued to stare at it.
But he would never kill. He simply wasn’t a murderer. So he threw the book across the room, ignoring Ryuk’s indignant gasp. He also ignored the crashing noise that sounded much too real. “I won’t become a killer, Ryuk. I want to become a detective, and detectives have to be honorable and pure-hearted.” *Like L.* He added, silently.
Ever since he was twelve, and he had seen that the great detective L had solved the horrible L.A.B.B. murder case, he had wanted to be a detective. Sure, he had always wanted to catch criminals and serve justice before because of what his father did. His first memory was riding in the back of a police car, after all. But L…the man’s, er, person’s legacy was incredible. L was the World’s Greatest Detective! L caught every degenerate, every horrible person on earth. L could solve any case in existence, and Light wanted to have that kind of power.
And, secretly, he had helped L before. His father didn’t know this, but sometimes he would hack into his files to leave notes on the cases he was working on. That’s how many of the cases in the past had been solved, by Light’s observations and hunches. L had been working with his father on a murder case, and Light had left a clue about who he had thought had done it. Well, it turned out he had been right. Plus, he had helped his father with a few petty robbery and insurance fraud cases before, so it really wasn’t too terrible. It was only because of his age that he wasn’t allowed to work on real cases. He knew he was smart enough, anyway.
Reek’s face crumpled as he snatched up the notebook, and he pointed a long talon in Light’s direction. “Fine. But you will use the Death Note Light, mark my words. I see something inside of you…I’ll convince you. Don’t worry, you haven’t seen the last of me.”
Light frowned, what the hell did that mean?
But suddenly, he blinked, and stared around his empty room. What the hell? Hadn’t he just of been sleeping? He had the strangest sensation inside of himself, like something awful had just happened. It clawed and ate at his stomach and he shivered.
He must have woken up from a nightmare, he decided, because there was nothing amiss inside of his room. Oh well, he was still incredibly tired, so he snuggled back under the covers.
Since the demon had erased his memories, he didn’t hear the ruthless cackling coming from outside of his window.